Pureblood's Forbidden Love

the front door will be forever seared into my m

the aftermath of an explosion. But worst of all were the arterial sprays of crim

er my mouth as bile surged in my throat. Behind me, C

?" Ryder's normally laid-back SoCal

of Mom or Dad amongst the carnage. But there was nothing, no bodies or obvious evid

e had transpired - a sickening realization that drove a spike of icy dread strai

ng to face the new threat with Ryder and Cass huddling close. What em

A towering, hair-covered figure easily clearing seven feet, with elongated fanicor-like traits reminiscent of a wolf

o run, to flee from this unholy beast as far and fast as my legs could carry me.

ximation of a grin, curved fangs glistening as it

t intoned in a guttural, reverberating rasp that raised the hairs on the nape of

n. Nothing about this facsimile of speech made any sense, and somehow tha

reature despite their obvious desire to turn tail and bolt. I swallowed hard, fishing for any

ggered every primal fight-or-flight mechanism hardwired into my brain. When its amber gaze met mine o

full of dagger-like fangs. "The female still draws breath...for now. Thou

throat at the implication of those mo

rk triumph. The haunting peal smashed through the fragile barriers still ten

e savage birthright as the heir of the Moon Blood lineage... or bear witness as I drag your whimpering mot

t be real, had to just be some twisted delusion or night terror plaguing me. And yet, the longer I stared into those unholy amber po

rn asunder, the beast unleashed another c

fully-muscled haunches uncoiling, the thing hurtling through the air

the open kitchen as that whirlwind of death crashed down mere inches from where we'd stood, petrified. Plast

e with wild terror as he scrambled back. "Get to the

thin reach - chairs, books, tables - at the snarling, writhing mass trying to extricate itself. The cacophony was deafening, the ver

ter and out into the mercifully cool afternoon, bare feet pounding against the cracked pavement of the d

finally collapsed into the back seat in a boneless heap and felt the tires shrieking against the road as Ryder

eces of my existence fragmented and disintegrated

, I was the heir to some

e? Or had the veneer of normalcy been peeled away to expose

ed by violence and madness, I knew nothing would ever be the same. That somehow, b

climbing higher with every frenzied glance into the rearview mirror. His knuckles were bla

orhood scenery as we fled the scene of...of whatever nightmarish hellscape that was. The cloying miasma of fear and co

vise of her clenched jaw. She was clearly just as overwhelmed and untethered from any sense of reality as I was. As for me, I just stared

nder his breath. The sudden deceleration had us both pitching forward, and I dimly registered

h wild eyes. "We're gonna stop at the police station, get you both looked at by the EMTs, then h

emotely logical response in the wake of such an incomprehensible ordeal. How could you even begin to explain away that un

the creeping tendrils of doubt slithering into every nook of my psyche, insinuating

smog of this waking night terror, a hidden context that would frame t

hrough a newly-green light in a fresh burst of acceleration. Just like that, the police station was

fternoon when Mom had dragged me in after being called about me egging the Westbrook's house on Halloween. Reassuring fa

signed specifically to defang the unknown. Surely once I told my story, displayed my frantic condit

arking lot and was immediately throwing his door open. Cass huddled close, tentativ

alright?" he murmured in an approximation of reassurance, brushing swe

. Soon this veil of delirium would be lifted, and those invasive doubts plaguing me would dissipate. I believed it wi

r wide, ushering us into the climate-controlled lobby. Behind the circular front desk, a b

tepid drawl. "What can I do for you...whoa now, y

and Ryder like they were all that anchored me to the mortal plane. Or perhaps it was their haggard, shell-shocked compos

e struggled to articulate the right words. "We...at my friend's house, there's been an...incident. Listen

disdain. "Say no more, buddy. I recognize a bunch of smart-ass high school punks looking t

a fresh spike of dread through my veins. We weren't being taken seriously...not even a little bit. "

as his lips curled in an audible sneer. "Right, right...and let me guess, you want a squad car racing over with sirens blaring to find nothing but

the situation finally started settling into the marrow of my bones. The cops were supposed to

ping ever deeper into my existence. Because deep down, in that primal limbic hollow of my brain

as her shoulders began shaking anew with sobs. Ryder simply stared at the desk jockey with nake

l and stalking back towards the exit. His iron grip encircled my arm, propelling me

desperate for any modicum of understanding or assistance. But his attention

le, inescapable truth. We were well and truly alone in whatever harrowing journey lay ahead