TWISTED FATES BOOK 1: THE FIRST TWIST by Jacklyn Rogers (read after TXT) 📕

Astrid and I are witches, and Jareth is really a vampire." Shay murmured. She looked at me while she held a pleading expression that begged me to understand the transgression of their dishonesty.

Um ... What?!!

I snickered and shook my head in disbelief.

Before I could interject, Astrid chimed in. "Sammie, please understand. We only kept these secrets from you to protect you. I swear. If we told you the truth before, it would have been dangerous for you."

"Oh, because clearly from what Jareth just told me, I wasn't in any danger in the first place, right?" I could feel my anger begin to ascent. I was deceived by the people I entrusted with my heart—the ones who claimed to love me.

My eyes scrutinized the inhabitants of the bedroom that stood before me—each of them not even daring to look me in the eye. Save one. The old lady, named Maleyna, I was informed. She looked directly at me, her eyes never leaving my own. I cocked my head at an angle as I studied her intently. She appeared to be an elderly lady, at least in her late 70's, and her attire looked even older than that. She had the palest grey eyes, almost white, which matched her hair that she had fashioned up in a tight bun. I had no idea who this person was, and yet there was a part of me, deep within the recesses of my subconsciousness, that felt as if I did. Her thin lips formed a slight smile as if she were indeed confirming that my affinity for having met her before was correct.

Suspish.

I leaned back against the plethora of feathery pillows that had been placed behind me and let my hands rub across my face in frustration. This was just too much to handle. I let out an exasperated sigh when something caught my attention. I heard the faint sound of a beating drum coming from Astrid's direction, where she was standing next to the long-drawn baroque burgundy drapes.

Thump, Thump ...

My acute eyes scrutinized her vicinity for the cause of the thumping sound and found nothing. When I peered back over at Astrid's face, my eyes trailed downwards along her soft jawline, down her pale, slender neck, and then stopped. My keen senses were now fixated on the continuous source of the thrumming sound I had been hearing. It was the blood flowing through the jugular vein, located on the left side of her neck. I could hear it clear as day, and it was calling me.

Thump, Thump ...

I hadn't even noticed as my mouth began to salivate.

I was suddenly very hungry. I licked my lips.

No. I realized I was more than hungry.

I WAS RAVENOUS!

As if all my self-control had been dominated by my yearning to satiate the powerful intensity of my hunger, I bounded out of bed and lunged towards Astrid.

With strength and speed more astounding than I had ever witnessed before, Jareth was suddenly in between myself and my impending prey. His strong arms tightly wrapped around my body, refraining me from striking with my now extended fangs that had been snapping with ferocity.

Immediately, Jareth dashed me back over to his bed and held my hands together, not allowing me to break free from his tight hold.

"Shit!" Shay blurted out. "Jareth, what's wrong with Sammie?"

"She needs to feed NOW!"

"It is imperative that I restrain her. One of you will need to go downstairs and retrieve at least two to three pouches of blood located in the wine cellar as quickly as possible."

Shay gave Astrid a quick once over, making sure that she wasn't too shaken after almost becoming my lunch. Astrid responded with a reassuring nod, and after she muttered a few words in some foreign language I'd never heard before, Shay vanished into thin air.

If I weren’t so busy trying not to eat my friends, I'm pretty sure I'd comment about how friggin awesome that was. 

But as you can see, I was not quite myself at the moment ...

In an instant, Shay returned with three clear bags containing a deep red viscous fluid in each. My eyes held the bags' contents to be super disgusting. My hunger, however, felt quite the opposite. Sustenance!

Shay handed Jareth the pouches and quickly backed away from me. I could see the fear in my friend's eyes.

Oh, MY GOD! I can't believe I tried to attack Astrid.

"While she feeds and gets under control, I'm taking Astrid out for a bit so that she can calm down. Maleyna has agreed to stay here and assist you in case you need anything else." Shay announced.

OK, that makes no sense. How the hell is some 70 plus-year-old woman going to be able to help out?As if.

I suddenly laughed to myself at the absurdity.

"That's a one hundred and seventy-four-year-old witch, you impertinent child. And do not underestimate what I may or may not be capable of."

Holy Shit, she totally read my mind.

I was just read for filth by an old witch.

Oh, the Shade of it all!

"Enough of this insufferable badinage, ladies." Jareth was evidently getting a bit perturbed. "Shay, I'll have Maleyna contact you once it is safe to return, I promise. Now, Samantha ...Drink."

He presented me with a pouch that had been rigged with a straw to drink from, as he held my hands tightly with his other hand. I looked like I was drinking one of those Capri-Sun pouches with the way it had been set up for me. Ok, maybe the vampire's Capri-Sun ... Capri-Blood ... ooh, could that be a thing. I pondered as I continued to drink the pleasantly warm liquid.

Hmmm.

I surmised that I must be feeling a bit more rational since I was starting to crack corny jokes to myself.

Yay me.

After I had consumed my third pouch in silence, I informed Jareth that I was feeling stuffed like