Page 2 of Little Wing (Shades of Fairhaven #1)

“ N ow available in brand new flavors! Very Berry Blast Type O Negative! You’ll want to sink your fangs into this!”

The advertisement for yet another synthetic blood brand crooned loudly from the unit upstairs.

Vampiric hearing wasn’t even required to feel as if the television set was in the same room as I was, instead of upstairs where my human neighbors were likely settling in for the evening.

I stared at the popcorn ceiling a moment longer before finally throwing my plush floral comforter off my chilled body and moving to sit at the edge of my bed.

I ran my trimmed nails along my scalp before my slender fingers brushed through strands of jet-black hair that stuck to my freckled shoulders.

Hearing the advertisement upstairs end, I stood and wandered to the record player I had in the corner of my bedroom.

After putting on a record, I exhaled softly at the gentle sounds of “The Curse” by Agnes Obel.

Moments like this reminded me that I made it out of North Carolina.

I could wake up in my own bed, go to my own job at a bookstore, and spend time with my friends without feeling cold sweat run down my neck.

Yes, the transition once I moved to Fairhaven was difficult, but after years of figuring out who I wanted to be, I found comfort in a new routine. I found friends. I found normalcy.

Though the change of scenery could never erase my past, at least here, I could start anew, not as Lotus Everett but as Lotus Evans. Such a simple change, yet that alone made me feel reborn.

I still had a few hours before I had to walk to work at The Black Cat Scribes, so I took my time getting ready.

I sat at my vanity and once the light bulbs flickered on, I stared back at the woman in the mirror.

Though I was getting closer to three hundred years old, I didn’t look a day over twenty-six.

Barely any fine lines could be found on my face, locking in my youth like an insect trapped in amber.

I was forever ageless. This was the only glimpse back at the woman I once was when my heart rate fluttered, and my cheeks flushed a delicate pink.

Now I was left with skin void of warmth and a heart that beat slowly and hummed my immortality only to those who could hear it.

For over a hundred years, I kept my routine the same.

Though my brother wasn’t around to hover over me and dictate my existence, the behaviors he drilled into me remained a core part of who I was, at least on the outside.

If I wanted to go out, I had to look like I could fit in.

My skin was much too pale to not bring unwanted attention.

My eyes were no longer a subtle amber, but red like rubies.

Features that were all too striking now in my immortality.

Features that had to be dulled in order to survive.

Though vampires were allowed to roam freely now, I still had things to hide—secrets to harbor that could cost me my life.

So, as foolish as I felt painting over my freckled skin with foundation a shade or two off from my true complexion, I could hear Luca’s threatening voice telling me that only with this makeup on could I pass.

Only with this makeup on would I be allowed to step out of wherever we were staying for the night .

In truth, I still believed that only with this makeup could I avoid being killed for his sins.

With each stroke of my brush against my freckled skin, I concealed the woman I once was, only to allow a dulled version to come forth.

After painting my plump lips a neutral pink and putting in dark blue contacts, I stared back at the reflection of Lotus Evans.

There I was—the free vampire who lived in Fairhaven and embraced her second chance.

I got up and moved back toward my nightstand to pick up my cell phone I left to charge over the morning hours.

Glancing briefly at the time, I turned my attention to my closet where mid-length dresses, baggy sweaters, and thick cardigans hung neatly.

Yet another behavior drilled into me by Luca.

Dress modestly or they will find out what you are.

I believed it for the longest time until I considered that maybe it was more for him not wanting me to reveal more of my body to anyone else.

He certainly never let me forget the punishment he delivered only because I wished to be loved by another.

There was no avoiding the memory playing back in my head, but I moved forward, pulling a grey dress off a hanger that I quickly pulled on over my head.

It hugged the delicate curves of my body while it reached high up my neck, concealing the two scarred slits on my collarbone.

After I inspected my makeup for any gaps between my dress and my flesh, I laced up my black Doc Martens and threw on an indigo thick-knit cardigan.

It was still quite early for me to head to work, but I figured with the sun almost fully set, I could enjoy at least the remnants of its warmth.

While the full sun in Fairhaven didn’t pose too much danger, it still wasn’t ideal for any vampire to venture out in it.

If there was one thing that I missed since my transition to an immortal existence, it was the feel of the sun's warm rays on my skin.

When I was sure I was ready for my evening shift, I walked to my window and gently pulled back the black curtains that blocked out all light.

As I suspected, dusk had settled and it was time for vampires to venture out to their jobs, to schools, and to simply… live.

Fairhaven embraced vampires even better than I had imagined.

All those years that I spent staring at the crumpled flyer I kept hidden beneath floorboards, I never thought that such a reality could exist. Vampires roamed the streets freely and truly coexisted with humans.

When they smiled, they made no attempts to hide their pointed canines.

I kept mine concealed behind tight-lipped smiles.

Though I did not have to hide, I chose not to flaunt my identity.

I preferred to exist in peace, blending in with the general population as much as I could.

In every action and decision that I could finally make for myself, the rotten thoughts of my brother never failed to slither in.

All I wanted was peace. All I wanted was a chance to live without the memory of his vile actions plaguing me.

Yet the decisions he made with his own existence would now be eternally tied to me.

Simply because of who he was to me—my brother, my maker.

Yes, my brother dictated much of my life since my turning.

It was only after he dragged our family name through the dirt in a fit of murderous rage against two innocent human women that I fought to distance myself from him.

It was because of him that I ran. It was because of him that I had to change who I was in order not to be recognized by name.

I fled Charlotte and yet I still felt him like a shadow I could never truly get rid of.

Each day before I laid down to rest, I searched our family name with keywords like “murder” and “monster” in fear that I would find him closer to me than I wanted.

I treasured my life in Fairhaven, yet I always kept one foot out the door.

Luca’s crimes were not my own, yet those who only read headlines and speculated saw no difference between us.

Because my blood was tied to his, I was guilty by association.

The connection that many vampires cherished between them and their maker felt more like a noose around my neck than a guiding hand.

Just for good measure before I approached the bookstore, I pulled out my phone and refreshed my search for my brother’s whereabouts.

As I hoped—nothing new but the dated article that detailed the murder of Ophelia and Naomi Wells remained at the top.

A mother and daughter who were loved and respected in their community.

The article called it a love feud gone wrong.

Luca pleaded that it was an accident. Whether it was true or not, I recalled what my brother considered “accidents”.

Sadly, the manner in which the two human women were discovered pointed to anything but an accident.

Luca halted their lives by his own hand and had done so at the most crucial moment—when the human-vampire treaties were being debated.

His actions were punishable by death—a promise the Vampiric government made to the humans who threatened to back out of the treaty.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and sighed in relief that I could continue my walk to work.

Despite feeling my tether to my brother like a phantom limb wrapped around my throat, I allowed myself to enjoy the freedom of another day living in Fairhaven.