Blood Torn

by Karice Bolton

  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 Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  BOOKS BY KARICE BOLTON

  Contact the Author

  Blood Torn

  Blood Torn Series #1

  Karice Bolton

  Copyright © 2021 Karice Bolton

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any printed or electronic form, or stored in an unauthorized retrieval system, or transmitted in any form without permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, incidents, and events either are the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by Valorie Clifton

  Cover Design: Eerilyfair Covers and Logos

  Interior Graphic: Eerilyfair Covers and Logos

  Interior: B&B Formatting

  BOOKS BY KARICE BOLTON

  BLOOD TORN SERIES

  BLOOD TORN

  BLOOD CURSE

  BLOOD BORN

  MR. MISTAKE SERIES

  MR. MISTAKE

  MR. ACCIDENT

  MR. WRONG

  MR. RIGHT

  ISLAND COUNTY SERIES

  FINDING LOVE IN FORGOTTEN COVE

  LOVE REDONE IN HIDDEN HARBOR

  TANGLED LOVE ON PELICAN POINT

  FOREVER LOVE ON FIREWEED ISLAND

  TEMPTING LOVE ON HOLLY LANE

  CHANCE AT LOVE ON MYSTIC BAY

  IRRESISTIBLE LOVE AT SILVER FALLS

  LUCKY IN LOVE ON HOUND ISLAND

  MISTLETOE MISCHIEF

  ACCIDENTAL LOVE ON MEADOW COVE LANE

  DISCOVERING LOVE ON CRANBERRY LANE

  CHRISTMAS ON FIREWEED

  IMAGINING LOVE ON WILLOW ROAD

  CHRISTMAS CRUSH ON FIREWEED

  WAITING ON LOVE AT HAWTHORN AVENUE

  BEYOND LOVE SERIES

  BEYOND CONTROL

  BEYOND DOUBT

  BEYOND REASON

  BEYOND INTENT

  BEYOND CHANCE

  BEYOND PROMISE

  BEYOND the MISTLETOE

  CLOUDBERRY INN SERIES

  IMAGINING YOU

  REMEMBERING YOU

  LEAVING YOU

  SILVER RIDGE SERIES

  A HAPPY TRUTH ABOUT LOVE

  A LITTLE SECRET ABOUT LOVE

  A FUNNY THING ABOUT LOVE

  A SURPRISING FACT ABOUT LOVE

  A SIMPLE WISH ABOUT LOVE

  LUKE FLETCHER SERIES

  HIDDEN SINS

  BURIED SINS

  REDEMPTION

  MIA

  V MAFIA SERIES

  BLAKE

  DEVIN

  JAXSON

  THE WITCH AVENUE SERIES

  LONELY SOULS

  ALTERED SOULS

  RELEASED SOULS

  SHATTERED SOULS

  THE WATCHERS TRILOGY

  AWAKENING

  LEGIONS

  CATACLYSM

  TAKEN NOVELLA (A Watchers Prequel)

  AFTERWORLD SERIES

  RecruitZ

  AlibiZ

  UprisingZ

  Contact the Author

  Visit Karice's website to learn more and to sign up for her newsletter!

  Karice's Newsletter

  Karice's Facebook Group

  Chapter One

  Ivy

  Hate grew in a bubble of fear. It started small, floated around, bumped into other similar bubbles, and grew into something unrecognizable, much larger and scarier than the initial fear.

  My grandma had always taught me to be the one in life who popped that bubble, to move within the framework of love and acceptance.

  To be the light.

  To shun the darkness.

  And I tried.

  Boy, did I try.

  But Grammy wasn’t here any longer. The woman who’d raised my sister and me had passed away, suddenly and unexpectedly. I was left to pick up the pieces while my twin sister, Violet, decided to go into a midlife crisis at the age of twenty-nine.

  Which was why I was sitting at a table tucked into the far corner of a dingy dive bar in Sudden Valley, Washington, with my sister flirting endlessly with the squad while I clutched my latest read.

  I rolled my eyes at the thought of my sister flirting with them.

  The squad was our local gang of vampires, or maybe they were wannabe vampires. I never got close enough to find out, and I certainly wished Violet had the same reservations.

  Grammy had said she didn’t.

  I guess she was right.

  The shutters clapped against the side of the old building as a storm brewed outside. The wooden structure moaned in harmony with the wind. The lights flickered every few minutes as a warning, which only heightened my desire to get out of this place, but I couldn’t leave my sister.

  And currently, she was bending over a pool table with a member of the squad hovering over her as she attempted to play in between giggles and a hip wiggle every now and then.

  I wanted to blame Violet’s behavior on the overwhelming amount of grief we were suffering, but I’d never been great at lying to myself.

  I didn’t want to pretend to be somebody I wasn’t.

  Which was why I avoided relationships in general.

  Well, people in general.

  I didn’t have time to be hurt by others’ lack of decency.

  Besides, I preferred to indulge in a good book like the one sitting in front of me, but the thought of my sheltie, Glinda, at home hiding under the covers with the storm brewing was on the top of my mind.

  I needed to get home.

  All this deliberation led me back to my initial thought about hate.

  I hated vampires, and I knew why.

  They scared me. Real or fake.

  Anyone who wanted to pretend to suck blood out of the living didn’t sound appealing or in the right frame of mind, and as for the real ones . . . enough said.

  Sure, I’d met plenty of cordial vampires over the years, but I also wasn’t someone who wanted to stick around and wait for the one who wasn’t.

  “Hey, Darling.” A man’s gruff voice barked in my direction, jarring me from my daze.

  My eyes snapped around to a vampire sitting at the bar, staring at me. I didn’t recognize him from the local crew.

  My flesh prickled with disgust as his silver eyes stayed steady on mine. His blond hair had been greased back, and his shirt had been unbuttoned down his pale chest.

  “May I help you?” I clutched my book as if it could become my weapon of choice.

  At least it’s a hardback.

  “Just sad to see such a beautiful lady sitting by herself in a place like this.”

  I cemented a smile on my face. “Don’t worry about it. I’m with her.” I pointed at Violet.


  The man did a double-take and his eyes widened. “Nice.”

  I cocked my head in disgust and held back the dirty look I wanted to flash in his direction.

  In addition to not liking vampires, I also went out of my way not to provoke them.

  “You’re twins.” The drawl of his voice did little to calm my fears.

  “Yup.” I popped my lips and went back to reading my mystery.

  “Beautiful twins.” His mouth was suddenly within inches of mine.

  That was another thing I hated about vampires—their speed.

  I hated it because I feared it.

  I was staring at a vampire, who in less than a second had moved across the entire room and now sat inches from me. This vampire looked like he wanted to eat me for dessert while my sister looked like she wanted to be dessert for the one she was with. My sister and I were night and day opposites.

  “What’s your name, beautiful?” He licked his lips.

  “Ivy.” I dropped my gaze back to my book, hoping he’d get the hint. “Ivy Williams.”

  Vampires never did.

  He scooted closer, and I felt a chill against my skin.

  “Let me buy you a drink.”

  “No, thank you. I’m the driver.” I feigned another smile as my eyes met his.

  “I can get you and your sister home . . .” He bit his bottom lip. “Safely.”

  “We’re good.” I nodded. “But thanks.”

  Violet’s laughter echoed through the bar just as the lights snapped off and thunder rolled in the distance.

  The building groaned as the storm screamed its fury outside. Tiny candles scattered across the bar tables flickered with just enough light to make even the shadows dance in terror as the vampires circled Violet.

  I hated exposing my magic, especially when vampires were around.

  Luckily, I rarely put myself in situations where it revealed itself.

  “Oh, Violet,” I whispered, shaking my head.

  “Looks like you two mortals are in a bit of a predicament.”

  I turned my attention back to my newly acquired fan, and I let out a slow breath as I watched the vampires do their predatory dance.

  This wasn’t how I’d planned to spend my Friday night.

  No, I’d planned to curl up with my sheltie, my mystery, and a never-ending bowl of popcorn.

  I’d just moved into Grammy’s house. I’d had great plans for the weekend that included lots of organizing.

  And then this.

  Violet hoisted herself onto the pool table and slowly circled as she watched the vampires surround her.

  “Well, I guess this squad is real after all,” I muttered, standing up.

  The vampire grabbed my wrist. “Why wouldn’t we be real?”

  His grip on my wrist bone was only a fraction of the strength I knew he was capable of, but it still hurt.

  “Vampires are very real, baby.”

  “Ivy, do something.” My sister’s voice trembled with a fear I hadn’t heard in a long time.

  “Aw, what does your sister think you can do?” The man smiled at me, revealing his feeders.

  I shook my head. “Not a clue.”

  Grammy popped into my head. Would she still want me to be the light? Tunnel my way out of the fear and shun the hatred I felt for these creatures surrounding us?

  Or would she want me to use magic?

  In addition to teaching me to be the light, she’d taught me never to show my cards all at once.

  Remembering her gentle soul and friendly smile filled me with a loneliness I didn’t know existed. I needed her. I wasn’t done needing her.

  I didn’t think I ever would be.

  “Ivy, now would be a good time.” Violet hummed in worry as one of her admirers climbed onto the pool table with her.

  Thunder cracked in the distance as the storm raged with the same fury that began rolling through me.

  I wanted to do the right thing. I didn’t want to hold onto these fears. I didn’t want to hate. I wanted to negotiate, but I knew deep down that I’d been calling the storm.

  The man reached for my sister’s hand and drew it up slowly to his lips.

  Do the right thing, Ivy.

  “That’s enough.” A man’s cool voice poured over me as if it were a shower of sweet chocolate.

  I scanned the room and saw a man towering over the vampires. His eyes were different from the others’, nearly lavender. His gaze moved across the crowd until it landed on my sister.

  He narrowed his eyes and moved through the crowd with an elegance and determination that made my body fully aware of the man in front of me. Every single vampire moved back as he glided toward Violet, who looked as paralyzed with fear as the rest of them.

  But I wasn’t.

  His voice was as commanding as he was. “What are you trying to do to her?”

  How could this be happening?

  I shook my head, feeling a pull to him.

  None of this made sense.

  I hated vampires.

  This one was no different.

  The vampire holding my sister’s arm stuttered and looked down in shame at the crowd. “I—” He cleared his throat. “I was just going to have a little fun.”

  The leader took another step toward the pool table. “Doesn’t look like the woman is having much fun.”

  The vampire next to Violet dropped his head. “No, sir.”

  “And you.” The leader’s gaze whipped to the vampire holding my wrist. “Let go of her wrist, now. The woman has told you no plenty of times.”

  I never expected to find myself grateful to one of these creatures, but that did seem to be the current state of affairs.

  Thunder roared in the distance and another gust rattled the windows as I drew in a deep breath, waiting for his next words. Either he’d solve it, or I’d have to do what I’d always dreaded doing.

  “I think it’s time that you leave these beautiful ladies to themselves.” He looked around at the squad, who quickly began to disperse.

  Relief spread through me as I watched the vampires spreading out, grabbing their things, and heading for the door.

  Violet had collapsed on the pool table as she regained her composure, and I started toward her until the stranger stepped in front of me.

  My eyes met his, and a spark of energy flickered through me, which made me blush.

  “I apologize.” He touched his chest as if he had a heart inside.

  Maybe he did.

  I’d never paid attention to a vampire’s anatomy.

  “Thank you for helping,” I muttered.

  “I’d like to make it up to you.”

  I glanced around the dark bar and smiled at Violet’s rescuer. “You’ve done plenty. Thank you.”

  He stepped aside, and I ran to my sister.

  “I want to go home,” Violet slurred, and I nodded, helping her off the pool table.

  “I’ll get you home. No more of this, okay?” I whispered, knowing she wouldn’t remember my words by morning.

  As we made our way through the empty bar, I felt the man’s eyes on me, and my stomach filled with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever laid eyes on . . . except he wasn’t a man.

  He was the very thing I’d spent my life fearing.

  He was a vampire.

  He was the one thing I hated in life.

  Chapter Two

  Carter

  I couldn’t get the woman from the bar earlier out of my mind. She was beautiful—no doubt. But there was something more. Her eyes looked haunted but unafraid, and her gaze was searching relentlessly as she stood in front of me. There was something she’d wanted, something more, but I didn’t know what.

  I shook my head and smiled.

  It had been a long time since I’d paid attention to a woman. When I was a young vampire, I enjoyed the newness of everything, but it was meaningless and grew emptier with each encounter until the encounters eventually
stopped.

  And I couldn’t afford to get wrapped up in some tryst just because she was striking. Our kind had too much at stake.

  Our survival depended on things going right, which brought me to this very moment.

  I eyed Mark, the underling who’d caused all the problems back at the bar. “What were the girls’ names?”

  He shrugged and looked up at me. “I don’t know. Fern or Daisy or some shit.”

  I stood and the man cowered.

  They always did.

  “The sisters are Violet and Ivy Williams.” Decker walked into my study and took a seat across from me.

  I studied Decker. He usually had more sense than to allow what had happened back at the bar. “And which of the women were you clinging to before I stepped in?”

  “Boss, I was only holding her wrist so she didn’t go after her sister.” Decker stared at me without blinking.

  A sure sign that he was lying. He’d had more planned. They all did.

  “And?” I impatiently tapped my finger on the desk. “Who was who?”

  “I was holding onto Ivy,” Decker informed me.

  I nodded. “And her sister being held hostage on the pool table was Violet?”

  I had no use for Violet.

  Decker nodded.

  I pointed toward the door. “You can leave, Mark.”

  “Yes, sir.” He nearly flew out of my study, and I shook my head.

  “Where’d you pick up that guy?”

  Decker apologized. “I’ll deal with him, Carter. You have my word.”

  I folded my hands. “Good.”

  “Is there anything else?” Decker asked.

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why were you drawn to that woman?”

  Decker scoffed. “Seriously? She’s beautiful. She’s . . .” He shrugged, not finishing his thought.

  I nodded, wondering if he’d felt the same pull to her that I’d experienced. The bar had been like a magnet for me all night. I’d had no plans to go into town. I never played with the locals. My job was to come in and get out. My team decided to go hang out with the local squad, which wasn’t too unusual, but what happened was completely out of the ordinary.