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Chapter 1

A Somber Affair

Silvana

W alking through the streets of Coalfell was a somber affair, to say the least. The pathways were wet and dreary, and the summer air started to die down in favor of an autumn breeze. The buildings were dilapidated and falling into disarray; the citizens were even worse off than the buildings, though.

Coalfell was a small town that lay on the border of the Court of Wolves and the Court of Shadows. Though it was considered to be under the Court of Wolves territory as far as a map was concerned. The local coven in charge of Coalfell sent me on this lovely adventure tonight. So, the sad humans who resided here were of no concern to me. I was there for one very specific reason, and it wasn’t to waste time feeling pity for the sad humans living here.

I looked up toward the sky, the moon was full and bright, lighting up the streets with her gentle light perfectly for me. Almost as if it were just as bright and happy as I was about how the night was turning out. As if it also knew how tonight would end.

I’d easily found my target for my assignment, which meant I would be able to leave this shit town that much quicker.

The Crassodon Coven had reached out to Cedar, my best friend, and tasked us with finding a vampire named Elias. My stomach had turned at the mere thought of his crimes after they dropped the parchment in my hands. I would’ve done this assignment just for the sheer joy of it, but payment was always appreciated too—a lady had to eat after all. It didn’t help that I also enjoyed luxury when available.

They’d asked me to have it done within a moon cycle. That was at the beginning of the night before—needless to say, I was motivated to have it finished much quicker than their given deadline.

As I came upon the small shack Elias called a home, I was thankful I arrived before he’d gone out hunting. I wasn’t in the mood to coddle a scared girl who had just learned not all vampires were decent creatures—I was in the mood to kill evil males who took advantage of females who couldn’t protect themselves, though. My specialty for the last one hundred and ten years—give or take a bit of time.

I smiled to myself at the thought. Yeah, maybe I was a bit off in the head for enjoying that part of my job so much, but honestly? The only person I cared about was Cedar, and he loved my chaos. Especially if it involved my knives in the balls of shitty males.

Walking up to the door, I didn’t bother knocking, I just pushed my way in. Predators like him didn’t deserve common decency after all. His hovel was a compact space consisting of a living area with a couch, a kitchen, and a toilet in the corner. There was a staircase near the back corner of the kitchen, but I didn’t have a need for that.

It didn’t take me long to find him. Elias was passed out on an old, soiled sofa that may have once been cerulean in color but was now more dark nut brown. It was probably a nice piece of furniture before Elias took ownership.

I took a moment to look around the room. I already knew he was alone. Which made my job easier—knowing that he was a loner, and no one would come looking for him while I was working.

Taking a more thorough look at Elias, I realized that he was a shorter man than I’d expected. Maybe a bit taller than me, but not by much. His skin was colorless, and he appeared to be starving. His light-toned hair was thinning. I’d bet that his eyes were turning white as well. When a vampire went too long without blood, our bodies started to shut down. Hair thins, skin loses its color, and eyes turn a milky white. It’s a slow and brutal death, one that Elias should be thankful he didn’t have to partake in now that I was there. Part of me wondered why he was starving, but the other part of me didn’t care.

I pulled a dagger out of the side of my boot and leaned down beside him. I stared at his sleeping form. The fact that he still slept showed how gone he truly was. Holding the blade against his neck, I harshly cleared my throat. He jolted awake and stilled instantly when he realized what I had pressed against his pale skin.

“Hello, Elias. I’ve heard you’ve been a very bad boy lately,” I said gently.

His eyes widened and he managed to get a shade paler still. “I don’t know who you are or what you want, but I ent done nothin’ wrong,” he mumbled quickly—his words still thick with sleep.

“The Crassodon’s sent me, Elias. They seem to have a different version of events.” I pressed the dagger a bit deeper into his throat. “You see, Elias, they tell me that you’ve been taking young human girls off the pathways at night, turning them, and forcing them to marry you. Then, when they refuse to consummate the marriage—and truly, who can blame them? Look at you—you kill them. Know anything about that, Elias?”

I could feel my rage drawing closer to the surface of my skin as his eyes grew wider. I knew he was trying to come up with some sort of explanation for me. However, I could see in his demeanor when he realized he lacked one—even a made-up one. He chose anger instead.

“Well, who the fuck are you to question me? What’s it matter anyway? Those brats should’ve been thankful for what I offered them! It’s what they’re meant for!” he yelled, his throat pressing against my blade.

“I appreciate the confession, Elias. This takes a lot of guilt out from what I’m going to do next.” His mouth snapped shut, and I felt him swallow against my dagger.

“You see, Elias, I have a special… well, some would call it a talent—a gift, even. So, I appreciate it when I have all the facts from the source’s mouth before I move forward. You understand, right? What I do is rather permanent after all.” I shrugged as if it were the most casual conversation we could be having at the moment.

“I-I-I-I don’t understand,” he muttered.

I chuckled now. “Oh, sure you do, Elias. I’m here to kill you.”