The sound was unmistakable—the sizzle of vampire flesh searing upon contact with silver.
Bevis jerked upright and staggered back, gaping at his injured hands. Moonlight revealed the crimson wounds on his fingers healing instantaneously. As he retreated warily, I mentally cursed my carelessness—I'd forgotten how potent the pure vampire blood in his veins had grown! The nocturnal breeze carried rose petals across the balcony, making his black shirt billow like dark wings. Moonlight carved sharp shadows along his jawline. Without warning, he spun and closed the distance between us in a heartbeat. Though he still breathed warm air, his movements were pure vampire. My back hit the iron railing as he caged me in, his right hand braced against the wall by my ear while his left index finger twirled a strand of my hair—an unsettling echo of Lionel's mannerisms.
