Chapter 1
Pike
I’ve been alive for too long. Since 1890, to be precise. Life has been boring, and the thought of letting the Deacons take care of me has crossed my mind more than once.
It’s another rainy day in Stormy Brook. Wherever I go, it has to be rainy and cloudy—another con of being a vampire.
At Mildew High, I park my black Range Rover and hop out. It’s actually Mellduke High. I just like calling it Mildew. It’s fitting since it’s always raining. Plus, the school is crusty, musty and dusty.
There’s a new car in the lot. A muscle car. It’s a 1967 Mercury Cougar GT with a baby blue finish. I wonder who it belongs to until I get inside.
Right away, I smell her. I’m not even a full foot in the school. I stand in the threshold of the classroom. Her blood smells sweet. The apple cinnamon scent clogs my nostrils. It’s so strong it makes me gag.
The only seat open is next to her. She has long dark hair and starless night-colored eyes. My gray ones take in her soft, pouty lips. She spots me immediately.
Her blood rushes through her veins and explodes onto her cheeks. It looks rude, but I can’t care.
My stomach churns as her scent permeates the air. I run off to the bathroom, vomiting in the toilet.
The contents empty so violently that it causes a pang in my stomach. My throat burns. I flush the toilet, and as I watch the water whirl, I wonder when the last time I threw up was.
It’s been so long ago that I can’t even remember. I go to the sink and wash out my mouth.
My uncamouflaged red eyes stare back at me through the mirror. They’re a bright crimson. It’s the color I was born with.
I run my tattooed hand through my dark, messy hair. The white chunk in the front reminds me of the trauma and stress I endured when I was younger.
Vampires can change humans, but most are born this way. I don’t know what my mom was thinking when she left me at a fucking human orphanage.
Sometimes, I think it’s what she wanted. My mother wanted me to be a villain. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have given me the arc of one.
My septum ring sits above my soft, full lips. Tattoos cover my body, but the only ones visible are on my neck and hands.
The leather jacket and black shirt I’m wearing cover the ones on my chest and arms. Two thick gaged hoops sit in each ear. I tear my eyes away from the agony on my face and take a deep breath, willing away the new girl and my trauma-filled childhood memories.
Against the wall between the two bathrooms is the new girl. It’s hard to ignore her, but I do just that.
I highly doubt she noticed the way my eyes traveled her curves beneath her tight jeans and silky black camisole.
My eyes might have lingered too long on her cleavage, but I was fast enough that I doubt she caught it.
Her apple cinnamon scent doesn’t go away. It follows me, letting me know that she is too. “Hey.” Her voice is sultry. Chills break out over my body.
The war rages inside me, begging me to stop and listen to her. My instincts are never wrong, and they’re telling me she’s nothing but trouble. Humans always are.
I spin on her. My face cold, jaw clenched. “You fucking reek. Stay the fuck away from me.” I spit my words at her.
She flinches. My hardened heart cracks a bit, but it’s best. I can’t afford to feel bad for her. Eventually, it will get both of us killed.
