Prologue
Louisiana, New Orleans -
Michael knew he was going to die, and he knew he should be pushing himself away from the light but as the numbness spread from his fingertips, slowly crawling up his arm and devouring his body - he was letting himself float towards it. If only he could decipher his surroundings long enough to be able to figure out where he was laid then maybe he could call out, maybe she would hear.
Leaves circled around his shivering body and the wind howled, as if protesting against his demise but Michael could only exhale, his lips stretching into one last defeated grin. Michael asked himself if he would change anything, if he could go back, would he do it differently? Maybe, but every outcome he imagined, he always ended up here. Maybe he really was insane, no one was content with a slow, torturous death, but for the first time in his life, he was finally at peace. The demons weren't screaming at him anymore and he wasn't fighting a constant battle between right and wrong, he wasn't fighting fate to ignore his desires and that was enough for him.
The dried up leaves crunched underneath his body, objecting under his weight and Michael let his head fall to the side, the hum of the full moon taunting him as he struggled to inhale. The beast inside of him went cold hours ago and left a vacant carcass of nothing but loneliness inside. Michael was well and truly alone.
His eyelids fluttered, a last attempt to see the world around him before the light engulfed him entirely. The last thing on his mind was her.
"Michael!"
Gulping down a mouthful of oxygen, Michael shot up from his damp pillow, panting heavily. Sweat clung to his body like a second skin and he shakily wiped away the wetness that had formed on his forehead as he scanned his room. His heart pounded against his chest, the rhythm unsteady and loud. "What th-?"
"Michael," Hunter, his best friend and second in command, forced himself through the bedroom door, the wood smacking against the wall hard enough for it to crack. His shirt clung to his body, crimson covering his otherwise pale skin. "There's a girl. She's here for you."
