Series: The Un Series by Izzy Sweet
Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Shaking my head back and forth, I scoot back until I’m pressing into the wall.
The vampire kneeling in front of me scowls. “You don’t have to be afraid of me. I don’t want to hurt you. I want to help you.”
Hysterical laughter bubbles out of my mouth.
I don’t have to be afraid? How could I not be? Even if I wanted to trust this vampire after all the other shit that has happened to me, there are too many instincts ruling me.
Ancient, primal instincts telling me I’m in danger.
Being so close to him is the equivalent of being close to a lion or tiger.
My eyes may be fooled into believing he’s human, but my subconscious recoils at all the sheer perfection of his appearance.
Finding it disturbing and utterly alien.
The too smooth, unblemished skin. The hair without a single strand out of place.
So many small, imperfect details are missing. Like all the lines and creases that make a person human.
“Andrei,” a soft, feminine voice says from the doorway. “She’s soulmarked. She can’t help being terrified of you.”
The vampire in front of me, Andrei, casts an irritated look over his shoulder. “You shouldn’t be here, Mother, it isn’t safe.”
The stunning, blonde-haired woman in the doorway takes a step into the room.
“Raphael won’t hurt me,” Chloe says, her stormy gray eyes clouding over and looking far away. “He doesn’t want to hurt any of us… he’s just in so much…. pain.”
That last word—pain— is exhaled as if she too aches and can barely breathe past it.
Do vampires even breathe? my cracking psyche demands.
Or have I gone insane and this is all another drug-filled dream?
Maybe I’m still in chains and this is my imagination going crazy.
“Can’t you feel it?” Chloe asks, her too-perfect features tightening into a tortured mask. “He’s burning alive… and the beast has broken his chains…”
Another roar sounds out followed by an explosion of force.
Chloe sways on her feet and her eyes grow even cloudier.
Andrei curses and then he’s standing in front of her.
Moving in a blur.
His voice is thick with worry as he says, “Mother…” and gently grabs her by the shoulders.
Chloe tips her head back and peers up at Andrei.
“The world will pay for what they’ve done to her,” she whispers in horror. “We will all pay.”
My blood chills at her declaration, and the annoying throb near my heart grows stronger.
Just as I reach up to rub at the spot on my chest another vampire appears.
“Raphael’s gone and Asher is chasing after him,” he says gravely, then frowns at Chloe. “What’s wrong with Mom?”
Chloe shakes her head a little, chasing away the clouds in her eyes. Then she straightens and gently extracts herself from Andrei’s hands.
“Nothing is wrong with me, Caden,” she says calmly. “I’m fine.”
“Bull—" Caden starts to say but stops when Chloe glares at him.
“I’m not the one you should be worried about,” she says curtly.
All eyes turn to me at once, and I freeze up, my lungs stilling behind my ribs.
Too petrified to breathe, I struggle to think of a way to escape this madness.
Especially when yet another vampire appears out of thin air and stands silently beside Caden.
How many are there?! my mind screams.
“She is in a great deal of distress, and I fear what will happen if we don’t calm her down,” Chloe says.
Caden narrows his eyes at me, and I feel a light tugging sensation behind my ribs as he says firmly, “Breathe.”
Shaking my head, I pull my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around my legs.
Chloe frowns at Caden. “She’s marked. Compelling her against her will won’t work.”
“Oh… right,” Caden drawls out and scowls.
“Unless…” Chloe says thoughtfully.
Separating from the group, she walks slowly over to me, as if she’s purposely concentrating on how she moves.
Somewhere under all my fear and anxiety, I appreciate the effort, but it’s not enough to put me at ease.
The instincts ruling over me cause my heart to race faster as she nears. I try to scoot back, but I’m already against the wall.
There’s nowhere to go.
“Alena,” Chloe says softly as she kneels down in front of me. “I know you’re afraid. Believe me, I know. But you have nothing to fear from us.”
Squeezing my legs harder, I just stare at her, my breath coming faster and faster.
“I also know you can’t help but be afraid of us. That you can’t control it. It’s natural. It’s instinct,” she says gently. “It’s meant to protect you but now it’s only hurting you. I don’t want you to hurt. If you let me, I can help you.”
It takes me several tries to ask, “How?”
Is she going to give me drugs, like the others did?
“I can compel you to not be afraid, but only if you give into it,” she says.
When I just stare at her, not understanding what she’s asking, she explains. “Caden just tried to compel you. Did you feel it?”