Chapter
One
ISADORA
The problem with starting over? It requires admitting you’ve failed in the first place.
Not that I was admitting anything, of course.
No, I was simply reinventing myself. Which any self-respecting vampire heiress would do after her entire world collapsed thanks to her cheating, egotistical ex-mate dragging her and her family into financial ruin.
Some called my situation a scandal—okay, everyone called it that—but I preferred to think of it as an opportunity. A chance to remake myself. To learn who I was outside of a hundred-year-long mate bond that had utterly screwed me over.
And that was how I’d ended up in this charming supernatural town called Eternity Falls, staring up at a building so run-down, I bet even the rats had abandoned it. I studied the building’s fading paint, the haggard shutters, the broken windows, and smiled. This place was far from perfect, but it was exactly what I needed. A new place to call home. A new beginning.
A few feet away, an older vampire—sharp-eyed, gray at the temples, and clearly appalled by this entire situation—cleared his throat.
“Miss Laurent…”
Ah, I was already Miss Laurent again. Guess news had spread of my rapid separation from my mate.
“…are you quite certain about this purchase?”
I faced Claude Delacroix, the unfortunate solicitor tasked with overseeing this acquisition’s legalities. His expression had settled somewhere between mild concern and the dawning horror of a man realizing he was complicit in something profoundly foolish.
I might have let it slip that my parents weren’t exactly supportive of this purchase—or even knowledgeable. Or hell, solvent. My ex-mate saw to that when his company went up in flames and took my family’s fortune—along with my trust fund—with it. But hey, that was what bank loans were for, right? Not that I had any experience in such things.
“Yes,” I said, clasping my hands in front of me. “I believe I am.”
Claude inhaled slowly, likely counting backward from ten. “It’s just…Eternity Falls is a rather peculiar place.”
“So I’ve heard.” From what I’d learned, humans didn’t know about this town. They had a strictly paranormal rule. And I was A-OK with that.
Claude continued, “And well, you’ve gained something of a reputation.”
I arched a brow. “Have I?” I was well aware of the circulating rumors. One didn’t exist in society without hearing them. People—whether paranormal or human—weren’t exactly discreet.
Claude coughed. “Your departure from New Orleans was…notable.”
“Ah.” I offered him my most charming, not-at-all-unhinged smile. “You mean when my mate’s company collapsed, thereby destroying my family name? Or do you mean the subsequent spectacle when I announced, in front of several hundred guests, that I would rather drink swamp water than stay bonded to a cheating bastard who possesses the moral integrity of a sewer rat?”
Claude winced, clearly pained. “It was a very public event.”
“Was it? I hadn’t noticed.”
He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, “Gods help us all.”
When I showed no inclination to change my mind, Claude sighed, then reached inside the folder he held and extracted a small stack of paperwork. “Shall we finalize the sale, then?”
I faced my newest investment and said, “Yes. Let’s make it official.” And preferably before I started questioning my recent life decisions. Again.
He handed me a sleek black pen, and then the papers.
I frowned. “Shouldn’t we go inside? Surely, a table would make it easier to sign them?”
“Oh.” He gave a frantic laugh. “Here is fine. You may use my back.”
His…back? I blinked at the solicitor, then chuckled. Ah. Clearly, dear Claude would do anything not to step foot inside this bar. Curious.
