Blood Enchanted (Blood Enchanted, Book 1): A Vampire Hunter Paranormal Romance Series Read Online Free Page B
Author: Nicola Claire
Trav's residence - if you could call the dilapidated building he'd commandeered as his a home. I didn't look over my shoulder, just turned my face so Ediz could see my expression as I slid my Svante into its back sheath. I flicked my hair free to cover the sword, a smirk gracing my lips I knew the shifter would notice.
No gunfire sounded out as I bounded up the rickety steps to Travis' visitor entrance, so Ediz had heard our threat as well and decided not to act.
I pressed my thumb against the scanner hidden to the side of the titanium and silver coated door, and felt the prick as it stole my blood. Fifteen seconds later, having determined I was close enough to human, the door sprang open and I entered Travis McLeod's world.
"You been making some strange friends, Ellie," Travis called out as I emerged into his control room. I crossed to the monitor he was sitting in front of and watched the shifter, Ediz, standing in the centre of the open spaced courtyard.
"What is he?" I asked, unable to look away from the sight that met my eyes.
"At a guess," Trav murmured, "some sort of cross between a tiger and a giant mutant lizard. Fugly!" he added for good measure. The word lengthening to make several syllables instead of its usual two.
I nodded absently, taking in the four inch claws on fur covered, thick arms and the many serrated teeth in a muzzle-like maw. Ediz, in his animal form, threw back his head and roared. The sound tapering off to a hiss at the end, leaving pinpricks of unnatural and basic fear skittering across my skin. I rubbed my arms, trying to dislodge the sensation.
"Whatever he is, he's old," Trav muttered. "Like crawled out of the primordial ooze old."
"Yeah," I agreed, uncharacteristically dumbfounded.
I've seen a lot of unusual supernatural creatures in my twenty-five years of life. Sooner or later they all come to pay homage to the Champion of the Iunctio , the leader of the organisation that is there not only for vampires, but all supernatural creatures. But I'd never seen this.
"Find out where it's from," I instructed. "Origins, strengths, weaknesses. And it's connection to a vampire called Hakan Bahar."
"Oh, you've met the illustrious Lord," Travis quipped.
I rounded on my friend. One of only a handful of humans who had made it into my inner circle. Travis McLeod was not just your average Norm though. Don't let the wheelchair fool you.
"You know about him?"
"Not a lot, just what's been spread on the network," Travis replied. The network he was referring to was not the "vampire network" that made up part of the Iunctio . There would be something on that particular supernatural bandwidth about my mysterious middle eastern vampire, and I could swallow my pride and just go ask my father what there was on there. But that would involve a lecture about my responsibilities and upcoming joining. I could also take a chance that Alain would treat me with something other than over-protectiveness at my father's behest, and see if the spy master knew of Hakan. But the chances of Alain doing that were next to none.
I was at best a kid sister. At worst, a precious treasure that should be locked up and kept safe.
I ground my teeth, my jaw beginning to ache with the familiar frustration.
No, my only course of action was the ghoul network, already pressed to its limits tonight. Or Travis.
"So, what's your network of cameras and spies tell you then?" I asked, slipping my jacket off and throwing it over an armchair in the corner, then unbuckling my Svante sheath and removing that as well.
Travis ignored my striptease, he'd seen it all before. When in the company of those I trusted, I bared my arms. It was the only time I could truly be me.
He clicked away on the keyboard of his computer for several seconds, making different screens in front of him light up with images; all of them cage fights throughout Auckland. I knew each location, had fought in them time and again. One was Reggie's Bar.
"Six fights. Six
No gunfire sounded out as I bounded up the rickety steps to Travis' visitor entrance, so Ediz had heard our threat as well and decided not to act.
I pressed my thumb against the scanner hidden to the side of the titanium and silver coated door, and felt the prick as it stole my blood. Fifteen seconds later, having determined I was close enough to human, the door sprang open and I entered Travis McLeod's world.
"You been making some strange friends, Ellie," Travis called out as I emerged into his control room. I crossed to the monitor he was sitting in front of and watched the shifter, Ediz, standing in the centre of the open spaced courtyard.
"What is he?" I asked, unable to look away from the sight that met my eyes.
"At a guess," Trav murmured, "some sort of cross between a tiger and a giant mutant lizard. Fugly!" he added for good measure. The word lengthening to make several syllables instead of its usual two.
I nodded absently, taking in the four inch claws on fur covered, thick arms and the many serrated teeth in a muzzle-like maw. Ediz, in his animal form, threw back his head and roared. The sound tapering off to a hiss at the end, leaving pinpricks of unnatural and basic fear skittering across my skin. I rubbed my arms, trying to dislodge the sensation.
"Whatever he is, he's old," Trav muttered. "Like crawled out of the primordial ooze old."
"Yeah," I agreed, uncharacteristically dumbfounded.
I've seen a lot of unusual supernatural creatures in my twenty-five years of life. Sooner or later they all come to pay homage to the Champion of the Iunctio , the leader of the organisation that is there not only for vampires, but all supernatural creatures. But I'd never seen this.
"Find out where it's from," I instructed. "Origins, strengths, weaknesses. And it's connection to a vampire called Hakan Bahar."
"Oh, you've met the illustrious Lord," Travis quipped.
I rounded on my friend. One of only a handful of humans who had made it into my inner circle. Travis McLeod was not just your average Norm though. Don't let the wheelchair fool you.
"You know about him?"
"Not a lot, just what's been spread on the network," Travis replied. The network he was referring to was not the "vampire network" that made up part of the Iunctio . There would be something on that particular supernatural bandwidth about my mysterious middle eastern vampire, and I could swallow my pride and just go ask my father what there was on there. But that would involve a lecture about my responsibilities and upcoming joining. I could also take a chance that Alain would treat me with something other than over-protectiveness at my father's behest, and see if the spy master knew of Hakan. But the chances of Alain doing that were next to none.
I was at best a kid sister. At worst, a precious treasure that should be locked up and kept safe.
I ground my teeth, my jaw beginning to ache with the familiar frustration.
No, my only course of action was the ghoul network, already pressed to its limits tonight. Or Travis.
"So, what's your network of cameras and spies tell you then?" I asked, slipping my jacket off and throwing it over an armchair in the corner, then unbuckling my Svante sheath and removing that as well.
Travis ignored my striptease, he'd seen it all before. When in the company of those I trusted, I bared my arms. It was the only time I could truly be me.
He clicked away on the keyboard of his computer for several seconds, making different screens in front of him light up with images; all of them cage fights throughout Auckland. I knew each location, had fought in them time and again. One was Reggie's Bar.
"Six fights. Six
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