Blood At Dusk
The Soulblood Series
Brenna Harlow
Contents
Title Image
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Afterword
Pre-Order Book Two
Author’s Note
About the Author
Copyright © 2021 BRENNA HARLOW
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Edited by Black Lotus Editing (Dani Black). Cover designed by GetCovers.com.
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To seek written permission to use contents email: [email protected]
To my light, Violet.
To my Rock, Brandon.
And to my biggest cheerleader, Winter.
Thank you.
Kora
My fingers dig through my bag, searching for the smooth metal of my only friend. I find the pistol easy enough and pull it out. The silver finish glints against the flickering light of my candle as I rub my palm over the grip, comforting myself with the touch.
Sliding the barrel under my chin, I place my finger on the trigger. I don’t cry tonight. I don’t cry at all anymore. This is my ritual, and mine alone.
Completely alone.
I exhale, bring the gun down, and stuff it into my backpack. I wrap my arms around my chest.
Coward.
This wasn't weakness. This was a curse. The curse of being the luckiest girl in the world. I doubt many others have managed to survive this long. I only wish that I was released from the agonizing grip of this nightmare like the rest of humanity was.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The constant trickle of wetness as it falls into the collection pool is driving me mad. Sometimes, the droplets sound like people, screaming for someone to save them. I cover my ears with my hands, rocking back on the heels of my feet.
It’s dark inside the cave I call home. The light from my candle barely allows enough visibility for me to see my arm when it's stretched out in front of me. I snatch my flashlight off of the smooth stone floor, aiming it toward the tunnel that leads to the entrance of my dwelling.
Click.
There’s nothing there but smooth rock, and the stalagmites glisten as the light hovers over them. The tightness in my chest loosens just enough for me to breathe deeply again, and then I switch the light off. I only have one more pack of batteries and I can’t afford to waste them.
Spending days alone inside of this cave affects me more than I'd like to admit, so instead of going insane, I daydream. Memories of my mother fill my mind, and I lose myself in the visions.
I watch my mother's face brighten with a smile as she pulls her cardigan around her shoulders, dancing as she waves a smoking stick of sage over the house. She places shining geodes on top of our mantle for good luck, stating that we'll need it soon. Fleetwood Mac blares on our old record player as she rids our house of negativity, boasting about her hippie days in Bali as she tousles her messy curls. She looks down at me like I’m the reason for her joy.
Suddenly, my chest feels too tight, and I turn the flashlight on again, aiming it toward the tunnels. No one is there, but the twinkle of the stones slow my heart once more.
I sit up in bed, throwing my blanket off my lap. My bed isn't much of a bed at all, really. It's a pile of old t-shirts and whatever else I could find in the gift shop that once operated outside of this cave, leading tourists inside to marvel at the beauty of the cavern walls. I'm lucky to have as much as I do, really. Lord knows I've been dealt worse hands.
Pacing seems like a better option than lying in bed all day, so I walk from one end of the cavern to the other. I'm not sure how many months have passed since the vampires arrived, bringing death and destruction to everything they touched, but the seasons have turned and it's beginning to get cold again. A chill wafts through the tunnel, and I hug my arms to my chest.
Not good. Not good at all.
Cece would have known what to do about this. She'd have a plan for the cold weather. Maybe she'd start a fire, or try to insulate the makeshift door that covers the entrance to the cave. My sister's mischievous smile appears behind my eyelids, and I push my fingers against my temple.
No. I won't think about her.
Boom.
I stand perfectly still as the sound echoes through the cave from outside. Blood pounds in my ears as moments pass in silence. I hold my breath as I wait for something else to happen. Surely if something were outside, they would find my cave and drag me out kicking and screaming. When nothing comes, I back away to my bed, keeping my footsteps as light as possible.
It must have been a tree falling. Yep. That has to be it. I squeeze my eyes closed, willing sleep to take me. At least if I slept, I didn't have to deal with paranoia.
When my mind refuses to quiet down, I give in to the thoughts. I think about my past, about my first year at University, and losing my virginity to that shithead, Jason. When those thoughts become too painful, I replay my favorite movie in my head, changing the script to the way it should have been written.
Eventually, sleep does come, and I welcome it.
Aldeon
I'm lying on the damp forest floor when the first sane thoughts float into my mind. Instead of blood, I think about the trees, and how completely different they are from the saplings of my home planet. Long gone are the purple willowy leaves and rust colored bark, replaced by deep browns and greens. After the thought leaves me, I remember who I am. Why I am.
I am Aldeon, dhampir of Azure. My mother is Jansle and my father is Far. My sister, Arlee, has gone to become a Scholar in the Great Halls of Knowledge. Or at least she was, before famine came and swept them all away. Swept me away.
My fingers trace over the ground, feeling the differences between my world and this one. The biggest one I notice is the dry leaves are itchy against my skin. This planet is not my own. I gaze up at the blue sky, trying to piece together all that is lost.
The blood supply was depleted, and I was so famished that no amount of begging would soothe my aching stomach. Years passed, filled with crazed thoughts and darkness. What has changed?
I stand to my feet, dusting off my old garbs and pulling twigs from my long black hair. The wind wh
istles through the trees, and I look up in amazement. Though the sight is different, the sounds remain the same as home.
Home. This is not your home.
I stumble through the dense thicket of trees, not sure where I’m going. I don't know this landscape, though flashes of memories hit me with each step. Images of myself in the depths of my madness, sweeping through villages and drinking warm blood. I gulp and halt my steps.
That couldn't be right. Surely no life as advanced as my own could live on this world. The blood I drank could not have come from a sentient being. But yes, I remember their faces clearly. I remember their hands reaching out for someone to save them.
The muscles in my jaw tighten as I dispel the images from my head. What is done is done. The tide has turned now. I have to put the past behind me and find more of my people. By now, others had to have awoken from their haze.
Hello, is there anyone there? I call out with my mind, as I still and listen patiently. If there are other dhampirs near me, they will hear. But I wait for endless minutes, and no one returns my call. So instead, I reach out with my own mind, searching.
BloodbloodbloodHUNGERblood
Redredreddrinkdrinkrip
BloodBLOODbloodbloodbloodbloodHUNGERblood
Redredreddrinkdrinkrip
BloodBLOODblood
They are not back to themselves. None of them. My heart sinks as I come to the realization that I might be the first to have recovered from the madness, from the hunger.
I continue to walk the lands, crossing rivers and boulders as I go. Droplets of water trickle down branches and splatter against unfurling green moss as I travel. A beauty that would never have been seen by my people if we hadn't arrived here. I stop again, resting my hand against a coarse rock.
How did I get here? No memories surface to answer my question, only darkness and the desolate land of Azure, and then light, and bodies, and blood. I struggle to break free from the memories of the people as a sinking knot settles deep in my gut.
I don't have the answers right now, so I'll have to find others. Surely someone else knows what has gone on. We couldn't have gotten here on our own, not while consumed by our insanity.
I call out with my mind again. Is there anyone there? Has anyone returned to their whole minds yet?
The silence stretches on for an eternity, and I raise my foot to continue forward. Before I hit the ground again, another answers my call.
Brother... I am here.
Though I can hear him clear as day, the connection is weak. He is miles away, but regardless, my delight over speaking to another person can't be squashed. Brother. Have you recovered from your hunger?
Another long pause stretches before us, and I wonder if he isn't as well as I hoped. Maybe he still longs for blood.
Not anymore. I've just feasted on the last of the four legged creatures. I don't imagine I'll want another drop of blood for a while. What of you? Are you well?
I shake my head before realizing that he cannot see it. No. I am well. But there are others who are still lost to the hunger. Sadness lingers at that thought, and I try to push it away. There is no time for despair right now. I have found another! Which of the four legged creatures did you have? Hoof or claw?
I remember my last days in this forest before the haze lifted, and of my most recent meal. The poor being didn't stand a chance against me. It was sizable and covered in brown fur, with claws as sharp as talons. The beast was too slow. Its life ended quickly.
It was hoofed, with horns. He sends me a mental image of the being, and I watch through his eyes as he stalks the fauna through the dark woodland.
Feeling the pull of his mind, I switch direction toward his location. Sooner or later, we will find each other, and once the others recover, we will start our own village.
Twigs snap underfoot as I walk, and the wind breezes through my hair, giving me the slightest of comforts. Perhaps this strange land will be good for us. After all, we are alive. There are beasts in these forests, and more blood to hunt here. We could start anew.
A rust colored stone catches my eye, and I seize it from the forest floor. I examine it under the light that filters down through the trees. The materials look strikingly similar to the rocks on Azure, but held at an angle, this one shimmers and sparkles. I toss it back to the ground and continue forward.
What is your name, Brother?
I step over a fallen tree, covered in green moss and vegetation. A small, big eared animal scampers away as I draw near.
Brone. And you?
I look up to the sun, shielding my eyes with my hand. It's unduly bright and yellow white in color, nothing like the red sun that lit the days in Azure.
You may call me Aldeon.
Kora
“You know, getting your ass kicked out here doesn’t have to be so depressing,” Cece says.
We’re sitting in our previous shelter, the abandoned basement of an old church. Back then, we laughed about the vampires, and how it seemed that we would be safe under the watchful eye of our Lord and Saviour. Deep down, we both knew that whatever gods we used to believe in didn’t exist. They never did.
“Yeah, well, how would you recommend I live the rest of my miserable life? Happy?” I snort.
As Cece takes a stick and nudges the can of beans being heating over the fire, her golden locks slide over her shoulder. Before we lost everything that mattered, I was jealous of her beauty. My venom vanished after the world went black, and she morphed into a reminder of home, and of Mom.
I was the black sheep of the family, with hair so white, people joked about me being albino. I wasn’t. I just looked like my father. That’s what Mom said, but all I had of him was a black and white photo of him taken inside of a booth at the theater. I burned the photo a year ago, after Mom died in the first attack, leaving me and Cece alone. He wasn’t there to protect her, and I’ll never forgive that offense.
“I don’t know. Maybe you could enjoy what time we have left? What’s the use if we just mope and bitch all day long?” Cece blows out a long breath as she uses two sticks to gently lift the can of beans off the fire. She wraps a worn t-shirt around the can and digs in with a spoon, moaning. I roll my eyes.
“Here, do you want some?” Cece offers me the wrapped can, but I turn away.
I hear her sigh, but I’m too busy staring at the door that’s been boarded over in front of us. Cece doesn’t know it yet, but two vampires will tear through that door, rip her away from me, and drink her dry. I will be silent, terrified of turning their attention to myself, before running out the doors as Cece dies.
But she doesn’t know that yet. She just plops another spoonful of beans into her mouth.
“You have to eat,” Cece says.
The can slams down onto the basement floor front of me and look up at my sister, alarmed.
“Be quiet! They’ll hear you!” I whisper.
Cece snickers and leans back on her elbows. She tilts her head back and relaxes into the pose, closing both eyes.
“We both know I’m already dead.” Her voice is barely audible against the sound of my heart thumping against my breastplate.
I hang my head as tears sting my eyes.
“I’m so sorry.” My hands shake as I wipe sweat from my temple, but I suppress the sobs that threaten to escape my throat. Once they’re released, I'll be lost to the grief and unable to gaze at my beautiful sister. The strong one. The one who should have survived.
“Don’t be.”
I turn my head towards her, brows furrowed, and she’s smiles.
“I never wanted this.” She gestures at the scraps of humanity scattered around us. Busted glass liters the floor, and empty cans encircle the fire. “I just wanted to be free of fear, and now I am.” She leans her head back, the easy smirk returning.
“But I ran. I left you.” I don’t understand how she’s so calm at the talk of her death. Does it not matter to her that she’s gone? And she left me… alone.
Cece
sits up. “I think we both know you had no other choice.”
“I could have stayed. Fought for you,” I reply, lowering my gaze to my hands.
“You would have died.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the tears away.
“Which is why I’m here, Kora. I love you. We both love you. And you need to fight. To eat.”
I open my eyes, blinking rapidly as the tears well, leaving everything blurry. I rub them away. I need to see her face.
Cece is inches from me, so close that I can feel her hot breath on my cheek. Her hands grip my knees and I grab them, squeezing tight so that I can memorize each touch.
“Please, don’t leave me.”
Cece flashes her dazzling white teeth. “I never did. But you need to wake up. You have to find food. Now.” She starts to pull away, and I scream as I wrench her back.
“No! Kora, you have to stop! Stop, and get the fuck up and survive.” Cece grabs me by the arms and shakes, whipping my head with her movements.
“You have to find food.”
I sit up, shaking. It’s pitch black, and I reach out to my right and touch the damp wall.
The cave.
I slide my hand across the grainy floor and feel for my flashlight. My chest flutters as I grip the handle.
Blood at Dusk: A Dark Vampire Paranormal Romance Novel (The SoulBlood Series Book 1) Page 1
