Marked by a Vampire (The Hybrid Coven Book 1)

by Angela Sanders

  Grace nearly jumped out of her skin as Donavon’s hand touched her bare back. She felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her bloodstream, igniting a fire inside of her she’d never felt before.

  Grace looked behind her when she heard both Amelia and Dee snickering into their drinks. They were laughing at her reaction to Donavon. She couldn’t blame them. They hadn’t seen her date a man, much less touch a man since her divorce more than a year ago. Grace shrugged and rolled her eyes.

  When they arrived at their booth, two handsome strangers stood to greet them. They were extremely tall; the first was at least six foot four, with chiseled features, thick, almost black hair and gray eyes that seemed to shimmer in the dim lighting. The second was around the same height with gelled blonde hair and sparkling hazel eyes. Both men were sharply dressed in black slacks, black button-down shirts and gray ties. Grace wondered why they were dressed the same. Were they employees?

  “Hello, my name is Caleb and this is Tristan,” the dark-haired man said, gently caressing Dee’s hand, while Tristan kissed Amelia’s knuckles.

  “Nice to meet you, gentlemen,” Amelia replied with a huge grin, while Dee and Grace nodded with a small smile.

  “Please, ladies, have a seat,” Donavon said, waving his hand toward the sofa. Grace was the last to sit and Donavon sat next to her. Caleb was to the left of Dee, while Amelia sat in the middle next to Tristan.

  “Let’s order a round of drinks, shall we?” Donavon asked and everyone agreed.

  As if the server heard him from the bar, a tall, well-built, dark-haired man dressed in black slacks and a white button-down shirt arrived at the table asking for their order. Donavon ordered a bottle of merlot and a round of martinis for everyone. He told him to keep the martinis coming. The server bowed to Donavon, then backed away to get their drinks.

  Dee seemed to be enjoying Caleb’s company as the two were laughing and joking around and she didn’t even mind when he kissed her lightly on the lips. Grace watched, sipping her martini, and thought to herself that it was a bit strange. It wasn’t like Dee to allow just anyone to kiss her, especially in a bar, but she shrugged it off because after all, Dee was a grown woman and it wasn’t any of her business.

  Amelia, on the other hand, was in a full-on make-out session with Tristan after only a few drinks. Grace just turned away and shook her head, trying not to laugh. She knew Amelia would be hungover the next morning and pissed at herself over her behavior in a public place. Grace wanted to kick Amelia under the table to get her attention, but something was stopping her. She’d only had two martinis and knew she wasn’t drunk, but she felt lightheaded all the same. She wasn’t even making conversation, only lost in her thoughts. Everything about this night had been strange so far and she really wanted to call it a night.

  Grace was a bundle of nerves as Donavon’s thigh grazed her own. She was finding it hard to control her breathing and couldn’t understand why. The two men stopped groping her friends and stared at her curiously for a moment, then looked to Donavon with a knowing grin, almost as if they knew how he was affecting her body. Amelia and Dee were just sitting there like they were in a daze, waiting for their “men” to come back to them. Everything was bizarre, and the more she thought about it, the harder her heart thudded in her chest. Grace knew she didn’t believe in magic, but something peculiar was definitely going on and she was beginning to rethink her beliefs. She realized it was time to go home.

  Grace looked up at Donavan to excuse herself and grab her friends, but instantly became lost in a sea of green. She couldn’t remember what she was about to say. Her breath caught and nothing else existed around her. The only sound she heard was a slight buzzing in her ears, then he captured her lips, and a deep growl sounded from the back of his throat. He deepened the kiss, causing her to gasp as her heart raced in her chest. Her hands immediately delved into his thick brown curls, pulling him closer, nipping and sucking his bottom lip.

  Another, more intense growl escaped his mouth and Donavon clutched her head, then trailed kisses along her jaw, rapidly moving toward the nape of her neck. Grace’s heart continued to thunder and her pulse quickened. She heard him whisper her name and tell her to remain calm. His hands greedily moved into her blonde hair pulling her head to side, licking and sucking the most sensitive part of her neck, hovering just over her racing pulse. Grace felt an indescribable desire burning throughout her entire body. She was lost in a haze of lust and knew nothing of her surroundings, only of the man ravishing her.

  Pain and disillusion began to cloud her mind and she couldn’t open her eyes or move. She was completely paralyzed. She felt what could only be described as a pair of fangs pierce her throat. Donavan began voraciously gulping her blood for all it was worth and she was powerless to stop him. Terror replaced her lust-crazed thoughts when she realized she was being attacked by something she thought only existed in the movies. A myth, yet she’d been lured in like a moth to a flame, hypnotized by a beautiful creature. What about her friends and why couldn’t she open her eyes? They felt glued shut, and her body was too heavy to move. She felt her heart slow and her consciousness began to fade—and she knew this was the end. She would die at the hands of a vampire.

  Chapter 2

  Everything was black. Grace stood somewhere that was exactly nowhere. There were no walls, no floor, no ceiling, and no sky. Only thick, heavy blackness that pressed on every inch of her body—claustrophobia was beginning to set in. She turned her head, finding it more difficult than it should have been to see if there was anything, but found nothing.

  Where was she?

  “Grace,” a deep, rumbling voice called to her. Where did it come from? She was alone. Something about that voice was familiar and it wasn’t friendly. Just the cadence caused her stomach to tie itself into a knot and her heart pounded furiously in her chest. Her palms were sweaty and she wiped them on her thighs. She knew she had to get out of here, wherever “here” was.

  Grace opened her mouth to call out for help—for anyone, but regardless of how many times she tried to scream, no sound escaped her. There was nothing, except that menacing voice and oppressive darkness. There was only one thing left to do. She ran.

  She ran harder than she’d ever run in her life, not knowing what she would find ahead. After what seemed like an eternity, a wooden door appeared in the darkness with just a sliver of white light outlining its presence. Grace ran to it with every bit of strength she had left. Forcing the door open with her shoulder, she threw herself through the entrance and back into the light.

  She was in her bedroom.

  The fear she’d felt earlier was gone and replaced with giddy anticipation. She had to get ready for work because it was the first day of her new promotion. She was already wearing a sleek, dark blue business suit. The blazer fit her like a glove and the skirt stopped just above her knees, showcasing her amazing calves. Grace smiled and thanked the gym for those.

  She went to the mirror to do one last hair check before heading out the door. Something was off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Her hair was perfect, her eyes had the exact right amount of kohl and mascara. She shrugged her shoulders and turned to leave, giving herself one last practice smile in the mirror.

  That was when she saw it—them.

  Her teeth were wrong. Turning back, she opened her mouth wide and saw two long fangs protruding from her upper gums. Her heart hammered in her chest as she inspected her teeth. This wasn’t right.

  Glowing green eyes and bloody, elongated fangs flashed in her mind, accompanied by maniacal laughter that filled her head. Grace screamed at the top of her lungs. Blood began to flow from the ceiling down to her mirror, covering her reflection in thick, coppery liquid. Putting her hands to her face, Grace screamed again, this time tasting the horrible blood in her mouth.

  She turned to run, seeing that the blood had started gathering on her floor, covering her shoes. The door was locked. Grace yanked and pulled at the knob, but it w
as stuck tight. The blood was now up to her waist and Grace waded through it, trying to keep her composure, then went to the window. It was also locked tight.

  The crimson gore rose even higher, covering her body. Unwilling to give up, Grace swam. The walls of her room disappeared and all she could see was a sea of blood. It was thick and pulled at her limbs, but she swam. The sky above her lit with a streak of lightning followed by a clap of thunder, but she couldn’t look at it. The blood was heavier than before, pulling her down.

  Attempting to stay above the surface, Grace sucked in a breath, but instead drew in a mouthful of the sticky red liquid. She spat it out just as the current gripped her. She fought with everything she had, but it was too strong. Just before her head sank under the surface, the menacing laughter returned and that was the last thing she heard.

  ***

  Grace awoke with a start and sat straight up in the bed, covered in sweat. Her heart was beating out of control… That was one hell of a dream. Grace rubbed the sleep from her eyes and took a few deep breaths to rid herself of visions from the nightmare she’d just had. It was running on a loop in her mind, scaring her senseless, reminding her of something…

  She looked around at her strange surroundings: she was lying in an antique, mahogany king-sized bed with a white down comforter. The furniture decorating the remaining portion of the large room matched the intricate design on the wood of the bed. The large windows were covered in heavy, maroon-colored drapes, shading out the light from the sun.

  The last thing she remembered was a kind stranger trying to help her as she was falling on the street. She grasped her throat, but the puncture wounds were nearly healed. Shock registered in her mind when she realized she was only wearing a white silk nightgown. Where was she and how long had she been asleep?

  She threw the covers back and tried to yell, but her voice was scratchy and dry as if she’d been asleep in a sand storm. “Where the hell am I and where are Dee and Amelia? I have to get up and find my friends,” Grace croaked, rubbing her sore throat.

  All of a sudden, the door creaked open and Grace jumped up on the bed to her knees, frantic and wondering what would happen next.

  “Good, you’re awake,” the handsome stranger who’d helped her on the street said. He was wearing loose-fitting jeans and a black T-shirt. Grace hadn’t noticed his dimples when she met him the first time. When passing out, one tends to be loose on the details. “Here’s a glass of water. You need to drink. You’ve been unconscious for three days.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered, sitting back down on the bed and gulping the water ravenously.

  “Slow down. You might get sick. My name’s Matthew Bellefonte, by the way. We never got a chance to be properly introduced before you passed out. Do you know what happened to you?” he asked as he took a seat in the Victorian high-back chair next to the bedside table.

  Fear paralyzed Grace as she began to remember what she thought was her final dying breath. She had no idea how or when she stumbled out of the bar, only that she did. What if Donavon found her again? Would he finish what he started? She couldn’t go to the police; they’d never believe her. These thoughts and that damned nightmare continued to plague her mind until Matthew’s voice brought her back to the present.

  “Excuse me, are you all right?” Mathew asked, getting up from the chair and stepping closer to Grace. He knelt down in front of her, taking her hands gently, his crystal gaze staring worriedly into hers.

  “I…I’m sorry. No, I’m not all right. I remember, but I’d rather not say,” Grace replied, looking down at their joined hands as tears welled behind her eyes. Her hands were still trembling.

  “You can trust me. I’ll protect you, but I need to know who did this to you and your name would be nice as well,” he said leaning down to look into her eyes with a slight grin.

  “Oh, uh, it’s Grace James. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking, but I don’t believe you can help me. I’m not sure anyone can. I just need to find my friends,” she said in almost a whisper, looking around the room, shaking and wondering if she was still in a dream or dead.

  “Grace, I understand you’re frightened, but you’ll need to trust me when I tell you, I know that you were attacked. I saw the marks on your neck. That’s why I brought you here, instead of taking you to a hospital. You’re safer with me, now that you’ve been marked.”

  “What do you mean, ‘I’ve been marked’?” she asked, yanking her hands from his, her voice rising as she looked directly into his eyes.

  “Now that a vampire has tasted your blood, he’ll be able to track you if he chooses. You’re lucky I found you when I did. You could’ve died,” he replied, returning to his chair.

  “How do you know these things? I didn’t even know vampires existed until I was bitten! I need to find my friends. Did you happen to see them? Will you help me?” Frantic, she sprang off the bed, chewing her nails and began pacing.

  Grace kept wondering if she was still caught up in that horrible nightmare. This was all just too much.

  “There are quite a few things you don’t know about yourself or the city that you live in. As far as your friends, I didn’t see them, but I can help you try to locate them if they’re still alive.”

  “If they’re still alive? You mean they could be dead? I can’t deal with this right now.” She put her face in her hands while continuing to pace.

  “Or undead. Listen, you just woke up and this is a lot to take in. You need to eat and rest to regain your strength, all right?” He stood and guided her back to the bed.

  Grace only nodded as Matthew left the room, lost in a daze of confusion and grief. So, she was awake and this was really happening. She had known Dee and Amelia since grade school; they’d been neighbors since the fourth grade and thick as thieves growing up. They went to the same Culinary Institute after high school and even decided to work at the same restaurant when Grace was hired as the head chef. She couldn’t imagine her life without her two best friends. She didn’t have a childhood memory without them.

  “Vampires? Who the hell knew a mythical, bloodsucking asshole would try to kill me?” she whispered to herself.

  She threw herself back against the bed with a huff. What the hell was she going to do? Through with the damn nightmare, she knew that she needed to find her cell phone and call Dee or Amelia to make sure they were okay. She’d been out cold for three days. She had no idea if they were dead or alive and she was worried sick. She felt her heart constrict at the thought of losing her friends.

  It finally dawned on her again that she was only wearing a nightgown. “Holy Hell! Matthew had to have undressed me,” she said, and her cheeks lit up with embarrassment. Grace threw her hands over her face wondering what else was going to happen.

  Her job? She was just promoted and now what? She’d been missing for three days, no doubt losing her job because she hadn’t called in. Her life was in turmoil and this Matthew guy just told her she’d been “marked by a vampire,” whatever the hell that was supposed to mean. She was in a strange house with a strange man, freaking the hell out. Yes, he had saved her life and he didn’t seem like a serial killer, but neither did Donavon at first. Then again, Matthew was different. He made her feel safe in a strange sort of way that she couldn’t explain, unlike Donavon who had mysteriously broken down her wall of protection. She shuddered at the mere thought of him.

  She pounded her fists on the bed again in frustration. “This can’t be happening,” Grace said aloud, looking up at the ceiling. “Vampires aren’t real. I’ve lost my mind or someone roofied me and I’m in a coma. That’s the last time I go out drinking—if I ever wake up from this nightmare.”

  After tossing and turning for several minutes, Grace gave up. “Shit. It is real and I’m talking to myself. I know what I saw and I know Matthew’s real. I’m so screwed,” she whispered, burying her face in a pillow.

  Grace knew sleep wouldn’t come, so she decided to get up and look around for her things, if t
here was anything left. She had no idea what she had on her when she passed out on the street, but she prayed that at least she had her cell.

  After rummaging around the room for several minutes, she noticed her cell phone lying on the floor, charging near the antique dresser. She thought it was a bit odd, but wasn’t about to ask questions. The first person she thought to call was Dee.

  The phone only rang twice before a groggy Dee answered.

  “Hello, Grace, is that you?”

  “Yes, it’s me. Are you okay?” Grace asked.

  “I should be asking you the same question. Where have you been? Amelia and I went by your apartment and you weren’t there. You haven’t been to work in three days. I’ve been worried sick!”

  “It’s a long story, but how did you get home from the bar?” Grace asked nervously, taking a seat on the bed.

  “A cab. We thought you were coming along, but Donavon assured us he would see you home and that’s all I can remember. I think we had too much to drink.”

  “So, you didn’t see anything unusual at the bar? You guys are really okay?”

  “Grace, you’re not making any sense and you didn’t answer my question. Where the hell are you and why haven’t you shown up to work? What’s going on?” Dee asked again, her voice rising.

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, Dee. I’m safe, but something strange is going on and I don’t want you guys getting involved, okay?”

  “Oh hell no! You’re gonna tell me what’s goin’ on. We don’t keep secrets and believe me, I know strange. So spill it, sister.”

  Grace took a deep breath and ran her hands through her tangled hair. She knew out of all people Dee would be the most understanding, but how was she supposed tell someone she was bitten by a vampire and survived?

  She decided to just blurt it out. “Donavon isn’t human,” Grace said and took another deep breath as a few tears slipped down her face. “He’s a freakin’ bloodsucking vampire and I have no idea how I got out of that bar alive. I found myself bleeding on the street and this guy, Matthew, caught me before I passed out—for three freakin’ days. He knows things. I’ve been marked, Dee, and I’m scared. I don’t know what to do.”