Free First Bitten by Samantha Towle Page A

secret. They were planning to leave the country together, taking the twins with them, but somehow Demetrius’ family found out about their relationship, but not the twins. His father, Elijah, was furious. He put the order out for their capture. Grace and Demetrius tried to run but they were found and killed for their crime.”
    “ He murdered his own son?” I say aghast.
    “ They’re vampires, Alex.” Nathan says this with an almost mocking tone to his voice. “They’re not known for their kindness.”
    “ But still, his own son.” I give him a look of contempt.
    He shrugs. “Elijah’s not known for his weakness. He had to make an example of Demetrius and Grace. Obviously killing her didn’t help relations between vampires and the werewolves, not that Elijah would care either way.”
    “ And the twins?” I ask tentatively, even though I know they survived. I wouldn’t be in this position right now if they hadn’t.
    “ Fortunately for them, the twins were with Genevieve when Demetrius and Grace were captured. After Grace had been murdered, Genevieve revealed the twins’ existence to her parents. Matthias and Isaiah were all they had left of their daughter, so they raised them, keeping their existence a secret from the vampires who they knew would hunt them down and kill them if they ever discovered them. Matthias and Isaiah grew up and turned into what they still are today, the self-proclaimed Vârcolacs, half-breed, immortal blood drinkers like their father, with the ability to turn into a wolf just like their mother. But Isaiah was cocky and tired of living in the shadows. He had big plans to create an army so they’d be well protected and could kill the vampires that had murdered their parents, so he talked Matthias into coming out. Matthias, though reluctant, agreed and Isaiah outed their existence to the vampires in the midst of trying to build his army which obviously didn’t go exactly as he’d planned. You see, they can’t create any immortals like themselves, like vampires can. Isaiah hadn’t done his homework first. Any male who is changed will only live a human life with a slight extension, just like werewolves do. They’re not as strong as the Originals either who have a strength equal to vampires. So they’d exposed themselves to their enemy and were still as vulnerable as before.” Nathan leans back in his chair, stretching his long legs out under the table. “The vampires have been hunting them ever since. The Originals live in hiding but they still have a strong allegiance to their werewolf ‘family’ who help keep them hidden. The Originals believe the only viable way to ensure their long-term survival is to have more like them, more immortals, and then they can finally have what they’ve always dreamed of. They can eradicate all vampires and put themselves right at the top of the food chain.”
    “ So how can having me as a Vârcolac help them get what they want?” My voice comes out scratchy and hoarse.
    There’s an uncomfortable ripple of silence across the table. It sets my nerves on edge. I take a sip of whiskey.
    “ Well, like Nathan said, the Originals want full-bloods, just like them,” Jack pauses, “and they believe the only way to do this is to breed them, and to be able to do this they need a … ”
    “ Female Vârcolac?” I finish.
    Jack looks at me with sorrowful eyes.
    “ If they find out about you,” Nathan says in a tapered voice, “then you’ll become their baby breeding machine for the rest of your life.” He turns his head and looks me in the eye for a long moment and I can see it all there in his eyes reflecting back at me, like a flash-forward of my possible future.
    Something crawls over my skin – fear, I think.
    “ Don’t you worry though, Alex,” Jack says in a confident voice, giving the table a bang with his hand so hard it makes me jump, “you’ll be safe here with us.”
    But I don’t feel confident or safe at all. I’m here with