Series: The Un Series by Izzy Sweet
Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
“I’m not trying to scare her, dammit!” Caden says defensively. “But we need to know what was done to her!”
“Boys,” Chloe scolds like she’s scolding children. “None of this helping!”
“I agree,” Andrei says, watching Ambrose and Caden warily. “Alena is still injured and needs attention. I can’t focus on her if I have to worry about you two ripping off each other’s heads.”
Once again, it seems I’ve caused strife within this… family. Putting them at odds with each other and creating a mess.
Maybe it would be best if I left.
Ambrose twists his neck around to look at me. “Are you in pain, little sister?”
The movement is so snakelike, so creepy, I want to freak out but can’t.
Caden gives Ambrose a little shove, saving me the need to answer him. “It doesn’t matter if she hurts. She’s injured and needs to be fixed.”
Ambrose’s attention zeroes in on Andrei. “Fix her,” he hisses.
Andrei flashes his fangs at Ambrose, then turns to his black bag and snaps it open. Grabbing out a few things, he turns back to me.
“I’m going to pull the shard of wood out. I’m sorry if it hurts,” he says, setting all the stuff he pulled out in his lap.
I nod, ready to get this over with.
Andrei bends over my hip and it seems like only a split-second passes before he straightens with the shard of wood pinched between his fingers.
Caden gags. “Fuck, that smells terrible.”
Ambrose snarls at Caden.
Chloe lifts her hand and presses it over her face.
Mortification fills me and my eyes burn with tears. I can’t smell what they smell, but their reactions alone fill me with shame.
“Yes,” Andrei says very slowly. “But she doesn’t smell exactly like Isaac. There’s something different to her scent.”
Wrapping the shard of wood up in a tissue, he sets it to the side.
Then he does the unthinkable. He bends over my hip again and takes a deep, audible breath in.
“There’s something else to it…” he says thoughtfully after a few seconds. “Something I can’t quite place yet.”
Sitting back up, he grabs a long, white swab out of his lap. “Do you mind if I take a sample?”
I wave my hand at him and choke out, “By all means.”
Andrei pauses and tilts his head slightly to the side. “Did I hurt you when I removed the shard?”
I shake my head. I didn’t feel a thing.
He frowns. “Is it the smell that’s bothering you?”
“No.” I frown right back at him.
His thick brows furrow together. “Then why do you look like you’re about to cry?”
“Because you’re saying she stinks, you clueless jerks!” Chloe cries out in my defense.
“Oh,” Andrei says, and at least has the decency to look ashamed.
“Don’t worry, little sister,” Ambrose sing-songs. “Your fragrance doesn’t bother me at all.”
Before Caden can add his piece, I plead, “Can you please clean me up so I can leave?”
Everyone does that thing where they seem to freeze in time, becoming utterly motionless.
Again, I feel like I should be freaked out, and not being freaked out is starting to piss me off.
Chloe is the first to move, walking slowly back over to us. “You can’t leave, Alena.”
Tipping my head back to look up at her, I ask, “Why not?”
“Because you’re Raphael’s soulmarked,” Caden answers.
My irritation over this whole situation increasing, I shoot Caden a glare. “I didn’t ask you.”
“He’s right,” Chloe says with a touch of sadness.
I turn my glare on her just as Ambrose decides to add his own opinion.
“The precious jewels are locked up tight in our chest and must be protected at all costs.”
“Is he calling me a jewel?” I direct at Chloe.
“With him?” Caden says with a shrug. “Who knows?”
I grind my teeth together, becoming even more frustrated.
I don’t want to be here. There’s no reason for me to remain here. Especially with all these crazy vampires.
I need to get moving… I need to find somewhere safe, preferably far away, and figure out what happened after Father McCall and I escaped the church.
He could be out there right now waiting for me or suffering some horrible fate he needs rescued from. What if those vampires that had me also have him?
The longer I sit here, the more I feel like I shouldn’t be here. There’s a need in me to move, to go back to the city we were in, that’s becoming stronger and stronger every second that passes.
Andrei suddenly decides to lower the swab in his hand down to my hip, and I jerk back.
“I’ve changed my mind about the sample,” I say and push my hand against the floor to stand.
“You can’t leave, Alena,” Chloe says.
“Why? Raphael doesn’t even want me,” I snap as I get to my feet.
And even if he did, I still wouldn’t want to stay.
Not only because I can’t abandon Father McCall.
I don’t want to be turned into a vampire.