Page 31 of Craving Her Vampire

“My earliest memory, at age seven, was of Turner beating up a woman. I remember standing in front of a door, hearing weird noises from his office. It sounded like someone was in pain. I don’t know why I thought I could do anything, but I opened the door anyway. He had a woman on the floor. Her clothing was torn and she was bleeding. He was punching her over and over. I must have made a pained noise because he turned his furious eyes my way. The sequence of events is blurry and I have never been able to put it in the correct order. He stomped over and slammed the door. I ran back to my room. I was confused and scared. I didn’t want him to hurt me.” I lean against Micah’s chest.

“Who was she?” he asks.

“I assume she was a coyote in another pack.”

“You assume?”

“That night was the first and last time I saw her. I think he killed her.”

“There aren’t any other women in the pack?” he asks.

“No. I don’t know why I am the only one. He must have a reason for keeping me around.” I wrap my arm around his stomach. “I don’t have any memories before that night.”“Nothing?”

“No. I don’t remember my parents, nor do I know what happened to them. I realized that night I shouldn’t ask questions. I thought for sure the next morning he would say something, but he didn’t. He acted like it didn’t happen. My training started soon after. I was taught to steal, fight, and cheat. I had daily lessons for years that ended with me chained to the bed when I didn’t learn fast enough. I was a disappointment.” Micah growls from deep in his chest. “I didn’t know anything different, at least not for years. Of course, it was painful.”

“I’m going to kill him,” he says.

“I’ll let you after we get the information we need.” I press closer. “I wasn’t shown love. Liam was the only one who loved me, and then he was taken away.”

“He's five years younger than you.”

“Yes, I don’t remember Liam’s birth. After the night I saw the woman, a few days later, Turner walked into the kitchen when I was getting breakfast with Liam in his arms. He acted normal and asked why I hadn’t taken him out of his crib.”

“What did you do?”

“I apologized and took him from his arms. I could smell him; he was my brother. I pretended I knew him. Something was wrong with me, and I took my cues from Turner.” I rub my cheek against his shirt. “I was so confused, but I knew for certain he was related to me, and I had to protect him. I went to my room. Micah, there was a crib beside my bed. When I left it that morning, there wasn’t. I looked around to find toys on the floor, diapers on the dresser, and a rocking chair in the corner. I didn’t know how it happened or why I couldn’t remember. I saw his name stitched on a blanket; that’s how I knew his name. I’vetried for years to remember anything, but I can’t. I didn’t want to reveal my lack of memory to Turner.”

“Shit.” He pulls me closer. “I’m sorry, love.”

“That’s how we lived. Always looking over our shoulders. Always afraid of what the next day would bring. It was Liam and me against the pack. I made a deal with Turner. If I became the best at stealing, he would leave Liam alone. Then, the biting began. I was so fucking young and scared. The only thing I could count on was my coyote, and it was devastating when they wouldn’t let me shift to heal. The first handful of times they chained me to the bed, I fought and tried to get loose. Turner would threaten Liam if I continued to fight him. After that, I let Turner chain me to the bed when I messed up so it would motivate me to be better. I hated it. It hurt so bad, but I didn’t fight him so he would leave my brother alone.” I hear the rattle of chains in my dreams.

“How did your brother feel about your sacrifice?”

“He was so young during the worst years, which was a blessing. That was my goal; I didn’t want him to remember. I didn’t have a mother or father to protect him, so I had to. As time passed, I got better. I practiced every day to steal better things, more expensive things.” I reach into the pocket of my pants and hold out his watch. “Sorry, it was more to prove a point.” I peek up at him, and he shakes his head.

“You are good, love.”

I shrug. “I had to be.” I look away. “I had no choice. Liam is mine. The only family I know. I kept him away from the guys in the pack as much as possible. I didn’t want him to become like them, and I tried my best for me, too. Liam is a sensitive guy. He is special and saw the best in everyone. He wasn’t jaded like me, and I had to protect that.”

“What happened the night he disappeared?” he asks, laying his watch in my lap.

“I saved thousands of dollars, planning for the day we would run away together. It was hard since Turner always sent at least one of the guys with me when I left the house. Liam trusted me, so when I told him we had to leave, he agreed. He watched everyone; he knew how unhappy I was and how cruel the pack could be. I decided to go during the night. I packed our bags and hid them. I kept the money in a safe place. The plan was set, but Turner asked me to do a job at the last minute. I didn’t think it was an odd request because he never gave me a lot of notice. I told Liam to keep the door locked and the dresser against the door. I told him to run if someone tried to get in. I even told him where to run and I would find him.

“By the time I got done with the job, he was gone. I searched everywhere. I went to the place I told him to wait. I stayed there for hours, but he didn’t show up. I walked around the whole town. He was gone with not one clue. I gave up and returned to the house, hoping he would come back or hide somewhere I didn’t look. Turner met me at the door. He knew. He knew what we planned and set me up. He told me he sold Liam, and I should fall in line if I ever hoped to see him again. I would continue to steal for them, and he would reward me someday by telling me where he sent Liam.” I blink several times to clear the tears.

“He didn’t, though.”

“No,” I snarl. “He held it over my head for years. I decided to even the score. Turner likes his treasures. For months, I watched him hold a coin like it was gold. I was curious and asked him about it. He got defensive and said it was none of my business. I knew it meant something to him, something big. It was my most important job: steal the coin. The problem was, he always had it on him or close by. I had to be the best to take it.” I fiddle with the watch. “I did some research first. I remembered what it looked like and went to the library to look it up. I didn’t wantto use my phone in case Turner was monitoring it in some way.” I bend my legs and turn toward him. “Micah, the coin is worth millions. I don’t know where he stole it from, but I understand why he wants it back so badly.”

“You stole it,” he says.

“I did.”

“Love,” he whispers, and his lips twitch. “How?”

“I don’t want to say,” I mumble, his eyes narrowing, and I look down.

“Pet,” he says softly.

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