My leg gives out on me suddenly, heartbeat thumping loudly in my ears in tune to the pulsing pain in my injured limb. Thankfully, I hadn't moved far from the bed and managed to sit on that instead of falling to the ground. I pay no mind to the still burning wound, instead focusing entirely on the man still frozen in the doorway. In the back of my mind, I'm relieved that there is now a clear exit, despite it being blocked with a person.

He continues with a voice soft but raspy that immediately switches to a deeper tone with the next sentence, a completely different voice, "You're my promised. Our soulmate."

Eyes a deep brown, a twinge of black slowly bleeding from his sclera and disappearing, stay locked on mine with extreme intensity. Spiked black hair contrasts greatly against the soft tan of his skin, cheeks flushed with a healthy pink hue. He doesn't... look like any vampire I've seen, but the unusually sharp canines glinting in the dim light of the crystal chandelier in the middle of the room further proves that he is, in fact, a creature of the night.

The vampire's words echo in my brain, shoving all other thoughts to the side.

Soulmate.

Soulmate.

Soulmate.

I'm his... their?... soulmate? No. No, there must be some mistake. I can't be. I can't be. I've heard of soulmates, I've killed soulmates. I'm going to die, inevitably, though not without a fight, and he'll die. He'll die because I came into his life. This vampire will die for having me as a soulmate. I crush the twinge of hope that I could have something for my own, not wanting to suffer over something that could never happen.

I know literally nothing about this soft-eyed vampire and all I can think about, all I can worry about in this moment, is him. What being my soulmate will do to him. This can't happen. He could be lying to me. He has to be. Luring me into a false sense of security only to drain me dry later. I almost fell for that once... not again.

A disbelieving laugh rumbles it's way into existence, echoing around the silence of the room. My head snaps up to meet crystal blue eyes and a sly grin on full pink lips. "So you're his promised, a human. I knew it was unusual for Malevolence to have let you live. There must be something special about you, vampires are not given a promised."

"There's nothing- nothing special a-about me." I murmur, eyes blown wide in fear and nervousness, they all must be in on the ruse.

Wide-eyed and terrified, my thoughts are split between the chocolate gazed vampire and my situation, trembling hands reacing up to wipe away the remnants of my tears. "Liar. You'll tell me- tell us, eventually, willingly. I just want to be sure your presence isn't going to bring any harm to my brothers."

His brothers? They're related? I'm not surprised. Both the brown eyed boy and whoever this is in front of me look rather similar. As I take a glance up at him, I'm startled to see warm chocolate eyes gazing at me, my apparent promised standing just out of my line of sight so I couldn't see him with my head down. His raven locks look soft despite the faint smell of hairspray wafting off of him, and I get the sudden urge to just run my fingers through his hair. Are the tresses as soft as they look?

Turning my gaze from where it had been locked with his, I look to the other male, just now noticing that there is another vampire in here with the three of us. I must be more tired than I thought. Loose chocolate curls frame hazel eyes and a crooked nose leads down to thin lips with a mischievous curve. His hands grip leisurely onto a first aid kit, fingertips covered in some sort of grey-black substance. In my tired, hazy state, I'm not nearly as observant as I should be, if there was another person in here this whole time. My body usually screams 'danger' when around supernaturals, but I have no ill feelings around these particular beings. Nothing about these boys alerts my instincts to danger, nothing. I don't understand, I don't-

"Sebastian, she hasn't even done anything! You've stripped her of her weapons anyway, she can't do much. Not to mention we're vampires." My promised spits, apprehension filling his gaze as he turns to his brother, Sebastian it seems.

"You should have seen her against the werewolves after her, even in her clearly exhausted state. Malevolance was interested enough to let her live. Besides, you know time has changed us, little brother. I am not as trusting as I used to be." Sebastian replies with a sardonic lilt.

The other boy scoffs, a bittersweet, mocking smirk on his lips, "Time changes everything. It's two thousand two (2002), get over yourself."

As they bicker lightly, if you can even call it bickering, my thoughts wander to this whole... soulmate thing. What a strange... concept. A soulmate, said to be the literal match to your soul, to your very being.

Turning their words over in my head, I mull over Sebastians accusatory exclamation of me eventually telling them the truth, about possibly being a threat. The curly haired boy uses the others' distraction to move closer to me. I eye him warily, but otherwise don't mind him too much. He looks very kind, if a little mischievous. I notice his fangs as he smiles lightly at me, holding up the first aid kit clearly within my view. "Just gonna fix up your leg. My name is Emerson. Those are my older brothers, Remington, with the spikey hair, and Sebastian, in the suit." He whispers, beginning to pull things out of the med kit.

Once he has some gauze, an alcoholic wipe pack, and some cotton swabs, he gently grabs my leg. I flinch back,, quick to try and pull my leg away. His touch is grating, fear crawling up my spine. Is he going to hurt me? I can't let them hurt me, I can't.

"No, no, don't do that. You'll hurt yourself further. I promise I'm not going to hurt you. See, I just want to clean your wound and get it wrapped up so it doesn't get infected. I promise that is all im going to do." Emerson swears, kind eyes begging me to believe him.

My hands shake, my whole body vibrating with nervous energy. I nod, reluctantly, hoping that the sooner this is over with, the sooner he'll get his hands off of me. Despite how my shaking is likely making this whole thing more difficult, Emerson is quick to unwrap the bloodied bandages around my calf, and I wince as dried blood is pulled away from my wound along with the wrappings. The other two continue to bicker as the one before me works. I bite back a gasp of pain as he sterilizes the wound and cleans out the bits of dried blood and cotton that got stuck in my injury. He makes quick work of wrapping it back up, very lightly patting my knee as he stands back up. The med kit is already packed away once more, and I choose that moment to speak. My words are quick to catch the attention of the two bickering brothers. At their gazes, I scoot further towards the headboard, pulling my legs as close to myself as possible. If I make myself smaller, I'll be safer, I'm sure of it.

"I'm not g-going to hurt anybody u-unless I need to defend myself. I never w-want to hurt-to hurt anyone." Staring the brunette man straight in his sky eyes, I speak the honest truth, hoping with everything I am that he'll believe me.

I really have never wanted to hurt anybody. But I'm going to survive, no matter what. If I do die, I'm going to go down fighting. I'm a freak, yes, but this freak wants to live. All my life I've been an experiment, all because I was a child who didn't know her powers were wrong. Dangerous. Only to be hunted once I finally, finally escaped. I'm free now, and I plan to stay that way.

When my parents discovered what I could do, they quickly grew to abhor me, as they rightfully should've. I am a freak, they were right in their fearfulness. I trusted them and they threw me away. Just as any other person would've.

I trusted the people I grew up around until they hurt me and were going to throw me away too.

"Thank you for being truthful." He tilts his head slightly to the left, a sly grin stretching across his plump pink lips, ocean eyes narrowing scrutinizingly as they take in my every movement.

"Can you leave us alone for a moment?" Remington comments, eyes never leaving my own as he speaks.

When there is no reply, Remington releases a sigh. "Please, Sebastian?" His question- no, his demand, comes out forceful though polite.

Sebastian smirks gently, though not entirely kindly, in my direction, moving to leave the room. The soft click of the door catches my attention. Remington has made no move to hurt me, no indication that he plans to, so it's easy for my brain to focus on the most prominent issue.

The door. Closed. Again.

Panic seizes my heart, and I glance between the door and Remington nervously. My fingers haven't stopped shaking, my whole body hasn't stopped, but now I practically vibrate with the intensity of my panic. I'm locked in here with some strange vampire, so matter that he says we're soulmates.

Noticing my fickle gaze, Remington moves to open up the door. As it cracks open, my eyes slowly go back to normal, pupils expanding back to their normal size.

With that issue fixed, Remington stares at me curiously, observing me as I finally calm down enough to do the same. Painful brown eyes are lined in thick black eyeshadow with slight traces of eyeliner. He's pretty. Attractive. My stupid, traitorous mind has never before thought that of anyone and the new experience momentarily jars me. I can see a crest tattoo on his heart from where his black dress shirt is open and there is very light traces of muscles on his chest but otherwise he looks just like a healthy, early twenty year old human. How deceiving.

"You're beautiful. I'm Remington Leith. What's your name?"

His whisper is quiet, I almost didn't hear him. When he reaches out to touch me, like he wants to shake my hand, I reel back and away from his slender fingers.

"Elizabeth..."

Tucking a strand of dirty hair behind my ear, we continue to stare. I don't trust him. A whisper from the back of my mind startles me.

'Yet.' It says, the voice tempting me.

No. They'll betray me. They're vampires. A supernatural species. The supernaturals are the ones that have been hunting me. They want my power. To be killed or used... I don't want that. That's why I've been running, running, running.

"Right, well, you must be tired." His hand reaches up again, but I suppose he thought better of it because his hand falls back to his side, pain streaking across his pretty features for only a moment.

"Get some rest." A gentle smile stretches the pink of his lips, fangs poking out ever so slightly from the top.

He leaves the room, somewhat reluctantly. Remington makes sure that I see him leaving the door open a good few inches. Its then I notice how utterly exhausted I am. I lay down without restraint, no qualms with Remingtons request of sleep. I can... escape tomorrow. Yeah. This is the only bed I've ever slept on, at least since my parents. I should enjoy this. I was so used to the ground, or old blankets, that a bed was unusual. Still, it was warm under the covers, safe, and all I ever wanted was to feel safe. So I sleep. I sleep better than I ever have because even though I'm in the unfamiliar house of three vampires, they don't scare me. There's just... something about them that brings me peace. A sort of peace that scares me, just slightly.