As Lucien walked deeper into the settlement, unbidden memories of Elena Hayes flooded his mind. He could almost see her ghost walking these same cobbled streets, her eyes wide with wonder and that fearless smile he'd both loved and feared. How young she'd been, how recklessly brave, forgetting she was the only human in a city of predators.
"You can't just run off like that," he'd told her then, catching her arm as she'd nearly wandered into a blood feast. "This isn't your world."
"But it could be," she'd replied, her eyes shining with that dangerous hope that would eventually lead to their downfall. Her laughter had echoed off the ancient stones that day, drawing curious and hungry looks from nearby vampires.
A ghost of a smile touched his lips before he forcibly cleared the memories aw
