Twilight Veins

Moonlight and Lies

The rain had finally stopped when Evangeline stepped outside The Velvet Veil.

Cold midnight air brushed against her skin, yet her heartbeat refused to calm. Everything that had happened inside the nightclub still felt unreal.

Lucien.

The crimson eyes.

The impossible speed.

And the terrifying way he had looked at her.

Sophia hurried out behind her moments later, visibly annoyed.

“There you are!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Evangeline forced herself to look normal.

“I just needed air.”

Sophia crossed her arms suspiciously.

“You disappeared with the hottest man in the building and expect me to believe that?”

“What?”

“The guy in black.” Sophia smirked slightly. “Tall, deadly-looking, probably rich enough to own the entire city?”

Evangeline’s stomach tightened immediately.

“You saw him?”

“Hard not to.” Sophia laughed. “Half the women in that club were staring at him.”

Evangeline glanced back toward the nightclub entrance instinctively.

Lucien was nowhere to be seen.

Good.

That should have made her feel safer.

Instead, disappointment settled strangely inside her chest.

Sophia narrowed her eyes.

“Okay, now you’re definitely acting weird.”

“I’m just tired.”

“Mm-hmm.” Sophia clearly didn’t believe her. “Well, mysterious vampire boyfriend aside, I’m starving. Let’s get food.”

The word vampire sent a chill through Evangeline instantly.

Sophia blinked.

“…Why do you suddenly look terrified?”

“Nothing,” Evangeline said too quickly.

Before Sophia could continue questioning her, a black luxury car slowly pulled up across the street.

The tinted window lowered slightly.

Lucien sat inside.

Even surrounded by city lights, he looked unnatural. Like darkness shaped into human form.

Their eyes met briefly through the rain-covered glass.

Then he spoke only two words.

“Get in.”

Sophia nearly choked.

“Oh my God.”

Evangeline stared at the car in disbelief.

“What are you doing here?”

Lucien’s expression remained calm.

“You are not safe alone tonight.”

Sophia looked between them repeatedly.

“Excuse me?”

Evangeline immediately shook her head.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Lucien studied her silently for several seconds before speaking again.

“Someone inside the club recognized you.”

Her heartbeat stopped.

“What does that mean?” she whispered.

“It means,” Lucien replied quietly, “that tonight was not an accident.”

The coldness in his voice terrified her more than his crimson eyes ever had.

Sophia frowned in confusion.

“Okay, either you two are roleplaying some weird gothic drama, or I’m leaving before I become part of it.”

Normally, Evangeline would have laughed.

Tonight, she couldn’t.

Lucien’s gaze never left hers.

“You need to decide quickly.”

As if to prove his point, a sharp cracking sound suddenly echoed from the rooftop above them.

Lucien reacted instantly.

“Down!”

Before Evangeline could understand what was happening, Lucien moved faster than humanly possible and pulled her against him.

A dark figure crashed violently onto the pavement exactly where she had been standing seconds earlier.

Sophia screamed.

The creature rose slowly from the ground. Pale skin. Crimson eyes. Bloodstained teeth.

Another vampire.

But unlike Lucien, this one looked completely feral.

Its gaze locked directly onto Evangeline.

“There you are,” it hissed softly.

Lucien stepped in front of her immediately. His entire posture became lethal.

“Leave.”

The creature laughed coldly.

“The council wants the girl alive.”

Evangeline’s chest tightened.

“The council?”

Neither vampire answered her.

People nearby began noticing the commotion. Some pulled out phones while others backed away nervously.

The feral vampire glanced around the street before smiling slightly.

“Another time, then.”

And just like that, it vanished into the darkness above the buildings.

Silence followed.

Sophia stared blankly at the empty rooftop.

“…What the hell was that?”

Lucien ignored the question completely. His attention remained fixed on Evangeline.

“They found you faster than expected.”

Fear crawled through her body.

“Why are they after me?”

For the first time since meeting him, uncertainty crossed Lucien’s face.

“That,” he said quietly, “is exactly what I intend to discover.”