Lily's eyes snapped open.
She bolted upright and sprinted out of the bedroom, bare feet slapping against hardwood. Her heart didn't race—couldn't race—but something inside her chest still clenched with desperate hope.
Maybe he'd changed his mind. Maybe he'd be waiting in the living room like last night.
The apartment greeted her with silence.
Empty. Neat. Orderly. Clean.
No body slumped in the chair. No blood staining the floor. No sign at all that a strange man had been here except—
A note.
It sat on the kitchen counter, crisp white paper that seemed to glow under the overhead light.
Lily snatched it up. The handwriting was elegant, flowing cursive that looked almost calligraphic.
Remember what I told you. For better or for worse, you are my daughter now for all of eternity. I know you will probably resent me for leaving you, I completely understand and expect it. However, I firmly believe that this is the best way forward for you, for your future. I will check in on you periodically as I promised.
I'm leaving you the apartment, keep it tidy and keep it secret. Only allow in those you would trust with your life. I am also leaving you with a bank card, much more efficient than a mountain of money. Mortals really have advanced a lot haven't they? You will find plenty and then some set aside for you. Don't think too much about how I acquired it, you won't like the answer.
Lastly, when they discover you, and they will, do not resist. Do not fight or lie, tell the truth. Let them examine you and when the time is right, tell them my motto;
Timor est arma iustitiae
They will know exactly what it means.
Lily flipped the note over.
Nothing. No signature. No name.
Of course not.
She spotted the debit card that had been tucked beneath the letter. New, laminated, with her name printed clearly across the front.
Setting both items down, she leaned over the counter and let out a long, shuddering moan.
Alone.
Confused.
Angry.
The trifecta of emotions crashed through her like a tidal wave. She wanted to scream. To throw something. To tear the apartment apart until she found some trace of him, some clue as to where he'd gone or when he'd come back.
But what good would that do?
He was gone and she was here.
A vampire.
In Dallas, Texas.
With no idea what to do next.
***
Lily caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror and flinched.
Pale didn't begin to describe it. Her skin had taken on a grayish cast, stretched tight across her cheekbones. Dark circles ringed her eyes, making them appear sunken. Hollow.
Starved.
She looked like a corpse.
Three weeks. Three weeks since her first feeding, since the stranger had vanished. It had started off subtle, a slight pang that drew her attention. As the days went by that pang went from subtle to downright impossible to ignore. It became a fire, slowing building in intensity, licking at her throat.
She'd tried everything to distract her mind and body, to distract the demon that seemed to lurk within like a dark passenger.
The food she had bought from the local grocery store had looked normal enough. Things that she had always eaten and that had always been healthy for her. Bread, grapes, carrots, water, and peanut butter.
They smelled good, more good than normal which she chalked up to her new vampiric senses. The taste though had been horrendous. It had been like eating cardboard or handfuls of dirt. She forced herself past the taste anyway and ate.
Ten minutes later she was bent over the toilet, retching violently.
The second attempt had been worse. She'd tried just water, thinking maybe liquids would be easier than solid foods. Her stomach had rejected it with the same awful vomiting as the food.
After that, she stopped trying.
But the hunger didn't stop.
It grew.
She'd told herself she could handle it, could push through. Mind over matter.
Except her body wasn't listening to her mind anymore.
Lily pulled on her leather jacket and headed out into the Dallas streets. She had learned already that the ambient temperature outside meant absolutely nothing to her. It was winter though, she would earn stares if she wasn't dressed appropriately.
She hoped walking would help. Maybe the night air would clear her head.
It didn't.
Every person she passed became a beacon. She could hear them, actually hear them, the rhythmic thump-thump-thump of hearts beating beneath skin and bone. Blood rushing through veins. A symphony of life that made her throat burn and her fangs long for the feeling of piercing through soft flesh.
A businessman brushed past her, talking loudly into his phone. The pulse in his neck jumped with each syllable.
Thump-thump-thump.
Lily's vision narrowed. Focused. She caught herself turning, following him for three steps before she jerked to a stop.
What the hell was she doing?
She pressed her back against a brick wall, breathing hard even though she didn't need to breathe. An old habit. A human habit.
A couple walked by, laughing. The woman's wrist dangled near Lily's face as they passed.
Thump-thump-thump.
Lily squeezed her eyes shut.
This was getting worse. Not better. Worse.
She stumbled down the street, keeping her head down. A group of college kids spilled out of a bar, drunk and rowdy. One of them, a guy with bleached hair, caught her staring.
"Yo, you okay? You look sick."
His friend elbowed him.
"Dude, leave her alone. Probably just high or something."
They moved on.
Lily leaned against a lamppost, gripping the metal so hard it dented beneath her fingers.
She hadn't even realized she was that strong.
A dog barked from somewhere nearby. She could hear its heartbeat too, rapid and excited. Even animals. She could hear even the animals.
The thought terrified her.
Because eventually, she knew, deep down she knew, eventually she would stop being able to resist. The hunger would take over and she'd lose control. Attack someone. Maybe someone innocent. Maybe a child.
The stranger's words echoed in her head: You must never, under any circumstance, target a child.
But what if she couldn't help it? What if the hunger made the choice for her?
No.
Lily pushed off the lamppost and started walking with purpose. She needed to feed. Needed to do it now, before something went wrong. Before the beast inside her decided to pick its own meal.
But she wouldn't target innocents. She couldn't live with herself if she did.
The stranger had given her a philosophy, a simple code to live by;
kill those who deserve it. Evil brought to justice through fear and violence.
She didn't know if she could do that, could go through with the act of killing someone willingly but then again, hadn't she already done just that?
Her mind raced through possibilities. Where did evil people congregate in Dallas? Dark alleys? Seedy bars? She didn't know the city well enough yet.
She passed a convenience store and caught sight of her reflection in the window.
Corpse-pale. Hollow-eyed. Desperate.
A man inside the store was arguing with the clerk, his face red, finger jabbing the air. She could see the clerk shrinking back, frightened.
Thump-thump-thump.
The man's pulse sang to her.
No. Not like that. She needed to be smart about this. Needed to find someone truly evil, someone who wouldn't be missed. Someone whose death would be justice, not murder.
Lily turned away from the store and headed deeper into the city, toward the rougher neighborhoods. Toward the places where bad people did bad things.
Her hands trembled as she walked.
She was going hunting.