Beautiful Monster-The Exchange by Jeanne Bannon Read Free Book Online Page A

“You wallow
in your grief and pain. You live a life of self-pity. It’s time you left that
behind. When you turn another or better still when you take a life, Lev, you
gain power. You take a part of your prey. In fact, we take a piece of every
person we kill and of every new creature we make. It’s how our kind builds
strength and how…” He moved close enough to whisper into Lev’s ear, then
continued, “It’s how we stop feeling. Weak human emotions disappear and oh,
what a wonder that is, brother.” Alexei’s dark eyes were mesmerizing,
and his smile grabbed at something deep inside Lev. “Do you want the pain to
stop?”
    Lev nodded slowly. Did he really? He thought so. This
time with Carly, it was too much.
    “Then come with me.” Lev stood, and Alexei clapped him
on the shoulder. “Now we will finally be brothers in every sense of the word.”
Alexei threw open the curtains to reveal a moonlit sky. “So much more is
waiting for you. Much more than you’ve dreamed and I’m finally going to get to
show you. Forgive me, Lev. I have not done my duty as your maker or as your
brother.”
    Lev followed Alexei out into the night.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
     
    Lev rarely fed where he lived. At least his
brother had taught him that much, even though Alexei didn’t follow the rule
himself . There were times, he was ashamed to admit, he’d
broken that rule. The consequences of getting caught wouldn’t be as dire for
him as they would be for Alexei, since Lev had never completely drained a body,
leaving a corpse to be found by a passerby.
    Strangely, despite his other struggles with being a
creature of the night, Lev did not find feeding difficult. It was a primal need
that had to be filled and that’s how he rationalized it, not letting what was
left of his conscience get in the way. Plus he knew if he didn’t feed often to
keep himself sated, the darkness within would make its way to the surface.
There was a kernel of good in that deed, he reminded himself, if for no other
reason than to quell his conscience.
    Finding prey was simple for Lev, he’d strike up a
conversation, usually with someone young—man or woman, it didn’t matter. With
the added charms his undead status bestowed on him, his victims would soon fall
under his spell and then he’d lead them away, like a puppy on a leash. A dark
alley was always a good place to take them. He’d feed quickly, sinking his
fangs into a wrist instead of the more dangerous and tempting jugular. Blood
came quick and furious from that perilous artery, and it took longer to heal.
    Feeding was the only time Lev allowed the darkness a
modicum of control, still, the true Lev, as he liked to call it, never strayed
far. Like a sentinel, his true self stood guard. Though he couldn’t help wonder
if Tony, Alexei’s friend, would have been his first kill if his brother hadn’t
stopped him. In the past, Lev had always been careful, never letting himself
get too thirsty. The episode with Tony had been a shameful lapse in judgment.
Was he going to let all that go tonight? Was he finally going to purge what was
left of the true Lev and, in turn, his pain?
    Though Alexei was his maker and his brother, they’d only
fed together once, right after Alexei had turned him, when he needed to be
shown the ropes so to speak.
    Lev remembered the experience well. His brother had
whisked him away to a park miles from their home in Saint Petersburg. That
first meal had been a young man barely out of his teens. Alexei, of course, had
gone straight for the man’s jugular, then encouraged Lev to drink when his
thirst had been quenched.
    Darkness had been at the helm of Lev’s actions that
evening, though the reins were still held by the true Lev. His nostrils had flared
at the scent of the crimson fluid as it rushed through the boy’s veins. He’d
inhaled it. He’d savored it.
    Fear—distinct and palpable—had flavored it too, but he’d
forced it away because it gnawed at what was