Chapter 1

Miami. May 25^th, 2038

I’ve had the same dream for years. I’m holding a robin that is near death and I watch it as it struggles to breathe. After a few moments, the bird becomes still and each time, I feel disappointed as if I was upset that I didn’t do more to save it. And then, like clockwork, the bird comes back to life and flies away.

As I watch the bird, I tear my eyes from the sky and see a faceless figure approach me. The first time I had this dream, I was able to see the figure’s face but as the years went by, it slowly became less clear until I reached a point where I no longer remember what he or she looked like. The figure approaches me and before I can react, it stabs me with a knife.

I was jolted out of my hazy nightmare by the sound of Steven Tyler doing his signature wail in Dream On. It reminded me that I was due for a new wake-up song since it always caused me to go into shock. His scream wasn’t the only one that had echoed in my apartment. Selena, the woman who had come home with me the previous night, had screamed too. I fumbled for the button before turning it off and sat up in my bed. That was when I remembered why I was supposed to be happy about being awake. It was my twenty-second birthday.

           “Morning, Lucas,” Selena said as she tugged her clothes on. “Last night was…very interesting.”

            I ran fingers through my hair. The details of last night were not exactly clear. We went to the same college and I’d asked her out on a whim and the date had gone well. I was a little nervous and ended up drinking more than I usually did. I hadn’t expected to wake up with her in my bed.

            “Um…” I looked around. “Last night…did we?”
            “No, we didn’t. You brought me here and we were making out. We made it to your room, but you said you weren’t feeling it. By then it was two in the morning so I just slept here since it was too late to catch a cab.”

            I tried not to look so relieved. I barely knew Selena and having a one-night stand wasn’t exactly something I wanted to happen. She was beautiful; long dark hair, dark eyes, and an amazing body. But she was right. I wasn’t feeling it.

            “Lucas, don’t get me wrong. You’re hot and you’re  real gentleman. But I’ll be honest; I don’t think this is going anywhere.”

            “Oh?” I frowned. “Because I wouldn’t sleep with you?”

            “Well yeah. I’m not into that whole waiting for a third date thing. I’m not looking for anything long term and you seem like a marriage, children, and white picket fence kind of guy. Sorry, but that’s not me.”

            I would have been hurt if I hadn’t really cared that much. She was sort of right; I was the marriage, children, and white fence kind of guy. The problem was that I would never get that. Living in the moment had sounded great but once the opportunity came to hook up with a stranger, I’d backed out. I wasn’t sure if that made me weird or if I was seriously trying to make myself more miserable.

“See you,” Selena said. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell everyone at school you won’t put out. Your reputation will be safe.” She started to leave but then turned around. “One more thing.”

She came back over to me and pressed her lips to mine. I hadn’t expected that, but instead of sitting there all stiff, I kissed her back.  Low moan rumbled in her throat then she ended it.

“I’ll give you one thing; you’re an amazing kisser.”

When she left, I fell back on the bed and laughed. Not because it was funny but because I felt completely pathetic. It looked like I truly was going to die a virgin. That wasn’t a big concern for me, though. I was more worried about when my time would finally be up.

Feeling more awake, I reached for the wrapped gift on the floor by my nightstand. I read the card, which was signed by my parents as well as my three brothers, before I tore the paper off. They’d made me promise not to open it until that morning, and I’d kept my promise. I took off the lid of the box and laughed when I saw what was inside.

There was an array of different items, including a few shot glasses, a calendar with pictures of scantily clad women, bacon salt, a lid opener, a bottle of Tequila and a do-it-yourself breathalyzer. It was almost like my family planned on my becoming a porn-addicted alcoholic.

            I was about to get up and get dressed when I noticed there were a few more things in the bottom of the box. One was an envelope and another was a ring. I picked up the ring first and examined it. It was made of titanium and some kind of wood, both which looked authentic. I slipped it on to my biggest finger, the left middle one, and then opened the envelope. I figured it was just mail from a place that hadn’t gotten my new address. I  read the letter out loud.

            “Dear Lucas Wright, we are pleased to inform you that you’ve been accepted to Yale for the two thousand thirty-eight fall quarter.”

            I didn’t read any more. Any normal person in my position should have been dancing for joy about getting an opportunity like this. I would have if my situation was different. Instead, all I felt was dread. Dread for the moment I would have to tell my parents that I wasn’t going to law school. Most importantly, why.

            I took my time showering then searched my closet for something to wear. My mom wanted me to come over so she could make me breakfast before I headed to my classes. I was eager to eat her cooking again and I hadn’t had her food in so long. I quickly got dressed then left my apartment. At all possible, I was going to avoid the subject of Yale to keep everyone in a good mood. And I was more than eager to get something in my stomach. I was starving and looking forward to whatever my mom decided to make.

I got to the house then knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. By the sound of the quick patter of feet, I knew that Colton had reached the door first. The doorknob jiggled until it swung open and I was greeted by my youngest brother. His big, blue eyes brightened when he saw me.

“Lucas!” He shouted. He ran towards me and I lifted him into my arms, ruffling his silky black hair.

“How are you doing buddy?” I asked.

            “Good! It’s my birthday!”

            I laughed. Colton was only four years old and didn’t understand the concept of birthdays yet. We’d adopted him when he was a month old and we all loved him like crazy.

            “Is that so? Are you sure it isn’t my birthday?”

            He furrowed his brow. “I don’t know. Mom always makes pancakes on my birthday so that’s why I think it’s my birthday.”

I chuckled as I walked us into the house. I heard my mom in the kitchen and was about to go in when someone came into the room and I turned to see my other brother, Micah. He was twenty and almost as tall as me. He liked to keep his sandy blonde hair past his ears and our parents hated it. Of our other brothers, Micah and I looked the most similar.

“Hey, bro. Happy birthday,” he said, giving me a firm pat on the shoulder.

“Thanks, man. So, which of the gifts was yours?”

“The bacon salt and…the lid opener. The calendar is from Colton.”

The three of us went into the dining room and I set Colton in his chair then went to find our mom. She was standing at the stove in her blue, velvet robe and matching pajamas, her brown hair clipped up as usual. She seemed a lot shorter now that I was taller. After I hit six-one at the age of fourteen, my parents were afraid I wasn’t going to stop growing. I finally hit my peak at six-three when I was seventeen. I felt like a freak compared to the rest of my family, but it helped that Micah was only two inches shorter. Standing next to each other, no one could tell the difference…if I slouched.

            “Good morning, mom,” I said as I gave her a side hug. She set down her spatula then returned it.

            “Happy birthday, Luke. I can’t believe my little boy is twenty-two. Where did the time go?”

Henry, my older brother, came into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. I hadn’t expected him to be at the house this early. Or at all, actually. We didn’t exactly get along very well, so the fact that he was here was a good thing. He was usually already at work, and I assumed he was headed there soon since he was in his uniform, looking as muscular as ever. I admired and hated his physique at the same time. It was a constant reminder that he was everything I wasn’t.

 Ash, his partner, was there as well. I’d known him as long as Henry had. They’d graduated from high school together and later the police academy before landing positions at the Miami Immortal Task Force.

            “Happy birthday. Hopefully this year you’ll be less of a dork. There’s already been some improvement since the last year.”

“Now, now, Henry. You’re supposed to be nice to me on my birthday,” I said in a voice trying to imitate our father.

            “I was nice. I gave you a present, didn’t I?”

            “Let me guess; the tequila?”

            Henry gave me a smile that appeared to be genuine. “Ash gave you the shot glasses to go with it. Just drink responsibly, all right.”

             My mom scooped all the pancakes onto a big platter then put the scrambled eggs into a bowl and Henry, Micah and I helped her take everything to the table. After fixing a plate for Colton, I instantly began devouring the food.

            “What do you think of the ring?” my mom asked.

            “I like it.” I stopped eating for a second to kiss her cheek. “Thank you.”

            “Even the weird inscription on the inside?”

            I stopped chewing then took off the ring to see what she was talking about. I examined it, but I couldn’t understand the language.

            “Sur la colline? I don’t get it.”

            “Neither do we,” Micah said. “We didn’t know it was there until after we bought it.”

            My mother’s expression suddenly changed and she became very quiet. I wondered what had caused this to happen. Maybe she was thinking what the rest of us were thinking; that I’d lived another year and that there was a time when I didn’t know if I would have many more.

            “Where’s dad?” I asked, changing the subject.

            “He had to go into work early,” Henry said. “They found the body of the missing girl.”

            Over the past four years, women between the ages of seventeen and twenty-one were going missing. They would be found several weeks later, raped and drained of blood. The case was automatically turned over to the Miami Immortal Task Force and I didn’t really hear much about it other than from the news.

            “Did it fit the other M.O’s?” I asked.

            Ash nodded. “That makes seven girls now. Your father is thinking of putting together a small team devoted to solving the case. We can’t keep chasing this guy and doing our jobs as well. It’s beginning to get too time consuming.”

            “If this is a MITF thing, why aren’t you out there with him?” I asked.

            “Dad said Ash and I could come in two hours late,” Henry said. “He wanted me to be here since he couldn’t. He hates that he’s missing your birthday, but he’s the Captain, so he doesn’t have a choice.”

            I understood. Being the head of the MITF meant my dad had a lot of responsibility concerning vampires. He wasn’t as busy as he had been in the past, but the recent murders often kept him out late.

            “Let’s not talk about this in front of young ears,” our mother suggested while wiping Colton’s chin. “What did your letter from Yale say?”

            I took another bite of food before answering. This was a tricky question. The letter hadn’t been in a Yale envelope, which meant my parents probably read it and planned to give it to me as a surprise or they truly didn’t know what it said. If I lied, I might get caught in it, but if I was honest, I would have to disappoint them with my news.

            “I got in,” I said with feigned enthusiasm. My mom cheered with joy then gave me a big hug while Henry and Ash each patted me on the shoulder.

            “Did they offer you the scholarship?” she asked.

            “Well…I didn’t exactly read that far. I read the first line.”

            She gave me a disappointed look then went back to eating. She was probably more excited about my getting in than me.

            “All right, but when we go to dinner, I want you to read it out loud to me and your father. He’s going to be so proud when he finds out.”

I finished breakfast then waited for my ride. I’d been borrowing my mom’s car for a week since mine was in the shop with engine problems. She asked if I could drop it off because she needed to go grocery shopping, so I’d asked my friend for a ride.

 I quickly checked my hair just in case because I hadn’t bothered to brush it that morning. Somehow, the forces of nature decided to bless me with the most manageable hair on the planet. The only part I didn’t like about it was the black streak. It was so awkward and out of place since the rest of it was platinum blonde, though I was fortunate that I didn’t even lose it while I was on chemo, by some miracle. The doctors nicknamed me Samson and joked that it was my hair that kept me alive for so long.

            “You still borrowing mom’s car?” Micah asked, stepping onto the porch.

            “Yeah. I bring it back whenever she needs it, but two grand isn’t going to magically appear in my bank account.”

            “I thought you had that paid internship or whatever.”

            What neither he, nor the rest of my family didn’t know was that I’d quit that job. It was probably the reason I’d gotten into Yale in the first place, but none of that mattered anymore.

            “I uh…quit. It wasn’t the right fit for me.”

            “Uh oh. Does dad know?”

            “No!” I scoffed. “I have enough money to pay for two more months of rent. Until then, I’m not going to say anything.”

I heard the familiar honk and an orange Prius pulled up to the house. My