Blood Wars by D. Richardson (best affordable ebook reader txt) 📕

“Why does it matter what order he changes in?” Nikolai asked.

“Our blood cells don’t carry oxygen remember? That’s why we have to ingest healthy blood. If we don’t feed we get blood poisoning, and it kills us. But it’s more like our organs die from lack of oxygen. His body is screaming that he’s suffocating, but he hasn’t developed the tools to give his body what it needs. But on the other hand his body is also saying that’s it’s human. If a human ingests too much blood they get sick. That’s why it seems so repulsive to people, it’s an evolutionary trait. So while half of him is saying he can’t breath and needs blood, his other half is saying that if he drinks it he’ll get sick. His body will reject it. Normally, he would have developed fangs before his blood stopped carrying oxygen.”

“So we need to leave, like now.” Sam said in a rush.

“One problem, we have a vampire in the other room that is severely allergic to the sun.” Lexi added before grabbing another donut.

“Well, it’s really cloudy today. They’re forecasting a lot of rain for the next two days, in this area. Do you think that if we wrap her up and cover her skin, that she could make it to the car?” Matt asked. It wasn’t a bad idea really. And if we were lucky she’d just sleep through it, it was hard to wake a bitten vampire during the day.

“Okay, but you’re the one carrying her.” I said and got a chuckle out of the girls.

I got up to go pack a bag. Belle did the same and ten minutes later we all back in the living room. Somehow or another, in that short time, my apartment managed to fill completely with bodies. Some I knew, some I didn’t, but in the corner as far from everyone as she could get, stood Kathy.

I caught her eye and she came back to my room with me. Matt came in to wrap Jess, and carry her out of the room. I sat Kathy down on the bed, and basically told her to behave. I warned her of what to watch out for, and what to trust. After a long hug, I left her on the bed, and made my way back to my crowded living room.

Matt came back to me to tell me that Jess was safely in the car. I nodded telling him to clear the room so we could get Devon out. It took some maneuvering but we managed to get Devon to his feet. Scotty took his other side and we helped him stumble to the car.

We convened with the rest of the group to map out the quickest way and where we would meet, just in case we got separated. Then we all filed into the cars we were most comfortable riding in.

Sam declined the offer for him to ride with his pack, instead he preferred to stay close to his nephew. So I took the front passenger seat while Nikolai got behind the wheel. Scotty, and Lexi took the front bench with Devon between them. Amabel, Sam, and Matt took the second bench, and Jess was already crammed in the back.

A few minutes later we drove out of town. And even though I had only lived there for six months or so, I knew I would miss it. The town itself wasn’t really anything special, but it was quiet, and peaceful.

The drive to New Orleans took roughly two days. We drove non stop, once one of us got too tired to keep going, someone else took over. We only stopped long enough to get gas and trade drivers, which actually lined up really well.

There was only one incident on the trip. Devon had been sitting in the middle of Lexi and Scotty, when another onslaught of blood lust set in. Nikolai had been driving and I was in the passenger seat, when Devon suddenly lurched forward, trying to grab Nik from behind.

Lex and Scot had gotten him pulled back, but he was driven by bloodlust and they were in a cramped space. They were having a hard time holding him, and in his effort to feed, he had jostled Nik, who almost lost control of the car. Belle was struggling to grab the other bottle of blood, so I climbed over the center console, and straddled him.

He paused from my sudden appearance, and the other two were able to gain a better hold on his arms, and I pushed his shoulders back into the seat. Belle finally got a hold on the bottle, and I used my forearm to hold him in place, to grab it from her.

I sat up as best as I could and held the bottle in front of his face. He stopped fighting to stare at it, and I gently opened the bottle. I couldn’t afford to spill any, so I didn’t waste any time putting the opening to his lips. His eyes met mine as he gulped it down, and he never looked away.

I was caught in the emerald green of his eyes for a long moment. Only the sound of air coming from the bottle pulled me out of it. He had drank the entire bottle, which meant he was needing more and more blood each time. He was escalading faster than I had expected.

As I climbed back into my seat I caught myself thinking that I didn’t remember him being such a pain in the ass. That took me to all of the memories I did have. All of the fights and misunderstandings. The memory of my parent’s death, and then realizing that he was the reason we couldn’t out run the people that had murdered them.

But then all of those memories faded, and the good ones took their place. Like the conversation where he told me his story, and the realization that he just didn’t understand the world we lived in. He was so determined to think that all of my kind were evil that he was desperate not to believe otherwise.

That was why he had done what he did that led to my parent’s demise. Why he shoved me away and rejected me when we were safe. I remembered all of the tender touches, and laying curled up in his bed together. I remembered the times that he had saved my life, and told me he loved me.

“Jaide, we’re in Louisiana.” Scotty said, while looking at me from the driver’s side. He gave me that knowing look, that said he knew what I was thinking.

Jess had taken his spot next to Devon. We couldn’t afford for a human to sit next to him. He was stronger now, so strong that it was taking more than two vampires to hold him. I couldn’t help my curiosity. Wondering just how strong he would be when the transition was done.

“Head towards New Orleans from the south. They’ll be just outside town, in the woods.” He nodded and turned back to the road. After fiddling with the GPS I sat back and closed my eyes. We still had another two hours before we were even close. At least the sun had just set, which meant it shouldn’t be too late when we finally get there.

I woke up to someone shaking my shoulder. I looked around but didn’t have a clue where we were. The full moon was shining so I could see the trees that covered both sides of the road.

“Where are we?” I asked squinting to see any landmark at all.

“That’s what I was about to ask you. The GPS says that we’re fifteen miles from town. We’re south of it, like you said, but I haven’t seen a single living thing for miles. Where are we going?” Scotty asked.

“Fifteen miles?” he nodded. “We’re close, drive for another five miles, you’ll see a clearing filled with gravel and dirt on the left side of the road just outside the trees. Pull over and park there.”

“I thought we were going to see people, not trees.” Sam grumped from the back.

“We’re going to see people that live behind those trees.” I answered and everyone fell silent.

About five minutes later we saw the clearing, and Scotty pulled in. There was enough room for all of the vehicles as well as a few more. This was the visitor’s parking lot so to speak. I took a deep breath before climbing out. Getting here was easy, it was getting into the village that was the hard part.

Once we were all gathered between the vehicles and the forest I spoke to them all at once. They weren’t going to like what I had to say. I didn’t know about the others but my friends certainly wouldn’t. My biggest problem was that I had brought way more people than the coven was expecting.

“I have to go on my own, but I need one person to come with me.” There was an uproar. Half of them thought I had led them to an ambush and the other worried for mine and my companions safety. I spoke over them.

“And they must be human.”

“Why?” Sam asked. He looked like he was ready to explode.

“They are expecting me, not forty people. This many could be considered an attack. I have to take a human because they would pose no threat.” It looked like a lot of them were about to argue, but Amabel spoke up.

“The coven are an old and proper people, at least on the outside.” She whispered the last bit. “I can not join her because they look down on me for leaving them in the first place. If she went alone they would assume that she is in fact here alone, and they would take her for a liar when they found you. She must have one other non threatening person to show that there are more in her party. Honor is the key to the coven doors. Honor autem est clavis ad ostium coetu eo confluxissent. It’s actually their motto. She must tread carefully until we are all inside. If you value your lives, you’ll do as she says.” They all quieted down, and I eyed the ones closest to me, finally settling on Matt. He met my gaze.

“Feel like taking a little hike?” I asked, he gave me a small smile and stepped forward. I turned to the rest of my friends.

“Stay here until I come back for you. Do not under any circumstances let anyone enter the woods. They have a perimeter spell set up just inside the tree line. If anyone comes in it will alert them and they’ll assume it’s an attack. And they will strike first.” I eyed them all to make sure they understood. When I knew that they did I turned and signaled for Matt to follow.

I took the same path I remembered taking with my parents all those times growing up. We came here four or five times a year. Sometimes for birthdays or solstices just about any