Beloved LifeMate: Song of the Sídhí #1 Read Online Free PDF Page A

knew how they fought. Not discounting their fangs and claws, porting was their primary weapon.
    He turned and thrust.
    His pure synth crystal sword slammed through the right-side of her ribcage, shattering bones and thrusting through lung.
    Her scream ripped through him and he cursed his wretched fast reactions. If he had jumped out of the way and not thrust... blast it to hell! For once in his life, why did he have to have great reflexes? Self-recrimination poured through him; disgusted with his own actions, he silently cursed.
    He sucked in a harsh lungful of air. He wasn't without honor. As much as he'd love to turn and never look at her, he couldn't.
    He heard her whimper; she still lived. He steeled himself and looked into her eyes.
    Her incredible blue eyes stared into his, a light cerulean blue; they looked soul-deep into him. Even in death, she was more woman than any other he had ever known.
    The moment his eyes met hers, he didn't have time to utter a sound of remorse, his body exploded in a symphony of music; the internal vibration of his synth crystal screamed through his veins, naming her as his lifeMate.
    For the first time in his adult life, his gut clenched in horror and he thought he was going to throw-up as her blood poured over his hand.
    ~ ~ ~
    I struggled to breathe, but every breath was searing agony, ripping through my chest. The harsh smell of my own blood was overwhelming. The hard floor felt wet and cold against my back. I shivered and pain tore through me. My gasp gurgled in the silent room and I faintly heard the whistle of air pushing through the hole in my chest.
    After the synth named Chi’Kehra my lifeMate I must've blacked out, because I didn't remember hitting the floor. I dimly remembered gentle hands lowering me, but I knew it must've been my mind playing tricks on me. Chi’Kehra would never have touched me, much less held me with tender care.
    Even if I lived, - which I seriously doubted - the Chi’Kehra would never accept a halfling as lifeMate. The thought hurt. As Sídhí, he only had a single chance for a lifeMate and I was it; refusing me meant he would never have a bonded mate.
    If I'd had more strength, I would've snorted. Here I lay in my own blood, a mortal injury he caused, and I worried for him. I blamed the synth crystal; it had released the Sídhí equivalent of a triggered emotional response within me.
    The synth crystal sure screwed-up this time.
    Elves and vampires were like oil and water; opposites that didn't tolerate the other, staying as separated as possible.
    Hatred between the two races had caused the Great War. It had pushed the – now dead - Chi’Kehra into experimenting with synth crystal on living creatures. Chameleons happened to be one of the intelligent species he tested. The result of his experimentation was a new race. A race of creatures so violent, he couldn't control them.
    Before the experiment, the sentient chameleons were a harmless race living deep in the mountains on Sídhí. He took thousands of the peaceful little people and Changed them by adding synth crystal to their blood. Once the synth mixed with their blood, they mutated into a nightmare on two feet. They were called umbra and lived to kill.
    What the Chi’Kehra created to destroy all the vampires nearly destroyed every last person on Sídhí. A more hideous monster never walked on the face of Sídhí or Earth.
    I heard a small sound next to me and my rambling thoughts stopped.
    I knew without opening my eyes he was leaning over me. It was odd, but I couldn't smell him. All I smelled was the iron tang of my blood. I hated the thought of opening my eyes. I knew, without a doubt, what I would see. His eyes would be merciless and cold as they looked at me with disgust and hatred. Then he would formally reject me. Rejecting me, before killing me, was the honorable Sídhí way of doing things.
    I couldn't bear the thought of being rejected by the one person who was supposed to accept and