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Chapter One
Lilith
“I knew we shouldn’t have come here…” Cassandra murmured, as the eerie silence settled over the cemetery, broken only by the sound of our shallow breath.
“Shhh!” I urged, pressing my entire palm over my sister’s mouth, in an effort to prevent her from not only speaking, but also breathing too heavily. It was too dangerous. We could be found out at any moment.
We huddled close together, the presence of the one reassuring the other, while our eyes darted anxiously between the tombstones. This was far from over. We both knew that much. Daybreak was still hours away, and I wasn’t sure how much longer we could hide here undetected.
I felt as if my heart would jump right out of my chest. It was a stupid idea. I could see that much now. What the heck were we even doing at the cemetery in the middle of the night? Obviously, looking for trouble, and as always, those who search, they usually find what they’re looking for. Only, I found more than I bargained for. I only wanted to see if the stories were true, if vampires were truly so ravenous, so ruthless, so utterly devoid of any morals, as our father used to tell us. Now, it seemed that curiosity would be the end of us.
Although Cassandra was the older sister of the two of us, it was usually me who was the ringleader. That was the case now as well, as we hoped that we managed to hide from the two vampires who were running after us, thirsty for our blood.
“Do you think they can smell us?” Cassandra asked, her voice trembling in the darkness, with the only light being a thin flicker of moon dust that barely illuminated anything.
I was sure they could. Father had told me of their skills, and this was just one of many. That was why we rubbed ourselves with mud as soon as we stepped into the woods, which we had to go through to reach the abandoned cemetery that was strictly off limits. I knew that Father would be furious if he knew that we were not in our warm, safe beds. But I would cross that bridge when I got to it… if I got to it. For the time being, our focus was on staying alive.
“Just be quiet, Cass,” I urged, gripping at my sister’s thin, willowy upper arm.
We could not have been more different from each other. While Cassandra was tall, lean, slightly pale, with dark chestnut eyes and chocolate hair cut into a bob, I always had that princess look with my long, flowing blonde hair and sky-blue eyes, nestled in a face that had the most pinchable cheeks. That was what our mother always used to say, and the thought always comforted me. Lord knew that now, I needed comfort more than ever.
At that moment, we heard footsteps coming in our direction. We didn’t dare move or lift our heads above the tombstone to see who it was.
“Lil?” Cassandra turned to me, her eyes wide with fear.
“Shhh,” I whispered again, beckoning her silently not to make a single sound.
Maybe the mud did the trick, and the vampires couldn’t sense us, but they could certainly hear us talking. I listened intently. The sound of the footsteps was becoming more and more prominent. I knew that whoever was approaching, knew that we were there. I remembered that Father said vampires could smell fear, almost like an animal could do the same. I tried to calm myself down, but my body was betraying me. Every droplet of sweat that beaded on my pale forehead revealed my apprehension.
Unexpectedly, grunts were heard. We exchanged a meaningful glance, then at the same time, we both lifted our heads above the tombstone to see what was happening. There were three figures in the shadows. I immediately recognized the two. They were the same vampires who almost attacked us and had us on the run. They were pale, with skin as translucent as water. The third figure was new.
He was dressed in a sleek, black suit that only seemed to accentuate his tall, athletic frame. Everything about him demanded attention and obedience. I could immediately tell that he was a vampire as well. He lunged into action without thinking twice. He moved with the precision of a predator, striking down the two vampires like they were two straws. His moves were an awe-inspiring amalgamation of elegance and brutality, and it was evident that his skills were the result of centuries’ worth of perfecting them.
As the second vampire fell to the ground, the mysterious figure bent over him, snapping his neck. The sound, just a small crack, exploded in the silence that reigned. He then got up, locking his eyes with me. I tried to read the expression in them, something I always thought I was good at, but this person was an enigma. He was unlike anyone I had ever met before.
“I know you’re there,” he said in a voice that sent shivers down my spine, but I didn’t know if it was fear or something else.
Gripping at my sister’s hand, I pulled us both up. I knew there was nowhere left to run. He probably killed those vampires so he could feast on us alone, without interruption.
“If you want this blood, you’ll have to earn your dinner,” I snarled at him, stepping in front of my sister, always being the braver of the two.
He seemed surprised to hear that, then he frowned. “If I did that, I wouldn’t get paid.”
I tilted my head confusedly. “Paid?” I echoed, needing a moment to process what I just heard. “Did someone pay you to hurt us?”
“On the contrary,” he replied, taking a step closer to us. “Someone paid me to keep you safe.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, my voice trembling. None of this was making any sense. First I thought he was just another vampire, now it was turning out that there was more to his presence in the cemetery at the same time as us.
“Let’s get you back home, and you can have your father explain everything,” he frowned. “I don’t get paid to talk. I get paid to keep you from harm, which honestly isn’t that easy when you willingly put yourself in harm’s way like this.”
“My father hired you?” I decided to ignore the last statement, focusing instead on the current state of affairs, which I knew nothing about.
“Like I said, I’d rather let him explain,” he said, gesturing at us to go.
“But… you’re a vampire,” Cassandra suddenly interfered, looking at the bodies on the ground.
“Yes,” he said simply. “Just like them, which means that they won’t be taking a nap for much longer. So, get a move on.”
