We followed the alley we’d been in that first night, where Vale had killed Desiree. It ran along the back of the buildings on that block, from end to end, and the club was in the center of the row.

It was such a wide building that there were three doors leading inside.

“It was probably three separate buildings at one point, and the owner had the walls removed to create one large space,” Vale murmured as we crouched behind a dumpster, watching.

“That doesn’t help. What happens if we choose the wrong door?”

“You sound like you expect me to know the answer to that. You’re the one this is so important to, not me.”

The last thing I needed was his sarcasm.

It was bad enough I couldn’t make sense of the war going on in my head, between the constant driving desire for blood and the rage that was always just under the surface of my thoughts.

It wasn’t Vale’s fault I was the way I was. Not really. It was Bradley’s fault. More and more of the attack was coming back to me, usually when I wasn’t thinking about it.

Peeing down my leg. The way he had laughed as he took me by the back of the neck and smashed my face into the wall. The sharp, mind-numbing burst of pain starting from my nose and radiating through my head. Not being able to see through the blood running in my eyes. His hands on me once he tore my dress, his claws digging and scratching.

And still, he had laughed.

Even when he stomped on my chest, he had laughed. Brutally, nastily. He had loved it.

It was after four in the morning as we waited to go inside through one of the back doors. The club would be closed, and the stupid, clueless patrons would have left.

Amazing how little time it took for me to start thinking the way Vale did about the humans who spent time there. How could they not see what was really happening? It was nothing more than a way to attract fresh blood to feed on.

I ran the back of my hand over my mouth at the thought of blood.

“You all right?” He was watching me, always watching, waiting for a signal that I was about to go over the edge.

I gritted my teeth and reminded myself it was for the best.

“Yes. I’m fine. Just… ready to do this.” I chose one of the doors at random. “That one. On the right.”

I was out from behind the dumpster and on my way before he had the chance to register what I’d said.

The door was locked, but that didn’t matter to me. I nearly ripped it off the hinges.

“Easy, now,” Vale muttered as he closed it behind us. “No need to sound an alarm to warn them in advance.”

“I know, I know.” I didn’t care if they knew. I almost wanted them to. I was jonesing for a fight. I knew I could take on all comers and only needed the chance to prove myself.

We were in the liquor storage room, surrounded on all sides by shelves stocked deep with bottles of everything from vodka to mixers.

We stepped out into a dark, narrow hallway—I could see the fully-lit dance floor to my right, at the far end, and stepped back into the doorway.

“Club,” I mouthed, pointing to the right.

I poked my head out and looked left. There was a stairway leading down to a lower level. I took off for it and heard Vale muttering curses behind me. I didn’t care about anything but getting to Bradley.

What I saw when I reached the bottom of that rusted, decaying staircase floored me.

“Holy shit,” Vale whispered, squeezing my arm.

I didn’t reply. I was too busy counting the coffins which lined the walls on all sides of the wide, deep basement.

Actual coffins.

They took their vampirism seriously.

I lost count after a little while—it was too dark, too difficult to make one coffin out from another once the shadows thickened.

It didn’t matter, anyway.

We didn’t have the time.

Where was Bradley? That was all I cared about. How would we ever know?

I walked quickly, quietly, examining the coffins. Which was his?

I looked at Vale, who shrugged.

I turned to the coffin in front of me. Well, I had to start somewhere.

I flipped open the lid to reveal a sleeping girl. Probably my age when she was turned, whenever that was. Blonde hair. Perfect face and body. Gorgeous. Probably great at reeling men in.

All this went through my head in a split second before her eyes opened and she screeched, claws extended, reaching for me.

That was when all hell broke loose.

Lids flew open in all directions, and the sound of howling filled the room.

This was a mistake. A big mistake.

I gaped in horror as I backed away from the blonde and looked around at the chaos.

“Great move!” Vale shouted over the screeching, stepping in front of me to shield me from them.

I was still looking for Bradley. Where was he?

In the one coffin whose lid hadn’t opened. I flew to it and pried it open—he had it locked from the inside, but he hadn’t counted on a newly-turned’s strength.

There he was, waiting, eyes already open and staring into mine. “You.”

“Me.” I reached in and closed my hands around the collar of his shirt, hauling him out and throwing him across the room with one smooth movement.

That was power.

I was strong, invincible, unstoppable. I was at his side as soon as he hit the floor and I picked him up again as he roared in surprise and rage.

This time, I threw him into the group of vampires charging at Vale. They fell like bowling pins.

“Hurry!” Vale yelled, claws out and slashing the air as one after another came at him and he cut them down.

I charged through the crowd, throwing bodies aside on my quest to get to my prize.

He got to all fours and shook his head like he was clearing the cobwebs.

I reached him before he got to his feet.

Our eyes met for just the length of time it took to blink.

I remembered his sneering face, the laughter as he brutalized me.

I remembered other things, too. Every time a man had made me feel small by harassing me. My boss at the office, that slimy bastard, feeling me up. He wasn’t just Bradley. He was all of them.

And he knew I was about to kill him.

I planted a solid kick to his chin that tore his head clean off his neck.

It stunned even me, and I was the one who did it.

His head bounced off the floor, then rolled until it reached a wall and came to a stop.

Just like that, dozens of bodies fell like puppets whose masters had let go of the strings. Dead. The room went silent.

“Holy… shit…” Vale panted like an exhausted animal.

He had taken down at least a dozen vampires with his two hands and was covered in blood all over again.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t quicker,” I said, going to him. “Are you all right?”

“Fine. Never better. You?”

I looked over at where Bradley’s body had fallen. He was nothing. Just a memory.

“Yes. I’m fine. Let’s get out of here.” We used our speed to race up the stairs and through the storage room—there was chaos in the club section, probably because the few humans or vampires not related to Bradley had just witnessed others die on the spot as they cleaned the place up.

We burst through the back door hand-in-hand.

I was elated, over the moon, ready to get on with the rest of my life.

And if that meant spending eternity with Vale, that would be just fine. We would find our way together. If we could take down a basement full of vampires, we could do anything.

That was when I saw who waited for us out there in the alley.

Four tall, beautiful women in flowing robes. One of whom looked just like me—or, rather, what I had looked like before Vale turned me.

He gasped before his hand squeezed mine in a crushing vice. “Isobel?”