by G. Bailey
“What would you like to hear?” I ask him.
“Anything. I want stories to tell our child one day of its mother,” he explains his reasoning, and I gulp down the sickness I suddenly feel. I know one day my king will realise I’ve been sneaking out herbs from the gardens in the day and making a tea that prevents pregnancy.
“My father taught me how to fight with daggers. My mother thought it was a terrible thing to teach a princess, but father believed every man or woman should know how to protect themselves, even a princess,” I tell him.
“Daggers you say?” he replies, resting a hand on one of the daggers clipped to his belt without thought, I guess.
“Yes. Also archery and some mild sword play,” I reply. “He used to say a woman should always know how to protect themselves.”
“Well, I should hope our child only inherits that from you. Come here,” he demands, and I walk to stand right in front of him. My king pulls his dagger out of his belt, and I flinch as he holds it to my neck. He carefully runs the sharp tip up my neck, over my jaw and stops at my cheek. He applies more pressure, and I wince as the dagger cuts in. I feel my blood pouring from the cut, the sweet scent filling the room and causing my fangs to slide out.
“You’re so attractive when you are like this. Weak. Desirable. Under my total control like you should be,” he remarks and grabs my arm with his spare hand and lowers the hand with the dagger. My king pulls me against his body, his hand bruising my arm with how tight he holds me. “Are you scared of me?” he asks, and it’s only then I see the drunken gaze in his eyes and smell the strong stink coming off of him. I slowly place my hand on his chest and slide it down his stomach, keeping my eyes locked on his.
“You like me scared?” I ask, playing the innocent as he places his hand on the back of my neck and grins at me before pulling my lips to his. The kiss is brutal, unforgiving, and his teeth clash against mine as he demands more of me. When my hand finds his trousers, I slide my hand to the left a little and grab the sharp dagger, pulling it out of his hand and cutting my own hand by doing so. He stops kissing me, but it’s too late as I slam the dagger into his lower stomach, and I push up through his ribs, finding his heart. His hand tightens on the back of my neck, his lips parting in shock.
“You b-bitch…” he croaks out as I pull the dagger out and grin in a similar way he just did to me.
“That was for my family. This…well, this is because you’re a fucking bastard and you need to rot in hell,” I spit out before slamming the dagger into his neck. My king croaks, choking on his own blood as he falls to his knees. For a moment, I just enjoy watching him fall to the ground, but the thud of his body reminds me how much trouble I am actually in now. My king might be dead, but his stepsons will take the throne when they return, because I don’t have an heir. There is only one thing for it. I need to run.
I pull the dagger out of the king’s neck, knowing I need to keep it in case I’m seen on my escape. I slide the dagger into a deep pocket in my dress before running to the window. I quickly undo the locks and push the window open, looking down at the harsh sea below. The castle lies on the very edge of the kingdom, and no one knows what is out there other than more seas. I pull myself up to stand on the edge, knowing that what is out there is a better death than my life in here. I look back once more at my dead king, and I smile. I’m free after this, either way.
“Goodbye,” I whisper, touching the side of the castle wall. I’m not saying goodbye to my king, but the home my parents brought me up in, the land I am going to run away from and never save. I jump out of the window, the harsh wind blowing against me as I fall and fall. I feel drops of water on my cheek before the cold sea swallows me whole, pulling me into its deadly, beautiful depths.
Chapter 26
“Who is she? Where did you find her?” a deeply seductive and somewhat cold voice asks me as the sounds of waves and birds calling fill my ears. I can smell nothing other than salt water, sand and something that reminds me of fox blood, but I can’t place it. What are these people? How far did the sea take me?
“Just here on the beach, Alpha Tiryn. I don’t know where she came from, but she doesn’t look like anyone I’ve seen before. Her skin is so pale, and her hair is blood red,” another man replies, though he doesn’t sound as attractive as the other man.
“Leave and tell no one about her. Do you understand? She is mine,” the man demands, an almost animalistic growl sounds nearby, and it sends shivers all over my skin.
“Yes, Alpha Tiryn,” the man shakily replies, and I hear someone running away. Large hands pick me up as the world starts to blur, and darkness tries to pull me back into a sleep.
“Sleep, Red. I have you. Welcome to the Luxa Pack.”
Hello! Thank you for reading No Claim! The next book in this series, Vampire Captive, will be out soon.
Thank you to everyone that helped me write this book. A big shout out to Mads, Helayna, Cora, the Cat’s Pajamas and my amazing Pack Leaders.
Most of all, thank you to my readers.
You inspire me to keep writing every day with your kind reviews and amazing comments.
G. x
Please keep reading for an excerpt from Runes of Truth…
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About the Author
G. Bailey is a USA Today bestselling author of books that are filled with everything from dragons to pirates. Plus, fantasy worlds and breath-taking adventures. Oh, and some swoon-worthy men that no girl could forget. G. Bailey is from the very rainy U.K. where she lives with her husband, two children, three cheeky dogs and one cat that rules us all. And, of course, the characters in her head that never really leave her, even as she writes them down for the world to read!
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Excerpt from Runes of Truth-
Evie
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask, trying not to yawn from boredom as I hold my sword at my side, resting on it while I stare at the Protector. He isn’t the typical type that comes after me, that’s for sure. Usually Protectors are all posh assholes in shiny suits, but this guy looks like a fake-leather store threw up on him.
“You must die, and I will be the one that finally–” his boring, predictable speech is interrupted when my phone starts ringing. I sigh in relief, not wanting to hear that same old speech again. I pull out my phone and see Hali’s name flashing. I answer and place it on loudspeaker, resting it on the dumpster near me.
“Yeah?” I answer, looking back at the protector as he runs towards me, his sword raised.
“Evie, when are you coming home? I’m starving, and you promised me Chinese tonight. The good stuff from Chingwa, not from the crappy one you like,” she says as I hit my sword against the protector’s, and swipe my leg under his, knocking him over. I kick his sword away from him, wondering why they even bothered sending this man after me. He is a worthless fighter.
“Yep, I won’t be long, and I’ll get that damn Chinese for you. Anything else?” I ask as the protector grabs my leg and calls on his fire rune, trying to burn me. I laugh, lean down, and remove his hand from my leg. I jump on him, and place my sword under his neck.
“Evie . . . what are you doing right now?” Hali asks, suspiciously.
“Err, nothing,” I reply, kneeing the protector between his legs when he tries to knock me off him. He whines, before coughing out in pain.
“I don’t believe that, but I want my Chinese, so I’m going to stay quiet. Later,” Hali laughs, and then the sound of beeping lets me know she put the phone down. Good, no fifteen-year-old should have to hear this.
“I might let you go, but only if you tell me who sent you,” I say, already knowing his answer before he
opens his mouth. They always say the same thing.
“Never. I would never betray my people. Protectors never betray their blood, and we always protect,” he spits out.
“I’m your people, you idiot,” I try to reason with him, giving him one more chance.
“You are not,” he spits out, his voice rife with condescension.
“I’m a protector. I really don’t want to do this, but you won’t give up, will you?” I sigh deeply and then lift my sword, shoving it through his heart before he can reply. His mouth widens in shock as I pull my sword out and stand up.
“Death will find you. We will never stop hunting you,” he breathes out, just before his soul light leaves his body, floating up into the sky. I remember the first time I had to kill a protector, and I saw the light of his soul leave his body. It scared me, but then I saw it as what it truly is, beautiful. Beautiful that even an evil protector has light in his soul. That no matter how many of my own people I am forced to kill to survive, there might be a little bit of light remaining in my own soul. At least I can hope there is.
“If only things could be different,” I say, disappointed in yet another one of my kind. Pulling the pen and little notebook from my pocket that I carry everywhere with me now, I flip it open and rip out a page. I quickly jot down the same thing I do every time I am forced to kill those that come after me . . . my rune name. It is the very reason I am hunted, the thing that many people now fear, and yet, I have no idea what it actually says. I leave the note on his stomach and pick my phone up before walking out of the alleyway, down the empty street.
“Crappy Chinese, here I come,” I mutter, wishing Hali didn’t love that place. They don’t do the bacon fried rice that I love, or anything with bacon in it. The place sucks. I keep my eyes down as I walk down the empty streets of the small Scottish town where I live. The people here don’t come out after dark, too scared of the possibility that demons are around. Little do they know that demons wouldn’t be interested in a small town like this. It’s why I chose to live here. The flashing lights of the Chinese place come into view, and I walk across the road, pulling the door open and hearing the ringing of the little bell. The middle-aged Chinese woman looks up, rolls her eyes at me, and looks back down.
“Hello to you, too,” I mutter, but the woman doesn’t reply to me. I grab a Chinese menu off the side, flipping through it before looking back at the woman.
“I’m ready to order,” I say, trying to get her attention.
“Your child called and placed your order already, Evie.”
“She isn’t my child, more like a pain in my ass. I’ll just wait then,” I grumble, putting the menu back in its place.
“A young girl like you shouldn’t be out on the streets at night,” the woman says, stopping me from walking away.
“Thank you for your concern, but I’m not afraid of demons.”
“No, your kind is never afraid of what they hunt,” she chuckles, as the bell rings behind her. She walks over to get my bag of food before I can reply to her. Not many beings can sense what I am, and I’m quite surprised a human had the ability. She hands the bag over the counter to me.
“How did you know?” I ask.
“My family have always been able to sense things. You should be careful at night, Miss Evie. Demons are not what you should fear.” With those cryptic words she walks away, leaving me standing in the shop alone and wondering if she is mad, or possibly, telling me the truth.