Read Online Feral: Book One by Velvet DeHaven - Free Book Online Page B

what I said concerning Colton is entirely true.” His voice was dark and somber as he took one of my hands in his. “He is uninjured and, aside from his apparent fixation on you, is doing immensely well. But before I can give you more information on Mister Malver, there are some other concerns I must address with you first and, if I am to be entirely honest, for the first time in my long life, I am unsure as to where to begin. I suppose I must first ask you to maintain an open mind during this conversation.”
    That statement left me more confused than ever. As someone who was acquainted with unusual medical conditions and results of horrific accidents, I could not imagine any circumstance that would require some stretch of my imagination. There wasn’t much that could surprise me.
    “I suppose I could prolong the inevitable,” he continued, “by proposing hypothetical situations and inquiring as to your beliefs in them, but as I said, to do so would only put off unavoidable. It would also cause you undue stress, and your mind, I am sure, would create theories which would probably be untrue.”
    He inhaled deeply, holding his breath for a few moments before exhaling forcefully. “Sofia, as people who are interested in and study sciences, we are taught to view things with a rational eye, to seek the logical reason behind any condition presented to us. However, I think you can agree there are some things that are beyond even our comprehension, and the circumstance that surrounded Colton’s recovery, and indeed my own existence, is one of those.”
    Simon licked his lips and released my hand, pulling away from me and leaning back in his chair. “Sofia… I am a vampire.”
     
    I laughed long and loud, until my sides began to burn from the force of my hilarity. I laughed until tears began leaking from the corners of my eyes. And all the while, Simon sat there with his forearms resting on the chair and watched me, his expression blank, but his eyes pained.
    “Oh, I’m sorry!” I choked out between guffaws. It took me a moment to recover my breath, and I wiped my eyes dry as I did so. “I’m so sorry, but that was really hilarious. Although, I would’ve expected that joke a little closer to Halloween.” At his unaltered, steely appearance, I sobered. “Look, I’m sorry, Simon. I wasn’t trying to be rude or mean, but… I mean, can you really blame me?” I shook my head. “I mean, really? A vampire?”
     The pale lips I had fantasized about for weeks parted.
    Shlck.
    In hindsight, I would be both appalled and ashamed at the undignified shriek that burst from my mouth when two sharp canines descended into sight, but at the present, I was too taken aback to care about what noises I made.
    I sprang up, more in surprise than actual fear, and realized one second too late that I had lost my footing and was going to go crashing down onto the wooden floor. I was going to walk away—if I walked away at all—with the bare minimum of bruises to both my butt and my pride. I only hoped I didn’t crack my head wide open on the unyielding floor when it stopped my fall.
    But rather than painfully hitting the ground and seeing stars swimming before my eyes from disorientation, I found his eyes staring, unblinking, into mine.
    “You caught me,” I said, only distantly recognizing how utterly inane that statement sounded.
    His smile was amused, but sad. “Did you believe I would allow you to injure yourself in my care?”
    I laughed again, only this time, the sound was light and unexpectedly blithe to my own ears, in spite of the current situation. “No. No, I suppose not.”
    He did not release me as my mirth faded back into incredulity, mercifully less frantic than my previous reaction. I shook my head as if trying to clear my mind of the image it had seen. “Vampires-vampires aren’t real. They’re myths, fairytales, just like ghosts and werewolves and unicorns. Vampires—they don’t exist. They just