~Victor's POV~

As soon as Sang was done feeding Gabriel took control of the situation.

He sent us off to get ready and dragged Sang to his room where he could find some clothes for her.

Mr. Blackbourne stayed silent for a couple minutes, not moving from where he'd stood while Sang drank from him.

His eyes were unfocused, like Luke's got when he was in the middle of a daydream, but I found it hard to believe that Mr. Blackbourne would be on la-la-land.

Dr. Green reached for him, laying a hand on his shoulder which caused him to jump startled and blink at Sean before he turned around and left the kitchen.

"Boys," Dr. Roberts' voice came from the doorway.

I glanced at him. He looked tired and stressed.

Which was no wonder with everything that was going on lately.

I was actually surprised with myself for not freaking out while watching Sang decapitate that other girl, vampire... whatever.

Nate was awake and deeply embarrassed for fainting and the others looked fine and almost blaze about what had happened.

"I need to go, now." Dr. Roberts said, his gaze focused on Dr. Green, "I will see you Monday, Sean. And be careful all of you."

With that he left and we began walking to our rooms, preparing to go shopping with Gabe.

At the mall Sang said that we could split up as long as no one stayed alone or left the building. She also insisted that either Gabriel, Luke or Mr. Blackbourne should accompany whoever decided to separate from the main group.

My brothers and I were confused at that request, but agreed readily.

There was no way any one of us would distance ourselves from her, thought. Watching that sweet girl was fascinating, seeing the way she took in the people and changes around her with surprise, delight and complete shock.

It was amazing how someone who was supposedly so old and lived such a violent life could look at the world around her with so much wonder and innocent curiosity.

Beautiful. She was beautiful.

Our first stop was a lingerie shop and her face was so red, her eyes so wide that I felt sure she would catch on fire at any minute.

Luke and Gabriel kept teasing her, selecting the most scandalous and sexy lingerie for her until Mr. Blackbourne came into the store looking furious and fixed a death glare on the boys, causing them to lower their heads and leave the shop, allowing Sang to shop by herself.

We all waited outside for her after that; some of us blushing, others smirking and others pretending they were distracted with something else.

When it came the time to pay for her clothes I walked into the store and went straight for the register, pulling out my black credit card from my wallet.

"Victor?" Sang's voice rang with uncertainty.

She stood right beside me and I felt that odd sense of belonging and rightness once more. It was like suddenly everything was where it was supposed to be. Except I hadn't realized there was something missing in my life until I met her.

I glanced over at her and noticed how she shifted uncomfortably on her feet, her hands clasped tightly before her, her green eyes dark with worry.

Gorgeous.

"I... I don't know how to repay you," she began saying, "I mean, usually I just bought what I needed with the money my father gave me, but now...." She was getting more flustered and nervous as the words left her mouth, her hands trembling slightly as was her voice.

I blinked at her, surprised at her uncertainty. "It's okay, I can afford to buy you a few clothes. I am quite rich, Princess." I told her quietly.

She frowned at me, clearly still uncomfortable at having to ask me for money.

She opened her mouth and I knew a protest was about to leave her lips so I raised a hand and laid my fingers against her lips, offering a small smile. "It's alright, Princess. We promised to help you adapt and that means taking care of all your needs, including buying your clothing."

She still seemed uncomfortable with that, however, and I felt my smile widen. She was the first girl who tried to stop me from buying her things, and Sang actually needed the things I was buying for her.

What sort of girl did that?

"Victor..." she tried to scold, mumbling against my fingers.

Her lips were warm and smooth and I wondered how they would feel against mine. The way she was already affecting me was unbelievable. A look from those eyes of hers and my heart lost all sense of rhythm.

She will be the death of me.

I shook my head, more as a way of dispelling my thoughts than of denying her, and said. "Princess, there is no way that I or any of my brothers are going to stand before Gabriel and try to tell him we are not shopping for you anymore. So, just say "thank you, Victor"."

God, she looked so beautiful with that small frown between her eyebrows and her cheeks a little rosy from embarrassment and maybe in a little annoyance at not getting her way.

If I spoiled her would she take a liking to me?

I didn't think so, but it was worth a shot.

I removed my hand and turned back to the register, finishing the purchase.

Grabbing the bags quickly before she could protest any more I left the store in a hurry, knowing that she would follow me.

The sound of an annoyed huff behind my back was like music to my ears and I felt my lips stretch in a smile once more.

This was surprisingly fun.

Would she keep scolding me if I kept buying her things?

My God, I was turning into a creep, but the thought of a slightly irritated Princess as I showered her with gifts made me want to laugh and kiss her.

What would she do if I said she could repay me with kisses?

Slap me silly, probably.

Damn.

~Kota's POV~

Convincing Gabe to put a stop to his shopping for long enough that we could all grab a lunch had been a struggle as usual.

Mr. Blackbourne's presence this time helped. He'd shot Gabriel a pointed look and nodded his head toward Sang who was clearly dragging after the full morning.

The poor, beautiful girl looked beyond overwhelmed and I thought she needed a break from more than just Gabriel's crazy compulsion.

I still had no idea if Sang ate real food, but I guess now was as good a time to find out as any.

Glancing over at her I saw how she watched a group of girls walking by.

They were in crop-tops and short-shorts, all dithering and batting their lashes a mile a minute in our direction. I spared a second to wonder if they had something in their eyes and needed medical attention before turning back to Sang.

By the look in her eyes I didn't know whether she would faint or rip those girls apart. She seemed oddly offended by them.

"Sang?" I called a little uncertainly.

We were both at the front of the group, with Silas at her other side and the rest of the guys behind us.

She glanced over at me, her green eyes looking turbulent with mixed emotions.

Gabriel and Luke were snickering behind, but I chose to ignore them for the moment.

North and Mr. Blackbourne would keep them under control if needed.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, my brown furrowing as I worried about the situation.

Did those girls do something that I didn't see and offend her somehow?

Her posture relaxed and she nodded her head at me, "Yes, Kota. I am fine. It was just a little shocking to me the way they dressed in so little clothing." She said, her cheeks taking a rosy rue and the snickering behind us got a little louder before the distinct sound of a couple of slaps caused a few groans followed by silence.

Taking a quick glance at the guys behind us I felt my eyebrows rise in surprise when I saw Mr. Blackbourne standing behind a Gabe and Luke who wore sheepish expressions on their faces while the others looked on a little shocked.

Mr. Blackbourne's glare was enough to freeze a person into proper behavior, so it was a surprise that he'd chosen to actually give the others a slap like most of us did.

Interesting.

"Their clothes were a little revealing, but it is not unusual nowadays." I said in a distracted tone of voice before turning my attention back to Sang.

Her eyes were still on me, the dark green a contrast against her pale skin and pink lips. My heart leapt at being the focus of her attention.

She looked stunning even in Gabe's too big clothes.

"Sang Baby?" the sound of North's voice easily reached us from where he stood at the back of the group, "Victor said that you were worrying about him spending his money on you."

Sang turned her head to look at him and nodded, "Yes, North. I wish I could help somehow."

"My uncle owns a dinner," he said "you could help there and get paid if you want."

Her face brightened with a beautiful smile and I felt my heart skip a beat at the look of satisfaction in her gaze.

Taking a deep breath I concentrated in counting the beats of my heart to keep a hold of myself.

What was it about this girl that made me feel so out of control?

I didn't know, but there was something about her that made me want to push my brothers aside and work my best to drawn her attention.

Too bad I didn't think she would ever look at me the same way I was looking at her right now.

Not with more than half of my brothers practically falling over themselves to please her.

Gabriel and Luke were never too far from her and acted positively possessive.

Silas kept staring at her, as did Nate.

Victor was worried that she didn't want his money while his worries were usually the other way around and North was calling her "Sang Baby" while offering her a job that would ensure she spent a lot of time at his side.

Yes, my brothers were all interested in her.

"Thank you, North. I would like that." Sang said to him and he smiled at her.

"Sang," I called again and hoped I didn't sound like I was a jealous idiot.

Her eyes came back to me and I could practically feel her focus shifting completely to me.

The truth is, most of the girls who knew my brothers never really looked at me, acting as if I was invisible, especially if Luke was around. But Sang didn't look through me like they did.

Her gaze was focused and unwavering as she gave me her attention and I felt my heart fluttering in nervousness and excitement that I tried to hide behind self-assurance.

"We are heading to the food court right now to grab some lunch. Will you be eating with us?" I asked her, trying to be discreet.

She nodded and smiled at me, "Yes, Kota. While I don't need to I can eat along with you boys."

"Great! We are getting ice cream!" Luke shouted from the back.

"Hell no, Lucian!" North groused at his brother.

Sang ignored them, keeping her attention at me and I smiled at her, feeling beyond happy.

A glimpse of dark red from the corner of my eye caught my attention and I felt alarm rise on me when I saw who was heading in our direction.

Oh, shit!

~Owen's POV~

I walked beside Sean, Mr. Coleman and Mr. Taylor senior before me, Mr. Morgan and Mr. Griffin and Mr. Taylor junior behind us.

While we headed to the food court I puzzled over the strange change in my subconscious since Miss Sorenson had bitten me.

There are the odd impression of feelings that were not my own. It hadn't taken long for me to understand that those were Miss Sorenson's feelings that I was receiving somehow.

What made me wonder was if she was allowing me to see her emotions or if she had no choice on the matter. And if she had such a choice, how could she trust me so soon?

There was also the more disturbing possibility that if I could sense her emotions, then she might also be able to sense my own.

That might prove to be troublesome.

Especially because every time I tried to consider the situation logically, in a detached way my stubborn mind insisted on replaying the feel of her lips on my skin.

I wasn't going to think about how her warm breath warmed my skin.

Or how soft her lips had been.

Or even about the way her tongue had tickled me before her fangs broke the skin and liquid fire seemed to invade my body.

No, I wasn't.

I wasn't.

Being attracted to a woman was nothing new to me. There were plenty beautiful, intelligent and strong women in the academy.

But before Sang I had never considered dating one of them, partly because I was too busy to give a relationship the time and dedication it deserved.

And partly because I was still a bit awkward around people with my formality and avoidance of physical contact;

I was distracted within my head and didn't notice she was approaching our group until it was almost too late.

I pulled Sean in front of me, unashamedly hiding behind my best friend.

Desperate situations called for desperate solutions.

"Mr. Blackbourne," Purred the tall brunette that was trying to avoid Sean to get to me, her blue eyes flashing with determination and lust.

Hell no. I could feel my skin crawling just from the thought of allowing that woman to touch me.

I lifted a hand to adjust my already perfectly placed glasses but kept my expressionless mask intact.

Any demonstration of emotion before this woman would be like a drop of blood in a sea infested with sharks.

"Ms. Daniels," I greeted stoically, keeping my voice stern.

Mistake.

She smiled at me with wicked intent before lowering her gaze submissively and taking the last few steps that separated us until her breasts were nearly touching my chest.

I heard a growl but ignored it in favor of keeping my eye on the predator before me.

Her submissive pose didn't fool me, any. Caroline Daniels was exactly the sort of woman with who my dear father consorted.

The kind that left his bed in the middle of the night and tried to slip into my room; I had learnt early on to keep my door locked.

She leaned in closer, her pungent perfume making me want to sneeze, and I felt a disgusted shiver run down my spine as her nails scrapped over my suit jacket. "How very convenient to be meeting you here today, Sir." She purred.

I took a step back, hopping to put some distance between us, but she followed after me.

"Me and my brothers are rather busy today, Ms. Daniels." I told her harshly while trying to escape.

Sadly, instead of feeling discouraged by my formality and harshness she seemed to grown more determined.

I was growing rather desperate when Caroline let out a sudden shriek.

My eyes widened as my gaze caught the sight of a small, black cat with its claws firmly attached to Ms. Daniels derriere.

The feline hissed furiously before tearing the woman's skirt to shreds leaving her half-naked in the middle of the busy mall.

Only then did the cat let go of its prize with a satisfied sway to its tail and a definite smirk on its face.

"You creature from hell!" Ms. Daniels was shouting at the feline while she tried to kick it and tied her red, suit jacket around herself simultaneously. "Demon!"

The cat avoided the woman's feet and rushed in my direction, leaping when it was close enough that I could catch it.

My arms automatically closed around the little creature and I pulled it close to my chest, deeply grateful at its intervention.

The cat purred at me and I caught a subtle whiff of orange blossoms that made me want to bury my face against its fur.

Looking around at my brother I could see that Mr. North Taylor and Sean were already escorting a fuming Caroline away from us.

Mr. Korba and Mr. Griffin were looking at me with worry while Mr. Morgan's eyes held understanding.

Mr. Taylor senior and Mr. Coleman, as well as Miss Sorenson were nowhere in sight.

Mr. Lee approached me with a serious look on his eye.

"Mr. Blackbourne, I apologize for not stopping her before she reached you." he said, clearly feeling guilty at not having been able to help me.

I gave him a small smile; Kota took the job of being the head of the family very seriously.

But it wasn't his job to keep everyone safe. It was mine. And I needed to be stronger for them.

I petted the little cat with one hand while holding it with the other one.

Maybe I would adopt it.

"It's okay, Mr. Lee. I seriously doubt any of us would have been able to stop Ms. Daniels either way. That woman is a menace." I told him.

He nodded but didn't seem any happier with it.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket he said, "I will call the team that is keeping one eye on her and see if they already found enough dirt to hand her over to the police. Maybe they need some help."

And with that he turned away and began commanding the others to gather everybody up so we could return to my house.

Mr. Coleman and Mr. Taylor senior soon returned, both with amused expressions on their faces, but there was no sign of Miss Sorenson.

As they told Mr. Lee that we could go home ahead of her, that she'd be close by, I could only wonder where she might be and why she'd left us.

Disappointment flooded me for a second before the kitten in my arms purred at me while rubbing its head against my chest.

I glanced down at it.

The cat was clearly female, with shiny black fur and imploring, emerald green eyes that were fixed on mine right then with a look that seemed to say: "Please, take me home".

I guess I was about to have a pet.

"I am hardly a pet, Mr. Blackbourne." The voice whispered inside my mind sweetly, the tone amused and light.

I felt myself stiffening as my gaze flew back to the cat's.

There was an intelligence behind those green eyes that shouldn't be present there.

"Miss Sorenson?" I whispered to the cat, half afraid that I might be going crazy.

The feline blinked its big, green eyes at me.

"Owen?" Sean's voice pulled me back and I glanced over to my friend.

Sean watched me with a careful expression that I often saw when he was with one of his patients.

"Owen, that is a cat, not Miss Sang." Sean said in a calming tone of voice.

Miss Sorenson's amusement was clearly felt and seemed to spread to me as well as I smirked at Sean.

His eyes widened in shock as he watched me but I choose to ignore him in favor of my new find.

Looking down at the little kitten in my arms I concluded that it was alright to keep this little information from my best friend for now.

The sound of an amused, feminine giggle rang musically in my mind, telling me that Miss Sorenson was in agreement with my little scheme.

Life was definitely more interesting with a little vampiress on it.

AN: Hi ya! I'm back ;)

Happy new year!

So, I decided to make it a double update today since I couldn't update last week, and if I manage to finish it, there should be a bonus chapter by the weekend.

Thank you very much for all the comments and support that you've been giving me. Hope you enjoy! :*