Melissa Darnell - Consume

These violent delights have violent ends

And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,

Which, as they kiss, consume.

—William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Tristan Coleman has survived the change from Clann magic user to vampire, much to Savannah Colbert’s joy—and despair. By changing the Clann’s golden boy and newly elected leader, even to save him from death, she has unleashed a fury of hatred and fear that they cannot escape.

As the Clann and the vampire council go to war, Tristan and Sav face a new threat—a fracturing of the all-consuming bond they share. To fight for peace, they must forge a new trust and risk everything to take down their deadliest enemy, even as they must run for their lives. Soon they will learn that some bonds are stronger than love—and some battles cannot be won without sacrifice.

It should have been perfect—Tristan and me and a remote log cabin with a crackling fireplace nestled on a west Arkansas mountain in December. No Clann or vampire council members nearby to bother us. No more rules or secrets to keep us apart.

No more risk of accidentally killing Tristan with a kiss.

Instead, it was all wrong.

* * *

PRAISE FOR THE CLANN SERIES

Covet

“Covet is a fresh take on the paranormal genre. Darnell made it interesting, giving strong voices to defined characters. Overall, I enjoyed Covet, and I think you will also.”

—Michelle at Dark Fairie Tales

“Darnell has an excellent writing style that seamlessly brings the story together, allowing for the plot to develop at a natural pace, adding to the appeal of the story.”

—Devin E., reviewer at Kees2Create ( www.kees2create.com.au)

“The sheer depth of the raw emotion in Covet was absolutely staggering as I felt like I was being torn apart right along with the characters. This was an absolutely brilliant follow-up to Crave, and I highly recommend it.”

—A Book Obsession

Crave

“An enticing mix of forbidden love, magic, betrayal, and heartache, this romance will leave you craving more.”

—Mundie Moms

“Melissa Darnell has written a beautiful love story centered around the supernatural world. There is nothing sweeter than forbidden love…”

—Realm of Fiction

“A spellbinding, compelling, and completely enjoyable debut, Crave had me flipping pages until there were none left to flip.”

—Electrifying Reviews

Consume

Melissa Darnell

www.miraink.co.uk

This one’s dedicated to you, the readers of this series, for all your awesome continued support and love for the world and characters of The Clann series!

Contents

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

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Acknowledgments

The Consume Playlist

CHAPTER 1

SAVANNAH

I stared at the surrounding forest on Rich Mountain, one hand braced against the trunk of a leafless hardwood tree at my side, my too-quick breaths making puffs of fog in the afternoon air as the feeble sun edged beneath the winter-stripped branches of the tree line. The air was smoky, acrid with the false promise of comfort from the chimney of a cabin several yards behind me, which I was struggling to ignore during my few blessed minutes of solitude outside.

It should have been perfect.... Tristan and me and a remote log cabin with a crackling fireplace nestled on a west Arkansas mountain in December. No Clann or vampire council nearby to bother us. No more rules or secrets to keep us apart. No more risk of accidentally draining and killing Tristan with a kiss.

Instead, it was all wrong, and I was staggering under the weight of what we now faced.

We weren’t alone here. My dad had come along, not for Tristan’s safety or even my own, but for anyone else who might come too close and trigger the bloodlust within Tristan. If not for Dad’s holding him back last night, Tristan might have slaughtered his own family in the Circle, the Clann’s clearing and primary meeting place in our hometown woods where so much Clann and vamp blood had been shed only hours ago.

Just the memory of how Tristan had looked there—his once soft emerald eyes turned white-silver with need, his normally full lips stretched thin and baring newly formed fangs as he snarled with rage—forced a shudder to ripple through my body. Until that moment, I’d never seen a vampire lose control to the bloodlust. Now that I had, I would never forget it.

Coming to this isolated cabin hadn’t been optional, and staying here promised to be anything but fun or peaceful. We’d had to load up Dad’s car last night and come here immediately after the battle in the Circle just to get Tristan away from all humans before the bloodlust drove him crazy. Even stopping for gas had been a nightmare. Thank heavens Jacksonville, our East Texas hometown, was only a day’s drive, so we hadn’t been forced to stop often. Now that Tristan was a full vampire, his strength was far beyond my own thanks to his years of playing football and strength training before being turned. The one time we had stopped, I’d had to fill the gas tank so that Dad could hold Tristan inside the car and away from the humans in the gas station.

And afterward, the new mind connection had made it all so much worse, allowing Tristan to pick up my every thought while I silently struggled not to freak out.

Before I had turned Tristan, the ESP between us had been a one-way street and I hadn’t had to worry about his hearing my every thought. Because vampires and Clann were natural-born enemies, mental blocks had evolved in both the vamp and Clann species so that neither side could read the others’ minds. But because I was a dhampir—born from a human mother and a vampire father—I could read both sides’ minds yet was shielded from their reading mine.

Unfortunately now that Tristan was half Clann and half vampire like me, we suddenly had zero trouble reading each other’s every thought. This would have been great if there had been some sort of off switch to the ability. But for now, at least, there didn’t seem to be one, turning the new ability into more of a curse. The only way we could block each other’s thoughts was to be in separate rooms. Walls with closed doors and windows between us thankfully seemed to cut off our brain waves from each other.

It used to make me feel so alone, this ability to read but not be read by all the open minds around me. But now that Tristan had become the one person on this planet who could read my every thought as soon as it formed, I realized how spoiled I’d become by having the freedom to think anything I wanted. I had no idea how to discipline the panicked, guilty chaos inside my head while around him. And because of my lack of mental self-control, I was hurting him over and over.

Which was why, after Tristan had fallen asleep inside the cabin still hurt and confused by my reaction to him at the gas station, I’d snuck out here to the woods to catch a breath. And to finally give in to the thousand and one worries I had fought so hard not to think when he was awake.

What had I done to him? To us?

I wrapped an arm around a nearby tree and leaned against it, allowing it to hold me up. I was so tired, but my mind refused to shut off and let me rest.