"But I truly am sorry about your brother. I can see now why you would've hated me."
Vincent shrugged. "It's been hundreds of years, and since you're my mate and not the A'roya from 1820, you're good."
I kissed his cheek, and he scrunched his face. "Don't ever give me a kiss if you're going to kiss me like that."
I gasped. "What do you mean?!"
"Your lips touch mine, not my fucking cheek. What am I, your kid?"
I giggled. "Ok, I'll take note of that," I said while opening a sprite cranberry. 
"How did you meet Derek?"
"Huh?!" I don't know why I was so surprised about that question, but I was. Vincent looked at me weirdly, and I snapped back. "Oh, um, at church."
Vincent sighs. "After everything he's done to you. You don't want him dead?"
I sigh, forgetting all about my soda. "He's his mother's only son, and his father was abusive. I'm in no way defending him, but I'd be a hypocrite to ask why he'd be just like his father. In my twenty-six years of life, the first time I've been to the zoo was yesterday. I've grown up knowing that I have to be controlled by whoever, and I thought it was normal until now. Derek grew up with abuse, it's all he knows, and I want to help him."
Vincent narrows his eyes. "Help him?"
I nodded. "I still want out of this marriage, but it's not fair. Derek deserves a second chance in this world, he needs to learn how to treat women, and he can't do that in a grave or in prison. His father taught him something wrong, and it's not his fault." 
"Some people can't be helped–"
"But we don't know that with Derek. His mother told me the story. She believes her son has moved on from that, but he hasn't. He's obviously doing what his father did, and maybe he just needs to learn that that's not the way."
Vincent stares at me for a while. "I've never seen anyone so fucking dumb and somehow simultaneously beautifully kind like you." 
I smiled. This time I kissed his lips.
•┈••✦ ❤ ✦••┈•
"I called this friend meeting because we have too many secrets. We're like sisters, I have something to get off my chest, and I know damn well all of you do." Khascian announced. Khascian called us over to talk at her house, and of course, we agreed. Ever since working at the hospital, all of us have been busy.
I nodded in agreement. "I do."
Elora laughs. "Yeah, I guess we drifted apart somehow." She drinks her water, acting kind of suspicious. "I'll go first because I don't know if you guys can top this." 
Khascian and I nodded as if Vampires couldn't top anything. 
"So, I'm sleeping with a doctor on the CCU floor, Finnegan, I've been sleeping with him a lot, and we're not just sleeping. We're dating. I didn't mean for it to get serious, but it did, and I even met his fucking daughter. I'm panicking because, fuck, I don't know what to say to toddlers." 
"Wow, why would you hide this from us? We're happy for you." I squealed. 
Khascian nodded, putting a hand over her chest. "Yeah, I thought you were gonna say you were pregnant."
Elora chuckles nervously.
"You are?!" Khassy and I asked.
"No, no! I'm not." She chuckles. "I don't want to die just yet." She jokes, but we're still waiting for her to spill.
"It's Phoebe and Jericho." Elora whispers.
Aw, hell nah.
"Please, don't tell me–"
"Jericho got Phoebe pregnant."


"Bruh, does the Author have a breeding kink-"
Yes, I do, don't like it? Fuck off.
For all my lovelies.....I HAVE SOO MUCH SMUT PLANNED.  IM GONNA TRY SOME SERIOUS/LIGHT BDSM.
no pissing kink
a little bit of spanking
no blood kink
no knife play.