Other parents give their children toys and party games for their birthday. My dad gave me and my siblings wooden stakes and flash grenades. To protect us from vampires.

From the moment he adopted us, he warned us about the dangers that lurk in the dark. Obviously, I thought he was crazy. Vampires aren’t real, and I was already enduring enough panic attacks without buying into Dad’s insane ideas.

But then I met Talon.

Talon has fascinating scars and a mouth I want to kiss and a body I want to feel--and fangs.

Vampire fangs.

Suddenly, the weapons Dad gave me start looking real useful.

Only I don't want to fight Talon. I want to feel his teeth on my neck. I can't explain it. He makes my knees goes weak. I know it's wrong, but it feels right.

It feels like destiny.

When Talon bites me, I forget everything, even that he is a monster. Even that I shouldn't be falling for him.

Even that his coven wants me dead.

I used to think vampires were the stuff of fiction. Now my brother has a baby with fangs and there's bottles of blood in our fridge, so obviously, I was wrong about that. It's not the only thing I was wrong about, either. I'm a nerd, I'm supposed to be smart, but honestly? I'm starting to realize I can be pretty darn clueless.

For one, I never realized that my best friend was in love with me. Not until after he died in a vampire attack. To protect me.

His death shattered my whole world. Seeing him again is like a miracle.

Even if he has fangs now.

Even if he doesn't remember his own past--or me.

His new name is Crimson, and he's not who he used to be. I know that, really, I do. But I have to believe that I can remind him of all the memories we shared, all the years we spent together, geeking out over our favorite games and TV-shows.

Because when he kisses me, I feel whole again.

I don't get it. I've been straight my entire life.

But maybe that's just one more thing I was wrong about?

The origin story of the dhampirs...

Witches. Vampires. Sex. And the start of a chain of events that would be centuries to come to fruition.

Do vampires deserve love?

I should have died, the night I got stabbed. Instead, I was reborn as a vampire. New name, new identity--new master.

My sire treated me like his pet. It was rough, at first, but I learned to adapt, learned to please him. Learned to follow every one of my sire's commands.

Now he's gone, killed by a pack of mortals. Mortals who seem to think they've rescued me. One of them, Jared, claims that he knew me back when I was mortal too. I'm not the person I used to be, though.

Truth be told, after three years with my sire, I'm barely a person at all.

But Jared is stubborn. He doesn't seem to care how broken I am, and I can't resist him. He makes me feel things I didn't know I could feel anymore. He makes me want things I shouldn't want. He makes me feel like maybe I have something to live for after all.

If only I could break my sire's hold on my mind.