Chapter One: After Midnight

In the glass, everyone had changed. Only she still wore the same cream blouse, her black hair tied back and the fine childhood scar visible at the end of her right eyebrow. No fangs. No fur. No luminous eyes. Not even a distortion in her shadow. She suddenly understood the second warning. Don't let them know you haven't changed. “Human.” The drunk on the ceiling sniffed. His head turned farther than any human neck should allow. “There's an awake human in here.” Every gaze converged on her. Jianyue bit her tongue until blood filled her mouth. She hunched over and forced her shoulders to shake, imitating a young animal struggling through an incomplete transformation. At the same time, she studied the carriage.