It's been two whole weeks since Ayato demanded that I stay away from him. Each night I would wait on the rooftop, but he never showed. It had started to irritate me, so the rational thing to do was the wait outside his classroom until it ended. Somehow, he'd slip out the door without me seeing. If I did catch him leave, he'd disappear after rounding a corner. How he did it, I didn't know. That has been going on for two weeks.
And here we are today, day three of him not even showing up to school. Even though I would still go to the rooftop and do dangerous things on the ledge, nothing compared to the rush I got that night when he was licking my wounds. Dammit, I needed more! Running my hands through my hair, I groaned. Where the hell is he?
At the end of the hallway, through the crowd of students, a familiar person was walking in the opposite direction of me. He's one of them! Running down the hallway, I shoved the door open to the stairs to catch up, and I'd nearly whacked him with the door. "Hey!" I grabbed the back of his blazer. "You're one of Ayato's brothers, right?"
He wore a fedora on top of his head and had a mischievous vibe about him. "Yes, I'm Laito-"
I waved my hand to cut him off. "I don't care. Where the hell is he?" It's clear Ayato is trying to avoid me, but if he thinks that I'll give up easy, then he's got another thing coming.
Laito laughed, tilting his head to assess me. "You must the be thing that's annoying him," he said.
"I'm annoying him?" I squeezed my hands into fists. Taking a deep breath before I did something that I might regret, I folded my arms. "I want to see him, just so I can hit him." That bastard. Telling his brother that I'm annoying. He's the one who got all weird when I was bleeding. He's the one who made me feel this way.
With a nod, Laito smirked. "Now that would be quite entertaining to see. I could invite you to our home, so you can do just that," he said. There was something behind those words. He felt like Ayato, but it didn't work for me. It could be because I was so angry.
"Yeah, fine, I'm down for that," I replied. It's not like my parents are going to notice that I'm not home. They go to bed at 9 on the dot. The house is always dark and silent when I get there. The more important issue was that Ayato had made me feel a rush like nothing else had done for me before. And now he's just decided that I should stay away? As if.
I hadn't realized how many brothers he actually had. Sitting in the big limo, there were five of them, and they were all staring. Have they never seen a girl before? Or maybe it's because Laito said that I wanted to see Ayato. Sitting back against the cushioned seat, I crossed my legs. "Could you stop staring at me?"
Laito chuckled from beside me. "Ayato never has girls over, so we're all a bit surprised." He introduced all of the brothers, but paused, and said, "Actually, I don't even know your name, beautiful." He brushed a stray piece of hair out of my face.
"Mika," I answered, pushing his hand away. He's handsy, isn't he?
The broody looking one, Subaru, continued to stare at me. "You're the Mika they've all been talking about." That should have been question, but it sounded like an observation. He's a first year, and none of them were around at the end of last year when the incident occurred.
"Sorry, wrong Mika," I replied, folding my arms. Being tied down to that label is annoying. Everyone avoids me, not that I care, but the truth is being twisted around. Half of the rumors had been started by students who weren't there at the time.
Kanato laughed loudly from across the car, his eyes on a teddy bear in his hands. Who still has one of those at our age? "Teddy and I heard that you almost killed someone." He and Ayato are in the same class, but this one had a screw or two loose according to the rumors.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Fuck off! You don't know anything about that," I snapped. Why does everyone want to throw in their own rumors on a matter that doesn't concern them? That's how everything had started in the beginning. Things spiraled out of control and then I ended up being cuffed and slammed against the front of a cop car being screamed at. Six months at Juvie was how the trial went.
"Now, now," Laito interrupted the two of us before an actual fight broke out.
Reiji closed his book loudly at the same time. "Miss Akamine, we have no interest in your personal history. However, if you'd like to continue to our home, I will warn you to watch your words and tone." That sounded oddly like a threat. This one had an authoritative air about him. He must be the one that keeps everyone in line.
Where I wanted him to shove his warning, I kept to myself. This isn't about my past. I'm here solely to punch Ayato for being an idiot and then go home. At least, that was the plan until I saw their gigantic house. It was safe to assume they were rich, but damn, this is more than rich! No wonder he's so stuck up. He's probably been spoiled all his life.
Laito showed me up to Ayato's bedroom, not bothering to open the door or anything. He left me standing there without any words. The only sound in the hallway was his humming as he disappeared around the corner. Staring at the door, I sighed. What am I doing? Turning the handle, I pushed it open to reveal a darkened room.
The curtains were still pulled closed, allowing no moonlight to brighten the room. There was sparse furniture in here. The things that caught my interest the most was the object laying in the middle of the floor, and Iron Maiden. What the hell is that for? I ran my hand across the top of it, the cool metal on my palm. Trying to open it failed miserably. The top is heavy. "Is it real?" Who would have a real Iron Maiden in their room?
"Of course, it is," Ayato's voice came from inside.
I tapped on it. "Seriously? Let me see! Why are you in it?" It must be small space. That thought alone was enough to get my blood racing. These used to be a torture device. Surely there are no spikes in it. Though, it makes me wonder how painful it would be to be trapped in one like that. Moving too much would result in sharp pain.
"No." That was his only reply.
I frowned, tapping on it again. "Don't be selfish. I want to see the inside! I'm not leaving until you do!" I said loudly. This boy is so irritating and so intriguing at the same time! I was knocked back on my ass when the lid suddenly flung open. Damn that boy has some strength.
"How did you even get here?" Ayato asked, climbing out to tower over me and he narrowed his green eyes at me. Now you know how I felt when you kept ignoring me!
I leaned around him to get a better look inside. There were grooves all over the metal. That must be where the spikes used to be. "Your brother brought me along." Leaning over the edge to get a better look at the inside, I suddenly remembered why I came. Standing up, I placed my hands on my hips. "Why the hell are you ignoring me? You don't get make that decision for me. What the hell does 'stay away from me' even mean? You sound like a child."
We were both glaring at each other in silence for a moment.
Ayato let out a low growl and shoved me back, making me trip over the end of the Iron Maiden and fall inside. My head hit the bottom hard enough to make my world spin. With a loud thud, the lid slammed closed over top of me. It took a moment for me to regain my senses. I wasn't in here alone. Ayato was on top of me, an amused smirk on his face. "You wanted to see the inside, didn't you?"
This thing is cramped with the two of us! Small spaces don't bother me that much, and it definitely doesn't give the same thrill that being on a rooftop ledge does. Right this second, my heart had begun to beat fast and the feeling being trapped underneath him was surprisingly exhilarating. Something about him isn't right, and I loved it. "I thought you were ignoring me," I stated.
"I can tell how much you crave my attention," he said, leaning down close enough that I could feel his breath on my lips. "Your heart is beating rapidly in your chest, like it does when you're doing something dangerous. Do I feel dangerous to you?" He asked the question like he already knew the answer.
"Yes," I said. It felt good to say that, like the prey admitting to the predator that they enjoy being trapped. "But I like it." I bit my lip to keep from saying anything else. Things like this are easy to screw up, and that happens to be my specialty.
Ayato leaned down to place a kiss on my neck, making me tilt my head to the side, and then he ran his tongue along the exposed skin. He chuckled to himself as my body squirmed underneath him, even though there was nowhere to go inside this small space. "Mika, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."
Does he have any idea how attractive those words sound to me?
"Then tell me whatever it is you're hiding. I want to know," I said, trying to resist the urge to moan. When had his hand slipped under my shirt? Each soft touch made me more wound up. I bit my lip so hard that my teeth broke the skin. Trying to check if it was actually bleeding, I struggled to get my hand up to my face.
Ayato grabbed my wrist, pinning it down. "Let me taste that sweet blood again, Mika," he said, kissing me. Biting my bottom lip, like he wanted to draw out more blood. He pressed himself against me tighter, almost like he wanted to hurt me. When he finally lifted his head, his normally green eyes were glowing a red color. "I'll tell you, if you promise to let me have you as mine."
My heart nearly leapt out of my chest. He made it sound like more than just an invitation for a relationship. He was right when he said that he was dangerous. While part of me feared what that truly meant, I knew that I would never find another person who could make me feel this way. "Tell me," I whispered. Nothing else could ever replace this high.
"I'm a vampire."