My lips were red and sore, but I kept kissing him, still wanting more, even after spending the entire night in each other's arms. Faint dawning light illuminated the room, colouring the walls light pink and orange. Ian was underneath me, while I straddled him, his hands trailing up my bare waist and back.

I shifted on top of him, a wave of desire washing over me upon touching his burning body. Ian sucked in my lower lip and bit down, making me moan. I went through his hair, feeling the silken strands slide through my fingers.

By morning, something within me had significantly changed. I couldn't help but compare this experience with everything I've felt before and a part of me finally understood how Caiden felt when we first slept together. Before last night, I knew I loved Ian, but right now, I felt almost obsessed and I feared those feelings irrationally.

Ian pulled me closer, pressing me against his body, until my head rested on his bare chest and I could feel the rhythmical pounding of his heart.

The room was a mess; the parquet broke in places and, one bed leg almost broke and sheets and pillows were scattered all over the floor. My body felt sore and red and flushed all over.

"Do you think they heard us?" I asked, embarrassment burning in my cheeks.

Ian planted a kiss on my head; soft and gentle, "Oh, yes. Hell, if there are any cultists outside of our windows, they heard us, too."

I rested my chin on his chest an looked up with a pout, "They're going to think it's weird."

"Is it weird?" Ian brushed the hair strands off my cheeks.

"Is it?" I asked in return.

Ian grabbed my chin and pulled me up, his lips finding mine again. Warmth slid through my veins; burning, beguiling and beautiful. I relaxed into the kiss while Ian's palms roamed over my shoulder blades, caressing the sides of my boobs.

He moved away with a chuckle, "It's a little weird."

"Shut up." I frowned. "It's not."

In a second, he turned us around, until he was on top of me, our limbs entangling in what remained of sheets on my bed. He settled over me, pressing me against the bed with his body. His lips trailed over my neck again, kissing the sore, bruised skin, and his hands cupped my boobs, fingers grazing my nipples. A chuckle reverberated in my throat, quickly replaced by a moan.

"They're going to have opinions, though." Ian whispered in my ear, his fingers still circling my breasts, distracting me. "Especially Thomas."

I squinted, "Look who's mentioning Thomas now."

Ian laughed against my neck, "Just saying."

"Thomas is allergic to fun." I said. "He doesn't like anyone having a good time because he's biologically incapable of doing so himself."

"Plus, he hates me." Ian kissed my earlobe, his hands sliding down to my waist.

"He doesn't hate you." I gasped at the touch on my belly, "He's just worried you're going to disappear again and he's going to have to buy another house with me."

Ian's hand trailed lower, between my thighs, and I bit my lips as his fingers grazed the right spot. My eyelids fluttered and a whimper fell off my lips, but the urgency from last night disappeared, replaced by satisfied, content bliss.

"I don't think I can disappear ever again." Ian whispered, causing fluttering deep in my belly and a tremor between my legs.

He enveloped me in his arms and pressed me against his body again. Tucked between him and the bed, I felt safe and cherished and loved.

Ian kissed me, "You're mine now. You're finally mine."

My heart clenched, unable to handle the love that suddenly overwhelmed me. He didn't understand how much he affected me, how much this night had changed everything for me. The amount of emotions I felt could easily drown me, destroy me.

"We are going to have to tell them." I uttered, purposely pausing the heat between us.

"Does..." Ian coughed and moved slightly away from me, an awkward smile curling his lips, "Does Caiden know about us?"

A cheeky grin gripped my lips, "That's what you're worried about?"

"Well, yes." Ian stirred in the bed, shifting his weight to the bed instead of my body, "I feel bad."

My eyebrows shot up with surprise, "Why?"

"I said I wouldn't steal you." Ian rested his elbows on each side of my body and glanced at me, the dawn light colouring his eyes golden and pinkish hues, "I said I wasn't interested in you, but I was lying."

The sudden seriousness on his face made me scoot upper, until my head rested on the bedhead and I wasn't completely pinned between Ian and the mattress. Memories flashed in my mind; memories of a different time, when I thought Caiden was the love of my life. In comparison, the love I felt for him felt childish and naive, and what I felt for Ian felt strangely stronger and more right. It also felt more dangerous, more alluring and more intimidating.

"I was lying, too." I said, my gaze falling on the pinkish sheets. "When he asked me whether there was something going on between you and me. Ever since... I don't know."

I stopped myself, realising I got caught in the flood of honesty and a part of me was still too terrified to tell him everything, everything.

Ian's eyes searched my face, "Ever since what?"

"It doesn't matter." I shook my head, ignoring Ian's slight frown. "Anyway, I told Caiden about us. Well, you. I told him how I felt about you."

Ian's eyes widened, "You told him? When?"

"Yesterday." I breathed in sharply. "Before I told you."

"Ha, I'm genuinely surprised." Ian laughed. "Chloe from three years ago wouldn't have done that."

"No, she wouldn't have." I agreed. "I figured I owed it to him, even if he didn't deserve it."

Ian moved away from me, as if realising it might have been time for a conversation, "You're still mad at him."

My lips pursed, "I guess I am. I guess I'm still mad at all of them."

Ian said nothing, waiting for me to continue.

"They just..." I sighed, "They just pushed me out, both Caiden and Sheila, like our friendship meant nothing. And I understand, I understood... They were scared and traumatized. Their survival instinct pushed them away from me and I respected that..."

"But?" Ian asked.

"But," I inhaled, "They returned to my life like nothing had happened, like I was the one who was at fault for refusing to speak to them, but they never reached out. It's been two years. Caiden even went to therapy. Sheila spent the last year wanting to become a vampire. Both of them said they missed me. Yet, they didn't reach out."

"You reached out to them?" Ian asked.

I nodded, "William and I came back to campus and asked for Caiden's help."

A small crease formed between Ian's brows, but he didn't speak.

"I understand them, you know?" I murmured. "But I can't forgive them. They might want to reconcile with me, but I think it's fuelled by other, selfish reasons. And I can't forgive that."

Ian shifted on my bed, "Sheila's a vampire, though. She's not going anywhere, unless William takes her on the trip around the world."

I shrugged, "That's why I'll leave."

Ian glanced at me, "You'll leave?"

"Once this is all over." I nodded. "I'll even let them stay in this house until they figure out what they want out of this life, but I'm leaving."

"Are you sure that's not going to backfire?" Ian asked.

"It might." I sighed. "But I've done so much for them. I've left campus because of them. Once this is over, it will be my turn to be selfish. Plus, Sheila is a vampire, I have eternity to get over it, and as for Caiden..."

Ian looked at me, some faint fear sparking in his eyes, "What about Caiden?"

I wondered if he was still concerned about Caiden and selfishly, it made me feel better. If he was still scared I might harbour some unresolved feelings for Caiden, it would mean I wasn't the only one completely and utterly drowned in this overwhelming love.

"That relationship is over." I shrugged, feeling just a bit awkward talking to Ian about it. "And I'm not only talking about the romantic aspect of it all. Our friendship is irrevocably broken."

"Is that because of what happened with the cultists?" Ian's voice held no judgement, he seemed genuinely interested in talking to me about this. "Because I left with them?"

I played with the corner the sheet, "I sacrificed you to save him."

Ian's lips pursed and he moved away, "That was my choice."

"Still." I chuckled humourlessly. "I let you go because I wanted to respect his choice not to become a vampire. And he just... told me to leave forever, like I was the enemy."

"You shouldn't feel bad about that." Ian said. "You've decided to save your friends' lives, even if it meant you'd temporarily lose your side piece."

I eyed him, "Side piece?"

Ian laughed, "Was I more than that back then?"

"Come on, you know you were more than that." My gaze escaped to the sheets and nervousness washed over me.

Ian kept quiet for a few moments and I peered at him under my eyelashes. Something stirred in his eyes, something I was still afraid to address. Why did everything regarding him feel like a risk? Like a step into the unknown territory?

"I didn't want this for you." He said suddenly. "I didn't want you to chase vampire cults around. I wanted you to see the world, enjoy the benefits of vampirism, have fun."

I said nothing, nervousness still stirring in my gut.

"I fear you'll resent me one day." Ian admitted with a sigh. "You'll realise I took two years of your life and in return you got... me. A messed up, morally-ambiguous me."

And because, despite all emotional development, I was still a petty bitch, I shrugged.

"I had fun."

Ian looked at me, the corners of his lips lifting, "Yeah?"

"Uh-huh." I nodded. "Plenty of fun."

Ian's throat bobbed, "What kind of fun?"

"Jealous?" I peeked at him.

Ian came closer again, his body hovering over mine, his lips inches away. My breath caught in my throat as I felt his warmth again, too close. He planted a small kiss on my cheek, causing giddiness in my stomach, and cupped my face.

"I'm sorry." Another kiss. "I'm so fucking sorry."

"Why?" I gasped as his hands slid down to my body again.

"I fucked up." Ian buried his face in my neck and I felt his hot breath on my skin. "I lied to you. I tried to keep my past a secret and it all caught up with me."

I went through his hair with my fingers, "It's okay."

"No, it's not." His lips grazed my neck and his hands cupped my boobs. "I should have told you everything. If I had known it would be you at the end of the road, I would have done things differently."

My heart skipped a beat and my insides fluttered, but it was hard to tell whether it was due to his words or him lingering between my legs. Heat trailed down my body, burning between my thighs.

Ian's lips found mine; roughly, hungrily. His hand snaked between our bodies and he pressed his cock against my entrance. His hands cupped my boobs and his fingers pinched both of my nipples.

A moan fell off my lips, "You're in my bed now, so it's all good."

"And they're going to have to drag me out of it." He thrust inside of me, stretching me through the soreness, and I winced at the slight bite of pain, which quickly evolved into pleasure. "You're mine now."

This time, as he made love to me in the faint dawn light, it felt different, more permanent, more possessive. He held me tightly, his hands digging into my flesh, leaving white blanches all over my skin. My heart thudded in my chest, clenching to the point of pain, making me wonder whether a heart could break from too much love.

We came together, our hearts beating in tandem, our limbs entangled and our souls intertwined.

Ian continued kissing me for a while longer, until the morning broke completely, sunshine falling all over my sheets, and the temperature in the room rose. Exhaustion overwhelmed me thoroughly and I realised we had nothing to eat or drink since last night. Gosh, we were probably dehydrated.

"We should go get something to eat. Thomas is going to kill us if we don't explain what happened last night." I said after a while.

Ian raised his eyebrow and looked over my boobs, "I'm pretty sure he can conclude on his own what happened."

I giggled and pushed him off me, "Shut up, I'm talking about the cultists."

"No." Ian whined and put his hands behind his head, "I'm not ready. I say we get something to drink and return to the bedroom for an hour or two."

"Fine, but we need blood." I grabbed Ian's shirt on purpose and put it on.

Ian looked over me, "It looks good on you."

"Get out of the bed, come on." I rolled my eyes. "We need to drink something."

"You're right." Ian stepped out of the bed. "You've drained me."

I giggled despite myself and put on my panties. It was early enough, there shouldn't be anyone downstairs yet. We could sneak through the living room, grab a blood bottle and return to bed for a little longer.

I wasn't ready to leave the room yet either. A part of me feared that leaving would make this all seem like a dream.

Ian put on his jeans while I gathered the pillows from the floor.

"Hey, Chloe?" Ian called. "Wanna marry me?"

My entire world flipped upside down and my face heated up, making my cheeks burn bright red. Ian's chuckle made me realise he was making fun of me. Quickly, I pushed the overwhelming emotions down and forced a pout to my lips, which still felt full of tension and need.

"I can't believe you're going to mock me because of that."

Ian grinned, "You better believe it."

"That's what I get for being honest." I pushed the door open.

Ian grabbed my forearm, stopping me, causing more turmoil in my gut.

"I knew long before you did." He said.

I faced him, "What?"

"How I felt." Ian murmured, his gaze escaping to the floor. "I knew when we were fighting Brad three years ago, when you refused to run away with Caiden and came back to help us. You've entered my life the same way you've entered that fight, like a hurricane."

I had to turn away from him to avoid his gaze. I couldn't allow him yet to see just how vulnerable he made me feel and just how easily I'd crack into millions of pieces if he ever left again.