Chapter 1

HAVEN

They all smelled so good, yet they were the biggest jerks I’d ever come across. Humans. They could be so revolting and yet so appealing all at once.

I let out a quiet laugh at my own private joke before I slipped into the alleyway near the small house I’d been observing for weeks. I strolled casually towards the entrance.

I was hungry, and it was time to eat. I’d been watching this family for some time now and had discovered they were abusing their daughter. The poor kid deserved better than that, and I was going to put an end to her misery tonight.

I slipped into the house without making a sound and pinpointed the parents’ location using my heightened hearing. They were upstairs, sound asleep in their bedroom.

A smile spread across my face as I silently ascended the narrow staircase. I found myself in a hallway, and using my keen sense of smell, I identified the master bedroom to my right.

I pushed open the door, and there they were, sleeping soundly, drunk again, the stench of alcohol and sex heavy in the air. I rolled my eyes. ~So predictable.~

I moved towards the bed in the center of the small, dark brown room and started with the man. I slit his throat so quickly he didn’t even have time to comprehend what was happening. I drained him before he could wake his wife.

His blood tasted awful. But at least it would sustain me for a week once I was done with the wife too. I gently laid his lifeless body back on the bed and moved to the other side where the wife was sleeping.

I did the same to her; she stared at me, her eyes wide with fear as I drank her blood. Another human who believed I was a creature from their nightmares. Another jerk who deserved to die for what she did to her daughter.

I placed her cold body next to her husband’s when I was finished and headed to the little girl’s room at the end of the corridor.

I wasn’t sure if she had any family, so it was best if I killed her too. I didn’t like doing that to innocent kids, especially since she was probably no older than four, but it was better than leaving her all alone. Life could be really unfair sometimes.

I entered a small, white room that felt impersonal and saw the little one in her bed next to the wall. She was sleeping soundly on her stomach, the covers tossed around.

I smiled at the sight. She seemed spirited. She had short, golden hair, and I knew her eyes were a rich honey color.

I’d seen her with her parents enough to know that. She was thin because they didn’t feed her properly, and she was covered in cuts and bruises. I knew that tonight, like many nights before, she had cried herself to sleep, and I had listened because she deserved to have someone hear her pain.

I slid into bed slowly next to her and held her in my arms. She deserved to feel some kindness before she died. That was the least I could do for her. She hummed and fluttered her little eyes open to look at me. Then it hit me.

My heart started pounding as I recognized her. She wasn’t just an abused child. Her blood called to me; she was ~mine~. Or she would be when she was old enough, so I had to disappear from her life before I couldn’t walk away.

I would ensure her safety, but she couldn’t know how precious she was. My kind would try to harm her to get to me. I couldn’t put a target on this little girl’s back now. Not when I’d just freed her from her abusive parents.

“Come on, little one,” I said, my voice soft. “I’m getting you out of here. Do you have any family?”

If she didn’t, I would take her with me. I wouldn’t leave her alone. She already meant the world to me.

“Who are you?” She frowned. “Where are...”

She didn’t finish her sentence, and I felt her fear spike. I held her tighter to me and kissed her forehead to comfort her. I would never let anyone hurt her again. They would all die before they could even try.

“They won’t touch you ever again,” I assured her. “Answer my question, sweetie. Where can I take you?”

“My grannie.” She smiled. “Are you my guardian angel?”

I chuckled. I was far from being an angel, but maybe, if she believed I was an angel, it would make her trust me enough to leave the house and go to her grandmother quietly.

“Of course.” I smiled back at her.

“Thank you,” she murmured, wrapping her little arms tightly around my neck.

“Anything for you,” I said, rubbing her back for comfort. “Close your eyes. Open them only when I tell you to.”

She buried her face in my neck, and I carried her out of that hellhole. She directed me to her grandmother’s house, which, luckily, wasn’t too far away.

There was only one problem: I would have to make her invite me in. Damn. Maybe my little angel could help me with that.

I tried to set her down gently when we arrived at a small, white house, but she was fast asleep in my arms. I smiled tenderly, watching her. I didn’t want to let her go, but she deserved a normal upbringing before she could be with me. I wanted her to choose me too.

I knocked on the door, and I heard heavy footsteps inside the house. Her grandmother switched on the lights as she walked to open the door, and the light woke my little one with a groan.

She rubbed her eyes and looked around, clearly recognizing the place, even in the dark. “Grannie?” she called.

A woman in her late fifties opened the door. She looked shocked to see me with the little girl. “What has my good-for-nothing son done this time?” She frowned.

I smiled at her, careful not to show my fangs, and tried to hand her granddaughter back, but the little one didn’t want to let go of me. It was hard for me to leave her here, but I was determined.

“There was a...robbery gone wrong,” I lied to the woman in front of me. “Your granddaughter said that you were her closest relative in the area.”

She looked even more shocked, but she finally nodded. Good. I wouldn’t need to go into further details.

“Step inside and spill the beans,” she invited.

“I should...get her settled first.”

“Absolutely.” She agreed.

She guided me into the house, up a staircase, and into a very pink, unicorn-themed bedroom. It was a step up from the stark white room she had at her parents’ place. ~Bastards~. Now that I knew who she was to me, I wanted to murder them all over again.

I gently placed her in her pink bed, but she clung to me, her arms wrapped tight around my neck. Could she sense it too? That shouldn’t be possible.

“You need to let go now, sweetheart,” I coaxed.

“No, you’ll vanish if I do.” Her bottom lip jutted out.

“Only for a bit.” I reassured her with a smile. “I’ll be back. I promise.”

She lifted her honey-colored eyes to mine, and I could tell I’d better keep my promise or face her wrath. ~So fiery already, but you’ll learn to tone that down.~ I chuckled and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Pinky swear,” she demanded.

I extended my pinky to her, and she linked hers with mine, gracing me with a smile that outshone the sun. I knew then that I could never fully leave, even if I wanted to. Destiny had bound us, and I would return for her when she was older.

“Now, you need to get some sleep,” I advised as she snuggled under the covers. “You don’t want to be tired for school.”

“Will I see you soon?” she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

“Yes, princess. Very soon.”

“What’s your name?” she asked, her eyes fluttering closed.

“Haven.”

She hummed in response, and I listened as her breathing evened out. I could watch her like this forever. She already meant the world to me. I kissed her forehead one last time and left the bedroom to join her grandmother in the hallway.

“Do you have kids?” she inquired.

“No,” I replied.

“Well, you sure know how to handle them. Poor thing. I’ll make sure she’s okay now. Thank you for bringing her here. Now, tell me everything that happened.”

She led me back downstairs to the quaint, old-fashioned kitchen and ushered me to sit at the table in the center with a cup of coffee. I recounted the story of how a burglar had broken into their house and murdered her son and daughter-in-law, and how I found the little girl in her bed and decided to bring her here.

“Poor Grace. She didn’t deserve any of this. She didn’t even deserve the way her parents treated her. He kept me at arm’s length ever since I dared to tell him he had no right to yell at her. It’s awful to think this way about my own son, but...he wasn’t a good man,” she confessed, her voice heavy with sorrow. “At least Grace will be safe now.”

~Grace. That fits her~, I mused. I nodded and thanked her for the coffee before wiping her memories of me. All I had to do was lock eyes with her, and I implanted the memory of police officers bringing the little girl to her.

As I left, I cast one last glance at Grace’s room and smiled. ~I’ll be back for you. Just wait for me. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you. I’ll stay in the shadows until I can step back into your light. You need to forget about me for now, but I’ll never be far.~