I was barely listening at first, still caught up in the comfort of the reunion, still breathing in the safety of the Mira home, when Dante's words cut through the haze.
"There was a vampire," he said, his voice tight, almost wary. "Covered in blood. Not one of ours. He moved like something ancient."
The air seemed to vanish from the room, sucked out by the weight of what he had just said. My heart gave a hard, painful thud against my ribs, and before I could stop it, a flood of memories surged up from the depths where I had buried them long ago. A figure cloaked in black. Blood dripped from his hands. Eyes like molten silver. The cold, amused smile that promised ruin.
Asa.
The name thundered in my mind, and for a moment, I wasn't standing in the Mira home anymore. I was a child again, hidden behind my mother's skirts, peeking out in terror as the ancient vampire from the Marcel bloodline passed through our lands like a walking nightmare.
