Gliding over a rise were two short, sleek machines. They weren’t cars or trucks or any type of vehicle I’d seen before; they had two wheels and moved faster than a car, but it was difficult to see anything else beyond the headlights. Watching them approach, I felt a ripple of excitement. If there were strange vehicles like these on the road, then maybe humans lived outside the Wall, after all.
The headlights drew closer, shining in my eyes, nearly blinding me. Somewhere in the back of my mind, the old Allison, the wary, cautious street rat, was telling me to get off the road, to hide, to let them go by without knowing I was there. I ignored the voice. My gut told me that whatever powered these strange machines was human. I was curious. I wanted to see it for myself. I wanted to see if humans could live outside the city, away from vampire influence.
And…I was hungry.
The vehicles pulled to a stop a few feet away and the rumble of engines kicked off, though the lights remained, shining in my eyes. Raising a hand to shield my gaze, I heard a rusty squeak as something stepped off the machine, coming to stand beside it.
“Well, well.” The voice was deep and mocking, and a large, rough-looking man stepped forward, silhouetted against the light. He was tall and barrel-chested, with tattoos covering his arms like sleeves. Another covered half his face, the image of a grinning dog or wolf or coyote, baring its fangs at me. “What do we have here?” he mused. “You lost, little girl? This is a bad place for you to be stranded, all alone, at night.”
A second man joined the first, smaller and skinnier, but no less threatening. Unlike the first, he seemed more eager, less cautious than his companion. He had the same dog tattoo on one shoulder, and a bright, hungry gleam in his eyes. “We don’t see many bitches out here,” he agreed, running a tongue along his bottom lip. “Why don’t you keep us company for a while?”
I bristled, backing up a step, fighting the urge to snarl at them. This had been a mistake. They were human and, worse, they were men. I knew what they wanted; I’d seen it on the street countless times, and it made my gut tense. I should’ve stayed hidden, should’ve let them go by. But it was too late. I could taste the violence on the air, smell the lust and sweat and blood pumping below their skin. Something inside me responded, rising eagerly, the Hunger a dancing flame in my gut.
There was a metallic click, and the first man drew a gun, pointing the barrel at my face. “Don’t even think of running,” he crooned, baring yellow, uneven teeth in a wide grin. “Just come over here and make it easy on yourself.”
When I didn’t move, he nodded at his companion, who stepped forward and grabbed my arm.
The second his hand touched my skin, something inside me snapped.
Prey! Food! With a wild screech, I turned on the human, fangs bared, and he jerked back with a screaming curse. I snatched at him, sensing the heat and hot fluids below his skin, pumping in time with his heart. I could smell his blood, hear his frantic heartbeat, and my vision went red with Hunger.
A howl and a roar behind me. The vivid scent of fresh blood, and the human jerking against me, gasping. I spun, furious now, searching for my prey. It stood against the light, smelling of blood and fear, the gun leveled at my chest. I roared, dropping the limp human, and lunged. The gun barked twice, missing, and I slammed into the prey’s chest, driving him to the ground. He swung wildly at my face, elbows glancing off my cheek, as I yanked him up and sank my fangs into his neck.
The prey stiffened, going rigid, and I sank my fangs in deeper, piercing the vein and causing the blood to flow more freely. Warmth filled my mouth and throat, flowing down to my stomach, easing the horrible ache that had been there so long. I growled in pleasure and tore impatiently at the surrounding flesh, causing even more blood to flow. I drew that power into myself, easing the pain in my stomach and shoulder, feeling my wounds close and the Hunger fade. The rest of the world disappeared, all sounds vanished, all sensations shrank down to this—this perfect, intoxicating moment where nothing mattered but power.
Beneath me, the human made a choking, shuddering sound, like a whimper, and I suddenly realized what I was doing.
Shaking, I released him, staring down at the man, the human who, for a few insane moments, had been nothing but prey to me. His neck was a mess of blood; in my eagerness, I’d done more than simply bite his throat—I’d shredded it. Red soaked his collar, but the wound wasn’t oozing blood. Experimentally, I shook his shoulder.
His head lolled to the side, and his eyes stared ahead, unseeing and glassy. He was dead.
No. I put both hands to my mouth, shaking so hard I thought I would puke. It had happened, just like Kanin had said it would. I had killed someone. I had murdered a human being. The second I’d tasted blood, the demon had taken over, and I’d lost my mind. I’d lost control to the Hunger. And in those mad few heartbeats, with the blood flowing hot in my mouth and through my veins, I had loved every second of it.