Nightwish (An Echoes of Eternity Novel Book 1) Read Online Free

to protect.”
    “If they’re witches, why can’t they protect themselves? Why would they need a vampire to protect them?”
    “It all goes back to…” Despite facing no issues on the road, he tightened his grasp on the steering wheel, clutching it so hard that it rattled in his hands. Nevertheless, his expression seemed unaffected and, more importantly, he looked as though he had no idea how furiously he detested serving as protector. “It goes back to the curse. I’ve sworn to protect one member of your line at any given time.”
    “But I’m not a witch.”
    Darius’s expression turned solemn. “Denying it doesn’t make it any less true.”
    What did being a witch feel like? I didn’t sense either a physical, mental, or an emotional transformation since I woke up this morning. And how would I get the powers Darius mentioned? Too many questions remained unanswered.
    “Neither your grandmother nor I are on the best of terms with your mother.”
    I didn’t know how to process having a mother, especially since I would soon meet her. I’d once inquired about her, but Grams’s furious glare terrified me so much that I had nightmares for weeks afterwards. I’d never dared ask about her again. Her existence seemed too impossible to grasp. Would she like me? Hate me? Ignore me? It led to self-consciousness that made me want to consider every possible angle that she might comment on: my body, my clothes, my attitude, my education, my favorite foods…everything. Self-doubt collapsed my shoulders, and the weight got so unwieldy that, I couldn’t process a single thought.
    “You’re quiet,” he said.
    The comment zapped me back to reality. I tried to push past the idea of meeting my mother, but I needed to get off that topic. “So, are there any other paranormal creatures I should know about?”
    “At the moment? No. But soon there might be. It all depends.”
    I didn’t like his ominous tone. “Depends on what?”
    “On the continued existence of your line.”
    I didn’t try to unravel that one. “What about werewolves? Are they real?”
    “Yes.”
    “Of course, they are.” I chuckled at the absurdity. “My best friend’s a ghost, and last night at a bar, after the Cubs won, I high-fived a female mummy.” I needed to expound on that comment. “I should have persuaded her to wear a headscarf like Muslim women. All those bandages on that poor mummy’s face for thousands of years? She’s going to need one hell of a beauty regimen.”
    “You think this is funny?” he asked in monotone.
    “No, it’s ridiculous.”
    He turned to me and those intense eyes held mine in check. Even though I willed myself to glance elsewhere, I couldn’t even blink. When his pointy fangs came into view, a chill slid down my spine. I may have trusted his words, but I couldn’t trust his actions. I tensed my muscles for an attack.
    But more than that, I believed him. About everything. My head ached from the revelations that he’d revealed. I grew silent once more, unable to process another sarcastic remark. I felt like my brain had been placed in a vice, and someone had turned the handle as far as it would go. If Darius attempted to attack me, I didn’t even think I’d respond. I’d just sit there, unable to move, unable to think. That rarely happened. In martial arts, muscle memory allows you to respond without thinking. But how could I defend myself against the supernatural? I felt confused, lost.
    Darius’s fangs retracted, and he turned his attention back to the road ahead of us. “Quiet again?”
    “Well, you kinda just threw my world into a tailspin, so I think I’m entitled a few minutes to freak out.”
    He glanced at the time on the dashboard. “Okay. Three minutes starting…now!”
    That remark broke some of my disillusionment. “What happened to that demon in the alley after you vanquished it?”
    “He went looking for another body to possess. If he doesn’t find one soon, he’ll be forced to