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Chapter One

He’d alondered what it would be like to give in to the call of the darkness To stop caring about as right and wrong

As Ben Prescott stared into the terror-filled eyes of his prey, he s to hurt,” Ben warned

The rasp whimpered

“But then, you’ve hurt plenty of people, haven’t you, Miles? That’s why I chose you” The snow fell lightly down on Ben as he held his prey pinned to the brick wall of the alley “If anyone deserves some pain, I think it’s you”

“Pl-please, buddy,” Miles Gavin begged as he fought futilely to escape Ben’s hold “Just let o, just let me—”

Ben bared his fangs

Miles stopped begging then—and fighting The terror in his gaze doubled as shock seemed to hold Miles still

Yes, that was the usual reaction of Ben’s prey

Ben shook his head “You thought that you were the monster people needed to fear” Miles had taken plenty of victi women Women that he abused and hu” Ben drove his fangs into his prey’s throat The blood flowed over his tongue, hot and powerful Miles still wasn’t fighting hith could have stopped Ben

“Let hi, and far too close

Ben lifted his head His prey sank to the ground Still alive, but only barely

A siren screamed in the distance

“The cops are coet out of here before they find you”

“I’m not finished with him yet…” Miles still breathed, so Ben’s asn’t done

“You truly want to kill him? Come on, death is too easy…”

Ben wouldn’t kno easy death was He’d only been dead for about two ain “Who the fk are you?” Ben snarled

It was night, Ben’s preferred hunting time, but his vision was perfect He could see better than any cat in the darkness That enhanced vision was a little perk of his undead condition

The voice had come from the mouth of the alley, but shadows hid the speaker The shadoere unnatural, though, a trick of h them

“I’uely familiar “You should probably say thanks now, and, you can also wipe the blood from your chin”

Ben swiped the blood from his chin, and then he leapt toward those shadows He wasn’t afraid ofor anyone When you were a vampire, you didn’t have the luxury of fear

You had the thirst for blood