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

to attract an immortal. Now, vampires aren’t stupid, easy prey. However, they can’t resist a human pumping with blood walking into their territory. I kept trailing the stick across every tree, rustling leaves and stepping on twigs as I went. Vampires had to be hiding out in here, and at least one of them had to notice me at some point. However, I wasn’t going for just any vampire. I was going for the one with a huge payment hanging over his head. If Pearce knew about the reward for his capture, then if he was smart, he’d be in hiding.  But if the people of my village were smart, then they’d keep the knowledge of Pearce’s wanted sign to themselves and not go parading around shouting about capturing him.

 

I heard someone take a step to my left, and I had about a minute’s notice to jump to the right before a knife went whistling past my left ear. I expected the knife thrower to be a hunter, but when a tall, pale body stepped out of the trees, I wasn’t surprised.

Chapter Eleven

“We meet again, love”, Pearce said with a sly smile. He had something in his hand, not a knife but with a closer look I saw that it was my stake. The stake that he had taken from me the first time we had fought.

 

The knife he had thrown at me was stuck in a tree just to my left. Without taking my eyes off him, I reached over and extracted the weapon from the tree. Knives were useless against vampires. However it did slow them down if they had a piece of steel lodged in their chest. I tossed the knife into my bag, coming back out with my new stake. Pearce’s gray eyes rested on the weapon in my hand for a moment and his smile widened. Before his gaze could return to me, I took quick aim, pulled my bow back, and released.

 

The arrow flew through the air for about two seconds before it sliced through Pearce’s shirt. He had moved a fraction of an inch away from the arrow within the two second time slot he had had, but it wasn’t enough to completely dodge the shot. I grinned in triumph as he howled in pain, gripping his wound and baring his teeth. When he turned back to me his eyes were ablaze with fury.

 

“So it’s going to be that way, eh love?” A sick grin twisted his unnaturally perfect features. He tossed the stake aside and straightened up. “Well, you need two to play this game.” He shifted into a fighting stance that was barely recognizable to the human eye, but I caught it from years of experience. I changed the way I was standing as well, my knees slightly bent, bow ready.

 

“You haven’t been playing this game fair.” He said, much too full of himself.

 

I took a step to the right. “Haven’t I? Terribly sorry.” I mocked him.

 

He let out a flat laugh. “No need to apologize babe, you’ll be sorry enough soon.” He lunged forward but I was quicker. With the end of my bow I struck him under his chin. His head flew backward as he stumbled a few feet away from me. I knew that he wasn’t afraid or had been hurt, now, he was just pissed.

Chapter Twelve

Pearce stared at me angrily, his lip curled with fury. “You’re a feisty little girl, are you not?” He snarled.

 

I smirked. “I’m glad you finally noticed.”

 

Pearce’s twisted grin relaxed into an easy smile. His ashy blond hair falling in front of his eyes and covering half of his handsome face. Yes, he was handsome, but all vampires were beautiful. It was unnatural beauty, beauty that should not be possessed by any living thing. Pearce cocked a pale blond eyebrow.

 

“You find me attractive, eh love?” He asked, amused.

 

My cheeks grew hot with embarrassment and anger. “No, I find you vile. You’re a despicable creature. You deserve what you’re going to get.” I shot an arrow at him, but he was ready this time, and dodged it expectantly.

 

He shook his head, almost as if he pitied me. “My dear, you should not envy beauty. You are quite lovely.” He said calmly.

 

I scoffed. “Thank you for the gracious compliment.” I sneered, releasing another arrow. It didn’t hit him like I had hoped, just glanced off his shoulder like the last one. He winced, but controlled his reaction this time.

 

“Ah love, jealousy does not look good on you.” He said, humor bright in his gray eyes.

 

I had had enough of this. I gritted my teeth and jumped on him. We both fell to the ground, my knees digging into his legs and my hands gripping his wrists, shoving them to the ground above his head.

 

“Shut the hell up!” I shouted in his face. He laughed, looking up at the dark sky with the moon bright.

 

“You do not believe me when I tell you of your beauty?” He asked with a smirk. “That is sad. What is your name?”

 

I could’ve killed him right there, my stake was in my belt, within my reach. I could’ve killed him and gotten it over with, brought his body into town, and collected my reward. But for some reason, I didn’t. I just stared at him like the idiot I was. I swallowed and thought for a minute, realizing what he had asked. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to give him my real name, but what would he do with knowing my name anyway? I decided there was no harm in it.

 

“Kyla.” I said. He smiled at me.

 

“A gorgeous name.” He said warmly.

 

I decided to play dumb right then and there. I wouldn’t let him know that he was being hunted and a huge reward would be given for his capture. I was just going to let him figure it out on his own. I pursed my lips, considering what I was about to do, and jumped off of him. He looked up at me in shock for a moment, before getting to his feet.

 

He dusted off his dark shirt. I looked at what he was wearing for the first time then. Dark jeans, a black turtleneck, and checkered tennis shoes. A little fancy for an immortal who lived in the woods, but I didn’t say anything.

 

“Well, I guess it’s only fair you know my name. Pearce.” He said, and gave me a wink. “Nice meeting you love, now if you’ll excuse me I must be going.” He said, and with that, took off in the opposite direction. I could’ve shot him then, his back was to me, it would’ve been an easy shot. But I didn’t. I just stood there, like the dumbass I was, and watched him run away. 

Chapter Thirteen

I walked home in a daze. So many questions were on a reel playing constantly in my head. Why did I let him go? Why did I tell him my name? Why did he want my name? Why was he toying with me? When I got home, I scaled the side of the house and wiggled in through the window, back into my bedroom. I listened closely for a moment for any sign that mother was awake, but only silence greeted me. I sighed and fell back on my bed, tossing my hunting bag aside. The only good thing that came out of this night was a new stake. Now, Pearce knew my name, he knew I knew him, and I had let him go. Why?

 

*     *     *

 

 A few weeks passed with no sign of Pearce and no killings in the village. Mother had also dropped the no hunting rule. I was allowed to go out again. Michaela and Liana’s birthday had passed, they were now seven. My seventeenth birthday was just around the corner as well. Mother had a few suitors lined up for me, all of which I had scoffed at and turned down.

 

“Mother, I don’t want a husband!” I had exclaimed one afternoon when I had had enough of boys showing up at our doorstep asking for my hand.

 

Mother sighed. “But Kyla, you are so beautiful and almost seventeen. It’s time for you to settle down and have children of your own.”

 

I huffed, gripping the edge of the fragile wooden table, my knuckles white. “What if I don’t want to have kids? What if I want to be a hunter the rest of my life?” I said with a smirk, leaning forward slightly.

 

“What if I don’t want to be poor, alone, and shoving all of my beliefs and what I think is right onto my children? What if I don’t want to end up like you?” I seethed, then bounded up the stairs. Let’s see what she thinks of that.

 

I threw myself onto my bed, shaking my head at my mother. I wanted a husband just about as much as I wanted to be bitten by a vampire. I looked out my window, seeing darkness, the full moon in the sky, casting an eerie glow on our small garden. I sighed. Oh, how beautiful it would feel to be bathed in that silver light. Sometimes, I wished I could live in the woods, away from mother and the stresses of life in the village. I shook my head. That life was just a dream that would never come true.

 

I moved away from my window, but just as I did I saw something that shouldn’t have been there, a flash of gray. I jumped up, staring outside. I grabbed the sill, and yanked the window open all the way. I stuck my head out, feeling the chill of the night air. So far I saw nothing out of