with the blood that was flowing through their bodies. Michael was amazed that the feeling was even more exquisite than the first time he’d experienced it. He had thought he would grow used to the sensation, but that was not the case. Each time he drank from The Well was like the first, like each time he looked into Ronan’s eyes. Unable to resist the magnetic pull, Michael grabbed the back of Ronan’s neck and pulled him down until his lips met his. He just needed to feel their warmth, their tenderness, and Ronan willingly obliged. Even with their eyes closed, they could feel the burst of yellow light that suddenly exploded throughout the cave, and it was definite: The Well truly approved of their union.
His eyes still closed, his lips still pressing against Michael’s, Ronan spoke, his voice deep and honest. “I wish we could stay here all day, love, just like this.” Michael couldn’t find the words to respond, so he simply kissed his boyfriend deeper, let his webbed hands caress the strong muscles of his lower back. He didn’t want to waste any time talking before they had to get back to school. “But Volman’s giving a Latin test first period,” Ronan said. “And after this feeding, I’m feeling right jammy.”
Michael smiled. Ronan and his Britishisms. “Well, I hope my luck holds out too. Father Fazio expects me to know something about a triangular theorem, and right now all I can think about is you.”
Ronan knew exactly how Michael felt, but he also knew that their new power required discipline. “Use The Well’s energy to focus on whatever task he throws at you,” Ronan advised. “It will never fail you.” Michael knew that made logical sense, but why should he have to focus on stupid math problems when all he wanted to do was focus on how good Ronan felt and how delicious he tasted? When the light in the cave receded and the shadows started to cling to the sides of the walls, Michael knew it was time to leave, time to return to reality. When he opened the door to his dorm room, he knew reality had changed.
“Saoirse!” Ronan exclaimed. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Propped up on their bed was one of the most beautiful girls Michael had ever seen. Young but ravishing, with light emanating from her just as it had from The Well. He was so startled by her alluring presence that it wasn’t until she spoke that he realized who she was. “Oh, come on! Is that any way to greet your baby sister?”
“Saoirse!” Michael exclaimed. “You’re Ronan’s sister.”
Oh my God, he is so much cuter than Nakano! “And you must be Michael,” she responded, jumping off the bed, “Roney’s new boyfriend.” Stopping in mid-motion Saoirse readjusted her approach. She tossed back her head, which gave her long, straight blond hair a bounce, and a ray of light swept the room. Wow, his eyes are even greener than mine, she thought. I wonder if he noticed too? Oh, stop it, stop staring and say something, do something so you don’t come off like a two-year-old. “It’s so good to see you again, Roney!” she squealed. Then forgetting about her previous instructions, she practically leapt into Ronan’s arms, surprising them both.
Arms extended, unsure of what to do with them, Ronan could not believe his sister was embracing him, he couldn’t believe she was here. This was not good, not good at all. He looked at Michael, who was clearly entertained by his inability to return Saoirse’s exuberant display of affection, and Ronan wished he could make him understand just how serious the situation was, how potentially dangerous, even if it looked like nothing more than an awkward reunion between two long-separated siblings. No need to get into all of that now, Ronan reminded himself. Keep it light, act like the annoyed big brother and maybe she’ll leave as suddenly as she appeared. “What are you doing here?”
“Merde!” Saoirse shouted, “Don’t repeat yourself; it’s tres boring.” Perfect! The worst way to make them think you’re sophisticated is to try to sound sophisticated.
Ronan didn’t even notice her attempt. His focus was on making sure his voice sounded commanding when he spoke and not as unsettled as he truly was. “Answer my question and I won’t have to repeat myself.”
Still unable to control her nervous energy, Saoirse rolled her eyes and tilted her head from side to side, making herself look like a toddler who couldn’t stand still. “Your last letter was so sweet, it made me realize that I hadn’t seen you in, like, forever, so I hopped a Chunnel train and here I am.”
Dammit! Ronan cursed himself. He should never have written that letter; he knew it was a mistake, he knew it was a stupid thing to do.
“So you did reach out to her like I suggested,” Michael said, beaming with pride. He then looked at Saoirse, his smile growing even wider. “Can I get a hug too?”
He wants what?! Facing Michael, Saoirse felt her normally ruddy cheeks grow warm and knew they were turning a deeper shade of red. She examined him with a more skeptical eye and couldn’t hide the fact that she liked what she saw, nor could she stop herself, yet again, from trying to impress him with her foreign language skills, “Bien sur,” she said. “That’s French for ‘of course’.” Since talking was obviously a failure, Saoirse threw herself at Michael and wrapped her delicate arms around him, her light, her energy consuming him. Ooh, he smells good, she thought, like fresh water and something else, something sweet.
Michael was surprised by the gesture, even if he did misinterpret her girlish excitement for a lack of self- consciousness. To him, not only did Ronan and his sister lack any physical resemblance, their personalities couldn’t be any less similar either. Responding to Michael’s quizzical stare, Saoirse replied, “As much as I hate to admit it, I really do resemble my mother.” She was right, Michael thought, she was just as petite as Edwige. “If it weren’t for her black hair, she’d probably try to pass us off as twins.” Michael didn’t need to see Ronan’s expression. He knew the girl’s comment meant that mother and daughter hadn’t seen each other in quite some time, nor did they confide in each other.
“Actually Mother’s a bottle blonde now,” Ronan informed her. “And I’m sure she’d love the world to think you two were sisters.”
Briefly, Saoirse’s wide, round eyes looked as if they were going to cry, as if Ronan’s comment conveyed more than just its words, but soon the room was filled with her high-pitched laughter. “Blimey! That’s Edwige for ya, always trying to be something she’s not!”
Watching his sister fall onto his bed in a fit of giggles, Ronan wished he could laugh along with her, enjoy her homecoming, but he knew that she never did anything without a reason, so he knew that she did not suddenly show up because he wrote a heartfelt letter that made her feel lonely. She was up to something. “I’ll ask you one last time: What are you doing here?”
Sighing, Saoirse grabbed a pillow from their bed and covered her face with it. “Stop badgering me, Roney!”
Ripping the pillow out of Saoirse’s hands, Ronan flung it across the room. “If you call me Roney one more time, I swear to God!”
“Or what?! You’re gonna bite me in the neck and suck out all my blood?!” Stunned, Michael couldn’t believe what he just heard. Sure, brothers and sisters fought, knew exactly how to rile each other, but this was so, so blatant. How could she know that Michael was also a vampire? He didn’t think that was something Ronan would have communicated in a letter. Impishly shrugging off her outburst, Saoirse turned to Michael and whispered, “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”
“What about your secret, Saoirse?” Ronan faced his sister, his tone of voice and his expression further evidence that he was not as thrilled to see Saoirse as she was to see him. Briefly the light around her faded, but she was not yet ready to give up.
“I want to see Ciaran,” she pouted. “I want to see my other brother, he’s so much nicer to me than you are.” By now she was practically skipping in place and when she spoke, it was more like a song. “Probably ’cause we’re both human beings.”
Furious, Ronan grabbed his sister’s shoulders, forcing her to stop moving. Instead of looking upset, she smiled at him as if she was happy for the attention. “Listen to me, we have to get to class, so we don’t have time to babysit,” Ronan started. “Tell me the truth right now. Why are you here and what did you do?”
Michael watched Saoirse’s expression and once again couldn’t tell if she was about to burst into tears or shrieks of laughter. Girls were truly an alien species to him. With great interest he watched her take a deep breath, exhale dramatically, and reach up to clasp her hands around Ronan’s neck. “I was going to get expelled from Ecole de Roaches, so I decided to perform a preemptive strike and run away.”
Ronan grabbed Saoirse’s hands fiercely, and Michael thought he might break them in half. “You were going to get expelled?! Why?!” Michael wasn’t interested in Saoirse’s response. He couldn’t believe she wasn’t screaming out in pain; Ronan’s hands were like two vises around her wrists, his veins protruding, the newly obtained blood pumping down the length of his forearm, and yet Saoirse didn’t respond. It was as if she couldn’t even feel
