The muffled music throbbed through the walls of the men's dorm, where one of those exclusive "get-togethers" was in full swing. The air was heavy with the smell of cheap beer, sugary perfume, and youthful hormones.
In the corner of the makeshift living room, Jude spun a red plastic cup in her hand, boredom written plainly on her face behind her round glasses. She watched her classmates dancing and drinking as if she were observing a nature documentary about primates.
"Fun, isn't it?" a melodic voice whispered beside her.
Jude turned and found Rose there. The new girl was leaning against the wall, holding an untouched drink. Her blue eyes sparkled with a mischievous amusement that felt out of place in such a typical college scene.
"Yeah…" Jude adjusted her glasses, nervous. "If you like bad music and sweaty people, it's paradise."
Rose laughed, a low, husky sound that sent a shiver down Jude's spine.
"I prefer more… private environments." Rose leaned in, her perfume — something like night-blooming jasmine and ice — flooding Jude's senses. "You seem out of place here, Jude. Want to step out for a bit? I know a quieter spot upstairs."
Jude hesitated for only a second. There was something about Rose, a dangerous magnetism— that made it impossible to say no.
"Sure. Anywhere's better than here."
They went up to an empty room at the end of the hall, where the music was nothing more than a distant hum. Rose closed the door and turned the lock with a soft click. The room lay in half-shadow, lit only by moonlight streaming through the window.
"So…" Jude began, her throat suddenly dry. "You and Alice really are sisters? You don't look anything alike."
"Alice is winter," Rose said, stepping closer. "I'm the fire."
Rose stopped in front of Jude. The closeness was invasive, electric. Jude backed up until the backs of her legs hit the bed, and she sat down on the mattress. Rose followed, positioning herself between Jude's knees.
"You have beautiful eyes, Jude. Observant eyes." Rose touched her chin, lifting her face. "What do you see when you look at me?"
"I… see someone who always gets what she wants," Jude whispered, her heart racing.
"Exactly."
Rose leaned in and kissed her.
It wasn't a timid kiss. It was hot, wild, demanding. Jude gasped in surprise, then melted into it, her hands rising to grip Rose's shoulders. Rose's mouth tasted of wine and danger.
The kiss deepened, Rose pushing Jude back onto the bed. But at the height of the intensity, Rose stopped. She pulled back just inches, her eyes locked on Jude's. Rose's pupils dilated, swallowing the blue, turning into dark, hypnotic pools.
"Look at me," Rose commanded. Her voice echoed inside Jude's mind, silencing every other thought.
Jude froze, her gaze glazed.
"I'm looking."
"You're going to forget what happens now," Rose said softly, her voice like silk. "Tomorrow, you'll only remember that we had a fun conversation and that you drank too much. You'll remember that you adore me. That you trust me. Understand?"
"I understand…" Jude repeated flatly.
Rose smiled, satisfied. She brushed Jude's hair aside, exposing the soft skin of her neck where the pulse beat strong and steady.
"Good girl."
Rose's eyes flared a vivid red. With deliberate, sadistic slowness, she opened her mouth, fangs sliding down sharp and gleaming. She licked the warm skin first, feeling Jude shudder, and then sank her teeth in.
Jude let out a muffled moan but didn't struggle. Rose drank, taking controlled pulls, her eyes rolling back in bliss. The taste was young, vibrant. She didn't drain her — she needed Jude alive for her game — but she took enough to leave the girl dizzy and herself revitalized.
When she finished, Rose licked the wound, which closed quickly under vampiric saliva, leaving only two pink marks that would soon fade. She wiped the corner of her mouth with her thumb and smiled down at the unconscious girl on the bed.
"Delicious."
The next day, the dorm hallway was quiet when Alice stepped out of her room, carrying a folder of documents. She stopped abruptly, sensing the shift in air pressure.
"Winter break, huh?" The voice sounded behind her like shattering glass.
Alice turned slowly. Rose was leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed, her skin flushed and vibrant — a clear sign she had fed recently.
"Taking little Kara to our house?" Rose continued, a mocking smile on her lips. "How sweet… turning our sanctuary into a human love nest."
Alice narrowed her eyes, catching the faint scent of blood on Rose.
"How do you know about that? I haven't even mentioned it yet."
"I have my ways." Rose pushed off the wall and walked toward her sister. "And let's just say your little friend Natalie talks a lot when she's excited about traveling."
Alice's body went rigid.
"You talked to Natalie?"
"Oh, relax. We're friends now." Rose stopped a step away from Alice. "In fact, she was so thrilled by the idea that I felt obligated to invite myself too. After all, we're family, aren't we?"
"Don't you dare," Alice growled, her voice low. "That house is my refuge. You are not welcome there if you plan to play your mind games."
Rose laughed, but the sound died quickly, replaced by a cutting chill.
"Your refuge? Funny you say that. Because I remember another time. Remember Lyon, Alice? Remember when you decided your 'morals' were more important than our bond and left me behind to deal with the Council alone?"
Alice faltered. The mention of the past was a precise strike.
"I didn't abandon you, Rose. I tried to save you from becoming a complete monster."
"You abandoned me!" Rose shouted, the mask of irony slipping for a second. "You ran and left me in the shadows. And now… now you want to play house with a human and pretend you're a saint?"
Rose regained her composure, smoothing her sweater.
"I'm going to the winter house. And Natalie is coming with me. If you want to bring your pet human along, feel free. But know this — I'll be there. And I'll have front-row seats when you inevitably break her."
Alice grabbed Rose's arm as she tried to pass.
"If you touch Kara… or Natalie… I'll forget that we're sisters."
Rose looked down at Alice's hand on her arm, then back into her sister's eyes.
"You forgot that a long time ago, Alice."
She yanked free and walked down the hall, leaving behind a trail of expensive perfume and unspoken threat.
That same night, the cold cut sharply through the university garden. Alice sat on a wooden bench, watching her own breath fail to fog in the freezing air.
Kara arrived minutes later, cheeks red from the wind, wrapped in a thick scarf.
"Hey…" Kara said, sitting beside her. "You sounded serious in your message. Did something happen?"
Alice looked at her. Kara's fragility — the pulsing blood, the warmth of her skin, her finite life — had never seemed so precious, or so dangerous.
"Winter break is coming," Alice began, choosing her words carefully. "And we're going to my house in the mountains."
"Yeah… sounds like a movie setting," Kara smiled, trying to ease the tension.
"I don't want to be away from you," Alice admitted, the vulnerability in her voice surprising Kara. "But you need to know… Rose will be there. And she'll probably bring Natalie."
Kara frowned.
"Your sister… the same one who looked at me like I was dinner in the forest? And Natalie? Why would she drag Nat into this?"
"Rose likes to… collect people," Alice said, looking away, unable to speak the raw truth of what Rose was. "She's manipulative, Kara. She likes testing limits and using people as pieces in a game to hurt me."
Kara fell silent, processing. She remembered the fear in the clearing, but also how Alice had protected her.
"So if I go, we'll be right in the middle of a war zone between the two of you?"
Alice turned to her, taking Kara's gloved hands.
"You'll be with me. And I swear, Kara… as long as I'm breathing" — she corrected herself mentally — "as long as I exist, nothing will touch you. Not you. Not Natalie. I'll be the shield."
Kara looked into Alice's dark eyes. She saw fear, but also fierce determination.
"I trust you," Kara said. "And if Natalie's going… I can't leave her alone with your sister."
Alice nodded, a heavy weight settling in her chest.
"Then it's decided."
The words hung in the air, sealing the fate of the four of them. Winter was coming, and the house in the mountains, isolated by snow, would be the perfect stage for Rose's macabre theater.
And Alice knew: protecting Kara from death would be difficult.
But protecting her from the truth would be impossible.