3. Bella

Iawoke to the arctic chill that seeped into my bones, numbing my fingers and turning my teeth to chatterboxes. Searching for warmth, I stumbled across the cold room; all I found was a fierce wind blowing through from an open door, bringing a chill far too cold for this time of year.

Squeezing my body together in an attempt to conserve heat, my eyes were drawn to the slumped figure of my father in the corner. Blood-soaked clothes clung tightly to his body and stained his chin while his mouth hung open, exposing sharp incisors that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

My father, the mighty prince of the vampire kingdom, Roderick Val” Draco, once a proud and handsome prince, had fallen so far to the bottom. We were everything he despised.

My body shivered as I shuffled closer to him, examining his motionless figure. My heart sank as I watched the stillness of his chest, not a single breath leaving his mouth while mine puffed out white clouds of vapor with each exhale. He had drunk far too much this time, leaving me alone in the cold.

I leaned closer and sniffed him, smelling the intoxicating aroma of the blood on and in him. He”d been to the ale house and the drug den. Sampling from both, letting the drugs and alcohol inhibit him as it did the warm bodies he fed from.

He awoke suddenly, his gaze emotionless and void of any humanity. He clasped his grip tightly around my neck, and I fought back with all the force I could muster. His eyes were full-blown black, piercing into me like they couldn”t recognize or see me. I strained to break free, pushing and clawing at him in desperate attempts to get a single breath of air.

”Father! Wake up!” I cried out, trying to break the spell he was under. I tried to slap him across the face, hoping it would bring him back to reality, but instead, he threw me across the room. I whimpered in pain as my body struck the unforgiving wall. Despite the agony, I quickly stood and readied myself for whatever conflict was to come. All while cursing at my skirts that entangled my legs.

He lunged toward me in a flash and propelled me back with his powerful fists. With all the strength I had left in me, I retaliated, hammering my fist into his face with a deafening roar that filled the room. ”Wake up, you bastard!” I snarled as his eyes slowly started to regain focus on me.

”Isabella?” he asked, shock evident on his face. His eyes darkened as if he were unconcerned. He stepped back cautiously.

”Stay away from me,” I hissed. Rage surged through my veins at my own foolishness; I knew this would happen, yet somehow, I had deluded myself into believing I was free of danger with him, of all people.

”I didn”t mean to hurt you,” he said indifferently, as if he may not have meant to but wasn”t concerned that he had.

I continued in a low growl, ”Sure you didn”t.” I searched the room for my dagger. I had been so careless; it was why I was furious. I had been raised around vampires and knew how dangerous they could be.

”If you just took up your birthright, then you wouldn”t have to struggle or be hungry,” he said, trying to make me see his point of view.

”But then I would never feel the sun on my skin again.” I narrowed my eyes with a defiant stare. ”Never. I”d rather starve than become one of you,” I spat. My voice became softer and tired as the words came out low and weak. ”I”d rather grow old and die a mortal than become a monster like you.”

His lips curled in response, and he spat, ”You are not worthy of our bloodline. We are royalty, unlike this poor dwelling. I was meant to rule a kingdom.”

My thoughts were full of mockery and scorn as I looked around the dilapidated shack. ”Royalty, indeed! Of what?” I extended my arms searching around as if looking for the fucking royalty he wore like a badge of honor. ”We have nothing to be regal with or for. You are living in a delusion. How much farther can we fall?”

”Get out,” he demanded. His gaze returned to full obsidian, and his growls became more primal and animalistic.

”Your regret will come too late this time and when you beg my forgiveness as you always do… there will be none,” I promised as I narrowed my gaze. I swept past him, giving him my back. Also an insult to a vampire.

His snarl deepened as his hand shot out like lightning, but I was faster than his reflexes, which had been dulled by bloodlust and drugs. I kicked him back with a powerful thrust, the force of which sent shockwaves through the room. Then, remembering my dagger, I snatched it up and threw it straight into his carotid artery, severing it. He dropped to the ground with a gurgle as his lifeblood escaped him.

I pulled my dagger free of his limp form, knowing I didn’t have long before he regained awareness. I grabbed my bloodied book before grabbing my threadbare cloak and opening the door. The light had left his eyes, and he would soon be awake, bloodthirsty, and ready to hunt me down. So I ran without looking back.

Into the bitter cold, dark night.

I pressed myself against the cold stone wall, listening for any sign that my father was coming after me. Fear and anger coursed through my veins like fire, stoking my determination to escape this wretched place. Though I appeared more human than vampire, I had some advantages with my enhanced night vision, hearing, and strength. They wouldn”t do me any good against a supernatural creature, but a girl had to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

My muscles seized up as I huddled into my cloak. I”d been smart enough to grab it on the way out, but it was still damp from the rain and had turned to ice overnight, leaving me little protection from the elements. If I didn”t find shelter soon, I”d be in a world of pain.

”Damn him,” I muttered under my breath, my resolve hardening. I loved to read, escaping into worlds where I wasn”t abused and blamed for my family”s issues. Tonight, I would forge my own story.

A sudden, guttural rumble sent shivers down my spine as I slipped into the shadows. Gideon stepped out from behind a corner, his amber eyes blazing with possessive desire.

”Isabella!” Gideon”s animalistic snarl cut through the silence, sending shivers down my spine. I knew he was using his wolf senses to track me, and I cursed my inability to escape him. My heart raced, and fear gripped me like a vise.

”You are mine,” he claimed, stalking toward me.

He barked with a carnal hunger that shook me to my core. Dread hit me hard in the gut. His hands moved to caress my legs, encircling them around his waist. I pushed at his chest, but he was immovable, pressing his bare arousal against the fabric of my clothing, mere inches separating us from complete intimacy.

This was it. I was screwed. Gideon would take me, claim me, and never let me go. I”d never be his wife or equal, but the creature that warmed his bed. I would rather become the one thing I swore I would never become, a full vampire, before I ever became his slave. Only one desperate thought gave me the power to fight back.

He leaned in close, running his teeth across the skin of my throat and breathing me in, his teeth skimming my skin, posed to clamp down. I bit my lip to keep the whimper from escaping as he crushed me harder. His scent filled with a heady thickness, dripping with desire. I calmed my erratic breathing, knowing my fear would only increase his need to have me, to bite me.

To claim me.

I felt myself losing control, my calm slipping away as I realized I couldn”t hold it. I felt my pulse begin to thunder in my ears, hearing it like a drumbeat. The desire to move, to do something, anything, flared intensely as my urge to flee grew stronger, conflicting with my urge to fight.

”Leave me alone, you bastard!” I screamed into the shadows, tears of frustration and anger streaming down my face.

”You are mine,” he repeated like a broken record, this time putting the force of his alpha power in it. I felt my knees tremble and threaten to give out, but I locked them and stood stock straight, refusing to submit.

”Never, Gideon,” I replied defiantly, trying to sound braver than I felt. ”I won”t be your plaything.”

”Is that so?” he challenged, lunging toward me with supernatural speed. I fought to evade him, but his strong arms encircled my waist, pulling me against the rough stone wall.

I cursed and stumbled back as my body hit the brick of a building, its rough surface scraping against my exposed skin.

Gideon pinned me in place with his muscular arms, trapping me between him and the building. He bent closer, inhaling my scent with a sharp grunt. His gaze burned into my brown-flecked amber eyes as his wolf lingered beneath the surface.

”Get off me!” I shouted, struggling to break free.

Gideon”s grip tightened, and for a moment, fear consumed me. The fire within me still burned, and I used it to fuel my actions.

”I”m going to bite you and fuck you in that order.” He hissed against my skin before his teeth sunk savagely into the flesh just above my collarbone.

Red-hot rage boiled through my veins, and I kneed him so hard in the groin that he released his bite with a grunt. Without another thought, I pulled out my dagger and plunged it deep into his side. His amber eyes widened in shock as the trickle of blood seeped from the side of his mouth. The injured wolf growled possessively, ”You are mine,” before collapsing into the mud at my feet.

He would live, unfortunately.

I quickly searched for somewhere safe to hide before sprinting into the night. Howling wolves soon echoed around me, taunting me as I raced toward the forbidden woods. My only chance of survival lay ahead, but could I make it there before Gideon was back up?

I bolted down the alleyway, tears streaming down my face. In my haste, I knocked over a stack of empty crates, causing a loud crash that echoed through the night. I didn”t dare look back to see if my pursuers had heard.

Gideon”s enraged roar told me he was hot on my trail. I poured all my energy into my burning legs, sprinting for the forbidden forest.

Just as the trees came into view, a heavy weight slammed into me from behind. I crashed to the ground, all the air forced from my lungs. Struggling to breathe, I flipped over to find Gideon”s hulking form above me, his eyes flashing amber with fury.

I clawed desperately at the ground, my fingers grazing a jagged rock. With a desperate prayer, I smashed it against Gideon”s temple. He howled in pain and loosened his grip just enough for me to wriggle free.

I didn”t look back this time as I raced for the shadowy forest, weaving between trees until his roars faded into the distance. Gasping for breath, I allowed myself a moment to grieve the loss of my weak mortal life. There was no going back now toward either my salvation or my brutal end. I ran into the dark and foreboding woods that bordered the village”s south side.

The woods where the newspaper article said bodies had been found. The woods everyone knew never to go into. I hoped the fact no one went in there would give me some saving grace. If I swallowed my fear, I could use it to my advantage.

My heart hammered in my chest, and I knew Gideon would not let me go without a fight. I refused to be claimed by him or anyone else.

I”m not their possession, I thought fiercely, stumbling over roots and rocks as I plunged deeper into the forest. I”m my own person, and I will fight for my freedom, even if it kills me.

Which seemed likely.

The shadows closed around me, swallowing me whole as I fled, with Gideon”s enraged howls echoing through the night behind me. The journey ahead would be treacherous, but one thing was clear: I would never stop running. Whatever it took, I would find a way to forge my own path.