I hadn't thought about my birthday in a long time.

Dad had always made sure it was a special occasion, and for fifteen years I'd woken up to yellow tulips (my favorite), chocolate chip pancakes, and the happy birthday song, sang off-tune by Marcy and Luke.

Mom hadn't had the heart to continue the tradition after dad was gone and though there would be no tulips or chocolate pancakes this year, I found myself smiling just at the thought.

In six days, I'd be turning twenty-one. At a time in my life when I should have been planning on getting shit-faced and partying, instead, I found myself confined to a house in a foreign country, in the shadow of a vampire kingdom.

Vampires.

Of all things, vampires.

I shook my head, wondering how this had become my life.

I searched the cabinets, looking for alcohol. It's not like there was anything else to do while I waited for Christian to return, but, to my disappointment, I found none.

With a new mission, and against Christian's instructions I was sure, I found the credit cards Julian had left him and ventured outside.

Christian had been right before when he'd said spring was fast approaching. April 1st and even this mountainous town was starting to show signs of spring.

The snow, which had lightly dusted the trees last night had thawed to nearly nothing under the mid-afternoon sun. Trees, with their needle-like leaves and pinecones, filtered out some of the sunlight as I walked parallel to the road we'd used to reach Masline Apartments.

For a remote town at the edge of a mountain, the two-lane road was flowing with cars. Most of them were headed up the mountain, but it seemed like an exceptionally high number to just be campers.

I decided I'd mention it to Christian when he returned.

My cheeks were flushed from walking, and I followed the sounds of people talking in a foreign language, until, around a bend, I found the strip of shops from before, now busy with movement, chatter, and life.

It was easy enough to find a small food market with an attached gas station further into town. As I roamed the shelves, with their foreign markings, I found something that looked like Oreos.

Much to my dismay, the only alcohol in stock was beer, which I'd never been a fan of.

After paying, I left the market and headed back to the cabin, before Christian returned and gave me a huge lecture.

I ripped open my packet of Oreos with a little too much excitement. One fell to the ground. As I bent over to pick it up (three-second rule and all) I saw something flit past on the corner of my eye, and toward my left, near the forest.

A group of Romanian women walked past me on the opposite side of the road, heading into town. Neither of them seemed to notice the sudden movement in the woods.

I combed the forest again, searching for any sign of trouble.

But, maybe I was being paranoid.

It could have been an animal, a hiker, anything.

Still keeping a vigilant eye out, I chowed down my Oreos. Masline Apartments, with its fire engine red exterior could be seen just up ahead, up a hill.

I did a quick search outside the home, as another two cars idled past me on the road, climbing higher on the highway.

Maybe they were headed to Reader Nation.

A sliver of worry gnawed at my insides.

The sooner Christian returned, the sooner I could stop worrying for him.

With one last sweep behind me, I went inside.

I dropped my bag on a rectangular coffee table, kicked off my shoes and plopped down on the couch, already reaching for the remote.

I heard a creak on the floorboard.

"Chris?"

There was no reply, and I immediately drew magic up to my fingertips.

I stood and skirted around the couch and toward the kitchen, where the sound had come from.

The magic crackled on my palms like a slow-burning fire. I peered into the kitchen, and out the square window of the backdoor, but all was quiet.

The floorboards creaked again, this time out in the living room.

I rounded the corner, and found a man, in all black by the front door. He'd just laid something down on the ground--a white crystal.

As he straightened, he looked up and his hoodie fell from his head, revealing a scarred and burnt face underneath.

I took a step back and bumped into the doorway.

Rodrigo Verlac stared back at me, through his one good eye. The other was an empty socket, wrinkled by scar tissue, yet somehow it felt like it saw right through me.

"You're a difficult person to find alone." He said, voice gravelly.

I was certain he wasn't here for a warm reunion...not when I'd killed both of his parents.

I forced myself not to swallow hard and mentally counted the number of steps I needed to take to get to the back door.

"What can I say? I'm popular."

"Yes, indeed."

Rodrigo studied the step back I took with glinting eyes. His hands, which were loosely clasped in front of him shook...and I was sure they were itching to wrap around my throat.

It's okay, I thought, he's only half soul-sucker.

I can take him.

"Well you found me," I said, leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe, and pretending to examine my nails. "What do you want?"

He smiled that gentle, crinkle-eyed smile, the same smile he'd given me that night on the terrace at the Verlac vineyard, right before I was to be offered as a sacrifice in exchange for his mother's health.

A smile that looked kind...but I knew better.

"If you're here to kill me, you're going to have to take a number."

"Hmm," He mused. He picked up my empty Oreo package from the coffee table and crumbled it up in his fist.

"I'm not here to kill you just yet. I want to take my time with you."

"I have a boyfriend," I snorted. "And you're not my type."

"You're quite arrogant for someone who is about to die."

"I'm sure your father thought the same. Right before I killed him."

Rodrigo bared his teeth and took a step forward. Collecting himself and taking a deep breath, he took a step back and clasped his hands behind his back. Somehow, his calmness was more unnerving than the anger.

Stop antagonizing him, I thought.

I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to think of ways to diffuse the situation. But there was no good way to talk down someone from a ledge of revenge.

"Just so you know, I didn't enjoy killing him. I'm sorry your parents are both gone. It sucks to be alone in the world."

He scoffed.

"You'll be a whole lot more sorry when I'm done with you."

"I don't want to hurt you, Rodrigo. Your parent's fate doesn't have to be your fate. Just walk away."

"I've waited a long time for this moment," He said. "Months of trying to track you down, waiting in the shadows. But here we are, finally alone. Just you and me."

Alright, I thought.

That's my cue to get out of here.

I released the ball of fiery magic I'd been nursing in my palm. I didn't wait to see if it hit him, instead, I made a beeline for the backdoor.

As soon as my palm touched the handle, a wave of energy sent me flying backward.

My back connected with a wall, and I fell to the ground, the wind knocked right out of me.

Rodrigo's brown boots appeared in my line of vision as I gasped down air through my bruised lungs.

Lifting myself up into a standing position, the room swayed but I managed to put a few feet between us, magic already on my palms.

"Crystals," He said, jerking his chin toward a white crystal, just like the one he'd set down by the front door, resting by the back door. "Great at containing magical beings." He explained. "There's nowhere to run, Aimee."

"Fine," I said, cracking my neck. "Then I guess we fight."

He chuckled.

I flung both balls of fiery magic at him but they never made contact with his body. Instead, they dispersed left and right, some unseen force directing them away from Rodrigo and straight onto the yellow walls of Masline Apartments.

Flames licked at the walls, dying down to a few orange embers.

Rodrigo took another step toward me and smiled a wicked smile.

"I came prepared, hybrid. You won't get the best of me as you did with my parents. Prepare for this to hurt. A lot."