Chapter 1

When Arnold Devereux kissed my neck, he called out my sister's name. "Eve Winster... my Eve."

I closed my eyes, nails digging into my palms.

Three years. In three years, he'd kissed me countless times, but never once got my name right.

I practiced smiling in the mirror and keeping my face blank when he called me by the wrong name. I thought that if I was obedient enough, he'd eventually notice that I wasn't Eve Winster. I was Erin Winster.

But the day my sister came back, he didn't even look at me.

He took her hand and said to me, "Erin, you can keep living in the castle."

Keep living? I'd never truly lived there in the first place.

I was simply Eve's shadow. A tool my sister used to trap him in guilt.

I stood at the castle entrance, morning light falling across my skin.

I used to be human and afraid of sunlight. But now, golden rays touched my face, and I felt no burning or pain.

Last night, I had awakened the Progenitor bloodline.

The days of him calling me the wrong name were over.

*****

When Arnold kissed my neck, he called out my sister's name. "Eve... my Eve."

His lips pressed against the bite mark on my neck, where he had left a claim etched with the name "Eve." A vampire's mark burns the true name into flesh. If he saw "Eve" there instead of "Erin," it would all be over.

I closed my eyes, nails digging into my palms, feeling the familiar sting. Three years of this. Every single time. He never said my name before kissing me, because he didn't know what it was.

Three years.

Over a thousand days and nights.

He'd kissed me countless times, and every time he whispered my sister's name.

I never dared correct him. Three years ago, when he "rescued" me from the human village, he was convinced I was Eve. He said, "Eve, you've lost your memory, haven't you? It's okay. I'll wait for you to remember."

I hadn't lost my memory.

I was simply too afraid to tell the truth.

I wasn't Eve. I was her twin sister, Erin Winster.

If I told him, would he still want me?

No. He'd always wanted my sister.

Arnold lifted his head, fingers tracing my cheek, his gaze soft as spring wind. He had sharp brows, striking eyes, a high-bridged nose, and thin, sensual lips. Six hundred years had left him untouched and refined him into something impossibly elegant.

"Eve," he said again, voice low and rough, "tonight the blood moon rises. I want to renew our blood bond."

My body went rigid.

A blood bond would burn my true name into the contract. If we signed it, he'd know I wasn't Eve.

What do I do?

He kissed my earlobe, warm breath ghosting over my neck. "What's wrong?"

I lowered my head, voice barely a whisper. "...Okay."

Erin, you've lost your mind.

He smiled, satisfied, and pulled me into his arms. I leaned against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. A vampire's heart beats only a dozen times per minute, but now his was speeding up.

Was it because of me?

Or because of the "Eve" in his head?

He let go and headed to the bathroom. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the red mark on my neck in the mirror. It bore his fang marks and his claim.

I reached up and touched the skin, suddenly wanting to claw it off.

But it was a vampire's mark. It could only be removed if he released it himself.

I closed my eyes, and the memory of that night three years ago surfaced unbidden.

It was the first time I'd met Arnold.

My sister had been missing for three months, with no word or trace. Mother cried every day. Father sent everyone he could to search, but they found nothing.

I snuck out of the house and went to the river, her favorite place.

That's when I ran into the werewolves.

There were three massive wolves with eyes glowing green in the dark. They burst from the bushes and backed me toward the cliff edge. I took one step back, and loose stones tumbled from beneath my feet into the black void below.

I thought I was going to die.

Then a shadow dropped from the sky.

Arnold landed between me and the werewolves, black cloak snapping in the wind. He didn't even draw a weapon. He raised one hand, and three streaks of crimson light shot from his palm. All three werewolves collapsed.

He turned around. Moonlight fell across his face.

For a moment, I thought I was looking at a god.

"You're hurt." He looked at the claw marks on my arm, his brow furrowing slightly. It was the first time I'd seen him frown, and no one had ever frowned over my pain before.

"I'm fine," I said.

He ignored my bravado, scooped me up, and took to the air. Night wind roared in my ears. I clutched his collar, breathing in faint blood and cold pine.

He brought me back to the castle and bandaged my wounds himself. His fingers were cold, but his touch was gentle, like he was afraid of hurting me.

"What's your name?" he asked.

I opened my mouth to say "Erin."

But he said, "Never mind. You can tell me when your memory comes back. Eve, I know you'll remember."

He thought I was Eve.

I should have corrected him right then.

But I didn't.

I was too desperate for his kindness. My whole life, my beautiful, brilliant sister had been the center of attention. I was only her shadow. We had the same face but different fates.

Arnold was the first person who'd ever been this good to me.

I thought that if I was good enough, he'd eventually notice that I wasn't Eve. I was Erin.

Three years later, he still hadn't.

After Arnold left, I started exploring the castle.

I knew my sister had lived here once. Her room was at the end of the third floor. Arnold kept it locked and never gave me the key. But today he'd forgotten, perhaps because he was busy or never thought I'd be curious.

The door opened.

The room was saturated with Eve's presence.