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Chapter 53- James
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SWEET BLOOD Chapter 54- James
“Jamey,” a young voice called. “Jamey!”James was on his feet a second later, hopping along the rocks and racing toward his youngest brother. The youngest prince was on the beach, beside James’s boots, and unharmed. Relief speared him.“Michael, damn it. What are you doing out here? Until you’re older, you’re not supposed to be near the water on your own.”The little boy screwed up his lips, all determination and courage. “I’m not on my own! You’re here.” A mischievous glint in his eyes.“Damn it.” Just like that, James’s anger deflated. As always he could not stay angry with the scamp. Michael looked up to him, wanted to spend time with him, and James loved that. Loved him. Even though the boy had butchered his name while learning to speak, and his family sometimes still teased him with the nickname. “O-lie.”At least he had later moved on to “Jamey.”The females who made their way to James’s bed often called him by the shortened Nicki, as well, but that invited a familiarity he neve
SWEET BLOOD Chapter 55- Grace
Grace's head bounced off hard, rocky ground, the impact addling her senses, turning the world blurry. Earlier, she went unconscious and awakened to different kidnappers.Shouts and screams came to her like they were happening on the other side of a wet curtain. She flailed her legs, turning to get her hands under her. Sharp gravel on what had once been an asphalt road drove into her palms as she pushed up, kicking away from the body she'd fallen backward over. She got her feet under her, but as soon as she tried to rise, she was violently dizzy, the world seeming to turn abruptly ninety degrees. She hit the ground again. The clash of weapons, pleading screams and the raider's victorious shouts were everywhere. She crawled as fast as she could on her hands and knees. She had no idea what direction she was going; just away from the sounds of fighting.A strong hand grabbed the back of her jacket and she screamed. Her nails snapped against exposed asphalt, clawing to get away. Another ha
SWEET BLOOD Chapter 56- Grace
It took a few minutes, but she felt steadier. She put a foot on the ground and pushed, fighting the restraining cable and the cramps in her belly to flip over, putting her hands toward the dim firelight. She had to rest again after the effort. When she felt strong enough, she craned her neck, ignoring the pain shooting through her shoulders, neck and belly to see how the cable was attached to her restraints.Smooth, dark metal encircled her wrists. These weren't brute manacles like raiders or scavengers used. These were manufactured, maybe even made in a factory. She'd heard unbelievable tales about the factories in the great city-states with their farms and walls and guns. Staring at the cuffs, something in her leapt with joy.If even part of the tales the wandering stories tell for a few pieces of scrap or a meal are true...She couldn't help herself, she let her fingers run over the smooth dark metal. But when she saw what connected to the center of the chain between the cuffs, her
SWEET BLOOD Chapter 57- Grace and Daniel
She'd seen very few people in her life that looked so... uniform. All of his clothes looked like they belonged together and many of the things he had seemed to be made to match everything else. Her mind wandered, imagining what his tight trousers looked like from the back without the long coat in the way.He knelt next to her and she felt his hands on the cuffs again. "Don't try to run off. Fair warning, catching people who try to run is part of what I do." His voice wasn't harsh per se, but straightforward, matter of fact.This close in the firelight she could see several long-healed scars on his otherwise handsome face and the darkest blue eyes she'd ever seen. She'd seen a stone someone called Lapis. His eyes reminded her of it.Then the handcuffs were off. As her hands fell forward the jabbing sensation in her shoulders turned to a spasm that made her hiss in pain and brought her straight up for a few seconds before easing off. He didn't respond to her pained grimace. He was diggi
SWEET BLOOD Chapter 58- Grace and Daniel
"I uhhh..." she stammered. "Need to go to the bathroom." Grace watched his expression. He looked so different in the sunlight, younger, less harsh. She wiggled a little to see what would happen, instantly regretting it as his hand slid over her nipple again. "Can I?""Of course." Daniel lifted his arm off her and let his hand fall from her breast.Grace wanted to scramble to her feet but only got to her hands and knees before the battered muscles of her stomach forced her to stop. She hissed but pushed up to her feet and forced herself upright."You should let me look at that," he told her as he sat up, nodding at her belly. He was maddeningly calm for how out of control her body suddenly felt."I'm fine!" she snapped.He pointed her in a direction. "Over there will probably be safest."She marched toward the corner of the building he indicated. She did have to go to the bathroom - badly. But more than anything else, she needed to be anywhere that didn't involve being in contact with,
SWEET BLOOD CHapter 59-2030?
It was hot and so she'd taken off her jacket. His eyes kept being drawn to her bouncing breasts as they lurched over uneven ground. Part of her wanted to cross her arms, but she just couldn't, instead waiting for his glances.She'd eaten three large piece of boar he'd given her; he'd eaten as many himself. In her glances around the vehicle's interior, she'd seen the remains of the boar. He wasn't joking. Parts of it were neatly cut up, dried and stored, a large haunch of it hung wrapped in cloth and carefully strapped between shelves in the far back of the truck.He drove past giant quarantine signs that ran in a line at the boundary of a what had once been part of a city. They were from the old world, or the world just after the bombs fell. She watched the signs pass, her stomach dropping."What are you doing!? It's not safe in there!"He nodded. "That's the point." Grace pulled the blanket up again, his deadpan confidence doing nothing to help her racing heart. No one went into the
SWEET BLOOD Chapter 60- Back to Nork
Grace lifted the bar of soap to her nose. It smelled like him. Clean, a nice smell—not harsh or astringent. She turned her back to him and rubbed soap over her clothes. It lathered nicely in the warm water. She kept looking over her shoulder. He was concentrating on an oil stain on his shirt, then dunked down again. When Daniel stood up, he peeled off his shirt, rinsed it thoroughly, and threw it over a rock.Grace nearly dropped the soap.Scars, large and small, crossed his torso. She'd seen bullet scars before. There were two right next to each other under his left arm. She was so focused on the terrible scars that she barely noticed the black, abstract, curvilinear tattoos on his chest and shoulders. They were fierce, with what looked like stylized talons interwoven with curving, concentric whiplash curves. He was bruised almost black on his right side. More tattoos covered his wrists and elbows in precise, flowing patterns made up of repeating geometric shapes. The burn scar on hi
SWEET BLOOD Chapter 61- Present Time
Present Times The past or the future? Life … or death? The words drifted toward her through the darkness. Detached syllables. The rough scrape of a flat, airless voice that reached into the heavy drowse of her mind and forced her to come awake, to listen. To make a choice. Life? Or death? The Nork or the future? Grace groaned against the cold plank floor beneath her cheek, trying to bar the voice after she woke up three hours ago– and the relentless decision it demanded –from her mind. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard these words, this question. Not the first time in the space of some endless hours that she’d peeled one heavy eyelid open in the frigid stillness of her cabin home and found herself looking into the terrible face of a monster. Demons, vampires or whatever it was. "Choose, little one," the creature whispered thinly, the word drawn out in a slow hiss. Grave was lost, she couldn't remember anything, all she knew was the past, the kingdom of Nork. She was su
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