- •Contents
- •Preface
- •Chapter 1
- •I scrambled from my bed and pulled on my breeches and shirt. “Come in!” I called.
- •Chapter 2
- •I nodded, barely listening. I took the paper, the grimy newsprint smearing on my hands as I hastily scanned the article.
- •It was the work of a vampire.
- •Chapter 3
- •Chapter 4
- •I turned over my shoulder and saw Alfred storm out from around the bar toward our table. Before I could react, he’d grabbed Violet’s long hair and yanked it, causing her to yelp.
- •Chapter 5
- •I felt my thoughts reach her mind, and I sensed the moment when her brain seemed to yield. I nodded to try to speed the process.
- •I squared my shoulders and looked into his beady, gray eyes. I concentrated on the pupils, allowing my gaze to center in until the blackness was all I could see. “We need a room.”
- •Violet shook her head. “The police said they can’t do anything until they find a body. They said she’s a grown woman and she can go where she pleases. I’m just so worried.” Violet sighed.
- •Violet nodded. “Do you miss them?”
- •Violet sighed, distress obvious on her face. “I felt like I was surrounded by evil. Something was there. I thought I was going to be attacked, and then you came and—”
- •Chapter 6
- •Chapter 7
- •Violet jumped up as soon as I opened the door.
- •Immediately, a coach pulled up to us. “Where to?” a driver asked, tipping his hat.
- •I saw Violet glance at me and I tried to look as if I were enjoying the show. But inside, I was frustrated. I hated the way everything always came back to Damon, and most likely would, for eternity.
- •Chapter 8
- •I never outgrew my fondness for games, Damon replied, not moving his lips.
- •Violet’s eyes gleamed as the two girls walked away into the swirl of revelers. Damon watched with a bemused expression.
- •Chapter 9
- •I glanced over at Violet. She was listening, rapt, the vervain charm still gleaming around her neck. Good.
- •Violet’s shoulders sagged in relief, and I closed my eyes in thanks. Cora was still alive. For now.
- •I plucked a petal. I trust him, I trust him not, I thought as I dropped each silky flower fragment to the grass.
- •Chapter 10
- •Chapter 11
- •I don’t seek out problems, I said simply. And I don’t create them.
- •Chapter 12
- •I sighed at her existential meanderings. I stepped toward her, eager to stop talking.
- •I looked up. It was Samuel. Instantly, I stood to my full height and gave him a tight smile. I knew that careening through the warehouse must have made me seem drunk or mad.
- •Chapter 13
- •Chapter 14
- •Chapter 15
- •Violet shook her head. “Or maybe I’d be dead in a London ditch. You were my friend. You showed me the world. If I have to die, at least I had those days of magic,” she said shyly.
- •Chapter 16
- •Chapter 17
- •I felt something jump on my back. I spun around and realized Luke had clamped himself to my shoulders and was kicking his legs into my lungs.
- •I stepped back, my body slamming against the wall. I’d cornered myself.
- •Chapter 18
- •I nodded. I didn’t want to give her false hope. “She’ll be different. But I can teach her. There are things that make being a vampire less terrible,” I said.
- •Chapter 19
- •Epilogue
I nodded. I didn’t want to give her false hope. “She’ll be different. But I can teach her. There are things that make being a vampire less terrible,” I said.
“Good.” We lapsed into silence. The wound in my chest was shrinking, and far above us I saw the faintest signs of dawn breaking through the inky night. I’d be all right. I’d live to see another day, another decade, another century. But Oliver wouldn’t. And where was Damon?
“Damon’s taking a long time,” Cora said, echoing my own thoughts. “Do you think he’ll be safe?”
“Yes,” I said. In truth, I didn’t know. I was only beginning to become aware of the different and vast expanse of vampires living in the world. Before, I’d thought I only needed to concern myself with Originals, like Klaus. But there were so many others to be worried about, in ways I’d never considered. “Damon’s very good at looking after himself,” I said.
A silence fell between us.
Suddenly, I heard a rustle in the woods. I stiffened as the footsteps drew closer, and conversation carried through the trees.
“Anything, men? Nothing over in those bushes?”
I heard the loud barking of several dogs. Footsteps passed nearby and I pushed my back against the rough bark of a tree. Cora squeezed my hand tightly until the group left, spurred on by the manic barking of the dogs.
“They’re looking for me,” I said, dully stating the obvious after the last footsteps had long since passed.
“Well, they didn’t find you, did they? That’s good news,” Cora said in her lilting brogue, attempting a watery smile.
I smiled back. It wasn’t much, but it was true. They hadn’t found us. Maybe I needed to learn to be thankful for small miracles.
Finally, as the sun’s early rays fell on us, Damon broke through the brush, Oliver’s lifeless body in his arms. His face was drawn and a jagged stream of blood trickled from his temple. He was shoeless, his clothes were torn, and he looked nothing like an Italian count or British merchant. Instead, he looked like the Damon of our childhood who’d spend hours playing in the woods. Except this was a game of life and death.
“I couldn’t find Samuel,” Damon said, sinking to a rock and sighing. “I tried to revive the child, but I couldn’t.”
“I know,” I said, picking up Oliver’s lifeless body. I’d never taken him hunting. I walked a few paces away, toward a grove of oak trees. I glanced at the dark sky, praying for Oliver’s salvation.
I tenderly laid the body on the forest floor and went to work creating a small, shallow grave. Then, I placed Oliver inside.
“Here lies the best hunter in Britain,” I said, a tear threatening my eye. I dropped a few handfuls of dirt inside, and covered that with tree branches.I turned away, not able to look at the grave anymore, and walked toward Cora and Damon, huddled a few feet away.
“What about my sister?” I heard Cora whisper. I saw Damon shrug. I wondered if there was more to the story than he was telling. But I wasn’t ready to hear it. Not yet.
I lay down on the hard forest floor a few yards away and closed my eyes, allowing sleep to overtake me. Even as my mind drifted toward unconsciousness, I knew the sleep would be rough and raw. But I deserved it. I deserved everything that was coming to me.