𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄 𝒗𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 | 𝒗𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒙 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 18+ Darcia has lived for centuries with one unbearable hunger: human blood. As the only vampire in town, feeding comes with a price. She can't afford to leave behind too many bodies or attract suspicion. Starvation is becoming harder to endure, and Darcia needs a solution. Then, one night, she finds herself inside the local orphanage. A photograph catches her eye. Talia. Something about the girl fascinates her. Her appearance. Her innocence. The way Darcia can't seem to look away. And suddenly, Darcia has a brilliant idea. Why hunt for strangers when she could have her own private source of blood? Adoption seems like the perfect solution. Talia has spent years waiting for someone to choose her. With eighteen approaching, she's almost given up on ever having a family. All she wants is to leave the orphanage behind and finally start living on her own terms. Then Darcia walks into her life. For Talia, it's the adoption she's always dreamed of. For Darcia, it's supposed to be nothing more than a way to satisfy her hunger. But the closer they become, the harder it is for Darcia to tell the difference between wanting Talia's blood... and wanting Talia herself. And some hungers are far more dangerous than others. 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄. 𝐓𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐘, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍. 𝐈 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒, 𝐎𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒.

Norah Cook knows nothing about love, about romance, about affection. Nor does she understand it. But after a few teenager years without it all, she meets Mio Reed, the woman who unintentionally changes everything. The woman who is also her best friend's mother. All of her classmates and friends are experiencing teenage affection and relationships, all while Norah has always found she's had no interest. But in an unlikely turn, her first feelings end up being pointed towards a woman who's married and far older. But over time, something begins to change in that woman too and both their lives are changed forever.

A stranger to her own existence, Kayla moves to a small town with the hope of finding comfort in a fresh start. But as she steps inside the unfamiliar classroom on the first day, standing in front of the class is a mysteriously familiar face, one that rouses memories of a time she believed had gone by. With past baggage catching up in the most intrusive ways, she stumbles upon unexpected comfort of friendship, unconditional love of found family, and a beautiful yet complicated bond between two hesitant souls. "This book was like a warm hug, and I might believe in love again." "I would give everything, especially my soul, to have the opportunity to read this book for the first time again." ────── CW: Substance abuse, harsh language, sexual content, mention of self-harm and suicide. ────── Started in January 2018. Re-published in November 2022. First draft (this version) finished in April 2023. ────── Copyright 2018 © Renee Steinberg All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced, copied, translated, or republished in any form without the author's permission, except for brief quotations or reviews with proper credit.