A vampire bewitched, p.1
A Vampire Bewitched, page 1
A VAMPIRE BEWITCHED
DEATHLESS NIGHT SERIES #1
L.E. WILSON
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
This is the very first book I ever wrote. I’ve run it through a few editors and tweaked it a bit here and there over the years, but I’ve never changed the story even though my writing has matured and improved because Nik and Emma will always have a special place in my heart. They were my first, and I hope you love them as much as I do. <3
This book was previously published with the title “Blood Hunger” and with a different cover.
Copyright © 2014 by Everblood Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
le@lewilsonauthor.com
ISBN: 978-0-9863633-0-6
eBook Edition
Cover Design by Coffee and Characters
Original Publication Date: December 20, 2014
Second Edition: January 2018
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CONTENTS
Prologue
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
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter One
Also by L.E. WIlson
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About the Author
This book is dedicated to my family and their ability to fend for themselves while Mom is writing. But especially to my husband, Joe, whose love, support, encouragement, and knowledge of websites and marketing has saved me from a lot of hair pulling. I love you all!
PROLOGUE
SEVEN YEARS EARLIER
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
“I have a bad feeling about this, Luuk.”
Nikulas Kreek touched his brother’s arm as he strode past on his way to the elevator, the one that would take him down to the garage under their apartment building. “I don’t think you should go.”
Luukas shrugged off his brother’s hand. “I have to, Nik. The bitch is never going to give it up until I deal with her once and for all. Now, please, stop with all the melodrama. It’s not like you to be so serious. You’re freaking me out.”
Nik clenched his jaw, a sure sign of his frustration. Blood brothers from before they’d been reborn, they often knocked heads out of nothing but plain old stubbornness.
But this time was different.
He tried again to convince his older brother that this was a bad idea. “You can’t trust her Luuk. You know this. Why would you want to risk yourself this way?”
His brother ignored him, as usual, and walked toward the door.
Following right on his heels, Nik grabbed his arm again as he reached for the doorknob. “I’m telling you, now is not the time to confront her. She’s up to something, Luuk!“ Forcibly spinning Luukas around, he shoved his face all up into his brother’s personal space, gritting out, “You are our Master. As in, the guy we need to lead us. What if it’s a fucking trap?”
Luukas bared his fangs with a hiss, eyes glowing an eerie green, a warning Nik did not take lightly. He immediately backed off and lowered his eyes, breathing hard as the threat of a fight had adrenalin flooding his system.
He tried one last thing. “At least take Christian with you. As your Guardian, it’s his job to protect you. Or take me. I’ll go with you.”
Luuk grabbed his brother by the shoulders, his aggression gone as quickly as it had come on. He gave him a slight shake. “Nothing is going to happen, and I need Christian here right now. And you, too. Besides, Guardian’s are an outdated tradition. I don’t need a fucking bodyguard.”
Then he sighed. “Even if it is a trap, Nik, so what? She can’t contain me and you know it. I am a Master Vampire. As in ‘one with which you do not fuck.’ No one can make me do anything I don’t want to do. Especially not that dried-up old whore.”
Nik would’ve laughed at that description of the forever young and stunningly gorgeous Leeha, if not for the fact that she was also extremely dangerous. More so, he thought, then Luukas liked to believe.
She’d also been after Luukas for most of her immortal life.
The two brothers stared each other down, Nik’s baby blues testing Luukas’ aquamarines, until Nik, knowing he wouldn’t win this one, finally nodded in defeat and gave his brother a reluctant smile. “You’re right. I’m probably worrying over nothing. I’ve just had this weird feeling in my gut all day. Must’ve had some bad blood or something.”
“I keep telling you, bro, bagged blood is risky. You need to find yourself a nice, juicy, live vein. Preferably one belonging to a curvy little female.” Luukas grinned at his younger brother, showing strong, white teeth. Smacking him hard on top of both shoulders, he turned to leave. “I’ll be back in a few hours. Lock up when you leave.”
Nik clenched his fists at his sides and watched his older brother saunter out the door of his Seattle apartment, casually waving in his direction.
He had a really bad fucking feeling about this.
1
Nikulas pushed himself off the ground and rose to his full height. He rolled his head on his shoulders, then looked toward the house he’d been watching.
Or rather, the female inside the house—Emma Moss.
He’d been here every night for the past week, watching, waiting, learning her habits and her routine, hoping to pick up on something that would confirm his suspicions.
So far he’d learned…absolutely nothing. Except she worked too much and seemed to be a vegetarian.
This was the first time he’d spent the entire night there, though. Usually he’d find a good vantage point in one of the trees surrounding her place right after sunset—about seven or eight at night—and he’d hang out until she went to bed around eleven. There was nothing much to see after that.
As far as he could tell, Emma was a loner. She had no family. No friends. She didn’t even have a pet.
And wasn’t that interesting in and of itself.
In spite of the fact he’d learned nothing to support what he knew about her, he didn’t consider the past week a complete waste of time. Mainly because Emma Moss was fucking hot. Boring…but hot.
Even from halfway down her driveway hiding under a canopy of trees, he could see her well enough to know the female had been blessed with some good genes. Her body was lean and petite, and her face—framed by shoulder-length hair of some light, indecisive color…blond, maybe—could be on the cover of a magazine.
He’d love to be able to see that hair in the sunlight…run his fingers through it…lift it to his nose. He’d bet she smelled great with all the showers she took. One every night as soon as she came home, and probably again in the morning. She seemed to be the type.
Nik had just decided it was time to leave when he saw her bedroom light come on. Curious as to what her morning routine was, he leaned back against his favorite tree, crossed his muscular arms over his hard chest, and prepared to watch the show. His eyes followed the light trail as she made her way downstairs in the god-awful robe she always
He waited where he was, thinking she wouldn’t be there long. Probably just getting a drink.
Yup, there she goes, back upstairs, glass of water in hand.
He grinned widely, proud of himself that he’d guessed correctly, but between one second and the next, his smile turned into a scowl.
Man, I need to get a fucking life.
Emma walked across the bedroom and into her bathroom. A few minutes passed, then the lights turned off one by one as she made her way downstairs annnd…out the front door.
Nik shoved away from the tree. Shit! He needed to hightail it out of there, he wasn’t ready to be seen. Besides, it was way too close to dawn. Still safe for him to be out, but just barely. He really needed to go.
Instead, he pulled his hood up to cover his light hair and silently moved to a more concealed vantage point behind the tree.
He watched as she strode across the porch to the top of the steps and stretched, grabbing her feet behind her—first one, then the other. Nik’s eyebrows lifted when she bent over to touch her toes, giving him a full view of her ass. A pose that brought an interested lift to other parts of him, as well. She shook out her arms and legs, put her ear buds in, and headed his way at an easy jog.
As she came closer and closer, Nikulas became as still as the trees around him. Standing in the pre-dawn shadows of a large maple, he watched, mesmerized, as the most stunning creature he’d ever seen passed within mere feet of him, completely unaware of his presence.
Holy shit.
His lungs began to ache as she jogged by, reminding him to breathe, and he sucked in a big gulp of air. A second later, he wished he hadn’t done that.
Her luscious scent hit him hard, and his body responded instantly, gums burning as his fangs elongated. Saliva filled his mouth and his muscles hardened in preparation to hunt. To feed.
Emma.
He’d spent the past week watching her from afar through the windows of her house, but nothing had prepared him for the sight, and smell, of her up close and personal.
His eyes followed her with an interest bordering on obsession. She moved with the easy grace born to a natural runner. Her…oh yeah…strawberry-blond ponytail bounced in the breeze, and her flawless, alabaster skin was just starting to flush a bit from the wind and exertion. He watched her cute little backside—in those tight running pants—bounce by him and out to the end of her driveway, where she turned right and headed down the rural road.
He scrubbed a hand over his mouth as he watched her.
FUCK me.
The burning of the sun’s rays as it peeked over the horizon rapidly cooled his ardor, and Nik took off to head back to the tricked-out RV, about two miles from Emma’s house, where he and Aiden—Guardian of Nik, Hunter, best buddy, tech wizard, and all around badass vampire—were holed up.
They’d found a clearing in a secluded area of the woods to park their pimped out mobile unit. It had started out as a Fleetwood Pace Arrow, which was worked over to include things like steel shutters over the windows, technology out the ass, weapon caches, and a souped-up engine (think Meet The Fockers).
Luckily for him, vampires were blessed with supernatural speed. He laughed out loud as he raced the fiery rays of the sun, feeling high off the adrenaline flooding his system and the close call with Emma. Nik barreled through the RV door like a SWAT officer, seconds away from turning into a bonfire and grinning like an idiot.
Aiden swung his chair around from the security monitors and watched, unperturbed, as his friend frantically slapped at the smoking areas of exposed skin on his arms and face.
“One of these days, mate, you’re going to cut it too bloody close. And I’m the one who’ll be chasing your ashes all over these bloody woods come nightfall, trying to collect enough to have a decent funeral. I will give you a brilliant elegy, and finish it just in time for Luukas to throw me into the sun for not doing my job of protecting you.” Aiden squinted his eyes at his friend of over 300 years. “What’s with the grin?”
Nik pushed his blonde hair out of his face. “Today is the day, my friend…or night rather. I’ll call Emma at work and have her meet me after dark, somewhere public…that little bar down the road, maybe…and get her on our side.”
“Do you know how you’re going to manage that?” Aiden asked.
“You doubt my skills of persuasion, Aid? After all the years you’ve known me?” Nik scoffed. “Besides, how could she resist this handsome face?” He gave him his best roguish grin.
“You’re sure she’s the right girl? I would hate to kidnap the wrong one.”
Nik stared at him. He had to be joking.
“Alright, I’d hate to kidnap the wrong one this time. And besides, those other times weren’t really kidnappings, they were just weekend dalliances of mutual consent…for the most part.”
Nik rolled his eyes and shook his head. This was a conversation for another day. Another day a long time from now. Like, never.
“It’s her. I’m sure of it. There’s no way she knows anything, though. She’s totally clueless. As far as I can see, Emma Moss doesn’t know who, or what, she is.”
Aiden unfolded his six-foot one-inch frame from his chair and stretched his arms over his head. His shirt rode up, exposing a strip of flat, muscular stomach. “You really think she’s unaware she’s a witch? How can she not know?” He yanked his shirt down and pressed a button on the console that locked down the RV for the day. “How does she explain all of the unexplainable in her life? The premonitions? Things moving around on their own and such?”
Nik shook his head. “I’ve been watching her all week, man, and I’m telling you, she’s completely clueless. She has no idea what she’s capable of.”
Aiden nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. “Well, that would explain why she hasn’t gone after her sister, yet. I’ll ring up the guys and tell them to prepare.” Aiden turned back to grab his cell. “And then you and I need to get some rest, mate. I don’t know about you, but I’m bloody knackered. And we’ve a busy next few days ahead of us.”
2
The grass in the field has grown above Emma’s knees and tickles her bare legs. It catches on the bottom of her short, summer skirt as she runs, pulling at the flimsy material. Her sister, Keira, is chasing her, and Emma laughs as she chances a look back over her shoulder. Keira is about to catch her, so she squeals and runs faster! Behind her sister, she can see the white lights of the Ferris wheel lighting up the night sky.
It’s so pretty.
The tinkling of the carnival music fades as she and Keira run toward their car parked by the edge of the field. Laughing, they zigzag through the grass, trying to catch each other, stumbling every so often on the uneven ground.
Emma glances back again to find Keira has stopped running. The stuffed dog Emma won for her hangs limply at her side. Out of breath and giggling, Emma shoves her hair out of her face and stops, too.
“Come on, Keira!” Emma shouts, but her sister doesn’t move, doesn’t look at her. Gradually, Emma’s smile fades.
Keira’s eyes are white-ringed with terror.
