Snowflakes covered the quaint little town with a veil of white. All around them, shop owners prepared for the treacherous snow storms to come with poster advertisements of warming potions, enchanted wool hats, and an assortment of baked goods. Sickeningly sweet scents drifted all around Sebastian as they stepped inside a little bakery called Blissful Bites.

Cinnamon and baked dough roused old hunger pains deep within his core, but he resisted the urge to even dare sink his fangs into a treat. It was something that took Sebastian a lot of time adjusting to when he first turned. The revulsion to mortal foods. However, his first tastes of savory blood abandoned those fleeting memories.

The bakery owner, Seraphina, greeted them with a wave. Pink curls bounced off her boisterous little head. She was a wizard, much like Castor, but her specialty lay with water magic. When they battled the dead last year, she showed to have tremendous powers and strength unimaginable to most of her kind. It was quite astounding how she wielded her magic.

“Hey guys!” Seraphina greeted them.

Sebastian glanced around the bakery, noticing a few glares from her customers as they munched on their breakfast. A young mother rose so suddenly, she almost knocked her own chair over as she yanked both her girls toward the door. Their confused protests went unheard, but when they spotted Sebastian and Castor, horror washed over their little faces.

Something shifted in the pleasant atmosphere. Hatred pierced through him like daggers as he heard an old man whisper to his wife about the bloodsuckers infiltrating. Sebastian kept his head down, pretending like he couldn’t hear it. Beside him, Castor shifted uncomfortably on his feet before approaching the counter. Even as the customers looked down on them like maggots to shit, Seraphina’s buoyant smile never faded.

“Lucien’s not here yet?” Castor asked.

“Probably dealing with council business still. Even my mother summoned me this morning for their meeting, and she rarely does that.” Seraphina folded her arms across her chest. “Nobody’s going to let that little mage’s murderer go free.”

“Murdered mage?” Sebastian frowned. “I haven’t heard about that.”

Seraphina’s brows shot up. “Seriously? It’s all anyone’s talking about lately. They found her out near the border of the forest between Nevermourn and Caverott. Some wizards discovered the poor thing with bite marks all over her body. Autopsy reports showed that the vampire drained her of every ounce of blood.”

“Gods, that’s terrible.” Horror washed over Castor’s face. “Why haven’t we heard anything about this?”

Sebastian shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

Murmurs of unease spread throughout the bakery. Some more customers got up and left, casting hateful glances behind them on their way out. Nobody dared to instigate a fight, but Sebastian sensed they wanted to. He just couldn’t understand why Colette hadn’t at least informed her officers about the slain child, but perhaps there was already so much on her plate.

“We need to investigate her murder,” Castor said. “Even if Colette doesn’t clear me for it. This must be connected to those vampire hunters trying to kill you. What if someone killed her while wearing your face?” Upon seeing Seraphina’s befuddled look, he explained what happened earlier at the clinic.

“I don’t know.” Sebastian huddled closer to him, fangs bared as he scoured around the nearly vacant bakery. A sinister aura wrapped around him like a snake. That wasn’t unusual in Briarwood, but it was stronger that day. “Castor, maybe we should meet up at your folks’ house instead. If Lucien comes, Seraphina can tell him where to meet us, right?”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.” Seraphina frowned, fiddling with a towel as she wiped her counter.

“What’s wrong?” Castor asked.

Sebastian shook his head, gesturing for his friend to follow him outside. Wind roared in his ears and snow flurries alighted on his face like kisses from the winter goddess herself. He tugged his hood over his hair, turning around to face Castor.

“Something’s going on around here. Did you see how they acted?”

Castor tucked his hands in his coat pockets. “Wizards here abhor vampires. We’re the nightmares parents warn them about as kids. I can’t recall a time as a kid when I ever saw an actual vampire, but I would’ve been fucking terrified.”

Sebastian stiffened. “I guess I didn’t consider that.”

“It’s my fault. I’m sorry.” Castor hung his head in shame. “They’ve always acted like this when I visit. That poor little girl’s murder must have them on high alert already. Explains why parents were rushing to get their kids out of there. That’s literally making the stories come true.”

“Stories?”

“Vampires steal wicked children from their beds at night and feast on their blood. Parents tuck them into bed, whispering, don’t let the vampires bite. Kids come up with crazy horror stories to share about vampires slaughtering us-” Castor froze, pausing mid-sentence. “I meant, slaughtering wizards.”

“Do you believe that?” Sebastian asked.

“I know you’d never do anything like that.” Castor gazed up at the murky sky as snowflakes pivoted around them. “But we’re predacious beings.” The words rolled off his tongue as he grimaced. “I know a vampire would slaughter innocent children for their blood. Once that desire to feed dominates every thought, morals don’t matter. They’re just food.”

“What if that’s the case here? A vampire who went on a feeding frenzy. You know, by law, they won’t be held accountable for murder if proven they had no control and let their desires overcome them.”

Castor clenched his hands at his sides. “I won’t stand for it. You can’t just kill an innocent child and go free. If I ever did something like that, I’d hope someone would put me down.”

A familiar face came into view, emerging from the hazy mist and falling snow. Donned in many heavy layers and boots, Lucien trudged down the sidewalk. Beside him, Castor’s face lit up upon seeing his boyfriend and rushed to embrace him. Sebastian couldn’t resist smiling as he watched the two and wanted to give them the privacy they deserved. Castor had told him countless times before how he missed seeing Lucien, since they both had their jobs with the respective councils.

“Castor, I’m heading back to Nevermourn to check on some things, so I’ll see you later tonight.”

Castor whipped his head around, confusion washing over his face for a faint moment, before he shrugged. “Yeah, okay. See you tonight.”

With a sickening crackle of his bones, Sebastian shifted into bat form and soared up into the chilly afternoon sky. Black leathery wings beat twice as hard against the ferocious winds, but Sebastian was grateful for the lack of sunlight.

A sense of dread filled his chest as he made his way back home, and he couldn’t stop thinking about that murdered little mage and the vampire corpse left outside his clinic. Could their murders somehow be connected?