CIAN

I wake the next morning, disturbed. The scholarship students have arrived, and most have settled into the castle for the semester, but this…this is more than new season jitters.

The girl—Adeline, she said that her name is; there’s something about her that’s not quite of this time.

I slide the lid off my coffin and toss it to the side, unable to rest any longer now that I’m aware of this presence. I must know why it is that she stirs such emotion in me.

What is this sensation? I can’t put my finger on it. I’m elated and perturbed at the same time. Three thousand years of walking the Earth, and I’ve never known anything like it.

I must creep through the underbelly of the school and reach the surface. Something about her is different. I must find out what it is.

Walking the narrow passage from my chamber to the surface, I let my fingers slide across the stone walls and embrace the cold. My feet barely make a sound as I ascend the stairs.

I stroll through the castle, not wanting to draw attention to myself. Something isn’t right here. Something is different. I pass by the students, who barely acknowledge me as I move through the halls.

And then, she’s there.

Adeline. Her bright red hair cascades down her shoulders. Her brilliant green eyes glow against the freckles speckling her face. She’s a gift to behold.

I know I shouldn’t follow her. But something deep inside urges me to watch her. To keep her in my sights.

I am careful to stay in the shadows, to not let her catch me watching. It might be creepy, but she intrigues me.

The fire-haired maiden laughs as she draws near two people. A man and a woman. The man has red hair and brilliant hazel eyes. He is soft-spoken and calm. He looks at Adeline like she is the greatest thing on Earth, but not in a loving way. It’s as if she is his best friend.

“Hey, Donovan, Laurel, do you want to get some breakfast?” Adeline asks, hesitantly approaching a pair of her classmates.

That’s when I notice the woman with short blond hair. She is thicker than Adeline, but she is just as beautiful. The young man grips his belly and laughs.

“I’ve always got time to eat.” He giggles. “What was your name again?”

“Adeline, Adeline Knight,” She responds, turning to the girl. “You’re Laurel, right?”

“Sure am.” She smiles.

But the two are barely an afterthought to me in comparison to Adeline.

“Great, I’m starving; let’s get some pancakes and bacon.” Adeline practically drools, and I wonder what that must feel like.

As a half-vampire, I can eat human food, but I crave blood. I often get curious about human desires and human cravings. The way they can smell garlic or freshly baked pastries and swoon. That is how I feel when I smell blood, and I can smell Adeline now.

She smells sweet, like honey. Like a delicious treat, I could use it to nourish myself, but I don’t want to eat her. I want to sate my curiosity. Why does she intrigue me so? Why am I so captivated?

I feel it deep down in my soul. This is what woke me. She is the reason I am stalking the shadows. Her presence brought me back to life.

Something rises inside me, bringing me back to Earth. I have been alone and isolated for so long, but she woke me from my slumber. She brought me back to life. I can feel it.

Why does she call to me like this? What about her brought me here? It’s not her looks. Though she is beautiful, it’s not her flame-red hair or even her honey-sweet scent. It’s her aura. It’s as if her soul is crying out for me.

I marvel at this majestic creature as I spy on her having breakfast with her friends. I should leave, should go, but I can’t stop watching her.

“Well, that was fun. I’m off to the library to do some research.” Adeline lifts her breakfast tray and nods to her friends.

“Do you need company?” the blond woman asks.

Adeline shakes her head. “No, I’ll be fine, but thank you, Laurel.”

“Let’s meet up at lunch,” the red-haired man says.

“That would be lovely,” Adeline replies.

She beams at her friends before dumping her tray in the bin. I have to follow her. I have to. I am compelled by something deeper. Trying my best to give her a wide berth, I follow her through the halls until she reaches the library.

Adeline browses the shelves, looking from leather binding to leather binding. Her eyes are full of mystery and intrigue. She looks like an angel.

I’m unable to stand it a minute longer. I have to touch her. I have to feel her.

Grabbing a book off the shelf, I walk toward her. She doesn’t see me coming; her nose is buried deep in a book on ancient civilizations.

I pretend to read the words at my fingertips, but really, I’m focused on her. I fake a stumble and bump into her.

“Oh, I beg your forgiveness, miss. I am so sorry,” I lie as my hand brushes her arm.

“No. It’s my fault.” She crinkles her nose, and I notice how many freckles she has. She is adorable.

She is a small woman, but she has sturdy bones and strength in her arms. Her sparkling green eyes take me to another place. I feel lost when I look into them.

Now that we are up close and I’ve felt her skin, another strange sensation courses through my body. It’s what woke me. It’s a throbbing in my chest that tells me something is going on here. Something real. Something profound.

The only other time I’ve ever felt such a sensation was when the Di’an still existed. I notice the book Adeline is reading, Lost Civilizations, emphasizing the Di’an.

What I felt back when the Di’an existed pales in comparison to what I feel standing inches away from this flame-haired beauty.

She woke me. She is what brought me back up here. Adeline called to my soul and stirred me from my slumber. She is the key.

I don’t know what to say to her. Her red locks hang over her shoulders as she eyes me curiously.

“It’s you. I remember you. We met yesterday.” She beams at me.

Yes, I recall the moment I first met her, but I don’t remember her being quite so beautiful. Quite so familiar. The pull to her is strong.

“That’s right, you’re Adeline.” I give her my most charming smile.

“Yes, it’s lovely to see you again professor.” I notice a hint of blush on her cheeks. As if she’s been thinking of me, too.

I can’t stay. I can’t be this close to her until we know each other better. I want to take her in my arms, right here in the library, but I know it isn’t right. I must wait until she wants me.

“It was lovely to meet you, again.” She smiles at me, and if my heart could still beat, I might just die.

“It was great to meet you, Adeline Knight.” I give her my best grin and walk away.

I barely notice that I’m back in the castle’s bowels until I am there. I walk over to my antique desk, unlocking a private compartment.

Something just doesn’t sit right. I know her. I know I know her from somewhere. Adeline. It’s as if I dreamed her into existence.

Reaching into the desk compartment, I pull out an ancient sketch. When I see her face, a thrill fills me like none I’ve ever known before. It is Adeline.

She is the exact match from this ancient drawing. The woman from the prophecy. I found her. She found me. She woke me and brought me back to life, only to prove to be my savior. I will win her over. I will make her mine. I will fulfill the prophecy.

A shadow bustles past my basement window, and I glance outside, but whoever was peeping already left. Storming upstairs, I rush outside. I know it’s him. I can feel it.

There stands my brother. Ronan. I haven’t seen him in decades.

“Leave. You shouldn’t be here,” I demand, throwing my hands in the air.

“Cian, be civil. People are watching.” Ronan’s eyes flash to a student nearby as he ducks around the corner of the building.

It’s the girl who had breakfast with Adeline—the beautiful blond girl, Laurel.

Laurel pulls her sweater closer to her chest as she looks at me apparently shouting at nothing before turning away.

“Leave. I have nothing to say to you.” I bare my teeth, rounding the corner to face him.

“I wish you weren’t so difficult.” Ronan walks away.

I’m halfway back to the underbelly of the castle when I find that I’ve dropped the sketch of the Di’an priestess from our prophecy.

I dash back up the stairs, storming into the courtyard, when I see Laurel about to enter the south side of the building. My sketch in her hands.

A lump forms in my throat, and I choke. I can’t understand what is going on. The priestess is real. The prophecy is real. Adeline is the key, and her new friend just found my ancient sketch of the promised priestess.

Clearly, she will show Adeline, and then she will suspect me of some kind of ill intent. I can’t let her find out. I don’t even think she knows her own power. She is so sweet. So innocent. I can’t let any harm come to her.

I sigh heavily, watching Laurel walk away with my sketch, and I retreat to the castle’s bowels.

What the hell am I going to do now?