Violet and Ryan have been friend for ever but lately things feel off and the deeper they get into the beginning of their junior year is off to a rough start as Ryan is moodier than usual and withdraws from Violet. Determined to be a good friend, Vi...
The vampire's hand twisted into my hair ruining the curls mom just had done.
"So, uh." I winced. "Is this about the arranged marriage thing?" I asked stupidly. My hair follicles screamed at me as I struggled to tiptoe to ease some of the pain, but he yanked up for any relief I managed to get.
"Don't stress your brain out, sweetheart." He dropped his mouth to my neck, sharp pinpricks stabbing at the delicate skin.
"I didn't give you permission!" I yelped shoving at his face and staring up at the full moon.
"I only need permission if I wanted to turn you." His breath warms my skin. "Killing you still solves the problem." His teeth graze just above my vein. "And you do smell so sweet."
"I eat a lot of garlic." My voice cracked. "I'm sure that makes my blood bitter." I forced a laugh.
"I don't mind a little bite." He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me back against him, his teeth tracing the vein up and down my neck.
"Um-uh. Z-Zack. He's royalty right?"
"Sure." The vampire rolled his eyes.
"Well, he's actually a- actually a good friend of mine and I don't think." A sharp prick made me gasp "He's not gonna be super happy about this."
"About the killing." He pressed his fangs firmly against my throat. "Or the tasting." His voice vibrated against my neck.
"Both!" I squeaked trying to pull even a fraction of an inch away from his teeth. He lifted his mouth away from my neck and touched it to my ear instead. "Who do you think told me to take you?" he whispered.
"You're lying." I kicked at him, but he didn't so much as flinch. "Zack's my..." I trailed off when a familiar shadow walked into the light. Pale blond hair, crisp suit and a white corsage pinned to it to match the one around my wrist.
"Zack?" It shouldn't hurt. I already knew, Ryan just told me... him walking out as his henchman dangled me by my hair confirmed it. A piece of me had to know that of course this was yet again all about Ryan. It always is.
Zack's lip curled back at the vampire holding me. "Cole... I swore to return her home safely." He hissed. "What were the instruction I gave you?"
"Bring the wolf's mate back." He said instantly, his arm dropping from my waist.
"Is that what I said?" Zack's normal gentle tone was gone as he glared at Cole.
"Not word for word but those were my—"
"What were your instructions?" he demanded, biting out each word distinctly.
Cole clenched his teeth. "'Bring Violet here. Make sure she doesn't get hurt. Keep her calm until I get here'."
"So why then, are you holding her by her hair." He stepped closer. "Why were your teeth where on her neck." He stopped just in front of me, so close his chest almost touched me. "and why is there a mark on her face?" His tone dropped, a threat I wouldn't even try to decipher hung in the air.
"Humans are so fragile." He grumbled.
"and why were your teeth on her neck?" he asked again.
"We should just kill her." He snapped. "It solves—"
"It breaks the treaty." Zack yells back. "She is his mate. If we kill her, we will not be saved by our covens."
"And turning me doesn't?" I screamed at him, desperate that this was just some misunderstanding. That Zack was really my friend, and all of this was just a horrible misunderstanding.
"No." he said simply. "not technically."
Cole beside me released my hair and I staggered forward. Zack caught me before I could fall.
"Any other marks?" He asked softly. I shoved him away and he let me.
"What's the matter with you?" I screamed. "You were supposed to be my friend."
"Please don't make this harder than it has to be, Violet." He hooked his hand under my arm and pulled me away from the other vampires that had either been hiding or had arrived with Zack.
"Don't make this..." I scoffed. "I'm not exactly known for my obedience if you hadn't—"
He whirled me around and sat me at a chair under the stream of moonlight filtering through the window. "I'm going to bite you." He said matter of fact.
"No." It came out more of a whine.
"I'll teach you how to be a vampire." He went on as if he didn't hear me at all. "and then you can do whatever you'd like."
"No!" I yelled, pushing his hand away. "No. Zack. No, I don't give you permission."
His fang descended pressing against hist bottom lip. "You can't revoke permission." He leaned over me.
"That's not fair." I pushed at his chest as his arm wound around me. "I didn't know it was real when you asked me."
"You had an idea that it might be and you said yes." His lips brushed my neck, the exact same place he had been about to bite me on the couch at home.
"Zack, please." I scrambled for the right words to say to him. To get him to see. "Ryan will still love me."
"He will." He agreed. "but your bond will be severed, and he can go forward with the union."
"There must be some kind of consequence for you." I pushed at him with every ounce of strength in my body but he was the one that backed off when I pushed him away. I had never had the physical strength to push him away. "This can't be worth it."
He sighed. "Banishment, 1000 years but... that's nothing to an immortal." The tips of his fangs pricked against my throat.
"Zack please," I begged. "Don't do this. Please. You were supposed to be my friend. You were supposed to be the one thing that was mine." Heat pressed at my eyes, filled my skin. "Zack I-you. This isn't fair."
The pain deepened.
"Zack you're hurting me!" The shriek escaped and finally he did pause. He took his fangs away and looked at me. "Violet—"
"Get away from her." Ryan's familiar growl ripped through the giant room.
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