Crimson River by Wulfshard (bts books to read txt) 📕

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"Oh, common, it isn't that hard to believe she's Fae, is it? Not seeing those damn wings."
The boy looked at them again with wide, frightened eyes.
"Is...is she here?"
"Yes. But she won't see you now. You're mine, and now she doesn't want you. Because my blood awakened your ancient hidden blood, her kind doesn't want anything to do with you."
The pain in his eyes reflected the agony rippling through my back from our bond. But it was deeper; it was all emotional for him. Betrayal of the mother...those words were hard for me to say, let alone try to comprehend.
"Look, she's here on business. She and your father let me take you so she could rid herself of our bond."
It was difficult to be so cold toward him when I felt his pain. Right now, though, I wasn't sure what to do for him. I wasn't Fae. I was a vampire.
~Expecting a vampire to comfort her son...what the hell...~

It was Vince's thought - it just slipped in, full of anger and grief.
"I'll be right back in. I'm sorry I don't know what else to do here, Vince."
"It's fine...it isn't your fault I'm a freak."
Freak?

Snarling, I got in his face. "Freak? You - a freak? You want some advice kid? I'm not going to sugar coat the fact that your parents aren't concerned for you. My parents died a long time ago, and I have to live through that every damn day. Except I don't fucking age like the Fae, werewolves, witches and humans do. Mixing Fae and Human blood brings a lot of power and respect to you in these ages. You want to call somebody a damn freak, I'm right here."
Furious, I pulled away and walked out, signally for Kane to take back over. Slamming the door made Vince's parents flinch.
"Your damn son just called himself a freak. He's fucking miserable in there. The pain is agonizing even for me. What the hell is wrong with going and sorting things out with him?"
Sam just shook her head. "It isn't my place, Aria. He has to work it out himself; it's a part of the trials his kind go through."
"Whatever." I snarled. "Let's just break this bond. John...you can watch if you want to be my next meal. I'll have Kane fetch an ambulance. He's good at that."
"No need to take me to the hospital." Samantha told me quietly. John stared at her. My heart fell.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'll just go home. They won't mind that."
"What about us?" Her husband demanded. "What about your son and I? And your daughters?"
"My daughters will be lucky to make it this long. Our eldest son was killed because of what you and I knowingly did. Now Vince is the blood slave of my people's enemy. I think I've caused enough trouble here."
The words stung - they were enough to make a beating heart bleed. Something inside me just...froze. The cold feeling deep within hovered.
"You want to desert your family over laws and a feud?!"I snarled in fury. "You want to break this bond and go back to your little between-world paradise over this

?! What the hell is wrong with you? You gave me a fucking promise, Sam! You gave this man a vow!

Do you have no civility? No honor in your heart?" Both were back away from me. "Your son is in there in pain because you said you loved his father. You raised him. You left me for him."
She looked at the floor. Through the bond I felt her lack of care. She'd grown cold over the years - colder than I.
How did I not see this? How did I not see that she never loved this man?

"It was orders." Samantha told them quietly. "And now I'm being called back. I was supposed to bring the boy. He would have been a wonderful king."
John was stumbling back. The doors slung open. The rage emanating from behind me, from within Vince, had me step out of the way with curious surprise.
"You...gave birth to me...and lied to me...for seventeen years..."
He shouldn't be up.

Blood was dripping down his legs and arms in a steady stream, but I felt the energy from six feet away. I wasn't going to stop him. Whatever he was going to do he could do without me saying a word. She betrayed him too.
"You should go lay down, Vince. I lied to you because you showed no clear sign of my kind. There was no reason for me to return, or tell you at all."
"Then why didn't you just leave?" His voice was full of pain and anger. He took a step forward, staggering. Instantly I was there to steady him. Touching him gave me a small shock of Fae magic.
"Do this now or go lay down." I growled in his ear. There's no reason to draw it out. You'll only hurt yourself."
A feeling of warmth spread through me. It was strange, sending a shiver down my spine. I'd not felt the emotion that sprung up suddenly since I was a little girl.
My god...he...

The boy slowly removed himself from me to face his mother. "I want to kill you." He said quietly to Sam. "But I know how that would affect Aria while you two are bonded. I can't hurt her when she was the only one who tried to help me."
"Vince?" I asked quietly. "Are you alright?"
He nodded. "I want to see you break the bond. From your thoughts it sounds painful."
We may get along after all.

I approached Sam slowly. She stayed where she was, a smile on her lips. I wasn't going to let her return to paradise. I wasn't even going to break the damn bond. Pushing her against the wall, I sank my fangs in without asking - to her utter shock. Hunger burned through me. The moment her blood touched my lips the only thing I knew was that I wanted more.

There was no stopping me now. She pushed and struggled for a minute, but soon I could hear her gasps for more. Slowly, as Sam's strength drained, they quieted until they stopped.
She was completely limp when I forced out my fangs.
"You..." John came to her and picked up her body.
"It's better than breaking the bond." I told her husband very quietly. "She would have been in pain if I'd done that. She would have still left you...for a life of perfection. Her soul will go there now. I won't take that."
I could see it had shocked and crushed him. But all I felt was emptiness from Vince.
"You need to get some sleep, Vince. You've lost too much blood."
He nodded, turned quietly and went to lay back down. I turned to John. "Leave my home. Now. I don't want a hunter and his Fae bride here when Syn comes back. This is your only warning, John. If I see you when Syn comes I won't abide by that truce."
Slowly, the broken hunter picked up his dead lover and left with a blank, sad gaze.
They cry. They feel sorrow and anger. All I feel is alone. And yet I still cannot cry for the loss of the only woman I've ever loved.

Vince paced the dining hall, lack-lustily picking vases or lamps up and dusting them off before replacing them. He stared at the dinning hall's mahogany long table. The wolf watched him, head on paws. The boy sighed in boredom, not sure what more to do. The entire mansion was spotless.
Who would have thought she was so bad at cleaning? She's been completely alone for at least seventeen years!

A shadow moved out of nowhere. His eyes locked onto it. Red eyes shone from the shadows only seconds before Aria stepped into the dim light. She was finally

awake.
"You've paced the house enough. Why don't you go play your video games?"
"I've been playing video games since you bit me last week! I've missed a week of school lectures and done no hunting at all."
"You weren't even strong enough to get out bed for the first three days. Then out of nowhere you wanted to go to school!" Aria argued. "The school day is over. It's five thirty. Tonight, since you're so anxious...I'm going into town for a bite to eat. You can hunt then."
Vince's anger flared. "What? You're going to feed from somebody else again?"
"You're not strong enough, Vince. If I feed from you tonight you will be in bed another week. I won't make this personal - please try not to do so yourself."
Sighing, Vince realized there was no point in arguing. The mere idea of somebody else feeling her fangs - whether they liked it or not - was enough to not only piss him off, but make him feel...inadequate.
"Look, I want to show you a few things. Slayers becoming Hunters and then a government control group takes skills away. You're people have became tame compared to your ancestors."
The insult burned, but he had to admit that he wasn't the best at killing things. "We usually just trap them and a clean up group comes..."
"Do you have a clean up group?" Aria snapped. "I don't fucking think I see one. Now man up; you're going back to the methods of a slayer."
"Won't I get in some trouble over that?"
She snorted. "Let's see them find out it was you. Or try to charge you. I'll make sure you and your job are safe."
Vince had nothing to say to that. Aria was a powerful vampire with a lot behind her. He had no reason to doubt her word.
Or is that the bond?

"Get your weapons." She said. "I'll meet you in your room."
Then her body flashed too quickly away for him to see her.
How did slayers in her time ever

win?!

Shaking his head, Vince made his way quickly to his room. Aria was already there, just outside. He waved her inside as he unlocked the door. She chose the center of the room. The hunter picked through the weapons until he found a scimitar. It was a well balanced blade that would be very useful against a demon or werewolf...well, if the blade was used right, anyway.
"Fine. Come at me and I'll try to disarm you."
"Why disarm me?"
She laughed. "Because you're armed and I'm not. Demon and werewolves rarely are. They want your weapon gone simply because your weapon is what makes you superior to other humans. Now hurry up...before I strike first."
He took a stance against a demon - a stance that moved