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  Bleeding Love

  Ashley Andrews

  Ashley Andrews

  Copyright © 2012

  AshleyAndrewsBlog.com

  [email protected]

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.

  Other Books By Ashley Andrews

  Breaking the Arm, Healing the Heart

  The Heaven I found in Hell

  Contents

  Chapter 1: Prologue

  Chapter 2: This is Where It all Begins

  Chapter 3: Gifts and Curses

  Chapter 4: When Two Worlds Start to Collide

  Chapter 5: Human Reasons

  Chapter 6: Democracy is a Good Thing

  Chapter 7: Lust and Envy: Just in One Night

  Chapter 8: Rural and Urban Escapades

  Chapter 9: Halloween Trilogy: Scare 1

  Chapter 10: Halloween Trilogy: Scare 2

  Chapter 11: Halloween Trilogy: Scare 3

  Chapter 12: In a Month

  Chapter 13: The Boon of Being Absent

  Chapter 14: In the Eyes of a Prince

  Chapter 15: Being Single Ain't So Sweet

  Chapter 16: Break, Bleed, Band

  Chapter 17: Finale

  Chapter 18: Epilogue

  MORE

  Chapter 1: Prologue

  A vampire's heart is as cold as stone

  Lust, not love, runs through his bones

  Rarely does he genuinely love

  Evidenced by his dying thirst for blood

  Then came she, a Vampire Regent

  Who bore a daughter with a deadly scent

  Then Vampire Hunters were on the run

  Killing each creature until there were none

  The Queen whose knowledge was as endless as her age

  Gave up her life for her daughter's sake

  In return for her immortality was her infant's protection

  Fasting from blood while husband and child escaped

  On the ninetieth year of the twentieth century

  The Vampire Princess started to age

  She thought she was mortal and acted the part

  That curse was the protection of her mother's heart

  The princess was given humanly gifts

  Vampires and magic, for her, were just myths

  She still thought she was of mortal origin

  Until the night she turned eighteen,

  The eve of her birthday,

  That's where her story begins,

  Chapter 2: This is Where It all Begins

  An Eternal Beauty. One would describe Adrienne Stahl as exactly that. With soft, wavy, chocolate-brown hair and matching hazel-colored, doe-like eyes, she was incomparable. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was the most beautiful human to ever walk the face of the Earth, which was how glorious she looked. Tonight her beauty shined even more brilliantly, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday. She sat before her dresser, applying the finishing make-up touches to her face.

  “Are you ready?” asked the very familiar voice of her father, Carter Stahl, as he knocked on her door.

  She invited him in.

  Even his breath was taken away when he got the first glimpse of his now-adult daughter. She was gorgeous in the sequined black mini-dress, lacy leggings, and three-inch heels. The black-on-black tone only served to emphasize her innocence. For just a few more hours she would remain unaware of what she truly was.

  “I look okay, right?” she asked,

  Her father smiled. “A thousand times more than okay.”

  That was the truth, and she beamed at him, her grin spreading across her stunning countenance. She then ran to her father and let him envelop her into an unbearably tight hug. She lost her breath there for a moment, and she couldn't help but laugh silently.

  “Even if you're so much older than all my guy friends, their hugs are nothing compared to yours.” She looked at him teasingly. “It's like you have super-strength or something.”

  Her father nodded and smiled back at her. Her statement about his strength always caught him slightly off-guard. As usual he just shrugged the observation away. “Why are you still here, kiddo?” he asked, chuckling softly. “You have an entire room full of people waiting for you downstairs.”

  Still smiling, she shook her head.

  “They won’t miss me for a few minutes, and I'm sure they're having fun without me.” She looked at herself one last time at the mirror. “See? I can even hear the noise from up here.”

  Grinning sheepishly, her father moved closer to her, placing his hands on each of her shoulders to guide her out of the bedroom.

  “Just don't let the noise increase much. We don't want to disturb the Night Class,” her father said in finality.

  The Night Class. She couldn't help but blink.

  The Night Class of Constance Academy was the counterpoint to its Day Class. Adrienne herself was in the Day Class. Even though her father was the Principal of the school and at the head of both classes, she still knew very little about the evening class. She knew that all the attendants of the Night Class were extraordinarily beautiful, and according to her father, they had amazing talents.

  Being beautiful and talented herself, these not-so-unique attributes didn’t faze her.

  Why? Even if they were extremely dexterous and skillful, they were still human and no one was perfect. She was sure the Night Class students had their flaws, but she wasn't going to waste her time figuring them out.

  She was too busy with tennis, cheerleading, attending council, partying, and of course, boys. Tonight was her night, her eighteenth birthday. They were going to make a joyful noise, so screw the Night Class students if the partying from interrupted their studies.

  It wasn't her fault that her father had positioned the boarding house on the lot next to their Mediterranean Mansion. And besides, she was the daughter of the principal and could pretty much do anything she wanted. She couldn't help but smirk at that thought. She then turned to her father and planted a soft kiss on his left cheek.

  “I'll be good,” she said, her voice sincere, and she gave her father a wink before she set off for the ballroom.

  * * * * *

  The ballroom, with decorations in black and silver, was beautiful to say the least, just like the birthday girl. The people at this party were alluring in ways that words could not describe. They certainly beat all the Hollywood celebrities for glamour. And the food was amazing. With delicacies from all over the world brought in to entice the guest.

  The party was in full swing, and when Adrienne came down, it stopped for a moment as everyone turned to look at her. They were captivated by her beauty, a rose in garden of sunflowers. She was gorgeous, seductive and mysterious. It was a shame that she already belonged to someone.

  If Adrienne played the role of Aphrodite, Ethan Lawrence would have to be Adonis. He had black hair that had been spiked at the top and cryptic dark-brown eyes. They were an awesome couple, ideal in every way. They had beauty, wealth, brains, and amazing talents. The complimented each other perfectly.

  The music faded away as Ethan took up his position at the foot of the stairs. He was waiting for her to come down. She paused at the top and then slowly, elegantly, she stepped down, the heels of her shoes making soft click's as they touched the marble steps.

  “Happy Birthday,” were the first words he spoke to her before he gave her a small peck; and the next were,” You look beautiful.”

  She smiled
before she decided to play him. “Don't I always?”

  Having been together for at least a year and a half, he was used to her brand of sarcasm.

  Often turned towards herself, it was never considered arrogant. She was teasing and playful and the whole school loved that about her. While she may gave been a cheerleader, played tennis, was on the Honor Roll, and was the Student Body President, what got her many of her accolades was her personality. She was just that nice. It was as if she wasn't aware that she had everything going for her, plus a boyfriend who had skills and talents that matched hers.

  Before Ethan could answer Adrienne's rhetorical question, an ebony-haired, brown-eyed Chinese girl darted around him, to give the debutante a tight squeeze. Brianna Kim was Adrienne's best girlfriend.

  “Adie, you look so pretty!” she squealed, adoring the sparkly dress and black leggings her friend wore. She then turned to Ethan and jabbed a finger onto his chest. “Have you even told her she looks absolutely gorgeous?”

  The 6'4” Adonis smirked. “I just did, Bree.”

  In return, she smiled sheepishly at him. “I was just checking since most of the time you're so full of yourself.”

  Adrienne couldn't help but laugh at the teasing attitude between the two.

  “You two are like a comedy.” Her chuckling continued. “I can't live with you guys, and I can't live without you.”

  “What about me?”

  Adrienne smiled at the all-too familiar voice of Tristan Shackler. This was the only guy she trusted more than Ethan. With dark-brown hair that always looked kissed by the sun, and jade green eyes, he rivaled Ethan in the looks department.

  “I know you can't live without me, Adie.” Tristan said before he placed a hand on her shoulder, not daring to touch her hair as she would kill him if he messed it up. He was too young to die.

  In return, the debutante grinned and then bit her lip. “I'm guilty of that.” She gave him a sheepish smile before she moved to Ethan. She turned to face her friends, stepping back into Ethan’s arm. She slowly leaned back into his chest. Firm. His chest felt exactly that against her spine. She smiled at the touch, and as if by coincidence, a slow song started playing.

  He didn't need to ask her if she wanted to dance since she was already swaying to the music, and soon after, Ethan followed, tightening his grip around her waist, he turned her in his arms. Minutes passed, and Adrienne and Ethan continued to slow-dance with each other.

  Tristan and Brianna sipped their drinks while they watched the two engage in a very public love fest.

  “Hey, you guys better watch it.”

  Adrienne and Ethan looked away from each other and noticed a petite auburn-haired and green-eyed woman. She had a short, pixie-style haircut.

  Her name was Sabrina Baer, and she was standing with her English boyfriend, Max Winters. They had their arms wrapped tightly around each other and Adrienne rolled her eyes at her use of words. Wrap was such an understatement. Grope was more like it.

  “From where we stood, you guys looked like you were having sex on the dance floor,” and with that, Max laughed hysterically at his own joke.

  “And I could say the same thing to you,” was Adrienne's return, eyeing her two crazy friends from head-to-toe.

  Max shrugged his shoulders as he smirked. “Well, what can I say? Sab here is just too irresistible.”

  “That's how I feel about Adie, bro. Irresistible,” said Ethan, giving his friend a manly pat on the back.

  A chorus of whistles erupted from the group, and because of that, Adie swatted the arm Ethan's had around her waist.

  “That's why I couldn't control myself,” his voice was playful. “I just had to have wild sex with her.”

  Adrienne decided to add more, saying, “On the dance floor.”

  Chuckling loudly, Tristan made a cheer. “On the dance floor, everybody,” he said, and with that everyone raised their glasses for a moment and cheered, drinking the spiked sodas.

  “Happy Eighteenth Birthday, Adie!” Brianna shouted, giggling, and then the whole room erupted, mirroring the sentiment.

  “I'm not eighteen yet, Bree!” Adrienne said chuckling, her hand over her mouth.

  “Way to break the moment, Adie.” Brianna rolled her eyes, feigning disappointment. “It's not like an hour before midnight makes a difference.”

  * * * * *

  Ten!

  The countdown started, and on cue, everyone broke off into pairs. In the center of the room, Adrienne and Ethan stood, listening to every shouted number as the lights grew dimmer and the music slowed.

  Nine!

  Carter Stahl decided to join the party as he peered at each and every one of the teenagers from the staircase of his house's ballroom. Everyone looked happy, most especially his beloved daughter, and because of that, he couldn't be any happier.

  Eight!

  With raging hormones and the intensity of their closeness, Max and Sabrina decided to go right at it and completely ignore the countdown. The shouts grew in volume, now focused on the kissing couple instead of the birthday girl.

  Seven!

  Tristan and Brianna hadn't found their partners yet, and they sure as hell weren't going to be each other's so they did the only thing they could think of. They separated from Adrienne, Ethan, Sabrina, and Max and went their separate ways to look for people whom they could make out with.

  Six!

  The shouts grew louder, and it seemed like, the seconds sped up. The clock struck twelve and everyone erupted into rounds of whistles, screams of happiness, cheers, and greetings for the birthday girl.

  “Happy Eighteenth, Adie!”

  She looked around, saying the word thanks over and over again until everyone dispersed into small groups to enjoy the rest of the night. When the commotion was all done, and when the room grew less noisy, Adrienne looked up and met Ethan’s opaque brown eyes.

  “I love you,” was what he said to her the moment their eyes locked. They were staring at each other, and she felt her heart tie itself into a small knot inside her.

  “I love you, too,” was her oft said reply.

  Tilting her head up, she stood on her tiptoes to give him a soft peck on the neck. His neck felt smooth against her skin, and he tasted and smelled sweet, and she realized that Ethan's odor was probably her favorite smell. With their closeness, skin against skin, she could feel his blood flowing through his veins and she could even imagine how it would smell—luscious and enticing. She wanted a taste of it—his blood, but then someone abruptly pulled her away. “Brianna?”

  Bree simply smiled, before she went back to tugging Adrienne farther from Ethan.

  “Where the hell are you taking me, Hun?”

  Bree grinned, one of mischief and secrecy, but it wasn't Bree's place to enlighten Adrienne to her father’s request.

  Adrienne could tell by her friend’s smile that she was hiding something.

  They left the dance floor and went over to the main doors of the ballroom, where her father stood, smiling as his daughter joined him.

  “Here she is, Mr. Stahl,” said Brianna, giving Adrienne a soft push so she would move closer to her father.

  Adrienne looked up to meet her father’s eyes, up at those hazel-brown eyes she had inherited from him. They were a darker color than before, almost shiny black pools, and that slightly unnerved her. In addition, Brianna and Mr. Stahl looked suspicious and mischievous, smiling at her.

  “Oh, just call me, Carter, Bree.” The older adult smiled. “We need to go up to my office now, Xavier's waiting for us.”

  “Who's Xavier?” Adrienne had to ask, and though she didn't know what was happening, but it seemed she was being kidnapped from her own birthday party. Not like her best girl friend or her father were going to hurt her or stuff her in the trunk. Her dad was probably going to give her a birthday gift and he’d used Brianna as an accomplice.

  “Xavier's one of the guys in the Night Class,” said Brianna, giggling.

  Adrienne couldn
't help but say, “So that means he's hot?”

  It didn't take Brianna more than a second to think about her reply.

  “Are you kidding me? He's probably the hottest, most adorable guy you will ever meet! He's such a cutie pie!”

  Adrienne eyed her friend mischievously.

  “Ooh, does someone have a little crush?”

  When Brianna broke out into a fit of psychotic laughter, Adrienne wanted to run away from her father and her friend. She didn’t understand Bree sometimes. There wasn't anything funny about what she’d said, and in all honestly, Adrienne was supposed to be the one laughing at Brianna for her grade-school-like ramble and not the other way around.

  “Adie, Xavier is the last person I would love and be allowed to love,” said Brianna, and before Adrienne could ask why, the Chinese girl quickly continued. “He's betrothed.”

  And with that, all her hopes of being able to play matchmaker were crushed and annihilated and thrown away into a pit of abysmal doom. She'd been longing to have double dates with Bree and realized that it wouldn’t be happening yet.

  * * * * *

  It was such an understatement—what Brianna said earlier, about Xavier being the hottest and most adorable guy one will ever meet. The moment Adrienne saw him; she could only stare in wonder. For a second, she lost all her senses. They were just sucked away by his beauty, and his presence. His looks were beyond description, and even the most positive superlatives would probably not do him enough justice. He wasn't like any other Night Class student she had ever seen, and that was saying something.

  “Have I seen you before?” asked Adrienne. But surely she would have remembered him. She didn't intend anything with her words, but apparently, Brianna thought she was turning on her charm and flirting with him.

  The eighteen-year old girl giggled, and worse, she chuckled in such a girly way, it made Xavier smirk in satisfaction.

  He knew everyone found him hot, and he basked in that. He'd be blind to not understand his affect on both male and female.