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Eden tugged at the sleeves of his shirt trying to keep his skin covered as the late afternoon sun streamed through the lecture theatres high windows leaving very few shadows for him to sit in. He’d once enjoyed the sun’s comforting warmth on his skin, but now it only brought a sharp hiss of pain as his skin tried its damnedest to blister. And he hated to admit that Alric had been right, suntan lotion – regardless of its strength – did little to protect him.
But staying at the apartment, either of them, wasn’t an option. He couldn’t afford to miss a single class after having missed three already which should have cost him credits, but somehow it hadn’t. It wouldn’t surprise Eden if Alric had used his considerable power and influence to do it; quickly learning that it extended outside the business world. His first reaction had been to argue with Alric over it, but he quickly realised it was because of Alric that had necessitated Eden taking those days off, so he’d let it slide.
And if their little whoops turned into one that was more permanent, Eden was going to need a few more days, weeks off. Eden would gladly leave it to Alric to navigate that interesting quandary for him to explain. Vampire’s didn’t exist as far as human’s were concerned and if you could get someone to accept that, didn’t mean they’d just as easily accept that male vampires could also get pregnant. Truthfully, he was still struggling to accept it himself and he’d already met several vampires within the coven who’d had children.
Books thumped shut, papers shuffled as the students around him packed up ready to leave, jolting Eden from his thoughts. He glanced at the paper in front of him and realised he’d only managed to write two lines of notes meaning the whole lecture had gone around him, but he’d heard nothing but the brief introduction. He sighed, slammed his book shut and shoved it inside his satchel, cursing as his hand passed through a beam of sunlight. It was five now and his next class wasn’t until six leaving him with an hour to spare to study in the library.
He hurriedly snatched up his satchel and slung it over his shoulder as hurried to leave. Slipped out the door into the hallway teeming with students rushing to their next class. Their heartbeats pounded loud in his ears and the tantalising aroma of blood called to him, reminding Eden that it had been awhile since he last ate anything of sustenance. He picked up the pace, pushing his way through the hallway as his fangs began to descend and Eden needed to keep his lips pressed tight together to stop them from being seen.
Made harder by the scent of blood tugging at his instinct to feed on the nearest human he could grab and being new to this whole world Eden struggled to keep it under control. But Eden knew that when instinct kicked in, it meant he needed to find a more socially acceptable form of consuming the blood his body required. Had learnt that lesson the hard way when his still squeamish self, tried to limit when and how often he consumed it... painful excruciating experience that only gotten worse as his hunger grew. Feral snarls ripped from his throat and he’d launched himself at Alric as he walked through the door of their suite of rooms at the mansion. Alric might not have complained, but Eden understood how reckless he’d been and promised himself to never let his hunger reach such dangerous levels again. And if it happened somewhere like here at the university, not even Alric’s money could make the mess disappear. Not that he could understand why he was that level of hungry now, with it only being hours since he last ate and not days.
With that in mind, Eden ducked down a nearby narrow hallway that led to a utility room and stepped inside. Cleaning supplies lined the room, but Eden ignored them, moving to the end where he knew a hidden entrance to one of the many secret tunnels that ran beneath Silverdale city. He was thankful Alric had pointed out all the entrances to the tunnel hidden around the university, and more importantly which ones contained fridges stocked with specially fortified wine, because Eden wasn’t the only vampire or dhampyre on campus.
Opening the door, Eden hurried down the stairs and opened the door at the bottom. He expected to step into a long dank tunnel with a lone fridge looking completely out of place. But that wasn’t what Eden found as bright light spilled into the stairwell along with the surprising sound of laughter. A sound that fell silent as the door closed behind him and several pairs of eyes swivelled to stare at him, fangs bared. And not just fangs as Eden realised that not all here were vampires.
“I think-” an older man stood, turning to face Eden with a snarl. “-you are in the wrong place human.”
Eden snorted. Human he was no longer, though he could understand the confusion, the scent of the students he’d pushed through to get here had rubbed off on him, overpowering his own. “Not. Human.” He smiled broadly, baring his own fangs. The dangerous tension in the room dissipated leaving only one of confusion. Human or not, he was still a stranger encroaching on their territory.
“So, another new vampire,” the man sneered, stalking closer. “Where did you come from... and how did you learn of this place?” His eyes flashed golden, pupils looking more like that of a cat...or a wolf maybe. Eden flicked his gaze over the room, landing on two vaguely familiar faces, members of Alric’s coven who were choosing to sit quietly and not speak on his behalf. But then maybe for them this was a test, a way of hazing the newbie. “Did you sneak into our territory believing you could help yourself to our supplies? There are rules and protocols here in Silverdale.”
The two vampires Eden vaguely recognised, covered their mouths as they tried to stifle their laughter. Not that the man in front of him appeared to notice. Eden straightened up, refusing to cower as this man obviously wished him to. “And just whose laws are they, that I’m supposed to be obeying? Are they yours? Are you the one in charge of determining who is and isn’t welcome on the streets of Silverdale City?”
There was one vital piece of information Alric had remembered to tell Eden that he was now very grateful for. Alric wasn’t just the CEO of the Silverdale Corportion or the leader of his coven, but he also chaired the council that oversaw the whole supernatural community within the city. Of course, he hadn’t realised how extensive or varied that community was.
“I’m Weylen, head of the Silver Ridge Pack-” Eden guessed that meant wolves. “-and maybe I am the one decides that. So, who might you be?”
The two vampires were really struggling to hold back their laughter, and even Eden was barely containing his own amusement at the situation. Lips quirking as he tried to regain his calm before answering the wolfs question. Putting him in his place would embarrass the wolf enough, humiliating him further by openly laughing at him wouldn’t bode well.
“I’m Eden Haversham, or at least I was. I suppose I should introduce myself as Eden Drayton now. Sorry getting used to the new name as well as the teeth,” he rambled, but not missing the way Weylen shuffled back arms raised in surrender, before turning back to the two vampires from the coven and scowling at them. “And I just stopped in to grab a drink, studying is thirsty work and I don’t think Alric would be impressed if I supped on my fellow students instead.”
He walked over to the fridge and opened it, scowling at the smaller sized bottles inside. Eden wanted more. He eyed up the remaining bottles, briefly considering drinking them all before deciding that would be rude. But if he didn’t Eden wasn’t sure he’d make it to his next lecture. He blinked, confused by the sudden change in his hunger levels, not having felt like this since he’d turned twelve weeks ago.