THE VAMPIRE'S FORBIDDEN BLOOD

CHAPTER 1 — THE NIGHT EVERYTHING CHANGED The night my mother died, it rained like the sky was mourning with me. I stood outside the cemetery, staring at the freshly covered grave while cold rain soaked through my black dress. I couldn't feel my fingers anymore, but I refused to leave. Everyone else had gone. The priest. The few people who had attended the funeral. Even my mother's closest friend had disappeared without saying goodbye. I was alone. At least, that's what I thought. I lowered my eyes to the small silver necklace around my neck. It was the only thing my mother had left me. She had given it to me three days before she died. "Never take it off, Elena." Those had been her exact words. I hadn't understood why. Now, standing beside her grave, I wished I'd asked more questions. A sudden gust of wind swept through the cemetery. I shivered. Then I heard it. A whisper. "Elena." My heart stopped. I slowly turned around. Nothing. Only rows of graves disappearing into the darkness. "Who's there?" No answer. I took a step backward. The sound came again. Closer. "Elena..." I grabbed the necklace tightly. Something wasn't right. I had spent the last week telling myself that my mother's death had been an accident. That the doctors were wrong when they said they couldn't explain why her heart had suddenly stopped. But deep down, I knew there was something she hadn't told me. Something she had been afraid of. I turned toward the cemetery gate. That was when I saw him. A man stood beneath the huge oak tree near the entrance. He was completely still. No umbrella. No coat. Yet the rain didn't seem to bother him. He wore a black shirt, black trousers, and a long dark jacket. His face was partly hidden by the shadows, but even from a distance, I could see his eyes. They were watching me. My stomach tightened. "Who are you?" He didn't answer. Instead, he took one slow step toward me. Then another. I should have run. Every instinct inside me screamed that I should run. But I couldn't move. When he finally stepped beneath the pale light from the cemetery lamp, I saw his face clearly. He was young. Maybe twenty-five. Dark hair. Sharp jaw. And eyes so cold they made the rain feel warm. He looked at my necklace. His expression changed. For the first time, I saw fear in his eyes. "You shouldn't be here," he said. His voice was low. I frowned. "This is my mother's funeral." "I know." My heart skipped. "How do you know my mother?" He stared at me for several seconds. Then he said something that made my blood run cold. "Because she wasn't supposed to have a daughter." I stepped back. "What?" He looked toward the grave. "Your mother spent nineteen years hiding you." "From who?" He didn't answer. Instead, he looked directly into my eyes. "From us." Before I could ask what he meant, a strange sound came from behind the trees. A growl. The man's entire body stiffened. His eyes suddenly turned toward the forest. "Get in your car." "What?" "Now." I stared at him. "I'm not going anywhere with a stranger." "You don't understand." "Then explain!" He looked back at me. For a moment, his face softened. "Elena, if they find you here, your mother's death won't be the last." A cold shiver ran down my spine. "What are you talking about?" He moved closer. Too quickly. One second he was several feet away. The next, he was standing directly in front of me. I gasped. That was impossible. No human could move that fast. He looked at me as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. "Get in the car." I turned toward the cemetery entrance. My car was parked only a short distance away. Then I heard another growl. This time, it was louder. Something moved between the trees. Two red eyes appeared in the darkness. I froze. The stranger grabbed my wrist. "Run." I didn't argue. We sprinted toward my car. Behind us, something crashed through the bushes. I reached the car and fumbled with my keys. "Come on..." My hands were shaking. The stranger stood behind me, watching the forest. "What is that?" I whispered. He didn't answer. The creature stepped out of the trees. It looked almost human. Almost. Its skin was unnaturally pale, its eyes glowing crimson, and its mouth opened to reveal sharp fangs. I screamed. The stranger stepped in front of me. "Stay behind me." The creature smiled. "Adrian." The stranger's jaw tightened. "You should have stayed away from her." The creature laughed. "We've been looking for her for nineteen years." I stared at Adrian. "Who are you?" He didn't look at me. His eyes remained fixed on the creature. Then he whispered something that changed everything. "My name is Adrian Blackwood." The creature lunged. I closed my eyes. A terrifying sound followed. When I opened them, Adrian was holding the creature by the throat. I couldn't breathe. He threw the creature into a tree with enough force to crack the trunk. I stumbled backward. "No..." Adrian turned toward me. "Elena..." I shook my head. "Stay away from me." He took one step forward. I stepped back. "What are you?" His expression became unreadable. Then he said the word I'd spent the rest of my life believing only existed in stories. "Vampire." My necklace suddenly became hot against my skin. I cried out and grabbed it. A strange symbol appeared beneath the silver pendant, glowing faintly red. Adrian's eyes widened. "No." "What?" He stared at the symbol. Then at me. His face had lost all its color. "Your mother didn't hide you from the vampires." He swallowed hard. "She hid the vampires from you." And somewhere deep inside the forest, hundreds of voices began whispering my name. "Elena." "Elena." "Elena."