The Vampire Prince goes to High School (Book 1)

Hunted

I woke to numbing pain. It pierced through my skull and made my stomach churn. A groan made its way out of my lips. It was only then that the feeling returned to my body. The tingle began from my fingertips then all the way to my toes. It was then that I realize that I was moving. Had it always been so cold?

My head rolled to one side and bile rose in my mouth. I groaned again. Please, I didn't want to throw up. The movement suddenly stopped. My head was turned away just as my stomach decided to empty itself. I heaved and felt the acid burn my throat on its way up. I coughed and spat trying to get the taste out. Faintly, I felt the rough ground underneath me.

"How bad is it?"

Weakly, I waved off the question. I didn't trust myself to speak.

"Come on, we have to get out of here. They're looking for us."

I felt myself get scooped up. Gingerly, I opened my eyes. The Prince's eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. He glanced behind. Not liking what he was seeing, his eyes narrowed. He suddenly lurched forward. My stomach rolled in response and I buried my head into his shoulder. The fast movement was not helping my stomach. I kept my mouth firmly shut.

There was no way of knowing how long the Prince ran. At this point, I didn't care. All I wanted was to lie down. Perhaps it was seconds, maybe minutes, but eventually the Prince stopped. I kept my eyes closed fighting the urge to drift away.

"Rin."

The sound of my name jolted me awake. I forced my eyes opened. The Prince looked down at me.

"You're going to be fine," he told me. "I'll make sure of that."

I felt myself smile. This had to be a dream. The Prince would never be this - what was the proper word? I couldn't think. – nice?

"Could you just . . . go away?" I sighed out. "I can't even sleep in peace. Now, I have to have you in my dreams."

The Prince frowned. "This isn't a joke Rin."

"Don't," I forced out.

He arched an eyebrow.

"Don't," I repeated, "call me that."

"That is your na –"

"You're . . . not my friend," I whispered. "Stop talking like you're my friend."

"This isn't the time for this," The Prince said with a growl. His jaw was set. "We're being hunted. We need to –"

I tried sitting up but the world spun. The Prince muttered something and placed me on the floor. The coldness of the concrete brought the world back into sharp focus. At a closer look, we were in an abandoned warehouse. Most of the roof had caved in and weak moonlight shone through. From the dimness, I could make out piles of rubble all across the ground. Beside me, the Prince knelt focused on something in the distance.

"We . . . we're – we're being hunted?" I stammered out.

He turned his attention toward me. "That's what I said."

"W-why? By who?" I asked. "People . . . er . . . humans?"

"Vampires."

"What?!"

The Prince glared at me. "Scream louder, I'm sure they didn't hear you."

Feeling weak, I drew me legs up to my chest and hugged myself. I pressed my forehead against my knees. This couldn't be happening. This was a dream. It was a crazy dream. It had to be. I willed myself to wake up.