Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 85552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“So Ressi made the sun, this way Ambi’s kids would sleep and she could spend time with her love.” I placed my tiny hand on my chest.
“Yes, Camille.” My mother nodded. “You are so smart.”
I beamed.
“But there still wasn’t enough time for Ressi and Ambi to explore the universe.” My mother leaned her head to the side. “So what did Ressi do?”
“She took Ambi’s blood, mixed it with hers, and created humans so when Ambi’s children woke up they could take Ambi’s place in feeding his children.”
“She also made the elfkins to cultivate the planet so the humans could eat and be nourished.” She brushed a few strands of hair away from my eyes. “And so his children would not miss him too much while he was gone, Ambi formed two moons from his skin—one to represent him and the other to symbolize his love for them.”
“And when the moons line up, that will always let the vampires know Ambi is thinking about them.”
“Very good.” She blew out the candle on my nightstand and kissed me on my cheeks. “Goodnight, my love.”
The memory evaporated.
Dryness corroded my mouth.
I miss you, Mommy.
My stomach growled.
Don’t think about how long you have. Just put each foot forward.
Yawning, I rubbed my eyes and ambled through the tunnel on sore feet.
Focus on the steps. Remember why you’re here.
My twin girls flashed in my mind with each step. Little light brown faces surrounded by auburn curls. They’d only been toddlers when I left.
The desire to see them fueled my steps and increased my pace.
They must be so big now.
Then suddenly, a hand seized the back of my neck in a bony grip. Another hand clasped over my mouth before I could scream.
I dropped the candle. Its light went out.
Only sunlight seeped through the cracks.
“You smell so good. I’m not sure which I’ll do first.” A dark and rugged voice hissed in my ear. The scent of mold drifted into my nose. “I may ram one of my cocks in you while I feed.”
I struggled to get free, lifted my right foot in the air, and brought it down hard into what I hoped was his shin.
He roared and released me.
I fled without glancing back, splashing through waste.
“Wait, sweet domina! Perhaps my greeting was too direct?”
How in Ambi’s name does he know I’m a domina?
In an instant, the stranger tackled and dragged me to the wet ground. Boiling-hot liquid splattered across my face and drenched my shirt. The fabric stuck to my skin.
Then, he turned me around and got on top of me.
“Help!” I yelled.
His face came into my view. Gray decomposed skin coated his head and body. It sagged and cracked.
He had no eyes, just two sunken holes above his nose. He opened his lips. Dust fell from his mouth and landed on me. One black fang sprouted from darkened gums.
My skin crawled.
Never had I seen anything like that before.
I shrieked.
This creature shook his rotting head. “Don’t scream, sweet domina.”
“H-how do you know I’m a d-domina?” I panted.
“How could I not?”
I curled my fingers into a fist and hit him with all my strength.
My knuckles crashed into his cheek. Dust burst from the side of his head. My now throbbing fist continued to travel through his face until it stopped and lodged between his jaw.
He growled and used both of his hands to yank my fist out. A cloud of red-brown dust burst as he freed my hand.
A hole replaced the cheek I’d hit.
“Get off of me!” I tried to scratch his face.
He captured my hands and pressed them above my head. “Okay. Let’s stop this.”
“Never!”
“You’re wasting your energy.”
“Rot in the dark realm!”
“I wish I could die, but that’s not my fate.”
“Let me go!” I struggled to escape his hold on me.
“I apologize for being so crass earlier, domina.” Gray-and-brown dry skin crumpled from his cheeks as his lips formed into a smile. “In my day, I swooned queens and princesses all over the world.”
“Please, let me go.”
“I’m hungry.” His grip tightened around my wrists. His body trembled.
I shoved my knee into his groin as hard as I could.
He growled. “I’m asking nicely for your blood, but I’ll take it if necessary.”
“This is you asking nicely?”
He went silent. Wrinkles gathered in the middle of his forehead. A jagged patch of skin fell off his face. “Fair point.”
I blinked.
In a blur, he jumped off me and pulled me up. I shook my shirt and wiped dust off my face the best I could.
Now a few feet away, he bowed. “Will you please give me some of your blood?”
Do I have any choice?
A dark growl sounded on our right.
I tensed.
To my surprise, Xander stepped out of the shadows with his arms crossed over his chest. He still wore no shirt, but now his fangs were out. “Ian, I’m sure you smell my scent on her.”