Overture

~ Part 1/5 of the Serenade Serial, a paranormal vampire story ~

For six centuries, the vampire Irene has hunted human prey to feed from their necks, sometimes taking them to her bed, too.

For almost as long, she has preserved her memories in music notes, composing on her piano but never sharing except with her offspring.

So when, during a trip to Paris, she stumbles onto a bar in which a pianist plays her music for the patrons, she's flabbergasted that anyone might be enjoying her compositions and just as outraged that they've been stolen from her.

Her first instinct is to take the pianist's life as retribution, but a few words exchanged with the talented, intriguing and insolent Rachid might change her mind…

(18.000 words)

Overture – a piece at the beginning of a larger work
Encore – an additional performance
Ensemble – a group performing together
Accelerando – gradually faster
Serenade – a love song