Darlings of Darkness: A Vampire Anthology Part 103

That didn't sound so bad. "I'll be back in a second."

Jack sprinted out to the car and retrieved the diary. Since it was still in his possession, he wanted to read the part about sucking souls again. Silver had read it enough to know what page the information could be found on. He leaned in through the open window, took the diary out of the glove compartment. As he pulled it through the window, it slipped from his fingers.

The diary opened on the ground to a brand new page. Jack hunched over it and read it again and again. He swallowed hard. Disbelief hardened his heart. No way. Someone was messing with him. He grabbed the diary, slapped it shut, but it was too late. The words were burned inside his brain.

Beware of Silver, Jack. Betrayal will lead to your death.

It had to be a trick. Somehow Jersey had planted the page, forged Lovely's handwriting. Jack didn't believe for a second Silver would betray him. She most certainly would not lead him to his death. The sucking-out-souls pa.s.sage forgotten, he tossed the diary back through the open window.

With slow feet and a sinking spirit he returned to the secret mansion beneath the house. He didn't say a word to Silver about the new prophecy. When she asked why he'd left, he told her he'd wanted to check the house again because he had an idea.

"How would you like to live here?" he asked. "Your parents need to build a new home anyway. Why not build it over the mansion?"

Her eyes sparkled. "Great idea. My parents will love it. Thank you."

She hugged him again, and his arms went around her. His hands tightened on her back, molding the soft curves. His eyes closed, and he savored the moment.

"What do we do while we wait for my parents to find Jersey?" She let him go, took a step back.

"We live a normal life."

The words left his lips without emotion or meaning, because at this point he knew there was no such thing as a normal life for him.

Deep in his heart, he was still a vampire.

Sneak Peek: WEREWOLVES RULE

Chapter One:.

NIGHTMARE.

Blood seeped through Jack's tightly aligned fingers. No matter how hard he pressed on the wound, it continued to hemorrhage. He was beyond scared. During his time as a vampire Jack had become unusually attuned to the workings of his body, so he didn't need a psychic to tell him something was wrong. The blood should have stopped by now. He should have healed several minutes ago.

Although he wasn't a vampire anymore, Jack still had some of the powers, including instantaneous healing. Too bad it didn't seem to be working at the moment.

He wanted to look down to measure the growing red stain on his s.h.i.+rt, but he couldn't risk drawing his brother's attention to it. He covertly stole a glance at Billy. Pa.s.sing streetlights illuminated Billy's face in short rolls of light. His profile was rigid, jaw tight. He stared straight ahead, hands tight on the steering wheel as if he was trying to strangle somebody.

Billy was p.i.s.sed!

Who could blame him after the night they'd had?

Jack, still new to the art of hunting, couldn't believe the disaster a 'simple' werewolf chase had turned into. A couple particularly nasty werewolves had nearly killed them. At least Billy only got kicked and punched a few times. He sported a puffy eye, maybe a couple bruised ribs, but one of the werewolves had stabbed Jack with a knife.

A knife! Whoever heard of a stupid werewolf using a blade? What happened to the good old days when they'd used their claws?

Being stabbed hurt worse than getting slashed by a hundred werewolf claws. The burning pain spread throughout his middle, growing in intensity. Perspiration dotted his upper lip and forehead. The car hit a b.u.mp. Jack gritted his teeth, holding back a cry of agony. Exhaustion battled the pain to see which could take him down first. His eyes drifted shut. Some rest might help him to heal faster, the little voice in his head reasoned.

"Are you dying?" Billy asked. His odd, toneless voice cut the silence, a bomb in a peaceful village. Jack reluctantly forced his eyes open and turned his head against the vinyl seat so he could rea.s.sure his brother. Billy added, "Seriously. Do I need to take you to the hospital or what?"

"Course not." Jack's voice cracked under the strain. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"I heal fast, remember?"

"Yeah, it's like having Superman for a brother."

Sarcasm. Poor Billy hadn't completely adjusted to having a freak show living under his roof. Their relations.h.i.+p remained strained even through the best of times. Jack's eyelids grew heavy. They closed of their own volition. He mumbled, "Just need some sleep."

He barely heard his brother's warning.

"Yeah, well, if you see a bright light, stay the h.e.l.l away from it."

"Mmm hmm."

Jack began to drift, unattached thoughts floating through his mind like confused cars heading in opposite directions. He lost his grasp on reality. Sleep claimed him on a temporary basis, and he went willingly into the comforting darkness.

Want to find out what happens to Jack and Silver?

Werewolves Rule (book 2) and s.h.i.+fters Rule (book 3) are available now.

Wizards Rule (book 4) and Mortals Rule (book 5) will be available soon.

Other Books by K.C. Blake: Crushed (Witch-Game novel) Witch Hunt (Witch-Game novel) Bait (Order of the Spirit Realm) Hunter (Order of the Spirit Realm) Release date for Hunter (October 31, 2013) About the author: K.C. Blake was born in sunny California, and that is where she fell in love with books at the age of twelve when an English teacher a.s.signed the cla.s.s to read The Outsiders. The journey from reading to writing seemed inevitable. In the past, K.C. wrote for Harlequin under the name Kasi Blake, but her first love has and will always be YA. She was thrilled when YA Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance became a staple in the literary diet of the average teen (and some adults too). K.C. lives in the Midwest on a farm with cows, ducks, a dog, and two cats, and that is where she writes her action-packed books.

Want to connect with K.C. Blake online: Her blog: http://kasi-kcblake.blogspot.com Twitter and Goodreads: K.C. Blake She also has an author fan page on Facebook.

Blur.

(Night Roamers).

Book One.

By Kristen Middleton.

Story 5.

Danger lurks in the dead of night...

Seventeen year old Nikki and her twin brother, Nathan, move to the small town of Sh.o.r.e Lake to start over after their mother is brutally attacked. When a missing teenager washes up on sh.o.r.e during their first night at the cabin and there are whispers of vampires in Sh.o.r.e Lake, Nikki begins to realize that there are things roaming in the darkness that are far more sinister than what they left behind in the city.

Cover Art - created by Maeidesign.com and Emmamichaels.com.

Prologue.

"Mom left the door unlocked," I hollered at my twin brother as he slammed the door to his '67 Mustang. It was the last day of eleventh grade, and we'd stopped off for burgers and malts at Grannie's Diner with some friends to celebrate after school. Nathan and I were officially seniors and neither of us could wipe the grins from our faces.

"That's weird," he said, brus.h.i.+ng a hand through his sandy-brown hair. "You know how she's always nagging us about doing it."

I grinned and held the door open for him. "I'm certainly not going to let her live this one down."

Mom was married to a cop once, my father, and he'd drilled into her head how important it was to keep the doors locked, even when you're home.

Nathan followed me into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

"Oh, my G.o.d," I teased him. "How can you still be hungry after eating that monster burger and malt?"

He flexed a muscle. "I'm growing," he said. "Just 'cause you're a skinny little twerp doesn't mean everyone else has to eat like a bird."

I walked over and punched him in the arm. "Very funny."

He smiled and raised the milk carton to take a swig when we both heard it.

"What's that?" I whispered.

He slammed down the milk and rushed out of the kitchen.

"Nathan?" I yelled, chasing him upstairs. The sobs were coming from somewhere in the upper level of the house and my stomach twisted in horror.

Mom?

"Oh, my G.o.d," he choked, entering her dark bedroom. She was lying naked on the floor next to the bed, her face swollen and bleeding, her body badly bruised.

We rushed to her side and she cracked open one of her black eyes. "Call the police," she mumbled, barely coherent.

I started to cry as I grabbed the phone and dialed nine-one-one. I don't even remember talking to the person who'd answered. All I know is that I was blubbering and she was trying to console me with the fact that help was coming.

I hung up and stared at my broken mother in shock, feeling helpless and frightened. Thankfully, Nathan handled stress much better than I did.

He grabbed a comforter and covered her gently. "Mom, what happened?" he asked, pus.h.i.+ng her dark bangs away from her eyes.

The shame on her face was heart-wrenching and I pretty much knew by her appearance what had happened. She'd obviously been beaten and raped.

I brushed the tears from my face, kneeled down next to her, and lightly touched her hand. "The police and ambulance are on their way."

She nodded and closed her eyes.

"Mom?" prodded Nathan. "What happened?"

"Nathan, think about it," I whispered. "She's been raped."

His lips trembled as he searched her face. "Mom, some stranger broke in here and... did this?"

She opened her eyes and stared at both of us for a few seconds. "No... no stranger," she whispered hoa.r.s.ely. "It was your father."

Chapter One.

"Are we almost there?" I asked, staring through my sungla.s.ses at the endless rows of cornfields. We'd been driving for hours through the countryside and I could no longer tell the difference from one town to the next. More than anything, I just wanted to get out of the car and stretch my legs, which were starting to tingle in an uncomfortable way.

Mom cleared her throat. "Pretty soon."

Nathan was following us in his Mustang and I glanced back to see him talking on his cell phone once again.

"Oh, Lord," I said, leaning my head back against the headrest. "He must be talking to Deanna for the tenth time. She just won't get over the fact that we're really moving."

Mom tightened her hands on the steering wheel and glanced at me. "I'm sorry about this. I'm just so sorry... about everything."

I groaned. "Mom, for crying out loud, it's not your fault. I can't even believe you're feeling guilty about it. I mean, n.o.body had any idea that he could be so violent."

It had been less than three months since my father had brutally attacked my mother. They'd been separated for the last couple of years because of his sporadic temper tantrums, along with his inability to stop s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g other women. When my mother had finally gotten up the nerve to leave him, surprisingly, he'd actually been pretty civil about it. Then, when he'd found out she'd moved on emotionally and started dating again, he'd went off in a jealous rage, striking back at her viciously. We were all still stunned about the horrifying ordeal.

"I just wish they could locate him," she said, staring straight ahead. "He's... crazy."