Original Sin (The Order of Vampires 1)

Drinking his fill, he slowly retracted his fangs and loosened his hold on the doe, careful not to waste a single drop. His saliva would mend the wound within a few minutes, leaving the animal weakened but not harmed.

“Go now.”

It staggered in a daze to its feet, finding its graceful balance again, and scampered off.

Feeding had removed the edge of his hunger, but there remained a tugging sense of unfulfilled thirst. Tipping back his head, he breathed deep, seeking any sense of his mate nearby.

Nothing. In two days, his only victory had been finding the road from his dream, but for all he knew, she could still be a thousand miles away.

He followed signs for a town called Bensalem. As he crossed through residential towns, he sensed the slumbering minds of humans nearby. There was less traffic and fewer emotions bombarding him, making it easier to use his senses for his search.

Reaching a crossroad, he paused. His breath hitched as something snagged his focus, something familiar.

Houses, trees, empty stores in the distance. What was it?

A traffic light clicked, but the roads were empty. In the distance he could hear the highway where cars rushed by, but not as frequently as a few hours ago.

Something stopped him. What though?

He turned, slowly scanning his surroundings until his gaze jerked back to a metal signpost. His cheeks stretched as certain rightness filled him with a satisfying heat. He was on the right track. He was sure of it.

Approaching the street sign, he breathed deep. There, with delicate white petals perfuming the night air, he found his second sign. Honeysuckle.

Confidence renewed, he snapped off a bud and pressed it to his nose, inhaling deeply. His chest purred.

She was close. With renewed hope and a clearer mind, his senses unfurled like a flower, inviting her in. He stretched his mind, seeking her familiar presence.

His hunger returned with a satisfied growl as he caught something to the east. The delicate pull teased like a feather, stroking softly against his mind, and he loped toward the suburban set of homes in the distance. His mate was near, and he was beyond ready to collect her and return home.

Chapter Eight

Annalise had no idea where she was. It was daylight, yet somehow still dark. Insects chirped while frogs called and birds sung. The buzzing climbed until it muffled her hearing in a dull roar, and then a steady screech that grew louder and louder, piercing her eardrums and making her deaf to all other sounds.

She covered her ears and ran, her feet sinking into the soft ground, as the night stars gleamed overhead. Her lungs tightened with each strenuous breath and when she turned to see how far she’d run, the open land was gone, replaced with a boggy forest.

“Hello?” her voice fell through the buzz, swallowed by too many smaller voices. “Anybody?”

She spun as a phantom touch ghosted down her spine, but nothing except shadows surrounded her. Heart thundering with the need to escape, she raced through the trees.

Her foot caught on a root, propelling her into the air. Her palms sank into the wet forest floor and an earthworm wove through her muddy fingers. She jerked her hand away.

“Is anyone out there?”

She recognized the distinct sound of beetles stepping through the reeds of the nearby marsh and the friction of locust wings. But how would she know such sounds?

Scuffling back to the trunk of a nearby tree, she scanned the area with jerky motions, brushing away the tickle of insects on her skin. Driven mad by the endless noise, she covered her ears and screamed.

Everything silenced.

Her hands loosened from her head as the forest became as still as a painting, the only sound her rapid breathing.

A canopy of trees formed overhead, lush shades of green blooming before her eyes with vibrant flowers in every shade of red. Where was the light coming from?

She pushed to her feet, entranced by the colorful foliage. Trickling water whispered in the distance. She reached through a curtain of vines, cautiously separating the strands, and revealing a magnificent spring.

Her breath hitched as she stepped through into the fern-covered grove dappled in golden light. Patches of moss adorned the wet bedrock. The scent—intoxicating as a spring shower—left her drunk from simply breathing.

Sunshine pierced the canopy, each ray accompanied by the angelic hum of a harp. Where was the music coming from? She followed the stream to a ridge that formed a waterfall. A flash of blue caught her eye and she pivoted.

Dancing in the air, a vibrant butterfly fluttered, bluer than a Caribbean Sea. Annalise gasped as several more erupted from the leafy vegetation in a flash of azure.

Her body moved through the sultry air the way one wades into the shallow waves of a calm ocean. Holding out her hand, she laughed as a butterfly landed its delicate feet on her wrist. Then another. And another.