I came to groaning; the throbbing in my skull was awful. What the hell had happened to me now? It took a few seconds, but the training hall and Zeke slowly started to come back to me. What the freak? Where were my awesome ash healing powers?

I cracked open one eyelid to see Jayden peering at me. His dark eyes flashed and he looked worried.

I sighed. “I feel like shit.” My thirst knocked into me as Jayden handed me a bottle of blood from our refrigerator.

His full lips straightened as he frowned at me. “Yeah, skull fractures take a while to heal.”

My eyes widened as I sat and chugged the glorious blood, moaning a little. I couldn’t help it, blood was so damn good now. But seriously … I had a skull fracture? I thought I was supposed be training, not getting completely broken beyond repair.

After downing the bottle, I looked at Jayden. “Did everyone see? Did all those assholes laugh?”

He chewed his bottom lip. “Not really.”

I could already tell when he was lying. His luscious lashes fluttered around like they were butterfly wings trying to take flight.

“Liar,” I said, wanting to roll my eyes, but figuring it would probably increase the ache in my head.

He leaned into me a little more. “Well, they might have at first, but Ryder put a stop to that fast. He threw one of the trainers across the room and into the stadium.”

Well, that was interesting.

The blood started to work its magic and I was already feeling a bit better. I sat up, ignoring the faint throbbing in my skull.

“So I’m definitely a dead person once the culling begins. Awesome.” I gave two thumbs up.

Jayden shot me a weak smile. “I don’t think so. I heard that after seeing you get your ass kicked, and throwing around a few members of the Hive, a certain scrumptious badass offered to train you himself.”

I swallowed hard, my heart picking up. “Ryder is going to train me?”

Jayden nodded.

I was sort of intrigued about that. Why would Ryder offer to train me? And did I even want him to? I was slowly starting to forget that electrocuting me thing he’d done. I was falling victim to that chiseled jaw and those damn elusive dimples.

Jayden extended his hand. “Come on. I have something to make you feel better.”

I took it and let him help me up. The room spun for a minute.

“A margarita?” I asked, and he chuckled.

I followed him out of our room and into the long hallway. We journeyed along the corridor and got into the elevator. When he pressed the ground floor button, I had a burst of insight, and excitement started to tingle in my blood. Were we going outside? Please oh please, I missed the sun, trees, air…

He saw my face and chuckled. “Just because the vamp bitches can’t handle sunlight doesn’t mean we should stay cooped inside.” He was as flamboyant as ever.

“Yay!” I hung onto his big bicep, giving him a side hug. I was so used to the outdoors. Oregon had so many gorgeous lakes and rivers and trees, it was impossible to stay inside when that beauty beckoned you. The Hive was nice, but there were no windows. Everything was closed except at night. It made me feel stifled and I wanted some freedom. Just for a while.

Jayden led me out of the elevator near where another ash sat as receptionist. Guess vampires couldn’t be this close to possible sun exposure. My roomie signed some type of log. I leaned over his shoulder and saw that he had put our numbers, twenty-one and forty-six, and the time and date.

The receptionist raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Be back in an hour,” he said.

We nodded and I wondered what happened if we weren’t back in an hour. The windows near the outside had the roll-down shutters like the rest of the Hive, so when Jayden opened the door and the sunlight hit me, I was temporarily blinded. Raising my arm up to shield my eyes, I walked outside.

Within moments my eyes adjusted and I almost cried. A large strip of forest lay before us, thick tall trees with green moss growing up the trunks. Bushy green ferns and fallen logs littered the forest floor. Even though it was cold, the scents were still strong … the rich soil and earthy foliage. I sighed. Home.

Jayden began to walk and I silently followed him. I noticed a few other ash sprinkled around. Glancing over my shoulder, I was blindsided for a moment by the high wire fence that surrounded the Hive, and on the other side a human guard station. No one came in or out of the Hive without a record of it. Of course, the fence reminded me of that night. I remembered gripping it as I was wrenched past the empty guard station. No one had been around to hear me scream.

I cut those thoughts off again. I would not live in the past any longer. Somehow I had this moment to enjoy the feel of the life-giving sun on my skin, and I was taking it without regret. Twigs and branches snapped under my feet as I followed Jayden. My headache was gone. The sunlight and fresh air had finished up the healing which the blood had started.

Jayden walked to a huge fallen tree trunk and sat down as I took a seat next to him.

We sat in comfortable silence. “Thank you,” I whispered. “This was just what I needed.” He rested a hand on my knee and smiled, but didn’t say anything else. My heart swelled and also sank at the same time. There was no way I could fight Jayden in the culling. Even to save my own life. This whole culling situation was bullshit.

“Spit it out, girl.” Jayden must have seen that I was wrestling with something.

I chuckled. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

He nodded as if he understood. “I had a really hard time in middle school when it was apparent that I was different.”

God, middle school was awful. I had braces, weird boobs, and a fascination for rap music. I couldn’t imagine being gay on top of all that.

He winked at me. “Right, so I guess I understand the position you’re in. You’re very different. It makes me think of myself when I had no friends and no one to understand.”

My throat tightened with emotion. I wasn’t prepared for Jayden’s honest reply. I squeezed his hand, but before I could respond, a loud snap of a twig behind us caught my attention. Just as we were spinning to see what was up, a steely voice cut through the tranquility. “Well, well, if it isn’t the queen and the unicorn.”

Jayden and I jumped up. Three large ash were stomping towards us. I scanned their jumpsuits, able to make out the smaller numbers which were stitched into the upper right side of their chests. Numbers eleven, three, and thirty-seven. Two had black hair, and number three was a redhead.

Jayden turned to me. “Am I the unicorn?”

I nodded. “Of course you are, you have magical eyelashes. Besides, I’ve always thought I was a queen.”

One of the black-haired boys bent and scooped up a thick, sharp branch. Straightening, he glared at us. “You know it’s common practice to thin out the weak ash before the culling.”

I very much doubted that. The vampires wouldn’t like to lose their special type of fight club entertainment. Still, as they advanced on us, it didn’t seem like these ash cared much. I swallowed hard, knowing that any hopes I had of us not getting jumped had just went up in flames.

Jayden bent over and pulled a knife from his boot. Damn son!

“Who you calling weak, bitch?” Jayden’s voice had lost all gayness and was pure deep hardass. I decided he was my new BAFF. Best ash friend forever.

Jayden positioned himself in front of me as I grabbed a big a rock with a sharp point. I was more likely to injure myself with it, but I had to have something.

The redhead scanned me with droopy eyes and a sloppy grin. “Let’s kill him first and then have some fun with her.”

Fear ran through me as my grip on the rock tightened. I was feeling seriously pissed at my mom for gallivanting around with Carter right about now. I should be with Tessa scoping hotties at Starbucks, not this. Jayden lunged as two of the black-haired ash went for him.

The redhead snaked around him and came right for me. I was ready. I used the self-defense technique of “never let them get their hands on you,” skirting quickly to avoid his grasp, before managing to fling the rock straight at his forehead. It hit with a dull thud, and my strength was more than I expected as the skin split across his brow-line. His features hardened.

“Bitch!” he roared, stumbling for me.

His hands grasped my shoulders and he hauled me up and slammed me back against the tree. I cried out as I felt a crack in my side. It felt a lot like a broken rib or two.

Number three’s eyes were pulsing as he stared at me, his fangs lengthened. I remembered what Jayden said about my blood being irresistible. I didn’t know what happened when an ash bit another ash, and I didn’t want to find out.

Falling back on the best defense women have had since the dawn of time, I kicked him in the balls, hard, and he let me go briefly. I slid down to the ground, groans escaping as my entire body protested. This was definitely too soon since my fractured skull. I fought through the pain, knowing I had to get to my feet. This redhead dick would be coming at me again. And sure enough, his snarling face was lunging toward me when suddenly his body stopped and like … disappeared. What the hell? My side and head screaming in pain, I dragged myself up and came face to face with Ryder. Wearing a cold, menacing look, he pointed a sleek black gun at the redhead’s face and pulled the trigger. The snapping of the bullet made me jerk. Holy shit. Right between the eyes. Ryder had just killed someone like it was no big deal. I averted my eyes from the body. I knew that red had just tried to kill me, but still, his dead body was not something I wanted to see.

Holstering his gun, Ryder stepped toward me, arms scooping me up to hoist against his body. I struggled against him, wanting to walk on my own. I didn’t like to be carried around like a damsel. Plus I would not look any weaker in front of the other ash. Ryder stared down at me for a few extended beats, his breathing deep, eyes full silver. Eventually he settled for looping an arm around my waist and letting me use him as a very muscular crutch. My ribs and head continued to protest as we stepped away from the tree. Once I was out in the open, I looked around for Jayden. Fear for my friend was pushing down all other emotions.

“He’s fine,” Ryder said, directing my gaze to where Jayden was holding his right arm. Blood seeped out from under his fingers and I could see a long, shallow gash in his shoulder.

The pair of black-haired ash were face down on the ground, hands zip-tied behind their backs, two of Ryder’s teammates, dressed in black military fatigues, standing above them, each resting a boot on their backs. Through Jayden’s constant chatter about the delicious core group of enforcers, I knew them by sight now.

One was Markus. He was Scottish, with thick red hair which he wore man-bun style, and a beard to match. Dude was pretty suave. From the small amounts I’d heard of him, his accent was quite delicious. The other was Oliver, who was Latino and hot as hell. He had that dark and mysterious thing down, and I wasn’t surprised to see my bestie Jayden giving him more than a single glance. The boy might be injured, but he wasn’t dead. If you included Ryder, we were currently surrounded by three members of the “sexy-six” – Jayden’s name for their group.

Ryder drew my attention – not that I was ever not paying attention to him – when he quickly scanned up and down my body. His expression was clinical, like he was looking for injuries. But his eyes were still all silver.

My cheeks reddened and I lowered my face a little. Together we crossed to the two ash on the ground, Ryder’s arm and heat plastered firmly to my uninjured side. When we reached the dicks on the ground, the enforcer’s hand tightened and he kept me close as he crouched near their messed-up faces. Someone had beat on them badly.

His voice was chilling. “Let this be a message to anyone else who wants to disobey the rules. You save the fighting for the culling. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” the ash ground out, barely able to breathe with the other big boys standing on them.

“Okay, boss, what should we do with them?” Markus asked in that rolling brogue. Noticing my stare, he gave me a wink.

Ryder readjusted my position, taking more of my weight. How had he known I was starting to falter again?

He threw Markus a slight grin. “Throw them in the pit for a night. Let’s see how tough they really are.”

Markus and Oliver both whistled low, before reaching down to hoist the boys up by the underarms. Ryder turned to face me, his chestnut hair flickering with streaks of gold in the sunlight. Behind him, the now silent and broken douchebuckets were being led away to this mysterious “pit.”

Ryder leaned in closer. “From now on, you’re my problem. Get a lot of blood and rest tonight, then tomorrow report to the training gym first thing in the morning – and also right after lunch, and after dinner. Understood?”

Problem? I gritted back my retort. He’d quite possibly just saved my life. “Yes, sir, ash, sir.”

He heaved out a breath, before leaving me in Jayden’s care. “See you in the morning, number forty-six.”

“Leave your torture stick at home,” I reminded him.

I looked up to see Jayden smiling at me, relieved to see that his wound was pretty much closed up now. “What?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.” And we walked back to the front of the Hive.

That night my dreams were the most vivid I could remember. Again with the red blood rain, with the constant thirst. But there was a new addition: Ryder and Lucas, both half-naked, both trying to teach me to fight. Or teach me something anyways. The half-naked thing was sort of distracting, even in a dream. As the dreams faded away, I awoke to see Jayden on his bed, slowly rotating his shoulder. I sat up and rubbed my eyes a few times, before reaching for my hair-tie and twisting my hair into a top knot.

“How’s your arm?” I croaked out through my scratchy morning throat.

Jayden flicked me a small smile. “I’m almost fully healed. Took a fair amount of blood. His knife sliced through something important.”

I winced at the memory and my hand went instinctively to my head. I could already tell I was a million times healthier today. Which was fantastic. Just in time for someone else to kick the crap out of me.

“Yesterday made shit real,” I said to my roomie, my nerves shaking my voice. “Like, those ash were prepared to off us just like that. And in two weeks you and I are legit going to go on a legal killing spree.”

Jayden gave me a half smile. “Yeah, those boys could have stopped the party before it started. Thank God Ryder showed up.”

Ryder. I had mixed feelings about that man. On one hand, he was clearly lethal as eff, and had saved me more than once in here. On the other hand, he annoyed the heck out of me with his “number forty-six” dismissiveness. Still … I couldn’t suppress the tingling of anticipation in my stomach. If he wanted to see me three times a day, we were going to be training together a lot over the next two weeks. Which was both something I wanted and dreaded.

Truthfully, I wasn’t harboring the same level of hate toward ash any longer. It’s hard to hate what you are. But I wasn’t sure I was ready to start crushing on them either. I just couldn’t figure out why Ryder drew me in so much. It was almost like … I knew him from a long time ago, which was crazy talk – I would definitely remember meeting someone as hot as Ryder.

I snapped out of my haze and focused on Jayden. “So, since I never got the welcome packet, tell me … what are the best ways to kill an ash?”

Ryder had snapped a bullet between red’s eyes and he was gone. So even though we were harder to kill than humans, a bullet definitely worked. Still, I needed to know all the other ways.

Jayden handed me a bottle of blood and I drank while he talked.

“We’re hybrids, so we can regenerate like full-fledged vampires, but we are also still living, like humans.” He was slowly drawling this out and I needed the information faster.

“Hit me with it.” I hurried him on.

He shook a finger at me. “I hope you aren’t this impatient in the bedroom.” I flipped him off but we both smiled. We had officially reached BAFF status.

“We heal really quickly, so you need to inflict a lot of damage, masses of blood loss or major organ failure. Blow us up, light us on fire, put a bullet in the brain, rip out the heart, or decapitation.”

My mouth hung open. “Jesus.”

He winked. “You asked, sweet cheeks.”

I shivered. “So the culling?”

He frowned. “Is a blood bath. No one really survives, ya know?”

That hit me. What he said was really deep for my normally lighthearted BAFF. You could survive some things in body but not in mind or spirit. I had never forgotten about the night I was attacked, and if those asshole ash hadn’t been scared off, I knew things would have been much worse – death of soul worse.

I raised my blood bottle to clink with his. “Here’s to hoping they pay for therapy after we get through it.”

He gave a deep genuine laugh and clinked my bottle before saying: “You should slurp that blood down, girl. Something tells me Ryder doesn’t like tardiness.”

Shit! He was so right. I downed my bottle and leapt for the shower.

I entered the training gym slowly, part of me expecting Ryder to jump out of nowhere and start whooping my ass without warning. It was empty. I peered up into the rafters and was pleased to see them empty as well. Now that I had a chance to have a proper look, I noticed rows of weapons lining the walls. At least four large walls’ worth.

I was surprised to see that there looked to be something from a range of different cultures and martial art disciplines, including but not limited to samurai swords, whips with barbed ends, throwing knives, curved blades, crossbows, throwing axes – Jesus, my stomach rolled.

“Nervous?” a low voice said from behind me.

I jumped and grabbed my chest.

“Fucking A, Ryder!” I needed to get him a bell or something.

He smiled, showing those goddamn dimples, but then quickly replaced it with his signature clenched-jaw stare. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I took a shaky breath. “I wasn’t scared,” I lied. “I just don’t like being snuck up on.” That part was the truth at least.

His smile was back. “Right, well, in the culling there will be sneaking, so get used to it.”

I eyed the weapons again. “Are there rules, or do I get to run over to the wall and grab an axe and try to cut someone’s heads off?”

He tilted his head slightly, as if trying to gauge whether I was serious or not. “There are a few rules – but not many. The weapons are out of your control. The opponent’s sponsor chooses your weapon, and Lucas will choose your opponent’s weapon.”

Great. I hadn’t had weapon training in my defense class. And there were no guns up there.

“Let’s start,” he said, crossing over to the thickest of blue mats. I followed, taking note of the casual clothing Ryder was wearing. I didn’t often see him out of black camo enforcer gear. He had on loose judo pants and a tight-back muscle shirt. He pulled a gun out from behind his back waist belt and laid it on a bench. The flash of that weapon reminded me of how he had saved my life, and Jayden’s.

“Hey, about yesterday … thanks.”

Suddenly his eyes were locked on mine. “It’s my job,” he said.

I sighed. Okay.

“Get into your fighting stance.” His voice was clipped now. He was in training mode.

I did, holding my fists in front of my face, right foot planted in front of me.

“Are you a southpaw?” He gazed at my stance, eyes roaming over me.

“Yes, I’m left handed.”

He shook his head and then grabbed my hips and twisted me a little. I tried to stand firm, but he was strong. He clicked his tongue between his teeth. “You’re weak.”

“Screw you,” I said, glaring at him.

“But you have some spunk, so I’m going to work with that. This scrappy fighting style of yours will only last as long as it takes for one of the ash to take you down to the ground.”

“Guess you’d better have a magic wand then.”

“I don’t need magic.” I could smell the faintest metallic scent on his lips. He’d recently fed.

I tried to focus as he took a step back. “Put your arms out, like you’re flying.”

I wanted to roll my eyes, but managed to simply sigh and do as he said.

“Resist,” he commanded as he applied pressure to my arms, pushing them down with ease.

“Again.”

I resisted him as hard as I could, but my arms still fell easily.

He nodded, his chestnut hair sweeping across his eyes. “Your left arm is stronger. On top of three times a day training, I’m recommending twice a day weight training. I’ll have Jared train you. He loves his weights.” I knew Jared was one of the sexy six. The blond Australian. I’d only ever seen him from across the way, but he definitely had impressive biceps. Still, that was a lot of training.

“When do I sleep?” I challenged Ryder.

“When you have survived the culling.” His serious tone wiped the attitude off my face. Swallowing roughly, I nodded. The instinct to survive was strong in me and this guy was willing to help me. The least I could do was give it my all.

“I’m going to teach you a five step sequence. This sequence will be the only thing you do, three times a day for the next week. You will be so sick of it by the end of the week, you will be doing it in your sleep.”

“Wow, you really know how to sell your services,” I muttered.

He ignored me. “Left jab, right hook, left leg kick, drop and sweep.” It sounded like a chant almost.

“Watch me,” he commanded.

“Left jab.” He lightly pushed his left hand out and brushed my chin.

“Right hook.” His right hand swept around and lightly touched my right temple.

“Left leg kick.” He took his left leg and slowly brought it up to touch my ribcage.

“Drop.” He dropped to the ground. “And sweep.”

From a crouched position, his leg snaked out and swept my legs out from under me. I fell back on the mat, my teeth clacking as I hit the ground. I had totally not expected that, since it was simply supposed to be a demonstration. He stood and looked down on me.

“You’re a dick. You know that, right?” I waved away his hand.

He dropped his arm back to his side. “Would you rather have a dick teach you to stay alive or a nice guy babying you through training?”

Shit, the dick had a point. As soon as I was back on my feet, Ryder walked over to a wall and wheeled out this big-ass punching bag figure of a man. He put it right in front of me and stood like a sentinel next to it.

“Ready to sweat?” he rumbled. I forced myself to focus. It was really unfair that the unique rumbly quality of his voice totally threw my equilibrium off.

Taking my position, I began the sequence he showed me. I was unable to sweep the heavy mannequin, but I assumed we would work on that later. Maybe I’d be lucky enough to return the gesture from before and sweep Ryder on his ass.

Every time I punched, he intercepted and adjusted my hold, or twisted my arm. It made me feel like I didn’t know shit about fighting. I grit my teeth and kept going. After twenty minutes of this my muscles were screaming at me to stop, but I wouldn’t give Ryder the satisfaction of seeing me quit.

An hour later of non-stop “five step program,” I heard the door creak open and glanced across to see Lucas. Vamp was still fully dressed in a suit and his white trench coat. He was hot, but I was starting to think he was a pimp in his spare time, or a Vegas card shark.

“How’s our girl?” he asked, crossing toward us, smiling the entire time. I locked in on his beautiful face, appreciating the fallen angel look he was rocking. Hey, I was female and he was hot, and thankfully not my dad.

“Eyes forward.” Ryder’s voice was cold again. What was this guy’s problem?

With a loud exhalation, just so he knew I was annoyed, I started up the sequence again. Ryder crossed the mat to meet Lucas off to the side. They started to chat, but in a tone too low for me to hear. Left jab, right hook, left leg kick, drop and sweep. It was irritating me already. I couldn’t imagine three times a day for a week.

God, help me not die of boredom.

Dinner for Jayden and I consisted of a trip to the feeding room during our scheduled time. I had told Tessa only to meet me once a week, and we were still days away from that, so I didn’t check with the receptionist for any scheduled feedings. I grabbed a couple bottles of O-negative and we left the feeding hall and made our way to the entertainment section. This was on a higher level of the Hive. Level forty-four. I followed Jayden to a plush lounge. Live music filled the space, low and jazzy. Soft green velvet couches circled the room; on a dais stood a baby grand piano. A sexy and voluptuous vampire with long golden brown hair was crooning out a sultry song as a man played on the piano.

No one came near us. The jumpsuits did their job of keeping the ash who had yet to survive the culling separate. We were nothing more than numbers.

We found a free lounge and sank into it. Jayden guzzled his blood, wincing as he banged his elbow on the side of the chair.

“You healing okay?” I asked him.

He’d been training separate from me, with the other male ash, and it was already starting to get brutal. Ryder had assured me that our training would continue to be different times from the rest. That way none of them could ferret out my weaknesses before the fights. It was under two weeks until the culling and everyone was freaking out. I’d trained twice already today, not to mention weights, and all I could think about was that stupid five-step program. One thing was for sure, those movements were going to be stuck in my head for a long time to come.

“Yeah, I’m sore but okay,” Jayden answered, tilting his head back, the low lights shining across his perfect, dark skin. “Word got around that we were attacked and somehow survived. It’s raised the odds on us, moved us toward the end of the culling schedule. So of course every ash and their dick have decided to take me out early.”

I sat a little straighter. “I should be training with you. You need me in your corner.” As little use as I might be, I could watch his back. “Fucking Ryder has me doing some stupid five step movement. I need weapons training. I need to know how to rip an ash’s arm off and beat him to death with it. No five steps are going to help with that.”

Jayden’s dark eyes flashed as he opened his eyelids, and then he was laughing – throw-back-his-head-until-his stomach-ached kind of laughing. “Girl, I could not have asked for a better roomie.” It took him a few moments to compose himself. He even had me joining in his laughter; it was contagious. He finally pulled it together. “You should be grateful. Ryder is the shit. He is a scary mother and there is no one in here who would take him on. Whatever he is teaching you, you learn it until your brain bleeds. It will most probably save your life.”

As if his words had conjured up the man himself, I sensed a dark gaze on me, and as I twisted to the side, my eyes clashed with a set which were looking quite silver at the moment. There was something between us, a spark. A moment happened then that was hard for me to describe, but all I knew was that I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him. If he’d have beckoned me right then, I’d have gotten off my chair and hightailed it over to him. Which was not a feeling I had ever experienced before.

“Ever noticed that you and Ryder both have eyes which are a hell of a lot more vampire than ash?” Jayden was watching our exchange, and the boy was pretty much fanning himself as he grinned.

Ryder broke the spell, turning to one of the sexy six, and I was finally able to catch my breath. Wait! What had Jayden said?

“Vampire eyes?” I asked, letting my confusion release. “I have ash eyes. Only a little more intense.”

Jayden nodded. “You do, even though your silver is a lot more defined than the others – and sometimes when your emotions are charged they get very silver, with this splash of green. It’s almost … alive.”

I was guessing right now they were very silver, as he put it.

“I’ve seen the same thing with Ryder. It’s almost as if the pair of you hold a little more of the virus in your DNA than the rest of us.”

Was that possible? I wasn’t sure what Jayden was talking about. They had tested my blood and I was an ash … right? I couldn’t actually remember if they had given me those results or if it was just assumed because, well, what the hell else could I be?

I took an extended sip of my blood, and almost against my will my eyes flicked back to where Ryder had been. He was gone. Some of the other enforcers lingered around the wide, wooden bar, but no tall, dark, and broody to be seen.

I noticed that a group of ash, all wearing jumpsuits, had just walked into the room. A few of them exchanged looks before strolling across to where Jayden and I sat.

“Something tells me there are a few alliances going on before the culling,” I murmured, sitting forward in my seat, the bottle of blood forgotten as I prepared myself. Surely they wouldn’t start something here in a room filled with ash and vampires.

Jayden straightened also, and without saying a word both of us jumped to our feet. We would not be taken sitting down. The three male ash, two brunettes and a rather scrawny dirty-blond, paused about eight feet from us. A sense of hesitation came across them, and they exchanged another glance before turning and fading off into the crowd.

“Hell yeah,” I said, “seems our reputation has gotten around.”

A hand landed on my shoulder, and I suddenly knew that it wasn’t our reputations which had sent those ash fleeing. I swung my head around, only to be visually assaulted by a very sharp-set of fangs. Lucas towered over me, his white trench glowing softly under the lights in this dim atmosphere.

“I need you to come with me, Charlie. Something has happened.”

My immediate panicked thought was of my mom, but I was pretty sure that no one in the Hive cared or monitored the loved ones left out in the human world. It had to be something else. I’d just seen Ryder … so who else was there?

I took a step toward Lucas, before stopping and flicking my head back to Jayden. “Hey, are you going to be okay? I don’t want anyone to jump you while I’m gone.”

He just gave me that cheeky grin and waved me on. “I’ll be fine, you go and do your thing. I’ll see you back in our room.” The smile faltered a little as his eyes shifted across to the vampire at my side. Jayden was pretty up on the politics in the Hive and he knew Lucas was a big deal. All of the Quorum members were. This was not a request I could refuse, but he was worried for me all the same.

I wondered if I should be a little more worried myself. For someone who did not trust easily, who used to genuinely have a hate for anything to do with the Hive, I had come around awfully quick. But something about Ryder and Lucas gave me a sense of security. Like I knew they would not deliberately screw with me. Jayden was the same, and I was going to go with my gut on these three.

Lucas was silent as he led me through the corridors and into the lower levels again. As we stepped off the elevator, I recognized the zone. I was back in the whitewashed hospital wing, which was apparently on level two. I hadn’t paid attention to the level the last time I was here. Shit … what was I doing here? My heart rate increased again.

“Mom?” I gasped. Even if it was not a logical worry, I still had to ask. Lucas didn’t answer immediately. I breathed deeply, trying to slow the rapid pulse of my blood, before grabbing at his trench coat. I was prepared to make him tell me what the hell was going on.

The vampire halted, surprise lighting up his eyes as I pulled him closer to me. We locked gazes for an extended moment, and just as I was about to shake him for information, he leaned closer to me.

“Your friend is right, your eyes are very silver when you feel strong emotions.”

Clearly he had been stalking me even before those ash had approached us.

“And your mother is perfectly fine. We just need to run a few more tests. The first ones were inconclusive, and without the results I cannot ascertain your lineage. It is needed for the culling. I would like to do this quietly before the rest of the Quorum get wind of it.”

My lineage? As in who my father was? I knew his name, but for some reason instinct kept me silent on that. I realized then how close we were, my hands still tangled in his coat. I could see every facet in his silver eyes, which seemed to be swirling and pulsing in the fluorescent light. My grip loosened on his trench coat, and as I stepped back he smoothed down the creases I’d created. He seemed a little shaken, almost mesmerized in a manner, but before I noticed anything further he was back to normal.

“Come,” he said, continuing along the path.

I tried not to breathe too deeply as I followed. Something about the disinfectant smell in the air of hospitals turned my stomach. And with developed ash senses, it was a hundred times worse. I hadn’t noticed it as much the last time I was here – probably because I was too freaked out with the whole “your-mom-banged-a-vampire” revelation. This time though I was seeing everything. Why the hell were there so many rooms on this level? Was it really necessary? Surely, with our advanced healing, hospitals were only needed for those occasional ash who popped up out of the woodwork.

“Hey, what happens when a human receives the virus?” If my question startled Lucas, he didn’t show it. “How come some take a really long time to turn, and isn’t it illegal? How are new vampires still being made?” The longer I spent in the Hive, the more I wished I’d taken the classes on vamps in school.

Lucas paused outside of a door, one of the few that didn’t have a massive viewing window. “It is illegal to make new vampires without Quorum permission. If you want to turn someone, you must apply. We grant very few of these. We must monitor our populations growth, and keep from starting another war with the humans.”

Right, they didn’t want to outgrow their food source or the Hive. I shuddered. I also knew there was a special branch of the human military devoted strictly to keeping vampire and ash at bay. We lived only because the humans allowed it. Nothing could stop them if they wanted to drop a nuke on the Hive in the middle of the night. On every Hive in the world. The vampire rights groups were the only thing keeping the fragile peace between our two races right now.

Lucas continued to answer my questions, and I had a brief thought of why he was so forthcoming with information. Probably this was all common knowledge for anybody who had actually attended the Virus 101 classes.

“The virus is generally fast acting, but we have known of some cases where it was dormant for years.”

“And ash…” I prompted.

“Strictly forbidden, but we understand that sometimes things are outside of the humans’ control.” Ugh, was he talking about rape? “So we allow a small number of ash to survive each year.”

Yeah, they were regular saints. The culling was their way of taking care of the problem without actually getting their hands dirty. It really didn’t seem fair that the majority of vampires were allowed to live, but ash were culled like freaking animals.

I tried to dial down some of the simmering anger which was always close to the surface. “Why are there no female ash?” Lucas’ eyes lingered on me for a few long moments. “I mean besides me.”

“The virus destroys much of our reproductive system. Female vampires are unable to have children. No eggs remain intact. For the males, only the sperm which carry the Y chromosome survive. Which makes your existence all the more unusual.”

He was telling me that even science dictated that my existence was impossible. So how the hell was I an ash?

Apparently question and answer time was over. He opened the door and gestured for me to step through first. There were two vampires dressed in lab coats waiting for me on the other side. They stood on either side of a chair, each holding a stack of charts.

“Please have a seat, Charlene,” said the very blond female. She was all sharp angles and pointy nose, interesting to look at, but not beautiful. There was more variation in vampires than in ash. Vampires were turned from humans, so they still retained much of their human looks, just all smoothed out. Ash were actually grown from mutated sperm, so it was ingrained into their DNA. Therefore, they were sexier.

I didn’t like being surrounded or towered over, but in a room of three vampires I was not going to be able to fight myself out. Might as well do what they wanted. Lucas gave me a small smile, as if he’d heard my inner thoughts. I realized that the second vampire, the male with rows of black braids tightly woven to his head, was talking to me.

“…initial DNA test was inconclusive. Something must have tainted the sample, so we will need another one.”

“What do you have to do?” I asked, suspicious. Mom always said my college major should have been investigating, not marketing.

“Cheek swab, hair sample, and we will also need some blood. We need a detailed DNA sequence to find your ancestry and place you in the proper house of ten.”

I swallowed, but forced myself not to react. “Sure, poke away,” I finally said.

I wasn’t sure I quite believed their story, but I did not have a choice here. At no point had any of them asked my permission, so I knew this was part of the Hive protocol. Or maybe just for me because I was a special girl-ash.

The doctors were fast – benefits of the vampire virus. After swabbing my cheek and taking some hair, they pricked my finger. The moment my red blood beaded at the tip, the blond vampire inhaled deeply and hissed, her fangs extending.

An unusual scent slammed into me, and I realized it was my blood. What the hell was up with its potency? Shit, I almost wanted to bite myself. Lucas frowned and grabbed the woman’s arm. I scanned each one of them as their eyes pulsed silver, green, silver, green.

I quickly wiped my bleeding finger on the test strip and placed it in my mouth. An odd taste washed across my tongue, but my finger healed before I could really sense why it was strange. Lucas led the female out of the room, and returned alone. He was staring at me like I was a complicated chess game. What Jayden had said about the allure of my blood was true, even for vamps.

Mental note: Don’t. Bleed. Ever.

The male vampire with braids cleared his throat and bagged the specimen. “We will send across the results. Lucas, you’ll be able to plan your culling schedule and make sure she’s training in her specialty areas.”

Since my finger had already healed and the unique scent of my blood was gone, the vampire’s eyes were back to normal.

“I don’t have any specialties. You don’t need a DNA test to know that. Just watch me get my ass handed to me every day in training.”

Lucas smiled in one of those full, breathtaking, rows of pearly whites. My breathing stuttered a little. He was potent when he wanted to be. “If we know who your sire is, then we know what your specialty is. Each of the ten houses has a specialty. More specifically, each vampire Original had a specialty which they passed on in diluted versions to their descendants. There is much we can discover from your ancestry.”

Whoa. Interesting. The doctor left the room then, samples tucked into a lab bag. Lucas reached out and I took his hand, but still got to my feet without help. A part of me just wanted to hold his hand and see if he gave me the same tingles that Ryder could induce with just one of his famous stoic looks.

It was nice, no denying it, but not exactly the same. Staring into his silver eyes, I suddenly felt very brave. “Tell me what happened to the Originals,” I blurted out.

He sort of froze, his human façade, which vampires tried to maintain, disappearing altogether as some sort of feral predator rose in his eyes.

“Even though they escaped the early cullings, they were eventually wiped out by humans,” he said. “The blood of an Original is where the virus is strongest. It has been diluted down through the years, and now all that remains are the ten houses. We are very distant descendants.”

His tone was clipped, as if he were reciting the standard brochure on the Originals or something.

“I thought after those initial years things got better between vampires and humans, so why were they wiped out?” I had to ask.

Lucas pulled his hand from mine and started to walk toward the door. I didn’t think he was going to answer. He pressed down on the handle and clicked open the door.

But then he swiveled his head back around and gave me a pointed stare. “For a long time there was a lot of misinformation and fear. Even though the original vectors, the bats, were gone, the humans still feared getting the virus from a cough, a touch, anything. On top of that, newly changed vampires didn’t appreciate being weaker than the Originals. We believe a group of vampires coordinated an attack with an extremist group of humans. They came in the middle of the night and wiped out the entire Original lines.

My mouth fell open. Okay, yeah, I didn’t exactly love the bloodsuckers, but killing off the bunch of them in the night was akin to genocide. They had all been humans before the virus, and I knew that they still had many human traits even now.

“After this loss of leadership the Quorum was formed, and some semblance of order has remained ever since. Ryder is the closest ash or vampire in the Hive with a direct link to an Original.”

Whoa. My training instructor had just got that much more interesting.

“Again!” Ryder yelled as I pounded on the boxing mannequin.

I groaned. I was sweating bullets, my pinky was broken, and I was bored out of my mind. It had been three days of this shit and I was considering killing myself so I didn’t have to continue this insane regimen. Of course, soon I wouldn’t have to worry too much about killing myself. Someone else was sure to do it in the culling.

“I can’t,” I confessed. “It’s maddening. I need a change.” My muscles ached from the weightlifting session I’d had before training, but I couldn’t deny the definition forming in my arms and legs. Ash built muscle easily, and I was halfway home to a six-pack.

Ryder seemed to consider my words. He walked over and grabbed the mannequin, wheeling him to the far wall.

“Thank you, sweet baby Jesus!” I practically shouted. Finally this guy was listening to me.

Ryder planted himself opposite me, arms in front of his face. “Again.”

I stared into his gorgeous face and cracked a smile. “You want me to kick your ass?” Oh man I had been dreaming of this day. This good-looking, smug bastard had electrocuted me – I was totes never letting that go – had kicked my legs out from under me, and made me work my ass off all week. He deserved some payback.

He tilted his head to the side in that observe-me-like-a-lab-rat way of his. “You’re a little too happy about trying to hurt me.”

I rolled my eyes. He waved me closer. “You think you’ve done the five steps enough? Let’s see how you do with the real thing. I’m going to do basic blocks, but I will let you hit me. It’s important you get used to the feel and sound of skin hitting skin, and bones crunching under impact.”

My stomach rolled. Jesus this guy was a mercenary.

All of a sudden I didn’t want to hit him, or break any bones in that gorgeous face. If I didn’t have something pretty to look at every day, the Hive would be a real buzzkill. Sure, there were lots of pretty males here, but Ryder … well, he was Ryder.

He saw me falter, and the beginnings of a grin lifting one side of his lips. “You were such a pain in my ass your first few days here. It felt kinda good to zap you after you broke my ankle.”

Hah. I totally knew what he was doing. Bastard. It was working too.

Without warning, I threw the left jab. He blocked. I countered quickly with the right hook, which he let through to smash into his unprotected head. Shit. I was about to pull back, but I saw the glint in his eyes. He was daring me to continue, and he had barely flinched when I’d just hit him, so … I finished the sequence with a knee to the ribs and then crouched and swept my leg out to flip him onto his back. He jumped up just in time.

I stumbled back before shaking out my throbbing hand. His face was made of stone or something.

He appraised me. “Your frame is stronger, your blows harder – you still don’t quite have the feral push needed to kill, but that will come in the moment when you do literally fight for your life.”

I really didn’t want to think about that. I would probably throw up all over him or something.

“Again.” He put his hands out in front of him.

Dammit, why was he being so pushy with this shit? My frustrations regarding the direction my life had taken flooded through me. This was not the life I wanted. This was not the life I’d expected. I wasn’t even sure I would survive the next two weeks. I wanted to be stronger than I felt inside, I wanted to see Ryder in a position of weakness.

Instead of starting the sequence off correct, I pretended I was going to throw a left jab but instead went right for the leg sweep. Caught completely unaware, Ryder began to fall backward, then his hand snaked out and he grabbed my arm, pulling me with him. I landed on top of him as the breath whooshed out of both of us. Okay, dude was quick and I had totally not expected that to happen.

Conscious thought disappeared, and time stopped as I realized I was completely pressed against every inch of him. His hard muscles pushed into my softness and our eyes locked in a stare. So much silver flared to life in that one gaze. His eyes fell to my lips and I licked to wet them.

Before I could move though, the silver of his gaze darkened and his face turned cold. He rolled me off, jumping up to stand. “Pulling your old scrappy tricks,” he said. “Give me five laps.”

I blinked a few times, my daze wearing off in a blast of disbelief. What the hell was that? Was I crazy or had he been about to kiss me? For a split second I had wanted him to, so badly, but he clearly wasn’t interested and I clearly needed to expand my circle of friends. Hanging out only with a gay guy and this insanely sexy badass was messing with my head. Stockholm syndrome was in full effect. I jumped up and hit the ground running, burning off the sexual tension that had crept in between Ryder and I. How long had it been since I got laid? That had to be the problem. Sexual deprivation was driving me crazy. There was no other explanation.

Later that day I was on my way to the cafeteria to grab some human food when I found Lucas waiting off to the side of the double doors. As soon as he met my eyes, he flicked his head and motioned for me to follow him. He was all in white again. Did he have a problem with color or something? He was like a monochromatic painting. Perfect, but eerily white and shiny.

My muscles protested against any more running as I struggled to keep up with him. He quickly darted into an open door off of the hallway, and I followed him inside. On the other side was Ryder, Lucas, and an unfamiliar female vampire in a lab coat. She had a very short pixie haircut, her thick tresses an unusual silver color. Seriously, how many doctors and scientists did they have in the Hive?

“What the hell?” I said. Was this an ambush or something? Lucas shut the door behind me and motioned to the female.

“Everything is okay, Charlie, we just needed some privacy,” Lucas said to me. “Tell them what you told me,” he commanded, turning to the doctor.

She clutched at the few papers in her hands. “Well, sir, it’s really difficult to explain – the virus has so many variants.”

“Madeline,” Lucas said, bestowing one of his rarely seen glares on her. I noticed that Ryder’s expression was shuttered, hard to read. But still, I was sensing something in his black and silver eyes. Curiosity?

The doctor turned to me, her eyes fluttering and her expression sympathetic. “We ran the tests four times. The results keep coming back the same. Charlie appears to have been fathered by an Original. Her sire was the Original of the fourth house.”

My mouth dropped open. For the first time there was an emotional response from Ryder – his eyes flashed and the silver took over his black iris. He moved beside me as if to protect me from impending attack. “She’s twenty years old. The Originals died over two hundred years ago. It’s not possible! I am two generations removed from the Original line, and that’s the closest we know of.” Ryder growled.

The female’s expression hardened. “The science speaks differently. Her DNA is a direct branch of Carter Atwater of the fourth house.”

Why were Ryder’s brows drawn together like that? Not to mention his fists clenching? Was he scared? Ryder wasn’t scared of anything.

“And the other thing you told me?” Lucas pushed.

She nervously fiddled with the paper. “It’s just a theory, sir…”

Lucas’ current stare could have cut glass.

She hurried out the next part. “I’m not one hundred percent sure that Charlie is an ash.”

Okay, now I was even more confused. First she tells me I’m from a dead Original – sure, okay. I might buy that there was something weird going on there – Carter was the name my mom gave me for her rescuer after all. But now I also wasn’t an ash? What other option was there? I knew I wasn’t a vampire. I had been out in the sun and there was definitely black in my eyes. Was there a third option they hadn’t told me about?

Ryder shook his head. “What is she then?”

Okay, if Ryder didn’t know of a third option, then this woman was clearly a few blood bags short of a full load.

“She’s not human or vampire, I know that. To tell more I need more time and more blood.”

Lucas nodded. “I will provide you with whatever is needed, and you will testify to the Quorum tomorrow that she is a diluted descendant ash of the fourth house.”

The woman clenched her jaw. “And if I do this, you will let my family go?” For the first time, some of her timidity fled and her fangs flashed as she glared at Lucas.

He smiled. “We’ll see. Be a good girl.” He opened the door and she stormed out.

Wait, what the hell just happened? Ryder was looking at me like I was going to sprout a second head. Lucas had kidnapped her family to keep this information private? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I really wanted to demand he release the captives, but I didn’t have any pull with the powerful Quorum member. Poor Madeline … I would have to try and figure out something later.

I realized that Ryder had started talking again, his words short and clipped. “This changes everything,” he said to Lucas. “If she isn’t ash and if she’s a direct descendant, we can pull her from the culling. The Quorum will spare someone so special.”

Did Ryder just call me special? I raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t delude yourself! The Quorum would never let her live, for fear that she could overthrow them. You’re not old enough to remember the dark days. We keep her in the culling and tell no one of this revelation.”

Hey, I’m right here.

“Excuse me? What’s the fourth house all about?”

The white-clad vampire wasted no time turning to me. “When Carter Atwater was bitten by the bat infected with Anima Mortem virus, and transformed to a vampire, he manifested the power of levitation. As a direct descendant, you too should be able to utilize this power to some extent.”

Whoa. This was … what the actual fuck was going on here? Carter Atwater was my father and an Original. Was that why he’d been in hiding and told my mom that things were rough for him. How had he not died with the other Originals? And if my mother was right about our Christmastime money deposits, he was still alive now. Something told me I shouldn’t trust this knowledge to anyone. If they tried to kill him once, they would do it again.

Lucas met my eyes as if reading my train of thought. “Your mother didn’t say anything about still being in contact with Carter, did she?”

Lie, Charlie, lie your ass off. I huffed. “Yeah, right. She was shocked as hell about what I turned out to be. Said the guy screwed her and ran off.”

Lucas seemed like he wanted more of an answer. “You know there was a fire and Carter’s body was never actually recovered. You can tell me if he has contacted you. Some say he might still be alive.”

My eyes flicked to Ryder, who shook his head the tiniest bit.

I smiled at Lucas. “Trust me, if this dude was alive, I would have you drag his ass to the Hive so I could kick him in the nuts for ruining my life.”

Lucas smiled, but it didn’t quite reach those silver eyes. “Alright. Let’s keep this all under wraps. Keep training. Charlie, I’d like to have you over to my place for dinner tomorrow night.”

My eyebrows shot up as Ryder cleared his throat.

“I’d love to,” I said with a fake smile. I trusted Lucas, but only to a certain extent. Still, there was no reason to let him know that.

The next night I was summoned to the fiftieth floor. Jayden informed me that this level held the penthouses. Lucas lived the cushy life. I wondered what he’d been like as a human, before becoming vampire and all powerful Quorum member. Maybe I’d find out tonight.

Lucas opened the door and gestured for me to step inside. I crossed the threshold into his massive apartment, and wondered for a moment why the Quorum members would want their places up high with all that sunlight around. Made more sense for them to be in one of the twenty sub levels. Of course, the moment I ventured a little further into the room, my feet sinking into soft carpet, I understood exactly what the draw was. Floor to ceiling windows spanned the entire side of his apartment, and just like when I ran on the roof, the view was spectacular. He’d never see the sun rise across the city, but maybe the moonlight was enough for him. I guess it had to be enough.

Lucas’ place was very open-plan, each room seamlessly blending into the next. The furniture was expensive but simple, all creams and whites. Which was not a surprise considering his love for that trench coat. Which he wasn’t actually wearing right then, but still his slacks and button dress shirt were in shades of white.

“What happens when the sun rises?” I asked, taking in the wide expanse of windows which covered everything from the river to the edge of the Portland.

“The same shutters close over our floors.” He stood next to me, both of us at the window of his main living area. “I could have taken one of the basement suites, but I already mourn the loss of the sun. I don’t want to lose anything else.”

His words mirrored my own thoughts from before. That was the most personal revelation I’d heard from the reticent vampire. For the hundredth time I wondered why he had taken such an interest in me. It felt like more than the fact I was an ash-unicorn – something deeper.

“Come,” he finally said. “Dinner is almost ready and I don’t want it to get cold.”

I followed him through a few more impressive rooms, catching a glimpse of the massive stainless steel and marble-benched kitchen, before we ended up in a simply adorned medium sized room. It held not much more than an eight-seater dining table, which had two place settings made up on it. There was also an antique-looking hutch, which was oddly out of place in his very modern penthouse.

“That was my wife’s.” He must have noticed my interest – his words were so low I almost missed them, even with ash hearing. “She loved it, took her months to restore it, and I just couldn’t part with it … even after.”

My breathing went a little ragged, matching with his. The usually cool, calm, and collected male was leaking emotions all over the place. It was hard hearing that tone of loss, and I wondered what had happened to his wife. What had happened to him? How did he become a vampire?

As we took our seats across from each other, I hoped that I might have some answers tonight. The silence between us grew, but it didn’t really feel uncomfortable. I figured he must have someone cooking, because there was no way for him to be here and in the kitchen. Unless that was his superpower.

Nope. An ash male entered the room then, carrying a long tray which he placed gently into the center of the table. He proceeded to lift the very heavy looking silver-inlaid cover, and beneath was a veritable feast.

I sucked in deeply, the scents of seafood and pasta wafting toward me. My stomach roared to life and I had to restrain myself from actually launching across to fill my mouth with that goodness.

Lucas chuckled. “I do so miss that love for food. I pretty much just have blood now.”

I knew vampires could still eat food, but they didn’t need to, and they didn’t particularly enjoy it. Another ash entered then, and in his hands was a bottle of red wine. He showed the label to Lucas and the vampire nodded. The ash popped the cork with a whoosh of release, and the wine was allowed to breathe. Lucas filled both of our glasses; the scent hit me immediately. It was all red grapes, sweet apples, oak barrels and … blood. I straightened. Holy shit. They had alcohol with blood in it? Why the hell hadn’t I known this before now?

He talked as he poured. “This is a special blend that my company is manufacturing. It’s new to the market. I was hoping we could be the testers tonight.” The silver in his eyes flashed at me as he lifted his head and lowered the bottle to the table again.

I was intrigued. Lucas not only was a Quorum member, which was a fulltime job on its own, he also had a company that made cool things. Like blood alcohol. I reached for my glass, the wine swishing against the sides a little as I brought it closer to my face. My eyelids fluttered closed as the deeper tones of the scent hit me. I allowed myself moments to breathe it in. Blood had such a tantalizing smell for me now, that copper filled with spice and heat and life. Team that with rich grapes, the juicy sweetness of red apples, and aged wine and, well, shit, I was pretty sure Lucas had a winner here.

The first sip was a blast of flavor. Every single one of my taste buds jumped to attention and started screaming for more.

“What do you think?” My eyelids flew open to find Lucas watching me closely.

“Un-freaking-believable.” I almost moaned as I took another small sip. “I’ll take ten bottles.”

He laughed, flashing all those white teeth, the slightest tip of fang visible. “You survive the culling and you can have ten crates.”

Incentive enough for me.

The rest of dinner was relaxed. Lucas chatted to me about the general life and rules of the Hive while I devoured basically everything that wasn’t tied down. We finished the first bottle of blood merlot before opening a second. This one was less fruity, and spicier, but equally delicious. It was even giving me a little buzz and I wondered if maybe the blood worked with the alcohol to give more impact to vampires and ash.

“So tell me about your life before you were a vampire. How did you get infected?”

As my artlessly worded questions left my mouth, the animation fell from Lucas’ face and I realized that I might have pressed on a sore spot for him. The conversation before had been light and impersonal, and I’d just gone straight for personal. I opened my mouth to apologize and change the subject, but then he started to talk.

“I was infected in the late 1800s – I’m not even sure of the exact date any longer. Back then the bats had been culled, but the Originals had started to mass a decent number in their clans. But they weren’t always successful at keeping control. Newly turned vampires were driven to attack, like a bad case of rabies that can never be cured.” He swirled the liquid in his glass; my eyes remained locked on him. “I was a farmer, just a simple farmer. We grew wheat. My wife, Regina, she would stay at home and raise our two sons while I worked from daylight to dusk. It was a hard life, but it was perfect.”

God, this was harder to hear than I expected, especially considering it had been a very long time ago. But I could tell that for Lucas it was not long at all.

“One night I was out with the plow. There had been storms that season and it was imperative I finished the field that night. Generally, we did not stay out after dark. Everyone was aware of the problem sweeping the human race, and caution after dark was always advised.” He broke off then, ghosts of the past swirling in those captivating eyes.

“You were bitten?” I prompted.

He nodded a few times, his motions jagged. “Yes, a female, she came out of nowhere, attacking me. I managed to fight her off and in the struggle my horse took off dragging the plow over her, removing the head and covering my bite marks with her blood, infecting me. That was the only reason I survived. Well, sort of. I knew that everything I loved and worked so hard to provide for was gone. I could never go home to my family, I would kill them when the change happened and the bloodlust hit. So I ran. I ran for the city, to the humans who locked me and others like me away like science experiments. Luckily, technology was pretty sparse back then, so after I grew strong enough to control myself, I escaped and finally ended up in the Hive of those days, which was secreted away from humans.”

“You never saw your family again?” I asked breathlessly.

He dropped the wine glass onto the table. A few drops spilled, marring the brilliant white of his tablecloth. “I did visit them one time, just to make sure they were doing okay. The farmhouse was empty, deserted, and it had clearly been looted.” The depth of his anguish and anger filled his low tones. “I should have known that they’d be targeted, a single woman with two small children. I basically signed their death warrants when I deserted them.”

Either way, his family had been doomed.

“I salvaged her hutch and a few other pieces before burning the house to the ground. I never found my wife or sons. I still do not know what happened to them, and it haunts my every single waking moment.”

Gods, and I thought my story was horrible. I at least still had seen my mom and Tessa.

“That’s why you allowed Mom to come and see me.”

Lucas swallowed, his movements exaggerated as he worked to control his emotions. “You actually remind me a little of my wife. She was as tough and beautiful as you are. I … I knew you wanted to have a final goodbye with your mother, and it was within my power to grant that.”

I reminded him of his wife – it was all starting to make sense now. Lucas was a good guy, a good guy who’d had plenty of horrible things happen. Even now, with the cold ache of the vampire virus filling his veins, he was still being a good guy.

I reached across the table and took his free hand. “Thank you. I will never forget everything you’ve done for me.”

He returned my squeeze once before letting go. “Do not die in the culling, Charlie. I will be very unhappy, and I’d hate to have to start hurting the ash who hurt you.”

He would do it too. I could see it in his eyes. He was not happy about me going into this battle. But tradition was tradition, and not even a Quorum member could save me now. I was going to have to save myself.