Vampyre | Book I of Bloodlines | Free on Inkitt & Kindle Unlimited
Half Blood

Darius

Violently, the door bursts open, and Viola is forcefully pushed into the room by William, making her stumble upon entry. Immediately, my eyes scan every bit of her, needing to confirm that she’s unhurt.

William pushes her forward again, guiding her closer to me, and I can finally make out her face in the blinding sunlight. Viola proudly straightens herself out and looks at me, her face strong and fierce. That’s my girl.

William observes me with cautious curiosity as he escorts Viola closer to me—my irritation increases each time he places his hand on her. What’s his plan here? Does he believe my beast would feed on her? That seems to be his scheme—he knows I’m fond of her, he wants me to feed off her, and after having done so, I would detest myself for it.

Indeed, I’m still ravenous—the blood Viola provided was sufficient to stabilize and rejuvenate me, but I remain far from sated, and William is well aware of this. He’s witnessed my full strength before, and still restrained with the silver cuffs I am, I’m powerless to take any meaningful action.

Viola appears to smirk at William’s foolishness. How can she wear a smile at a time like this, with her life hanging in the balance? Is she truly a lunatic? If so, then she’s my lunatic. Come closer, my little lunatic, and let me hold you, even if it’s only for one last time.

“Go on, Darius. You want her; she’s all yours,” William says, giving Viola one final shove toward me.

I catch her as she crashes into me, gazing up at me with her beautiful, stormy eyes. There’s no fear in her—she’s exactly where she wants to be—pressed up against me.

“Did you hear that, Darius? I’m all yours,” she whispers so only I can hear.

“Reckless. Utterly reckless,” I shake my head at her, tutting quietly.

Unable to resist, I kiss her. If we’re both going to meet our end, then I’ll be damned if I don’t seize this chance to feel Viola’s jasmine-scented lips against mine one last time. All this suffering will have been worth it just for this one moment.

I wrap my arm around her and hold her as close as physics allows.

William roars furiously behind her, enraged by my not doing as he wanted. If he wants her dead, he’ll have to do it himself.

The unmistakable scent of blood hits my nose, and Viola suddenly stiffens in my arms. She makes a sick gurgling noise from her throat, and I see the wooden handle protruding from her neck.

I place my hand on her neck, with the tool between my fingers, but there’s no stopping the blood—William knows precisely where to strike.

The fragrance of jasmine and the sea overwhelms me like never before as the life force within my beloved Viola seeps out from her artery.

Viola’s blood glistens with a blue glimmer of light, visible only to someone like me, and suddenly it all becomes clear. No wonder she exudes pure magic—she possesses magic within her.

Like a fool, I smile at the solitary glimmer of hope amid the darkness. I gaze into Viola’s eyes, filled only with love, as she slowly fades away in my embrace.

Viola may not be a full-blooded witch, but the magic coursing within her is undeniable. How did I not realize it before?

Her being a witch explains why she repelled Mr. Dixon, her prophetic dreams, her instinctive decisions, and her immunity to my aura. The magic has always resided within her, guiding her right to me—into my embrace where she belongs. One taste would grant me the strength of ten Vampyres. I could break free of these chains and tear William apart within seconds.

“Viola, my darling,” my voice breaks as I speak, “you have witches blood coursing through your veins.”

Viola’s brows furrow and she struggles to speak. “Drink…”

Her hand reaches up, her fingers weaving through my hair, guiding me toward her neck. Viola raises her other hand, and within her grasp, I see it sparkling in the sunlight: William’s protection charm. My clever girl, my clever little half-blooded witch, has disarmed William of his defenses.

I glance at William, who clearly notices the charm in her hand. His hand shoots up around his neck as if to confirm it’s truly gone.

I pull the tool from Viola’s neck and swiftly envelop her wound with my mouth—her blood pulsating into my mouth effortlessly. Time halts—the moment Viola’s blood fills my mouth, I feel the magic within it infusing every molecule of my being with raw, unbridled power.

My long-dormant glands are instantly flooded with venom. I sink my fangs into Viola’s neck, and she moans as I inject every drop of my venom into her as it continuously replenishes. Viola will live—she will exist for eternity by my side. She’s seen it in her dreams, and I will make those dreams a reality. Just leave it to me, little mouse—I will take you wherever your heart desires.

I hear William turning to run, but it’s already too late for him. The silver he shot into me years ago is completely dissolved, and not only am I now restored to my former glory, but with Viola’s blood within me, my magic is multiplied to a magnitude I’ve never experienced before in my entire life. Fae blood was a joke compared to this. If not for the consent required for a Vampyre to drink witches’ blood, I would guarantee, without a doubt, that even I would have been one of the Vampyres hunting them down for the chance to taste another drop.

William heads toward his office, where both he and I are surprised to see a woman standing in the doorway—I’ve never seen her before.

I possess William and make him stop as he reaches to grab the woman, no doubt to use her as a hostage.

“Sacre bleu, Sainte Mère de Dieu,” the woman spouts.

Oh, it’s Sophie, hello Sophie. So that’s what she looks like.

Sophie’s eyes dart from William to me, then to Viola in my arms, and back to William. Without any explanation, she seems to understand exactly what’s going on and slaps William before spitting at him in a way the French do so well.

I can’t help but chuckle with my mouth still attached to Viola’s neck at her dramatic display.

Sophie looks at me, clearly unamused. She makes her way over to me with caution in every step. She looks at all the crucifixes and points to them as if their presence were some joke. She knows—Sophie understands what I am, and those crucifixes completely surrounding me do absolutely nothing to affect me.

Glancing over her shoulder at William, Sophie huffs. “Idiot.”

She approaches me slowly, her eyes filling with tears the closer she gets to Viola, and her hand stifles the gasp that escapes from her mouth.

“Venom?” she asks quietly.

I gently nod, still refusing to let go of Viola. The more venom I pump into her, the faster she will heal from her injuries and begin her transformation into a Vampyre.

Viola moans almost in pleasure, though I’m sure by now she’s lost enough blood to make her unconscious and delirious. Sophie’s face falters, and her tears flow freely from her loving, crinkled eyes.

Sophie is the only person in this house whom I would trust with Viola’s life, and here she is, poised to aid us in fulfilling Viola’s vow to destroy William and leave his entire world in ruin.

Once satisfied with the amount of venom I’ve injected into Viola, I carefully remove my fangs from her flesh and unwrap my blood-stained lips from her fully healed neck.

Viola is completely limp in my arms, and I shift her slightly to see that her left eye has now completely healed. I was right—she’s absolutely stunning. The only way to improve on this perfection is for both of her eyes to be open and look longingly at me the way they were just moments ago.

After today, her eyes will never be the same.

I pull my outstretched hand out from the tight silver cuff, breaking most of the bones in my hand in the process. They heal instantly, and I gently move Viola to my now free arm and liberate the other with the same cracking noises breaking the silence.

As I hold Viola, I hear her heart still faintly beating in her chest but beating nonetheless. It doesn’t make sense—she should have died by now. I hold her face, willing her eyes to open and look at me.

“Viola, open your eyes, my darling,” I say quietly, tracing her face with my hand.

The longer her eyes remain closed, the more fear wells within me. Something isn’t right—she should have died and turned by now, but her heart continues to beat.

“She may not turn,” Sophie’s words slay all my hopes of eternity with Viola by my side.