Time had passed since the incident with Jonathan. Seven weeks in fact. So long that it was now almost Christmas, and I still hadn't gotten Kian a bloody present. Typical.

I, Alec Colby, was now officially the worst boyfriend ever.

I knew that Kian had already got me a present. He hadn't told me, but he was useless at keeping a secret. I just knew that he'd been hiding something from me.

What made it harder was Kian's freaky ability to read minds. He would know that I had nothing for him yet, and when I did he'd be able to tell exactly what it was.

It just made the whole thing a lot fucking harder than it needed to be, but then not everybody can say that they're dating a vampire. I can.

Although, I had absolutely no idea what to get him. What do you buy a vampire whose over a century old? Tooth whitener?

I frowned absentmindedly at the local chemist's window display.

Then I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I quickly spun around to see Victoria, wrapped up in several multicoloured layers of clothes. I saw blue, red, yellow and she was even wearing a fluffy pink bobble hat over her curly brown hair.

"Hey, stranger!" She smiled.

"Victoria, sorry I didn't see you there... how have you been?"

"Looking after Harry." She replied His ribs are still sore, although it could be his pride more than anything, he's determined that he's going to be up and about by Christmas."

I felt sorry for Harry Jekyll. He had stood up to Jonathan, a mad rogue werewolf, and got seriously injured in the process.

It should have been me.

No, Alec. Don't think like that... it wasn't your fault. It was Jonathan, it was all fucking him!

"Do you think he will be okay by then?" I asked.

"Truthfully, I don't know." Victoria said sadly "He's still got a long bloody way to go. I hope he does. Anyway, what's got you looking at... getting your teeth whitened?"

She looked confused at the shop's window display.

"Not me." I clarified "I was trying to think what to buy Kian for Christmas. I kinda drew a blank."

"Ah, a first Christmas present for a new partner, that's always hard. You know he is partial to a good musical, there's a special performance of Jersey Boys playing at Town Hall on Boxing Day. You could take him to see that as a present. I think I saw that tickets were still available..."

That was perfect... something we'll both enjoy, give us some alone time. Yeah, that's Kian sorted!

"Vic, you're a lifesaver, thanks!"

Now all I had to do was sort out, Dylan's present.

"No problem, look I've gotta run, Harry will be waiting... I'll catch up with you soon, yeah?"

"Yeah."

After a brief hug, Victoria walked off down the high street, and in a blink of an eye, she was gone.

I still wasn't used to all the weird things around Moonstone, but I was slowly getting there.

I found myself staring for a moment at the spot where Victoria had disappeared. Huh. Maybe I still needed some more time.

I turned back to the window display. Yeah, who was I kidding? I was useless at buying presents... but, I did want to put Kian off the scent.

Teeth whitening would be perfect.

I walked into the chemist, the bell tinkling as I pushed the door open.

It smelled like mould, decay and... something else. I couldn't quite tell.

I was still getting used to my heightened senses. There were times when it really caused a problem, but right now I was really trying to make it work better.

I couldn't bloody win.

"Hello."

I almost jumped out of my skin as the chemist silently popped out from behind the counter. He was a tall thin man, old with flyway grey hair that almost seemed non-existent. His piercing green eyes looked right through me.

So fucking creepy...

"Uh, hi."

I turned my back on him and carried on walking over to the display with the teeth whitener. I could still feel his eyes on my back.

Once I grabbed a tube I turned back around and walked back to the counter. His eyes were still on me.

Fuck. This guy really had a problem...

"Is that all?" He asked as I handed him the tube.

"Yeah, thanks."

He manually tapped the product code into a computer that somehow looked older than he was. It was doing my fucking head in. I mean, who still works like that?

I started to get annoyed, just as he finished and handed me the tube.

"That'll be six seventy-five when you're ready..."

Weird. I shook myself mentally and pulled out a note and some coins and handed it over. After briefly counting it the shop owner nodded, I then turned around and went to head out the door.

Then I heard laughter from behind me, just as I put my hand on the door.

Shit.

I didn't want to turn around, but I knew that I had to. There was really no other choice, at this point I was sure that I was feeling how people in horror movies do: scared as hell, but unable to walk away.

As I turned around to look, the shop owner was still at the counter, looking down at something.

I wasn't sure what to think.

Was I going mad? Maybe. I was sure that I had heard laughter. It had been so clear, almost as if it was right behind me.

I turned back around and opened the door, causing the bell above to ring, and I stepped out into the cold.

The chemist and the odd laughter was on my mind the whole way home. I couldn't shake it.

Once indoors I made my way upstairs to wrap and hide the teeth whitener for Kian.

I stopped on the stairs as my mum was standing at the top with an odd expression on her face.

"Mum, are you alright?"

She raised an eyebrow at me.

"I'm fine." She replied tensely "Your friend is in your room."

Friend? What was she on about?

I couldn't think of anyone who could cause that kind of reaction from my mum. Now I was starting to worry.

I followed her upstairs, along the landing, to my room. The door was shut and I tensed up as my mum pushed the door open to reveal Kian, who was casually laying on my bed.

He sat up as he saw us and smiled brightly.

"Hey, Alec!" He said "Mrs Colby..."

"Kian, uh, what are you doing here?" I asked confused.

"I came to see you." he replied "To make sure... you're okay."

"I'm fine."

I pushed the teeth whitener into my pocket, just hoping that neither Kian or my mum noticed it, but my mum seemed to have picked up on something else...

"So." she said, "How long have you two been going out?"

I didn't know what to say. For once, I really had no fucking idea. I was stunned.

How the bloody hell had she found out? We hadn't told anybody yet, and I had kinda been hoping that we wouldn't have to.

"I haven't said a word..."

"Neither of you needed to." my mum said cutting Kian off "I'm not stupid, Alec, you've been rushing off every day - studying you said. I phoned Will Jackson's parents, and they said they haven't seen you there, at least now I know where you have been. I just wish that you had told me."

"I was going to tell you, it was just all so new and I wanted to find the right moment... it never came along."

That was kind of the truth, give or take an evil werewolf and the fact that Kian was a vampire who was about a hundred years too old for me.

My mum was cool with most things, like when I came out as gay or when Dylan had his first fight at school, but if she knew how many times I had almost died then she'd never let me leave the house again.

Never seeing me with a woman, or Dylan having a black eye were things she could cope with... I didn't like to think what she would do if she knew what I now was. Even I still struggle with it.

"I'm your mother Alec, there is no right time." she said sounding hurt "Anyway, it's done now so there's no point in wallowing. Kian, I know this is short notice, but would you like to stay for dinner? We'll get a takeaway in, our treat, just to say welcome to the family..."

"Uh, sure."

"Good." my mum said with a smile "I'll let you two get on then." with that she turned around and headed back downstairs.

Kian looked at me sheepishly as I walked in and shut the door behind me. I really didn't know what to say.

"So, how do you know Will Jackson?" Kian asked, breaking the tension.

"I go to school with him, he's my friend - was my friend."

Kian frowned at me then, and he looked at me oddly. I knew he was reading my mind.

"He knows what I am, and I know that he's a vampire as well."

I guessed that I'd better tell Kian the truth, he would only find out anyway, the mind-reading thing could really be a pain in the ass...

"And do you trust him?"

What the hell kind of question was that? I was starting to wonder where the conversation was going.

"Why wouldn't I?" I replied, "I've known him for years."

Kian seemed to struggle to find his words. I was not bloody stupid, I knew that vampires and werewolves generally didn't get on too well, although I kinda liked to think that I was the exception to the years of unnecessary hatred.

"His clan, especially his dad Gabriel, they're elitist. They believe that vampires should rule over all other species because of their royal blood." Kian explained, "I know because I used to be just like them when I was first turned."

"Hang on," I said interrupting him "What do you mean by royal blood?"

"His whole family were turned into vampires by the same vampire who turned me, our King, Dracula."

"Dracula?" I said, "You're not serious..."

Kian said nothing, he didn't need to. I mean, I couldn't read minds, but his expression said everything. It was real. With everything else that had happened so far, I shouldn't be bloody surprised, but somehow I was.

It wasn't every day that you found out that Count Dracula was real, and that he'd bitten my boyfriend.

"Yeah, I'm not exactly proud of it." Kian said, "But, anyway, if you trust him then I trust him."

Somehow, I knew it was probably best not to question it too much.

"Oh, I ran into Victoria while I was in town..." I said changing the topic "Harry's still on the mend. He wants to be up and about by Christmas though."

"Does Victoria think he will be?"

"She said it's hard to say," I replied as I sat down on my bed next to Kian.

There was a moment of awkward tension. Kian looked at me, his blood-red eyes boring into mine.

"But, I'm sure he'll be fine." I said, "I'm more worried about you having dinner with my parents tonight."

Kian smiled at my words, flashing his fangs as he laughed.

"It'll be fun." he replied "Trust me, I've had plenty of experience with impressing my in-laws."

"Is that a proposal?" I asked jokingly "Seriously though, what am I meant to say to them? 'here's my boyfriend the vampire - don't worry he doesn't bite' I've got a bad feeling about this...'

Kian just raised an eyebrow at me, he probably thought I was being crazy. Maybe I was. It's hard to tell, to be honest, I've never been put in this kind of situation before.

I had never lied to my parents so much either, but I guess like everything that had happened to me since I was attacked, it was something I was becoming accustomed to.

"Hey," Kian said putting an arm around me comfortingly "Stop stressing, okay? It's only dinner, what could possibly go wrong?"

A whole bloody lot in my opinion.