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It wasn’t until later that night that I even considered going out to get food and supplies for the four weeks I planned on staying at the cabin.

  A month to myself. No asshole ex-boyfriend bugging me to take him back. No neighbors having loud fights and even louder makeup sex.

  Don’t get me wrong. I liked sex. A whole lot, even. But not so much listening to neighbors who had just finished throwing shit at each other. Not exactly healthy.

  And for me to say that? It meant something, since I wasn’t exactly the queen of healthy habits.

  But I was getting better. My stupid ex-therapist even thought so, or she had before I’d walked out of her office with the promise to never come back.

  The grocery store sat three miles from the cabin, a short drive down heavily wooded roads. The cabins were spaced far enough apart to give a person a sense of solitude and privacy, but all the modern conveniences were a stone’s throw away.

  I snickered at myself when that thought crossed my mind. A stone’s throw. Less than three hours back at the cabin and I was already sounding like Dad.

  It was inevitable. Everywhere I looked, I remembered him and Mom. There were memories around every corner.

  Whose bright fucking idea was it for me to come up here alone?

  Then again, I wouldn’t have been alone if a certain asshole hadn’t decided to let his dick do the thinking for him. I was supposed to be doing this with Brent, but he was out of the picture.

  Not that he’d be much for emotional support, anyway. That had never been one of his strong suits.

  The first thing to truly surprise me was the presence of roughly fifteen cars in the small lot. This wasn’t a supermarket or a big box store. It was a small, family-owned grocery, at least it had been the last time I was around. A lot could change in ten years, but the building hadn’t suddenly expanded.

  Neither had the parking lot. I pretty much met my daily quota of cursing before snagging an empty spot two slots down from the door.

  Once I’d done that, I could take the time to notice the cars around me.

  Flashy didn’t begin to describe them. They were fucking gorgeous. I recognized a few Escalades, a handful of BMWs, a Lexus or two. All of them looked brand new, fresh from a wash and wax.

  Had the area changed that much? Miller’s Point had been the sort of vacation spot middle-class and upper-mids chose when I was a kid. The sort of people who could afford a vacation cabin and a boat. Yeah, the cars had all been decent, reflecting the amount of money the family made.

  It had never been anything like this, though.

  And the people! They were stunningly gorgeous, like the sort of gorgeous that left a stranger with no choice but to stare. The girls were all tall, willowy, dressed like they were going to a huge, flashy party where the dress code meant leaving nothing to the imagination.

  But it was the men who caught my eye as I scurried along like the toad I was compared to the people around me. Men who towered above me, with shoulders like linebackers and faces that might’ve been carved out of marble by a master sculptor.

  The zip code had sure as hell changed in a decade.

  The people behind the counter hadn’t, though. I recognized them immediately, though they had no reason to recognize me. I wasn’t a gangly fifteen-year-old anymore. Years of physical training had left me lean, slightly muscled, and I’d grown a good six inches since then.

  I gave them a smile—they seemed a little dazed, I noticed, like they were just as startled by the parade of supermodels as I was—before grabbing the only cart left and starting up the first aisle. The sooner I got this over with, the better.

  Something about these painfully perfect people didn’t sit well with me.

  Dr. Laura would make one of her concerned noises if she’d heard me say that. She would’ve accused me of pushing people away, automatically assuming the worst. At least she would’ve heavily suggested it.

  One of the many reasons why I’d kicked her to the curb.

  “Word is, Augustine is coming for this one.”

  The girl’s voice coming from one aisle over barely registered on my awareness at first. I was too busy trying to figure out how much pasta I’d need.

  Certain things required focus, and one of those things was carbs.

  “I heard that, too,” another girl said. “Why Gabriel picked this as a meeting place strikes me as so strange. We don’t need anything here. And we stick out like sore thumbs against these hicks.”

  I rounded the corner and found them with their heads close together, still complaining or whatever they were doing. When they heard me, they stood up a little straighter and made a big deal of looking me up and down.

  So I wasn’t exactly dressed for a runway, but there was nothing against the law about wearing a cut-up t-shirt and ratty jeans. Just because I wasn’t wearing Prada, they decided I was trash.

  “Excuse me,” I offered with a wide smile. “One hick coming through.”

  One of the girls, an icy blonde, snickered before turning on her heel. The other, with skin almost as dark as her raven hair, at least looked like she appreciated a little sarcasm. She joined her friend outside, leaving me with the entire aisle to myself.

  I only picked up as much food as I’d need for a week, maybe a little more. I didn’t plan on doing much besides working out and reading, anyway, so if there was anything I’d missed I could always go back.

  At the register, trying to catch the eyes of the owners was pointless. Were they both scared or something? They worked at the ringing up and bagging with their gazes turned downward, moving at the speed of light. I thanked them and got a few unintelligible mumbles in reply.

  Well, then.

  Taking my bags out to the car meant running into the group of physical anomalies outside. Seriously, how did these people know each other? They had to be a big group of models. That might explain why the one girl had said something about not needing anything at the grocery store.

  Okay, I was being bitchy, but then so were they. And by the looks of these girls, something told me eating wasn’t high on their list of priorities.

  It was while I loaded bags into the back seat of my rusty old Bug that I first felt it.

  The hair rising on the back of my neck.

  And with it came the absolute certainty that I was being watched for the second time that night.

  Pretending not to notice would’ve been like pretending not to feel a knife in my back, so I turned around and sought out the person doing the staring.

  It didn’t take long to find them. To find him.

  My pulse took off when our eyes met over the roofs of the cars between us. He was probably a foot taller than my five-five and dressed in black, the open collar of his leather jacket brushing a jaw sharp enough to give a girl a cut if she dragged her fingers along its length. Dark hair, longer up top and shorter on the sides. A day’s worth of scruff on his cheeks, maybe two. Heavy brows over deep-set eyes.

  It was the eyes that pulled me in. I had never seen eyes that color blue before. Almost purple, they were that deep. And intense to the point where I practically burst into flames on the spot.

  Strange, but the notion of holding his hips between my thighs was so clear, so real, I could almost feel his weight pressing down on me. Not to mention other things I felt a little farther below the waist.

  Warm things. Deep, penetrating things that sent desire unspooling in my core in a way it never had before. Not once, not ever, had the sight of another human being brought on such a visceral reaction.

  His full mouth quirked up a fraction of an inch. Like he knew what I was thinking.

  But that was impossible. Even with a porno playing in my head with us as the stars and my panties now a sodden mess, I knew it was impossible.

  “Hey, Gabe.” A cute little redhead flung her arms around his neck and snuggled in before letting one hand run down his chest. “We thought you would never get here. When are we heading out, lover?”

  That broke t
he spell, if there had been a spell at all. I could breathe again. I could think. I didn’t have to stare at the walking god whose attention I had clearly caught.

  He didn’t like me. That much I knew for sure. Nobody stared that menacingly at somebody they liked.

  Well, the feeling was more than mutual. He might’ve been a walking five-alarm fire, but my instincts told me he was also a snide, rich piece of shit who probably didn’t like my beat-up old car being anywhere near the luxury showroom the parking lot had turned into. Screw him.

  Though damned if I didn’t keep looking at him as I backed out of my spot.

  How could I help it? He stood there, the arrogant bastard, right in front of my headlights. The guy wore a leather jacket in the middle of June. Psycho.

  He watched me the entire way out of the lot, even with a redhead hanging off him. Only when I was away from the store did the prickling at the nape of my neck stop.

  Who the hell were those people? Better yet, who the hell did they think they were?

  * * *

  GABRIEL

  “Can’t I hold your attention anymore?”

  I held back a growl. What had ever interested me in Lavinia?

  Right. The tight, curvaceous body pressed against mine.

  Now, she was an albatross, hanging off me. Weighing me down.

  “I’m talking to you, Gabe.”

  “You know I loathe that nickname.” I glanced down at her. “Why do you insist on using it?”

  Her pout made her lips glisten. “I think it’s cute.”

  “Would you call me cute?”

  “Oh, no.” Her arms tightened around my neck. “You’re many things, lover, but cute isn’t one of them. And I know you must be hungry. You haven’t fed in ages.”

  “What’s it to you?” The taillights dwindled down to nothing in the distance. Somehow, having her out of my sight meant breathing easier. That was always the way. Her presence no longer pressed in on me from all sides.

  “You know I like taking care of you.” Lavinia’s voice was a smooth purr. “Because you’re mine, lover.” I did what I could to avoid grimacing openly.

  “Hey, when are we moving?” Vincent joined us, and I noticed the way hunger raced across his face when his gaze fell on Lavinia. He could have her, as far as I was concerned.

  “Whenever you want,” I shrugged. No amount of partying and feeding could interest me. Not now. Not with her only miles from where I stood.

  For ten years I’d waited for this. Existed from day to day with this time in mind.

  “You need to feed first,” Lavinia reminded me in a whisper. “You must take care of yourself, lover. Don’t worry. I’ve made arrangements.”

  Her eyes gleamed when they met mine. Her tongue darted over her lips. “Come on. I left them in the woods for you. Just for you. Dazed, but healthy and ready for you.”

  Damn it. I was hungry, no matter how I tried to shrug it off. The drive to feed would’ve been impossible to ignore under different circumstances. If I hadn’t been completely focused on Sophie’s presence.

  Sweet Sophie. Tough Sophie.

  Lavinia rubbed against me, making my cock stir in spite of my concern for Sophie. It seemed there was more than a thirst for blood playing on my senses. “Come on. Everybody’s getting restless. Why don’t you send them on to the party and we’ll meet up with them later? One of the girls is so young and fresh, I almost took her myself. Imagine how sweet she is.”

  “Go on without us,” I announced, glancing around. “We’ll meet you there. Be sure to save a few for me.”

  The rest of our number slid into their cars, eager to get to the club and indulge themselves. We never had to look hard for opportunities to feed from eager, vapid humans entranced by the notion of rubbing elbows with actual, real-life vampires.

  Naturally, their memories were wiped afterward. It wouldn’t do for them to recall being fed from. The morning after our parties they would feel weak, hungover. And they would laugh off the suggestion of vampires, since all rational people knew vampires did not exist outside of legend.

  Lavinia led me into the woods, holding my hand. I enjoyed the swaying of her hips and ass—no matter how she bored me, I never could get enough of that perfect peach of a backside.

  “Just a little further, love.” Sure enough, I made out two slumped figures propped against an oak up ahead. I could smell them from here.

  And yes, they did smell sweet. Sweet enough to make my mouth water and my fangs descend.

  Lavinia stepped aside, watching as I lifted one of the two young women to her feet. Her head lolled, but her pulse was strong. I heard her heartbeat in my ears and closed my eyes as the bloodlust took over.

  It was always this way. Reason disappeared, replaced by insatiable hunger. The drive to drink, to absorb the life force of the human in my arms. To strengthen myself. To give in to the dark, ever-present force that had ruled my existence for centuries.

  “That’s right.” Lavinia, behind me, arms around my waist. Her hands slid over my chest and abdomen before traveling lower, meeting my stiff, straining cock. “Yes, lover. Drink.”

  I growled, slurping greedily, swallowing one sweet mouthful after another. The heartbeat slowed, became fainter.

  I let the body drop from my arms. My breath came in deep, rasping grunts. I could see everything, could smell everything. The sound of the smallest scurrying mouse was clear as a bell.

  Lavinia curled herself around me, but that wasn’t enough. Not immediately after a feed.

  I grabbed her, threw her against the tree. She freed my cock while I worked the dress up around her hips. “Bad girl,” I growled at the touch of bare skin rather than lace or silk panties. She was wet, slick, and the aroma of her arousal was almost as sweet as the blood still lingering on my lips.

  “I know what I want.” She guided me inside her and grunted when I slid home. “Take me.”

  I took her. Hard, fast, brutally. Too hard for a human to have withstood, surely. Working in and out of her exquisite, tight pussy. Our bodies slapped together in time with her sharp, high-pitched cries.

  It wasn’t her face I saw in front of me as I drove harder, deeper. As my balls tightened in anticipation of what was about to come. When she threw her head back, fangs glistening, eyes closed in ecstasy.

  It was Sophie. Blonde curls replaced red waves. Her body lengthened, her eyes went from brown to green. And oh, ancient gods, they seared me. Scorched me from the inside out.

  Blood-red nails ran down my throat. “Gabriel!” she gasped before tightening around me in a vice grip.

  That wasn’t Sophie’s voice. This wasn’t Sophie pressed against me, wrapped around my length, drawing me even deeper. I came seconds after she did, sinking my fangs into her neck as she did the same to me.

  It wasn’t the same. Pleasurable, yes, but a letdown in the end thanks to the blonde hellion I couldn’t get out of my head.

  “Well.” Lavinia giggled softly. “I’m glad I went to the trouble to secure your meal.”

  I untangled myself from her as gently as I could while resenting her more than words could express. “We’d better hurry and catch up with the others.”

  “You can’t leave this one behind.” Lavinia nudged a jean-clad leg with her foot. “And if you don’t think I’ll want more of that before the night’s over, you’re sadly mistaken. Better keep up your strength.”

  My body reacted favorably. My mind did not. Yet I knew it would go as she said, since I could never seem to resist her body for long.

  It was with resentment, then, that I picked up the second of the two vittles and opened her artery without ceremony, gulping the steady flow as greedily as I had before.

  It wasn’t more than a few seconds before I knew something was wrong.

  I dropped the girl and turned to Lavinia, who was already beginning to sway before me. Strange, since she seemed to be standing still. “What have you done?” I hissed.

  “What needed doing.” She fin
ished straightening herself out. “Worry not, my love. You’ll sleep for the first time in decades. Even centuries. Enjoy it.”

  “What did you do to me?” I staggered back, hitting another tree. To my horror, I needed its steadying presence to remain upright. I’d been so strong, so powerful moments earlier, fresh off a feed.

  Now, I could barely keep my head up.

  “Don’t worry.” She looked down at the two bodies. “I’ll take care of them.”

  I slid down the length of the trunk. My eyes insisted on closing no matter how I fought to keep them open.

  She crouched before me, her red waves brushing my cheek. “And then,” she whispered, “I’ll take care of her.”

  Three

  SOPHIE

  I left the cabin in a cloud of bug spray after having put away the groceries. It was a sticky sort of night, and within minutes the strands of hair that had escaped my thick, curly bun plastered against the back of my neck.

  I didn’t care. I had to run. I had to burn off the energy that had been buzzing around inside me ever since seeing that guy at the store.

  What was it about him? There had to be something to get me out for a run at nearly one in the morning. The only other alternative was lying in bed, tossing and turning, wishing I could sleep but hardly being able to stay still long enough to doze off.

  Maybe this was all a mistake. I shouldn’t have come. Something weird was going on, something I couldn’t pinpoint. The smell in the cabin—I hadn’t heard any animals skittering around underneath the floorboards. Larry’s sketchy behavior on the phone. Those people at the store.

  They were trouble. I couldn’t have explained why I thought so, but the feeling was there and it was damn strong.

  Which was what set my feet to running down the trail. I knew it like the back of my hand, weaving through the trees until I reached the road which cut the campground in half.

  The road was lit, unlike the trail, which was why I settled on running along the shoulder. My fluorescent yellow tank and white leggings would give me visibility if any cars happened past.