Chapter 10

O ur first two classes were easier than I'd imagined, but they were the only two classes Maddie and I had together. I was done for the day, but she had something a little extra on her schedule—a class on witchcraft that the aunties had signed her up for, despite her complaining about going.

I was kind of jealous, not going to lie, but I was happy Maddie would get some help. I knew she was trying to cover up all her worries with jokes. Over the last week at the manor, weird and unexplainable things have started happening around Maddie. Doors would open for her, items would levitate, and a few times, I could have sworn I saw her stirring her tea without touching the spoon. We were all pretty sure Maddie was a witch.

It made sense, and I hoped she would just embrace it. Michael, as it turned out, was a rare sort of warlock. The snake and the blazing hellfire were signs of dark magic, and the aunties told him they'd do their best to help him through it. Jason was struggling with his demonic familiar and trying to keep him at bay, but Damon liked to come out whenever possible, especially when Jason found himself alone with me. We were all in for a hell of a wild ride.

Potions had been entertaining, to say the least. The professor was kind of scary at first, but once I got used to her popping up in any given place, her antics actually became amusing. She was a ghost—or a poltergeist, as she asked to be called. Nearly translucent, she wore what looked like a long, sweeping dress in a patchwork of fabrics with lace around the cuffs and collar. Her hair was up in a neat bun, but there was a distinct gaping hole right in the center of her forehead. I hadn't asked about it and didn't think I'd have the guts to any time soon.

I still wasn't sure how invested I should get in academics. We'd only been here for a week, and everything still seemed so surreal. The aunties had said there was no chance of us going back to the mortal world any time soon, at least not until next Halloween. I had a sneaking suspicion that wasn't entirely true. They were keeping something from us, and I needed to figure out what it was.

But did any of this really mean we needed to immerse ourselves in the life here? I suppose it was better than the alternative. I didn't really feel like sitting around the aunties' manor, twiddling my thumbs, for a year. Still, it was hard to concentrate when I was feeling so completely outside my element since I'd raised the dead. It didn't mean I wanted to go back; I didn't, but I had a feeling I'd have to make a choice someday.

We'd been learning some of the basics, and I was pretty sure the professor only covered it because she knew Maddie and I were in the class. Most of the students probably knew this stuff already, but she was being kind for our sake. We learned some basic concoctions, such as a potion to make food instantly taste better and a potion to make your hair grow. We even watched her mix a potion to temporarily turn any organic being into stone without killing it. That one kind of freaked me out. I had no idea just how in-depth magic really went, but so far, I knew it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Actually, I was pretty sure neither of those things even existed here.

During my other class, I pretty much zoned out. The professor, who looked like he was seconds away from falling apart at the seams, didn't seem to care that Maddie and I were behind. We spent most of the class period talking about some book they'd been collectively reading. It seemed like the professor loved to hear himself talk, because I wasn't even sure he'd taken a single breath the entire time.

I actually found myself nodding off, and I'd spied Maddie with her head in her hand a time or two and prayed she wouldn't start snoring. My mind drifted to the changes I'd seen in the guys and how much I worried about them. My brain wouldn't turn off. I thought about the last serious conversation I'd had with Jason, vividly picturing the way his eyes flickered to that bright yellow when Damon came out and the way his smile transformed his face into someone I didn't recognize.

Damon. Even thinking of his name made me shiver with equal parts of pleasure and dread. Jason's apparent familiar was terrifying. The thought of him taking up residence inside Jason's head was enough to make my own head spin. And that tongue... That tongue admittedly made me feel a few things in my core, which I was definitely not proud of. But I was convinced it was only because Damon still had Jason's face and voice. Yeah, that was it; I was sure of it.

And then that moment with Freddy in the bookshop. The way he'd looked at me, his touch sparking something wild inside, he'd actually touched me for real, without a hint of his usual dickishness or malice. It was surreal, but I was sure it was genuine. Of all the guys, Freddy always seemed the most hesitant to mock me. He still did, but not to the extent that the others did. I didn't know what came over him or me in that shop, but I couldn't lie and say I didn't want it to happen again and again.

Feeling his lips on mine after a year of being lonely was more magical than anything I'd experienced in Midnight Hollow so far, but I couldn't let him know that since he'd only use it against me. I supposed there was still a very good chance that the moment had been planned, some little scheme he and Norman concocted to humiliate me. There was no sure way of knowing, but I wanted to tell myself it wasn't true. Freddy meant that kiss and those toe-curling touches, and he'd have been a fool to try and deny it. Even now, my skin tingles with the memory.

After class ended and I said goodbye to Maddie, I decided to go back to the aunties' house. I had nothing else to do at the school, and I figured some time alone couldn't hurt. Back in the mortal world, I'd become somewhat of a homebody and liked to be alone more often than not. It was a good thing Midnight Hollow was so small, as it didn't take long to walk through town.

The night was comfortably crisp, and I pulled my cloak around me tighter, the hood pulled up over my hair. I couldn't believe I got to wear a cloak casually too, and no one would say a goddamn thing about it. Up ahead, I could see the lights of Main Street, but my eyes kept flickering to the road leading out of town—the same road we'd emerged from. I knew that if I were to walk just a little farther, I'd reach that cemetery. Curiosity was eating at me. My parents were buried in Sunset Hollow Cemetery, not Midnight.

The thought made me feel incredibly hollow, as I missed my parents so much. I ached for my mom's warm smiles and my dad's hugs every day. Sometimes, seeing the aunties was jarring, given how similar they looked to her. I kept my eyes on that road until it was out of sight and I was swallowed up by the lights of the town. Since it was always dark here, I wondered if the shops ever actually closed and how often anyone got any sleep. The only reason the town had been empty the night we arrived was because most of them were on vacation in the mortal world.

Bats circled overhead, making little chattering noises, and I smiled up at them. There were no cars on the streets, and now that I thought about it, I'd only seen maybe one or two the entire time I'd been here. I passed by the candy shop and The Wicked Quill. Smiling to myself, I debated popping in to see how Mr. Hottie was doing, but I decided not to poke the beast—the beast being Freddy, of course.

The smells of pumpkin, cinnamon, and spice flowed through the air, as did the scent of crackling flames as I passed the tall wrought iron torches lining the dark street. I glanced upward, staring at the twin moons hovering overhead, and marveled. I also wondered how that even worked. I figured the oceans in this world were tumultuous, imagining the impact those moons had on the tides. And then it got me thinking... Could those moons be the reason for all the supernatural stuff?

Moons had strange effects on water, and many scientists also assumed they had the same effect on the human bloodstream. Could having an extra moon in the sky be the reason everything was so topsy-turvy? I wondered if they even had scientists in this world—or would they be called alchemists or wizards? There were so many unanswered questions just eating away at me. I thought for a second about going back to the bookshop, but thought better of it and continued down the road. I'd save the questions for later; I just needed some alone time.

I reached the manor a short while later and set my bag down on the porch. I was about to head inside when a purple, glowing light caught my eye. Rounding the side of the house, my eyes widened when I took in the sight of the most beautiful garden I'd ever seen. I hadn't left the house at all in the last week, save for the trip into town, so I'd never taken the time to explore as I freaked out alone in my room about raising the dead. Now I wish I had gone off to explore. There were vines swirling up the lattice walls, covered in night jasmine and glowing purple berries. I saw flowers with deep blue petals and a massive Venus fly trap over by a fountain. The plant was at least a head taller than me, and I knew I needed to stay clear of it. I wasn't in the mood to become any plant's meal.

It was a night garden, and the plants and flowers seemed to reach upwards, as if basking in the twin moons' glowing light and thriving on it. Everything smelled of jasmine and rose, with the deep, earthy scent of mulch. There were gnarled, curling black trees dotting the property in the exact place I remembered the oak tree in the mortal world. Everything was similar to the place I remembered, but the differences were striking and beautiful. It was as if a painter had taken the image of my home and turned it into a dark wonderland on canvas.

The chirping of crickets filled the night, and the hooting of owls answered them to fill the silence. I made my way to the stone fountain in the center of the garden and took a seat on the edge. Water trickled down the statue of a fawn, which seemed to be dancing, playing a piccolo, and balancing on one single hoof. The water pooled below me, and I reached out, running my fingers over the surface.

In the rippling, dark water, a looming shape caught my attention, and I tilted my head to try to see it better. There was some sort of glimmering light in the water, but when I reached out to touch it, I realized it was only a reflection. I turned in my seat and squinted towards the back of the house. There in the moonlight was a pane of glass, shining through two gnarled trees.

I headed towards it on slow steps, curious about what else the aunties were hiding back here. When I broke through the shrubbery and branches, I was amazed to find a massive glass-paned greenhouse. It was made of tall, black wooden beams interspersed with square glass windows. The glass was all fogged up, and I could barely make out the plants inside pushing up against the windows. Excitement rolled through me. This was something the aunties definitely hadn't had back in the mortal world. It used to be a dry patch of grass back here.

I crept around the side of the building and found a door facing away from the main house. It creaked open, and a musty, warm breeze rushed out, blowing my hair from my shoulders. The warmth felt nice against my skin, so I immediately shucked my cloak, hanging it up on a little hook I spotted near the door. I looked around and noticed the air seemed to be tinged slightly green. There were plants of every species and vines dripping from the ceiling. I could barely make out the moons above me, shining through the glass.

The moonlight was the only illumination, but it was enough. I could faintly make out the sound of trickling water coming from every direction. When I squinted upwards, I noticed tiny droplets of water were raining down over some areas of the room, seemingly coming from thin air. I could tell right away that it was some sort of spell the aunties must have woven in order to keep their plants healthy. It was genius.

I tried not to disturb the plants as I wandered around. The ground was made of purple-colored moss and felt kind of like walking on sand as my feet sank in with each step. I could picture spending a lot of time in this greenhouse, maybe curled up with a book or listening to music. It was tranquil, and most of all, it was away from everyone else. As far as I knew, nobody else had discovered this little hideout, and with the rain spell in progress, I assumed my aunties didn't have to come in here to water the plants very often.

I was bending down to smell a bush that was covered in velvety black roses when I felt a chill race down my spine. A coldness washed over me, and it felt like every shadow in the room pulled closer. I knew I wasn't alone. I tried not to react because I didn't want to panic, but my body locked up and my fight or flight response began to kick in.

I was ready to bolt when a sudden, icy touch on my shoulder stopped me in my tracks. Though I had yet to turn around, I suddenly knew without a single doubt exactly who was in here with me. His scent curled around my body next—leather, smoke, and sage. Norman stood absolutely still over my shoulder, as if waiting for me to make the first move.

I did. I moved quickly and turned to face him, needing him to know that this was my space he was invading. But when our eyes clashed, I sucked in a sharp breath as my heart plummeted to my stomach. Norman's angular face was gaunt, making his cheekbones jut out. His black hair was stark against the ivory pallor of his skin, and his lips were bloodless. Tiny black veins crept under the thin skin near his eyes. He wasn't breathing. In fact, it seemed like he was holding his breath.

"Norman?" I whispered, knowing for some reason it would be a bad idea to startle him. "What's wrong? Oh god, you need a doctor, or maybe the aunties. You don't look so good."

His eyes flickered between mine, but he didn't say anything. He just reached out and skimmed one finger down the side of my cheek. His touch was ice cold, reminding me of the feel of his skin when I'd found him dead in the school bus. I shivered at the memory.

"You're freaking me out right now," I said. I rubbed the tops of my arms, suddenly cold instead of pleasantly warm.

"You smell so good," he murmured. His voice was low, deep, and almost a purr. He moved his gaze from mine, landing first on my lips and then descending to my throat. I swallowed, and his eyes tracked the movement, his pupils expanding until his eyes were nearly black. "Like crisp leaves and honey..."

"Norman," I said, a little sharper now. "Did you drink any of the blood you got from the blood bank?" I'd seen him go in there, so I knew he had it. But from the look on his face,

"Why would I drink that swill when I have the most delectable source right here?" He licked his lips slowly, like a man dying from thirst. Fear skittered through me, but not only fear. There was a hint of thrill, too. Thrill at the way he devoured me with his eyes, hungering for my blood... and something more that made an ache right between my thighs.

I could see it there in his eyes, plain as day. The same look he'd given me countless times—the look that had me giving him my virginity over a year ago—went right into his skillful, strong hands. Back when our lives were so different, when we were humans and normal, and life was full of endless possibilities. He was looking at me like I meant something to him, but it was impossible. He hated me with a passion.

"You need to go drink. Fe told you you'd die if you didn't. You're being reckless." I was trying to talk some sense into him, but I failed to notice the way he slowly prowled closer until he was inches away.

He looked into my eyes again as he said, "I want you really fucking badly, October."

My name on his lips nearly stopped my heart. "You don't know what you're saying," I said. "It's the bloodlust talking, Norman."

He laughed bitterly and coldly. "I think I can tell the difference for myself. I want you, October. You and your blood call to me every second of every day; they always have. I've never stopped wanting you, not for a single second, and I think you already know that. I remember how good we were together and how you made me feel alive with just a single touch. I remember the way it felt to finally have you beneath me, and I want it. I want you again."

Shaking my head back and forth, I tried to back up. Tears started to prick my eyes. These were words I'd imagined hearing for such a long time, but it was all wrong. Or…was it? I didn't know anymore. My body screamed out for his touch. I craved everything and anything he could give me, but was it what he truly wanted? Did I? Could I go down that road again? I'd been without him for so long now that I felt like flinging myself into his arms and sobbing into his chest. I wanted him to want me to stop the pain raging inside of me.

"I can see you puzzling it out, but you need to stop thinking for one damn minute. Let me take care of you, October." He grinned, a flash of fang sparkling in the low light and sending my blood zinging. "I'm tired of fighting this. I'm tired of denying myself the things I crave."

"Which is it, then?" I asked. "My blood or my body?" I was almost afraid of the answer.

His fingers skimmed my neck now, and I could have sworn the tips of his nails were just a bit longer than I remembered. I felt them graze my skin, right over my pulse. "Is there a difference?"

"You need to be straight with me, Norman. You know how I feel about you, how I feel about all of you." There, I said it. I loved them all equally, and I wouldn't hide it from them, even if it made them hate me more.

"I've always known, even when you pushed us away," he admitted. "And I am being straight with you. I want you. I want your blood and your body. I want you in every way imaginable, and I don't think I can hold it back anymore, even if I tried. I'm tired of fighting myself."

A few heartbeats pulsed between us as I searched his face. He was still Norman. Still the same man I knew in my soul I was meant to love. He was still in there, behind the monster—no, he was the monster. They were one and the same, two halves of a whole, and he was beginning to embrace it.

"Then what are you waiting for?" I asked. I was done playing around. If he wanted me the way my body screamed for him, then he needed to act now, before I lost my nerve.

He only hesitated a second before his mouth descended on my throat, and then I felt a skittering down my right arm. Little grumbling complaints filled the silence, and I felt Jessica leap from my hand onto the ground. "Oh hell no. There's no way I'm watching this hanky panky. I'd have to burn all eight eyes out. See ya later, Toby! Wrap it before you tap it!" she howled out before disappearing .

I'd completely forgotten about Jessica. My cheeks flamed, realizing all she'd witnessed, but the second Norman's fangs pierced my skin, all thoughts of my familiar fled my mind. All I could feel was a flood of pleasure filling my body from head to toe. It was like a drug, tingling cold and hot all at the same time. Norman moaned deeply against my neck, and I felt it rumble through me. His arms closed around my torso, dragging me closer. I gripped his clothes, needing to feel every inch of him against me.

Tipping my head back farther, I made sure I was at the right angle for him to take more. To take whatever he wanted, because right now, I'd have given this man anything. I felt the pull of his fangs taking what he needed, felt it all the way down like a straight shot to my pussy, and I could feel his cock hard and heavy against my stomach. My belly flipped as I clawed at his shirt. He hissed a growl and pulled back, my blood dripping from his mouth. In seconds, he had his shirt ripped over his head, and then he dealt with mine, tearing it straight down the middle with strength I didn't know he possessed.

I moaned as I ground myself against his hardness, and he echoed the sound deeply in his chest. My hands were shaking as I ran them up his sculpted torso and over his shoulders, raking my fingernails down his back to give him the same amount of pleasure and pain he gave me. His lips hit my neck again, and I felt each pull he took, the blood siphoning from my artery. It dripped out of the sides of his mouth, coating both of us in its sticky warmth.

I should have been terrified. I should have been screaming and thrashing and trying my hardest to get away from the monster, but all I could feel was the thrill. The ecstasy. I needed more. "More..." I moaned, echoing my thoughts .

He growled against me, quickly reaching down to unbutton his pants. I was wearing a skirt, so there was no need for me to strip completely, and since my stockings only went up to my thighs, it was simple to get to my pussy when he flipped my skirt over my waist.

I couldn't believe what was happening, but I wanted it. I needed it like I needed to breathe. I'd craved his touch for so long now, even when we were both hurting each other inside and out.

Norman fisted himself, stroking slowly. He was no longer sucking my blood, but rather, he was leisurely licking the wound, lapping up every single drop that had spilled down my neck.

I yelped as he lifted me up and pressed my back against the damp glass of the greenhouse. There were vines hanging all around us, and I could only just make out our surroundings through the thick light of the orange moons. It was as if the world had come to a standstill as he settled me over his rigid, wide cock. I slid down easily in one roll of my hips, relishing the full feeling of him inside of me, then my head fell back and thumped against the glass. Moaning in pleasure, I let my eyes fall closed, and Norman growled roughly in his chest as I settled around him.

His fingers dug into my hips, and I could feel him shaking, as if he were doing everything possible to hold back. But I didn't want him to hold back anymore. I needed him to treat me like the monster he was.

I ran my fingers through his damp black hair and pulled hard enough for him to snap his eyes at mine. "You don't have to be gentle," I said with a wicked grin as I ground against him desperately.

That was all he needed. He thrust up into me hard, and I screamed in raptured pleasure. He pounded inside me in rough strokes, enough to press me into the glass, the window groaning behind me as if it would crack at any moment from his forceful, long thrusts. I had one hand in his hair in a tight grip that I knew he would love, and the other was braced on the window pane to hold my balance so I could grind my clit against him with each roll of his hips. I prayed there was nobody outside right now to see us in here, especially my aunties.

I couldn't think as every thrust had a heavy, burning pleasure rushing through my veins. Blood dripped down my neck and flowed down my exposed breasts, covering the both of us. We moved together in sync, and Norman's thrusts became erratic. His whole body was taut, and his hands gripped me hard enough to bruise me. He was losing control, and I loved every hard second of it. I supposed I should have been concerned about the blood loss, but my mind was somewhere else as he took control of my body and pleasure.

I felt a pressure building in my stomach and a low, warm tingling sensation, and I knew I was about to come. He could feel it too as I tightened around him, my moans becoming louder. His mouth latched into my wound one more time as he held me tight to his body, and I came hard as he sucked and thrust in sharp movements at the same time, my head banging against the window. The two sensations in tandem were nothing like I'd ever experienced before, and I was pretty sure my soul left my body at some point.

He was shaking, quickly pounding into me in long strokes, and drinking every drop that flowed from my neck. Then I felt him go unnaturally still as he pulsed inside me. His lips left my throat, and he buried his face in my shoulder with a deep groan as he kept coming. He panted heavily, his breath warming the cool part of my neck that bled freely.

My mind flickered to the last time Norman and I had sex. It wasn't like this. It wasn't this intense. We'd been fumbling in the dark as we were both experimenting for the first time. But now, this was something else. This was supernatural, glorious, and dirty, all while being kind of nasty in a romantic way.

It felt like forever before we broke apart. I was breathing hard, and a pulse of pain in my neck brought me back to the present. He was still holding me up against the glass when I noticed that his skin felt much warmer than before. I looked up, wiping the hair out of my eyes, and noted the changes in him.

Norman's skin had a healthy glow, and the bags under his eyes were less pronounced. He was still pale as death, but it wasn't sickly looking anymore. Those wide lips that were once bloodless were now crimson, painted with my blood, and then he slowly licked his mouth with a swipe of his tongue. Why was that hot? His eyes were clear, and the green was striking against the greenery around us. Fuck, he was handsome. I felt like I could spend all night contentedly staring at his angular face.

Reality started to pour back in as the sexual fog left my head. I cleared my throat and felt another pulse of pain. My palm slapped over the fresh wound, and I winced. Norman's gaze followed my hand, and he frowned.

"Fuck, I hurt you." He grabbed my hand and pulled it away. Cold air rushed over the open wound, and the trickle of blood dripping down my skin started to feel itchy.

I must have looked incredibly uncomfortable because he just said, "Shit, hold on," and clamped his mouth back to the wound, shocking me because I didn't have much more to give.

I was about to squirm out of his arms when I felt a more pleasant tingle. I went still as Norman ran his tongue over the incisions, leaving a warmth behind that had me sighing in relief. He pulled back, eyes glued to my neck, and I felt my wound knitting itself back together. Somehow, Norman healed the bite marks with his saliva.

I wondered about the biology of a vampire and how it all worked. Would I turn into a vampire now that he'd bitten me? Or was this a Twilight situation, and I'd have to drink his too? Or did I have to die first? What if I started to sparkle? I was freaking myself out just thinking about it.

Norman pulled away, setting me back on my feet. It was then that I remembered that I was shirtless. Now, with the heat of passion behind us, I suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable. I snaked my arm in front of my breasts, and Norman frowned. "Oh, hold on a sec," he said as he bent down. He swiped his T-shirt off the floor and handed it over with a small smile as he shook it out for me.

I gratefully took the shirt and tossed it on, not caring that it was probably on backwards and inside out. I was just happy to be covered. Norman, on the other hand, looked incredibly pleased with himself in his shirtless state. Honestly, I wasn't complaining.

"That was..." Norman said, trailing off.

"I know," I said. "Did you think it would be anything less?"

He smirked, a little bit of that cocky asshole simmering there. "I'm up for round two if you are."

My heart flipped, and then a moment later, guilt crashed down on my head like a wave. "Norman…I have to tell you so mething."

He snorted. "That never means anything good."

"I'm serious." I smacked his shoulder lightly. "But I have a feeling you're not going to like what I have to say." God, I didn't want to talk about this, but I owed it to him to be truthful. I was sick of keeping things to myself. That was the old October. I didn't know her anymore. "Something happened—"

"If you're going to tell me about how my brother fingered you in The Wicked Quill, you can save your breath. I already know, and I don't give a shit. I'm not blind; I know you have a thing for all of us."

My mouth must have been hanging wide open because Norman's finger on my chin had my jaw snapping shut. "What—,"

"You can stop shitting your pants over it. I knew the moment you guys came out of the back of that store. Freddy can't keep a secret for shit anyway, and I always share everything with my brother. But you see…" He came closer, his lips a breath away from mine. "It only made me more desperate to taste you again, to see if my memory lives up to the real thing."

Our lips were brushing, and every one of his smooth words made my stomach do somersaults. "And?" I whispered.

" I'll make love... night and day to... Fuck... all the time. " His voice was a fleeting, broken, and jumbled thought in my mind.

I felt him smile against my mouth. "I think you know the answer to that. I think my cum dripping from that pussy tells you everything you need to know, baby girl."