Julie stared at Simon, feeling a trickle of worry run down her mind. The red-haired boy stared back at her with a serious expression on his face. For a moment, she came to believe that Roman was really being expelled from Veteris as he kept getting into trouble with other students, and his reputation was only getting worse with every passing day.

  And she would have immediately rushed to the Boy's Dormitorium. But then she realized that if Roman was being kicked out, he would meet her before leaving Veteris, wouldn't he?

  Because the Roman she had come to know, he wouldn't leave without causing more trouble and not telling her goodbye.

  Julie finally said, "I think I will wait for him. You should know your friend better than me, that he wouldn't leave just like that."

  "Are you sure about it?" asked Simon, his eyes subtly narrowing at her.

  She nodded her head. She then said, "Yes. Melanie has told me that you like to cause trouble to her."

  A slow mischievous smile appeared on Simon's lips, and he said, "Did she now? I barely did anything, my good intentions are being mistaken. How sad."

  Even though this person was Roman's friend, Julie realised she would need to be wary of him because of his slightly twisted personality. He liked to stir trouble, and she wondered why. Curious, she asked him, "Why did you do that? Lie about him being expelled."

  "I never said he was expelled, I told he might be in the process of being expelled," but at the end of the sentence, the red-haired senior smiled at her, giving away his mischief. "I wanted to see if you were really up to Roman's mark."

  His words caught Julie's attention. So he was testing her?

  Simon said, "Don't feel offended by my words, but you look naive and easy to break. I was wondering if Rome took interest in you because of your cute little self or if there was something more to you. Something special," his eyes fixed on her.

  Now that she had found out about her ability, Julie wondered if it was apparent and if people could tell she was different. But it was impossible for one to know that she had some sort of ability.

  "And what did you deduce?" asked Julie.

  "Not bad, at least you aren't stupid enough to chase after him without a thought. I can tell that you care about my friend as much as I care about him. Maybe a little more or less, and that you aren't there with him for his looks," Simon's words turned nonchalant, and he took hold of the strawberry milkshake that had been placed for him.

  Noticing the ten dollars passed to the man, who stood behind the counter, Julie's eyes narrowed, and she said, "Why is it that everything you guys buy is often more expensive than what I pay for?"

  A grin came to spread on Simon's lips, "What can I say. We like to tip large when we are paying," and he offered her a wink.

  Julie pursed her lips but didn't go to comment. Picking up the tray of meal that she had earlier ordered, she followed Simon back to the table to sit next to Melanie.

  Julie hoped for Roman to be alright, and they would give him the same detention that they had given to her. But something told her that they wouldn't be spending detention time together tomorrow.

  Maximus, who had taken himself to sit next to her, spoke, "You seem to be worried. Missing Rome already even though you two spent time together the whole day?"

  "Quit teasing the girl, Max," Olivia lightly scolded her friend so that the human could get some space she needed to have her dinner. "Ms. Dante called Rome for some work, he should meet you tomorrow morning," she informed Julie so that the human wouldn't worry about it.

  So that's why he wasn't here. Julie wondered what kind of work he had been called for.

  "Is he going to make some kind of opening speech during the annual day?" asked Conner, somewhere eager and excited about the Fall Annual celebration that was going to take place.

  "Yes," answered Simon with a smile. His eyes fell on Julie, who was looking at him, and it made her wonder if the answer he had given was true. "As one of the top students of the University, like the previous years, Rome will be holding the second speech and the headmistress must be going through it with him. Even Liv is going to give a speech because of her commendable work in the infirmary."

  "It's nothing big. Just a few sentences in front of the students," responded Olivia, taking a bite from the meat on her plate.

  When the others were speaking about other things, Maximus went back to question Julie and said to her, "You know where you should go next time? To the Devil's Den."

  "What's that?" asked Julie. She had never heard anything like that before.

  Maximus ran his teeth over the pin of his mouth, taking a few seconds to answer her. He replied, "It's a club with good music and food. We sometimes go there and it is pretty fun. Actually all of us should go there together, I am sure you will enjoy it. What do you say?" He looked at others.

  Conner and Reese looked at Maximus, and Conner said, "I guess that would depend on which day we are going. Probably on the last weekend of the month?"

  "I won't be able to make it," Julie let them know, "I will be going to visit my uncle."

  "That's fine," Simon waved his hand, "Maybe we should wait to see what Rome will say about it. If he wants to take you there," he grinned.

  "That's true," agreed Maximus. "I am curious about Rome's date, he won't tell us anything, and the only information to get is from Julie."

  Noticing everyone's curious eyes on her, who were at the table, Julie said, "We went to the diner and to look at the ruins that were present in the forest."

  "Ruins?" repeated Maximus, and Julie gave him a nod.

  "The place where there once used to be a village with old houses. The lake there was very pretty," Julie smiled when she said this, and the others gave her a nod.

  When Julie got busy talking to Maximus, Simon leaned against the back of his chair, and he turned where Olivia sat next to him.

  "Looks like Rome took her to the place where he once used to live," said Simon in a low voice, and he stared at the human.

  "That was a risky game you played there," Olivia commented, and Simon turned to look at her.

  "I didn't know I was being watched and heard," the smile on the red-haired boy widened on his lips while Olivia continued to eat without commenting. "I just wanted to see if she was worth being next to him."

  Olivia hummed, running her tongue over her teeth. She said, "Though I won't lie, I would have enjoyed seeing the outcome with Roman dealing with your little trick. It is better you don't try anything."

  Simon continued to smile, "That would have indeed been fun. It has been long since I got hit by him," he brought his hand to rub his jaw.

  On the other side of the table, Julie asked Maximus, "Does it not hurt?" she pointed to her tongue.

  "The piercing?" questioned Maximus, and Julie nodded her head, "Barely. It's like a feather touch."

  "I have never seen a person pierce their tongue with a pin. What made you do that?" asked Julie, wondering if it was just a style quotient for him. She didn't know how he even ate his food without the food getting stuck in it.

  "It's the feeling of hot and cold temperature," replied Maximus, and when he saw Julie staring at him, he moved closer as if to whisper a secret to her and said, "When I am doing a girl, the tongue and the pin gives different temperature, making it pleasurable for both me and the girl."

  Julie's eyes widened, and she gave a small nod before getting back to her food. She decided not to question anything more because she doubted she would receive normal answers.

  Later on, getting back to her dorm, Julie locked the door and sat on the edge of her bed. Letting her legs stretch forward, she bent her upper body to the front and rested her head on her knees.

  Thinking the day she had planned to skip had come to an end made Julie sad, and at the same time, she was glad that it was over.

  She was not a child to be questioned on whom she was dating and what kind of person she was dating. She had reached an age where she didn't need people telling what was right for her when she knew herself better than the others who believed they had control over her life. Uncle Thomas had been her beloved uncle, and she knew he loved his wife, which was why she had not spoken back to the woman until now.

  Her thoughts went back to the time of noon when Roman was teaching her. Somewhere, he was turning into a home. A person whom she looked forward to seeing and being with. She wondered if things between them were moving too fast.

  Julie wondered if things would have been the same if she and Roman were studying in a different university, unlike Veteris, without any rules. But would things be the same? Surely not, thought Julie in her mind. If she wasn't studying her, and if it weren't for the letter, he would have looked at her in annoyance too, wouldn't he?

  Removing her shoes, Julie rolled on her bed, her body resting on the side while questioning if Uncle Thomas was disappointed with her actions. His words about Roman hadn't been direct, but it hadn't been anywhere subtle either in letting her know that she should maintain her distance from Roman from now on.

  But she had started to like Roman a lot. Every word, touch and thought about him was addicting… and Julie didn't want to let go.

  Julie wanted to ask her uncle about her mother, to learn something he might have known, but the time had seemed unsuitable, especially being caught in breaking the rules.

  Earlier she didn't want to inquire with him in the middle of the corridor, where some of the students were walking past them, which was why she had proposed to visit her uncle at the house. Hopefully, by then, her father would be caught, and even if he went into hiding, he would come to realize that she didn't live with Uncle Thomas and Aunt Sarah.

  While thinking and waiting for Roman to return, Julie's eyes slowly started to close, and she fell asleep on the bed. After some time, someone gently brushed her hair, and it was enough to wake her up from her sleep.

  The study lamp that she had earlier left on at her desk had been turned off.

  "You are here," murmured Julie, realizing there was a blanket spread over her body. She noticed Roman lying on the bed next to her.

  "Go back to sleep," whispered Roman in the darkroom.

  "I was waiting for you," her voice was softer than usual.

  Roman's hand that had gone to pet her head moved back to rest on his side. He said, "I could tell. You didn't have to wait for me."

  "I was worried," Julie's sleep slowly started to leave her mind, and she tried to focus her eyes on him. "I was worried that they were going to expel you. That you wouldn't come back."

  Roman's lips curled, looking at Julie. Noticing she was more awake, his hand went to caress her cheek.

  "Where else will I go, if not here?" he murmured, feeling her cheek lift as if his words brought a smile to her lips. "Did you get into trouble?"

  Roman had heard almost everything that Julie's aunt had said to her before he had left the front side of the girl's Dormitorium. Even though it had been a hushed conversation that the humans couldn't hear, the students who were vampires had heard it all, something Julie didn't know about yet.

  He didn't like the woman's tone with Julie while knowing well about the delicate dynamics between the two people.

  "I got detention tomorrow. Mr. Borrell made sure to see that I will be a frequent visitor and keep me busy so that I won't break more rules," replied Julie, a small frown forming on her face. "What about you?"

  "I didn't get detention in the room, but I do have something to do today," he answered her question, running his finger across the side of her face. "What about your uncle and aunt?"

  "Let's just say that they weren't impressed by the fact that their niece had skipped classes and was roaming around with a boy who has a reputation of getting into fights. Mr. Borrell told them that I should pick better company, if I wanted to get better grades and graduate from here," a sigh escaped from Julie's lips.

  "So it didn't go well," remarked Roman, while his eyes narrowed, knowing the teacher had warned Julie's family to keep her away from him.

  Roman wondered if it was because of his reputation when it came to sucking the blood out of many girls in the past to fill his thirst. Worried that the next human he laid his hands on would die due to lack of blood.

  "Actually, uncle came here to let me know about my father's escape and to not be worried about it. That he would never let him know where I am," said Julie, moving a little closer to Roman so that she could get a better whiff of his cologne. Right now, he smelt like the air in the forest. Fresh and breezy. "I don't know why Aunt Sarah tagged along with him. Probably to take a look at how this place looks. She kept saying I should stay away from you, and find someone better. More decent looking."

  "I am sure that she would approve number two instantly. And what did you tell them?" Roman's words were more relaxed as he continued to play with her hair, and then his finger touched the upper lobe of her ear.

  "I told them you are different from how you appear, or what they think about you. That you have been helping me with my studies, but I think they had a hard time believing it. Saying my father used to get into fights too with others, and by picking you, I would end up having the same fate as my mother," Julie looked a little frustrated, and Roman sensed it while also picking the details about her father. "I told him that I will visit him."

  "Did you tell anything about me coming with you?" questioned Roman, and Julie shook her head. "Good. Surprises are always good. I am sure your aunt will appreciate it."

  Why did it feel like the devil's mind was already at work? Julie asked herself.

  Roman put his hand around her waist and drew her close to him. He then said, "You are wrong about something, Winters," he paused for a moment and then said, "I am just like my appearance, rough around the edges. I don't like to listen to what people say and I enjoy breaking laws, but you already are aware of it, aren't you?"

  "Mm," Julie hummed. "What did Ms. Dante tell?"

  At the same time, Roman's fingers around Julie's waist had slipped from the bottom hem of her shirt and felt the softness of her skin. Julie closed her eyes, and her lips parted, feeling his fingers softly brush against her skin.

  "I had to run errands. You don't have to wait for me, get to sleep when I am not here. Okay?" said Roman, and Julie nodded her head.

  "Okay," she whispered.

  Roman's fingers drew random lines around Julie's waist before moving to the front and playing near her stomach. He felt her stomach dip at his touch, and like a moth attracted to a flame, the tips of his fingers continued trailed her skin, and a soft gasp escaped from her lips when Roman's fingers moved slightly downwards.

  "Rome," whispered Julie, and Roman hummed in response. Her toes curled and she felt her heartbeat hitch.

  "Mm."

  "Your hands are cold," said Julie and ticklish, she thought in her mind. "How long were you outside?" Roman stopped his playful touch, and he pulled his hand away from her skin and placed it back on her waist, this time with his hand on her shirt that separated from his hand, feeling her skin directly.

  "Probably more than seven hours," he replied to her, moving closer to her and placing his chin on the top of her head to rest.

  "That's a lot of hours. Seven? What time is it now?" she asked him, a little confused.

  "It is nearly six in the morning. That's why I told you to go back to sleep, you don't have classes to attend today, and you can sleep some more," replied Roman, and a yawn escaped from Julie's mouth.

  Julie closed her eyes but was too aware of his presence in the bed to fall asleep now. She asked him, "Why were you outside for so long?" She untucked herself from Roman, taking a look at him.

  "I had work, had to find some things. I didn't finish all of it, which is why I have to go later. Let me get some sleep with you," saying this, Roman leaned forward and pressed his lips on her forehead.

  His lips felt nice, even though they were as cold as the weather outside the dorm. But it didn't make her shiver. "It's warm now," murmured Julie under her breath.

  "I am glad to hear that," hummed Roman, a faint smile on his lips as they fell asleep next to each other.

  Hours passed, and when Julie finally woke up, she saw Roman sleeping beside her. With him here, everything felt like a continuous dream. To think that the brooding bad boy was sleeping soundly in her bed, with the absence of a frown or glare in his eyes.

  Carefully getting out of the bed while making sure not to wake him up, she heard a knock at the door of her room. Quickly opening it, Julie peeked her head out and saw Melanie, who looked at her suspiciously. Before Melanie could speak, Julie whispered,

  "Give me five minutes, I will be there," and she closed the door.

  Turning back, Julie looked at Roman, who was fast asleep. Not having the heart to wake him up, she wore her jeans and her sweater on top of her shirt. Picking up her book, she wrote something in it and tore the page as quietly as possible. Folding it, she placed it at the window.

  Julie leaned towards Roman,? staring at his handsome face, and a smile appeared on her lips. She bit her bottom lip. Was it alright to kiss him because she hadn't mustered the courage to initiate the action when he was wide awake.

  Leaning in closer, she quickly stole a kiss from Roman. Before he would wake up, she quickly hurried out of the room and closed the door behind her.

  When the door shut, Roman opened his eyes.

  For a few seconds, he didn't move and stared at the ceiling before shifting his gaze at the door that was closed as softly as it could be done. He had been awake for quite some time, admiring the human in the bed before closing his eyes when he picked up the change in her heartbeat.

  His hand reached his lips, touching it. It seemed like the troublemaker wasn't as shy as she appeared to be. She liked to do things when she thought nobody was looking at her.

  Sitting up on the bed, his gaze fell on the letter that Julie had left for him. Picking it up, he read—


  'I am going to the lunchroom with Mel for breakfast. I will get back soon. I have only one key, but I think it should be okay as you somehow know how to unlock things. See you soon.

  Julie'

  Folding the letter, Roman slipped it in his jeans pocket, and after writing a reply to Julie, he pushed open the window and jumped out of the dorm.

  Instead of going to his dorm, he went to the place where his phone picked up the network and he called a person. When the person on the other end picked up the phone, Roman inquired,

  "Did you find anything?"

  The person on the other end said, "Everything looked very normal and clean. Husband and wife both worked, and they seemed to have a lovely family. But digging deeper, I found it's just a farce like many other things. The gun that was used to shoot his wife, it seemed normal but on closer inspection, the bullet wasn't. It was made out of silver."

  "Hunter," Roman's eyes narrowed.

  "Yeah, the man is tied up with Hunter. I am still trying to track him on where he is. I don't think he's used his cards and is using someone else's help," said the person on the other end.

  "Thanks for the information. I will call you up later," said Roman before ending the call.

  Back in the Blue Block building, Julie made her way towards it even though there were no classes today.

  "They treat students as if they are kids. What are we fifteen?" muttered Julie under her breath as she dragged her feet towards the detention room. A sigh escaped from her lips and she told herself, it would be only for a few hours.

  When she entered the detention room, some of the students had already entered and taken their seat behind the desks. Ms. Piper welcomed her, "Well well well, looks like you are turning into a frequent visitor in this room." Julie gave an awkward smile. "Take a seat," said the woman.

  There was only two seats in here, one near Porcupine, who was as frequent as her in getting into detention. And the next one being in front of Caleb.