Caroline was withering in her sleep. Her skin was no longer an aged white, but a dying grey, a frown capturing the essence of night within chapped lips. It was a sad sight; Gareth watched her chest rise and fall with every painful rasp of breath, worrying for her, anxious for what her death would cause...

Danger.

There was much to be done about the clan, and with very few members left, losing Caroline would be a calamity within a disaster, all wrapped into one, indelicate, bloody pile of shit. Please, Caroline, stay alive long enough to see the new vampires turned. They need your words; they need the plan.

War was not uncommon between the clans of the vast land. Caroline had spent most of her life within some kind of feud, never relenting or backing down, despite regularly having no clue what began the battle in the first place. As she laid her bed, she was unaware of the powers lurking within the night.

Gareth had sent his family outside, to gather fifteen of the most promising souls to bleed, join eternal life, and save Caroline, the woman he had always loved.

Because blood, he thought, is the only thing that can keep us alive.

~*~

Welcome to Author Games: Nocturne, a literary competition that will tell the story of fifteen newly-turned vampires and their dying leaders.

Reservations will be Friday, July 22nd at 5pm PDT.