The cold was unsympathetic this particular night. The stars themselves appeared distant as if coiling from the frost-bitten earth, recoiling until all that was left of their light was nothing but a shimmer.
But Gabriel wasn't affected by the cold. He was a vampire, always cold even in summer. Those who suffered the most were the humans he was tied with.
The person in front of him had died staring at him. His heart gave out due to the cold and hunger. To his left, a young man was mumbling a silent prayer as his teeth rattled and his body jolted in spasms of cold.
To his right was a woman staring emptily into the space as if she was waiting for death. Her lips were dry and cracked, her eyes sunken to make her look older than her age.
"He won't last the night," she said, talking to no one in particular.
Gabriel looked at her through his tussled hair. Their eyes met. She had bite marks all over her neck.
