Pallido

Eight

"You don't have to stay up all night for me, Sydney." Matthew said, setting a bowl of popcorn down in front of me.

"It's not that late."

He laughed. "It is."

"It's too nice a night to go to sleep."

"You're starting to think like a vampire."

I picked up my cards and organized them accordingly.

Matthew picked up a card from the deck then discarded it. A five of hearts. "Are you afraid?"

"No." I responded immediately.

He leaned over the table and kissed me, his fangs grazing my bottom lip. I sighed deeply and let my eyes close. Why was he making me feel so... flustered?

"We need to get out of here."

"What? What's going on?"

"The council's here. And they're pissed."

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"You've violated the law, Jameson. Give us the girl." One of the men, a tall man with black hair, yelled, his voice harsh and intimidating. At least to me.

Matthew helped me onto his roof to protect me from the council. He said we were safe there. I trusted him undoubtedly.

"We haven't hurt anyone." Matthew's body language was defensive.

"You've broken our law. If we let it slide with you, who's to say more heinous crimes won't be committed and pushed under the rug?"

"That's your fault."

"Jameson, give her to us and you can be a free man once more."

"Never."

"Then you leave us no choice."

Two men climbed up onto the roof in front of us, doing it just as effortlessly as Matthew and I did. Well, Matthew did.

I screamed and ducked behind Matthew. There wasn't much roof left on our side and if I kept moving, I'd end up falling off the roof. And dying was worse than be captured and re-slaved.

One of the men pulled out a gun and shot it right at Matthew. Matthew swayed just slightly before he fell, taking me down with him, his body shaking.

My heart pounded in my chest. Without Matthew to protect me, I was a goner. The vampires would get me and who knew what would happen to me? Would they kill me? Re-slave me? I wasn't sure what was worse.

Matthew managed to hold me in his arms as we hit the ground, putting the brunt of the fall on him.

Several men pulled guns out and held them at me.

"You two are coming with us."