Moon Academy - Catherine Banks Page 0,23

and several other elementary-aged kids, smiling and panting. They were barely breathing hard. Werewolf perks.

My head hurt, and my chest constricted painfully.

I leaned against a tree, taking deep breaths to calm my racing heart.

“You alright, Kitten?” Nick asked as he paused at a tree several away from me, his eyes scanning for Charlie, who was currently “it”.

It took a moment for my eyes to lift to his, but the words that came from my mouth weren’t my own. “She will be soon.”

Nick’s eyes widened and he reached towards me, but someone’s arms were already around me and pulling me upwards.

“Sarah!” Dad yelled.

I tried to fight. I tried to do something, but I felt numb. The vampire laughed. “Bye, Thornton. I’ll be sure to take good care of her from now on. Thank you for keeping her healthy for me.”

“Sarah!” Nick yelled frantically as the vampire carried me farther and farther away. “Sarah!”

“It’s so cute how the dogs are fond of you. I never dreamed that the pack would take you in. It’s sad though since your Guardian will be punished for failing to keep you safe.”

The vampire carried me up over the trees, away from the pack.

We continued flying over the town and then he started to descend towards a house on the outskirts where several abandoned homes sat.

Please, Nick. Find me.

The vampire landed on the doorsteps of a small house and carried me inside. I felt like I was going to go insane if I couldn’t move soon. The house was empty except for two large chairs in the living room and the burgundy drapes. He set me in one of the chairs and then sat in the other one, facing me.

“Sarah, you don’t remember me, do you?” he asked as he stared into my eyes.

My body burned a moment, and then I could move. I shivered and asked, “Should I remember you?”

I wanted to scream and run away, but I didn’t want to piss him off to the point that he killed me.

He smiled. “You were young and your mind probably blocked out the events from that night since it was so tragic.”

I stared at him, my heart pounding as I understood. He was the monster. He was the vampire who had killed my family. My fear skyrocketed, and I cowered into the seat. “It was you.”

He nodded and moved towards me. “Your fear is delicious. I would have taken you that night, except those wolves interfered. Now that you’re older and stronger, I can keep you alive much longer.”

He lunged across the room, pinning me to the chair, and his fangs pierced my neck. I screamed in pain and tried to get away from him, but he used his powers to freeze me again. With every suck, I felt a piece of me disappear into him. It was like he was drinking my soul instead of my blood. The pain disappeared, and he released his power, but now I just couldn’t move. I knew it was hopeless, so I didn’t fight. What could I have done against a vampire? Hell, what could I have done against a man his size? I’d taken Nick’s skills for granted when I should have been working out and learning to fight beside him.

The vampire pulled back and smiled at me. “See, that wasn’t so bad.”

There was no point in even trying to formulate an escape plan. The pack would probably give up on me. I was giving up on myself, so why shouldn’t they? I knew I would never truly belong with the pack anyways. They were supernaturals, and I was just a pathetic human. Too weak to hold her own. Too weak to keep up. Too weak to be allowed to live. He’d been wanting to kill me since I was six. Now that we were alone, he could finish the job.

A wolf howled nearby, pulling me from my stupor. The pack! They’d found me! I started to get up, but the vampire pushed me down. “Just sit. It’s only one wolf, not any trouble for me.”

I cowered on the couch. He was right. I was doomed to spend the rest of my life as the vampire’s prisoner.

Something slammed into the front door and the vampire hissed, making me whimper in fear. He turned to me and smiled. “Perhaps I should drink a little more to quench this thirst.”

He turned my head to the side and bit into my neck again. I screamed as his fangs pierced my skin and