Spring threatened to arrive in Prinston, carrying with it melting snow and the scent of damp earth and renewal. But on that particular night, the cold still reigned — perfect for the university's Winter Ball.
Inside the dormitory, the air was heavy with hairspray, perfume, and an electric kind of anxiety. Kara stood before the full-length mirror, smoothing the fabric of her dark blue dress. The material was soft, elegant — but it could not fully hide the faint pink scar on her neck, the eternal mark of the night she had almost died.
Natalie sat on the bed, watching her friend. She was already dressed, wearing an emerald-green gown that made her eyes shine, though a shadow lingered in them —one that hadn't existed before.
"Are you sure she's coming?" Natalie asked, spinning a ring on her finger, a new nervous habit.
Kara turned, offering a smile meant to project confidence she was still learning to feel. "I invited her. And Alice doesn't break promises."
"I know. It's just…" Natalie hesitated, then sighed. "It's strange, Kara. Knowing everything. Looking at people's necks and thinking about how fragile they are. But… I'm glad it's her. If there's anyone who can protect you from that world, it's Alice."
A soft knock at the door interrupted them.
Kara took a deep breath, her heart racing against her ribs, and opened it.
The hallway disappeared.
All Kara could see was Alice.
She wasn't wearing her usual red coat. Instead, she wore a long black velvet dress of classic cut, exposing her pale shoulders. Her dark hair fell loose in gentle waves.
She looked like a queen from a forgotten kingdom — beautiful, timeless, and utterly out of place in the modern world.
Alice lifted her eyes, and when they met Kara's, her guarded expression melted into pure awe.
"You look…" Alice began, her voice faltering. "You look radiant."
Kara smiled, warmth rushing to her cheeks. "And you don't look half bad for someone who lives in the shadows. Are you actually coming in, or are you going to disappear at the last second?"
Alice stepped inside. Her presence cooled the room — but brought immediate comfort. "I said I would come. And after everything we've been through… I think we deserve one night where the only danger is stepping on someone's foot while dancing."
Natalie stood, breaking the tension with a bold smile. "Take care of her, Alice. Or I'll learn how to use stakes."
Alice looked at Natalie with genuine respect. "I promise, Nat. I would give my life for hers. You know that."
The university ballroom had been transformed. Silver and blue lights hung from the ceiling like icicles, and loud music vibrated through the wooden floor. Laughter filled the air, along with the scent of spiked punch and the chaotic energy of hundreds of young people celebrating life.
For Kara and Alice, it felt like another planet.
They walked hand in hand through the crowd. Alice remained alert by instinct, her eyes scanning the room, but Kara's grip pulled her gently back into the moment.
In the center of the dance floor, Kara spotted Natalie. She was dancing with a biology student, laughing loudly at something he said, spinning with her arms raised.
"Look," Kara whispered. "She's laughing. She's trying to move on."
Alice watched, a soft melancholy in her gaze. "Human resilience is fascinating. You break —but you repair yourselves with so much… hope."
"We repair ourselves," Kara corrected, squeezing Alice's cold hand. "Together."
The music shifted into a slow ballad. Alice turned to Kara and, with old-fashioned formality, made a slight bow. "Miss Sullivan… may I have the honor?"
Kara laughed, placing one hand on Alice's shoulder and the other in her cool palm. "The honor is mine."
Dancing with Alice felt like floating. She guided Kara with supernatural grace, anticipating every movement. In the middle of the crowd, they formed a private world of silence and intimacy.
"Promise you'll stay with me," Kara whispered, resting her forehead against Alice's shoulder.
Alice closed her eyes, breathing in Kara's scent, pushing away memories of blood and fear, clinging only to love. "Always. As long as you want me, I will be your shadow and your shield."
But the noise, the lights, the heat of the crowd began to overwhelm Alice. Kara felt the tension tighten in her muscles.
"Hey," Kara murmured. "Let's get out of here. I need air. And I need you all to myself."
Alice nodded, relieved.
The garden outside was quiet, bathed in moonlight. The cold night air was soothing after the heat of the ballroom. They walked to an old stone fountain, far from curious eyes, where the party was only a distant hum.
Kara sat on the edge of the fountain, gazing at the stars, then turned to Alice, who remained standing, instinctively guarding the darkness.
"Alice," Kara said softly. "Stop watching the shadows. Rose isn't here. No one's going to attack us tonight."
Alice relaxed and sat beside her. "Old habits."
"I have a question," Kara continued, her voice serious. She touched the scar on her neck without thinking.
"That night… when I drank your blood… why didn't I change? Why am I still human?"
Alice looked at her gravely. "Because the transformation requires death, Kara. You must drink a vampire's blood and then your heart must stop. You have to die with my blood in your veins to be reborn."
The truth hung between them, heavy and final.
"So…" Kara swallowed. "I was one heartbeat away from becoming like you."
"Yes." Alice cupped Kara's face, her eyes fierce with emotion. "And I would never —never, take your life. I don't want to extinguish the light inside you. You're perfect as you are. Warm. Alive. Mortal."
Kara covered Alice's hands with her own. "But what if I wanted it? What if I wanted eternity with you?"
Alice shook her head, a sad smile touching her lips. "Eternity is too long to live in the dark, my love. Let's live the now. It's all we truly have."
The tension shifted. Talk of death and eternity gave way to something more urgent, more visceral. The attraction they had restrained since the first day in the library — held back by fear and danger — now overflowed.
Kara slid her hand into Alice's hair, feeling the softness of the dark strands. "Alice… I need to be honest. I'm not here out of gratitude. I'm not here because you saved me."
"Then why are you here, Kara?" Alice whispered, leaning in, her lips inches away.
"Because I love you," Kara breathed, trembling but certain. "I love the way you look at me. I love your silence. I even love the part of you that thinks it's a monster — because that's the part that protects me."
Alice froze. Her eyes, so long filled with loneliness, now shone with something close to redemption.
"I waited centuries to hear that," Alice said softly. "I love you, Kara. More than my own existence."
There was nothing left to say.
Alice closed the distance.
Their lips met.
It wasn't a fairytale kiss. It was a collision of worlds — cold against warmth, immortality against fleeting life.
The kiss was intense, urgent, hungry. Kara wrapped her arms around Alice's neck, pulling her closer, wanting to melt into her. Alice responded with controlled strength, her hands gripping Kara's waist possessively, anchoring her to the earth.
Kara tasted Alice — ice, old wine, danger. Alice tasted Kara — life, pulse, sunlight.
Their breathing tangled, uneven. The world vanished. No party. No vampires. No councils. Only that suspended moment, where fear finally gave way to desire.
When they parted, foreheads pressed together, both trembling—
"So… this is it," Kara whispered, lips swollen, smiling with pure happiness. "We finally—"
Alice opened her eyes. The red of hunger was gone, replaced by a warm, devoted brown. She caressed Kara's cheek. "Yes," she murmured. "Finally… us."
And beneath the stars of Prinston, they sealed not only a romance, but a destiny that dared defy death.
After the ball, they went to the new apartment Kara had rented. Between kisses and quiet laughter, they collapsed onto the bed. Heat built quickly. Alice's lips traced Kara's body, mouth, neck, skin — each kiss deliberate, intoxicating, drawing soft moans from her.
The rhythm deepened, fueled not only by desire but by tenderness, like a conversation spoken without words. Breathless sighs, restrained sounds, and electric touches carried them fully into the moment.
The rhythm kept building, growing not only in intensity but in tenderness, as if it were an intimate dialogue spoken without words. Between sighs, muffled moans, and touches that sent shivers racing across skin, the two of them surrendered completely to the moment.
Alice slid her hand between Kara's legs, while the girl did the same, both of them moaning softly to one another, eyes locked, breath tangled.
Then the vampire undressed herself, and moments later stripped Kara as well. Naked, they kissed hungrily. Alice moved between Kara's thighs, pressing kisses there before licking at the student's most intimate place. Kara writhed and cried out, her voice rising, which only drove Alice further, deeper into her hunger.
The world turned upside down. Lost in a tangle of sheets and limbs, they became a knot of desire — thighs against faces, heavy breaths blending with the intoxicating scent of one another. There was no pause, no space for rest.
Kara felt Alice's body shudder against her mouth, that tremor shooting straight down her spine, amplified by the demanding touch she received in return. Two fires feeding each other, a frenzy of mouths and hands trying to satisfy a craving that only grew sharper.
Minutes later, they shifted positions. Bones and flesh collided in raw urgency, any trace of delicacy abandoned.
They locked together with force, one thigh hooking the other, creating the leverage needed for the maddening friction. Every roll of their hips sent a wet, heated jolt of electricity through them. The world narrowed to that single point of contact, grinding their need into each other with a relentless rhythm, sweat gluing their breasts together and turning friction into a liquid blaze.
At the height of it, when pleasure blurred into gentle exhaustion, Alice leaned to Kara's neck, her warm breath brushing sensitive skin. A light bite followed — almost ceremonial — but she pulled back, fear flickering in her eyes.
"If you want… you can continue," Kara whispered, touching Alice's lips. "I don't mind."
"Kara…" Alice hesitated, her eyes glowing faintly red. " I don't know if I can hold back. You make me crazy."
"I know you can," Kara said, sweeping her hair aside, offering her neck without fear. "You can my baby."
Seeing Kara's pulse racing, her trust absolute, Alice finally surrendered. With care and reverence, she let her fangs descend, piercing slowly.
Pain flared for an instant, then dissolved into a dizzying blend of ache and pleasure. Kara wrapped her arms around Alice's neck, pulling her closer.
When Alice finally stopped, Kara pulled her back into a kiss — blood still staining Alice's lips. They kissed without hesitation, without shame. For Kara, it was acceptance. All of Alice. Every part.
"I love you," Kara said, smiling, a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth.
"I love you too," Alice replied.
And that night, beneath distant stars and far from the world's eyes, Kara and Alice sealed the beginning of something fierce, warm, and unbreakable — a love born of danger, trust, and the strength of what they felt for each other.
The End.