Chapter One
Asher
The Future
New Elysium
Thump.
Squelch.
Thump.
The sound is as rhythmic as a heartbeat, providing the harmony of this moment as the sun rises in the east.
Thump.
Squelch.
Thump.
Lifting my free hand up, I slam my fist against the door frame of the townhouse and listen to it shudder.
Answer the door, Chloe.
I know you can hear me.
Let me in.
Beyond this flimsy barrier, I know she’s in there, listening to the thudding of my fist.
I can hear her breath cracking, breaking, as she whispers little invocations to ward herself from my evil.
Thump.
Squelch.
Thump.
Each sound matches the beating of the heart that calls to me from inside her chest. Rhythmic, slightly elevated, but steady and strong.
But it’s not just her blood that calls to me, beckoning me with the wicked harmony of a siren’s song…
It’s the scent of her coming to age three hours ago.
The scent is as intoxicating as it is damning.
She’s ready for me now.
Chloe’s body is ready for what her Order calls the Profane Gift.
Damn the Order of Saint Benedict. May they rot in their eternal salvation.
Thump.
Squelch.
Thump.
This is fucking madness. She knows she’s mine. There is no other way for this to end.
Michelle says
Fuck…I totally got sucked it….and vampires normally don’t interest me.