The silence in Aiden's room was too loud.
Even with the curtains shut and the moon blocked out, he felt like the night itself was staring at him. He lay on his bed, one arm over his eyes, trying to calm his breathing. The marks on his hand — the ones Draven left — pulsed faintly like a heartbeat that didn't belong to him.
His father's stern voice still echoed in his skull.
"Control yourself. If you expose what you are… they will decide for you."
The Council. Their involvement meant things were serious. Too serious.
He reached for the pillow beside him, gripping it tight. For a moment, he wondered what would have happened if he had just let Ella fall… if he hadn't caught her… if he hadn't shown even a hint of what he really was.
The thought made him sick.
He sat up, running fingers through his dark hair. A flicker of heat simmered beneath his skin — the leftovers of adrenaline and fear.
His phone buzzed on the nightstand.
He froze.
Ella.
Aiden's chest tightened as the message preview glowed on the screen.
> Are you okay? I didn't get a chance to talk to you after the fire. You disappeared so fast… I was worried.
Worried.
About him.
A vampire.
He stared at the message longer than anyone should.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard.
What could he say? "Hey, sorry, I had to run before I accidentally showed you my fangs."
No.
Eventually he typed:
> I'm fine. I just needed to go home quickly.
She responded almost instantly, like she had been waiting.
> Okay… I'm glad you're safe. Goodnight, Aiden.
His lips twitched into a tiny, unwilling smile.
He typed back:
> Goodnight, Ella.
When the screen finally went dark again, the room felt a little less suffocating.
---
❖
The next morning came too fast.
Aiden dragged himself to school, hood pulled up, sunglasses on. He hoped to slip into class unnoticed — but hope and reality rarely agreed for him.
Whispers erupted the moment he stepped onto the campus courtyard.
"There he is — the weirdo who just vanished after the fire."
"I bet he started it."
"Nah, he's just a freak who's scared of smoke."
Aiden swallowed hard. The words stung — not because they thought he was weak, but because they were getting too close to the truth.
He kept walking.
Until a loud voice stopped him.
"Hey!"
He turned.
Ella was running toward him.
Her hair was messy, her uniform slightly crooked — like she'd rushed the second she saw him. She slowed as she reached him, breathless.
"You're really okay," she said, relief softening her features.
Aiden's voice came out lower than usual. "Yeah. You?"
She nodded. "It's just… scary. The fire… And you were right there. I thought…"
Her voice faded, but the meaning was clear.
She had thought he was hurt.
Aiden's chest tightened again — that unfamiliar twist of warmth and fear.
"I'm okay. Really." He forced his tone to stay steady.
Ella stared up at him, studying him like he was a puzzle she wanted to solve. Aiden shifted, uncomfortable under her gaze.
"Why did you run off so fast?" she asked gently.
His mind scrambled for an excuse. Any excuse.
"I… don't… like fire," he muttered. "Bad family memories."
"…Oh." Her expression softened even more. "I didn't know."
Thankfully, the bell rang.
Aiden let out a silent sigh of relief. He wasn't sure how much longer he could handle those searching eyes.
Ella smiled slightly.
"I'll walk with you?"
He nodded, trying not to make it obvious that he was grateful.
---
❖
Inside the classroom, Aiden took his usual back corner seat. The teacher droned on about history, but his mind wasn't listening.
Instead, he kept catching the scent of Ella's shampoo — lavender — drifting from the desk next to him. It was distracting. Weirdly calming. Dangerous.
He adjusted himself, trying to focus on anything else. His pencil. The window. The clock ticking too slowly.
That's when something flickered at the edge of his vision.
The hallway. Someone outside the door.
Not a student.
The figure leaned in just a little, as if listening — then vanished.
Aiden's heartbeat spiked.
A watcher.
The Council already sent someone.
His hand curled into a fist.
"Hey," Ella whispered, voice barely audible. "You okay?"
He forced himself to ease his grip. "Yeah. Just tired."
She didn't look convinced.
---
❖ Lunch Break
Aiden went outside, needing space. The sky was crisp, the air cool. He sat under a tree where no one else went — a spot he was sure he discovered alone.
But not today.
A shadow stepped into the light.
At first, he thought it was another bully — until the stranger gave a small, elegant bow.
"You must be Aiden Draven."
Aiden stood instantly. "Who are you?"
The young man looked barely older than Aiden, dressed in sleek black clothes that didn't belong anywhere near a school campus. His eyes glinted — deep red for only a second.
"My name is Varyn," he said calmly. "I am here on behalf of the Council."
Aiden swallowed.
"What do they want?"
Varyn smiled — polite, cold, empty.
"To make sure you behave."
Aiden felt his jaw clench. "I didn't do anything wrong."
"You saved a human girl. Quite publicly."
Varyn's expression didn't change. "Curiosity is dangerous. Humans get ideas. Ideas become rumors. Rumors become hunts."
Aiden forced his voice not to shake. "I won't let anyone find out what I am."
"I certainly hope not," Varyn replied. "Because if they do… the Council will intervene. And their solutions are rarely gentle."
Aiden's blood ran cold.
Varyn stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"And be careful with the girl. Human attachments make vampires… reckless."
With that final warning, Varyn turned and disappeared as silently as he came — like he melted into the shadows themselves.
Aiden stood frozen long after he left, breath shaking.
Ella's laughter drifted across the courtyard — she was talking with friends near the fountain, completely unaware of how close danger hovered around her.
Aiden's chest filled with dread.
He wasn't just being bullied anymore.
He was being watched.
Every move judged.
Every word monitored.
For the first time, Aiden wondered if coming to this school was a mistake.
But then Ella turned, accidentally catching his gaze from across the distance. She waved — small and shy.
Aiden didn't think.
He waved back.
A tiny gesture.
Impossible to resist.
Dangerous.
And completely worth it.
He took a step toward her…
But the memory of Varyn's warning pulled him back.
The Council wasn't just threatening him.
They were threatening Ella.
Aiden squeezed his eyes shut.
He made a silent promise to himself — one he wasn't sure he could keep:
He would protect her.
Even if the whole vampire world turned against him.