Read Online Crave by Melissa Darnell - Free Book Online

got married.”
    â€œWait. You got pregnant then got married?”
    She gave a sheepish grin. “Yeah, you know, sometimes it works that way. But it was worth it. Even when our marriage meant your father lost his seat on the council—”
    â€œBecause of me?”
    She winced. “Not quite. More a combination of factors…like drinking Clann blood to block his thoughts from the council so he could break their rules, marry a human and have a baby.”
    But they only got married after they found out they were going to have me. So didn’t that still make it my fault that Dad was kicked off the council?
    â€œAnyways,” she continued, “when you actually made it to full term then survived the first year of life, everyone on both sides of the equation went nuts. The vampire council thinks you’re going to be some sort of secret weapon for the Clann if you develop magical skills. And the Clann is afraid you’ll either go fully vampire and try to eat them all or use magic against them.” She laughed.
    I couldn’t breathe.
    Her smile faded. “Oh, sorry, baby. Your father and I spent years joking about everyone’s crazy fears. They’re all ridiculously paranoid, on both sides of the line. Before your birth, they actually thought he and I had teamed up to rid the worldof both the Clann and all the vampires! Bunch of fruitcakes. But I guess it’s not that funny to you at first.”
    I let a glare be my answer. Inside, I was shaking again. Just when I thought I was starting to get a grip on all of this…now I was both a career ender for Dad and some sort of a ticking time bomb? No wonder I was such a disappointment to him.
    â€œThat’s why the Brat Twins call me a freak. Why did you even keep me?” I muttered then clamped my lips shut. I so had not meant to say that out loud.
    She gripped my shoulders, forcing me to meet her gaze. “Savannah, from the moment I found out I was pregnant with you, you have been nothing short of a miracle. Do you understand? A miracle. Not strange, not scary, not a freak and certainly not a threat to anyone. You’ve always been a sweet, precious miracle born out of love.”
    A love that had lasted all of three years. “So if I was such a miracle, and you two were so in love you just had to break all the rules to be together…why’d you get divorced?”
    She bit her lower lip, hesitating for a long time before sighing. “A lot of factors, I guess. Mostly, it was my fault. I was young, far too young to handle it all. And too young to really know what love was. I thought I was in love with your father. But now I know I was more in love with the idea of being with a vampire and breaking the rules. We were like Bonnie and Clyde, modern-day rebels running from our worlds’ laws, hiding out on the lam.” She grinned. “It was a lot of fun. Until we had a baby who needed safety and security. Then suddenly being on the run wasn’t so much fun anymore. When I realized I was responsible for your life and protecting you, it just didn’t make sense anymore to be with your father. The council and the Clann both agreed you and I could live with your grandmother as long as I ended my marriage. And while I still loved your father, I wasn’t in love with him anymore.Loving your father was an adventure and a selfish fantasy, and it was great while it lasted. But having you made me realize I needed to wake up, grow up and think about others for a change.”
    â€œLet me get this straight. You broke up with Dad for me?”
    â€œNot just for you. For peace between the Clann and the vampires, too. Both groups have members all over the world. If your father and I had stayed together, worldwide war could have broken out again between them. A lot of people would have died, and that would have been my fault. And I didn’t love your father enough anymore for it to be worth