Broken Vows and Blood Oaths

Rain hammered the cracked pavement as Elena Carter stepped out of the cab, her suitcase in hand, mascara smudged from all the crying. The street was unfamiliar, the air thick with danger and desperation. From the shadows he watched her, another lost soul in his own territory. He didn't know the details of her story, but something about the broken beauty made him pause. Maybe, he thought, she was the kind of danger, the kind of trouble he needed.