Chapter one

Hardin's Pov

I'm in a dark alley, all alone at 2: 00 AM in the morning. I'm hungry, soaking wet, and shivering from the cold breeze that unapologetically hits my face and bare arms and above all, I feel awfully weak. If you are wondering why I'm cold it is because I am half-human and half-vampire. I have 30% human gene and 70% vampire gene. Making me stronger than any human but weaker than any full-blooded vampire. And if you are wondering why I'm weak it is because I haven't had blood for a while.

I know what you must be thinking and no, I don't drink human blood. as weird as it might sound, I prefer animal blood or diluted and curtailed blood stored in a sachet, packs, and bottles but it still feels weird whenever I drink it. But what can I do? The fact that I am more vampire than human, makes it almost impossible to subdue my bloodthirst.

I should never have gone to this party.!

Safe for my cousin brother Drake, who insisted I come with him and his friends, but left without me, only for him to send me a text asking to meet him at some Park. I should be in my bed, tucked up while reading a book but instead, here I am all cold and wet walking through a dark and nerve-wracking Valley with something dangerous lurking in it. Who knows?

The eerie feeling of someone watching me, made me stop on my track and run back to the party venue. It is best if I just go home. Drake and his friends are better off without me anyway.

The snow slightly subsides as I near the house where the party is being held. Loud music and beats sound to cover the air as I approach. Without bothering to text or call Drake I enter my car and drive home after spotting my car at the same place I earlier parked it.

I finally get home after seven minutes of driving, feeling mighty weak. My eyes are half-closed and half-opened, my head feels like it got hit with a brick, while my legs feel very heavy. I almost couldn't lift them.

I open the door and I'm greeted with a scattered living room. With shatters of glasses littering everywhere and I also didn't fail to catch the strong stench of blood that fills the air. The place looks as though a serious fight had happened there. All efforts to use my vampire skills to decipher what happened proved futile. What the hell is wrong with me? I try to replay all that happened at the party from when I entered the room to when I was offered a red cup of alcohol to when I left the party but nothing helpful is forthcoming. Was my drink spiked or mixed with something forbidden? Maybe Garlic flavor?

A loud rustling noise from my left made me snap from my thought and gain a little of myself as I feel some of my abilities kick in. My fingers automatically curl into a fist ready for action as my mind travels to my family. My father, Mother, and baby sister. Where the hell are they and why does our house smell so much of blood and a little twist in it. Vomit. Okay, the vomit is from my body. A drunk as fuck teenage girl had to empty her bowels on me back at the party.

Another rustle follow by a loud whang made me jump. I watch as an apple came rolling towards me. It hit my leg on the floor causing a little whimper of pain to escape my mouth. Picking up the fruit, I notice it is not bitten and blood-stained fingerprints are on it. My gaze automatically shifts towards the path the apple came rolling from, and with a trembling body, I move towards the direction.

"Alessandro" I hear my mother's voice calls just barely above a whisper and my head shots farther to the room. "Fuck. No. Mom." I blurt and run and sit beside where she lays on the ground covered with blood and bites all over her exposed body. It was clear who had done it. A vampire.

"Mom," I say again lifting her head and dropping it on my lap. "Mom says something. . , where is Dad? We.... re.... is... Ava? Who D..., did this to y... you? I stammer, raising my voice a little.

"Lis.., ten to me andro," she says admits labored breath. It was evident as daylight that she is in so much pain. "You must leave before they come back. Ava and everything other thing you will need is inside a red briefcase in my wardrobe." She pauses for a while then continues. "Leave this place and go to your uncle's in new york tell him all you saw and give him the brown envelope in the briefcase, do not open the envelope until you hand it to him. Go now. Take Ava and go"

"But mom" I choke out in between sobs.

"Do not loon back no matter what you hear or see"

"Dad?" I ask her, dreading the answer she might give.

"They killed him"

"Oh. My. God." I cry out, slumming further to the ground. "I can't leave without you..." My sentence is cut short as I feel a sharp pain on my shoulders before being pull backward by a strong force, causing my mother to fall from my grip. Before I can regain my balance, I am roughly pushed against a brick wall causing me to wince slightly. My eyes widened when I see red eyes staring right at me and I know immediately it is a vampire. Not just any vampire but a full-blooded vampire.

I try to wriggle out of his grip but he is way stronger than me. My breaths begin to beat faster as he slowly dips his neck to the crook of my neck as his teeth gently graze the surface of my skin, he suddenly gives a loud cry and covers his mouth with the back of his hands, he takes one last look at me, then he disappears.

My eyes fly open. Bright lights cut through my eyes as I take in my surroundings. I yawn and scratch my eyes before climbing down from my king-sized bed.

It is that dream again!

It's been over a year, I had that terrible experience, and every night since that day, I've had the same nightmare playing in my head. Just that, this isn't an ordinary nightmare, it is a reminder of what I must do.

The day I've dreaded has finally come. It's time to come out of hiding and socialize with the world for a while said uncle Gilbert, two weeks ago. Ava and I are starting a new school today, after having been indoors for a long while and I can't help but feel bothered what if I am unable to protect her and something bad happens to her, seeing she's fully human unlike me. I don't know how that happened though so don't ask me. The mere thought of something bad happening to her makes me sick to my stomach and I feel the urge to take vomit. She is the only direct family I have left.