Chapter 1
ONE
I stepped out of the car and closed the door behind me, not bothering to lock it.
The night air, cool and crisp, kissed my arms as I adjusted the red dress that hugged my curves like a second skin.
I strutted toward the group before me, mostly consisting of students from the nearby university.
Their laughter, carefree and loud, blended with the music drifting through the air, a cacophony of anticipation.
I’d been on the run for a couple of months, falling into a bad pattern out west. Some detectives were probably looking for the murderer behind a few dead bodies.
And by “a few,” I mean dozens. Usually, I am very careful and try not to kill anyone, but sometimes things get out of hand. And a girl’s got to eat.
I walked for five minutes toward the lake, swallowing hard. My throat was dry and tight, and I tried to quell the rising tension in my chest. I had been fasting for a few nights to make this night a treat—or so I tried to convince myself as I sped along the desolate highways.
My unsteady legs trembled with each step. The nights of feeding on blood bags, heated on the passenger seat warmer, had done little to satisfy me.
I needed a fresh, hot meal. Something alive. My body craved sustenance. I could feel the weight of it in my bones. The hunger was a constant pull, a deep ache, and I knew it would soon become unbearable if I didn’t feed soon. Thus, here I was, surrounded by humans on New Year’s Eve.
The lake shimmered under the town’s lights as I drew closer, its surface gleaming like a mirror.
I could see why they called this place Lakeview.
I followed the park’s winding trails, avoiding the pools of lamplight that dotted the path, and slipped into the shadow of a towering oak, watching in silence.
Groups of students gathered, some lounging with drinks in hand, others smoking or snorting drugs, and dancing to music blaring from radios.
I surveyed the crowd, scanning over the sea of faces, searching for my target.
The gnawing emptiness inside me often made my actions reckless.
Tonight, though, I planned to be patient, to take my time.
I intended to stay here for a couple of nights to replenish my strength before continuing my journey.
I needed someone drunk enough to forget the encounter entirely by morning, yet not so intoxicated that their blood would be tainted.
There had to be a perfect balance, a delicate moment where their inhibitions were lowered, but their pulses still thrummed with life, unspoiled by the heavy weight of alcohol or whatever other substances flowed through their veins.
I pulled my cellphone out of my purse and flipped it open. It flashed 11:54 p.m. I had six minutes before the countdown began. In the chaos of fireworks and cheers, I could hunt undetected if I timed it right.
I stood there, still, when a creeping sensation of unease crept over me. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. There was another Vampire nearby. I could feel it—an instinct, honed over years of experience. Someone was watching me.
I spun around, my eyes narrowing as I focused on the shadows of the trees. Then, there it was, a flicker of movement. A flash of blue darted between the trunks, quick and fluid. Too fast. Too sharp to be human.
I ran after it, my adrenaline spiking as I moved quickly and gracefully, closing the distance between me and the fleeting blue streak. I silently thanked myself for my choice of boots over the red stilettos that matched my dress.
We ran deeper into the park’s trees but stayed close enough to hear the rowdiness of the crowd.
The figure was fast. It halted, pivoted, then charged straight for me.
My body tensed as I was too slow to react, and it collided with me, sending me crashing to the ground.
My breath left my lungs as the figure pinned me down, seizing the sides of my head and slamming it into the earth.
A sharp sting erupted across my skull as blood trickled into my hair.
I struggled beneath their weight, my strength depleted from fasting.
I looked up and saw a woman with golden blond hair wearing a blue dress. Her eyes were feral, crazed, as they locked onto mine. Recognition hit me like a wave, and through my hazy vision, I knew her.
“Vail!” I screamed. “Vail! It’s me, Rose.”
She hesitated, pulling back and studying my face. Her fangs retracted into her gums, and her expression softened.
“Rosie?” she said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. The moonlight shone down from behind her, illuminating her face and making her look like something out of a dream.
The last time I had seen Vail, we ended things on bad terms. Over fifteen years had passed, but the scars, the words, those never truly healed.
“Oh my god, Rosie!” Vail reached down, grabbed my arms, and helped me up.
Her touch, though once familiar, felt foreign.
She pulled me into a tight hug, and for a moment, I let myself indulge in it.
The scent of her was comforting. But then the memories rushed back, how she betrayed me—how our relationship had ended in flames—and I quickly pulled away.
“Shit, Vail, what’s your problem?” I brushed the dirt off my legs, trying to keep my voice steady. “You scared the hell out of me. I thought you were—” I stopped myself, unsure if I even wanted to say it aloud.
“You thought I might be Draven?” she asked casually, rummaging around in the small black purse slung across her body. She pulled out a makeup wipe and handed it to me.
I would be lying to myself if I said I didn’t think about Draven. Not a day goes by that the thought of him doesn’t drift through my mind.
But he was gone because of me.
I pushed the thought away, wiping the blood from my scalp. The cut had already begun to heal, and I brushed the dirt from my dress.
“No. I thought you were a Slayer,” I told her. I felt hunger rising within me, but it wasn’t just the need to feed that had my stomach twisting. The clock was ticking down. I took a deep breath, trying to ground myself. “What’s your deal, Vail? Why did you attack me?”
“I wasn’t expecting to see you,” she said with a shrug. “It’s been a long time.”
I could tell she was trying to act nonchalant, but the tension in the air was palpable.
Over fifteen years of silence since I last saw Vail, my oldest friend, and now we were standing here as if nothing had changed.
But it had. I tried not to look at her too closely, afraid the emotions I’d buried would rise to the surface, yet the memories of the years we spent together came crashing to the forefront of my mind. I shoved down the shame.
“What are you doing here?”
“Same as you,” she grinned. “Hunting.”
She turned, and with a subtle tilt of her head, I followed her back to the main crowd. I found myself mesmerized by the dance of her golden hair as it swayed behind her with every step.
“Do you live here?” I asked, stepping up beside her. It had been over six months since I’d seen another Vampire. I’d been steering clear of anyone who might stir up trouble. Yet, with Vail’s and my history, it often felt like trouble had an uncanny way of finding us, no matter where we went.
“No, I was passing through, making my way up north. Then I realized tonight would be a good night for a bite to eat.” She smirked, but I sensed she wasn’t being truthful. I’d known Vail long enough to tell when she was lying.
She gave me a small smile, and I detected sadness behind her eyes. “What about you? Still a nomad, or have you finally put down your roots here?” She gestured toward the town.
“I’m just here to feed, and then I’ll be on my way again.”
“Still getting into trouble, are you?” Vail laughed, and my chest tightened at the sound of it. It was comforting to be around someone familiar, especially someone with whom I’d shared such a deep connection.
“More or less.”
Vail scanned the crowd of people. “It’s almost midnight. We should split up,” she suggested. “I don’t want to draw too much attention to us. I’ll meet you back here after. I want to know everything you’ve been up to since we last spoke.”
She smiled at me, and for a moment, I felt like no time had passed at all. Then she squeezed my arm, and I watched her strut off, disappearing into the crowd.
I noticed a human staring at me. Standing in the moonlight, his dark blond hair pushed away from his eyes. He smiled at me, and my stomach did a thrilling flip as I smiled back at him. My dinner.
He started walking toward me, but he disappeared as the countdown began, and the people shifted together.
“Ten, nine, eight…” the crowd yelled.
I peered through the sea of bodies, spotting Vail. She was already making out with someone beside her.
“Five, four…”
I inhaled the cool night air deeply, steeling myself for what was to come.
I was starving.
“Three, two…”
And as the crowd screamed, “One!”
I whispered, “Hunt.”