Reborn

They say New York is the city that never sleeps. Well neither could Victoria Day as she abandoned her bed in a state of grief and despair, flinging open the windows to the balcony of the Manhattan suite of the Waldorf-Astoria.

Victoria turned only to take one final look at the white gown hanging at the opposite end of the room. It seemed to gleam with the rays of moonlight she had just invited in. Seeing the gown, she felt the invisible restraint of the corset her body would be forced into come morning. She became fueled with determination—and a will to die.

Victoria never wanted to marry Jonathan. He had the personality of a cardboard box; his conversation skills were painful, and his kisses were tight lipped and cold. His lovemaking was textbook and predictable. So why did she accept his proposal? Why did she even accept a second date for that matter?

Loneliness and desperation for love can make even a levelheaded woman behave in an irrational manner. All around her, childhood friends married their high school sweethearts, fell in love over happy hour, or went on vacation and came back with “the one”. The fear of becoming an old spinster scared her more than a few bad dates with Jonathan. She’d spent years being surrounded by happy couples. Now the couples were multiplying, and she was being surrounded by happy families. And they didn’t stop at one. The growing need to overpopulate the world was an epidemic.

Girlfriends invited her to brunch only to ignore her and wipe the mouth of a dribbling infant. The same women who used to toss back cocktails with her now refused because they had to breastfeed their offspring for the next decade. They all smiled at her with their exhausted eyes and said, “Soon this will be you.”

The words of camaraderie didn’t bring her comfort. She knew then she didn’t want to be initiated into this society. The babies around her didn’t make her want to reach out and hold one. Her womb didn’t ache to bring forth new life. Perhaps her friends were happy, but what if she didn’t want to be like them? What if all she wanted was to escape?

Victoria clawed at the balcony ledge, hoisting herself up to place her bare feet on the cold concrete railing. She stood up tall, body shaky, the September breeze picking up in her long dark hair. The sounds of the city were deafening; honking cars, the screech of a tire, the shouts of a homeless man, and in the distance music from a faint radio all provided a soundtrack to her death. The city lights twinkled below, offering her direction, like a plane finding its landing in the dark. Determined to not live a life without passion, Victoria chose to not live at all.

Closing her eyes, Victoria Day jumped to her death.

She did not emit a cry; she held the pain and fear inside. Down she fell, her thin white satin night robe becoming angelic wings, fluttering about in her dizzying tumble. She prepared for the impact, the crash of bone against pavement, the end to the monotony of her disparaging existence.

Then it happened.

Her body slammed against hard rock, but her bones did not break, her frail form did not shatter. Slowly, Victoria opened her eyes, wondering if she would find herself in heaven or hell. Instead, she found herself in the arms of a man. His skin was white like alabaster, his eyes glowed green, and his hair hung in dark waves around his brow, which was furrowed in confusion.

His name was Bryce.

And Bryce was a vampire.

“You caught me.” Victoria gasped, staring into his eyes.

“Ye jumped.” Bryce replied matter-of-factly. He didn’t know why he felt the need to sprint forward and catch the woman in the first place. It was a reflex. There was no thought involved. Bryce reasoned it would have been a waste of her blood to have it splattered across the dirty city streets. Her hair was long and deep brown, her eyes a warm hazel, and the vein behind the thin veil of skin in her neck pulsated softly from her rush of adrenaline.

It was all too inviting.

He could smell her blood as it swam in her veins, warming a body that should have been much colder considering how little clothing she had on. Her blood smelled sweet; he knew what he held was a rare treat.

To devour her would be a waste.

Thinking about the taste of her alerted Bryce to how hungry he was. The idea of puncturing her skin and having the warm flow of her liquid life fill his mouth caused his throat to ache. He pulled his gaze away from hers and surveyed the city streets. There were passing cars, and lights all around, but no real witnesses. No one had seen her leap, or him catch her.

The park would be the best place to dine. It was dark and easy to dispose of the body. He had done it before, many times. Bryce stepped toward the street when she spoke again.

“Where are you going?” Victoria squirmed, but he held her tightly in his rigid arms. The more she wiggled, the tighter he held her like a pair of Chinese finger cuffs.

“Ye wanted to die.” Bryce affirmed.

“Yes, but... you stopped it.”

“I can finish it.”

“Why would you catch me, just to kill me?” A low warning growl rumbled in Bryce’s chest and fell out of his mouth, giving Victoria a clear view of the sharp canine fangs that threatened to rip at her throat. Bryce was not a fan of having his food answer him back. He watched the fear flash across her face as her mind tried to process what manner of creature held her in his clutches.

Then, the realization filtered through the lens of her hazel eyes as her imagination flooded with the impossible.

“You’re a v-vampire?” she stammered.

Bryce ran a pink tongue over the point of his left fang. “Aye.”

Victoria was about to scream, but Bryce was too fast, muffling her cry with his hand. He held her even tighter, forcing her to look up at him so that he could glamour her and enjoy his meal in peace.

“Ye’ll nae scream, lass.” He looked at her with his fiery green eyes, drawing her in. Victoria nodded, hypnotized under his spell.

“I’m going to put ye down. Ye’ll nae run.”

Again, Victoria nodded in understanding.

Slowly, Bryce removed his hand from her mouth. She didn’t make a sound as he lowered her feet to the ground. Bryce turned to her, offering his cold pale hand. “Take my hand.”

She obeyed, allowing the monster to lead her into the darkness of the city park.