Page 1 of Awakening the Dhampir

Chapter 1

Lorna

Abright light penetrated my eyelids, but I had no desire to open them. It felt like someone had beaten me over the head with a hammer—not that I knew what that felt like, but I could imagine. A slow throbbing pounded at the base of my skull, radiating over my scalp and ending just above my eyeballs. Nope, not opening my eyes.

“Get the hell away from her,” a woman warned from a few feet away.

“I can’t resist the smell of her blood,” a man said, way too close to my face.

His breath reeked of corn chips and something sour. Lemons? I tried to push him away, but I couldn’t move my arms. I tugged at them, but they were tied and trapped behind my back. I lay on my side on the hard floor. A wave of panic rose in my throat as memories rushed into my head.

My first encounter with Nathan at The Fanged Prince jumped to the front of the line, then my not-so-subtle meeting with Elliott and Kenrid.

Kenrid. My heartbeat thumped for a different reason. The man had easily worked his way into my life in the short period of time I’d known him. He’d accepted all my quirkiness and made it so easy to be in his company.

The remaining memories of the last couple weeks flickered through my mind like a bad cinematic. My feelings for Damon weren’t too far behind my feelings for Kenrid, only in a different way. Damon had also totally accepted me. He never even blinked at my need to sort everything out, and I loved his confidence, the way he just assumed that his magic knew exactly what it needed and wanted. I wasn’t sure I could ever be that trusting in anything.

I still wasn’t sure what to think of Elliott, and I needed to stay as far from Nathan as I could get.

The most important—and probably most dreaded—part of the last few weeks was the unwanted knowledge that monsters existed, and I was one of them.

The grand finale ended with a needle in my neck.

I’d been kidnapped.

I sucked in a sharp breath, and the smell of chocolate and citrus filled my nose, reminding me of the man sitting way too close to me.

Oh my God! Please tell me he’s not a vampire, I pleaded. Please, please, please!

No such luck. My hunger surged, tossing aside my panic like it was nothing. I wanted him. I needed him. A shiver ran along my skin, and saliva pooled in my mouth.

“She’s awake,” the man whispered, his breath raising the hairs on my neck.

He was so close. I could easily lean forward and sink my teeth into his soft flesh. I licked my lips, and my tongue dragged across a sharp edge.

What the hell was that? The overwhelming urge that had nearly consumed me came to a screeching stop. Ever so slowly, my tongue poked at my teeth. Oh shit. That was not an incisor. Human teeth weren’t that long and certainly not that sharp. Did I seriously have fangs? It sure felt like it.

I prodded the other side of my mouth only to find the same thing. Long fangs that would probably punch holes in my lips. How had I not noticed them before? This wasn’t my first time around a vampire.

“I said get away from her!” the woman screeched.

My chocolate treat vanished a second later, and I opened my eyes. There was no point in trying to pretend I was still asleep. A petite woman with dark hair cut similar to my own scowled at me.

I had no idea how to act. I’d never been kidnapped before. My first instinct was to fight, but I didn’t know where I was or who had me … not to mention being tied up and completely immobile. The woman wasn’t a vampire—I didn’t have the urge to bite her—but that didn’t mean she was harmless.

I knew I couldn’t outrun a vampire. Kenrid and Damon both said they were the fastest supernaturals alive. But could I lure one into letting me go? Dhampir were supposed to have that whole entrancing thing going on. Damon accused me of it all the time. Could I convince the vampire to help me escape? My burning need to taste his blood made it difficult to believe that I couldn’t.

I swallowed hard. No, I refused to let myself go there. Why hadn’t I created a separate box for my dhampir while I had the chance? Because I didn’t take this threat seriously enough. I’d let my guard down with Kenrid, thinking I was safe. Now I’d pay for it unless I could get this under control.

The woman grabbed my arm and jerked me up to a sitting position. My vision swam, and my head pounded. I had to lean forward to keep from falling back over. Having my arms tied behind my back sucked.

I glanced around at my surroundings. I was in a small room with no windows. The hard concrete floor did nothing to cushion my butt.

I squinted at the vampire hovering near the metal door. His mousy brown hair hung over his ears, and his brown eyes tracked my every movement.

I poked at my teeth with my tongue, checking for fangs. Still there. I couldn’t exactly talk to them without getting rid of the evidence of my dhampir first. I wasn’t sure I could do that with a vampire in the room.

“Go tell the boss she’s awake,” the woman ordered.

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