Chapter 17

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

- Dr. Seuss

Adam sighed as he put his hands over his face then went through his hair. "You are my brother and I love you, you know that? But if you hurt Kyra one more time, I am going to hurt you. You better give her an answer tomorrow, little brother or else…I have no idea what's going to happen between the two of you."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Tristan whispered, hearing Adam leave the Tower.

After Adam left the Astronomy Tower, he went into the Forbidden Forest ready to feed on his prey. Once he was done, the eldest Matthew felt another presence in the forest with him and he didn't have to be afraid. Adam wiped the blood off his mouth with his sleeve and said, "Hello Dominic."

Dominic came out from behind a tree and stood in front of Adam, showing his light blue eyes through the darkness. "Adam, it's been a while hasn't it?"

"Fifty years," Adam commented. "Why are you here? I can tell you just came back from feeding on an innocent."

"Am I not allowed to see my former best friend?" Dominic asked innocently and suddenly, Adam pushed Dominic to a tree, chocking him. "I guess not."

"You've been sending your newborns to send a message to one of my own. But really, it's a message to me and my brother isn't it?" Adam questioned him.

"I forgot how smart you are, Adam." Dominic chuckled lightly.

"Leave Kyra alone," Adam threatened, showing his black eyes for a second as it returned to its natural eye color. He released his grip on him. "Go back to the rubbishy home of yours where you belong."

"You honestly don't think she will figure it out?" Dominic yelled as Adam was walking away. "You and your brother put that girl in the middle and you know it! She will die because of this battle."

"Voldemort is no interest to her," Adam yelled back.

"No she isn't. But to our maker, she is." Dominic called out and smiled, seeing Adam stop in his tracks.

He knew it would be an interest to him.

"That battle has been going for centuries, Adam and he believes that girl will end it. And you know why." Dominic smiled, "Tell my old friend, Tristan that I said hello."

Adam turned around and saw nothing and nobody behind him. His hands were curled into fists ever since Dominic mentioned their maker.

This wasn't a good sign.

Tristan stood at the Astronomy Tower for minutes or maybe hours, he didn't know nor didn't he care. He tried to think of what to say to Kyra but the conservation in his mind wasn't working out. However, in his mind he remembers how he kissed and the way she kissed him back. Did she want to kiss him back? Does she feel that way about him? Tristan shook his head, trying to get the image out of his head but he couldn't.

What does this mean? But the real question he should ask himself is what does Kyra mean to him? Kyra's figured danced before his eyes: her dark wavy hair, her perfect olive skin, her lips, her golden eyes, her kindness, passion for books, her strength, etc…It began getting darker showing how late it was but Tristan still hasn't moved.

"Tristan, you're different. You are…you're quiet and mysterious and have a heart."

"Because you given me one."

Kyra's golden eyes stared at him, "I wasn't joking."

"You are my best friend and right now, the only person I can trust."

"You mean everything to me, Kyra more than you will ever know."

Tristan's eyes widen when realization hit him. Quickly, Tristan left the Astronomy Tower and found he was standing in front of Kyra's bedroom door. He raised his fist at the wooden door but couldn't find himself to move. For the first time, in a long time Tristan didn't know what to do or what to say. What was he suppose to tell Kyra? She doesn't know anything about love; she's only read about them in her romance novels.

"What if Kyra doesn't feel the same way?" Tristan thought sadly, as he lowered his fist. "No! You don't know that. Just ask her, you wuss."

Suddenly, he heard screaming coming from inside and instantly, Tristan broke down the door. He found someone in the darkness gripping Kyra around the neck as if he was going to choke her with all of his strength. He moved closer and his violet eyes widen because Tristan knows who the intruder is. Tristan knows this because of his light blue eyes and that smirk. He knows that smirk anywhere. "Let her go," Tristan snarled as he went into pounce mode, ready to attack.

"This is another warning I'm giving you, Matthews. I suggest you take it." He told him and put his teeth against Kyra's neck. She cried out in pain and the mysterious vampire pushed Kyra towards Tristan as he made his escape.

"Are you alright?" Tristan asked Kyra.

"I'm fine. What are you doing? Go after him!"

Tristan nodded his head; he didn't need to be told twice. He jumped out the window and slide down the hard rooftops. He quickly stopped, trying to get a sniff off the intruder. At the corner of his eyes, he noticed a shadow. Tristan turned around and followed the shadow but suddenly, a force pushed him and causing him to lose his balance on the rooftop.

"You shouldn't be drinking that animal blood, Tristan." A voice yelled. "It's making you weak. Until next time...old friend."

"Damn it," Tristan cursed.

"So did you get him?" Kyra asked once she saw Tristan return from outside. The bite mark on her neck quickly healed but it still sting like alcohol medicine on blood wounds. Kyra turned around and saw Tristan sitting on the edge of her bed, looking brooding and sad. "I'm going to take that as no."

"What happened?" Tristan whispered.

"I don't know. One minute, I'm cry –sleeping and the next, a stranger is on top of me. I tried to fight him off but –"

"He drinks human blood, it makes him stronger." Tristan interrupted and put his hands over his face. "I am so sorry, Kyra."

"What for?" Kyra asked him, pulled his hands away from Tristan's face, and stared at his vampire violet eyes. "Because the vampire knew you?"

"No, I'm apologizing for running out of your room like a crazy person. It was very ungentlemanly like and rude of me." Tristan said to her.

Kyra felt uncomfortable having this conservation. It's only been three hours since they kissed. "Tristan –"

"No, please let me talk." Tristan said to her and gestured for her to sit down on her own bed. Kyra sat near the pillows and waited for Tristan to continue but still felt unease around him. "For centuries, before my brother brought this clan up, we've lived in secret. Hiding in the shadows, alone in the muggle and magical world. I do remember my romantic life as a human and trust me, when I say this I wasn't happy."

"It was more like an arrangement and a business plan. It was never love. I knew the girl and I admit, she was attractive but we both knew we could never be in love." Tristan told her honestly. "When I became a creature of the night, I knew I could never ever find a potential woman to be with me because of what we are. I lost hope and decided that it was my fate to be alone…until you came in the picture."

Kyra stared at Tristan, not knowing what to say. She looked down at her hands, thinking of what to say but there was nothing. There was no response to that speech Tristan made. She was speechless. Finally, Kyra lifted her head to see Tristan's perfect face. "What are you saying, Tristan?"

Tristan took Kyra's hands and stared at her golden eyes, "I'm in love with you."

He cupped her cheek with his hand and gently kissed her on the lips, waiting for her to answer but Kyra sat there not moving. Tristan pulled away and let go of her hands. He saw the expression of her face and realized how stupid he was. Kyra doesn't know what he is saying or how she is feeling. "I'll leave you to your thoughts."

"Wait," Kyra whispered as her hand grabbed his wrist. "Tristan, I don't know what I am feeling for you but from what I have read –"

"Kyra, love isn't something you can pick up from a dictionary or romance novel." Tristan interrupted her. "What you feel is in your heart."

"A heart that is already dead."

"But it doesn't mean you can't feel." He said.

"Before I was rudely interrupted, I was saying…from what I have read from books I know what I feel. I see love everyday in our clan and I see also in those students." Kyra said to him. "But I finally understand what love means…it means that you care for another person's happiness more than your own and you can't imagine your life without that person. For two years Tristan, all I wanted to do was make you smile."

Tristan stared at her with curiosity and confusion, "Smile?"

"You have this calm yet childish smile on you sometimes whenever you're happy and for the past two years, it was hard to see that smile again." Kyra told him. "That smile made me feel human for some reason. I didn't know I felt about you especially the night you kissed my forehead and my cheek, it was all too confusing, and it was happening too fast."

"But now?"

"Now, I know how I feel about you," Kyra whispered and pressed her lips against his, closing her eyes. When their lips parted, Kyra pulled herself away and looked at him. "And I'm in love with you too."

Tristan smiled –the smile that Kyra was waiting for and leaned in for another kiss. The two vampires continued kissing passionately as Kyra slowly lay on her back and Tristan was on top of her. Tristan's lips landed on her neck and Kyra giggled loudly because he was being playful. Suddenly, her eyelids rolled backwards as images abruptly came in her mind.

"Beauty shouldn't be wasted on you, you filthy Mudblood. But might as well enjoy your…physique."

"No. Get off." She felt his hot and sloppy lips on her neck. "Get off!"

"Get off!" Kyra shrieked, pushing Tristan away with her vampire strength. His body hit the floor hard.

"Kyra, what the hell?" Tristan yelled at her, standing up on his knees. But his mouth shut quickly staring at Kyra's frightened face. He remembered that fear on her face…it was on the night he found her and turned her. Tristan quickly sat beside on her the bed, taking her shaking hand. "Kyra, what's wrong?"

"I remember something –something horrible," She whimpered and closed her eyes as if she was seeing the flashback once more. "There was a man, he called me Mudblood and…he was hurting me and kissing me on the neck. I remember feeling disgusted and terrified all at the same time."

"I'm sensing there's a but in that sentence," Tristan said.

"It doesn't make sense though," Kyra continued. "You told me that you founded me in a park in the Muggle World."

"Do you remember anything else?"

Kyra closed her eyes once more, "He wore a mask…an ugly one, and…" she reopened her eyes and sighed sadly. "That's it. But that memory is the night I died and reborn to someone new and it's starting to bother me!"

Tristan chuckled lightly, "Don't worry about it too much. Come, sleep." He gestured and Kyra lay in his arms as his hands gently brushed her bare skin. "I'll stay with you the entire night."

Kyra laughed, "We only have six hours of sleep before classes begin."

"Then, we can skip breakfast and that would…seven hours of sleep." Tristan laughed. "We have an eternity to talk and know more of your past."

Kyra snuggled closer to his chest, "I like the sound of that."

A/N: Comment, please! :)