Pretty in Black (Pretty in Black #1) A Vampire Romance Series

Evermore (Revised)

Something always drew me to the woods. They were vacant. They were Eerie. They held a promise that I couldn't quite place. I didn't want to go there that afternoon but I couldn't control it-I had to go. Every sound- the wind rustling leaves, snapping limbs, the crunch beneath my feet-caused my skin to prickle. My heart beat in anticipation.

I would not be satisfied until I found what lay hidden in these woods. What secrets did these woods whisper to the wind? When I breathed the air, it left a deep impression in my entire being.

Something was definitely here. I stuck my hands deep into my coat pockets and inhaled. Before I could exhale, I saw Marcus, leaned against the tree, hair in his face, eyes ablaze with emotion, and my breath caught in my throat.

"I need to tell you something, Ellie."

"Okay." Inhale. Exhale. "Speak." I tried to steady my voice.

"Before I do, you have to promise me that you won't run away."

I really wanted to know what he had to say. He looked serious. I was curious. "I promise."

He pushed himself off the tree and inched closer to me, closing the space between us.

"Have you ever noticed anything....different about me?"

This did not sound good. In fact, it was creepy.

"Besides the fact that you seem secretive? No..."

"Maybe you should pay more attention." He now stood only mere inches from my face. I couldn't breathe. "I don't have a shadow."

He was right. The entire time I'd been hanging around him, I had never seen him cast a shadow. This was probably how he'd been able to easily creep up on me without me knowing he was there. There hadn't been any visual clues he was following me.

I closed my eyes and gulped, hoping my pulse would return to normal. He raised my hand to his chest. My pulse rapidly thumped. I felt the hardness of his body. "My heart does not beat."

I quivered. He was right. He had no pulse. The only beating between us was my heart.

"Ask me where I live." I didn't want to look him in the eye. A nervousness I'd never experienced until now, bubbled up in my gut. My lips trembled. My breathing, unsteady.

He repeated the question. "Ask me where I live."

I took a deep breath. "You're dead. You live in the cemetery." It came out in a winded rush. I might've accepted this reality for what it was if he'd stopped there. But he didn't.

"You wanna know what else?" He circled me.

"No..." But he wanted me to know anyway. He pivoted and ran at superhuman speed, then exploded into a white raven and flew overhead.

This was unreal. He'd been the raven that had watched me the entire time. I was afraid. Very afraid.

Before I realized what had happened, my feet rose off the ground and I ran. My limbs were numb and my body shook from disbelief.

He swerved down in front of me and exploded back into his human-like form. I skidded to a halt, breathing rapidly.

"No, you love me! You promised not to run."

"I lied." I spun around and ran the other way.

I collided with his chest and he steadied me with his gentle hands. Whoa. Wasn't he behind me like a second ago?

"There's nothing to run from. I would never hurt you."

"You're, you're not human," I stammered. "You're the Evermore. I'm supposed to kill you."

"Likewise," he said. "I was supposed to have already ripped your entire body apart, but I have other plans for it." He stepped closer. "I need to ask your permission."

"For what?" My heart beat out of control.

"To haunt you, to be in your life." His eyes bore into mine. "I want to infiltrate every part of your existence."

He was...a monster. I quivered. How could I be sure he wouldn't hurt me? I dug into my pocket, trying to find something sharp to jab him with, but before I could, he morphed again and a thousand black crows swarmed around me. Not in a disharmonious rhythm like before, but in a calm, perfect assembly, their wings fluttering lightly.

I watched as they flew back together and merged into Marcus again. "Now you know my darkest secret. But I'd never hurt you, Eleanor."

"What...are you?"

"I'm a vampire."

"This isn't normal. This isn't real."

He raised both my hands to lock with his. "It's very real." My world stood still, but at the same time it spun faster than it ever had.

"Things like this just don't happen."

"But things like these do." He pulled me to him and he slowly kissed me; it felt like the world was ending and beginning all at the same time. When our lips parted, and my vision returned to normal, I saw three people in red robes approach us. They had pale faces. They removed the hoods of their robes from their heads.

The girl spoke first. She appeared to not have slept in months. "Hello."

The two guys had black eyes that glowed with what appeared to be vengeance. The red figure that'd been watching me had been real. I just didn't know if it had been one of the three who now stood before me.

I looked at Marcus, whose defense muscles flexed. His face tightened. He took my hand into his and gripped it tightly. I knew this meant trouble.

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