The One Night Stand Turns Out To Be My Professor

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Sophia’s POV

The night was unusually quiet, the kind of quiet that makes you feel like the world is holding its breath. The woods stretched out before me, dense and shadowed, illuminated only by the pale light of the moon filtering through the canopy of trees. I could feel the pull inside me, the hunger gnawing at my insides, demanding to be sated. It had been too long since my last hunt, and the blood bags Ian had provided just weren’t enough anymore. I needed something fresh, something warm.

I moved silently through the underbrush, my senses heightened as I scanned the area. The woods were alive with the sounds of nocturnal creatures—rustling leaves, the occasional snap of a twig underfoot—but nothing that would satisfy the hunger coiling in my gut. I needed something more substantial. A deer, maybe, or even a stray hiker if I was lucky. The thought made my fangs ache with anticipation, and I quickened my pace, eager to find my prey.

I paused and shook the thought out of my head. I had promised myself that I wouldn’t kill humans.

The deeper I ventured into the woods, the more the silence pressed in around me. It was eerie, unsettling in a way I couldn’t quite place. The air felt heavy, thick with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves, but there was something else too—a faint, metallic tang that set my nerves on edge. I paused, straining my ears to catch any sound, but all I heard was the pounding of my own heart in my chest.

I shook off the unease, reminding myself that I had nothing to fear. I was a predator, not the prey. Whatever was out there, I could handle it. I continued forward, my steps cautious but determined. The trees loomed tall around me, their branches intertwining like skeletal fingers against the night sky. I moved carefully, my senses attuned to the slightest movement, the faintest sound.

And then, I heard it—a rustle in the bushes up ahead. My body tensed, every muscle coiled and ready to strike. I crept closer, my breath shallow as I prepared to pounce. But just as I was about to spring forward, something sharp and burning slammed into my arm.

I gasped in shock, stumbling backward as pain radiated through my body. I looked down to see a small, splintered hole in my arm, blood seeping from the wound. A wooden bullet. My mind raced as I tried to process what had just happened, but before I could react, another shot rang out, this one striking my leg. I screamed, collapsing to the ground as the pain overwhelmed me. My vision blurred, and I struggled to stay conscious, my thoughts a chaotic mess.

Whoever had shot me, they knew what they were doing. Wooden bullets were one of the few things that could actually harm a vampire, and the fact that they had hit me so accurately meant they were well-trained, well-prepared. But why? Who were they? And how had they known I would be here?

I tried to move, to get up and fight back, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. The bullets were lodged deep, and they were taking their toll on me faster than I expected. My limbs felt heavy, unresponsive, and the world around me started to spin. I could hear footsteps approaching, slow and deliberate, but I couldn’t see who they belonged to. My vision was fading, darkening at the edges, and panic gripped me as I realized I was losing control.

“No…” I whispered, trying to force my body to move, to fight back, but it was no use. The pain was too much, the damage too severe. I was powerless.

Rough hands grabbed me, lifting me off the ground. I tried to struggle, to break free, but my strength was gone. My head lolled to the side, and through the haze of pain and disorientation, I caught a glimpse of my captors. There were three of them, men dressed in black, their faces obscured by masks.

I tried to focus, to gather my thoughts, but everything was slipping away. My mind was foggy, and I couldn’t remember how I had gotten here, or what I had been doing before this. The only thing I knew was that I was in danger, and there was nothing I could do about it.

“Where… where are you taking me?” I mumbled, my voice barely audible.

None of them answered. They didn’t even look at me as they dragged me through the woods, their steps quick and sure. I felt my consciousness slipping, the darkness closing in around me. I had to stay awake, had to figure out what was happening, but my body was betraying me, shutting down despite my efforts to fight it.

I don’t know how long we walked—minutes, hours, it all blurred together in my mind. My senses were dulled, my thoughts slow and disjointed. The world around me felt distant, like I was watching it all from underwater.

Eventually, we stopped. I was too weak to hold myself up, and I slumped in their grip, my head hanging limply. I tried to open my eyes, to see where they had taken me, but my vision was nothing but shadows and vague shapes. I could hear voices, low and indistinct, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Everything was muffled, like I was hearing it through a thick wall of cotton.

I felt a sharp, stinging pain in my arm as one of them yanked the bullet out, and I cried out in pain, my body convulsing as fresh waves of agony ripped through me. The second bullet was removed just as roughly, and I was left gasping for breath, the pain leaving me trembling and weak.

“You’ll be fine soon enough,” one of them said, his voice cold and detached. “But we need to keep you from healing too quickly. Can’t have you running off just yet.”

I tried to respond, to ask him what they wanted with me, but I couldn’t form the words. My mouth was dry, my throat raw from the screams I hadn’t even realized I’d been making. I was so weak, so tired. My body felt like lead, and I could feel the blood loss starting to take its toll. Vampires could heal quickly, but not if they couldn’t replenish the blood they were losing.

I was fading, and there was nothing I could do about it.

They tied my hands behind my back, securing me to a tree, and I didn’t even have the strength to resist. My mind was drifting, thoughts coming and going without any real connection. I knew I was in danger, that I had to find a way out, but the will to fight was slipping away, replaced by an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.

I tried to hold on, to stay awake, but it was no use. My eyes fluttered shut, and the last thing I heard before I lost consciousness completely was the sound of their voices, discussing what to do with me.

When I came to consciousness, the world was still dark, but the pain had dulled to a throbbing ache in my limbs. I was slumped against the tree, my hands still bound, and my body felt heavy, unresponsive. I tried to move, but my muscles refused to cooperate. I was weak, weaker than I’d ever been, and I knew that if I didn’t get help soon, I might not make it.

My thoughts were sluggish, disjointed. I couldn’t remember how long I’d been here, or how I’d even ended up in this situation. All I knew was that I was in danger, and I needed to get out of here.

I tried to gather my strength, to push through the fog in my mind, but it was like trying to swim through heavy current. Everything was slow, heavy, and I could feel myself slipping again, the darkness pulling me under.

But before I could fade completely, I heard a voice—faint, but familiar. I couldn’t make out the words, but the sound of it was enough to pull me back from the edge. I forced my eyes open, blinking against the darkness, trying to focus.

Through the haze, I saw a figure approaching. I couldn’t make out their face, but something about them seemed… familiar. My heart raced, hope sparking in my chest. Maybe this was help, maybe someone had found me.

But as they came closer, I realized that hope was misplaced. The figure wasn’t here to help. They were here to finish what had been started.

I tried to speak, to plead for mercy, but the words wouldn’t come. My throat was too dry, my voice too weak. I could only watch as they reached out, their hand cold against my skin, and the darkness finally claimed me.