Hey there, thank you for reading! I have a quick question, should I update two chapters a day from now on? <3 

I took the largest bedroom in the house. Thomas protested for a few weeks, but once I've painted the bedroom walls light pink without his knowledge or permission, he gave up. Now, the pink-coloured room with sliding glass door connected to the private balcony and the private bathroom belonged solely to me.

I threw out the old battered wardrobe and replaced it with something more modern; a dark-wood, double-door wardrobe which covered the entire wall. I've kept the vanity in the corner and the plush, wine-coloured, satin armchair. The king-sized bed of the same colour took almost all space, but I enjoyed large beds, so I kept it. Plus, my stuffed animals needed a place to sleep. I also added a bunch of pillows of all shapes and sizes.

Now, head-spinning and wine-filled, I lay on the fluffy bed, staring at the light pink ceiling. Fresh tears spilled over the dried ones on my cheeks.

Dawn was breaking outside; the sky first turned deep blue, then gradually more pink and orange. There was something honest in the dawn, something that revealed just how messed up the night was.

I couldn't believe I've spent two years chasing someone who wouldn't even thank me for it. For two years, I haven't regretted my actions once, because deep down, I believed Ian would do the same for me. I believed he would chase me to the end of the world to find me.

Still, the fact he told me to stay away hurt. It minimized and discredited my effort. My actions now felt obsolete. He didn't want me to meddle, he didn't want me to get involved. I understood that, because he didn't want anything to happen to me, but he could have thanked me.

He could have acknowledged just how much I've sacrificed to find him.

Then again, maybe he was right. Maybe I should have moved on instead and lived my life without him. It wasn't like we were actually together. Perhaps I've misread the depth of our relationship in the first place.

Someone knocked on the door.

I lifted my head off the pillow and let out a loud grunt, "State your name and your business!"

"It's William." A voice came from behind the door. "I'm bringing a bottle of wine and unsolicited advice."

I glanced at the nightstand next to the bed and the empty wine bottle on it. William just might be the only person I'd tolerate right now.

"Come in." I sat upright and watched the door open.

William walked in, a bottle in hand, and a sympathetic smile on his face. Why was everyone always so careful around me? Like I might snap and throw a bottle at the wall.

I sighed, "I hope no one else has any intention of talking to me tonight."

"No, they're asleep." William put the wine bottle on the nightstand and sat in the armchair. "How are you?"

"I'm somewhere between drinking this wine bottle or drinking the living shit out of a sorority girl." I shrugged and unscrewed the bottle open. "I'm trying to stick to the former."

"Understandable." William nodded. "Sheila wanted to come talk to you, but I advised her against it."

"Good." I scooted over to the edge of the bed and put my feet on the pink, fluffy carpet covering the parquet. "I don't trust myself around humans right now."

"Why don't you want to talk to her?" William asked. "She's not doing so good."

"I noticed." I sighed. "It's just... she's avoided me for two years, you know? Her and Caiden. They told me to leave campus and didn't contact me since."

"They made a mistake." William offered a small smile. "They were both hurt and scared, but they've come to their senses."

"And I can respect that." I murmured. "But Sheila is mad at me for leaving in the first place. Like I should have known that's not what she wanted. Ugh, nevermind. I don't even want to talk about it."

"Just remember, it's not about the mistakes they've done before. It's about the effort they're putting in now."

"Sometimes I wish you weren't so wise." I grunted.

William laughed shortly, "Sometimes I wish that, too."

"So..." I fiddled with the fluffy blanket on my bed, "Have you come up with a plan?"

"Actually, yes." William seemed surprised himself. "Thomas had a very good idea."

"That's a first." I mumbled. "Tell me about it."

"Since we shouldn't get involved this soon and the vamplings aren't ready to fight, we've decided we shouldn't try to stop the Order killings ourselves." William began.

"But we have to do something." I protested. "Now that we finally have some information, it would be insane to let it go."

"True." William nodded. "Which is why we're going to outsource."

I tilted my head, "Okay, I'm listening."

"I've got some connections, like I said." William continued. "Trained soldiers, quick, effective. With the right weapons in hand, they might be able to do this job in our stead."

A small frown formed between my brows, "Do you think it's a good idea to send humans to fight vampires?"

"They're trained humans, Chloe." He said. "And we will know how many Order vampires are coming to the scene."

I glanced at the fluffy carpet, "We do have a lot of weapons."

"Vampires are tough, but they're not invincible, especially if they're outnumbered." William said. "And I will personally train the humans."

"Who will train the vamplings then?"

William eyed me, "Ian?"

"No." I crossed my hands on my chest. "I kicked him out."

"He's better than me, you know?" William sighed. "He's not just any vampire. The Sacred Order trained him, he knows their tactics, knows how they fight. If you want the vamplings to be ready, he's your best bet."

"He doesn't want anything to do with us." I shook my head.

"That's not true." Will said. "He's just afraid something will happen to you."

"Fair enough, but that doesn't give him the right to tell me what to do." I said. "If I want to impale myself on a stake, that's my decision."

"And he knows that." William leaned forward. "But put yourself in his shoes."

Considering this rationally wasn't something I wanted to do after a bottle of wine, but I allowed William to finish before throwing a tantrum.

"He sold his soul to the Sacred Order to keep you safe." William continued. "And to keep your human friends safe. Vilmus would have killed Sheila and turned Caiden into a vampire if Ian had refused to come with him. You rushing into danger is a slap in the face. I know you feel like he's discrediting your efforts to find him, but you're discrediting his sacrifice when you rush into this."

Crap. Why did he have to be so wise?

I threw myself back on the bed with a grunt, my head beginning to spin the moment it landed on the pillows.

"Is it wrong I'm mad at him?" I murmured.

"Your emotions are your right." William said.

I lifted my head, unable to handle the spinning, "Is it wrong I'm mad at him for sacrificing himself in the first place?"

William took in a deep breath, "I suppose I can understand that, too."

"He left me." Tears burned in my eyes. "My heart doesn't understand that his reasons were noble, it only understands the hole his departure punctured."

William exhaled, "And he might even be slightly mad at you, you know?"

"Why?" I glanced at him.

"Because you let him leave."

That's never occurred to me. I've been so busy dealing with my own anger and resentment, I didn't even spare a moment to think about how he might be feeling.

"He fought hard to get away from the Sacred Order." William said. "And even though he understands rationally you had little choice in the moment, his heart doesn't. His heart only understands that you've once again chosen someone else over him."

"It was more complicated than that." I defended myself. "My friends' lives were on the line."

"And he knows that." William sighed. "He would never hold it against you. It was his choice. But at the end of the day, we're all a little selfish that way."

"Dammit, Will." I let out a small laugh. "You're spoiling my sulking."

William giggled like a school girl, "Then my job here is done!"

"Why aren't you mad at him? Or Sheila, for that matter?" I asked. "She pushed you out of her life, too, and now she's simply strolled back in, with no regards to how it might affect you."

William leaned back and took in a sharp breath, remaining silent for a while.

"Sheila is going through something complicated." He spoke. "There are two types of human reactions to vampires. One is Caiden. He found out about vampires and learned to appreciate the simplicity of humanity. He knows exactly what he wants. And the other is Sheila. She's had a taste of the way we live, of everything we can offer, and it's difficult for her to go back to her normal life."

"But... she almost died." I muttered. "So many times I'm ashamed to count."

"That's probably what's bothering her." William shrugged. "She knows she almost died. And every normal person would stay as far away from us as possible, but she doesn't want to. Her survival instinct is a mess."

"Do you think I should talk to her?" I asked.

"I think you should let her come to you." William said. "She will, eventually."

I took in a deep breath, "I guess you're right."

"I usually am." William nodded and stood up. "I'll leave you to your sulking. Get some sleep, we've got a busy day ahead of us."

I bit my lower lip, "Did he really leave?"

William looked at me and hesitated for a moment, "He's sitting on the pavement in front of the house."

"Really?"

William smiled, "Don't throw another bottle at him."

"Only if he pisses me off." I grinned.

William left my room and I threw a cherry-red cardigan over my shoulders. I wasn't usually cold, not even in the harshest winters, but it was a human reflex that remained. I stopped by the kitchen and made some coffee before I headed out to the front door.

Ian was truly sitting on the pavement by the double gates in front of the house. Fair enough, he wasn't on my property. He was leaned against his knees, staring ahead at the street.

By now, the sun came up, slowly heating up the awakening world. The sky was milky blue; gentle and peaceful. I've always thought I would fall in love with the night as a vampire, but the truth was, the early mornings remained my favourite time of day. The birds chirped in the trees. The streets were still empty. The entire world was still asleep.

I pushed the double gates open, "Hey."

Ian lifted his gaze, "Sorry, I'll get out of here-"

"You're not on my property." I shrugged. "I promise I won't shoot you for trespassing. I brought coffee."

One cup was filled with black coffee spiced with some blood. The other was a pumpkin latte.

"For me?" He pulled away from me, obviously still thinking I might shoot him.

"Like I'd ever drink something as disgusting as black coffee." I rolled my eyes and handed him the cup.

He took a sip, "Chloe..."

"Shut up." I commanded. "Let's not, okay?"

"Shouldn't we talk about it?"

"Here's what we're going to do." I took a sip of my pumpkin latte. "You'll work with us, you'll train my vamplings and make us understand the Sacred Order better. And we'll talk about it when I decide to talk about it."

Ian exhaled, "Alright."

"For now, we're going to enjoy the morning." I said. "And drink our coffee."

"What you're drinking isn't allowed to call itself coffee." Ian murmured.

"Don't piss me off."

"Sorry."

We sat there in silence until the sun heated the ground and the streets buzzed with cars. And for a moment, everything was the way it was supposed to be.