The hunger rose without warning, a dragon rearing its head and spreading its wings to take flight.
One moment Lily stood frozen, staring at the bound man. The next, fire scorched through her throat. Burned down her esophagus. Consumed her from the inside out until she couldn't see, couldn't think, couldn't focus on anything except the terrible, aching need.
She doubled over, clutching her throat.
"What—"
The word came out strangled.
A hand settled on her shoulder. Firm but gentle.
"All fledglings experience this shortly after awakening."
His voice came from beside her now. She hadn't seen him move.
"Even I suffered through it, long ago."
Screaming cut through the haze of pain. Muffled. Distant. The bound man thrashed against his restraints, chair legs scraping against hardwood as he tried to move backwards away from her.
Lily's vision sharpened despite the agony. Every single detail begged for her attention at once. The blue veins beneath the man's skin. The flutter of his pulse at his throat. The bead of sweat trailing down his temple.
The stranger circled the chair. One pale fingernail trailed across the man's cheek, an act that seemed intimate but promised violence. The stranger's hand shot out without warning, fingers gripping the man's chin as he wrenched his head toward Lily.
"Watch."
The word was soft. Like a whisper uttered between lovers. Meant only for the captive's ears, but Lily heard it anyway. Heard it as if he'd spoken directly into her brain.
"Watch as my daughter devours your life. See what you've created with your selfish actions."
The man bucked. Threw his weight forward, trying to stand despite his bound hands. The stranger's other hand clamped down on his shoulder and shoved him back into the seat. No effort. No strain. Just overwhelming force that made the chair groan.
"Where's your courage now?"
Mock sympathy dripped like poison from the question.
The snow white fingernail pressed harder against the man's cheek this time, tracing another line. Blood welled up, a bright crimson line oozing down toward his jaw.
The scent floated through the air, enticing her forward.
Her head snapped up. Her eyes narrowed. Everything sharpened further, the world taking on clarity she'd never experienced. Colors became more vivid. Sounds separated into distinct layers. And beneath it all, the smell of fresh blood dominated everything else.
Soft green light spilled from her eyes, casting an eerie glow that framed a face that looked more monstrous now than human.
A growl built in her chest. Low. Primal. Not human.
Her feet moved without conscious thought as her rational mind was beaten down by a more animalistic one.
One step.
Two.
Each bringing her closer to the source of that intoxicating scent.
The stranger kept his hand locked on the man's shoulder, pinning him in place. The captive shook his head violently, eyes rolling white with terror. Sounds tried to escape around the gag. Pleas. Begging. None of it formed words.
Lily leaned forward.
Her tongue darted out like a serpent as she licked the trail of blood from his cheek.
Ecstasy exploded across her taste buds.
The world disappeared.
She moved. Too fast to track. One moment standing, the next straddling the man in the chair. Her hands gripped his shoulders. Her mouth opened wide.
Ivory fangs were now bared in anticipation. Long. Sharp. Aching with the need to pierce flesh.
She struck.
her teeth sank into his throat, puncturing the carotid artery with a surgical precision she had never possessed before tonight.
His muffled scream vibrated against her lips which only added to the pleasure.
Blood flooded her mouth.
It wasn't like anything she'd tasted before. Richer than wine. Sweeter than honey. Warmer than any beverage, carrying with it the essence of life itself. Youth and power and countless nights stretching into eternity, all contained in this liquid ambrosia.
She drank deeply.
More.
The beast within demanded more.
Something else lurked beneath the taste. Images. Sensations not her own.
Memories crashed through her consciousness without warning.
A woman, different from Lily, shoved against a dumpster. Hands tearing at clothes. Laughter. Cruel and delighted at her terror.
An older man beaten for his wallet. Kicked while he was down. Left bleeding in an alley while footsteps jogged away.
Another woman. Younger. Screaming cut short by a fist.
The memories came faster. A parade of violence and violation stretching back years. Victims she couldn't count. Pain inflicted for pleasure, for profit, for the simple thrill of having power over someone weaker.
Fear saturated every image. His victims' fear, remembered with satisfaction.
Now his own fear joined that collection. Fresh and raw and absolute.
The beast within her howled in triumph.
More.
She pulled harder at his throat, tearing flesh as she did.
More blood gushed into her mouth, down her chin, where it soaked into her shirt.
She didn't care.
Couldn't care about anything except this moment, this feeding, this perfect satisfaction of the burning hunger.
A pounding filled her ears. Rhythmic. Fast at first, then slowing. Each beat softer than the last.
His heartbeat.
The man jerked once beneath her. Twice. His body spasmed, then went still except for one final, agonal gasp that rattled from his chest.
The pounding stopped.
The fire in her throat receded, flames doused not by water but by the crimson life essence of a human.
She felt satisfied.
But something else remained. A desire for more. Not burning need but simple want. The craving to gorge herself, to drink until she couldn't hold another drop.
Hands gripped her shoulders. Gentle but insistent, prying her away from the corpse.
Lily stumbled backward.
The world crashed back into focus.
The man slumped in the chair, head lolled to one side. His eyes stared at nothing. Blood covered the front of his shirt, spreading in a dark stain across the fabric. Two ragged puncture wounds gaped in his throat.
She'd done that.
She'd killed him.
Lily looked down at her hands. Pale. Cold. Trembling. Blood stained her fingers, dark under her nails.
Her rational mind clawed its way back into control, shoving the beast down into whatever dark corner of her psyche it had emerged from.
She'd killed him. Drank his blood. Tasted his memories. Felt his heart stop beneath her hands.
Horror welled up, cold and suffocating.
Slowly, she raised her eyes to the stranger standing before her.
Heat built behind her eyes. Pressure. Then wetness spilled down her cheeks.
Not tears. Not clear and salty.
Red. Crimson streaks that she felt rather than saw, leaving warm trails down her face.
"What the fuck have you done to me?"
The question came out broken and raw. A sob caught in her throat, choking off whatever else she might have said.
The stranger regarded her with those dark eyes. No judgment. No satisfaction at her distress.
Just understanding.
"I gave you eternity."
His voice remained calm. Matter-of-fact.
"You were dying. I offered you a choice, though you were too far gone to accept or refuse it consciously. I chose for you."
Lily shook her head. Backed away until her shoulders hit the wall.
"You turned me into a goddamn monster."
"I turned you into a vampire."
He stepped toward her. Not threatening. Just closing the distance she'd created.
"There is a difference, though you won't believe that yet."
More bloody tears streaked down her face. Her whole body shook.
"I killed him."
"Yes."
No denial. No softening of the truth.
"You fed for the first time. Experienced the hunger, the curse we all must live with."
He gestured toward the corpse.
"That man doesn't deserve your pity or your tears. He deserved death a thousand times over. You saw his memories. You know what he was."
Lily slid down the wall until she sat on the floor, knees pulled to her chest. Blood still stained her mouth. She could taste it. Could feel it drying on her chin and neck.
"This isn't real. This can't be real."
"It is."
He crouched before her, bringing himself to eye level.
"You are a vampire now, Lily Adders. Your mortal life ended in that alley in New Orleans. This is your rebirth."
"I didn't ask for this."
"No."
His expression softened as his eyes became laden with sorrow.
"You didn't. And for that, I apologize. But I will not apologize for saving you."