Choices (The Vampire Ruth Series Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Cover Page

  Table of Contents

  “Isabella Marshond. Beautiful, cunning, ruthless, and deadly.”

  Matthew Welsh.

  Scene One - Decisions

  Scene Two – Worry

  Matthew pulled her body to him and cried with relief into her shoulder that the hardest part was over, and that it had gone as smoothly as possible. He was surprised to hear her call for her mother with her dying breath, but he understood the powerful bond that was shared between a mother and her child. It only went to prove that even after all that had happened between them, Ruth had still loved and wanted her mother at the end.

  Scene Three - Undeserved

  Scene Four - Enchantment

  Scene Five - Preparation

  Matthew squeezed the remaining water from the sponge he held into the large bowl sitting on the bedside table and began the process of preparing Ruth's body for her final rest. As he washed her hand, he was pleased to feel that it wasn't as cold as it would be if she had died a natural death, and he held it lovingly to his face. He picked up the soft towel his sister had given him and dried her skin, then pulled her upright so that he could slip the beautiful white nightdress over her head. It had belonged to his mother and was the same one he had used when he prepared Victoria in the same way, all those years ago, so it was very symbolic and precious to him.

  As he laid her gently back on the bed, he felt the slight twitch of her hand and noticed that her eyes were moving rapidly behind the lids. He knew then that she was going through the stage where she had to make her final decision and commit to transforming. This was the second of three phases of the transformation, and he knew that if she went rigid and cold in the next few hours, it meant that she had decided to stay asleep forever. He had been dreading it.

  He laid down next to her and whispered words of love and encouragement into her ear, hoping that she could sense that he was with her and waited, desperately hoping that she wouldn't change her mind during the process. She remained that way for the remainder of the day, and as midnight approached, he felt her body relax, and she looked at peace. He broke down with relief as he realized that Phase two was over, and she had chosen to stay with him.

  Scene Six - Chosen

  Scene Seven - Awakening

  Scene Eight - Ferocity

  Matthew licked his lips excitedly as she crossed the room in a blur and jumped upon the monster. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and grabbed hold of a handful of his thinning hair, and roughly jerked his head to the side. She paused for a moment to watch the vein thump thump thumping in his neck, and with a primal scream, she bit deeply into him with newly formed fangs, half ripping out his throat with just one bite. Her head jerked back, and she screamed again as she spat a large chunk of his flesh to the floor.

  She looked feral as insatiable hunger engulfed her, and her head dove down again. She held her mouth wide open over the wound and sucked hard, taking full advantage of the last few beats of his heart. Gutteral sounds of satisfaction came from deep inside her throat as she ferociously bit into him again and again, and by the time she was finished, Wayne Thomas' head had been almost severed.

  She stopped abruptly and fell from the lifeless, sagging body still being held up by the chains around its wrists, and the reality of what she had done hit her hard. She had taken a life.

  She scampered across the floor on all fours and clung to the shadows in the corner of the room, sobbing uncontrollably as she saw that she was covered entirely in the blood of an innocent human being.

  Scene Nine - Confusion

  Scene Ten - Aftermath

  Scene Eleven - Lust

  Scene Twelve - Explanation

  Scene Thirteen - Payback

  Scene Fourteen - Introduction

  Scene Fifteen - Dread

  Scene Sixteen - Training

  Scene Seventeen - Secrets

  Scene Eighteen - Scheming

  Scene Nineteen - Power

  Scene Twenty - Brutality

  Scene Twenty-One - Seduction

  Scene Twenty-Two - Shock

  Scene Twenty-Three - Rage

  Scene Twenty-Four - Leave

  Scene Twenty-Five - Returned

  Scene Twenty-Six - Sacrifice

  Scene Twenty-Seven - Inexperience

  Scene Twenty-Eight - Questions

  Scene Twenty- Nine - Assumptions

  Scene Thirty - Frustration

  Scene Thirty-One - Reconciliation

  Scene Thirty-Two - Dilemma

  Scene Thirty-Three - Regret

  Scene Thirty-Four - Apology

  Scene Thirty-Five - Embarrassed

  Scene Thirty-six - Anger

  Scene Thirty-Seven – Deceit

  Scene Thirty-Eight - Disappointment

  Scene Thirty-Nine - Revenge

  Scene Forty – Unforgivable

  Scene Forty-One - Watched

  Scene Forty-Two - Feeding

  Scene Forty-Three - Reporting

  Scene Forty-Four - Terrified

  Scene Forty-Five - Forgiven

  Scene Forty-Six - Summoned

  Scene Forty-Seven - Warning

  Scene Forty-Eight - Jealousy

  Scene Forty-Nine - Mistrust

  Scene Fifty - Influence

  Scene Fifty-One - Berated

  Scene Fifty-Two - Karma

  Scene Fifty-Three - Choices

  Introduction

  Ruth has been saved, and her life begins as one of the undead. Still, things don’t go as planned as her desire to exact revenge on her tormentor, Jessica Bartlett, go awry, and she draws the attention of Isabella Marshond, Matthew’s dangerous Uno Parente, and ex-lover.

  Choices

  Book Two In The Vampire Ruth Series

  By Lea Davies

  “Isabella Marshond. Beautiful, cunning, ruthless, and deadly.”

  Matthew Welsh.

  Scene One - Decisions

  Ruth found herself alone, standing naked under a single bright spotlight, but beyond that, all she could see was pure darkness. She turned, shivering with fear, and called out for Matthew, but was rewarded with nothing but silence. Another bright light appeared in the distance, showing Jessica Bartlett looking afraid and confused. An insane hunger and sheer hatred overwhelm her, and in an instant, she is somehow stood in front of her tormentor. Jessica looks utterly terrified at the sight of her, but she can't run; her legs won't move, and she is transfixed to the spot.

  In the blink of an eye, Ruth reached out, and with sheer force, her fingertips penetrated through the muscle wall of Jessica's chest. She curled her fingers around her heart, ignoring the splintered bone fragments that cut into the palm of her hand as she squeezed, and with the smallest amount of effort, she pulled back her hand and Jessica's heart, ripping it from her body.

  Jessica looked down at the gaping hole in her chest, then back up at Ruth and stared at her, wide-eyed. The last thing she would ever see was Ruth holding her warm, still-beating heart to her mouth. She watched in horror as her killer hungrily tore pieces from it with her teeth and ate them until, at last, she fell in a heap to the floor. Dead.

  Ruth, completely emotionless and unconcerned, watched her fall, then eagerly licked at Jessica’s blood as it dripped down her arm. She savoured every last drop.

  She paused when she heard a child's voice call her name and turned to see her younger self standing behind her. Her tiny face and hands were covered in Jessica's blood, and her lip quivered as she spoke. Her voice echoed all around. “What have we done?” She cried, gesturing to Jessi
ca's lifeless body lying at Ruth's feet, her eyes staring up accusingly.

  Another bright light appeared in the distance, and a calm and gentle voice called out to her. It was Matthew. “It doesn't have to be this way, Ruth,” he said reassuringly, “you can choose not to do this in the real world. Come with me, and we will be together forever. I will love and protect you for all eternity.” He held out his hand to her, and without even the slightest hesitation, she made her way towards him.

  The heartbroken child's panicked voice cried out in one last attempt to win the battle. “Is this really what we want for us, Ruth?” She sobbed. “Pleease come back, pleease. Don't leave meee.” But her plea was ignored as Ruth continued toward Matthew. He smiled as she reached him, and lovingly picked her up in his arms.

  As he carried her into the darkness, she realized that she could no longer hear the child's cry, and she looked back. Both the child and Jessica's lifeless body… Were gone.

  Scene Two – Worry

  Matthew pulled her body to him and cried with relief into her shoulder that the hardest part was over, and that it had gone as smoothly as possible. He was surprised to hear her call for her mother with her dying breath, but he understood the powerful bond that was shared between a mother and her child. It only went to prove that even after all that had happened between them, Ruth had still loved and wanted her mother at the end.

  He had never met his mother but grieved for her, nonetheless. If she had been a part of his life, things would have been so different for he and his twin sister, Victoria. He shook away his thoughts and gently wiped away the single tear that had fallen to her cheek with his thumb before bending to kiss her cooling lips. She was dead. Now, all that was left to do was wait. Two days; that’s how long it took to transform. Two days.

  The bedroom door opened, and Tori quietly entered the room. She looked at him, full of concern. “Well, I see you decided to go ahead then,” she said. He looked up at her. “Yes, I did,” he answered, “it's what she wanted.” “What she wanted or what you wanted?” she flung back harshly, her voice breaking as she spoke. He answered in a near whisper as he looked down at Ruth, lying in his arms with her beautiful eyes still wide open. “It’s what we both wanted.” He closed them gently and laid her back down on the bed.

  "I know that Matthew,” Tori said worriedly, “but I'm really concerned about how Isabella will react when she hears what you've done. I know she's never cared about your casual dalliances in the past, but this time you've allowed yourself to fall in love. Can you imagine what her reaction would be like if she were to actually feel jealous?” She chewed her nails as she paced the room. “I've got a bad feeling about this, Matt; You know how volatile she can be."

  He stood and held his beloved sister in his arms. "Please don't worry, Tor,” he said, “never in my entire existence have I ever been more sure of anything, well, not since I cured you,” he added. “I know in my heart that it was the right thing to do, and to be honest with you, I'm surprised that you're so concerned, the thought of Isabella being jealous about me loving Ruth hadn’t even occurred to me before you mentioned it."

  He held her at arm's length and smiled. "She won't care, Tor,” he promised, “I'm sure of it. Please, can’t you just be happy for me?" She felt herself relax a little and kissed her brother on the cheek.

  She crossed the room, pulled a white Victorian-style full-length cotton nightdress from the chest of drawers over by the window, and draped it over her arm. "I’m guessing that you’ll be doing what you did for me, Matt,” she said. “do you want me to help you?" He shook his head. "No, it's alright," he replied. "I'll do it, but I just need a few moments alone with her first if that’s OK?"

  Tori laid the garment on the bed next to Ruth and bent to kiss her forehead. "Of course," she said, "I'll go and get everything you need, so just call me when you’re ready, and I'll fetch it up to you." He smiled affectionately as she left the room. Ever since they were small children, she had always been there to take care of him, knowing what he did, and didn't need. It was her natural instinct. Until he had met Ruth, she had been the only precious thing ever to be in his world, and he loved her more than life itself.

  Scene Three - Undeserved

  1819 AD

  “You are a lazy, whore-mongering, conniving drunken bastard, and your mother wasted her life when she died giving birth to you.” Saliva flew from Jacob Welsh's mouth as he towered over his son's unconscious body lying on the floor. Matthew's twin sister Victoria pleaded with their father to let him be as she tugged on his arm, desperately trying to pull him away from her brother, but she wasn't strong enough. He turned and threw her across the room, and she landed hard on the corner of the hearth, hurting her thigh.

  Her hateful father's nostrils flared as he breathed hard from the effort of giving Matthew a hard beating. “You're no better.” He spat viciously. Tears filled his hardened eyes as he looked at his daughter. She was the image of her mother, his beloved wife, who had died whilst giving them life, and he couldn't bear the sight of her. Even though almost twenty-one years had passed, he could never, would never forgive them.

  His children had been raised by his kindly old parents, but they had both succumbed to tuberculosis, and he had inherited the family home on the premise that he lived there with his children, and worked on building a relationship. It wasn't working.

  He stormed from the room, and Victoria went to her brother. Blood fell from his nose as she knelt and gently lifted his head onto her lap. “Matthew,” she cried, “Please, brother, wake up.” After what seemed like an eternity, he opened his eyes, and she sighed with relief. “We have to leave here, Victoria,” he mumbled, “we're not safe.” He tried to stand, but a sharp stabbing pain shot through his ribs, so he sat back down and waited for the pain to subside.

  Victoria got to her feet. “We should go to grandmama and grandpapa's solicitor and inform him of the beatings father’s been giving you,” she said, “and also, that he's not following the stipulations of the will.” Matthew shook his head. “That won’t do any good,” he sighed, “in fact, I think it would make things far worse.”

  Victoria didn’t fully understand how desperate their situation really was, but that was his fault. Their father had grown increasingly more violent over the past few months and had beaten Matthew on several other occasions that he had managed to keep his sister from finding out about. Now though, he knew he had to stop shielding her from the truth, or he wouldn’t be able to keep her safe. What would become of her if their father killed him during one of those beatings? He couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her alone; With him.

  His eyes narrowed. “I’ve kept it from you because I didn’t want you to worry, but this has happened on several other occasions that you're unaware of,” he said, “ but if things continue as they are, it won’t be long before he kills me.”

  The house shook as the front door slammed shut. Victoria went to the window and saw her father, bible in hand, and coat billowing out behind him as he stormed down the street in the direction of the goose and hen public house. He often went there to drink copious amounts of beer and whiskey, and preach to its patrons about the ten commandments and the sins of the flesh, until the ex bare-knuckle fighting landlord threw him roughly out onto the street by his breeches. “The fourth commandment states that we should honour thy mother and father,” she thought, “Surely, that sentiment extended to your children as well.

  She walked back over to Matthew, took his hand, and cried. “You shouldn’t have kept this from me, Matthew,” she said, “I could have helped you.” “How?” He asked. “What could you have possibly done without risking any injury to yourself?” Matthew smiled sadly when she had no answer, and they sat in silence for a few moments.

  “I think you should make yourself scarce tonight then, brother,” she said, “I fear that he will beat you again when he returns.” Matthew shook his head in disagreement. “Dear sister, I cannot, will not leave you here alone with hi
m. We should leave together.” He paused and managed to take a deep breath. “Do you remember my friend Jeremiah who lives on Barton Street?” He asked. “I'm sure that he and his wife Sarah will give us a safe haven in their home until our inheritance is released on our twenty-first birthday in a few weeks. I’ll pay him a visit.”

  Three months had passed since the first time she had coughed blood into her handkerchief, and after seeing the symptoms displayed by their elderly grandparents, she knew what was about to befall her and accepted her fate with absolute calm. Anyway, she was tired of this life. The past four years had been a living hell for Matthew and herself. Not only did they grieve for the people who they loved dearly and thought of as parents, but the man who came to live with them in their home, even though he was their biological father, hated them. Wanting to spare him from the grief of losing her for at least a little while longer, she had decided not to tell Matthew about her illness until it was absolutely necessary. She held his hands in hers. After hearing the confession he had just made, she wanted him out of the house to safety.

  “Please, Matthew,” she pleaded, “you have to go, even if it's only for tonight; you can't be here when he gets home.” She realized that if Matthew knew that their father had just thrown her across the room, she would never be able to convince him to leave the house. “Although his cruelty towards me knows no bounds, he has never raised a hand to me.” She lied. “Please, Matthew. Go.” He knew she spoke the truth, but how could he leave his beautiful delicate sister here alone with that monster? It felt like a cowardly act. “I'll go to my room and lock the door,” she persisted, “I promise.” Her finger delicately traced the sign of the cross over her heart in an attempt to convince him of her sincerity. Knowing she was right, he begrudgingly conceded. He should leave. Now.