Frostbitten
(The Ice Rose Series, Book Three)
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Copyright © 2019 Destiny Hawkins
Frostbitten
Book Three of The Ice Rose Series
By
Destiny Hawkins
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter One
I remembered the first time that I saw her. The first woman I had ever fallen for…
I stormed out of the bar and out into the chilled air with tearing eyes and a sore wrist, then released a deep breath. No one but my husband, Steven, knew why I had rushed out of the lively celebration so suddenly, but I was sure that my friends would be looking for me soon. That was why as soon as I was able to control my rising panic, I started searching for our 1943 Delahaye. I needed to get away before they saw the purple bruises forming around my wrist, and most importantly, I needed to get away from Steven. He was drunk and in a mood, and during times like this, I didn’t want to be anywhere near him.
But what would I say when he came home?
When I snatched the keys, I had full intentions of driving home to safety, but I would only be safe until Steven arrived in an angry fit. If he was leaving bruises on my wrist from simply laughing at another man’s joke now, then he would do much worse to me for leaving him stranded later. I was supposed to be his prized woman. The kind of wife that always had to stand by his side and be a display of perfection.
To everyone else, that was who I was, but behind closed doors I was a screw up, a terrible wife, a whore, a bitch, a failure, and whatever else Steven made sure to remind me of.
Before him, I was so much more…
I sniffled and pushed back my hair, then looked from left to right in search of our car but had alcohol in my system and couldn’t seem to remember where we parked. I shivered and rubbed my arms, then decided to walk down the sidewalk in search of the car. The moment that I turned, I caught someone watching me from across the street.
Usually, I would ignore someone watching me, because I was used to the attention. I was viewed as someone beautiful and had caught many staring at me from the time that I started developing into a woman, but these eyes were hard to ignore, and when I turned back to meet them, I couldn’t look away.
Standing across the street was a woman with long brown locks, alluring dark eyes, vibrant cream skin, and full pink lips. She was dressed in a pair of black heels and a knee-high black dress that lightly swayed in the breeze as she stood with an unyielding confidence that I once had.
Realizing that I was staring, I raised my hand and gave a small wave, and when she smiled, my cheeks warmed. It wasn’t until I noticed something odd about her teeth that caused me to lower my hand in fear and confusion. It was as if she had fangs of some sort, sharper than I’d ever seen on any animal, and they glistened in the street lights.
Although beautiful, her stare had become somewhat frightening and intriguing at the same time. I began to feel as if I were in danger somehow, which was why I slowly began to turn away and head for my car, but the moment I took a step towards it, Steven came bursting out of the bar.
“What the hell, Alexa. Why did you leave?” he asked, running his fingers over his neatly combed black hair.
“I…just needed some air,” I offered a smile. “It was a bit crowded in there tonight.”
Steven didn’t respond right away. Instead, a frown took over his features as his green eyes dropped down to my purpling wrist. He sighed and shook his head. “Dammit. You can’t go back in there like that.” He grumbled to himself before fixing his suit jacket and walked towards me. “You shouldn’t’ve made me do that, Alexa. How are we supposed to face our friends now? They’ll think I’m at fault.” In a rush, he grabbed the same sore wrist in an attempt to pull me towards the car, but I flinched and yanked away. “See, this is what I’m talking about. No one knows that you’re the problem,” he spat at me in disgust.
“I’m sorry. It’s just sore.”
Steven sighed again. “Just go to the damn car. I’ll let everyone know you aren’t feeling well and that we have to leave.” I watched as he walked towards the door. “Just remember that this is your fault.” For only a moment, shame flashed across his face, but then it hardened again before he walked into the bar.
When he disappeared behind the doors, it looked as if he were walking into a sea of darkness. No longer did music blare from within the walls, and when I turned around, I found that the woman and the street had disappeared.
Instead, I found myself in my home with blood dripping from my chin as I stared down at Steven’s mangled body. Everything had happened so fast that I hadn’t found the moment to react, and when I saw that same woman from the street standing upright with blood spattered across her face and dripping from her lips, I was too afraid to move.
The woman offered a smile at first, but when she noticed my fear, she stepped over his body and stood directly in front of me. Reaching up, she gently placed her fingertips over my swelling cheek, leaving smears of blood, then over the cut just above my eyebrow from being pushed against the door.
“Don’t worry,” she said softly as her fingers came down to my chin. “You have nothing to be afraid of. Not anymore.” She glanced at Steven’s body over her shoulder. “He cannot hurt you, and I will not hurt you.” When she turned back to me, she slightly tilted her head to the side, then brought her hand to my chest, just over my heart. “But you’re still afraid. Does your new freedom not make you happy?”
I slowly looked down at her hand before swallowing, then back up at her with tears streaming down my cheeks. I was terrified of her, but I was also relived that she was here and didn’t fully understand why. I was grateful that she stopped the abuse before things had gotten worse, but I was confused as to what I had just witnessed.
This woman…she wasn’t human.
“What are you?” I asked in almost a whisper.
The woman moved her hand away and slightly smiled. “I am a vampire, and my name is Esha.”
The next moment, the room shifted, and I was naked on a cold metal table. My arms and legs were strapped down, and my body was in a world of pain.
“I don’t think she will last, Doctor,” a woman standing over me with some sort of drill said. “She may not last too long through the pain, and our studies have shown that too much blood loss leads to starvation.”
I panted as I turned my head, spotting a man standing just outside the light and in the shadows. His figure alone petrified me, but what made things worse was his scent. I couldn’t read it. It was as if he wasn’t human, but he wasn’t a vampire either. He was something else. Something powerful and dangerous.
“We are just in the beginning of our tests. Continue until subject two-three-six g
ives out. When she awakens, resume the procedure. I want to know the exact extent of pain in which a creature such as she can handle.”
Tears welled into my eyes as I turned back to the hesitant female doctor. Half of her face was covered with a mask, but I didn’t need to see her lips to know that she was uncomfortable with the task.
The female doctor sighed. “Yes, Doctor.”
I shook my head no, terrified of what was going to happen next, and at the sound of the drill spinning again, I began to panic.
“No, no, not again! Please!” I cried. “Don’t!”
She began to lower the drill towards my thigh.
“Don’t!”
Chapter Two
My throat locked up as Alexa’s hand curled around it. I could clearly see that her eyes were open, but I wasn’t sure if she could see me. As a matter-of-fact, I didn’t sense her in there at all. Using my link to her mind, I tried to reach her, but she was still trapped in a nightmare. She wasn’t aware of where we were or that she was hurting me at all, which sent me into a panic. The last time that Alexa lost herself, she fed from me until I fell unconscious.
I grabbed at Alexa’s wrist and tried to pull away from her, but that only made her grip grow stronger. Her eyes began to glow a bright turquoise blue as bright turquoise veins climbed up the sides of her face. It wasn’t until her black hair began to levitate did I know that I was in true danger.
“Alexa!” I screamed through our mental link. “Alexa, wake up!”
The distant sound of a drill echoing in my ears confirmed that she couldn’t hear me even in her mind, and I knew that this had something to do with her blood loss. A few nights ago, we were attacked by soldiers that were sent to capture us, and Alexa had been shot multiple times. Although we vampires were able to heal quickly, it could take a heavy toll on our bodies and shut us down for a few days depending on the extent of the injury.
We were now in a werewolf pack’s mansion somewhere deep in the woods and far away from civilization with a nice large room to ourselves. Since I had been awake the entire time, I was trapped in here alone and unallowed to leave unless it was time for a shower break. I was told that Argus, the pack leader, was waiting for Alexa to awaken, but I was beginning to fear that he wouldn’t come in time. Well, in enough time to save my life.
“Alexa, please.” I thought. “It’s Faith.”
Alexa’s grip slightly loosened, but not enough for me to yank away from her. If I didn’t soon though, I would most likely die.
“Can you hear me? It’s Faith. It’s Faith, Alexa. I’m not who you think I am.”
Alexa’s grip suddenly tightened again, but only a moment later did her eyelids begin to flutter, then her hand slowly slid from my neck and stopped just above my chest.
I sucked in a deep breath of air, surprised that I didn’t submerge into a coughing fit.
“Faith…” Alexa said in a low voice. She seemed to be half here and half there, but as the seconds passed, she began to grow more aware of the situation. “Faith?” Her eyes slightly widened, and she snatched her hand away. “I hurt you?”
When regret began to spread across her features, I gently placed my hand over her shoulder. “You were shot multiple times and lost a lot of blood. It’s natural to have that kind of reaction towards hunger.”
Alexa didn’t respond. She just looked away and began to observe the room that we were locked in.
It wasn’t like Alexa’s mansion where everything seemed to be more up to date, but it looked older, from the furniture to the color scheme. The walls were made of dark wood, the carpet was cream and brown, the head and footboard was brown, the curtains were a shade of cream, there was a large closet across the room, a fireplace on the far left, and a desk against the wall on the right, beside a small window.
I actually liked the set-up. How could I not? The only two nice homes I’d ever been in was Alexa’s and now here. It made me wonder what the rest of the mansion looked like. When I was led to this room, we were taken through the back door which led straight to a set of dark carpeted steps. Up the narrow stairway, I saw that the walls were also made of wood and that there were small yellow wall lights. Once we were in a long dim lit hallway, we were led straight to our room and locked inside. Well, I was led while Alexa was being carried by none other than Argus himself.
I didn’t understand why we were locked away, and I knew that I could kick the door down at any moment but decided not to. I was fed blood bags which, although fresh, tasted like it could’ve come from a rat, and I was provided with all that I needed to be comfortable. I wouldn’t have tried to break out until Alexa had awakened and could give more insight on Argus and what he may have had planned. He was her main provider after all.
I turned back to Alexa and sighed. She was only dressed in a black bra and panties with her hair cascading over her shoulders. The bullet holes that once covered her body were gone, leaving clear smooth skin. During her sleep, I was having trouble looking away from her at times and told myself it was just to check the bullet wounds, but inside I knew the real reason.
“Are you okay?” Alexa asked, guilt radiating from her.
I pulled up a slight smile in an attempt to reassure her. “I’m fine. I should be asking you that.” I licked my lips, my smile fading when she still didn’t turn to face me. “Really. Since you were brought here, you’ve been dreaming. Sometimes they were good dreams, but they always…”
“I’ve asked you not to pry more than once,” she said tiredly. “Please, those memories are only for me to bear.”
I watched her stare at nothing for a moment longer before releasing a breath. “Are you hungry?”
Alexa slowly turned to face me, her eyes flashing and her primal side rumbling just below the surface. Sensing that side of her still somewhat frightened me, but I could tell that she had it under control, unlike the last time she’d lost it. “I am.”
When I offered her my wrist, her eyebrows slightly pulled into a frown, but she didn’t say a word. This was how we usually fed, but I could see that she may have wanted to feed from me in another way.
“Thank you,” she said before raising my wrist to her lips, but before she could bite into my flesh there was a light knock on the door.
Alexa and I both turned to the door as it creaked open, revealing Argus, who stood in the shadows with bright yellow-orange eyes. I was surprised that I hadn’t heard him coming down the hall, but then I had to remember that he was a pack leader, making him the strongest and probably the sneakiest werewolf of them all.
Argus was dressed in business-like attire, just as the first time I’d met him, only tonight he wore a white button up, black slacks, and black dress shoes. His silky black hair was in curls down his shoulders, he had neatly cut dark stubble around his chin, and his skin only had a hint of an olive tone, like he’d spent some time in the sun.
Alexa moved to sit upright, immediately responding to his presence. “Argus.”
Argus stepped into the room with a soft expression. As a matter-of-fact, the closer that he came towards Alexa, the more his reserved wall seemed to lower. When I first met him, he came off professional and quite stiff, but now it was as if he were another person. Still a man of authority, but human.
“No need to sit up, Alexa. I only came to check on you,” he said, his voice smooth.
“You knew when she would awaken?” I asked.
Argus smirked, but kept his eyes focused on Alexa. “I have a very good sense of hearing. I also have the ability to smell fear.”
“Oh…”
I stood from the bed as he neared and watched as he sat down beside her. The instant that his hand rested over hers, I could feel my fangs begin to cut into my lower lip, but with only a glance from Alexa I knew to keep myself together.
“Here,” Argus said, pulling a blood bag from his pocket. “Drink this for now.”
Alexa slowly took the bag from him and brought it to her lips, then pierced into it with her fang
s and began to drink.
Jealousy surged through me as I watched her drink the blood Argus gave her after I’d just offered mine, but I still kept myself well under control. After the time I’d spent being a vampire, I had mastered my heightened emotions.
Alexa’s eyebrows began to furrow as she continued to suck the blood from her bag, then she pulled away with a droplet drizzling down her chin. “This is…your blood?”
A smile tugged at Argus’ lips. “You remember what I taste like. That means you also remember that werewolf blood will keep your feral side dormant for now.”
I frowned. “What?”
Alexa turned to me, expressionless. “Werewolf blood weakens vampires, but only enough to level our strength with theirs.”
“But we were just attacked. Why would he—”
Argus finally turned to me with a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Vampire’s are stronger than wolves, Faith. Well, most wolves. Leveling the both of you out is just a precautionary measure while you’re staying in my home.”
I lowered my lids. “So, that’s why it tastes like rats blood? It’s from an animal.”
Argus didn’t respond, nor did his expression change, but the look in his eyes warned me to watch my tongue, and warned I was. He chuckled and turned back to Alexa, placing his hand over her thigh. “I want you to rest for a little while longer. You and I can talk later.” He turned back to me. “But you…”
My eyebrows furrowed.
“I would like you to come with me.”
Chapter Three
I was hesitant to leave the room without Alexa at first, but with a nod, she reassured me that it’d be alright. Argus was the kind of man that helped supernaturals after all, so he couldn’t have been as scary as he made himself out to be.
As I walked down an unfamiliar dark hall with him, I wondered if this was all just some sort of act? He presented himself as a man that couldn’t be affected by anything, but Alexa seemed to get to him. What exactly was their relationship anyway? I couldn’t tell if he had feelings for her, or if he was just fond of her. Either way, my territorial side was at the surface and ready to pounce.
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