Chapter 398

The temptation made hunger grow until he couldn’t think beyond the red haze in his mind.

“Look at yourself, brother, look at your face.”

He found himself on the ground, on his hands and knees, as if they’d shoved him, but he never felt the push. He stared into the shimmering pond of water stretching before him. The skin on his face was pulled tightly over his bones. His mouth was wide in protest and not only his incisors but also his canines were long and sharp in anticipation.

He heard a heartbeat. Strong. Steady. Beckoning. Calling.

His mouth watered. He was desperate—so hungry there was nothing to do but hunt. He had to find prey. Had to bite into a soft, warm neck so that the hot blood would burst into his mouth, fill every cell, wash through his organs and tissues and feed the tremendous strength and power of his kind.

He could think of nothing else but the terrible swell of hunger, rising like a tide to consume him. The heartbeat grew louder, and