Albert Manlii has walked this earth for more than two thousand years, but survival on his own was never easy. Now he leads a faction of highly organized vampires who carefully guard the secret of their existence. Unlike the old days, potential recruits are carefully selected and presented with an offer.<br><br>Phillip Brewer has weeks to live -- if he lets his disease run its course. He doesn’t want to die, but given a choice, will his desire to live outweigh his concerns about the vampires’ ethics?<br><br>When the new recruit’s missteps are cause for concern, can Albert control the fallout, or will Phillip’s life once again be torn apart?

The Recruit

The blossoms on the trees had thinned out, dispersing in the wind, a fitting metaphor for his life and…the ashes that would soon be all that remained of his body. Except the trees remained beautiful and vibrant as green filled in where the white and pink had been, and he was…not.


No. He shook the melancholy thought from his mind. This walk would notbe about doom and gloom. He wanted his final hours to be peaceful, and while some sadness was inevitable, despair needn’t be.


A woman with glasses sat on a bench reading a book, her legs outstretched and crossed at the ankles. She was the picture of relaxation as she flipped a page. She glanced up with a brief quirk at the corners of her lips and nodded as Phillip passed by. Phillip returned the nod. It didn’t take any effort to do so, after all. Typically, a benevolent gesture from a stranger would boost his mood, but not today. A polite return token was as good as it was going to get.


Chapter 6