First Kiss of Freedom: A Vampire Shifter Hybrid Romance (The Whitemoon Warriors Series Book 1)

by Nichole Wolfe

  “Are you cold, mommy?” she asked, and her mother smiled down at her, running her fingers over her own cheek.

  “No, baby, I’m fine,” her mother whispered as her body shook again. She wanted to ask one of the guards for a blanket or coat to wrap around her mother, but, even in her short life, she knew better than to ask. It was a dangerous gamble. Some guards took pity on them, and some...didn’t, to say the least. Her mother had been punished one too many times for her own mistakes, and, given her mother’s fragile state, she didn’t want to risk it again.

  She continued to rub her mother’s arms in an attempt to stop the shaking. Her mother forced her arms away as she went into a coughing fit again. It had been happening more and more often over the past few weeks, each time lasting longer and sounding worse. She wrapped her arms around herself as she watched her mother struggle to catch her breath. When her mother’s hoarse gasps wrenched the air, she clapped her hands over her ears, blocking out the sound that made her feel helpless.

  Closing her eyes, she plopped on the ground and rocked in place, humming loudly. Mommy’s fine. Mommy said she’s fine.

  She didn’t know her mother finally recovered until she knelt in front of her, pulling her arms from her ears. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m all better now,” she murmured in her soft, lyrical tone.

  Opening her eyes, she gazed up at her mother, finding her managing a weak smile. “You always say that,” she said, frowning.

  Guilt instantly clawed at her as her mother’s small smile faltered for a moment. “I’m sorry, mommy,” she muttered, watching as tiny wrinkles appeared on her mother’s forehead before the woman grabbed hold of her and wrapped her up in her arms.

  She sighed, snuggling closer into the cradle of her mother’s body, wanting to share her warmth. Her mother rested her cheek on the top of her head. For long moments, they sat in silence, but then, her mother’s voice broke the silence as she started to sing her favorite lullaby. She closed her eyes, letting her mother’s beautiful voice wash over her, taking her away. There were tiny cracks in her mother’s voice, though, reminding her of her mother’s current condition.

  Eventually, as her mother continued to rock and sing to her, exhaustion overtook her, and she fell asleep with her ear pressed against her mother’s chest, listening to the irregular beats of her mother’s heart.

  “Get up, girls,” one of the guards called from the other side of the cell, waking her sometime later. “It’s time,” he said, glancing at her mother with a face full of pity.

  Nodding, her mother brushed her hair from her face. “Time to get up, baby.” Groaning, she climbed from the warm bubble of her mother’s embrace and stood up, offering a hand out for her mother. Smiling, her mother took her hand and she helped pull her up. “My sweet girl,” she said, kissing her cheek. “Thank you.”

  The guard led them out of the cell and out into the sunlight. Eyes widening at the scene before her, she clung a little tighter to her mother’s side, who threw her arm around her shoulders and gave a squeeze. A crowd comprised of mostly men stood in front of a large wooden stage shouting at each other and the people on the stage, who happened to be mostly women and young girls. Of the few men on stage, there were two guards and a man shouting back at the crowd.

  Still clinging to her mother’s side, they followed the guard closer to the stage, her heart hammering harder and harder with each step. She felt her mother squeeze her a little tighter, hearing her sniffle. She didn’t have to look up to know her mother was crying. She had heard her cry before, when she was supposed to have been sleeping. But she didn’t blame her. It was a sad life, raising a child alone and having men tell you what to do all day long. Life would be much better without those vile, smelly creatures.

  As the guard led them up the steps of the stage, a knot formed in her stomach making her feet uncooperative. She stumbled several times, her mother catching her so she didn’t fall on her face in front of the crowd. When the dozens of male faces turned in their direction, staring, snickering, and muttering amongst themselves, she completely froze. Her feet absolutely refused to take another step. She tried to step back, wanting to rush back down the steps and to the safety of the cell, but her mother held tight.

  “No, baby. You have to stay here,” she whispered as the man on stage began yelling.

  “Next up. Two females, a mother-daughter pair. Irish descent, so possibly some Celtic genes, very rare, indeed.”

  Her mother continued to struggle to keep her on the stage when she wanted nothing to do with these people. Why couldn’t they go back to the cell until this was over? The men in the crowd watched them closely, their eyes narrowing as her mother began coughing, begging her to stop. When her mother finally released her to fall to her knees in another coughing and gasping fit, she debated making a run for it. The men’s voices grew louder as they talked amongst themselves. One of the men closest to the stage sneered in her mother’s direction as she wheezed, and then snapped his gaze to her when she took several steps toward the stairs.

  “Baby, no,” her mother croaked through her coughs. Guilt racked her as she glanced back at her mother as she lay on the stage reaching for her. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t just leave her mother lying there...all alone.

  She rushed over, placing a gentle hand on her mother’s back as it shook. “I’m sorry, mommy,” she whispered. Her mother managed to glance at her before she began sobbing through her gasps, tears suddenly pouring from her beautiful eyes that matched the trees during her favorite time of year.

  The men began yelling, and she moved her body in front of her mother, giving the nasty creatures in the crowd a look just as nasty. What mean things they are, she thought as she pet her mother’s back.

  “I’ll take the girl,” a low, booming voice suddenly came from the crowd. Her eyes searched the crowd, quickly finding the man (more like giant) parting the mass of men like the Red Sea. They bumped into each other to make room for him, the incessant muttering continuing. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as he approached the stage in long strides that ate the distance in a matter of seconds. Watching her with dark eyes, his lips curved into a smile. She found herself leaning back against her mother’s body in an effort to move away from his approach.

  “Sold!” the man on the stage shouted quickly.

  The giant glanced away from her to look at the man on stage and her lungs began operating again. “I’ll pay half the asking price for just the girl.”

  The man on stage frowned. “I’m sorry, but they are to be sold together.”

  Crossing his massive arms over his even more massive chest, the giant huffed. “I’m not paying for a woman who is obviously sick and possibly dying. And I doubt anyone else will either. It’s the girl alone, or you can keep them.” There were shouts of agreement from the crowd.

  The man on stage spoke to Jevon, their current owner, in a hushed conversation for a moment before returning to the stage. “Very well,” he said, nodding at the giant.

  Those two words made her heart stop. Dead still. And when the man’s eyes turned back to her, his smile widening, she wished she could stay and die with her mother.

  “No!” her mother screamed, somehow finding the strength to stand despite gasping for air. Yanking her behind her, her mother stood glaring up...way up...at the giant who was quickly bearing down on her. “You...can’t...have...her,” she managed, narrowing her eyes on him. “I know...what you...are.”

  The smile on the giant’s face never faltered as his eyebrow quirked in amusement. “Oh, I’d love to see your sweet, sickly ass try to stop me,” he murmured and chuckled at her.

  She remained there, staring at him, her eyebrows furrowed until finally she lowered her head, her shoulder slumping. Turning, her mother knelt down clutching her shoulders. “I’m so sorry, baby. I should have let you run.”

  Her eyes widened as her gaze darted from her mother to the giant towering behind her. When her eyes landed on the giant’s smirking fa
ce, she started shaking her head. “No, mommy,” she pleaded, her head shaking faster. “No, please don’t let them take me.”

  Tears streamed from both of them as her mother wrapped her up in her arms. “I love you, baby. I will always love you.”

  Huffing, the giant stepped forward, his boots pounding against the hollow, wooden floor of the stage. “Time to go, girl,” he snapped, clutching her arm and yanking her from her mother’s arms in one, quick jerk. She screamed, turning enough to pummel her free fist against the arm that clutched her own. Kicking her feet, she refused to walk away from her mother. When he picked her up, she swiped her hand over his face, scratching his cheek open. He chuckled, and threw her over his shoulder, where she continued kicking and pounding on his back with every ounce of strength her tiny body possessed.

  “I like this one already,” he said as she noticed a second pair of boots fall into step beside his enormous ones.

  “Nadene will have that beaten out of her in a month,” the second man said, making her pause for a moment before resuming her struggle tenfold. Gods, who are these people?!

  HUNGRY FOR MORE?

  If you’re dying to know what happens next, you can order your copy of Kiss of Fire at Amazon. Don’t forget to leave a short review on Amazon, Goodreads, or any other social media site you prefer. And feel free to drop me a line on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I love hearing from my readers!