The Slave That I Am Read online

  The Slave That I Am

  Book 1 of The Blood Magic Series

  K. A. Young

  Copyright © 2016 by K. A. Young. All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher, except on the case of very brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  The Blood Magic Series

  The Slave That I Am

  The Pureblood Vampire Huntress

  Ascension of the Hunters

  The Rogue Pureblood Vampire

  To Seduce a Succubus

  To Seduce a Vampire

  To Seduce an Angel

  To Seduce a Mortal

  The True Born Huntress

  The Blood Magic Series – Short Stories

  Beloveds’ Marks

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue

  The Pureblood Vampire Huntress

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 1

  ~Year~2022

  You're not getting any younger so stop acting like a kid and grow up...take pride in what you are as we are what they created...

  Alyssa's words echo hauntingly within my head, taking careful steps through the bedroom as I often wonder what she means by that. She never delves further into detail, telling me that one day I'll learn the truth...more than likely after I turn sixteen.

  Reaching for the ebony hair tie on the dresser, I capture the loose strands of my brown hair, drawing them up into a high ponytail as I secure the band in place. My older sister is no longer here, a plan for her to scout out a vampire coven not too far from our grounds was already taking place. Everything is being set in motion, the hunters my parents work with enacting according to our way.

  As I step toward the open-door frame, I touch the wooden siding...

  ...this was the day I was promised since I was just ten years old. Each day, I begged my parents to allow me to come along on one of their hunts. Each time, I was denied, coming to a compromise and a promise that the day I turned thirteen would be the day I could see what it was like as a full-fledged hunter.

  However, I can only take my rite of passage when I turn sixteen, but that doesn't mean I can't shadow my parents or Alyssa.

  Stepping down the staircase in dark cargo pants, over the knee-high boots, and a short sleeve shirt, I grasp the leather jacket from the coat hanger while I round the bend to the hallway. Talking long strides down the carpeted walkway, my mother stands near the front door to our house, sheathing two blades at the sides of her hips. She kneels, holstering duel pistols with one strapped to the outsides of her lower calves clad in dark blue cargo pants, a black belt around her waist.

  Guns are useful, but they don't come close to the satisfaction of decapitating a vampire, especially when you come face to face with a pureblood. Removing their head from their shoulders is the only way to end their undead lives.

  I draw her attention not a second longer, a small smile gracing her stern features as she stands tall and proud to her feet.

  Her hair is neatly tied up in a bun, her white irises reflecting my own as she parts her lips to speak and states, "You look so mature."

  "Thanks," I guess...I'd rather not grow up too fast, but Alyssa was never given that option.

  "Here," my mother reaches to the entryway table, lifting from it a silver dagger buckled in a holster, the holster resting on a dark leather belt. As I walk a few steps closer to her, she outstretches her arm to me, offering me the blade before she says, "You won't be fighting, but just in case something happens, I don't want you unarmed."

  I scoff and roll my eyes while I say, "Isn't my blood magic enough of a weapon?"

  "True...it's deadly in its own right, however," my mother pauses while I reluctantly take the blade from her, looping the belt through my cargo pants. When I lift my gaze to meet with hers, she finishes, "one day you might not have your blood magic, so I suggest you become adept in at least one bladed weapon."

  She knows my response would have been a gun...but she knows me too well, and I can't argue with her any further.

  She tilts her head to the side, the two of us hearing the distant blaring of the 2022 blue Cadillac, my father's voice barely audible over the running engine yelling, "Ericka, we need to get going!"

  Thankfully, there isn't a house for miles in any direction from our two-story humble abode. I raise my brows while my mother chuckles softly, my father always so deeply invested in his ability to kill a vampire so much so, he can hardly wait to see precisely what coven has come close to our grounds.

  "Well then," my mother grasps the handle of the front door, pulling it inward and motioning for me to exit, "shall we?"

  I hesitate for a moment, but my mother reassures me and says, "Everything will be alright."

  Swallowing down the knot that had formed at the edge of my throat, I nod my response, stepping past her and out into the bitterly cold wind. While I walk down the pathway leading up to our house, I can hear my mother shutting and locking the front door behind her. As I glance over my shoulder, I notice gray storm clouds drifting overhead, the promise of rain on the horizon.

  My mother touches my shoulder, bringing me back to the present as she encourages me toward the vehicle, the lights cutting through the thick cover of night. Thankfully, my vision is much sharper during the nighttime, not having to squint as much from the rays of the sun.

  "This is your last chance sweetie," my mother's voice surrounds me, standing in front of the open back passenger door. One of the hunters, Erin, stepped out of the vehicle, his eyes held firm on my form with a crease across his forehead.

  Inhaling a deep breath, I don't answer her, lowering and slipping myself into the backseat of the vehicle. Drawing the central belt across my lap, the lock clicks in just as Erin seats himself back into the car. On the other side of me, Shaw is drumming his thumb against his knee, briefly glancing at me with uncertainty.

  My gaze lifts, catching the back of my father's almost shaven head and homing in on the tattooed black cross resting behind his ear. In our culture, this was a symbol that reflects that a hunter has completed their rite of passage, a hunt that can very well end in your own death. Killing a significant number of vampires on your own under the watchful eye of a ranger is the only way to complete this.

  He wears black cargo pants with a silver belt. Attached to that belt are many different bladed weapons. His dark green shirt is almost entirely covered by his heavy black jacket, the collar flaps turned up to keep away the biting cold from his neck.

  Within our ranks are rangers, born more in touch with their vampiric gene than being human. Their speed and strength are hardly anything a regular hunter can match, their breeding a perfect counterpart to a pureblood. Their marks are much different, a tattooed target is in place of the cross, for all to
see their innate abilities and rank.

  My mother often speaks of a ranger within our own bloodline and promises that when the time comes for me to take the next step forward, it will be revealed.

  I hate waiting, patience isn't necessarily my best quality.

  "Jared really..." Shaw's voice finally breaks through the silence, the humming of the engine the only other sound as my father drives the car with a purpose, "She is only thirteen, she doesn't need to be in the field yet."

  Though I halfheartedly agree with his remark, my father replies with his eyes still on the road, "This is a textbook coven. We shouldn't run into anything but normal vampires, their coven leader observed leaving his coven behind for who knows what reason. That is precisely why we are attacking now. Take advantage while you have it."

  My mother tosses over her shoulder, "My daughter is more than capable of observing an operation. The day will come sooner than she expects, and I'd rather not have her first time hunting a vampire being during her rite of passage."

  Fair enough.

  Clasping my hands on my thighs I mumble, "I've been training since I was six years old, much earlier than my sister."

  Erin can't hold back the sarcastic laugh that escapes his lips as he states, "You still need years of experience on you kid before you go into a coven's den. Besides, they are located near the fishing warehouses."

  What does that have to do with anything?

  "That may be true," my mother turns slightly in her seat to face me, "But we promised Annika that when she turned thirteen, we would take her on an operation. That promise was made three years ago, and she has been begging us ever since to take her our earlier. We always keep our promises." She smiles softly before returning her attention to the road.

  A small smile makes its way onto my lips at her confidence in me, shutting the two other hunters up in an instant. It amazes me, most other hunters showing so much respect for my parents. The only clues as to why are hidden within my parents' journals and field notes, noting that our family lineage dates backs to the 1400s.

  Larson.

  A name many hunters know, yet I don't understand precisely why.

  It's not long before we come to an area of the city I know quite well. I enjoy long walks on the beach, the sun kissing my skin as the cold water rolls up over my toes. The city looks so much different at night...

  "Ericka, the docks are right around the corner," my father turns to my mother. She nods her head and begins shuffling through weapons on the floor in front of her. I glance out the windshield at the large warehouses quickly approaching us.

  The car comes to a halt behind large shipping containers, my father killing the engine while my thoughts wander.

  Where is Alyssa?

  With a quick scan of the area, not a soul can be seen, not a sound can be heard. In fact, the pounding of my nervous heartbeat is all that fills my sense. Only when I hear my mother distantly calling me do I turn my attention away from the ominous warehouses.

  Shaw and Erin had already exited the vehicle, leaving me to my thoughts. My mother holds out her hand, offering me assistance as I take it and step out into the quiet night. The crickets play their foreboding melody, my eyes quickly meeting with my mother's as she whispers gently, "Honey, you're shaking like a leaf. Are you alright?"

  No...not one bit.

  Maybe I should wait until I'm fifteen at least...

  I'm about to see what my whole life has been training me for, yet I'm afraid. I'm fearful of the unknown and the very idea that a vampire would sooner end my life on sight than see me take another breath.

  I attempt to shake myself from the freak out train my mind is riding on as I reply, "Just excited and nervous, that's all."

  While my father stands next to the closed driver's side door, Shaw and Erin are speaking in hushed tones. My mother's voice breaks through the silence between us, "You are just like your sister," she admires me, taking a quick look over before she finishes, "Speaking of which, I don't see her anywhere."

  Thankfully I'm not the only one who notices this, my father's eyes scanning the area while Erin whispers something into his ear.

  Damn what I wouldn't give for vampiric hearing. From what I've heard, it can change the tide of a battle.

  I'll settle for sight, at least my eyes can't betray me.

  I gaze up at the starless sky, the crescent moon barely peeking out from behind the storm clouds working their way across the vast expanse. I can see the warehouse clearly and the surrounding docks where the water sloshes up against the posts. The shells I collected from Alyssa and I's trip to the beach yesterday are buried under those docks, awaiting another adventure for the two of us involving snorkeling.

  "Let's move," my father's commanding voice sets my heart thumping fast once again, taking a quick sharp breath as both Erin and Shaw disperse from the car. My father motions to my mother, beckoning her forward and to his side.

  Apparently, my father's orders had already been given to the two hunters for they make their way quietly to the left side of the warehouse. Their steps are soundless, their attention significantly focused on the doors leading into the building.

  My father begins to explain his plan, "I will be entering the building through the roof. Shaw and Erin are already getting into place for an ambush," he pauses a moment while he looks briefly at my mother and continues, "Annika, you will go with your mother through the right side. She will have you wait there as she wraps back around to the front of the building, " he finishes with a sense of order, "I'm sure Alyssa is already in the back."

  How is it that my parents have so much faith in her?

  Shortly I acknowledge him, "Yes father."

  There is something in my father's eyes while his tone is stern as he states, "Whatever happens, you do whatever you must to protect yourself. Do not show them weakness, because they will not show you mercy."

  I know my parents will protect me, but nothing is ever guaranteed.

  My mother's voice is calm as she says, "It will be fine."

  She keeps telling me this repeatedly like everything really won't be okay.

  There's a quiet pause, the silence holding for a moment or two before my father commands, "Go."

  In one simple word, we all take off in the directions we have been given. My father skillfully makes his way to the warehouse, scaling the fire escape in the blink of an eye. My mother and I sprint toward the right side of the building, not letting myself fall behind as I keep close to her shadow.

  Once we come to a halt outside of the door, my mother turns to me and mentions, "Your father should almost be inside now."

  Great, split up...

  My mother suddenly grips the upper part of my arms and carefully says, "Stay here and count to sixty before following me in. Stay out of sight and quiet."

  Taking a deep breath, I nod and reply, "Thank you."

  She furrows her brows, almost thrown off by my response as she asks, "For what sweetie?"

  "For keeping your promise," I smile back at her warmly. She returns my smile with one of her own before she backs away and opens the door quietly, slipping inside and closing it silently behind her.

  I'm left there.

  Alone.

  Standing in silence as I quickly remember that I need to count. Timing is everything, it's the key to a well-devised plan. If I slip up and make a mistake, it can cost everyone their lives due to my inexperience. If my parents didn't believe I was ready, I know they sure as hell wouldn't have brought me, regardless of keeping their promise.

  55, 56, 57, 58, 59...60.

  Somehow, I thought one minute would go much slower...however, it's my turn to follow my mother inside, taking a deep breath before grasping the handle of the door. I pry it open slowly, careful so that it doesn't creak from the force I use. I slip inside, taking in my surroundings while I silently shut the door solidly behind me.

  The warehouse is dully-lit, and the ground is uneven. Stepping lightly across the floori
ng, I avoid most obstacles. I can't hear much, but I see shadows dancing across the walls.

  There is a flash from my left, and the sound of a gunshot rings out. Erin or Shaw must have fired a bullet but missed. I pad around the yellow and brown canisters as I watch my mother from behind a crate.

  There it is. For the first time, I see a vampire. Unearthly beauty reflects from his pale skin, the bloody red irises hold nothing but rage and anger, my mother their sole focus.

  My mother lashes out quickly with her steel blade as the creature evades back with the grace of a feline, out of reach. As she recoils back, the vampire takes this opportunity and lungs beside her grabbing her arm with one hand, knocking the sword to the ground, and the other grips her tied up hair.

  Mother...

  I am about to move forward when my mother reveals a pistol from one of her hidden pockets and places it hard against the vampire's chest, right at the heart. She never hesitates for a moment as she pulls the trigger. As he falls to the floor, he rips her hair out of the bun. She looks briefly at his dead body before grabbing her sword from the ground and dashing to the left side of the building.

  One dead, four to go...

  I can hear my father fighting another vampire in the distance, but crates are obstructing my view.

  The hair on the back of my neck stands on end as I hear a bloodcurdling scream.

  The person who screams is all too familiar to me...recognizing it instantly...

  I move quickly further to the front of the building and find a vampire with her fangs buried deeply into Shaw's neck. His sword and pistol are on the ground as he tries to grip her with his hands but to no avail. She growls loud and threateningly when he manages to grab onto the side of her face.

  Crunch.

  My stomach churns at the sound of bones breaking, snapping out of place.

  She snaps his neck sideways until his face is lying flat against his chest, a horrific image now painted permanently within my memories. His body goes limp in her arms. Another shot echoes as a bullet comes flying out of Shaw's chest, right at the level of his heart. The vampire's blood red eyes widen in shock and horror as she fell to the ground in a crumpled heap with Shaw.