The Chronicles of Koa: Netherworld by K. N. Lee, Ann Wicker Page A
Authors: K. N. Lee, Ann Wicker
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she’d ever heard leave her lungs.
“Ian!” Koa tapped his shoulder. “Are you all right?” She shook him. He was limp and unresponsive. Koa’s eyes widened. Terror overcame her.
Ian’s eyes fluttered closed and she squealed.
“Ian!” She grabbed his face and shook his head from side to side. He groaned.
Koa slapped him. She couldn’t let the young man die. She loved him, in her own way. He had been her pet for nearly three years. She was paying his way through the University. She couldn’t lose him. He meant more to her than the blood.
There were nights when they would talk for hours after her feeding. She knew everything there was to know about him. She knew that his mother had died of cancer when he was in high school, and that his father had killed himself shortly afterward. He had been sent to live with an aunt until he was of legal age, and left the states as soon as he graduated.
Ian was smart. He studied chemistry and archeology of all things. He’d always wanted to be like Indiana Jones. Koa nearly smiled at the memory of him telling her that. She couldn’t let this good young man die.
An idea came to her. It hit her full force and wouldn’t back down. Koa had no choice. She would set him free.
She leaned down to his ear. “Ian… do you want to live?”
Ian’s head lolled to the side. He weakly opened an eye and stared at her drunkenly with it. Koa could feel her heart racing.
What have I done? I’ve become a monster . Koa swallowed. Halston was right to fire her. She had become the very creature they fought to stop.
His life was hanging from a thread. She could see the luster start to leave those hazel eyes.
She felt her heart skip a beat when he mouthed the word, yes .
Koa swallowed. She licked her lips of the blood and nodded. “Are you sure?” Koa whispered. “You know what I mean, don’t you?”
Ian nodded and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
Koa shot up and bit her wrist. She shoved her bleeding wrist into his mouth and squeezed her eyes shut the moment he started to drink from her. She’d never, ever, turned someone before. She had no idea what it meant. She hadn’t a clue what this would change. She was contributing to the vampire population, the very beings that she and Halston and his organization strove to decrease.
Koa almost forgot. She wasn’t a part of the organization anymore. She could follow her own rules. Besides, Ian wasn’t a bad person. Therefore, he would not be one of the bad vampires that she had once been sent out to kill.
She felt a pang of guilt the instant Ian withdrew his mouth and cried out in pain. She rolled off of him and onto the floor. Like a frightened child, Koa scrambled into a corner. She watched him with wide, horrified eyes and drew her legs into her chest. She held her legs close with both arms wrapped around them and tearfully watched as Ian’s human body died.
Ian writhed and cried as his body was thrown back and forth across the bed. He begged in agony for help. Koa couldn’t control her sobs when he cried out for his mother. He was delirious with pain and it hurt her to hear him suffer.
Koa wished she could help him. She’d never seen this before. His cries cut into her very soul.
His cries continued for far too long, and then, there was silence. The silence was so thick that Koa realized that she was holding her breath. She looked at his body through a blurry film of tears.
Did I do it right ? Timidly, Koa crawled onto all fours. She peeked over the side of the bed at his body. Ian lied there, sprawled across the bed, as if frozen…or lifeless.
His black hair was wild and covered his face. It was soaking wet from his sweat.
Koa sucked in a breath. Tears choked her. “No,” she whispered. She climbed onto the bed. Something was wrong. “Ian. Please.” She touched his face. It was cold as ice, even colder than before
“Ian!” Koa tapped his shoulder. “Are you all right?” She shook him. He was limp and unresponsive. Koa’s eyes widened. Terror overcame her.
Ian’s eyes fluttered closed and she squealed.
“Ian!” She grabbed his face and shook his head from side to side. He groaned.
Koa slapped him. She couldn’t let the young man die. She loved him, in her own way. He had been her pet for nearly three years. She was paying his way through the University. She couldn’t lose him. He meant more to her than the blood.
There were nights when they would talk for hours after her feeding. She knew everything there was to know about him. She knew that his mother had died of cancer when he was in high school, and that his father had killed himself shortly afterward. He had been sent to live with an aunt until he was of legal age, and left the states as soon as he graduated.
Ian was smart. He studied chemistry and archeology of all things. He’d always wanted to be like Indiana Jones. Koa nearly smiled at the memory of him telling her that. She couldn’t let this good young man die.
An idea came to her. It hit her full force and wouldn’t back down. Koa had no choice. She would set him free.
She leaned down to his ear. “Ian… do you want to live?”
Ian’s head lolled to the side. He weakly opened an eye and stared at her drunkenly with it. Koa could feel her heart racing.
What have I done? I’ve become a monster . Koa swallowed. Halston was right to fire her. She had become the very creature they fought to stop.
His life was hanging from a thread. She could see the luster start to leave those hazel eyes.
She felt her heart skip a beat when he mouthed the word, yes .
Koa swallowed. She licked her lips of the blood and nodded. “Are you sure?” Koa whispered. “You know what I mean, don’t you?”
Ian nodded and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
Koa shot up and bit her wrist. She shoved her bleeding wrist into his mouth and squeezed her eyes shut the moment he started to drink from her. She’d never, ever, turned someone before. She had no idea what it meant. She hadn’t a clue what this would change. She was contributing to the vampire population, the very beings that she and Halston and his organization strove to decrease.
Koa almost forgot. She wasn’t a part of the organization anymore. She could follow her own rules. Besides, Ian wasn’t a bad person. Therefore, he would not be one of the bad vampires that she had once been sent out to kill.
She felt a pang of guilt the instant Ian withdrew his mouth and cried out in pain. She rolled off of him and onto the floor. Like a frightened child, Koa scrambled into a corner. She watched him with wide, horrified eyes and drew her legs into her chest. She held her legs close with both arms wrapped around them and tearfully watched as Ian’s human body died.
Ian writhed and cried as his body was thrown back and forth across the bed. He begged in agony for help. Koa couldn’t control her sobs when he cried out for his mother. He was delirious with pain and it hurt her to hear him suffer.
Koa wished she could help him. She’d never seen this before. His cries cut into her very soul.
His cries continued for far too long, and then, there was silence. The silence was so thick that Koa realized that she was holding her breath. She looked at his body through a blurry film of tears.
Did I do it right ? Timidly, Koa crawled onto all fours. She peeked over the side of the bed at his body. Ian lied there, sprawled across the bed, as if frozen…or lifeless.
His black hair was wild and covered his face. It was soaking wet from his sweat.
Koa sucked in a breath. Tears choked her. “No,” she whispered. She climbed onto the bed. Something was wrong. “Ian. Please.” She touched his face. It was cold as ice, even colder than before
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