I'm getting closer to 1000 reads and I can't even explain how grateful and happy I am! You may not realize it but without fans and readers, an author isn't movitaved to inspired enough to keep writing so THANK YOU!

Thank you to all of you who have stuck to BR since the beginning and keep on supporting it every day and to those who started it and gave it a chance! Without you this story wouldn't be possible!

Love you all so so much!

-Sophia xoxo

...°...

"Show yourself and fight like a...well...vampire."

Vampire...

The word echoes in my head over and over again, bouncing of the walls of my brain like a boomerang. Vampire. The word has a bitter taste on my tongue, like acid burning its way down my throat. I guess that I knew what they were, but hearing it out loud increases the meaning of it ten times more. And it's terrifying.

I blink rapidly, trying to get rid of the black splotches that cloud my vision. The images of the mind-reading are still imprinted in my mind but they're not clear, as if the pieces are disappearing out of my head one by one. No matter how much I reach into my memories and try to grasp those images, they simply fleet in between my fingers and gradually disappear. Then the sense of dizziness and nausea sets in.

I open my eyes completely and watch as my dark surroundings waver around me as if I were underwater, before completely stilling and slowly letting the dizziness fade. I finally manage to get a good look out and realise that we are both in the same sat position that we left in. Hunter's eyes are still closed, as if he's caught in some sort of trance. It must have been painful to let me into his head that way. Over the years I've managed to learn a bit more about mind-reading, but I had never thought that intruding into someone's memories physically was remotely possible. But then again, in my innocent world, vampires didn't exist either. That life seems thousands of years away from here.

I bring my attention onto his face again and nearly jump back when I catch his dead black eyes staring at me. "H - Hunter?" I reach towards him and he looks at my hand in disgust before slapping it away. I'm startled by his gesture. During what seems like minutes ago he protected me from hurting myself in the fall, smiled at our joined hands and showed his vulnerable side without any shame. I liked that side of him a lot more.

His black, red-ringed eyes zone in on me and a cold look settles into them. I can't help but compare those stone-set orbs to the calm and innocent ones of his child-self. I don't even want to begin to imagine what he's gone through to build that wall around himself. His scar is still glistening but the blue colour seems to fade away a bit at a time. "How did I do it?" I try again, hoping for some sort of sign that he's at least a tiny bit interest in how this happened.

He ignores my question, much to my disappointment, and with a flash he's gone from my sight. The door bangs open and closed at the back wall of the bedroom, and I'm alone. I groan and stand up, brushing the dust off of my bare legs. The night gown really doesn't cover much and the cold night-time air doesn't exactly add any warmth or comfort. I hurry over to the single wardrobe and throw the doors open. It's completely empty. I sigh in disappointment and look down at my bare legs and feet. This'll have to do then.

The temperature increases when I step out of the bedroom and find the corridor to be lit up. It looks so much more welcoming when you can actually see where you're going. I follow it and am grateful for the red carpet that covers the floor and provides a bit of warmth for my bare feet. It looks rustic, with antic paintings and furniture decorating both sides of the corridor as I walk through it.

Several questions glide through my mind as I go.

How did I get into Hunter's head? Who was that girl that he loved? I'm surprised that Hunter can even love but what happened centuries ago must have affected him, turning him into a cold-hearted monster. Why did he even agree to let me in?

Who was that man with the weapon in Hunter's memories?

My brain finally crashes and I claw at my head in pain, forcing the thoughts out. These are my own. This is my own fault. I can't think about that much at the same time. I bury them into a corner of my brain and let out a sigh of relief when the pain fades. The corridor literally arrives at a dead-end, and I bang on the wall with annoyance. Concluding that there's no walking further, and exhaustion is slowly setting in, I trudge back to the bedroom.

I approach the luxurious dark bed and throw myself down on it, moaning softly against the warmth of the silky drapes that I roll into. Finally, I welcome the sleep that takes me into a safe, motionless, dreamy state, carrying me away on a soft cloud.

...°...

"Emma!" I spin around, focusing on the trees in the distance. The sun rays are glistening through the swaying leaves of the tree tops and the forest looks just as magical as one in a child's fairy tale. I can see everything more clearly: the blossoming flowers, the buzzing of the bees' wings, the breeze that rustles the leaves... I turn in awe and throw my face back towards the sky, feeling the warmth flow over me and radiate off of my skin.

"Em?" Jay's voice fills my ears again, more compelling this time. I open my eyes and stare right into the most angelic face I've ever seen in my life. His soft dark hair falls perfectly around his face. It seems to appear a shade browner in the sun. He's startingly pale, but that just increases his beauty. His plump lips are full and look extremely tempting, but I force my gaze up his defined features and drown into his dark eyes. It's just like looking into an endless tunnel, but I notice a fleck of gold by the pupils, a feature that I hadn't noticed before. He may have looked attractive before, but right now, he looks just like a Greek God, powerful and invincible, yet holding a softer side to him that I ache to discover.

My eyes travel down his defined arm-muscles before travelling up to his face again. They land on his lips, and without a moment's hesitation, our mouths unite, making me feel like I'm in Heaven on Earth.

...°...

I feel a light feather brush on my bare thigh, where the nightgown has probably slid up during my sleep. The sun rays stream in through the open window, lighting up the usually obscure room in a bright glow. The wind flutters the curtains and I shiver underneath the covers. It may be unusually sunny, but winter is still present.

Suddenly, there's a groan from beside me, and I roll onto my other side without a moment's hesitation, pushing myself upright into a sitting position. I jerk back in shock when I see the sleeping figure besides me.

"What the hell!?" I exclaim, shaking of his pale hand from my thigh. I crawl further towards the edge as Jay sits up, looking around with puzzlement. His hair is messy and bed-headed, but that somehow makes him look even more attractive than he needs to be. He looks at me sleepily before his eyes widen, but he collects himself almost as fast.

"Goodmorning." He says calmly, grinning, as if this isn't a big deal at all. I let out a gasp as he grabs me and places me underneath him, sliding one hand up my waist. All of this happens in a second, and I can't even process it before it's actually happened. His touch sends pleasured tingles through me but I force myself to ignore it, wiggling underneath his grasp.

"What- what are you doing?" I choke as he slides his finger over my cheek lightly, filling my brain with a malfunctioning flutter. I shouldn't be feeling this way.

-Why shouldn't I be doing anything?" He asks sarcastically, making my eyes widen in surprise. Then annoyance sets in.

"Let me go." I hiss, managing to actually sound threatening. He laughs without humour and approaches my face, keeping my blue eyes locked with his dark ones. His minty breath fans my face as he brushes my lips with his.

"You are mine."