Vampire Girlfriend: Epiphania (complete)

Male Reader x Female Monster (both cis)

I’ve always been fascinated by a building I pass when I go to work. The architecture suggests it’s a church, massive and beautiful, decorated with angels and gargoyles alike. Through my job as a reporter, I’ve been able to find enough information on the building to piece together a half-completed jigsaw puzzle. Long ago it was a church, but the pastor turned it from sanctuary into the subject of dark rumors. The rumors caused the church to shut down, but years later it was reopened as an apartment complex. After that, slowly, it began to convert into a business, offering massages and various types of therapies. That’s when the rumors started again, claiming the place - now known at the True Love’s Kiss - was harboring demons. Every day when my bus passes it, I’m fascinated.

I’ve been trying to get my boss to approve an investigation of this place. I would like to interview employees of this establishment and hear their individual stories. I want to find out why rumors dog its every incarnation. I want to hear the stories from the mouths of those who love it rather than the ones who judge it. But my boss keeps ignoring my requests, giving me tasks that seem like busywork.

So instead of taking my bus all the way home one evening, I get out at the stop just before the True Love’s Kiss. I’ve never walked up to the place before, although I always wanted to ever since my bus first drove by it. As I stand at the big red doors my hands begin to shake, and I grip the strap of my bag to keep them steady. I see an intercom system beside the door, which instructs me to buzz in before I enter. I press the well-worn button and, after a click and a hum, a small TV screen flickers on.

A young woman sits at a desk, her eyes diverted, probably looking at me through another screen. “Do you have an appointment?” she asks.

“No.” I instantly regret saying this. “My name is Theo Finnes. I’m a reporter for the Algonquin Gazette, and I was hoping…”

“A reporter?” She clicks her tongue. “No, no, you must have misheard me. I asked if you had an appointment, not a death wish.”

I’m taken aback by her hostility. “No, I don’t.”

“Then please step away from the door, sir,” she sighs.

I keep my finger on the button so she can’t turn me off. “I want to interview people here. I want to set the record straight on some key topics. I would like to…”

“No means no, sir. If you have a problem with that, take it up with the nice young man who works security.”

As she says this, the door opens and a large minotaur steps out, clad in a tight black shirt and jacket. He glares down at me. “We gonna have a problem?” he asks.

I shake my head. “No. I was just…” I take a step back and end up tripping down a couple of steps, and I fall on my ass just as a young girl walks up.

“You okay?” she stoops, holding a plastic bag in one hand.

“Come along, Ms. Agatha,” the minotaur beckons. “He’s trying to cause trouble.”

Agatha looks up briefly, then back down at me as I try to gather myself. “Just ignore me,” I chuckle. “It’ll make me feel better.”

It’s getting dark out, but the girl is wearing extremely dark sunglasses, tinted so I can’t even see her eyes through them. She looks very young, perhaps fifteen or so. I don’t know if it’s the glasses or not, but she also looks very pale. She looks at me, tilting her head to the side.

“Agatha,” the minotaur calls again.

“Just wait a damn minute!” she barks up at him. “I’m making sure this guy is okay.”

I shake my head. “Don’t worry about me. Really.”

Agatha stops me as I start to turn away. “You look familiar.”

If she weren’t such a small girl, I might be ready to admit a twinge of fear. “Do I?” I chuckle. I try to step around her again, but somehow she knows my every move before I make it. I hear the minotaur grunt impatiently above us, and I stop in my tracks, letting Agatha stand before me with a smile on her face.

“You look almost exactly like him,” she murmurs. “It’s quite amazing.”

I frown and shrug. “Well, whoever he is, I can say for certain I’m not him.”

“My mother would love to meet you,” she says brightly.

This simple sentence sends chills down my spine and churns stones in my stomach. I finally sidestep the girl and head towards the bus stop. “It was nice meeting you, Agatha.”

She waves at me as I walk away. “See you soon.” The way she says that, she sounds assured that she will.

Once I get home, I start to puzzle just how I am going to get inside theTrue Love’s Kiss. They take appointments, but I’ve never seen a phone number anywhere. There’s not even a listing online. How do I reach the owner? If I could talk to the owner, then maybe I could get a foot in the door. But after seeing that minotaur I doubt he’d let a hair in, let alone my foot.

I sit at my kitchen table, sighing heavily at my computer screen while I eat the microwaved burrito that is my dinner. My gut churns, like always does. Nothing I eat settles right. I suppose this is the worst thing I could eat, but even when I eat something expensive or healthy, it disagrees with me, so I might as well be troubled by cheap food.

I don’t know if it’s the crappy burritos, but often I have horrible dreams so vivid they are an onslaught to my senses, a barrage of images and scenes that play in rapid succession. I can see each one individually with clarity, but as a whole they become blurred in my mind. When I wake, all I remember is the blur. It’s all I’ve known, so I’m used to it.

My dreams come the same way in the evening, but this time I can hear the voice of a woman, where everything was previously silent except for the loud hum of all the images rushing together. I hear the woman loudest of all, speaking in different languages at the same time. She sings, she laughs, she anguishes all in one breath. I begin to see her through the images, their fast-moving blurs like rustling pages. Her silhouette takes shape in the rush, stepping closer and closer until her figure is all I see.

I wake with a start, feeling as though my body hits the bed at the end of a fall. I sit up, and see it’s still quite dark out. I never sleep for long, so this isn’t new. I lie back down with a huff, covering my face with my hands. I could almost see that woman, and it’s frustrating. I want to remember my dreams so badly, and I’m growing tired of their obscurity.

Going into work, I find a stack of papers on my desk. A new assignment, probably a reprimand for going to the True Love’s Kiss. After all, I did say where I worked, and no doubt they called to yell about me. I sit down, chugging my coffee now that it’s a little cooler than lava.

As I look through the papers, I see I’ve been scheduled to interview at the True Love’s Kiss that day. I avoid spitting my coffee, but I do spill it, making a mess all over my lap and desk. In my hectic rush to clean it, I barely notice my boss approaching me, and she looks me down and up and clicks her tongue. “Hard at work already?”

I look away from using my sweater to sop up the mess. “Always.”

“I take it you saw the assignment.” She looks unnerved as she says this. “They want you there all day, talking to people.”

“Really? Why?”

“I don’t know. Just got called this morning right as I walked through the door,” she huffs. “They said they were impressed and wanted to see what you could do.”

“I’ve been asking for this assignment for months,” I marvel. “Why now?”

My boss glances at her feet. “They asked for you.”

I return to True Love’s Kiss, my slacks still stained with coffee, but I don’t have time to go home and change. I’m not sure I have anything clean anyway. I press the intercom again, ready to say that, yes, I do have an appointment! The screen turns on, and a different receptionist is at the desk. “Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes! My name is Theo Finnes, and I’m…”

“Oh, the reporter,” the man says. “We’ve been expecting you, Mr. Finnes.” The door clicks. “You may come inside.”

I step towards the red door, heart in my throat. I half expect the door to have no give when I pull on the handle, but it opens for me. I bite back my anxious smile and step inside. Beyond is a long, narrow vestibule which is blocked off by the front desk, and already there are people sitting in wait, thumbing through magazines or their phones. I stride towards the front desk, nervous but elated, and smile as I put a hand on the desk.

“Just one moment,” the man says. He has long, pure-white hair and a tailored jacket and tie, but when he stands I see he’s also wearing a form-fitting pencil skirt. He opens a wrought-iron gate to let me through. “Just follow me. I’ll be taking you to your first scheduled interview.”

“How many interviews do I have?” I look around, trying to take in everything, but he’s walking so damn fast. There are so many people around, but nothing looks as sinister or depraved as people say. People are working, cleaning, preparing for the day.

“It depends really,” he sighs. “Claude is allowing volunteers for this.”

“Claude?”

He stops and turns. “The owner.” He keeps walking.

“Sorry. It’s just that I know so much and so little about this place at the same time. It’s fascinating!” We come to an elevator, where I see a woman standing at an easel and drawing with charcoal.

“That’s reaffirming to hear,” he says. He steps into the elevator and I follow. As the door closes again, he watches the lights. “You’ll be meeting with Doctor Epiphania and her team first.”

“Oh,” I’m a bit surprised. “You have doctors here?”

He just looks at me. “I’m not being interviewed.”

The elevator opens into a room decorated in copper and blue, with alcoves flanked by columns and topped with arches. I step inside, smelling antiseptic and a touch of lemon. “Welcome!” I look up from my inspection to see Agatha standing there.

I look around, perplexed and bewildered. “Hello again,” I say with uncertainty.

Agatha smiles and bounces on her heels. “We’ve been expecting you, Theo.” She still has on those sunglasses.

“What are you doing here?” I ask as I slowly approach her.

“I work here,” she states simply.

“Really?” I say incredulously. “Well, I guess I’ll be interviewing you today, then.”

Agatha nods, then opens her arms and motions around the room. “This is the clinic,” she says. “Here we offer many medical services, ranging from beauty treatments to minor surgery, but our main focus is gynecological health.”

I smile at her. “And you work here?”

Agatha tilts her head to the side. “I know I look really young, so I’m not surprised you’re suspicious. But let me assure you, I am a doctor just like the others here.”

“Do you have a specialty?” I ask.

“I work with people who need hormone therapies, and I have a very wide range of clients.” Her youthful, even childlike appearance still throws me.

“Then why would this place be so secret? Why can’t I find any business listing for this entire establishment, let alone a phone number?”

Agatha’s smile becomes soft and coy. “It’s a long story, so you’d best save that question for Dr. Epiphania.”

“And who might the doctor be?”

“My mother. Come this way, I’ll give you a tour.” Agatha turns and walks me through another room accented in blue and copper. “Does any of this look familiar?” she asks.

“Is it supposed to?”

“My mother decorated the clinic in a Byzantine style. She didn’t want it to seem like a sterile and inhospitable place to our clients.” She shows me the exam rooms, each one a little different. “We have five practicing doctors here, as well as six nurses. My mother started this clinic after a friend of hers opened a similar one.”

“And what does that mean? I thought gynecology was a popular field.”

Agatha opens a door to a completely windowless room, lit by a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. “It’s more than that.” She steps inside, removing her sunglasses, and when she turns to me her eyes are ruby-red. “This is a vampire clinic.”

A woman stands up from behind a massive, ornate desk, and she has Agatha’s white hair and pale skin. “You must be the reporter,” she says.

Agatha closes the door behind me. “Come sit.”

I step forward slowly, standing while Agatha takes a seat. The other woman is remarkably tall and dressed in all black, save for a white lab coat, and her hair is cut into a sharp bob pulled all to one side. “Dr. Epiphania,” I say breathlessly. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

She gives me a shocked look, and her brows pinch while her lips part slightly. “Theo Finnes,” she murmurs. “Welcome.” She sits back down at her desk where her face smooths into a cool smile.

“Thank you for having me.” I take a seat, using my bag to cover the coffee stain on my lap and feeling unexpectedly nervous. Epiphania is lovely, but when I look at her I feel a pang of nostalgia I can’t shake. “It’s been a goal of mine for a while now to be able to interview here.”

The doctor’s red eyes move over me, and slowly she begins to smile. “I’ll admit, I was surprised when the idea was brought to me. But I’m always eager to show the positive side of this place.” Her voice sounds so familiar, it tickles at my brain and bothers me a little.

I take out my recorder and notepad. “Do you mind if I record?”

She shakes her head. “No. Go right ahead.”

I turn the recorder on and set it on her desk. “So, let’s start at the beginning. When did you start working here?”

The doctor sighs, smoothing her hand down her front. “It feels like so long ago,” she murmurs. “I didn’t first come here as a doctor. I came here seeking sanctuary.”

I furrow my brow. “This place offers sanctuary?”

“This place is a sanctuary. It may not precisely be a church anymore, but it still serves as holy ground. Claude takes good care of people, and he understands what it’s like to to struggle to find somewhere accepting.” Epiphania strokes her fingers through her hair, gently tucking it behind her ear. She wears only one earring, a teardrop stone which is either black or red. “Agatha and I when our homes were ripped away from us, and our lives in turmoil. For a long time, all we had done was run.”

My stomach ties up in knots, which isn’t unusual due to never eating anything agreeable. But today the knots feel tighter, even hot. “I’m sorry to hear that. When you came here, what exactly did Claude do for you?”

“He took us in, got us help. Back then, he was only starting to establish this business.” She extends her hand. “He inherited the place from his father.”

“And how long have you been here?”

Epiphania smiles. “I would say our lives began here, but I assume you know how vampires live, Mr. Finnes.”

“I’m aware of your lifespans, but I only have the knowledge that a casual observer would have. Would you like to tell me about your life to help me understand your work here at True Love’s Kiss?”

She chuckles softly. “How casual is your observation, Mr. Finnes? Most people these days have some knowledge on vampires, thanks to programs hoping to educate the populace beyond horror movies and strict stereotypes. The growing number of vampire clinics is also a hot topic. I’m sure your paper has done articles on both subjects.”

I smile and shake my head, defeated. “I’ve always offered to take on the jobs of writing such articles, but I’ve never had the luck of getting them. All I know is from what my colleagues have written, and the few things I’ve seen for myself. But to know who a vampire really is and how they live requires intimate knowledge, don’t you think?”

The doctor smiles and leans forward on her desk. “What would you like to know about me, Mr. Finnes?”

Agatha suddenly stands. “I have an appointment coming up. I’ll leave you two alone.” She puts her glasses back on and leaves the room, and once the door shuts, Epiphania removes her lab coat. I notice that there appear to be tattoos along her clavicle, but I don’t want to stare.

“I’d like to know a great deal about you, Dr. Epiphania, but I’m here for the paper.” I fidget with my pad and pen. “I should really interview you more about your business.”

“Professional. I can appreciate that, Mr. Finnes.” She leans back again, and despite what she says, she looks displeased by my reaction. “Well, to begin, Agatha and I were part of a purge ages ago. We were buried, forced to sleep for ages. When we awoke, everything we had suffered was still fresh inside us. That’s why we came here. Our past was long gone, more buried than we were, but it was still a raw wound on our bodies.”

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper.

She sighs. “We’ve recovered, and have adapted to this world. Claude helped us in more ways than one, and I want to save lives like he did for us back then. This place is about healing and giving comfort, Mr. Finnes. So I do hope your interviews here will reflect that.”

I nod shakily, wishing I could rid myself of the feeling that I know her despite the fact that we’ve just met. I continue the interview, asking her about the clinic, her education, and how it all ties back into True Love’s Kiss. But midway through, Agatha returns to fetch her mother for an emergency, and Dr. Epiphania excuses herself, promising to finish the interview tomorrow. I’m taken elsewhere to interview another employee of True Love’s Kiss, although my mind is very much still wrapped up with the lovely doctor.

I head home that evening, and as soon as I’m there I lay out my computer, the recorder, and the pad I was writing on. While one of my crappy burritos cooks, I transcribe the recording, using my notes to enhance the script for when I write my article later.

“Agatha and I came here as victims. Our homes were ripped away from us, our lives in turmoil. For a long time, all we had done was run.” Dr. Epiphania says through the tape, and I can feel her sense of loss seep into my core, as if my body feels her grief. As the microwave dings I am sobbing, crying. It frightens me that this feeling has hit me so suddenly. Is it the stomach issues? The lack of sleep? Why am I suddenly so emotional?

When I finally tear myself away from the grief, I get up, sodden-faced, and take my meal from the microwave. It’s more disgusting than usual, and I have to spit out the bite in my mouth. I guzzle some orange juice to make up for it. Hopefully in the morning I’ll be over this and able to interview better. I’d hate to appear as disheveled as I did yesterday, with coffee stains all over my lap. And the interview itself felt sloppy.

I go to bed once I have the tape transcribed to my laptop, and even write the opening paragraph of my article, which I’ll probably rewrite a dozen times before I am satisfied. Lying in the dark, the sounds of cars passing below my window, I sink more than drift to sleep. I see the images laid out before me, passing in a blur. I watch them, and they only reach me in fleeting colors and snatches of sound. Red flashes before me, blinking slowly at first and then becoming bigger, brighter. I hear screams of agony, the voices of men and women in the worst pain imaginable. I feel sick to my stomach and I wake up immediately, bolting into the bathroom to heave and convulse over the toilet.

The word ‘disconcerting’ doesn’t do justice to what I feel there on the bathroom floor. Besides the red, I could swear I smelled the pungent scent of rotting blood, metallic, meaty decay all about me. I press my head into my knees, thanking the coldness of the bathroom floor for comforting me.

Before I head into work to upload my progress, I shower and try to put on a presentable face. I even use my secret stash of concealer to brighten up the gruesome battleground that is my eyes. Once I’ve backed up my work, I return to True Love’s Kiss, and I’m let in by the same guy as yesterday. I’m taken back to Dr. Epiphania’s clinic, and she greets me in the lobby. Her smile is bright, and she looks much more chipper than yesterday.

“Good morning, Mr. Finnes.” She sets a book behind the front desk.

I nod at her. “Good morning.” I try to match her charm and vitality, but I’m afraid that I have none inside me.

She gives me a concerned look as I approach. “Has this morning not found you well?”

“I’m afraid the morning hasn’t found me at all. No worries, I’m eager to get back to our interview.”

Dr. Epiphania’s brow furrows as she looks over me, her ruby eyes sliding along my face like she’s searching for a missing puzzle piece. “I’m a doctor, so I can’t help but worry.”

“It’s something I’m used to.” I try to laugh it off. “If you’re so worried, I can take a referral.”

“Take this, then. In case you change your mind.” She hands me her card, then opens the door to the clinic hallway. “We’ll go back to my office, if that’s okay with you.”

“Perfect.” I follow her back to her grand office, surprised at my feeling of relief once I’m there. “I came up with a few more questions last night I’m a bit eager to ask.”

“Easy for you to say,” she chuckles. “I’ve actually been quite nervous about this interview, Mr. Finnes.”

I take out my recorder and turn it on. “What makes you nervous?”

“Asking questions is easy, answering them is hard. Hearing the answers can be hard as well.” She stands at the corner of her desk, looking tall and pristine. She’s so lovely, and I know I need to keep myself professional, but I can’t deny my attraction to her.

“I suppose that’s true,” I chuckle. “But this is my job, and I want to hear you speak your truth about this place.”

Epiphania’s smile grows. “I know what you’re trying to get at, Mr. Finnes. Everyone wants dirt, so you dig to get it. So would you like some ice water before you work up a sweat?” She sits down on the corner of her desk and looks down at me like she's a predator and I am prey. Confusingly, I find myself enjoying it.

I clear my throat and chuckle. “Well, all I had this morning was coffee. I couldn’t even drink my usual orange juice this morning.” She doesn’t need to know the details.

Dr. Epiphania’s long fingers point to the water cooler in the corner. “Go ahead and help yourself.” Her eyes remain on me as I stand and cross the room. “ You want to know secrets, right? The True Love’s Kiss is secret for many reasons. Some things here may not be agreeable to others, but our services are offered for good.” She glances at the recorder and reaches across her desk to turn it off. I stand halfway between the water cooler and her with my cup of water. She looks at me with piercing eyes and a stern scowl. “What do you think this place offers?”

I stand there, still a bit weak in the legs after last night. But the water actually helps. “I have many ideas about what this place could be, and I’ve heard many, many rumors. But what I assume is only derived from those few things. And the rumors say this place is the next Hellfire Club.”

Dr. Epiphania snorts and leans back in her chair. “It’s not that nefarious!” She smiles at me brightly, looking remarkably beautiful. “There are certain things about this place that may sound as depraved as the Dashwoods and their little society, but this is a place of healing and redemption. There’s more love here than plain jollies.” She turns the recorder back on. “Tell me, is there a way you need to heal, Mr. Finnes?”

I remain silent, unable to answer the question, so I simply smile and return to my seat, take my pad in hand and hold my pen tightly. “This isn’t about me, Dr. Epiphania. I’ve told you my opinion.” If I wasn’t holding my pen and pad, I might tremble. I want to answer her question, but for the sake of my career, I can’t.  It isn’t just the dreams or the stomach problems. I’ve only been awake for so long, and I don’t recall anything from before. I just have to keep up the interview. I want to learn about this place, and then maybe afterwards I’ll know her better.

That night when I return home, I just work. I don’t attempt to eat, and I’ve thrown out the orange juice, fearing it may have been out of date. I transcribe my interviews from the day, paying careful attention to Dr. Epiphania. After a spell of listening to her recorded voice, I drift off at the kitchen table.

In my dreams I am crushed by a wall of blood, knocked off my feet and carried away. I hear the voices again, wailing in agony all around me. My back strikes a wall and the tide of blood ebbs away, becoming just a pool below my hovering, dangling feet. Something is tight in my chest; it’s dull at first, then becomes a serious, sharp tug. Jutting from my ribs is a massive wooden spike. I try to scream, but I can’t. Something is shoved down my throat. I cough and wheeze, wanting to claw at my throat, but my arms won’t move. The wailing has become a wind around me, blowing my hair about my face. It’s white, pure white.

I spit out the object in my throat; it’s round and purple, sort of fluffy. The flower hits the ground, splashing into the puddle of blood below me. I cough again, another flower and another. They spill from my throat like vomit into the toilet.

I wake up, my throat sore and dry. I go to the bathroom, checking my mouth for those purple flowers before guzzling down cold water. As I huddle over the sink, it takes a moment to realize that something about me has changed. Looking into my face in the mirror, I notice my hair has changed greatly. I touch it to make sure it’s real, and even pull on it hard to feel the sharp sting of pain. But it’s real. It’s white, like in the dream.

These dreams, my body, this hair… it’s all too much for me to handle alone. I find the card Epiphania gave me and, against all sound logic and better judgment, I called the number on it. I shake, hoping she doesn’t answer. But she does, and her voice sounds so soothing.

“Hello? Who is this?” She sounds pissed.

“Hi. I’m sorry for calling like this.” My voice cracks. I try to swallow, but it’s hard. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Mr. Finnes?” Her voice is concerned, frightened even. “Is everything alright?”

“I don’t know,” I whimper.

“Where are you?” she asks urgently.

This is all unsound. I don’t know why I give her my address, and I don’t know why I agree to let her come over. I’d hoped by the time she arrived I’d be able to turn her away, but I let her into the building and leave my door unlocked for her. I invite her in. She comes into my kitchen, finding me sitting at the kitchen table and fidgeting with my recorder. She quietly takes a seat beside me. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, setting the recorder aside.

“Don’t be, Theo. I’m glad you did. Can you look at me?” She sets a bag on the table. “Tell me what’s wrong?”

I look up at her reluctantly. Not only has my hair turned white, it’s grown at an alarming rate, already reaching my shoulders. But that doesn’t seem to be what’s alarming her. She touches my neck, pressing her fingers down along an artery, and gives me a very serious look.

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

I shake my head. “It all sounds so silly when I think about it. Lots of people have trouble eating, or trouble sleeping.” I sigh heavily. “Lots of people are sensitive to sunlight.”

She opens up her bag. “You can’t eat or sleep?”

“Everything I eat turns my stomach. And when I sleep… well, I wouldn’t call it sleep, more like my body is resting and everything above my neck stays awake.” I cup my hand around my neck where she touched me.

“How long has this been going on?” she asks.

I feel like I could sob again. “Ever since I woke up.”

She furrows her brow. “How long were you in a coma, Theo?”

I lick my lips and let out a shuddering breath. “Five years,” I murmur. “How’d you guess?”

Her lips purse. “I’m a doctor.” She touches my hand. “And you remember nothing from before you woke up?”

“I was found in someone’s basement,” I say simply. “They called me a miracle when I awoke. I was just John Doe to them, but I did remember my name. That was all I had.”

She nods her head, her eyes distant as she thinks. “Might I ask something strange?”

I chuckle. “This night has been nothing but strange to me. I’m sure whatever you ask won’t seem half as bad.”

She reaches out, taking my hand and massaging her fingers along my wrist. “Do you mind if I taste you?”

I take in a deep breath. “Is this vampire talk or doctor talk?”

“I’m asking as a doctor,” she says with a reassuring smile. “If I can sample your blood, I might help you figure out what happened, where you came from. It won’t hurt, I promise.”

I nod “Okay, go ahead.”

She moves closer, rubbing my wrist as she brings it closer to her mouth. I see the fangs inside, her rosy red tongue. I watch until her teeth sink into me and then I snuff out like a candle. I never knew myself to faint at the sight of blood. I never knew myself to faint at all, but as soon as those teeth touch me, I’m gone, back in that dreamscape with those images throwing themselves at me. I hear screams, a man yelling. I smell blood and ash, all familiar.

When I awake, I’m a large bed, surrounded by blue pillows and a copper-plated bed frame. The room smells like Epiphania. I sit up, taking in my new surroundings slowly. The bedroom is small but intimate, mostly taken up by the bed. I slide my feet off the side, touching the stiff rug below. I look at my wrist where Epiphania had bit me, but there are no marks.

The door opens, and she walks in. “You’re awake.”

“Where am I?” I rub my head, aware that my hair has grown even longer.

“You’re in my lodgings in True Love’s Kiss.” She walks to the bed and sits down beside me. “After you fainted, I brought you here to keep an eye on you.”

I swallow, my throat painfully dry. “What happened?”

Epiphania touches my face, and my body feels weak again. “You’re still resting,” she whispers. “But you're close to waking up.”

I frown. “What does that mean? Am I still in a coma? Is all this a dream?”

“Not exactly. You’re sort of… both.” She gives me an apologetic look. “Oh, Theo, I…” Epiphania presses a kiss to my forehead, and I instinctively move to allow her to kiss me. Something about it feels old and familiar, just like her voice did. I kiss her again, letting the relief of nostalgia flow through me.