Shattered Moon by Daxteriana Jackson (best novels for students TXT) 📖

Chapter 1


The clouds wept; their tears continued to fall. I stared out the foggy window, listening to the tears hit the glass. A spider crawled along the windowsill and up my arm. I felt its legs brush against my skin. I looked down at it and placed my hand in front of it, letting it crawl onto my other hand. I brought my hand close to my face. The spider rested on my hand, unmoving as I stared into its eyes.

"Hey there. Are you a lonely like me and you just want someone to care about you...or do you just want to listen to me talk?" I asked. It continued to stare at me like it understood, but I knew it didn't.

I placed my hand on the sill and let it crawl off my skin. It stopped, turning my way and looking at me.

"What do you want?" I whispered, leaning forward.

"You," a voice said and the spider became a cloud of purple and black dust. I jumped backwards, scared.

A tall and lean shadow appeared behind the dust. The cloud vanished, revealing a pale man in his twenties.

He walked towards me, his bare feet making no noise as crossed the old, creaky floor. I pressed against a wall and slid down it, trying to make myself smaller. I pulled my knees to my chest and started to shiver.

He crouched before me, placing a hand on my cheek. His skin was cold and the tears threatening to spill over were growing hot. They rolled down my cheeks, wetting his hand.

He looked concerned, possibly thinking about why I was crying.

"Why do you cry, young one? I have not done anything to harm you," he said, placing his other hand on my neck.

He inhaled a shaky breath, feeling the heat on his cold hand. I tried to jerk away from the chill of his hands, but they held me.

"Do not cry," he whispered, kissing me on the nose and then on my forehead. "I know how to rid the loneliness in your heart and keep it away."

"How?" I said, looking into his eyes. They were ruby, which scared me.

"Like this," he said, leaning forward and pressing his lips to my neck. I felt heat roll through my body.

"What is your age?" he asked randomly; his breath was winter against my flesh.

"Fourteen," I said, closing my eyes.

"Good," he said, obviously pleased with my answer. I was going to ask why he was so pleased, but pain filled my mind when I felt something enter my neck.

I tried to scream, but the hand on the other side of my neck covered my mouth, muffling it.

Darkness fell over me, hugging me for what seemed like forever.

I heard his voice fading into the distance. "Sleep, darling. I'll be back tomorrow night."


Chapter 2


Something was chasing me. Even with these eyes, I couldn't see it. I looked up at the moon; it was red like the blood that was shed before this. The stars around it looked brighter than usual. The sky wasn't dark like normal; it was crimson and cloud-covered.

I tripped; the ground was wet from a recent rain. I hit the mud, but got up running. I looked behind me as I hit the edge of the woods.

I looked back in time to stop myself from almost falling off the cliff, but I was too late. I tumbled down, free-falling through the air.

I heard the thing chasing me curse loudly as I hit the water below. I started swimming away; arrows flew by me underwater. I went deeper, trying to escape the arrows. I saw a dark figure below me; the distorted shape became clearer as it neared me.

He looked me in the eyes and pulled me into a kiss.

The searing pain in my neck was enough to wake anyone up. The screams I cried echoed in the room. I pulled my pillow onto my head, trying to muffle the shrieks escaping my body.

I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was a spider.

I sat up mindlessly, the pain subsiding as I stood. I pulled the curtains tight, not letting any sunlight through. I laid back on my bed and covered my body with a blanket.

The spider I saw turned to purple and black dust. The cloud faded, revealing the same man from yesterday. He looked a little different.

His hair was black and shoulder-length. He wore black converses, black skinny jeans, and a black AC/DC shirt. He had a tattoo on his arm. It was two snakes in the shape of a heart.

I watched him closely as he made his way over to the bed, crawling into the bed and draping his arm over me. He moved my hair from my neck and placed his hand on it. His hand was warmer than before.

He nuzzled his head into my neck, breathing against my skin. He inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of my throat. His arm ran down my side and to my waist; he pulled me closer.

"I wish to make you mine," he said after a moment of silence.

"I want to know your name," I replied.

"Andrei Alexandrescu," he said, his lips caressing my skin. He lifted himself from my neck and stared into my eyes. "Your time is near. When the sun begins to set and the moon begins to show, you will be born a new creature, a creature of the night."

We waited in silence. The room gradually grew darker; the pain I felt little of started to evolve, growing stronger as the room grew darker. The burning in my veins was unbearable when the room became pitch black.

I screamed, the burning not leaving. I hugged Andrei closer, hoping the chill of his skin would help my burning body. His hand made circles on my back, trying to soothe me.

"Help," I managed to gasp through clenched teeth. Tears flowed down my cheeks, the pain intolerable.

My vision started to darken.

"Go to sleep, darling. I'll be here in the morning," he said, rubbing my head. I nodded, unable to say anything through the pain. My back arched as uncontrolled heat rolled down it.

I screamed, and Andrei held me tighter, almost crushing me.

I blacked out, the pain filling my dreams as sleep settled in.


Chapter 3


"Don't leave me, Andrei!" I screamed at the dust cloud before me. I watched him, his spider form crawling into a hole in the floor. The room I sat in was dark, but my eyes penetrated the shadows surrounding me.

Bats hung from the rafters; I was in the attic. It was damp from the moisture in the air. I smelled blood and heard the beating of a heart; it sounds like a drum, pounding in my ears, calling me to it.

I crept forward, the scent intoxicating. I felt a sharpness against my lower lips. I stopped, my movements quick. The sound of a second heart echoed in the room.

I looked around, seeing nothing in the darkness of a room. I heard muffled cries coming from a corner. I looked towards the sound, gasping at the sight of a man tied to a chair and blood spilling from the skin over his heart. The blood escaping him stained his white shirt red. The scent was alluring...

I couldn't resist it any longer. I leaped forward, grasping the man's head in my hands, looking him the eyes. His eyes shone with fear, his mouth covered in silver duct tape. I leaned down to his neck; his body shivered from the chill of my hands.

"I'm sorry," I whispered against his skin. My fangs pierced his throat, blood pouring into my mouth. I felt the silk-like texture of the crimson liquid as it slid down my throat. His heart was beating faster as I drank more.

I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders, tugging at me. I retracted my teeth from the man's neck as the hands on my shoulders snaked around my waist.

I leaned back against the person behind me.

"I love you, Pandora," Andrei whispered in my ear. He kissed the side of my neck before running his fangs down to my shoulder and back up. He bit into my throat; I closed my eyes, immersed in the pleasure-filled pain. I shivered, a moan of both pleasure and pain raising from within me. He suckled on my neck, sending chills over my skin.

"I love you too," I said, opening my eyes. He turned me around so I could face him. His eyes were red; they looked so beautiful.

I woke up, the pain replaced by an ache in my stomach. A rhythmic sound reached my ears; it echoed like the beating of a drum. I shot up, listening hard.

"Darling," Andrei whispered behind me, placing his hand on my back. My lips curled up, revealing the pointy canines. I turned around slowly to gaze at him.

His dull red eyes looked relaxed, like he knew what was going to happen. He took my face in his hands and leaned forward, pressing his lips lightly to mine. The kiss raised goosebumps on my skin.

I kissed back, pulling away after a moment. He stared at me before leaning forward. I felt his fangs enter my neck; I hissed as a reaction. I bit into his neck, sucking on it.

He slid his canines in deeper; blood ran down my throat. He groaned, licking the wound he made. The skin over the bite healed; I felt the flesh regenerate and pull together.

I sank my fangs in deeper as he laid on the bed. His fingers scratched at my sides, his fingernails digging into my flesh. He nibbled on the top of my ear, his hands moving to my hips.

My fangs slid from his neck; I ran my tongue across the bite, watching skin cover the wound. I pressed my head against his.

"What's your name, darling?" he whispered; his breath made my hair move.

"Pandora," I said. He sat up, still holding onto my hips. I straddled him; he looked me in the eye before kissing me again.

"I need to take you on your first hunt," he said, pushing me off him. I sat beside his legs, tilting my head to the side, curiosity taking over. He grabbed my hand and pulled me off the bed.

"I've already prepared your first meal," he said, smiling; the grin revealed his fangs. "Come on, it's in the attic."

He pulled me out the door and up the stairs to the attic. He closed the door and left us in complete darkness. I could see with my new eyes.

"Pandora, do you know what you are?" he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist. I nodded and looked up at him, his red eyes bright in the dark attic. He pecked me on the forehead and stepped away from me.

"I'll leave you to your meal," he said before disappearing behind a black and purple cloud.

"Don't leave me, Andrei! I'm scared!" I screamed at the dust cloud