Opulent (The Opalescent Collection Book 1) Read Online Free

sudden, she flew from Fitzray’s shoulder. Her exposed fangs gleamed while she flew at her full speed toward my face. Before her fangs took off my nose, Fitzray launched forward. He held her tightly in his hands as she struggled, her wings firmly pressed to her body. She screeched sharply and bit her master’s hand with full force, still struggling to break free and glowered at me, the intruder.
                  Fitzray rushed up to the cage and threw her inside, slamming the door shut. His cool blood dripped from the deep puncture wounds on his right hand as he proceeded toward the kitchen sink. He placed his hand beneath the cold water that spilled from the faucet.
    “I’m sorry…she…she’s usually good with strangers. I don’t know what happened.”
    “I thought…she was a fruit bat.”
    “She looks like a fruit bat, doesn’t she, but she’s not, she’s a vampire bat. She was the daughter of my mother’s bat.”
    “ Was the daughter of your mother’s bat?”
    “My mother was killed on a trip over the Bridge a long while ago, as well as her bat who had tried to protect her.”
    “I’m so sorry.”
    “It’s all right.”
                  I glanced at his hand that was still gushing blood.
    “I’ll be fine,” he said, following my gaze.
                  He turned off the water and placed his hand gently on the counter. With his pointer finger and thumb, he pinched the broken skin together and once he removed his fingers, the wound was gone.
    “How did you do that?”
    “It takes a great amount of power for a vampire to heal wounds. It’s a great advantage to be able to heal your victim’s skin so there isn’t a trace of stolen blood. Only a few vampires have this ability.”
    “Is that so?” I inquired, half-interested, working the twigs out of my hair.
    “You know, you had a long scratch running up your arm when I pulled you from the creek, and I healed that.”
    “Thank you…again.”
    “Anytime,” he purred, taking a step toward me, “now come, let me…explain some things-,”
                  A loud rumble shook the house. We ran to the window to find that the two moons, Earth’s moon and our moon Clesta were moving back together in their eclipse. The sun disappeared behind the clouds once again.
    “What does this mean?”
    “I’m not sure. The eclipse isn’t over…but it has begun again. This only happens once every hundred years or so, an eclipse lasting longer than one month.”
    “So what do we do now that the eclipse is longer than usual?”
    “I am going to cross the Bridge again.”
    “I want to come with you.”
    “Have you crossed the Bridge before?”
    “No but-,”
    “Then I cannot let you come with me. You are still too young of a vampire to cross the Bridge anyway. In time when you learn to defend yourself in this world, nevertheless in the mortal world, I will bring you across the Bridge myself.”
    “But that’s not fair! I must go over the Bridge of Secrecy. Please Fitzray, let me come with you. I’ll be safe beneath your wing.”
    “No, you will have to wait for your time to come when you become a bit more experienced.”
                  I crossed my arms and stared at him with frustration. “That’s not fair.”
    “ Life’s not fair. I am leaving tomorrow and you are staying here .”
    “I just have to go over the Bridge! Don’t deny my only wish-,”
    “No. As much as I would like to take you over the Bridge I can’t. ”
                  I would not be going; I would have to wait at least a year more. I sat on the soft couch and sulked.
    “Now, don’t be like that,” he said, his hand brushing the side of my face. “I have much to tell you and show you of this crazy world.”
    “Humor me.”
    “Ok then, if you insist.”
                  He clasped a cold hand to the side of my neck, which sent me into a dream-like state. I saw a man, perhaps in his early