The Serpent and the Wings of Night

In this chapter, Oraya is 16 and has just begun to notice the beauty of the vampires. She knows not to be seduced by their unnatural beauty, understanding that it masks a deadly monstrosity, but her desire for connection is also her weakness. One night, she meets a young vampire man who has been recently Turned and is just as lonely as she is. She thinks he might love her, but she never thinks much of love, only of sating her desire to simply be with someone. She is too lonely to see the dangers of the relationship and falls into the trap.

Over the next week, Raihn and Oraya hunt vampires together every night. Their skills improve drastically, and Oraya begrudgingly admits that they make a good team. Meanwhile, she practices with Mische on her magic, which is perpetually out of reach no matter how hard she tries. Mische believes this is because Oraya and her magic are afraid of one another—that Oraya must open her heart to it and seize it. Meanwhile, Oraya’s visits with Vincent have become sparse, and he becomes more distracted with outside matters but refuses to reveal anything to Oraya.