First Bite
A Bite Of The Past Prequel
Laura Greenwood
© 2020 Laura Greenwood
All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission of the published, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address; [email protected].
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First Bite is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Blurb
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Also by Laura Greenwood
About the Author
Blurb
Constrained by the strict rules of vampire society, all Catherine can think of is falling in love.
When a charming noble asks her dance, all of her dreams start to come true. But as the daughter of a noble, Catherine has her duty to follow.
Can she follow her heart?
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First Bite is the prequel to Bite Of The Past and follows Benedict & Catherine through their first chance. It doesn't include a HEA (that will come in Bite Of The Past)
Author’s Note
Thank you for picking up First Bite. This is a prequel to Bite Of The Past, a second chance vampire paranormal romance. First Bite is set approximately five hundred years prior to the start of Bite Of The Past and covers Catherine and Benedict meeting and falling in love for the first time. As such, there is no happily ever after in First Bite, but there will be one in Bite Of The Past! Happy reading!
Chapter 1
I twirl around, my dress fanning out behind me and spinning in a way that fills my heart with joy.
"Catherine? Are you ready?" Mother calls.
"Yes." I stop spinning and stumble a little to the side. I press my hand to my temple, trying to chase away the dizzy feeling. Perhaps twirling isn't the best idea.
"We'll be late if you don't hurry."
Oops. I don't want to be late. I almost run from the room, before reminding myself that proper ladies don't behave that way. I have to remember that as of tonight, I'm no longer deemed a child by vampire society.
I straighten my shoulders and calm my stride, recalling what my tutors taught me. I have to take small steps, never run, and always speak softly for fear of...well, I'm not too sure what it's in fear of. Perhaps they think no one will want to marry me, but I find that difficult to believe. Not when I'm from the family I am. No one would want to disrespect Father that way.
Mother sucks in a breath as I enter the room, and I'm certain her eyes are shining with tears. I do the ladylike thing, and don't mention it.
"You look beautiful, Catherine," she says.
A beaming smile stretches over my face. "Do you think I'll do?" I resist the urge to twirl in front of her and show off my gown. She helped me pick it, she knows what it looks like.
"All the attention will be on you," she assures me.
I let a small laugh escape, carefully measuring it so the perfect amount of enjoyment shows. This doing things the way society likes thing is going to get old very quickly. I don't think I can cope with all the fake airs and graces for much longer.
"I doubt that, there'll be all the other girls there too," I point out.
"None of them have your station. You're lucky the King's daughter isn't being presented this year."
I grimace thinking about Elizabeth in all her stuck up glory. She's a princess in snobbery as well as in title. Though it means nothing. The human monarchy is the only one that matters in the country. The vampires only have a King from habit. The line stopped having any kind of power decades ago.
"No one likes her anyway," I mutter.
"That doesn't mean anything when she's the princess. She'll be a good wife to any of the eligible young men," she cautions me.
I clasp my hands together behind my back and bite my lip to stop me from saying anything about the princess' eligibility as a wife. If anyone asks me, I'll have to tell them that I think she'll be appalling. Though I suppose if one of the so-called eligible men wants to be King, then it's a good way to get that power. I don't think anyone is going to accept Elizabeth ruling on her own.
A knock sounds at the door, making us both jump.
I go to answer it, more from habit than anything else.
Mother cuts me off with a wave of her hand. Oh, right. This is my night, I'm supposed to let everyone wait on me. That's going to take some getting used to considering I'm the youngest child and always the one expected to do things for everyone else.
I stand perfectly still as Mother makes her way over and pulls the door open. Father stands on the other side, dressed in his best Court clothing.
"Catherine, Matilda." He nods to each of us as he says our names.
I dip into a formal curtsy. He won't accept any other greeting. Father and I don't have a good relationship, though I don't think that's anything unusual for the other girls my age. Or older, for that matter. Fathers don't take much interest in daughters other than for the alliance potential.
"Are you ready?" he asks Mother, completely sidestepping me.
I stay silent, even though it’s not what I want. This is my night. He should be asking me the question.
"Whenever you are, sir," Mother says.
I scowl at the implication that she has to bow down to him. That's not what I want from my future husband. But I can't say that. I probably won't even get say in who I marry. I'm going to have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. This isn't a kind world for women.
"Good. Follow." Father turns around and marches down the corridor.
Mother follows him without a second glance.
I take a deep breath, nerves fluttering in my stomach at the thought of what's to come. I'm excited about the ball, but at the same time, it's a big thing. All eyes are going to be on me and the other girls my age as we're paraded in front of the vampire court. After that, there'll be dancing and drinking and a lot of fun.
But none of that will cover up the true purpose of the evening. Our Fathers will be wandering around the room talking to various people and trying to make marriage alliances. It's the thing I'm least looking forward to.
After steadying myself, I follow my parents down the hall.
Sounds from the ballroom filter up through the rest of the Den, as well as chatter from behind closed doors. Some people won't bother coming tonight, and others will be getting ready to join us.
None of us say a word as we make our way through the warren of corridors lit by flickering flames from the sconces.
There's a sense of expectation in the air as we reach the line of other girls. All of them are dressed in their best clothing, with their hair neatly put up and jewels sparkling at their throats. Even though I've done the same, a wave of self-consciousness washes over me. What if I'm not good enough? There are a dozen girls b
eing presented tonight, each of them between seventeen and twenty-five. It's older than our human counterparts would, but that's because we live longer than them and can afford to.
Mother flashes me a reassuring smile, but doesn't say anything before disappearing into the ballroom after Father.
I step into the line, trying hard to avoid fidgeting.
"Are you excited?" Rebecca asks from beside me.
I put a fake smile on my face before answering. I can't call Rebecca a friend, but she's not my enemy either.
"Of course. Aren't you?" I ask, keeping my voice even.
She flicks her long red hair over her shoulder. She's breaking the mould by wearing it down, but it's a good move. She'll draw attention to herself and that's what this night is all about.
"Absolutely. Father has already been in talks with a few of the nobles, I'm sure I'm going to end the night with an engagement on the table." A smug expression flits over her face. "Do you have anyone in mind?"
"Only the person Father thinks is best," I answer smoothly. In all honesty, I've been trying not to think about it. There's too much at stake to pin my hopes on one person.
I'm not that much of a fool.
Chapter 2
Around us, people drink from golden goblets, sipping down the mix of blood and alcohol which makes them merry. I want some for myself, but it will be another half hour until I'm able to get some. There are still four girls ahead of me in the line to be announced, and another three behind me. And with each of us being introduced with our full titles and information about our parents, it takes a while to get through everyone.
And if I'm honest, I've already zoned out. Most of the girls alongside me have been in the Den their entire lives. I've known them for years. I don't need to hear about their grandfather's titles and lands. It doesn't make a difference to me either.
"Introducing Catherine, daughter of the Earl of..." I tune out the information about myself the rest of the court is getting. Unsurprisingly, I know who my Father is. Or I do so long as Mother didn't have something she needed to tell me.
I walk up to the podium at the top of the room and stand there for a moment, just like we did in practice. After a moment, I dip into a curtsy and then float down the steps to join the line of girls at the bottom. This is where we'll stand until the dancing begins. I can't wait for that to happen. I'm bored beyond relief with all the standing and waiting. It's so dull, and almost as if they don't expect us to start fidgeting.
I scan the room for faces I recognise. Most of them are vaguely familiar. Despite the fact this is us being introduced to society officially, we've lived most of our lives here, and I've seen almost everyone around at one event or another. Vampires aren't as numerous as humans, and most of our rank know one another.
My eyes catch with those of a young man. Well, I assume he's young. There's barely any way to tell someone my age from someone my parents', especially from this distance.
He smiles at me, and I rush to look away, not wanting to give him the wrong idea.
Without even realising it, my eyes stray back to him. His dark brown hair is neatly cut, without the length a lot of the older vampires still prefer. I think that puts his age within a decade of my eighteen. He's not looking my direction any longer, filling me with a pang of regret. It's not often I get to practice the art of flirting, and there's certainly a challenge to doing it over this distance.
Eventually, the last girl is announced and the room erupts into chatter.
I do nothing but wait. Tradition dictates that one of the men around the room will ask me to dance, and that, no matter who he is, I should say yes. Sometimes, I hate traditions. They force us into moulds which aren't meant for us.
"My lady," someone says, drawing my attention.
My heart skips a beat as I recognise the man I've been looking at. Is he talking to me? Or to Rebecca standing next to me?
"May I have this dance, Lady Catherine?" he asks.
Oh. Me. He actually wants to dance with me.
"Most of my friends call me Kitty," I respond without thinking.
An impish smile stretches over his lips. "And I'm your friend?" he asks.
"If you want to be." Is this flirting? Suddenly, I'm not so sure how it's supposed to go, even though I've known my entire life. I've never felt so foolish in my life.
"Then please may I have this dance, Kitty?" He holds out his hand.
I appreciate his attempt at pretending I have a choice in the matter. We both know I don't.
"Of course. But I do believe it's customary to tell someone your name before dancing," I suggest.
The corner of his lips lifted. "You can call me Benedict."
"Is that what your friends call you?" I tease, finding my confidence a little more.
"I'm more used to Lord Ferrybridge," he admits. "But for a beautiful woman, I believe my given name will suffice."
I stifle a laugh. "I'd hardly call myself beautiful." I take his hand and he draws me into the space cleared for dancing.
"I think our friendship will work better if we don't lie to one another, don't you, Kitty?"
"Lie, me?" I press a hand against my breasts, drawing his attention there effectively. It's amazing how easy that trick is.
"You know you're beautiful."
"A woman's beauty isn't just on the outside," I counter. "Her intelligence and wit are both equally important."
He raises an eyebrow, but doesn't answer me. Good. I don't want the kind of man who bawks at the mere suggestion that women have minds of their own. They're fools. And not ones I want to spend any time with.
Benedict steps into the line of men, allowing me to join the girls in the other line. I glance at the rest of the dancers, noting which gentlemen have asked which of the debutantes to dance. A couple of them have been asked by older men, no doubt encouraged by their Fathers.
Oh. Father.
I quickly scan the room, looking for him to see his reaction to who I'm dancing with. I've never heard about a Lord Ferrybridge before, but that doesn't mean anything. Father's only ever taught me to memorise the very elite. No one else matters in his eyes.
The music starts, and the men bow in unison. On our side, we dip into curtsies, starting the dance in a traditional way. I've heard that this is borrowed from the way the humans dance at their court, though I haven't been, so I have no way of being sure.
I let the music flow through me, and start performing the practised steps. We all know the steps, we've been taught them many times over the years.
I brush my shoulder past Benedict's, which is a little naughty of me. We're not supposed to touch during this part of the dance.
My feet move as if they barely touch the floor. I suspect the humans aren't quite as able to do anything as elegant as we can. The advantage of having superior speed and balance.
Each member of the dance claps in unison before we spin around and press our palms against that of our partners.
The look Benedict gives me as we turn in a circle sears me straight to the soul. I don't want to think about it, lest I end up with my heart broken. But something tells me it's almost too late.
We separate, and I miss his touch, instead having to dance in a circle with the other girls. I try to keep him in my line of sight, even though I know it isn't the smartest thing to do.
It only takes another turn for us to end up partnered again.
"If you don't stop looking at me, rumours are going to start," he murmurs as we come together, then part.
My cheeks flare red, but I'm not about to let him win the verbal spar. "How do you know I am if you're not doing the same?" I ask as we pass one another again.
He chuckles, the sound vibrating through me.
"It's difficult not to when you're the most beautiful thing in the room." He steps up behind me, taking each of my hands in his and spinning us around in the steps of the dance. It's almost provocative, which is usual for these kinds of dances.
"Only the room?"
I raise an eyebrow, even though my back is to him and he can't see me. "I think your flattery needs work."
"Perhaps you could spend some time teaching me what that is." He pushes me away, and I spin out, my skirts flaring along with all of the other girls'.
We press our palms together and move inwards. "It's very presumptive of you to think we'll be spending more time together." I let a flash of something that definitely isn't innocence enter my eyes.
His devilish grin is all I need to know he understands what I mean.
"You won't be able to resist spending it with me," he responds.
The dance ends, pulling the two of us apart.
I sink into a curtsy, as Benedict and the others bow. Disappointment floods through me at the end of the dance. As custom dictates, I won't be able to dance with the same man twice. It's a silly tradition, but one that has to be kept for the debut ball.
In the moments before another man approaches, I scan the room for my parents. Both of them seem engrossed in conversations with people I vaguely recognise. That seems to be about right. I'm mostly ignored so long as I'm not useful.
A boy called Henry asks me to dance, and I go through the motions while searching to see who Benedict is dancing with. I've known Henry my whole life, which makes his attempts to flirt with me awkward at best. I'm not sure if I can say anything to make him stop, though.
The dance brings me in line with Benedict during a group section. He winks at me, and I smother a giggle.
He's going to cause problems for me. The more time I spend in his vicinity, the more certain I am of that. I'm not even sure what the best way to avoid the disaster that's going to take hold of my heart.
The rest of the even passes in a blur of movement. Even though I keep looking for Benedict, I manage to enjoy the movement of the dances and the way the music flows through us all. I even manage to get some blood and wine over the course of the evening, sending a fun buzz to my head and helping to soothe the ache in my feet.
First Bite: A Bite Of The Past Prequel Page 1
