He jostles behind a tree, poking his head out from the shadows to find me. I’ve already spotted him. His crimson irises invite me in, and I smile.
I’m running before I’ve formed a plan, and I reach his side in record speed. I spin around the tree, hoping to catch him off guard, but the moment I loop around, he plants two fists firmly at my chest. I’m catapulted away, landing several feet from my intended target. Plopping squarely on my butt, I’m having training session flashbacks. Malik was right. I should have been focused today.
I stare up at him from where I sit, and my blood runs cold. A screech erupts from my chest but stops short of reaching my lips. Instead, I choke on it.
This isn’t real. He can’t be here!
“Hello, Ava,” the vampire says.
“Will,” I whisper, remembering his name from my earlier nightmare.
I jump to my heels, prepared to strike back, but he takes several steps backward, throwing his arms up in defense.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” he says.
Unbelieving, I quickly withdraw my weapon—a simple dagger with a black-threaded handle—and slice it through the air between us. I want him to know I’m familiar with this weapon, even if it’s not my trusty stake, and fully prepared to end his life if needed. I may be absolutely terrified right now, but if only one of us is making it home tonight, I’ll make sure it’s me.
“Don’t you think I would have attacked by now if I wanted to hurt you?” he asks. “I’ve been following you for at least an hour.”
I inhale sharply. That long?
“Yes, that long,” Will says with a smile. I hate that he knows me this well. I’ve never been good at hiding my emotions, and I never cared when my family knew what I was thinking without me speaking my mind. But it’s different when my enemy uses this against me. He shouldn’t know what I’m thinking or how I’m feeling.
“What are you doing here? What do you want with me?” I shout, maintaining my hold over my weapon. I refuse to lower it—not until I feel safe enough to turn my back on him. And I don’t foresee that happening anytime soon.
“I came looking for you,” he says. “I thought I made that fairly clear.” He makes a pointed face, and it irritates me.
“What do you want with me?” I ask, afraid of his honesty. A new vampire has come to town vying for my attention. And he has it.
A thought occurs to me. This vampire has made it pretty clear that he’s been hunting me—and not just tonight. He found a way into my dreams, into the astral plane. Will just happens to find me in Darkhaven, and my former best friend goes missing? If I’ve learned nothing else from becoming a vampire, I have learned there is no such thing as coincidences.
I decide to be direct. I haven’t the time for dishonesty. “What have you done with Liv?”
He arches a brow, a confident glow of confusion crossing his face. “Who?”
“Liv. Where is she?” I ask, repeating myself.
My voice is forceful. I need him to believe he’s made some mistake. We can do this one of two ways: the easy way or the hard way. If he believes I know more than I do, he might just admit his wrongdoing, and there might be enough time to save her.
He frowns, his floppy brown hair blowing when the breeze picks up. His skin is pale, his eyes two glowing red rubies. His polished skin creases where his forehead betrays his concern.
“I have no idea who that is. I’m here for you.” He adjusts the lapels of his jacket, a cocky confidence in his demeanor that makes my blood boil.
“So I’m supposed to believe it’s a coincidence that you come to town the very day she goes missing?”
“Liv is missing?” he asks, both clarifying my accusation and confusing me in the same breath.
“I— Yes, she’s missing.” I relax, my shoulders in knots. His confusion is settling over me, and I’m starting to believe he really didn’t have anything to do with her disappearance, which means there’s yet another vampire in town looking for payback. Will this ever end?
“Who is she?” Will asks.
“She is…was…my best friend.”
Will sucks air through his teeth, and the hissing noise splits my brain. “Sounds like things ended badly.”
“Well, you know…vampire now,” I say, pointing at my core as if that’s where my vampire powers reside, as if my situation is not painfully obvious by my crimson irises, fangs, and pale skin.
“Ah, now we’re getting to the juicy stuff,” Will says. “Liv is a witch.”
I hesitate before answering but ultimately confirm. After all, he says he’s been looking for me, for special vampires, so he must know that I was once not only mortal but a witch.
He nods. “I can see how you might think I am responsible for her disappearance, but trust me, I’m only here for you.”
“That really doesn’t make me feel better about this situation,” I admit.
He laughs. “I suspect it doesn’t.”
“Who are you?” I ask, utterly confused by our total encounter.
He smiles. “Well, I could tell you, or I could show you…”
I don’t respond, so he must take my silence as my willingness to continue this odd exchange. I hate to admit that I might have been wrong about him. He truly doesn’t seem interested in harming me, which only leaves one question.
What does Will want with me?
He answers my question without even speaking.
With the flick of his wrist, a fireball sparks to life, floating within his grasp but never fully touching his skin. He bounces it a little, toying with the scorching heat that’s mere feet before me. With one quick snap, he could end my life, yet I don’t feel threatened. In fact, I feel so completely mesmerized by his magic trick, I’m walking toward him, as if my legs are powered by my emotions, not by my brain.
When I’ve closed the space between us, I reach for the small ball of fire, running my fingertips along its edge. I’m not confident enough to actually touch it, but I need to feel it. I don’t feel the heat of the flame, but I do feel the power of his magic. I’ve only felt this kind of raw, pure strength from one other vampire: Amicia.
I tear my gaze from the fireball and glance up at Will. He’s smiling down at me. The space between us is almost nonexistent. I didn’t realize how close we became, but now that I’m just a breath from his skin, I’m nervous. His eyes sparkle, the flame of his magic dancing across his skin, before he quickly extinguishes it. Still, even without the heat of the flame lighting our faces, I stare up at him, not daring to be the first to look away.
“You’re like me,” I whisper. I speak low, soft, but he hears my whisper and the desperation in my voice. I’ve longed for someone like me for what feels like forever, and finally, I found him.
He nods, jaw clenched. He swallows, and his throat bobs. I’m so close, I can see the vein in his neck and the lighter strands of brown in his hair. His crimson irises are swirling with color and life and power. Utterly mesmerized, I can’t look away.
“Why didn’t you come sooner?” I ask.
“I had to find you first.”
“But last night… You found me then. Why wait until now?” I ask.