Violet Forsythe has finally found peace.
She successfully escaped a coven of malignant vampires, worked hard to get an education, and has actually managed to pull herself together.
But, as old acquaintances begin to resurface, the life that Violet w...
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I regained my senses slowly.
First my feet, then my legs, my fingers, my arms...
I could smell again, and feel, and I could hear everything.
It was unlike anything I'd ever experience before. There are no words to describe it.
When I felt that the veil was completely removed, I hesitated to open my eyes.
What would I be waking to?
I inhaled deeply, and breathed in an aroma so familiar, and yet so much more complex and potent.
Encouraged by the familiarity, my eyelids fluttered open.
I stared at the wood ceiling above me for a moment, observing the pattern of the grain in the wood - a small detail that I wouldn't have noticed before.
"Violet?"
I turned my head toward the voice.
"Alec."
I was relieved to see him.
I was still on the couch of the small home in that Romanian village, but my newly enhanced hearing didn't pick up on anything other than Alec and the surrounding forest outside. We were alone.
"Are you okay?" he asked, as I sat up.
"Yeah. I think so," I said with a small smile.
I stood up from the couch with too much momentum, and I sent myself staggering forward. Alec caught me by the arm, but it took him much longer than it used to. But, then I reminded myself that he wasn't slower, I was just faster.
Much, much faster.
"How do I look?" I asked him after he helped me steady myself.
"Perhaps you should see for yourself," he grinned before leading me to a modest bathroom located at the back of the house.
Alec paused by the door to let me enter the bathroom first. The room was smaller than I would've preferred, especially with another person being crammed into the confined space with me, but I didn't dwell on it much; my attention was completely consumed by what I saw in the mirror.
I recognized myself, of course, but at the same time I looked completely different. My curls were fuller and more wild, my eyes were bright crimson, and the pink flush to my skin was gone. Something about me looked a touch more animalistic, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was.
As enthralled as I was by my reflection, I was also taken aback. With my dark, wild hair and my vivid red eyes, I looked downright intimidating, even to myself.
After studying my face in the mirror for a few moments, I frowned.
"What's wrong?" Alec asked, his voice laced with concern.
"My scar is gone."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"I earned it fair and square," I pouted.
Alec laughed when he saw my expression through the mirror. "Fair enough."
I returned my gaze to the mirror and continued to admire the changes.
I looked good.
Really good.
"Where's your sister?" I asked lightly, keeping my eyes focused on my reflection.
"She'll return tomorrow."
"Interesting," I murmured.
Alec reminded quiet.
"What?" I asked, turning around to face him. "You don't have any excuses lined up for her today?"
"Why would I?" he replied smoothly. "She should've waited for your consent before she bit you."
I gave him a tight smile before briskly leaving the room; Alec followed, trailing after me as I walked out of the house and into the snowy street. I could tell he was trying to be mindful of giving me enough personal space.
I paused in the middle of the road and peeled off my down jacket, tossing it carelessly on the ground. It was bulky and unnecessary.
I couldn't figure out how I felt at that moment. I was irritated, baffled, annoyed, elated, and in awe.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Alec asked.
"I'm still a little disoriented, I guess," I said as he approached with caution.
"You'll get used to it, I promise," he said, bravely stopping only a foot away from me.
I was very aware of how close we were.
"How do you feel?" Alec asked, breaking the silence.
"Good, I guess," I said, turning away from him and stepping a few paces away, putting distance in between us. "Confused, mostly."
"I'm sorry for what Jane did," Alec said sincerely, taking half a step toward me. "It's inexcusable. I completely unders—"
Before he could finish his sentence, I swiftly scooped up a ball of snow, patted it down, and hurled it at him, hitting him square in the face.
Alec blinked at me for a moment, processing, as clumps of snow fell from him face and onto his coat.
I stared at him, without breathing, waiting for him to react as he wiped the remaining snow off of his face.
Then, he ducked down and scooped up a snowball to throw back at me.
I shrieked and ducked, narrowly dodging it, before packing more snow in my hands and retaliating.
Alec and I commenced to running through the night, laughing and teasing each other while we chucked snowballs and tried to outrun each other.
At one point, Alec snuck up and hit me with a large snowball, catching me of guard and knocking me to the ground. I spun around to see him already sprinting in the opposite direction.
Drawn into the challenge, I jumped into a crouch and locked my eyes on my target before running after him at full tilt.
I caught up with him easily, and a growl ripped from my throat as I launched myself at him. He spun around and threw his arms up to grab my arms, which braced us against a full on collision.
Although Alec was able to minimize my attack, the momentum of my pounce sent both of us tumbling into the snow.
We laughed breathlessly for while as we lay, side by side, in the snow, and when our laughs petered out, we looked at each other for a soft, peaceful moment. Our closeness was consuming.
