Peter looked horrified when he saw me. I stepped into the elevator and assured him I was alright—that it all looked much worse than it actually was.

“Is Matthew in the apartment?” I asked, folding my arms to cover the rips across the center of my shirt.

“He is,” Peter answered, refusing to look me in the eyes. He kept his attention on the changing floor numbers as we ascended to the penthouses.

I wished him a good evening as I stepped out of the elevator and staggered to Matthew’s front door. I’d been programed into the retinal scanner, so was able to come and go as I pleased without Matthew’s constant assistance.

Inside the apartment, it was dark, but I’d become accustomed to the layout enough to maneuver my way around without flipping on all the lights.

“Matthew?” I called softly into the darkness. I knew his hearing was far more heightened than any human’s, so he could hear a mere whisper clear across the expansive space. And I didn’t want to disturb him any more than necessary.

I finally turned on the kitchen light, waiting for a response. But the apartment was deathly silent.

I quietly padded across the carpet to my room, heading straight for the en suite. After seeing myself in the mirror, I could better appreciate Peter’s response. I looked like I’d been mauled by a wild animal, which in essence I had been.

I unhooked the holster straps and placed my new weapon on the counter as I proceeded to douse my face with cold water, then rinse my mouth to get out the lingering taste of blood. I pulled off my shredded shirt, then simply stood and stared at my grotesque reflection.

The crimson lines raking across my abdomen were crusty; dried blood had spilled from one line to the next, making a chaotic ladder. Luckily, he hadn’t cut me too deeply. My left cheek was noticeably swollen where the vampire had smacked me. The white scar on my right shoulder and lines marking my right cheek seemed to fit right in with the rest of the damage—the constant reminders I would never be completely whole. Then I gazed down at my palm, where the Society-inflicted gash was still healing; it too was meant to leave a scar—a symbol and a reminder of what I was committing to.

Bound in blood. Bound as one.

I dabbed at the slashes across my stomach with a wet washcloth, wincing at the pressure against the sensitive wounds, though I knew I’d have noticed the pain much more a few weeks ago.

When I stepped back into the bedroom, I listened for any sound beyond my door, but the apartment was still quiet. I pulled on the Rolling Stones nightshirt and slipped out of my shoes and pants. I was bone tired after the night I’d had, but before crawling into bed, I made one more pace around the apartment.

There were more rooms than any one person needed and I peeked my head into all of them. Lastly, I stepped into Matthew’s bedroom. The door was open and the lights off, so it had seemed to be empty. But then I noticed a dark shape on the bed, someone lying on top of the covers.

“Matthew, are you asleep?” I asked, quietly creeping into the room. If he was, I didn’t want to wake him.

“Fiona…” he croaked, and from the sound of his voice, something was certainly wrong.

“What is it?” I asked, apprehensively stepping closer to the bed. Then I saw the dark patches all over the front of his shirt. I didn’t need the light on to know it was blood. “What happened to you? Why aren’t you healing?”

“Sleeper bullets,” he said, his voice still strained. “The splinters are still stuck inside me.”

“Then you need to let me help you to the infirmary. I think that’s where they were going to take the vampire that attacked me.”

“What?” His face showed the alarm in his voice and he tried to get up, but groaned, and fell back down onto the mattress. “What are you talking about?”

“Never mind that now,” I insisted. “I’m all right. Janice and Ashley saw to it. But what happened to you?”

“I’ll be okay. The synthetic splinters will dissolve, allowing me to heal. It’s just taking some time.”

“Synthetic splinters?” I was so confused, but when he didn’t answer, I crawled onto the bed next to him. Careful of his wounds, I simply placed a hand on his arm. His skin was so cold.

“You’re not allowed to leave me,” I said, nuzzling my face to his.

“You can’t get rid of me so easily,” he replied, a slight chuckle escaping his lips. “But…”

I didn’t like the sound of that but.

“It is time for you to go home,” he said. “I’ll take you tomorrow, after any training sessions you have planned.”

“Why is that so important all of a sudden?” I asked.

“It’s not—it’s just time.”

“Before, you said it was dangerous.”

“I’ve taken care of everything,” he said, still not turning to look at me, his face pointed toward the ceiling. “You’ll be safe. I promise.”

The thought of going home felt like a welcomed treat, though I’d quickly become accustomed to coming here and loved the limited time we’d spent together. I’d spent most of my days training and Matthew had spent his time doing other things he wasn’t so forthcoming with discussing, so we’d mostly had only nights to meet each other. And through most of them, we were warmly cuddled together in my bed. However, whenever make-out sessions became too heated, he continually pulled back, leaving me wondering if he really wanted me. But then again, I didn’t know how things would work between humans and vampires—if we were really physically compatible when it came to taking our relationship to the next level. In the end, he’d simply hold me until I fell asleep.

But tonight, it was my turn to hold him.

Matthew was horrified when he saw my face the next morning. His afflictions had miraculously healed throughout the night—while mine predictably did not. I didn’t think I looked terrible when I checked myself in the mirror, but my cheek was swollen and some shade of dark purple. Then I noticed the few blood spots on his tee-shirt I’d worn to bed, which forced me to show him my stomach as well.

Even though I told him it wasn’t just some random attack, but a pop-quiz set up by Janice and Ashley, he still acted like he feared for my safety. “Why didn’t you say something?” he commanded, back to his regular self as he dabbed his blood on my aching wounds.

“You weren’t exactly in the best condition to be giving me some of your blood,” I protested. “You had enough to worry about.”

“A few drops would have been nothing for me, but everything for you.”

“You’re taking care of me now. I’m fine. Really.” I handed him the shirt, which had much more blood on it than I’d anticipated. “I’m sorry about your shirt. I hope this comes out.”

“I’m not worried about the shirt,” he said, taking it from me, then throwing it over his shoulder like a towel.

“I’m gonna get cleaned up, if you don’t mind,” I said, not wanting him to get any ideas now with me down to my underwear, covered in blood—a horror show that most likely enticed him, though I couldn’t help feeling incredibly disgusting. I pushed past him, so I could shower in my room.

I was able to fit in a few more training sessions before Matthew collected me. We went back to his apartment and I gathered up my limited things. I didn’t have an overshirt thick and loose enough to conceal the gun holster, so stuffed my new weapon in my suitcase, hiding it all the way at the bottom.

“You never did tell me what happened to you last night,” I said as we walked from the prison to the North Building. Looking down at the dirt, I noticed some residual blood from the midnight encounter. I didn’t linger on the sight, not wanting Matthew to make the connection.

“And I told you it’s nothing to worry about,” he answered sharply.

“I’m not worried, just curious. I thought we were in a good place where we could talk to each other about stuff.” Oh God, was I really giving him the open communication for good relationships speech?

“That’s one of the problems with being a part of the Society and us being together—there are things I do that are above your pay grade.” Matthew gave a nonchalant shrug, letting me know I had little choice but to live with it.

“Then what do I have to do to get to such a pay grade?” I asked sarcastically.

“It takes more than a single lifetime.”

“Oh, I see. Playing the immortal vampire card. Nice.” I rolled my eyes.

We weren’t exactly talking when we reached the Land Rover and headed out of the secure compound. When we arrived at my apartment complex, he drove right up to the sidewalk leading to my front door, in full view of the kitchen window. I thought he’d want to be a bit more secretive or subtle, but even questioning his actions at this point would just be taken as another argument.

So instead, I said, “It’s going to suck sleeping alone tonight.”

“The apartment will be lonely without you,” he said with a halfhearted smile.

Matthew’s hand was on the gearshift, and I reached out to place my hand over his. “I feel the same way,” I said.

“At least you have your mother and sister.” He leaned in to kiss me, but I backed away.

“My sister? What do you mean?” I asked, not understanding where that was coming from. He knew my sister was dead.

He suddenly flushed and retreated to his side of the vehicle. “I just meant you have family that loves you,” he said, obviously backtracking.

“What do you know about my sister?” I pressed.

Matthew sighed and ran a hand through his wavy hair. “I know she’s not entirely gone. She spoke to me.”

“When was this?”

“While you were in the hospital.”

“Which hospital?”

“Sisters of Mercy.”

“What were you doing in my apartment while I was locked up?” I glared at him, daring him to give me another vague non-answer. “Or is that also above my pay grade?”

“I was checking to make sure someone else wasn’t coming after your mother or looking for you.”

“You know what that vampire was talking about, don’t you? I bet you knew it even when I asked. Why are vampires after my mother?”

“I don’t want to worry you,” Matthew said in a calming voice.

“Well, if she’s involved with vampires, then I should be worried. And you said it was safe for me to go home. How is it safe for any of us if my mother is involved with vampires?” I wasn’t going to yell at him but was afraid that with our proximity to the apartment, if Mom was home, she’d be able to hear me.

“Because I’m saying you’ll be safe—you both will.”

“That’s right—because I’ll keep the both of us safe,” I said, knowing I sounded like a petulant child, but too upset to care. I didn’t want to hear any more of this and wanted to make a point of storming off.

Matthew didn’t move as I shoved the door open and grabbed my suitcase from the backseat. His face was solemn as he watched me through the tinted glass. As we gazed at each other, I thought he was going to lower the window; when he didn’t, I gave a curt wave and stomped away.

The tires squealed as Matthew drove off, causing me to stop a moment and think about how precariously we’d left things. But there was nothing I could do about it right then. Matthew was gone and I could see the kitchen light on inside. Mom was home and I would now have to face her; I had to quickly calm down or wouldn’t be able to handle anything she threw my way.

After taking a series of deep breaths, I continued down the sidewalk, took out my key, and was about to push it in the keyhole when the door opened.

“Fiona?”

I was not prepared for this.

Sean stood in the doorway, eyes wide, seemingly trying to figure out if I was real.