Sleepless Beauties: A Rejected Mates Paranormal Romance (The Vampires Vendetta Series Book 1) by A.K. Koonce (best books under 200 pages txt) 📕

“I didn’t kill her!” Rival growls out.

“You’re a shitty liar!” My fingers dig into my palms, nails biting into my flesh one by one. “You killed her, and you’ll kill me the moment I’m not of use to you. You fucki—”

His weight crashes into me. Water sprays up around us as he pummels me into the grass.

“Stop talkin’!” Rival grinds out through his clenched teeth. His hands dig into my wrists as he brings them up high above my head. “You’re fooking reckless. Your research, your fooking words, even your fooking pussy is reckless! Mating with men who have no use for a human.” He shakes his head hard, casting drops of cold water across my cheek as he bites his words out an inch away from my face.

Slick fingers dig into my hands, but still I shove against him, fling him off just for him to come right back down with the strength of ten men binding me in place. He’s like a force of gravity all on his own. He outweighs me with far too much power. It’s too intense. Too much…

The snapping sound in my wrist sends a shrieking cry hurling up my throat as tears stream down my wet cheeks.

And then he’s gone. The press of his hands locking over mine is jerked away and the splatter of mud across my neck is felt just as Rival crashes into the earth.

“Don’t you ever touch her like that!” Aston growls just before his head slams down. Another cracking sound echoes through the air as Aston’s skull crashes into Rival’s.

Both men groan, but Aston retreats with a flash of blurring colors. “Run!” Aston waves me off as he watches Rival slowly stand with newfound anger lining his face.

I peer around. The demon sits on a worn grave with his palm under his chin as he animatedly watches me. Prey stands at the door, rain washing over him as he looks from me to Rival and then back to me again.

But he never takes a single step forward.

My body shakes as all the fiery coals burning through my veins fire up at once.

“I suggest you step back, Mr. Cardence,” The Demon Prince instructs as he picks distractedly at his manicured nails. “Miss Vega has a vendetta to appease. You wouldn’t want to get any blood on those fine skinny jeans of yours.” His lips curl as he looks up at Aston’s apparel. “After this, I think we’ll be in need of a new wardrobe. Miss Vega, once you’ve disposed of Mr. Royale, can we go shopping?”

“It’s late. The stores are closed,” Aston answers breathlessly like, that’s the real problem at this moment.

“Shut up! All of you!” Rival points at the two of them, but keeps his gaze locked on me. “I didn’t kill Acessa. I wouldn’t have hurt Kyra! I—”

“Don’t you dare say you loved her.” The pain in my wrist is numb and forgotten as I take a step closer.

“I didn’t,” he whispers, the moon light gleaming in his steely eyes like a deadly weapon.

And I can’t listen to another word out of his fucking mouth.

I don’t feel anything. The air in the night is gone. The rain disappears. Everything falls away as I move so fast my body never takes a single step, but I disappear in a mist of shimmering crimson colors. Then I land with my hand around his neck in the very next instant. My nails sink into his throat as I lift him ever so slowly from the ground. His shoes kick against my shins as he rises over me. The light of the moon creates a halo around his handsome features. I don’t know why my heart dips and dives and burns as I stare up at him with far too many emotions coursing through me.

“Kira!” Rival grunts, and the simple sound of my name feels tainted and scarred against his lips.

He was supposed to be her friend.

His hands wrap around mine as I squeeze harder against his windpipe. I fling him down and I’m on top of him in a matter of seconds. My nails poise over his dirty suit jacket. Before I can press into him, his leg comes up fast and hard. He tangles around me. Pain sears through my skull as I hit the ground head first.

A slick hand shoves up and around my throat so hard that I’m staring up at the steeples and spires of the church, gazing up at the stars that paint the night sky beyond. His other hand slams over my lips and when he comes back into my view, giant black wings rip out from the back of his suit. They tear through the cloth and his black dress shirt falls away as inky lines of smoky tattoos and eerie red marks of color kiss his flesh here and there.

He truly does look like a storybook monster. And it appears that I’m to be his next victim.

His slick body lowers over mine, his chest pressing into me in a familiar way.

“Don’t ever fooking insert yourself into things you don’t belong in!” Rival seethes against my neck like a lover’s promise. His hold around my throat tightens.

My lashes start to feel very heavy.

His body against mine is a strangely calming weight. My eyes close tiredly, but my heart continues to pound with reckless determination.

My hands cease clawing at his flexing forearms.

“Why aren’t you helping her!?” I hear someone scream.

“Because she doesn’t need us,” a lazy, distracted voice answers. The sound of that warm tone ignites memories within me. He’s someone I’ve known for several lifetimes over. His smile and laughter rings through my mind, lighting me up with mementos of love and lust.

A memory drifts in of my Prince tangled up in white sheets that match the color of his horns. His hands are around my waist. His body is smooth and hard against mine as