Excerpt: Reverie

As she turned a corner down a side street, she was startled by a cloud passing over the bright, full moon, momentarily plunging her into near darkness. And then she heard something she had never expected to hear in the middle of the city. The baying of a wolf. And it didnt sound very far away, either. The sound ran chills down her spine. Wolfs? In Reverie Harbor? It wasn't completely unheard of for wild animals to find their way down from the hills outside the city and wander the streets lost. But wolves were smarter than that, weren't they?

Mikaela quickened her pace, this time out of fear rather than anger. It was absurd that she would be attacked in the middle of these familiar streets. But as the clouds cleared from in front of the moon and the light shone brightly again, she saw that the baying had been even closer than she had realized. Facing her, barely four yards away, was a scantily-clad woman in high, practical yet stylish boots and with dark, spiked hair. In one hand she held a chain, at the other end of which was a snarling, straining wolf. I didn't realize they were so large, Mikaela thought dumbly.

"Oh, normally they're not," said the woman. "Jenny is... special. Aren't you, love?" The woman bent down and ran one hand lovingly over the wolf's head. It didn't seem to notice; it just continued to snarl and strain to get free, baring its teeth menacingly at Mikaela. If she didn't know better, she would have also said that the wolf wore a look of challenge. you to run from us, it said.

Mikaela took a few steps backwards, and found herself backed into a solid human form.

"Don't go so soon," a male voice crooned. "We just want to play a little bit. Surely you wouldn't deny us that?" There was malicious delight in the voice. Mikalea turned and saw that there were at least four men blocking her access to the direction she had come from. Her stomach clenched in terror as they smiled and each one flashed two sharp fangs. Their eyes glinted yellow in the moonlight.

"This one smells of our kind, Mistress Trina," one of them hissed. "She has already been marked."

The woman named Trina grinned. "Then we'll just have to cut our playtime shorter than usual, won't we? Jenny's ready to go, aren't you pet?" As if in answer, Jenny howled, and to Mikaela's horror, the woman detatched the leash. As if in slow motion, Mikaela saw the wolf leap at her, approaching more quickly than Mikaela could react to. Her legs felt leaden. Her heart pounded painfully between her ears and in her throat. What could she do? She feebly put an arm up across her face in defense, and braced herself for the impact, knowing that the vampires behind her were just as likely to spring at any moment.

The impact never came. Mikaela opened her eyes in surprise to see the wolf sprawled against a nearby wall, unconscious. She turned around and saw the male vampires behind her backing away respectfully. She turned back to Trina to see the woman scowling at a tall, dark figure with long hair. Stefan. Mikaela blanched.

"Katrina, you have no place here. This one is... under my protection," he said smoothly, with only a moment's hesitation.

"You really should learn to share, Stefan. This one smells delicious." Katrina held her hands on her hips and glared up at Stefan antagonistically. "And it's not like you're doing anything with her. You couldn't even keep her attention tonight, could you? I could smell her on you, but she obviously hasn't fallen for your charms if she's out here alone on the streets. On a full moon, nonetheless." She swept past Stefan and took steps towards Mikaela, grinning ruefully. "You're lucky for now, little one," she said in a barbed voice. "Jenny will have to find her meals elsewhere tonight, once I revive her from my brother's blow," she said, scowling in Stefan's direction again. He simply stood there, watching her calmly with those golden eyes. She grabbed the wolf by the scruff of its neck as it struggled dazedly to stand, and reattached its collar, dragging it after her as she stormed away, her companions following her.

When the group had turned a corner and Stefan was fully satisfied that they were truly retreating, he approached Mikaela, who stood riveted in place, stunned. It had all happened too suddenly for her to make sense of anything. The wolf had human eyes, was all she could think. And even as it had closed on her, snarling and very obviously intending to make her its dinner, those eyes had pleaded with her. "I'm sorry," they had seemed to say. "Help me," perhaps.