by Maya Daniels
Rovesciamento
Overthrown
Maya Daniels
Copyright © 2019 by Maya Daniels. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references, real places, real events, or real persons names and/or persona are used fictitiously. Everything in this story comes from the author’s imagination and any similarities, whatsoever, with events both past and present, or persons living or dead, are purely coincidental.
Cover design by J. Munswami, J.M Rising Horse Creations
Interior design by Jessica Allain
Edited by Cassandra Fear
Italian translation by Irene Tassistro
If you are unable to order paperback copy of this book from your local bookseller, you may contact the author at [email protected] or visit the website
www.authormayadaniels.com
Contents
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
From the Author
Also by Maya Daniels
April
Sunsets should be beautiful.
Watching the sky turn shades of reds, purples, and oranges while allowing yourself to finally take a deep breath and let the day wash over you should be something to look forward to. I hadn’t felt that since I was small enough to sit on my mother's lap when she enjoyed her cup of tea before putting me to bed. That never changed. Even today, as the bright orb slowly disappears on the horizon, I still don’t feel that peace.
I feel dread instead.
Immortality sucks.
Being a monster sucks even more.
“Your name is April.”
Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I can clearly see my heart jackhammering against my ribcage, the fabric of my shirt fluttering with it. Wiping trembling hands on my thighs, gripping the denim at the seams, I almost convince myself.
Almost.
Who is this person staring back at me?
Bile rises in my throat, and I swallow thickly, refusing to let it get to me. I will show no weakness. Reminding myself sternly, I jump out of my skin when I see in my reflection that my lips are peeled back and fangs as long as my pinky are displayed in a feral snarl.
“Your name is April!” Squaring my shoulders, I push the words through clenched teeth, the sound of ripping fabric accompanying it. “God damn it.” Glaring at the shredded jeans thanks to the vicious claws that are my hands now, I blow a breath through pursed lips, deflating like a popped balloon. “Another pair of pants ruined.”
Until a few days ago, I owned one pair of pants for as long as I can remember. Now, I’m going through them like there is no tomorrow because I have no control over my body. Fangs and claws pop out at random times, scaring the shit out of me. One day I’ll end up poking my eye out, not that it’ll matter. It’ll grow back again like I was never injured in the first place.
My hand goes to my neck, tracing the smooth skin that used to be an appalling scar. Now it’s perfectly smooth, like it never existed. Even that they took from me—my reminder that I can survive anything the monsters throw my way.
You are a monster, too. The stupid voice in my head never misses a chance to remind me of that.
Clear skin stretches over my high cheekbones, dark eyebrows arching like they’ve been painted over my long, thick lashes. My dark brown eyes look almost black now, the pupil barely visible at their center. Seeing my lips look so cushiony and as naturally red as they are now surprises me. Staring at the ideal version of myself, I keep blinking, thinking it’ll go back to how I used to be. It doesn’t. I’m looking like the perfect predator, just like the rest of them. A devil with an angelic face.
“What are you doing?”
With a hiss that pebbles my skin, I jump a few feet further into the large bathroom, ending up in a crouch on all fours. Marcus is leaning his meaty shoulder on the doorframe, his arms folded across his chest as he watches me like I’ve lost my mind. To my horror, I hiss at him again, baring my fangs that are throbbing in my mouth. His eyes flash with a hunger that he hides behind an emotionless mask.
Pushing off the tiles with great effort, I flare my nostrils in hopes to calm down. His scent fills my lungs, viral male mixed with the lust he is trying to hide. The monster in me pokes her head out, pushing against the rational part of my brain, wanting to get her hands on him and do hideous things. I will be dead before I let her do it.
“I’m reminding myself that whatever this is”—Waving my clawed hand to indicate my person, I lift my chin up—”it’s only temporary.”
My fingers twitch with the urge to slap him so hard it makes me shake. Then his dark eyebrow curls up in an arch. He can be an ass as much as he likes. Whatever happened when they tricked me, into becoming just like them didn’t exactly work in their favor. Well, not entirely, anyway.
I might be an insatiable creature with a hunger that scares Sebastian enough to steer clear of me, but that’s only from sunset to sunrise. When the sun starts coming out, I’m back to my old self, minus the fangs and claws, but beggars can’t be choosers. As long as I’m human, I’ll take that and wing it.
“Why are you here?” Watching him suspiciously, I don’t dare get any closer. I can feel the sun is more than halfway gone.
“You’ll need to feed.” His words sound almost clinical, but my perception is very keen now, and I see the excitement in him at that idea.
“I won’t feed on you.” Like hell to the no, but I don’t tell him that. I can barely hold control over myself now. I don’t want to think what will happen if my mouth is pressed on his skin.
My mouth waters, images of tangled bodies, silky sheets, and the enticing smell of sex and blood slam my senses, rocking me on my heels. He needs to get the hell out of my sight. Like yesterday.
“Sebastian is still too weak, so if you feed on him, you’ll kill him, little one.” Taking a step inside the luxurious bathroom that is now my life, his hand lifts slightly, as if he will try and shake some sense into my stubborn head.
Tough chance that.
“And I should care about that why exactly?” Inching further away from him, I keep the distance.
“Everything he did was for the greater good, April. If you stop being so bullheaded, you’ll see that it’s true.” The disappointment in his gaze bothers me, but I remind myself that he is Sebastian’s friend, not mine.
“Greater good for who, you asshole?” I’m more pissed off at myself for getting in this situation th
an I am at him but whatever. He can deal with it. “I was perfectly fine before you ruined my life!”
“That was a life you had?” His beautiful face twists in anger, “Living like an animal in tunnels and sewers, feeding yourself from dumpsters, and sleeping with rats?”
“Whose fault was that?” Before he can blink, I’m in his face, our noses almost touching. “Who made sure that I had to live like that, huh? Who took my family and my life from me?”
“We gave you a chance to stop them and get revenge. You are barking up the wrong tree.” Pushing his chest to mine, he leaves no space between us. “You stood no chance if we didn’t find you. You would’ve been dead within a year if we hadn’t.”
“It was not for you to make that choice for me.”
I feel the sliding of the fangs in my gums, and I’m powerless to stop it. They extend, the sharp points nicking my lower lip and flipping the switch in my brain. April is pushed into a dark corner of my mind, curling up and closing her eyes so she doesn’t witness my deprived actions for the next twelve hours. I can’t blame her for that. Power surges through my veins, hunger roaring like an inferno in my belly. And blood smelling like an old wine is right under my flaring nostrils.
Marcus locks his gaze with mine, and I can see fear flickering behind his dark eyes. My lips curl slowly at that, and my hands shoot out fast, gripping his shoulders when he tries to step away. When his Adam’s apple bobs up and down, his face is bathed in a red haze in my enhanced vision. With a wicked smile, I open my mouth and strike like a viper.
“Andrei!”
Marcus roars and my husky laugh as I gulp down his blood makes his skin pebble with goosebumps. Call for help little mouse, call for help. After that thought, all I know is the taste of his blood.
Blinking lazily, I move my stiff arms and legs to bring some sense into them, but it feels like needles are stabbing me all over my body. Light penetrates the crack under the closed door of the closet where I’m curled up in a ball. It’s how I find myself every dawn.
Dread gnaws at my stomach while I inspect my body for any indication that the monster inside me had a lot more fun last night than I dare admit. To my relief, apart from my stiff arms and legs and sore back from being curled up too long in the corner of the closet, I don’t feel tender anywhere else. Disaster averted for one more night.
Blowing a breath through pursed lips, uncurling from the thick cream carpet with a wince, I roll my neck. Twelve hours of daylight give me time to search for answers on how to get back to my old self. Not that it’s possible even if you try. That snide voice in my head reminds me of the futility of my dreams. Pushing it away, I inch closer to the solid wood door, pressing my ear on it. Even with heightened senses, the rest of my roommates, as I’d like to call them, can be very stealthy, like freaking cats padding around the penthouse on the carpeted floor. Not even the wooden parquet helps to hear them.
Freaky as hell.
Holding my breath, I strain to hear anything. Silence meets my eardrums, relaxing my muscles into a puddle. Limbs trembling, I press my forehead on the door and close my eyes, letting a prayer float through my mind. Please, God. Please let me find a way to get out of this nightmare I found myself in. I know I’m unworthy and have done many things in my life not to deserve your mercy. I will do better. I swear on my life. Please just help me. Tears prickle my closed eyelids, but I grind my teeth, pushing them away. I will not break down. Not now.
With great effort, I push away from the warm wood under my palms, straightening my shoulders. I hide in this closet for some reason when the monster in me comes to life, but I’m not going to hide while she is asleep. I’ll fight her with everything in me or die trying. That’s the plan anyway, the only one I’ve got for now. The hanging clothing around me feels like a menacing witness to my internal declaration, their stillness like an accusing finger between my shoulder blades.
The soft breeze of fresh air stirs the tiny hairs around my face when I soundlessly open the door. Sebastian’s bedroom is bathed in the warm glow of the morning sun through the parted drapes on the window, giving it a calm, inviting feel. I still hesitate at the open closet door. I can feel the presence tugging at the center of my chest without seeing it. Eyes darting around looking for shadows or silent predators lurking in corners, my fingers grip the doorframe, cracking the wood and plaster like styrofoam.
“I won’t move from here. Come out April.” Sebastian’s deep accented voice causes tingles in my lower belly, making me clutch the doorframe harder.
“Why are you here?”
Hating that I sound breathless and timid, I bite my lips so hard the taste of blood coats my tongue. Giddiness flutters inside me at that, but I breathe through it. I guess my prayers were left unheard, again. The last person I want near me decided to invite himself into my space. Well, his space if I'm honest, but I claimed it after he turned me into this monster.
“You can’t keep hiding while you are calm enough to talk, my redemption.” From the corner of my eye, I see him push off the bedroom door to my right. “Your transformation is not like the others. Not that I expected you to be like the rest of us.” A tired smile lifts just the corners of his full lips, tightening my stomach when I turn my head to look at him. “Be that as it may, we need to find a way to deal with it, together. I hate to see you suffer so.”
“That’s fucking rich, Sebastian!” Anger moves my feet, taking me to the middle of the bedroom. “’I hate to see you suffer so.’” Mimicking his deep voice, I sneer the words in his face. “You did this to me, you monster! I’m a creature just like you because you wouldn’t leave me alone. And I fell for your schemes like a moron.” Humorless laughter bubbles up, sounding harsh to my own ears. “The stupid little girl thought she would save you. I deserve all the suffering I get, and then some.”
Sebastian winces.
Shaking my head at the pathetic idiot that I am, I turn my back on him, walking up to the window and yanking the drapes open. He hisses and pulls away, plastering his tall frame on the bedroom door. The only place in the room left in somewhat of the shadows. Steam curls up where his legs are covered in daylight, making me grin like a fiend at him over my shoulder.
“My redemption, please. Hear me out. I’m not your enemy. You know this!” Slinking out of the room, he stands in the shadows of the hallway, his pleading words twisting my heart into a thick knot.
“There is nothing you can say to fix this.” Looking away from him, I stare unseeing through the window at the city stretching in front of me. “All your words are like a slow killing poison. Sweet and tempting until they stopped my heart.” Pressing a hand at the center of my chest, the thumping of the organ under the pads of my fingers betrays my lie. “It just didn’t work out so well for you, did it? Your treachery bit you in the ass, so deal with it.”
“I did what I had to do so we all survive this cruelty that was thrust upon us, and you know it.” I turn to look at him when, snapping at me, he leans forward, his arms trembling with his anger where he grips the walls. “You are just too stubborn to see it. No,”—Raking his eyes over me in disappointment, his lips curl up, displaying his descended fangs—“you refuse to see the truth. It’s time you stop feeling sorry for yourself and open those eyes wide enough to grasp the truth. We have all been fucked by life to be what we are today. You are aiming your anger at the wrong people. I gave you the tools to fight for what was taken from you, yet you want my head instead of theirs.” Pushing off the walls, he turns his back on me, stopping just for a moment. “Perhaps I have made a mistake. You are not strong enough to be our salvation.”
With those words thrown over his shoulder like an anvil around my neck, he disappears into the dark apartment. My heart is beating so fast and hard I have no doubt the entire hotel full of monsters can hear it. Can he be right? Am I so pitiful, so stuck feeling sorry for myself, that I don’t see the forest from the trees?
Pressing my cheek on the glass warmed by the sun, I let the tears
trickle down my face. I wasn’t worthy of life when I was human. It looks like I’m not worthy of life as a monster, either.
Sebastian
“I think you are harsh on her,” Marcus says as he comes to sit across from me in the living room.
“Hmmm…” That’s all the reply I’ve got.
“She struggles to come to terms with the fact that her life is not what it was. I see it as clear as day, but you refuse to give her a break.” Undeterred, he keeps pushing, leaning his forearms on his knees.
“We don’t have the luxury to let her deal with it.” With a tired sigh, I rub a hand over my face. “How long do you think it will take what’s left of the Council to storm this place? I can feel the tension in the air of this city. It won’t matter to them if she is ready or not.”
“We can protect her until she is ready.” As stubborn as April, he frowns at me, making my hands clench so I don’t rip his head off his shoulders. “We were prepared for this. Isn’t that what we were doing for years?”
“You are pressing your luck, my friend.”
My softly spoken words have the desired effect when I tell him that he is pushing his luck. Calling him my friend is like a knife in his chest. He stiffens, his fingers curling so he can hide the tremble in them, and I can’t stop the cruel curl of my lips at that.
“I just hate to see her suffer.” Deflating, he leans back on the chair.
