Raven's P•O•V

I awoke but my eyes stayed closed as I took in a deep breath, stretching out my stiff arms. I felt tense and my head throbbed, almost like I was hungover or something. I couldn't quite explain it...

Then it hit me.

I shot up into a sitting position and whirled around, looking this way and that to take in my surroundings, only proceeding to make my pounding headache ten times worse. Light streamed in from the window, illuminating the room I was in with pure sunlight. Although it looked beautiful, the glare hurt my eyes.

The dizziness caused by the pulsing ache going on in my head had subsided, yet I could feel it still remain. Looking around, I could see that the room was quite beautiful. One that was fit for a royal I would say. Dressed in reds, golds, and blacks. The bed I was in was massive. Much bigger than my twin-sized bed. Elegant furniture made of dark wood and Victorian-like design was placed about the room. The bed instantly made me think about how it would have never fit in my small row house apartment in Queens.

My heart sped up as I thought of where I must have been. I looked down at myself and recognized the outfit I had on was still the one I had had on the night before. Same leather jacket over a green v-neck that tucked into my high-waisted, black skirt. My shoes were gone, leaving me barefoot. But of course, missing my shoes was the least of my worries right now.

I was instantly out of bed and staggered a couple of steps back, looking around the room with a sense of dread.

Where was I? Where had I gone last night? What happened?

Then the memories came back like a storm. My battered brain started to overload with sporadic flashbacks, and then suddenly, they all pieced together. The memory of the man from the coffee shop, looking at me with those eyes ... Those bright, luminescent red eyes. The eyes of something you'd see in a nightmare; a fairy tale or some kind of folklore ... a myth. His words seemed to ring in my ears like a distant recognition.

"I don't want to do this to you love..."

I felt my chest tighten in disbelief as I recalled the way his hand brushed my cheek. A shiver ran down my spine as I could almost feel that recollection. My hand held my cheek, holding where his cold fingers had touched. I felt my heart beating against my rib cage, wanting out. Wanting out now. I needed to get out of here.

I looked around the room and went to the first set of doors I saw. I opened them swiftly and was faced with an unexpected sight.

Before me was possibly a room bigger than my apartment living room. Racks of clothes and floor-length dresses, shelves from floor to ceiling of heels, a makeup desk with bright lights encasing the mirror. Some drawers were placed around the room.

And there it was...

Low and behold, in the center of the immense walk-in closet, was a small crown. Almost more like a tiara. Yet, it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. Diamonds dazzled as they laid intertwined with the twirled silver, making a petite, but elegant, tiara fit for a royal.

"It's rather beautiful isn't it?" A deep voice asked from behind me. I gasped and turned around in shock, holding my hand over my heart. My throat tightened when I saw him. The man from the cafe. The man from the alley...

When I didn't respond, he looked down at his feet briefly and didn't dare step closer as he spoke.

"It was my mother's before she became Queen," He referred to the tiara. The word Queen had thrown me off. He must've noticed from the face I gave that I was shocked. Why wouldn't I be?

"May I?" He asked and took a small step forward as if to ask for permission to come closer. I flinched when he took that step, not taking my eyes off of him. He stopped and stood where he had come slightly forward.

"Your eyes-" I choked, seeing his eyes that were now a maroon color. Nothing like the iridescent red that shone the night before.

"They turn a much darker red when it's day," He answered my unspoken question. I swallowed hard. With all the things I could've said, with all the things I could've asked,

"Is this real?" Is all that I asked. Utterly making myself recognize my stupidity.

"Is what real?" Was his reply. I felt uncontrollable as I spoke.

"You, your mother, last night -" I rambled and stuttered. I felt my head pounding.

"Am I dreaming?" I asked, my voice vulnerable and almost pleading, hoping he'd say yes.

"No," he sighed, "you're not."

For almost two seconds, I was frozen there. Yet, it felt like an eternity. I felt my heart beating louder, ringing in my ears like a drum. I took stumbling steps backward and felt my whole body buzz in fear of what I had gotten myself into.

My foot caught on something as I backed further away from him, causing me to fall backwards. I braced myself to hit the ground, only to feel an arm wrapped around me. I shot my eyes open and was faced with the maroon eyes of the man who had kidnapped me. Fear-stricken and held in his arms, I hovered a mere inch above the floor.

With a quick movement, I shoved him away from me and scrambled across the floor away from him.

"How did you - how can you -" I stammered too many questions. "Why am I here?" I finally let the most important question fill the empty space between us.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," His voice came out thick, almost mirroring the intensity of his gaze on me.

"Try me," I said slowly. He knelt only a few feet away from me, still where he had just caught me. Something rose up inside me when he only responded with silence. Something along the lines of horror and I couldn't find the strength to keep my mouth shut...

"What are you?" I whispered. My blood pressure rising as I stared at him with a terrified look, not making any effort to mask my inner dismay.

"What do you think I am?" He countered, looking at me with the same expressionless face. He knew I already knew what he was. The silence was deafening in my ears as my mind shouted,

Say it.

"I'm a Vampire."

And at that moment I swear I wished to be with my awful family again. Making me realize that nothing in my life in New York was worse than this...

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