Never in a trillion years did Rena think vampires existed...or that she has enemies among them.
When Rena Vesten heads to her first day of senior year she hopes for something incredible to happen. But she doesn't expect the dark-haired, blue-eyed man of her dreams-literally-to suddenly appear as the new student at school. The gorgeous mystery guy, Cryder, has more secrets than his inexplicable presence in her dreams.
Soon Rena's world takes a turn into the supernatural when she finds out Cryder is a vampire king with a deadly rebellion on his hands, and a destiny irrevocably linked to Rena's...
...'till death to them part.
The Prologue
My mind was the first thing to wake and never in my life had I been so afraid. I was awake, or at least I thought I was, so why did every part of me feel so strange, so disconnected? I tried to move but all my limbs were unresponsive. My toes wouldn’t wiggle; my legs wouldn’t shift; my head wouldn’t turn. I was lost in my mind—trapped within my own body.
I stupidly cried out for help, as if there were someone in my consciousness who could hear and save me. As if I wasn’t completely alone. Over and over again, I screamed, but when no one answered, I forced myself to calm down and push the fear that threatened to drown me to a tolerable level. Think. What was happening to me? I was awake. I had to be awake because I was thinking coherent thoughts and then it finally dawned upon me: sleep paralysis. I remembered looking into the subject after Cecile had mentioned it one day, and it was the most logical answer. I was awake and aware, but I couldn’t physically move, and the only way to remedy sleep paralysis was, much to my dismay, to wait. It felt like an eternity as I waited anxiously with my thoughts, but sure enough, my senses slowly began to return. It started off with a dull and insistent ringing in my ears—annoying under usual circumstances, but right now a relief. Then, I could feel. My fingers twitched against a soft but unfamiliar material underneath my hands, followed by my forehead. I immediately tried to open my eyes. They felt like heavy curtains; however, my persistence paid off, and the tiny muscles around my eyes finally engaged in lifting them. I could’ve laughed, I was so happy for this freedom. But then my awareness shifted to a deep ache lurking somewhere inside my body, and it hit me: something was wrong. My eyes finally fluttered open, and darkness greeted me like an old friend. For a moment, I stared dumbly at it, not understanding why I had woken up to darkness again panic I’d managed to push down earlier rose within me like the tide. What’s wrong with me? Where am I? With my sight taken away, my other senses were heightened, and they focused on whatever stimulant they could get, which so happened to be the ringing in my ears. It grew louder and louder like a busy hive of bees and only when I finally started to think that it was annoying did I notice another sound. |
A faint beeping disturbed the monotonous ringing, and my attention latched on to it. The sound was steady and louder in one ear than the other, so I instinctively turned towards it, with some difficulty. My neck felt stiff as I rolled my head heavily towards the noise, and, much to my relief, saw the blurry outline of a small green light. I wasn’t blind. I squinted at the tiny orb, trying to figure out what it was, but my eyes were slow to adjust, and I eventually settled on just listening to the beeping. It was steady and reassuring, a reminder that I was alive.
But then I realized it was my heartbeat I was listening to, and like a freight train, reality hit me. My breath hitched as a deep and painful ache flared through my body like wildfire, and I clutched at the soft sheets underneath my hands. I wanted to scream, but my mouth was so dry that my tongue stuck to the roof. I ground my teeth tightly together and fought to control my sudden pain. Once I managed to, I sucked in a breath and registered the scent of latex and harsh cleaning chemicals, which overwhelmed me and made my stomach lurch. I forced myself to keep breathing the nauseating scent in, not wanting to pass out and become trapped in my mind again. When my pain was more manageable, I tried to sit up. But a sharp twinge of pain shot up my arm, and I immediately plopped back down onto my back. Lifting my arm, I blindly groped the crook of my elbow, where what felt like wires were taped to my skin. I tugged at them experimentally and winced when they refused to budge, then slid my hand farther down my arm. I fumbled with my other hand and felt a clip on my finger that had to be the heart monitor. Hospital. I’m in a hospital. But why? How did I end up here? I couldn’t remember anything. “M-mom?” I croaked dryly, my voice so low and scratchy that I wasn’t sure anyone would be able to hear me, even if there was someone nearby. No answer. “Mom?” I tried again. When there was still only silence, panic seized me again. I can’t breathe. I tugged at the flimsy gown I wore; it was choking me. My mind barely registered the way the heart monitor’s beeping increased, but what my mind did register in vivid detail was the door opening and the room suddenly flooding with light. It burned my eyes, and I cried out in a mixture of fear and pain, raising my arms to block it. |
“Shhh, shhh...” A soft voice cooed urgently at me, and I felt hands rubbing my arm and shoulder. “It’s going to be alright, sweetie. You’re safe. You’re at the hospital, and we’re going to take care of you.”
I peeked through my arms at the woman suddenly at my side, and my eyes were instantly drawn to the pink polka dot scrubs she wore – a nurse. I allowed her to settle me back into bed and watched as she adjusted a knob on one of the machines connected to my arm. When she started to move away, I quickly reached out and snatched her by the hand. “Where’s my mom? Please, I want my mom.” Her hand tightened around mine, and she took a moment to tuck a lock of curly dark hair behind her ear before her warm brown eyes looked into mine. “It’s going to be alright, sweetie.” she repeated. “The doctor will be in soon, and he’ll be able to explain everything to you.” I shook my head, not satisfied by her answer, “Please! Tell me now! Can you tell me anything? I don’t even know why I’m here!” The nurse pursed her lips and looked at me hesitantly. It was obvious that she was conflicted and wanted to help me. “You were in an accident… A few scrapes and bruises, you were very lucky. You’ve been here since then, asleep. We put in a saline drip to make sure you didn’t dehydrate. Everything else will have to come from the doctor.” She paused, looking down at me. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.” I stared at her, trying to remember the accident, but I came up blank. I looked away from the nurse and gnawed anxiously at my bottom lip. “My parents…?” I unintentionally whimpered as my lips quivered. Hot tears slipped from my eyes and slid down my cheeks. “Can you tell me anything about my parents? A-are they okay?” The nurse’s hold on my hand tightened, and she refused to meet my eyes. Her lips parted for a moment, and then she closed them again. When the words finally escaped her, the low, solemn tone she spoke in answered my question even though her words didn’t. “Let me go get the doctor now. I’m not allowed to say anything else. I’m so sorry.” With that, she walked out of the room. The door closed behind her with a quiet click, leaving me alone with thoughts of denial running wild in my mind. She’s wrong…nothing happened…everything’s fine… But a dam inside me had broken, and tears flowed from my eyes like a rushing river. When the doctor walked in, I tried to compose myself and be brave. I rubbed my eyes vigorously, trying to wipe the tears away, but they wouldn’t stop. The concerned looks on the nurse’s and doctor’s face reaffirmed what I had concluded, and I tried to listen to what he had to say, but the world around me had become a disembodied blur. I had lost everything. I had lost everyone. How I had survived the accident was beyond me, and I should have been thankful that I was still alive, but I wasn’t. I was only grateful that I wasn’t awake to see my parents die. |