Chapter One: After Midnight

Cold fingertips lifted her chin. His muddy eyes cleared to a transparent red, tiny symbols swimming deep inside the irises. “Declare your lineage.” Jianyue had understood only a few names from the argument: vampire, werewolf, Tideborn. Choosing any one at random could expose her immediately. She looked at the inverted employee badge hanging from his chest and said softly, “Give me your true name first.” His hand recoiled. For one beat, the carriage fell silent. Her gamble had worked. Monsters had rules that could not be touched, and creatures afraid of rules feared nothing more than having that fear recognized. “Cheap trick.” Humiliation sharpened the vampire's face, and he lunged again.