Filed To Story: Claimed by the Alpha I Hate Book Read Free
“Tell Tristan what?” The blonde-haired Vampire asked, his pale eyes washing over my face before flitting to Holly’s. They had lingered on the marks on my neck for a fraction of a second, and I ignored the slight pull I felt in his direction.
“Daisy and I are going to have a girl’s night tomorrow, isn’t that wonderful Tristan?” Holly said in her sing-
song voice, closing her eyes as she smiled at the Vampire that towered over her by a good two feet.
“You’re having a girl’s night…” He grunted, his sandy eyebrows gnashing together as dread filled the depths of his angular face.
“Don’t be so sour, it’s not that bad.” I snorted on impulse, rolling my eyes at the grim expression on his face. The Vamp had brooding down to an artform and was even better than Nolan if that were possible.
“It’s going to be at her house, Tristan. What better way to finally leave the house than to visit my sister’s?” Holly scolded him, but it was almost playful how she laughed and tugged the package of cheese out of his hands. “‘We’ll be fine, I promise. You’re more than welcome to tag along if you think we need the protection. Daisy’s going to teach me all about sleepovers and what normal girls do at them.”
Instantly I picked up on where she was going with this, but before I could play along I had to s*****w the nervousness I felt when realizing how well my half-sister could spin a lie.
“Oh, I’ll be pulling out all the stops. Nail painting, make-up, boy talk, popcorn, and the best romantic comedies of our time. Oh, and don’t forget the pillow fights.” I grinned cheekily, directing it at Tristan who let out a sharp breath through his nose.
Truthfully, the grumpy Vampire wasn’t half bad when he wasn’t trying to seduce me into his den of iniquity. He might be quick to anger and even quicker to frustrate, but he was surprisingly loyal and would go to any lengths to help me. I wasn’t sure if it were because I happened to be his Queen, or if he was still trying to snare a place on the throne, but I was in no position to decline the help.
“Fine. Have your girl’s night, just leave me out of it.” He grumbled, and as though he felt the need to prove my point, he waltzed to the fridge and pulled out a small water bottle of blood. Without changing his expression, he shoved the bottle in my hands and muttered. “Just… just call me if anything happens, all right? Does your mate forget you need blood to stay strong?”
“He’s been a bit busy, thank you.” I snipped back but took the bottle without hesitation and brought it to my lips. “I’ve been busy myself, which is partially why I’m here right now. I need your help.” A sigh bubbled past my lips, though not from the rush of strength I felt as the chilled blood ran down my throat.
“A friend of mine is in trouble, and I’m the only one she has that can help, but I need back-up.”
“Let me guess, no one else is available.” He deadpanned, and the tone of his voice offended me a little.
“We don’t have the best…relationship, but I trust you. Even though you’ve given me more reasons than
I can count not to, I do.”
That seemed to appease him, or perhaps it was the sincerity in my voice, but I was genuinely happy to see his disgruntled expression fade a bit.
“Go, on and help Daisy.” Holly urged, nudging him in the direction of the door before turning her attention back to her slices of buttered bread. “I have a feeling this one will turn out (perfect).”
“Where are we headed?” Tristan asked.
I replayed Cassidy’s hastily given instructions in my head and said, “…the woods, to some guy’s camper.”
“Oh, you are?” Holly’s eyes instantly perked up and for the second time her grilled cheese sat forgotten. “I had a dream about a camper just last night! It has to be for you, I can feel it.”
“You didn’t tell me about that dream.” Tristan pointed out, his lips tilting downward.
Holly shrugged. “It wasn’t a particularly long dream, but there is something you should know…” She trailed off, and as the tone of her voice switched from soft to ominous, I wondered if this dream of hers was actually a nightmare. “When you see the purple eyes in the forest… run.”
“Don’t bother asking me what she was talking about back there, because I have no clue…and yes, I’m just as worried as you are.”‘ Tristan huffed from the passenger seat, his scowl directed out the window and towards the impenetrable wall of darkness that filled the forest and the night sky.
Most of his attitude was from the fact that I wouldn’t let him drive, but I needed the distraction since the fear in Cassidy’s voice continued to increase with each update she gave.
“Purple eyes. What the h**l could that-“
‘Daisy, please tell me your close…’ Cassidy’s voice came through the mind-link as a whisper.
I slowed down to take the sharp curve up ahead, narrowing my eyes to peer through the darkness.
Acting quickly, I showed Cassidy a quick mental image of the stretch of road we were on, and visibly jumped when her hushed whisper tore through my head faster than the shadows that dashed across the road to flee the cars bright headlights.
‘Turn onto the gravel road and take it to the (very) end. You won’t see me there…but you’ll see him.’
“What? Cassidy, why won’t you be there?” I hadn’t realized I’d asked out loud until Tristan turned to stare at me, his face strained and skin even paler than usual.
‘I’m hiding.’ Was all Cassidy said, followed by a shaky, “I swear I didn’t want to do it, Daisy. You have to believe that.’
“She did something, she won’t say what.” I told Tristan, grinding my teeth as the gritty crunch of gravel sounded beneath the tires. “Goddess, I have a bad feeling about this.”
The dirt road Cassidy told us to drive down was narrow and curved in patterns that seemed to have no purpose other than to send us plunging further into darkness. The deeper we went the more the sickening feeling in my stomach grew.
The cars headlights only illuminated five or so feet in front of us and were our only source of light. I stopped just in time to avoid plowing through a chain draped across two poles hammered into the ground.
“Your Goddess isn’t here, Daisy…but something is.” Tristan said darkly, narrowing his eyes at the obstacle blocking our way.
‘Cassidy, there’s a chain and a no trespassing sign here. We can’t go any further.’ I warned her, twisting, and turning my head for any signs of life or movement. Rolling down the windows increased the feeling of danger in my gut but gave us the chance to listen for anything within the forest.
‘Get out of the car and follow the trail on foot.’
“You didn’t say anything about a trail.” I replied both out loud and via mind-link, giving Tristan an uneasy look as I gripped the handle of the car door and slowly pushed it open.
“I don’t like this.” He muttered, getting out of the car, and walking around until he hovered close by. His eyes scanned the darkness, but I knew he saw nothing when his scowl deepened. “It’s not often I get creeped out, but this is…concerning.”
“The big bad vampire is afraid…” I chuckled weakly, wincing as the thud of the driver’s side door echoed loudly.
A trail of icy fear trickled down my spine, because for once the shadows weren’t fleeing. They stayed where they were, curious and patient as Tristan and I slid past the rusted chain and willingly ventured deeper into the forest.
“What are we even looking for?” He asked several moments later, his voice muffled from the intense ringing in my ears.
The earth crunched beneath our feet, and the air was surprisingly warm as it coated our skin in a thin layer of sweat. We followed the winding trail until the tree’s began to disperse and a small clearing came into view. The canopy of tree’s overhead was thick, blocking most of the moonlight from streaming through. The only light available was that of the tiny window in Lars’s camper and the two tiki torches protruding from the ground on either side of the front door.
There was a foul stench radiating from the camper, seeping from its slatted walls of sky-blue paint until the air was dank with the stench of d***h and rot.
“Do you smell that?” Tristan whispered, his entire body going tense.
I nodded ever so slightly. “That smell…it’s a d**d body.”
“One that’s been here for a while.” He murmured, eyes trained on the front door and the light flickering through the window.
Tristan went to move forward, motioning for me to stay close. Together we approached the front door, both of us holding our breaths as the k**b squeaked and hinges squealed upon opening.
At the last second I heard Cassidy’s gasp through the mind-link.
‘Daisy, don’t open that!’
I gagged as a gust of the putrid scent blasted me in the face and had to s*****w back chunks of my dinner when the bloated and misshapen face of Lars appeared from the cushion of an antique looking sofa.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?