Friday Free Read! Beloved LifeMate 9 of 18
Beloved LifeMate is the first book in the Song of the Sídhí series.Each book in the series is a stand alone novella.
YA paranormal romance
Story contains sexual content/innuendo and mild language.Recommended reading age is seventeen and up.
I struggled to breathe, but every breath was searing agony, ripping through my chest. The harsh smell of my own blood was overwhelming. The hard floor felt wet and cold against my back. I shivered and pain tore through me. My gasp gurgled in the silent room and I faintly heard the whistle of air pushing through the hole in my chest.After the synth named Chi’Kehra my lifeMate I must've blacked out, because I didn't remember hitting the floor. I dimly remembered gentle hands lowering me, but I knew it must've been my mind playing tricks on me. Chi’Kehra would never have touched me, much less held me with tender care.Even if I lived, - which I seriously doubted - the Chi’Kehra would never accept a halfling as lifeMate. The thought hurt. As Sídhí, he only had a single chance for a lifeMate and I was it; refusing me meant he would never have a bonded mate.If I'd had more strength, I would've snorted. Here I lay in my own blood, a mortal injury he caused, and I worried for him. I blamed the synth crystal; it had released the Sídhí equivalent of a triggered emotional response within me.The synth crystal sure screwed-up this time.Elves and vampires were like oil and water; opposites that didn't tolerate the other, staying as separated as possible.Before the experiment, the sentient chameleons were a harmless race living deep in the mountains on Sídhí. He took thousands of the peaceful little people and Changed them by adding synth crystal to their blood. Once the synth mixed with their blood, they mutated into a nightmare on two feet. They were called umbra and lived to kill.What the Chi’Kehra created to destroy all the vampires nearly destroyed every last person on Sídhí. A more hideous monster never walked on the face of Sídhí or Earth.I heard a small sound next to me and my rambling thoughts stopped.I knew without opening my eyes he was leaning over me. It was odd, but I couldn't smell him. All I smelled was the iron tang of my blood. I hated the thought of opening my eyes. I knew, without a doubt, what I would see. His eyes would be merciless and cold as they looked at me with disgust and hatred. Then he would formally reject me. Rejecting me, before killing me, was the honorable Sídhí way of doing things.I couldn't bear the thought of being rejected by the one person who was supposed to accept and love me without reservation. The thought of his rejection horrified me and I felt a burst of pain. It felt like my chest was ripped open even farther and my heart crushed into pulp.I sobbed and felt tears roll down my temple and into my hair. I knew the reality of my emotions. It sounded insane that I wanted my killer to love me, but I did. It was all the Ancient One's fault. I hated them for the way my synth made me feel. They tinkered with things best left alone.Somehow, when the Ancient Ones created synth crystal, they made it meld not only with our cells, but other things. After the synth sang, our blood cells released a trigger activating a physical and emotional response toward our lifeMate. This trigger pulled lifeMates together. It literally caused a chain reaction that made us want our lifeMate.I had always accepted the fact I would find my mate, fall in love, and bond instantly. I thought the Ancient Ones had been blessed by God with the knowledge of how to create the synth crystal.Bonding with a lifeMate was a true blessing from God. But knowing my lifeMate planned on refusing me was pure hell.Finally, I couldn't stand waiting any longer. I cracked my eyes open.“Eek!” I shrieked in terror or I tried; the sound gurgled past my lips, sounding rather pitiful.Crouched above me was a black monster, an umbra. Fine black hair, like that of an otter, covered its body. Its eyes were black bottomless pits. It hovered closer, sniffing my blood. Its small nose twitched.The mouth of the creature transfixed me. Sharp teeth made for ripping prey into shreds glared down at me. A long black tongue flicked out, warm and wet it licked the blood from my face. It leaned ever closer; I felt its soft breath against my damp face.I sucked in air, struggling with the simple task, unable to get in enough air for an ear-aching scream.The room remained silent, except for the whistling gurgle of air rushing in and out of my punctured lung. With each strangled breath, I felt like my lifeMate had shoved a metal fence post through me. He might as well have. It would've been a much quicker death.I cursed. My mate couldn't bring himself to finish the job and kill me with his own hands. No, my lifeMate didn't want my blood on his hands. Instead, he gave me to his pet umbra for dinner.I snarled, baring my teeth at the monster hovering over me. Black eyes grew big and its mouth dropped open. I didn't wait for it to bite me. I did the only thing I could do. I ported blind.God forgive me; porting blind was suicide. When a person ported without a destination in mind, she might end up in the middle of a tree. It was the first lesson every parent taught their child, but if I didn't want to get eaten alive, I had no choice.I aimed for the farthest distance I could go. I was only a few years past puberty so I couldn't go far. Normally, twenty miles was my limit, but as bad as I was injured, I'd be lucky to make it a full mile. That wasn't far enough, but it was the best I could manage.I disappeared from the warm room and reappeared in thin air, ice cold thin air.Continued next Friday :)
Thanks for stopping by!
If you enjoyed reading this week's installment of Beloved LifeMate, please consider sharing or tweeting about the free read. I'd greatly appreciate it!
Beloved LifeMate is only $1.98 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, & Smashwords :)
Beloved LifeMate Copyright 2011 by Jodie B. Cooper
www.jodiebcooper.com
YA paranormal romanceStory contains sexual content/innuendo and mild language.Recommended reading age is seventeen and up.
I struggled to breathe, but every breath was searing agony, ripping through my chest. The harsh smell of my own blood was overwhelming. The hard floor felt wet and cold against my back. I shivered and pain tore through me. My gasp gurgled in the silent room and I faintly heard the whistle of air pushing through the hole in my chest.After the synth named Chi’Kehra my lifeMate I must've blacked out, because I didn't remember hitting the floor. I dimly remembered gentle hands lowering me, but I knew it must've been my mind playing tricks on me. Chi’Kehra would never have touched me, much less held me with tender care.Even if I lived, - which I seriously doubted - the Chi’Kehra would never accept a halfling as lifeMate. The thought hurt. As Sídhí, he only had a single chance for a lifeMate and I was it; refusing me meant he would never have a bonded mate.If I'd had more strength, I would've snorted. Here I lay in my own blood, a mortal injury he caused, and I worried for him. I blamed the synth crystal; it had released the Sídhí equivalent of a triggered emotional response within me.The synth crystal sure screwed-up this time.Elves and vampires were like oil and water; opposites that didn't tolerate the other, staying as separated as possible.Before the experiment, the sentient chameleons were a harmless race living deep in the mountains on Sídhí. He took thousands of the peaceful little people and Changed them by adding synth crystal to their blood. Once the synth mixed with their blood, they mutated into a nightmare on two feet. They were called umbra and lived to kill.What the Chi’Kehra created to destroy all the vampires nearly destroyed every last person on Sídhí. A more hideous monster never walked on the face of Sídhí or Earth.I heard a small sound next to me and my rambling thoughts stopped.I knew without opening my eyes he was leaning over me. It was odd, but I couldn't smell him. All I smelled was the iron tang of my blood. I hated the thought of opening my eyes. I knew, without a doubt, what I would see. His eyes would be merciless and cold as they looked at me with disgust and hatred. Then he would formally reject me. Rejecting me, before killing me, was the honorable Sídhí way of doing things.I couldn't bear the thought of being rejected by the one person who was supposed to accept and love me without reservation. The thought of his rejection horrified me and I felt a burst of pain. It felt like my chest was ripped open even farther and my heart crushed into pulp.I sobbed and felt tears roll down my temple and into my hair. I knew the reality of my emotions. It sounded insane that I wanted my killer to love me, but I did. It was all the Ancient One's fault. I hated them for the way my synth made me feel. They tinkered with things best left alone.Somehow, when the Ancient Ones created synth crystal, they made it meld not only with our cells, but other things. After the synth sang, our blood cells released a trigger activating a physical and emotional response toward our lifeMate. This trigger pulled lifeMates together. It literally caused a chain reaction that made us want our lifeMate.I had always accepted the fact I would find my mate, fall in love, and bond instantly. I thought the Ancient Ones had been blessed by God with the knowledge of how to create the synth crystal.Bonding with a lifeMate was a true blessing from God. But knowing my lifeMate planned on refusing me was pure hell.Finally, I couldn't stand waiting any longer. I cracked my eyes open.“Eek!” I shrieked in terror or I tried; the sound gurgled past my lips, sounding rather pitiful.Crouched above me was a black monster, an umbra. Fine black hair, like that of an otter, covered its body. Its eyes were black bottomless pits. It hovered closer, sniffing my blood. Its small nose twitched.The mouth of the creature transfixed me. Sharp teeth made for ripping prey into shreds glared down at me. A long black tongue flicked out, warm and wet it licked the blood from my face. It leaned ever closer; I felt its soft breath against my damp face.I sucked in air, struggling with the simple task, unable to get in enough air for an ear-aching scream.The room remained silent, except for the whistling gurgle of air rushing in and out of my punctured lung. With each strangled breath, I felt like my lifeMate had shoved a metal fence post through me. He might as well have. It would've been a much quicker death.I cursed. My mate couldn't bring himself to finish the job and kill me with his own hands. No, my lifeMate didn't want my blood on his hands. Instead, he gave me to his pet umbra for dinner.I snarled, baring my teeth at the monster hovering over me. Black eyes grew big and its mouth dropped open. I didn't wait for it to bite me. I did the only thing I could do. I ported blind.God forgive me; porting blind was suicide. When a person ported without a destination in mind, she might end up in the middle of a tree. It was the first lesson every parent taught their child, but if I didn't want to get eaten alive, I had no choice.I aimed for the farthest distance I could go. I was only a few years past puberty so I couldn't go far. Normally, twenty miles was my limit, but as bad as I was injured, I'd be lucky to make it a full mile. That wasn't far enough, but it was the best I could manage.I disappeared from the warm room and reappeared in thin air, ice cold thin air.Continued next Friday :)
Thanks for stopping by!
If you enjoyed reading this week's installment of Beloved LifeMate, please consider sharing or tweeting about the free read. I'd greatly appreciate it!
Beloved LifeMate is only $1.98 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, & Smashwords :)
Beloved LifeMate Copyright 2011 by Jodie B. Cooper
www.jodiebcooper.com
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