• 𝓜𝓪𝓮 •

I was half expecting bland eggs with the flattest pancakes I'd ever seen in my life. Instead, the eggs were seasoned and cheese was sprinkled on top, and the pancakes literally jiggled when I moved my plate.

I poked them.

"They're Japanese soufflé pancakes," Noah said, sliding a glass jar of syrup towards me.

It was like we were in a diner. The entire area was filled with tables and booths, and there was a little area where a vampire took orders, then gave the orders to the cooks through a window. The moment we walked in, it felt like we walked into a whole other place entirely outside of the castle.

I poured a small amount of syrup over my pancakes before I began eating them. There was a time when our foster mom made us pancakes, and where mine was barely anything more than just the syrup, Noah had butter, syrup, and whipped cream piled on top of his. I was sure if M&M's were available at the time, he would have sprinkled some of those on top as well.

I ate silently, thoroughly enjoying the food even though I didn't want to. The pancakes were light and fluffy, and the eggs were some of the best I'd ever had.

Noah didn't eat, and I didn't ask why. Whether he'd already eaten, or if he was one of the ones who liked the taste of blood enough to where they didn't want regular food, I didn't need to know. I didn't want the mental image of his mouth on someone's throat - both because I still couldn't stomach what he was yet, and because I didn't want to imagine him sucking someone's blood.

The door to the diner opened and Noah glanced up. He tensed, his eyes flicking down to me, then back to the door.

It took all of two seconds for me to realize what was going on, because Zero came to our table.

My jaw clenched so hard that my teeth ached.

"That certainly didn't take long." Zero grinned as two other vampires flanked him.

One of them had shaggy black hair, reddish-purple eyes, and wore all black. His eyes moved between Noah and Zero, and finally rested on me. The other had brown hair, brown eyes, and wore the normal all-white attire that reminded me too much of the day the vampires took over. He didn't even spare me a glance.

I cut into my pancakes like them being there didn't bother me, even though I wanted nothing more than to beat the shit out of him. Neither he or the other vampires he was with would let me. Noah, however...

Noah knew about my anger issues. Not how far they went, but he knew that's why I was shipped off to so many foster homes.

"Did you hear something," I asked Noah before sticking a piece of the pancake into my mouth.

He raised his eyebrows. "Nope, nothing."

Maybe he really was the same Noah that I always knew.

"Must have been a bug," I said, waving my hand in the air like I was trying to swat away a fly.

Zero grabbed my wrist, gripping it so hard that I had to hold back a wince.

I finally looked at him, wishing once again that I could kill someone with a look. It would make things so much easier. I'd rid the world of this piece of shit and while it wouldn't make everything better, it would make it less tortuous to go through the day.

"Oh," I said, baring my teeth, "it is a bug. Need to call some exterminators for the pest problem you all have here."

"Big talk for a girl who gets off on fang." Zero sneered.

Oh, yeah like I had a choice there. Everyone got off when they were bitten, if the feeding lasted long enough.

"At least I don't have limp dick syndrome," I countered.

Zero's hand squeezed so hard that I couldn't help but flinch. That moment of weakness alone made his anger all but disappear from his face.

"She's protected by Kite," Noah warned.

Zero grinned, flashing his fangs at me. "Yeah...so were her kids."

I stood and shoved my fork so far into his eye socket that he screamed, stumbling away from me as he clutched the silver utensil. It wouldn't kill him, unfortunately, but it would take a while for his eye to heal.

The two vampires he came in with simply watched. The brown haired one watching Noah, and the black haired one still watching me. I paid neither of them any real attention, because I knew the moment the shock of what I'd done wore off, Zero was going to lose his shit.

I grabbed my plate and flung it at him, watching with a sick sort of pleasure as the plate shattered and the remainder of my food coated his body.

He ripped the fork out, bringing with it his eye. It came out with a slimy pop and he threw it across the room.

"You fucking cunt," he hissed.

"Fuck you!" I threw my knife at him, and I knew that if it would have been anything but a butter knife, it would have sunk right into his chest. As it was, it hit him, then clattered to the floor at his feet, joining the broken plate and wasted food.

I stared at the hole where his eye used to be, wishing I had the ability to overtake him and just stab him until his face was nothing more than shredded meat.

The black haired vampire held his hand up to Zero as he stepped towards me. "She is protected by Kite, Zero. That's not a good idea."

Zero pushed the black haired vampire out of the way as his other hand came out and wrapped around my throat. He lifted me off the ground like I was nothing more than a rag doll, then shook me.

I grabbed his wrists, clawing at them in an attempt to break free. There was no threat to his actions. I could tell he wanted nothing more than to murder me.

My throat and chest burned as the air I tried to inhale wouldn't reach my lungs. I kicked out, wishing my strength was anywhere near his.

"Keep holding him down, you worthless piece of shit," Zero hissed to who I assume was the brown haired vampire, then he looked at me. "You didn't get to see him bleed out, but he'll get to watch you die. Such a new vampire. Can't even fight back all that well."

Noah had never been much of a fighter.

There was a crash and Zero's head whipped in the direction of the door.

"Drop her, and get your hands off of Noah before I cut all of your hands off."

Zero didn't let me go. If anything, his hand squeezed tighter. Black dots danced at the edges of my vision, and my attacks were weakening.

If I hadn't felt weak before, I sure as hell did now.

Luca appeared in my vision seconds before his fist cracked against Zero's face so hard that I saw his nose shatter under the blow.

Noah caught me before I could crumple to the ground as I gasped in air through parched lungs and an aching throat.

I looked up at him, at the fear and worry on his face, before I rested my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes, willing my body to stop shaking.