23.

Just as we landed over the roof of our building I didn't waste a single second longer and ran inside to take the stairs, almost crashing into a wall as I basically jumped to the bottom then sprinted down the hallway and all the way to our front door.

I pounded like crazy against it, almost hitting Lucifer square in the face just as he swung it open, and without a single word I pushed past him as I hurried inside, my gaze falling on Ricky sitting over the couch as he tightly held an unconscious Leila in his arms.

*Shit.*

"She's cold! She's so cold!" He cried as he rose his red-rimmed gaze to meet mine, making me falter and stop dead in my tracks, feeling my eyes rapidly fill with hot tears as I stared at her unmoving form, refusing to believe that this was pure reality.

*No. She can't be. This is not true.*

"We found her with two punctured holes and her neck broken," I faintly heard Lucifer say from somewhere close to me as I blankly kept on staring while my tears flowed, watching my brother suffering with such great pain as he lovingly gazed at her between tears, gently caressing the side of her hairline before he pressed a long kiss over her forehead.

"Vampire," I heard Raph grimly say from right next to me, my expression quickly morphing into a shocked one as I looked at him in disbelief then finally allowed myself to move and ran straight to her, throwing myself on my knees and grabbing her freezing cold hand in mine.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! It is all my fault! I shouldn't have taken you with me! We shouldn't have gone by ourselves!" I desperately wailed as I cradled her hand close to my chest, leaning my forehead against her shoulder as loud sobs wracked through me, feeling like my heart had just been ripped out of me.

"Just please don't leave me like this! I'm begging you! I'm so sorry! Please don't leave me like this!"

"May I?" I heard Azrael's calm voice sounding so close to me, raising my blurred sight only to notice him standing right next to the couch as he gazed at Ricky, waiting for his answer.

And to my surprise, Ricky only gave him a nod, seemingly aware of whatever Raz was about to do as he leaned back and gave him a little more access, just enough for him to gently put his index and middle fingers over her forehead, closing his beautiful eyes for a second.

"She's not dead," He quickly informed us, earning himself a shocked stare from Ricky and a gasp from me.

"What?"

"Well if she's not dead then that means..."

"She's transitioning," Azrael fastly completed Raph's unfinished sentence, making Ricky and I stare at him like he'd just grown two heads.

"Holy mother of Hell," Lucifer interjected.

"Quick, Erick move her into your room!" He urged my brother as he quickly approached us.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it!" He bit back even more firmer, making Ricky give him a curious look before heeding to his command and put one arm under her knees, quickly moving to carry her into their room.

"W-what's going on?" I weakly stuttered as I followed them, wiping my tears with the back of my hand.

"From the moment she wakes up she will be extremely dangerous," Lucifer explained just as Ricky leaned forward to gently place her over the bed.

"We don't know what kind of vampire bit her, hence we won't know exactly how powerful she will be,"

"We'll have to contain her and feed her small rations of blood, at least until The Urge will fade away," He said right before I noticed Azrael entering the room, carrying that silvery blade in his hand.

"W-what are you doing?" My eyes widened, panicking a little bit.

"Creating a barrier, so that she can't escape or hurt you," He said as he looked between Ricky and I before moving to stand at the other side of the bed.

"Wait, hurt us?!?"

"Yes," He gave a nod as his eyes lowered to her unconscious form, his beautiful features contorting into a concerned frown as he just looked at her for a moment.

And then he proceeded to cut his palm, letting small droplets of his archangel blood fall over the carpet and creating a semi-circle around the bed as he paced around it and kept repeating a few words in a language I have never heard before, noticing how his eyes quickly shifted from midnight to pitch black.

*Holy hell. I will never get used to this!*

I could feel my heart beat a little faster as I looked at him, a little bit freaked-out as well as I watched him do whatever he was doing right now, until he finally stopped, shifting his eyes back to that dark blue in a single blink.

"Now what?" I heard Ricky say from beside me as we all just stood and stared at her in conplete silence.

"Now we wait for her to wake up," Lucifer said, giving my brother a sympathetic look.

"What? That's it? Can't you at least try to fix her? Please?" I begged as I looked at Raph after remembering that moment earlier in the church.

"I'm afraid I can't. It's too late for that. From what I can tell, she's already halfway through," He replied with a saddened look on his face as he gazed at me.

"All we can do is help her and like Lucifer said, wait until The Urge will fade away,"


**


I fastly rummaged through my suitcase, searching for something comfy and warm to sleep in since I was about to go crash in Rick and Leila's room. I really wanted to be there when she'd wake up. It was the least I could do since I was the reason she was going through this...transition.

I still couldn't believe she was going to be a vampire. I mean how...? What the hell? Why would some vampire randomly choose to turn her, from all people?

Why did this happen? Why her?

*Why can't life just give us a fucking break already?*

I was on the verge of spilling some more tears as I rather angrily fished a random hoodie and a pair of shorts, stomping my way back to the bed to change. And so I took off my jacket and jeans and threw them away while all those thoughts still swarmed inside my head, failing to hear when the door flew open and closed right after.

Feeling his gaze trained on me, I struggled to ignore that heated sensation flowing through my body and quickly dragged my shorts on, not even bothering to put the hoodie on since I felt too hot anyway. So I just left the tank top I was previously wearing on and went around the bed to gather the comforter off into a small roll and my pillow as well.

"Where are you going?"

My gaze rose just as I heard him ask me that, meeting those beautiful midnight eyes as he stood in the middle of the room, hands shoved into his dark jeans' pockets.

"I'm just gonna crash in Leila's room. I really need to be there," I quietly said as after what happened today in that church, I really couldn't bring myself to go back to being that snarky bitch to him. It just didn't feel...adequate.

Lowering my gaze, I then hoisted the pillow and comforter under my arm, taking a few steps towards the door, only to suddenly stop in my tracks and blow out a sigh, not even daring to look him in the eyes as I quietly said,

"I'm sorry..."

"What for?"

"For acting like a freaking brat," I simply replied.

"You were right. I had really forgotten what you are," I lastly admitted and tried to walk away after a moment of silence, only to feel his hand gently grab my own and turn me back around, making me face him. Or more like his chest, actually.

"I'm sorry for not being there for you,"

My gaze quickly rose to meet his, surprised by his words.

"I could feel that something was wrong, but I just thought that you were feeling overly emotional again and I wanted to give you some space," He calmly explained, making me realize that he was actually reffering to what that asshole did to me before I lost Leila in that park.

"I know you've been craving for it, ever since we got here," He sincerely said, making my breath turn a little heavier as I couldn't help but lose myself into those midnight skies, entranced by his flawless features and those lips...Holy hell, don't get me started about those lips.

Oh he was actually making me crave for something.
But not of what he thought about.

There was a certain emptiness I truly craved for him to fill, over and over again until I could no longer-

*Holy shit I need Jesus.*

I blinked a few times and rapidly shook my head, forcefully ridding myself of some nasty images painting themselves inside my mind as I awkwardly cleared my throat.

"Doesn't it hurt you?" I abruptly blurted out, quickly changing the subject.

His brows immediately contorted into a frown, visibly unaware of what I was talking about.

"Every cry and ever wail, whenever you pluck a child from their mother's arms or a beloved grandma or whatever?" I further explained, watching him become slightly conflicted.

"I'm...I wasn't created to feel. I'm just doing my job, like everybody else..."

"But you felt something...for me..." I could feel my cheeks turn a little hotter just as I've said those words.

"O-or at least I think you did," I then quickly added.

"That's different. You are special," He said as he tenderly looked at me with those deep and captivating dark blue eyes, making me want to just rip that shirt off of him, unbuckle his belt and-

*Shit.*

*I think I'm just gonna go drown myself into a barrel of holy water now*.

Giving him a tight-lipped smile, I quickly turned around and got out of that room faster than a running cheetah, almost knocking off a vase in my way to Leila and Ricky’s room.

I gently pushed the slightly ajar door, looking inside, only to notice Ricky already fast asleep into a comfy chair close by the bed, arms crossed over his chest as he mildly snored.

Letting out a tiny smile, I went and put my pillow and comforter down on the carpet, somewhere close by the dresser then grabbed a blanket and tip-toed my way back to him, carefully covering him with it.

I then shifted my gaze to her peacefully laying form, noticing that she wasn’t even breathing like, at all as her torso wasn’t even making a single move.

But before I could do something stupid like going to touch her and check her pulse I actually managed to stop myself just in time, for once deciding to behave like I was supposed to. So I made my way back to my pillow and comforter, arranging them into a makeshift bed and then laid down, just staring at the foot of the bed until I fell asleep.