33. Different in a dangerous way.

**Ocean**

"The auction. Kieran is Tank, he..."

The words keep repeating in my mind over and over again. All I see is complete darkness that seems to have no end. No matter how hard I look for a corner to hide in, there is none. To make matters worse, I have the eerie feeling that I'm not alone here. Someone is watching me; his eyes follow every move I make.

I try to reach out my hand as if someone would take it and help me get out of here, but my limbs don't move.

"Hello?" I manage to call out, yet my voice sounds strange. It's not me speaking; it's someone else.

Suddenly I watch myself from the side. Something powerful is hovering over my body, and once again, I can't move to help. All I can do is watch the terrifying events unfold before my eyes.

This must be a dream. No, a nightmare. There's no other way to explain everything I see and feel.

The eyes are still watching me. Even though I observe everything myself, there's still this one thing that I can't see, but I can feel.

How can I explain something like that? How can one put something supernatural into words when they can't describe more than a simple feeling?

I squint my eyes and focus on what appears to be my own body and the creature cornering it. After a few moments, I understand what's happening. The last words I heard, something Octavius wanted to tell me, the black mass is whispering them to me, that is, to me, who is cornered.

"What in the world is happening?" I whisper to myself, finally finding the strength to rub my eyes.

Once I drop my hands to the sides of my body, the view before me disappears; white takes over the pitch-black scene, and I'm standing in the middle of nowhere. "A nightmare, this is a nightmare, you have nothing to worry about, Ocean," I mutter as my legs carry me into nothingness.

There's no ground, no walls, and nothing on the horizon.

I'm stuck in a nightmare from which there may be no way out unless I find a way to wake up before this madness catches up with me.

"Keep walking," someone whispers in my ear, but when I turn to see who's showing me the way, there's no one there.

"Why?" I shout the question, probably losing my mind. Those words have to be the fruit of my imagination. I'm losing my mind.

"Keep walking," the voice disappears into the distance.

I stare at where it came from but don't move a muscle. How am I supposed to know where to go when there are no directions? Everything's solid white. Even if I walk away from this spot, I'll never know if I'm heading for the right place.

"Follow your heart. Keep walking."

The voice becomes louder, but this time it's not coming from a specific direction; it's coming from my head.

I clutch the sides of my head, fall to my knees and scream at the top of my lungs. I don't need voices in my head. I don't need any of this. The whole situation is horrible enough as it is. I don't need nightmares and losing the last bit of sanity.

"Keep walking. Get the hell out of here. Follow your heart. Keep walking."

My head pounds as the voice does nothing to disappear. The more it speaks, whatever it is, the worse headache I get.

"If I start walking, will you shut up?" The question crosses my lips before I can stop myself. God damn it, now, I'm certainly losing my mind. Who talks to imaginary voices in their minds while experiencing the strangest, most terrifying nightmare of their life?

"Keep walking."

This is the worst idea of my life, but I force myself to get back up and walk in a direction I don't even know where to. All my senses seem to be on high alert as I make my way into the arms of the unknown.

Every step I take puts more strain on my body and creates a barrier of resistance, making me feel like I've taken the wrong turn. Whatever's happening to my body, it certainly seems like this isn't where I should go, but the direction pulls me closer. It feels right.

One step at a time seems like too much pressure, but I keep going until an electric shock travels through my body and brings me to my knees. I keep fighting against the invisible force until I'm back on my feet and manage to take another step.

As if by some miracle, I manage to escape the strange nightmare. My eyes shoot open, and suddenly I'm lying in a comfortable bed with several people standing over me.

They all seem worried, but the moment I take a sharp breath, relief appears on their faces.

After a quick glance at their faces, I can clearly see that they are not humans looking at me but a whole crowd of vampires.

"Wha..." I try to speak, but my throat is so dry that the word gets stuck somewhere, and I can't force it out.

A woman hands me a glass of water while two massive men help me sit up. I reach for the glass, nod in appreciation and gulp down every last bit. "Thank you," I whisper a little hastily, silently hoping that there is more water where it came from.

"Welcome back, it's nice to see you breathing again," the woman who gave me the water grins at me.

I raise an eyebrow, a little confused about what she meant, but before I can question her about it, she's busy sending everyone out of the room. I watch the vampires leave until just the two of us are left behind.

When she closes the door after the last vampire, I instantly question her, "See me breathing?"

After a closer look, I finally realise that the woman is wearing a nurse's uniform. Like any other vampire, her movements are graceful, and her facial expression barely changes. Except for the occasional smile she probably shows to make me feel better.

"Yes, breathing. We lost you for a while there," she sits down next to the bed and watches me. I gulp and look away. I've never liked being the centre of attention.

"Your vitals are fine now, but your heart is beating faster than it should." Her voice sounds like a beautiful melody, and I can't restrain myself from looking at the woman. Once our eyes meet, a gentle, almost too pure smile spreads across her lips. "It's an indicator of fear, I suppose? Are you afraid of me? If so, you shouldn't be. I owe a lot to Kieran, he saved my life, and I'd never dare to damage something dear to him. Especially if that something is a human being."

I raise an eyebrow, "You know Kieran?"

"Yes, but it's not your turn to ask questions," she glances over her shoulder, probably to make sure no one would enter on us discussing something important.

"I'm sorry?"

The woman leans a little closer and grabs my hand. A shiver runs down my spine; it's been a while since someone so unnaturally cold touched me. Come to think of it, Kieran's skin has never felt so cold, and neither has Octavius'.

She tilts her head, "What did you see? When you die, what was it that kept you down there for so long? We don't try to save dying humans, especially those who refuse to be saved. And, honey, you didn't seem like a human being who fought for your life. What was it that made you want to stay? Was it... comforting?"

Okay, it's official. Even my nightmare didn't seem as strange as this woman. She's so weirdly fascinated, I'd say excited, about death; the look in her eyes makes her seem like someone who can't wait to die.

"No." I shake my head, just to make her understand.

"No?"

I let out a deep breath and close my eyes. I try to forget everything I felt while I was stuck in that nightmare: "It was terrifying. The experience, I mean, the nightmare."

The bed next to me dips, and I instantly look back at her, "Tell me about it."

Even though everything inside me screams that I shouldn't, I decide to give her the answers she's looking for. "At first, there was pitch-black darkness. Nothing with something hiding in it. It was watching me, and then I saw it watching me from the side. That doesn't make any sense, does it?"

"Please, continue." The woman encourages me. She is genuinely curious about every detail I might share as if she could relive the experience with my words and descriptions alone.

The massive black nothing invades my thoughts, and I can only wish that I never see it again. Just thinking about it causes goosebumps on my skin. "Whatever it was, it kept repeating the last words I heard before I passed out...or died. But it never finished the sentence. It left the words hanging in the air, reminding me that no matter how much I wanted to, I would never get out."

"And then what?"

Trying to remember every detail creates another wave of headache, but I try to fight it and describe everything as best I can, "The darkness disappeared, and everything turned white. No floor, sky, walls, or horizon. Nothing but, well, just white."

"That's it?" There is a slightly accusatory tone in her voice. Could it be that she knows there is more than I'm willing to say?

I furrow my brows and shift my gaze to the woman. She bites her lower lip and almost jumps up and down, far too excited to learn more. I give in, shake my head, and grant her wish, "No. Another voice. It kept telling me to keep walking. It said to follow my heart, so I just went somewhere. I wasn't supposed to, I know I wasn't," my words sound like a whisper, but they catch her attention even more than before.

"Why?"

"Because my body got heavy and the movements hurt, but I kept walking." I shrug.

"You chose the right direction; that's why you're still alive. But," she brings her hand to her chin, expertly imitating someone lost in thought.

"But?"

"You're a human, right?" She asks me as if that weren't obvious. There's something hidden in her words, something she doesn't want me to notice, but she's too careless to hide it properly. What in the world is going on with these vampires? Mysterious one moment and the complete opposite the next.

"I have no idea what that has to do with anything, but yes, it's me."

"In that case, it's odd." She hums. "Okay, this may sound messed up, but I believe you can't be just a human. Humans don't meet the Scaler before you enter the afterlife."

"I'm sorry, who?" This has to be it. This experience is nothing but a bad dream, and even the nurse isn't real. I lost the last remains of my sanity, and I'm probably lying in a coffin that Kieran and Octavius are lowering into the pit in the ground. Yes, I'm dead and hallucinating before whatever it is decides where I go next.

The nurse's voice grips my attention again. "Oh, the Scaler. That's the creature that reminds you of the last thing you heard before you died until it's sure your soul is pure. If you've committed many crimes during your mortal life, he will torture you until he is satisfied, but you'll never enter the afterlife. Instead, your soul will enter another body with no memories, and the cycle will start all over again. Since your soul was pure, he set you free and even gave you the chance to fight for your life. That doesn't happen. But maybe..." Her eyes search the room. Something's off with her sudden chance- she's not as eager, curious or easygoing anymore. Her body tenses as if preparing for something grand.

"Maybe he met you because Kieran marked you. Maybe he messed up and understood that you didn't belong there because you're not a vampire." The nurse whispers. "You know, if you weren't a human, he wouldn't let you go. But then again, this has to be the first time he ever released someone."

As I'm about to speak up, her eyes lock on the door, and she jumps up from the bed, "You know what? Forget it; I'm overthinking this. It has to be a huge mistake. Anyway, is there anything I can do for you?"

I stare at the door until her eyes dart back to me. The nurse nods, and I let out a deep breath: "There's not much you can do for me. Can I go?"

"No, not until you get more tests and the doctors let you leave." Whoever is behind that door must be a fearsome creature because the strangely cheerful nurse is now acting like a piece of brick.

Maybe if I play her game, she'll be willing to tell me more later on? Either way, I better stay on this woman's good side. I focus on the door but address the nurse. "Okay, now what?"

"You rest." She announces.

Thankfully, it doesn't take long for me to think of the most obvious question I'd ask under any other circumstances. "Will Mater Kieran and Octavius be visiting me?"

"Kieran can't come, but I believe Octavius will." The nurse grumbles and scribbles something on a piece of paper. Where did she get that?

"Why can't he?" As the question leaves my lips, I notice a dark shadow in the glass of the room's door. So my suspicions were correct; someone's listening.

"Because he owns you now."

I roll my eyes at the obvious. As if I'd forgotten what happened and why I now belong only to Kieran. "Yeah, that's what I thought. And what does that change? I belonged to him and his brother before; that never stopped him from seeing me whenever he wanted."

"You don't get it. You belong to Kieran in all senses of that word. Him. He'll go berserk if he finds you in this condition. We barely got him out of the premises when he brought you here. First, you need to rest and recover, and only then can he do whatever he wants to do with you. Just..." The nurse cuts herself off. She glances at the door and almost jumps when she notices the mere movement. "Get some rest." She adds, handing me the piece of paper.

I watch her leave and wait until the shadow disappears before I read the note. "Don't believe everything you've told, okay? Listen, read between the lines and again, listen. He'll explain everything to you, just give him some time. Kieran is different. Different in a dangerous way. Not for you, but for himself. Please, look after my friend."