Chapter 1
667words
Manhattan's lights sparkled like stars as my fingers flew across the keyboard. Ancient code bloomed on my screen, digital puzzles I'd spent centuries learning to solve.
"Three hundred years teaches patience," I murmured. "The digital age is just another era I've witnessed."
Three centuries of existence. Renaissance artist to cybersecurity expert. Always alone. Always moving. Never connecting.
My phone buzzed. Sentinel Cybersecurity. Urgent.
Minutes later, I strode through glass doors into a high-security conference room. Council members—the secret governing body of supernatural beings—waited anxiously.
"Ms. Knight, thank you—" Councilman Richards began.
The screens flickered. Static. Then horror: a marked vampire writhing in agony, eyes blackening, skin cracking like paper before disintegrating.
Text appeared: "You're next, Isabella Knight. The Book of Ancient Blood has been unsealed."
Chaos erupted. I remained still, mind racing, tracing the signal.
"Three marked vampires dead in a month," Richards whispered. "You're fourth."
I was already moving. "I'll find who's behind this."
Back home, I sensed it immediately. My security system—unbreached for decades—compromised. Pine and cedar scent filled the air.
Werewolf. Alpha.
"Three hundred years, and no one breaches my systems," I said, extending my senses into the darkness. "Who are you?"
A tall figure emerged. Tailored suit, broad shoulders, amber eyes with gold flecks betraying his true nature. Primal. Dangerous.
"Alexander Grey. The Council sent me to protect you." His voice was deep, controlled. "Three marked vampires dead in a month."
I laughed coldly. "I don't need protection, especially from a werewolf. I've survived three centuries not by luck."
He tossed an ancient USB drive onto my desk. "The Book of Ancient Blood has been digitized and stolen. Your name is on the death list." He stepped closer. "And your creator has returned."
My face revealed nothing, but my mind raced. "Victor is dead. I watched him burn in London, 1897."
Alexander shook his head. "Death is rarely permanent for creatures like us."
I examined the USB's contents—ancient prophecy texts with my name embedded in the code. My security system triggered again.
"They've found you," Alexander said.
Glass shattered. Three figures burst in with weapons combining high-tech and ancient magic.
Alexander moved with shocking speed. I calculated, assessed. Then one attacker drove a silver blade into his neck.
I froze. A memory flashed—1940, the last time I saved someone. Victor killed them as punishment.
The attackers regrouped. Alexander lay bleeding, silver poisoning his system. Seconds to decide.
Let him die. Or save him and risk everything.
I bit my wrist and pressed it to his lips. The moment my blood touched him, the world stopped.
Three hundred years, and I've never shared my blood. This intimacy is deeper than any physical touch for a vampire. Suddenly, I feel him—not just pain and shock, but duty, protectiveness, emotional warmth I've almost forgotten. Not marking, not control, but a connection I've never experienced. It courses through me like electricity, shattering centuries of solitude.
His eyes flew open, power surging. Together, we drove back the attackers, but my sanctuary was compromised.
"You saved me," he said later, examining his healing wound. "Why? A vampire saving a werewolf?"
I packed essentials calmly. "Don't misunderstand. I need you alive to tell me who's hunting me. Why did the Council choose you specifically?"
He grabbed my wrist. The blood connection pulsed like electricity. "You felt it too. This isn't ordinary blood sharing."
I pulled away, unable to deny the shock. "Whatever this is, I won't accept any marking. I've been controlled once. Never again."
Alexander smiled mysteriously. "Some things have already begun, Isabella. Whether we want them or not. The Book's prophecies are never wrong."
My phone chimed with an anonymous message: "Blood connection is the beginning of death. Run while you can. —L"
I watched his back as he checked the hallway. First rule of survival: never trust anyone, especially those claiming to protect you. But why don't my instincts scream at me to run?
