The Darkest Dream (The Darkest Trilogy) (28 page)

I woke in the morning feeling rejuvenated—light and airy, at peace.

I actually found myself humming softly as I showered and prepared myself for the day ahead.

A brief knock at the door startled me, but I quickly crossed the room—my heart thumping wildly in my chest.
 
I hadn’t even been aware of my high hopes until I opened the door and was immediately let down.
 

Standing on the other side of the door was a girl probably near my age—raven haired, with familiar warm brown eyes.
 
She smiled kindly at me, her eyes twinkling a bit.
 
“You’re Lucinda, right?”
 

I nodded, a bit thrown off.
 
A complete stranger had not only knocked on my motel room door, but she seemed to know who I was.
 

The young woman’s smile brightened as she stuck her hand out.
 
“Excellent.
 
Well, you don’t know me, and I’m probably freaking you out right about now—but I’m Zoe.
 
Zoe Henderson.”
 
She shook my hand emphatically before dropping it.
 
“I believe you met my mother
Marleja
.”

***

The following is a (completely unpolished/unedited) sneak peek into the second book of The Darkest Trilogy:
 
The Darkest Deception
, available in 2014!

***

It came out of nowhere, the breath of cool air on my neck as I collected a drink from the bartender.
 
I’d gotten so used to the numbness that I nearly dropped the drink, memories of a time I’d been dying to forget about—memories of a man who wasn’t quite a man—flashing into my mind.

I turned around quickly, my eyes scanning the crowded club.
 
I didn’t see him—yet my skin tingled as if coming out of a deep sleep.
 
My mind was more alert than it had been in the previous few weeks—months even.
 

I was
aware
.
 

I spent the rest of the night searching for him, my eyes on constant vigil.
 
It wasn’t quite the same feeling as I’d had before, when I’d known he was near.
 
But it was close.

The night wore on without result, and by the time it was time for me to leave, I was filled with disappointment.
 
I tossed glasses into a bin with more force than necessary—once missing the bin entirely.
 
I swore softly under my breath as I reached out to grab it.

And then it happened again.
 
A strange surge of tingles flowing through my system—undeniable
, bringing
me to life.
 

The glass was resting in the palm of a very pale hand.

“I believe you dropped this,
”
 
he
rose to his full height, offering me the glass.
 

I was slightly mesmerized.
 
He was absolutely beautiful—an image of perfection, with wavy jet-black hair and piercing crystal-blue eyes.
 
My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him, with high cheek bones and a darker complexion than I’d expected.
 
There was
a slight
stubble upon his cheeks, a dark patch of a goatee on his chin.

His eyes held mine for the briefest of moments as I felt his cool skin make contact with my own.

And then I gasped, pulling my hand away and stepping back.

I
knew
what he was.
 
I could tell the instant I looked upon him—like a sixth sense of some sort.
   

“
What,
no thank you?”
 
His voice was deep and smooth, enticing in every way.
 
A smile danced onto his lips, revealing a glimpse of pure perfection.
 

“Thank you,
”
 
I
said curtly, turning on my heel and heading to the kitchen, the glasses rattling in the bin as my hands trembled.
 

He was a vampire.
 

But he wasn’t
my
vampire.
 
And that…was very dangerous.
 

As I said my goodbyes for the night, part of me wished that I had taken Zoe up on her earlier offer to go see a movie.
 

But another part of me felt no fear at all.
 

I began to walk the familiar path to my apartment, very conscious of the quiet surrounding me.
 
I heard the tap of my feet as they hit the pavement, heard a dog barking in the distance.
 
Somewhere somebody laughed loudly and the heavy bass of a song hummed.
 
“Hasn’t anyone ever told you how unsafe it is for a girl to be out late at night all by herself?”
 

Smooth as silk.
 

I stopped in my tracks, watching his figure emerge from the shadows.
 
It was odd to me that I felt no fear, even here, all alone and in the dark.
 
My heartbeat remained steady, my breathing even.
 
“That darkness…it’s a very
dangerous
thing.”
 
He was coming closer now, his eyes holding mine, searching them.
 

“I’m not afraid.”
 
He continued closing in on me, as a predator would his prey.
 
I stayed still as he came within reaching distance, still advancing—until he passed me by, circling around my stationary form.
 
I felt his cool breath on my neck once more as he leaned in, breathing in a drawn-out breath of my scent.
 

“No, it appears you’re not.”
 
He came to rest in front of me, his eyes taking hold of mine once more.
 
“That’s…interesting.”

“I know what you are.”
 
He raised his eyebrow, a smirk forming on his perfectly formed face.
 
The vampire reached forward after a moment, lifting my golden blonde hair and placing it behind my shoulder, exposing my neck.
 
I watched his eyes roam over the exposed flesh, wondering why I still felt no fear.
 
This could be the end.
 
The end of everything.

Part of me almost longed for it.

Michelle Brewer has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember (literally—she began “borrowing” her sister’s romance novels around age ten), and it was her love of reading that led her to want to become a writer.
 
The ability to create a world of fiction that feels so real to the reader—that feeling has inspired her since she first put pen to paper.

She lives in Michigan with her husband of four years and their nearly-two-year old son, with whom she loves spending her free time.
 

Visit her
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michellelbrewer