The Forbidden: A Huntress Novel (The Huntress Series Book 1) (21 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Lucas and I walked hand in hand, as we grew closer to where he lived. A pond with ducks floating on the water was just outside the white and black Victorian house.

“I never would have imagined that your world could be more beautiful than mine ever could be.”

“That’s the thing with my sister though, she wants to make everything beautiful. She is more in touch with the witch in her.”

Loud music, laughter, and yelling could be heard from the house. Lucas and his sister must have some rowdy friends and that made me hesitant and nervous to even step foot in his home.

“I think I want to stay here.”

He exhaled. “I told her no guests tonight. Violet is a very social person, she loves to throw parties and have a good time. Tonight was not the night for a party, she’s definitely going to hear my mouth.”

“Lucas, I’m not going in there.”

“I wouldn’t have brought you here if I thought your life was threatened.

They know better than to lay one finger on you. It will be fine.”

“Remember what I said about burying me under the most beautiful tree.”

He laughed. “Athena, you’re safe with me.”

“I hope so,” I mumbled.

He squeezed my hand. “Your hands are sweaty.”

“Of course they are. I’m out of my comfort zone.”

He opened the front door and pulled me into the house. There were vampires everywhere and they sure the hell noticed my presence right away.

Even though they smelled that there was a human here, they still kept a distance. I knew it was because Lucas was by my side, if he wasn’t they would try to play with me. Maybe even thrust me into an unwanted fight.

Lucas interrupted a couple who was sitting on the foyer bench making out and sucking the blood from one another. “Leave, now. Go take that crap to your own house.”

They scowled his way, got up and walked out of the house in a speed that only immortals and hunters can experience.

I gasped as I saw a body lying on the foyer table with a couple of vampires surrounding her as they sucked her dry. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I have never seen an immortal feed on their prey before and there was nothing I could do to stop them.

Lucas turned around and redirected me toward the sitting area.

I shook my head in disgust. “They were killing her!”

“You weren’t supposed to see that.”

I stepped down the few steps it took to enter the sitting area. Long, thin, lit white candles floated overtop the mantle of the fireplace.

A stocky brown haired male swung himself back and forth, as he clung to a big crystal chandelier. Vampires who crowded on the couch laughed away as he made a fool out of himself.

“Jeremy, you get down from there!”

A pixie looking girl wearing black nylons and a figure fitting short, red dress came to stand beside me. Her hair was the color of violet and she had aquamarine blue eyes.

The chandelier fell from the ceiling as the boy came crashing to the floor. Shards of crystals shattered on the hardwood floor.

Pixie girl growled and stormed over to Jeremy grabbing him by the ear forcing him on his feet. “That’s it, out of my house!”

“Oh, come on Violet, I was just having some fun.”

She pressed her pointed finger to his chest. “That is the third time you broke something of mine tonight. Out. Now!”

He shook his head and used his super speed to exit the house.

“So that’s your sister.”

“In the flesh. Her name is Violet. Feisty little thing, isn’t she?”

His sister leaned down and placed her hand over the broken chandelier. The broken crystals that were scattered around flew across the floor as her power mended the chandelier back together making it as good as new again.

My brows shot up in surprise. “Wow,” I breathed.

“That’s only one of her powers.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Is Violet her actual name or do people call her that because of her hair color?”

“Yeah, Violet is her actual name. She’s a brunette like I am, but she turns her hair Violet using her magic.”

He grabbed my hand and walked over to his sister. “Hello, Violet. Are you done ignoring us now?”

She folded her arms as she pursed her lips. “Well now that you’re right in front of my face, what choice do I have.”

She scowled at me as she stared me up and down. “I forgot you were bringing the enemy here.”

“Which explains why you have a house filled with friends after I specifically told you no parties while Athena was here.”

She shrugged and smiled sweetly. “I thought I would throw a party to celebrate your union.”

He rolled his eyes. “Nice try.”

A girl with long, wavy blond hair put her arm around his waist pressing her body against his. Taking in her attire, she was wearing a blue silk bustier top and a black short skirt.

I folded my arms and glared her way, there was no way she was standing that close to him dressed like that. I had a bad feeling about her, she was here to cause trouble.

“Lucas, you’re back.”

Lucas’s eyes widened slightly as he glanced my way, uncomfortable he removed her arms and stepped back. “Hey, Lyla. It’s nice to see you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I bet it is nice to see her.”

She smiled and poured what I assumed was blood into her crystal champagne glass. “Athena, right? Would you like some blood?” She held out the glass.

I clenched my fists together as my reaper tattoo began to sting. My temper was triggering the change. Lucas’s presence has stopped me from changing around his kind so far, but I don’t think he’ll be able to stop this one.

Lyla was getting under my skin and she knew she was succeeding just by the way she looked at me.

“No,” I said through clenched teeth.

“Knock it off, Lyla.” Lucas said.

She laughed and threw her arm around his shoulder. “I’m just kidding.”

The blood from the wine bottle spilled out all over Lucas’s shirt and because there were no buttons on his shirt the blood ran down his chest and wet his pants. She put the bottle and champagne glass on the sitting area glass table and ran her hands over his chest.

“I can help you get out of these wet clothes.” She smirked and looked my way.

Lucas’s eyes widened. “Your eyes are changing.”    

“Then let the reaper come out and play. You will be our entertainment for the night.” Lyla said.

Lucas grabbed her hands and pushed her away. “I think you should leave, Lyla. If you stay, you will get your ass handed to you. I promise.”  

My heart raced as my body shook from the raging fire Lyla had lit within me. I was furious. I could no longer keep the change from fully happening. I wanted my reaper to come out and put her in her place. Lyla had no business touching what didn’t belong to her and I would have fun teaching her to keep her hands to herself.

I grabbed Lyla by the arm spinning her around and backhanding her. She went flying across the room hitting into the wall.

Lucas gasped and yanked me up by the arm as he looked at Violet in fear. “Don’t do it!” He yelled.

She glared and swung her arm. A gush of air knocked into me and both Lucas and I went soaring into the air and crashing into a glass mirror on the wall. As I got to my feet Violet was already in front of me waiting for me to stand. Her hand flew up and grabbed my throat. Lyla came flying at me through the air, her fangs bared and her hands up ready to claw at my face.

Lucas grabbed her neck before she could get to me and slammed her through the glass table.

My eyes widened as Violet’s fangs inched closer to my face. I grabbed the back of her neck and rammed my knee in her stomach. Her body tensed as she let out a growl, shoving me against the wall she picked up a piece of glass from the floor. Thrusting her weapon at my chest, I grabbed onto the glass wincing as it cut into the skin of my palm. I could feel my blood run down my hand and drip to the floor as I fought against her strength, preventing her from piercing my chest. I shoved my foot in her stomach pushing her backward as I yanked the glass from her hand and cut her across her cheek. She gasped and held onto her cut, glaring my way she fisted her shaking hands and swung at my face. Grabbing her hand, I twisted her arm and she went flipping forward and landing on her behind.

Vampires all around swarmed in on me. Their eyes were filled with hunger and lust for my blood. My stomach twisted in knots as I looked around at all of the immortals that surrounded me preventing me from escaping. There were too many vampires to fight off and I knew I was just about dead.

Lucas yanked one of the males that boxed me in and broke his neck. “If you don’t want this to happen to you, then I suggest everyone leave from my home!”

They slowly backed away from me, their eyes glued on Lucas. Turning around they all ran for the door as they cleared the house as quickly as they could.

Hearing a growling sound behind me, I turned around and gaped at the brunette male on his knees licking my blood up from the floor. Lucas picked up a piece of glass from the floor and yanked the boy up by his hair as he stabbed him in the neck. He picked him up by his shirt and threw him out of the house.

“I want your friend out of my house.” Lucas said as he pointed to Lyla who laid unconscious in the middle of the broken glass table.

“Are you sure you didn’t kill her?” Violet asked.

“She’s not dead. She’s lucky she isn’t dead.”

Violet sighed as she looked down. “I’m sorry.”

“Save it. Since when is it a priority of yours to protect Lyla?”

Violet’s scowling eyes found me. “Since the reaper attacked my kind.”

“The reaper’s name is Athena and she only attacked because Lyla provoked her.”

“How long are you going to stay angry?”

“As long as I want to. You promised me that no matter how much you despised her you would protect her. I’m disappointed in you and it makes me wonder if I can trust you at all.”

“You can.”

“Prove it.”

He grabbed my arm and took me upstairs to his bedroom. The inside wall was aquarium gave his room light as we walked inside. Chester was sitting on his bed stalking the fish that swam around the tank with his eyes.

Lucas grabbed my hand and began licking the blood from my wound. I winced as his tongue made my cut sting. Squeezing his eyes shut, his hold on my arm tightened as he fought his craving for my blood.

“Are you okay?”

He let out a breath and sat down on his bed. His body shook and his hands balled into fists from depriving his body of my blood. Looking down at my hand, I watched as my skin sealed back together.

His saliva really could heal any wound and it had me wondering if he could heal Eli.

I sat beside him feeling his body tense beside me. He was uncomfortable with me being this close and I should have moved away but I didn’t. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me.

“Will you do something for me?”

“If it has anything to do with me killing my sister, then the answer is no.”

I scoffed. “Oh god, I’m not that ruthless.”

“Okay, so what is it?”

“Would you sneak into the manor and heal my friend? He’s in a coma and my dad is ready to take him off of his machines.”

“That’s an internal wound. My saliva can’t heal that type of injury. My venom can though.”

I shook my head. “No way.”

“Well, how important is he to you.”

“I cannot let you turn my friend into an immortal. I would be forcing him to be someone he hates.”

“It’s the only way to save him. Would you be able to live with yourself knowing that there was a way to save him, but you let him die?”

I narrowed my eyes. “That’s not fair. You know it goes against our beliefs.”    

“But you will have to live with guilt. I just want you to make sure you’re not going to regret your decision.”

I threw myself back on the bed and groaned.

I can’t make a decision. I don’t want Eli to die, but I can’t see him becoming an immortal. He wouldn’t be a reaper anymore. He would be a vampire who lusts after blood. No, that’s not Eli at all…I can’t let him turn into a monster.

“Athena, do you love me?”

“You know I love you.”

“Well, I am a vampire and you fell for me. I proved to you that I wasn’t evil and if you allow me to change him he will still be the same Eli.”

“But he would survive on blood.”

“That’s the only negative factor here.”

I closed my eyes and sighed. I couldn’t believe what I was about to say, but Lucas was my only hope in helping my friend.

“Okay, I will let you turn him.”

His eyes widened in shock. “Really?”

I exhaled and folded my arms. “Yes, really. It’s going to have to be soon or else I will change my mind.”