1 PROLOGUE

Downtown, Emilia, Romagna, Italy

April 11, 2029, 9:15 A.M.

"Keep everything clean, so we don't get into trouble with the person who will pay us a lot of money. You don't even have to work. Don't forget that we will bring down an outstanding lawyer later in the dark ... "

Angeline was shocked by what she heard. She glanced were some people standing like her on the side of the road, but those nearby were silent and focused on the traffic lights with their eyebrows creased.

Angeline removed her dark sunglasses and rolled her blue eyes squinted, looking around the area subtly.

It's a good thing I wasn't wearing my contact lens as I ran out of liquid, she mused. Then her eyes wandered across the road and found two muscular men with large bodies talking seriously. Each man has an athletic body different from the tarmac loader or the porters she saw carrying heavy goods. Both were wearing hats, black corduroy jackets, and ripped pants. They looked like they were working in one company.

She wore her shade again and listened intently to what they were talking about at that moment. Angeline was stunned, repeating in her mind what she heard. She clearly understood that they intended to kill an important person, a prominent lawyer in the district. She was nervous about what she found out because she knew someone nearby. Could it be? Her mind was in turmoil.

"Sure. You know how I work. Clean and quick. And then it's easy because I only have one person on my mission." The man continued.

"Don't give me your last word until you have done it. The boss contacted me to ensure there was no mistake because the target person is great at avoiding deathbeds. He always survives even on the brink of death ..."

"Is that so?" The man replied.

She couldn't explain the tightness that wrapped around her chest. From where she stood, she adjusted her eyeglass while her eyes hovered over the entirety of the men.

"My subject's ability is quite a challenged, so I'll prove later on how far the life of that eel is ..."

"I hope you can knock him down in one shot to get rid of my client headaches ...."

"Settled, boss. You know already my motto: One shot, one kill. As long as it's not a Nosferatu or a shapeshifter, this one is, then it is easy to knock down. Only one bomb is the equivalent of ensuring that it can't make him alive no matter what. It will reduce a strong defender in this area. "

The commander nodded.

Angeline crossed the road when the light changed. She went inside the pharmacy and bought a contact lens solution. But in the back of her, that conversation she overheard kept disturbing her equilibrium. It was an unsettling feeling that nudged her senses.

She exhaled deeply and looked at the street. A smile formed on her lips when she saw a hand waving at her from the car's window.

A smile touched Angeline's lips, and she walked toward the car.

She was stupefied when she felt strong hands shaking on her shoulder. She instantly opened her eyes and stared at a woman's face in front of her.

"O-Odette…" She quietly uttered.

"I think you have a bad dream ..."

"Give her something to drink to calm her," said the person's voice sitting in front of them.

"Thank you, sir," Angeline heard her friend say.

She quietly accepted the small plastic bottle of mineral water.

"Fifteen minutes, and we're in New York ...." She reminded her.

"Thank you, Dette," she said, her back resting on the backrest of her seat. Her right palm on her forehead.

"Are you alright?" She commented when she noticed that she was restless.

"Yeah, don't worry about me," she sighed. "I'll be fine. I have been just a little carried away from my dream."

As they both waited for their luggage, Odette was surprised at Angeline's decision.

"What? Are you going back to Italy?"

"Yes, I need to. I felt that something bad is going to happen. But a quick one. I'll find you when I'm back here."

Odette did nothing but nod, and she boarded the plane back to her home country.

She did not go home. She checked into a hotel but hid in the crowd when she saw a familiar face.

It's Jacob, in his late-thirties, a clean-shaven version of Henry Cavill, in a dark three-piece suit, the brother of her ex-best friend, who used to be the apple of her eyes. According to his sister Stefanie, Michelle, the beautiful model he was walking with at that moment, dumped him for his best friend.

Indeed, they have always been together, and the couple occupied her thoughts. Her eyes focused on them, but her elbow touched a bulk of the body when she turned to go.

She gasped when confronted by a handsome man who was about as tall as Jacob, broad chest and hard enough to flex beneath his shirt and suit jacket. All in black color attire, which marked how pale his skin was.

Angeline was silent, and apologetic smiles peeked from her lips. She was staring into soft eyes that seemed wrapped in sadness.

The throbbing of her chest quickened. She knew no ordinary man was in front of her - a powerful Nosferatu.

"Um, I'm sorry…."

"It's all right, my mistake…" he said with a smile. Its white teeth peeked out evenly.

"Hey, Mallory! I'm here ..."

They both looked at the source of that voice - a beautiful woman who walked and dressed up like a model strode towards him and dropped a kiss on his lips.

"Oh," Angeline rubbed her lips as she caressed her shoulder. She looked at the man who asked for an apology. And she was stunned for a moment when their eyes met. Her head just reached his chin part. He was very tall, and she seemed absorbed by the golden color of his eyes.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"No, I was just surprised ..."

"By the way, I'm Andre ..." His right hand was outstretched.

She nodded and noticed that he was still staring at her as if waiting for her answer. He lowered his outstretched hand.

"Angeline ... I mean, that's my name," she replied with a smile.

"You were ahead of me in the queue at the counter a while ago. Isn't that luggage yours?"

Angeline looked at the point of his hand.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks, nice meeting you, Andre," she said, quickly turning away. She missed the eyes that followed her when the man looked back.

ON THE third day of her surveillance, her nightmare took place. She could not save him in the first explosion of the car not far from his office.

The world's rotation seemed to cease with the wave of her hand. The impact of the blast amazed her momentarily. She managed to get the man out of his car before the car blew up again. She'd already brought him to the shadow of a tree, covered in blood, and she thought he would die.

"Sorry, this was my fault. I could have saved you earlier, but that strong explosion shocked me," Angeline said softly. With her eyes dimming with constant tears, she removed her contact lenses, and her eyes scanned around the nearby area until she found the nearest hospital. She took him in her arms again, and they both disappeared.

She carefully laid his immobile body on a stretcher next to the ambulance. When she saw two men in hospital uniforms, she disappeared straight away. She returned to where she had taken the man she had rescued. She was frantic, turned on the mobile phone, and waited for the hotline news. And she did not fail to hear the report about the well-known criminal lawyer being in critical condition.

There's still time to save him with your blood. Stop wasting your time here. You better get out before it's too late, that voice echoed in Angeline's head.

She found him in the intensive care unit. There was a life support machine attached. He seemed to have stopped breathing. She pressed her ear upon his chest. Her chest tight, she took off her mask and stared sadly at the man.

"Please, I beg you… don't die, Jacob…" she whispered in a sobbing voice. She wanted to cry.

Please don't make a move, and suppress the screaming when you feel pain in your wrist, said that voice again that echoed in her hearing. She let go of the mask she was holding, and her eyes widened when she saw her wrist dripping with fresh blood.

Please, put it in his mouth to drink and live, the voice instructed.

Despite the astonishment, she let her blood drip into Jacob's mouth. And gradually, she heard his heartbeat improving until it became stable.

She was startled to hear voices approaching, and then a shadow snatched her away from the premises.

The following day, Angeline was relieved when she learned that his condition was stable. She returned to New York to join Odette.