Chapter 1 Book 1: Prologue

Lilith POV

In this world, there are four types of people who have made our lives a bit more complicated: friends, family, strangers, and then friends again. Each of these groups has their own way of impacting our lives, sometimes for the better, but often for the worse. It's funny how the very people we rely on can also be the ones who throw a wrench in our plans, leaving us to navigate the chaos they create. Whether it's a betrayal from a close friend, the pressure from family expectations, or the unpredictability of strangers, it feels like we're constantly trying to pick up the pieces of what they've left behind.

When we finally discovered someone who truly captured our hearts, they turned out to be different from what our community deemed acceptable. Our love was met with skepticism and outright rejection from the council and our parents, who viewed this person as a potential threat. To us, they were everything we had ever wanted, but to those around us, they represented danger and the unknown. It's a tough pill to swallow when the people who are supposed to support you instead push you away from the one you care about most, all because of their own fears and prejudices.

Allow me to introduce myself; I'm Lillith Throne, and this is my journey. I'm a Dhampir, which means I'm half-human and half-vampire, but I prefer to call myself a bloodsucker. My family, the Throne lineage, has been on the run from vampire hunters for centuries, always moving from one place to another to escape their relentless pursuit. Now that the world has largely dismissed the existence of vampires, we've seized the chance to settle in New York City, hoping to blend in and live a life that feels normal, just like everyone else. But as we all know, normal is often just an illusion, and the shadows of our past are never too far behind.

You've probably come across stories in books or films that claim, "Vampires can't stand the sunlight" because it's like a poison to them. But my family was a bit of an anomaly in that world. We were known as day lites, a unique breed of vampires who thrived in the daylight rather than shunning it. We were the good kind of bloodsuckers, and our kind was referred to as The Sanguinarians, a name that carried a sense of pride and distinction among our peers.

I still remember the day my dad sat me down when I was just five years old and shared this fascinating tale about the different types of bloodsuckers that roamed the earth. He explained that there were three main categories: The Sanguinarians, who only needed a small amount of blood to survive and would use tools like syringes or lancets to draw it; the psychic bloodsuckers, who had this eerie ability to siphon life energy through tentacles that latched onto auras; and then there were the hybrids, who were a bit of a mixed bag, feeding on various types of blood but having a particular taste for vampire flesh.

What really caught my attention was the way their eyes would change color based on what they consumed. If they feasted on human or animal flesh, their eyes would turn a striking gold. When they drank blood from humans or animals, their eyes would shift to a deep, menacing red. But the most intriguing transformation was when they indulged in a vampire's flesh; their eyes would glow a brilliant blue. It was a wild world of colors and cravings, and I was just beginning to understand my place in it.