CHAPTER 214

Two blurs weaved through the rain of trees with excited shouts and glee, both completely relishing in the feeling of freedom that their abilities brought them.

Boyd and Allison, two nearly sired vampires, were more than ecstatic after they barely got hold of the basics of their new capabilities.

"Whoo! Yes! Another win for me. Again. Hahaha." Allison stuck out her tongue at Boyd who cried out in indignation at another loss that put Allison further ahead in their little scoreboard.

"Come on! How do you keep doing that? Shouldn't I be the faster one since I was the first one to get turned? Not to mention, I was faster than you as an athlete."

Allison tutted teasingly, too jovial and laid back in her current state that it radiated like a sun in her smile.

"What can I say? I'm a natural." She bragged smugly, much to Boyd's irritation. "And besides running takes form. Unlike you, a lacrosse player, knowing how to run efficiently is one of the perks of being a Hunter. So with sufficient speed, I don't think it's surprising I'll quickly overtake you."

Boyd waved her off, too engrossed in his loss to pay her smug words mind, and seeing this Allison shrugged. It wasn't as if he was any slower than her, as they were neck and neck until the very end. And also his physical strength was unfair to her. He was like a mobile bulldozer.

…..

Tristan and his girlfriend, Malia, sat on the roof of their house and passed the time watching Allison and Boyd race and fight each other. Both having too much fun with the capabilities they now possessed as vampires, even as newborns.

Tristan peppered her with slow and soft kisses that left her in a good and content mood.

"I like this, Tristan. Maybe having a pack isn't so bad." She said fondly as she watched Allison win another race against Boyd that brought their score to 6:4 in Allison's favor.

"Thinking of creating a beta?" Tristan asked curiously, a bit surprised at her earlier words.

But Malia shook her head, a bit too strongly in Tristan's opinion. "What? Of course not. I'm talking about you. I don't think I'll ever want to have a beta or actively sire one."

Yeah, that made more sense when it came to Malia, Tristan thought.

"So? Any new development between the both of you?" Tristan rolled his eyes when he saw her shifting uncomfortably. "Come on now, out with it."

Malia growled under her breath and even tried to bite Tristan's finger that was close to her mouth. "We're cool." She grumbled under her breath.

"Cool? That's not good. Come on, tell me what's up." He prodded.

Malia sighed and visibly deflated. "She still has feelings for you—"

"— And it's making it awkward for you when you guys talk." Tristan finished for her and with how she sulked and remained silent, he was right on point.

Well it wasn't as if Malia could force Allison to do away with her feelings and neither could he compel her to forget them. And it might just be him, but he was sure he'd felt Allison's feelings having a solid base recently. The connection they had created a deeper level of understanding between them, which meant he could feel and understand both her and Boyd more clearly than he did other people.

He hoped it was because of the new connection that he was now clearly feeling something that was always there, and not something new.

"You don't have to worry much about it, Trist. We'll work it out between ourselves. Girl secrets and all that."

Tristan chuckled at that. On rare moments like these, Malia became more than beautifully breathtaking and was straight up adorably cute. It smothered his heart every time he got to witness moments like these.

"As long as you promise to keep your claws out of any ensuing fight."

"What? Why me?" She protested indignantly to which Tristan merely gave a sarcastic eye roll.

"Because you're more likely to lose control and bring claws into a harmless squabble. You're not exactly the embodiment of logical reasoning." He winced as he felt a claw slice into the arm he had wrapped around Malia.

He looked at Allison and Boyd who had come up with another competition and a serious look flashed past his eyes for a brief moment.

"Her family will be soon be hunted down by the Calavera—"

"Of course we're helping. We don't need a reason except because we want to. And besides, she's your sired vampire. Do you need a good reason to help her if she asks for it."

"Good point." He conceded. Even if not for anything, but because of the bond he now shared with Allison that sort of made him feel responsible for her and Boyd both.

…..

"Calm down yet?"

Allison and Boyd who had been sparring – more like the former teaching the latter how to fight instead of just swinging fists as fast and wide as he could. Boyd wasn't exactly a beginner in fighting, but he also wasn't exactly skilled either – jumped back startled due to being spooked by Tristan's sudden appearance.

"Seriously man, it's even worse now that I'm a vampire. How do you sneak around so quietly that I couldn't even hear anything?"

Tristan's nonchalant shrug made Boyd's veins twitch, doubly so with his answer. "It's a natural thing. You'll pick it up sooner or later. That aside, how are you feeling, Allison?"

Allison spread out her arms with her trademark sunshine smile on her face. "It's exhilarating. Every aspect of it." As if to prove her words, she jumped up and sailed a height of 10ft – over 3 meters – with practically no effort.

"It's as if I'm constantly on an adrenaline rush." She said while tapping her cheek with one of her fingers, making her look as if she was wearing a doll-like thinking expression. "Though the hyperemotional episodes still needs a little getting used to. I have to always remind myself that I'm not this easily excitable or irritated and angered, which is a lot harder to do than it sounds."

Tristan scratched his head in frustration/understanding. His only saving grace was that Allison was a skilled Huntress so things like getting her emotions under control and adjusting her to new physical parameters came a bit easier to her than it did to Boyd.

"That's really great. All that remains is for the both of you to hunt for your first drink."

Boyd chuckled nervously while Allison frowned deeply upon hearing Tristan's words. Like cold water to a flame, the harsh requirement doused every ember of their excitement. They both wanted to say something but Tristan raised his hand to stop them, knowing the excuses and alternate suggestions they were about to make.

"First of all, there's an actual reason, a very important one, why I want you guys to personally do this hunt. I only did mine a year after I turned and that was when I realized how vital it really was."

Boyd remarked slowly and unsurely. "I mean, I kinda understand, to some extent at least. But is it really like, 100% integral to being a vampire?" Allison too nodded at Boyd's question, all to which Tristan gave a simple nod.

"Trust me when I say this; the symbolism in the act of hunting and drawing your first blood goes a long way to being a vampire. Right now, without your first blood, I can confidently say that you have not 100% transformed into a vampire. Maybe around 60% – 70%, and the rest comes from your first hunt. It balances everything about you and gives a level of clarity you're not yet aware of."

Boyd and Allison sighed simultaneously, knowing that there was nothing they could do to change Tristan's mind at this point.

The act of drinking blood didn't evoke any negative or squeamish feeling in them, however the act of hunting a normal human being, overpowering them, and drinking their blood felt like an initiation that branded them as the vile monsters they now were.

"I didn't bring Boyd with me that night because I knew for sure that he'll lose control the moment he tastes fresh human blood. He still will, but I'll try my best to make it a controlled environment."

Even if the insinuation made them uncomfortable, they realized that they had to push through since they chose this themselves. Allison asked. "And where will this controlled environment be?"

Tristan let the faintest shadow of a smirk play across his lips. "Why, the Calaveras that are coming to kill off your family of course. It's a bit risky, but it comes with certain pros of its own."

Allison and Boyd retired to their homes, thinking heavily on what Tristan said.

Tristan on the other hand also had a reason why he chose to push them to do it this soon. He wasn't lying about anything he said in regards to their first hunt/kill but what he didn't mention was that he wanted to see how the blood he gave them would react.

When he first bit Boyd, he knew that his venom was enough to turn something into a normal vampire, but when he followed his instincts and offered drops of his most potent blood, he knew then and there that doing this elevated Boyd's transformation, and Allison's as well, to something that was closer to him.

All he needed to do now was wait and watch how his blood bloomed inside their bodies after their first hunt.

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