Jett drives. I sit in the back seat, covered head to toe. Heavy jacket. Gloves. Sunglasses. Hood pulled low. The tinted windows help but daylight still pricks at my skin like needles.
"You sure about this?" Jett asks.
"No."
He pulls up outside June's building. Double-parks. Keeps the engine running.
I check the street. Calculate the distance. Ten steps from car to door. Maybe fifteen. All of it under direct sun.
"Wait here," I say.
"Boss won't like it if you burn."
"Boss doesn't have to know."
I open the door. Step into noon sunlight.
The pain is immediate. My skin screams. Even through fabric, the UV finds me. Burns. I keep my head down and move fast. Cross the sidewalk. Hit the intercom.
Buzz twice.
June finally answers. Her voice comes through flat. Wrong.
"Come up."
I climb three flights. Find the door already open.
June sits on the couch. Ribs still wrapped. Bruises fading from purple to yellow. She looks up when I enter and her whole body goes rigid.
Her eyes track my movements. The way I'm too still. Too controlled. The blood still crusted under my nails despite scrubbing.
"What the hell happened to you?"
I close the door. Lock it. Turn back and meet her eyes.
No more lies. No more deflection.
"You asked what's wrong with me."
June straightens. "Yeah."
"I only come out at night. I'm pale. I've lost weight." I step closer. "I'm cold to the touch. I wear sunglasses even inside."
"Nora—"
"I'm faster than I should be. Stronger. You saw me almost break that guy's wrist at the bar. You saw how easy it was."
"Stop."
"I don't sleep. Not really. I can hear your heartbeat from across the room. I can smell the blood moving under your skin."
"This isn't funny."
"I'm not laughing." I hold her gaze. "Come on, June. You know what I am."
June backs toward the kitchen.
"No."
"Yes."
"You're telling me you're a—" She can't say it. Won't say it.
"Vampire. Yes."
The word detonates between us.
And then.
June laughs.
The sound is high and sharp.
"Okay. Okay, you got me. Very funny."
"June—"
"I knew you were on something. This is the intervention speech, right? You're so fucked up you actually believe this?" She shakes her head. "Vampires. Jesus Christ."
"I'm serious."
"You're serious." June's laugh gets louder. More hysterical. "Remember when we watched Twilight in eighth grade? Remember how we made fun of it for weeks? And now you're standing in my apartment telling me you're a fucking vampire?"
"Yes."
"This is cringe, Nora. This is so cringe I can't even—" She waves a hand. "What's next? You sparkle in sunlight? You brood on rooftops?"
"I'm not joking."
"Then you need help. Real help. Whatever fucked up roleplay you are doing with Dorian. You two need a therapist. Maybe a hospital."
I move.
One second I'm by the door. The next I'm in front of her. Close enough that she can feel the cold coming off my skin. My fangs extend with a sound like knives being drawn.
I growl into her face.
June's scream catches in her throat. She stumbles backward. Hits the counter hard enough to rattle dishes. Her hands come up defensive. Shaking.
"Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god—"
I step back. Let my fangs retract. The space between us feels like miles.
June slides down the counter until she's sitting on the floor. Her whole body trembles. She stares at me with eyes gone white around the edges.
"God, you are serious."
"You wanted to know," I say. "Now you know."
Her hand finds the counter edge. Grips it.
"And for the record," I approach the window, roll up the sleeve and extend my hand. "Vampires burn in the sun."
The effect is immediate. My skin bubbles. Blisters form and pop within seconds. The flesh turns red, then white, then black at the edges. Smoke rises from my hand. The smell of burning meat fills the apartment.
June's breathing goes shallow. She her hand over her mouth.
I pull my hand back. Watch the damage heal in reverse. Black peels away. White fades to pink. Blisters deflate and smooth. Within thirty seconds my hand looks normal again.
June presses her back against the counter. Eyes darting to the door. To the windows. To my mouth.
Looking for fangs. Looking for proof this is real. Her hand goes to the base of her skull.
"The person who pushed me." Her voice shakes. "I thought I dreamed they bit me. That was..."
"Sabine. Another vampire. I handled it."
June's laugh comes out broken. Hysterical.
"You handled it. You handled a vampire. Because you're one now. Because my best friend is a fucking vampire."
I take a step forward.
June flinches.
"How long?" she asks.
"A few weeks."
"Weeks." Her laugh comes out broken. "You've been dead for weeks and you're just telling me now?"
"I'm not dead. I'm different."
"You're a monster."
The word hits harder than any physical blow. I try another step forward. June raises her hand, defensive.
The movement stops me cold. I've never seen June afraid of me before. Never seen her look at me like I'm something dangerous.
Her voice drops to barely a whisper.
"I need you to leave."
My throat closes. I force words through it.
"June—"
"Please. I just—I need time. I need to think. Please just go."
I nod. Don't argue. Don't try to explain. Just turn and walk out.
Close the door softly behind me.
I stand in the hallway for ten seconds trying to remember how to breathe even though I don't need to anymore.
My phone is in my hand before I consciously decide to call. Dorian answers on the first ring.
"I lost her."
Silence. Then his voice. Steady and sure.
"Come home."
I take the stairs instead of the elevator. Burst into sunlight at street level and the UV burns even through my jacket. I run for the car Jett left parked around the corner. Dive into the back seat.
Jett looks at me in the rearview mirror. Doesn't ask questions. Just drives.
Back to Dorian's building. Up the elevator. Through the door.
Dorian is there immediately. Pulling me against his chest. One hand in my hair.
I don't cry. Can't cry. Just stand there while he holds me and tries to process that June looked at me like a monster. Like something to fear.
And maybe she's right. Maybe that's exactly what I am now.