Aster: Aster’s mind spun in two hundred different directions. She didn’t really believe anything Declan had been telling her, and for a crazy minute she thought that she had been wrong all along, that he was there to kill her. It’s just as well, she thought, then I don’t have to go through the whole getting sicker by the day thing all over again. But at the same time, she was sure she was wrong. He was his gentle self … until he turned her head to the side. She heard a faint clicking sound, and when she tried to twist her head to see what the sound was, he kept her firmly in place – her face turned away from him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered close to her ear. She was about to ask him why, then, out of nowhere, a blinding pain shot through her neck. She gasped, closed her eyes, and bit into her lower lip, trying to stifle a scream – she had screamed quite enough in the last twenty-four hours, and she didn’t want to give him the

Aster: Aster opened her eyes. She was wrapped in a blanket of complete darkness. At first, panic threatened to overwhelm her, but then she remembered. I’m dead. This is death. She sat in the dark, trying to remember how she died, but couldn’t recall anything. There was nothing really, no memories of who she were, what her life was like – nothing. It was a complete blank The darkness was complete. She could it feel pressing in on her. Arms outstretched, Aster turned in a slow circle, and touched nothing but emptiness. She wasn’t sure if she made a complete 360 turn, but slowly she started shuffling forward, keeping her arms outstretched in case she met a wall. Something unpleasant curled around her feet, like tendrils of slime. She inhaled, realised she couldn’t, and remembered she was dead – dead people didn’t breathe. “Hello?” she cried out. Her voice echoed in the darkness. Apparently, dead people did have vocal chords. She

Aster: The closer she got, the more impressed she was. The magnificent structure wasn’t a castle, but it wasn’t a mansion either. The sheer size of the building took her breath away. Perfectly manicured, lush, green lawns surrounded the paved path she followed. Halfway to the mansion, she came across a fountain cut from white marble. In the centre, a spectacular life-sized granite elephant spouted water from its trunk. For a moment she stopped, staring up at the splendid sculpture, completely mesmerised by the way the granite sparkled in the sunlight. Then the voice was there, urging her on, “Go. Get out. I’m waiting.” Aster looked around, but saw no one. She tried to remember why she had to get out, as the mysterious voice kept telling her, but she came up blank. All she knew was that she had to do it. Reluctantly, she turned her back on the fountain and walked up the steps to the terrace that seemingly wrapped around the mansion. Large Gree

Declan: He gasped and his eyes snapped open. Sitting bolt upright in bed, Declan reached out, searching, trying to connect with her, but his mind touched only emptiness. “No,” he whispered. His throat burned, and his head threatened to split open. It wasn’t dark yet, but he forced himself to stay awake. As soon as the sun set, he planned on going back to the Montgomery estate – he had to make sure she was really dead, and then he had to tell Edward that he failed. Slowly, he got up from the bed and went to his bathroom. The warm water helped to ease his painful muscles and aching head a little. When he was done, he wrapped a towel around his waist, wiped steam from the mirror and stared at his reflection. His eyes were swollen and red, skin pale-blue, lips tinged grey. It was a consequence of making a vampire. Once the sun set and he fed, he’d look more alive than dead. Thinking about Aster hurt. It surprised him. He didn’t think he c

Declan: He heard her bones cracking and shifting back into place. It felt like the healing process took hours, but in reality, it took no more than thirty minutes. He winced and hissed softly when she dug her nails deeply into his forearm, but like a husband holding his wife’s hand during childbirth, he didn’t say a word. She was worse off than he thought she’d be – maybe because she was sick before he made her. When he saw her there on the ground, her body bent in all directions, the weird angle of her neck, the silent screams of utter despair, he felt his heart break into a million pieces, and for a moment, he wished he could take it all back. Declan was glad now that he decided to heal her before they attempted it, she wouldn’t have survived the process if he hadn’t. Breathing hard and sweating profusely, she relaxed against him. She was still crying softly, but her tears were drying up. He let her get it out of her system, the tra