Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 100953 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 505(@200wpm)___ 404(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100953 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 505(@200wpm)___ 404(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
When I see my house, I don’t stop to open the gate. Instead I leap over it and land on my feet, running at full tilt until I get to my front door. I scan my thumb on the lock and the door opens immediately. I slam it behind me then lock it again before I lean back against it.
There’s a weird tingling all over my skin and I feel hot. I take a deep breath and pull myself together. It was nothing. I’m sure between visiting the ghosts of my past tonight and a slayer on the loose, I’m on edge. That’s all.
“Ravana?”
My hand flies to my chest as Juliet comes fluttering into the room with Kane right behind her.
“Sorry, did I scare you?” She looks at me in confusion because yeah, I should have heard them. Or at least smelled them when I entered my home, but my mind was elsewhere.
“I was just surprised to see you guys here is all. I didn't know Kane was letting you leave the house,” I tease.
He’s been in super-protective mode. I don’t blame him with the slayer out there and his new mate pregnant. Any vampire would be that way, and the longing for a mate hits me once again. Will there ever be a time when I see the two of them and don’t become jealous? I want someone to care about me like that, even if I’m strong enough to take care of myself.
“Oh, well, I wanted to come by and hang out. I thought you could use some company.”
I eye her in mild surprise. I was rude to her when we first met because I didn't know she was Kane’s mate and was worried that she might find out what we were. Kane seemed like he was losing his mind and acted in ways I’d never seen before. I’ve said sorry, but sometimes sorry isn't enough and it takes time.
“She was worried about you,” Kane says from behind her.
“You were?” I look to Juliet, and she gives a small shrug.
“You seemed sad, and us girls have to stick together around here.” She smiles at me. I can’t help but smile back at her. She really is sweet, and I love her for what she’s done for Kane.
“Come on, I’ll cook you something to eat,” I tell her. I reach out and take her hand. She gives mine a small squeeze and I can feel a bond forming between us.
“You cook?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Oddly enough, I really love to cook, even if I can’t eat it. It relaxes me. I was a chef before.”
“I just might be here a lot more then, because lately I can’t get full.” Juliet pats her belly.
Kane follows right behind her as I lead us into the kitchen. He never lets her get more than an arm’s length away.
“Good, because I like the sound of that.” I might not be able to have a family of my own, but I’m going to cherish the one I do have.
Chapter 2
Valen
It’s late and the sun has already set. I’m getting closer to the city, but this doesn’t feel like any other hunt I’ve been on before. Something is off, but I can’t put my finger on what it is.
I’ve hunted vampires since I was old enough to hold a weapon. My father comes from a long line of hunters and we pass down our knowledge from one generation to the next. There are vampires in this world that are only looking to destroy it. They hurt innocent people and kill anyone who gets in their way. It’s my job to take out those threats and eradicate the world of their evil. There have been whispers of a coven inside the city living amongst humans. It’s unheard of for the most part, and I’m anxious to get my eyes on them.
I don’t know much about their ways, but normally they are loners that like to keep to themselves. They usually live in hills away from people, or deep in the forest—places people don’t go. They don’t need much to survive, they just have to stay out of the sun. From what I’ve been taught, they don’t eat and they don’t need to drink the blood of humans to stay alive. It’s nothing like the movies I watched as a kid, which kind of disappointed me at the time. When I got older I found out that they’re not immortal but can live up to two hundred years without a mate. I’ve never killed a mated couple before, so I don’t know if they’re rare or just good at going undetected.
Growing up, this wasn’t my dream. When my father began to train me to do this, I thought about all the other boys I knew who had no idea vampires were a real thing. I had to keep the secret as I learned how to hunt and track these creatures. I was raised alone by my father, so I had no one else to turn to. When he died a few years ago I thought about giving it up. But I’m known as the best slayer now that he’s gone and I have to think about future generations after me. I don’t have a wife or children, and I worry what will happen to our family legacy if I die. Will that be the end of our slayer line?