Free Circle of Death by Thais Lopes Page A

feel safe in a way I had never felt before. If it was anyone else, I would be worried. But it was Lucio, the same vampire who once offered to help me run away and to protect me.
    Not long after that, as the sun rose and the streets were no longer empty, the threat went away. It was only then that I finally fell asleep.
     
    “Are you sure you would rather stay? I can help you disappear, if you wish. You know it is not safe.” He was worried and didn’t try to hide it.
    Kelene smiled, regretting not having met him before. Things could have been different, but now it was too late.
    “I know. But I cannot hide. He will only come after me, and I cannot stay hidden forever.”
    “You can. I would protect you.”
    She looked around, barely seeing all the nobles in their finery and the riches in the ballroom, so different from the village where she had been born. None of that mattered, not anymore. She had a choice to make.
    “Thank you, but no. I have to do this.”
     
    It wasn’t a surprise that I dreamt about that night. No surprise at all. That was the night when I had made the choice that changed all my life.
    I was still in Lucio’s arms when I opened my eyes. Smiling, I turned around to face him and froze. He was sleeping.
    Surprised, unsure about how to react, I smiled. Vampires don’t need to sleep. They are always away, only falling into a light trance when their bodies have gone too long without rest. That is, unless they are with a human they trust. And not a “normal” kind of trust, but the deep one, that trust that only happens when you know you can put your life – your existence – in someone’s hand. I never understood why it was like that, as almost all relationships between vampires and humans ended in problems. The venom, the bloodlust, the fear… It was never forgotten. That’s why people who know vampires aren’t thrown into death with sunrise believe they never sleep.
    And still, Lucio had slept beside me. Holding me – me , with all my secrets, that I was sure he had noticed. And he still trusted me. That was an honor unlike anything that had happened before.
    Feeling my gaze, he woke up.
    “Good morning.” He said, starting to release me and move away, again with that unsure expression.
    “Good morning.” I held his arms where they were and put a hand on his shoulder, making it clear he didn’t need to move away.
    He halted, starting at me, his expression now showing some kind of vulnerability. Vampires and their prejudices against themselves. With the same hand, I put a lock of dark hair behind his ear, echoing something he had done to me a long time ago.
    “You slept.” I whispered, not hiding my surprise.
    “Only when I knew it was safe.” His smile was still fragile, unsure.
    “I know. I know.”
    He laughed, releasing me, and got up. I did the same after a second, and called him when he was already leaving my bedroom.
    He turned to face me, waiting for me to continue, and I hesitated for a moment before going to him and hugging him tightly. “Thank you. Thank you, Lucio.”
    “It was nothing.” He answered, and I knew he didn’t understand why I was thanking him. But he hugged me back, and kissed me after a second.
    I guess he thought I was thanking him for staying with me to protect me. Lucio was always surprised at how much I knew about vampires, and I was sure he didn’t imagine I knew about the sleep restriction. I was thanking him for trusting me. To someone like me trust wasn’t easy to be found, be it to give or to receive. Knowing that I had his trust was something I would guard as a treasure for the rest of my life.
    The day went by quickly, while I cleaned the apartment and washed my clothes. I always left everything that had to be done for the weekends. And doing that after two nights of parties left me exhausted. Add to it the fact that I would have the first time class tomorrow, and I decided to go to bed early.
    Lucio, who spent the day doing something