- Elara Voss:
My back hit cold stone as I edged away from the sound, my dagger trembling in my grip. Smoke clogged the air, thick and acrid, burning my throat with every breath. The flames swallowing the village roared in the distance, casting jagged shadows over the ruined marketplace.
And in those shadows, six dark, big vampires loomed.
I could hear them getting close—slow, measured as if they were savoring the moment. Their red scary eyes gleamed in the firelight, their bodies tense with hunger and thirst. They did not lunge immediately at anybody. No, they were enjoying all this.
A slow hunt.
A cruel game.
I forced myself to steady my breathing, calming my nerves down and forced my fingers to tighten around the hilt of my dagger instead of shaking.
My magic thrummed beneath my skin, desperate to be unleashed, but I didn't dare use it.
Not yet.
Not unless I had no other choice.
