For a moment, I was confused. For a moment, I thought I misunderstood the question. Then it dawned on me.

"I wasn't targeting you." I said. "I swear- I had no idea who you were the night I met you."

"The night you met me?" Jax raised his eyebrow along with his voice. "What about all the other nights? When did you figure out who I was?"

"I-"

"The night I told you?" Jax asked, prompting himself with his hands. "Before you slept with me? Did you know who I was when you slept with me?"

I gaped like a fish, realising this was the part of the conversation I dreaded the most.

"Tell me."

"I knew." I spat out. "Before I slept with you. I figured it out when I saw your wallet. It's a sign, a line and a circle – stake and sun."

Jax laughed – a surface-level, weak laugh, "Great. That's great."

"I'm sorry-"

"No." Jax met my gaze. "I'm sorry. About all of this."

My shoulders slumped.

"I'm going to ask you one more time." He said. "Why did you target me?"

"I-"

"Odette." The way he said my name made me want to cry. "Tell me the truth."

"I wasn't targeting you." I said, trying to contain my emotions in the painful lump in my throat and the twist in my stomach. "Lucia and I stumbled upon evidence that vampire hunters exist, and I was planning to use that information to talk to my father."

Jax's brows furrowed, "So... you're really not talking to your family?"

"They're not talking to me." I corrected. "I was broke, and Lucia desperately needed the money because the doctor taking care of her blackmailed us. I was planning to get back into my father's good graces, so he'd give me back my inheritance. I could pay off the doctor, and take care of Lucia."

Understanding flashed in Jax's eyes, adding them a touch of gentleness I so desperately needed right now. He composed himself quickly.

"Did it work?"

"No." I sighed. "There are strict rules when it comes to talking to the Chief, and I needed a green light from Dorian."

"Ah." A mocking smile gripped Jax's lips. "There lies the rub."

I swallowed an iron taste on my tongue, "Dorian didn't let me talk to my father, and I figured out pretty quickly that you two didn't like each other, so I was planning on finding out why you hated him and using that against him."

Jax hummed, "I was hoping I was at least a part of some grand vampire scheme, and not just a tool in your agendas against Dorian."

"I was just trying to help Lucia, I swear."

That, at least, was the truth.

"What happened?"

"It all boiled over." I muttered. "So, I went to Dorian and told him the truth. I told him what happened to Luce, and he agreed to help."

"If he's so generous, why wouldn't he help you before?"

"He was doubting my intentions."

"Like I am now?"

Our gazes met. I didn't need to ask him to elaborate.

"I assume this ball you went to was hosted by your family."

"Dorian's aunt, actually." I corrected. "My family would never allow me to go to a ball they hosted."

"Why did you go?" Jax asked. "If all you wanted was to help Lucia, why did you go?"

"Because I wanted back in." I admitted in a whisper. "I want back on the family council. So I can take my brother down, so I can take back what's rightfully mine, deal with our situation properly-"

"Which situation is that?"

I took in a sharp breath, "The vampire-human situation. The fact you know about our existence."

Jax cocked his head, "Why is your family not speaking to you?"

I bit my tongue and leaned against the backrest. There most definitely was such a thing as too much truth. Or maybe I was lying to myself, not to him.

"Two years ago, when that Elder vampire revealed our existence to the humans... there was a civil war. Well, civil cold war." I spoke. "Some of us wanted our existence to remain secret, and others wanted out. I wanted the world to know about us and that opinion clashed with my family's opinion. I left then. A few months later, Lucia happened."

Jax nodded, and his gaze jumped away from mine. His silence allowed me a moment to breathe, take in this overwhelm, and come up with a strategy. I needed to know he wouldn't tell anyone. I needed to know he wouldn't share this with Jimmy and the rest of the hunters. That required more of the same, more truth.

"Jax." I called, and watched him flinch. "Someone tried to kill us three days ago."

He grimaced at first, then the expression softened, and he nodded.

"Do you know why?"

"I think it might have something to do with Sargent Joe Bender." I said.

Jax let out a humourless laugh, which hurt me inexplicably. Gosh, there were so many things I didn't tell him, so many lies, so much deceit.

"I'm not even going to ask how you know about him." Jax shook his head.

"I snooped." I shrugged. "Someone already tried to kill me for that. Someone is trying to kill us. Which means you're going to need to be extremely careful. Lay low. Not share any unnecessary info with anyone."

Jax laughed some more, "Stop. I know you want me to tell you I won't tell on you."

My heart raced.

"Jax, this is not just about me." I continued. "If the wrong person finds out you know, they will kill you. And there's no way to tell who's the wrong person."

He looked away, the neon lighting reflecting in his dark eyes, "I won't tell. Under one condition."

Ah, crap.

"Okay."

He looked at me, "Tell me how to kill you."

Fight or flight kicked in immediately, and my gums began to hurt. The lack of blood I had in my system wasn't helping, but the vampire inside me desperately wanted out. I swallowed my own panic and tried to reason with myself. I understood why he wanted to know.

"If I tell you how you can kill me, are you going to trust me enough to keep my secret?"

Jax's laugh sounded brittle.

"I'm never going to trust you, Odette."

My shoulders slumped, and I tried to ignore the pain building inside me, "I know."

"But I will keep your secret, if you tell me how to fight off your kind." He said. "I need to know how to defend myself from an enemy I can't recognize."

An enemy.

"A shot through the heart will suffice." I answered, my voice even, emotionless. "Or through the brain. We can't heal that quickly. The wound has to be fatal immediately."

"No wooden stakes, ha?"

"No." I muttered. "Well, they technically work, but a bullet is more effective."

"I see." Jax nodded.

Silence sat between us, thick and heavy, and I wanted to swipe it away. But everything that came to mind only served to add another brick to this wall between us. I should have told him on my own terms, maybe he'd react differently.

"I wanted to tell you." I whispered.

Jax chuckled, "I bet."

"I-" I took in a sharp breath and gathered my thoughts. "I wanted to stay away from you, but I was selfish, and I kept coming back for more. So I decided I had to tell you and-"

"And now I know." Jax said through his teeth. "If you'd told me earlier, nothing would have been different."

"Jax-"

"You're a liar." He prompted himself with his hands, his eyes fixating on me. "You lied to my face about everything. You made me sleep with a vampire unwittingly."

I closed my eyes, letting the hurt settle deep inside my gut, where it belonged.

"I will never forgive you for that." Jax continued. "Not because you're a vampire, but because you've proven with your actions that you don't respect me."

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"The only reason why I'm willing to look the other way is Lucia."

I glanced up, surprised, "Why?"

"You seem to truly care about her." Jax said. "And if you're capable of caring for a teenage girl and sacrificing your wellbeing for hers, maybe something can be done about your entire species."

Fear of speaking settled in. I needed him to continue, tell me where I stood before I screwed up everything by saying the wrong thing.

He leaned against the pillows, "Tell me about your plan."

My gaze jumped all over his face. Three days ago, I would have told him my only plan was to take my brother down. I would have told him all I wanted was to help Lucia. And maybe he wouldn't have seen right through me, but someone else did.

"We can't stay in the shadows anymore." I spoke. "The Elders can't do it anymore, they don't want to. Not with all the advanced technology. Vampires like my brother and my father want to remain in secrecy for... nefarious reasons. I want to stop them. I want to rebrand our species."

Jax gestured towards the door, taking me aback, "Why don't you go do that?"

"I- I can't." I stuttered. "Dorian won't allow me to talk to my father."

Jax actually laughed, "I swear to God, Odette, if you let your war against Darascu stand in the way of something bigger, I will personally kill both of you."

I flinched so hard that my back hit against the chair backrest.

"He's doubting my intentions." I said. "He's still asking me why I want back on the Council, like I hadn't told him about Lucia, or Edmond-"

"I. Don't. Care." Jax emphasized each word. "All I care about is making sure my people are safe – my sisters, my mother, and every human I know."

"I want the same thing!"

"Then do something about it." He hit the mattress with his fist. "Get over your ego and your grudges, and do something. Then maybe, maybe, we can talk again."

Starving and exhausted, I nodded, knowing full well I was promising something I wasn't sure I could deliver.

"Now get out of my room." Jax looked to the side, and this hurt me more than anything he's said so far.

For a moment, tears fought through the lump in my throat and reached my eyes.

"Jax-"

"Get out." He repeated, avoiding my gaze.

I sighed, letting the tears slide down my cheeks, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

He said nothing, but I noticed his jaw tense and his throat bob. Even the small comfort I found in the thought of him regretting all of this, wasn't comforting at all. I did this. I hurt him. And he was right, I did it out of disrespect.

With disregard of his feelings, beliefs and morals.

"Bye, Jax." I mumbled, my eyes dry. "Please, lay low. There's still someone out there trying to kill you."

He said nothing, so I walked out, trying not to think about if I'd ever see him again.

I dragged myself out of the hospital, eerily emotionless on my way to my apartment. The sun lingered in the sky for a while, and when it finally gave way to the night, I realised I wouldn't try to get some sleep.

After months of sleepless nights, maybe it was time to embrace it.

Only the righteous got to sleep peacefully.