He wanted to tell Henry he hated that every street reminded him of Dana. The park near his house was where he’d taken Dana on their first date. The diner close to her work was where he’d kissed her for the first time. He couldn’t be there without turning a corner and seeing her.

He wasn’t going to live like that.

‘Just don’t be a stranger,’ Henry said finally, before returning to his family who stood by their car in the parking lot.

Gabriel turned his back on them, not realising it could be the last time he would ever see the Kore family.

***

He walked a path alone on an empty street in Phaistos; when he left Malia, he wanted to stay as far from that city as possible. He settled for Phaistos because it was the northern tip of Krete and the furthest away from Malia.

It was a coastal town, and the sea cliffs reminded him of the mountains, where his witch was from. The only thing he hated was the dreadful weather; the sun never shone.

He turned a corner on the cobblestone path and stood before an old building made of tufa. Inside, through the glassless windows, he saw that it was a tavern, one he had not yet been to. He went to push on the glass door that would grant him entry.

No vampires or humans beyond this entry point was painted red in large letters.

He sighed and turned his back on the door.

Dana would have knocked the door down and enchant whoever was in charge in a fit of her rage. But—

He shrugged and decided to take a different route, to explore the town he would call his home. He had yet to meet another vampire that dwelt there; he doubted he ever would. They were proud creatures before the plague. They rarely left their homes, even at night. Too many vampires had gone missing and been found severely burnt; some bodies had never come back at all. The Council and ministers don’t care, besides Circe and the High Councillor. But why would they?

They’re witches.

The Blood Plague is what left witches sour.

Perhaps this new route was a bad idea.

He heard someone scuffing their shoes on gravel.

He turned and found no one behind him.

He shrugged and continued walking. It was not uncommon for him to hear things coming from a street over. His hearing would sometimes tune out when he was deep in thought. But it sounded like someone was walking directly behind him.

Gabriel shoved his hands in his pockets and picked up his pace. The lane he was walking in had narrowed, light footsteps following, and he whirled around to find nothing there again.