Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 65066 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65066 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
“You belong to me.”
“I don’t. Not any more.” And I smile. His hold over me is broken. I don’t submit to anyone. Submission is a choice, and I don’t choose anyone but Grizz.
“Who did she tell?”
I come face to face with my nightmare. The one eyed vampire.
For the first time in my life, I look the vampires in the eye. I’m going to die, anyway. Might as well stand up for myself.
“She won’t tell me,” Augustine grits out.
“So we make her,” the one-eyed vampire says, and for a moment things fade away.
I come to with Augustine slapping my face.
“It’s no use. She knows nothing, and we’re running out of time.”
The one-eyed vampire’s voice fills my head, a nightmare come to life. “Then we make sure she doesn’t talk again.”
And then: pain. So much pain.
Grizz
I pull up just as a black car with dark tinted windows pulls away. Tires squeal around the corner and hideous laughter rings in my ears. Before I can give chase, a flash of red catches my eye. Down the walkway, leading from the house are red footprints, soaked with the scent of blood.
Not a good sign.
I’m off the bike and in the house in seconds. The flask burns a hole in my pocket, but instead of reaching for it, I clench my fist. I’ll need every drop for the confrontation with the vampires, and something tells me that they’re already gone.
Augustine’s house is silent, but the scent of vampire is everywhere. My bear is out and wild. This place is silent as a fucking tomb, and something tells me this hunt won’t end well.
I follow the bloody footprints backwards from the front door to the hall. They end in front of a half-open door leading to a bedroom. I push open the door. It sticks on the wet carpet, pushing through a tide of red. Blood and more blood, and just in view, a spill of red hair.
Oh no.
I stop pushing the door and enter the dark bedroom.
Jordy lies on the carpet, limbs askew. A broken, bloodstained doll for me to find. The vampires had their fun and left her.
This is my fault.
I fall to my knees and grab her hand and she whimpers. Her wrist is broken. Her eyes scan my face, wide with pain and frightened. “Grizz.”
“It’s okay, Kit. I’m here.”
I don’t bother checking her wounds. She’s covered in blood. The worst tearing is over her heart, her blood leaking out with every pump. The vampires ripped her open. I want to roar and tear this place apart.
Instead I crouch beside her.
“You’re here,” she rasps, her fingers fumbling over my face.
“Of course I’m here.” Did she think I’d stay away? Leave her to die? I shake my head. “I fucked up.”
“You gotta go.” She tries to raise her head and I soothe her back.
“I’m not leaving you, Jordy.”
“You have to. The one eyed vampire was here. You can find him. You can track him. You can go. Have your revenge.” She squeezes my fingers and lets them drop. “Go.”
“Jordy.”
“Go kill him, Grizz. Then you can be free.” Her head lolls on her neck. Fuck, she’s lost too much blood. Her fox is trying, but the shifter healing isn’t happening fast enough.
“Don’t leave me, Kit.”
Her breath rattles in her lungs. “Wanted to give my life to someone,” she rasps. “I’m glad it was you.”
Fuck, no. It can’t end this way. It can’t.
I pull the flask from my pocket and fumble with the cap. Gotta be quick, there’s not much time.
“Here.” I put the flask to her lips. “You need to drink this.” Vampire blood—the most healing substance on earth.
Her lips move as if to protest. I shove the bottle into her mouth and tip it. Blood pours into her mouth. Dark, rich red.
She sputters, shaking her head.
“You will,” I order. “Drink it all.”
I wait until she drains it and race out, return with the cooler. The blood of the vampire king—the most potent there is. If anything can heal her, this can.
“Drink,” I command with all the dominance in me. I force bag after bag into her, and pour the rest over her broken body. All of the blood meant to give me revenge. Every drop.
Finally, it’s done. She lies in a red pool, her eyes closed. I wait for a long time, listening to her breath. Slow, but steady. Not much, but it’s something.
I rush to find all the blankets I can and put them around her. Fates, is her chest still moving? The wounds still look bad, but there’s no fresh blood leaking out of her. With any luck, the healing’s begun.
“Fight through it, Kit. You can do it, little fox.” I lay beside her and smooth her hair from her face. Her skin is chilled. Fuck. “You can’t leave me, Jordy. You just can’t. Not now. Not when I’m finally coming to my senses.” Fuck, my eyes hurt. I blink a few times. Must be the strain. I haven’t cried since my mother died.