A Shade of Vampire 14: A Dawn of Strength Read Free Page A

Caleb the parts of the island nearest to the Residences when I realized we were so close to the lighthouse, I might as well show it to him while we were here. I climbed onto Caleb’s back and guided him to the rocks where the building was perched.
    He set me down at the foot of it. I rarely went up to my parents’ special place, and going up there with Caleb felt wrong, but I wanted to show it to him all the same. It felt like one of the main landmarks of the island. “That up there is my parents’ special place.”
    He raised a brow. “Special place?”
    “Yeah…” It was an open secret what my parents did whenever they retreated up there, and one I would rather not talk about now with Caleb. Caleb and I need to find our own special place on this island.
    We moved on swiftly from there and, with me traveling on Caleb’s back, it didn’t take long to finish the tour of the island. It was early morning now, and there weren’t many people about. Almost everyone was sleeping. Caleb had already heard my story when I was telling my parents, but I had yet to hear what had happened to him while we were apart. So this was a good opportunity for him to tell me. My blood boiled as he described Annora’s deceit, and I had to remind myself that she’d had her comeuppance already to avoid riling myself up into too much of a rage.
    Once we’d finished traveling around all the major points of the island, it was beginning to be a struggle to keep my eyes open. I hadn’t slept properly for days, and although the excitement of having Caleb here in my home was still coursing through me, I couldn’t resist what my body was screaming for much longer. I guessed that Caleb was exhausted too—he’d been through trauma just as I had.
    “Let’s return to the penthouse,” I said, although I had no intention of sleeping there with Caleb tonight, or any other night. My parents’ sense of hearing was much too acute for me to feel comfortable sharing my bedroom with Caleb.
    We reached the foot of our tree and ascended in the elevator. As we opened the front door, I was both surprised and thrilled to see Griffin sitting on the living room couch. He sprang up as soon as he laid eyes on me.
    “Griff!” I leapt into his arms and held him tight.
    He kissed my cheek as we drew away from each other. And it was then that I realized how cold his skin felt. I eyed him more closely.
    “Oh my God. You’re a vampire!”
    He was grinning from ear to ear. “Well spotted.”
    “How… Why?”
    “I persuaded my father to turn me. I guess I just felt that it was time. And honestly, with everything that’s been going on around the island, I feel more comfortable as a vampire than a human.”
    His eyes rested on Caleb, and I expected to see some flicker of jealousy or pain behind them, as I had before when Caleb had visited the island briefly. But I didn’t. Griffin just nodded casually in his direction and said, “Hi.”
    “Hi,” Caleb replied.
    “How has it been?” I asked. “Adjusting to it and all?”
    Griffin shrugged. “It hurt like hell at first. But my parents were surprised how quickly I was able to gain control of myself.”
    “So you’re not about to suck my blood?” I teased.
    “I mean, I don’t feel like I’m in danger of attacking you now…” Griffin furrowed his brows. “But damn, girl. Your blood smells good. Just don’t tell Becky I said that.”
    “Becky?” She was one of my human friends on the island.
    Griffin winked. “Turns out being a vampire has other perks too. Even for a freckly red-headed one. It’s been hard keeping girls away recently.”
    I laughed. “So Becky’s your girlfriend?”
    “Yes.”
    My heart soared for him and I hugged him again. “Griff, I am thrilled for you.”
    “And I’m thrilled you’re back,” he said. “I won’t keep you long now though. You look tired. I’ll catch up with you another time, okay?”
    “Sure thing.”
    He smiled again and took his leave.
    I caught