The Forbidden: A Huntress Novel (The Huntress Series Book 1) (24 page)

What I didn’t accept and will not ever be content with, is becoming who he is.

Violet leaned on the kitchen island and folded her arms. “It isn’t so bad being what we are. It will be difficult to adjust to this way of living because you were taught to despise us and what we must do for survival. I say that if you really are his soul mate and you love him, you should be willing to do anything to be with him, even if that means turning into a monster.”

“Well, if he really is my soul mate and loves me, then he should be willing to accept my decision. He should love the person I am now instead of wishing I was something I have no desire to be.”

She gave a half- smile, shrugged and returned to the sitting area.

****

The stars sparkled across the night sky as I sat on the porch. Being in the house all day watching Eli suffer knowing there was nothing I could do to stop his pain was mentally draining.

I was drowning in my sorrow and was desperate to catch a breath of fresh air.  I laid back and closed my eyes succumbing to the very much needed relaxation that flowed through my body. I tried not to think about any of my worries that lingered in the back of my mind. I didn’t want to think about Eli, my father, or the fact that I was destined to become a vampire. I just wanted peace, but my mind had other plans for me. The talk with Violet was bothersome and as much as I tried to ignore the whole turning into an immortal crap, I couldn’t block my feelings out. They were way too strong to do so. I know I am destined to be bound to Lucas and even though I am his life mate, I feel incapable of making him happy because of who I am. He should love someone who is already a part of his world-someone like him, not a huntress who is reluctant to give up who she is in order to be the person he needs. Maybe I should end our relationship, not because I don’t love him, but because he deserves more than what I am able to give him. When I chose him over my fellow hunters I didn’t realize until now that it meant I was choosing to live in this world and become the creature I stalk and kill at night.

I sat up, exhaling in exasperation and went back inside. It didn’t make a difference whether or not I was in the house or outside, I couldn’t find peace within myself and using the night sky as a distraction couldn’t help my worrisome mind.

Lucas was kneeling on the floor by the glass table turning the pages of Violet’s spell book while Violet paced the room and shaking her head at her brother.

I go outside for ten minutes and the atmosphere in the room changes, how great. Lucas was cool, calm, and collected and Violet wasn’t even the slightest annoyed before I stepped out. Something must have happened while I was gone.

“What is wrong?” I asked.

“I keep telling Lucas that there is nothing in my book to help Eli, but he won’t listen. He has searched the pages of my book three times already.”

“I have to do something, he is getting worse. Look at him he has blisters all over his skin.”

My heart sank to my stomach as I ran over to Eli and pulled the sheet from his body, gasping as small puss filled blisters laid on his skin.

“What could have caused this?” I asked in horror.

“I have no idea. Lucas and I have never dealt with changing a reaper before. This is all so new and unfamiliar that we are literally helpless and hoping that his body is strong enough to fight through it.”

Lucas closed the book and stood up.  “I have an idea. I’m not sure if it will work, but we are pretty desperate.”

At this point, I don’t care what he does to Eli, as long as he pulls through.

“Okay, what is it?” I asked.

He set his sight on Violet, who narrowed her eyes and folded her arms.

“Oh no, what do I have to do,” She asked warily.

“Bite him and infect him with your venom.”

She shook her head. “No way. You know that’s dangerous.”

“I know, but we have to take that risk. I think maybe one dose of venom isn’t strong enough to turn a reaper and if you infect him also, then it will mix with mine and become just as strong.”

She ran her hand through her hair and let out a sigh. “I could die. I don’t know about this, Lucas.”

“Why would you die?” I asked.

“Because his blood is already infected, which means it’s stale. Vampires must never drink poisoned blood, it will kill us in an instant.” Violet said.

“But you’re only half-vampire, maybe the witch in you will save you from that.” I said.

“Well, I don’t intend on finding out if the witch in me could possibly save me from death. I’ll be in my room.” She walked away and climbed the steps in a haste, desperate to get away from us as quickly as she could.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

“I’m sorry.” Lucas said.

“No, it’s fine. It was asking too much of her, especially since the bite is deadly. I was actually expecting her to say no.”

“It wasn’t all about the death bite. Her life mate had fed on who he thought was a human, but he actually turned out to be half-vampire. He didn’t know that he bit into a guy who was already in the process of turning.”

“It’s bringing back painful memories.”

“Exactly. I should go talk to her and I actually think there is a spell in her book that will help soothe the irritation on his skin.”

“Good. I want him to be as comfortable as he possibly can.”

“Okay, I will be back.”

I looked down at Eli. “After everything you are suffering through, I hope it is worth it in the end.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

I stuck my hand in the white paste that Violet had made for Eli’s blisters and gently dabbed it on his skin.

“Will this ointment take the blisters away?” I asked.

“Temporarily, if it has anything to do with the venom which I suspect it does, then it will come back within a few hours.” Violet said.

I yawned and shook my head in an attempt to shake away my sleepiness. It was day two of Eli’s change and none of us has slept at all through the night. Lucas left to feed after he returned from talking to Violet. Violet was in the kitchen half the night making different batches of potions to try on Eli’s skin.

The first ointment made him break out into a rash and although the second ointment cleared the rash, it didn’t help with the blisters. The third ointment didn’t give him any trouble and we thought that Violet had finally made a batch that would be effective, but after applying the ointment on his skin over and over again it just didn’t help take the blisters away. Now here we are on ointment number four and I am hoping that it will be a miracle worker and clear the blisters.

Lucas arrived with a wicker basket filled with blood apples and threw one to Violet as he bit into his.

“Oh, thank you. I’m feeling run down. This is exactly what I need.”

“Blood is going to help with sleep deprivation?” I asked.

“In my case it does. Because I am half-witch I don’t feed on blood every day. I drink it when my body weakens from the lack of blood in take. After a little blood I will be stronger and energized.”

“So why don’t you drink it every day?”

“My craving for human food is stronger than my craving for blood. I do drink it twice a week though.”

She bit into her apple and wiped away the blood that ran down her chin.

I stood up and wiped my hands on a dish towel as I looked down at Eli’s white pasty body. The ointment was already drying on his skin.

Lucas cupped my chin and gazed at me as his brows pulled together.

“You have dark circles under your eyes. You should sleep.”

Pulling my face away from his grasp, I looked down. “I’m okay.”

I was so convinced that I wasn’t good enough for him that I was contemplating whether or not I should leave him be and let someone better suited take my place. Because this was weighing heavy on mind, I couldn’t even look him in the eyes. It would hurt me tremendously to see him with someone else, but my only concern is what I think is best for him, even if that takes me out of the picture.

His eyes narrowed. He knew something was wrong. “What is it?” He placed his hands on either side of my face forcing me to look up at him.

“I’m fine. I’m just worried about Eli.”

I gave a half-smile in an attempt to ease his mind about me, but I knew it would do no good. I wouldn’t avoid eye contact and push away from him if my worries were focused on Eli.

“You’re lying.”

“I don’t want to talk about it now.”

“Did Violet say something? Does it have to do with your father?”

“We can talk about it later.”

Eli started screaming. It was so sudden and so unexpected that I nearly jumped right out of my skin. His face was scrunched up and filled with agony. His skin was red and swollen and it looked as if he had been lit on fire.

“It’s the ointment. It has to be eating away his skin!” I said.

Lucas picked him up and carried him into the kitchen where he laid him on the table.

I searched the cabinets to find something to pour water in. Grabbing a pot, I filled it up with water and quickly dumped it all over his body while Lucas and Violet rubbed the ointment from his skin.

“I am so sorry. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I don’t understand why he is reacting so badly to everything we do.” Violet said.

I ran to the sink and filled the pot a second time, tapping my fingers on the counter top as I waited impatiently for the pot to fill. The water was halfway, but I grabbed it anyway and ran to the table as the water splashed out of the pot and onto the floor.

Eli’s screaming was like torture, especially after knowing that I was the cause of his suffering.

I poured the water on him as they scrubbed off the rest of the ointment. I backed away as tears filled my eyes. Seeing him in so much pain broke my heart. It’s all my fault and I don’t know how to make him better. I didn’t want to see him in pain anymore.

As his screams slowly died down, he became serene as he slept.

I shook my head as I dashed away my tears. “He’s never going to wake up!”

I ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs, slamming the door to Lucas’s bedroom.

I crawled on his bed and buried my face in his pillow as I cried my eyes out. I wanted to believe that Eli would be reawakened, but I knew it was hopeless. Whatever it was that my Uncle Nolan and Livi injected into us reapers, it was designed to kill off a vampire’s venom. In any other I case I wouldn’t mind S.H. 47’s defenses against venom, but this situation was different. Eli is going to die if we can’t weaken the defenses so he can change and the only solution Lucas suggested is being denied by the one person who could save him from death.

Lucas’s door slowly opened as I laid on his bed sobbing away. “Athena, are you okay?” He said in a gentle tone.

I shook my head.

He scooped me up into his arms and sat down on the bed with me in his lap. My tears dripped on his grey t-shirt as he ran his fingers through my hair. It reminded me of Chelsea and how she plays with my hair to put me to sleep. He might just be a little better at it than she is.

“This is why I wanted you to go home. I knew seeing him suffer would be too much for you.”

“I don’t care if it’s too much for me. I owe it to him to stay by his side through his change because I am the reason he’s in so much pain.”

“No, you were doing what you thought was necessary. You didn’t know that it would turn out like this.”

“I just didn’t want him to die. I didn’t want to lose my friend and now I’m not even sure if there is any chance of saving him.”

“I know it feels hopeless, but you can’t give up.”

I sat up and looked him in the eyes. “After everything I’m witnessing with Eli, do you still expect me to change?”

He wiped the tears from my face. “After everything I’m seeing, I can’t blame you for being so reluctant to change. I’m scared that I will have to go through this struggle again with you.”

I bowed my head and wiped my eyes. “I won’t go through what Eli is going through. I have no desire to be an immortal. Can you accept that?”

“This is what’s bothering you. This is the reason you’re distancing yourself from me.”

I crawled out of his lap and sat crossed legged in front of him. “If I can’t be who you need and that is a vampire, then we shouldn’t be together.”

He ran his hands through his hair as he bowed his head and exhaled. “So, you are leaving me?”

“I want you to be happy.”

He scowled my way. So much hurt filled his eyes.  “And you think I would be better off without you?”

“Yes, because I can’t give you what you need.”

He stood from the bed and glared. I know that look quite well and I know he is upset…very upset. I remember seeing this side of him the night he saw me kiss Brody. He is panicking because he is afraid of losing me.

“Stop it! I’m not forcing you to choose between being a mortal and becoming an immortal. I will only turn you into my kind if it is necessary and I have no other choice. I will only do it to save you, not turn you into who I think you should be. You are perfect the way you are. If you think someone else is better suited for me then fine, leave if that’s what you want!” He stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut.

I didn’t want to upset him and now he thinks that I no longer desire to be with him. The talk with Violet really made feel pressured into changing so that I could be what he was. The last time Lucas and I discussed my fate he wasn’t too thrilled on the idea of me staying a mortal and I was under the impression that in the end he wanted his way and that was to turn me. Now I wish I would have approached the talk in a different way, maybe ask him what he thought about me staying a mortal. I laid on the bed and buried myself under the blankets. It wasn’t safe to leave the room just yet and though I wanted to talk to him about it I knew I should wait until he cools down.

As I found a comfortable position, I started to feel drowsy. I didn’t know how exhausted my body was until I found myself fighting to keep my tired eyes open. When I did finally give in, I fell into a deep sleep.

****

The room was pitch black as I sat up in Lucas’s bed and stretched my arms. Great, I slept all day while Eli could have been downstairs dying.

I threw the covers off me and headed downstairs. The last time I saw him his dreadful screams were unbearable to hear so I ran away not even bothering to stay and make sure he was going to be okay.

The sitting area was dark and the only lights that shined in the room were the candles that floated in the air. Lucas was laid back in the recliner sleeping. Eli wasn’t on the couch as I expected though. My stomach turned as it hit me that he could have died while I was asleep and I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye. My heart began to race as I ran my hands through my hair entering panic mode.

“Why did I leave,” I said to myself.

“We’re in the kitchen.” Violet called.

I quickly walked to the kitchen and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Eli laying on the table. He wasn’t awake like I had hoped, but I would take his sleeping over death any day.

“No need to panic, he is fine for now.”

I joined Violet as the table and took Eli’s hand in mine. His body was covered in burn marks and his lips were terribly chapped. He must be dehydrated. Great, another symptom to add to the everlasting list of everything that could possibly go wrong during the change.

“He’s strong. I’m actually surprised his body has been able to fight this long.”

I closed my eyes and rubbed the back of my neck as the muscles in my neck and shoulders tightened.

“You have a chance to help his body turn, yet you refuse.”

“I don’t have anything against him.”

“You’re afraid of dying, I know. It doesn’t help when your own mate died the same way.”

She looked down and frowned. “He told you.”

“He thought he owed me an explanation as to why you refused to help Eli. I didn’t realize it was a secret.”

“It isn’t a secret. We don’t talk about him that’s all. Are you hungry?”

She stood and walked to the refrigerator. “No, I don’t have an appetite.”

“That’s not surprising, but you still need to eat.”

She sighed and closed the refrigerator. Folding her arms, she leaned on the kitchen island. “I have to tell you something.”

My heart sank to my stomach as I let out a breath. This isn’t going to be good. I know it’s about Eli, I can feel it. I just have to brace myself for the worse.

“What?” I asked warily.

“While you were sleeping I looked into Eli’s future. I was curious to see if he was going to make it.”

“What did you see?”

She looked down and scowled. “Nothing.”

“And what is nothing supposed to mean?”

“I can’t see his future because he is dying. So as of right now there is no future for him.”

I stood from the chair and ran over to the sink as I threw up acid from my stomach. It burned my throat as more and more came spilling out of my mouth. There was nothing in my stomach to throw up since I haven’t eaten all day. My body grew hot as my pounding heart pulsated through my ears. I closed my eyes and put my head in my hands as tears dripped from my eyes.

“I’ll make you some tea.”

“Tea isn’t going to make me feel better.”

I turned around and leaned on the counter. I had to think of another way to save him. I couldn’t accept that there was no future for him.

“Violet, where is your venom?”

She gave me a questioning look. “We have tiny holes in our fangs that open and releases the venom into the body. After we release our fangs from the skin, the holes seal back up. We also have it in our bloodstream. Why do you ask?”

“So you wouldn’t have to bite him in order to infect him with your venom. You could feed him your blood.”

“Well that’s what we do when we want to finish the change in a human that doesn’t have a reaper lurking inside of them.  Lucas’s venom is having trouble getting him to the finishing stages, so I’m not sure if feeding him my blood will be effective. If I did it that way I would have to feed him at least two cups full and I don’t even know if his stomach will be able to process my blood.”

“I don’t care how much blood you have to give him to get him to fully turn. This is our only way to get your venom into his system without you having to bite him.”

Violet’s brows pulled together as she stood there quiet and still focusing on whatever it was her senses had picked up on. “Okay, I will do it and hopefully his body will be able to absorb my blood. We’ll do it later because someone is here. It’s Eliana, Lyla’s sister, and she is walking up the porch steps now.”