Torn - Abigail Livinghouse (top 100 books of all time checklist .txt) 📗

however no words came out. Pearce looked at me, half of his face shielded by his white hair.

 

“See you around.” He said, winked, and walked inside his room, shutting the door behind him. 

Chapter Four

“Kyla, it’s time to eat.” Miramar knocked on my door.

 

I had been sitting on one of the plush couches, worrying about weapons and how to be able to defend myself. The support for the bed was metal, and the sinks in the bathroom pedestal. There weren’t even legs on the furniture to fashion into stakes. They certainly put some thought into this. The only wood in the house were the tables and they were polished, glued, and nailed together so much that no amount of throwing or smashing would break them. I sighed, getting up to open the door.

 

“Did you say it was time to eat?” I clarified, straining to keep the disgust I felt off of my face. Her lip quirked oddly before a smile spread broke her composure.

 

“Um, we eat food here, Kyla. We feed away from the house.” She shook her head. “Aye, I’m going to have to get used to this.” She mumbled under her breath as she turned and walked down the stairs.

 

“No kidding”, I added, following behind her.

 

      We came into a living area with couches everywhere and there were at least twenty people lounging on them. The strong scent of vampire filled my nostrils as we entered. The smell was hard to describe, sweet like a perfume, but sharp and overpowering like a choking perfume that made my eyes water with so many packed into the room. It was not that the scent was unpleasant, but it was something to get used to, like hanging around a friend that wore too much cologne. Sometimes you enjoy it and other times you can’t breathe.

 

“The food’s laid out in the kitchen over there”, Miramar pointed to a gourmet kitchen with a buffet lined out on the large island. Vampires were also hanging around there. I swallowed. I just couldn’t catch a break in this house could I?

 

“Need some help?” Pearce asked, appearing next to me silently.

 

The hair on my arms prickled at his presence. I looked at him, in his charcoal eyes, at his soft ashy blond hair, and felt a chill go up my spine. The way he looked was eerie, because he had an air of power and mystery about him. Like he held secrets and dangled them right in front of your face, but just as you were about to catch them, he would yank them out of your reach, daring you to come closer.

 

“I’m fine.” I answered him. He cocked an eyebrow, looking at the crowd of immortals that had gathered in the kitchen.

 

“You sure about that?” He asked as he saw me bite my lip.

 

I was out of my element here, big time. I had never been around so many vampires at once before. The most I had ever been around at a time was five, and that was because they were grappling over dinner. But this? Pearce chuckled, and before I could say anything he looped his arm through mine, and began leading me to the kitchen.

 

“What are you doing?” I hissed at him, but he ignored me as we shoved our way through the close packed bodies until we came to the food piled on the island.

 

“Help yourself.” He gestured, an odd glint in his eye that hinted at something that I didn’t want to know.

Chapter Five

I picked up a plate and filled it with as much as I could. There were meats and cheeses that I had never even heard of let alone seen spread across the island. There were also exotic fruits, vegetables, and drinks that had only been the stuff of stories in my village. My stomach grumbled eagerly as I took a seat on one of the cold leather couches. I sat alone, however Pearce rested cross-legged near my knees, eating a variety of each food. I scowled as he looked up at me. A smile spread across his face.

 

“Are you uncomfortable with me here?” He asked, a teasing note to his tone. My eyes narrowed, but I smiled sweetly as if I loved his company.

 

“Not at all.” I answered. His smile widened as he turned around and continued to eat.

 

No, I’m not a hypocrite, however at times I might seem like one. It might look a little strange how I had kissed Pearce outside my village, so fiercely that we had nearly begun to shed our clothes, and now I’m avoiding him and treating him like I hate him, the way I had treated immortals since the day I was taught to hunt. I shook my head as I dumped my plate, which was only half empty. I hadn’t been able to eat easily with Pearce so close, only about two inches away from resting against my legs. I swallowed, taking a drink of water. I had been too nervous to try any of the other multicolored drinks at the table.

 

The food that I had eaten was marvelous, however later on when I had begun to think about home, where mother and the twins were, the food settling in my stomach began to feel heavy, like I had swallowed a rock. Pearce drifted around the room, not really talking to anybody, just wandering. Miramar seemed to have disappeared altogether, so the only one I knew was Pearce. He didn’t seem like he had many friends here, but there was one guy, with dark hair and dark eyes, sharp cheekbones, and a tall strong body who Pearce seemed to speak to often. I walked around as well, but I didn’t dare speak to anyone.

 

Most of the vampires in the room would wrinkle their noses at me and move away, while others their eyes would widen and they would scurry off as if they were afraid. Then there were the ones who looked at me with lust, but it wasn’t a romantic lust, it was a longing for what flowed through my veins, a yearning for what they craved most. And at the moment, that was me, considering I was the only human within miles of here.

 

I wandered into a room that had only a few people, which was lucky, since nearly all the rooms were jam-packed with the strong-smelling vampires. Their scent was starting to give me a headache. One of the immortals in the room came over and sat down next to me on the couch. I glanced at him, seeing that he was the person that Pearce had been talking to all night.

 

“Hey”, he said with a smile, raising a glass of pink tinted liquid. My skin prickled as I nodded in his direction. I did not want to know what they had spiked his drink with, because I knew for a fact that it was not liquor.

 

“So you’re the new girl I’ve been hearing so much about.” He said, taking a drink of the pink stuff.

 

I nodded silently again. He was very handsome, with dark brown eyes and nearly black hair. He was tall even sitting down, taller than me, well, everyone seemed to be taller than me lately even though I had always considered myself tall. I suppose to gain a few inches on me was some kind of trend here.

 

The vampire also had striking features, with his eyes so sharp and clear, and his noticeable cheekbones. He also had a pouty mouth, which gave off a slight arrogance about him. No doubt he was gorgeous, but again, that’s how every vampire looked. Beautiful, perfect, a bit paler than humans but no one would pay any mind to that, they’d just think that the vampire was a human who needed a good tan or something.

 

Yes, beautiful, perfect, and deadly, with their fangs only showing when they want them to. Their only weakness was sunlight, and no, when they go out in the sun they do not burn to ashes, however it diminishes their strength quite quickly, especially if they do not have enough blood in their system. A moderately full vampire could go out in the sun for about five hazy minutes before they would faint. The only thing that could kill a vampire was wood. Now that was one legend that remained true throughout the centuries. But these vampires together would be no match for me, even though I had fought many in my nearly seventeen years. Even if I got the whole pack out into the sun, I’d be dead in minutes.

 

I snapped back to the present when the vampire said my name.

 

“So you’re Kyla, hmm, the only human in a houseful of vampires eh? Does that make you nervous?” He asked me, and even though his tone was curious and his expression showed nothing but innocence, there was something about him that depicted a hidden meaning.

 

It only took me a moment to find that familiar lust buried underneath his kind façade. It was there, in his eyes, burning through his cold curiosity. I got up from the couch and looked down at him, giving him a smile.

 

“Of course not. I hope it doesn’t make you uncomfortable?” I said in the same innocent tone as he had used. He gave a carefree chuckle that did a pretty good job at hiding his strain, but not that good.

 

“Certainly not. I can control myself.” He said with a hand placed modestly on his chest, just near his heart. I nodded, my lip slightly curled.

 

“I’m sure you can, but keep in mind”, I leaned a bit closer to him, my sneer widening, “I can take care of myself as well.”

Chapter Six

“Liam?” Pearce came into the room, looking sternly at the vampire Liam, sitting laid