Lust by Abigail Livinghouse (good ebook reader TXT) 📖

Chapter Fourteen

I burst through the front doors and held my bow ready, pointing an arrow at no one and everyone at the same time. Some of the vampires in the house hissed and growled at the sight of wood, something they hadn't seen in years living here. Others shifted into hunting stances, attempting to advance on me but backing down when I grabbed my stake out of my belt and waved it in their faces. Elizabeth was there, her face terrified as she stood with Kenneth by her side.

 

 "Kyla? What are you doing? What's going on?" She asked in complete and utter shock.

 

 I wasn't falling for it. Every immortal here knew that there was a human in their midst aside from myself, and I quickly came to realize in that moment that I couldn't trust a single one of them here. Not Elizabeth, not even Miramar. She didn't seem to give two shits about the fact that they were holding a mortal captive, and Pearce had disregarded it all the same. Maybe I couldn't even trust him . . .

 

 I shook my head, clearing it. There would be time to wonder about that later but right now, I had to find Trine and get him out of there.

 

 "Where is he?" I shouted, my weapons still outstretched and at the ready.

 

 "What the hell are you talking about you insane bitch?!" A girl shouted from the audience, her fangs bared. I ignored her and turned my attention back to Elizabeth.

 

  "The human. Where is he?" I asked her, my eyes never leaving her face.

 

 She looked around wildly for a way out, but everywhere her gaze rested she would have to get through me first. I was only one mortal facing a giant crowd of immortals, but most if not all knew who I was. They knew I was a hunter, and they knew that they would lose some numbers if they went up against me. Surely I would die, but I would take some of their own down with me.

 

 That's when Pearce and Miramar made their way into the room. I didn't turn my back on the leering vampires in front of me, so I waited for them to make their way to the front. Miramar was the first to come into my line of vision.

 

 "Kyla relax. We haven't hurt the human, he's just fine." She assured me, and in return to her patronizing tone, I shot an arrow up at the giant chandelier of crystals hanging in the middle of the foyer. It sliced one of the main wires holding the huge thing, and it came crashing down.

 

  Miramar had to jump out of the way from being crushed, and still only managed a few inches before shards of glass flew at her and the vampires all around us. It wasn't wood, but the daggers of crystal still made the majority of the crowd shriek in fear and anguish as they all felt the pain. Some were hit in their arms and legs, others weren't so lucky and got pieces in their chests and backs as they tried to flee.

 

  Pearce grabbed me and shielded me with his own body as he brought us both to the floor. Miramar had curled up into a ball and covered her head with her arms. When the remains were done flying and there was  a giant, glittery mess on the floor was when everyone straightened up and the real chaos started.

 

 "She tried to kill us!" One vampire shouted.

 

   "She should've never been trusted!" Another erupted in a scream.

 

  "We should've killed the hunter the moment she arrived!" Echoes of agreement followed that statement, and Pearce's arms tightened around me and a growl built up in his chest as the crowd began chanting.

 

 "Kill the hunter! Kill the hunter! Attack her and her people so that we may never go without fresh blood again!"

 

 "Enough!" Miramar shouted, standing at her full height. It wasn't much, but many members of the audience shrank back and cowered under her gaze as if she was ten feet tall.

 

 "This is ridiculous. This all started because we took a mortal captive which I must say was not our best idea." She began. She had everyone's full attention now, and some were even nodding along with her in agreement as she spoke.

 

   "I know you've all become frustrated with the fact that we cannot provide you with fresh blood like before. Well I'm sorry but I have some news. If we want to maintain a low profile and keep humans from invading our home, then we must make do with what we have-"

 

  "We've been sacrificing for the blood bags for years now! We've been quiet enough!" The same rude girl who had yelled at me earlier interrupted Miramar, who nodded.

 

  "You're right Rina, but obviously we have not been doing a very good job of it considering we have a mortal under our very feet right now. We must've been noticeable enough for him to stumble upon us, which hasn't happened in years." She answered calmly, but Rina seemed to have all the answers.

 

 "I'm not saying he stumbled upon us, I'm saying he was informed." Rina said, and her cold blue eyes narrowed accusingly at me.

 

 That seemed to be it for Pearce. He leapt from my side and grabbed Rina by the throat, his teeth inches from her face as he growled. "You're accusing my mate of treason? That is one hefty charge little one, and I seriously doubt you'll be willing to own up to it."

 

 They were close, fangs to fangs. But I wasn't worried for Pearce, he was bigger and much stronger than the petite Rina. What made my heart pound was the audience surrounding us, ready to sink their teeth into whatever opportunity was handed to them.

 

 "Believe it Grey, when a vampire has nothing to lose then why not risk it all?" Rina said, sneering.

 

 Miramar moved forward to contain the two, but I had had enough. This arguing was getting us nowhere, and Trine was still somewhere within the house. I was about ready to throw a weapon at one of these stone cold vampires just to get some information out of them. But I didn't have to, because someone else did it for me.

 

 A stake went flying through the air and before anyone could do anything to stop it, it landed right in Rina's chest. This sent her to the ground as Pearce released his grip on her in complete surprise. Oh hell. 

 

  Everyone turned to the direction of where the weapon had come from and there stood my friend Trine. His hands were dripping with blood, and his eyes were wide with fury. Another thing, he was not alone.

Chapter Fifteen

"Everybody move! Now!" Miramar shouted as she rounded up immortals and shoved them out the door.

 

There were so many people from my village behind Trine. I recognized many of the hunters. Mikael was there, the boy who my mother had pictured me with. Mr. Bo was there, and he was certainly not a hunter. And so many others had flooded into the home while everyone had been arguing. I looked at Trine, and I could barely recognize my old friend behind those bloodshot eyes.

 

 Things erupted in a matter of seconds, with Miramar pushing groups of vampires out the door, the majority of them children, my people were attacking. There weren't many archers in the group so many were attacking head on, grabbing vampires and killing them with stakes. Some immortals fought back, biting and hissing, clawing off heads and sinking their teeth into necks. I tried to keep my eyes on Trine and Mr. Bo, who didn't know how to fight worth a shit, but lost them in the crowd.

 

  Pearce found me though, abandoning Rina's body he sprinted to my side and scooped me up in his arms. He made for the door before I screamed to stop him. "No! Pearce don't you understand? Those are my people in there. I have to stop them!"

 

  "Those are my species in there too but you don't see me risking my neck. I'm not letting you back in there." He said, and ran out the door before I could stop him.

 

 "Pearce let me go right now! I have to go back!" I shouted, shoving at his chest with my fists.

 

 "There's no way in hell I'm letting you go back there Kyla, you'll get torn apart. It's one big free for all right now and I can't let you throw yourself into it." He said with a tone of finality, but I wasn't done.

 

  "So you're just going to let your people die while you run away like it's nothing?" I asked accusingly. He ignored me, but I went on.

 

  "I don't know how it works with vampires, I've only been around them for a few months but one thing's for sure is that I could never leave my people behind like what you're doing now. I could never and I will never. Let me go, Pearce." I said, my tone just as strong and final as his was.

 

 I hadn't meant to hurt him with my words, but I wanted to make some sort of impact. I hoped I had, but judging by his unyielding stride and his expression that had stayed stern and set since we left the house, it seemed that what I said had just brushed right off of him.

 

  "No Kyla." He boomed, so loud that I resisted covering my ears.

 

  It's then that I realized I'm on my own. I will be going back to that house, but I know that Pearce will not be coming with me. I pulled out my stake, I had left my arrows back at the house when he had taken me away, but thankfully I still had this. I pointed the tip under Pearce's jaw and just at his throat, my hand steady even though inside I was shaking.

 

 "If you don't let me go, I'll kill you." I warned him. Pearce's steady gray eyes traveled down to meet mine and he stopped walking.

 

  "You will?" He asked, and his tone wasn't afraid or shocked, it was completely normal. As if he we were discussing the weather.

 

  I nodded. "If you do not let me help my people then I will have no choice."

 

 Without another word, Pearce planted my feet on the ground and took a step back, removing his arms from around me and leaving me standing alone. It felt as if someone had stripped away a warm blanket from around my shoulders, and now I was cold and completely on my