I paced frantically around the park, waiting for Brooke. I had to talk with her. I was riddled with guilt over the night before. I knew the blood lust was strong and made transforming vampires act crazy, but I couldn't believe that I had kissed Tanner.

Cliff was such a gentleman that he had only kissed my hand and head a few times. I had thrown myself at Tanner, when in my heart I loved Cliff. When I looked into Cliff's eyes, I knew every time that he was my destiny.

What if I had just ruined everything? What if I had broken the blessing? What was going to happen now? What if he decided that I wasn't worthy of him anymore?

I sat down on the bench, trying to compose myself. I thought for sure I would start crying.

Where was Brooke? I told her that I needed to talk to her, and she was taking so long to get here. I told her that it was serious and that I needed to talk to her privately.

I could feel the agitation building, so I got up and started pacing again. I passed under some large lamps, and they exploded as I passed underneath.

"What's going on?"

I turned around and saw Brooke. "What took you so long?" I demanded.

"I was in the middle of something, and came as quickly as I could," she replied. "I'm guessing you're not happy since I followed a trail of broken lights."

"I really need to talk to you. Right now."

"Do you want to talk here or somewhere else?"

"Let's just find somewhere secluded here at the park. I don't feel like having to wait any longer."

She looked at the broken glass along the path and said, "I can see that. Let's go over there by the woods. It looks nice and quiet."

"Let's go," I said and ran as fast as I could.

"You need to be careful not to do that around people," she said when she sat down. "Remember that we want to blend in."

"Look, you'll have plenty to lecture me about after I'm done talking. Can you lay off me for now?"

"Uh-oh, this doesn't sound good."

"You know that this desire for blood is severely overwhelming for me. I didn't have the luxury of being introduced one drop at a time so I could acclimate myself to it, like you did."

She nodded, looking worried.

"Well, I couldn't take it that first night, and that's how I figured out how to go through the wall. I ran and ran, hoping that would help, but it didn't." I went on to tell her about the murderous farmer, Tanner offering me his blood, how I wanted Amanda's blood, and finally what happened when I drank from Tanner instead.

"Lecture me, yell at me, or whatever you want. I deserve it all, but I doubt you could make me feel worse than I already do," I buried my face in my hands.

She didn't say anything. Nothing at all. That was worse than yelling at me.

"Please say something," I begged.

She turned to me her eyes ablaze. "Do you really want to know what I'm thinking?"

I felt about two inches tall. "I can probably guess."

"I'm trying to find the right thing to say because what I feel like saying isn't the right thing. I could tell you that I told you so, or I could yell at you for not telling me about all of this yesterday when I thought that we were having a heart to heart. I could yell at you for how much it's going to hurt Cliff when he finds out. Where do you want me to start?"

I sighed. "What am I supposed to do? Is there anything that I can do to make this right?"

"I certainly hope so," she said. "You're going to have to tell Cliff pretty soon though, because I can't hide it from him."

"You would tell him before I could?" I squealed.

"I wouldn't have to tell him. You guys can read my mind, remember?"

"You can't block certain information?"

"I can with you because you're inexperienced with mind reading. I can't with him because he's experienced and so powerful. Anyone descended from the Fyrsturae has much stronger gifts than any other vampire."

"Does it help that I have never felt worse about anything in all of my life?"

"It doesn't matter what I think," she replied. "Cliff loves you with a love like no other. He will undoubtedly be crushed."

"That's the worst part of this whole thing." I burst into tears. "As soon as I realized what I did, I felt completely horrible. I can't stand it, and that's why I called you."

"Since you want my opinion, here it is. I think that you should tell Cliff as soon as possible. The worst thing you can do is to hide it from him. Show him that you want to do the honorable thing and let him know that you will do anything to make it right."

"That's probably the best thing to do," I admitted.

"I'm going to go purchase some fabric for my next round of clothes for the rebellious princess. Why don't you use that time to go talk to Cliff?"

I nodded, as more tears ran down my face.

Heart pounding, I knocked on the door, and Cliff answered. His face lit up when he saw me. "I didn't know that you were coming over. What an excellent surprise."

I looked into his eyes for a second, hoping that I would be allowed to look into them again.

"Can we talk?" I asked.

His eyes filled with concern. "Is something the matter?"

I bit my lip, took a deep breath and nodded.

"Come on in. We can talk in the backyard where it's quiet."

We walked in silence and sat down under a shady tree.

"What's the matter, my princess?" he asked. The sweeter he was, the worse I felt.

"I've been having more blood cravings," I began. "I made a bad decision about how to resolve those unbearable cravings."

He nodded for me to continue.

"Tanner told me about how Samantha used to use him as a human volunteer and he said that it helped him with his football game somehow." I was so nervous that as I kept talking, my voice grew quieter with each word. I looked at him to see a reaction, but he had a poker face. "I was so desperate for blood, and I didn't want to kill anyone…" I sighed.

"So you used him as a human volunteer?"

I gulped. "Yes and it did help. I was able to focus and live my life normally without the horrible desire for blood screaming at me from every cell of my body."

His face showed jealousy, and then softened. "Okay, well, I guess I can't blame you for that. I haven't done anything yet to provide for your blood needs. Next time just tell me, and we'll figure something out, okay?"

"I need to tell you more," I whispered.

He stopped. "More?"

My lower lip quivered, and I nodded my head.

"Go ahead."

"I don't know what overcame me," I started slowly. "It must have had something to do with the blood because I definitely wasn't thinking. It wasn't me at all."

"What. Happened?"

"Please don't hate me. Please," I begged. "We kissed."

He jumped up from where he was sitting. "He kissed you? I'll kill him. I've never killed a human, but I will make an exception this once."

I stood up and grabbed his hand. "No, Cliff. I kissed him."

The look of hurt in his eyes was enough to kill me inside. Tears streamed down my face. "I'm so, so sorry. I hate myself for it."

"You kissed him?" His eyes were ablaze. "You? How could you do this to me?" His teeth had grown larger and sharp, and his nostrils flared.

My heart pounded faster than ever before. "I don't know. I didn't know what I was doing. It just happened. I'm so sorry. I'll do anything to make it right. Anything."

"I have spent all of these years waiting for you, never taking my thoughts off you once. I didn't even allow my thoughts to be unfaithful to you. Trust me when I say the opportunities were there. They were plentiful, Alexis." He stared into my eyes.

"I don't know what overcame me," I said, still crying. "I wasn't even thinking. It happened before I knew what was going on."

"I would have understood you kissing someone else when you had no memories of me. I expected that, actually. I thought that I would find that you had already fallen in love with some human. But now? Now. After we've reunited, and you remembered all that we had before and know everything that lies in front of us."

"I hate myself for what I did. I really do. But I had to come clean with you as soon as possible. If I didn't care, I would have hidden it from you. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

"Do you have any idea how much I love you? The burning passion that lives within me. It consumes me, but I have been raised properly, so I have barely touched you since we reunited. Then you go and do this."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Leave this house."

"What? I—"

"I said leave! I will call you when I have calmed down. I don't want to do or say anything that I will later regret. I am going to use some self-control, even though you don't know anything about that."

I gasped.

"Leave my sight now."

I got up with tears streaming down my face. I ran out of the yard and through the house, slamming the front door on my way out.

I had been in my room crying for a while, when there was a knock on my door.

"Go away," I called, between sobs.

As was customary in my house, my request was ignored, and the door opened. Natalie walked in and said, "I could hear you in my room over my music. What's going on?"

"Didn't you hear me say go away?" I asked. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Too bad," she said, sitting down. "I care about you and I want to help."

I sighed and knew that she wouldn't leave until I told her something. I said, "Cliff and I had a fight."

"You two?" she asked. "I can't imagine that. What happened?"

"That is exactly what I don't want to talk about."

"I won't tell anyone," she promised.

"Why would I tell you when you don't tell me about your love life?" I asked.

"Who said that I have a love life?" she asked.

"You're trying to tell me that as one of the most popular girls in the school, you don't have a love life? You expect me to believe that?"

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"I know that you're keeping your boyfriend a secret," I told her. "I don't want to share my secrets with you if you don't trust me with yours."

She looked at me in surprise. "What makes you think that I have a boyfriend?"

"What's Braydon then?" I asked.

There was no masking the surprise that was all over her face. "How did you know about Braydon? Did you read my mind again?"

"That's definitely not how I found out about Braydon."

"Nobody knows about him. I haven't even told Sydney. How did you know?"

I was relieved that the subject had changed to her. I didn't want to think about Cliff or the possibility that I had ruined the best thing that had happened to me.

"We're sisters, right?" I asked. "You agreed that we have a special connection."

"Don't give me that. If that was the case, you would figure out that I have a secret boyfriend but you wouldn't know his name."

She had me there. "Maybe I read your diary."

She glared at me. "I know that's not possible anymore. I made sure of that after finding out you read it last year."

"You knew about that?"

"You're not the only smart one around here. I may not be a genius, but I'm not dumb either. I play just dumb enough to be able to use it to my advantage. There's a secret of mine, now tell me yours. How did you find out about Braydon?"

I took a deep breath, thinking about how much I could safely tell her.

"Wait a minute," she said, interrupting my thoughts. "Was that you in the field the other night?"

The look of shock on my face said everything that I didn't.

"That was you? But how…what…? I don't understand." Her face held a mixture of embarrassment and confusion. "That's just not possible."

"I wasn't trying to spy on you or anything like that," I told her. "I was just sitting in that tree, thinking about…life. Then you two showed up, and I wanted to leave and give you guys privacy, but I couldn't get away unnoticed. So I tried not to pay attention to what you were doing or saying, but I couldn't help notice the smell wafting up to me or the heated tones."

"I can't believe that you know about all of that."

"Believe me. I haven't had a lot of time to think about it. I've had enough going on in my own life. I wanted to make sure that you were okay, but I haven't had the time aside from just asking you how you were doing."

"How did you…? In that field, I mean. It was like you weren't even human. I thought it was like a…a…I don't know what I thought."

"It's pretty complicated," I admitted. "I don't even know if you would believe me."

"Considering that it was you the other night, I think I could believe just about anything," she said, looking at me.

I took a deep breath. "I found out about my birth parents and that was just the beginning of some really intense craziness."

"Does it have to do with the mind reading and the exploding glass too?"

"Yeah, it does."

"Well, you have to tell me. I've been so curious because it's obvious you were adopted. I can't believe you kept this from me."

I smiled. "It is so crazy and I didn't even believe it at first. Just promise me that you won't tell anyone, even if you don't believe what I'm going to tell you."

"You're still my sister even if you're not blood related."

My heart started racing as I thought about how to come out and say that I was becoming a vampire. I had images of her laughing at me or slapping me.

"Come on already, spit it out. I can't take the suspense."

"Okay, sorry. Well, when I was about three years old, I was taken from my birth parents in the middle of the night by someone who knew our parents. The people who took me were trying to protect me, and they…told our parents not to tell anyone."

She looked at me with disbelief. "You've got to be leaving stuff out there. It doesn't make sense."

I was testing the waters to see how she would react before announcing that I was a mythical, blood-sucking creature of the night.

"You're right," I admitted. "They actually changed Mom and Dad's memories and gave them that story about the flood. That's why our parents are so adamant about the flood and me being their daughter."

"Seriously?" Her eyes were so wide that I was afraid they would pop out of her head. "That's insane, but it actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Tell me more."

"What do you want to know about?" I asked.

"How were the people who took you able to change mom and dad's memories? Was it some kind of drug or something?"

"No, it wasn't a drug…."

"Did they threaten them? Did they scare them so bad that they couldn't remember the real past?"

"No, they didn't use…."

"Was it the mafia? Are you a mafia baby?"

"Well, it's something like that."

"It all makes sense now," she exclaimed. "Why you would be stolen and given away, and why our parents can't remember the truth. It's just like a movie."

I didn't know whether to laugh or be frustrated. I also didn't know whether to leave it at that or tell her the even crazier truth.

Her phone buzzed. She looked at it and said, "I have to talk to Sydney but before I do, I have to tell you this. Whatever you do, don't act needy with Cliff. I don't know what you two fought about, but I can tell you that guys hate that needy stuff. You have to act all tough and put together, or they feel trapped and push you away further. It won't get you anywhere. We'll finish this discussion later, mafia baby." She winked at me and left the room, already engrossed in her cell phone.

We would definitely have to finish that conversation. I couldn't have her believing that I was a mafia baby.

I realized that I hadn't touched my homework all weekend, so I got started because I was sure that my grades were already starting to slip. I was beginning to care a lot less though. If I was going to run the vampire world, my high school education wasn't going to help out that much.

The next morning, I was getting ready for school when I suddenly felt that I wasn't alone. I was almost getting used to that. Almost.

I turned around to see Brooke sitting on my bed.

"I haven't been bad," I told her. "I haven't snuck out at all, and I haven't had any blood."

"That's not what I'm here about," she replied.

I sighed. "What is it?"

"Have you seen Cliff?" she asked.

"Not since yesterday. He told me to get out of his sight, so I did. I spent the rest of the day in my room crying, and then I did homework. I was hoping that he would call because he said he would call when he calmed down. Why do you ask?"

"He's gone," she told me.

"What? What do you mean he's gone?" I demanded.

"When I got home last night, he wasn't there and nobody else had seen him either. He didn't return last night, and he's still gone."

"Did he tell anyone where he was going?"

"No, and he didn't leave any notes either," she said and then looked me in the eyes. "He must be extremely upset. You really hurt him."

I looked at my lap. "I know I did. You don't need to make me feel worse."

"Don't you get it?" she exclaimed. "He's gone. Nobody knows where he is, Alexis. This is not about you or your feelings. He hasn't even contacted his parents. Nobody knows where he is."

"Does he usually tell his parents where he is?"

"He keeps in close contact with them. They are not only his parents, but also his superiors, because he is learning from them how to lead our kind. He only ever took off without telling them one other time, and that was when he was in his transition."

"He probably just went somewhere to think," I said. "He needs some space."

"No kidding, Alexis. But the problem is that he hasn't even bothered to contact anyone about his location. If you happen to see him or hear from him, text me immediately."

"I will," I promised.

She looked at me, and her face softened. "I know you're worried and I know that you love him. You didn't mean to hurt him. There's no doubt about that, and I know that you didn't want any of this to happen. Don't be too hard on yourself. I truly can't imagine what it would be like to be exposed to blood in the way that you were. If you need any blood, let me know and I'll get you some."

I nodded, with a tear running down my face.

"Be strong. You're going to be queen someday, so use this as training for that."

"Okay," I whispered.

She went through my wall and was gone.

I turned around and looked at the beautiful face staring back at me in the mirror. Life was so much simpler when I was boring and unattractive. That wasn't the course I was meant for, however. I was destined for greatness, and I hoped that I wouldn't ruin it for myself or my people.

I sighed and told the girl in the mirror, "You've got to pull yourself together and stop acting like you have been. There is too much at stake and so much to learn. Get it together."

I searched for Cliff at school, but he was not there. There were a few spots where he would usually hang out in the mornings to meet me, but he was in none of those places. Each time I saw one of the spots empty, I felt pangs of disappointment and guilt.

I moped through my classes, barely paying attention and avoiding people as much as possible. I didn't feel like talking to anyone, and I was sure that if I did, I would most likely start crying.

At one point, I almost ran into Hailey and Emma but I saw them and ducked into a classroom before they saw me. I was sure that on any other day I could handle them just fine, but on this day I was not so sure of myself.

They still considered themselves my arch enemies. I hadn't had the time to figure out what they were plotting, and I wanted to be ready before talking to them, at least while I was in this frame of mind.

I could feel myself getting depressed as I started to feel more and more like a huge chunk of myself had been ripped from me. Nothing else mattered except finding Cliff and making everything right.

As I was entering the combination for my locker to get ready to go home for the day, someone said from behind me, "Hi there, I haven't seen you all day. Where have you been hiding?"

I whipped around only to see Tanner. "Oh, it's you. Would you go away? I'm really not in the mood."

"That's not what you were saying a couple nights ago," he grinned.

"Look Tanner, that was a mistake. It had everything to do with my new, intense cravings, and I didn't mean it. It wasn't even me."

"Oh, it was definitely you. It was the best you that I've ever seen. You finally quit being all stuffy and had some real passion for a change."

I sighed. "It was a mistake. It's not going to happen again. I'm going get some bagged blood or something, so I won't need your services anymore."

"Whoa. Wait a minute—don't be so hasty. We can do this without any affection. I need this as much as you do. We had an agreement."

"I shouldn't have agreed to it in the first place. I'm sorry I haven't been myself at all since…well, since you did this to me. No, I'm not sorry. Go find someone else to help you out."

"You'll be back. I know you will. Text me when you change your mind. I'll meet you anywhere, anytime."

"Fantastic," I replied. "Be sure to hold your breath while you wait." I slammed my locker shut and stormed off.

I almost ran into Amanda while I was speeding towards my car.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked. "You were acting strange the other night and now you've been avoiding me. Did I do something to offend you?"

"No, I'm sorry. I've been really preoccupied because Cliff and I had a fight. I can't get my mind off of it. He didn't even come to school today."

"Oh no," she replied. "Can I do anything?"

My lips shook, and I shook my head no.

"Let me know if you want me to take you out for dessert or coffee or something. I wouldn't even mind if you were quiet the whole time."

"Thanks, Amanda. You're a true friend. I don't feel like doing much of anything right now, but I'll give you a call if that changes."

"If you're still mopey tomorrow, then I'm taking you out for dessert whether you want to or not."

I half smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

I drove to Brooke's house, hoping and praying that Cliff had returned or had contacted someone. I hadn't received any texts, so I didn't expect that to be a reality.

Inside, Brooke, Steve and I sat in the living room, and I was reminded of that horrible afternoon when I blacked out from the intensity of that headache.

"So nobody has even heard anything from him?" I asked.

"Nothing," Steve said. "This is so unlike him."

I buried my face into my hands. "What have I done?"

"We know that he is extremely intelligent, and he's a top fighter, so at least we don't have to worry too much about his safety," Brooke said. "He can take care of himself and then some."

"Isn't there anything that I can do?" I asked. "We have a special connection. It seems like there would be something that I could do that nobody else could."

"Like what?" Brooke asked.

"I'd say you pretty much lost the rights to that 'special connection,' wouldn't you?" Steve asked.

"I made one mistake," I said. "I know it was a horrible mistake, but it was still a mistake. If I didn't have to deal with this horribly intense desire for blood, nothing would have happened in the first place."

"Or if you would have talked to us we could have helped you get blood," Steve retorted.

"Maybe I would have felt like I could—if you guys hadn't locked me in a room like a criminal."

"If you could figure out how to go through a wall, you could have gone through to the house instead of outside to act like a savage."

"I didn't know how until I went through that wall on the outside. By then I was already outside."

"You could have knocked on the door and someone would have gotten you."

"Maybe you should have left me a note instead of letting me wake up locked in a strange room all by myself. Or better yet not locking me in a room by myself."

"Enough, you two." Brooke looked back and forth between the two of us. "Arguing isn't going to find him. There were mistakes on both sides, and we're going to all have to answer for our own mistakes."

"Who do we have to answer to?" I asked.

"Your parents, of course," Steve said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm pretty sure that they will find me the victim in all of this," I told him.

"You don't know them too well, do you?" Steve asked with a smirk.

"How would I, since I haven't seen them since I was so young?" I demanded. "Everybody has been so busy all of these years trying to 'protect' me that it's all turned around to work against me now. If I would have known what I was, I would have been prepared for this transition. I would know what to expect, and it would be a lot more natural. Instead, everything catches me by surprise, and I haven't a clue about anything. You've all left me to figure this out on my own."

"It's clear that you see yourself as the victim," Steve muttered.

I narrowed my eyes. "Easy for you say. You haven't gone through what I have. I grew up not even knowing who or what I was. Now I