Chapter One

Dying was harder to walk off the second time around.

I’d thought it might be something I’d get used to. Like a sport, or an instrument. Apparently not. And getting gutted by a vampire hurt a hell of a lot more than getting my neck snapped.

I slumped against the brick wall of the parking lot, warm from the setting sun, and closed my eyes. I couldn’t stop the reflexive impulse to press my hand against the gash in my abdomen, even knowing I had no hope of stopping the blood gushing from it. The irony was that the faster I died, the better off I’d be. But, human nature would force me to cling to life for as long as possible. And I’m nothing if not human.

“Not like a bloodsucker to waste so much of it,” I coughed, tasting iron.

A low growl echoed in the empty lot, and it was as much a response as any. Nausea threatened to overtake me, and I swallowed, hard. His claws scraped against the ground as he paced, and I had to grit my teeth against the sound.

I took a shaky breath, my wooden stake still clutched in my hand. I had been too slow. It was easy to be too slow with a demon. I’d missed my shot, and he’d shredded my stomach with his nice, pointy vampire claws. And now I was bleeding out, while the last bit of sunlight around me slowly slipped away.

Not that it mattered. I would be dead within the minute. I was quickly becoming an expert in the matter.

I licked my lips, sweat mixing with the blood in my mouth. It was impossible to tell if I was shaking from exhaustion or fear. Or shock, maybe. The pain was easing now, as my limbs turned to lead, and then I lost feeling in them altogether.

The last thing I felt was my head smack against the asphalt as I lost consciousness.