Darkness Born: Paranormal Vampire Romance (Immortal Desire Series Book 1.5) Read online

  DARKNESS

  BORN

  Immortal Desire Series

  BOOK 1.5

  SCARLETT WEST

  DARKNESS BORN

  Copyright © 2018 by Scarlett West

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  scarlettwestwrites.com

  Cover Design by Melody Simmons

  Formatted by The Book Khaleesi

  Table of Contents

  Other Titles by Scarlett West

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Dedicated to my Omi, who could not live in her country, Latvia, but always carried it in her heart.

  And to my parents and siblings, who have always supported and inspired me.

  Thank you forever.

  Other Titles by Scarlett West

  Forbidden Darkness

  (Book One)

  Entangled Darkness

  (Prequel Novella)

  THE IMMORTAL DESIRE SERIES

  ~ * ~

  Surrender to the temptations of the night…

  Two vampire houses at war. Dark alliances forged between enemies. And sexy vampire bachelors who love pleasing their mates. Enter the Immortal Desire universe, where hunky heroes and powerful heroines must make deadly decisions between saving their covens or romancing their mates. Steamy and thrilling, more than just lives are at stake in this paranormal world of romance and danger…

  Each book is a full-length standalone novel connected to the series, all with HEA endings.

  Chapter 1

  Sarma woke in a cold sweat, shaky and alone. Two things crossed her mind—both scared the hell out of her. She was now a vampire and her son had been born. And she had no idea if he was healthy or if something was wrong.

  For some reason, Auseklis was not in the room with her. Her heart throttled against her ribs. She wanted to jump out of bed to find him, but every muscle ached so badly, she couldn’t move. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her body raged with fever. What happened to her?

  Where was her son? Why couldn’t she hear him? She couldn’t open her eyes. He’d been born right on time in his month of September, but her motherly instincts told her something bad had occurred. She fumbled her hands around the blanket for her heartmate Reinis’ hand. He wasn’t there either.

  A vague memory of Laima dashing around the room muttering that Auseklis didn’t look right nipped at Sarma’s mind. But her clouded, scrambled brain, so tired from the birth, couldn’t think straight. Did she imagine that? She scrunched up the duvet in her fist and opened her mouth to call out, but only a squeak left her parched throat. Why wasn’t anyone with her? She needed to know how her baby was doing.

  Sarma peeled her sticky eyelids open and jerked her gaze around the room. No lights glowed. The bedroom at their homestead in Nica, Latvia, had no windows so she didn’t know if it was day or night. She could still make out an empty chair next to her. And the bassinet sat nearby. Empty. Her body tensed and a sob croaked from her mouth. Auseklis. Where was Auseklis?

  She threw the blanket back and tried to stand. Dizziness swamped her, forcing her to sit. As soon as she rustled the blankets, Reinis popped into the room. “She’s awake!”

  In his hands, he held a tiny blanketed bundle. He pulled the baby close to his chest, then rushed to her side and sat next to her. “Sirsniņa, can you hear me?”

  She nodded and reached out. Reinis called her his “little heart”. He dipped close to her and handed her Auseklis. With a gentle touch, she cradled him in her arms and unwrapped the covering around his head. His tiny eyes were closed. He was pale and though his tiny chest moved up and down in a predictable pattern, he didn’t otherwise stir.

  “Take some of my blood. You’re so exhausted, you lost your voice.” Reinis extended his wrist and pressed it to her lips.

  She dialed in on the veins under his skin, filling her with a sense of disgust. His blood should entice her, bring her a sense of need. Invite her to drink. Only a few months had passed since she’d been forced to become a vampire, and she still didn’t feel at home sucking blood. She flicked her glance up to Reinis and shook her head.

  He nudged his arm against her mouth again. “Come on, you have to. We’ve talked about this. I know it’s still weird to you, but you’re weak from the birth, and now you have Auseklis depending on you. Sarma, take a few sips.”

  She searched his face. He held an underlying tension beneath his urging which she couldn’t place. His mindguards were up and she couldn’t sense the source of his worry. Was it Auseklis? Did something happen? To her? Or worse…to her baby?

  Against her warped logic, the aroma of his life fluid drew her incisors down. Her mind still hadn’t grasped what she needed to do. In fact, the idea repulsed her. She glanced down at her sickly, small baby and bit down. Auseklis had compelled her to drink when she almost died, and he did so now as well. But she despised the whole thing.

  Reinis’ blood washed down her throat, reviving her sore, broken body, and brought strength to her weakened muscles. As soon as she latched, she drank in deep, slow gulps. The initial repulsion faded and her animal instincts roared awake, making her forget her discomfort for the moment.

  This is what she was now. Vampire. But she couldn’t accept her new self the way she wished. Each time she stopped feeding, her old human doubts returned making it hard to swallow the truth of what she’d become. Everyone seemed so comfortable in their skin, proud of their abilities and beauty. Not her. The sensation she’d become a monster ate at her. But she couldn’t admit that to anyone. She didn’t want her son, Reinis, or anyone around her to feel bad for who they were. To feel guilty for bringing her into this new life.

  A tight lump had formed in her chest and never left her. She released his wrist and licked the wound closed. Her cells renewed but she’d need to feed a few more times to recuperate completely. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth.

  “What’s wrong with him? How long have I been asleep? Has Auseklis eaten? Why are you worried?” Her many questions spilled out in a rough voice.

  Auseklis whimpered in his sleep, opened his tiny mouth like a tiny bird searching for food. She pulled up her pajama top and fed him. He opened up and latched on, suckling with closed eyes.

  Reinis glanced at her then the floor. His lips remained in a tight, closed line.

  “Answer me.” />
  “We don’t know everything yet, but Auseklis was born weak. You fed him several times right after he arrived, so don’t worry about that, but his color is pasty, even for our kind. And he hasn’t opened his eyes. He barely moves around. Sarma, he’s not as strong as we anticipated. I’m sorry, but he’s very fragile.”

  An urge to cry hit her like a gale wind. Her chest constricted and she focused her strength to hold back the tears. Her sinking instincts proved correct. Her son was born frail. Sickly. A mother’s worst nightmare in flesh. If Auseklis didn’t need her now, she’d break down crying. Her fingers trembled as she stroked his fine, black hair.

  “Where’s Laima? Doesn’t she have any teas to help us? I feel like a tree fell on top of me. I’m so exhausted and this fever is killing me,” she whispered, not wanting to wake her son.

  Reinis rubbed his chin with the back of his fingers. “She’s preparing some remedies now and speaking with other healers in our coven to see what can be done. She told me the fact that he’s eating is a good thing, but we’ll have to help him in other ways.”

  “How? How can we help him?” She’d only woken half an hour ago, but she needed answers now. To fix the problem this second.

  He glanced down at the bed and licked his lips. “We don’t know yet.”

  She pressed her hand to her mouth, wrinkling her forehead. “Please, don’t say that.”

  As far as any of them knew, Auseklis had developed properly. Laima had reassured her many times during the pregnancy. And they told Sarma they couldn’t go to human doctors or do any sort of tests because they would see his genetic anomalies.

  Why had she listened to them? As soon as they’d accepted her into the coven, she should have snuck off and done what she needed to do. She regretted not listening to her gut. Regretted following their damn coven rules.

  How many times did Laima and Reinis impress upon her that the hierarchy was paramount? Above everything and everyone. All had to follow the decrees. Even if it meant sacrificing one’s self for the good of the coven. And that included not going to get a check-up. Or getting any tests done to make sure Auseklis was okay after she’d been converted to a vampire.

  In reality, in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to run off like that. Rash actions always ended badly. What if she had exposed herself, as a vampire, risked Auseklis’ life, and everyone’s with it, for one selfish moment?

  And they likely wouldn’t have had any good answers either.

  She sighed. The strain on Reinis’ face didn’t wane, but she didn’t have it in her to press him further. She had enough to worry about in her arms. And she had no idea how to go about taking care of a baby. Let alone a vampire baby. He didn’t explain why Auseklis was sick either. Of course, she assumed the infant had become ill since she’d been converted during pregnancy. But what if that was wrong? Obvious answers didn’t always turn out to be correct.

  She only had Reinis and Laima for support to help her find answers. Sure, she supposedly had the coven backing her since Auseklis was the special baby destined to unite and heal fighting covens.

  But she craved a mother and father. Her mother, Gunita, lived thousands of miles away. And even if she lived close, they wouldn’t have contact. Gunita had disowned her the moment she chose to come to Latvia and mate with Reinis.

  But Sarma had no idea why. Why had her mother always warned her not to visit their family’s homeland, Latvia? She didn’t get it and her mother refused to explain. She wanted to contact her, see if having Auseklis would change her mind. Maybe Gunita would want to renew their relationship. She didn’t have to tell her they were vampires. They could meet in the evening. Or inside the house where Auseklis would be protected against the sun since he hadn’t built up his immunity to light.

  Then she wouldn’t be left an orphan and Auseklis would have another grandmother.

  That was likely all a fantasy, but Sarma couldn’t help indulging in letting her mind wander when physical weakness and sadness left her drained. Besides Auseklis having only one grandmother, he had no grandfathers either. She never had a father to depend on, to hold her, to give her advice. He disappeared when she was four years old. Gunita said he committed suicide but never said how or talked about the circumstances. And Reinis’ father died over a hundred years ago.

  Poor Auseklis was born into such a tiny family. None of that could be helped, and right now, her priority was finding out how to improve his health. Her stomach flip-flopped. With weakness tearing at her, it was difficult to control her colliding thoughts. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Her son was supposed to be a distinguished healer. Why would someone with such strong potential be born so ill?

  Everyone said he would be the greatest vampire to ever come into the world. Not that she cared about what they said about him, but she just couldn’t understand what went wrong. If he was so strong, why didn’t Auseklis show it now?

  “Sarma, hello, Sarma. I’m talking to you.” Reinis waved his hand in front of her face. Had he been speaking? “You always worry about so many things. I don’t blame you, Sirsnina, but we have to stay focused.”

  She shook her head, her shoulders painfully bunching up. “I can’t help it. Look at him. He’s my son. Born with a darkness around him. It’s not right, and so far, you have zero answers for me. Aren’t you scared?”

  He chewed on his upper lip. “I can’t let the fear get to me, Sarma. I have to concentrate for the three of us. If I lose it, who will find answers?”

  That’s not what she wanted to hear, but he was right. She sensed he didn’t explain everything. He wasn’t going to either. Damn it. Why was this happening? What would she have to do to help Auseklis? She’d go to any lengths to find the answer. Do anything at all to help him. Her son. Her precious baby—so new and already struggling in the world.

  She sank her head down, nudging away the urge to cry again. And the worst thing? She herself was sick, too weak to do anything for him right now. Having to depend on others to find the answers irritated the hell out of her. Made her grimace in desperation. She was his mother. She should be able to get up and figure out how to help him.

  Yet here she found herself. Sick. Lying in bed. Unable to do a thing. Her eyes drooped again and she yawned. Falling asleep again was the last thing she needed, but she nodded off, her eyes closing against her will. She shook her head to wake up. Auseklis nursed for a few more minutes, then let go. His breath deepened and smoothed. After settling into the bed, she nestled Auseklis next to her, making sure nothing rested around his face. Reinis kissed both of them on the forehead.

  “He’s going to be okay.”

  She looked up at Reinis. His shoulders stooped and he drummed his fingers against his chest. “Don’t say things you don’t mean. You haven’t told me everything, and right now, I need to sleep. I don’t want to know what else you have on your mind. Just please, please, try to find a way to help him.”

  Reinis kneeled next to her and gritted his teeth. “I will do everything, I mean, everything, to help our son.”

  She flopped over on her side toward Auseklis, and fell asleep while staring at his tiny, gaunt face.

  Chapter 2

  Reinis slammed a shot of Melnais Balzams, a hard-liquor drink, and winced. His vampire abilities prevented him from getting drunk, but the burn in his chest took the edge off his rage. He downed another, then settled next to his mother at the kitchen table.

  “Want one? I sense your worry. You didn’t cause this. And Velta—” Reinis slammed a fist on the kitchen table, causing the clay vase in the center to shake. “We should have put her to death instead of banishing her. Freedom was what she wanted.”

  Hurt flashed across his mother’s eyes and a heavy crease formed on her forehead but he wouldn’t take back his comment. She shook her head at the drink. His sister almost killed Sarma, making her a vampire while pregnant. Now Auseklis was born sick and feeble. He didn’t know if the two were connected, but he planned on finding out.

>   “The elders should never have sent Sarma away to live in that cabin alone. With no one watching her or caring for her and Auseklis. Every single one of them needs to be held accountable.”

  When he saw Sarma for the first time in the nightclub, he disregarded their ancient decree that humans and vampires were forbidden to have feelings for each other or be in a relationship. They had broken the decree before Sarma was converted to a vampire. And he couldn’t care less.

  The only regret he had was putting Sarma through torment when the elders punished them both by locking Reinis in the dungeon and Sarma in a cabin. All of that sat in the past, but the consequences cut him like a sharp blade.

  Laima brushed her hand over her head, though not a lock of her black hair fell out of place. “Their choice put Sarma and Auseklis in danger, but we cannot continue to question the elders’ decisions or we erode the hierarchy that has kept us alive for centuries. You must set an example for Sarma, because as a new vampire, she’s obligated to understand and follow the rules.”

  Reinis rolled his eyes. “Are you speaking as an elder yourself or my mother? I know you fought for us, but don’t you ever get tired of it all?”

  Laima’s jaw tensed and she locked eyes with him. “Obligation will always take precedence over my personal feelings.”

  Reinis took a deep breath. He shouldn’t have taken his anger out on his mammu. His treatment wasn’t fair. Everything sat just outside their reach of influence when it came to helping his son and what was “good for the coven.”

  The automatic teapot on the counter flicked off when the water boiled. Though the sun had already risen, neither of them could sleep. Laima served the relaxation tea she had prepared. Living so far north, they developed an immunity to sunlight, though they preferred night. They had already pulled down the heavy wooden blinds to shut out the sun’s rays.