Read Blood at Stake (Warriors of the Krieger Book 2) for Free Online Page B

my
body, an invisible touch that I barely registered. The Krieger had unbelievable powers that went above and beyond
what normal vampires possessed. I assumed he had some ability to feel his surroundings with only his powers, because that’s
what it felt like to me.
    “Everything’s okay,” he said, with a
relieved sigh.
    “What did you do?” I asked, wanting to
confirm what I suspected.
    “I can push my powers out,” he smiled. “I
can feel other people, human or vampire, around the area I am in.”
He shrugged and followed me inside.
    “How far out can you reach?” He took my hand
and tugged me to sit on the sofa, pulling me down onto his lap. I
had to concentrate, because being this close to him caused all
kinds of ideas to run through my mind.
    “A half of a mile,” he admitted. “If I
concentrate, maybe a mile.”
    “I can make you see things,” I admitted
freely.
    “Like?” he asked, with a raised brow.
    “Usually, things I’ve seen or I can even
make up a scene in my head and project it to you.”
    “Can you show me something?” he asked in
awe, leaning back into the soft material, pulling me with him so
that I was nestled into his massive chest.
    “I guess,” I bit my lip. “What do you want
to see?”
    “Show me where you grew up,” he smiled. “I’d
like to know.”
    Closing my eyes, I pictured a time long ago.
It was the early seventeen hundreds, I was a young woman dressed in
fine material my mother had acquired in town. She’d hand sewn the
yellow cloth just in time for the spring, making me a beautiful
dress.
    My father was a blacksmith and had made a
name for himself in the area. He worked hard for the things he
provided us. The people of Birmingham, England were our friends,
not a one ever saying a bad thing about my family name.
    There had been rumors of a demon taking the
lives of cattle just outside of town. The animals were all drained
of blood. Only puncture marks in the throat showed how these
animals may have died.
    I was expected to marry the son of the
wealthiest farmer in town. The same family that had found their
cattle dead. It’d been months since any problems, and my family and
I were out at their home for dinner. We’d sat on the porch with his
family until the sun was almost down. My father had wanted us to
hurry home, because of the continued unease around town concerning
the possible demon in the area, even though there hadn’t been any
killings reported for some time. I pictured myself laughing with my
mother over the silly rumors that had been spread around town.
    I stopped for a moment to collect myself. It
was hard remembering what had happened to me that night, but for
some reason, I wanted Ashby to know.
    “Are you alright?” he asked, concern etched
in his beautifully strong face.
    “Yeah,” I sighed. “I want you to know.”
    Closing my eyes again, I projected the
memory. My father was racing home, the horses were pushing with
everything they had to get back to town. My mother held me close to
her as we rounded a corner. The buggy lost control and flipped.
    I remembered being tossed and screaming for
my father and mother. I’d become very dizzy as I felt blood seeping
out of my head. I knew that I was going to die when I looked down
and saw a piece of wood sticking through my chest, the pretty dress
was ruined. Just as I was about to lose conciseness, a figure
appeared, and I thought he was an angel.
    When I awoke several nights later, I
felt…different. In a sense, I was stronger and felt more powerful
than ever. It wasn’t until the raging thirst burned my throat did I
realize something was wrong. I didn’t crave water or food. I knew what I had to have to sate the thirst.
    I needed blood.
    A man, not much older than myself, appeared
at my bedside. He was handsome and had the most amazing green eyes
I’d ever seen. His hair was dark as night, his clothes made out of
the most expensive material I’d ever seen.
    “My name is Leo,” he spoke