9 years old, New Orleans

***

Nighttime was both a blessing and a curse. Liliana had learned that early. While the darkness helped her get around the city without being spotted, it also allowed the same benefit to the assholes that crawled out of their holes at dusk. But Lily learned to avoid them for the most part. One would think a kid on the streets alone in the middle of the night would warrant more attention, but the opposite seemed to be true. Everyone was too busy living their own lives, trying to get where they needed to be. Besides, no one would just let a kid wander around on her own, right? That's absurd.

Lily grinned as she took a bite of the apple Luscious had tossed her as she ran by. The girl was 99% certain that wasn't the woman's real name, but she didn't care. She was nice to Lily so she'd use whatever name her friend wanted her to. Lily wove around the tourists in the Quarter, of which there were many. It was the week before Mardi Gras after all.

Suddenly, the girl slammed into a pair of legs that didn't budge at all. She rubbed at her shoulder and frowned up at the man she'd ran into. It was like running into a wall. What the hell? The man looked down at her in surprise. His eyes were dark.

"Sorry," she stuttered out. Before she could move away, a hand grasped her shoulder to hold her in place.

"Easy there, kid. You okay?" She liked his smooth southern accent.

She frowned. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Where are your parents?" His gaze took in the crowd around them as he waited for her answer.

Flashes of blood, screams and red eyes tore through her brain, but she couldn't tell him that. Wouldn't tell him that. She didn't tell anyone about that. Didn't think about that.

Instead, she shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care."

His brow furrowed. "Isn't there anyone taking care of you?"

"Look, just let me go, okay. I've got people waiting on me to show up. They'll be worried if I'm not there in like five minutes," she lied.

He sighed. "All right. Just hold on a second."

Her eyes followed his movements as he pulled out a wallet and started fanning through the cash inside. He pulled out several bills and handed them to her. "Get something to eat, kid. Stay safe."

She gaped at the money he gave her as she counted it. Eighty dollars. She had never seen this much money. By the time her shock faded enough for her to thank him, he was long gone. She separated the four twenties into four different pockets so if someone tried to pick her pocket they wouldn't get all the money. This was a good night.

***

Two hours later, Lily was happily walking down the street drinking a bottle of water and eating a hotdog she bought from a gas station. Perhaps not the healthiest option, but it was late and the food was hot. It was a luxury she didn't get much anymore. She moaned in happiness with every bite. So good. The hotdog was gone in a flash and she sipped at the water wanting to make it last.

A shout came from the alley she was approaching and she pressed herself against the wall as she prepared to run in the opposite direction. But then the low hum of conversation carried to her.

"You shouldn't mug people. It's not nice. Might get you in trouble one day."

Lily's eyes went wide. She'd recognize that voice anywhere. It was the nice man that worried about her and gave her the money. She snuck closer to the alley and poked her head around the corner. The man's back was to her as he faced off with Reggie. Lily hissed in irritation. Reggie was a thug. He didn't just mug people, he shot them or stabbed them even when they did as he said. He never cared if they lived or died. He also never ran alone.

She couldn't just let them kill this guy. Before she could run and get the help this guy obviously needed, a hand grabbed the back of her shirt and pushed her into the alley. "Look who I found watching you work, Reg." He shoved her forward and she stumbled before turning to glare at him. David. Reggie's main minion and a complete ass. Great.

"Hey, the kid has nothing to do with this," the stranger said. "Just let her go."

"Oh, don't worry about Lils. She always manages to get herself out of trouble, don't ya?" She could hear the smirk in Reggie's voice even though she wasn't facing him. No, her gaze was locked on David and the gun in his hand.

She wanted to tell Reggie to shut up, but she was smart enough to know when to keep her mouth shut. At least when there was a gun involved.

"So be it." The stranger's words were followed by a woosh and strangled scream.

David's eyes went wide and he started to back away, trembling in fear. A blink and his neck was firmly in the stranger's grasp. David fired the gun wildly as his would-be victim buried his face in his neck.

Vampire, Lily thought the moment before searing hot pain tore through her belly. A shout left her before she could stop it. The stranger spun, eyes running over her as she grasped her stomach.

Tears flooded her eyes and she dropped to her knees. So much pain. So hard to breathe. She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated. She didn't want to feel the fire in her belly or the nausea that came with it. Finally, her block slid into place, deadening that horrible pain. She sighed in relief then groaned at the subtle increase in pain from the movement.

Next thing she knew, she was swept up in a pair of arms. "Stay with me, kid," the man ordered.

"My name's Lily," she told him as she leaned against his chest. His movements as he hurried through the streets were so smooth that she barely got jostled at all.

He offered her a smile. "Hello, Lily. My name is John."

She was so tired. Her eyes drooped. Maybe she could just take a little nap. John would watch her while she slept, right? He owed her that much, she figured.

"Hey, Lily." His voice was so loud. "You need to stay awake, princess. Keep those eyes open, okay?"

She nodded slightly and decided she better ask him the question floating around her head before she forgot. "Hey, John, why aren't your eyes red?"

His gaze ran over her but they arrived at the hospital before he could answer. "I need help," he yelled as he entered the ER. "She's been shot." He was immediately surrounded by medical personnel that took her from his arms and transferred her to a bed. When he moved to follow her, they stopped him.

"You need to stay out here, sir. What's her name?" a voice asked.

There was a pause before he answered. "Lily Montgomery. She's my daughter."

That was the last thing she heard before the darkness swallowed her whole.

***

Lily woke suddenly from a dream full of blood and red eyes. She hadn't had the dream in ages. It must be because of John. John! Her eyes scanned the room to find it empty. She sighed in disappointment. Which was stupid really, wasn't it? She'd just met the guy and here she was feeling attached to him already. Besides, he was a vampire. She shouldn't want anything to do with him. Like she said, stupid. She was alone again. She hated being alone. Despised it. But she always seemed to end up that way.

Her body ached and she took a deep breath as she blocked the pain again. Much better. The door clicked open and a jolt of happiness shot through her as John stepped into the room. He paused as he realized she was awake. A half-smile curled his lips and he shook his head. "You would wake up the one time I leave the room."

He stood beside the bed and looked her over. "How you feeling, kid?"

She shrugged. "Fine."

He narrowed his gaze. "You sure? You're due for your pain meds."

Lily shook her head. "I'm fine. I blocked it."

"What do you mean you blocked it?"

"I don't know how to explain it. I didn't want to feel it so I don't."

John frowned and she could tell he was thinking. "Have you ever blocked anything besides pain?"

She nodded once. "Yeah. When I get real hungry, I can keep from feeling that too. But if I block it too long it's worse when it comes back."

He smiled then and sat in the chair beside the bed. "I have an old friend that would be fascinated by you."

"Me?" she asked and crinkled her nose. There was nothing very special about her. Certainly not enough for anyone to be fascinated.

He made a noise of agreement and leaned back in the chair. "You know what I am?"

She nodded her head slowly. "Except your eyes look different." John's eyes were a vibrant orange. Nowhere near the bright red of the monster that had killed her parents. "And you're not mean. Not to me, anyway."

"That's because I drink from animals most of the time. It makes my eyes gold. They're orange because I killed the two men in the alley."

Lily chewed at her bottom lip. "That makes sense, I guess. Yellow and red make orange." There was a brief pause before she continued. "Are you going to hurt me?"

"No, Lily, I'm not going to hurt you. Where are your parents?"

She couldn't see his eyes behind the dark lenses of his glasses, but she could feel his gaze on her just the same. "Dead." He didn't say anything else as he continued to watch her. Lily's gaze shifted to her fingers where they twisted together in her lap. "We were on vacation. Walking at night in the Quarter. A vampire killed them both. I hid."

His hand covered hers and she stopped fidgeting with her own fingers to play with his. "Don't you have any other family? Anyone that will take you in?"

She shook her head. "No. It was always just us. We didn't need no one else. That's what dad always said. And mom would laugh so I guess she thought so, too."

"How long have you been on your own, Princess?" he asked.

"Eight months." She sighed and finally looked at his face. "Are you going to tell them?"

He smiled. "Tell you what, I'll give you a choice. Option A is I leave you here. They'll call in the cops and search for your family. If they don't find anyone, you'll be put in foster care. But you'd have to swear never to tell anyone about me or what really happened to your parents."

"And option B?" she asked when he didn't continue on his own.

"You become Lily Montgomery. You stay with me and we take care of each other. So, what do you say, kid?"