The weight of danger hung heavy in the air. I kept each breath small and quiet, hoping my heart wouldn't give me away. Could they hear it thundering? Their noses were obviously superior, what about their ears?

Dawn light filtered through the windows, sending golden patterns across the hallway floor. My footfalls were muffled by the carpeting. It caressed my feet, soft and plush—opulent like everything else.

I'd waited until the sun rose, sitting at the window seat in my room, watching the manor's grounds saturate with light. I hadn't slept for even a moment—couldn't. There were too many thoughts crowding my mind, too many emotions.

Ditching my gown, I'd changed into a pair of soft leggings and a T-shirt Zola had brought. I loved that red dress, but Ania would forgive me. As for the heels?

"Should have asked her for some shoes," I groused, my voice a low whisper. But she would have known, or at least suspected why I wanted them.

I wasn't going to let that minor detail stop my plans. I might never get a better opportunity to escape. I was a fighter. Rolling over, giving up, wasn't in my vocabulary.

Holding my breath, I darted towards an enclosed stairwell. I listened at the top, straining to hear signs of movement, voices, anything, then descended. The cold wood was a direct contrast on my bare feet. I emerged into another hallway, also deserted, and kept going. The silence was almost...eerie.

That was a good sign, right?

I didn't take the sunlight rule for granted. There was a reason Zola hadn't confirmed which rumors about vampires were true. I really had no idea, but I'd take my chances.

Most doors were closed, but not all. I paused before an arched set leading into a drawing room. My eyes lingered over the furniture, snagging on the giant, grand piano. Its wood was white, the top propped open revealing its strings. The brand wasn't visible, but I knew what the instrument was worth—how many thousands. I stared at it, blinking.

Don't do this! teenaged me begged.

I pulled my gaze away and moved on. Eventually I found the giant stone staircase leading down into the entryway. I glanced around, silent, listening. There was no movement, no sound. Was the manor as dead as the vampires occupying it?

I crept down, then quickened my pace towards to the front doors.

Every muscle in my body was clenched tight, ready for action. Reaching for a door handle, I turned it, bracing for disappointment. The opening click was loud. I froze, heart taking off into a gallop.

I stayed like that, counting the seconds, then swung the door open. It moved on silent hinges. Oh, my God! Everything in me screamed to take off running, the taste of freedom so close. But I willed myself to calm down, listening intently.

Still nothing.

Adrenaline dumped into my system, flushing my skin. It couldn't be this easy—had to be a trick. My breath faltered, a familiar realization crystalizing. This was that moment in between, an internal struggle between life and death. My body screamed at me to retreat, while my mind urged me on. I'd fought it before; I would fight it now.

Slipping out, I shut the doors behind me, pausing on the wide steps overlooking the grounds. As far as anyone was concerned, I was just out for a morning walk, nothing more.

My eyes darted to the iron gate, attached to a towering stone wall. The wall was for show, ending where the manicured lawn did. My bare feet took me down the steps, wincing as I crossed the gravel drive, sighing when I reached the grass.

I crossed the lawn, each breath faster than the last. The edge of the wall came closer. Some of my tension eased. I paused, just before slipping around it, to glance over my shoulder. The manor stood silent, guarding the landscape.

A breath blew from my lips. I spotted the road leading away, and the clusters of trees I needed to reach for cover. The grass wasn't groomed here.

Years and years of rough treatment on scorching cement pool decks and the coarse beach wasn't enough to prepare my feet. I ignored the pain, stepping carefully, cautiously. When nothing happened, when no one came after me, I took off at a sprint. My side hitched, cramping. I gripped it but continued on.

The shade swallowed me up. My belly fluttered, a hint of lightness coming over my limbs. I'd made it. Tears blurred my vision, tears of absolute, profound relief. I leaned against the nearest tree, keeping my gasps quiet, catching my breath. I could literally taste it now—freedom.

Everything would be all right. I'd get through these woods, stay out of sight, find the road further ahead. Back on the main interstate, there'd be someone, a car, something I could flag down. I'd call the police, Ania. This whole thing would be over.

Tears began rolling down my cheeks, an avalanche of them, as I set off through the maze of woods. In the morning air, my surroundings were alive with life. Birds chirping, squirrels darting from tree to tree. I just had to—

A branch snapped. I froze, wiping my face clean. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I looked around, muscles clenched tight.

Seconds ticked by. Nothing. Just my imagination.

Exhaling, I stepped forward more cautiously, wincing. The ground was a mix of pine needles, twigs, and rocks. Every single footfall hurt, but I ignored the pain.

Far to my left, I caught sight of a break in the trees—the road leading to the interstate. I debated, lips pressed into a thin line. The asphalt would be easier to traverse, but I'd be more exposed. I shook my head, continued on, skirting it. I stepped forward. A hiss sucked through my lips, followed by a slice of pain.

I winced.

My food left a smear of blood on the sharp rock jutting up from the dirt. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

I hesitated, shoulders straightening. The woods were silent, completely silent. A sudden urge to flee settled heavy in my limbs. My muscles tightened, ready to spring. I glanced towards the road again.

Time slowed, my breaths lengthening—

My body reacted before my mind, jumping forward. One moment I was standing still, the next, my legs were pumping into a full sprint towards the road. As if that would save me. There was nothing logical in my movements.

Just the instinctive urge to go.

A hard weight slammed into my back. I gasped, flying forward as everything sharpened into sensation. My body slammed into the ground, shock surging through me. I rolled over something hard. I opened my mouth to suck in air. Nothing came.

A blur of movement.

A body, hard as granite, pushed into me. There was white hot agony, teeth biting into my neck, a feminine groan that wasn't my own. I froze, going numb, completely numb with fear. My shocked eyes fixed on the leafy canopy overhead. Wave after wave of pain radiated from my neck to my chest. A roar built in my ears—my own blood. My thoughts scattered, except for one sharp realization. I was going to die.

Finally, my mouth opened wide. A scream tore from my throat, the power of my lungs shaking the trees around me, upsetting the silence. Each second felt like an eternity. Slowing, slowing, slowing. Then time restarted, rushing forward. Everything sped into whirls of action and sensation. Blurring bodies—movement. An utterly gut-wrenching pain. Teeth ripped from my neck. My own gasp, foreign to my ears. The feeling of my sticky blood coating my skin. The smell of iron in the air. A loud, furious growl that made new fear stab at my belly.

A scene materialized, dreamlike. I blinked, bringing it into focus. My hand went to my neck, pressing against the liquid spilling out. I felt the ruin beneath my fingers, the flesh and gore, but refused to process it.

Laurent stood, expression colder than cold, his hair stark against the woods. His muscles were bunched tight. He held an unfamiliar vampire at arm's length, by the neck. Her feet dangled, hands clawing at his arm. "That was very, very stupid, Henrietta."

Her face was a mess of blood, covering her mouth and chin. My blood! My stomach roiled.

I had only a moment to swallow against nausea before Laurent's other hand shot out, burying itself in her chest. My eyes widened. She gasped, choked out, "Sire!"

A squelching sound. Laurent ripped her heart from her chest, holding it before her a moment, then dropping it. It hit the forest floor with a nauseating thud. Almost instantly, her body began to desiccate.

There were others, loosely circled, observing. Silent sentinels. Motionless.

Laurent shot me a single glance. This is what happens, it said. The accusatory depths of his eyes made me shiver.

He released her. She crumbled to the ground, continuing to wither until she looked as if she'd been dead for decades. I rolled over and vomited, still trying to keep pressure against my wound. It was...the lowest of low, the worst place I'd ever been. Worse than being forced to pee and crap in a bucket for months on end.

When I finally gasped, took in air, and scuttled backwards, everything was spinning. The trees moved all on their own. I lurched, trying to steady myself.

"Perhaps I was not clear," Laurent said to the others. "Anyone who touches her, dies." For a moment, silence. Then, "Get back to your posts."

He whirled towards me. I flinched. Our eyes connected. There was nothing in his empty stare, a window into a soulless vampire. Except, his jaw twitched, betraying his anger. His gaze moved over me, from my neck to my bleeding foot.

"Marco," he snapped, nostrils flaring.

My breaths came faster and faster. I couldn't pull my eyes from his hand. His bloody hand, still dripping with what was left of the heart he'd stolen. I swallowed down another bout of bile.

Marco materialized beside him.

"Get a doctor—now." I blinked.

"Yes, Sire." Marco disappeared. Suddenly, we were alone.

Laurent grabbed the neck of his charcoal T shirt and slipped it over his head, balling the fabric in his hands. I caught a flash of his torso, rock solid muscles perfectly shaped. They shifted and bulged as he crouched down beside me.

A tiny whimper left my mouth, betraying my pain, my fear, my helplessness. My helplessness! I couldn't move. Even if I'd wanted, I was too weak, too dazed.

"You're all right," he said, his voice softening in a way I hadn't heard. A direct opposite to everything he'd just displayed. He wrapped his fingers around my wrist, gently pulling it away to replace it with the fabric of his shirt, then returned it. "Press there."

My mouth opened. "I..." My eyes darted over to Henrietta, desiccated nearby.

"Yes, you see the consequences of your actions?" His voice chilled once more. " Your attempted escape has cost me." A tremor wracked my body. "Moreover, it almost cost you. What if I had not heard your scream? What if I had not been here to stop it?" "

A small, mournful noise came from the back of my throat. That sound struck him. His brows knitted together, eyes darting between mine. Then, those hard features softened again. It made no sense.

"I know, little flower, I know it hurts. Now, come." He scooped me up, cradling me to his bare chest.

I couldn't follow it—his ricochet between hot and cold. One moment he was soulless, the next, soft and caring. My eyes grew heavy. I struggled to keep them open. I couldn't fight him, so instead, I nestled deeper against his chest. The arms that carried me were foreign. No one had ever wrapped me up like this.

"Marco is bringing the doctor," he rumbled, the words distant to my muddled mind. "He will see to your wound."

"I...don't want to...die." I managed. Each word clung to my bloodied throat, a weight to wrench free.

"Then fight." His arms tightened.

"I always...fight," I managed. Just now, I didn't care how much I hated him. It was a moment of weakness, but I let myself cling to him.

I was vaguely aware of the manor as it materialized around us, as it swallowed us up. The warm, dimly lit hallways were suddenly comforting, when they should have felt constraining.

"There will be no more attempts to flee," Laurent said, his words sounding far away. I tried to focus on them, to keep the darkness at bay. "I have increased the number of patrols around the manor. You had the unfortunate luck of meeting one. They are here for your protection. I cannot risk others discovering your existence, attempting to steal you away from me."

Heat spread down my limbs. Even in pain, the possessive nature of his voice made me feel...something.

"No one has ever wanted to keep me," I stupidly whispered, admitting, giving him a piece of myself better kept buried. My eyes fluttered. The fight to remain conscious got the better of me.

He made a noise, and then, "I will not let anyone have you."

Or I thought that's what he'd said.

Perhaps it was just my desperate imagination. A deep-rooted desire tossed out to the world. A dream already taking form behind my closed eyelids. A weakness revealed, as my body went slack. As my mind gave up its fight. As I sank into oblivion.