prologue
evil grows. I can feel his dark touch.
You are reading: Kiss of vampire free books
-Henry de Montfort diary entry,
September 2, 1068
“mark!” she woke up screaming the name of his twin brother.
turned on the bedside lamp with trembling hands. Her gaze flew frantically around her bedroom, and her heart seemed to stop.
she didn’t see her furniture. she didn’t see the chest of drawers or the antique cherry dresser. She didn’t see the stacks of books that lined her shelves, shelves lovingly made by her grandfather’s hands.
she just saw the blood.
and it was everywhere.
and felt evil. overwhelming evil.
She closed her eyes, desperate to stop the vision.
a man’s terrified scream echoed in his mind.
“no!” He pushed the covers aside and jumped out of bed.
In an instant, the vision ended.
I could see his room again. shrouded in shadows, but recognizable nonetheless.
her heartbeat pounded desperately in her ears. her body shuddered with remembered fear.
was it a dream? just a dream?
She shook her head. it couldn’t have been a dream. she had felt…too real.
He had a sudden, desperate need to call mark. to hear his voice.
reached for the phone.
a shrill sound froze his hand.
his heart stopped.
The phone rang again, her scream eerily like the scream from her dream.
His fingers trembled as he picked up the receiver. “h-hello?”
See Also: Big Nate – Book Series In Order
as he listened to the caller, all the blood drained from his face. Her body swayed and the phone fell from her limp fingers.
strange icy bites pierced his skin. Lights flashed before her eyes.
his body fell to the ground.
and stumbled back into the dreams of a dead man.
chapter 1
Like a child, I fear the dark.
-Henry de Montfort diary entry,
September 8, 1068
savannah daniels gathered her strength and jumped the high granite wall. it slipped over the edge and fell to the ground, landing with a thud. blood covered her body and her torn clothes.
It was a miracle that he made it to the mountain.
Her little rental car had broken down hours ago. Halfway up the treacherous mountain road, he had sputtered once and then stopped. steam was coming out from under the hood of the toyota. no amount of pleading, pleading, or cursing had been able to get the engine started again.
He had gotten out of the car and had done the only thing he could. she had walked. for miles, she had walked the gravel road. she walked until her feet hurt, until she got blisters on her heels and on her toes.
She had kept walking, long after the gravel path had ended. she had gotten under the barbed wire fence, ripping her clothes and skin from her arms and back.
The stone wall had been his last obstacle. the last obstacle in his way.
I could see the house now, its imposing stone structure standing stark and strong against the mountain.
Thin shafts of light shone from its tall gothic windows. the light seemed to beckon to her, promising safety in the dark night, if she would just come in.
For a moment, the howling wind died down and Savannah stared silently at what was before her.
she knew what she would find within the walls of that house.
a monster.
a man.
a demon.
a savior.
For the last six months, I had carefully researched it. She had learned every detail she could about William Dark. every horrible detail.
sometimes, she would wake up screaming in the night, with her name on her lips.
See Also: Chirp vs Audible
but the nightmares didn’t matter.
I needed William Dark. she needed the monster. she needed the man. and she would have it.
He approached the house slowly, almost timidly. her tennis shoes crunched on the wet gravel. it had rained earlier that day and the air still smelled like a shower.
There was no sound in the courtyard. there are no birds singing. there are no barking dogs. not even the howling of the wind intruded on this quiet space.
she was the only intruder. her stomach knotted and she swallowed several times to ease the tightness in her throat. her heart was beating furiously. she wondered if he could hear her desperate pounding.
From their perch atop the house, two hideous gargoyles watched her, warning her to stay away from their master. Savannah lifted her bruised chin in silent defiance. she hadn’t let her friends dissuade her from her trip. She certainly wouldn’t be scared by two statues! even if they seemed to stare at her, her bright eyes followed her every move.
Finally, he stopped in front of a tall wooden door. a cross had been crudely etched into its surface. she stared at the spirit sign, wondering at its presence. in its meaning in this place of darkness.
didn’t belong there.
neither is she.
but she wasn’t going to leave. not until she got what she needed.
She took a deep breath.
The door opened before I could even lift my hand to touch the hard surface. he opened the door. for a moment, she could only stare at him in stunned surprise. even in the dark of night, she could tell it was him.
he towered over her slender form. he was tall, easily over six feet, and his broad shoulders seemed to fill the door frame. His long midnight-colored hair was pulled back and pinned at the base of his neck. His eyes, a fiery coal black, seemed to glow as they gazed piercingly into hers.
I had seen a sketch of him before, of course. she knew what he was like. but seeing it up close was an entirely different matter.
She hadn’t realized how high and strong her cheekbones were, or how sensual her lips would be. her nose was perfectly straight, if a little sharp. her forehead was high and elegant. he was an attractive man, even with the fine scar that ran across his left cheek.
she knew how she got that scar.
she knew everything about the man in front of her.
He was dressed in black, the color that accentuated his dark skin and made him look almost… sinister.
He was standing in the shadows, watching her.
Finally, he spoke. “You are not welcome here.” her voice was a purr, a seductive contrast to the harsh words. a slight English accent marked her formal words.
Savannah wasn’t surprised by his abruptness. after all, it was the greeting she expected. Quickly, she told her, “I must speak to you, Mr. dark.” Her voice trembled with intensity. She had to let her into the house. She had to do it!
His head lifted slightly. Did her curiosity flicker faintly in the depths of her black eyes? Savannah couldn’t tell, not for sure.
“should you do it?” she asked. her voice seemed to envelop her, sink into her.
He shook his head, clearing the sudden fog from his mind. “Let me in,” Savannah pleaded, trying in vain to look around her shadowed body and glimpse the interior of the mansion. “We need to talk. It’s urgent.”
See Also: 7 Best Books About Serial Killers Psychology (Updated 2022!) – Knowledge Eager