When everyone got out of the car, he got in and drove away. The rest entered the bar from the back, the dark-haired boy went towards the bartender, and Clare and Jayden went to her apartment, which was upstairs. They climbed the old wooden stairs. The corridor was wide, with a high ceiling and a dark parquet floor. They entered the apartment. Clare went to her bedroom to get something and came back quickly.

"Go wash up," she gave him his clothes and pointed to the bathroom. Jayden nodded and did as she told him. When he saw himself in the mirror he wanted to break it, so he threw away his clothes and took a quick bath. He put on the clothes Clare gave him. Surprisingly, they fit him. Navy blue hoodie and black jeans. He looked at himself in the mirror with disgust, put his head to it, and felt tears flowing. After a few minutes, when he stopped crying, he left the bathroom and sat at the table. Tea and sandwiches were waiting for him. Clare came out of the other room and changed into a light T-shirt and shorts. Her hair was loose. They almost reached halfway down her back. She sat down next to him.

"Eat" she smiled at him, Jayden looked at the food but had no intention of eating.

"I'm not hungry," he replied quietly. Clare patted him on the back.

"I think you are." She looked into his eyes, the boy felt warmth on his cheeks and took the sandwich. He slowly started eating.

"As for your family," she began quietly, "don't worry, they're all alive." Jayden looked at her in disbelief. He put the sandwich down, "but... it'll be better if they forget about this incident."

"I almost killed them" he replied, feeling anger, regret, and sadness "I don't know what happened to me, I wanted to kill them" his voice broke at the end. The tears started flowing again. “My body…it didn't listen to me at all…”

"See, it's not your fault" She looked blankly at the wall "It's my fault" the boy looked at her with a grimace. This whole situation was beyond him, he felt like he was having a nightmare.

"Then maybe you can explain it to me," he replied roughly. "Explain everything to me!" he stood up, screaming at the girl, he felt tears flowing down his cheeks but he didn't care "It's your fault! It all started with you!" he screamed, the boy sat down, crying loudly "I lost everything" he repeated quietly. Clare sat and watched him, unfazed.

"Yes, it's all because of me," she began coldly, "I could have let..." She took a deep breath, she was irritated, but she knew that what had happened would never go away. She made this choice consciously, knowing the consequences. She could have let him die, but she didn't. She felt insecure and bad about it, because of her the boy almost lost his family, lost his old life.

"Listen," she started again, still watching Jayden, "in that park, you were attacked by a vampire, he almost killed you," she remembered the boy's penetrating gaze from that moment, "and I used that vampire's blood to hurt you... for you to survive," Clare felt she felt guilty for ruining his life, she knew that if she had finished with the vampire sooner, it would never have happened. She had no right to say that she saved him, she knew perfectly well how he felt. She looked at the boy, he was still crying, and his head was on the counter and hidden behind his hands. "It's my fault this happened, so... I'll take care of you, Jayden."

"What if I don't want to?" the young man glared at her, his eyes a mixture of red and gold; it was obvious that he blamed her for everything "You turned me into a murderer... a monster, and now you're telling me about some vampires?!" he stood up, banging his fists on the table, his voice filled with anger and regret. "I hate you! You ruined my life!" he moved towards the door but Clare grabbed his hand, preventing him from taking another step. Jayden tried to break free from her grip, but it was to no avail. The girl stood up, still holding him. She looked at him reprimandingly, her gaze like a dagger that pierced him through and through.

"Listen to me...or will you get kicked out again and try to kill someone?" the girl said coldly to him, grabbing the nearest knife. She cut her hand in a quick movement, bleeding heavily. Jayden flinched, his vision darkening again, all he could see was the blood on her hand. The boy had no control over himself at all, he threw himself at Clare, pinning her body to the floor with his. His eyes glowed red. His mind was in chaos, some instinct guided him. He grabbed her injured hand and brought it to his mouth, he was about to bite it but stopped, shaking.

“Mine…mine” he heard quietly in his head. He got scared. He looked at her, his golden eyes filled with sadness.

"What is happening with me?" he asked quietly, looking at the girl, he regained consciousness to some extent but he still had no control over his body, which was crying out for blood "I feel... that something is controlling me... there is something inside me... something bad"

"You're changing," Clare replied dispassionately, never taking her eyes off the boy, "I told you, you're not human anymore," she added calmly. Jayden put his head on her shoulder, crying, slowly hugging her. They lay like that for a long time. She waited for him to cool down, for him to calm down. She felt awkward when he didn't hug her. Clare has never been a person who likes to show her emotions, she never knew how to behave in such situations. She slowly placed her hand on his head, trying to act natural. In this situation, she would like to push him off her, she wouldn't let him hug her at all, and she wasn't his mother or friend. She cursed in her mind. Finally, Jayden awkwardly stood up and sat down at the table, and she did the same. There was an awkward silence for another moment. The boy was the first to speak.

"So," he began quietly, not knowing what to say, another silence fell between them, "let's just say...I believe you," Jayden finished his statement quietly and hesitantly, looking at the table, and avoiding her eyes. He heard a loud sigh.

"I guess you don't have much of a choice" The girl kept her eyes on him the whole time "You're a vampire, Jayden. You can't turn back time" Her voice seemed sad and her eyes were distant. The boy looked at the floor, not understanding what she was saying to him, he didn't want to hear or understand it. He wanted to close his eyes and wake up from this nightmare "Jayden, I can't take it back but" her voice was firm "I am responsible for it, that's why I will do everything to help you. You will not be alone, ever" the blonde looked at her surprised. For some reason, he trusted her even though he didn't know her. He felt warmth in his heart. He smiled slightly, her words calming him down. From the very beginning when he met her, he felt as if they had known each other for a long time.

"Thank you," he said quietly, looked at her shyly, and saw her warm smile that made him feel like time had stood still. The setting sun illuminated her mahogany hair, which fell to her shoulders. Jayden blushed and looked down. He heard her soft laughter.

"Jayden" Clare crouched down in front of him, showing her hand with dried blood, the boy moved away in disgust, and she grabbed him with her other hand, "You have to do this if you want to survive" she continued to watch him.

"But I..." the boy began hesitantly, he crouched down and looked at her hand, he felt his body demanding the blood, "I don't know... I'm afraid." In his head, he remembered what happened to his family, how he almost killed them. . Clare placed her hand on his cheek, smiling softly. Jayden didn't know what to do, no girl had ever done something like that. The boy had always been shy and embarrassed about his appearance, especially his height. He fell in love many times but never had the courage to confess his feelings. He dreamed of meeting his other half who would accept him as he is, but it never happened. He tried many times to change to be more open and more confident, but this also failed. Therefore, he had no idea how to behave in this situation. He looked at her and then the girl became slightly nervous, it was obvious that she felt awkward too.

"Just...listen to yourself," she said, embarrassed, "don't be afraid for me," she added quickly, turning her head away and putting her hand closer to his mouth. The young man slowly brought his mouth to her hand, felt his heartbeat, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. His body knew what to do. He gently touched her hand and dug in his fangs. He felt disgusted with himself and at the same time, he felt happy. Her blood made him happy for a moment. His eyes flashed red. He felt warm inside. He felt emotions he had never felt before. And the source of it was Clare. By the second he was starting to want more than just her wrist. His eyes reacted to his emotions and began to shine brighter. He looked at her. He felt like he was starting to lose control. He looked at her more and more dominatingly. Thoughts that he couldn't control began to appear in his head. He wanted more. Much more. Clare looked at him firmly, she wasn't afraid. The voice he had heard before, he felt that even though it was silent, it was still with him. And he was crying out for blood. Her blood. Her.

“Jayden,” she moved her hand slightly. At that moment he jumped back, disgusted with himself.

"I…I…I don't know what's happening…what's happening to me," he said, more to himself than to her. There was fear on his face "It's like...my body is not my own...I can't control it. I feel all those urges...those emotions...that voice" he almost whispered the last part.

"It's an instinct. Unfortunately, I don't know much about vampires, their instincts, and how to control those urges, but I know one thing. A vampire on hunger is a dangerous vampire." She approached him slowly, still looking at him. He was running away from her gaze. "Don't worry. I won't let you lose control. Let your blood control you. Since you're already a vampire, I'll do everything to make you the best of them," she added confidently. Jayden looked at her and her confident smile. He nodded.

"Okay...I trust you, Clare." Deep down he was terrified but he had no choice. She was his only option, the only person he could trust now. At least that was what he hoped.