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"Oscar?" I call out again, cringing at the sound of my strained voice.

The ceiling lights suddenly lose their life, enveloping the entire house with the darkness that comes after the sun has set. The moon's light weakly shines from behind me where I had left the front door ajar. Its faintness barely reaching the edge of where the horror in my house began. The feelings of loneliness and worry tug at my heartstrings.

Shaking back to reality, my hands instantly go to the closest wall, feeling the thin wallpaper for the light switches that would somehow save me from the that darkness surrounds me. It nearly consumes me, filling my veins with fear and utter terror. Who the hell did this? And then the real question came to mind— are they still here?

My fingers shake and I suddenly feel the plastic outline of the switch and I hurriedly flip it upward, only to be extremely disappointed when the lights don't flicker to life. My shivering body stays planted in the ominous hallway, listening to every creak of wood and whistle of the wind.

My breath hitches when a large shadow suddenly appears before me, it stands at the opposite end of the hallway. It is very tall and has glowing eyes that pierce through my very being. My eyes widen in horror when the large figure begins to move toward me. A voice at the back of my mind yells at me to run.

That's when the adrenaline kicks me in my ass and I scream so loud that it shakes the entire house. My body spins around and I leap toward the kitchen where I can hopefully find something to defend myself with. But my plan is cut short when a pair of muscular arms wraps themselves around me, trapping me in their embrace.

"Saige!" A familiar husky voice shouts in my ear, making my body melt into a puddle.

I stop my thrashing and shouting. My skin recognizes the electricity that comes from making contact with only one vampire in this entire town. The grip from his arms loosens and I twirl around. I wrap my arms around his waist and bury my head in his chest.

"He's gone! He's gone!" I cry out repeatedly into the brick wall that is devoid of a human heartbeat. The body encasing it is cold to the touch, but somehow that comforts me.***

Chilly fingers caress at my backside all the way up to the base of my neck. A comforting tingle follows in a trail like manner. There's a slight tug at the rear of my head from my hair being gently pulled. My already puffy eyes lift to meet the chocolate brown hues that I often find myself staring in.

A furrowed brow contradicts the emotion I receives from the eyes. "Who's gone? What on earth are you crying about?"

"It's Oscar! He's not here and I—" The panic in my chest squeezes my throat tight and it becomes difficult to breathe again.

Carson hugs me tighter, "shh, baby. It's alright. I'm here and I'm not going to let anyone or anything hurt you."

My sobs begin to transform into an upset hiccup type thing as Carson rocks my fragile shaking body. The chaos of everything that's happening is calmed in an instant. A similar sensation to when a thunderstorm ends and rain stops falling. Everything turns peaceful and gentle again.

"Wait," I giggle and wipe my snot-filled nose on my jacket. "Did you just call me baby?"

Carson's eyes widen for a second, realization evident before his lips turn upward into a smirk. "Only because you were crying like a baby."

"Now that's just hurtful. You really are a bully." I gasp and playfully push on his chest.

"I'm just joking, no need to get violent with me." Carson feigns hurt and he pouts.

I smile and pull away from his embrace. The dreaminess of him that clouds my sense of reality begins to dissipate. My heart painfully thuds against my rib cage as my eyes roam the broken mess that is at the entrance of my home. The slight crunch from broken glass underneath my shoe breaks the silence.

"Shit, what a mess." I exasperate. I'm not sure where to even begin cleaning up. A cold arm wraps itself protectively around my side.

"I'm going to text Sebastian and Theo, let them know someone broke into your place," Carson reaches into pocket and skillfully types a message on his phone. "There, hopefully they can get here soon."

Carefully, I begin treading around the mess in order to make my way to the kitchen. Carson is following close behind me, I can tell by the sound of more glass crunching and hardwood creaking. The wind from the ajar front door carries the noise through the silent halls. And then there is my favorite reminder that he is nearby, his familiar smell. My nose seems to enjoy inhaling in the subtle vanilla scent.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" Carson's voice deepens into a low hiss and there is the feeling of his frosty exhale on the back of my nape.

I snap back to reality and my footsteps come to a sudden halt. My eyes slowly peek upward, terrified of what I might find before me. There is comfort knowing Carson has my back, literally, but he isn't invincible when everyone else in Wintercrest is also as powerful as he is. Sometimes, I really do despise being the weakest being here.

"What kind of greeting is that? We are old pals afterall," An unfamiliar male voice to me speaks in a ominous manner. "Here, I'll go first. Long time no see, Carson."

The man stands at my kitchen counter. He is almost as tall as Carson, but he stands slightly shorter, perhaps by an inch or so. His facial features make him seem younger than us, possibly by a couple years. He has a mop of dark hair on the top of his head with lengthy bangs that cover his face, but not entirely to where I am unable to see his eyes. They are too dark for me to tell what color they are. The powerful intensity of his stare makes me feel like he is able to see right through my body. Watching every single beat my heart produces.

Who is this man?

Carson skillfully reverses our positions and shields me with his masculine frame. The intense stare down between me and the man is broken, but I feel drawn back to him. I ever so slightly peek my head around Carson's left bicep and I feel him grasp my sides with both his hands. Unfortunately for both him and I, he can't stop my curiosity.

The stranger's mouth twitches in what appears to be annoyance, but it is quickly masked with a smirk. I take a second to observe the rest of him. He's wearing dark-wash jeans that are dirty with mud stains and a white tee-shirt with what appears to be red splotches of wine— my heart stops. Blood. Those are bloodstains.

My own blood turns frozen. Carson grips me a little tighter, sensing my fear as well. I barely have time to process who's blood can possibly be on the man's shirt before he throws something rather loudly down onto the countertop. It makes me jump back a little. My eyes widen in horror when they find what it was that he let go of.

There on the counter is the box I had found in my mother's closet. The one that contained files with information about Wintercrest Enterprises. And now quite possibly regarding her disappearance since she still hasn't returned from her company trip. She pinky promised she would come home.

"It wasn't long enough, Luca," Carson spits his name back at him and I feel his shoulder tense up. "You're trespassing here. You need to leave now before I give you another beating."

Luca's smirk falters slightly and his eyes flash with anger. Even though his attention is not directed at me, I instinctively shrink further behind Carson. My head is overwhelmed by questions that won't stop swirling around. How does Carson know this man? Why is he in my home? What the hell happened between them?

"You know, I'm not really trespassing here. Just doing a little checkup on the Company's property," Luca grins and points a pale finger at me. "They own her and this house."

What?

"No the hell they do not. If she's anyone's, she's mine." Carson defends.

My cheeks ignite with warmth. This is certainly not the time to be making me blush you dumbass!

Luca tilts his head to the side, observing our positions. His eyes lock with mine. "For now it seems. But eventually, she will have to come to me for answers. I know what happened to her parents...or should I say what's happening to them now?"

Luca's grin is wide enough to reveal his teeth, but he's not trying to hide his fangs in the slightest. He shows them off to me and it makes my heart race. Not in the good way. My instincts are telling me that he is a very dangerous vampire, perhaps more so than any other fangs I've already encountered. In a way that I figure he won't show any me mercy. His confidence is different from Reece or Nolan's.

Carson tries to calm my shaking hands and unfortunately it only slightly helps. I knew something bad had occurred to my mother. I didn't want to believe that she could be involved with vampires, but deep down my gut knew. There were too many signs, too many clues that she gave away. And now I have no idea where she is or what's happening to her.

"She won't need to come to you for answers. My gang and I will get them ourselves."

"Your gang?" Luca ponders as if he doesn't know anything about it. "Oh, you mean those two lovesick puppies that follow at your heels?"

"That's it! Come here you bastard—" Carson releases his protective grasp on me and lunges forward without thinking.

Luca grins even wider than before and I see a flash of black appear in his right hand. But before my mouth can open to scream at Carson to stop, it's already too late. He manages to grab ahold of Luca's shirt but that won't do any good against the syringe that is being stuck into his neck. The black liquid pushes into into him and his skin is so transparent that I see it spread through his blood vessels.

Carson's grip loosens instantly and his body slumps onto one of Luca's shoulders. His lips attempt movement but no words make it out. Shamefully, I think: I need to get me one of those.

My eyes widen to the size of saucers, completely horrified by the scene I am witnessing. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Luca shrugs Carson off of his shoulder with no effort, not bothering to catch his lifeless body as it falls onto the kitchen floor. I cringe as it makes a heartbreakingly loud thud. He can't be dead...can he?

"What— what did you do to him?" A sort of squeaky noise emits from the back of my throat.

"Oh don't worry, he'll wake up eventually." Luca waves his hands without a hint of sympathy in his voice.

When I see a slight twitch from Carson's body a small sigh escapes my lips. But the feeling of relief is short-lived when I catch Luca staring at me again. He brushes the ebony bangs off of his face, giving a full reveal.

It's a surprise to me that his hues are a crimson red color but that doesn't seem to indicate that he's lost control. Whenever one of the boys became angry or they were nearby to my human scent, their eyes would go dark. Unlike them, Luca is rational and calm with his vampire eyes and fangs on display.

"What do you want?" The words are barely audible but I know he can hear them.

"It's not what I want, it's what Wintercrest Enterprises wants," Luca steps around the corner of the counter. "And they wanted me to do a little checkup on their experiment."

Without hesitation, my feet take a shaky step backward and I feel the edge of the doorframe hit my side. Remember that thing about showing no mercy? Yeah I'm screwed now. Imagine a defenseless bunny cornered by a vicious wolf that's ready to sink his teeth into the juicy neck of his prey. Luca's pink tongue glides across his lips in anticipation.

"What do you mean by experiment?" My voice is meek as I tentatively glance over my shoulder, desperately searching for the exit that should be close behind me.

It's just a couple feet away!

"Now, where's the fun in giving you all the answers now? I still have enough time to watch you run around in circles looking for clues," Luca closes half the distance between us with only one step. "Plus, I'm very intrigued to see what you'll choose to do when you learn the truth."

Everything about this situation has me overwhelmed with various emotions. My mind is having a difficult time deciding which one my body should settle on feeling. There's too much information being thrown at me, I need time to process it all. But I don't have that time, not with the black wolf right in front of me baring his canines. I need to find a way to get out of this situation, alive preferably.

Suddenly, I remember that Carson texted Sebastian and Theo earlier. They could be here any second now. They're my only chance If I want to survive! Spinning on my heels as fast as I can, my fingers reach for the kitchen archway frame to pull myself into the hall. There's no way I'll be able to outrun him, but hopefully the boys are close enough. They might be able to hear my cries for help. God, I really hope so!

Before I can blink an eye, any hope I had of escaping is cruelly stomped into the ground. The universe crushes my dream of making it out alive, like someone who would pop a grape to bits just for fun. Sharp nails painfully dig into the back of my arm, pulling me back with strength that greatly overpowers my own. A stinging sensation races like lightening across my skin.

"You know, it's a bit rude to run away while in the middle of a conversation. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?" Luca's lips turn upward into a sadistic smile.

Searing pain begins to take over where his nails tore my flesh open. I try not to cry but the tears betray me. "Let me go—"

Without being able to finish my sentence, I am abruptly pinned against the wall. Along with something in my back cracking, all the air is instantly forced out of my lungs. The force shocks me so greatly that I choke when trying to inhale again. My heart begins drumming inside my ribcage as terror completely consumes me. My body finally decided on which emotion to focus on.

"My apologies, I used too much strength there. I don't usually quarrel with humans so I forget how fragile you lot are," He peers down at me while I gasp for the air that won't seem to enter my lungs.

"Se— Sebas—" My cry is barely audible, it's not nearly enough for them to be able to hear me.

Luca presses his icy hand against my mouth, deflating my last hope of shouting for help. "Trying to call out to Carson's puppies for help? Tsk, they won't be able to defeat me. I'm stronger than they are."

His fingers lift the arm that he viciously ripped into. I can clearly see the damage that has been done to it. There are five jagged cuts that run through my skin. Blood seeps slowly from the gashes, flowing down my forearm and dripping to the floor.

His red eyes burn with lust as he focuses on the oozing red liquid. I watch in horror as his pink tongue roughly rakes across my wound. He takes his sweet time licking my blood and I flinch every time the tip of his fangs graze the surface of my skin.

My eyes squeeze shut in preparation for the thing I've been fearing most since I found out vampires really exist. I don't know what to expect from a vampire bite, will it hurt really bad? Will it feel good? All the fictional works with vampires describe the experience differently. I frightfully shiver while waiting for the bite to happen, but it never comes.

"You haven't been bitten yet, have you?" The question must be rhetorical because Luca doesn't move his hand away from my mouth.

I peek an eye open and I'm confused when I'm met with ocean blue eyes. The lustful crimson color has been replaced with a normal shade for irises. His blood-covered mouth is still partly open, showing me his canines have retracted to standard size. I was sure he would lose his self-control over his desire for my blood. Why did his eyes go back to normal?

"Your blood tastes sweeter than I expected it to, but don't worry I'll save your first vampire bite experience for another time," He smiles broadly and despite what he said, I feel very worried now.

A low groan comes from behind Luca and this irritates him greatly. His grin transforms into a slight scowl. "Damn it. He is waking up faster than he should be."

It is just barely that I catch Carson start to stir. His fingers flex back and forth slowly. Come on Carson! Can't you wake up any quicker? His chocolate eyes flicker to life but they are glazed over from grogginess. His head tilts to the side as his orbs search the room until he locks onto me being pinned by Luca. Out of all the glares I've seen Carson create, this is by far the deadliest.

The front door creaks open and the sound of someone knocking catches the attention of all three of us. "Saige, Carson? Are you guys here? Sorry it took us so long, Theo wanted to stop and get—"

"Shut up dude! You don't have to tell them I'm the reason why we're late,"

Although it's not God here to save me and Carson, banana man and toilet paper mummy from the Hallow's Eve carnival will have to do (also known as Theo and Sebastian when not in costume).

Luca presses his body against mine, applying more force than before. The pressure is heavy on my ribcage. It prevents my lungs from being able to expand enough to allow oxygen in my system. Along with my mouth still covered, I'm suffocating. My vision blurs and I think I'm about to pass out.

"We'll have to continue our conversation later, little butterfly. I'll be seeing you real soon," Luca whispers into my ear as my head feels like it's about to split open. "Also, I'm sorry about the mess I made in your house. Your dog put up quite the fight."

An image of my handsome, fluffy lab smiling at me with his tongue hanging out of his mouth flashes in my mind. Oscar? Oh God, what did he do to you? The front door creaks all the way open this time and there are footsteps now inside, echoing through the hall.

"Luca— What the fuck are you doing here?" Banana man hisses angrily.

The suffocating pressure on my chest releases and I take in the largest breath of oxygen I've ever inhaled in my entire life. The black spots begin to disappear one by one and the head-splitting ache slowly follows.

"Sorry boys, no time to catch up!" Luca gives the baffled guys a wink.

"You bastard, let her go!" This time it's toilet paper mummy shouting across the hallway.

"If you say so!"

Have you ever wondered what it was like to fly? I thought about it maybe once or twice but I never dreamed it would come true. Well, especially not like this.

Luca lifts my body with ease and hurls me in the direction of the boys. A scream automatically leaves my mouth as I fly through the air. The hideous wallpaper becomes a blur of colors and I squeeze my eyes shut. Strong arms catch me, awkwardly albeit. But I am overwhelmed with relief for finally being out of Luca's terrifying grip. And well, alive most importantly.