๐๐ป๐ธ๐ต๐ธ๐ฐ๐พ๐ฎ + ๐๐ฑ๐ช๐ป๐ช๐ฌ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ
Five years ago
The sky was mourning with her, its heavy gray clouds crying teardrops of rain against the earth as if they too bore the weight of the loss. Selene Brooks stood stiffly beneath the blue canopy, black lace gloves pulled tightly in her trembling hands, her gaze fixed on the twin graves carved into the earth before her.
Jackson and Seraphina Brooks โ beloved parents, admired and envied by peers, and now, simply... gone.
No answers. How could this have happened to her parents. Burned to crisps in their car after a tragic car wreck. No one knew how or why. Were the brakes cut? Was there any faulty wiring? It was just too many questions that needed answers.
The whispers started even before the first shovelful of dirt hit the coffins as the committal was being read. โAshes to ashes...Dust to dust." She heard their whispers all around her, wrapping like poisonous vines: rumors of what they thought happened, of debts unpaid, of sins of infidelity and heartbroken mistresses, and faces of concern to her and her brother.โIt was Godโs will...โ Selene clenched her jaw, her dark hair whipping across her face in the sharp, cold wind. She didnโt need their pity. She didnโt want their sly glances and fake concern.
She wanted answers. She wanted her parents back.
Malik, her older brother by eight years, stood silently at her side, a shield of steady strength in the chaos of her unraveling world. His hand found her shoulder, squeezing once...tight, grounding.
โIgnore them, Sel,โ Christian said, his voice raw with a grief he could barely contain, โIโm still here with you.โ
It wasnโt just grief that weighed on him. It was guilt. Responsibility. Seraphina had called him before she died. A frantic, cryptic call he could never forget.
โProtect your sister, no matter what,โshe had said, voice shaking, though she tried to steady it.โShe will protect you, too. Youโre stronger when you use your power together.โ
The line had gone dead before he could respond.
Now those words clung to him like a second skin, heavy and inescapable. A prophecy he didnโt understand, but one he was determined to honor.
Selene pulled away from him, the anger boiling in her chest hotter than her sorrow. She couldnโt stand the way the mourners peered at her, vultures cloaked in black silk and crocodile tears. They didnโt know her parents. Not truly. And they sure as hell didnโt know her.
Without a word, she turned on her heel, her boots crunching against the wet grass, ignoring the gasps and scandalized murmurs trailing in her wake.
Malik watched her go but didnโt call out. He knew better. Selene needed to breathe, to rage. And when she was ready, he would be there. He would always be there.
Above them, the rain continued to pour against the many graves and tombstones, and Selene got into her car. Staring ahead at the road as she drove away, there were things she just didnโt understand, a past plagued in secrets, refused to be buried, and a future full of surprises.
Selene Brooks
A 30-year-old haunted hotel tour guide in Savannah, GA with a mysterious past that hides her true nature. Selene is strong-willed, intuitive, and fiercely protective of those she loves. She has trouble letting go of the death of her parents, and struggles with the pull of darkness in her blood and the light in her soul. Her world unravels when a 400-year-old vampire begins stalking her.
Malik Brooks
Seleneโs older brother, 38, a respected lawyer known for his calm composure and sharp intellect. Like Selene, Malik has a past that he actively tries to hide. He wants things to be like they were despite his parents dying, he just wants his sister to be happy again. He tries to be her anchor and help her through her depression, but he needs to get over his guilt.
Lucas Harrison
A 400-year-old vampire advisor and assassin sent to eliminate the Brooks siblings. Handsome, refined, and deadly, Lucas is a conflicted predator who unexpectedly falls in love with Selene. Torn between loyalty to his vampire council and the growing warmth he feels around her, Lucas is forced to confront his humanityโsomething he thought heโd lost centuries ago.
Liam Harrison
Lucasโs younger brother, turned vampire in the 1800s and fiercely loyal to the vampire council as a vampire sheriff. Charismatic, wild, and less conflicted about killing, Liam resents Lucasโs affection for Selene and sees it as betrayal. Heโs a dangerous wildcardโcaught between sibling rivalry, and vampire politics.
Zara Vasquez
Zara is a 31-year-old ER nurse who has stood by Selene through college and the death of her parents. Zara secretly has deep feelings for Malik. Her hidden affection becomes a slow-burning subplot, complicated by the siblingsโ mysterious legacy and the rising danger that surrounds them all.
Julian Cruz
Julian Cruz is a soft-spoken 37 year old pediatric nurse. But beneath his gentle exterior lies a secret heโs been hiding for years. Julian is Malikโs high school best friend and Seleneโs ex, yet he carries a secret that could shatter both siblings if revealed.
