Extract Chapter 1

A rush in the trees made her look up. Walking through the park at night was not a good idea, so she had been told. These woods had been known as hunted by dark creatures for centuries and even today, in the 21 century, people still believed evil would crawl out at night and eat the living.
Miranda smiled. She had always been far more scared of humans than such creatures. If they existed, they could by no means be more evil and destructive than the human race. Sometimes, she even wished for one of them finding her and making her theirs. Leaving the human world and joining the fairies, elves, demons and vampires had always seemed apealing.

So she deliberately seeked the dark, alleys at night, the woods, lonely cursed places, mystic countries ruled by tales of the unknown. As she continued walking the narrow path between the trees, listening to their leaves, she breathed in the clear scent of night. Night, when things were at their most real. Night, when things were not altered and distorted by the blinding light of the sun.

A squirrel rushed by and climbed up the tree in front of her. It was only when she heard his voice that Miranda turned around. At first she thought she had been wrong. Nobody there, still nothing but the wind in the trees. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and remembered the state of mind she needed to be in to see them. The state of mind she had spend most of her childhood in, talking to creatures that, according to her parents, didn’t exist. Blocking out all things human, all things fake, she opened her eyes again and there he was.

His eyes in hers, piercing, questioning, strong and yet serene. For what seemed like an eternity, Miranda stood there, his eyes on her. His tall figure towered over her as he stepped closer. He smelled like a fresh summer rain, clean, of freshly cut grass with a hint of musk. It was a pure male scent and she felt her body react to it. His skin was unnaturally pale, underlining his piercing blue eyes. His dark hair fell over his shoulder in soft waves. She thought about the many times she had been secretly wishing for an encounter like this one and yet, the mix of fear and excitement made her shiver.