“Bloodsucker.”

  Lumi froze mid-step, the blood draining from her face.

  The malicious word sliced through the humid air in a shrill howl. It dragged her thoughts back to the darkness she had tried desperately to avoid. Back to the hunger twisting her insides.

  In the shadows of a backstreet, she found the culprit. A figure crouched in the alleyway’s filth.

  A beggar.

  For hours, Lumi prowled the slums, observed the city’s rhythm—the crooked flow of its streets, the shuffle of passerby, and most importantly, the navy troops.

  They infested the port like rats, their polished boots and white uniforms a grotesque contrast to their decaying backdrop.

  More had arrived with the tide, disembarking from grand vessels that bore the royal crest. She’d watched as they descended by the dozens, ashen-faced, hands resting on the hilts of their swords.

  They were here for her. She knew it. She could feel it deep in her bones.

  But how did this beggar know?

  Lumi squinted through the dusk settling around her. A woman—she realized. She couldn’t tell if the grime etched into the beggar’s skin was from bad hygiene or neglect, or if her features were worn with old age.

  As she watched, the beggar’s bony fingers emerged from the folds of her moth-eaten shawl. One extended, pointing straight at Lumi.

  “You,” the woman hissed. Her lungs squealed in protest, and a coughing fit ensued. Her eyes never left Lumi as she wheezed and finally spat on the dirt. “You feel it too, don’t ye?”

  A ripple of unease slithered down Lumi’s spine. She forced her expression into a mask of indifference. She was about to keep walking, but the beggar’s next words had her rooted in place.

  “One’s loose, I tell ye. One’s here. In the port. Hungry. They’re always so bloody hungry.”

  Lumi stepped closer despite herself. “Who?”

  “Them bloodsuckers. That’s why the navy’s here, ain’t it?” she crooned, her words dripping with venom. “Not for the pirates, or the thieves, or the scoundrels. Oh, no. They’ve come for the monsters.”

  “Monsters?” Lumi echoed, her voice barely above a whisper. “What do you mean…monsters?”

  The beggar threw her head back and let out a harsh cackle, “Bloodsuckers,” she spat, “Vampires. Hungry devils that bite into yer flesh and drink ye dry.”

  Vampire. The word hit her like a blow to the chest. Myths, she thought. Stories whispered to frighten children. Tales spun in smoky taverns over tankards of ale.

  But what if they weren’t?

  The hunger twisting her insides was a feral, insatiable presence.

  What if that was what she was?

  No. She couldn’t be.

  Lumi forced herself to breathe, to keep the panic at bay. She shook her head. “You’re out of your mind.”

  She turned away, her cloak swishing as she moved, ready to disappear into the shadows. But the beggar kept spewing.

  “I saw it! Two bodies in the morn! Cold as a grave, bite marks on their necks, I tell ye!” Her voice cracked, becoming desperate. “Saw it with me own eyes!”

  Lumi’s blood ran cold. Her gaze swept the bustling street, searching for prying eyes, listening ears. But no one paid them any mind. The evening hum carried on.

  She slipped deeper into the alleyway. Fists clenched tight, nails biting into her palms. The woman’s hysteria grated on her nerves. Too loud. Her words could unravel everything.

  Silence her, the voice purred. Drink from her, lovely. Have your fill. It’ll solve both of your problems—her big mouth and your hunger.

  Gods, she wanted to. She craved it so bad, it was almost unbearable. A void that nothing could satisfy. Only the warm flow of blood on her tongue.

  Throat raw, she swallowed hard. Her teeth throbbed, her belly knotting with longing.

  Shame scorched her from within. Is this what her life would look like now? Horror prickled her skin. Always on the brink of starvation? Driven by an insatiable thirst? Two had fallen to her hunger just hours ago, and it still wasn’t enough.

  Would it ever be enough?

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  “Oi! There she is again!”

  Lumi’s head snapped towards the bellow. A band of soldiers stalked into the alley, their boots pounding against cobblestones, stances tall with authority.

  “Still running your mouth, old hag?”

  Relief coursed through her when she realized their eyes were locked onto the beggar and not her. Still, she didn’t dare relax in their presence. She bowed her head, tugging her hood lower to shield her face.

  “How many times must we haul you off before you learn to shut up?”

  “Ye think yer swords’ll save ye?” the beggar spat, her bony shoulders trembling, features twisted in fury. “Ye’re all dead men walkin’. The bloodsucker’s here, and it’s hungry.”

  The soldiers burst into laughter, harsh and mocking. “Bloodsucker? That’s a new one.”

  One of them turned to Lumi and rested a heavy hand on her shoulder. She jolted at the contact.

  “She’s not bothering you, is she?” his tone was casual, but his grip was firm.

  “No,” Lumi forced her voice steady. “No, she’s just…rambling.”

  “Cuff her,” another soldier said, “She’s scaring the locals.”

  The beggar shrieked as they surrounded her. Lumi could only watch as they mercilessly yanked her frail arms behind her back. She thrashed against their hold, howling like a wounded animal.

  “Yes don’t understand!” She wailed, her voice cracking with desperation. “It’s here! It’ll rip ye apart!”

  The soldiers ignored her, their laughter grating on Lumi’s nerves. One of them shoved her forward.

  “I can prove it!” In a blur, her gnarled hand shot out, snatching the sword from a soldier’s scabbard.

  “Oi, stop—!”

  Before they could stop her, she dragged the blade across her palm. Crimson welled up instantly. Dark, glistening, it oozed and dripped onto the cobblestones.

  The scent hit Lumi like a tidal wave.

  Her world tilted. The clamor faded into nothingness, swallowed by the pulse of her hunger. Her gaze locked onto the blood slipping through the beggar’s filthy fingers.

  Do it, Lumi, the voice dripped with temptation. You can have them all. Taste them all.

  No.

  She couldn’t.

  She wouldn’t.

  But you want to, don’t you? The voice cooed. No one can stop you. No one will know.

  Her body tensed, ready to spring. It took every bit of willpower she had to remain rooted in place.

  The soldiers swarmed the beggar, wrenching the blade from her grip. One struck her across the face, silencing her with a sickening crack.

  Blood trickled along the stones, drowning Lumi in temptation. She was seconds from lunging when a hand wrapped around hers, pulling her back from the edge.

  “Lumi,” a familiar voice murmured, “I’ve been looking for you.”

  She froze.

  Kit.

  Lumi kept her head down, eyes fixed on the cobbles at her feet. After catching a glimpse of her reflection in a shop window that morning, she knew what she must look like—red-rimmed eyes, sharp canines.

  A monster.

  Lumi couldn’t let anyone see her. Least of all, Kit. The other girl’s opinion of her mattered to Lumi greatly.

  “Not here.” Kit’s grip tightened, but it wasn’t enough to keep the hunger at bay.

  Dragging the beggar away, the soldiers were too preoccupied to notice them. The woman’s screams eventually melted into the bustle of the city, but the scent…it lingered.

  Blood burned through the alley. Thick, warm. It flooded Lumi’s senses.

  The beggar was gone, but there was another heartbeat now—closer, faster. Thumping in Kit’s chest. A delicious rhythm Lumi could not ignore.

  It was all she could hear.

  All she could feel.

  It beckoned her like a siren’s call. Lumi’s body was no longer her own. It was an instrument of hunger.

  Her hand shot out, grabbing Kit by the shoulders and pinning her against the alley wall. Kit’s startled gasp barely registered. Her pulse was right there. Beneath the soft curve of her throat.

  Lumi’s vision blurred. Her world was a haze of blood and need.

  “Lumi,” Kit’s voice cracked, but her fear only fed the desire coursing through Lumi’s veins. “Lumi, please.”

  Nothing mattered. Only the blood, and the power it offered. Only the thrumming within the delicate skin of Kit’s throat.

  She could feel the beat of Kit’s pulse in her mouth before she ever touched her lips to that tender spot. She closed the distance, letting the hunger guide her. The ache in her chest finally subsided as she sank her teeth into the vulnerable flesh of Kit’s neck.

  The world stopped. Time bled away. All that remained was the thick, warm substance gushing into Lumi’s mouth. Perfection. Harmony. The dark presence inside her hummed in aproval.

  Too soon, the moment was shattered.

  A brutal force yanked her away. A cold blade pressed against her throat as her back hit the stone wall.

  “Enough!” a voice snarled.

  A hiss tore from Lumi’s lips. She struggled, fighting to break free, to return to the warmth of Kit’s blood. To drown in it.

  “Get a fucking grip, Lumi. You’re not an animal.”

  That voice. It broke through the fog clouding her mind. Her surroundings snapped back into focus. Her knees nearly buckled beneath her.

  Kit stood in the alley. Skin pallid, her hand trembled as she clutched at the gash in her throat. Blood seeped between her fingers. Her eyes were locked on Lumi, wide with shock.

  Lumi’s breaths came in shallow gasps. Gods, what had she done?

  And then, Rook.

  Lumi’s heart squeezed in her chest. She hadn’t heard him coming, hadn’t heard anything except the pounding of blood in her ears. His silhouette loomed above her, features hard with something she couldn’t decipher—wrath, horror, something darker?

  The cold bite of steel pressed against her throat. His blade. Unforgiving, ready to slice.

  “I…” Lumi’s lips shook. “I’m sorry.” The words left her in a rasp, barely audible. “I’m—so sorry.”

  Her vision swam, the alleyway blurring out of focus. “I’m a monster. Just…kill me. Do it before I hurt anyone else.”

  “Don’t say such things!” Kit’s voice cut through her despair.

  Lumi didn’t dare meet her stare. She was too ashamed. From her peripheral, she saw Kit step forward. Before she could reach her, Rook stepped into her path.

  “Stay back!” His eyes remained locked on Lumi, sharper than the blade he held to her throat.

  “Don’t!” Kit’s voice turned desperate, “Don’t you dare hurt her!”

  “Kill me,” Lumi begged as tears streamed down her cheeks.

  Rook’s jaw clenched. A nerve in his cheek ticked. Just when Lumi was sure he would end it—he pulled away.

  “No,” he stepped back, lowering his blade, “Life’s a whore, Lumi. You don’t get to take the easy way out.”

  She wanted to scream, wanted to beg. But her voice was buried beneath the sob caught in her throat.

  Hatred filled her heart. It burned hotter than ever before. She loathed this man with every fiber of her being. He had spared her life, and now he was condemning her to the worst fate of all.

  Existence.