My Favorite Nightmare by Abigail Livinghouse (ebook audio reader TXT) 📕

Prologue

What happens when the vampire hunter falls for the vampire she is hunting? Kyla Tyler has been hunting vampires since she was old enough to shoot an arrow, and when she finds out that one immortal in particular has a very high price over his head, she decides that it’s time to make some serious money. She immediately begins searching for him, but when she finds the vampire whose name is Pearce, she realizes that it’s the exact opposite of what she wanted. Kyla can’t find the strength to kill Pearce, and tries her best to avoid him. You’d think that having your life spared would make you grateful, and keep you away from the person who had tried to kill you, but instead, Pearce finds himself drawn to Kyla, who resists the attraction. Where Kyla comes from, fraternizing with a vampire is the worst crime you could commit, but while trying to avoid friction with Pearce, is she actually encouraging it? Being around him is only making it worse, and while Pearce is a strong immortal, Kyla is only a human. And vampires are known for their beauty and the fact that they are irresistible . . .

Chapter One

 C’mon, just a little closer. I thought as I crouched on my branch, high up in the tree overlooking Pine Forest.

 

     He was right there, just a drop down, and about three feet away. Just move a few more inches . . .

 

     A smile spread across my face as the creature took three steps forward, directly in shooting range. I held my bow up, angled it toward the immortal, and drew back, feeling the tendons on the bow like an extension of my arm. I shut my one eye for better aim and released.

 

     Aha! Direct hit! The creature fell on his back, dead.

 

     I jumped from this branch to the lower one on its neighbor, then to the next lower, and then the next, until I was just five feet off the ground. I dropped and stuck the landing. I straightened up and headed over to my kill, getting down on my knees to pull the arrow out.

 

     The creature’s chalky skin was translucent with the moonlight, his eyes shut, his dark hair plastered against his forehead from the earlier rain, and his body limp. There was just a small hole in his chest from where the arrow had pierced his rock hard skin, no blood. But he was dead for sure, good old fashioned complete wooden arrows. They were the only things that got the job done, aside from stakes of course. But unless you’re able to get close enough to stake the creature, then arrows are the way to go. I shook my head and stood, pulling out my pack of matches. I struck one, then threw it on the vampire. The body ignited in seconds.

 

      I took off at a run, out of the forest, and to the Gathering Square, where I would be able to collect my money for my kill. Once I made it into town I slowed down, tucking my matches back into my bag.

 

     “Morning Kyla, how was hunting?” Mr. Bo, a man who sold specially made stakes, ones with designs on them that were mostly for the wealthy and for show, greeted me. I waved.

 

 

     “Good, got one.”

 

     He grinned. “That’s a girl, keep it up.”

 

     I nodded. “Will do.” I said.

 

     I made it to the area of the Square that was a market, where people bought and sold sought after goods. I myself bought my prized bow and arrows here.

 

     “Hey Sal”, I said, walking up to the booth where people would collect their earnings for their jobs. My job: vampire hunting.

 

     Sal, a man with greasy gray hair and pale blue eyes, cast a glance at the trees. Seeing the smoke, he nodded, reached under the counter, and placed three bags of coins in front of me. I swiped the pouches and dropped them in my bag, spun around and headed home.

 

  I was the only one in town who had rights to burn the bodies where I killed them. Other hunters brought the bodies to the counters to prove that they had actually slain the things. They weren’t much competition. I was the quickest and got to town the fastest. People favored me because of my swiftness and stealth. I could track a vampire through rain or snow, and still not be followed. My job paid very well, and supported my family.

 

     I came up to our small cottage and went inside, my two little sisters running up to me.

 

     “Kyla!” They squealed.

 

     I laughed and scooped them up in my arms, hugging them to my chest. “Hey munchkins.”

 

     They giggled as I twirled them around. They were twins, Michaela and Liana. They both had freckles, bright green eyes, and wildly curly red hair. No one would expect I was related to them, I had long straight black hair and dark blue eyes. They were only six, and I was almost seventeen.

 

     My mother stood in the corner, her thin frame shaking with effort as she scrubbed the dishes. She turned around, wiped her hands on her dishtowel, and smiled when she saw me.

 

     “Kyla”, she said, coming forward and giving me a warm hug. I hugged her gently back.

 

     The twins got their looks from our mother, she had long curly red hair, kind green eyes, and freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose and cheeks just like them. I looked like my dad.

 

     Mom brushed some of my too long bangs away from my face, tears glistening in her eyes. She always did this when I came back from a hunt. She hated my job, the same job as my father had had. If she would have it her way, I would be a stay at home mother, cooking, cleaning, and waiting for my husband to come back from hunting. In our town, girls were to be married or engaged once they turned sixteen. I was almost seventeen, and many people whispered about what was wrong with me. Why was I not married yet? Simple, I didn’t want to get married. I didn’t want to be one of those girls who got pregnant and married in the same year. I wanted to take my time. Besides, I liked what I did. Vampire hunting was a tough job, but it paid well, and provided for Thing One and Thing Two, and my mother.

 

     I reached into my bag, pulling out the three sacks of coins. I handed them to my mother. She smiled sadly when she saw them, but touched my face in appreciation before turning around and dumping the bags’ contents on our small kitchen table. I usually didn’t keep any of my earnings. If there was some money left over after buying necessities, then I would be able to maybe buy a new bow or a few more arrows. Mom sat down at the table, grabbed her glasses, and began counting the bronze coins.

 

     After playing with the kids for a while I headed upstairs to my attic bedroom. I flung my bag into the corner and plopped down on my twin bed. I rested my head against my pillow, sighing with exhaustion and quickly drifting off to sleep. 

Chapter Two

When I woke up it was to screaming. I jumped up immediately, grabbed my bag, and rushed downstairs. Mom had the girls in her arms, trying to soothe them and get them to stop crying.

   

 “What’s going on?” I asked.

 

     She shook her head and jutted her chin towards the door. Without any questions, I flung the door aside and raced into the middle of the Square. When I got there I could see that there was a crowd of people gathered around something, and there was wailing coming from the center of it all. I shoved my way through the ocean of close-packed bodies until I came to the front. I froze when the scene opened up in front of me.

 

     A woman clutched a pale, lifeless body to her chest. It was a girl, two bleeding wounds stuck out in her neck. I knew what had happened at once. Vampire attack.

 

     I walked forward and crouched down next to the woman, who was crying senselessly. I placed my hand on her shoulder, but she was oblivious. I looked down at the dead girl the woman was holding. She was white as a sheet, even her lips colorless. Her eyes stared blankly up at nothing. I grimaced in disgust as my eyes traveled down to the two little holes in her neck. Whoever had done this had made a quick trip. Usually vampires tried to cover up their kills, only rarely did they leave them out in the open like this one did. I stood up abruptly, turning around to face the crowd.

 

     “Look!” I shouted to the people. “Look what this vile creature has done! He has killed one of our own! It is time to fight back!” I yelled. Shouts and screams of agreements followed me.

 

     “Tonight”, I said, “the hunt is on.” 

Chapter Three

Mom handed me one pouch of coins from the previous payment I had received just yesterday. She hugged me and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. She pulled back, but kept her