The One Night Stand Turns Out To Be My Professor

92

92

Ian’s POV

I stood at the doorway of Sophia’s room, staring at her like some sort of fool. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous. I was Ian — king of the vampire realm, ruler of vampire. The most powerful and most dangerous. Yet, in this moment, watching Sophia pack her things, I felt completely out of place.

Maybe it was because I was about to take her to the vampire realm. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to take her there. Or maybe it was because Sophia, despite her the fact that she was now one of us, still seemed so… human.

“Are you going to keep standing there like a creep or actually come in and help me?” Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She had that look in her eye, the one where she was trying to hold back a laugh but also wasn’t quite sure if I was okay. It’s a look that she had been giving me these days.

“Help you?” I raised an eyebrow, leaning against the doorframe. “I thought vampires were supposed to be independent creatures.”

“Yeah, well, I’m new at this. Give me a break,” she shot back, tossing a shirt at me. I caught it with ease, but it did nothing to relax me.

She was excited. Too excited. And maybe that was what had me on edge. What if she gets there and it’s not up to what she’s expecting? What if she gets… disappointed?

“You do know what the realm is like, right?” I asked cautiously, folding my arms. “It’s not exactly Disneyland.”

Sophia rolled her eyes as she zipped up her bag, clearly not interested in my attempts at giving her a reality check and discouraging her. “Yes, Ian, you’ve mentioned that about a hundred times. You act like I haven’t heard the stories.”

“Stories are one thing,” I muttered. “Living it is another.”

She stopped packing for a second, her eyes meeting mine. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got you, right?”

That question — so simple, so casual — hit me in a way I didn’t expect. Because, yes, she did have me. She had me In ways I wasn’t even sure I fully understood yet. But it was more than that. The vampire realm wasn’t just dangerous; it was unpredictable. And there were too many things about it that even I couldn’t control.

But I couldn’t back out now. Today was the day.

“I’m just saying,” I started again, trying to sound more confident than I felt, “it’s not like what you’re used to here. The realm is… complicated. People will stare, there will be questions, and I’m not sure how everyone will react to you.”

Sophia paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. “React to me? You mean because I’m—?”

“Because you’re a fledgling,” I cut her off, trying to avoid the whole ‘human-turned-vampire’ discussion that always seemed to make her a bit uncomfortable and set her on the edge. “They’re not used to that. Most of the vampires there were born into this life. You… well, you’re different.”

She shrugged, unfazed. “Different can be good. Maybe I’ll start a trend.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. Sophia had always had this way of turning my darkest thoughts into something lighter, more manageable. It was infuriating and comforting all at once. I guess that was what really attracted me to heer in the first place. What made me fall in love with her.

“You really think you’re ready for this?” I asked, stepping into the room now and leaning against her dresser.

She turned to face me, her face lighting up with excitement that both thrilled and worried me. I was scared of it not being up to her expectations, or someone hurting her in any way. “Of course I’m ready! I mean, it’s the vampire realm! I’ve been dying to see It ever since you told me about it. And besides, how bad can it really be? I mean, you’re in charge, right?”