Marker of Hope
Authors: Nely Cab
Tags: #romance, #paranormal, #young adult, #greek mythology, #paranormal fantasy, #greek myths, #romantic adventure
(Creatura, #3)
by Nely Cab
***
After returning from Greece with Galilea and the
Doctors Gunn, Isis' cravings for human flesh have amplified along
with her senses, making it harder to contain the hunger. As if her
life wasn't riddled with enough problems, Eros has come to collect
on the pact they made in Greece, demanding marriage.
***
THE CREATURA SERIES
BOOK #3: Marker of Hope
For my husband, Oscar,
who was on my bucket list:
One great husband— √
And now these three remain; faith, hope, and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
—1 Corinthians 13:13
THIS book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or
are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely
coincidental.
NO part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or
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Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted
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Marker of Hope
Copyright ©2016 Nely Cab
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-63422-215-0
Cover Design by: Marya Heiman
Typography by: Courtney Knight
Editing by: Cynthia Shepp
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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CHAPTER 1
My body ached, pleading, screaming, then
recoiling in shame and panic from thoughts that shouldn’t have a
place in my mind. I was afraid of not being able to control the
longing for raw flesh—the need to savor warm blood. Though I tried
to control it, my willpower grew weaker each day.
I should’ve died six weeks ago. Instead, I
was home in suburban Los Fresnos, Texas, trying to ignore the
beating of the pulse in Claire’s neck. Claire—my poor, clueless
mother—dawdled by my bedroom door, unaware that if I gave into the
demands of the beast inside me, I could wipeout the town’s entire
population. And right now, with the hunger raging in me, a feast of
five thousands humans would be a dream come true. My mouth
watered.
Stop it!
I reprimanded myself, then
flinched at the gruesome thought.
“Are you getting out of bed today?” Claire
asked.
I turned my body away from her and faced the
window.
“This isn’t healthy, Isis.” She opened the
curtains, sunlight blinding me for a second, and then put a hand on
her hip and looked down at me. “Why won’t you talk to me?”
I didn’t answer.
“Look, honey, I get it, okay? I know you
think it’s the end of the world, but there are other boys out
there.” She waited for my answer. “Isis, are you listening to
me?”
I closed my eyes and pulled a blanket over my
head.
“Fine. Stay there—hidden from the world. But
I have news for you. The world isn’t waiting for you to be ready to
face it again. Life goes on. You better start figuring out what
you’re going to do with the rest of yours.”
I already knew what I had to do, but I didn’t
know how to do it—how to save mankind, how to tame the monster
inside me. The thought of me being a heroine was laughable and
ridiculous. I didn’t know how to fight. It was a miracle I was
still breathing.
“She’s awake,” I heard Claire say. “See if
you can get her to shower, would you?”
“I’ll try. No guarantees,” I heard Andy’s
voice. She yanked the blankets off me. “You heard your mom. Get
up.”
“She may be stuck to the bed by now. How long
has it been since you touched a drop of water, Isis?” Claire shook
her head at me. “Seriously, shower. Make an effort at life, if not
for yourself, for me, your worried-sick mother.” She waited for my
reaction, but I stared past her. “What will it take to get one word
out of you?” I shrugged. She glanced at Andy. “See what I mean? I
sent her off to Greece a nice girl, and she came back a little
monster.”
I chuckled at the accuracy in her
statement.
“What are you laughing at?” She frowned at me
as her cell phone rang. She fished the phone out of her pocket and
looked at the screen. “Crap. It’s the office. I’m late.” She gave
me a pointed stare. “If you’re not showered by the time I get back,
I’m going to hose you off in the backyard. And I’m not kidding this
time.”
Claire walked out of the bedroom, and Andy
closed the door behind her. I was relieved she was gone. Not
because I wanted Claire to leave, but because I didn’t have to
fight the monster in me from harming her. I loved Claire, and I
wished I could go back to being as I was before when I didn’t have
to hold my breath every time she was near. And today, with Andy
visiting, the scent of two people, of that much human flesh
confined in one room, was tough to resist.
“It’s not your mom’s fault your boyfriend
broke up with you, you know?” Andy said. She was right, but I
didn’t feel like talking about it. When I didn’t respond, she
changed the subject. “I’m surprised your new B.F.F. isn’t here. Did
she move in, yet, or…?”
“Why don’t you like Galilea?”
“I never said I didn’t like her. Not that it
matters if I do. She’s your friend, not mine.” She sat on the bed.
“I’m amazed at how fast your hair is growing back. It’s past your
chin. I still can’t believe you shaved it off. Is your mom still
mad about it?”
“Yeah.”
I’d lied to everyone about what happened to
my hair. I couldn’t exactly tell them I’d shed my skin like a
snake.
“You should get out of bed, stinky.” Andy
pulled my arm. “C’mon. My parents are driving me up to Baylor
tomorrow, and I want to spend today with you.”
I sat up and rested my back against the
headboard. “That’s tomorrow? Already?”
“Yup. What about you? Have you submitted
college applications for the spring semester?” I shook my head, and
Andy cocked her brow. “Are you planning to?”
I couldn’t look at her in the eye when I
answered, “Eventually.”