Prologue
Nerves made Lizzie Burton’s hair on the back of her neck stand on end and goosebumps trail along her arms and spine. She had moved into the neighborhood just a few short months ago and had tried to be friendly with the neighbors, but this was the first time they had actually invited her to anything.
Glancing down at herself, she hoped her outfit looked okay. It was a Halloween party after all, but she didn’t want to appear too kiddish or too sluttish, so she had picked a simple Renaissance Queen dress, since that was her favorite historic period and the dresses weren’t too revealing.
Taking a few quick, deep breaths, she rang the doorbell.
“Come on in!” a voice called from inside the house.
So far, she hadn’t been inside anyone’s house on the block, except her own, of course. Stepping through the doorway, the first thing she noticed was how dark it was. Blackout curtains kept out the moonlight and there were only a few dim lights - one in the crowded living room and one in the dining hall across from the entrance. The living room itself had a couch in front of a television, a bookshelf filled with trinkets along the right wall. Oh, yeah, and the dozens of wine glasses filled with red wine on practically every coffee table.
“Lizzie’s here,” a young blonde woman called across the room. She leaned against the wall casually, wine glass in her hand, lips bright crimson.
Everyone in the room paused what they were doing and looked at her. A couple in the middle of the dance floor that had been swaying to the soft music froze. On the couch, two women glanced up from their phones and in the dining hall, an older Asian-looking man reclined in one of the dining room chairs. “Yes, I can smell her.” His lips twisted into a wicked grin.
Lizzie’s stomach twisted, so she glanced back at the door. “Maybe I should just go…”
“You’re not going anywhere, Liz…” The voice came from behind her.
Lizzie whipped around to see the blonde woman standing between her and the exit. “How did - ?” She couldn’t figure out how the woman had gotten there so quickly.
The man in the dance floor released the woman he had been dancing with and zipped over to Lizzie. By the time she blinked, he towered in front of her. Closing his eyes, he sucked in a deep breath. “Mmmm. Smells… delicious.”
“I apologize for my friend’s unruly behavior,” the Asian man said smoothly. “We invited you here because you have Type O blood and you see… we’re at a bit of a shortage.”
Lizzie gaped at them all. “What?” she squeaked. Shaking her head, she turned back toward the door, but the man in the entryway snatched her arm and darted back across the room. In barely a millisecond, he had laid her on the table in the dining hall. Both of the dance partners, the blonde woman, and the two cell phone women stood around her as the Asian man held Lizzie’s wrists out.
“Drink up, everyone.”
