Free Sacrifice (Revelations Book 1) by Mia Bishop Page A

ago.”
    She pursed her lips together and nodded. “I wonder if that is why my body started itching.”
    “Itching?”
    “Like something was irritating me. It woke me up.”
    “Well, I’ve heard that vampires always know when the sun goes down. Sort of like an internal alarm clock. That’s probably what it was.”
    “So, what’s the plan? Do I need to go see Arveda tonight?”
    Nico leaned against the wall and rubbed the back of his neck. “No, you’re going to start training.”
    “What kind of training?”
    “Demon hunting.”
    “But I’ve only been a vampire for one day and I don’t even really feel like a vampire to tell you the truth. Now you expect me to just wake up the next day and be an expert demon hunter?”
    “No, I expect you to train and learn. First, drink this,” he held out a small glass of crimson fluid, “As much as you say you don’t feel like a vamp you still need to eat like one.” She took the glass as he added, “And then get dressed, we need to get in as much work as we can so you can start helping me patrol.”
    “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a fight. I’m not going to be much good to you.”
    He ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a breath. “Look, you might not like it but you are a vampire now. Maybe not a full-fledged one but one thing you need to know about yourself is that all of your human limitations are gone. You don’t need to breathe, you can see better-near perfect in fact- in the dark. You are stronger, faster, and you have an innate instinct inside you now that has the sole purpose of being the perfect predator. You will need some training, yes, but your instinct to kill will be the biggest asset you have. The thing you need to remember is to listen to your gut when you are fighting. Your body will know what to do long before your brain ever figures it out. I’m going to teach you some basics, but if you are anything like other vamps I’ve encountered you will be a natural at chasing down something and killing it. Drink your breakfast and get dressed, time’s wasting.”
    She slowly sipped her meal to savor the taste as long as possible. He’d already gone into the kitchen before she’d even took her first taste, leaving her with a bit of privacy to get dressed. As she drank she scanned the room. The same room she’d been tied up in the day before, but it looked different tonight. She studied his nightstand. It was a sad sight. The old wooden stand held an empty bottle of Jack Daniels that hadn’t been there yesterday and a glass with a chip in the rim. The only other items he kept by his bedside was an empty picture frame, the Holy Bible, and an auto magazine that looked to be at least two decades outdated.
    Abby shook her head. Why an empty picture frame? Did he have a picture to go in the frame? Had the picture gotten lost? It nagged at her like a riddle she might never know the answer to. In the kitchen she could hear him pouring himself something to drink, the strong aroma of coffee hung in the air.
    Glancing down at the sweatpants and t-shirt he’d given her to sleep in she blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. She practically swam in Nico’s clothes, but the thought of the revealing clothes that the Striga had dressed her in made her feel uneasy. It wasn’t so much about the clothes but the idea of killing something and having blood splatter all over her half naked body. Would it send her into a blood lust? Would she become the monster that Nico insisted she was?
    She stalled by trying to catch the last drop of blood from the glass on the tip of her tongue when he called out, “I don’t hear you getting up.”
    Abby groaned and pushed herself off the cot. “I’m up. I’m up, have some patience.”
    “No time for patience, Creature. We have work to do.”
    She glared at the name Creature and whispered under her breath, “My name is Abby.”
    Nico’s voice came from directly behind her making her jump, “Abby. Happy