Page 7

He nods slowly. ‘I think it’s about time we start fighting back, don’t you?’

We stare at each other for a few long moments, and Jace’s hand claps roughly onto Tristan’s shoulder, breaking our eye contact.

‘Fuck it,’ he says, a wild look in his eyes. ‘I’m in.’

The sounds of laughter and hollering bounce off the walls of the buildings, the boys’ whoops echoing down the street.

The air around me crackles, the energy emitting from the boys has an unhinged, feral feel about it. The unnaturally cool air chills my bones, my long hair whirling around my face as I jog to keep up with the moving group. Mike and Mitch, having arrived at the party at some point, have joined in on the hunt.

Tristan drains the remainder of his can, closes his fist around it with a distinct crunch, and then tosses it high in the air. I eye it as it spins a few times, landing in front of us. My stomach twists. Despite how much I hate vampires and want nothing more than to stop them from taking innocent lives, the thought of hunting them for sport makes my blood curdle.

‘I don’t think this is a good idea,’ I murmur nervously, reaching for Jace’s elbow.

He looks back at me, the easy smile he’s wearing fading slightly, replaced with a look of annoyance. He brushes out of my hold, scrubbing a hand down his jaw, appearing agitated by my presence. My heart sinks. He’s becoming more and more similar to Tristan, the more they hang out. I’m slowly watching him become more like the others, and I hate it. I wish everything could go back to how it was a year ago, when it felt like we were just kids, and our biggest excitement of the day was sneaking around and stealing a kiss here and there. Everything seems to be different now.

‘Don’t you want to take matters into your own hands, T? They’re killers. We’re doing the town justice by eliminating them.’

‘I don’t think Red Thorne is going to benefit from a band of vigilantes who are drunk and high on who knows what.’

‘Go home then,’ he says coldly, turning so that his back is to me.

I flinch as though I’ve been slapped. Without glancing back at me, he pushes ahead, joining the others. My heart races. Looking around me, I realise I have two options. Stay with the group and hope we don’t run into any angry vampires before everyone decides to go home, or make the trip back by myself. I travel to and from class alone all the time, but it’s only ever during the day.

Red Thorne is not a town you should roam around on your own at night.

With my jaw clenched tight, I trail after them, realising that safety in numbers is the priority right now, even though coming to this stupid party hadn’t been a good idea on my part. I should have known with the way the boys have been lately that something like this would happen. It’s hard to accept that the goofy, fun-loving guys I grew up with have become strangers I don’t recognise.

Vampires are often romanticised in books and films. They’re always good looking, charming, and would go to the ends of the earth to protect the ones they love, but unfortunately, that is not our reality. They’re manipulative, cunning, dangerous predators who kill for fun, and leave a trail of dead bodies behind them.

Jace doesn’t acknowledge my presence. Irritation burns through me and I squash it down. I don’t need his attention or approval for anything, and I seriously need to stop caring what he thinks. His mood swings are not my problem, and I don’t want them affecting me anymore.

A man steps onto the street ahead of us.

Inky black eyes look straight at me, as if piercing through my soul. The temperature around us seems to drop several degrees. An eerie quietness falls over the group, and Tristan releases a sharp bark of laughter after a moment, flicking his cigarette to the ground.

‘It’s on, boys,’ he announces, clapping his hands together. ‘Sharpen your stakes.’

I shift backward, my heart pumping wildly. The kind of reaction I’m having right now is the kind of reaction that could get me killed. My hands shake as I reach for my knives while simultaneously attempting to slow down my breathing, to get my heart rate back under control. I can do all the training in the world, but coming this close to a vampire, I honestly don’t think I can ever truly be prepared.

A cruel, thin smile inches across the man’s face. His eyes flicker between the five of us.

‘Who wants to die first?’ he questions, voice dripping ice.

‘Bring it on, bloodsucker,’ Tristan sneers, looking cocky as ever, even having the audacity to beckon the vampire toward him with two fingers.

The vampire’s lips curve. He looks like he’s enjoying this. It looks like Terrance was right: they do love their games. When the vampire doesn’t move, Tristan charges ahead, and in the blink of an eye, the vampire has disappeared into thin air.

Cold fingers brush the hair off my neck and I shriek, whirling around and thrusting my knife forward, but I strike empty air. Everyone twists to stare at me and I tremble, my free hand grasping at my neck where I felt his touch.

‘You can do better than that,’ Tristan taunts, eyes darting around him. ‘Come on now.’

Tristan lets out a breathless choked sound as he slams against the ground, the vampire on top of him, his hand latched around Tristan’s throat. Everybody freezes as Tristan grapples to get the man off him.

Moving on pure instinct, I throw my knife – quick and precise, just like I’ve done so many times in my training sessions with Marlene. The knife sinks into his shoulder and he pivots with a hiss, eyes landing heavily on me, his fangs glistening underneath the moonlight overhead.

Shit.

The sound of my own scream meets my ears as the man crosses the pathway, driving his fangs into my neck. I desperately reach for my other knife, but he is too strong, and too fast. His grip is punishing, leaving my skin instantly bruised as his fingers dig viciously into my flesh.