Original Sin (The Order of Vampires 1)

The distinct scent of honeysuckle mingled with a purely tempting female musk, and his body hardened. Fangs elongating, he rolled to his feet, his vision shifting to that of a predator’s. Lost in the hunt, a flash of inexplicable beauty raced by, and he chased the intangible source of his pleasure. Like a child after a firefly, he raced after his prey as the soft sound of her laughter drifted into the night sky, lost among the stars.

A tormented growl ripped from his chest and echoed in the thunder rolling from the blackened horizon. The wind lifted his hair, teasing his lungs as he breathed her in. Her nearness taunted him.

Mine... his mind purred hungrily, his eyes seeking what could not be seen.

He tracked her scent, following it deeper into the woods. The further he traveled, the less alone he felt. The beast within him awakened, and he was soon panting for her touch.

Another laugh trilled from the trees, and he pivoted, racing toward the sound. Her brilliance called to his darkness. She was the heat and light, exposing the shadowless truth of his salvation. His nature recognized her before his eyes had an opportunity to steal a glance, one soul sensing its counterpart and recognizing its mate.

The urge to hunt her dominated his thoughts, only slowed by the temptation to weep with relief. Why now? Why him?

His heart fluttered as her laughter tinkled like a distant bell ringing from the clouds. Too soon did he understand the cruelty of this place. The earth and his surroundings repeated on a loop as he moved in circles. Exhaustion swept over him. His fruitless search frustrated him, and his newfound peace shifted into rage.

“Show yourself!” His voice echoed back with jeering repetition.

Rain pelted his back as he stared at the graying horizon. Thunder rumbled again, blooming as it neared. A loud crack exploded from the woods, and lightning set fire to the trees in the distance.

“Where are you?” he demanded, only to have the stormy skies mock him.

Gray clouds fleeced the night sky, painting it blue and orange as the sun showed like a pinprick of light beneath the fading stars. Adam lifted an arm against the radiant gold rays, unsure if he’d ever seen the sun shine so bright. Its luminosity burned his eyes and his skin tingled as the clouds blushed and the sky caught fire.

Ducking under the shade of a tree, he watched through squinting eyes as the sun escalated. Her laughter sang from the horizon as if played from an instrument of light. Hunger gnawed at his insides. An unquenchable thirst dried his throat, but the sun imprisoned him to the shadows.

Their kind could walk in daylight. He didn’t understand this place or the laws that held him. How had he come here?

Rain sizzled in the warm air before hitting the ground. Thunder battled to steal the light, but it was too strong, too radiant and the storm drifted away.

Exhaustion pulled him to his knees. Falling forward, his fingers clawed at the damp grass and he growled. Something shook him.

“Adam!”

He jolted awake to find his brother hovering over him. “Cain?”

They were in his bedroom, the dark walls hardly touched by the breaking dawn as it filtered through the curtains. His ears strained to register any sound. His sister’s voice whispered from the floor above. His father’s emotions churned and Cain’s pulse raced. “Did you hear it?”

“Hear what? You collapsed.”

He breathed deep, his mind recalling the sweet scent of honeysuckle but finding no trace in the air. His gaze drifted over the familiar surroundings of his bedroom. He’d been in a field, in the woods. It was breathtaking. How had he gotten here?

“What...? I was outside. The sun was rising. It was a new dawn and the heat...” Words couldn’t explain what he’d seen.

Cain lifted a brow. “You’ve been here. Sleeping. You were climbing the stairs when you started to fall. I dragged you to your bed and you passed out.”

“Sleeping?” Had none of it been real? It felt real. He’d tasted the air. Drawing his tongue over his lips, he searched for a trace of honeysuckle and found nothing. “A dream?”

Cain drew back and scowled. Their kind did not dream unless—

Adam’s mind halted. There had been a female. His female. Yes, he recalled her yet couldn’t envision her. Her essence filled him like a memory imprinted on his soul.

“I was dreaming,” he rasped, voice full of disbelief and awe.

Cain’s stare twitched with sardonic doubt. “You wish.”

Adam tried to sit up, but his body proved too weak. Dizziness flooded his senses, and he collapsed on the mattress. “I was running in a field under a sky bursting with stars. I could hear a female laughing like she was calling to me.”

“What female?”

He shook his head, trying to picture her face yet unable to perceive her features. “A mortal female. There was something delicate about her, playful and teasing.”