The Forbidden: A Huntress Novel (The Huntress Series Book 1) (30 page)

He grabbed me by the shirt and threw me into the air. Pain went shooting down my leg as I landed on my hip. Using his speed, he ran over to me and tried to drive his dagger straight through my heart.

I caught his wrist as the sharp point pressed against my skin. It became a battle of strength as he pressed his lips together and pushed with everything he had in him while my hand shook struggling to keep the blade from piercing my chest. I drove my knee into his groin. His eyes widened as he dropped the dagger on my chest.

I punched him dead in the nose; his head snapped back gushing blood as I shoved him off of me. I quickly got to my feet, grabbing my sword to finish the fight.

My father got to his knees as I brought my sword up over my head ready to strike him when he punched me in the stomach. I gasped as the wind was knocked out of me and my stomach ached from the pain.

My father grabbed my arm and threw me on the ground as he grabbed my throat. My eyes widened as the dagger came down striking me in the chest. I gasped as he yanked the blade from my body and stabbed me once more. My chest screamed in pain as my blood drenched my shirt and neck.

I rested my head in the dirt, gasping for air as he pulled the dagger from my chest and dropped it at his feet.

“Rest in peace.”

Lucas came up behind him, as my father turned around, he grabbed him and bit into his neck. Blood dripped from his mouth as he threw my father on the ground. Lucas…he was alive and I was so relieved and happy to know that. Now I could die in peace knowing that he was still alive.

I closed my eyes as my head spun and my body grew cold. I could feel my heart begin to slow as I could taste death on my tongue.

Lucas’s hand ran through my hair as he licked my stab wounds. I was too tired, too drained to open my eyes. All I wanted to do was sleep.

I tensed as my neck began to sting and a burning sensation spread like a wild fire through my whole body. Pain, it was so much excruciating pain. I could feel his venom spread within my veins turning my body ice cold.

Violet was right, you can’t change or run away from your destiny. I was meant to become a vampire and to spend the rest of eternity with Lucas. And as the human side of me dies off, I will forever be the creature that I once hunted and killed.

Turn the page for a preview of The Awakening (Huntress Series)

Chapter 1

Eli elbowed me in the ribs while I grabbed onto his shirt trying to push him aside as we fought over the food in the refrigerator. We were like a pack of starving wolves who would bite the other’s head off to claim their meal and satisfy their hunger. Our  bodies were weak and our stomach’s ached and growled from starvation. Even though we were both constantly scarfing human food down our bodies we’re not satiated. As much as we both would like to refuse drinking blood, we just might be forced to feed on a poor human because our hunger has become unbearable.

I grabbed a piece of left over pork chop from Eli’s hand and stuffed it in my mouth as I grabbed a handful of mashed potatoes with my other hand.

He growled and grasped my hair as he tried to pull me away from the refrigerator.

“Hey, off the hair!”

“Athena, dude, you’re not sharing the food!”

“Well, you ate all of the chocolate cake and didn’t even save at least one bite for me.”

He covered my face with his hand as he stuffed lunchmeat in his mouth. I growled and smacked his arm away. I grabbed the whip cream and squirted him all over his head as he gasped and stared at me in shock.

“You did not!”

I squirted the whip cream in my mouth and smiled. “Oh yes I did.”

I gasped and ran away as he grabbed the milk jug and came after me. I put the kitchen island in between us in an attempt to escape him.

“Give it up, Athena.”

“No way!”

He chucked some of the milk from the milk jug at me. I ducked bracing myself to get soaked as the milk came flying out of the jug and splattering all over the island, not even touching me.

I laughed and stuck my tongue out as I enjoyed teasing him a little too much. I squealed and ran as he came after me. Heading toward the living room I crashed into Lucas’s body and fell to the floor.

I gasped and covered my mouth as I saw milk flying above my head hitting Lucas in the face. I bit down on my lip to keep myself from laughing.

“That wasn’t meant for you. You came in at a bad time.” Eli said.

He took his shirt off and wiped the milk from his face. “Obviously,” He said dryly.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. “I’m so happy you guys are in a good mood because things are about to get serious.”

Oh no, I don’t like that at all. “What do you mean?” I asked warily.

He smiled. “Violet, has your food.”

I scowled. “Food, as in dead body?”

“He isn’t dead yet.”

“Well, you sure know how to ruin a perfectly good mood,” I mumbled.

He turned me around and pushed me to the kitchen table. “Eli, come sit.”

“I just ate, so I think I’m going to pass.”

“Your bodies are weak, therefore it needs blood. You have to feed.”

Violet came strolling in the kitchen with an unconscious boy laying over her shoulder.

My mouth fell open as my eyes stayed glued to the human. I felt sorry for him already and killing him would scar me for eternity.

“I am not drinking from his body.” Eli said as he sat beside me.

“Yeah, and I’m not drinking his damn blood period.”

Violet laid him on the table and let out a sigh. “You have to drink his blood. Human food isn’t satisfying your hunger.”

I had no urge to feed on his blood. I couldn’t even smell his blood scent, so I’m not convinced that human blood is what my body wants.

“I don’t have any desire to feed on his blood.” Eli said.

I shook my head. “Something is wrong. We are supposed to lust after blood, go insane when the urge becomes too much to bear, and yet I feel absolutely nothing.”

Lucas’s brows pinched together. “You don’t smell his blood scent?”

“No, I don’t.” I said.

He shook his head in confusion. “This isn’t right. You’re supposed to be an immortal. Your vampire senses are supposed to react to a human’s blood.”

“It doesn’t matter if they can’t smell his blood; they must drink it to see if their body needs it.” Violet said as she walked over to the kitchen drawers and took out a knife.

My heart sank to my stomach as I realized what she intended to do with the knife. I was no longer a huntress, but I still felt the urge to protect the human from harm.

“What are you doing?” Eli asked.

She narrowed her eyes. “You know exactly what I am about to do.”

I looked over at Eli, such a grim look haunted his face. His shaking hands were balled together as he stalked Violet with fire in his orange eyes. I knew Eli wasn’t going to let her harm him. He was going to attack and I had to stop him. Knowing how strong her powers are, she could kill him. I stood the same time Eli did. He noticed this and shoved me back on the floor. He grabbed Violet’s wrist bending it backward forcing her to release the knife.

“You will not hurt him!” He yelled.

She flinched from the pain and pressed her lips together as a whimper escaped from her throat. Her brows pulled together as she stared unblinking at his chest.  Eli fell to his knees holding his chest and gasping for air as Violet’s powers squeezed the life from his heart.

“Violet, knock it off!” Lucas chastised.

She was livid and I could see in her eyes that she had no intentions on stopping the pain she was causing.

I didn’t go through hell to save him just for her to kill him two weeks later. I was going to stop her even if that meant suffering through her power when she focuses her wrath on me.

I grabbed her shirt and threw her against the wall. She grabbed my neck and hissed as her burning glare set her sights on me.

Lucas yanked her hand from my neck and pulled me away. “I said stop!”

“They are being impossible to deal with!”

“It’s not easy to sit back and watch you kill humans that I once protected!”

“Okay, that’s it. I want all three of you to go to your rooms and chill out!”

“What?!” Violet yelled in disbelief.

I folded my arms and pursed my lips. “I’m not five years old, you can’t send me to our room.”

“Yeah, I don’t take orders from anyone.” Eli said.

“I suppose if you want to watch me kill the human, you can stay.”

Eli glanced at the guy laying on the table and shook his head with a disgusted look on his face.

“You guys are not hunters anymore. You are vampires for crying out loud, so get used to it!” Violet snapped as she stormed out of the kitchen.

Seeing the human lay on the table knowing he was minutes away from death disturbed Eli and I both. Killing humans for blood is a part of a vampire’s lifestyle and it doesn’t matter if we like it or not, we have to accept it eventually.

“I’ll go for a walk then,” Eli mumbled as he bowed his head and left, bothered that he couldn’t save the human’s life.

Lucas picked the knife up from the floor. “Please, don’t hurt him,” I pleaded.

I could try all I wanted for him to show this human mercy, but he was more worried about keeping Eli and I alive that he didn’t care about sparing his life.

He closed his eyes and exhaled. “It has to be done, I’m sorry. It’s best if you go upstairs.”

“I can’t believe this,” I muttered under my breath as I stormed out of the kitchen and climbed the stairs two at a time before slamming our bedroom door shut.

I crawled on the bed and hugged my legs to my chest as I rested my chin on my knees, blinking away the tears that blurred my vision. There was no use in fighting a losing battle. I can’t prevent Lucas and Violet from killing a human, it’s in there nature to do so. I am one of them now and killing for blood should come natural to me, but it doesn’t. I was constantly warned of my fate when I was human and because I thought I could outwit destiny, I never accepted the creature I was forced to become. There was little chance that I would find peace with half of me being an immortal. When Eli and I were turned the reaper inside of us didn’t die like everyone expected, leaving us to believe that we are half reaper and half immortal. What our bodies crave and need might be a mystery if it doesn’t desire blood.

Lucas walked in holding a glass of blood. My eyes widened as I bit down on my lip in a nervous habit. My nose wasn’t sensitive to the smell therefore it didn’t trigger the cravings I was supposed to have. I wasn’t prepared to drink the blood. I knew I would have to eventually, but the thought of putting another person’s blood in my body made my stomach queasy.

He sat beside me and brought the cup up to my nose. “His blood scent isn’t strong at all?”

“Nope, but looking at it is making me nauseous.”

“Your reaper must be dominating the immortal side.”

“Well, I don’t look at it as being a bad thing. It just means that human blood isn’t what my body needs.”

“You don’t know that yet. You have to drink it to verify if your body needs it or not.”

He grabbed my hand, but I stiffened my arm and pulled back, fighting against his determined strength to overpower me.

“Open your hand.”

“No way.”

He narrowed his eyes and sighed. “Athena, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Pick your poison.”

“The hard way, meaning you would hold me down and shove the blood down my throat?”

He nodded as he pulled on my arm.

“Well, my reaper won’t allow it,” I hissed.

“I’m an older vampire, so I am stronger than you are. You will be powerless against me, so stop fighting me or I promise you I will take matters into my own hands.”

A growl escaped from my throat as I surrendered my hand. “Fine, give me the damn glass.” I snatched the cup from his grasp.

He grinned. “Thank you for cooperating.”

I stuck my middle finger up at him as I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to swallow the first drink. The taste of copper filled my mouth. It tasted so horrible and undesirable that I gagged. I tried not to think about what I was putting in my body, instead, I imagined I was drinking a nice cold glass of fruit punch. That tactic quickly failed when the blood that I had just drank began to burn my stomach, throat, and mouth.

I choked down yet another drink while holding onto my stomach hoping that the burning sensation would stop. It felt like a volcano had just erupted in my stomach leaving red, hot lava coursing throughout my body. The burning fire that ignited throughout my body was getting worse the more I drank, and I could no longer drink anymore blood.

I handed Lucas the cup. “I can’t drink anymore, it hurts.”

He sat the glass on the nightstand before placing his hands on either side of my face. “What is hurting?” His eyes filled with concern.

“Everything. I feel like I just drank acid.”

“Open your mouth.”

As I opened my mouth, his eyes widened. I knew something was wrong.      My heart leaped into my throat as I swallowed back my fear. “What?!” I said in a panic.

“Your mouth is bleeding.”

I leaned forward and let out a whimper as I held onto my stomach. All I wanted was to put an end to the pain.

“What’s happening to me?”

Lucas shook his head and raked his hand through his hair, feeling helpless. “I don’t know what is going on. Your half reaper and I know nothing about the creature that is lurking inside of you.”

The bedroom door swung open and Eli entered holding his stomach and grunting in pain. His mouth, neck, and clothes were covered in blood.

“Don’t drink the blood!” He yelled.

“Too late.” Lucas said.

I could feel the blood make its way back up. I crawled out of bed and ran to the bathroom. Blood came spilling out of my mouth and onto the floor as I tried to get to the toilet as fast as I could. I dropped to my knees, regurgitating blood and human food that I had just eaten an hour ago.

“Are you okay?” Lucas asked as he grabbed my hair and held it out of my face.

I gripped the toilet as my body rejected what was left in my stomach. Putting my head in my hands, I took in a breath of air. The burning quickly faded and I was relieved to be free of the pain. It was as if I had an allergic reaction to the food the immortal side of me naturally craved. The reaper in me didn’t agree with the blood and I will never drink it again. It was a lesson learned.

I stood on my shaking legs and went over to the bathroom vanity.

“It’s unnatural for the reaper to be fed human blood.”

I turned and faced Adam who stood next to Eli. He had his usual frown plastered on his face.

When Isaac died, he came to live with me in Lucas’s world. He’s miserable here. Everything that he once had was now gone and he is now being forced to live in a world where he didn’t belong.

I looked away, not able to look him in the eyes. I could see the pain he felt from losing Isaac, but I could also see the hatred and disgust he carried for me because he blamed me for his brother’s death. I don’t blame him for hating me, I was the reason Isaac was gone and I could never ask for forgiveness because I didn’t deserve to have it. No matter how much he hated me, I wouldn’t break my promise to Isaac. I would take care of Adam always.