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I must look ridiculous, and his expression confirms it, his laugh filling the tiny room. “You fed pretty deeply from the sound of it, and your cheeks are flushed, meaning you shouldn’t have to feed for a while.” Stepping back, he turns to leave but pauses in the doorway. “Oh, a word of advice, stay away from the wraiths.”
I blink rapidly as he leaves my room, taken aback, before hurrying to the threshold and staring at his retreating figure. “Wraiths? They are real? Is there anything from my fairy tales that isn’t real?”
He doesn’t reply, but I know he heard me from the slight shaking of his shoulders. Well, I’m glad he finds all of this amusing.
Sighing, I back into the room and bump the door closed with my hip. I don’t want to meet my unit mates just yet, and I need to feel safe behind a locked door.
Alone, I drop my blankets and assigned clothes onto the end of the bed and lower myself down, taking in my home for the next couple of days—hopefully. I’m happy to have my own space and not share with anyone, but it’s so impersonal and small that it makes me feel even more isolated and alone. Even in the jail, I felt more like myself, but here, I feel more like a prisoner than before.
With nothing else to do, I open the envelope the receptionist gave me and flip through the paperwork.
So you’ve been incarcerated. A practical guide on surviving being locked up— Halfway House Edition.
Snorting, I place the pamphlet to the side, but I’m sure I’ll end up reading it later when the reality of this sinks in. The rest of the files contain a thick booklet on the rules and regulations of the unit, and an explanation on the various rehab programs they offer here. There is also a map of the centre and a timetable with instructions on when I have to be somewhere.
From what I understand, if I pass my assessment and am allowed to go home, I will have to come here as a day patient to check in and continue with my lessons. Eventually, I’ll be discharged once the therapists and my social worker agree I’m safe to fully return to the community.
I drop the paperwork on top of the pile of clothes and start to pace the length of the room. I can only manage six steps before I have to turn back the other way, but it helps me think. Looking at the bland walls, I scrunch up my nose before heading over to the tinted window above my bed. I look out, surprised it’s taken me so long. A quiet gasp escapes me, and a smile curves my lips.
If I’m going to be here for a while, then I’m going to make it more comfortable, and I know exactly how to do that.
Chapter Five
The next morning, I skip over to my door, pulling it open without checking who’s on the other side. It only occurs to me now that I probably should have checked. I am surrounded by criminals, after all. Thankfully, it’s just Zane leaning against the doorframe, looking like he just strolled off a runway.
I’ve not met any of the others on the unit yet, but I know it’s going to happen eventually, so I’ve mentally prepared myself. Even so, I’m glad it’s my mentor, because I have many questions about the other supernaturals and don’t want to make a fool of myself due to my lack of knowledge.
My golden curls are wrangled into a messy bun, although a few strands hang down and frame my face. Something about being a vampire seems to suit me, and my skin is glowing. It’s as though all of my pores have smoothed out, and my cheeks are flawless. I thought I’d be washed out and look dead like the vampires in movies, but the opposite seems to be true. I’m never going to need to spend money on makeup again.
The clothes I was given are basic—a loose pair of black cotton trousers and several long, soft T-shirts—but I’ve done my best to make them more my style, layering a grey shirt on top of a white one and tying a knot at my waist to reveal the shirt beneath. Again, it’s basic, but beggars can’t be choosers. I’m just happy to be out of my dirty clothes.
Zane does a slow perusal of my body, and I get the strangest feeling, as though I can actually feel everywhere his eyes touch. It’s obvious that he likes what he sees from the smile pulling at his lips, and arousal floods my body. I’m so reactive around him, every cell in my body alive and overreacting. I desperately need to get my raging hormones under control before I do something to embarrass myself.
As though the gods wanted to punish me out of spite, my fangs choose that moment to shoot out of my gums. Slapping my hand over my mouth, I back away and hurry into the little bathroom, not wanting to see his amusement.
Thankfully they return to their normal position after only a few moments, so I take a deep breath and return to the door. Zane is still leaning against the doorframe, his eyes on me.
“You look… perky. Did you sleep well?” His voice sounds strange, and I can’t quite place why. When I look at his face, his expression seems normal, so I shrug it off.
“Nope, I was up most of the night. It’s noisy in here. I made the most of my time though.” I gesture around the room, noticing his eyebrows shoot up in surprise as he looks around and takes in the changes I made.
Chuckling, he shakes his head and finally steps into the room. “Well, this looks cosy.”
As soon as he crosses the threshold, I become aware of the space between us. It’s a small room, but it feels even smaller with his large body filling a large portion of it. I feel drawn to him, like we are both opposite ends of a magnet that can’t help but be pulled together.
Suddenly, I become very cognisant of my bed and how close we both are to it, and I have to force myself to focus on anything but him. If I think of him and my bed, then I’ll think of him in my bed, and if I think of him in my bed, then I’ll think of him being in me.
No, nope, not going there. I murdered my boyfriend two days ago. I will not be jumping into bed with the first hot vampire I meet.
Taking a step back from him, I try to shrug casually, hoping to disguise my flustered state. “Just because I’m locked up, it doesn’t mean I can’t have a few homey touches.”
I turned several of the blankets into curtains, tying them back with strips of fabric I tore from the bottom of a sheet. Even just putting those up made it look so much better. While the window has something on it to block out the sunlight, the curtains gave it a more lived-in feel.
I managed to sweet talk several more sheets and blankets from one of the guards, folding one and using it as a tablecloth on the desk. When I was sure no one was about, I snuck out of my room and wandered around until a guard found me and gave me directions to the garden. Apparently I’m allowed out of my unit whenever I like, but I didn’t want to bump into anyone yet. Once I was out in the fresh air, I managed to pick several flowers from the beautiful garden. It’s a little overgrown and unkempt, but there were still some wonderful plants in bloom.
After I returned to my room, I used a glass to hold the flowers, giving the air a fresh scent and bringing some much needed colour to the space. My bed is made, the blankets folded neatly, and overall, I think it looks so much better than it did before.
“If I had more access to fabrics and a sewing machine, I could have done so much more,” I ramble, rubbing the back of my neck.
