It was so beautiful. How the flames danced with each other, sending away warm waves. Like a magical party, so alluring one would want to hold their hand out and touch the little flames.

She got closer to the fire, not blinking. She didn't want to miss a single moment of the scene before her.

"Judith," he said, interrupting her thought.

"Where were you?" she turned around to face him.

"I was out, hunting."

"So you would kill others, but not me? Does the family name scare you?" she raised her voice a bit.

"I wasn't out killing others. I merely went hunting some animals."

"Oh..." she looked at him more deeply, "You are all wet..."

"I'll take care of it in less than a minute."

"Right. You must..." she said but he was gone again.

She turned her gaze back to the fire. It was magnificent. The warmth was soothing her. She felt her body feeling well again. After shivering for so long.

"You said something?" he was back again.

"Oh. You are dry again."

"Well, I put different clothes."

"Right."

"What did you want to say to me?"

"Nothing, just that... Well, I'm still here."

"The rain hasn't stopped."

"But you left me alone, I could've run."

"Where to? It's rainy and dark. Not to mention it is so late, not even the Parmelee cabs are working at this time."

"I still don't understand why I am here...?"

"You needed help, I offered..."

"But why?"

"It seemed the right thing to do."

"Is it cliché if I say that all my life I've been led to believe that vampires are emotionless?"

"No. But it's alright, you can believe what you want."

"My father was killed by one. Maybe even by you."

"Maybe."

"Hah," she smiled. "I thought he was hunting tigers and bears when I was little. But then, one day he never returned," she turned around towards the fire, "my mother said a tiger killed him. I was crying for so long. Threw away all my tiger toys. I hated them."

"She didn't want to tell you the truth at such a young age..."

"She wasn't going to tell me even when I was older. She wanted nothing with the family legacy. But uncle was stubborn, and one day he visited me when she wasn't home..."

"Must've been hard accepting the truth that vampires are real."

"It wasn't. He brought a vampire with him. He killed him with the sun... After torturing him so he would heal in front of my eyes."

"Judith..."

"Funny thing, I still hate tigers more than vampires," she turned to face him.

"I'm glad."

"Careful, my emotions are all over the place."

"Well," he sat right next to her, "try dealing with emotions as a vampire."

"Are you going to make me one?" she looked him in his eyes.

"Do you want to?" he asked her.

"I don't know what I want," she saddened.

"What happened to you?" he finally asked.

"I... My sister... Jenn..." she turned her gaze down.

"It's okay you can tell me," he touched her shoulder, but hesitated, and then he quickly removed his hand.

"I was supposed to get married to a man I am deeply in love with, William. But, he laid his eyes on both of us, in the end..." she took a deep breath, "he chose her, and ended up our engagement."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"He announced it carelessly and took the ring off my hand to give it to her, and what's worse, she took it," she resumed looking at the flames.

"Her betrayal must've hurt more."

"Strangely, it was my mother's that hurt the most."

"Why?" he looked at her surprised. 

"She said I shouldn't be selfish, and that I should be happy for my sister and her unborn child."

"She got pregnant...?" his eyes widened.

"Under my nose. And I am the evil selfish one," she let out a sarcastic smile. 

"Don't feel that way," he tried to soothe her.

"But I did. I felt so bad, and I just had to get out. So I did. And I've been going and going for some time. I didn't even know that is raining. Not until you stopped me," a tear left her eye.

"Don't be sad." he wiped her tear. "You will find a better man, you are very beautiful."

"What about a better sister, or a mother?"

"You don't need a family."

"That's an interesting thing. I need them. And I hate that I do."

"You will be over them."

"You are still angry with the man that came earlier. And he said he is family. A century is what he mentioned. I don't think I'll live that long."

"I... It's different."

"Why?"

"He made me a vampire against my will. He betrayed my trust."

"Betrayal has many forms, but still hurts the same..." she faced him again

"Maybe we will never heal. But maybe we don't have to..."

"Maybe... I am not in the mood in finding out though."

"You are still keen on dying?" he asked with hope in his words.

"I... I wouldn't do it myself. But I would let you..."

"I'm sorry, but I won't do it."

"Maybe..." she got her hair on one side, revealed her neck, and got closer to his face, "if I make it easy for you..."

"Please," he whispered. He could feel her heartbeat, it was ascending.
"I don't want to do this."

She went closer to him, took his arms and put them around her waist, sat on his lap and hugged him with her legs. She leaned herself, making her neck closer on to his mouth, so he can just take a bite.

"You are making a mistake," he said, shiver running through his body.

"It's the most painless way to go. You are doing me a favor, why don't you want to help me, Felix?" she begged, and her body was getting hotter by the second.

"This is hard for me, please..." his breathing was getting harder, and the power to resist the temptation was diminishing. He got to her neck with his lips and slowly opened his mouth. His body was ready.

As he was about to take a bite, he turned around and rested his head on her shoulder. Panting.

"How can you resist me?" she cries, "no one ever chooses me..."

"It's not..." he tried to speak through his hard breathing, lifting his head a bit, not daring to look her in her eyes. "Judith... Oh, I would love to bite you, drink your warm blood and feel it running through my body, fulfilling me... But I can't allow myself to go down that path again... And... I can't allow you to die. I would even stop you if you tried."

"Why do you care?" she said through her tears.

"Maybe because I'm bored and alone."

"So I'm entertaining you, with what, being alive?" she got upset.

"I'm pathetic, would you accept that!" he raised his voice. It was true, he was still hung on to her last name, and the meaning it held for him, long time ago.

"If you turn to face me," she insisted.

"What, why?"

"Your hands are still shaking. You can barely breathe straight. I want to see your face."

"No.," he said, weakness covering his voice clearly.

"Yes," she placed her hands on the sides of his face and slowly turned him.

Their eyes met.

She shivered. What if he fails to resist the temptation again? Is this her end?

They stared like that. Her sitting in his lap with her legs around him. His hands on her waist, hers on his face.

He stared at her shiny hazel eyes. It was like a whole eternity.

She was hesitant to continue towards him. He pulled her a bit, failing to stop himself. As they got closer, he stopped and their noses touched.
He could feel her gentle breath on his skin.

He looked at her eyes again and then lowered his gaze to her lips. It was the only thing that can take his mind off of her blood, so he kissed her.

She pulled back and slapped him.

"Wh... Why did you kiss me?" she screamed and jumped up.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"The rain," she turned around to the window, "it stopped! I will leave," she moved towards the door.

"No!" he stopped her.

"Am I a prisoner now?"

"No," he said. "But it's the middle of the night. Where would you go all alone?"

"Away from you vampire!" she screamed.

"Fine, if you want I can take you to your house," he insisted.

"Why would I go back to..." she went quiet.

"You have nowhere to go," he noted.

"I can..."

"Sleep on the streets?"

"It's better than sleeping in a stranger's house."

"Judith, don't be stubborn, if I wanted to hurt you I would have done it already."

"But you won't. So I'll find someone who will..." she tried to step away.

"Just stay tonight," he cut her off again, "sleep it off, tomorrow is a new day. If you still want to die I won't stop you..."

"Promise you won't hypnotize me..."

"I won't."

She gave him a gentle smile and bitted her lower lips. She hadn't forgotten that their lips touched.

"Sorry for hitting you earlier... You surprised me."

"Sorry for kissing you..." he moved closer to her.

"Don't be... It... It wasn't terrible," she bit her lips.

"Are you saying you liked it?" he asked.

"I don't know..."

"Will you know, if I do it again?" he grabbed by her waist.

"I..." she tried to speak but he grabbed her lips with such passion that she was lost.

He soon broke the kiss.

"Felix..." is all she said.