Page 13 of Zodiac Monsters

There was a time in my life where I truly believed that one had no purchase over their relationship with others. They would love you, or they would hate you, and you simply had to function within the parameters provided.

But that hadn’t been true since I’d reached puberty. My vampiric gift of compulsion meant I absolutely could control how people felt about me. Not to mention my ability to read or assert myself into the minds of others meant I could alter my own behavior to match what was needed for the desired result. I loved my mother dearly, but shifters were nothing compared to vampires, and they had none of the power I held.

It was only those moments under the moon that I found myself chained and bound by my weaker bloodline.

Only then.

With a frustrated sigh, I climbed from my bed and showered to wash away the cold sweat that clung to my skin. It was Thursday, so I didn’t have many class obligations, but I did have Astrology Club. That must have been why I was thinking of such old, ridiculous memories. Maybe this effort to get back at Adrian for our long and tumultuous childhood was starting to be more detrimental to my mental health than satisfying. It had become infinitely more complicated after the last moon, after all.

Nearly a whole week had passed with nary a peep from my little Virgo. She’d not come to breakfast all week, and she’d barely been responding to my text messages with anything beyond ‘Sorry, been busy. Talk Later.’

I went about my day mechanically, not seeing or hearing from her until Astrology Club, where she was obligated to attend and sit beside me. I didn’t know why she’d been avoiding me, but I felt relieved to finally interact with her again. We still had a date for Sunday, but she was being especially flighty, and I wasn’t fond of the change.

It seemed that we’d ended on a good enough note after the weekend’s events, but maybe allowing her too much time to think had been dangerous. I couldn’t believe anyone would ever regret spending a night with me, but then… there had been one or two in the past.

Still, I’d been curating our interactions so carefully until that point. Would one mistake on one single night be what unraveled everything I’d tried so hard to keep in check?

The entire hour passed in awkward tension, where we largely just recapped the field trip. Everyone talked about their favorite parts, and we went around the room like we were in some form of socially awkward group therapy. Sadly, it would have been frowned upon to announce that my personal favorite part was draining Lila to near death while fucking her with the cock of the stars, so I settled on “the food.”

It wouldn’t be until next week that we started talking about the next star sign, so this week felt more like a technicality. As everyone started packing up, I made an attempt to talk to Lila.

“Are we still on for Sunday?” I attempted with uncharacteristic unease, though it was masterfully hidden by a lifetime of hard earned and well-honed confidence.

She lifted her gaze to me, and I couldn’t help but pick up on the thought ‘can I say no?’ before she painted on a sweet expression and gave me an affirmative nod.

While she knew I could read her mind if I chose to, that didn’t mean she knew how to limit her thoughts, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d intended for me to hear that rejection, or if it was entirely careless and accidental.

“If you’re busy, we can reschedule.” I heard myself say.

What the fuck was that weak, passive, bullshit response?I chastised my brain that was always so off around her in one extreme or the other. If anything, I should be afraid of her now, considering she’d just so effortlessly and accidentally robbed me of any and all control. Yet, here I was presenting as some simpering Beta bitch.

She pushed strands of her dark hair behind her ear, tangling black silk with the temple of her glasses. “I might have to work in the afternoon, but we can still do a morning date.”

“I see.” I muttered. Work? So she had a job. That made sense. She was busy because she was newly employed and not because she didn’t want to spend time with me. I forgot that was normal.

Being the son of a vampire, we had family money that extended back many thousands of years of relieving victims of their purses, paired with well-chosen investments and general financial savvy. Between powers of compulsion, immortality, and piles of bodies, it would take pure incompetence for any ancient vampire to be poor. But not all of magic kind were so astute and ruthless. Depending on her lineage, she may have a less vicious and hefty treasure trove to call upon.

Though if she was born wealthy, I couldn’t blame her for wanting to dabble in menial labor. Even I occasionally played at mundane jobs just to pass the time and learn something new. “That’s no problem. I can drop you off after lunch.”

I’d say I was handling this well—her hesitation, I mean. Once I had her undivided attention, and I’d cleared the air a bit, I had no doubt she would be right back to being moldable and easily manipulated putty in my hands. I had plans for this girl, and I couldn’t have one egregious mistake be what ruined any relationship that could be.

“I’d really appreciate that.” Lila’s soft smile seemed more genuine this time, and my whole soul relaxed. When she left the room to head back to her dorm, a chill rattled my spine like I was ripping myself back into awareness. I might have to ask her if she loved to sing next I saw her, because she had a draw like a siren. Mixing a Siren with a Zodiac Shifter could possibly have that sort of subtle power over someone like myself, I suppose. That was the best guess I could come up with, as nothing else should be able to arrest my attention so effortlessly.

Yet never once had I heard her sing.

Troubling.

I took the time to calm my nerves, while I waited for Adrian’s desperate fan club to disperse. Sometimes that took entirely too long, but then again, mother did give both of us a few stunningly attractive features. Adrian got her sharp nose, her jawline, her temper, and emotional severity. I got her eyes, her hair color, and obviously her observational skills and charisma. The cheekbones were a gift to both of us.

I’d not spoken to him since the field trip either, and we had some important matters to hash out between us. Once the last student headed out, I made a point of locking the classroom door to prevent any further interruptions.

“So how did she react?” Adrian leaned against his desk, expecting my approach. Though the question led me to believe he wasn’t in tune to much else.

“How is it that you’ve had Lila in your Physics class all week, and yet you’re asking me that question? Can’t your Incubus senses read her state of mind? What happened to that emotional and sexual vampirism you’re so good at?” I responded coyly, knowing the word vampirism was an instant trigger for brother dearest. “Here I thought you actually had abilities that were vaguely useful.”

Adrian scoffed, only nibbling at that bait, before he answered seriously. “I can tell how tense she is around me, but I have no idea what feelings she now has towards you. The constant mental state of fear and stress that she radiates during Astrology Club could be associated with either one of us now.”

“Fear and stress, huh? Well, that’s disappointing.” At least that cleared up the reason she was giving me the cold shoulder lately. The job was a nice excuse, but apparently I scared her now, rather than being her safe and impossibly attractive classmate. Internally, I was a bit hurt. Externally, I shrugged. “Here I was hoping she’d use this newfound knowledge to picture herself getting spit roasted on magical cocks.”