Forever Night (Darkness Falls Book 3)

Bonus Prequel Chapter

This is a little bonus chapter, set just before Forever Night starts. It was originally written for the Wattpad Block Party, and now I'm posting it here for anyone who didn't get a chance to read it. Hope you all enjoy this little trip into Rachel's head.

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There was, Rachel thought as she followed a young woman down the street, something intensely satisfying about hunting down your own prey. She'd only been following the woman for a few minutes, but already her blood tingled with excitement. She licked the tips of her fangs, anticipation making her mouth water.

The woman, of course, had no idea she was being followed. She strolled down the street, blithely unaware, while the vampire clung to her like a shadow. Someone like Rachel, someone smart and cunning and experienced, was born to hunt. Most of the people she killed never even knew she was there until she ripped out their throats.

It was one of the prominent reasons that Rachel knew vampires were superior to humans. Vampires were the lions in the grass, the wolves at the door, the tigers in the jungle – stronger, faster, better evolved than humans. Vampires were predators; designed to kill.

Her target turned a corner, heading down an alleyway that cut behind the back of a row of houses. Dalwick was only a small town, nestled among the patchwork fields of the English countryside, and its plethora of alleys and twisty little back-streets made for perfect hunting grounds. Especially once dusk had crept across the sky and the town was lit only sporadically by streetlamps.

The ping of an incoming text message sounded from the woman's pocket, and she paused, pulling out her phone and examining it.

Seizing her opportunity, Rachel flowed up behind her prey like water over silk. The phone flew from the woman's hand as Rachel grabbed her and spun her around, and the screen shattered where it hit the concrete ground.

Rachel sank her fangs into the woman's neck. Hot blood rushed into her mouth and she closed her eyes in bliss. There was nothing sweeter or more delicious in this world than fresh human blood. She couldn't fathom how so many vampires were content to survive on bagged animal blood rather than hitting the streets and stalking it down themselves. Where was the thrill of the hunt? Where was the exquisite tingle of real human blood?

There was too much blood in a human body for a single vampire to drain, but when Rachel had drunk her fill, she dropped her victim to the ground and watched the woman slowly bleed out.

Other vampires knew not to leave evidence of their existence lying around – there were always hunters sniffing at the edges of their lives – but Rachel wasn't like other vampires. She could see the world for what it was truly meant to be – ruled by vampires. They were smarter and stronger, superior to humans in every way. Maybe humans were greater in number, but that didn't mean the planet should belong to them. Birds were greater in number than humans, but no one would allow a brainless chicken to be in charge. The way Rachel saw it, humans were little better than chickens. They squawked and flapped and scratched out pathetic little lives in the dirt, but they weren't vampires. They didn't deserve to run the world.

And they wouldn't for much longer.

Another vampire slunk out of the shadows, his eyes fixed on Rachel and the body lying at her feet. "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave her here like this?" he said.

Rachel favoured him with a patient smile. "Darren, we've been over this," she said.

Darren's bearded face pulled into a grimace. "I know, but you do realise how dangerous this is, right? This is exactly the sort of thing that brings hunters running."