"You need to learn the difference between flirtatious banter and real threat."

☆

He pulls Jojo close to his body. The best he can do is to shield him now, before the inevitable will happen. He never thought he would die at the hands of his own kind, but it seems it would now be so.

Tyler feels a hand pull at the collar at the back of his shirt. The grip is strong, compared to his weakened current state. His hold on Jojo is lost as he gets held up high above the ground, like a puppy dog being held by the scruff of the neck. He sees Jojo lying lifeless on the ground as the other vampire approaches him.

"You are something new." The vampire tilts his head to one side with interest. "I wonder if you will taste like something new too?" He takes another hand, this time to Tyler's neck as he now holds him in a chokehold. "That's right. Fill that head with tasty blood for me." He coos as Tyler struggles in the hold, trying to catch his breath. He feels his vision becoming a blur. Jojo becomes a haze, it's almost as if he can hear a growl in the back of his mind as a black furry ball of fur obscures Jojo from his vision. It looked like a dog…no, a wolf was that Mani?

The growling soon becomes an almighty deep bark, then a howl as soon there is the white wolf, heading straight for Tyler. The wolf gets up on its hind legs as it uses all the weight it has to push both the vampire and Tyler to the ground, causing the vampire to let go. Tyler gasps for breath as he pulls away from the attack taking place between vampire and wolf. It was hard to see who would win as fur and blood began to stain the ground.

Then a strange hiss fills the air. The snake-like sound seems to surround them as slowly but surely, Tyler, Jojo and the two wolves become surrounded. The white wolf turns to its omega mate and barks, with a small whine coming from the black beast.

The white wolf now turns its attention to Tyler as it seems to bark at his face as if he was meant to understand. The black wolf sniffs around Jojo's body, before its teeth bite onto the leg of his trouser. He is then pulled like a ragdoll into the small clearing in the direction of the woods.

"No…no NOOOO!" Tyler now feels the teeth of the white wolf pull at his ankle as he is now being pulled in the same direction of the trees. His body felt every stone, every broken twig on the way. He then widened his eyes as he saw a rather large fallen branch obstructing the pathway. "STOP!…" But it's too late. The branch makes contact with his head. He is out cold.

***

"Jojo. Hey Jojo…"

Jojo opens his eyes to see Mani through a weird purple haze. "Mani? Where am I? What are you doing?"

"Just stay still. I'm just making you better." Jojo lifts his head a little to see Mani's hands gently press onto his exposed stomach. The bruises which were there are now slowly fading.

"I always wondered if I would get to feel your hands upon my naked body. Guess my wish came true."

"Uhum…"

Jojo quickly turns his head to see Teddy sitting on his bed. The fear filled him instantly. "I'm sorry Teddy….I"

"I will put my hands on you in a minute and they will be around your neck!"

"No you won't Teddy." Mani interrupts. "You need to learn the difference between flirtatious banter and real threat. Jojo is just jesting."

"Yes…yes I am." Jojo laughs nervously. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. That he would be keeping to himself from now on. He looks around the room again. "Tyler. Where is he?" He literally kissed me and I fainted. Can't believe I did that." Jojo lets his head fall back on the pillow.

Mani pulls back his hands and rolls down Jojo's T-shirt. "He's ok, just concussed. The professor is with him now."

"Concussed? How?" Jojo now sits up on the bed.

"My bad. My wolf can be a little clumsy at times."

"You knocked him out Teddy. Anyways like I said. Professor Kelly is with him now. My healing hands won't work on what he is going through right now."

"I should go see him." Jojo gets up from the bed, finding his balance a little off as he makes his way to the door.

"Wait!" Mani gets up in a hurry to stop Jojo, as he pulls lightly on his arm. "There's something you need to know."

"What is it?" Jojo questions, too much in a hurry to get on his way.

"He's a vampire."

"I know that!" Jojo says, rolling his eyes.

"No, what I mean is he hasn't taken any more pills. Do you still think you should go?" Mani wonders. Not even he had met Tyler in his natural state.

"I am currently in a room with an alpha and his mate and I am walking away unscathed. I'll take my chances." Jojo says as he pulls away from Mani's hold, with Mani having no choice but to let him go.

He looks at Teddy with a worried look in his eyes. "See what happens when humankind has no fate to govern them? They cannot make sensible decisions." Teddy says with a sigh as he wraps his arms around Mani. "Let him do what he wants."

"He's still my friend." Mani sighs as he hugs Teddy tight.

"And you will be there for him whatever the outcome." Teddy says, as he kisses the top of his head. "Let the professor take care of things. As for you and me, we need to rest before we decide what to do next."

"Why?" Mani questions.

"How do you know so much about humans and so little about us? We attacked vampires on their patch. Now we need to brace ourselves for the unknown once again."

***

The door finally opens to what felt like a decade of knocking on the other side. Finally it is opened just a fraction by the professor, who seemed to be bathed in blood. "It's not a good time." He says as he tries to again close the door, but Jojo is quick to place his foot in the way.

"I know! I know what he is now. Who he is." Jojo says, not once wavering from his position. "I know he is a true vampire right now."

The door opens a little more. With the professor relaxing just a bit. "He's not in a good place. It's like a cold turkey situation, but he insists."

"Let me see him." Jojo pleads, but Rowan once again puts his hand up to the doorframe, blocking entry.

"Who is it?" A shout comes in the distance.

"It's me. Jojo." Comes the reply. "Please, can I come in?"

"Let him in Professor." Tyler shouts, leaving the man to drop his hand completely and take a step back.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." He says as he lets Jojo pass.

Jojo makes his way to where Tyler resides. He is greeted with the visual of the man hooked up to a drip. A bag of blood heading its way into his system. "Just my lunch. Makes you sick right?" Tyler says with amusement.

Jojo couldn't deny that he hadn't witnessed so much blood in one go, but didn't want to make what was a strange situation more awkward. "You've stopped taking your pills. Why?"

"I was useless back there. I couldn't protect you, not even myself. I wasn't even recognised by my own kind." I couldn't hide, I couldn't fight, I couldn't do anything. I'm a bad version of a human."

"How can you say that?" Jojo says, now sitting on the edge of the bed. "You did what any other decent person would have done back there. You put someone else first, before yourself. You put me first."

"You think too highly of me. It was Mani who saved you, not me. I need to be strong before the next attack."

"What do you mean the next attack?" Jojo says as he sees the professor now enter the room.

"Our efforts for peace have been in vain. The wolfkind attacked the bloodkind on their land. They won't listen to talks for peace now.

"So don't you see. I need to be bloodkind to fight, to protect." Tyler insists.

"No you don't." Jojo says. "You can be whatever you want to be. I am alive not only because of Mani, but also because of you. You may not have possessed the power of the wolf or your usual stealth of a vampire, but you have a heart and a mind which is willing to seek change. We will only achieve change if we dare to look forwards, not look back."

"He sounds like a man after my own heart." Professor Kelly says with a small smile.

"This isn't your war Jojo. You can walk away." Tyler says.

"You, Mani and maybe even Teddy are my friends, so it is my fight too." Jojo smiles.