For the first time, the wolf obeyed. She grudgingly pulled herself up and escaped into the trees again, seeking protection from the full moon and the twinkling stars. Once Adelina had safely limped back to her home, she let herself crawl through the open window and collapse on her bed. The wolf form finally let her free, and she groaned in pain as she shifted back to her other form. There were cuts and bruises all over her body, and every last inch of her was covered in dirt. She breathed heavily and rolled off the bed, onto the floor. She moaned in pain as she crawled over to the bathroom. She slid her way into the cool tub and crumpled into a ball, letting the porcelain cool off her blazing hot skin. She kept repeating a charm her mother had once taught her to fend off the pain, and let the mantra ease her into a deep sleep as death curled it’s fingers around the humans of her town.

Lucian breathed deeply after killing a tall man that had crossed his path. He shook his head, thinking of how close he had come to killing Adelina, and he knew what had once started out in a game to do just that had turned into something different, and he couldn't stand not knowing what that was. He growled angrily and dropped the body, not being at all clean with it. It wasn't his M.O. at all, not cleanly killed, just dead...blood had dripped onto the sidewalk, staining the surface forever and he guessed someone would probably get the sense to replace the block of pavement. He licked the blood from his lips and looked at his white shirt that had been torn in battle, stained by not only black ooze that had once been his blood, but by the man's blood he'd just murdered. "I'm no better than that monster, am I?" he mused to himself, walking back towards 'home' but stopping half way there. Why go back? Why not just keep walking? With no answer, he kept walking away from that house, away from her.

Adelina dreamt of him in her sleep. Him fighting against her, his fangs grazing her throat as she struggled to get away. But the dreams turned into something else. Soon he wasn’t an attacking beast, he was sweet and gentle. He was holding her, like all was right in the world. It was like there was no end to Lucian. He seemed to be everywhere. And the only thing she wanted was him out of her mind. She was grateful when she woke up, her cuts all healed and her bruises all gone. She took a quick shower, letting the boiling hot water ease the soreness out of her muscles. She threw on some clothes and let her hair air dry. Her dad was still asleep when she left the house, and she let him stay that way. Let the asshole get himself up, she commented internally. I’m no use to him and he’s of no use to me.

She walked the short distance to school at a slow pace, letting the sun rejuvenate her soul. The feeling of being rid of that beast was as amazing and wonderful as it could be. As she walked into the school, she narrowly avoided hitting multiple people head-on. She strolled into the classroom and avoided looking up to the front of the room at all costs. She sat at her corner again, this time taking out a new book. She had avoided grabbing one that had anything to do with the supernatural and the monsters of the earth, and she sunk deep into its rich romance. But something kept tugging at the back of her mind, telling her to perk her ears and listen for his entrance, to strain every one of her senses to look for him, but she just buried her nose deeper into her book and set herself apart from the rest of the world.

Lucian froze at the entrance of the school. Did he want to go in? He didn't know. It wasn't appropriate of him to just miss work on his second day. It's not a real job, though. It was just a ploy, a game, a play. Nothing more, then, at least... Now what was it? He didn't enjoy the attention, and he didn't enjoy teaching ignorant children falsehoods, but Adelina made him want to come back. Adelina... He didn't know what he wanted to do with her anymore. The original goal seemed moot point now that he hadn't killed her when the chance so obviously presented itself, but what was it now? He could chalk it up to simply wanting to do it himself, not to allow a whim within him take care of it, but actually enjoying it like he used to. Fact of the matter was, he didn't enjoy killing since he met her. They were on survival, not a game, and this "game", as it had started out, was no longer something he had control over. It wasn't even a game, it was a puzzle. Deep rooted and complex. He sighed deeply. He needed time to think, the beast hadn't reared its ugly head since the night before, and he intended to keep it that way. He shook his head, walking away from the school, dropping the hoodie he'd first met Adelina in on the pavement and not looking back. Time...he just needed time.