PROLOGUE

BULGARIA, 1923.

His eyes travelled around the scanty bar, and just when he was about to pick up his tumbler, his eyes settled on the blonde-haired woman, who had her hair in a high up-do. Her beauty and the poise at which she strutted from her seat and headed out the door wasn't what caught his attention.

It wasn't the muffler on her neck either.

It was the part of her neck where the shawl wasn't covering. The strong smell of fresh blood hit him and he froze in his seat, taking in the double holes that were punctured on her neck.

She had just been bitten.

He could tell.

And that only told him the one thing he was scared of confirming because he knew he didn't feed on that woman.

They are here.

He downed the rest of his whiskey at a go, shooting up from the bar stool. The bartender happened to walk in at that moment. He latched onto the collar of his shirt, raising him to eye level like he weighed nothing. He peered at him intently. The bartender struggled valiantly in his arms, trying to pry himself out of his arms, but he was stronger.

"You didn't see anyone. No one has been here tonight." His voice was laced with so much venom and audaciousness. The bartender's body, as though he had just been drenched in a bucket of his, went limp in his hands. He stopped struggling.

"I didn't see anyone. No one has been here tonight." The bartender repeated like a puppet, whom someone was pulling his strings to their satisfaction.

His eyes flashed with rage and he threw him to the floor, moving out of the bar with an inhumane speed.

The dark-haired man he came in contact with at the doorstep bared his fangs at him, ready to lunge at him, but he was faster. He jammed his hands into his chest, ripping his heart out. The Vampire's body fell to the floor with a thud, accompanied by the shrinking sound of flesh, indicating that the blood in his veins was drying out.

He watched his body turn ash pale before he proceeded to leave the bar. His sight and senses were enhanced as he trudged forward with hastened steps. It gave him an advantage because he could sense the movement behind him. His attacker, another Vampire, wanted to get a hold of him, but he evaded his attack swiftly, snapping his neck from behind.

His eyes wandered into the night frantically. Uncertainty lodged within him, amplifying the fear he was desperately trying to conceal.

He knew there were more. It was only a matter of time before they caught up to him. With a renewed sense of energy, he disappeared into the night. He was almost tripping over his heels when he got to his hideout.

A surge of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the darkness surrounding the entire neighbourhood with a silvery essence. The sudden ear-splitting sound appeared to spark his anxiety as he trudged into the house, stepping into the dimly lit room.

The smell of blood lingered in the air, appealing to his senses.

The Victorian-themed room looked a little dusty, with two candles being the only source of light. The fiery light that emanated from the candles illuminated the feminine figure sprawled on the bed in a dried pool of blood. Her ginger-red hair was sticking around in different directions on the mattress, barely covering her porcelain back.

The dried patches of blood around her neck lured him into a blood frenzy for a while. He could feel his fangs poking the inner part of his lips. His throat felt a little scratchy and his emotions were heightened.

He groaned, reluctantly peeling his eyes off her figure before walking toward the hidden compartment beneath the wooden floor. He retrieved the old box from there, going ahead to stuff it to the brim with necessities.

As he filled up the box, unease enveloped him, coupled with a sense of foreboding. And for a moment, he thought of how long he was going to keep running, just so he could evade the inevitable.

"For as long as it takes," He muttered to himself, shrugged on his coat and dashed out of the house.

The moment he stepped out of the house, he could sense an unnerving presence in the surroundings, and his eyes darted around, zeroing in on a feminine frame that emerged from the darkness. He furrowed his brows, confusion plaguing him.

On cue, she swung her hair in his direction and a terrific crack of thunder shot through the air. The deafening sound swallowed the neighbourhood whole, reverberating through the core of the earth. The abrupt shockwave travelled through the air, accompanied by an unnerving wind that rattled the windows and doors, slamming them against their hinges.

Her jet-black hair, as though controlled by the wind, swept off her face, revealing a pair of cold amethyst orbs that clashed with his, compelling him to take a step backwards. Her white dress flowed in sync with the breeze as she traipsed forward like she had all the time in the world.

The steady thumping of her heart had him deducing the kind of species she was because he was so sure that there was no way she was a human. A human wouldn't act like she had nature wrapped around her fingers.

She stopped right in front of him, tilting her head to the side and he scoffed.

"Get out of my way, witch." He spat out with so much disdain.

"Come with me," Her silky voice was laced with softness, yet her eyes displayed no emotions.

"I am not going anywhere with you!" He shot at her through gritted teeth.

"You need me and you know it." She said without mincing words, keeping her eyes on him.

"They will be here any moment now. You can either stay here and go against them alone or you can come with me and we will figure it out together. Your call." She stretched her hand forth, waiting patiently for him to take it.

He glared at her outstretched palm, his eyes darting to and fro the night and her small hand. He knew they would be here any moment now and the thought of them catching up with him terrified him. He also didn't trust the purple-eyed witch in front of him.

But then, he would rather deal with uncertainty than the inevitable. So, he eyed her palm wearily before slipping his palm onto her warm one.

The last thing he heard was her muttering some strange words under her breath and they disappeared into the night.