Eternal Shadows by Kate Martin Read Free Book Online

get away with never killing.”
    “I will hope that’s true for you. Like I said, the hunt will quell the lust, but only if you give in and go. Ignoring the urges could have dire consequences. If you drive yourself to the edge and fall off, you’ll be even unhappier with yourself.”
    I had a sudden vision of myself on a killing spree, bloody humans cast all about my feet. I didn’t want that. But how did I stop myself? Kill once a month like Millie? I didn’t like that idea, either.
    “You’ll especially want to be careful if you take on a feeder. You wouldn’t want to kill him or her accidentally because you let yourself go too long.”
    “A feeder?”
    One perfectly plucked eyebrow rose up until it practically hit her hairline. “Rhys hasn’t mentioned this to you yet?”
    I was suddenly resentful, though I had no way of knowing if I would even like this concept of a feeder. “No, he failed to mention any such thing.”
    Millie rose from my bed and held out her hand. “Well then, let’s go for a little walk.”

Chapter Three: Instinct
    I stared at her hand like it contained the plague. A plague I had already contracted, but a plague, nonetheless. I got off my bed without her help. “Where are we going?”
    She smiled, all sweetness and innocence. “You’ll see.”
    Ugh. I stayed right where I was as she turned and headed out the door, my attention drawn to the silver box that contained my father’s ashes. Playing nice with the vampires who had murdered my father and stolen my life was not at the top of my To-Do-List, and while Millie seemed nice enough, all the talk of hunting and killing had squashed what little illusion of normalcy I had almost cooked up for myself.
    Unfortunately I also had this damnable natural curiosity. Millie had been just non-threatening enough that I found myself giving into my boredom and inquisitiveness. I grumbled and stomped my way after her, making sure my unhappiness about the entire situation was clear.
    Millie just smiled at me and tucked her short blonde hair behind one ear as she glided down the hall. “Is there anything I could tell you to put you more at ease?”
    The question came to me instantly. “Did you choose this?”
    “Being a vampire?” She didn’t seem all that surprised. “Madge chose it. After she had been turned she approached me and offered the same. I couldn’t imagine life without my sister.”
    “So that’s a yes.”
    “I suppose it is. Though I admit, I didn’t give myself much time to really think it through. So at the same time, it’s a bit of a no.”
    I felt only a bit better. “Is anyone ever given a choice?
    “Well, considering the fact that we guard the secret of our existence very closely, the answer to that is, very rarely. If a person was given the choice, then chose against becoming one of us, we would risk exposure.” She had led the way down the second floor hallway and stopped now in front of one of the three guest rooms in my old house. “However, there are exceptions to every rule, and there are humans who know of us and live amongst us.”
    She pushed open the door without a sound. When, and why, had they taken care of all the squeaking that went on in this house? I never would have thought vampires had a thing for perfectly oiled hinges.
    I had always called this the White Room, seeing as how it had been decorated predominantly in white. All the guestrooms were like that—color themed. The white remained, but it seemed Millie had moved in most fully. A colorful quilt I didn’t recognize had been draped across the bed, and black and white pictures of people I had never seen before adorned the dresser and vanity. Remembering my earlier musing, I crept in and picked up the closest one. Clearly from the twenties, Millie and Madge stood in front of what must have been a skyscraper, dressed in the highest fashion. They wore smiles and kicked up their feet. Interesting. The next frame held something more like what I had