Page 1 of Stalked

PROLOGUE

Dorian

Salem, Massachusetts 1692

THE BELLS HADannounced the beginning of another trial, masking the loud wails and screams coming from the main square.

The acrid smell of burning wood filled the air as I hurried through the forest to the stables. I crept quietly to the edge of the barn, keeping the Chosen Ones’ ritual circle within sight, but not close enough that the coven could spot me. Aside from Mercy, I wasn’t exactly their favorite person.

The moonlight filled the woods with a silver glow that illuminated the pine trees. My eyes narrowed through the forest as I heard the familiar footsteps of Roland approaching from the shadows. “Careful, Dorian, if they see you—” Roland warned.

“They won’t see me, Roland,” I said. “Just because I don’t drink blood from a human vein does not mean I’ve lost my skills as a predator. I know how to stay hidden.” Turning to the forest, I watched the ghostly haze of fog creep through the trees.

“There isn’t much time,” Roland whispered, reaching into his cloak and handing me a dagger. My eyes grew wide as I caught a glimpse of the handle.

“Is that—?”

Roland nodded, pressing the handle into my palm. “If she goes through the ritual, you must stick this dagger into her chest and end it. Do you understand?”

I paled at the sight of the dagger in my hand, unable to avert my eyes from the dangerous blade as I shook my head from side to side. “You’re out of your damn mind if you believe I’d ever hurt her.”

Roland rolled his eyes and curled my fingers around the handle. “Don’t be ridiculous, Dorian. It’s an act of mercy. If you could see into the heart of the clan’s leader, you’d beg her to do it herself. I’ve heard the vile things that monster wants to do to her. Trust me when I say, we’re saving her from a fate worse than death.” We stood in silence before Roland took a step back and turned away. He scoffed quietly. “For a vampire, I’m surprised how easy it is for you tofeel. That guilt will weigh you down, if not suppress your natural instincts. It will consume you, Dorian.”

“Do you not feel anything?” I asked. “You kill for pleasure while your own son fights to protect the world from creatures like us.”

Roland winced at the comment. “It’s easier not to care about them. You have to shut it off.”

“Not with her,” I growled. “I can’tshut it offwith her!”

A loud boom that echoed through the sky interrupted our heated conversation. The wind howled as the thunder crashed again, the light of the moon fading under heavy clouds, throwing the forest into complete darkness. A storm was upon us.

Roland peered inside the barn and smiled at the sight of the coven. The children he helped raise and taught were now young adults, ready to be sent off into the world.It shocked me to see that kind of sentimental look on Roland’s face, but I kept my words behind my teeth.

“All these years of training, and this is how it must end.” He looked at me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “When all this is over, you can join the clan, you know?”

I shook my head. “So, I feed on human blood for all of eternity, while being in the presence of the man who plans to abduct the woman I love, forcing me to kill her before he does something worse?”

Roland huffed. “Oh Dorian, so noble of you. If you think you’re going to survive on just animal blood, you’re blind to your desires. They’re always there; you just have to release them.” A smile flitted across his features. “Nothing is more satisfying than the feeling of your fangs piercing the delicate skin of your victim and draining them until their body goes limp in your arms. No other blood will make you feel alive.”

It was true, but I couldn’t admit that to him.

“I shall pass on your offer, Roland,” I said, placing my hand on the windowsill, leaving the dagger for the coven to find. “How much time do we have before they come for her?”

“They’re already on their way,” Roland replied, his mouth set in a hard line, looking perturbed.

The scent of freshly spilled blood drifted in the air, coming in with the wind, and settled around us. I closed my eyes as I desperately fought down the urge to give in to the uncontrollable desire for human blood.

The clan was close,veryclose. We were prepared for that night since we first heard the prophecy—a centuries-old prophecy that predicted the downfall of the vampiric era. The ruling clan was all-powerful, and they would get what they wanted. They wouldn’t stop until they trapped the coven behind the gates of their hidden lair. Maurice’s top priority was to capture Mercy, for she was the key to their destruction. The bloodlust they all felt for her went beyond anything they had experienced in the past when they hunted witches. She meant a lot more than any other witch, especially to the clan’s master.

“There has to be a way to stop him.” My voice was only a whisper as I fought down my growing despair, hoping I wouldn’t have to bear the weight of Mercy’s unfortunate destiny.

Roland snickered at my remark.“Maurice is determined and dangerously ruthless. The only way to stop him is a stake through his heart,” Roland mocked, “but I wish you luck trying. The master will always be better as an ally than an enemy.” Roland glanced at the dagger’s sharp blade again, his stony gaze conveying a message. “You ought to decide now, Dorian, before they get to her first. Then, consider joining us once you set her free from him.”

To join a vampire clan went against everything I stood for, but if I didn’t, a stake through my own heart was the best punishment. I hated that I needed human blood to survive, and no matter how much animal blood I drank, it wasn’t enough to satisfy me. I’d never survive on my own without human blood, and I didn’t trust myself enough to control the beast I felt within, waiting to be set free.That beast lurked just beneath the surface of my control every time I made love to Mercy. It made me not only crave to sink my fangs into her throat as she climaxed, but I fantasized about draining her blood as I reached my own peak.

To love a woman as deeply and passionately as I did with Mercy would be my ultimate death. I didn’t deserve her.

Maurice, the very man who had been stalking Mercy for months now, waiting for her ascension, would become my master. The thought of serving that cruel bastard made me feel ill. But reasonably, belonging to a clan would help control the urge to kill. Vampires were monsters, that was the truth, but they lived by a code—they were careful.

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