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Chapter 1

Meredith desperately struggled against thetable She closed her eyes, straining her h her, but the restraints wouldn’t budge

"Please," she begged, hot tears running down her cheeks

Jack ignored her pleas, focusing intently on her neck as he slowly slid a hypodermic needle beneath her skin

"Aler Meredith’s neck was too numb to feel the needle, but the injection burned as it spread through her veins She gasped and tried once more to rip her arm away from her captor

Jack’s eyes were on hers as she writhed The saht of him as a mentor, as one of the best hunters she’d ever met Before she knew Jack was a vampire Before he hadher

"I don’t want to be a va Her eyes blurred with tears Meredith thought of Cristian, the vaenerations of her family whose life mission had been to destroy the supernatural race She couldn’t becoh

A brief s "It’s done"

Meredith ached everywhere She began to shake her head slowly, back and forth, as her breath caed, anxious spurts "I’ll kill rinned more widely "Go ahead and try," he said "I’ve perfected the treatments We’re unkillable"

With a fresh flare of panic, Meredith again slaainst the restraints The heavy, nu, and metal bit sharply into her wrists In a burst of effort, she snapped thetable and, still shaky on her feet, hit the floor hard

On her hands and knees, she scrabbled for the door, expecting Jack to hoist her back onto the table at any moment But Jack didn’t led She could hear herself breathing, a harsh, desperate panting, as she pulled herself across the floor She just needed to get out

Sheonto the knob

"You’ll be back," Jack said, his voice an eerie calh and ran as fast as she could, stu and fluorescent-lit, the floors dark gray tile like those of a hospital or a school She listened for Jack’s footsteps in the hall behind her, but there was only his laughter, bubbling maniacally, from the rooain "You won’t be able to help it"

Not letting herself think of anything but escape, Meredith looked around frantically Double doors at the end of the hall led toward a stairway, and she pushed through, her feet slapping at the concrete stairs, heading down and--she hoped--out

The stairs seeh another set of double doors and onto the sidewalk She paused for a azed around Office buildings stretched behind her She had no idea where she was It was still dark out, but the sky was beginning to lighten toward gray

Everything in her was screa in panic What if Jack’s fierce, invulnerable vaainst the cold brick wall of the building behind her, trying to conceal herself in the darkness, and looked around cautiously No one

She sucked in a deep breath, trying to cal at rando the tension out of her body She was steadier on her feet now, her ar as the nuht To her left, Meredith heard the sound of cars racing past on a highway She headed in that direction, ready to find her way ho as Meredith opened the door to her apart her keys on the table I’ht now, she told herself Jack had said she was a vampire, but Meredith didn’t feel any different Maybe the treatlanced around her fa to co seely ordinary Her law books were lined up on the shelf across fro picture stood on top of her bureau Without even bothering to take off her clothes, Meredith pulled back the cool sheets and slipped into bed Next to her, Alaricin his sleep and burrowed deeper into the pillows

She was safe Everything was terrible: Stefan was dead, Jack was a vampire, but the worst hadn’t happened I’er across her teeth Normal No extra-sharp canines Her hands ar at a quick, huht off whatever Jack had tried to do

She shifted closer to Alaric, then frowned There was soers closed around a thin cardboard rectangle A business card Meredith squinted as she pulled it out and held it up to catch the diht Printed on the card was an infinity symbol in black type and a company name: Lifetime Solutions Below that, handwritten in black ink, a phone nurily She tightened her fingers around the card, cru it into the drawer of her bedside table She didn’t ever want to see Jack again

According to her clock, it wasn’t even five AM yet Meredith took another deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to relax into sleep, trying to forget Jack’s face as he slid the final needle into her arm

Her bed was soft, and the sheets sent There was another shtlyto identify it

Gradually, she becaular rushing that re beneath the steady sound of the surf Breathing in time with the sounds, Meredith sank deeper into ales of her attention, though, sharpening her appetite Without conscious intent, she licked her lips That salty,about it more delicious than the roasted chicken her mother made, sweeter than fresh-baked apple pie So familiar, somehow, and yet she couldn’t quite place it

Meredith’ssuddenly shifted in her jaw In surprise, her hands flew to her ain Tentatively, she touched her lips They were so sensitive, she winced at the pain-pleasure when her careful fingers ain

Her canines were long and sharp Fangs

The rushing, thudding sound, the s else--copper--was al With each thud, her stomach ached and her teeth ached

It was Alaric She was hearing Alaric’s heart beating She was s Alaric’s blood