Lust by Abigail Livinghouse (good ebook reader TXT) 📖

Summary

Kyla wants children, and she wants them with the person she loves. But Pearce is unwilling to even try, worried for Kyla’s safety because of his terrifying strength. 

 

Naturals, which were natural born vampires, were able to conceive children, but Pearce’s kind, Transforms, could not carry children because their bodies never change. Pearce is fearful of his child in Kyla’s fragile body, for the possibility of the baby killing his beloved mate. However Kyla is not afraid, she wants a baby, and she wants one now. Meanwhile, the people of her village are searching for her, and the vampire that had robbed them. With Carline and Xian dead, all fingers are being pointed at Pearce.

 

 Kyla must put aside her desires in order to defend her mate. But will she be able to fight the very people who she grew up with? Who she lived with? She must decide between the people she loved, and the one person she loves.

Chapter One

I laid on the bed in our guest cottage, which we had been moved to courtesy of Miramar.

  

“It’s just privacy, Kyla. Nothing personal. But I think we’ll all be more comfortable with you and Pearce having your own space. That was the whole point of the separate houses.” She had said gleefully as she packed up clothes that she had bought for me.

 

  I had sighed and told her it was unnecessary, the clothes and the house, but she had shook her head. Insisting that it was no problem. Miramar reminded me of a controlling older sister, kind and sweet when she wants to be, but bitchy and completely out of control at other times. The cottage consisted of two bedrooms, a small kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room with a large stone fireplace that usually didn’t have a fire going since it was July and already burning up without any extra heat. Pearce had gone out, to hunt, and I hadn’t asked any questions.

 

  Since I had given up my legacy of vampire hunter, I was trying to adjust to this life, of living with vampires permanently. I knew I would probably never get my old life back, and while I was devastated to say the least, I was also determined to keep in contact with my family, which I did with monthly letters. Mom’s artwork had in fact been featured in an art show, however it didn’t win. It got fifth place, which wasn’t too bad a score. The girls were going to be starting school in August, which they weren’t too happy about but were putting up with it. At the moment, I was about to go out hunting. Since I had been a vampire hunter, I figured hunting animals couldn’t be that much different. I grabbed my bow and arrows, a knife, and my cherry stake. Just because I lived with immortals didn’t mean I completely trusted them here. Pearce and Miramar, of course I trusted. But I didn’t want to run into another issue like what had happened with Liam. As I slung my arrows over my shoulder, there was a knock on the door.

 

  “Yes?” I called.

 

  “Hello?” Miramar poked her head in, her long brown hair falling in waves down to her waist. She grinned. “Can I come in?” She asked, already stepping inside as I nodded.

 

   “Is there something you want?” I asked, hiking my arrows up higher onto my shoulder. She shrugged.

 

  “Not really. Just came to tell you that you can’t go hunting because dinner’s ready.” She said, smiling brightly. My face fell in disappointment, and I dropped my arrows and bow on the bed.

 

  “Damn.” I cursed, throwing my stake and knife on top of it all. Miramar giggled.

 

 “Don’t worry. There will be plenty of time for that after dinner.” She said, and with that she spun around and left, closing the door behind her.

 

 I sighed, shoving my things in my old hunting bag and pushing it under the bed. I guess hunting would have to wait.

Chapter Two

 At the main house, Natural vampires gathered around everywhere, with plates stacked high with food, while Transforms stood and sat while chatting, some holding glasses filled with pink tinted liquid or flat out crimson drinks which they were openly drinking.

 

 I looked around the room and didn’t see Pearce anywhere, which meant that he was still out hunting dinner the old fashioned way with his buddies. In the meantime, I grabbed a plate, filled it with foods that had once been foreign to me but I had gotten used to over time, and spotted one of the few people I really knew here. Her name was Elizabeth, who caught sight of me and waved for me to come over.

 

  Elizabeth had dark red hair to her waist, a very slim elegant figure, eyes the color of emeralds, and a bubbly personality that made people gravitate towards her. She was the kind of person that you wanted to be around.

 

 “Hello Elizabeth”, I greeted her, leaning against the wall and popping a fresh blueberry into my mouth. She smiled and nodded.

 

    “Hey Kyla, so how’s it going with you and the mate? Anything that I should know about?” She murmured in a conspiring tone, waiting to hear some sort of juicy news. I laughed and shook my head, embarrassingly keeping my eyes on my plate.

 

  “No dear, nothing to report.” I said. She sighed and leaned back, almost as if she was disappointed.

 

   “Ah well, all the same I suppose.” She said, taking a swig from her large, dark red glass.

 

    Elizabeth was a Transform vampire, which meant that like Pearce, she only drank blood. Now, I know the question that most of you are probably asking. Doesn’t Pearce’s diet disgust or frighten you in any way? Well, if I think about it yes it does, but I do try to overlook it, because no matter what, Pearce is who he is and I am who I am. Nothing will ever change that. I’m happy with the person he is, and I never want him to change.

 

    “What about you and Kenneth?” I asked, absently pushing grapes around my plate with a fork. Elizabeth shrugged and made a dismissive sound.

 

  “Eh, good I guess.” She said with her head cocked to the side, swirling her red drink around with her straw. I waited a moment, knowing Elizabeth, she would tell what was on her mind in three . . . two . . . one–

 

  “I don’t know. I’m a bit indecisive.” She said suddenly, right on cue. I turned to look at her, at her bright green eyes focused on the ground.

 

   “What are you indecisive about?” I asked. She pressed her lips together into an anxious line.

 

  “Is he really the person I want to spend the rest of my existence with?” She asked, her eyes now focused on my face, waiting for my answer.

 

   I sighed and shook my head. Kenneth was supposed to be her mate, and with mates, they were your other half, your one and only, and you would never question them.

 

    “Elizabeth”, I said slowly, carefully, “If he was the person you’d be willing to spend the rest of your existence with, then you wouldn’t even have to ask yourself that question.” I said. She sighed too, almost in defeat.

 

 “I thought you might say that.” Elizabeth said, downing her drink and placing her glass on the nearest table, standing up a bit straighter. “I guess I just wanted him for the sake of wanting someone.” She said tonelessly.

 

   I nodded, not really listening anymore. “Maybe.” I said.

 

     “So”, she stood away from the wall, smoothing her clothes, “I guess I’m going to have to make a change in my life. Better start now”, and with a wave, Elizabeth disappeared around a corner, probably out a door and to her own cottage to break the news to Kenneth.

 

   I put my plate down next to Elizabeth’s empty glass, my appetite diminishing quickly as it often did here watching vampires consume pints of blood.

 

Chapter Three

 In Elizabeth’s case, she had just been with someone because she wanted companionship. Me? I hadn’t gone looking for any kind of companionship. I was content with being alone. Meeting Pearce had changed my entire being, it had even changed who I was.

 

 I had abandoned everything, my family, my friends, practically my whole life. I was now living deep in the forest with a vampire who I had met just a few months ago, a vampire who I had hunted, a vampire whose sister had gone for my throat, a vampire who I loved. Back in my village, I had been an avid–and quite skilled–hunter. Now, I’m not conceded. In fact, I’m the last person you would call conceded. No, I just knew that I was a good hunter, and I loved what I did.

 

   My best friend Trine and I were great hunters, and worked well together. And one hunting trip, one single hunting trip that we took, changed everything. Now, I had left Trine, my mother, my two little sisters, I had left everything. If you asked me if I missed them, I would say absolutely. Every day, I missed them. I would get the occasional letter sent from some of Pearce’s contacts, Mr. Bo and Sal, but still, not a day went by when I did not think of my family. However, if you would ask me if I regretted my decision to leave them, I would say no.

 

 I had to leave to protect them. I had associated with a vampire, and in my town