Page 1 of Grayson’s Challenge

1

Monique put her last dress on a hanger, before closing her blue travel bag and placing it on the bottom of the closet. The room was large and luxuriously furnished. Her parents, Faye and Cain Montague, had rented this vampire-proof Victorian mansion in Russian Hill, a ritzy neighborhood in San Francisco, because a stay in a hotel wasn’t possible for them. As full-blooded vampires they had to stay out of the sun, and this house had been retrofitted with all amenities to ensure a vampire’s wellbeing.

As a vampire hybrid, Monique didn’t have the same weaknesses as her parents, and she was glad for it. It gave her more freedom, something she craved. Living in her parents’ palace just outside of New Orleans came with restrictions: the King’s guard, an elite troop of security personnel, was ever present, and she could barely take a step without feeling the shadow of one of the bodyguards on her back. Cain had insisted on three bodyguards accompanying them on their New Year’s vacation to San Francisco. However, she had no intention of letting the guards get in the way of her enjoying the city. She was no stranger to ditching her bodyguards, which was something her father constantly kept scolding her about. But at age thirty-one, she wanted to live an independent life, and not the life of a literal princess. She wanted to be normal, or at least as normal as a vampire hybrid could be.

Monique looked out of the big sash window and gazed at the lights of the city. She had a perfect view of Coit Tower, which was illuminated in multiple colors that changed every few seconds. Farther beyond, to the left of it, she could make out Alcatraz Island, the erstwhile maximum-security prison that had been turned into a museum. It too sparkled with bright lights.

At the ringing of her cell phone, Monique walked to the nightstand. When she saw who was calling, a smile curved her lips upward. She clicked to accept the videocall.

“Hey, Zach,” she greeted her brother, when she noticed that their brother David was right next to Zach. “Hey, David.”

As triplets they’d always been close, and spent as much time as they could in each other’s company, even as adults.

“Hey, sis,” Zach and David greeted her cheerfully.

“Where are you guys?”

“Still in Gstaad,” Zach said. “They’ve got fresh powder here. You should have come.”

“You know how much I hate cold weather,” Monique said with a shake of her head. “Besides, I’d rather hang out in a city where I speak the language.”

David laughed. “Trust me, half the people here are Americans. In fact, we just got invited to spend New Year’s Eve with some hot chicks from New York.”

“Yeah, in a remote cabin!” Zach added. “You know what that means.” He winked.

She didn’t have to be a genius to figure that out. “I’d just be the third wheel.”

The video froze, and she heard a crackling noise. “Zach? David? You’re breaking up.”

“Yeah… connection… There’s a storm coming in,” David finally said. “We won’t be able to ski tomorrow because of it. Just as well that we’ll be switching to indoor sports.” He exchanged a look with Zach, and both grinned.

She decided not to comment on that remark.

“A storm?” Monique asked instead. “Are you sure you’ll be safe? What about avalanches?”

“Don’t worry,” Zach said quickly. “It’s safe here. They have an avalanche warning system. It’s just a winter storm. We might get snowed in for a couple of days, but it won’t be an issue.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to chance it. Just as well that I decided to come to San Francisco with Mom and Dad. We have clear weather here, no rain in the forecast. I’m just about to go exploring.”

Again, the video pixelated, then froze, and Monique could hear only fragments of a sentence.

“… party at Scanguards …”

“What?” Monique asked. “You guys are breaking up again.”

The video finally restarted, and Zach said, “Can you hear us now?”

“Yeah, now I can hear you. What about the Scanguards New Year’s Eve party?”

David exchanged a conspiratorial look with Zach.

“What?” Monique asked, impatient now.

“You’re probably okay with it, right?” Zach asked then glanced at his brother.

David grunted under his breath. “Leave it be.”

She stared at her brothers. “Okay with what?”