Read Online The Hunted by Heather McAlendin - Free Book Online Page A

to feel the power as I glided over the tops of the tree branches and landed in the garden below.
    I breathed in deeply as the familiar scent of the midnight blossoms filled my senses. Home.
    “I can see why you chose this place, Silver. It’s breathtaking!” Drake moved forward into the garden, my garden that I had planted so many years ago. It had been a refuge, my place to think and revel in the moonlight.
    The light of the midnight moon outlined Drake’s large frame. He sat down on the same bench I had, only months earlier when I had made the decision to leave my home and seek Hannah and her fledgling bastards.
    Ruby-colored tears trickled from my eyes and down my cheeks as I got lost in a wave of emotion. A loud thud startled me from my thoughts and I turned just in time to see Drake crash to the ground.
    I hurried to his side and with every bit of strength I had, I managed to lift him and drag him to the outer door of the compound. His body was pale and limp, his skin was damp and almost translucent.
    I heard a commotion within the compound and was startled as the door opened to see Marie’s face staring at me from within the darkness. She was as lovely and delicate as I remembered. No longer dressed in her typical black, she had on a lovely transparent shift of white and her shorn locks had grown long and flowing around her shoulders.
    “Silver!” Marie exclaimed, her eyes wide in surprise. “I should have felt you here!”
    The young woman flew toward me and wrapped her slender arms around my neck, kissing my face, eyes and cheeks. It was not the greeting I expected. Grateful for the display of affection I returned her embrace and kissed her forehead.
    We stayed like that for a moment before reality jolted me back to my senses. I pushed Marie away and pointed to Drake’s body, which was laying on the path where I had dropped him.
    “So, this is Father Drake?” she asked. “Ironic isn’t it? A former nun and former priest, now vampires.”
    It came as no surprise to me that Marie knew of Drake. Andrew would have shared that information and our past with her.
    With more power than I had ever had, Marie walked over to the vampire giant and easily lifted him over her shoulder. “How long since he fed?” she asked plainly.
    Once I closed my mouth from the shock of what I had witnessed I shook my head and responded quietly. “It has been a couple of days for a full feed that I am aware of. Same for me but he is much larger than I.”
    Marie smiled and carried Drake forward. I followed close behind; a feeling of cold dread filled my stomach. I was a stranger in what once was my home.
    As we walked inside the large, stone house, my heart lurched. Standing at the base of the staircase near the main hall was Andrew, looking every inch the King of the Vampire Clans.
    His long, butter-colored hair was in a smooth, neat ponytail at the nape of his neck. Dressed in dark, pin-striped dress pants and a black silk shirt, he looked lean and powerful. Andrew’s cheeks and lips were flushed with color. He had just fed.
    He granted me a dazzling smile; for a moment, I was back in time and greeting my lover. However, this was not that time nor was it the place to review what was likely ancient history.
    “Silver, you look lovely; tired but lovely as always,” Andrew stated as he held out his hand to me. I moved forward slowly as if deciding whether going to him was the best idea.
    Please don’t hesitate. His eyes pleaded with me but I could tell something had changed. “Drake will be attended to. You need to feed and then we have a lot to discuss. I know why you are here but I am sure you knew that already. Come with me.”
    Hesitantly, I placed my hand in Andrew’s and allowed him to lead me up the staircase to the rooms above. The long fingers and strong hand felt so foreign to me now. It was disturbing yet somehow a relief that Andrew and I both recognized our relationship had changed.
    The house itself had not