by Riley, Alexa
Bitten By The Virgin
Virgin Blood Series
Alexa Riley
Contents
Bitten by the Virgin
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Stalk the Author
Bitten by the Virgin
by Alexa Riley
Ravana Faith has been learning to live as a vampire while surrounded by her overprotective family. She hasn’t had her chance to shine, and she’s ready to prove to everyone that she’s not made of glass. When the specter of a slayer comes to their city, she wants to be the one to take him out. But what happens when that’s exactly who she falls for?
Valen Sterling is from a long line of men who hunt vampires. It’s not the life he dreamed of as a child, but what else is he supposed to do? He has a legacy to continue and nothing will get in his way…until Ravana is the one to block his path. Can he give up everything he’s ever known for the woman who is supposed to be his enemy?
Warning: It’s the first time we’ve written vampires, so go easy on us. Enjoy this brand new series that features a coven of five and read about how all of them find love.
Copyright © 2018 by Author Alexa Riley LLC. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to [email protected]
http://alexariley.com/
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Edited by Aquila Editing
Cover Designer: Mayhem Cover Creations
To Lb and Samantha…
A sunny day on the beach brought this series to life, and we are ashamed at how much we love it.
Let’s wear silk forever.
One
Ravana
I watch all the children go from house to house trick-or-treating. Each one looks cuter than the last in their Halloween costumes. My heart aches with longing as their round cheeks turn pink from the slight chill in the air. As I sit on the bench I see moms and dads holding hands as they follow behind their children, smiling and taking pictures.
When I died I didn’t mourn the loss of my life. I mourned that I would never become a mother. I guess that means in the end he won. He’s told me I’d pay, but I had no idea the price would be so steep. I should have listened better. I was always terrible at that because I’m too strong-headed for my own good. People warned me about him, telling me to stay away. I fell for him at first, but it didn’t take long to see what was beneath his charming exterior.
He’d said all the right things to lure me in, like wanting a family and a white picket fence. I was an easy mark for him when all he ever really wanted was to own me. His goal was to control me and keep me like I was some prized possession. I don’t think he was capable of loving anyone but himself. He zeroed in on me when I started to see who he really was and I rejected him. That’s when his ego couldn't take it. He told me if I wouldn’t be with him then I wouldn't be with anyone. That was the last thing he said before he stabbed the knife into my stomach.
My hand goes there at the thought and I swear I can still feel some sort of phantom ache. Bishop found me bleeding out in an alley that night. Jarrod left me there like a piece of trash to die alone. Not that I wasn't used to being alone. I lost my parents when I was young, and I was too scared to get close to someone else after that. But in that moment, when I thought I was going to die, I’d never felt so alone in my life.
I don’t know why Bishop chose to turn me, but when he did, he gave me a family. One that isn't easy to kill. I don’t have to be so scared about losing them like I did others in my life. It may not be the kind of family I’d dreamed about all those years, but it’s still more than I thought possible. Maybe that’s why I’m so protective of them.
It’s still a shock to me that Kane found his mate. Our family is growing, but for some reason it feels as if I’ve lost something. Kane was always the one who needed me the most. He was like a little brother that I took care of, even if he was decades older than me. But I know a mate is better for him. She’ll give him everything he ever needs, and I can see it in the way he looks at her—he’s finally happy. She makes him smile and even laugh. It’s something I never heard come from Kane before.
I’m so happy for him, but I can’t help the bitterness and jealousy I feel about him getting his mate pregnant. He’s going to have a baby and that’s something I’ll never be able to do. Female vampires aren’t able to get pregnant. The ache in my stomach starts to throb and I feel tears on my cheek. I angrily brush them away because I can’t cry about this anymore. I’ve cried too many tears and I should be thankful I’m even alive.
I stand up because I need to get out of here. I shouldn't even be out alone, but my house was starting to suffocate me. I’m not sure how a house as big as mine could do that, but sometimes I think the size of it only makes it that much lonelier. It’s just another reminder that I’ll never be able to fill it.
I slip into the shadows and go the back way home. I don’t make it more than a few feet when I pause as a tingling sensation hits the back of my neck. Turning around, I look behind me, but I don't see anything. I stand there for a moment, but all I can hear is the sounds of the children. I knew I shouldn't have come out here tonight. I don’t even listen to myself.
I nearly jump when my phone vibrates in my back pocket, catching me off-guard. I take a deep breath to get myself together. I already know who it is without even having to look.
“Bishop,” I say calmly as I answer the phone.
“You’re not home.” I can hear a hint of anger in his voice.
“I went out for a walk,” I respond, unable to think of a good reason why. Damn it. “Are you tracking me?” I don’t know why I ask. Bishop takes the role of my maker a little too far at times. I’ve noticed he’s stricter with me than the others, and it’s starting to ride my nerves.
“Of course, and you weren't supposed to go anywhere unless you had someone with you.”
“I’m not a child,” I snap as I begin to walk. “And I won’t let you treat me differently because I’m a female.”
“You’re the youngest and you’re not as strong as the rest of us.” I can tell he’s trying to contain his anger because Bishop doesn't like to be disobeyed.
“I can take care of myself. I was doing it before—”
“Before you were killed.” He cuts me off and I almost stumble over my own feet.
“I can’t believe you said that.”
“Goddamn it, Ravana. There is a slayer out there right now. I can’t believe you went against my orders. You’re the last one I thought would do this.”
That’s because I always do as I’m told, but tonight I needed out. I needed to breathe for a moment. “I’ll be home soon.” I hang up and turn the phone off. I know he’s right and I shouldn't be out with a slayer running around. Two vampires are already missing and they’re not far from where our coven lives.
I slide the phone back into my pocket and keep walking. I leap the pavement letting my anger fuel my stride as I go home. It’s fully dark now and I’m walking through the trees when I have that feeling of someone watching me again. I come to a stop and jerk around, but there’s no one there. I inhale and I can smell maple syrup. It’s so odd. The sweet smell reminds me of warm pancakes and I love it. I’m anxious as I look around and my eyes dart everywhere. I don’t see anyone, but I decide that I need to get home as quickly as possible. I take off running as fast as I can.
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.
Two
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?
The only thing I have in my life is hunting vampires. I’m not proud that I’ve killed another creature, but my father believed that they are an evil plague on this world, just like his father before him believed. I’m supposed to carry on this tradition, but I have my own convictions. Those that I have killed I knew were bad and they had what was coming. I don’t regret what I’ve done, but I’ve never had a restful night of sleep.
Over the years I’ve become cold and distant, which is why I’ve never been able to form a relationship with anyone. Maybe that’s the difference between my father and me? He loved what he did and he was able to have a family. When my mother died, I was all he had left. I can’t help but wonder if she had lived, would I have been given a choice to find my own way?
When I get to the city I park my truck downtown and pull out my phone. I check over the coded messages that were sent to me from my slayer informant and see what information they have for me. He says that there have been rumors of a coven living nearby and recently there was a string of murders close to the area. I listened to the news on the way in and it seems like it could be a vampire, but it could also easily be a psycho human on a killing spree.
I took out two vampires close to here a few weeks ago. They were picking off random humans and torturing them for sport. I killed both of them without a hint of guilt, but the murders in the city didn’t stop.
When I get out of the truck I’m knocked back against it as a couple of kids in costumes run by. It puzzles me for a second until I remember the date. I never got to celebrate Halloween as a kid. My father thought it was a foolish holiday and only romanticized the monsters around us. He was a cold man who didn’t believe in coddling children, but he was kind to me.
I pull my leather coat closed and zip it up as the cold night air begins to blow. One thing that I adapted well to is living in the night. I have to be awake when vampires are, and that means sleeping when the sun comes up.
My boots are heavy on the pavement as I tuck my hands into my jacket pockets. My jeans are dark as well so it’s easier for me to blend in. The jacket also helps hide the long blade I have strapped to my back. There’s another at my ankle and one at my waist. I don’t like guns and I prefer to be as silent as possible when killing vampires.
The plan tonight is to scout the area and some of the houses. One of the bodies was found last month near the woods at the park, so I’ll go there first. I want to look with my own eyes at the place and not just at crime scene photos. I hacked into the city’s system and pulled as much information as I could from there, but the cops have nothing so far, so it wasn’t exactly helpful.
There are crowds of people walking around and downtown is alive with excitement. I see a family crossing the street and each of the parents carry sleeping kids as they grip tight onto their buckets of candy.
Something in seeing them makes me turn my eyes away quickly. It’s almost as if my brain doesn’t want to see what I can’t have so I don’t allow myself to linger on it. The thought of loving a woman and having a child with her is something I don’t dwell on, and there’s no time for it tonight.
The edge of the park is dense with trees and the place where the body was discovered is no different. There’s a small path off to the side that leads away from the park and away from town, but I don’t follow it. Instead I remain at the edge of the trees and watch the park, looking for anything suspicious. In the distance I see a dark-haired woman sitting on a bench. She’s facing away from me, but her wavy hair is over one shoulder and her pale neck is shining in the moonlight. She’s watching the children near her as they run and play in their Halloween costumes. I should be doing the same, but my eyes stay on her. Before I realize it, I’ve taken a step in her direction. I’m still at the edge of the woods and I’m surprised I moved without conscious thought.
I watch her without blinking and with complete focus as she sits there quietly. After a moment she reaches up and it looks like she’s wiping away a tear. Suddenly I’m taking another step towards her and I’m wondering what’s wrong. I want to call out to her and ask her if she’s okay. I want to go over and sit down beside her and give her comfort. I’ve never had this ridiculous pull to someone before and I don’t understand where this urge is coming from.
Abruptly she stands from the bench and I expect her to walk away from me and into the city. But she surprises me by coming towards where I’m standing and into the woods. She’s trim, with strong arms and legs and she moves like a tiger. Doesn’t she know about the murder that was committed in almost this exact spot? It’s too dangerous for a woman like her to be coming into the woods.