The Party

The Party
Lilith POV

Riley submitted her phone to the tech team to analyze the footprint we found in the woods.

I couldn't sleep, so Theo told Ava and me to stay the night. He said he would also be attending the party with us tomorrow.

Ava sat beside me on the bed. She forced me to feed, and I did. "It doesn’t taste any better, so stop looking at me like that," I said, glancing her way. I could read her thoughts.

"Do you know what I was thinking about?" she asked.

I nodded. "You’re salivating over blood? It doesn’t taste any better, so don’t even think about having a sip."

She sighed and lay back on the bed.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Sleeping next to you." She rolled her eyes and closed it.

No one had ever slept beside me—not even Elena. I cleared my throat and lay down beside her. "Alright. Go to sleep," I said.

"Hmm. It feels so weird," Ava murmured.

"What?" I asked.

"Just don’t bite me while I sleep, okay?" she said, and I laughed.

"This feels strange to me too. The only person who has ever slept in the same room as me was my sister," I admitted.

"You have a sister?" Ava asked, her back turned. I turned to face her as well.

"I had a sister. Twins."

"Wow. What happened?" 

"She died at our father’s hands. Well, she hated me—my father fed her lies. He wanted her to hate me and bring me back to the shadow world so he could kill me and use me in his ritual. Unfortunately, Dawn found out he was lying all along and tried to intervene. He stabbed her at that moment, and I couldn’t do anything—I was chained down." I sighed heavily.

"I'm so sorry," Ava said, wrapping her arms around me.

"It’s okay. Just keep your distance; I might bite you," I teased, but she didn’t move away.

We drifted off to sleep telling stories to each other.

The next morning, the sun reflected on my face. It was Saturday. Usually, I’d stay inside and sleep on Saturdays. Ava would go out with Owen and return at night—where they always went, I had no idea.

"It’s morning. Wake up," I said, tapping Ava.

She groaned and turned to the other side. "Just a little more sleep," she muttered, and I left her.

After a few moments, I came back and tapped her again. "You know you have to organize the party, right?" I said. She groaned again, then gasped and sat up immediately.

"That’s right. And you promised to help me. All the students will be there," Ava said. I hadn’t been to her house before, but I was looking forward to it.

"Alright. Go freshen up. We’ll leave in an hour." 

She finally got out of bed.

I had already washed my face and brushed my teeth. Riley had given us new brushes, and we wore her clothes—they were her style, not mine, but she seemed to love them.

We had breakfast in the community area. I drank blood as usual, while Ava ate regular food with the hunters. She said she would come there every day to receive treatment again. I shook my head throughout—she really was a clown.

Theo insisted on taking us to Ava’s house to prepare for the party, and Riley pulled me aside to talk.

"He likes you. It’s obvious," she said.

I saw it too but chose to ignore it. I was in love with Alaric and always had been. When a Dhampir finds her mate, she blinds herself to everyone else.

I agreed for Theo to come with us; he’d be useful.



We arrived at Ava’s house. It was very beautiful. She found the keys on top of the mailbox and invited us in.

Ava and I needed to go to the market for party supplies. Earlier, Theo had told me that since he wouldn’t be visible at the party, it would be best if he stayed behind. He’d keep an eye on Jackson and see if he was up to anything.

I agreed. Theo and his siblings were the only ones capable of doing this. I never thought Theo would trust me either—he hated me when we first met. He even promised to kill me if I messed up or broke his rules. Now, he was being nice, which still felt awkward.

Riley had offered to prepare a paste for the chips, while Ethan volunteered to handle the sound system. Ava showed him her dad’s speaker, and he said he’d been in the business before, so we trusted him. Theo didn’t say much, but I trusted him with the security.

Ava and I left the house, leaving the others in charge.

We headed to the market for drinks, chips,  plastic cups, and other party essentials. I’d never been to a house party before. Ava knew what to get, so she was in charge—I just tagged along.

I carried the supplies while she picked everything out. Honestly, I was exhausted, but I saw it as fun—everything was new to me. I’d texted Daniel to come early to help, but he hadn’t replied, which bothered me. I kept checking my phone repeatedly, but no reply.

"He’ll reply, don’t worry," Ava said. I sighed several times.

"Don’t let that mood ruin the party. I need your vibe, Lilith. Please!" she pleaded as we left the mall.

"I don’t even know what to do at a party. Remember what happened at the freshman party?" I asked.

She nodded. "The part where you talked to your invincible friend?"

"Not really," I replied. She opened the car door, and I placed the supplies inside. I leaned on the open door, my mind racing. "You know, Theo is the guy I was talking about."

"Lies," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm serious." I opened my door and got in. She did too, and we both buckled up. I glanced at her. "I’m serious. Forget about that, though. I will leave the party early—I’m not good at this."

She placed her hand on mine. "You’ll be just fine. Just go with the flow.” 

My phone beeped, and I checked the message. Daniel finally replied.

He said he was busy but would arrive in 10 minutes. I smiled.

"He replied?" Ava asked as she reversed out of the mall garage.

I nodded.

"You’re happy. I like seeing you smile," she said. "What did he say?" she asked.

I read his message. "He said he’s a bit busy but will be here in 10 minutes."

"Good. The others will arrive by 6, and he’ll come around 12. You’ll have some time together," Ava teased. I wanted that too. 

"Oh no," she shook her head. 

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"It’s Theo," she said.

"What about Theo?" 

"He’ll be there too. That means you won’t be able to spend much time with Daniel."

"What do you mean?"

"That means Theo will be jealous," Ava added as she took another turn.

"Well, I don’t care about that. I love Daniel, and that’s not changing. I’ve always wanted to kiss him again—it's been too long."

"Hmm. Look at you," she said, stopping the car. She turned to look at me. "Get your act together, Lilith." She relaxed her back. "We’re here," she announced.

"Already?" I asked.

She nodded, opened the door, and I stepped out.

We entered the house and began preparing for the party.