The knife was at my throat before I could scream. "Don't move," the vampire prince whispered against my ear, his breath cold as winter frost. "This will only hurt if you resist." I should have stayed home tonight. I should have listened when my roommate Maya warned me about the abandoned cathedral on Blackthorn Hill. But I'd been desperate, and desperate people make stupid choices. Three days ago, my little brother collapsed. The doctors said he had maybe a week left. Some rare blood disease they couldn't name, couldn't treat, couldn't cure. Then a stranger in a black coat slipped me a card outside the hospital. *For the impossible, seek the Midnight Court.* An address. Tonight's date. Nothing else. So here I was, kneeling on cold stone in a cathedral that smelled like incense and old blood, surrounded by figures in crimson robes. And the most beautiful man I'd ever seen was about to cut my throat. "I didn't know," I gasped. "I just wanted to save my brother." "I know exactly why you're here, Sera Blackwood." His voice was silk and shadow. "You want me to cure him. And I will. But everything has a price." He moved in front of me, and I finally saw his face clearly. Sharp cheekbones. Eyes like molten silver. Dark hair that fell across his forehead. He looked maybe twenty-five, but I knew he was probably centuries old. Prince Damien Ashford. Heir to the Ashford vampire dynasty. The most powerful vampire family in North America. "What price?" I asked, though I already knew I'd pay it. His smile was dangerous. "You." He pressed the blade to his palm, and black blood welled up. Then he did the same to mine. I hissed at the sting. "The Crimson Seal," he said, pressing our palms together. "An ancient binding ritual. Your blood becomes mine. Your life becomes mine. You'll bear my mark, and every vampire in this city will know you belong to me." "For how long?" "Forever." The word hung in the air between us like a death sentence. "And my brother lives?" "He'll wake up tomorrow completely healed. You have my word." I should have asked more questions. I should have demanded details. But when you're watching someone you love die, forever doesn't seem like such a long time. "Do it," I said. His eyes flashed with something I couldn't name. Triumph? Hunger? Something darker? He began chanting in a language I didn't recognize. Our joined hands grew hot, then burning, then so painful I thought I might pass out. The other robed figures joined the chant, their voices rising and falling like a funeral dirge. Then Damien pulled me close and sank his fangs into my neck. The pain was exquisite. Terrible. Like being unmade and remade at the same time. I felt his venom spreading through my veins like liquid fire, felt something fundamental shifting inside me. When he finally pulled back, his lips were stained with my blood. "It's done," he said softly. "You're mine now, Sera. In every way that matters." I touched my neck. The bite marks were already healing, but I could feel something there. A mark. His mark. "What happens now?" I whispered. He helped me to my feet, steadying me when I swayed. "Now? Now you come home with me. You'll live in Ashford Manor. You'll learn our ways. And you'll discover exactly what you've agreed to." The robed figures parted as he led me toward the cathedral doors. I glanced back once, seeing the ritual circle still glowing with dark red light. What had I just done?