It was hunger that woke him the next evening, though he saw Kateesha already up and wearing a new dress. She helped him stand with a smile. "Are you ready?"
He nodded and they headed outside into the night. A handful of stars glittered overhead and the familiar buildings sat quiet, their windows glowing with candlelight. It was early evening; the moon had yet to make an appearance.
A woman walked down the street, her eyes on the ground, a basket clutched in her hands. The wind picked up and Verchiel could smell her scent on the air; smell the blood in her veins. The warmth. The life.
He was so hungry.
He knocked her to the ground before Kateesha could stop him. The woman struggled, but her limbs were frail, and her skin was easy to bite through. Her hot blood gushed into his mouth an
