Nightmare

Zacky walked down the hall towards his room, his mind concentrated on one thing, when he felt arms winding their way around his waist from behind.

“Hey baby,” he smirked, turning around.

His smirk quickly faded as he saw that it wasn’t his Starr, but rather Red. Zacky quickly pushed her arms off of him, taking a step back.

“Uh, Red, I thought you were Starr,” he said, a bit shocked.

Red just smiled innocently. “Does that mean you’re not happy to see me, Zacky?”

Zacky shook his head. “No, I didn’t mean it like that, I just… thought you were Starr.”

Red scoffed, rolling her eyes a little. “Is that the only thing that’s ever on your mind anymore Zacky? Starr? That’s all I ever hear—Starr this, Starr that—it’s like nothing else matters to you…”

Zacky said nothing, not wanting to bother giving her an answer.

“You’re so boring now, Zacky,” Red continued. “You aren’t the same Zacky I used to know… what happened to him? I miss him.”

Zacky just shrugged. “People change, Red. I’m different now. You knew me as the careless vampire that cared about nothing but himself.”

“And you’re not that anymore?” Red cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t just care about yourself?”

Again, Zacky remained silent.

“Oh, I see…” Red gave a light laugh. “You care about Starr, don’t you?”

“Starr is important to me, but she is also the future Queen of the Underworld,” he responded. “She is going to marry Tristan and take her place at his side when all this is over.”

Red just laughed again. “Sure… tell me, Zack, does Tristan know about your little love affair with his future queen?”

Zacky didn’t let his eyes meet hers, making another cackle escape the girl’s lips.

“Oh, so he doesn’t know!” Red clapped her hands together. “I love secrets… especially ones as… wonderful, as this one. Don’t you, Zacky?”

“What’s your point, Red?” Zacky asked, not in the mood for games.

Red stepped closer to him, a small smile on her lips. “Zacky, this isn’t like you… tying yourself down to one girl? No, it’s not you at all… you’re much too free-spirited…” she pressed her body against him, pushing him back against the wall, trapping him there. “Much too irresistible…”

She ran her fingers along his chest. “And besides, you said so yourself that she’s going to be leaving soon… She’ll go with Tristan once the fighting is all done. She’s going to leave you, Zacky… forget all about you when she has Tristan. Do you really think that she’s going to think about you when she’s in the Prince’s bed? No… she won’t even remember your name, farless who you are…”

Zacky swallowed hard, the effect of those words clearly showing on his face as he listened to them.

“Your point, Red?” He asked again, his voice shaking slightly from the emotions.

“Zacky, I’m just telling you all this trying to be a good friend,” Red told him, her voice sympathetic. “I would never want to see you hurt… but if you keep… having these feelings for Starr, just cutting yourself off… that’s what going to end up happening.”

Zacky looked down at the ground, again processing what she was saying. “So you’re saying that I’m just gonna end up getting hurt?”

Red nodded, biting her lip lightly. “Yeah… and you’re such a great guy, Zacky, and I don’t want that… Starr may be caring for you now, but as soon as she leaves and is with Tristan again, she’ll forget all about you… just like she did before.”

“What do you mean?” Zacky asked looking up at Red.

Red sighed. “I really didn’t want to tell you this, Zacky, but I think you need to know… while Starr was at Tristan’s castle, she was so happy there. She liked spending time with Tristan, being with him… she didn’t even think about you or miss you while there. All she cared about was seeing Tristan… And I know that you were there thinking about her, but she only remembered you when you came to get her after Vega attacked.

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but you need to know what you’re setting yourself up for, Zacky. Starr will forget all about you once she leaves, and you’ll just be all alone here… because all you did was focus on her, instead of being what you really are. You’re a vampire, Zacky.”

Zacky nodded. “And how am I supposed to do that?” he asked her, his voice low.

Red smiled lightly. “Well… I could help you with that…” she whispered back.

Zacky neither said nor did anything, watching as Red moved closer to him, pressing her lips to his. Zacky waited a moment, remembering what her mouth felt like against his own, before kissing her back slowly, their lips moving together rhythmically. Red ran her hands along his shoulders and chest while Zacky’s arms wrapped around her waist, urging her closer, slipping his tongue into her mouth.

Red grabbed the edge of his shirt, lifting it up and yanking it over his head, while Zacky picked her up wrapping her legs around his waist with a groan, breaking the kiss only when she pulled off her own shirt.

They continued with their kissing before Zacky quickly took her inside one of the guest rooms that was nearby, shutting the door behind them.

What Zacky didn’t know was that I was there the whole time, hiding around the corner, watching and hearing the entire thing.