Consumed
The Vampire Awakenings, Book 8
Brenda K Davies
Contents
Also from the Author
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
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Where To Find The Author
About the Author
Copyright © 2018 Brenda K. Davies
All rights reserved.
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Also from the Author
Books written under the pen name
Brenda K. Davies
The Vampire Awakenings Series
Awakened (Book 1)
Destined (Book 2)
Untamed (Book 3)
Enraptured (Book 4)
Undone (Book 5)
Fractured (Book 6)
Ravaged (Book 7)
Consumed (Book 8)
Unforeseen (Book 9)
Coming 2019
The Alliance Series
Eternally Bound (Book 1)
Bound by Vengeance (Book 2)
Bound by Darkness (Book 3)
Coming September 2018
The Road to Hell Series
Good Intentions (Book 1)
Carved (Book 2)
The Road (Book 3)
Into Hell (Book 4)
Hell on Earth Series
Hell on Earth (Book 1)
Into the Abyss (Book 2)
Kiss of Death (Book 3)
Coming Late 2018/2019
Historical Romance
A Stolen Heart
Books written under the pen name
Erica Stevens
The Captive Series
Captured (Book 1)
Renegade (Book 2)
Refugee (Book 3)
Salvation (Book 4)
Redemption (Book 5)
Broken (The Captive Series Prequel)
Vengeance (Book 6)
Unbound (Book 7)
The Kindred Series
Kindred (Book 1)
Ashes (Book 2)
Kindled (Book 3)
Inferno (Book 4)
Phoenix Rising (Book 5)
The Fire & Ice Series
Frost Burn (Book 1)
Arctic Fire (Book 2)
Scorched Ice (Book 3)
The Ravening Series
The Ravening (Book 1)
Taken Over (Book 2)
Reclamation (Book 3)
The Survivor Chronicles
The Upheaval (Book 1)
The Divide (Book 2)
The Forsaken (Book 3)
The Risen (Book 4)
Mollie Jean Schaller.
I hope you enjoy Mollie!
Chapter One
Mike pushed open the door to the small, smoky, dimly lit bar and stepped inside with Doug and Jack following him. The scents of stale alcohol and cigarettes choked the air, but beneath it he scented the nearby ocean and lemon polish. The door closed on the howling wind. It might be early June, but this far north in Canada, the storm rolling off the sea brought colder air with it.
Stomping his feet, Mike clasped his hands and blew into them as he surveyed the vampire bar they’d entered. The small town on the coast of Labrador had a population of only a couple thousand, but it had attracted a fair number of vampires.
Whether that was due to the shorter daylight hours, which attracted Savages, or the fact vampires were fleeing the growing Savage problem in the States, Mike didn’t know. Unfortunately, the three of them couldn't detect a Savage by their scent like a pureblood vamp could, so he didn’t know if they’d just walked into a room full of killers or not.
He did know most of the patrons were vampires, as like knew like.
“Guess we won’t be settling into this area,” Jack muttered.
“I don’t think they’re killers,” Doug murmured.
“What makes you say that?” Jack asked.
“The humans are still alive,” Mike answered as he surveyed the fifteen vampires and the handful of humans seated amongst the scarred wood tables.
Jack’s hazel eyes narrowed on him in annoyance; strands of his light brown hair had fallen into one of his eyes, but he didn’t push it away before he huffed out a breath and stalked over to the bar. Doug chuckled while he ran a hand through his short, dark blond hair. His ocean-blue eyes twinkled with amusement as he watched Jack slide onto a barstool and order a beer.
“I take it we’re staying for a drink,” Doug said.
“I guess we are,” Mike replied.
Their boots thudded on the wood floor, and the planks bowed beneath Mike’s weight as they strolled over to join Jack. Like Jack, they settled onto stools where they could watch the patrons behind them in the mirror lining the wall behind the bar. Liquor bottles filled the shelves and reflected in the glass, but Mike still had a clear view of the patrons.
The bartender placed a beer in front of Jack before turning wary eyes on them. Mike nodded to her, but her blue eyes revealed no warmth and a smile didn’t curve her mouth. Glancing around the bar again, Mike realized most of the occupants had stopped talking and focused on them. He didn’t sense hostility from them, but more distrust. Mike didn’t blame them for being uneasy; he didn’t trust them either.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked. Her clipped New York accent was out of place in this northern land.
“I’ll take a Crown and ginger and an ashtray,” Mike said.
“Scotch on the rocks,” Doug said.
“You got it.” The woman pushed an ashtray toward Mike and turned to fill their order.
Mike pulled out the pack of cigarettes he’d tucked into the inner pocket of his coat. He undid the packaging and tapped one free. It had been a few months since he last smoked, but he’d purchased the pack at the border last week.
Now seemed as good a time as a
ny to light one as most of the patrons held a cigarette or had a pack before them, and he knew well how smokers congregated to talk. When in Rome. He removed his silver Zippo from the pocket of his jeans, flipped the top open, and lit the cigarette. He inhaled a drag as the bartender returned with their drinks.
“What brings you to these parts?” she asked, her gaze on Mike.
“We’re doing some traveling,” he replied, “and exploring the area.”
“Planning to move north?”
“Maybe, if we find something we like.”
Mike didn’t want to move, but with the growing Savage problem, he and his friends weren’t taking any chances. After some careful consideration, they’d all decided it would be best if they had a safe place to retreat to if it became necessary.
The past two times they’d moved, they had to search out a property before leaving, but this time they would have one ready and waiting. There were too many children to protect now for them not to have a backup place.
And they sought a property more remote than their compound in Maine. They could have searched online or hired a realtor to help them, but they wanted to keep their trail as small as possible should something go wrong and they were forced to flee. Mike also preferred to see the land, surrounding towns, and the residents instead of relying on Internet searches and real estate agent phone calls.
So far, the three of them had found numerous tracts of land for sale, but they were hoping to find something with houses, or at the very least one home, already on it. Building new houses would take more time than they were willing to spend to get their emergency retreat ready.
Unfortunately, they hadn’t found anything that would work yet. Mike wasn’t ready to give up. They’d all prefer to stay near the coast, but they might have to forego that or perhaps find a lake or pond. David wouldn’t be happy about boating around a pond, but he would have to suck it up.
The bartender leaned closer in such a way that she revealed more of her breasts in her low-cut, black top. He didn’t know if she was trying to distract him with her cleavage or if her interest in him had taken a turn toward the sexual.
Either way, he wasn’t interested.
Maybe, if it was thirty years ago and he was still in college, or twenty years ago when he’d only been looking for a good time, or ten years ago when boredom propelled him from woman to woman and new thrill to new thrill. But over the past few years, apathy had taken its toll and extended into every area of his life.
At fifty-two, he was too young to be bored with immortality. No, not bored with immortality—bored with the way he’d been living his life. The only problem was, he didn’t know how to change it. But this bartender sure wasn’t the change he was looking for, he decided as he flicked his ashes and inhaled another drag of his cigarette.
“I might not be able to help you find a place, but I could help you find something else you might like,” she purred.
From the corner of his eye, Mike saw Jack roll his eyes, and Doug smirked before sipping his drink.
Unwilling to offend the woman—they might be able to get some useful information out of her about this place and the area—Mike smiled back at her. “What’s your name?” he inquired.
He didn’t want to lead her on either and felt asking her name was a neutral question.
“LeNae,” she replied, and smiled to reveal her white teeth. With her dirty-blonde hair and pale blue eyes, she was pretty and had an alluring figure, but he felt no interest in her.
“Nice to meet you, LeNae. I’m Mike, this is Doug, and that’s Jack.”
Doug’s wholesome face broke into the grin that had disarmed more people over the years than any military truce. LeNae smiled back at him. Jack remained stone-faced before turning his full attention to his beer, finishing it off, and pushing the bottle across the bar toward her.
“Would you like another?” LeNae asked.
“Yes,” Jack replied, and leaning back on his stool, he turned to survey the occupants of the bar.
Most of the customers had gone back to drinking, but a few still watched them. Mike braced himself as he waited for Jack to say something to annoy someone, it was what he did after all, but he turned back around.
LeNae returned with his beer and set it before him.
“How long have you lived here?” Jack asked her.
“A few months,” she replied.
“Why did you come here?”
“The same reason most everyone else in this place did.”
“Which is?”
“Things are getting a little ugly down south, and we all know it.” Her gaze traveled over them. “Isn’t that what brought you here too?”
“It is,” Doug said, “but it’s a little strange to see so many vamps in such a remote location.”
The bracelets on LeNae’s wrist jangled when she set her hand on the bar. “Remote might be the only thing keeping us all alive and out of harm’s way... until that doesn’t work anymore.”
Mike hoped she was wrong and the problem with the Savages would soon be handled, but he wasn’t willing to take any chances either, and neither was the rest of his family.
“Everyone in this bar is okay?” he asked her.
“Depends on your definition of okay, but no one is a killer, and we don’t tolerate them here either.” LeNae gave each of them a pointed look.
Mike stubbed out his cigarette before raising his hands; Doug gave her his winning smile again, and Jack drank his beer.
“I wouldn’t either,” Mike assured her.
“None of us would,” Doug said.
LeNae’s attention shifted to Doug. Mike didn’t mind; he’d met his fair share of fickle women over the years, and she’d have better luck with Doug anyway. Doug wasn’t burned-out like he was or as cynical as Jack.
His burn-out wasn’t helped by the fact two of his best friends, and an increasing number of what he considered his nieces and nephews, had met their mates, fallen in love, and settled down. Watching how happy they all were with each other, Mike sometimes found himself longing for someone he could spend an eternity with too.
He cursed himself for being an idiot. He would either find his mate one day or he wouldn’t, but getting bogged down by his desire for it to happen wouldn’t help anyone, especially not him. Besides, he could always discover his mate only to have her reject him and ruin his life. In that case, single was the far better option.
Chapter Two
Mike took another cigarette from his pack and lit it. He rarely smoked two cigarettes in a day, but he found himself eyeing the box and wondering if he might have to buy another. Today felt like a smoking day. Sliding the Zippo back into his pocket, he set the pack on the bar for later.
He surveyed the crowd in the mirror as Doug and LeNae leaned close to talk. All the customers had stopped paying attention to them and were either focused on their drinks or their companions. Jack lifted his beer, rose from his stool, and walked over to sit on Mike’s other side.
“I’m not in the mood to listen to Casanova over there,” Jack grumbled.
Mike smiled and rested his elbows on the bar. “Were you into her?”
“Hardly,” Jack snorted. “I’m not here for women.”
“This place seem legit to you?” Mike asked, pitching his voice so only Jack could hear him.
“Yeah. I think they would have jumped us by now if it wasn’t.”
“I agree.”
“But, I think we should move on before morning. Vampires are sure to tell other vampires about this place.”
“I agree.”
“They may have already alerted all their friends and family about their new safe haven.”
“It’s a possibility,” Mike said. “We’ll finish these drinks and go.”
“We might have to pry lady killer over there away.”
Mike glanced over at Doug as he examined LeNae’s bracelets and asked what each of the charms represented. Mike almost rolled his eyes, but not so long ago, it m
ight have been him. A part of him wished to be as happy as Doug still was, but the larger part of him wanted more from life than random hookups. He stubbed out his cigarette, pulled out his lighter, and lit another one.
“Easy there, Smokey,” Jack said. “Maybe you won’t get cancer or wrinkles, but yellow fangs are sure to be a turnoff for most women.”
Mike’s lips quirked in a smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
In the mirror, Mike watched a vampire extend his hand to a human who blushed prettily before taking it and rising to her feet. The vamp draped his arm around the woman’s shoulders and was leading her toward the front door when it opened.
Mike couldn’t see who stood in the doorway, but something metal clattered as it bounced across the wood floor. A plume of smoke burst into the air, and then something else bounced off the floor. Mike put out his cigarette and rose from his stool as the front door closed without anyone having entered. The cloud of smoke floated toward the patrons at the tables.
What is going on? Did someone knock over an ashtray and start a fire? But that didn’t make sense, as there were no flames.
Consumed: The Vampire Awakenings, Book 8 Page 1
