Chapter 124 - On The Other Side Of The Veil

Julie stared at the cold can of coke in her hand before looking up and staring at the room where Simon had disappeared. Somewhere, her face turned pale at the thought that Simon knew that she knew. From what she had heard from Roman, a human was not supposed to know about the existence of the vampires, which was why they were compelled to erase what they found out. 

But she was no more a human but a witch. Though the rule was to erase human memories, there was no mention of the witches knowing the existence of the vampires. 

Without giving a chance for someone to catch her standing in the corridor, Julie stealthily made her way towards the end of the corridor, she took a left. Reaching the room where Roman was, she caught a glimpse of him through the window, where the curtains had not been drawn. 

She saw him sitting on the other side of the room near the window, with one leg placed on the window sill while the other rested on the ground. As if sensing her presence, Roman turned to look at her, and Julie smiled at him. 

Roman dropped his leg on the ground, and he made his way towards the door before opening it for her. 

"I wanted to make sure you were—" Julie felt Roman pull her into the room and lock the door, "—okay."

"You are not supposed to be here," stated Roman, placing his hand on the door and next to her. And even though he said that his actions spoke otherwise. 

Julie's eyes fell on Roman's bandaged chest, and her eyebrows furrowed, "You got shot?"

"Mm," responded Roman. He walked to the window, pulling the curtain so that no one would see her in here with him. "We caught the culprit. It was Dennis."

A shudder escaped from Julie's lips because she had hoped that the culprit wouldn't be him. She had known Dennis for quite some time since she had been admitted in Veteris, and they had meals and conversations with each other.

"Was it him… who shot you?" Julie's eyebrows furrowed, staring at Roman's bandaged chest, where she noticed the red stain as if the bleeding hadn't stopped. She also realized it was close to his heart and her worried eyes met his red eyes. 

"It was another person with him, his companion. Two of them must have come to pick him up, but it didn't work out. Dennis is in the dungeon now," Roman let her know. He made his way towards the bed and sat at the edge of it. Julie followed him and sat next to him. 

"Did he tell why he was doing it?" asked Julie. 

"Not yet. He's unconscious and Evans will be dealing with him, but I don't think it will be easy to get information from him. He's a morm, similar to Caleb."

Julie noticed how Roman's face looked subtly in pain when he used his hand to support his body and moved back so that he could lean against the wall. 

"Does it hurt too much?" Seeing Julie's worried face, Roman raised his other hand, placing it on her head, and he patted her. 

"It will get better by tomorrow morning. Silver bullets made by hunters are in different varieties," Roman's eyes fell on Julie's hand, which held a can of coke. His hand reached out for it, picking it and bringing it to his nose. "Don't tell me you went to the lunchroom and bought a blood coke for yourself," his red eyes fixed on her.

Her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and she shook her head, "It wasn't me, but Simon gave it to me."

Roman gave a nod, pulling the ring of the can and bringing it to his lips. He drank it until there were only a few drops left in there. His tongue peeked out of his mouth, and he ran it across his lips as if to savour its taste. 

Even though there was no light inside the room except for the light that came from the window where Roman had been earlier sitting next to, Julie caught sight of the way his eyes glowed in the minimal darkroom. 

"Olivia said that you were not allowed to have visitors. Simon too," said Julie, watching Roman crush the coke can as if he was trying to control something. 

"The silver bullets that Simon and I were shot with were mixed with another harmful component. It is nothing like we have come across. When Isolde tried to remove the bullet, only a small fragment of it was found," stated Roman, while staring at the wall that was in front of them. Julie looked a little confused about what he meant. He said, "For some reason, the bullet dissolved itself." 

"Dissolved?" Julie was baffled by this information. "Metal cannot dissolve in the body."

"Yeah, but these are special ones. Isolde and the others are trying their best to find out what it is, which is why they have us, me mostly under observation," replied Roman. He coughed, his face flinching subtly before he turned his head to look at her and said, "You should get back to your dorm now and get some sleep."

Though Roman gave her the option, Julie wanted to stay as if it wasn't just him, but even her, who was falling head over heels for him, where she wanted to stay around him. 

Julie shook her head, "I will stay a little longer." There was still forty minutes left for the curfew to start, and she wanted to stay here until then. "The Corvin was able to leave the dorm. It regained its abilities."

"Something good to hear," said Roman, his hand reaching for her hand that was resting on her lap. Intertwining his fingers with hers, he held it. "At least you don't have to babysit that thing."

"Are you angry with the Corvin?" asked Julie, and a sliver of annoyance passed Roman's face. 

"I would have considered if it had told you beforehand, before it binded itself to you, but the creature is sneaky as fuck. As if it is hiding something and is waiting for a good time to drop the bomb and blow up the place," Roman's words ended with distaste in his mouth. 

"It didn't have any ill intentions. I think because of the bond the Corvin created with me, strangely it allows me to sense its feelings," said Julie and Roman pursed his lips, his jaw clenched as if he was displeased by the very thought of it, but Julie was stuck with the damn creature. 

"What do you feel from it?" asked Roman in a nonchalant tone, when in truth, he was intrigued to hear more about it. 

It wasn't that Roman was trying to be unreasonable about the situation, but the thought didn't stop to irk him, which he tried not to think about. 

"Sometimes troubled, like its anxiousness when I ask it something. But most of the time, it feels empty. It is a little uncomfortable feeling because I don't think I have ever felt that way," said Julie, watching her small hand that Roman held. "It's like a dark room that is cold and dead."

"Guess it reflects its true nature to you," remarked Roman. His words made sense as it was said that Corvin's were witches who were experiencing their afterlife.

Roman felt a sudden pain strike his body, and he turned his body away from Julie. Julie felt her hand being squeezed by him as if it was going to be fractured with a second more. But Roman let go of her hand, and he coughed before completely turning away from her. 

Pain wrecked in his chest, and he brought his hand to cover his mouth, coughing as his eyes suddenly turned darker. 

"Rome?" Julie called him in worry. She turned herself to watch his back. She noticed the way his body shook when he coughed, wreaking havoc. "Do you want me to call doctor Isolde or Olivia?"

"No, I will be fine. I think it's getting late...You should get back to your Dormitorium," suggested Roman, without looking at her. 

Julie pursed her lips because she didn't feel right to leave him in this condition where he appeared to be in pain. 

Julie noticed Roman shake, and seeing him not turn back to look at her, she placed her hand on his shoulder. But right when she did it, Roman turned around and pushed her back on the bed. 

A soft gasp escaped from her lips when she noticed the prominent colour of his eyes. Roman hovered above her with his hands on either side of her head. A growl escaped from his throat, and Julie gulped. 

Right now, Roman didn't seem like himself as the expression on his face looked untamed as if he wanted to tear her apart. Veins around his eyes had surfaced, looking like the roots of a tree. When his lips parted, it showed the dangerous carnivore like fangs. 

Away from the infirmary, outside one of the buildings, where the main office stood, was Donovan, Castiel and Ms. Dante. 

"What have you found, Eloise?" questioned Donovan. His hands slipped into his trouser pockets as he waited. 

"As per the documents that were submitted to us, he belongs to a human family. But on further inquiry made by Piper, we found out that the family has been dead for quite some time now," Ms. Dante had a frown on her face. "We are trying to trace who had submitted the documents so that we can find something from it."

"Well, thanks to Remy we already know we won't get information on the boy as he was turned years ago into a vampire," commented Donovan, lightly scoffing. "Make sure the morm doesn't die. Maybe after we get the answer." 

"If the boy wanted, he could have tried to attack us while we were in the chambers," stated Castiel, but Ms. Dante shook her head. "Someone who didn't want us to wake up?" he questioned himself. 

"The chambers have been kept away from every person's eyes and knowledge, except for some of the staff who know about it," said the vampiress. "It's good that Roman caught the morm before he could disappear. Earlier Isolde informed me that the bullets that were used were different."

"How different can it be? Hunters and vampires have been making use of the same methods and things to kill each other," said Donovan. "By the way did you see any shower of raven's feathers from the sky?" 

Dante's eyebrows furrowed, and she turned to look at Castiel for a little help, as she was not interested in playing any guessing game with Donovan. 

"Have you heard any news of the Willow Creek in these years?"Castiel asked, and Dante shook her head. 

"Nothing. I have walked these grounds plenty times and never came across it," replied Ms. Dante. At the same time, Piper stepped out of the building with a printed sheet in her hand, which the headmistress had earlier asked her for. "Thank you for this, Piper," Ms. Dante appreciated it, and Piper gave a nod. "You can go and rest for the night." 

"I am going to check on the kids to see if they are alright," informed Piper and offering bows to the Elder vampires. She started to walk when Donovan stopped her. 

"Ms. Piper, you wouldn't mind me accompanying you, do you?" the Elder vampire offered her a charming smile. The woman nodded her head. "I will see you both tomorrow then," and both Donovan, as well as Piper, headed towards the infirmary. 

Back in one of the infirmary rooms, Julie felt her heart tumble at the sight in front of her, as she hadn't expected to see this side of Roman. 

Another growl erupted through Roman's mouth, and his hands on the surface of the bed twisted and tightly held it, which ended up with the crumpling of the sheet as he tried to regain his control. But the fresh smell of blood pulsing through Julie's veins that invited him to take a taste, a bite to quench his thirst. 

When he leaned closer to her neck, he used the other hand to slide beneath her head. Weaving it through her hair before pulling it back so that he could get more access to her neck. Julie felt her heart beat loudly in her chest, and she tried to calm herself. 

Julie tried to bite down the pain when Roman's fangs sank into her neck. His other hand slid to her waist. His grip on her was tight and like a predator as he sucked her blood. 

Julie's eyes were closed while Roman continued to take his fill which didn't look like it would finish soon. When she felt he was done with drinking her blood, as he pulled his fangs away from her, he took another bite below her neck, and she let him until she started to feel faint as if she was being lulled to sleep. 

"Rome," Julie whispered his name, but Roman didn't pay attention to her and continued to suck her blood as if this was his last meal. 

Not knowing how else to bring back his attention, where she could hear her heart beating in her ears, Julie used her hand that was placed on his shoulder. It moved to the back of his head before she weaved her fingers through his hair, and she tugged on it. 

Her action earned Julie an angry growl as he pulled away from her. She was torn if she was supposed to feel hot and excited or if she was supposed to be scared for her dear life because the vampire in front of her looked extremely hungry. 

"Don't eat me," Julie said to him with an anxious look on her face. "I will go and get you coke cans."

To Julie, the look in Roman's eyes felt like he wasn't in his right sense. As if he had changed into someone else, like being possessed by his vampire side. He ran his tongue over his lips one more time. She didn't loosen her hold on his hair, and even though Roman was stronger than her, as he stared at her, she could tell that he was trying to hold himself back. 

The wildness in his eyes didn't disappear, but it turned intense, and he got back to her. This time capturing her lips in his, and he bit right into it, and Julie's hand gripped on Roman's hair that only rose the fire in his eyes, and he moved his lips against hers, ready to swallow her.

"This is the infirmary, Rome," Julie whispered on Roman's lips and between their kisses. 

"Good, the last place for anyone to bother us," Roman's voice sounded coarse, holding an edge to it. His warm tongue slipped into her mouth, rubbing against her and trying to melt her. His actions were aggressive, the movement of his hands turning impatient. 

Roman's hand wrapped around her neck as if memorizing how delicate it was. He then noticed a breathy sigh unconsciously escaping from her lips. He traced his fingers on the column of her neck. 

Julie saw his fangs that looked more fatal than she had seen before. Letting go of the grip of her hand that she had on him, Julie brought her hand to place it on Roman's cheek. Her fingertips gently traced the raised veins like markings that had appeared on his face. They looked nothing less than a delicate art that showed the traits of him being a vampire.

Roman tried to control his thirst and his craving for the girl's blood, where he felt the substance of the silver, affecting him differently. Wanting to run his nails through the flesh and tear it,  his fangs wanted to sink in and drew the blood until there was nothing left. His vision started to blur while he growled. 

Almost around the same time, Ms. Piper and Donovan stepped inside the infirmary building. The presence of an Elder held a strong force letting the nearest person to experience it. On hearing the echo of footsteps that belonged to Donovan, Isolde, who was with Olivia inside the room while checking Simon's wound, a deep frown appeared on her face. 

"Olivia dear, please check who is outside. I think it would be better if we lock the gates so that no more students come here at this hour of the night," muttered doctor Isolde under her breath. 

"It might be some of my admirers, Isolde. You shouldn't shoo them away that quickly," Simon smiled at the vampiress, who held a dull and tired face. 

Olivia went towards the door, and when she stepped outside the room, she offered her greetings to the people with a slight bow. She informed the doctor, 

"It is Piper and Elder Donovan." 

Simon, who had a smile on his face, was quick to lower down, and he was quick to change his tune. "I think you are right, Isolde. We should not have visitors at this hour, no one at all," he whispered to the woman, who wasn't looking at him. 

"Welcome to the infirmary, Elder Donovan," Isolde bowed, and Donovan stepped inside with a polite smile on his face. 

"I am here to see how our young vampires are doing. I hope they are in your good hands?" questioned Donovan, looking at the university's doctor. 

"They will recover in one or two days. The silver needs to get out of their body. The bullet didn't go too deep in Simon's case and I was able to get it out. Therefore the less collusion in the blood," informed Isolde.

Simon, standing behind her, didn't know why the woman was bothering herself with giving information about him when the Elder was clearly here for Roman. The little problem was that he had sent Julie to Roman's room. And out of nowhere, this unofficial father of Roman had decided to come and see him.

Earlier, when he had given the blood coke to Julianne, he had noticed the way how her eyes had slightly widened. As if she knew what was there in it. Speaking to Roman about Dennis, it seemed like she was well aware of the things going around in Veteris. How interesting and unfortunate, thought Simon and his eyes met Olivia's eyes while the three adults were speaking. 

"His vampire body functions differently compared to Simon, which is why I think his body reaction to whatever was in the bullet was different. I have collected the blood samples from both of them, just to make sure and have tests run," informed doctor Isolde. 

"I would love to know the result of the tests, Isolde. Don't forget to let me know about it," hummed Donovan, and the doctor bowed her head. "Let me go and see how Roman's doing."

Back in, infirmary room, Julie gently caressed Roman's jaw and concerned, she said, "You are hurting too much." She looked right into his eyes, noticing how the temper in those red eyes was trying to push through.

Pushing herself to sit upright on the bed, she held Roman's face where the rage hadn't calmed down, and she felt the vibration of the growl appear from his chest. She looked at him as if they were both in trance, and she said, 

"I wish I could take a part of your pain away from you," to see him like this in pain, it tore her heart. 

She closed her eyes, and while concentrating, the pale turquoise light appeared between them. It started to turn bigger, and she opened her eyes. She saw the markings around Roman's eyes slowly start to disappear. A smile appeared on Julie's lips, watching Roman's features turn back to his usual self, but everything had an effect. 

The light around them disappeared, and Roman heard Julie's heartbeat racing in her chest. 

The pain that Roman had been feeling in his body, Julie took it away where she fell unconscious and fell in his arms. 

At the same time, suddenly, the room's door opened. At the door stood Donovan, and behind him was Piper, who had an apprehensive look on her face. 

"I should have known that you were going to have company," remarked Donovan, his eyes slightly narrowing by seeing the girl, who leaned on Roman's chest, appearing to be fast asleep. "Piper, why don't you be a doll and get us some refreshments? There is something important that I would like to discuss with Roman."

Piper gave a look at Roman. When their eyes met, Roman gave her a nod, and she stepped away from the corridor. 

"How are you feeling?" questioned Donovan, his eyes tearing away from the girl to meet Roman's eyes that had turned red again. 

"Fine."

"Hm," said Donovan, walking inside the room. He took a seat on the spare seat. "Is there something you would like to discuss with me, Rome?"

Roman and Donovan stared at each other, and a heavy silence filled the room. 

Far away from the infirmary building, in a different place and time, a girl walked in the forest, which was dark and quiet, except for the occasional hooting of the owl or the sound of the crickets. She couldn't help but curse at Julianne, not knowing what exactly had happened to her. One moment she was in the barn, and the next second, when she woke up, she was in the middle of nowhere. 

Not knowing where she was, she kept walking for several minutes until she finally saw smoke moving up in the air from some distance. When she tried to run towards it, it felt like her body had slowed down. After a few minutes, she finally stepped out of the forest and came to see houses and buildings. Her feet stopped when she noticed women and men, who were dressed differently compared to her. 

She noticed the way everyone looked at her. All Natalie wanted to do right now was go back home and have some fresh blood to drink. Maybe she could find someone here to quench her thirst before finding her way back home. But when she ran her tongue over her fangs, her tongue pressed itself over her canine teeth, and her eyes narrowed.

Natalie quickly looked around, noticing a bucket of water near a well. Going there, she leaned in front of the bucket to look at her reflection, where she had human teeth, and her eyes were brown, that refused to change to her vampire self. What the fuck happened!?

Some of the people in the town noticed the strangely clothed girl, and they whispered between themselves. It was because she didn't belong to their time.