Lust by Abigail Livinghouse (good ebook reader TXT) 📖

that is such high treason that not only I would pay for it, but my family and anyone I knew as well. I had to leave in order to keep them safe. But not only that, I left to be with the one person I loved in a different way than I loved Michaela, Liana, and mother and Trine.

 

The love I shared with Pearce was entirely different. It was a close, unbreakable bond that we had between us. Something that even I didn’t completely understand. However, Pearce’s kind did. We were mates, and while I had no idea a vampire could become mates with a human and vice versa, if it wasn’t true, then we wouldn’t be here today. But here we are, and being together is a wonderful thing. However, there is just one little problem that had come between Pearce and I.

 

 I hadn’t often pictured myself with a man, but when I did, there would be others involved. There would be children. As I got older, around sixteen, my mother persuaded me to get married and have a child. I had refused, because honestly, I was quite happy just being myself, but I had always planned to have kids if I did find that someone I would spend the rest of my life with.

 

 I was seventeen now, and Pearce had found me. I was happy, but I wouldn’t always be if there was not that baby that would be the outcome of our love for each other. I had told Pearce this, about my wanting to have a child with him and only him eventually, because he is the only one that I love. He outright refused of course, because it’s not like there are not difficulties. Pearce is a Transform vampire, which meant that he was bitten and changed into a vampire, which also means that he is frozen forever in his current state of seventeen. Transform vampires, females, cannot carry children because their bodies never change, however Natural vampires, can carry children, because they can age whenever they please. Pearce worried, that if his child was in my belly, it would be too much for my body to bear, and the baby would kill me before the time of its birth would arrive, thus ending its own life source, killing both of us before either had a chance to live. Even if I did survive until the birth of the baby, it would be the child to make it out alive, not me.

 

 I had worked in our crude hospital in my village, I had helped birth children, and even then normal human babies often killed their mothers because the mother was too weak to survive the birthing. However, there were large majorities who survived giving birth, but none in my unique case. I do hope though, that if I do ever become pregnant with Pearce’s child, that I’d be able to survive, and see the baby born. But, that doesn’t mean I have to get pregnant right now. No, not for a while. When we are both ready, we will try to conceive, if it is safe enough. Although, I do not know when Pearce will ever be ready, if he will ever be ready.

Chapter Four

With Elizabeth at her cottage talking to Kenneth–she hadn’t emerged from it in so long that I figured she must have changed her mind–and with Pearce coming home soon, also with the setting sun, I realized dismally that hunting would once again have to be put off.

 

Oh, how I wanted to hunt, to feel the slight breeze caress my skin, the sounds of nature gently whispering in my ear, and the strong, strenuous feel of my bow in my hand, outstretched gracefully as an extension of my arm. Yes, I had hunted at night before, however that was back in my village, with Trine as company and not nearly twenty vampires surrounding me.

 

  So instead of going out, I laid down on the bed in our small room, realizing how tired I actually was. The night before I hadn’t gotten much sleep, thanks to Elizabeth, chattering away and hanging out in my cottage which she thought was so cool. And since she deemed last night a “sleepover” Pearce was forced to the spare room, despite my protests which Elizabeth completely ignored. Now, lying in my bed with nothing but the peaceful silence surrounding me, I drifted off to sleep.

 

*     *     *

 

  I was in the forest, my favorite place to be, the green vegetation and tall pines all around me, and I was crouched on the ground, feeling the power and calm I usually did when I hunted. Ah, it was wonderful.

 

 I curled my fingers around my bow, but when I looked down, startled, I realized I did not have my bow with me. In fact, my hands were empty. It was strange, but it didn’t faze me.

 

  I leaned back on my heels, sensing possible prey nearby. Inhaling the smells of the forest around me, I shot forward in a quick run. However, as I ran I realized something odd. My breathing, usually becoming rough when I run, stayed level and rhythmic. And my lungs, which always burned from effort, felt blissfully strong. My brow pinched together in slight confusion, which dissipated quickly. I did not care. Why ponder oddities, especially if they are beneficial. So I continued to run without a care in the world, with my legs taking long strides without missing a beat, and my arms pumping at my sides.

 

 Suddenly, seconds later, I caught a strange scent wafting from the breeze coming towards my face, gently brushing my hair back. Hmm, it was nice, the breeze and the smell. It was strong musk, like the forest, but temptingly sweet, almost like sugar if it could have a scent.

 

   I straightened up and peered through the trees, ah, there. I saw them, one person, probably a vampire, standing about two feet away from me. I grinned in anticipation, seeing the unimportant immortal standing before me. With my smile came an odd feeling of something protruding from my mouth, and poking my lower lip, but I paid no mind to it.

 

   Ah, the wind brushed my face once again, the wonderful smell came with it. I inhaled deeply, shifting into a crouch position that I had never tried before when hunting unless I was tracking. Oh well, I bunched my shoulders, readying myself for the glorious feeling of strength and power as I pounced. I realized a second later that I had no weapons, but again, it was unimportant to me, for as I landed on the immortal’s chest and knocked them to the ground, I didn’t care.

 

 The person, a male, stared up at me with empty eyes. His features were fuzzy, however I didn’t pay any mind to it. He sighed, and his breath washed over my face. It smelled just like he did, sweet and thick. I took another breath, sighing in anticipation.

 

   “I never thought this would happen, Kyla.” The vampire said.

 

  My eyes snapped back to the creature’s face, my lip curling in a sneer. However this vampire knew my name was an insignificant detail, he would be dead in a few seconds.

 

  “Well believe it”, I said sweetly, leaning down and whispering in his ear, “Because it’s happened.”

 

  Then, before thinking, my lips brushed against the tender skin on his neck, my tongue trailing along his pulse. And then, I bit into his throat, warm, sticky liquid flowing without pause into my mouth. I swallowed it like it was a drink, and when it suddenly cut off I sat up, looking down at the pallid skin and blank eyes of the person I had just bitten. A rush of revulsion came over me, and I jumped up off of the person, looking down at my hands which were covered in crimson blood. I swallowed, still tasting the sweetness of the man’s life on my tongue.

 

 Suddenly, I felt the presence of another, standing next to me, their hands entwining with my fingers, smearing the sticky substance around in our palms.

 

  “You see Kyla?” The person purred seductively in my ear. I leaned into him, knowing who it was immediately. I stared up into Pearce’s stony gray eyes, which were looking proudly down at me.

 

 “Isn’t this life so much better? So much more complete?” He asked.

 

  I cast a glance down at the person at our feet, and their features suddenly came into sharp focus. The dark hair, glassy brown eyes, and tall strong build were all so familiar. My eyes raked over the body of my once good friend Trine, my gaze resting on the two puncture wounds on his neck, blood trickling from the two little holes. I looked up at Pearce, his eyes shining with glee.

 

 “Now, we can always be together, forever.” He purred in a voice smooth as velvet, and calm as the wind rustling the trees around us.

 

 With another glance at my dead friend, I nodded at Pearce in agreement. With a loving grin, his lips brushed against mine gently, tasting metallic and sweet, like Trine’s blood. 

Chapter Five

 I sat straight up in bed, my hair flying around my face in an array of tangles and knots. I gasped, pressing my palm to my erratically beating heart. What the hell was that?

 

 “Kyla?” A soft voice came from beside me, and then someone touched my hand.

 

   I jumped out of bed and spun around, my eyes searching for the person who the voice belonged to. Pearce sat on the bed, a surprised expression on his face. He slowly got up, putting his hands up calmly.

 

  “It’s just me. Are you alright?” He asked me, his eyes shining with concern.

 

 I shook my head, dropping my defensive position and falling back onto the bed. I was sitting up, since there was no use in trying to go back to sleep now. I was wide awake and alert from that horrific dream.

 

  “Kyla? What happened?” Pearce asked, sitting down next to me and gently beginning to work the knots out of my hair with his fingers. I shook my head.

 

  “Nothing. I’m fine.” I murmured, my heart still pounding. Pearce turned me around so that I faced him. He cocked one white blonde eyebrow.

 

  “Are you sure?” He asked.

 

 I nodded. “Yes. Just a nightmare.”

 

 “Tell me about it.” He said in a tender voice.

 

  I shook my head again. I didn’t want to tell him about how terrified I was of the dream because then he’d