When Sirius stared at me, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but when I suddenly started seeing flashes of the memories I’ve made in the past several months, it made me feel a bit overwhelmed. I realized he was browsing through my memories, but stopped only a short moment later.

“So… Did I pass?” I asked when he blinked and leaned back against his pillows.

“Yes,” he said. “I was sure I could trust you, but I needed solid proof.”

“What were you trying to find?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Clues about you working with my enemy, but obviously there weren’t any,” he said with a smile and tilted his head again. “But you are awfully calm about me and my kind.”

I shrugged. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot, as you may have just found out, and… I don’t know. I mean… I thought you died. It was the worst moment of my entire life. I’ve never seen a dead person before, and I was absolutely horrified that I couldn’t save you.”

He nodded. “That must’ve been very traumatic for you.”

“It was, so hearing you’re actually a vampire was just a massive relief at that point,” I said.

“I get it,” he nodded, and we both fell silent.

I completely forgot myself as I stared at him. How could someone be so beautiful? His entire physique and his face were perfect in every way. Except for the injuries… How could anyone do such a thing to something so perfect?

“Anyway,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “If you really want to help…?”

“Of course!”

He smiled before he continued. “I’m not planning on staying in this clinic for longer than absolutely necessary, but I can’t return home. I need to buy a new one, but with how things are right now, I can’t really go search for a nice place on my own.”

“So you need help to get around?” I guessed, and he nodded. “I can help you with that, yes, but is it safe for you to show yourself in public?”

“Don’t worry, I already have a plan for that,” he said dismissively. “But I won’t be strong enough to walk anytime soon, so I will need an escort. Someone to…” he paused and let out a sigh. “I’m going to need a wheelchair for a while…”

“I’d be glad to help you,” I said reassuringly. “You’ll get your strength back eventually. It will be just a matter of time, right?”

“You are right,” he said. “I just really need to get out of this clinic. I will grow sick and tired staring at these walls soon. And the risk of getting found is too high. Mike can’t keep me hidden from his staff for too long.”

“I understand, and I’m glad to help,” I said with a smile. “Is there something you need right now?”

“Not really,” he said and softened his voice when he added, “Except for your company.”

His words made me smile wider, but then I remembered what Mike said last night. He didn’t have many friends, and he was the last of his family. How lonely was he? I kind of wanted to ask about his family, but since they all were probably dead, it wasn’t a topic I wanted to bring up. I was sure he didn’t want to talk about them at that moment.

“You won’t believe how hard it was to focus on the lectures today,” I told him with a chuckle. “I can’t remember a thing.”

“Because you were thinking about me?” he asked quietly.

“Exactly,” I murmured. “I was worried your condition had gotten worse or something.”

He stopped to stare at me for a good while. “You were concerned about me?”

“Of course,” I said, shifting a little closer to him. “Why are you surprised?”

“Well, I probably shouldn’t be anymore. You are a very kind person. I saw a lot of the good things you’ve done for people. You don’t even expect anything in return.”

“I just want to help,” I said with a shrug. “That reminds me, are you hungry?”

“There’s plenty of blood in the fridge,” he said, giving an ugly glare at the said fridge.

I chuckled lightly. “But you hate it. Does it taste bad?”

“It’s all right… But you know how it is when you want a nice, hot cup of coffee, but all you get is something that’s been sitting in the fridge for days,” he said. “You’ll get the caffeine you need, but that’s it.”

“I see,” I said. “You can have mine if you want.”

“I shouldn’t,” he said, but his eyes turned immediately red.

“Yes, you should,” I said as I sat sideways next to him, leaning against his pillows and offering him my hand.

He looked up at me. “You are spoiling me. This is not necessary – I’ll get everything I need from the blood bags.”

“Well you almost died last night. I think you deserve a little bit of spoiling. Besides, I have enough blood. I think.”

He laughed lightly at my words, then looked down at my wrist. “If you really don’t mind…?”

“I really don’t,” I said encouragingly, bringing my wrist close to his lips.

“I won’t take much this time,” he promised.

He lifted his weak hand and touched the back of mine. I watched him closely when he started licking my skin, making it numb. I didn’t even blink when he grew out his fangs and bit into my wrist. I smiled when he closed his eyes, looking so pleased and happy with his treat…

I brushed a lock of his hair behind his ear to see his face better. He glanced at me but kept drinking at a slow pace, enjoying every mouthful before swallowing. We stared at each other for a long time. There was a lot going on in his eyes… I forgot myself and everything else when he looked at me like that. He made me want to learn everything I could about those different shades I could see dancing in those beautiful eyes…

He suddenly tossed his head back, gasping for air and licking his lips.

“Don’t let me get used to this,” he murmured, sounding breathless.

“What if I want you to…?” I asked just as quietly. “I mean what? Sure, of course… No more for you… This was just a… a special treat…”

He laughed and pulled my wrist back to lick off the blood that was running down my arm. He clearly forgot he wasn’t supposed to continue drinking. When he was done cleaning my skin, he bit into my wrist again. And I could only watch. There was something very special in that moment… Like we shared a connection when he drank my blood. His hold on my hand was growing a little bit stronger, and I enjoyed the fact that he was getting better just because of my blood.

And I truly enjoyed seeing how much he loved the taste of it.

When he finally was able to let me heal without making new wounds, he turned to look at me with shame written all over his face.

“I shouldn’t be drinking your blood,” he murmured, his eyes now blue again. “I’m too weak to control myself, it seems…”

“Don’t worry about it. My body can make more,” I said with a shrug. “You can have all you want.”

He shivered lightly. “I may accidentally kill you.”

“Yeah, don’t do that,” I said with a smirk, but he didn’t like how casually I said it. “You needed this to start getting better.”

He let out a sigh and turned to look at my hand. He was still holding it in his.

“I do feel a bit better again,” he murmured.

“Good,” I said, resting my head on his pillows. “You’ll be strong again.”

He turned his attention back to me, wiggled around a bit so he could see me better, and lay his head on the pillows as well.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “For everything. For saving me. For being so kind to me… For being here with me.”

I smiled at him and brushed his hair away from his face. Then I remembered how scared he’d been last night. I tried to imagine how I would feel if I’d nearly died a horrible, painful death after someone had tried to assassinate me, and I had absolutely no one to comfort me. Absolutely no one to even be there for me.

“Last night was traumatic for you as well,” I whispered.

He didn’t reply to me, but his answer was visible in his eyes. To think he was so lonely that he accepted the comfort of a complete stranger…

I pulled the heating blanket over him and lied back down.

“You’ll be all right,” I told him. “We’ll find a nice home for you, and I’ll help you with whatever you need, okay?”

He nodded.

“And you’ll be strong again,” I continued, resting my hand on his arm. “And this will be just a bad memory.”

He stayed silent, but his expression turned soft as he relaxed under the warm blanket.

“Try to get some sleep, okay? I’ll be here when you wake up,” I promised, and he nodded, closing his eyes.

I caressed his arm to let him know I was still there, and soon, he’d fallen asleep.