Blood Rose (Blood Books Book 1) Read online

  “Please don’t make me hurt you, Avah,” she said. “Listen to my voice. You can fight this.” She didn’t know. She didn’t understand. I didn’t want to hurt her, but hunger boiled like acid in my gut. It stung; it squeezed my innards until there was nothing but goo.

  My brows furrowed as I released another, powerful growl, and the animal within left me no choice. I took a step forward, and the witch yanked her fingers into her palm before instantly throwing them out again. I was hit with a powerful force that pinned me to the wall.

  Spirit.

  The blue-eyed vampire stepped before me, grabbing my arms and slamming my body against the wall. My head thrashed as I faced him. Why wasn’t he dead? I had crushed his spine when I took his neck. Confused, I looked to his throat. It bore no mark of my fingers. Instead, it revealed a thick, protruding vein. A gasp escaped my nearly sealed lips. My fangs lengthened, and my body loosened.

  “Control your hunger,” he said. He relaxed his grip, and I fell into him. I ran my fingers through his hair and buried my nose into the crevice of his neck. “We will soon feed.”

  “Jasik, don’t,” a voice from behind said. I felt his heart puttering within his chest, forcing blood to pump faster inside his veins. I gripped his t-shirt in my free hand and groaned slightly as I placed the tips of my fangs against his skin. He leaned into me, running his hand down the arch of my back. “Fight it,” the voice added.

  Irritated, I glanced toward the speaker. The three vampires stood just steps away, enclosing me in a threshold of steel. Dressed to fight, each was armed with knives, their leather attire expressing their solid definition. They were the same vampires I had fought in the field.

  “Jasik, fight it!” the vampire yelled, emphasizing each word.

  I yanked him back as he tried to slowly pull away. He was powerless beneath my grip; the control I had over his life made me euphoric. His eyes met mine. In a swift motion, he twisted my arms around, releasing himself from my grasp, and stepped back. He quickly spun me around, and I faced a cornered, full-length mirror.

  “You mustn’t lose yourself to the hunger,” Jasik whispered, his breath hot against my ear.

  A pang of desire crept through my body as I admired his closeness. I pushed it down, disgusted.

  “Look,” he said, his breath tickling my earlobe.

  I obeyed, admiring my figure in the mirror: My brown hair fell raggedly to my shoulders; my frame was toned and defined, my complexion clear and pale. My eyes bore no resemblance to their once plain, dark-brown color. Instead, a set of violet irises stared back at me.

  He released his grip, and I reluctantly walked to the mirror and placed my palms and the tip of my nose against the glass. The girl who stood before me was no one who I recognized. Through lacy puffs of steam, I watched her figure disappear and reappear before my eyes as my hot breath clouded the reflection in the mirror.

  “What is she?” Nina asked.

  I whipped around, annoyed at her tone. I ignored the snide comment and looked past my visitors. A cluttered desk sat in the corner. Yellowed photos and rusted medals sat atop the chipped wood table. Bundles of crumpled clothes were piled on the floor, and a sheet-less bed lined the far wall. Everything about the room felt familiar, yet foreign. As if I didn’t belong in the place that I’d called home for so long.

  Bile crept its way into my throat, and I swallowed hard to keep it down. I remembered everything from the night before. I had asked the blue-eyed vampire to save my life by changing me. I remembered the fight, my fear. And then it all came rushing back.

  “Avah, we have to go,” Jasik said, extending his hand. I looked from his eyes to his hand. Had he lost his mind? Why would I ever go with him?

  “Were there casualties?” I asked, ignoring the vampire and looking to my mother. I ignored the overwhelming sensation to rip her throat open. I squeezed my palms shut and focused on the pain in my hands rather than the one in my gut.

  “Yes, and they were severe,” she replied slowly. Her eyes trailed down my body. She looked… distant. Unsure. Afraid. Afraid of me, her daughter, of what I had become.

  It pained me to see her so hesitant of her own flesh and blood. Blood. My breath caught as the sound of her blood moving through her veins overpowered me. I licked my lips and closed my eyes. Breathe. Focus on your breathing. In and out. A hand grabbed onto mine, and I opened my eyes, smiling as I hoped to find my mother beside me, trusting that I would not betray her.

  He was there. Looking down at me. His lips in a hard line as he forced a fake smile. I ripped my hand from his before quickly bringing it up again and thrusting it against his chest. He flew backward with the ease of a feather blowing in the wind. My jaw dropped, and I looked down to my hands. They seemed foreign. The lines of my palm looked different. My fingers were thinner, my nails thicker.

  “Don’t touch me!” I yelled as he stood, dusting off the chunks of plaster that had fallen onto his chest.

  “Avah, I promise I’m not going to hurt you.”

  His words sounded sincere. Every fiber of my being wanted to trust him, to take his hand, to believe that I would be okay. But I knew the truth. I was a vampire now. There would never be an okay. My coven would disown me. Even the most tamed of vampires couldn’t live among witches and humans. No one would ever allow it. The gods had probably already sent another vision to another spirit user to replace me after I had…

  I had failed them. Tears burned behind my eyes and threatened to spill. How could I give up so easily? I had failed my coven the moment I had received The Power. I had failed every single witch by practically begging the vampire to make me immortal. I would now be hunted by those I had fought so hard to protect.

  “You must feed.” His words made me shudder. You must feed. He reached out his hand again. “It’s okay,” he whispered as if only he and I were in the room.

  His eyes, like his tone, were sincere. It made me sick to think it, but I knew he cared for me. I knew he wanted to protect me. I didn’t understand why.

  Part of my training was to study the vampire species through the eyes of humans, so I knew popular movies and television shows often represented vampires in a unique light. A specific characteristic always stood out as the foulest one.

  Sire bond.

  Had we been bonded? What did that even mean? I shook away the thought and looked to my coven. My mother, aunt, and two cousins were standing before me, but I saw no one else.

  I swallowed hard as a tear slid down my cheek. I knew they hated me. I could see it in their eyes. They reeked of fear. But I needed to know. “Everyone else, they’re gone, aren’t they?” I nodded as I said my last few words. I knew the answer. If they weren’t standing before me now, then they were either casualties in the war or severely wounded and brought to our healer.

  “Only three others survived the attack,” my mother said. She sounded different. Colder. Her uncertainty was gone. I knew I was to blame.

  I thought back to my hours of preparation and to the ritual. I knew then, deep down, I knew the vampires were there, watching, waiting, in the woods. I felt them. They were close enough to make me vomit during the ritual. I had stupidly tossed my feelings aside as nerves, but in reality, they were symptoms warning me of the impending doom.

  “Avah Taylor,” Mother said, her voice quivering, tears forming behind her eyes. I knew she was to pass down sentencing. Regardless of whether or not a witch chose to be a vampire, she was given the same sentence: death.

  I stood tall. I accepted my sentence. I would have died for my coven.

  “I hereby relinquish your duty to this coven. You are no longer a member nor are you family. Due to your previous status in this coven, I will grant you five minutes. Say your goodbyes, gather your things, and leave.”

  I nodded as tears fell. She could not sentence me to death. I knew that choice would bear heavily on her later.

  “Should you not be gone when your time runs out,” she continued, “we will release our full power
on you.”

  She stopped. I waited for her to finish, but she said nothing. I knew she couldn’t; she couldn’t actually say it, that she’d kill me, her daughter, the chosen one.

  The witches around her tensed. I wondered if they too worried that she would order them to kill me. I wondered if they wanted to. To them, I was no longer family. I was the threat.

  I said nothing as I turned and faced my things. My pictures were a shattered mess on the floor. My books from classes I had taken at our local college were in stacks on my desk. Dirty and clean clothes were piled on the floor. What was I to take? My coven. Could I take my coven?

  The vampire offered me his hand again. His eyes beckoned to me, as if he were silently asking me to trust him. Looking from his eyes to his hand, I opted for the only option I was given and took his peace offering. With his hand held in mine, we left my room, and my family, behind.

  The air outside was refreshing. I begged for it to blow away the fear, the doubt, the pain that clouded my mind. With the slightest inhalation, I was discovering new scents. From flowers to meat and rust to salt, I smelled the world as if life was sprawled on a platter before me. But more than that, I could feel it. The life that drove nature to survive flowed through me. It was as if I could tap into its energy and harness its power as my own.

  “You show an impressive level of control I’ve yet to see in a newborn,” the vampire said.

  I yanked my hand from his and wrapped my arms around my chest. I didn’t like my decision to simply leave my coven behind, but I hated my choice to leave with them.

  “I’m Jasik.”

  I rolled my eyes and looked away. I mentally told myself that I had no choice. If I stayed behind, my family would kill me. If I left with the vampires, then maybe, just maybe, I could learn to control what I was, and my coven would welcome me back. I could become the ultimate tool.

  Being a chosen-one-turned-vampire had to have its perks.

  “We need to get back. The sun’s rising soon,” another vampire said.

  He glanced at me, jaw clenched. His eyes were bright green, and they seemed to outline each curve of my body as his gaze dropped down. I felt vulnerable under his stare. He didn’t look at me with wonder, curiosity, or lust. He looked at me with disgust, hatred, and fear. He quickly turned away and joined the others. I felt odd beside the blue-eyed vampire: vulnerable yet safe. My hatred toward him was tinged with curiosity.

  “That was Malik, my brother.”

  I ignored him.

  I looked at my house, my eyes lingering on my bedroom window. My mother stood beside the curtain, watching me, before quickly stepping out of view. I wanted to call out to her, beg her to let me stay, but I knew leaving was my only option. They would never be safe around me until I was able to control what I was.

  Focusing on the room, I closed my eyes and listened. At first, I heard nothing, but then the world consumed me.

  “Stay safe, my love,” my mother whispered.

  “Can you believe Braedon said that?” a girl said with a chuckle. Her voice was distant, hushed. She sounded young, weak.

  “Did you want anything from the store?” a man asked. He was closer. His voice was coarse, deep. He was closer to me than the girl. I heard him clearly, as if he stood just behind me. But no one was there.

  Laughing.

  Crying.

  Horns.

  Barking.

  Clanking heels.

  Hiss of a cat.

  Squeal of tires.

  Sizzling of a fryer.

  I dug my fingers into my hair, collapsing to the ground. My mouth opened, but I couldn’t breathe.

  “Focus on just me,” Jasik said as he pulled my head against his chest. “Shield yourself from the world. You can do it. Raise your shield, Avah.”

  “I-I can’t. It’s s-so loud!” I said, pushing myself harder against him and squeezing my eyes shut. I was sure the witches had done something. I had outworn my welcome, and now, they were using their powers against me. This was it; this was the end.

  “Avah, you can do this. You’re strong. Pull your strength from within. Use it to shield yourself from the world.”

  “I can’t!” I yelled, angry that he was barking out orders I couldn’t comprehend.

  “Jeremiah! She needs you,” he yelled.

  I opened my eyes as a hand firmly grasped the back of my head. Kneeling before me, the vampire with dark skin and glowing, gray irises pulled me into his arms. I met his gaze, and slowly, the world went silent.

  “She’ll be fine,” Jeremiah said, dropping his arms. “I’ll slowly remove it to make the transition easier.” He walked away.

  After the pain subsided, I stood. “What did he do to me?”

  Jasik’s face hardened as he stared at me. “Let’s get somewhere safe, and then we’ll talk.”

  “No. Tell me everything. No,” I said, taking several steps backward.

  After several minutes, he softened and said, “It’s not that simple, Avah.”

  “Make it simple.” I wouldn’t budge. I’d sit outside my home until my coven came for us if that’s what it took.

  “I’ve never encountered a vampire like you. And I’ve been around a long time,” he said as he turned and began walking toward the others. “I’ve heard the stories, but I always thought they were just that: stories.”

  I walked beside him, meeting his gaze. “What do you mean? Why am I so different?” I said. I kicked a stone with my foot, watching it bounce against the concrete, stopping once it reached a patch of grass.

  I felt the pavement’s vibrations rattle through my body as the stone glided against it. I knew it had to be my status as the chosen one. I had never heard of a witch becoming a vampire, though I always thought it had to have happened over the centuries. Elders must have assumed a witch would one day turn, because they passed down laws and penalties against it. Speaking of turning into an immortal came at a high price. The betrayal to one’s coven would cost a witch her life. I wondered if the vampire knew I was chosen to harness The Power of the gods, the power that was to annihilate the vampire race.

  Glancing up from the ground, I watched as two teenagers approached us. The boy had his arm around the back of the girl’s neck, pulling her close to him. She smiled as he did this, probably enjoying the safety he provided—not realizing that there were monsters in this world that his arm was no match for.

  I examined his physique as a scientist would in a laboratory. His arms and chest were tightly bound by his t-shirt. Thin white lines danced across his pale skin. Stretch marks. The closer we came, the more I saw. Goosebumps covered his skin; fine hairs stood on end. I remembered that the air was cool during the ritual, though I didn’t feel chilled now. I felt the breeze but not the cold.

  They were just feet in front of us. His shirt seemed to become tighter and tighter the closer they came. I wondered if he took steroids. Time seemed to slow as they passed. The wind picked up, blowing their scent into my open and willing nostrils. I licked my lips, my tongue sticking to dry parts of skin.

  Shutting my eyes, I swallowed hard as my throat began to close. Its dryness was painful, scratchy. When I opened my eyes again, my fangs were exposed, and I was just steps behind the humans. I didn’t know how I had gotten there, and I didn’t care. An arm’s length was all that separated them from death, from me. Just before I could leap from behind, I was yanked backward.

  “No.” His voice was stern, controlling. I was shocked that he cared. Vampires were murderers. Why would he stop me?

  Looking up, I met his eyes. I didn’t understand why he had stopped me, but I was thankful he had. Remembering who I was had become more and more difficult as the night went on. The vampire’s proximity felt oddly intimate, making my skin burn. My fangs retracted, and I pulled away from my captor, horrified at my newfound hunger.

  I shook my head and wrapped my body in my arms. In that moment, I hadn’t cared if I took that teenager’s life. I had lost control. I had wanted to k
ill—I was ready to kill. But I didn’t feel like a killer. I just felt hungry. I dropped my arms and resorted to the only thing I knew how to do in this new world: I ran.

  Someone was calling after me, but the voice quickly grew faint. As I ran through the woods, the forest blurred at my sides. Yet, the world remained clear before me. As my feet pounded against the hard, packed ground, my legs never grew tired. Weary of my strength, I came to an abrupt stop and fell to my knees.

  “What have I become?” I said aloud, burying my face in my palms.

  “Avah?” a voice said. Footsteps approached from behind.

  I jumped to my feet and spun around. I watched the vampires approach me with caution. We were in another small clearing. The forest that surrounded Shasta had often protected me from prying eyes while patrolling. I found comfort in northern California’s seclusion.

  I knew these woods in the dead of night. I knew where I had hidden weapons, buried deep in the ground. I knew the trails to find home. I knew the berries that grew in the bushes. I knew of the hidden cemetery, where my coven buried our loved ones. These woods were part of my life, my family. I felt sickened when I thought of these vampires using the earth as their hunting grounds.

  “Everything will be okay,” he said. His words were soothing. I was angry, confused, but as soon as he spoke, I grew calm. His reassurance was all that it took to make me feel at peace, even when only moments before a storm had raged within me. The thought of him having power over me left me sick. I refused to believe he could sway my feelings. “We’ll find you something to eat.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t even know what I am anymore. How can that be okay?” His words annoyed me. How was it that the undead thing before me was so optimistic?

  “You’re like us now. A Hunter,” he said. He signaled to the others with his hand, waving them away in some secret movement that I didn’t understand, and two of the three ran off into the woods while Malik took several steps toward me, concern filling his eyes.