Fully satiated, I feel much better. As a matter of fact, I feel more alive than I have felt in a while. It has been so long since the last time I drained a human, and I am buzzing with energy.

As I lift my eyes, I can see that Alarcos has fed on the other human, a female, but he has exhibited more self-control, and she is still alive.

"I better finish her off. The one Helen killed was her mate. I don't think she would want to live without him." Seymour says.

"But Cecilia and Tobias..." I start to say.

"Will never know what exactly happened here. It's between the three of us," Seymour says.

I look at Alarcos expecting some resistance, but he nods in agreement, which makes me feel more relieved that they would lie to my family than it should.

Though I am aware of the fact that no deception can be maintained forever, I am not ready to face the truth just yet, the truth about many things. I know I might live to regret not coming clean about my less than stellar record when it comes to feeding, but I still decide to worry about that when I have to.

"Thank you, both," I say.

Then we grow quiet as Seymour drains the poor girl while she screams in horror, knowing what fate awaits her, having seen the shell of her boyfriend lying at my feet. However, since I am not the one feeding the screams don't make me feel satisfied, they annoy me. I want the high-pitched cries to stop.

Eventually, they do as all life is drained out of her.

"How did you catch humans so quickly, here? And, did I dream, or was there a straw involved?" I ask, trying to distinguish between my imagination and reality.

"We were in luck. Those two were having a picnic at the cemetery when I came across them. The straw came from one of their juice boxes since I had a feeling we might need it." Seymour says.

"Who has a picnic at a cemetery? Not even vampires find the cemetery romantic," I say.

"Oh, I don't know. I think that the dim light of the crypt makes your eyes glow even brighter than usual." Seymour says flirtatiously.

I look at Alarcos only to note that he has turned his back to us, pretending to dispose of the bodies in an old tomb so they wouldn't be quickly discovered. Seymour's words have probably hurt him, but I love compliments, so they do give a boost to my ego.

"Cut the chitchat Romeo and tell me why would humans have a picnic at a cemetery. I am dying from curiosity," I say.

"They are what humans call 'Goths'. Generally, they just wear dark clothes and listen to dark music, but these two wanted more, I guess. And what's darker and gloomier than a cemetery?" Seymour says.

As he said that, for reasons unfathomable to me, he took my hand and brought it to his mouth.

"I should make it up to you for almost killing you. How about a picnic when all of this is over?" Seymour asks.

When he says that, he gently kisses my hand, and I try my best to stifle all the old feelings that are trying to emerge again. I might trust him with my life, but I can't trust him with my heart. After a betrayal, it's difficult to go back.

The crashing that I hear from my left makes it clear that Alarcos is having trouble controlling his temper, especially after our conversation about his and Seymour's relationship. He must think I am a liar, but whether I like it or not, there is still something between them.

Would I want the attention of a man who is clearly not over his ex? Absolutely not.

I don't think so.

I really hope not.

"Alarcos offered me to feed on him," I blurt out the first thing that I know will efficiently stop his flirting game.

"WHAT?" He screams much louder than necessary.

I can feel my ears ringing, and though it's uncomfortable, I try to ignore it since I have to figure out how much I messed up by saying that. I wasn't planning to ever share what transpired between me and Alarcos and yet I thought that was the only thing that could snap him out of his daze.

I am pretty sure that he has convinced himself that he wants me back just because I fell into his lap, so to say, but that what he wanted all along was Alarcos. Being the Great Huntress means I am not ready to take anyone's seconds. I am either first, or I am not with anyone. That has always been my rule.

Then why am I finding it so difficult to follow that rule?

"Why would you do something so stupid? How could you do that to me? Don't you know that I would have lost you?" Seymour says.

His phrasing makes it clear that I was right, that he still loves Alarcos, but I feel no relief, nor anger. What I feel is confusion. I am surprised to note that I want them to be happy, but I want to find happiness for myself as well. What if Seymour is my happiness, and I am too stubborn to see it?

"Don't you get it, you fool? I can't lose you. Not again." Seymour says.

A moment later, he hugs Alarcos so tightly that if he were human, his bones would shatter to pieces. It's clear that even the thought of losing him is wreaking havoc on Seymour, but seeing them like that makes me wonder if I might have a heart after all.

For centuries, I felt as if I had lost what was left of my emotions when I became a vampire, the moment Seymour, the only man I truly loved, left me, but now I am not so sure. It might be that I have buried them so deeply that only an earthquake named Seymour could set them free.

"Sy, you could never lose me. I am a fighter. You aren't getting rid of me so easily." Alarcos says, returning the hug with the same amount of fierceness.

It feels like I am intruding on such a private and raw moment, and I hate being there to witness it. I loathe that it's happening at all, and it makes me even more disoriented. Where is my usual callousness?

"We should go," I say, consciously interrupting the special moment they are sharing.

Seymour pulls away from Alarcos as if only realizing that I was there the moment I spoke. As if the person he was hitting on mere minutes ago no longer existed. It felt like I was the moon, which was being eclipsed by the rise of the sun on the horizon.

It was utterly annoying.

"Yes, you are right," Seymour says, his voice laced with embarrassment.

The only one who seems to have his wits about him is Alarcos, which I don't fully understand since just moments before he was furious with Seymour. Could it be that one hug from Seymour had such a soothing effect on him?

"We are all fed enough to reach your home quickly, and I think the Vampire Council lost our trail. Still, we should meet the others and leave. This area is no longer safe for any of us." Alarcos says.

"Do we really have to leave? We have built a safe haven for us here. Is it really necessary for us to leave it all behind when you just said that they wouldn't be able to follow us?" I say, holding on to any stability that I have left.

"Yes, but how long will it take them to figure out that there are active vampires in the area? How long until they figure out it's you? It's better to leave now, find a place to regroup and see if we can find the remaining Healers. Maybe they can help us hide." Alarcos says.

"Why would they help us?" I ask.

"They wouldn't. But they would help their own, even if they are vampires. They would help Cecilia and Tobias." Seymour says, having finally regained his ability to speak.

"Then what? We keep running and hiding? Forever?" I ask agitated.

"No, we find a way out of this mess, once and for all. We hide, regroup, and fight back," he says.

"Fight the whole Vampire Council? That would be suicide," I say.

"We'll see. Maybe there won't be any need for fighting. We might find another way." Seymour says.

I am comforted by the fact that Alarcos doesn't seem to like the idea any more than I do, but our choices are limited. If we don't find a way out of this situation, we will have to fight our way out, which is something I need to accept.

"Alright then. Let's go home," I say, and we set off with a half-made plan to face the unknown.