Prologue
Vampires lived in a world where they were known by
humans, and it had been that way for centuries - all because one fell in love
with a human, causing exposure to the rest. He was one of great power among
vampires, the sixth Father, but he was deemed an outcast and stripped of his
title. His actions set back their race decades, fighting to coexist amongst
humans because they were outnumbered. After the Dark War, an armistice was born between vampires and humans.
Vampires adapted and no longer hid in the darkness, though they had always had
the ability to come into the light.
There were many myths about vampires forged through
the ages, but most were untrue. They could walk freely in sunlight, though it
did leave them slightly weakened. A vampire bite did not mean becoming one. Garlic
and holy water had no negative effect on them. They cast a reflection just as
humans did. Vampires could be born, and the majority was. It was rare and under
special circumstances that one was made, yet all vampires, born and made, were
equipped with two hearts. That anomaly was the reason behind their immense
strength, speed and endurance. Their core temperature ran marginally colder than
a human’s, because of a lack of oxygen in their blood – they didn’t need as
much as a human - giving them a slightly paler complexion, but both hearts
still beat in their chest same as a human’s.
Feeding on a human without it being consensual was
outlawed. Human law stated humans had to be licensed to become a Blood Cropper
( a willing feeder) - a tattoo in the form of a barcode with a blood droplet
beside it was placed on the back of the neck - but the vampire council knew it
was a means to police humans, making sure vampires weren’t killing or feeding
unnecessarily.
But blood was their nourishment, something they
could not exist without, so when a Cropper was not available to a vampire,
which was quite rare, they visited blood banks to fulfill their basic need.
As new generations were born, the peaceful
coexistence between species held. But neither realized the days were numbered,
that history among their races bore long buried secrets, and everything was
about to change.
