Free A Dark-Adapted Eye by Heather Crews

a vampire.”
    “What?”
    “We found her in an alley, covered in blood.”
    “But . . . how did you know she was a vampire?” I asked.
    Ivory fixed me briefly with his cool blue gaze. “I’ve told you these things, Asha. How to spot a vampire is something everyone needs to know these days. See the lackluster quality of her skin and hair? How the fangs cause that slight protrusion of her upper lip? The fact that you can’t see the veins beneath her skin? The glitter of her eyes?”
    “Oh.”
    “You should really watch the news sometimes,” my brother continued. “You should know what’s actually happening out there, especially if you’re going to let Criseyde drag you to vampire clubs and go out after dark and generally put yourself in danger at every turn.” He sighed. “Excuse the sarcasm, but sometimes I don’t think you understand how vulnerable you are.”
    I glared at him. “I guess what I meant to ask was why you brought her back here if you knew she was a vampire.”
    “She was hurt. Some men jumped her. Humans.”
    “Three of them,” the girl said darkly. I looked at her with muddled sympathy.
    “What’s your name?” Les asked.
    She steeled her lower jaw but didn’t answer.
    “Aleskie,” Ivory supplied at last. We all looked at him and he explained, somewhat sheepishly, “I went to school with her. She was in a couple of my classes.”
    “I don’t remember that,” the girl said stubbornly.
    “What were you doing in that alley tonight, Aleskie?” Les asked.
    She looked back and forth between the guys for a moment before she let out a resigned sigh. “I was just . . . I was trying to find someone so I could feed. I don’t drink blood very often—I don’t like doing it—but it’d been a long time and I was hungry. I saw someone near the back e ntrance of a store and so I went up to him. Then the other guys came out of nowhere and just started . . . beating me.”
    “A man,” Ivory said. “You were trying to attack a man?”
    Aleskie frowned. “I wasn’t trying to attack him. But yes, it was a man.”
    The boys shared a look. “It’s not her,” Les said.
    “Who?”
    “Some vampire is killing a bunch of girls,” I said, not really sure why I was getting involved. Ivory shot me a dark look.
    “I know who did it,” Aleskie said. “I know who’s murdering those girls.”
    When everyone turned to look at her, she seemed to shrink back into the couch cushions. “Well?” Ivory said.
    “I mean, I might know. Probably. Her name is Lucinda. She has a taste for young women’s blood. She favors it.”
    “What else do you know about Lucinda?” Les demanded.
    “Not much,” Aleskie admitted. “She hangs out in clubs. Human clubs. I guess that’s where she gets her . . . um, prey.”
    “How do you know that?”
    She flinched at his harsh tone. “I heard it. You hear things from other vampires every so often . . . I’ve never seen her, but apparently she’s some kind of vampire celebrity, I don’t know. I don’t think I’d like to meet her. A lot of vamps would, though.”
    “That’s valuable information.” Ivory appeared thoughtful for a moment. “Aleskie, I think you could be useful to us. If you don’t give us reason to kill you, that is.”
    Her long-lashed eyes widened. “Wait—”
    “All you have to do is help us,” my brother continued hastily. “I remember you as a human, but as a vampire you might give us a small advantage. I’m going to get you some blood so you don’t attack any of us. Les will stay here and watch you.”
    Before Aleskie could say anything, Ivory slammed out of the house. A moment later his pickup squealed angrily down the street.
    “Where’s he getting blood from?” I asked. “The hospital?”
    “Yeah.” Les cut a sharp glance at the vampire girl. “But that’s not an ideal option. People need that blood for saving lives, not feeding vampires.”
    “You don’t know how much it means—” Aleskie started.
    “Save