Sucking on her roommate's elbow was not something Sofia had ever thought she would find herself doing. It didn’t help that Jackie was clearly holding back a laugh.

She felt bad for biting Jackie, there was no way she wasn’t taking Jackie to the hospital to get the wound looked at. With her teeth, it was practically a dog bite.

Sofia smoothed out the bandage on Jackie’s forearm and gently let her go. She adjusted herself in the driver's seat but really had no idea what exactly to do from there.

How to drive a car was knowledge she possessed, but what exactly had happened and if Jackie was going to stake her through the heart she had no idea.

“How does that feel?” Sofia asked, trying to start somewhere.

“My arm is practically numb, shock can be surprisingly useful,” Jackie retorted, gently cradling her arm.

“I’m sorry, fuck,” Sofia sighed. “You just kept riling me up, and I was famished and your heartbeat was just pounding in my ears. I lashed out, I apologize, seriously.”

Jackie shrugged, “We’re good, it was kinda intentional. I needed to test your limits if I was ever going to be comfortable around you.”

“You were terrified,” Sofia frowned.

“Well… yes, I mean there was a chance you were just gonna kill me. But it worked out, I just… needed to see it for myself,” Jackie offered awkwardly.

“You’re an idiot,” Sofia glared.

“Says the one who broke like half the bones in her body because she won’t properly take care of herself,” Jackie retorted.

Sofia clenched her jaw. “Feel free to share any of that blood of yours if you feel so strongly about it.”

“I will,” Jackie smiled.

Sofia paused.

“Now I know you can control yourself. It’s like the marshmallow test. You could have drained my dry but instead you resisted, now you’ll get more marshmallows,” she explained.

“That analogy barely holds up,” Sofia grumbled.

“Thank you, Jackie, that’s very kind of you,” Jackie mocked.

Sofia sighed. “Yes, thank you. There's one more thing I should mention if we’re putting all our cards on the table,”

“Oh?” Jackie replied with an inquisitive look.

“My eyes, they’re super sensitive to light obviously but… they also like… hypnotize people,” Sofia forced out.

“What?” Jackie frowned.

“What do you remember about when I got home?” Sofia asked.

“Uh… You ran into me, I panicked cus I was like who is this? I punched you…”

“And then?”

“Then… I was chasing you into your room,” Jackie frowned. “You were suddenly behind me…”

“You don't remember seeing my eyes then?” Sofia asked.

Jackie frowned. “Not since… everything.”

“Can we test it? I'll take them off then put them back on, you tell me what colour my eyes are.”

“Uh… sure,” Jackie shrugged.

Sophia took her sunglasses off and made eye contact with Jackie before slipping them back on. She didn't even bother trying to form a band of connection. “What colour are my eyes?”

“Well, I already know they're brown. Are you gonna do the thing?” she asked, mimicking raising glasses.

“Jackie, I already did,” Sofia laughed nervously.

Jackie frowned, “Bullshit.”

Sofia nodded. “If I maintain eye contact people get all relaxed and like… slip into a trance. I guess they can't form memories in the meantime but they listen to me. I told the coroner to go to sleep and the security guard to let me out of the morgue.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“H-How? That's… that’s not even how hypnosis works for one,” Jackie huffed with disbelief.

“What do you know about hypnosis?” Sofia asked, easily distracted by something new from Jackie.

“I’ve dabbled, one of my exes was kinky like that.”

Sofia wasn't even sure if she wanted to ask.

“Oh, random question. If you take out your nose ring will it heal?” Jackie asked.

Sofia shook her head with a sigh and started the car. Making a mental note to never ever take out her nose ring. “Let's get you to the hospital.”

“What no, I’m fine, seriously.”

“Jackie, I have fangs.”

“Do you have HIV or hepatitis?”

“Who knows what vampire cooties I have,” Sofia replied. Jackie would not be getting out of this one.

----------------------------------------

Thankfully the hospital was far more boring than anything else. Sofia hated the smell but she would accept her punishment for hurting Jackie even if Jackie wanted to be there less than she did. Much to Jackie’s annoyance they gave her a few stitches and some medication to take to prevent infection. That on top of hours of waiting meant Jackie was exhausted by the time they got back to their apartment.

Sofia had no idea how to get the car back to Jackie’s cousin but considering the time it could probably wait until tomorrow.

“Wake up,” Sofia hissed, nudging Jackie. Jackie did not stir. Sophia couldn't really blame her, she had been tired before the walk, then she had carried Sofia, gotten a nasty bite wound and spent hours at the hospital.

Sofia walked around and opened the passenger side door. “Jackie,” Sofia tried again. “I’m going to carry you if you don't wake up.”

Her threats were unheeded, she took a deep breath and went to pick Jackie up. Except she actually could now. She didn't even need to pretend to do it to make Jackie walk herself. As gently as she could she picked up the much taller woman.

It was somewhat awkward with the size difference but with a bit of blood in her system, Jackie seemed light as a feather. Sofia’s strength somewhat scared her. She gently carried Jackie up to the apartment and tucked her into bed.

After ensuring the front door and car were actually locked she went about the process of putting up the blackout curtains she had ordered. She was probably in the best mood she had been in since all this had started.

Jackie and her were good, closer even than before all this. She felt like she had a grip on everything. She was prepared for the sun tomorrow. Her life wasn't crumbling. She wasn't starving anymore. Everything was ok again.

There was a knock at the door. At this time of night, it made her shackles rise. Then again, she was a vampire, what did she even have to fear?

Eloise stood on the front step with a pleasant smile, Sofia immediately ate her words.

“Evening, may I come in?” Eloise asked, removing her hat. She kept the glasses on. She wore a similar outfit to that knight at the club. A brown suit rather than black one.

“For the record kindred don’t require an invitation to enter, I’m just being polite,” she added with a sharp grin.

Sofia wasn’t entirely sure what choice she had. She knew well enough she was outmatched. There were no convenient wooden stakes lying around either. For all her hatred Eloise had answers, answers Sofia desperately wanted.

“I Googled arrhythmias,” Sofia retorted. “It’s possible for them to cause a heart attack, it’s also possible for them to do nothing. I could have just gone to the doctor.”

“I said it was almost ethical, didn’t I,” Eloise pointed out.

Sofia clenched her jaw, took a deep breath and motioned for her to enter.

“Lovely apartment,” Eloise complimented as she entered, hanging her hat on a coat hanger. She sniffed the air. “Lovely refreshment,” she smirked.

Sofia failed to hide the sneer of annoyance.

“Tough crowd,” Eloise sighed with a wince.

“What do you want?” Sofia asked curtly.

“Well, you caught me on a bad night, I was hungry and grieving. It occurred to me I somewhat left you to sort everything out on your own. Rather rude of me,” Eloise replied, elegantly lounging on the couch.

Sofia remained standing though somehow she was even further caught off guard. Had she come here to… apologize?

“Why would you ever think I would want anything to do with you,” Sofia hissed. “You. Killed. Me. My roommate thought I was dead because you tore my throat out and left me to bleed out on the bathroom floor. I can’t feel anything anymore, you took that from me. No pain, not rest, no heat, no cold, nothing but hunger.”

Eloise furrowed her brown in concern. “Are you eating properly?” Her calm demeanour only made Sofia angrier.

“I don’t know what that means,” she growled. Literally. She vocalized a sound that was entirely a surprise to her.

“Well we might be carnivorous but a kindred can only sipon life through fresh blood. Any mammal will do, humans are obviously the best. With a well-balanced meal you can almost forget you’re dead,” Eloise smiled.

“How fresh? Can I just go to the blood bank?” Sofia replied, the information was worth far more than her anger.

“That’s hardly fresh,” Eloise wrinkled her nose in offence. “It’s not even the blood itself really, it’s the… vitae, the spark of life. That you can only get from a proper meal.”

“So if I want to live rather than simply exist I need to take the life of others?” Sofia glared.

“You don’t have to kill people, though that can certainly be part of the fun. Get a few more roommates and you can be perfectly satiated at little cost to them,” Eloise snickered.

“Our eyes,” Sofia began, changing the subject.

“Ah, do you want to see,” Eloise gasped. “Don’t worry, it’s only effective on lesser creatures.”

Sofia swallowed… then nodded.

Eloise smiled and slipped her glasses off. Her eyes fluttered before meeting Sofia’s.

“Wha…”

Sofia didn’t even know how to begin to describe Eloise’s eyes. Shifting crystalline fractals of oblivion. A cacophony of reds and blacks swirling pupils of quasar-like uncertainty.

“Tit for tat,” Eloise coaxed.

Sofia removed her own glasses. Eloise sighed wistfully.

“There’s nothing more beautiful, the human mind simply can’t resist. I wonder what your philosophers would say about such a sight?” Eloise added. “Would they weep with horror or kill themselves to avoid ever having to part with such a visage?”

Sofia shuddered and slipped her glasses back on. It almost felt wrong to witness such things.

Eloise rolled her eyes and slipped her own pair back on. “Don’t go too crazy, you can only snip and rewrite a mind so many times before things tend to unravel.”

Forget vampires, what Sofia had just witnessed was so much worse. “How,” was all she managed.

“I don’t know, gift of our bloodline I suppose,” Eloise shrugged.

“You… don’t know?”

“Well it’s not like there’s some underground society,” Eloise huffed. “It’s a big world, kindred are not easy to find. All we really ever have is family.”

The last thing Sofia wanted was to be family with this woman.

“I can tell when I’m not wanted, any other questions before I leave you to wallow?” Eloise sighed with annoyance.

“Why me?” Sofia asked. She should have asked something more useful but it was the only thing she could think of.

Eloise’s expression softened a little. “With mastery of our gift, you’ll read the minds of mortals. You had that heart condition… and it seemed like this life might suit you. You were no random victim, Sofia, very few can find a way to truly live. Despair is so easy to give in to. May your late sister rest in peace.”

“I… I can’t forgive you right now,” Sofia said, feeling conflicted.

“Perhaps with time,” Eloise nodded and stood. She pulled a card out of her pocket. “Emergencies only,” she warned, handing it over. It was a phone number.

Eloise made her way to the door and put her hat back on. “One final tidbit, if you're especially fond of that roommate of yours, feed her your blood periodically.”

“I don’t want to make her like me,” Sofia frowned.

“Stick to small amounts and don’t exsanguinate her then,” Eloise scoffed in annoyance. “I’m not a personal fan of blood bonds, but it will keep her healthy and youthful. And obedient if you're into that,” Eloise winked. “Good for mortals you want to keep around.”

Sofia didn’t even know how to reply to that. “That’s… not gonna happen,” Sofia replied finally.

“Well, you’ll have to discuss that with the one eavesdropping. Until next time, lovely childe of mine,” Eloise offered with a little flourish and bow. Then she was out the door and out of Sofia’s life finally… at least for now.

“Fuck me,” Sofia groaned. Now that she was paying attention she could hear Jackie awake and moving about.

She looked over the phone number and tried to commit it to memory. Hopefully, it would be a very long time until she ever needed to use it.