Heart of the Pride by Anaya Phoenix (freda ebook reader txt) 📖

memory.

“You’re mother turned me into a vampire!” She yelled, hissing the last word and pointing her finger at him. He crinkled then raised a brow.

“I don’t think that’s what she did.” He said slowly and walked from the bed.

“Yeah she did! See.” Then she pointed to her eyes, not knowing that they were still deep blue.

“Yes, you’ve got pretty eyes. What’s your point?”

“They’re red!”

“They’re blue. Deep blue, and you’ve got freckles too. Just in case your forgot that as well.”

“Lying. You’re lying.” She dismissed it, yanking back the sheets and standing up. Her legs felt stronger and more secure on her.

“Why would I lie about that?” He asked, taking a step back and holding his hands up. Yep, she thought, a flipping newborn.

“I can’t believe this! Nothing sane, or normal, happens to me.” She growled and stormed toward him. His eyes widened and he scrambled away from her and towards the basement stairs.

“Don’t fucking run. Girls don’t like it when they have to work to kick your ass.” She said serenely, walking after him. He left the door and ran impossibly fast, looking like nothing but a blur. She snarled and ran too, feeling her legs carry her faster than they ever did before. She stopped when she came to the door of the basement and looked around. She was in a hallway of sorts with an exit both ways. She growled and flared her nostrils, trying to use her new vampire skills to track him. This was a house of multiple smells, but she easily scoped him out. She went to the right and found another staircase. She went up and opened the door, leading her to the outside world. The breeze flew up the hospital garment she had on but she didn’t feel cold, her body temperature restricted her from feeling much. She sniffed again and rolled her eyes, then walked around the house, following his scent. It lead her to the open front door, she huffed and rubbed her temples.

“Timothy Demarco if you don’t come to me right now, so help me God.” She growled, not feeling up to fighting. Wherever he was he was being extremely silent. She stepped into the house, closed the door, and leaned against the door. She’d been bombarded with colors , sounds, and smells the minute she stepped foot outside and it gave her a contact headache. She groaned and slid down, he zoomed to stand in front of her.

“You Ok?” He asked softly, squatting down in front of her.

“I’ve got a headache because you’re a douchebag.”

“I’ve been called that a lot lately, doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“If I cried, would it hurt?” She asked, keeping her eyes closed and her head rested on the door. She felt his arms wrap around her as he lifted her up bridal style.

“Yes, baby, it’d hurt a lot.” He said softly and kissed her forehead lightly. Some of the pain washed away but not a lot.

“Do you know what would make my head feel better?” She asked as he walked up the stairs with her.

“What?”

“That burger I asked for with a strawberry banana smoothie.” She said softly. She knew he smiled as he opened his room door and walked to his bed.

“Will do, you just rest up. By the time you open those pretty little eyes of yours again your wish will be here.” She smiled and opened her eyes.

“You move fast.” She said sweetly then closed her eyes again, more like squeezed. It was too damn bright in his room.

“You have no idea babe.” He said, kissing each eye then leaving her to sleep.

Chapter 10

When she opened her eyes again she opened them because her nose picked up on something yummy. She shot up and looked around to find a Styrofoam carton  and cup on his nightstand. Next to it laid a note, she swung her legs off the bed and picked up the note, ignoring her growling stomach. Had business to take care of, love Timmy.

“So sincere you are, Timothy Demarco.” She mumbled and picked up the carton, she opened it and licked her lips. The meal before her making her forget about her humanity as she gobbled up everything only saving time to breath. When the food was nothing but scraps she picked up the cup and sipped, then closed her eyes as the tastes danced on her tongue.

“I think I could grow to like this vampire thing.” She sighed and sopped the rest of the milkshake up. She stood and licked her lips, stretched and ran her fingers through her hair. It smelled terrible.

“Looks like you’re going to be my donor Timmy.” She said, taking off her hospital clothes and walking to his bathroom. She thanked the Gods he didn’t like the weird smelling guy soaps, he had a plain bar of Dial, and that was all she needed. She rubbed until she couldn’t smell the rankness that was her body anymore, all she could smell was Dial. She used his Head and Shoulders and made a mental note to tell him to pick up some better smelling stuff.

                When her shower was up she walked into his room as naked as the day she was born and looked around. She was too lazy to try and look for a towel, so she shrugged and used his comforter to dry herself. She looked through his dressers and pulled on a pair of his boxers, jeans and a shirt that came to her thighs. She sat on his bed and looked around. She could clean.

“It would be a cold day in hell when I clean.” She laughed and shook her head at her silliness. Sometimes she was so funny.

 

                She looked around and bit her lip, she’d done everything! She’d trashed his room, watched television, watched his movies. She’d even looked under his bed and went through his playboys! Which she ripped apart and left in a nice little pile on his bed. The doorknob turned and he walked in with three McDonalds bags. She felt her eyes dilate as she walked to him, snatched the bags and scarfed down the first thing she saw.

“Jeez Louise, calm down. It’s only food.” He grumbled, closing his door and handing her the rest of the bags. She gave him the bird and stuffed more food down her mouth.

“What’s that?” He asked, pointing the pile on his bed.”

“Oh, I found your playboys, figured I’d help you get rid of ‘em. Do a little spring cleaning.” He looked around at the trashy room and raised a brow.

“Morally. Do some spring cleaning morally.” She cleared up, sitting on the edge and eating all of the burgers.

“What else did you do today?”

“I’m trying to avoid seeing the woman who tried to kill me, so I stayed in the room.”

“She’s not here, kicked her and dad out the day I found out was she was doing to you.”

“You… you kicked your mother out?”

“And my father. Don’t forget my father.” She stayed gaping with a handful of fries in her hand.

“You can’t just kick your family members out.”

“I’m in charge now, I can do whatever the hell I want. Finish eating then come down, they’re waiting for you.” She frowned but continued to eat.

“Who’s here?”

“Friends… and family.” She looked to him and swallowed the piece of burger she’d bit off.

“Family?” She squeaked, he looked to her and smiled softly, almost sadly, and nodded.

“I knew you wouldn’t be happy if you didn’t get a chance to see them. I couldn’t live with myself if you were unhappy.”

“Aww.” She said, forgetting she had food in her mouth.

“No other girl. You are like no other girl.” She snorted and swallowed her food and shook her head.

“What would be the fun in that?”

 

                She took tentative steps on her new, strong legs down the steps. All conversation stopped as they looked up at her, her mothers’ eyes sparkled and her father smiled in what looked to be pride. She crinkled her brow but kept down the stairs. When she landed on the last step she looked at everybody and growled.

“Why are you guys not freaking out that my eyes are red, or that I’m paler than I should be, or that-“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You think he changed you into a vampire?” Cassie asked, her smile bright and blinding, mocking Izzy.

“What do you mean ‘think’? Do you not see this?” She asked, putting her arm up in front of her friends, then frowning at the color.

“It’s the same color, babe.” Timmy whispered, sending invisible hands down her spine and making her shiver.

“Yeah, I can see that.” She snapped at him, then looked at her arm again.

“Well… that doesn’t mean anything. My eyes are still red.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest and sticking her nose up. Her mother stepped forward with her compact mirror and showed Isabel her reflection. She gasped, widened her eyes, and snatched the mirror out of her mothers grasp.

“What the hell?” She said, watching as her dark blue eyes reflected her emotion towards her.

“What the hell did your mother do to me?” She whispered, looking to Timmy who gulped.

“You still haven’t told her yet?” Jaime asked, but she didn’t take her eyes off of Timmy.

“You still haven’t jumped off a bridge?” Timmy snapped, then looked to the girl in front of him.

“It’s really complicated. And an extremely long story-“

“I’ve got time, explain.” She said slowly, closing the compact mirror and standing up taller.

“Sweety, maybe you should just calm down?” Her mother said, taking a step towards her daughter.

“His mother turned me into some… freak.” Izzy said, damn near pleading with her mother into understanding. She didn’t miss the hurt that flashed in her mothers eyes before she masked it.

“You really need to calm down, sweet heart. He’ll explain it all in due time, I’m sure you’re hungry?”

“As a matter of fact… yes I am, starving in fact.” She said, putting her hand on her stomach that should’ve been full to capacity.

“Thought so, why don’t we all go to Applebee’s?” Izzy nodded slowly, frowning deeply and rubbing her belly. Her mother wrapped her arms around her shoulders and guided her through the crowd that had grown in Timmy’s living room.

“David, can you go get her stuff from the car and set her up in his room?” Her mom asked in her mom way. She could hear her dad grumble under his breath, but still he complied.

“What’s going on with me, mommy?” She whimpered, shrinking into her mothers side. Her mother stiffened slightly, then rubbed her arm.

“It’s gonna be alright, you’re just gonna be alright.” She said, walking as if nothing had happened.

 

                All of her family and friends sat around her chattering and mingling while she munched on hers and Timmy’s food.

“Why are you eating my food?”

“One because I’m a girl, that automatically gets me anything I want. Two I’m a growing girl, and I need all the food and nutrients I can get.”

“Nutrients my Great Aunt Patty.” He said, but still let her demolish his baked potato. She was still hungry though, and Zena’s chicken fingers were starting to look pretty damn good about now. She scooted her chair back and stood up, coming up with some random excuse and walking behind Zena’s chair. Timmy