Beckoned: Born of Darkness (Book 1) by R. B. Fields

Author:R. B. Fields [Fields, R. B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pygmalion Publishing
Published: 2021-01-19T06:00:00+00:00

13

Dawn

I see Kain before I hear him. The inky blackness of night is thick by the time he emerges from the house, but his silhouette against the dull glow of the open door is more prominent than any sound thrown from his feet on the path — it’s as if he’s not walking at all, merely floating over the cobbles, though I see his hips moving and the steady shift of his shoulders. Perhaps it’s his eyes; they’re like those of a big cat — amber in the moon. Not like the red eyes in the house, though. Just the thought of that crimson gaze fixed on me makes my hackles rise.

I step toward him over the mossy path. “They sent you to get the human from the pond, huh?”

Kain nods — far taller than I am, six-two at least, with a finer musculature and a sharper bone structure than the others, but there’s a ruggedness about him that keeps him from being … pretty. He’s like a tall George Michael, but without the earring or the 80s hair. The lights from the house glint off the tips of his close-cropped locks. “I am sorry for the delay,” he says. “I know the bugs must be bad.”

I shake my head. “It’s fine.” Insects don’t like me any more than animals — I don’t think I’ve ever had a mosquito bite.

“Do you have anyone you need to contact,” he asks. “Family?”

I shake my head again. “No. My mother died — she was all I had.” All I wanted is more accurate, but Kain isn’t going to judge me. Even among the vampires he’s an outcast. I don’t know how I know this for sure — maybe that shared pain thing — but I’m positive I’m right. As for me, it’s not that I hate people, not that I’m scared of losing another person after my mother, though that might be partially true. The fact is, I’ve always been happier alone.

“How did she die?”

It takes me a moment to register that he’s talking to me; between my ears, panic has risen like a blinking warning light: Danger, danger, danger. I square my shoulders, hoping that it will ease the needling sensation at the base of my spine. “She was murdered.”

Rage often shouts, screaming through your marrow, but danger, real danger, whispers. And murder’s almost always silent. “What about your mom?” I snap, forcing my voice to remain steady. “You don’t get to ask all the questions.” I’m here for protection, maybe I can even get some answers about this damn knife, but I’m not here to be interrogated beside a pond full of asshole coy.

Kain nods — his blurry silhouette shifts. “I was brought up in an orphanage.”

“How’d you wind up here?” I realize I’m stalling him, though I’m not sure why. Maybe I don’t want to hear the results of their little meeting — my skin is vibrating with tension. If he’s here to toss me out on my ass, I’m going to be pissed.

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