Blood at Stake (Warriors of the Krieger Book 2) by Theresa Hissong Read Free Book Online

softly. “Things
are going to be confusing, my dear, but I need you to trust me. I
couldn’t leave you there to die.”
    He explained to me that I was a vampire, but
I didn’t believe him at first. When he broke open his own vein, I
fed from him without question.
    As the years passed, we traveled together,
sometimes even pretending to be a married couple, although we never
had sex. He was my best friend.
    We only had about a hundred years together
before he was killed in front of me by a clan of stake wielding
priests in France. He gave his life to protect me, pushing me out
of harm’s way, yelling for me to run as fast as I could and never
look back. My only regret was that I did look back, right as they
drove a stake through his heart.
     

Chapter 6

    Ashby
     
    Bloody tears roll softly down her face as
she showed me the end of her human life. It was a strange act. I
could still see the room around me, but my mind replayed her
visions as if the memories were my own.
    Unfortunately, some of those memories were
my own as well.
    “ Alydian ,” I whispered, in shock.
    “What did you say?” she gasped, coming back
from her visions.
    “Alydian,” I said, louder this time.
    “How do you know my real name?” she
demanded, standing up to put distance between us. I reached for
her, but she backed away again. “ Tell me! ”
    “Leonardo Chaplain was a friend of mine.
Well, he was more of an acquaintance,” I admitted. “When we met, he
told me about you. He said that his child was his best friend and
that he’d hoped that one day he could introduce us.”
    “How…when?” she struggled to speak, the
bloody tears rolled down her cheeks faster now, and all I wanted to
do was to wipe them away.
    “You were on your own, about twenty years
before he was killed,” I spoke from memory. “We were in Greece at
the time when we met after a rogue vampire had entered into a
tavern he was working at one night. After the rogue was taken away,
we talked for a few hours over a bottle of wine. He spoke highly of
you, not as a lover would, but as a near and dear friend.”
    “Oh, Leo…,” she collapsed back onto the
couch and hung her head in her palms.
    My arms folded around her tiny body
instantly. I was just as shocked as she was at the visions and the
information she shared with me. Leonardo was a good man, never took
a life as a vampire and was always a friend to the Krieger .
    “I was in France,” she cried. “That’s where
we reconnected and lived until his death. I’m sorry, Ashby, but I’m
just in shock. I really shouldn’t be. Leo knew a lot of people.”
She laughed at a memory.
    I kissed her. Her gasp of surprise melted
into a heated embrace that reminded me that dawn was coming, and I
needed to get home. I let our lips speak for several moments, just
taking her softness and sweet scent with me until I could see her
again.
    “I have to go,” I whispered, pressing my
forehead to hers. “I want to finish this conversation.”
    “Me, too,” she smiled and it was genuine.
Her pouty lips curved up at the corners, causing me to place a soft
kiss to the right side, where just a hint of a dimple showed. I
couldn’t help myself.
    “I’m off tomorrow,” I said, pulling my keys
from my pocket. “Can we spend some time together?”
    “I’d really like that,” she smiled and stood
up from the couch to walk me out. My barely beating heart clenched
from the beauty before me. Lydia’s body sagged, and I tighten my
hold on her. She looked completely drained.
    “What’s wrong?” I demanded, my voice almost
a growl.
    “Visions drain me a little,” she admitted,
shyly.
    “Here,” I said, pulling her toward my
throat. “Take what you need.”
    “I’ll be fine until morning, really.” She
tried to pull back, but the rumble in my chest told her that I
meant business. She needed strength now.
    Her tiny fangs pierced the vein in my neck.
Lydia relaxed as she sipped at my vein. The raging erection I