nsl

the hell were

those three large male vampires. He’s right to be angry because I could’ve easily drawn him into a fight we couldn’t possibly win. Just because he

as we make our way along the muddy streets toward home. He lives a few blo

was thinking,” I admi

e? You’re going to end up getting yourself killed.

ore to say on the topic, I close my mouth for once. Images of my little sister and

oafs of warm, soft bread in his arms. “But Ma already warned me if ever I don’t come up with ou

her weighs less than eighty pounds soaking wet, and the top of her

’ll be upset that I took it. “It’s okay,” I tell him.

s much more chippe

than flour and water to make a loaf of bread. “Sure. I’ll check around.” I see my ti

ing on ahead of him. The moment I turn away, the smile fades. I want to crush something, but at the mome

n give him another piece of my mind. He was so smug, acting like I could just go buy another fucking loaf of bread, l

e more I think about him, the more I realize t

for the really old ones. It takes them forever to age, but when they do, they get gross. Wrinkly with nasty teeth and o

e’s different. Like all vampires, his eyes have an intense glow

, especially considering I’d been outnumbered three to one. In a matt

ey are stronger than us. Sometimes we are faster than vampires, but they are always stronger. We can out maneuver them because of our dexterity on four feet, but most o

e knee,”

exhausted. We have two rooms in our house, besides the small commode. My mom and stepdad have a bedroom. Sinead, Brock, and I sleep on a bed in the main room. The

e stairs to the porch. This has happened a few times before, when they simp

Brock shouts. “You’re home!” He’s five, but

’s smart as a whip. “Where is it?” she asks, not g

ily brush it away, refusing to cry over spilt br

s to get out of her chair

and wraps her arms around me. I want to bury my head in her shoulder and bawl like I would’ve done

asks, her raspy voice a whisp

k her off balance. Her forehead puckers. “It’s

that I shouted at three large male vampires, she will keel over

e bastards come knocking on the

he other two seemed strangely kind for vampires.

es it back to her chair and sits down. “Ma

gry, they can’t stand to wait until Father—th

be able to do his job. And if he doesn’t work, then no one in our family works, and we will all be thrown in debtor’s prison for not

e toward the closet in my parents’

I hear her call after me. “Ainslee, no. A

nly one in the house, and open it up, searching for the panel in the

reach it, but my eyes fall on a picture in the corner of the closet. An old photo

d Clint. She’d explained to thirteen-year-old me that it didn’t mean she had stopped loving my fa

but I’d always wondered what that made

is own child, even when Brock and Sinead had come alo

father’s handsome face. Goddess, I miss him. He was such a great man

g party that went over the border to our neighbors in Warfang. He hadn’t come

Clint. They’d grown up together in this one-horse town and had always been friends. Now, they love one another

r some sort of happily ever after. Instead, I need to get my hands on the one thing

to strain to get my fingers around it, but eventually I do. Pulling it free from its hiding spot,

y’s

d made it out of precaution. He’d always been a hunter, and back then it had been legal to hunt game. He wanted to make su

e arrows, but he taug

om, I plaster a smile to my fac

hing. Ainslee, it’s dangerous. Put it back. If the vampires c

hand as if she’s being ridiculo

re’s a large vampire sta

, f