Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
AT the sound of the word vampire, my heart began to race.
How could vampires have managed to track us down? I asked myself this a million times as I slipped into an old tee-shirt I found in a nearby dresser. From there, I dashed out into the living room to find a girl and a boy, both seemingly my age.
They had the same eyes—the same red jasper irises. At the moment, I thought of it as an odd color, but it did bring out their pale bronze skin. I also will admit they had strikingly beautiful features.
"So," the girl said, "it's time we meet, Beatriz Wilson." The elegant lilt shined through her voice. She glanced the down at the dagger she clutched in one hand. With her other set of willowy fingers, she stroked her hair—a bob consisting of a mixture of raven and dark brown spikes—then the large, round dimple in her long chin. Her eyes flickered back to me. Her dark lips parted, revealing her razor-sharp incisors. "I hope the only use I have for this dagger is cutting the umbilical cord."
"Excuse me?" I blinked, and my heart began to pound like stone against my chest. I glanced to the side at my husband, who held a frying pan in his firm hands.
He shrugged, and his words crept through my brain: I don't know them. I didn't summon them.
"Oh," the girl said with a soft laugh. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kimbra, and—" between chuckles, she yanked the boy to her side "—this is my brother Parris." She cleared her throat and blinked. "We were sent here on request of our father."
"Who's your father?" I asked with a step towards Kimbra.
Kimbra met me with a stride of her long, elongated legs. "Athan," she answered.
The world felt as if it stumbled into a rock wall. "How the hell is that possible? You're the same age as him?" I asked, nearly stuttering. "I-I'm perplexed."
"The perks of being a hybrid," Kimbra said. "My mother was a wolf. Wolf and vampire combine to bring forth twins that are half-vampire and half-wolf, accelerating the growth rate."
"Wait. Your mother is Wynne?" Rylan asked, inching forward.
Kimbra nodded. "Yup. In human years, I should be a toddler. In actuality, I grew up to be 18 in over two years."
"Wow," Rylan and I said at the same time.
I cleared my throat and said, "You don't drink blood, do you?"
"Only on holidays," Parris interjected and flashed a smile. His fangs drip with blood said otherwise.
"I keep my vow of only drinking blood on special occasions," Kimbra said, pushing Parris away. "He, on the other hand, will fuck and snack on anyone who dares to try trusting him."
"I'm telling Dad that you said that," Parris shot back with a pout. "Mom as well."
"Go ahead," Kimbra retorted with a scoff. "It's the truth."
