Hey, book bae!
Here’s the final sneak peek for Bloody Fairy. If you have not already purchased your holiday novella set, you can do so here.
Also, I’m giving a few books a facelift with new covers. At the top of that list was my five-year anniversary bundle from last years’ celebration! If you have not already read Faded Mirrors, Love is the Byline, or Faded Love… now is the perfect time to do so :)
New covers, but the story is still the same. P.S. If you were waiting for the update novella, Faded Love, it is included in Love is the Byline!
Syena
Two days had passed since Diesel bit Syena, and she hadn’t felt right since. The only person who knew so far was her closest friend, Onju. When Syena frantically realized the consequences of becoming a vampire, the main one being her inability to go deep into the sea, she almost lost it. It was no secret that vampires didn’t step on holy ground or into large bodies of water, fearing both would cleanse them of the darkness and evil within them. For two days, she’d only been able to dip her body into water before hiding in the black tent Onju purchased her, hoping no one would see.
Onju assured her that by the end of her turning stage she’d be a full vampire, but it didn’t look like that would be the case. She still looked half vamp and half fairy, and her symptoms were getting worse. Syena coughed as her body shivered. She was cold yet sweating. Her entire body ached, and she had a nagging headache that wouldn’t go away. Clutching her stomach as it turned, she groaned and rocked gently from side to side.
“Sy,” Onju whispered. “Open up.”
“I can’t,” she whined. “It hurts to move.”
“Rasha is with me. Maybe she can help.”
Inhaling a deep breath, Syena groaned and rolled a few times. She unzipped the tent, then rolled back to the center of it. As they both huddled inside, Onju closed the tent behind them.
“Sweetie,” Rasha called softly, feeling her forehead. “You’re burning up. Your pupils are dilated.” Her hand went to the center of Syena’s chest. “Your heartbeat is irregular.” Her head shook. “What were you thinking, Syena?”
“Well…” She coughed. “I didn’t really ask for this. I just told a very literal man that I wanted to live forever, and this was his way of helping me.” As much as she wanted to be upset with Diesel, she smiled. She’d been missing him like crazy but told herself staying away was for his own good.
“Who is your sire?”
Syena looked from Rasha to Onju. “I-I don’t want to say.”
“He should be with you. He’s your ward, so it’s his job to protect you and take care of you.”
“I didn’t want to get him in trouble.”
“You’re in trouble.” Rasha took her hand into hers. “By your symptoms, you’re in stage two of your turning. Has your sight weakened yet?” Syena shook her head. “Good. You need to get to him as quickly as you can before you get to stage three.”
“What happens in stage three?”
Onju and Rasha looked at one another. “You will need to feed, but you won’t be able to control it. Your appetite for blood will consume you. You need to be with someone who can help you.”
“If I just stay here… I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’ll just keep myself locked up in here. That way, everyone will be safe.”
Rasha smiled sweetly. “My love… You don’t have that kind of power.”
“How about this?” Onju started. “Why don’t you tell me who it is, and I will check on you every twelve hours? If it looks like it gets to a point that you can’t handle it, I will tell him, but only if I believe you’re about to harm someone or you’re in danger yourself.”
Syena considered her offer briefly. “Okay. That sounds fair.”
“It’s important that you stay hidden, Syena,” Rasha reminded. “If anyone, and I do mean anyone, sees you before you turn fully, you will be banished.”
“And what about when I turn fully? Won’t they recognize me?”
“No. You will be able to fully reinvent yourself.”
Syena smiled. Her eyes blinked as they watered. Nostrils flaring, she released a shaky breath.
“I’ll get forever… with Diesel.” She snapped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late.
“Diesel!” Onju shrieked before covering her own mouth. “Diesel?” she repeated.
“Yes, and stop saying my man’s name like that.”
Rasha chuckled. “She’s definitely half vamp now.” Turning to Onju she said, “You make sure you keep an eye on her. Summon me if you need me. I’m only a whisper away.”
As soon as Syena closed her eyes to blink, Rasha was gone.
“Did this happen the day he saved you?” Onju wondered.
Her head shook. “No. When I went to find him and thank him, we ended up talking and connecting. He made me feel like he saw me and understood me in a way that no one ever had before. I mentioned to him that I was kind of down about the end of my life cycle, and he asked me what I would do if I would have more time. I told him, we made magical love, and he bit me so I could live forever.” She chuckled softly before coughing and groaning as her stomach pain increased.
“Okay, okay. As much as I would love to hear more, you need to rest. Has the sunlight been bothering you through the tent?”
“No, thankfully. I’ve just been really hot, but that probably could be because of him.”
“Yeah. Your insides are basically replaced with his, so you’ll need to get used to the heat. I have to go before the girls notice I left, but I’m going to check on you tonight before I go home, okay?”
“Okay. Thank you, Onju. For everything.”
They shared a brief hug before Onju left and Syena tried to go to sleep, but the pain made that almost impossible. She tried to convince herself that staying away from Diesel was for the best and they could be together forever when she turned… but Syena was starting to crave him more and more.