Prologue

I made a mistake.

A big mistake.

My life is far from glamorous. In fact, it's pretty shitty. I'm a piss poor, 21-year-old girl who lost my mother and lives with my drunk of a father. Seeing as my dad is almost always drunk, we haven't had a conversation in nearly 2 years. I don't mind it though, because I love at least having him around. Even if we can't speak intellectually, I can take the jumbled conversations.

As far as my brother Wyatt goes, he's far too busy being a big famous voice actor to put up with me. Don't even ask when's the last time we've even seen each other.

Even with this shit of a lifestyle, I wouldn't have traded it for the world. While not happy with my situation, I'm content. It's easy to not face any form of disappointment when your life is a giant disappointment. There's no room for sadness or stress because they're emotions that you have no choice but to be used to.

But like I said, I made a mistake.

Everyone knows how bad it is to be out at night during a full moon. Ever since the existence of vampires- yes vampires- came to light, we normal people were warned. We coexist with these creatures of the night. We attend the same schools, work the same jobs, and cohabitate amongst each other in peace. Except on full moons. Vampires can be quite unpredictable during full moons, and we almost always see a surge in vampire kind at the passing of each. The full moon has adverse effects for each vampire. The thirst for blood becomes stronger for some. For others, they just get really really really horny and end up making either half-breed vampires with humans they've stumbled upon or full breeds with their vampire companion. Then there are the rare ones who feel the need to do both, and relieve their horniness by changing the next unsuspecting human into a vampire. No matter how it goes the full moon is dangerous.

And I got stuck outside during one. That night I was drawn into a world that changed mine for better and worse. This is the story of my emotional rollercoaster.

___

I look up at the sound of my boss's keys jingling. She exits her office quickly, "Thank you so much for closing me out today! I would never have asked but my son missed his bus and I can't let him walk. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

I nodded. Normally, Ms. Harris would be the one to count down all the registers but her son comes first, so I have no problem doing it for her. It's still relatively early so if I hurry I'll make it home before it gets too late.

"Don't worry about it. It's not like today was busy so I'll get the deposit ready for tomorrow and go straight home." I smile at her and go back to counting my quarters.

Ms. Harris' boutique is a great job. It pays well enough for me to pay rent and buy food. The flexibility is also great because I can finish university too.

Ms. Harris smiles gratefully, "I promise you'll get a great bonus. It's a full moon so be careful on your way and stay on the busy streets. I'll see you tomorrow!"

Once she's out the door I quickly lock it. The first two registers give me no problems but the third register decides that it's going to be a little shit today. After crashing twice I'm finally able to close it down and close the store. I check my watch and sigh. It's close to 9 pm now.

"I could just sleep on the mattress in the back." My mind wanders to my dad and I groan. If I stay here he won't eat. I sigh and grab my backpack. If I move quickly I can make it, hopefully.

I lock the store and start my short trip home. The occasional scream makes me jump and I pick up my pace. I can see silhouettes of people running around as well as the blur of blue and red police lights, and I feel somewhat better. At least with the police out, I feel safer.

As I get closer to my street I can hear footsteps behind me. I glance over my shoulder, but there's no one there and I shiver. My house is in view now, and the faster I move the closer the footsteps grow.

Thankfully, my dad is always too drunk to lock the door when he gets inside, and I break into a sprint. I slam the front door and the thud from the other side makes me scream. Whoever was chasing me ran into my door. I peek through the curtain to see if I can get a glimpse, but I only meet bright red orbs and a small smirk.

Its nails (I call it 'it' because it's hard to make out their sex) tap lightly against my window before it's gone, and I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Shit."

I go around and lock the other doors and windows on the lower floor, the window in the basement, and then finally the windows on the second floor where my room is.

My dad is in his room passed out in his bed. I yank the blanket from beneath his heavier body. So much for making sure he's fed. I drape his blanket over him then I'm back in my room.

My phone vibrates and I pick it up. It's my best friend Carly who's texted me.

Hey, did you make it home from work okay? -C

Yeah. One almost got me though. If I wasn't for my remarkable speed I'd have been done for -A

Carly sends me back two laughing emojis and texts me a picture of a vampire sitting on her front porch. As far as I can tell he shows up at her house every full moon, and she's found herself not scared of them anymore. In her words, she thought he was cute.

Carly and I had been friends since before my mom passed and my dad started drinking. She didn't see me any differently thankfully, and I can't help but love her for that.

Goodnight, stay safe! -C

I toss my phone aside after replying and go to take a shower. Afterward, I climb into bed. There's no point in staying awake. It's easier to just sleep through the full moon chaos.

***

It has to be about 3 am when I wake up again. There's an outrageous pressure on my stomach, and as the sleep slowly fades away I can tell it's the body of a person.

I open my mouth to scream but it places a hand over my mouth.

"Don't...that's loud." The male voice is more surprising than the red eyes that stare down at me. He reaches for the lamp by my bedside and pulls the string, bringing a sliver of light into my dark room. It's easier to make out his appearance in the light. He has a lean yet muscular body shape, surprisingly tan skin, a mess of brown curly hair that reaches his ears, and a strong chiseled jawline. For a vampire, he looks oddly human, until he smiles and I see the fangs. For the first time in my life, despite the threats of homelessness, loneliness, and death...I'm scared.

"I thought I was wrong but the closer I got I could tell what was drawing me to you." He buries his face in my neck and takes a deep inhale, "You smell like roses."

I whimper. Well, this is a crappy way for my life to end. I doubt he broke into my house to drink and run.

His hand lifts from my mouth slowly, as if he's expecting me to say something about my unfortunate situation, but the only thing I can manage is, "How did you get in?"

He lets out a low laugh and sits up. He probably has no fear of me running since he has the full weight of his body planted on top of me. It's almost hard to breathe. "While you were busy making sure the downstairs was secure, I was following your scent to your room. Getting in was easy, staying hidden was hard."

"Why didn't you kill me earlier then?"

His thumb traces over my bottom lip, "I don't think I want to kill you. I think I have other plans for you. Unfortunately, none of those plans involve you being human."

His fingers grip my chin and he forces my head to the side. The second his teeth break my skin, my world goes black.