Everyone was holding their breath, waiting for this man to speak, hoping he would have the answer—but it seemed as if he couldn’t find the words.So I blinked, swallowing though my mouth was dry, my eyes darting downward for a moment. My hands were still warm with my own blood, my shirt clinging to my skin where, just moments ago, I’d been stabbed by my own mother.Only now, there was no wound. There was nothing—not even a scar. Through the hole in my shirt, one could see the pale flesh of my chest.I looked back up at the pale man, the man who was not a man at all. The man that I loved. The vampire that I needed.“What am I, Darren?” I questioned again, waiting for his response. Waiting to see what was next.Finally, he seemed to find his voice—however faint, however pained.“I don’t know.” He barely whispered.A rush of air whipped through me, knocking the breath right out of me. The room swayed, my world crumbling down around me. My eyes watered as I looked away, no longer able to take the pain in Darren’s eyes.I could feel their eyes burning into me as I stared down at my blood-covered hands. Zoe, my best friend—caught between both relief and devastation that I was alive. Darren, my own self-declared destiny, angry and despondent, knowing this was not the fate he had wanted for me.And then there was Jared, the one responsible for whatever monstrosity I had become. I could feel the intensity of his silvery blue eyes staring right through me, guilt-ridden but relieved.A voice sounded in my mind, faint—hardly even noticeable. I couldn’t lose her—I couldn’t let her die—I looked up, my eyes landing on his face. I would recognize that voice anywhere.“I can hear you,” I whispered fervently, another wave of despair passing through me. “I heard your thoughts.” Jared’s expression didn’t change, and I remained frozen in place.This was a characteristic of the undead—of the vampires I was surrounded by.But I could still feel my heart, beating steadily within my chest.What had I become?“We’re going to take care of this, Lucinda.” It was Darren now, keeping his distance, though the look in his eye told me he wanted to comfort me. I was suddenly aware of various other heartbeats, thudding quietly in the back of my mind.“How?” I asked, unable to imagine any solution. Who would know what I was? Who would understand what had happened?Demetrius—the one responsible for all of this, the one who had made me—was gone. And my mother’s sincerest desire for me was that I join him.Who could explain what I was?Suddenly, I concentrated on the faintest of all of the heartbeats. It was as if I could sense there was danger—he was weaker than all the rest.“Brayden,” I said, and for the first time, the others in the room looked away, off to the side of the room. There, a young man with sandy brown hair lay. His breathing was labored, his coloring off. Darren remained quiet for a long moment before glancing back in my direction.“Zoe, Jared, you two take him to the hospital.”“I’m not leaving her,” Jared’s tone was almost casual, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. But there was an unmistakable strength to his tone. He was a force to be reckoned with, and he was not afraid of conflict.“Yes, you are.” Darren’s eyes suddenly darkened. “I think you’ve done enough here.”“Well, at least she’s breathing, isn’t she?” Jared’s voice was as cold as ice and I glanced in his direction. In my mind, I felt what seemed to be wall forming between the two of us. “That’s better than whatever you were going to leave her to.” I shifted my gaze to my reddened hands.“Is it?” Darren questioned, and I realized for the first time that they were talking about my life. And I was suddenly taken back to the argument that had taken place only moments ago. I tried not to let the knowledge that Darren had been willing to let me die bother me. I tried to be grateful that Jared had taken matters into his own hands and brought me back…in spite of whatever consequences may lie ahead.Because, in death, I had a destiny. A destiny I knew nothing about, save for one thing: Darkness. The darkest creatures I could imagine had created me, and I was certain it wasn’t to bring about their own destruction.
I know it's been a long wait, and I can't thank everyone enough for bearing with me! But it's almost over--I'm fully expecting the book to be out in time for a little Halloween reading!
