Elysium by Sylah Sloan

confused. It will take time, Meadow. Mikhail and I are here for anything you need.”
    There was a knock at the door, and it opened before I turned around. Mikhail stood on the other side, his hair disheveled and his face strained as if he hadn’t been getting enough sleep.
    “What’s going on? Halle said she saw you two rush in here.”
    I looked at Cadeon, not knowing what to say. Cadeon’s expression was one of anger, and he directed it at Mikhail.
    “Meadow, I’m going to need you to wait in the lobby. I need to speak with Dr. Iverson for just a minute,” Cadeon said, still staring at Mikhail, his voice calm but I could hear the underlying anger.
    “Okay.” I looked between the two of them, the tension in the room thick. Cadeon looked at me and smiled, but it looked completely forced.
    “Everything’s okay. I’ll escort you to your room in just a minute.”
    I nodded and walked towards the door, looking up at Mikhail, who smiled down at me. I shut the door behind me and made my way towards the lobby. I stopped when I heard Cadeon’s booming voice travel through the thick door. Cadeon’s tone was fierce with anger, each word clipped. I made my way into the lobby, seeing the receptionist behind her desk, a romance book in her hand. She looked up at me and smiled, adjusting the thin rimmed glasses on her face.
    “Evening, I’m Halle.”
    Ah, so she was the one who told Mikhail. She held her hand out and I took it, her grip surprisingly strong for such a small lady. “Hi, I’m Meadow.”
    “Oh, I know, dear, it’s so nice to finally meet you. Go ahead and have a seat. I’m sure they will be done soon.” She gestured towards the waiting area, her nose going back into her book.
    I walked up to the fish tank and watched the little creatures swim around. Their movements were so precise and graceful as they glided through the rocks.
    “Let’s go.”
    I turned around when I heard Cadeon’s clipped tone. His face was blank, but I could clearly see he was still angry. He held out a jacket to me, and I took it and quickly slipped it on. I had to practically run to keep up with his long stride s .
    “Hey, can you slow down? Your legs are longer than mine.” He stopped abruptly and turned towards me. “I was only joking.” I held my hands up in surrender, hoping my lame comment hadn’t upset him more.
    “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be like this. He frustrates me.”
    “Who, Mikhail?”
    He ran his hand through his hair and breathed out deeply. “Yeah, he … he just should have made sure you were taken care of. There was no need for you to feel pain from bloodlust … no reason at all.”
    I shoved my hands in the coat pockets, not sure if I should be happy that he seemed to care so much. Maybe he wanted me protected, because there wasn’t anyone else like me? I didn’t want to think like that. I wanted desperately to believe he acted this way because he cared that I was okay.
    “I’m sure he didn’t know. He said he would have to do more tests on me, so he probably didn’t know it would happen. I mean, I certainly didn’t know.”
    “Maybe.” He ran his hand through his hair, slightly mussing the short strands. “Let’s get you inside. It’s freezing out here.”
    He didn’t wait for me to reply. He turned back around and headed towards the main house. His stride was slower this time, and we walked side by side up the cobblestone pathway.
     
     

Chapter Nine
     
    A few days had passed, and I was surprised how quickly the time seemed to fly by in the Manor. Ever since that night my bloodlust had taken over, Cadeon had been by several times a day. I wasn’t going to lie; I got a thrill every time I saw him. He would bring me bags of blood and fill a glass until my hunger was sated. Thankfully I hadn’t had bloodlust since. It wasn’t something I wanted to have to go through again.
    I was to start class the next night, and I was terrified. What would people think of me? Would they know