Bound to a Broody Vampire (Fate of the Ten Realms Book 4), page 1
Bound to
a Broody
Vampire
Fate of the Ten Realms
J. S. Striker
Copyright 2023 by J. S. Striker - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher.
All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
NEXT BOOK
Chapter 1
The world was burning. Maddox Hendricks stood watching it from the moment it formed to the moment it consumed the land, licking its way through the grass and eventually spreading over the buildings. He didn’t do a thing when it buried itself into the soil and began to turn it black, then dried up the lake beside him until it was nothing but a massive, crack-filled hole.
When he glimpsed the woman running from one of the buildings, he wanted to move. But he didn’t…couldn’t, as an invisible force locked his legs in place and wouldn’t even allow his hands to rise. The fire consumed her, burning her beautiful form inside out. Her screams reverberated in the air, a gurgling sound that shifted as blood poured from her mouth and shadows with sharp, glinting teeth crowded her and bit—
“Rise and shine, Mr. Hendricks! Rise and shine, Mr. Hendricks!”
The alarm clock pierced the air like a siren, jarring him awake as he shot up from bed. Cold sweat trickled down his back, and his heart was galloping so hard it felt like it would burst any second. He covered his face, struggling to gather his bearings as the image of the woman remained. There was no fire this time and her face was a blur—except for the eyes, clear as day and blank as they stared into nothing.
“Rise and shine, Mr. Hendricks! Rise and shine, Mr. Hendricks!”
Maddox, I brought you some tea. It’s not as tasty as blood, but I’m determined to make you love it so much that you will forget about blood altogether.
Her smile had been shy, hopeful. He had carried on as usual, grunting his appreciation and not saying much else.
Maddox, please get some sleep. I know you are doing the honorable thing by helping the master out as much as you can, but I’m worried that you are overworking yourself. You need someone to look out for yourself, too.
Their first kiss had been gentle, her giddiness and surprise distinct on his lips before she melted into that moment.
Maddox, whatever happens, please know that I love you. That I’m in love with you. I never had the courage to say it before, but I’m saying it now.
“Rise and shine, Mr. Hendricks! Rise and—”
He slammed his fist on the alarm clock, then winced when it splintered into pieces and scattered on the floor. Refusing to give in to the emotions swirling inside him, he marched to the bathroom and let the cold water rain down his form, willing it to drown out the world. It was too early in the morning. He should have gotten more sleep, not just an hour or two.
He should have said the words back, not waited until she was dead in his arms and there was nothing that he could do about it. He should have saved her. Out of all the memories of living in Ostrov Krov, home of the vampires who were generally not as warm to those they considered not like them—aka human servants like her and half-bloods like him—it was the one that stood out the most and continued haunting him even when he was no longer there. He had boarded a pirate ship, had explored a pirate town, and had settled elsewhere until the months passed and he could forget.
His sleepless nights and recurring nightmares had other ideas.
“Rise and shine, Mr. Hendricks!”
With a sigh, Maddox soaped his body up and fell into a rhythm until the water was warm, then cold again. When he stepped out, the alarm clock was back in its original form, sitting on his bedside table and chirping its usual morning beat. It sparkled, too, an indication that magic was at work as it often was on this island.
“Rise and shine, Mr. Hendricks!”
“I’m up,” he replied, silencing the voice. James Magoo, assistant head of the island’s council, had given it to him on his first week as a token of welcome—and as a way to monitor his whereabouts, considering he was a half-vampire in a land full of witches and warlocks. “Quit your yapping, clock.”
Silence met his words. He got dressed and peeked out the window, where darkness encumbered the sky. Pretty soon, the sun would rise and the world would awaken, but for now…
He took a deep breath and set out to do his chores, along with erasing all memories and thoughts.
Broom’s Isle was just like Ostrov Krov in the sense that it was probably one of the prettier islands in the Otherworld. Whereas the former had a large castle, sandy beaches, and crystal blue waters, the latter was all about those rolling green hills and fields, sequestered in cliffs that made for a dramatic view of the waves crashing majestically against them. He took his time standing on one and eyeing the dark ocean, then went about his way doing the tasks he had for the day: milking cows, milking goats, feeding mutated breeds of farm animals, and disciplining those that tried to rear their violent heads in place.
When the sun finally rose, he braced himself against the light washing over his arms and didn’t take his eyes off the creature gazing back at him.
“Milos, we have been through this, haven’t we? You are going to put up a fight and wrestle your way out of this pen again, except it’s not a normal pen. Helga enchanted it to contain you, and it’s going to hurt you the moment you step out. So, please don’t—Milos!”
He grabbed the creature before it could flee and was rewarded with a spiky tail whacking him in the butt. Maddox was catapulted into the air and landed smoothly on the grass, then was dragged toward the pen. His hand fisted around the creature’s hide, hard as a rock and vibrating with pent-up energy.
“Milos, halt. HALT.”
The booming tone abruptly killed the creature’s momentum—which in turn sent Maddox sailing upward and toward the pen. Electricity crackled. He kicked his shoe off and let it hit the force field first, then used the magic’s reaction to push him and Milos away from that dangerous space. The creature budged this time, allowing itself to be dragged and raising its tail once more.
“Don’t you dare,” Maddox muttered, glowering. “You spike me now, and I’m going to be very angry at you.”
The tail paused, then dropped. The creature tilted its head, observing him before seemingly deciding that he wasn’t worthy of its time. He watched as Milos spun and scampered away, relieved when it was no longer in the direction of the pen. He then checked out the sole of his foot, pink and smarting from the magic’s near contact.
“It could have been worse,” he said to himself.
It was a mantra that he kept repeating throughout his stay here. It could have been worse, and he could have been fried like his shoe. It could have been worse, and he could have been working with someone more terrible than Helga, who wasn’t all that bad. It could have been worse, and he could have been back in Ostrov Krov, where the vampire houses looked down on his kind and half the population openly loathed him.
Broom’s Isle had some of the most powerful magic users in the Otherworld and the rest of the warlock and witch population, but at least they didn’t try to assassinate him once or twice a week. Sure, there was the monitoring alarm clock and a lot of menial work, but boring was good after a lifetime of misadventures and danger.
“Are you done here, young man?”
He looked up and saluted the woman standing on the back porch and peering at him, then at her pet, now rolling around the grass. Maddox rolled his eyes at Milos and nodded.
“Yes. Kind of. He still refuses to be trained.”
“And how many times did he attempt to break out today?”
“Just once. Unsuccessful.” There was a pause. “Perhaps he wants a bigger pen. Something that extends to the cliff so he can watch the waves more clearly. He seems to like looking in that direction.”
Helga pursed her lips, then waved a hand in dismissal.
“The pen’s big enough for him. Milos needs to learn to adapt, considering how many times he tried to portal his way in here and attack our villagers. It’s for his and the people’s good. And Maddox?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t want you to say things like that anymore. We don’t know if Milos can understand us, and I don’t want him getting ideas.”
“Understood.”
“And do keep training him.”
“Sure.”
It could have been worse and Helga could have already pushed him to the ground for having the gall to state his opinion. Lies could have been spun to put his name in a bad light and make his life a living hell. Even Milos was spared from torture, cementing the fact that yes, it was better here in Broom’s Isle—even if its inhabitant s weren’t his people.
“Milos, I bet you understood all that, didn’t you?” he asked once Helga had wandered back into her house, where a glimmer of light appeared from the window from time to time. Milos glanced at the window lazily, then at him.
“Brrr,” it growled, the only thing it ever uttered.
“It means Helga wants to train you so you wouldn’t hurt them in the future. Maybe if we get that portal thing under control and your violent tendencies…”
In response, the creature stomped its paw and jumped inside the portal it created, then landed on another side of the pen where the portal was limited. Milos growled at him and returned to lying on the ground.
“Okay, take your nap. Our morning’s not done.”
And his skin was turning a light shade of pink, so he moved to the shade and basked in the one leverage he had over full vampires: that he could tolerate the sun and wouldn’t be in much danger when he exposed himself to it.
A few hours later, Maddox reported to Helga that Milos hadn’t attempted to escape for the remainder of their time together, which pleased the witch.
“I would have preferred news of him not attempting to escape at all, but I guess it would do for now. Here.” A basket was abruptly pushed at his stomach. “Get yourself something nice from the bakery. Make sure it’s Abby’s bakery.”
Maddox puzzled over it, then shrugged when Helga went to her living room and the flashing lights restarted. He exited the house through the side door and trudged his way toward Abby’s bakery as instructed, despite passing two other bakeries situated in between small hills. Upon entering the third, the smell of freshly baked goods hit his nostrils immediately and had his mouth watering.
“Good morning, guest!” A muffled voice came from inside the kitchen door. When no person came out, he peered at the selection and placed a couple of round bread in his basket, then added some colorful cookies to the mix. The door swiveled open just as he reached the counter and nodded at the woman beaming at him.
“Good morning…Abby?”
“Yes, that’s right. That’s me. I’m taking over for Maura, and I daresay I make better bread than she does—and better income, considering she steals from the register…anyhow, what will you have?”
Amused, Maddox lifted the basket.
“Oh, that’s Helga’s basket. It’s free, then.”
“Free?”
“Yes, I owe her some stuff and she always gets her bread for free. Did she send you over…wait.” Friendly eyes narrowed. “Did you just come from her place?”
“Yes.”
Maddox stiffened, used to what was coming next. To his surprise, another smile followed Abby’s recognition.
“You are the new resident working part-time for her. The vampire.”
“Half-vampire,” he corrected, biting his tongue from the habit of mentioning his half-human roots to these people.
“Right. Ruby brought you with her. She pleaded for your immunity and your stay here.”
“That’s right.”
“Didn’t she align herself with pirates who ended up exploiting her? Were you one of her victims, too? Or were you also a pirate?”
No, Ruby was kidnapped. No, I’m not her victim, but I’m among those who saved her life. No, I wasn’t a pirate, but I stayed on a ship with good pirates for a few months.
The answers were ready in his head, but it didn’t feel right to say them out loud to a stranger. He shrugged.
“I’m not a pirate. And I think it’s better if you ask her about the rest.”
“I should. Where is Ruby, anyway?”
Avoiding me like the plague ever since James Magoo has been watching me like a hawk. She is kind of allergic to authority.
The bell tinkled before he could reply. Almost immediately, a distinct energy pulsed through the bakery, smothering the heavenly aroma. His hair stood on end, but Maddox continued facing Abby until a figure stood beside him.
“Abby, get me your freshest loaf.”
“Good morning, Mr. Newton. We are out of the regular loaves today, but we have those fancy oval loaves of bread newly baked.”
Distaste formed on Ollie Newton’s features, which wasn’t much considering the tall man often looked disapproving. He sighed.
“It’s not a favorite, but I suppose I can tolerate non-favorites. Get me a bag, then.”
Abby got to moving and Maddox wondered if he could just turn around and leave. Then he remembered his basket.
“Are you sure I don’t need to pay for this, Abby?”
“There’s no need!” Abby called out. “As I said, Helga and I have a deal, so it’s all good.”
Magic sparked as the witch warmed the oval loaves of bread even more before packing them. The energy that had pulsed in the air earlier became heavier just as Maddox was halfway through the door.
“I didn’t realize you also tolerated strange people in your place.”
“Strange? It’s…oh.” To Abby’s credit, she barely lost her stride. “We are all strange, I’m sure.”
“Not as strange as creatures who could corner you when you are alone and take your blood. I heard they lure you with their friendliness and betray you the moment you turn around.”
Maddox stilled when the energy poked his shoulder. When it pricked other parts of him, he whirled and wasn’t surprised to find the man already inches away from him.
“So, I suggest you don’t turn your back when strange people are around, Abby. I don’t want to see you torn to pieces just because you chose to let the trash in instead of out.”
A smirk formed, dislike brimming in the man’s eyes. Maddox absorbed the insult, then exhaled quietly.
“He is right, Abby.”
Surprise formed on Abby’s face. “He is?”
“Don’t turn your back when strange people are around. You never know when some egomaniac drops his charming façade and ends up harassing you with his poking powers.”
A glimmer of disgust turned the man’s expression mottled as the poking stopped—only to be replaced with a larger surge clutching his shoulders hard and slamming him against the wall. He gritted his teeth as pain thundered in his chest, then bared his fangs.
“See? What did I tell you about trash? They always show their true colors.”
Maddox gripped the man’s wrist, ready to twist. Abby’s voice pierced the tension.
“Mr. Newton, please let him go. I don’t think Helga would like you harassing someone who works for her.”
There was that look of disgust again, signaling that Ollie had no love lost for Helga, either. But to everyone’s amazement, the man let Maddox go, stepping back and rearranging his collar as if nothing had happened. Abby hurried out of the counter to check on Ollie, who puffed up and sniffed.
“I just find it so odd. Using a strange creature to take care of her other strange creature? That woman gets away with a lot just because she has ties with the council.”
“Don’t say that, Mr. Newton,” Abby reprimanded softly. “I’m sure she is doing good for the community. And she can’t help taking in the unfortunate. It’s in her nature.”
“It’s still not right.”
“How about some free bread?”
That sapped most of the aggressive energy off as the two got lost in conversation. Torn between gratitude that she had intervened and frustration that the incident was going to be swept under the rug, Maddox looked into Abby’s pleading glance and decided it wasn’t worth it. He slipped out with his basket and deliberately tipped his head toward the sunlight, willing it to erase the traces of energy left behind from that chokehold.
“It could be worse,” he muttered. “Most houses wouldn’t have intervened and would welcome a bloodbath.”
He kept walking away when he felt the energy leave the bakery area, hastening when it got closer. A short rocking of the ground had them both halting, his gaze flying toward the burst of colors that shot in the air somewhere on the island—the northern part, where a welding shop was located. The Sutton’s business. Ruby’s home.
On cue, his side pocket vibrated. He took out the small version of his home device and pressed a button until James Magoo’s voice filled the air, sounding more male but just as cheerful as the alarm clock.
