She unzipped the leather jacket and noisily cracked her knuckles, immediately regretting the habitual action. It wasn’t her most feminine trait. She ventured further into the lobby … and slammed on the brakes as she walked past a huge copper-framed mirror. Damn. Way to advertise your undead status. She backed up and waited for the guy to walk by.

He gave her that look again, but headed for the far end of the foyer and hit the elevator call button. As soon as he disappeared inside, Moth scampered up the stairs and headed to the top floor. It figured that a kick-ass vampire hunter would live at the top of a ten-storey building. Luckily for her, endurance wasn’t an issue since turning vamp.

Tenth floor, and the plush-carpeted hallway was quiet. No mirrors here—just ornate wood paneling lining the walls and low-key lighting humming quietly above her head. Moth tried not to think about the stranger who had let her in; his dark eyes seemed to burn in her mind, and it disturbed her that someone who was clearly only human could affect her that much. She’d spent so many years being drawn to Theo that she’d forgotten what it was like to feel a genuine spark of attraction for anyone else. She wondered who the young guy was and which apartment he lived in.

Moth shook her head, reminding herself how furious Theo would be if she screwed up. If she wanted to get out of Ironbridge and enjoy her last couple months of freedom, she needed to succeed. She shivered as she walked underneath an air-conditioning unit that had been left running, glad that she’d changed into black jeans when she’d stopped at one of Theo’s dens for a snack. Thankfully, despite his aversion to “bottled blood” (his name for the hospital supplies some vampires preferred to drink), he didn’t stop his people from indulging their morals.

The door to apartment 1016 was at the far end of the corridor, set back in its own alcove. The bright copper handle stood out against dark wood, and Moth’s heart began to pound when she noticed that the door stood open. Just a crack, but she still caught a glimpse of burgundy carpet and a small entry hall through the narrow gap. She pushed her sunglasses on top of her head and contemplated this whole situation being a setup.