1. Kieran

A woman's scream shatters the night and I take off running.

Not away from the sound. Towards it. All I can hope is that something startled her, but the knot in my stomach tells me that's not it.

There's a difference between screaming at a quick scare and screaming because you're terrified for your life.

As I run, I shake my backpack off one shoulder and swing it around so I can tug at the zips. The woman screams again. This time, the sound is tinged with a sob, and I speed up.

If I'm lucky, it'll be nothing. Not nothing to her, of course, but maybe some drunk guy who thinks if he harasses her, she'll follow him home.

I'm never that lucky.

I skid to a halt at the corner and make out the shape of two figures under a railway bridge. My fingers finally land on what I'm seeking, and I hiss in triumph through my teeth.

She's still on her feet, thank fuck, though wobbling precariously in a pair of high heels. It's Saturday night, a cold one for October, which I guess is why she decided to chance a shortcut instead of sticking to the better-lit streets. I don't know if that would have helped, anyway.

The vampire's stalking her.

I pull the stake out and slip the backpack back onto my shoulders silently. My upper lip curls in a snarl as I edge closer, keeping to the shadows. It's easy to stay hidden when a vampire is so fixated on its prey.

And a vampire he certainly is. I can tell from here. Freshly turned, like every single one I've stumbled upon over the last few weeks. He's moving slower than me, sure that she won't escape. Even if she could sprint away without injuring herself—and who knows, maybe she could—she still can't outrun a vampire.

They're inhumanly fast. Faster than just about anything else that exists.

The vampire cocks his head to one side. Lank hair falls across his eyes and he doesn't push it away. In the dark, his eyes glow, the anticipation of gorging getting the better of him.

"Please," she says, and the word only trembles a little. "Please, I don't even know you…"

The vampire snorts. He takes a slow, deliberate step forward and never looks away from her face. "You don't need to know me," he retorts.

He slurs his words, either because of bloodlust or the brand-new fangs in his mouth. I don't really care which. I weigh the stake in my hand. It feels disturbingly right, and I push the thought aside as I move a little closer.

Ducked behind a fence, I think I should be able to get between her and the vampire. He's got no idea I'm here, too focused on how she's stumbling back, eyes flicking between his intense stare and the empty road ahead of her.

Ah, fuck. It's now or never.

I hit the stake against the fence as I step out of my hiding place, and the vampire's attention snaps to me. He hisses and the woman lets out a hiccupping sob, her expression filling with hope.

Holding up the stake where the vampire can see it, I don't look away from him as I speak to her. "Run." She's off like a shot, heels be damned, and when the vampire surges forward, I intercept him, grabbing him by the front of his shirt before he can follow.

He growls and twists out of my grip, eyeing the stake warily as he backs up. Sure, he could run past me, but I can see him trying to calculate it. He's fast, but I'm strong. I toss the stake from hand to hand and his gaze follows it.

Still, I can't let this play out too long, so I loosen my knees and widen my stance. Baby vamps are stronger than their older kin, not able to understand their new body's limits.

Translation? This is going to hurt.

One moment, the vampire is standing there, watching me, and the next, he's not. Pain explodes in my jaw, and I swing my own fist wildly, spinning towards the shadow on my right.

Either I pack more of a punch than I'm expecting, or this guy wasn't much of a fighter in life. He drops like a sack of potatoes, hissing indignantly before he clambers to his feet.

We circle each other. Right between the ribs. I know where to aim. I know how much force it will take. I know—

The vampire runs at me again and I duck low. He lets out a grunt of annoyance and I twist, catching him around the waist and bringing him down hard on the tarmac.

"Get off me, you little—"

My stake clatters to the ground as we scuffle. I wrap my legs around his waist, trying to use my weight to roll him over. His fangs flash in the streetlights. I draw my arm back and punch him in the chest.

Fuckers don't need to breathe for that to hurt.

I grab his flailing wrists and pin them to the ground. The vampire bucks beneath me, trying to get free.

"You're not supposed to hunt like that, and you know it."

"What's it to you?" the vampire growls. "You're no vamp."

Rolling my eyes, I shift, clasping both of the vampire's wrists in one hand before I stretch towards my stake. It's just out of reach. For fuck's sake…

"Not a hunter either, are you? He told us that already."

I freeze. Just for a second. Who is he talking about?

Who knows what I've done?

It doesn't matter. The pause is long enough for the vampire to explode upwards and push me back, sending me sprawling across the road. My head hits the kerb hard and pain thuds through me.

The vampire's on me again before I can get to my feet. His fangs go straight for my throat, but I get an arm up between us before he can dig in. I can smell his rancid breath and he pulls at me, trying to get me closer for a bite.

"Fuck," I bite out. I stretch out my hand, sweeping my fingers over the road. The stake has to be close…

"S'posed to save you for him…" the vampire manages to say. Saliva runs from the corners of his mouth. I know if I touch where my head hit the kerb, my fingers will come away sticky with blood.

"Well, you might want to consider it."

The vampire growls and I push at him harder. I'm in a bad position to get any leverage, but I manage to get a knee up between us and shove the vampire back.

I stretch further out, and my heart skips a beat when my fingers brush over wood. The stake!

I edge it closer. The vampire's still trying to get in for a bite and when I have the stake in my hand, I shift so my back's fully against the kerb. The move brings the vampire closer and his eyes glow again.

"You're mine," he says.

"Afraid not."

I jab the stake sharply upwards, letting out a sigh of relief when it plunges smoothly between the vampire's ribs. He goes rigid for a second before his limbs slacken.

"Oh, shit." I push him away and roll, trying to get some distance between us. There's a whoosh of air behind me and a sudden shock of scorching heat.

I push up onto my knees and look back. The flames burn brightly for a moment—they're almost too bright to look at—and then they're gone. The only evidence a vampire was ever here is the smoke that hangs in the air and a small pile of ashes I know will blow away soon.

Well, the only evidence apart from my bleeding head, bruised jaw, and aching body. Groaning, I get to my feet. I gingerly touch the wound at the back of my throbbing head and wince. Blood stains my fingertips.

I sigh and pick up the stake, then put it back in my now-battered backpack. This isn't the first vampire I've killed so near my home. Not even close. I just can't work out why they're here. Why now. Sam and I have been living in London for eleven years, but it's only in the past six months that we've had to deal with a vampire problem.

Vampires aren't supposed to hunt to feed; at least, not in London. They have donors for that. Finding one stray… Well, that's what the hunters are for.

This is the ninth one I've killed.

I'm so caught up in my thoughts that I don't realise I'm surrounded until a woman steps under a streetlight.

I freeze in place. Dark hair frames delicate features, but I know she's a vamp before she even bares her fangs. There's something about the way they hold themselves—especially the older ones.

Her eyes flash gold, which is strange, but I turn my attention to the three men blocking off my other escape routes. They're vamps, too, and I swallow hard.

Maybe this kill is the final straw.

Maybe the clan has worked out that I'm not a sanctioned hunter and has sent their own to do me in.

"So you're the one who's been killing vampires," the woman says.

My fingers twitch with the urge to reach into my backpack again. It's pointless. There's no way I'll get to my stake in time and even if I go for the last resort, there are four of them. I won't survive it.

"They were yours?" I ask.

There's a rush of air and then a big hand tightens around my throat, pulling me back against a body that's slighter than my own but only just. "No. They were mine."

He squeezes and I cough, trying to suck in a breath.

"You should've taught them better," I manage to get out and the vampire's grip tightens to the point of pain.

"Tristan!" the woman snaps. "Enough!"

Her voice is like a thunderclap, startling enough that Tristan stops squeezing, though he doesn't let go. "He killed them."

"Yes. And we have a plan, don't we?" Her voice is soothing now, and she approaches us slowly. Her eyes flash gold again. Magic prickles over me. "But we have to get him there. We have to do this, or everything else will fall apart."

Tristan growls, but the other two vampires nod. Their eyes are slightly glazed. I've never seen a vampire use their glamour before.

"Is the plan not to kill me?" I ask, ignoring Tristan's rumbling growl, even though it makes all the hairs on my nape stand on end.

Am I really standing here, a predator at my back, and not fighting?

Yes. Apparently, yes, I am.

"No," the woman says. Her eyes are dark now, and there's something cruel in the way the corner of her mouth twitches. "You'll die soon, though. Probably even tonight. We just have bigger ambitions than you."

I cock my head to one side, wincing at the pain that shoots through me at the move. "You've been sending new turns out around here, haven't you? Why?"

Shock flits over her face. Tristan's hand twitches around my throat. She shakes her head, and the expression vanishes.

"Now, are you going to come quietly, or are you going to put up a fight? We wouldn't want to hurt you too badly."

I scoff. That's a lie if I've ever heard one.

"Oh, you can go f—"

I don't finish the sentence as fresh pain bursts through the back of my head and everything goes black.