Chapter 19: Blood and Goodbyes

I sat in the waiting area, the same place the men had occupied earlier.

The air felt heavier now.

Even though Juliet was the strongest person I knew, unease kept tightening in my chest. The men had looked too composed. Too calculating. If they were vampires sent to drag her back, they hid it well. They looked old—aged in a way most vampires never allowed themselves to be.

I was still spiraling in thought when I felt a slow breath trace the curve of my neck.

“Hey.”

Her voice slid into my ear like silk.

I turned instantly.

Juliet stood behind me, smiling.

Relief washed over me. I stood, smiling back.

“So what did they want?”

“It’s nothing,” she said lightly. “You don’t need to worry.”

She intertwined her fingers with mine. “Let’s go.”

As we waited for the elevator, I noticed one of the men from the meeting staring at us. The spokesman. His expression wasn’t curious.

It was dark.

Calculating.

The elevator opened, and we stepped inside.

In the room, I dropped the shopping bags beside the bed and stretched out across it. Juliet lay beside me, her head propped on her hand.

“You forgot to show me the trick,” I said.

“What trick?”

“The billionaire trick. Making people do whatever you want.”

She smiled slowly. “It’s not magic. It’s influence… sharpened.”

“Show me.”

She studied me for a moment, then rolled off the bed and picked up the phone.

“Hello. I’d like a fruit basket sent up. Yes. Thank you.”

She hung up and returned to the bed.

“We wait,” she said.

A few minutes later, there was a knock.

“Come in,” Juliet called.

A hotel staff member—a woman in her early thirties—entered carrying a tray filled with fruit. She paused just inside the room, clearly unsure why she had been asked to step in.

“Come here,” Juliet said softly, patting the bed.

The woman hesitated. “I’m sorry, I just deliver—”

Juliet rose slowly.

She took the tray from the woman’s hands and set it gently aside. Then she stepped closer.

Juliet’s posture changed.

Her shoulders relaxed. Her voice lowered. Her eyes locked onto the woman’s.

“You’re safe,” Juliet murmured. “Look at me.”

The woman’s breathing slowed.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. You trust us.”

Juliet’s words weren’t rushed. They flowed, deliberate and soothing, threading into the woman’s mind.

“You feel calm,” Juliet continued. “Warm. Comfortable.”

The resistance drained from the woman’s face.

Juliet guided her toward the bed and eased her down between us.

“Now,” Juliet whispered to me, “feel it. Don’t force it.”

I swallowed.

I leaned closer, meeting the woman’s unfocused gaze.

“You’re not afraid,” I said softly, copying Juliet’s cadence. “You want to stay.”

She nodded faintly.

The hunger inside me stirred.

It wasn’t just thirst.

It was power.

I could hear her heartbeat now—steady, loud, inviting.

“There’s no need to tense,” I whispered. “Just breathe.”

I leaned to her neck.

The first taste sent a rush through me—warm, electric, intoxicating. I held her gently but firmly, careful not to break the illusion of safety Juliet had woven.

I fed.

Not wildly.

But deeply.

The room seemed to blur at the edges. My senses sharpened, the world narrowing to pulse and breath and warmth.

“Enough,” Juliet said quietly.

The command cut through the haze.

I pulled back immediately, breathing heavier than I expected.

Juliet leaned in next, controlled as ever. She fed on her with precision—taking only what she needed.

When she finished, she pressed her lips lightly on the woman's lips and almost instantly the wounds sealed beneath her touch.

She straightened the woman’s clothing calmly.

“Listen carefully,” Juliet whispered. “You delivered the fruit. You left. Nothing else happened.”

The woman blinked slowly.

“Yes.”

She stood, picked up the tray, and walked out without another word.

The door clicked shut.

I exhaled.

“That was…” I shook my head slightly. “Why don’t we always do that? It’s easier than hunting.”

Juliet smirked.

“Easy dulls the blade,” she said. “We are predators. The chase keeps us alive.”

I yawned, the feeding finally catching up to me.

“Are you tired?” she asked.

“Yeah. I think I’ll sleep.”

I climbed into my coffin.

She was still on the bed.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“In a minute,” she said, smiling faintly. “Go ahead.”

“Good morning,” I murmured as I closed the lid.

Darkness embraced me.

Hours later, I felt the coffin lid shift.

At first I thought I was still dreaming.

I opened my eyes.

Juliet sat beside me. The room was dim; the sun nearly gone.

I pushed myself up.

“You didn’t sleep?”

“I think we should leave,” she said.

“Leave? Where?”

“You wanted to travel the world,” she replied. “We can go tonight.”

I stepped out and sat on the couch.

“Why now?”

She walked to the window, staring down at the city.

“Someone is coming,” she said quietly. “He’s close.”

She turned to face me.

“If he finds out about you… it won’t end well.”

“Why?”

Her eyes darkened.

“Because I was never supposed to turn you. Your bloodline is rare. Powerful. Pure blood is not shared lightly.”

“What does that even mean?” I frowned. “A vampire is a vampire.”

Juliet stepped closer.

“No,” she said softly.

“Not you.”

“My family is the Original family,” Juliet said, her voice low but steady. “Our blood is pure because we were born this way. We weren’t turned—we were created as vampires. Anyone we turn inherits our abilities. Not exactly as powerful as ours, but strong enough. Strong enough to stand against us one day.”

She stepped closer.

“And whoever you turn becomes what we call lesser vampires. They’re weaker. The sun burns them. They’re easier to kill. They are beneath us.”

I swallowed.

“So if my family finds out I shared my blood with a stranger…” She paused, her eyes locking into mine. “They might try to kill you before you become too strong.”

The words hit me like ice water.

“We need to leave, Daniel.”

I stood up slowly, still processing everything. “I’ll pack my things.”

“I’ve already done that.”

I turned and saw two packed luggages sitting side by side near the door. She had planned everything.

“There’s a car waiting for us outside,” she continued.

“Can’t I at least take a bath?” I snapped, more from shock than anger.

“You’ll do all that on the plane,” she said firmly. “Let’s go.”

There was no room for argument in her voice.

We headed downstairs. As we crossed the lobby, I looked around at the chandeliers, the marble floors, the receptionist’s desk—every detail suddenly felt important. I couldn’t believe I was seeing this building for the last time.

Outside, a black Mercedes GLE waited with its engine running. The driver stepped out, opened the back door, and we got in. The door shut softly, sealing off the life I had known.

As the car pulled away, the city lights blurred past the window.

That’s when it hit me.

Mark.

We worked together at the mall. We complained about customers together. We shared lunch breaks. He was the only real friend I had here.

And I was just… leaving.

No goodbye. No explanation.

I leaned back in my seat, staring out at the road stretching ahead of us.

“I need to see Mark,” I finally said. “At least once. I can’t just disappear on him.”

The mall wasn’t far from here. If we passed it now, I could still catch him before closing time.

I didn’t know when—or if—I’d ever see him again.We arrived at the mall just before closing time.

I didn’t go in immediately. I stood at a distance, watching him.

Mark was behind the counter, smiling politely as he attended to customers. He moved the way he always did—efficient, slightly dramatic, joking with people to make sales easier. But there was someone beside him now. A new employee. Laughing at something he said.

For a second, something ugly twisted inside me.

Jealousy.

Then reality settled in.

That life wasn’t mine anymore.

I stepped forward slowly. Each step felt heavier than the last. His head was down as I approached.

“Welcome sir, what would you like to—”

He looked up.

The words died in his throat.

His eyes widened.

“Daniel… is this you?”

I didn’t trust my voice, so I just smiled.

“You look so different. Where have you been?”

So many lies sat at the edge of my tongue. None of them came out.

“I’m leaving, Mark,” I finally said. “I wish we had more time… but this is goodbye.” My chest tightened. “You’re my favorite person in the world. I love you, Mark.”

Before he could respond, I felt Juliet’s presence beside me.

“Wrap it up, Daniel,” she said quietly.

Mark’s confusion deepened when he saw her.

“Is that the girl from the other night? The one that bit you?”

Juliet gave him a cold, terrifying look—one that made even me uneasy—and walked a few steps away.

“I need to go now,” I said quickly. “But we’ll meet again someday. I promise you. Bye, Mark.”

I turned.

“Daniel, wait!!!”

His voice cracked.

I kept walking.

Then I heard a loud thud.

Juliet and I turned at the same time.

Mark had jumped over the counter. Customers gasped as he stumbled forward, rushing toward us.

Juliet moved before I could react. She shoved him with one hand.

He hit the floor hard.

The entire mall went silent. People were staring now. Phones were coming out.

Mark tried to push himself up.

Juliet stepped closer, her voice low but deadly calm.

“Come at us again and I’ll break your neck.”

The threat wasn’t dramatic.

It was real.

She turned to me. “Daniel, we need to go. We’re drawing attention.”

“Daniel…” Mark said softly from the floor.

The anger was gone. The shock was gone.

Just hurt.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

And that was all I gave him.

We left.

As we got into the car, guilt wrapped around me like chains. I stared out the window as the mall disappeared behind us.

There was nothing I could do.

I had to survive.

—

When we arrived at the airport, I expected crowds, noise, long lines.

Instead, Juliet led me to a far end of the runway.

There, isolated from the rest of the planes, sat a sleek jet—black, polished, untouched by the chaos of the main terminals. No passengers. No boarding announcements.

Just waiting.

“That’s ours,” she said.

I blinked. “Ours?”

“It’s a private plane.”

I stared at her.

A private plane.

The realization hit me fully for the first time—Juliet wasn’t just dangerous.

She was powerful. Wealthy. Connected.

A life far beyond anything I had ever imagined.

We walked up the stairs and inside. The interior was quiet luxury—cream leather seats, dim golden lighting, polished wood finishes. It didn’t feel like transportation.

It felt like escape.

I sat down, still heavy with guilt.

Juliet sat beside me. She studied my face.

“You’re thinking about him,” she said.

I didn’t answer.

She reached for my hand.

“You did what you had to do, Daniel. Humans move on. They forget. It’s what they do.”

“He won’t,” I said quietly.

She tilted her head.

“Then let him remember you as someone who survived.”

The engines roared to life.

She leaned closer, her voice softer now.

“You’re not losing a life. You’re evolving into one.”

I looked at her.

There was something in her eyes—not manipulation.

Promise.

As the plane began to move, the runway lights streaking past the window, I felt the weight of the past slowly loosening its grip.

The ground trembled.

The jet lifted.

And as the city shrank beneath us, I realized something terrifying and beautiful at the same time.

My old life had ended.

And a new chapter had just begun.

"So where are we going anywhere" I asked

She smiled at me and replied "Antarctica"