“And you’re the only one I can trust,” she breathed.
Greyson drew a hand up as he slowly caressed the apple of her cheek, his touch sending a tingle coursing down her spine. He smiled lightly, not taking his eyes from her. “Are you ready for this, Dahlia?”
She thought back to her life, reflected on how much it changed in a short, few weeks. She was terrified of the future but for her, there was no turning back. So she said the only logical thing to say.
“Yes.”
Greyson smiled at her, a true smile. “Okay, then.” Grasping her hand in his, he pulled her to the edge of the cliff standing unafraid.
“Now jump, baby doll.”
He said the words softly, but with determination. Dahlia reached up and tenderly pressed her lips to his, a smirk on her face as she murmured, “You better knock it off with the baby doll crap. Or I’m going to have to smack you, Greyson.”
As she heard him chuckle beside her, she finally looked down from the cliffs. It wasn’t daunting whatsoever. All she saw was the future ahead of her as she stared down into the unknown.
It might have been unknown, but with Greyson at her side, she knew she would be okay. This was her chance to be free as the wind. And really, Dahlia always wanted to know how it’d feel to fly. So she did the only thing she could do.
She jumped.
Chapter 25
Ava stood, breathing heavily in the middle of the cafetorium as she silently seethed over the fact that she had fled, allowing both Dahlia and Greyson to get away. The storm above the school had stopped with Dahlia leaving, her influence of the wind strong. She had returned to collect the most important thing, but her exchange with Dahlia still ran over and over in her head.
Although she felt a moment of weakness with the pathetic look that Dahlia had given her, she knew those two were loose ends she’d eventually have to deal with. She looked down at Maddox’s body in disgust as she mumbled under her breath.
“Worthless.”
Stepping over his body in her heels, Ava walked to where Dahlia had been lying earlier as she crouched to pick up the long vile between her fingertips. She turned it up and down as Dahlia’s blood within the vile flowed easily from one end to another, then Ava made a face in anger that this girl held the power to Merrick’s release.
Why couldn’t it be me?
As Ava stood back up, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, signaling another presence. It could only be one person.
A dark figure stepped forward from the shadows as he slowly approached, shoes echoing loudly in the large room. He stopped as he stood before her, Ava watching his face guardedly as she waited for his reaction.
It wouldn’t be good.
He paused, taking a good look at Ava before he brought a hand up and roughly slapped her across the cheek. She stumbled back, clutching the vile tight in her hand, her fingernails digging deeply into her palm as she ignored the pain.
She managed to stay on her feet.
“You stupid bitch,” he snarled at Ava as she said nothing, head bowed in disgrace while her other hand cupped her stinging cheek. The voice was deathly cold, sending chills up Ava’s spine.
“Next time you do as I say! Simply drain the girl and get rid of the body. Your theatrics caused both her and Greyson to get away.”
Ava wanted to defend herself, but knew it would fall on deaf ears. She tried not to show her nervousness as she looked up into his face. “I’m sorry.”
“Do you have it?” he asked immediately, barely allowing her to get the words out.
She promptly handed over the vile to him as he seized it, looking at the tube with a dark smirk on his face. He then slowly reached out his other hand toward Ava’s face and stroked the bruise that was already starting to form on her left cheek.
“Just prove to me your worth,” he whispered calmly as he drew her nearer to him, his breath warm as he spoke against her skin.
“Or I’ll get rid of you myself,” he ended, the expression on his face dead serious.
She could no longer make any mistakes. “Yes.”
He abruptly released his hold as he took a step back. “You’re lucky we got enough of her blood or that would have been a problem. On to the next phase of Merrick’s release. The body’s in place, I presume?”
Ava answered quickly with a nod of her head. “Absolutely. It’s placed exactly where you wanted it.”
“Good,” he remarked then reached into his breast pocket. He took out a crumpled piece of paper and opened it up to reveal an old sketch of a missing person’s report. It was of a young woman, exotic in looks, whose dark eyes hid a lot in its depths.
Ava instantly hated her on sight.
He pointed toward the photo as he gave her the paper. “Keep an eye on this one. She’ll lead us to him.”
Ava took a hold of the paper as she swallowed hard, giving another nod as she didn’t question his order. She knew who he referred to, the vampire with the pitch-black eyes. “Yes.” As Ava looked back down at the picture still clutched in her hand, she silently fumed at what she saw.
It was the face of an angel.
Rowan.
Epilogue
Dahlia sat still, one hand clutching the armrest of her seat, her eyes staring out the bus window. Her gaze focused on nothing in particular as her mind wandered with thoughts of the week’s past. The people she considered almost friends were nothing more than enemies wanting to harm her.
She now knew smiling faces were not to be trusted.
The front door of the bus slammed shut, snapping Dahlia back to reality. She imagined this was probably the last time she would ever see Cedar Oaks. She thought back to the feeling of desperately wanting to leave this town and be on her own. Now that it was finally happening, the only thing she felt was sadness. Good people were stripped from their lives and although Greyson told her constantly that she wasn’t to blame, she still felt responsible.
Because of her, Deb, Glen and Sam were never coming back. She would never see the kindness in Glen’s face or the compassion in Deb’s eyes as they desperately wanted her acceptance of them. Sam would never give his quirky laugh or stare down at her in mischief with those gorgeous gray eyes of his. Both Meg and Ava made sure of that with their plots to destroy her, and Ava was still alive, probably gloating somewhere about it.
Dahlia’s jaw tightened in anger as she remembered, gripping the armrest even tighter as her nails dug into the material.
“You okay?”
She looked up to see Greyson staring down at her, green eyes dark with concern. She wanted to change that look on his face as she enjoyed seeing him truly happy. She thought back to when she mentioned seeing Gordon.
“I told you he would reveal himself to you eventually,” he’d said with a grin.
Although it was strange, Greyson no longer felt linked to Merrick. Technically his task was completed therefore the connection broken. They didn’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing but, for now, at least Greyson had a choice in his decisions.
They were heading toward Fallon.
Considering it was a haven for most of the fallen angels, Fallon befitted the lapsus well. It was a place, Greyson said, where the lapsus populated in mass and had no need to hide their true selves from humans. Humans only recently became aware of their existence there. Enthralled by them, they wanted nothing more than to be close to their power and assist them in the creation of a new generation of lapsus.
Fallon was also the city where Dahlia was born.
She had been shocked when Greyson told her. She had never heard of such a place and it wasn’t even on a map, this secret haven. To think that there was an entire city filled with humans and lapsus living together, a place where she could potentially find a home.
It was amazing.
The bus ride itself would only take them into the next town over. Dahlia and Greyson wouldn’t be able to flash all the way there from Cedar Oaks, Greyson unable to transport her due to the far distance, and use of too much energy which they needed to reserve. They had to get as close as possible by bus before they could flash there.
Once they got to Fallon, Greyson needed to locate a family of lapsus he was certain would help. Dahlia had mentioned her recurrent dreams to Greyson involving the dark-eyed vampire and she immediately noticed how quiet he had gotten. He went on to reveal that a family of fallen angels who lived in Fallon were a direct descendant on a fallen angel who, in fact, assisted the very vampire that trapped Merrick.
Perhaps the vampire she dreamt about was one and the same. Finding these fallen angels might give her the answers she was looking for, as well as help them fight against Merrick.
Hopefully it would make things right again.
Dahlia gave Greyson’s hand a squeeze as she smiled up at him, although it didn’t fully reach her eyes. She felt anxious with what the future had in store for them. She finally answered, “I’m fine.”
As she said the words, the vision of the vampire in her dreams with the pale, pale face and dark, dark eyes flashed before her. Unlike before, Dahlia didn’t fear his presence. She knew he had to be someone she’d met prior to her time spent at the orphanage, this lamia. That one day perhaps she’d finally know about her forgotten past.
But for now she had to focus on the present.
A sense of calm came over her as she reached down for her bag and pulled out her laptop, setting it down on her lap. Lifting the screen, she turned it on as she spoke again, not looking back at Greyson.
“I think people are going to want to know about this,” she murmured, stroking the keyboard gently with the pads of her fingers. “This might end up being something…bigger than us.”
She began to type words that flowed freely from her mind, her fingers unable to stop.
I was five when I knew something was different about me...my first memory.
Want more of the Blood Crave Series?
The journey’s only begun.
Take a sneak peek at the next book, Rowan, coming Spring/Summer 2013.
Rowan
(Sneak Peak)
It was time to wake up.
As my mind stirred with this conscious thought, my eyes flung open, the darkness instantly welcoming my presence. I immediately snapped them shut as my body tingled in fear when I realized nothing but shadows surrounded me.
I was alone.
My chest felt heavy as I gasped for air, momentarily forgetting how to breathe. My mind screamed out in torment at all the images that suddenly came crashing in—visions of blood and pain and utter darkness.
I tried catching my breath as tears suddenly ran down my cheeks, leaving streaks of memories from long ago. Breathing deeply to try to relieve the panic, my mind slowly began to calm. But I was suddenly plagued by an intense feeling of hunger as my body twisted in agony, the spasms unrelenting. I clutched my stomach tightly as I sat up sharply, my body doubling over in pain. I felt lightheaded—the walls of the dark enclosure spinning all around me.
Mustering up the little strength I had, I remembered the contingency plan I made for myself before my slumber. Searching around inside my pockets, I fumbled frantically for the one thing that could help me. My hands shook uncontrollably as I grabbed a hold of a circular object and placed it on the tip of my tongue, instantly feeling satiated as it melted in my mouth. However the content feeling was brief and not enough—it would never be enough.
I needed to feed.
CHAPTER 1
12 years ago
He looks like a demon warrior.
That was the first thought that crossed twelve-year-old Rowan Miller’s mind as her eyes caught sight of the dark, foreboding figure that stood before her.
Eyes closed, she had been lying on the cold, wet grass. The water slowly seeped through her already chilled body while her dark, curly locks surrounded her like a halo. Her hands felt like blocks of ice as she tightly squeezed them into fists. She switched to rubbing her fingers together, hoping she could get them warm—if only a little bit. The night had been cruel, both rain and the harshness of the wind taunting Rowan where she lay, as if mirroring the two feelings that seemed to consume her.
Anger.
Sadness.
Eyes squeezed shut, she tried conjuring up more blissful memories from her past. The feeling of hot sand between her toes as she raised her head to the intensely bright sun. The sounds of sweet laughter erupting from her friends as Rowan attempted to mimic their English teacher’s penguin-like gait. The overwhelming taste of hot fudge sundae after taking a long bike ride on a warm, summer day.
The look of adoration across her father’s face as he applauded vehemently during her dance recital.
These memories briefly pierced her mind, but it was proving difficult to forget her reality. These thoughts provided only a weak mirage to where she really was.
As it happened to be, she was alone in the dark, currently seeking shelter underneath a bridge from the harsh weather.
Rowan wrapped her arms tightly around herself, trying her best to forget the fact that she was chilled to the bone. The whirling sound of the wind continued on as the rain pounded all around her.
She tried to forget the fact that she couldn’t keep her teeth from chattering against one another, or that her body wouldn’t stop shaking. The fact that her stomach was in so much pain—empty because her last meal had been twenty-four hours prior. It had been half of a sandwich left behind on a restaurant table by someone. They had gotten up to go to the washroom to clean up when Rowan quickly snatched the food.
As the rain persisted on, Rowan tried to forget that she was all alone in this world.
That was what she had been thinking when she suddenly felt that she was no longer alone. It was a new kind of presence that seemed to bring an even deeper chill to the already cold air. Rowan stilled instantly where she laid, her tiny body high on alert. The streets had been unkind to her and she quickly learned that it was necessary to be cautious at all times.
For the past three months, she had been on her own as she struggled to manage life on the streets since her father passed. It wasn’t easy for her, especially at such a young age, but she had quickly grown up in those short, few months. Running away from the system that she truly detested, she fled to this unknown city. She had hoped it would fare better than the emotional abuse she received at the numerous foster homes she had stayed.
Anything was better than that.
Bringing her mind back to the present, she tried to calm her breathing as she slowly opened her eyes to find a man standing at her feet. Although the night was dark, she instantly locked gazes with his equally dark eyes as he stared down at her in complete and utter silence. There was a lingering stillness that seemed to overtake the two as they continued to stare at one another, Rowan’s eyes slowly widening with fright. Her body silently shook, racing with thoughts on how to escape. But as she tried to get up her body wouldn’t, or rather couldn’t, move. It was as if his eyes had somehow casted a spell on her and she was literally frozen on the spot. Her mind struggled against her immobile body with no success. It carried on like that, this stillness, until he finally spoke.
“I too, am alone in this world.”
It was then that she realized she hadn’t been breathing since she first laid eyes on him. Rowan exhaled sharply and then took a shaky breath in. Slowly letting her breath out once more, she tried to calm her beating heart as she listened to the sound of his smooth, almost lyrical, voice. His voice was soothing and seemed to instantly wake her up from the trance that she was briefly in.
Still
lying on her back, she gingerly shook her head from side to side against the damp grass, trying to figure out what just happened.
Her body now unlocked, she immediately sat up as she quickly moved her feet beneath her, old sneakers digging harsh holes into the ground. Her body was crouched low and she knew that she needed to get away from this man. Rowan cautiously shuffled her feet backwards, not taking eyes away from him as she slowly retreated.
Her spine then abruptly butted up against cold concrete, the inner wall of the bridge, as she realized that she had nowhere else to go. Eyes darting around, she tried to figure out how she could get away in one piece. But she knew that if she started to run, her short legs would not be a match for his if he chose to pursue.
It was at that moment of defeat that she finally registered the exact words he had just said.
I too, am alone in this world.
Her body all at once started to tremble as her heart began to beat heavily against her ribcage, a sense of discomfort brewing deep within her chest.
She no longer felt the cold.
“There’s no reason to be alarmed.” He continued to stand there casually as if they were just talking about the weather.
She finally managed to find her voice. “Are you reading my mind?” Eyes wide, she screeched the words as she stared incredulously up at him, brown eyes wide. As she spoke, he slowly stepped closer, Rowan able to get a clearer view of him in the dark.
He was really frightening—almost ambiguous looking—as Rowan had never seen anyone quite like him. But he was also pleasing to the eyes, his face, as if carved from stone, with his almost too-perfect features. She started to blush as her eyes took in each individual feature: his strong nose, high cheekbones and perfect lips. He had long midnight hair that went just above his broad shoulders yet seemed to envelope him like a cloak. Looking at his eyes, she noticed that they were dark—as hard and black as ebony. They were accentuated by his thick, black eyebrows against his pale, pale skin. He wore black pants with just a simple black vest, his skin almost glowing in comparison and a contrast to Rowan’s own tawny-toned complexion. She wondered briefly why he wasn’t wearing a jacket but he didn’t appear to feel the cold.
Dahlia (Blood Crave Series) Page 22