His phone was lying on the plush-carpet. It seemed to have fallen during their lovemaking session. Crouching down, he picked it up.
Two notifications were on the homescreen.
Just as he was about to swipe open, he heard the muffling sounds of someone trying to speak in the living room. His curiosity got the best of him.
Behind the door, in the living room was a vampire. She was tied up in black tendrils with one covering her mouth like a gag. The perpetrator was a wolf hanging upside down on the couch, her feet dangling in the air while still her show.
Ryker's eyes widened at the sight.
"Fenia let her go."
The wolf let out an exaggerated sigh. With a snap of her fingers, the shadow tendrils vanished.
"She was trying to murder your little fish," Fenia pointed her claw at the poor girl, "I was just preventing a crime. You're welcome."
Liv stood there with a stunned expression, then her furious red eyes settled on the true perpetrator, Ryker.
Her fangs bared. She walked slowly towards him and bit him hard on the shoulder. A flash of pain hit him.
Not a playful bite. Not an I'm-horny bite. This was pure fury, an assertion of property ownership.
"You are mine," she growled.
Her fangs were deep, sharp. His shoulder went hot, then a painful numbness spread down his arm. He could feel her anger in the venom, a bitter cocktail.
He hugged her, making sure her entire body fit against him.
She trembled, but she didn't pull away or rather could never.
"And you are mine," he said back, holding her until her body stopped shaking.
When he released her, her rage had subsided into a silent anger. Her eyes were staring at the napping mermaid in his bed with murderous intent.
Fenia was snickering behind him.
Then suddenly Liv pulled her hair back, exposing her slender neck, revealing his mark. The bite mark he gave her was already healing. Rubbing her fingers on the mark, she encouraged him.
"Ice magic is the only one you can use. So you have to bite me again."
Fenia chuckled, "She's right. Can't have people thinking you are a dual wielding vampire yet."
After drinking Liv's blood, regaining his ice magic, he decided to eat something. In the kitchen, Fenia was rummaging through the refrigerator. Her tail wagging as she pulled out a piece of steak.
"You can't keep eating raw meat."
Ryker was watching her drool over the meat.
The wolf stared at the steak then back at him.
"Says the doctor? Where did you get your medical degree again?" she took a taunting bite.
Leaving the raw-eating wolf to her own devices, he sat at the kitchen table to check his phone. A message from Valerica and an email from something called House Nosfera.
He opened Valerica's message first, thinking that it was more important.
Last place is pathetic.
A bitter taste came from the message that was short and direct. Deep down, a small part of him wanted some encouragement from the person who birth him. Perhaps a 'you can do it.' would have been great. But this was Valerica.
Typing back, he sent a simple thumbs up.
"Thanks for the encouragement," he added.
Turning to the email from House Nosfera.
It was a formal invitation to the opening ceremony for a vampire Fraternity house called Nosfera. According to the invitation he was supposed to be in front of the Nosfera Castle tonight.
"A castle?" Ryker muttered.
There wasn't any castle on campus, not unless it was built in the few hours he'd been here.
"Liv," he said waving his phone, "Do you know anything about Nosfera?"
The question made the vampire pause in the middle of devouring a bowl of cereal. She grabbed the milk carton and drank straight from it.
"House Nosfera," she began after swallowing, "It's basically a club for the East and West vampires. I think only adventure course students join."
Wiping the milk moustache from her lip she continued, "They have a castle on the highest mountain in Meridian. Only vampires are allowed. I think the head is a Tepes?"
The name meant nothing to Ryker.
"Why? Did you get an invitation?"
He nodded.
After finishing licking her fingers clean from the steak she just devoured, Fenia spoke from the couch. Her mismatched ears perked up, her attention pulled from her on-screen drama.
"A Tepes inviting a Dracula," The maid smirked. She paused the drama with a tap on the screen and looked at him, a thoughtful glint in her eyes, "There's a chance he'll sniff out your space magic. Especially if he's part of the main branch."
This wasn't good. His secret of being a Dracula couldn't get out on the first day of school.
"Better to just not go," Liv chimed in.
But Fenia shook her head, "You're last place."
Liv and Ryker stared at the wolf, waiting for her to continue. Fenia rolled her eyes.
"Don't give up just because you have a secret. Ask your big sis for help."
He couldn't help but notice that Fenia was acting more like a friend now. It made him a bit happy.
"I'm sure that Dracula can do some... magic to cloak it."
Liv shook her head.
"You don't need that bitch. Just don't go." The bitch in question was Isabella. A fierce jealousy was radiating from her.
"We don't want to owe her anything," Liv crossed her arms, "The Tepes are ambitious snakes, but she is a bigger one,"
Before Liv went on a rant about her cousin, the door chimed. Ryker instinctively braced for another crisis.
For the first time since he met Fenia, she was caught off guard. Her claws sharpened and a low growl rumbled from her chest as she saw who was at the door.
Then she sighed.
"Fucking space magic," she muttered.
Isabella was standing in front of the door. Not invited. She rang the bell and then teleported inside. In her hands was a box that smelled like baked goods. She scanned the room.
Her eyes stopped on Fenia for a split second, then on the bedroom door where the mermaid was sleeping peacefully, a mess of sapphire hair peeking out from under the covers.
A small smile played on her lips.
"Brother I shouldn't have let that happen," she said to Ryker, looking at her feet. Then she handed the box to him, "It's a chocolate cake. Your favorite."