It was quiet — the kind of quiet that only comes when the moon is listening. Cora stepped out from the fog, her crimson-streaked hair catching what little light the street offered. Her boots barely made a sound against the wet pavement, but her eyes — molten brown and glowing faintly red — saw everything including the young woman gazing out at the moon, alone by herself, until she turned to see Cora.

"Don’t be afraid," she said softly, hands tucked into her sleeves like she was trying to make herself smaller. "I don’t… bite. Not unless I have to."

Her voice carried the sweetness of someone who still remembered what it was like to be human — and the soft wonder of being what her mama AJ called a baby bat, a new vampire.