The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 23

REMY

\tl dragged my feet as I left school. After meeting with Blade last night, I could hardly fall asleep. There was something about him that made my mind race. He was definitely attractive, but it was more than that. There was something about him that made me want to know more about him. By the time I had calmed down my mind enough to sleep, it felt like I had barely blinked before Caulder came in and woke me up.

\tSchool was brutal on such little sleep, and I had nearly fallen asleep multiple times. It was a struggle to get from one moment to the next, and I didn't participate in class or talk to anyone if it wasn't absolutely necessary.

\tNow that school was over, I was ready to get home as soon as possible and crash in my bed for a while. I was supposed to go to Daniel's to see what kind of information he had about the blood moon, but that could wait for a few hours. There was no way I'd be able to function enough to make it to his place, because I was struggling with keeping my eyes open as I moved towards the car.

\tAs I stepped into the parking lot, a tingle ran down my spine, and the familiar feeling of being watched filled me. The tiredness disappeared suddenly, and my entire body was on alert. I stopped in place and looked around, trying to figure out who was watching me from where. The other students rushed past me on their way home, completely unaware of the unusual presence nearby.

\tl took a deep breath and the smell of mint and raspberries hit my nose, and my gaze snapped to the woods next to the school. I couldn't see him, but I knew he was there, watching me from a distance. I should have been creeped out by him watching me so closely, but I just wanted to know more about him instead.

\tl sent a quick text to Caulder to let him know that I had something to do after school and that I would replace my own way home. I shoved my phone back into my pocket before I started power walking towards the forest. I didn't see anything else around me as I headed in the direction the beautiful smell was coming from.

\tBefore stepping into the forest, I glanced behind me to make sure no one was watching me. When I found no eyes looking my way, I walked into the forest, keeping an eye out for Blade. I knew he was here. His scent was strong, but he was good at keeping his presence hidden. I didn't see him anywhere.

\t"I know you're here," I called out, turning in a big circle as I waited for him to show himself.

\tThe tree above me rustled and then Blade jumped from above, landing a few feet in front of me.

\t"How did you know I was here?" He tilted his head as he looked me over.

\t"I could smell you," I said. "You should be more careful. If anyone else catches you here, it could mean trouble for you."

\t"You shouldn't have been able to smell me from that distance." He narrowed his eyes as if he didn't believe what I was saying.

\tl shrugged my shoulders. "I have a good sense of smell, and you have a unique scent."

\t"A unique scent, huh?" Blade started walking around me with a soft smirk on his lips.

\t"Uh-huh," I said. I kept my eyes on him as he circled me, but I didn't move the rest of my body. Under normal circumstances, I would have been terrified of a guy looking at me like that, but something about Blade only made me feel excited. \t"Mate" Raven whispered in my head.

\t"Are you sure?" I asked Raven, but she didn't respond. I wondered if other people's wolves were as finicky as mine. Raven only talked when she wanted to, and she didn't bother responding to my questions if she didn't feel like it.

\t"You have a unique scent too," Blade said, stopping when he was in front of me again. He was closer than he was before, and he reached out and grabbed a piece of my hair.

\tlf Blade was my mate, it would explain why I didn't feel afraid of him. It would also explain why he was drawn to me. Maybe, since he was a vampire, that made the bond feel less intense than it did for other wolves. I didn't know enough about vampires to know if they had fated mates like wolves, and I wasn't sure how to ask Blade that without sounding ridiculous.

\t"And what do I smell like?" I asked, enjoying the way it felt as Blade touched my hair.

\t"You smell like apricots on a rainy summer evening," he said. His eyes glittered like gold in the light, and it made my heart race.

\tI didn't know where to move the conversation after that comment, so I decided to change the subject. "Why are you risking being so close to the pack? It could be dangerous for you."

\tBlade didn't seem worried in the slightest. "Does your family hate vampires?"

\t"I don't know. No one really talks about them. But uninvited guests aren't usually welcomed." I didn't know how my dad would act if he found out there was a vampire on his territory without his knowledge, but I couldn't imagine him being happy about it. I didn't know how my parents would react if they found out a vampire was my mate-if that was even the case.

\tBlade let go of my hair and smirked. "Then why haven't you given me up yet?"

\t"You've already asked me that. I told you I wanted answers," I said.

\tHe looked me up and down. "That's not it, at least that's not the real reason. You're a smart girl. You don't need me to get the answers you want."

\tHe was right, but I didn't like it. I pulled my lips together and debated if I should tell him the truth. I didn't know him well enough to know if I could trust him yet, but I didn't want to lie to him either. "There's something about you that is drawing me towards you." I shrugged my shoulders and looked away. I wasn't about to tell him my wolf thought he was my mate. "Guess I just want to know more about you."

\t"Like what?"

\tThe question threw me off a little. I hadn't thought specifically about what I wanted to know about him. I wanted to know more about vampires in general, but I also wanted to know what made Blade the person he was. \t"Do you like dogs or cats?" It was the first question I could think of, but I felt silly after actually asking it.

\tBlade raised an eyebrow at me. "That's what you are curious about?" His low chuckle filled the air, making my cheeks flush.

\tl shoved my hand in my pocket and shrugged. "That can say a lot about a person. I personally like cats a lot, but they typically aren't a big fan of me, since I'm a werewolf and all. Dogs are pretty cute, too, though."

\t"I like both dogs and cats, I suppose. Cats tend to prefer me, since I'm a vampire and all, but I've always been a fan of how loyal dogs are." A smile pulled at his lips, but he seemed like he was holding back. It made me want to see what his full smile looked like. \t"Good answer." I felt awkward, and I didn't know what else to ask him. It made the conversation feel a little forced asking him questions like this, but I didn't know how else to get to know someone.

\t"Good answer." I felt awkward, and I didn't know what else to ask him. It made the conversation feel a little forced asking him questions like this, but I didn't know how else to get to know someone. \t"Anything else you want to know?" Blade asked.

\t"What's your favorite food?"

\tBlade chuckled again. He pointed at his teeth as his fangs appeared. "Vampire, remember? I don't exactly eat food."

\tMy chest tightened, and I felt even dumber from that question. "Right. Sorry. You're the first vampire I've ever met before. I don't really know the difference between human lore and actual vampires. We don't really talk about the other species here. Well, we talk a little about sorcerers, but that's because apparently my grandpa on my mom's side is a sorcerer, not that I've met him before. He disappeared before I was born. I think he's still alive, but my mother doesn't really talk about him." I paused when I saw Blade just staring at me. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"

\t"A little bit, but it's cute. I'll tell you what. Tonight I'll tell you more about what vampires are actually like if you think you could sneak out again."

\t"Why not now?" I didn't want to wait until tonight to talk to Blade more.

\t"Because you look like you are about to collapse from lack of sleep, and I'm pretty sure that brother of yours is waiting for you," he said.

\tAs if on cue, my phone started ringing. It was Caulder calling, but I didn't want to answer the phone. I looked back up, but Blade was already gone. With a sigh, I decided to answer the phone after all.

\t"Where are you?" Caulder immediately asked.

\t"I'm still at school," I quickly said. I didn't want to tell him I was hanging out in the forest. I especially wasn't about to tell him I was hanging out with a vampire. He had been keeping his secrets from me, so it was my turn to keep my secrets. \t"Did you not see any of my texts?" he asked. He sounded irritated on the other side of the phone.

\t"No." I pulled my phone away from my face and saw that I had several messages from him asking where I was and saying he wasn't going to leave without me.

\t"Well, Harper and I are waiting for you. What do you have to do at school? Can't it wait? I know you're exhausted."

\tl took a few steps back towards the school and peeked into the parking lot. Sure enough, Caulder was still waiting for me, leaning against the car. I wanted the ride home, but at this point he would get suspicious if I came from the forest. I couldn't let him know I was lying to him.

\t"I'm fine. I can just walk home." I needed Caulder to leave so I could start heading home. Now that Blade was gone, I could feel the exhaustion starting to hit again.

\t"How long are you going to take?" He wasn't going to take no for an answer.

\tl looked around and sighed, knowing I would have to take the long way back to the school so Caulder wouldn't realize I wasn't where I said. "Give me fifteen minutes." \t"Okay. We'll be here."

\tl started heading through the forest, lingering between the edge of the forest and everything else as I made my way back to the school. I would have to go behind the school before leaving the forest to make sure Caulder didn't see me leaving.