Marked By Midnight

I didn't know that in twenty-four hours my entire life would shatter-quietly, irrevocably like glass under a single breath. I'd always felt a little out of step in a world sharpened by instinct, fangs, and red eyes, but I told myself it was nothing. At eighteen, I thought I finally had everything figured out.

I was Elodie Duclair, the daughter of a noble family and my graduation from the elite academy was only a day away. As a Fine Arts major, I had opportunities waiting for me. I didn't realize that the concealment around my true nature had already begun to crack.

Apparently, two noble male vampires had known my secret long before I did.
The prince-impossibly beautiful and far beyond reach.
And the general's son-a warrior with eyes sharp enough to carve through stone.
They had always kept their distance, held themselves an arm's length away... until suddenly they didn't.

The fact that I still hadn't turned into my vampire form, even at my age, had begun to worry me. Worse, the Dark Ones were already being drawn to my blood. Soon, the people I trusted most would have to choose: protect me... or watch the world the vampires built burn because of me.

But I didn't know any of that on the day of my graduation. I floated through the hours in bliss, unaware of what was coming. I didn't know that everything would change the moment I met a Dark One for the first time. Even as the crown princess's speech about "the future" echoed in my ears, it felt strangely hollow-almost mocking.

I didn't expect my world to tilt then. Didn't expect its soft honey-hued glow to bleed into red and devour everything I knew. I never imagined a single encounter could start the unraveling of my entire life.

But it did. It all began the moment I was marked by midnight.