Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 29328 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 147(@200wpm)___ 117(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29328 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 147(@200wpm)___ 117(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Why can I remember my first bite at sixteen and killing a teacher? Why can I remember that I’m forced to fully feed on an immortal once a year to regain any semblance of power that was given to me?
And why does it always go away, only to repeat?
Her footsteps near. I struggle to get close to Tarek.
He shoots me a glare. “Yes, because I could be of so much help to you right now.”
“Can’t you shift into something?” I whisper under my breath.
He glares harder. “Yes, Lilith, let me just shift my way into wolf mode so my paws—which would be triple the size of my hands, by the way—get caught, as well. I’m strong, but whatever evil witch put me here realizes I can’t use my strength when I’ve been here for God knows how long, getting sucked dry. Not that it matters, because I’m probably already dead. I don’t even know if I can shift right now because you…” He shakes his head. “You have taken half my blood supply.”
I self-consciously wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. “It wasn’t on purpose.”
“I’ve been kidnapped, and it wasn’t on purpose?” He rolls his eyes. “Cool story, tell me more. And…oh, wow”—he looks behind me—“guess you aren’t a troll.”
Jealousy slams into me as I push his chest to keep some distance between them and then turn around, blocking her from seeing him.
Danu, Goddess of the Earth. The stories have it wrong, and she loves that. She loves that I’m one of the first women on Earth, and she can control me. She loves that she can steal my power because of it.
She lets me feed under my curse, only to suck me dry and force me into servitude over the war.
Her eyes are black, her hair a whitish-blond, and every being who sees her immediately falls for her looks. It doesn’t matter that her voice sounds like evil itself. Her pretty face, the one given to her by the Creator, is beautiful, save for one small knife scar from the very one who created her as a warning not to step outside what They allow her to be in control of: watching over the other goddesses and keeping her realm in check, all while wandering the Earth for her sins.
But the Creator isn’t here.
It’s just me.
Danu leans down and presses a kiss to my cheek. I immediately want to wipe off the blood-red lipstick; instead, I stare up at her, shaking like the weak, addicted person I am. “You should continue your feeding, little succubus.”
“I wasn’t always a succubus.” I lift my chin and try to look strong when I know I’m so weak—so weak.
Danu laughs and pats me on the head. “Then maybe don’t piss off the Greek gods next time. They like games, not wars, you idiot.” She slowly reveals her right hand from inside her cloak.
She’s holding a golden apple.
My apple.
The one used in the Garden.
The same one used in…
“Well, shit,” Tarek says out of nowhere. “Please, don’t tell me that’s the relic from the Garden of Eden, which means it’s the same one from the Trojan War.”
“Shit,” I repeat.
“An apple a day.” Danu winks and waves the fruit in front of me. “I’m sure by sucking him dry, you’ll regain all your fun little goddess powers.” She presses a finger to my forehead and then flicks it against my skin. “But you won’t have enough time to enjoy them. You caused the Fall. You caused a war. You will always be Discord, and I will always be the one to keep you under control. We all have our curses. And you, Eris, embodiment of Lilith, are mine.”
Chapter Seven
Cassius
Greece 79 A.D.
I followed her scent. If things got out of hand, I would stop her at all costs. She’d promised.
She’d lied.
Again.
I wanted to turn a blind eye, mainly because the world didn’t feel as dark or desperate when Eva was near.
The way she laughed and smiled throughout her immortal life was a thing of beauty, and I hated being the one responsible for dampening that light.
“Shh, I’ll return one day,” she whispered to the little child. His face was wet with tears. “Just be good for your mama, all right?”
He wrapped his tiny arms around her neck, then kissed her cheek. “I love you.”
The air filled with sadness; became drenched with such a hollow emptiness that I sucked in a breath.
Vampires weren’t supposed to be so emotional.
Leave it to a child to bring out the worst of the human weaknesses in all of us. God forbid I ever felt such a thing.
“I love you, too, John.” He was one of the children she’d saved. He kept to himself. I don’t believe he survived—not many did.
Eva set the boy on his feet. He reached up and captured one of her dark curls between his fingers, then he dropped it, turned on his heel, and walked off.