Blood at Dusk: A Dark Vampire Paranormal Romance Novel (The SoulBlood Series Book 1)

by Brenna Harlow

  I lift it up and toward the tunnels. Click.

  No one is there, but the stones glitter again, and the tightness in my chest loosens my breath.

  My stomach isn’t aching with hunger pains anymore, but my movements are slow, unfocused. I have to find food or I’m going to die.

  Cece’s warnings from my dream blare through my mind like an incessant alarm. I will not fail my sister. She gave up her life for my measly existence. The least I could do is try.

  If I die trying, then at least I wouldn’t have let her down.

  Aldeon

  What do you make of this strange land? I ask.

  Brone is closer now, but even at my accelerated speed, it's taking too long. I'm eager to meet him, to greet anyone else other than the mad ones. They snarl and rip at the air with their hands.

  I saw one of them a few miles back. She was young, probably around the same age as my sister would be. Her hair was a thick mass of black tangles, and dried blood was smeared over her face. When I approached, her eyes were red and unfocused. She couldn't see me, too engrossed in the hunt for her next meal.

  I like the moon. They only have one of them, but it is bright and beautiful.

  I look up to the sky, but whatever moon may hang there is shielded by the arching branches from trees overhead. But it is visible to Brone, and I can see through his eyes that he is right. It is beautiful. Glowing and round, spotted with gray freckles on its surface.

  It is beautiful, but not as striking as the moons circling Azure. Even the tone in my head is strained. Azure is all I have ever known, and its memory must not be forgotten, even faced with the magnificence of this world.

  Our home is long gone. Its beauty and our minds both left to rot. His tone turns melancholic, and I retreat back to my own thoughts. I don't need any more reminders of what we’ve lost.

  My hand brushes against the thick bark of a nearby tree, and I pause. The rind is rough and calloused. Is this the first time my hand has stroked one of these trees, or have I only just now noticed? They're unlike the trees from home, where the trunks were slick and spongy to the touch. I dig my fingers into the crust, ready to peel it back and study its contents, when a scent as sweet as nectar wafts to my nose.

  I inhale, pulling as much of the aroma into my chest as possible. What is this?

  It could be one of the ferocious beasts, the ones with claws and dark fur, Brone suggests.

  I've been so engrossed in the tree, I almost forgot he was present in my mind. The sweet smelling musk is a mystery, and one I want to solve. Having company along the way feels like a game, or a group hunt, and the thought doesn't put me off as much as I expect.

  I want to know what it is. I push away from the tree and follow the direction of the smell, letting my nose guide me. I'm no longer hungry, but this scent is decadent and rich. I can't help but search for its origin.

  Trees blur past as I speed through the forest, bounding over babbling brooks and tickets of briars while being as noiseless as possible. The scent is so close that I can taste it on my tongue. The trees open up to a large slab of stone, a roadway. I stop. It's here.

  Quiet footsteps sound against the earth further ahead, and I run to catch up, remaining as stealthy as possible.

  My curiosity has piqued, Aldeon. What is this creature?

  I don't respond to Brone immediately. I'm too caught up in the aroma of the silhouette in front of me. I'm almost close enough to see the details the moon has so graciously illuminated.

  A silent breath whooshes from my lips when I see her. A crown of white hair is piled high atop her head, and she wears garbs made from strange materials that hug the slight curves of her waist. I slow my pace as she marches forward, unaware of my presence. I inhale deeply, pulling more of her scent into my lungs.

  An instinct I thought I'd ever experience floods my body. My heart pounds against my chest, tugging me toward her as my cock throbs in my pants.

  Mine.

  The urge to go and collect her crashes through me, and I begin to run after her. But when I get closer, so close she could hear me if I called out to her, I stop. She's craning her head around, trying to see every way at once. She hasn’t noticed me yet within the shadows. Her sharp movements, her scent, and the garments she wears all tell me one thing.

  She is one of them. One of the bloodletters.

  It can't be. Brone's shock filters through my mind, once again reminding me he hasn't gone anywhere. A growl reverberates from my throat. With all the force I can muster, I slam Brone out of my mind, locking him away with a mental shield.

  She is mine. He cannot have her. He should not have the luxury to look at her bewitching body, even if it is through my eyes.

  I'm not sure who she is, or how she has managed to stay alive this long. The fact that she is different from dhampirs may also be a problem.

  Her movements stay sharp, calculated. The moonlight shines down upon her straight back as she trudges down the road. I reach out with my mind and search for clues. Clues about who she is and how she thinks.

  I find very little resistance, but her thoughts are filled with strange words and spoken language unlike any I have heard before. I dig deep into her memories until I am able to decipher the meaning of each word, letter, and syllable.

  It’s almost too much to bear, and I hold in a groan of displeasure so the girl doesn’t hear me. Her people are more intelligent than I expected.

  Food. If I can find food, I can survive. Food. There has to be a store near here, somewhere to restock, and then I just have to worry about making it home. Her inner voice is harmonic, like water trickling through a brook.

  I am flooded with images. Images of her small cave and the darkness she sits in day after day. Images of my people, with crazed red eyes swirling as they tear into someone. Someone that she loved.

  Sorrow grips me, both hers and mine, squeezing my heart. I have caused this. My people.

  I should leave now. Turn around and never look back. This would be the right thing to do, the thing she would want. I turn away from her and rub the nape of my neck with trembling fingers. I've only just found her, and already, I’ve lost her.

  No matter how much I want to leave her alone, I cannot. The desire flowing through my veins, and the instinct to protect her... it's too much to ignore. Turning my back on her is not an option.

  As she walks, I follow her, remaining hidden in the shadows of the edge of the forest. I won't make myself known, not yet.

  Kora

  My legs feel like Jell-O. I wobble once as I study the pavement, but it's still solid and unmoving under my feet. My calves protest with each step, showing their disapproval at my current fitness level. I've been walking for miles, and for the last three months, I haven't taken more than a few laps around my cave.

  The sun dropped below the horizon half an hour ago. If I was smart, I would have left this morning, before my movements became sluggish and difficult to maintain.

  Dumbass.

  My stomach stopped growling hours ago, replaced with clammy hands and acute hearing. Every time the wind rustles something within the forest, my gut jumps to my throat. I have to remain alert, observant.

  The wind is brutally cold as it cuts against my face. I’m aware of each snap of twig and each squirrel that bounds from branch to branch. No vampires have shown their faces yet. If I see one, it's already too late.

  My neck is becoming stiff and sore from craning my head. I’m clinging to the hope that my streak of good luck lasts a little longer. If I can find a shop before one of them finds me, I can hide until morning, and hopefully, fill my belly in the process.

  The road is lit by nothing but the moon, and I gaze at it as I trek on. It’s beautiful, no matter what kind of Hell this world has turned into. The dark craters are visible now that there are no lights to pollute the night sky, and I smile, remembering how my mother used to see a face on its surface. I try to see the face now. It would be amazing to see features other than my own
, but no matter how hard I look, all I see are holes.

  I exhale and push forward. I have to find shelter soon. I’ve been exposed for too long.

  Nashville used to be a wonderful city. I remember the lights as my mom drove us into town to go shopping. We only ever visited for special occasions, but the memory is still vivid in my mind as if it were yesterday. The streets surrounding me have lost their former glory. Grass sticks up from the cracks in the road, and trash litters the ditches.

  When my sister and I fled our quaint mountain home for the city after Mom died, we thought we were going to find solace. Sanctuary. The military had to be functioning, right?

  Of course, we were wrong. We were wrong about a lot of things. “We’ll be okay. Someone will come for us, I promise,” Cece used to say. After a few weeks, she stopped trying to comfort me. Instead, we pretended things would be better if we just waited it out. Eventually, the vampires had to go away.

  The roads are eerily quiet. Before the world ended, there was pandemonium. I never noticed how much comfort I found in noise until it was gone, leaving me to deal with my thoughts in silence. What I wouldn't give for an iPod and power to charge it.

  The thoughts in my head quiet as a large shape looms in the distance. Street signs become more frequent, and a red Volkswagen Beetle with its passenger door ajar sits abandoned on the street ahead. I don't look inside as I pass. I've learned long ago how devastating the sight can be.

  Ahead, the massive structure becomes visible. It's an old department store, with a colossal nameplate hanging sideways on the concrete walls. My steps quicken as I take a right, off the road and into a large parking lot. Cars are parked in their spots between the white lines, some look untouched by time, while others sport massive dents and broken windows. I weave past all of them, my eyes trained on the door to the building.

  Almost there. The closer I get, the more details I notice. The store has some unsightly spray paint splattered all over one side, or is it blood? My eyes dart over the ground as my throat bobs with each heaving breath. Almost there. The double doors are made of glass, and I can see my unlit reflection as I approach. My white hair is made brighter with the glare of the moon.

  The building appears abandoned, but that doesn't mean it is. If someone is inside, then the threat of vampires lurking nearby heightens. They tend to stick close to their food. I pause, my hand midway to the door. A shudder creeps up my spine as I turn around to cast one last look at the outdoors.

  Goosebumps dot my arms. I’m being watched.

  You're just being paranoid. You haven't eaten in days. Go inside. Find food. I shake off my unease and tug at the door handle. It's unlocked, but releases a loud groan as uncoiled metal grates against itself, echoing through the air. I rush inside and close the door.

  In my haste, I crash against something hard and tumble onto the floor. The lightbulbs have long since burnt out, and I don't have my flashlight on hand. I stay as silent as I can as the sound of my fall resounds through the store.

  This is it. If someone is here, they've definitely heard me now. I count to ten, waiting for cold hands to close around my throat, but nothing happens. I release the breath I didn't know I was holding and reach for my backpack. I struggle with the zipper in the dark before finally claiming victory, fishing out my flashlight and switching it on.

  Marbled floors glisten against my light, and a fallen DVD rack lies toppled on its side. What kind of monster puts a DVD rack at the entrance of a department store? I groan as I rise to my feet, rubbing my aching elbow. Yup, that's definitely going to leave a bruise.

  I lift up my flashlight to illuminate rows of half-stocked shelves. A single thought consumes me. Food. I have to find food.

  Aldeon

  I keep to the shadows as she continues down the path. Every so often, her eyes linger over the darkness where I'm concealed, but she doesn't see me. Her thoughts are muddled with fear. She's terrified that she will be killed.

  Through her mind, I learn that her name is Kora. The word rolls over my tongue as I whisper it aloud, and I find I quite like the sound. Her thoughts stray to her life from before. Images of a small wooden structure nestled deep in the forest fill her mind. Home, she thinks. And then glowing orbs of light appear, and I realize she is imagining these streets as they were from before.

  Before I arrived. Before the dhampirs came and feasted on her people. I rake my hand through my hair and bow my head. If it weren't for me, her loved ones would still be breathing.

  A dwelling becomes visible further ahead. I notice it before my mate does, and reach out my mind in its direction, searching for anything resembling danger. Once I am satisfied that nothing inside can hurt her, I retreat back into Kora’s head. Her thoughts are all I have to comfort myself with as the realization that she can never be mine knots inside of my stomach.

  She hates me already. Her red hot fury for my people burns bright. No doubt she would kill me if she could. I've pondered it many times during this trek, and I always come back to the same conclusion. I must remain hidden, protecting her from afar while she lives out her life in relative safety. It's the only thing I can do to repay her for the damage dhampirs have brought to her land.

  So, I suffer in silence.

  I'm almost there. Just a few more steps and I'm safe.

  I want to tell her she will always be safe, from now until forever, but my rationality pulls me back. Kora cannot be mine. I tell myself those words over and over, like a chant drifting to the gods.

  Kora whips around, and I stand motionless in the shadows. Her heartbeat quickens at the same time mine does.

  Her cheekbones are set high upon her face, made more pronounced by her lack of substance. Her white hair billows around her face, framing wide blue eyes that swim with fear. She’s the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on.

  She lacks the uniform symmetry which we dhampirs pride ourselves on, but the freckles lining her cheeks and the dip of her nose create the most ethereal artwork I’ve ever seen. I cannot see how dhampir features could ever stand a chance against hers.

  Now that I have seen her face, I can never forget it.

  Kora turns away and slings herself into the building. She fears the night, and those who hide within the shadows.

  A loud crash sounds from inside. My breath whooshes from my lips as I run to the doors, prepared to rip them from their hinges if she is in trouble. My hair whips across my face as the wind picks up, and what can only be a second lasts for minutes. I watch through her eyes as she turns on her light device, and I deflate. She is safe.

  I exhale and back away from the door.

  Hello? Aldeon, where have you gone? Brone's voice echoes through my mind, momentarily distracting me from Kora's.

  I grit my teeth. He will not understand what has transpired tonight. He may even try to harm my mate. Fury builds in my chest as the paranoia grows. What if he is not a man of morals? What if he thinks of stealing my mate for himself? No. I won’t let it happen.

  Leave me alone. Go find another to chat with. My tone is swift and dismissive. He would be smart to pay attention to my words. I shield all images of Kora from my mind, just in case.

  His mind retreats without another word. Good. I reinforce what little I can of the mental shield I’ve constructed. If he really wishes to contact me, he can, but I will not remain open to small talk any longer, and my experiences will be shared with no other.

  Maybe the food aisle is in the back. Oh God, is that blood? Yes, that’s definitely blood. It’s old though, which means I’m still safe. I hope they went quickly.

  I watch as Kora shines her light stick down upon the glossy floor. She watches her legs most of all, so she doesn't trip again. She's been without food for longer than three days. Her species, humans, are not equipped to go without sustenance for much longer than that. Whereas my species would go mad after years of not eating, she would perish after a mere week.

  My beloved human is more delicate than I could
have ever imagined. Her bones are so fragile that they shatter as easily as a branch from a tree, and her body grows thin and weak without daily feedings.

  I will have to muster more than just brute strength if I’m going to protect her from afar. I’m going to need knowledge about this foreign land, and the humans that used to live here.

  Kora

  I lick my fingers clean from the last of the stale cookies, and discard the plastic sleeve on an empty shelf. My mind is becoming clearer, and the sugars from the sweets provide a rush of energy.

  I've hit the jackpot. The store is massive, and only half ransacked. Sure, there's blood on the floor in some places, and some very pungent smells coming from the employee break room, but it's void of vampires and I've found enough food to last me forever.

  There's no way I'll be able to take it all with me though. And I can't stay here. I learned very early on that when you remain in the open, even behind doors, you aren't secure.

  My cave has protected me so far, and it would be dumb for me not to return.

  I toss my backpack over my shoulder and begin walking down the aisles, dropping cans into my bag as I go. Carrots, beans, soups. Most of the perishables are rotten, but I find one more bag of bite sized chocolate chip cookies and a warm, dented can of soda.

  This must be what it feels like to win. I've been failing for so long at this surviving shit, but tonight... tonight is different.

  Once my bag is filled with as many cans as I can carry, I turn to the other side of the store. I need candles, batteries, clothes and medicine if I can find it.

  As I creep toward the towers of merchandise, my breath catches in my throat. Diapers and toys litter the center aisle, abandoned and forgotten. A ripped 'Merry Christmas' sign hangs above a stack of toys, toys that children never got under their tree. I swipe a tear off of my face. There's nothing I can do for them. Get it together, Kora.