Read Beneath the Broken Moon: Part One: Shifter/Vampire Romance Online

Authors: Sarah Makela

Tags: #New Adult Post-Apocalyptic Shifter Romance

Beneath the Broken Moon: Part One: Shifter/Vampire Romance (6 page)

BOOK: Beneath the Broken Moon: Part One: Shifter/Vampire Romance
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I shoved him away and the man flew off me, smacking into the opposite wall. A loud
pop
resounded from where the man in the kitchen had been. I leapt out of the way and wound up on my hands and knees in the living room.

Another wave of magic slammed into me and I dropped to the floor, pain eating at me. I wouldn’t let this happen. I’d never give in to these men. I was a vampire, a superior being.

Pop
.

I jerked to the side, knowing they weren’t trying to kill me. What they
were
trying to do was much worse than death—they wanted to capture me. I reached out my hand toward them, drawing on the telekinetic magic of my bloodline. I clenched my fist and jerked it toward me. The deathly pain immediately stopped, but my head swam from the after-effects of the necromancer’s magic.

The man from the kitchen lay beside me, his stunned hazel eyes staring at the ceiling. The tranquilizer pistol shook in his hands. I dragged him toward me by the neck. A thick leather collar circled his throat, so they must have suspected what I was. The necromancer’s presence confirmed that.

I sank my fangs into his wrist, keeping my crushing grip on his neck. His hot coppery blood slid down my throat, revitalizing each cell in my body. With my energy this low after the fight, the need to feed overwhelmed my desire for answers. When the man stopped fighting, his heartbeat a small, fragile bird fluttering to a stop in his heart, I closed the wound with my tongue.

The necromancer must have fled, leaving his less powerful friend to die.

I swiped a hand over my bloody lips, staring at the darkly clad intruder. Why were these people trying to capture me, and how had they known I was a vampire? Maybe I should’ve fought my needs and questioned him while he was conscious. I might still have a chance; he wasn’t dead yet.

Slumping into a chair, I sighed. My life had been simpler before meeting that werewolf. People hadn’t been after me for mysterious reasons, and I hadn’t had to deal with the tendrils of desire that stirred within me when I thought of her.

The smile on her lips, and the way she giggled.
Damn
. I wanted to see her again, but we weren’t meant to be. We could
not
be.

CHAPTER TEN

 

Carmela

Blinking my eyes open, I stared up at the ceiling. The soft, plush bed relaxed me immediately. Dreams of Derek toyed with my heart. The way he’d smirked and threatened to keep me by his side forever. How did I feel about that?

Werewolves mate for life, and I’d never wanted an arranged marriage like my parents. The abuse my mother suffered, and the misery that radiated from her, made my urge to break the mold clear. But Derek wasn’t a werewolf. Would that make a relationship with him different? I had no idea.

Shifting in bed, I tried to turn on my side, but I couldn’t move. Ropes dug into my limbs; someone had tied me to the bed. Only my injured arm escaped the bindings. No one else was in the room. I’d wanted to cling to the unrealistic dreams of Derek, but I never expected to wake up to this.

Agony still pulsed through my arm, but it wasn’t as overwhelming as what I’d felt last night. Looking at my bedroom window, I saw I’d slept the day away.

Wasn’t Dr. Matthews supposed to check on me?

A grimace curled my lips, and I tugged at the ropes again. Part of me wanted to scream, but I knew Father had tied these, because they didn’t budge. If anything, they were too tight. My hand and feet were asleep; I needed to move my limbs better than this. If they wanted to give me more medicine, then fine, but this was crazy.

“Mother?” I whispered, hoping she was somewhere nearby. I waited a moment, but heard nothing. A thud sounded from the other side of the wall near my head, followed by the sounds of crying and my parents’ headboard slamming against the wall. I’d heard those noises before, for years.

“What did I tell you?” Father yelled, and the banging continued.

The idea of sex repulsed me. How could anyone find the act enjoyable? I remembered the romance novels I used to sneak from my mother’s hidden bookshelf. The characters within those pages enjoyed lovemaking. It didn’t have the violence I heard from behind my parents’ bedroom door and had cried myself to sleep to so many nights. But those pages were lies.

The sobs quieted, and I squeezed my eyes closed, wishing I could be away from there. Father pretended to be a respectable man, but it was all for show. Hopefully, I could deal with the mate Father intended for me. Perhaps he wouldn’t be as horrible.
Or he could be worse.

My bedroom door slammed open, and my heart pounded in my chest. I closed my eyes, focusing on keeping my breathing slow and even. Father’s loud footsteps approached the bed, and I shoved down my fear. Maybe if he thought I was asleep, he’d leave.

If not, I wouldn’t be able to fight off his attack; not with my limbs firmly bound. Who was I kidding? When was I ever able to fight off his attacks? He scared me too much for me to even try most times.

His hot hand descended on my stomach, burning my skin through the blanket. He slid his hand over my belly button and toward my hips.

“William!” Mother shrieked. “Stop it!”

I opened my eyes, unable to keep them closed any longer.

Father darted a glance toward Mother and growled. “Get out of here, Katarina! Now!” He pulled away from me and stomped toward my mother.

“She’s your daughter. Don’t put your hands on your daughter like that. You already treat her poorly–”

A wrenching slap sent my mother careening out of the room. Father strode out, then slammed the door behind him. Screams sounded beyond the door, and I was helpless to do anything. The echoes of pummeling punches reverberated through my ears.

Tears streamed my cheeks. In a way, I wished I could’ve taken the brunt of Father’s wrath so she wouldn’t have to fall prey to it yet again.

The door opened again, and my eyes widened.

Chandra walked in and stared at me with hollow eyes. Bruises marred her complexion, and her lower lip was split open. Sighing, she shut the door after her. Her features twisted in pain as she limped across the floor of my bedroom. My cousin raised her arm back, then slapped me across the cheek.

“This is your fault.” Her voice matched her eyes. Empty. “I don’t know why Uncle William even tolerates you, you selfish bitch.” Pain contorted her face. “Don’t screw up the meeting with your mate. I doubt you deserve him, whoever he is. Aunt Katarina shouldn’t have stopped him; you’re the one he should target, not us. But maybe that’s for the best. No one would want you if you were ruined too.” She spun on her heel and left the room.

I couldn’t hold back my astonishment. How could she say that?
She’s angry and not thinking straight.
Maybe I did deserve the harsh words. No… I came home as soon as I could from Derek’s, regardless of the consequences, but my effort meant nothing. I was never good enough for them.

I bit my lip hard, holding back a scream. Tears cascaded down my cheeks. If I hadn’t been tied down, I might’ve left and never returned. The only person who cared about me was my mother. But how could she continue to love me when I caused her so much pain, even if it was through Father?

Sobs shook my chest. The pain in my shoulder felt like a mosquito bite compared to what filled my heart. I had outsmarted a vampire and jumped from his window while injured to come back to these people, and yet Chandra and my father would be just as happy if I had died. At least if that were the case, maybe my mother wouldn’t be abused like this. Maybe Father wouldn’t feel like he needed to beat her for truly loving me.

But what did Chandra mean about him ruining her? An ugly bruise stained her face, but surely there wasn’t anything more serious than that. Even as I tried to deny that Father could stoop to such a wicked level with Chandra, I wasn’t surprised. He beat Mother regularly, what stopped him from raping Chandra? If Mother hadn’t stopped him, he would’ve done the same to me, regardless of trying to find me a mate.

I wriggled against the ropes, trying to slacken them. If I were at my full strength, I could’ve broken through, but I’d only draw more attention to myself. Even if Father’s senses were dulling from age, he’d be able to hear that much commotion.

Instead, I stayed quiet and hoped Mother would loosen the bindings. Surely Dr. Matthews would be around soon. They wouldn’t keep me like this with the doctor set to arrive, would they?

I frowned and looked out the bedroom window again. At least Derek had been kind to me, even if being in his presence was hazardous to my health.

Father was just as dangerous to my sanity, after all.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Carmela

I opened my eyes to see Mother standing over me. Sunlight peeked through the window. Faint bruises still marred the skin of her face, neck, and arms. She worked a knife through the ropes that bound my wrist.

“I’m so sorry, dear. Your father is just stressed. Since you weren’t feeling well yesterday, he moved the visit with your mate to today. He’ll be here in a few hours. I’ll be helping you get ready.”

“What about Dr. Matthews? He said he’d check in on me.” I frowned and stared down at my hand, which had become red and slightly cool from constriction. Rubbing it against my leg, I watched her cut the bindings on my feet, relieved it was a new day.

“He came yesterday afternoon. Before...this.” She pointed to the ropes and sighed. “He said you seemed to be well enough, considering the circumstances. Dr. Matthews realizes how important it is for you to meet your mate. He’ll be back in a week to recheck your shoulder.” Mother attempted a smile but looked defeated. “There you go, sweetie.” She lifted me into her arms and slid me to the edge of the bed, then rubbed her hands over my feet and ankles.

Pinpricks of pain flowed through my hand and feet from the blood returning to them. “How are you?” I traced my fingers over the splint Derek had fitted me with.

“Oh, I’m fine, sweetie. Don’t worry about me. Today is your day to shine.” Mother hugged me gently and put a little more effort into her smile. If it weren’t for the bruises, she might have been convincing. However, hurt tightened the corners of her eyes, and I hated that.

I opened my mouth to argue with her, but what good would it do? Instead, I pushed my legs off the bed and stood, hoping I wouldn’t collapse to the floor. My legs shook, but at least I stayed upright. “Do you know who he is? My soon-to-be mate?”

“Yes, he’s a nice young man named Brendan Kelly. Comes from a
very
good family. You two will be happy together.” She nodded, a little too quickly. “Now, enough with the questions. We need to get you ready.” Mother took a hairbrush from my vanity and went to work on the tangles caused by being in bed for an extended length of time. Next, she set out a washing bowl with a washcloth in it. It wasn’t often we took actual baths.

Water was rationed, and only the very wealthy could afford to use the amount it took to fill a bath or, heaven forbid, take a shower. Instead, society had reverted to times when people merely sponged off. Didn’t make for excellent hygiene, but it was better than nothing.

I sat up and cooperated with Mother, getting ready for the big meeting everyone except me was excited for. I wanted to get away from Father; did it matter who the mate was?

Not really. Whoever it was wouldn’t care for me. He’d be someone who wanted to mate for lineage and political purposes. I hung my head, staring at the sling. It was crazy, and possibly Stockholm syndrome, but my feelings for the vampire were more than I’d had for anyone else.

I wondered if I was broken for feeling the way I did about Derek.

CHAPTER TWELVE

 

Derek

I stretched out on the spare bed Carmela had occupied while she’d been here. I could still smell her, still taste her in my mouth. I’d ended up having to lick her wound to stop it from bleeding so heavily after most of the fragments were removed. A vampire’s saliva coagulated blood so our prey wouldn’t bleed out completely. It’d been hard to stop at just a few swipes of my tongue, but I’d managed.

Unfortunately, the weaker of the two attackers hadn’t survived. I’d dumped the body before the sun came up, in one of the unguarded open graves where the poorest of the poor were discarded.

Tonight, I would repair the damage Carmela had done to my window, once the new one arrived. The High Council meeting was also this evening. Part of me wasn’t terribly excited about going, but after the attempted kidnapping, my curiosity was piqued. Had other council members been targeted too? If this wasn’t about council members, then it had to be an assault due to the werewolf. But if she’d said something to someone, werewolves would be attacking me, not a necromancer and a human. The
Cazador
? Hmm... They didn’t work with people gifted by the supernatural.

Nothing made sense.

I rubbed my hand over the stubble on my chin. If I knew the cause, I could handle whatever was going on. Ever since Carmela appeared, my life had been turned upside down and shaken like a snow globe.

I let out a sharp breath and held up my watch to read the time. Nearly six o’clock. I should be receiving the window any time now.

BOOK: Beneath the Broken Moon: Part One: Shifter/Vampire Romance
3.54Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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