New Year's Summer, 2019.

Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.

He noticed her.

Out of hundreds of people littering the beach, he noticed only her.

She unnerved him.

Something deep inside of him stirred—a small flutter in his chest—where, for centuries, there was nothing but emptiness. He was...intrigued.

He watched her.

She stood at the water's edge where wave after wave rolled in to kiss her feet. The ocean worshiped her, and he couldn't blame it. She was a sight to behold.

He could not bear to tear his eyes away from her delectable silhouette so generously framed by the dying sun that dipped itself in the watery horizon.

Another mortal claimed her attention.

He was captivated by the way she smiled and by how she purposefully dug her toes into the sand with each step she took toward a group of people he assumed she belonged to.

"She's the one," he said to his companion.

*********

Morgan stood with her eyes closed, enjoying the warm night breeze that blew gently through her hair. She listened to the exotic beat of African drums playing in the distance. Their beat mixed with the sound of crashing waves, creating a hypnotic rhythm. The aroma of various spices drifted in the air. It teased her senses, tempting her thoughts towards the delicious Durban curries sold from the food trucks lining the streets.

She stared out over the ocean. There must be a reason. A reason she had felt so compelled to pick South Africa as a destination. A reason why she could not shake the sensation of being watched.

She broke out of her trance and glanced back to her odd mixture of companions. Friends, as the humans called them.

They all, unsurprisingly, volunteered to come along when she expressed her inexplicable desire to come here—the Zulu Kingdom. It was always the risk takers, the adrenaline junkies that orbited her. She toyed with their underlying death wish for no other reason than the fact that she was bored.

If they only knew.

Knew who she was.

What she is.

They would not so willingly entertain her whims.

Time turned the mortals oblivious and blind to the dangerous world around them. Perhaps the Keepers are too good at their jobs—maintaining peace. Fearsome accounts of the supernatural quieted to mere whispers until it turned to myth.

Ignorant fools.

Yet, she was the broken one. The other reigning powers might despise her rebellious streak, but she knew they had something to do with the tormenting holes in her memory.

Why? What did they steal from my mind?

She returned her attention to the warm Mozambique current lapping at her feet. The waves dutifully rolled in, crashing as they broke on the beach between the hundreds of bodies swimming and laughing under the silver moonlight. She envied the hot summer nights the people in South Africa got to enjoy over the holidays. Sure, the air was stifling and humid, but it was a pleasant change from the cold, snowy festive season she was used to.

"M, come here! You must see this," Beth yelled from their cozy group of friends.

They were all scattered around a roaring bonfire that illuminated their faces with a welcoming glow. Why there were fires was beyond her. It's not like they needed the added heat. Still, gathering around a fire seemed to be a social norm in the culture here.

Morgan smiled before she made her way to them. She, ironically, always found herself growing fond of her human friends. She sat down on one of the stumps fashioned into a seat, the heat of the fire enveloping her. "What'd I miss?"

"It's just about to start," Kyle announced excitedly, pointing towards the group of traditional Zulu dancers that gathered on the beach.

They were all dressed in their traditional warrior attire. Some of the men dramatically played their drums before the dancers followed with their dance. Once done, they slowly made their way down the beach to entertain a new crowd.

The sound of the drums faded into the background allowing the laughter around her to start up again. The flames of the bonfire licked high into the night sky as it roared with the same liveliness as the people dancing around it. It was enticing.

Morgan closed her eyes. She could sense the departing souls around the world. The shades ferried them peacefully into their next lives. The humans feared death, but she knew it was nothing more than a transition phase before they reincarnated.

She wiped the sweat from her brow and stared around the wide, sandy beach. The energy was almost palpable, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that its source might be something ominous instead. There was an anticipation that gnawed at her consciousness.

Despite the late hour, there were still hundreds of people on the beach. All gathered to celebrate the New Year. It was 10:46 pm, still a while to go but the party was raging in full swing. Some might not even stay conscious to see the New Year's arrival by the look of it.

Morgan caught sight of a man standing outside the ring of light cast by the fires on the beach. He stood far off in the parking lot, his outline barely visible beneath the tree that concealed him from the moonlight. She couldn't tell whether he stared at her or past her. Was it his eyes she felt on her this whole time?

Morgan was startled by an arm thrown around her shoulders and a shrill voice yelling in her ear. She tore her gaze away from the dark stranger to look at Beth.

"Hey, how come your cup is empty?" Beth pointed towards her cup for emphasis, an exaggerated pout on her face.

"Cause you drank all the liquor," Morgan answered with sarcasm, pulling away from the stench of alcohol on Beth's breath.

Beth huffed then hiccupped.

Morgan couldn't help but laugh at her drunken silliness. Maybe she won't see the New Year either.

"Ohmigosh, who the holy hell is that?" Beth said, looking very sober suddenly.

Morgan instinctively turned back to search for the stranger in the dark parking lot, irrationally assuming Beth referred to him. He was gone.

A chilly breeze caressed her skin, carrying with it a charged sensation that left a trail of goosebumps on her skin. Odd, considering the heat. She frowned at the growing flutter in her gut.

Beth zeroed in on the two strangers Kyle was greeting. They stood across from where she and Beth sat. Morgan had to squint through the flames of the fire to see them. The guy talking to Kyle had light brown hair that glowed golden in the light of the fire, and the second guy had dark hair with a serious expression. Kyle seemed relaxed, so she took his friendly greeting as his approval of them, or he was just too drunk to care.

The dark-haired guy caught Morgan's attention.

She couldn't explain it but the sensation in the air seemed to be emanating from him. It swirled around him in a hazy shimmer.

She reached to tap Beth on the shoulder, unable to pull her eyes away from him. "B, do you see that around the dark-haired guy?" she asked.

Beth shrugged, squinting as well. "No, what am I supposed to see?" she asked, giving Morgan a puzzled look.

"Never mind." Morgan quickly dismissed the matter.

He wasn't human. But she didn't know what he was.

Shadows flickered over his features, giving him a haunting look. She wasn't prepared for him to turn and stare back. He had a dangerous allure. He was captivating.

"M, are you okay?" Beth asked, frowning at her.

Morgan took a deep breath, almost verging on gasping for it. Her heart was pounding in her ears. "I'm fine," she said, pressing a palm to her chest. It had been decades since she felt that kind of rush.

Beth pulled a goofy face. "Okay, weirdo." She got up and skipped to Kyle's side, clearly ogling the golden-haired boy. Leaving Morgan to stare at her toes buried in the sand, desperately gathering her thoughts.

A shadow followed by a significant drop in the ambient temperature came over her.

She snapped her head up. It was him.

He stood, right in front of her, blocking the fire's warm glow from reaching her. She composed her face, relaxing it into an awkward smile. He returned her smile with a much more successful one.

"Hi," he greeted in a deep voice.

"Hi," she returned. She felt relieved when he decided to sit down, and she no longer had to crane her neck to look up at his absurdly tall frame.

He shifted in his seat next to her on the log before giving her a grin. "You're very beautiful," he said, just a hint of an accent audible.

She looked up at him in surprise. Normally, supernaturals avoid Keepers. Not This one.

"Thank you, my name is Morgan," she mumbled skeptically.

He was unbearably handsome. The flattery was just overkill, and a bit forward.

"Morgan," he said, trying it out.

The sound of her name coming from his full lips brought back that sense of danger. He shouldn't have this effect on her.

He smiled. "I'm Aleks."

She frowned. Why did he seem so familiar? "Have we met before?" She had a nagging dose of déja vu staring at his face. The contours of it seemed so familiar.

He tilted his head to the side, one corner of his lips pulled into a grin. "So, you feel it too? This odd sense of familiarity."

She wished she could determine the exact color of his eyes. All she could guess was that they were light—blue perhaps? She mused, distracted by the enigma.

"Well?" he prompted her.

"If we had ever met before, I can't recall," she said very matter of fact, giving him a shrug.

"Then it's a no, we haven't met before," he said. A sly smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"How can you be so sure?"

He leaned closer. "Because I am not that easy to forget," he said, winking at her.

She was about to give him a smart-ass comeback when he reached out and tucked a stray strand of her black hair behind her ear. His fingers caressed her cheek and snuffed out her comeback.

"Besides, even if you managed to forget me, I doubt I could forget a face like yours," he teased.

Flattery really could get you everywhere. His accent became more prominent the more he talked. She had to admit she found it very attractive. "You have an accent, it sounds—"

"Russian," he said interrupting her sentence. "I grew up in Russia."

"Oh," she uttered, nodding her head in understanding. That was, in fact, her guess. Why does Russia ring a bell? The realization hit her square in the chest—that was where she wanted to visit before she suddenly changed her mind and decided to come here instead.

Morgan turned her head at the sound of her name being called.

"M, we are heading back to the hotel with our new friend here," Beth said. She was draped over the golden-haired boy. "There's a pool party on the roof, and we'll be able to see all the fancy fireworks from up there," she said excitedly.

"Okay B, we'll be there shortly," Morgan replied.

She threw Aleks a nervous glance, hoping she wasn't being too presumptuous. She wasn't ready to share his attention with the others just yet.

He showed no objection. "I have a key card. We will meet you there," he said.

Morgan noticed the lack of emotion in his reply. Could it be that he only reserved some for her? She liked the idea.

Beth gave them one last look before she allowed the golden-haired guy to lead her away.

Morgan became overly aware of the fact that she was now alone with Aleks. If it was even possible, the air seemed more charged than before. She turned to look at him.

He was already staring at her.

The moment—locked in his gaze—felt like an eternity.

The wind suddenly picked up, spiraling grains of sand around them. The sound of the crashing waves became louder, and the roar of the flames intensified. The elements conspired all around them.

The rhythmic beat of African drums, still audible, kept pace with their hearts, drumming against their cages—begging to be unleashed.

She watched goosebumps form up his arms.

"Whoa, what was that? Did you feel it?" he asked shattering the moment.

Morgan shook her head and rubbed her arms to rid them of the chills. How does he not recognize what I am?

Aleks grinned and pulled a hand through his already messy hair. "It must be the full moon, or I am just truly bewitched by you," he said with a dark smile and mischief written across his face.

She offered him a small smile, feeling a bit on edge. She gasped as her eye caught the time on the large clock counting them into the New Year. "It's fifteen minutes before midnight, we should go find the others." She changed the subject.

He calmly looked up at the clock, then back to her. "Come on." He stood and offered his hand to her.

She hesitated for a split second before she took his hand. He boldly intertwined their fingers.

Like lost puzzle pieces finally put back together, they fitted comfortably. He held on to her hand, making it more than a helping gesture. Strange emotions started stirring in her.

They slowly stroll down the pavement towards the tall building, the Beachfront Hotel.