by Sadie Moss
My lungs finally stopped seizing. With a desperate sob, I started to rise, half-crawling as I scrambled forward.
I didn’t know where to go. My apartment was still blocks away. And why would I be any safer there? Real nightmares, the ones that had form and substance like this one, didn’t disappear when you hid your head under the covers.
Before I could regain my feet, a massive fist struck me from behind. I collapsed on the sidewalk, smacking the side of my face on the pavement. Pain radiated through my cheek and across my back.
I groaned and rolled over, scooting awkwardly backward on my butt. My vision blurred as my head pounded. When the thing got near, I kicked out again. But I was losing strength and coordination. It caught my foot, twisting sharply.
An agonized scream burst from my lips as something snapped. My breath came in sharp gasps, burning my lungs like fire. The shadow creature pulled, sending a fresh wave of pain through me as it dragged me over the rough sidewalk toward where it crouched.
It loomed over me, its shadowy face blocking out the street lamps above us. For just a moment, I thought I saw the features of a man behind the dark mask—then I blinked, and they disappeared.
“Wait! Please, don’t do this! Somebody help me!”
My voice was unrecognizable, thin and desperate. I could barely breathe, but I kept screaming for the thing to stop, for someone to come.
Saving the blonde from Mr. Creepola at the bar felt like a lifetime ago now, even though it had only been a few hours.
God, I wished I could go back.
Back to when I felt like I could handle what life threw at me. Before everything I thought I knew about the world was turned on its head.
Back to a time when I wasn’t about to die.
The shadow creature’s weight bore down on me, pinning me to the ground. It leaned closer, invading all my senses. The whisper of its breathing filled my ears as puffs of cool, fetid air hit my face. Its large form cast a shadow over me, seeming to devour all the light around us.
One cold, sharp claw ran down the side of my face. Then its other hand slashed down my body.
Agony enveloped me.
I screamed again, though my throat was already sore and raw. The pain was like nothing I’d ever felt before. Overwhelming and agonizing. Shock stole the last of my strength. My head hit the ground with a hard thump, but I barely felt it. My body arched against the weight of the shadow creature holding me down, as if my atoms were trying to tear themselves apart to escape.
Through bleary eyes, I caught the glint of a blade as the shadow creature raised it high.
What the hell does it need that for? It’s got… fucking claws.
The last incoherent thought flew from my mind as the knife bit into my skin. My body had been through too much. It couldn’t process any more pain, any more fear. My heartbeat slowed, and my eyes rolled back in my head.
I wasn’t even scared anymore.
Just tired.
So tired.
3
Jerrett
We’d been stalking the creature for almost a week now.
Without fail, every night the three of us—Sol, Malcolm, and I—were hot on its heels. But every time we got fucking close, it would escape our grasp. It was fast, almost vampire fast, and smart.
I lashed out in frustration, slamming my fist into the side of a building as we passed. The brick crumbled under the force of the blow, leaving a gaping chunk missing from the wall.
“Enough with the property damage, Jerrett,” Malcolm growled. The neon lights from a nearby bar made his dark brown hair glow purple. “I’m as frustrated as you are, but that’s not helping.”
“Yeah? I beg to differ. I found it extremely helpful.” Smirking, I shook out my hand. Fragments of brick and dust fell to the ground, but I did feel a little better.
“That shade can’t be allowed to roam the streets like this. Someone is going to get killed. Or worse.” Mal’s expression was hard.
“Is it just my imagination, or is it getting stronger too?”
“Not your imagination,” Sol confirmed.
Every time we encountered the shade, it had grown in size and power. It was smart too. It knew when to fight and when to retreat. And being cornered by three vampires seemed to be its ideal retreat time. As fucking flattered as I was, it was a royal pain in the ass to watch it slip through our fingers again and again. We couldn’t let this continue.
Sol moved ahead of me through the shadows.
“Do you smell something?” I whispered.
He nodded, his eyes drifting closed as he sampled the night air.
My youngest brother had been on the brink of death before I’d turned him all those years ago. It’d been too late to save his sight, but not too late to save his life.
We hadn’t been born as brothers, the three of us, but we’d been through so much together it was what we had become. What was the expression humans used? Blood is thicker than water.
The three of us had spilled enough blood together that our bond could never be broken. I’d lived over two thousand years now, and these two men were the only people I trusted with my life. We fought together, we drank together, and we hunted together.
Sol sniffed the air again, his nose wrinkling thoughtfully.
Blind or not, he was one of the best hunters I’d ever met. His other senses, heightened by vampire power, more than made up for his lack of sight. He also had a strange connection to the world most vampires didn’t have—a sixth sense that allowed him to sense auras and feel out his surroundings. A human passing him on the street would likely never even know he was blind.
“It’s nearby.” His eyes flew open, the green of his irises framing pure white pupils. “And it’s not alone. I smell something else too. Human. Female, I think.”
“Goddamnit. Let’s go!”
I urged him forward, following close behind. The three of us shadow ran through the quiet streets, moving as silently as ghosts.
This wasn’t supposed to be our fucking job, of course. The responsibility had fallen to us because the vampire king of North America, the one who was supposed to be our leader, didn’t feel like taking the reins. Instead, he spent his days indulging in pleasures of the flesh and feasting on fresh blood.
No one had more disdain for King Carrick than Malcolm, but Sol and I came close. Once upon a time, vampires had actually been the leaders of all supernaturals. The vampire court had settled disputes between other races, kept supernaturals safe, and made sure humans remained in the dark about our existence.
Carrick’s reign wasn’t about any of that. His power benefited him, and it benefited the sycophants who threw themselves at his feet. But he didn’t seem to care much about what happened outside the Penumbra, the shadowy swath of land where his court resided. If we waited for the king to do anything about it, there’d be thousands of rogue supernaturals roaming the streets of New York, taking their pick of the humans on offer.
This particular monster was proving to be a bit more difficult than we’d anticipated. It had strength and speed that nearly matched ours, making it a formidable opponent.
I snorted under my breath as I raced down the street after Sol.
That’s all right. I like a challenge.
The long hunt would make it all the more satisfying when we finally took the beast down.
And if I had my way, that would happen soon.
“I smell blood,” I murmured, slowing slightly. “Sol? What do you sense?”
The scent tickled my nostrils as concern made my muscles tense. The blood was fresh and sweet. This wasn’t some poor animal who had been hit by a car and was half decomposed already. It was the human Sol had sensed, and judging by the strength of the scent, she was bleeding out.
I’d bet my last fucking bottle of Glenfiddich the shade had attacked her, but even if I was wrong, she still needed our help. Whoever this girl was, she didn’t have long.
I took the lead, and the three of us darted toward the next s
treet. When we rounded the corner, I skidded to a stop.
The undead creature of darkness crouched low over a body, its long fingers wielding a pointed blade. My eyes took that in at a glance, but what arrested my movement was the sight of the woman. She lay sprawled on the ground as the shade carved sick patterns into her beautiful skin.
Malcolm spoke before I did, giving voice to my thoughts. “It’s… her.”
He was right.
I recognized this woman—and I was sure my brothers did too.
I’d seen her during our last few hunts. I mean, fuck, I’d seen a lot of people—but I’d noticed her. She kept popping up in our path, and her innocent beauty had been a pleasant distraction from our tireless search for the shade. A few nights ago, we’d passed by her as she cut through a park several blocks from here.
She was rather tall, with a slim build and soft curves that filled out her clothes perfectly. Her hair was a deep brown, bordering on black, and her eyes lit up when she smiled. She hadn’t smiled at us, of course. We’d been hidden in shadows, removed from human sight. But as she walked by, I’d felt the strangest urge to step into her path and bask in the radiance of her light.
Sol hadn’t shut up about how fucking good she smelled, and though his senses were much sharper than mine, I didn’t need him to tell me that. Mal was too fucking stoic to say anything, but I knew she’d caught his eye too. How could she not?
We’d all seen hundreds of stunning women over the years, especially before we left the king’s court. Carrick had an eye for beauty, I’d give the old king that.
But this woman put them all to shame. She was beautiful, yes, but it was something more than that. Her scent was intoxicating, rich and sweet with a note of something earthy I couldn’t quite place. There was an innocence and earnestness about her that drew me in—made me ache to ruin that innocence at the same time I wanted to protect it at all costs from the harsh world.
She was entrancing. Mesmerizing.
And she’ll be dead in a minute if we don’t act quick.
The creature hadn’t noticed us, its focus entirely on the strange patterns it was carving into the woman’s skin. My lips curled back in rage, but the shade’s distraction would serve us well. Now was our chance to destroy it.
I glanced over, meeting Malcolm’s gaze. His eyes narrowed angrily, a line cutting between his thick brows. He hated to see the blood of an innocent spilled. The fact that she was so magnetic only made it more of a tragedy. We had to save her. And if we were too late, at least the monster would suffer for what it had done to this girl.
I squeezed Sol’s shoulder, and he nodded sharply. He already knew what the plan was. We’d danced to this song of violence hundreds of times before.
“Now!”
At my call, we streaked forward like lightning, throwing ourselves at the shade. Mal and Sol tore it away from the girl, and I landed a blow that sent it flying backward.
The shade bellowed a breathy cry as it flew through the air. Its blade clattered to the pavement. The creature righted itself, hunching low like a wild animal about to strike. Then, without warning, it darted away and crawled up the side of a tall building, vanishing over the rooftop.
“Fucking coward!”
I sprinted toward the building, then stopped. My predator instincts urged me to give chase, to hunt the fucking thing down and kill it—slowly and painfully. But another instinct, one I didn’t quite understand, froze me in place.
“Damn it. She’s dying. Malcolm?” Sol’s voice was tense.
My jaw clenched, and I pushed my hair out of my eyes as I stared up at the dark roof, waiting for Mal’s response.
We had a choice, and we needed to make it quick. We could scale the building and follow the shade, and this time we’d probably catch it. This was the closest we’d gotten in days.
We could do that…
Or we could try to save the girl.
As my feet turned and led me away from the hunt, back toward the beautiful, blood-streaked woman lying like a broken angel on the sidewalk, I realized it wasn’t a choice at all.
Mal didn’t say anything, but he dropped to his knees in front of her.
And that was answer enough.
4
Malcolm
She was dying.
I’d seen the spark of life leave more humans than I cared to remember, and I knew what it looked like. What it smelled like.
The shade had cut deep. There was so much blood on the ground the woman looked like she was floating in a dark pool. Her fair skin was painted red, rivulets pulsing from the bizarre patterns carved into her flesh.
My fangs dropped as I leaned over her, the tangy aroma of her blood invading my senses. She smelled delicious, like cherry and almond. If I were less disciplined, I would latch onto her wounds and drink until there wasn’t a drop of her sweet blood left.
But I was not that man.
I inhaled sharply, wrestling with my self-control. This was the closest I’d come to breaking my vows since I had made them all those years ago.
I had made two promises to myself. The first was never again to drink blood from a human. There had been enough pain and suffering caused by our kind over the years. I wasn’t going to add to it anymore.
Draining an innocent human just to satisfy my hunger for a time was too high a price to pay. The guilt that lingered was worse than the cravings for blood ever could be. And there were other ways to survive—less pleasant, but less barbaric.
“She’s dying.” Sol’s sightless eyes were wide as his fingers ran lightly over her slick skin, feeling her pulse. “She’s lost too much blood. Her heart is failing. She has five minutes, maybe less.”
“Fuck.” Jerrett stood over us, his feet shifting restlessly as he stared down at her. “Fuck!”
She smelled so intoxicating. Was it because I’d gone so long without drinking fresh human blood, or was hers particularly seductive?
I suppose it’s only right that the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen has the most tempting blood.
My mind buzzed. My brothers were looking to me for an answer, but my brain felt sluggish, as if I were drugged. All I could focus on was the girl.
The second vow I’d made had been to never turn another human. No one deserved the life the three of us had been cursed to live. I refused to spread our disease like it was a gift as some vampires did.
“Mal!”
Jerrett dropped to one knee beside me. The piercings in his lip and eyebrow glinted in the dim light as he locked eyes with me. His usual smirk was gone, replaced by a grim, desperate expression I’d never seen before.
“I know.” My nostrils flared, and I clenched my jaw. A war raged in my heart. “I know, Goddamnit.”
“She’s almost out of time,” Sol said softly. He didn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve like Jerrett did, but I could hear the intensity in his voice.
The unspoken meaning of his words made my stomach churn. They were waiting for me to decide. I could sense my brothers’ bodies vibrating with tension. They were desperate to save this girl, but out of respect for me, they held back. They knew how I felt about spreading our cursed condition. I’d taken an oath never to do it again, and I had meant to keep that vow forever.
This is a fucking mistake.
The cool, rational part of my brain made one last attempt to warn me, but its voice was soft and feeble.
I couldn’t just let this girl die. A woman as vibrant and full of life as this must be loved by many people. They would be heartbroken to lose her.
They’ll lose her anyway if you turn her. You know that.
Gritting my teeth, I silenced the voice whispering in my head. In truth, I wanted to be selfish. Though I didn’t know her, I felt strangely attached to her. Every glimpse of her over the past week was etched into my memory. The way she’d absently brushed her long, dark hair over her shoulder. The long line of her neck as she looked up into the night sky and sighed.
I wanted to kno
w what she’d been thinking to make her sigh like that. It broke my heart to think I might never find out.
“We save her.”
The words dropped like lead weights from my tongue, but my heart lightened immediately. The torment of indecision was over. I had made my choice.
My brothers nodded, relief clear on their faces. Sol’s green eyes that saw nothing and everything burned into me, and I could almost feel him reading my thoughts.
“There’s no other way, Malcolm,” he murmured.
I knew he was right. There was only one thing that could save her now. Even if we could get her to a hospital in time, no doctor could save her when she was this close to death; the time for human intervention was long past. The shade had done too much damage, carving patterns deep into her skin.
My jaw clenched at the sight of her cruel wounds. I promised myself we would catch the undead monster and make it suffer.
But that was a task for another night.
Right now, I would be the one to suffer. It was the only way.
I pulled up my sleeve and bit down hard on my wrist, barely flinching at the piercing pain of the puncture wounds. It hurt, but I was used to the sting. All vampires grew accustomed to it. And in the right context, the pain could easily edge over into pleasure.
Shoving those thoughts away, I kept my eyes focused on the woman.
I gently lifted up her head. Though she still showed some signs of life, her light was fading away. Her face slackened. Her chest rose and fell quickly as her breathing became more erratic. She was struggling now, her body giving up on itself. Sol’s estimate of five minutes had been generous. She was slipping over, hovering in the space between life and death.
My blood was her last hope.
I held my wrist to her mouth. For a moment, she didn’t respond.
“Come on. Come on, damn it.” Jerrett stared at her face as though he could bring her back to life by force of will alone.
I adjusted my grip on her neck, pressing my bleeding wrist harder to her lips. Would it fail? Had I hesitated too long? It’d been a long time since I’d witnessed a transformation. I’d seen ones performed on dying humans before, but never ones this close to death. Perhaps I was too late.