Blood Wars by D. Richardson (best affordable ebook reader txt) 📕

Jaide

“Hey Jaide, you almost done?” Patty yelled from the kitchen. I put the extra packets of sugar and sweetener back where they belonged. I had just finished refilling the containers on the tables.

“Yeah, five minutes.” I yelled back. It’s been six months since I left my friends and mate, back in a town just outside of New York. Now I was living in a town about the same size just out side of LA, California. I was working at a café about three blocks from my small apartment. I fled across the country to get away from my mate.

Seems a bit odd, but I had my reasons. My mate was a human named Devon. I was a vampire. Not the normal kind that they show in movies, but a born vampire. Devon worked for an organization that captured vampires to study them. They didn’t even know that born vampires existed, until they caught me. They killed my parents in the process. It turns out that Devon hated vampires. A vampire had turned his brother and he in turn killed the rest of his family except him, though not from the lack of trying.

When his brother turned up, at the same building that the rest of us were being held, things got a little hairy. A scientist almost killed me, because I wouldn’t take the tranquilizer they were feeding the others. After that we decided it was time to leave. But before we did his brother told Devon some rather nasty things about me. Things to make me seem like the monster under the bed. We also found out that the organization was only studying us in order to figure out the best way to wipe out our kind.

We managed to escape the compound with some important files, and ran to Devon’s uncle, who turned out to be the owner of a local favorite club of mine. It seemed like everything was going fine. Except Devon became really distant. I didn’t understand why so I confronted him about it. He unleashed on me. Calling me a monster and saying some horrible things.

It didn’t bother me so much that Zeak had said those things about me. We weren’t on very good terms seeing as how he basically tortured my best friend, and forced me to turn her. But it really bothered me that Devon, my mate, believed that I would be capable of being the monster that he called me. So I left. Fled across the country to get away from him. It tore me apart. It’s hard to explain what it feels like to have your soul mate reject you like that. I left it up to my friends to stop that group of madmen from wiping out our existence.

So here I am. Doing my best to make ends meet, and to stay unnoticed. I didn’t mind the work. Actually on most occasions I rather enjoyed it. I finished my walk through of the dining room to make sure that I hadn’t forgotten anything. When I was done I went back to the register and emptied my apron. I exchanged my tips for larger bills and went back to the kitchen. Patty was bent over the grill cleaning it.

“Hey boss, I’m done, mind if I call it a night?” she turned to look at me.

“Sure. If you want you can stick around I’m almost done. I can give you a ride.” I gave her a small smile.

“No thanks, I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t like you walking around at night. There are some real weirdoes out there.” If only she knew.

“I’ll be fine. I promise.” she looked ready to argue, but let it go as a lost cause.

“Alright but call me as soon as you get home, and let me know that you made it safely.”

“I always do don’t I? I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah okay, bye.”

I walked back to the front and grabbed my leather jacket. I walked out the front door locking it behind me like usual. Patty always went out the back. I turned and sampled the night air. Heightened senses really came in handy. Not smelling anything out of place, I began my short walk home.

It was a normal night. A little on the cool side but that’s what my jacket was for. It was only three blocks to my place but it always seemed much longer. I walked up the stairs to my second story apartment and unlocked my door. I stepped in and dropped my keys on the table next to it. I turned the light on and sighed. Home sweet home. I looked around my cheap two bedroom and felt the usual wave of depression.

Most of my furniture I found on various curbs. The nicest thing I have I found out side of a rich family’s house. They must have upgraded, but the couch they got rid of was actually rather nice. Dark brown faux leather. The coffee table isn’t bad either but its pretty easy to find a decent table. I don’t have a TV, but I’ve managed to collect a decent number of books. The kitchen was open to the living room. The only thing that separated them was where linoleum met carpet. There was a small hallway with three doors. My bedroom, the bathroom, and my roommate’s room.

I grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and sat down on the couch. It was only ten o’clock, so I picked up my most recent book and started reading. It was a little after midnight when Amabel came walked through the door.

She was the first person I had met when I came here. She was also the only person that knew what I was. I didn’t tell her, I didn’t have too. She actually scared the hell out of me.

I was just standing there reading some wanted ads in a newspaper at the local supermarket, and she walked up to me all chipper.

“Hey Ms. Vampire, how you doing today?” I had dropped the paper and turned to look around. No one was close enough to hear her, and she held up a hand to stop my panic attack. “Relax, I’m not going to out you or anything. Geez, I know your kind is usually skittish but this is just ridiculous.” Turned out she was about as human as I was. About three weeks later, I was working at the diner and she just walked in like she owned the place.

I was struggling because I had just gotten my apartment and it was almost bare. She moved in a week later, and brought all of the kitchen supplies with her. She was my only friend in this place that I could truly trust. There were others that cared, but she was the only one that knew what I was.

She served drinks at a local bar and paid her half of the bills. It amazed me just how much easier it was with her around. I didn’t really have to stress about anything. Turned out she had an in with the local hospital, so I was able to just go in and buy donated blood. Plus, it helped that she wasn’t squeamish and I could store it in the bottom drawer of our refrigerator.

She dropped her apron on the table and plopped down on the couch next to me. She turned to me with tired eyes.

“I swear if one more drunk man tries to grab my ass I’m going to lose it.” She sighed, I chuckled lightly.

“I could get you a spot at the diner if you want. It’s a lot more peaceful.” She shook her head.

“The money’s better at the bar. Besides most of the time I like the atmosphere.” I shrugged and went back to my book as she went to take a shower. I loved that I could just sit quietly and read without having to worry about her bothering me.

The next morning I got up and got dressed. I went into the kitchen and took stock of my meager amount of food. I’d have to go to the grocery store. I put my last slice of bread in the toaster and pushed the button down. With a little tampering it stayed down. I grabbed my last bag of blood out of the refrigerator. It looks like I’ll have to go to the hospital today too. I downed the bag and was halfway through a bottle of water when the toaster popped. Call me crazy but toast and blood just don’t go well together. I put a little bit of strawberry jam on it and ate it leaning against the counter. As is my usual routine.

Belle was still asleep so I didn’t bother letting her know that I needed to go out. She always worked late and slept in. and we exercised out freedom to leave and come in whenever we wanted. Neither one of us made any demands on the other. We had a comfortable friendship, as long as the bills were paid we were good.

After I was finished I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my keys and wallet. I locked the door behind me, and started walking to the hospital. It was about a fifteen minute walk. When I got there the usual nurse was on duty.

“Hey Michelle, how are you today?” Ahh I almost forgot that I was going by a different name these days. I changed a lot of things. Well mostly my name and my hair. The rest of it there was really nothing else I could do. I got my hair cut into a choppy short style. I was told it looked really cute. It felt odd to me since I was always used to having long hair. Only those who had to know my real name used it. Which really only included my boss and Amabel. And they respected my wishes enough to never use it where anyone else could hear.

“Not bad I need the usual.” she nodded and set about writing the order. About ten minutes later she brought me a black clothe bag with ten packets of dark liquid in it.

“Ten bags of O positive. You need anything else?”

“Nope I’m good thank you.” I handed her the money and left. Ten pints was enough to last me a month, and I only ever went in on the days that that particular nurse was working. Anyone else might question the fact that a teenage girl was buying that much blood with no sign as what it was being used for.

I dropped my blood at the apartment. Then immediately left and started for the grocery store. At least that was only a five minute walk. Everything in this town was within walking distance. That’s one of the reasons I had chosen it. The other being that it was literally across the country from the man I never wanted to see again.

I was browsing the shelves when I glanced up and did a double take. I could have sworn my friend Scotty just walked by the end of the aisle. He was one of the people I left behind in New York. What would he be doing here in California? Maybe I was just hallucinating. Yeah, you know it’s a bad day when you hope you’re going crazy.

I realized I was breathing heavily. I was on the brink of having a panic attack. So I pushed my cart to the front of the store and started putting my things on the conveyor belt. All the while keeping my head on a swivel. When I finally paid and got all of my bags I almost ran from the store. Lucky for me the shortest way to my apartment is to go around to the back of the store.

I didn’t breath easy until I locked