It was my turn to question, and so I would ask him everything I could. Only then I would decide if he is lying or telling the truth. I decided I would at least let him try and explain.

"Okay," I said, peering at him questioningly. Pausing for a moment, I thought of something to say. Then I remembered how blood and genetics works. "Say, theoretically of course, that your dad really is a vampire, would you be a vampire too?"

"No," he replied. "Not a Pure Blood, at least. But I still have some defining qualities of a vampire." I searched his face and eyes for any chance that he was fibbing. I was unable to detect any sign – he didn't twitch, or stumble over his words – that he was being untruthful. His face was still set in that same mask; he looked very sure of himself.

"What qualities are you referring to?"

"Why don't you take a guess?" It seemed as if he didn't want to tell me; maybe he thought I would get scared, or spit in his face and run back to the house.

"Do you drink blood? Do you live forever? Do you want to kill me? Have you planned to lure me here for the past two weeks just so you could suck the blood out of me?" I tried to make my voice teasing, but it came out slightly superstitious instead.

He forced a chuckle before answering my questions. "I do drink blood—" he said, but he must have seen my eyes widen, and my mouth drop open with alarm, because he added, "but don't worry, as a half-breed, my diet composes of both blood, and human food. And I have much more self-control than the Pure Bloods."

"Much more control? As in you still get... thirsty?" I wasn't sure if that was the correct word to use, and I felt extremely self-conscious as he bit his lip in attempt to stop a smile.

"Occasionally, but it is much easier to resist for me. That is why when my dad attacked you after you started bleeding from the glass cuts - he couldn't control himself, and he immediately started drinking your blood."

"That makes sense," thinking of the fire that burnt in my wrist that night – pain that overtook everything, made the other pains else feel like a dull ache in the background.

Jake nodded, seemingly happy with my calm response and sudden acceptance. But I wasn't fully sold on the story.

"So you don't find it difficult to be near me, then?"

"No." He was certain of it. It made me immensely happy knowing that it wasn't difficult for him to be in my presence.

"What are your other similarities to... Vampires?" It felt stupid using the word, but he didn't look the slightest bit fazed.

"Well, I have photographic memory, extreme speed and strength, and obviously the... ability... to live off blood." He counted off each of the similarities on his fingers, looking up at the sky in deep thought. "Oh, and that I can live for a few hundred years without ageing."

I nodded along at each of these points, then stopped short at the last one.

"You're immortal?" My voice was raised by an octave, and I stopped breathing completely.

"No," he said in a calming tone, noticing my surprise. "But I will stop ageing once I turn eighteen, and can live a few centuries. But I will die after about half a millennial. The oldest Half-Blood died at the age of seven-hundred-and-twenty-three."

"Oh." I felt something swell in my stomach, and my chest felt knotted with emotion. I felt a sudden sadness, or heartache even – and clutched my hair with both hands. I away from him, not wanting him to see my sorrow. I really liked Jake, and I knew that his... situation... meant that we couldn't be together.

I jumped as his sudden touch sent a flare through my arm. He twisted me around so my body was just inches from his, and cupped my cheeks in his hands. He looked deep into my eyes, his hands feeling so warm on my face.

"Please don't feel disheartened." His voice was barely above a whisper, and I could hear the urgency behind his voice. "There is still something more I must tell you."

"What other things about you must I know? That I can't see you anymore because your dangerous? You might accidentally hurt me if we're together?" My voice broke at the end of my sentence, but I kept pushing forward. "I already know that. But I don't want you to avoid me..." My voice trailed off, unable to finish that sentence.

His face dropped, his features furrowed together in some sort of pain. He dropped his hands and flinched away from me. "You think I'm dangerous? That I might hurt you?"

Nodding was all I was able to get my body to do at this moment.

He sighed, and his eyes turned urgent. "I would never hurt you. Don't you remember what I just told you? I have much more control over myself than vampires, and have never even considered the idea of drinking from your blood. The only time I had ever let my instincts win over my control was when I was a child – when I was just learning. But I have taught self-control - and you should know I'm very good at it - and haven't harmed a human in more than half my life."

Tears brimmed in my eyes as I didn't know what to say. My cheeks still felt warm, even after he wasn't touching me anymore. I looked down at the ground, and swiped away a tear that dared to escape.

So it was true then. His dad is a Vampire. A monster. And he's half of that monster.

I felt slightly guilty for comparing Jake to a monster, and I remembered that children don't have to follow in the footsteps of their parents. Perhaps Jake was a nice monster.

Smiling at that thought, I looked up to see Jake beginning to smile to, the corners of his mouth turning upwards.

"Please don't be scared. I don't want you to be scared of me – I value your friendship too much." My heart swelled with emotion, and I felt instantly grateful for his kindness. "But," he continued, "that isn't want I wanted to talk you about."

I looked up, curious and eager to hear what he had to say. "I'm not the only fairy tale creature—" he smiled at is use of words— "that lives in this world."

My eyebrows furrowed into a v shape, and my mouth dropped at the corners. "What are you talking about? There are more?"

He chuckled "Yeah – Witches, Shapeshifters, and... Angels..." He looked down at me more intently as he mentioned angels, and I looked back up, drowning in astoundment.

"All of these creatures... they've all been disguising as humans? But... how?"

"What do you mean?" He sounded confused.

"Like, how have we never known? And how do then even... exist?" I examined his face, hoping I didn't offend him, but he didn't look upset.

"Well, firstly, there are strict laws in place for us mythical creatures – exposing ourselves can lead to execution—"

"—WHAT?" I cut him off, my heart thrumming anxiously against my chest. "But... I know! I know what you are, and you have told me everything!"

"Shh," he soothed, placing a hand on my arm. "They aren't going to execute me – you're... different." I noticed the way he stumbled over his sentence, and he looked at me cautiously, as if waiting for me to realise something. "The people in charge of all mythical creatures dispose of any traitors, so we are very careful to conceal our true identities. Besides, we all look pretty much human anyways, so as long as we can control our instincts, we're okay."

I was still nervous that he might have told me more than he should have, despite him comforting me that he won't get into trouble.

"As for your second question," he continued, "evolution, I suppose. I mean, how did people exist? You evolved from animals – we probably did too." He cracked a smile, and his voice turned teasing. "Maybe I evolved from a shark."

"Probably," I agreed, before joining his teasing. "The Shapeshifters from chameleons, Witches from snakes, and Angels from birds." I smiled at the thought. The idea of it was rather beautiful, really.

"So," I prompted. "Have you ever met any other mythical things? Other than the Vampires, I mean."

His simile started to dissolve as he hesitantly answered this question. "Yes. I've met all of the others - we have something similar of a sixth sense that helps us scope out the others - and obviously, I come across vampires quite a fair bit. But I've come across quite a few of the others... Angels especially." I noticed how he lowered his voice, so I prompted for him to continue.

"Angels...?"

"You've met one, too. In fact, you were quite close with him."

"Huh? I've met an angel?" I wasn't sure if I had misunderstood his question, but he nodded. "Like, at school?"

His head changed direction and he shook it instead. "You spent almost every day with him.."

"Spent... past tense?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

Jacob released me from his gaze, and turned away. I could barely hear his voice, and it trembled slightly. "Your dad."

My breath hitched, locking tight in my chest, and for a moment, I was certain my heart had stopped altogether. "Wh—what?" The word barely escaped my lips, more of a whisper than a sound.

Jake turned slightly, glancing over his shoulder, his eyes scanning my face for a reaction. But I couldn't give him one—not really. The world tilted beneath me, vision flickering in and out like a faulty light switch. My pulse thundered in my ears, drowning out everything else.

The same phrase looped in my mind, over and over, like a song stuck on repeat.

My dad is an Angel.

My dad is an Angel.

A real-life Angel.

And I had no idea what to do with that truth.

"Kay?" Jacob said, unsure of what to do.

"I don't... I can't believe... dad... Angel?"

"Your dad was an Angel," Jake repeated, his voice slow and deliberate, like he was explaining something impossible to a child. There was a firm gentleness to it, as if the words themselves could shatter me.

My legs buckled beneath me, and I crumpled into the grass, my knees hitting the earth hard. The world spun violently, blurring in and out like a broken reel of film. My head swayed, and for a terrifying second, I didn't know if I was going to pass out.

But then Jake was there—already kneeling beside me, steadying my shoulders with his warm, solid hands, like he'd been ready for me to fall.

"It's okay, Kaitlin. I know this is a shock—I shouldn't have dropped all that on you like this—"

"It's okay." I didn't want him to feel guilty. Even though I was barely holding onto consciousness, teetering somewhere between reality and shock, I was grateful he'd told me. It still didn't feel real, but I appreciated the truth.

"No, it's not. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said anything—"

"I'm glad you did."

"Well, you shouldn't be." The sudden sharpness in his voice made me freeze, my next words catching in my throat. He closed his eyes and took a breath before softening his tone. "Sorry for snapping. And sorry for telling you like this—it's a lot to take in."

"You know I would've kept bugging you about it until you told me anyway."

"I know. And I would've told you... eventually." He pushed his bottom lip out slightly, sulking. "But I should've eased you into it—spread it out over a few days."

"Yeah... that probably would've been a good idea," I agreed. "But I'm glad you told me today. Even if I now have a billion trillion questions—and you're just going to have to deal with me being completely annoying until I get all the answers."

My voice came out brighter than expected, almost excited, and it made him smile. A small dimple appeared on his left cheek, like a reward.

But I had to say it out loud, just to be sure. "Your dad's a vampire," I murmured, mostly to myself. "And my dad's an angel."

We both fell silent, letting the weight of that truth settle between us. Then it hit me. I froze, the realisation crashing into me like a tidal wave.

That must mean I'm a...

No way.

My thoughts spun into a sickening spiral of darkness, the edges of my vision closing in. Within seconds, everything went black.