My name is Zoe Tempest. Just let me say, I had no intention of becoming a vampire hunter. My world revolved around the trendiest clothes, the boy of the week, shopping, and texting. I always tried to play down the fact that I'm really quite intelligent. I'd much rather be considered blonde and clueless. It's so much easier to get dates. My parents were well-off and indulgent. I was the center of their universe. I'm afraid I took that for granted. One odd thing, my mother insisted I take self-defense training. I just figured she wanted to keep her little princess safe. But looking back, perhaps she had a premonition. To my surprise, I took to it like a kid to Pop Tarts and ended up with a black belt in karate. My life was as close to perfect as a seventeen year old can get. I had everything. Then my parents were murdered and my world came crashing down. After their funeral, I went to live with my uncle Julian Kilmer. That's when everything changed. In a manner more terrifying than anything I could have imagined.