Protecting Hope: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Bloodmoon Series Book 1)

by Briana Alisandra

  I had to get out of there or I was going to give him a reason to want to kill me. “I need to go.”

  “Wait, you don’t know everything yet.”

  “I don’t want to hear anything else from you.” I looked at him. I could feel the tears pooling in my eyes. Stupid anger. “Like I’d trust a word that comes out of your mouth.”

  I felt so betrayed.

  Kane wasn’t my friend. He was a vampire.

  And so was Christian.

  Chapter 30: Hope

  I got the hell out of there as fast as I could. Kane lied to me. He pretended to be my friend. He was a monster. Not because of the whole vampire thing, which I was still trying to process. But because of what he made me go through. He was responsible for so much of the heartache I went through. He made my life a living hell.

  It was bad enough being in foster care, but having to be the new girl all the time was a pain in the ass. I never felt safe. I never felt like I had a home. And come to find out it was all his fault.

  If he hadn’t gotten involved I could have at least been placed in a foster home and maybe even found a family that would love me. But he made it impossible.

  I sighed. Then again, if he hadn’t been involved I may have never found Gemma.

  Tonight was so hard to comprehend.

  Vampires existed. And Christian was one of them.

  “Hey.”

  I jumped at the sound of Christian’s voice. Part of me thought Kane had been lying about him being fine. For all I knew he had killed Christian.

  “Stay away from me.”

  Christian was standing outside of my aunt’s house in the darkness. “You have to let me explain.”

  “Explain what? How you’re a vampire? Sorry, someone else already beat you to the punch.”

  “I know you think I’m a monster, but I’m not.”

  “You’re a vampire.” I wasn’t an expert on the subject, but vampires were usually the definition of a monster.

  “Please, Hope. You have to let me explain.”

  “I don’t have to do anything Christian.”

  He came closer to me. Now that I could see him in the light, his eyes looked crazed. I took a step back from him. He stopped coming towards me when he realized he was scaring me. “Look, you need to know that someone is after you. It’s not me and it’s not my brother. You can’t trust anyone in this town Hope.”

  “That’s rich coming from you.”

  “You’re right. You shouldn’t trust me either. None of us can be trusted. But I am telling you that there are a lot of things you don’t know about. The boy next door, he’s a werewolf capable of tearing you to pieces if he loses his temper. So is Hayden. And Tegan and the twins are witches.”

  I didn’t know what to say. Everyone in my life was lying to me or hiding something from me. Next he was going to tell me that Jade was a freaking unicorn.

  “What about your brother and sister? They vampires too?”

  “Yes.” He moved closer to me. This time I didn’t move away. Deep inside, I felt like he wouldn’t hurt me. “This town is full of supernaturals and you need to know what you’re up against.”

  “I don’t know if I should believe you.”

  He smiled down at me. “Talk to your aunt. Ask her what her real last name is. Ask her who you are.”

  He ran off in the blink of an eye just as the porch light turned on. The front door opened and Gemma came out. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

  I took a deep breath. I didn’t want to blow up on my aunt, but now was the worst time to become the strict guardian.

  I walked by Gemma and into the house. She followed me and closed the door. “Hope! The party ended a while ago. It’s after midnight. You are not allowed to come home whenever you feel like it and you need to at least text me if you’re going to be late.”

  “What’s your real last name?”

  She stayed quiet. Her face turned stoic. “What?”

  “Your last name. Mom’s last name. My last name. Gemma, who are we?”

  “We’re witches.”

  Chapter 31: Hope

  “Our last name was Warren. We’re part of a coven of witches that hate vampires. We specialize in killing them.”

  I was sitting in the kitchen with Gemma. She made us both a cup of tea. She placed it down in front of me and placed hers on the table. She sat down and looked at me. I could tell she didn’t want to talk about this.

  “Why did you and mom change your last name?”

  “To hide. Only some people in Salem Point know we’re actually Warrens. It was easier after our parents left town. They were the ones that were the real hunters. Your mom and I were trained to follow in their footsteps, but we didn’t want to.”

  “So Mom knew all about vampires and werewolves and all this stuff.”

  “Yes. She was really good at hunting and she’s a powerful witch. But she wanted out of this life. We both did. Our coven built a lot of enemies through the centuries. Enemies we’ve inherited.”

  “Your parents are still hunters?”

  “Technically, but they’re not as strong as they once were. Don’t let their age fool you though. They’re still kickass witches.”

  If that was the case then my family wasn’t really in the hunting business anymore. If Mom didn’t continue it and Gemma didn’t either, then there was no reason these vampires should be coming after me. I didn’t understand how they even knew about me to begin with.

  “When your Mom and I decided we didn’t want to be hunters, they pretty much disowned us.”

  “Because no one could carry on their legacy?”

  “No. You have an uncle. My older brother. He’s younger than your mom though. He continued it. He’s pretty ruthless. A tad bit psychotic. We don’t talk anymore and I haven’t seen him in years. They thought we were turning our backs on the coven. My dad wanted your mother to be the next coven leader because she’s the firstborn. Firstborn witches are very powerful.”

  If firstborn witches were powerful, did that mean I was powerful? I didn’t feel very powerful. I felt powerless right now. Especially up against one of those vampires. I was nothing compared to them.

  This didn’t explain why the vampires viewed me as such a big threat. Gemma was actually trained to be a hunter. She was more of a threat than I was and no one was coming after her. Why me? Maybe it had something to do with who I get the other half of my DNA from. “Do you know who my father is?”

  “No. Your mother got pregnant with you after she left town. He could have been human. I don’t really know. But you are at least half-witch. And a firstborn. If you learned to use your powers, you’d be very destructive.”

  I felt nauseous. I was a part of this world and I had no idea what any of it meant. I sat forward and put my face in my hands. “She never told me about any of this.”

  “She didn’t want you to know. She didn’t want this life for you, Hope.”

  She was trying to protect me. But she left me in the dark, which put me in more danger. But it’s not like I could be mad at her for not wanting to tell me that monsters weren’t figments of my imagination. Monsters are real. Besides, I don’t think she anticipated not being around to protect me herself.

  I wanted to tell Gemma the rest of what Christian and Kane said, but I was worried I was going to be putting Gemma in danger. I didn’t want anything to happen to her because of me.

  Someone was after me and I had to protect her from him.

  There was on person that knew the answers to my questions. He seemed to know things about me that no one else knew. As mad as I was at him, I knew I had to talk to him. He was the only way I was going to get the full story of what was going on.

  I had to talk to Kane.

  Chapter 32: Wyatt

  I went out hunting this morning. The town a few miles out of Salem Point had a lot of tourists because of its history. Tourists were the best snacks, so long as I didn’t kill them.

  This was why I
hated settling down in one town. Elizabeth was out of her mind. I hadn’t the inkling of an explanation for why she was so obsessed with going to high school. She wants to be a normal girl. Who the fuck wants to be normal?

  I was walking back to the house when I saw her. She was walking down the sidewalk of her street. I grinned.

  “Good morning Hope.”

  She ignored me and kept walking. I knew she heard me. I heard her heartbeat shift when I said her name.

  I walked beside her. She wouldn’t look at me. But she did look pissed. “Are we in a mood this morning?”

  “Leave me alone.”

  “I’m hurt.” I put my hand on my chest. “I thought we were becoming friends.”

  “You’re not my friend. You’re a vampire.”

  She looked right into my eyes. For once in my life, a girl made me speechless.

  Christian, you fool.

  “I see my brother has been running his mouth again.”

  “He just told me the truth.”

  “He shouldn’t have done that.”

  Not only was he putting Hope in danger, but he was risking exposing us. It wasn’t just his secret to reveal. It was mine and Elizabeth’s as well. He was an idiot. An idiot that thought with his heart too much.

  “Just leave me alone and stay away from me.”

  I felt the need to protect myself and Elizabeth. Even Christian. Regardless of the fool he was, he was still my brother. I had a duty to keep my siblings safe. “If you tell anyone, I will hurt you Hope.”

  She stopped and glared at me. “Is that a threat?”

  I glared back at her, my lips curling into a snarl. If I had to scare her to keep my family safe, I would. Afterall, I was good at scaring people. “Yes, it is. You have no idea what I am capable of little girl.”

  She didn’t stand down. I tilted my head at her. She was gutsy. I’ll give her that. She knew what I was and yet she didn’t seem afraid of me. Her heart was beating steady in her chest. She was calm. She wasn’t afraid, she was just angry at me.

  “Stay away from me Wyatt. I don’t want anything to do with you or your creepy family. Just leave me the hell alone.”

  She spun around and kept walking down the street. I didn’t follow her. I thought it best not to push any buttons. I wasn’t altogether sure what Hope was capable of yet. Until I did, I wasn’t going to let my guard down around the girl.

  We weren’t safe in this town. There were hunters and werewolves. Witches that hated vampires and specialized in exterminating us.

  My family was in danger. I felt we were slowly being backed into a corner. There was nothing better than being backed into a corner to bring my dark side out in me. I meant what I said to Hope.

  She had no idea what I was capable of. The people of Salem Point were in for a surprise. I never rolled over for anyone in my life. I wasn’t about to start now.

  Chapter 33: Kane

  There was a knock on the front door. I knew it was Hope before she even knocked.

  I opened the door right away and grinned at her. “Have you forgiven me already?”

  “No.”

  My smile fell. I didn’t expect her to be this angry with me. I did the right thing for once in my life. I went against my family for this girl and she was angry at me for it. “Oh.”

  She walked past me and into the foyer. “Please do come in.” I closed the door. “If you haven’t forgiven me, why are you here?”

  “I want answers.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “No it’s not what I want to know. It’s what I need to know. And I need to know everything.”

  “That’s quite specific.” I walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Luckily the last family that lived here didn’t take any of their furniture with them. The entire home was furnished, not to my liking but it was good enough for the time being. I gestured for her to sit down next to me.

  Her arms were folded across her chest. She looked at the seat next to me, but then sat in the chair across from me instead. I smiled at that.

  “Fine, let’s start with how the hell are you a vampire?”

  “I was born one.”

  “How can you be born a vampire?”

  “Some vampires carry the gene. There’s only four family lines. I’m a Cassius. As I told you, my father is the leader of the league. He honestly doesn’t even like vampires that are turned, but he uses them for his bidding. I was raised to be his right hand. I wouldn’t have to ever take over since the whole immortality thing, but if something ever happens to him I’m supposed to lead the vampires. Well, I was supposed to. Now I’m pretty sure he’s going to lock me in the dungeon for eternity if he finds me.”

  “You have a dungeon?”

  “Of course.”

  My father kept a lot of vampires down there. They were given a time period, much like a regular prison. Honestly, death was better than the agony they went through down there. I shuttered to imagine what it would be like if I ever had to face my father.

  “He was testing me. I think he suspected that I had doubts of his views and he sent me to kill you. I agreed to do it. But he didn’t mention you were a child. I couldn’t do it. I always suspected he was wrong, but what he asked me to do confirmed it. He was evil. He wanted me to kill an innocent child. Instead, I looked after you. I watched over you to make sure no one else tried to complete my job.”

  “And you think now someone is.”

  “I know someone is.”

  That vampire from the other night. The one Christian failed to kill. I recognized him. He worked for my father. He was one of his best. If he sent him, he meant business. He wanted Hope dead.

  “Why does your father view me as such a big threat? I don’t even know anything about any of this. I don’t know how to practice magic, I’m not a hunter and I don’t want to be.”

  “It’s because of what you are.”

  “I thought you said I was a witch.”

  “I said you come from a line of witches that hunt vampires. But that’s not what scares my father. It’s your other half.”

  “My father.”

  I didn’t want to be the one to tell her all of this. That should have been her mother. But my family took her away from Hope. I couldn’t tell her that. I couldn’t tell her that her greatest pain in life was at the hands of the people that bore me. The people I called family.

  “Your father is a werewolf, which makes you the first werewolf-witch hybrid. Combine that with the coven you come from and you’re a walking timebomb to any vampire. Werewolf bites kill vampires.”

  She didn’t say a word. She stared ahead at me and smiled. “I like science and math. That makes sense. This? None of this makes any sense.”

  “I know this is a lot to hear but…”

  “No. It’s not a lot. It’s massive Kane. I’m a werewolf? How can I be a werewolf?”

  I was confused by the question. “Was that rhetorical question?”

  She shook her head and got up.

  “You’re leaving again?”

  “Do you know who my father is?”

  I shook my head. “No. I’ve done some research but I haven’t gotten anywhere yet.”

  “But you know he’s a werewolf.”

  “Yes. According to my father.”

  “I think your father is wrong.”

  “I can assure you, he took this threat seriously. He wouldn’t have sent me if it wasn’t.”

  She scoffed. She looked hurt by my words. “Right. That’s me. The threat. The person that can end all of you vampires and yet I don’t even know how.”

  “Hope.”

  “I want you to stop following me. I want all of you vampires to leave me alone.”

  She had no idea the kind of danger she was in. There was no way in hell I was going to leave her unprotected. I’d kidnap her and run with her before I let anything happen to her. Even if she hated me for it. At least she would be alive to hate me.

  “I can’
t do that. Someone is after you. You’re not safe and until you are, I’m sorry Hope, but I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to let my family bring harm to you. As long as you are living in Salem Point, that’s where I’ll be.”

  She glared up at me. I think her eyes turned a shade darker. I could hear by her heartbeat that she was livid.

  Oh well. I could deal with her hating me. I couldn’t deal with my family being responsible for her death.

  Chapter 34: Knight

  I saw Hope getting home through my kitchen window. I ran outside to try to ‘bump into her’. I know it was pathetic, but I liked Hope. I just didn’t know if I could be with Hope.

  If I started something with Hope, I don’t think I could ever commit to being with Hayden.

  Going from Hope to Hayden just felt impossible.

  She was coming onto the porch when I got next door. “Hey Hope.”

  She turned around and what I saw made my heart skip a beat. Her eyes were red and she had tear stains coming down her cheeks. She’d been crying. “Hope, what’s wrong?”

  I instantly felt the need to make her feel better. I needed to know what had Hope looking so upset.

  “You’re a werewolf?”

  I wasn’t expecting those words to come out of her mouth. I was so shocked that she knew. I bet this was Hayden.

  “Who told you?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It does to me.” If she did this. If she told Hope what we were in hopes that it would turn her against me I was never going to be with that vile girl.

  “So it’s true then. All of this is true.”

  I stepped onto the porch and looked into her eyes. She looked so defeated. “All of what is true?”

  She looked like she was going to cry again. I hated seeing her so upset. I needed to know what happened.

  I had to make it better for her.

  “Hey it’s okay.” I tried to hug her, but she put her hand up.

  “Stop. I feel like I can’t trust anyone right now. Everyone is keeping secrets or lying to me.”