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seat next to me. “Dari! Caen! Lawrence!” he yelled. “The pancakes are ready!” He flashed me a smile. “Good morning, Lily.”
    “Hey. These are amazing,” I commented as I cut my pancakes into pieces with my fork.
    “Thanks.”
    Darius strode into the kitchen, his long wet hair stuck to his back. He wore a white shirt with long sleeves and black leather pants with dark penny loafers. I assumed he just got out of the shower since he smelled strongly of the strawberry cream shampoo I’d bought a couple days ago. He collected three pancakes onto his plate, got a bottle of some bright red liquid from the fridge and sat across the table from Sang and I.
    “Thank you, Sang,” he murmured and slid the bottle to me.
    “What’s this?” I asked.
    “Drink it. You need blood.”
    I opened the bottle and smelled the coppery aroma of blood. “Whose is it?”
    “That doesn’t matter. You need to drink.”
    I crossed my arms. “I wanna know who it’s from.”
    Darius glared at me. “It doesn’t matter who it’s from, my dear. Now drink it.”
    I shook my head. “Why do I need it?”
    He sighed. “I took some of your blood last night when I shouldn’t have. Now drink it.”
    I screwed the cap back on the bottle and set it on the table, feeling disgusted. “I want fresh blood.”
    Sang said, “Then drink mine. I don’t mind.”
    “Are you sure?” Darius asked him.
    Sang nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure. Come on, Lily. Drink up.”
    I let my fangs protrude and cradled the back of his head in my left hand as I bit into the side of his neck. He gripped the edge of the table, knuckles turning white, as I suckled on the decadent scarlet fluid. His blood was so sweet and had a tiny metallic aftertaste. Sang moaned as I sheathed my fangs and licked the excess drops off his neck.
    “Why’d you stop?” he said, rather disappointed.
    I wiped my mouth with a napkin. “I’m done.”
    “Oh. That was fast.”
    “I wasn’t that hungry.”
    Darius intervened. “Dr. Summers will arrive at the hospital shortly, so we’ll go there tomorrow.”
    Both Sang and I turned our heads toward him at the same exact moment. Darius shrugged and continued to chew on his pancakes.
    Caen raced into the kitchen, grabbed a pancake in one hand, and ran toward the door.
    “What’s the rush?” Sang called as Caen stepped outside.
    “I’m going to be late to my job training,” Caen answered with a pant.
    “What job training?”
    “I’m training to be a policeman. See ya later.” Caen shut the door.
    Sang glanced at the clock on the wall and almost spit out his food. “Oh no! I’m gonna be late to my job”
    “You have a day job now?” Darius queried.
    Sang stood up and pushed his chair under the table. “Yeah, while you guys were in Las Vegas I got a job as a waiter at Tabitha’s Diner. Oh, no, I’m gonna be late, I gotta go and change clothes.” He dashed upstairs, leaving Darius and I alone at the table.
    I yawned. “I wonder when I’ll be going back to my job.”
    Darius said, “Today, actually. So go and get changed. I’ll drive you there.”
    “It’s today? Really?” I asked, surprised.
    “Yes.”
    “Shit, what time?”
    “In twenty minutes.”
    “I am changed. I just gotta get there.” I smoothed the pink plaid skirt I was wearing. I had on a coral chiffon blouse, the skirt and black leggings. It was beginning to be spring and everything was warming up outside so I’d decided to wear something that would keep me a little warm but not too warm to go with the weather.
    Darius rose from his seat. “Then come. I’m driving you.”
    “I can drive myself.”
    “No. From now on, I am taking you to work and back. I am constantly worried about you,” his voice was stern.
    I rolled my eyes. “I can drive myself.”
    “No you will not. Now get ready.” His tone was firm.
    “I am ready.”
    “You need your shoes.”
    “Fine.” I went into my room and slipped on my black leather boots. When I went downstairs,