I smile.
Turning down a narrow alleyway, I continue until Ireach the abandoned factory building my father and I have called home ever since my mother died five years ago. Somewhere in the distance, a hungry cat whines. The smell of urine is pungent, even with the rain. To anyone else, it’d look like a rattrap—and they’d be partly right—but even with its doors boarded and its gray-brick face crumbling, its broken windows and pest problem, I’d take it over Greystone Manor any day. Why? Because here, I am safe.
Standing underneath the familiar circular framed window with chipped stain glass, my chest warms despite the cold. A light flickers on overhead, piercing the darkness—someone lighting a candle—and my heart flutters knowing my father is just inside. I try to picture his face again. The soft wrinkles that appear above his brow whenever he’s thinking, the ones at the corners of his blue eyes when he smiles, the redness of his round cheeks, and the slight dip in his chin… It’s that image that helped me sleep at night at Greystone. The thought of seeing him again was my only comfort when confronted with such fear.
He must think I’m dead by now. I’ve been gone long enough. At first, Henri had wanted to take my father, but when he’d seen me, his sights changed. When Henri discovers I ran off again, the first place he’ll look is here. He’ll send the one man after me, the one with the soft brown eyes, long dark hair, and the golden tint to his skin.
Avrum, I think his name is. He may not look like the others, with his broad shoulders and thick arms, suggesting that he’s used to hard work, but he’s like Henri. A creature of the night who feeds off blood and possessesinhuman abilities. Handsome but dangerous. They all are. And Avrum’s no different.
That means he’ll be the one to come for me. Maybe even kill my father for my disobedience.
Terror rockets through me at the thought. I’ve already lost my mother. I can’t lose my father, too.
My vision blurs, tears fighting for release. Pressing my fingertips to the brick building, I close my eyes as my fears collide with my desperation to see my father again.
Regret stirs as the tears fall. Why did I leave? I put both my father’s life and my own in even more danger. If I go back now, maybe I can slip back into the party before anyone realizes I’m gone.
Henri may try to hide the truth of what he is with gaudy jewelry and gowns, but my skin shows the truth. I’m permanently marked by him. And I know, whether it’s here or back there, the risk of death is always there; I can never escape it.
The wound marks on my neck sting, my legs throb, and the scars on my wrists itch, reminding me of what awaits back at Greystone. The question is… what kind of end will I choose?
Chapter 2
Avrum
Iwalk through the flooded streets, my footsteps heavy and noisy, especially for me, but they match my rage. I’m wet to the bone, my navy suit now tight and clinging to me.
Thunder claps above me, loud and threatening. It makes me move a little faster as I head into the more neglected part of the city, where the factories and buildings have been abandoned for something faster, larger, and newer. The storm is at its peak, and I can feel the intensity of it in the air. That means I have to be quick, get Haven and leave before the weather gets too dangerous—even for an immortal.
Why didn’t she just stay at the party?
I lift my nose towards the wind. Many scents hit me at once, the strongest being urine. It burns the inside of my nostrils. Even though the factory buildings don’t seem to be in use anymore, there are still the lingering smells of smoke, manure, and sweat surrounding them. But when Iinhale again, I catch a hint of something sweet. Sweet and alive.
Found her.
Taking another step forward, a crunching sound comes from under my shoe, and I hesitate. Looking down, I spot an object shining under the glow of the streetlamps. I bend down and pick it up.
A silver and sapphire necklace. The same one I’d seen around Haven’s neck.
Fear grips me, and I’m not sure why, but suddenly I’m worried about her more than before. Could she be hurt? She’s alone out here and only human, and this storm is growing too dangerous to travel through.
She could’ve been robbed or forced upon. My stomach churns at the thought.
Peering through the darkness, a few steps away, something else glistens. And not too far from it, another. Her bracelets.
I shove the necklace into my breast pocket and follow the rest of the trail of fallen jewelry and scattered hair accessories. They lead me through a narrow alley to a building with a crumbling foundation, boarded doors, and broken windows.
It isn’t until I make my way to the side that I find her. She stands underneath one of the only untouched, stained-glass windows, leaning her forehead against the wall. Her beautiful gown is drenched by the constant wind and rain, and the hem is ruined with mud.
As I creep closer, lightning flashes, illuminating the alley and her pearl white skin. For that second, I can seethe sadness on her face. The tears sliding down her cheeks.
Thunder rumbles again, but she doesn’t even flinch at the sound and I can’t help but think how angelic she looks standing there with her elegant dressings and beautiful face. Maybe a fallen angel would be more accurate with how out of place she appears in this darkness and gloom.
Any anger that had been building up in me quickly drains away as I look upon her. Her overwhelming grief engulfs the cramped lane and suffocates me. I can’t bear it.
Remembering my promise to Lord Henri, I know I have to gather myself and bring her back to Greystone Manor. Haven is my charge now, my responsibility. She isn’t safe out here.
I don’t understand why she would even choose to run away. It’s a mystery to me, especially when Lord Henri is offering her such wondrous things. Riches. Feasts. Things I used to only dream about. Surely she isn’t that ungrateful.
