Upon Waking (Youngling Series) Read Free

to her as she passed bars that seemed to be closing for the night. That meant it was nearly two in the morning and she could only hope that Penny was home and not staying somewhere else for the night. Despite the fact that everyone mostly ignored her, Tessa still felt like she was being watched. Also, she could hear faintly the sound of footsteps that matched her own. It was amazing what differences her ears did pick up though. The stride, though quiet, was heavier than hers and longer spaced as well so she knew it was a long legged male that followed her, if he was indeed following her. About a mile into her walk, she turned down a side street and, sure enough, the footsteps followed. Every turn she took, the man followed until finally her curiosity got the better of her. Besides, what did she have to be afraid of now anyways? Weren’t vampires supposed to have superhuman strength or something?
    Without giving any warning, Tessa stopped and turned to face her stalker. He was maybe 50 feet behind her and she could see him clearly. The man had stopped directly beneath a streetlight and its light allowed her to see him in complete detail. The moment their eyes met, Tessa’s memory of the last couple of days slammed into her, tearing a shocked gasp from her throat. Her breathing became rapid and ragged as she seemed to lose herself in his gaze.
    Her and Penelope at a café, studying. Then at Penny’s apartment changing for a night of fun. A dark club and cute guys buying those drinks till Tessa could barely stand on her own two feet. Something was….off though. She could remember catching glimpses of the guy she was looking at now throughout the night. But he had never approached her and she remembered having been upset about it. At least, she didn’t recall them ever speaking. So why was he here, now, following her after she had escaped death? Did he have something to do with her…change?
    “Who the hell are you? What do you want?” The man tilted his head slightly to the side and held out his hands to show that he didn’t have a weapon. Not that Tessa was particularly worried.
    “Tess. Do you remember me?” His voice had a soft lilt to it, like a long forgotten accent that only showed itself when he was distracted or something. But it was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. Tessa couldn’t explain it but it was like it wrapped itself around her like a warm breeze, caressing her in all the right places. In fact, everything about him was beautiful. His black eyes, pale porcelain skin, even his black hair that fell into his eyes every two seconds. But the man didn’t bother brushing it back. Tessa seemed to recall doing it for him at some point. She could remember the silken feel of the strands running through her fingers, could remember thinking that she wouldn’t mind always being the one to do it for him. But other than those few fragmented memories….there was only darkness. And it was frustrating. 
    “Who are you?” Her voice no longer sounded steady and even. She sounded small and even a little scared. Something told her that all the strength in the world wouldn’t save her from him. Leaning down, she peeled both shoes off her feet as she waited for his answer. But it never came.
    A car zipped past them and when he turned to look at it she threw both shoes as hard as she could which at this point was pretty damn hard. The toe of one shoe hit him square in the forehead while the heel of the other struck his chest, impaling him in his right side. The man grunted and fell to his knees, one hand on his forehead as the other pulled the shoe out of his side. Blood ran down his side, soaking his white shirt and jeans, dripping onto the sidewalk.
    Tessa turned and ran as fast as she could, the buildings flying by at an incredible speed. She heard him scream her name and she could feel the power in his voice. Something in her head was telling her, no commanding her to stop but she ignored it. And before