Vlad stirred, sensitive hearing alerting him to a frantic knocking outside the castle. His ears perked.

He sped downstairs, stopping at a safe distance from the door and the last smoldering rays of the setting sun. He spotted Renfield, who had come to answer the door, and shook his head slowly, mouthing I'm not here.

His manservant didn't seem to get the message, however, and then it was too late: Robin had already pushed his way into the entrance hall.

"Hi." Robin looked roughly the way Vlad felt, sporting dark circles under his eyes and a wrinkled black shirt.

"Hi," Vlad echoed. "Um… so how was school?" Small talk was not his forte, and it showed.

Robin snorted. "We need to talk. Do you think we could go up to your room?"

Vlad winced, thinking of the mess upstairs. He didn't want Robin to know how much his rejection had affected him. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"I just want to talk." The other boy licked his lips. "Last night, I should have been more clear."

"You don't need to explain yourself." Vlad looked anywhere but at Robin. "I get it, you're not interested."

"No, you don't get it." Robin sounded frustrated. "Please… I won't take too much of your time, I promise."

Vlad weighed his options. What were the chances of Robin letting this go and never bringing it up again, ever?

His shoulders sagged. "After you."


"What happened in here?" Robin asked, glancing around the room in shock.

Vlad wished he could disappear into the woodwork. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be included in his suite of new powers. "Nothing worth mentioning."

Robin was wringing his hands. Vlad sighed. The sooner they could get this conversation over with, the sooner he could go back to wallowing in misery in peace. "You wanted to talk. So talk."

"I'm sorry, it's just…." Robin let his breath out in a rush. He took a small step forward.

Vlad wanted to look away, but found he couldn't. Robin had such beautiful eyes.

"I should have said this last night, but… I don't hate you. In fact, I think I…." He cleared his throat, taking another step forward. "I care about you, Vlad." He smiled. "So much it scares me, sometimes."

The vampire backed away, shaking his head dumbly. Robin kept walking toward him slowly until Vlad could go no further, his back pressed flush against the wall. He held up his hands in defense, his eyes wide.

"You don't have to do this," Vlad stammered.

"I don't have to," Robin said softly. "But I want to." The teen used his superior height to his advantage, bending down before Vlad could utter another word and capturing the vampire's lips in a searing hot kiss.

Vlad saw stars. He reached for Robin's jacket, clutching the fabric for dear life as his knees threatened to buckle out from under him.

The lights flickered as a strange breeze rose up between them. Vlad's chessboard—one of the few items to survive his rampage from that afternoon—toppled over, spilling glass pieces all over the desk. The chairs rattled on the floor, and Simon let out a loud yowl as a picture frame landed near him and shattered.

Robin broke away first, breathing hard. His lips were flushed.

Vlad swallowed. "Robin; is this really what you want? You're not just doing it because it's what I want, or—?"

Robin looked like he couldn't decide whether to snog him again or throttle him—possibly, both. "What do you want, a contract signed in blood?" He grabbed Vlad's face, silencing him in the best way possible.

Vlad did his best not to swoon.


Chloe sighed. They'd made good progress. "Hey, Jonno—I think I'm ready to call it a night," she said, stifling a yawn.

Jonno nodded. "All right. Do you think one of your parents would be willing to give me a ride back to my place?"

"It can't hurt to ask. Mum's reading in the living room, you could ask her."

"Thanks." Jonno stood and stretched. "Oh, actually, could you point me in the direction of the toilet, first?"

Chloe pointed up the stairs. "First room on the right," she said. "You can't miss it."

Jonno smiled thankfully, turning up the stairs.

Chloe watched him go with narrowed eyes. She knew full well that just below Jonno's agreeable exterior there lay a dangerous slayer-in-training.

She waited about a minute before heading up the stairs herself. She needed to make sure Jonno wasn't poking his nose where it didn't belong.

The door to the toilet was closed, and the fan and light were on. She blushed. What was she doing, stalking her classmate like a weirdo?

She headed to her room, shaking her head, and turned the light on—nothing seemed amiss. Of course it didn't, she chastised herself. Then, she spotted the chair next to her dresser, and froze, the hair on the back of her neck rising.

The amulet!

She'd hung the chain around the back of the chair that morning, after refitting the gem. She was sure of it.

Jonno must have snuck in and taken it before heading to the loo.

What a wretched little thief!

Chloe thudded downstairs, and waited impatiently for Jonno to emerge. She couldn't ask him about it directly—he'd know she was onto him. Still, she needed to confirm that it had really been him.

"Hey, I'll go ask your mum for that ride, now, if that's all right," Jonno said with a smile. Chloe smiled back, subtly looking him over for signs of a stashed necklace, although she didn't spot anything out of the ordinary.

"Of course," she said, staring after him as he entered the living room. There might have been something stashed in his trousers, but it was difficult to tell.

If he did have it, they were in huge trouble. And it was her fault.