Fading Darkness (Bloodmarked #1) (43 page)

A familiar sickening mash of guilt and
self-loathing once again crawled into the pit of my stomach, and the monstrosity
was too much to take. I stood standing above him, unable to move, contemplating
what had happened. I turned my back on my guardian angel, the one person who
thought I was a life worth saving. Now, I was truly dead. I had become the
monster.

The sirens neared, but the torture wasn’t
over. I clutched my stomach as I felt a sharp pain like a serrated knife tearing
through it. I fell to my knees in misery. Nothing I had ever experienced before
came close to the agony I had yet to endure. With all the control I had left in
my muscles I crawled, inching my way toward the dark alleyway closest to me.
Something inside me told me that this was it. I wasn’t dead yet, completely, as
evident in the sound of my still fading heartbeat, but I would be soon. Or
should I say, undead. As I dragged my almost limp body into the shadows, I knew
this was the transition. My human body was dying. I was becoming a vampire.

Please, God, just take me now. Don’t let
me hurt anyone else. Please don’t let the evil take me.
My prayers were cut
short by the immense pain in my chest as my heart spasmed and stopped abruptly,
causing me to gasp uncontrollably like a fish out of water. That’s when I felt
it.

The man’s blood slowly worked its way
through my veins, then my tissues, burning everything in its path at a cellular
level with the white hot fire of the sun. It was killing my weak human body and
giving life to my stronger vampire body, like liquid fire fueling my newly
beating vampire heart, while scorching my human soul into nothing but blackened
ashes, withered and floating deep down into the dark pit from where the monster
was locked away inside me all these years. I felt myself slipping into an
unconsciousness that rivaled any exhaustion-laden brawl in the past. I was
going to need a lot more than a good night’s sleep to repair this damage.

As I lied in the dark alley, the cold
concrete on my back, my vision went in and out. With my head tilted toward the
mouth of the alley, I saw flashing lights approaching the curb. What would they
do with me when they found me? Would I wake up in a jail cell? In a hospital
full of fresh blood easy for the taking?

This town felt a lot less like home these
days. My life here was really over, and after Holly’s death, I was sure Chief
Beckett would see to it that I no longer had a place here, anyway. But he
wasn’t going to run me out yet, not until I took care of a little unfinished
business. I wasn’t done here yet, not until I found out everything Helen
Lancaster had to say, and I wasn’t going anywhere until I tear Shane limb from
limb. If Gavin was still alive, I was going to save him.

There were a set of distinct footsteps
approaching from the darkness of the alley behind me, and the thought of Gavin
still fresh on my mind gave me strength to turn my head just enough to see a
pair of size seven women’s boots coming near. Come to think of it, those
footsteps were a little light to be male. My senses knew that, but I had clung
too closely to my hope that Gavin was still alive. Just before the lights went out,
I noticed a mop of messy blond hair. My eyelids drooped with heaviness, and
everything went black. The last thing I registered was the sensation of being
lifted in the air. As the ground went out from under me, the light went out
inside me, and there was just darkness.

First of all, I want to thank all of you who
read the book and hung in until the very end. One of the coolest feelings for
me is to read something written by someone I’ve never met and completely relate
to it on a personal level, so if I can do that for just one person then I’m
happy. This is the first book I’ve ever written and hopefully the first of many
many more. I also want to thank my wonderful fiancé for being so encouraging.
This has been a passion of mine for a very long time and his support has helped
keep me going throughout the long process. I can’t forget to mention my friend,
Jenny, because she has to be the best person to go to for advice. She has
nothing but positive things to say and has always been extremely motivating to
me in everything from my most insignificant decisions to some of my biggest
life endeavors. Everyone needs a friend like her. She helps make dreams come
true.

I absolutely can’t forget to give credit
where credit is due. To all my friends and family who continue to get the word
out about my book, thank you guys so much. I appreciate all your help and your
Facebook shares. You’re all awesome! And last, but not least, I have to thank
my parents for being proud of me no matter what I do, whether it’s moving
across the country without a job or going broke trying to pursue a passion I’ve
had since I was little. Thank you all again for your love and continued
support. It means the world to me.