Harley remained silent for a moment as she tried to process the stranger approaching her. She opened her mouth to speak, and being unsure of what to say, she closed it again with a frown. Those words sounded familiar, yet the woman was no one that she recognised. Finally finding her voice, she cleared her throat."I'm sorry, do I know you?""Me? Oh, no dear. We do not know each other. I am but a mere stranger passing by.""Right. Well… are you lost or something? Is there anything I can help with?" "No, not at all." The woman answered. "I suppose I'm not really making myself clear at the moment, it's just I was walking through the cemetery and I couldn't help but overhear you talking to your mother…""I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb your peace." "You didn't… See that headstone opposite your mother's, to the left a little?" "Yeah…""That's where my daughter rests.""Oh. Wow… that must be painful.""It is. She was just a little girl and I can't help but wonder how she would hav

Harley's phone rang, cutting right through the silence in the air. She looked at the name that had illuminated the screen and instantly swiped to reject the call. It wasn't the first time that Kiara had tried to call her within the last week, and she doubted that it would be the last. Though no matter how many times she might try, Harley would not pick up.The date of the planned attack on the city was vastly approaching, but she had not been home since that morning. Instead she'd spent the time with Mason. After their conversation at Hillside Manor, he had brought her back home with him despite her protests that it was risky. All of it was risky, and either of them could be killed by Zander or Demitri at any moment. Though during their time together, they hadn't wasted a split second. If that day of reckoning came to pass, they had a plan. They would be ready for it. "She's going to keep calling if you don't pick up.""She can call all she wants, I've got no sympathy for her. Zande

Mason got to his feet, helping Harley up with him. She frowned as the wound on her head began to throb, but forced herself to ignore it as she gathered up her best weapons and changed into attire suitable for battle; a black vest top with a belt that could hold many weapons, and black leggings that had hidden compartments for smaller weapons, and boots on her feet that hid slender knives at the side of the treads. He gave a wry smile as she reappeared from her bedroom, trying his best to believe that the night wouldn't end in a bloodbath. She didn't return the smile, and reached for the door handle, surprised when he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the door.Harley gave him a questioning look, but before she could verbally ask him, the door was kicked open with a force that almost knocked it off its hinges. Mason stared past her, glaring at the person standing in the doorway; Julian. Though he was barely recognisable as the vampire he'd always known. His face ha

Mason's head was spinning with a thousand thoughts. He was almost certain that he'd misunderstood what she was saying. There was no chance that Harley would ever ask for such a thing, and by now he thought he'd made it obvious that he had no intention of ruining her. Yet here they were; standing in the middle of the cemetery in the dead of night, having this conversation that he never thought would see the light of day. He pinched the bridge of his nose in between his finger and thumb, then looked back at her. "Change you?... Harley, are you saying what I think you're saying?""I don't know what you're thinking right now, so I can't say.""Because the way I heard it was that you want me to make you a vampire.""That's exactly what I'm saying.""No way!" He protested. "I- I refuse to burden your soul with this curse. I could never forgive myself if I ruined you."Harley gasped at his words. She hadn't been expecting him to protest against her request. It was inevitable that their love

The echo of a gunshot caused Julian to stop in his tracks. He'd not long left the harbour, and wanted nothing to do with the tension between Mason and Zander. Despite this, he found himself unable to continue forward, and turned around; racing back to the harbour, and reaching it within seconds. He stopped as he reached the edge of the shadows, knowing he'd be dead if Zander saw him. He ducked down behind the worn down building, and peered out at the scene before him.Mason was lying motionless on the floor, paralysed from what he guessed were vervain bullets, but Zander was nowhere to be seen. Julian's eyes drifted past Mason, over to Harley, who was kneeling down with a shell shocked expression on her face. He followed the line of her stare down to the ground, and discovered why Zander was missing. The middle aged man was slumped down by a wall, and by the sound of his breathing and his uneven heart, Julian could tell he didn't have long. His eyes wandered over to Demitri, who was s