Page 8 of Born of Blood and Thorns

"Isabella?" he asked, shock evident on his face. His eyes darkened as if he were unconcerned. He stepped back cautiously.

"Stay away from me," I hissed. Rage surged through my veins at my own foolishness; I knew this would happen, yet somehow, I had deluded myself into believing I was free of danger with him, of all people.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," he said indifferently, as if he may not have meant to but wasn't concerned that he had.

I continued in a low growl, "Sure you didn't." I searched the room for my dagger. I had been so careless; it was why I was furious. I had been raised around vampires and knew how dangerous they could be.

"If you just took up your birthright, then you wouldn't have to struggle or be hungry," he said, trying to make me see his point of view.

"But then I would never feel the sun on my skin again." I narrowed my eyes with a defiant stare. "Never. I'd rather starve than become one of you," I spat. My voice became softer and tired as the words came out low and weak. "I'd rather grow old and die a mortal than become a monster like you."

His lips curled in response, and he spat, "You are not worthy of our bloodline. We are royalty, unlike this poor dwelling. I was meant to rule a kingdom."

My thoughts were full of mockery and scorn as I looked around the dilapidated shack. "Royalty, indeed! Of what?" I extended my arms searching around as if looking for the fucking royalty he wore like a badge of honor. "We have nothing to be regal with or for. You are living in a delusion. How much farther can we fall?"

"Get out," he demanded. His gaze returned to full obsidian, and his growls became more primal and animalistic.

"Your regret will come too late this time and when you beg my forgiveness as you always do… there will be none," I promised as I narrowed my gaze. I swept past him, giving him my back. Also an insult to a vampire.

His snarl deepened as his hand shot out like lightning, but I was faster than his reflexes, which had been dulled by bloodlust and drugs. I kicked him back with a powerful thrust, the force of which sent shockwaves through the room. Then, remembering my dagger, I snatched it up and threw it straight into his carotid artery, severing it. He dropped to the ground with a gurgle as his lifeblood escaped him.

I pulled my dagger free of his limp form, knowing I didn’t have long before he regained awareness. I grabbed my bloodied book before grabbing my threadbare cloak and opening the door. The light had left his eyes, and he would soon be awake, bloodthirsty, and ready to hunt me down. So I ran without looking back.

Into the bitter cold, dark night.

I pressed myself against the cold stone wall, listening for any sign that my father was coming after me. Fear and anger coursed through my veins like fire, stoking my determination to escape this wretched place. Though I appeared more human than vampire, I had some advantages with my enhanced night vision, hearing, and strength. They wouldn't do me any good against a supernatural creature, but a girl had to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

My muscles seized up as I huddled into my cloak. I'd been smart enough to grab it on the way out, but it was still damp from the rain and had turned to ice overnight, leaving me little protection from the elements. If I didn't find shelter soon, I'd be in a world of pain.

"Damn him," I muttered under my breath, my resolve hardening. I loved to read, escaping into worlds where I wasn't abused and blamed for my family's issues. Tonight, I would forge my own story.

A sudden, guttural rumble sent shivers down my spine as I slipped into the shadows. Gideon stepped out from behind a corner, his amber eyes blazing with possessive desire.

"Isabella!" Gideon's animalistic snarl cut through the silence, sending shivers down my spine. I knew he was using his wolf senses to track me, and I cursed my inability to escape him. My heart raced, and fear gripped me like a vise.

"You are mine," he claimed, stalking toward me.

He barked with a carnal hunger that shook me to my core. Dread hit me hard in the gut. His hands moved to caress my legs, encircling them around his waist. I pushed at his chest, but he was immovable, pressing his bare arousal against the fabric of my clothing, mere inches separating us from complete intimacy.

This was it. I was screwed. Gideon would take me, claim me, and never let me go. I'd never be his wife or equal, but the creature that warmed his bed. I would rather become the one thing I swore I would never become, a full vampire, before I ever became his slave. Only one desperate thought gave me the power to fight back.

He leaned in close, running his teeth across the skin of my throat and breathing me in, his teeth skimming my skin, posed to clamp down. I bit my lip to keep the whimper from escaping as he crushed me harder. His scent filled with a heady thickness, dripping with desire. I calmed my erratic breathing, knowing my fear would only increase his need to have me, to bite me.

To claim me.

I felt myself losing control, my calm slipping away as I realized I couldn't hold it. I felt my pulse begin to thunder in my ears, hearing it like a drumbeat. The desire to move, to do something, anything, flared intensely as my urge to flee grew stronger, conflicting with my urge to fight.

"Leave me alone, you bastard!" I screamed into the shadows, tears of frustration and anger streaming down my face.

"You are mine," he repeated like a broken record, this time putting the force of his alpha power in it. I felt my knees tremble and threaten to give out, but I locked them and stood stock straight, refusing to submit.

"Never, Gideon," I replied defiantly, trying to sound braver than I felt. "I won't be your plaything."

"Is that so?" he challenged, lunging toward me with supernatural speed. I fought to evade him, but his strong arms encircled my waist, pulling me against the rough stone wall.

I cursed and stumbled back as my body hit the brick of a building, its rough surface scraping against my exposed skin.

Gideon pinned me in place with his muscular arms, trapping me between him and the building. He bent closer, inhaling my scent with a sharp grunt. His gaze burned into my brown-flecked amber eyes as his wolf lingered beneath the surface.

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