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 werestanding 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.”
TWO
July 6, 1874
“Five, four, three, two, one! Rosalia, my darling, where are you?” Mama’s song-filled voice travelled through the air.
With a soft click, the bedroom door swung open. I nestled farther under the protective cocoon of my bedsheets and covered my mouth, muffling the giggles bubbling within me.
