The sun hung low over the Blair family ranch, casting long, amber shadows across the rolling hills of the private estate. Far from the steel and glass of the city, the air here smelled of sweet grass and charcoal. In the center of the garden, a heavy stone barbecue grill glowed with the remnants of their meal. It was a rare moment of stillness for Nicole, sitting across from Lina on a wrought-iron bench, the sounds of the forest humming in the background.
Nicole looked paler than usual. Even after finishing the meal Lina had prepared, her skin had a translucent, ghostly quality. The synthetic supplies Freddi provided were keeping her alive, but they were not giving her the vitality she truly needed.
"Nicole, are you sure you are alright?" Lina asked, her brow furrowed with genuine concern. "You barely touched the steak. Is there something else I can get you? I can go back to the kitchen."
Nicole offered a faint, weary smile, reaching out to give Lina's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Do not worry, munchkin. I have just not been feeling myself lately. The meal was delicious. You have a talent that goes far beyond what I expected."
Lina blushed, looking down at her hands. "To be honest, I never wanted to study business. My mother insists on it because of the legacy, but I always dreamed of going to culinary school. I like the science of it. The way you can make someone feel something just by what you put on a plate."
Nicole leaned back, her golden eyes softening. "Business school is a good foundation, but if that is where your heart is, you should pursue it. You have my support, Lina. You shouldn't have to live your life as a shadow of April's expectations."
Lina's face lit up, a genuine beam of joy that made Nicole's dead heart stutter. Just then, a horse neighed in the nearby stables, the sound sharp in the quiet afternoon. Nicole took it as her cue. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box.
"I promised you a gift," Nicole said. She stood up and moved behind Lina, opening the box to reveal a diamond slime necklace. The stones were of the highest clarity, shimmering like trapped starlight against the dark velvet.
Lina gasped, her hands flying to her throat as Nicole leaned over to fasten the clasp. "Nicole, no. I can't accept this. It looks like it costs more than my tuition. It is too much."
"Please, Lina. Accept it," Nicole whispered, her breath brushing against Lina's ear. "It is a small token for the light you have brought into my week. Do not argue with me."
As the cold diamonds settled against Lina's skin, a strange thing happened. Deep inside Nicole, Luna let out a joyful, resonant howl. The wolf was ecstatic, sensing the claim being laid, even if only through a piece of jewelry.
Lina stood up, her fingers trembling as she touched the stones. She turned to begin clearing the plates from the table, but Nicole's hand shot out, catching her forearm.
The moment their skin met, a literal jolt of electricity snapped between them. Both women jumped back, eyes wide. The spark was so physical it left a lingering sting.
"Leave it," Nicole commanded, her voice slightly strained. "Freddi will clean up. It is time I got you back to your dorm."
They packed the leftover drinks into a small cooler, the silence between them now charged with an unspoken tension. The drive back to the university was quiet. Nicole was lost in a labyrinth of thought, her mind warring between her mother's warnings about her uncle and the confusing, magnetic pull she felt toward the girl in the passenger seat.
She was so deep in thought that she didn't realize they had reached the university grounds.
"Nicole? Nicole, you're passing it. That's my dorm right there!" Lina called out.
Nicole snapped back to reality and slammed on the brakes. The SUV screeched to a halt, the force sending Lina lurching forward. She didn't hit the dashboard, but the sudden jerk was enough to steal her breath.
"Lina! Oh gods, I am so sorry," Nicole cried, her professional mask crumbling instantly. She reached over, cupping Lina's face in her hands, her thumbs stroking her cheeks with frantic movements. "Did you hit your head? Look at me. Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, Nicole, really, I'm..."
Lina's words were cut off as Nicole leaned in, driven by a sudden, desperate impulse, and pressed her lips against Lina's. It was a hard, hungry kiss, tasting of suppressed longing and ancient hunger. Nicole pulled back almost immediately, her eyes wide with horror.
"I... I apologize. I shouldn't have..."
But Lina didn't let her finish. She leaned back in, her hands tangling in Nicole's hair, and kissed her back with a ferocity that stunned the Mixed Blood. Nicole let out a low, pained groan, the sound vibrating deep in her chest. For a second, she leaned into it, her fangs beginning to ache, but then the fear took over. Fear of what she was, and what she might do to this fragile human.
"Get out," Nicole barked, her voice dropping into a cold, commanding Alpha register.
Lina flinched as if she had been struck. "Nicole?"
"Leave the car! Now!"
Scared by the sudden darkness in Nicole's eyes, Lina grabbed her bag and scrambled out of the SUV, running toward her dorm building and leaving the drinks behind. Nicole watched her go, her chest heaving. She grabbed the bag of drinks and followed, her pace slow and deliberate.
She reached Lina's door and knocked. When Lina opened it, her eyes were red-rimmed and fearful. Nicole stood on the threshold, intending to walk in and apologize, but as she tried to step forward, she hit an invisible wall.
It was an ancient, jarring sensation. As an old vampire, she hadn't needed a formal invitation to enter a building in over a century. Her power usually bypassed such trivialities. But here, at Lina's door, she was barred.
Lina watched her, confused by the way Nicole seemed to be straining against thin air. Nicole's jaw tightened. Without a word, she bent down, placed the drinks on the floor, and turned away. She walked down the hall without looking back, leaving Lina standing in the doorway of a room the predator could not enter.