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00:01I was seven when a skinny, shivering girl showed up on our doorstep in the rain.
00:10My parents took her in and adopted her as my big sister.
00:14But she wasn't a normal girl.
00:17A week later, I caught her sucking the family dog dry.
00:28That's when she told me she was a vampire.
00:32I've had insomnia my whole life, so every night I ask Jade to use her powers to put me to
00:37sleep.
00:42Last night, I fell asleep on my own before she came.
00:45We used to be best friends. I was the only one she told her secrets to.
00:49Now she treats the servants better than she treats me.
00:56Tonight she comes home from a meeting with the Vampire Council.
00:59The elders who rule her kind.
01:00But instead of storming in angry like usual, she's crying.
01:03I've never heard Jade cry.
01:05I want to comfort her.
01:06But the second my hand touches her shoulder, she spins around with her super speed and husses at me.
01:11Fangs bared.
01:11Stop begging for my attention, Wendy. You're making everything worse.
01:14Jade, I just...
01:15She slaps me before I can finish.
01:17Tears sting my eyes, and before I can explain that I only wanted to help, she pulls out her phone
01:21and makes a call like I'm not even there.
01:23I go back to my room and cry until I'm too tired to wait for her.
01:26For the first time in years, I fall asleep without her.
01:31My dreams are filled with memories.
01:33Even before I learned her secret, I thought Jade was weird.
01:36She barely talked and followed me around like a shadow.
01:40She'd stand in the corner of my room and watch me sleep.
01:42But we got closer, and I was the only one she trusted.
01:46I knew a secret she'd never told our parents or anyone at school.
01:49I always thought that's why she kept such a close eye on me, to make sure I never told.
01:54Then, a year ago, the night before I was supposed to fly overseas to study abroad,
02:02I came home to find my parents dead and pale.
02:05Jade stood over them, covered in all the blood that should have been in their bodies.
02:11That night, I helped her cover it up.
02:18Their inheritance says that as long as she takes care of me, the family fortune is hers.
02:23So now she's a famous model whose face is on every billboard in the city,
02:27and she's stuck babysitting the one person who could don't work on me with a phone call.
02:31No wonder she hates me.
02:32After all these years of her putting me under, her powers don't work on me the way they used to.
02:36Some nights, I wake up in the dark.
02:40Tonight, I wake up groggy.
02:41My room is pitch black, and there's a weight on my chest.
02:45At first, I think it's an animal.
02:47Then a hand runs down my chest, and goosebumps rise on my skin.
02:50I only know one person.
03:03Jade can see in the dark, so I barely squint one eye open.
03:07She kisses my cheek, right where she cut me.
03:11Then she sniffles.
03:13Is my mean older sister crying because she hurt me?
03:21She traces a sharp nail down my lips, my chin, all the way to my neck.
03:26You didn't wait for me, Wendy.
03:29You don't need your big sister anymore?
03:32Have you outgrown me?
03:35Her mouth finds...
03:36No.
03:38I won't let you.
03:39You'll always need me.
03:40Always.
03:41Her mouth finds...
03:42Every night?
03:42Every time I ask her to put me to sleep, she takes my blood as payment.
03:46You ruined me.
03:48Anyone else's blood tastes rotten now, only my mate's is sweet.
03:52Mate?
03:53She curls around me, holding on like I might disappear.
03:57This is the only way a monster like me gets to keep you.
04:02All this time, she pushed me away because she thought she didn't deserve me.
04:10Now I go to bed early every night and pretend to be asleep long before she comes in.
04:16She doesn't need to pull me under anymore, so she stays longer and presses her soft body
04:21against mine.
04:22She bites my shoulder, my wrist, the inside of my thigh, then heals every mark before dawn.
04:28By morning, there's no proof at all, except that I can't stop thinking about it.
04:32At breakfast, Jade's chair is always empty.
04:35She leaves orders for the chef to make me an iron-rich breakfast with big glasses of orange
04:38juice and to make sure I finish it all.
04:40It's everything you're supposed to eat after giving blood.
04:43She licked every wound away, but I still remember getting them.
04:47I daydream about them so much that Josh, my co-worker at the company where we both intern,
04:52notices.
04:53At lunch, he won't let it go.
04:55It's the lack of sleep that makes me say it.
04:57But once I open my mouth, Chira Deidard, I'm telling him everything.
05:01So your sister isn't just Jade, the famous model?
05:04She's a sexy vampire who treats you like her pet?
05:08It's the girl-on-girl action of my dreams.
05:11And she called you her mate?
05:15Like, soulmate?
05:16She didn't mean it, even if I wish she did.
05:19That's impossible.
05:22I'm just her personal blood bank.
05:24She doesn't care about me.
05:28If she doesn't care, then let's put it to the test.
05:34Josh is waiting outside the club he invited me to when I get out of the taxi.
05:38A few of us interns are going to a club to celebrate closing a big deal.
05:45Besides, Jade likes knowing where I am at all times.
05:48She says she can't keep me safe if I'm not home.
05:52It's why she bought the mansion and filled it with everything I could want.
05:57So I'd never need to leave.
06:17After two shots, the floor tilts.
06:20Josh nods toward a man and a woman at the bar who've been watching me all night.
06:24Here's the test.
06:25Go home smelling like that couple.
06:28If Jade doesn't care, she won't notice.
06:30The question isn't whether she'll notice.
06:32Jade can smell a drop of blood from across a city.
06:35It's whether she'll care.
06:37And that's why I go.
06:39Not to prove Josh wrong.
06:42But to prove myself wrong.
06:44They're an older couple and aren't afraid to let me know how much they want me.
06:47The woman is beautiful and she runs a finger down my jaw.
06:51The man is handsome and presses his chest into my back.
06:53I feel flattered by them feeling me up, but nothing else.
06:58When I pull out my phone to take her number, I see it's been on silent all night.
07:02My eyes go wide.
07:04Hundreds of messages and missed calls, all from Jade.
07:07But it's the notification at the top that makes my heart stop.
07:09Jade has requested your location.
07:11Then the music stops.
07:13It doesn't fade out.
07:14It cuts off mid-beat, like someone pulled the plug.
07:17A dancer is stuck mid-spin.
07:19The woman's eyes are completely blank.
07:22And the man's chest doesn't draw another breath.
07:24I look up.
07:25Jade is across the room, scowling.
07:27Her eyes flashing red.
07:30I don't move.
07:32I don't have to because suddenly she's right beside me.
07:36Jade shoves the man back so that it's her breast I feel against my back instead and look at the
07:41woman frozen against my jaw.
07:43She takes the woman's wrist, lifts it to her nose, and breathes in and growl.
07:49Their stench is all over you.
07:52I'll leave.
07:53Just let them go.
07:55She tilts her head like I've told a joke.
07:57Okay.
08:00Suddenly everything is in motion again.
08:02And even though she left without saying anything, I know it's my job to follow.
08:05I gulp and chase after her.
08:07But someone yanks me back by my belt.
08:09It's the couple from earlier.
08:11You wouldn't leave us without a kiss goodbye, right?
08:14You're like a cute little stray.
08:16Come home with us.
08:17We'll take good care of you.
08:19I pull away without saying a word.
08:22Jade is leaning against her limo, arms crossed, glaring down at me from her high heels.
08:30Get in.
08:31You want me in there?
08:33She never lets me ride with her.
08:34She just glares.
08:36So I scramble in.
08:38She slams the door and tells the driver to go as fast as he can.
08:42The ride home is silent.
09:12She keeps a hand over her nose and my cheeks burn.
09:13No mate at all.
09:14The door creaks open.
09:17Red eyes shine in the darkness.
09:23I'm quick to close my eyes and go limp, acting like I'm asleep, just in time for Jade to
09:28super speed to the edge of my bed.
09:30She doesn't stand over me for long.
09:32She jumps on my back and pins me down like a predator attacking its prey.
09:36Immediately, this feels different than all the other time.
09:38She isn't holding herself back.
09:40She's as feral as she was the night I found her hovering over our parents' bodies.
09:44It's not like you to be so disobedient.
09:46Wendy, is it that boy from your job?
09:49Is he a bad influence on my sweet girl?
09:53She buries her fingers in my hair and I'm only barely able to hold back my yelp as she
09:57yanks it out of her way.
09:58I feel her hot breath on the nape of my neck as she...
10:01Or did you do it to spite me?
10:03I guess I really have spoiled you, haven't I?
10:06Maybe you're not spoiled enough.
10:08Is that it?
10:09Have I been neglecting my Wendy?
10:11And finally bites me.
10:13I have no control over the Mao I let out.
10:16You're here just in time for dinner.
10:20What do I do?
10:21My cheeks flush in embarrassment from getting caught.
10:23But I keep my eyes closed.
10:24I don't want her to stop.
10:26I like this jade too much to go back to the cruel one that hates me.
10:29Nothing to say?
10:30It's rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you, you know?
10:34She wraps my legs around her waist and leans forward until her lips brush mine.
10:39I guess I'm the rude one.
10:40I shouldn't play with my food.
10:42Shouldn't eat with my mouth open either.
10:44She kissed and knowing a part narrated of me is in her makes my chest heave.
10:48I tried to be good, Wendy.
10:50But you make it so easy to be naughty.
10:52She nips at my jaw where that woman had touched me and I whip her.
10:55My mate throwing herself at strangers.
10:58Do I need to show you that you belong to me?
11:01My first instinct is to scream yes, but I hold back.
11:04I can't tell how much I want it.
11:05I can't let her know just how much I'm enjoying this.
11:08All of her attention on me just like it used to be, but now in an adult way that makes
11:13me tingle wherever her skin brushes mine.
11:15She chuckles.
11:16I can smell how badly you want it.
11:19You want what only your mate can give you.
11:24Shivering like a wild horse, she knows just how to tame.
11:28When she has her fill of my blood and body, jade settles beside me and pulls me so close
11:33I know she'd lock me in her ribcage if she could.
11:36I'm sweaty and pleasantly sore, covered in fluids of all kinds.
11:39I can't be bothered with my messy sheets or any thoughts of a shower when jade is so soft
11:44against me.
11:44And she's being so sweet, petting my hair as she clings to me, peering like a cat that
11:49got the cream.
11:49Every part of you belongs to me.
11:51I don't care how many times I have to prove it.
11:54Your body understands, even if your little head doesn't.
11:57I'm too dazed to even think about that for long, though a small sliver of doubt works
12:00its way between us.
12:01How will we possibly go back to how we were before?
12:04Her hating me and me, the burden of a little sister she inherited and never wanted.
12:09I don't think I can handle the cold of being treated like nothing now that I know just how
12:13warm jade's love is.
12:15Tomorrow, this sweet, cuddly jade will be gone and she'll look right through me.
12:19She's been living a double life, two different people by day and by night.
12:23No wonder she's so wild, but she makes me wild too.
12:29I wake up with the sun blinding me through my window.
12:32For a second, I think it was all a dream.
12:35A wonderful, very realistic dream that's left me wet between the thighs.
12:40That's when the soreness sets in.
12:43Jade didn't hold anything back last night, and I can feel it.
12:47I stand in front of the full-length mirror to scope out the damage, and I can't believe
12:52my eyes.
12:53Dozens of fang marks litter my body, and there are bruises in the shape of my eyes.
12:57With her dainty hands on my hips, jade always heals any wounds she makes, leaving no evidence
13:03behind.
13:03It always made me feel crazy being sore and having nothing to show for it, but not this
13:08time.
13:09Is this a part of my punishment?
13:10For going out without telling her?
13:12For letting myself be flirted with and touched by that couple?
13:15Or is this more than that?
13:17Jade staking her claim on me, in a way that can't be ignored.
13:20I hope it's the latter.
13:22When I go to the kitchen, I pause, shocked.
13:26All of the curtains are pulled closed, and Jade is here.
13:30Not only is she here, she's in a pretty pink baby doll nightie.
13:35Feet up and crossed on the table.
13:37The chef brings out food and sets it on the table right next to her, instead of across
13:42from her.
13:43Well, don't just stand there, sleepyhead.
13:48I went through a lot of effort, telling the chef what to make.
13:51If I wore you out too much, I can feed you.
13:55Is this the same, Jade?
13:56She's different from usual, different from last night.
14:01I sit down, yelling when she pulls my chair closer to her.
14:05While I like her doting on me, it's confusing.
14:09Why is she doing this?
14:12Jade tears a strawberry in half and holds it to my lips.
14:16Open.
14:17I do, because my brain has stopped working.
14:20She feeds me, bite after bite, wiping juice from my chin with her thumb, watching me like
14:26I'm the most interesting thing she's ever seen.
14:30The Jade I know doesn't sit at this table.
14:32She doesn't touch me in daylight.
14:34She definitely doesn't wear pink.
14:36I have to know if last night meant anything.
14:39Jade, about last night.
14:42Her eyes snap to mine, dark and waiting.
14:45I panic.
14:46I slept straight through it.
14:48Didn't even dream.
14:49For a second, she's perfectly still.
14:53Then she smiles, slow and wicked, and swipes a dot of cream from the corner of my mouth.
15:00She licks it off her finger without looking away from me.
15:03Funny, I slept through it too.
15:05Vampires don't sleep.
15:07Heat floods my face so fast I feel dizzy.
15:10She knows.
15:11She knows I was awake.
15:12And she's letting me pretend.
15:14And somehow that's worse.
15:16I'm going to be late for work.
15:17I shove my chair back so hard it screeches.
15:20You haven't finished your juice.
15:22I grab the glass, chug it, and slam it down.
15:26She laughs.
15:27A real laugh.
15:28I haven't heard since we were kids.
15:31I run upstairs and throw on the first outfit I find.
15:36In the mirror,
15:40the bites on my neck stare back at me.
15:44And I have to dig through three drawers for a turtleneck.
15:48It's the middle of summer.
15:51When I come back down, she's waiting at the door with my bag.
15:56Have a good day, Wendy.
15:59She leans in close.
16:01Behave.
16:05At work, something is wrong with me.
16:08At my desk, a wave of hunger hits me so hard my mouth waters.
16:11Not for food.
16:12For something warm and red.
16:14Ten minutes later, I'm hit with a flash and snap of jealousy so sharp
16:18I snap my pencil in half and nobody is even talking to me.
16:21None of these feelings are mine.
16:23At lunch, I drag Josh into the stairwell and pull my turtleneck down.
16:27His eyes go wide at the bites.
16:31I think Jade went crazy last night.
16:34And now I'm going crazy too.
16:36I keep feeling things.
16:38Hungry.
16:40Jealous.
16:43Like someone else is inside my head.
16:46Josh is already typing on his phone.
16:48He's been reading vampire forums ever since I told him.
16:51Here.
16:51The mate bond.
16:53After a vampire claims her mate,
16:55they start feeling each other's emotions.
16:56Even miles apart.
16:59He scrolls and his grin gets wider.
17:03Oh, this is good.
17:04The bond only forms if the feelings go both ways.
17:09My face burns.
17:12That's a forum.
17:13Written by teenagers.
17:16It's working, isn't it?
17:18Wendy, you're not crazy.
17:20You're in love with her.
17:24And she's sitting at home right now, jealous of me.
17:29I throw my stress ball at his head.
17:32He catches it, laughing.
17:34And right at that moment, a warm, smug feeling blooms in my chest.
17:38It isn't mine either.
17:40Somewhere across the city, my sister is laughing too.
17:47Jade can't go out in the sun.
17:49I always thought that meant my days belong to me.
17:52She's proving me wrong.
17:54The barista hands me my coffee, and her pipples flicker red.
17:57No cream today.
17:59Miss Jade says you need iron.
18:05In the lobby, a guy from accounting holds the elevator for me.
18:09Before I can step in, the security guard plants himself between us, eyes glitting red, and says flatly,
18:17Take the next one, ma'am.
18:20When the delivery man's fingers brush mine, every bite under my turtleneck flashes ice cold at once.
18:26I'm starting to understand.
18:27A vampire's thrall doesn't just put people to sleep.
18:30It can make them listen.
18:32Make them watch.
18:34And Jade has spent who knows how long turning everyone around me into her eyes.
18:38On my walk back from lunch, a golden retriever bounces up to me, tail wagging.
18:43Then it sniffs my hand and freezes.
18:46It whimpers, tucks its tail, and bolts.
18:51I smell like her.
18:53Every animal in the city must be able to tell that I belong to something with fangs.
18:58I should be terrified.
19:00A normal person would quit their job and run.
19:03Instead, warmth flutters in my chest.
19:06For years, I thought Jade didn't even know where my office was.
19:09Now she's watching me through a dozen pairs of eyes.
19:13The barista across the street looks up.
19:15With red eyes, smiles, and waves.
19:22If she's going to spy on me, I'm going to make it hard for her.
19:26I order the garlic shrimp pasta for lunch.
19:28Double garlic.
19:29Garlic bread on the side.
19:31The barista's red eyes flicker when I walk past and she steps back, nose wrinkling.
19:35Through the bond, I feel Jade's sulk.
19:37Good.
19:38I'm halfway through my plate when Josh goes quiet.
19:41His fork stops.
19:42When he looks up, his eyes are red.
19:45Are you angry with me, Wendy?
19:47It's Josh's mouth, but it's Jade's voice.
19:50Soft and almost scared.
19:52Then it's gone.
19:53Josh blinks, grabs the edge of the table, and stares at me.
19:56What?
19:56What just happened?
19:58Was that her?
19:59Was she in my head?
20:01I'm so sorry.
20:02He takes a long drink of water.
20:04Then, being Josh, he grins.
20:07Okay.
20:08Real question.
20:09If she asked you to give up the sun, your future, your whole human life, to stay with
20:15her, would you?
20:17Yes.
20:18I say, before I can think.
20:21Josh sits back like he won a bet.
20:24I knew it.
20:25You're just as bad as she is.
20:26I've watched you be in love with her since freshman year, Wendy.
20:30I just never said anything.
20:32Not after what happened with Celeste.
20:35My stomach drops.
20:37I haven't heard that name in three years.
20:41The night I turned 18, something changed in my sister's eyes.
20:45I cut my finger, slicing my birthday cake.
20:48Just a nick.
20:50But Jade went still across the table, and her eyes flooded red.
20:54She didn't look at me like a sister.
20:56She looked at me like she was starving.
20:59Then she left the room, without a word.
21:04After that, I couldn't stop thinking about that look.
21:07I wanted it again.
21:09So I chased it.
21:11I'd prick my finger on a sewing needle before she came in to put me to sleep.
21:15I'd wear my hair up, so she could see my neck.
21:26I'd pass her in the hallway, right after a hot shower, when I knew my blood ran closest
21:31to my skin.
21:32Every time, her eyes went red.
21:35And every time, she walked away.
21:40I kept a list in the back of my journal.
21:43Every single time, her eyes changed when she looked at me.
21:48I read it like a love letter.
21:52She bit her lip until it bled when I hugged her.
21:55She broke a door handle when I said goodnight.
22:00I told myself those meant she loved me.
22:04Looking back, I wasn't hopeful.
22:06I was delusional.
22:08I thought she was fighting how much she wanted me.
22:12I didn't know yet that she was fighting how much she wanted to hurt me.
22:19And when someone else showed up and started getting that look instead, I lost my mind.
22:28Her name was Celeste.
22:30She was a vampire, like Jade.
22:32Beautiful in a cold, ancient way, with silver hair down to her waist.
22:36She started visiting at night, three years ago, after Jade moved her coffin to the cellar.
22:44I watched them through the cellar door.
22:47Celeste would bare her throat, and Jade would drink from her.
23:03For vampires, feeding from each other.
23:08So one night, when Jade was out, I waited for Celeste at the front door.
23:13Every vampire story has the same rule.
23:17A vampire can't enter a home unless someone who lives there invites her in.
23:23And what a resident gives, a resident can take back.
23:27Celeste smiled at me and stepped toward the door.
23:33You're not welcome in this house anymore.
23:36Something invisible shammed into her.
23:38She flew backward off the porch and landed in the rose bushes.
23:43When she tried to come back, her hand hit the doorway, like it was a wall of glass.
23:49She stared at me with pure hatred.
23:52Then she was gone.
23:54Jade waited by the door.
23:56For her, for weeks.
23:59She never knew.
24:00It was me.
24:02Josh is the only one I ever told.
24:04He didn't judge me.
24:05He just looked worried.
24:09Now I understand why.
24:12I didn't protect my sister.
24:15I stole her girlfriend from her.
24:19After Celeste stopped coming, Jade stopped feeding.
24:23She wouldn't touch the blood bags.
24:24Her skin went gray.
24:26Her cheeks hollowed.
24:27One night, I found her in the kitchen.
24:29Shaking.
24:30Gripping the counter so hard, the marble cracked.
24:33I thought I could fix it.
24:35I thought this was my chance.
24:37I took the kitchen knife, cut my wrist, and held it out to her.
24:43Drink.
24:44Please.
24:45Take mine.
24:46Her eyes went blood red.
24:48For one second, she leaned in, and her breath brushed my skin.
24:52Then she threw herself backwards so hard, she hit the wall.
24:57She was down the cellar stairs before I could blink, and I heard the lock click.
25:01She didn't come out for three days.
25:03I disgusted her.
25:04I'd offered her the most intimate thing a human can give, and she'd run from it.
25:08So I made myself a promise.
25:09She was my big sister, and that was all she'd ever be.
25:12I tried to make up for it.
25:15I found a secret donor for them, and interviewed women at our kitchen table.
25:19I wrote down their blood types, and checked their health records.
25:24I wanted Jade to have someone who would feed her, and love her the way Celeste had.
25:31I left the list on her coffin.
25:34The next morning, I found it in the fireplace, burned to ash.
25:38Now, three years later, she won't stop chasing me.
25:41Why?
25:42And I'm terrified to find out why.
25:48Jade is outside my office, before the sun has even fully set.
25:52The sky is still orange.
25:54She's standing under a black lace perishable, wrist.
25:57But the light catches her wrist, and her skin starts to smoke.
26:01She doesn't even flitch.
26:03She's burning just to pick me up.
26:05Paparazzi swarm around her.
26:07Fans scream her name and shove phones in her face.
26:09Someone holds up a poster of her latest campaign.
26:12She doesn't see any of them.
26:13She's looking at the doors.
26:14When I step out, her whole face changes.
26:17She smiles, bright and real, and walks straight work through the crowd like it isn't there.
26:23She laces her fingers through mine.
26:26Her hand is still hot from the sun.
26:28The flashes go crazy.
26:31Jade, who's the girl?
26:33Are you two together?
26:36Jade's thumb strokes the back of my hand.
26:38For a moment, I swear, she's about to say yes.
26:42Then I feel it.
26:43The bond goes silent.
26:44She's shut me out.
26:46This is my little sister.
26:48The crowd coos.
26:49Everyone thinks it's sweet.
26:51I keep smiling, but inside, I feel like I've been dropped from a great height.
26:56She could have said anything.
26:57Instead, she closed the door between us.
27:00So I couldn't lurk holes, so I couldn't feel, couldn't feel what she really meant.
27:03In the limo, she reaches for me again.
27:07I pull my hand away and stare out the window.
27:11Her burnt wrist is already healing.
27:13My chest isn't.
27:16At home, I don't say a word to her.
27:19Jade tries everything.
27:20She fills my room with black roses.
27:23She plays the piano in the hall.
27:25The song she used to play when I couldn't sleep as a kid.
27:29Finally, she kneels on the floor in front of me and rests her cheek on my knee.
27:36Talk to me.
27:39Please.
27:44I go upstairs and lock my door.
27:47Locks can't stop her, but she respects it.
27:49That night, she doesn't come.
27:51At first, I'm relieved.
27:52Then, around midnight, the bites start to itch.
27:56By one, the itch turns into an ache.
28:00By two, my hands are shaking and I'm drenched in sweat.
28:05Every mark she's ever left on me throbs like it's calling her.
28:11Josh's forum said,
28:13a vampire's bite is addictive.
28:17I thought that was a joke.
28:20It isn't.
28:25I can't stand it anymore.
28:27I stumble down the cellar stairs in my nightgown.
28:31Candles flicker around her coffin.
28:34And the lid is closed.
28:39I knock on it.
28:42Jade.
28:43She says nothing.
28:49Don't you want to come to my room anymore?
28:55I can't sleep.
28:57I can't stop shaking.
28:59Please.
29:02I need you
29:04to bite me.
29:07The coffin lid slides open
29:09without a sound.
29:11Jade sits up
29:12and her red eyes take in my shaking hands
29:15and the sweat on my neck.
29:16She doesn't say a word.
29:17She just lifts me
29:19into her arms
29:20and carries me back upstairs.
29:22In my bed,
29:24she takes only a tiny sip from my wrist.
29:27Just enough.
29:28The shaking stops instantly
29:30and warmth floods through me.
29:33My eyes fall shut.
29:35I'm not asleep,
29:36but she thinks I am.
29:37She lies down behind me
29:38and wraps around me
29:40like she's afraid I'll vanish.
29:42I'm sorry.
29:44She whispers.
29:47I was never cruel
29:49because I hated you.
29:51I was cruel
29:52because every time
29:53you came near me
29:54I wanted to drain you dry.
29:58And I wanted to kiss you
30:00while I did it.
30:02Her voice shakes.
30:05I was afraid you'd find out
30:07what a monster I am.
30:09Then you'd run.
30:11Her arms tighten.
30:13You tried to
30:15once
30:17when you were going to fly
30:19across the ocean.
30:22A broken laugh.
30:24I'd already bought an apartment
30:26across from your dorm.
30:28Blackout curtains.
30:29I was going to
30:35follow you.
30:36I lie very still.
30:38I always thought
30:39that flight was
30:40my last chance to escape.
30:42The sister I could never have.
30:45She was going to come
30:46after me the whole time.
30:51I won't make you choose me.
30:53Jade's whispers into my hair.
30:55Date someone.
30:56Love someone else.
30:58Someone with a heartbeat.
30:59Who can stand in the sun
31:01with you and grow old with you.
31:04Her voice breaks.
31:05That's what you deserve.
31:07Not a dead thing
31:09that has to drink you
31:10to feel alive.
31:12Something wet
31:13falls on my shoulder.
31:14It's pink.
31:15Vampires cry blood.
31:17Just don't push me
31:18out of your life.
31:21As long as I can
31:22stay near you
31:23I'll be happy.
31:24I'll be your sister.
31:28I'll never touch you
31:29like this again.
31:30My heart is shattering.
31:32She has it all wrong.
31:34I don't want the sun.
31:35I've only ever wanted her.
31:37I'd trade every sunrise
31:38I have left
31:39for one more night
31:40like last night.
31:41But if I turn around now
31:43she'll know I heard everything.
31:44Let me hold you
31:45one last time.
31:46She whispers.
31:48Then I'll let you go.
31:49She presses her lips
31:50to the back of my neck.
31:51Completely still.
31:52Wendy.
31:53I hold my breath.
31:55Sleeping hearts beat slow.
31:57Yours is racing.
31:59Her lips curve
32:00against my skin.
32:02It's been racing
32:03every night for weeks.
32:04My eyes fly open.
32:05I've always known
32:06when you were awake.
32:08I just didn't think
32:10you'd want me to know.
32:14She's always known.
32:16Every night I lay there
32:17pretending
32:17and she let me.
32:19She thought I stayed silent
32:21because I was disgusted.
32:23She thought I was
32:24letting her do it
32:25out of fear.
32:29I'm sorry.
32:31She whispers.
32:33I'll go back
32:33to the cellar.
32:35You won't have to
32:36pretend anymore.
32:38Her arms start
32:39to slip away.
32:41The thought of her
32:42never climbing
32:42into my bed again
32:43makes my eyes burn.
32:45Something in me snaps.
32:46I roll over,
32:48shove her flat on her back
32:49and climb on top of her
32:50the way she always
32:51does to me.
32:52Her red eyes
32:53go wide.
32:54I lean down
32:55and kiss her.
32:56Her blood hits my tongue
32:58cold and sweet.
33:00Suddenly
33:01I'm drowning in her.
33:02Her memories
33:03pour into me
33:04flashing like film.
33:05Me at seven
33:06on the porch
33:07holding out my hand.
33:09Me at eighteen
33:10cutting my birthday cake.
33:12Me asleep
33:13in a hundred
33:13different nights
33:14and her watching
33:15from the corner
33:15aching.
33:17Every single one
33:18says the same thing.
33:19Mine.
33:20Mine.
33:21Mine.
33:22I pull back
33:23gasping.
33:25Her blood
33:26is on my lips.
33:28Jade stares up
33:29at me like
33:29she's never seen
33:30me before.
33:32You think
33:32I'll let you
33:33give up on us
33:34that easily?
33:37I wipe the blood
33:38from my mouth
33:39with my thumb.
33:44Jade flips me
33:45onto my back
33:46so fast
33:46the room spins.
33:47She hovers
33:48over me.
33:49Her hair
33:50falling around us
33:51like a curtain.
33:52her eyes
33:53are shining.
33:55Say it.
33:56She whispers.
33:58I need to
33:59hear you say it.
34:01I open my mouth
34:02but nothing
34:03comes out.
34:04Three years
34:05of hiding it
34:06and now
34:06my voice
34:07won't work.
34:09Jade doesn't
34:09push.
34:10She lowers
34:11her head
34:11and rests
34:12her ear
34:12against my chest
34:13right over
34:14my heart.
34:15Then let this
34:16answer for you.
34:17Her voice
34:17is barely a breath.
34:19Wendy,
34:20do you love
34:21me?
34:22My heart
34:23leaps.
34:23It slams
34:24against my ribs
34:25so hard
34:25she must feel
34:26it in her teeth.
34:28She lifts
34:28her head.
34:29She's laughing
34:30and crying
34:30at the same time.
34:32Pink tears
34:32running down
34:33her cheeks.
34:34She's never
34:34lied to me
34:34once.
34:36She kisses
34:37my face.
34:37Then the cut
34:38on my cheek
34:38she left
34:39that night
34:39on the stairs.
34:42I love you
34:43she whispers
34:44I love you
34:45my mate.
34:46For the first
34:47time
34:47the bond
34:48between us
34:49is wide open.
34:50Her love
34:51pours into me
34:52until I can't
34:52tell which feelings
34:53are hers
34:53and which are mine.
34:55I finally
34:55find my voice.
34:59I love you
34:59too big sister.
35:02My name
35:03is Jade.
35:04I'm a vampire
35:04and I fell in love
35:05with the human
35:06girl whose family
35:07took me in.
35:07She has no idea
35:09how close she came
35:10to dying in my arms.
35:11When a vampire's mate
35:12comes of age
35:13her blood changes.
35:15It starts to sing.
35:16Every other drop
35:17in the world
35:17turns rancid
35:18and hers
35:19becomes the only
35:20thing you can taste.
35:22Wendy started singing
35:23on her 18th birthday
35:24when she cut her finger
35:25on the cake knife.
35:26I left the table
35:27before I tore
35:28her throat out.
35:29I went up to the roof
35:31and waited
35:31for the sunrise.
35:33I let it burn me
35:34until I was screaming
35:36because pain
35:37was the only thing
35:38louder than her heartbeat.
35:40From that day on
35:41I kept my distance.
35:43Every brush
35:43of her skin
35:44made me want to
35:45sink my teeth in
35:46and never stop.
35:47If she ever found out
35:49she'd look at me
35:50like I was a monster.
35:52So I let her
35:53think I'd turned cold.
35:54Putting her to sleep
35:55was the only time
35:56I let myself near her.
35:58My powers
35:59never hurt her.
36:00They just gave her rest
36:00and gave me a few hours
36:02to hold her
36:03and taste her
36:04without her flinching.
36:05Then the council
36:06summoned me.
36:07A vampire
36:08with a human mate
36:09has two choices.
36:10Turn her
36:11or give her up.
36:12I couldn't force
36:12this life on her
36:13and I couldn't
36:14let her go.
36:15That's why
36:15I came home crying.
36:18A year ago
36:19our parents found out
36:20what I am.
36:21Mom came home early
36:23and caught me in the kitchen
36:24with a blood bag
36:24between my teeth.
36:25I'd imagined that moment
36:26a thousand times.
36:28I always pictured it
36:29going the way it went
36:30with Wendy.
36:31A little shock
36:31then a hand held out
36:33to me.
36:34Instead
36:34mom screamed.
36:36Dad grabbed a kitchen knife
36:37and pointed it at the girl
36:38he'd tucked into bed
36:39for years.
36:40What are you?
36:41What did you do with
36:42our daughter?
36:44Like I had stolen
36:45myself from them.
36:46Like the child
36:47they raised
36:48was never real.
36:49That's when I understood.
36:50They never loved me.
36:51They loved the quiet
36:52grateful girl
36:53from the doorstep.
36:54The only person
36:55who had ever seen
36:56all of me
36:57and stayed
36:57was Wendy.
36:58The hurt turned
36:59into rage
36:59so fast
37:00I didn't feel
37:00it happen.
37:02When it was over
37:03they were on the floor
37:04and I was covered
37:05in everything
37:06that should have been
37:06inside them.
37:07I want to say
37:08I regret it.
37:09I don't.
37:10Then the front door opened.
37:11Wendy.
37:12I waited for her
37:13to scream.
37:14To run.
37:14To finally look at me
37:15the way they had.
37:16She dropped her bags
37:17rolled up her sleeves
37:18and asked me
37:19where we kept the bleach.
37:20She scrubbed that floor
37:22beside me
37:22until sunrise.
37:23That was the night
37:24I knew I would love her
37:25until the world ended.
37:26It was also the night
37:27I learned what I'm capable
37:28of when I'm hurt.
37:29If I could do that
37:30to the people
37:31who raised me
37:31what could I do
37:32to her one day?
37:33So I pushed her away
37:34harder than ever.
37:37I can't follow
37:38Wendy into the daylight
37:39so I make the daylight
37:42work for me.
37:43One look into
37:44the barista's eyes
37:45one into the security guards
37:46the doorman
37:47the receptionist
37:48the man who sells
37:49her newspaper.
37:51Now they all watch her
37:51for me
37:53and they never
37:53remember doing it.
37:55A man from accounting
37:56started bringing her coffee.
37:58One night
37:58I paid him a visit
38:00and looked into his eye.
38:02He transferred to
38:03another city
38:03the next week.
38:05He doesn't remember why.
38:07He doesn't remember
38:08her name.
38:09Then one night
38:10every one of my eyes
38:11went dark.
38:12She turned her phone off
38:13and gone somewhere
38:14none of them could follow.
38:16I found her
38:16by her heartbeat.
38:17I could pick it out
38:18across the whole city.
38:21In the club
38:22I watched that couple
38:23put their hands
38:23all over her
38:24and I heard her
38:25heart speed up
38:26not for me.
38:29I could have
38:29drained them both
38:30before she even blinked
38:31so I froze the room
38:32instead.
38:34I let the couple
38:35walk out
38:36because Wendy
38:36was watching.
38:37That's when I knew
38:38pushing her away
38:38wasn't keeping her safe.
38:40It was only making
38:41me hungrier.
38:42That night
38:43I stopped
38:43holding back
38:44and she reached for me.
38:45She said my name.
38:47The next night
38:48while she slept
38:49I went back
38:49for that couple.
38:50No one has seen them since.
38:51I swore
38:52I'd never hurt Wendy.
38:53I never
38:54promised anything
38:55about anyone else.
38:58I wake up
38:59in the dark
38:59wrapped in silk sheets
39:01that aren't mine.
39:02Candles flicker
39:03on stone walls.
39:04I'm in the cellar
39:05in Jade's bed.
39:07I've knocked on her coffin
39:08and left lists
39:09on its lid
39:10but she's never once
39:11let me sleep down here.
39:12She's lying beside me
39:14chin propped
39:15in her hand
39:16watching me.
39:18Good evening mate.
39:21My face burns.
39:23Don't call me that.
39:27I yank a pillow
39:28over my face.
39:32She laughs.
39:33Wendy
39:34I can hear your blood
39:36rushing to your cheeks.
39:37Hiding won't help.
39:39Then stop listening.
39:41I can't.
39:43You're too loud.
39:47I feel her lean in close.
39:49Her lips right
39:50against the blanket
39:51by my ear.
39:54Or would you rather
39:55I call you
39:57little sister?
40:00The words send a shiver
40:02all the way down
40:03my spine.
40:04Get out.
40:05I need to get dressed.
40:09I see perfectly
40:11in the dark Wendy.
40:13I've already seen everything.
40:18I groan into the pillow
40:20and she laughs again
40:21warm and happy.
40:25she kisses the top
40:26of my head
40:27through the blanket.
40:29Then she climbs
40:30the stairs
40:30and opens
40:31the cellar door.
40:33Morning light
40:34pours down the steps
40:35stopping just short
40:36of her bare feet.
40:38Breakfast is up there
40:39she says
40:41stepping back
40:42into the shadows.
40:47I'll be right here
40:49when the sun
40:50goes down.
40:51For years
40:52the dark
40:52was the only place
40:53I could have her.
40:55Now it's where
40:56she's waiting
40:56for me.
41:02Three years later
41:03there's a blood moon.
41:04It only rises
41:05once every three years.
41:08Jade tells me
41:09that's when vampires
41:10make promises
41:10that can never
41:11be broken.
41:13She takes me
41:14to the vampire council
41:15for the first time.
41:16Their mansion
41:17sits in the woods
41:18outside the city
41:19and pale faces
41:20watch us
41:21from every shadow
41:21as we walk
41:22the long stone hall.
41:24The elders
41:25who rule her kind.
41:28I hold her hand tighter.
41:31She leads me
41:32up a spiral staircase
41:33to a balcony
41:35open to the sky.
41:36The moon hangs
41:37huge and red
41:38above the trees
41:39washing everything
41:40in crimson.
41:42The council
41:43gave me
41:43a choice once.
41:46Jade says quietly
41:47she turns
41:48to face me.
41:52It's
41:53yours.
41:56Below us
41:57the whole council
41:58has gathered
41:58in the courtyard
41:59looking up.
42:01Jade kneels
42:02on the stone
42:02in front of me.
42:03She rolls back
42:04her sleeve
42:05and holds out
42:06her bare wrist
42:06pale in the red moonlight.
42:10Wendy
42:12you've given me
42:13your blood
42:13every night.
42:16Now I want
42:17to give you mine.
42:18Her voice trembles.
42:21Let me turn you.
42:24Stay with me
42:25forever.
42:32Yes.
42:36The word
42:37isn't even
42:37out of my mouth
42:38before the courtyard
42:39below erupts.
42:40Jade pulls me
42:41into her arms
42:42and gently
42:43the way she has
42:44a thousand times
42:46my heart slows.
42:49The red moon
42:50blurs.
42:51I'm not afraid.
42:54I've fallen asleep
42:55in her arms
42:56more times
42:57than I can count.
42:58The last thing
42:59I feel is her wrist
43:00pressed to my lips.
43:02And her blood
43:03on my tongue
43:03than nothing.
43:06When I open my eyes
43:07the world
43:09is impossibly sharp.
43:10I can see
43:11every leaf
43:11on every tree.
43:12I can hear
43:13every heartbeat
43:14in the courtyard.
43:16Every heartbeat
43:17except mine.
43:20The hunger
43:21hits me
43:22like a wave.
43:24Jade is already
43:24there
43:25holding her wrist
43:26to my mouth.
43:27And for the first time
43:29I drink
43:30from her.
43:34her memories
43:35flood me again.
43:37This time
43:38they're all of tonight.
43:40The oldest elder
43:40climbs the staircase
43:41and opens
43:42a huge leather book.
43:44In it
43:45are the names
43:46of every vampire mate
43:47for a thousand years.
43:51She writes my name
43:52in red ink
43:52right beside Jade's.
43:56It's done
43:58she says.
44:01No one
44:01can ever part you.
44:04The girl
44:04I've loved my whole life
44:06and I say it
44:07for the first time
44:08I love you
44:09my mate.
44:21Six months
44:22after I'm turned
44:23Jade and I
44:24are walking home
44:24in the rain
44:25when I hear it.
44:27Two tiny heartbeats
44:28fast and frightened
44:29coming from an alley.
44:31We find them
44:32behind a dumpster.
44:33Twins
44:33maybe five years old.
44:35Dirty
44:35skinny
44:36shivering
44:36a dead rat
44:38lies between them
44:38and their mouths
44:39are red to the chin.
44:41The little girl
44:42sees us
44:42and bursts into tears.
44:44We're sorry
44:45we didn't mean to.
44:46We were just so hungry.
44:49Please don't tell anyone.
44:51We're monsters.
44:53They think they're human.
44:54They think wrong.
44:56Something is wrong with them.
44:58Jade goes completely still.
44:59I know exactly
45:00what she's seeing.
45:01A skinny
45:02shivering
45:03girl
45:03on a doorstep
45:05in the rain.
45:08I kneel
45:09in the puddle
45:09beside her.
45:11We look at each other.
45:14And at the same time
45:15we smile wide
45:17and let our fangs show.
45:19The twins stop crying.
45:21Their mouths fall open.
45:24You're not monsters.
45:26Jade says softly.
45:29You're just like us.
45:32The boy crawls into my arms.
45:35The girl reaches for Jade
45:37and my big, scary sister melts.
45:41At home,
45:42Jade warms blood bags
45:43and pours them
45:44into baby bottles.
45:47The twins drink
45:48until they fall asleep
45:49on the couch
45:50curled together.
45:53Did you see her
45:54hold my finger?
45:55Jade whispers.
45:57She has my eyes.
45:59She doesn't,
46:00but she does.
46:01He snores.
46:04I'm grinning so hard
46:05my face hurts.
46:08Our son snores.
46:15Our son.
46:17She says it like a prayer.
46:19We need a nursery.
46:22Blackout curtains.
46:23Tiny coffins.
46:25Do they make tiny coffins?
46:29I laugh
46:30and kiss her.
46:33Then Jade stands
46:34in the corner
46:37watching them sleep.