Book Review Blood Meridian Novels & Stories

The clouds are a deep gray like steel shadowing yet another snowy day. *** Our three-day journey comes to an end as we close in on the Horde of Fates. As we get closer to the mountain the snow becomes ever more intense. The snow is becoming so thick it is as though a white fog is settling before my eyes. Into the ice kissed air dances wintry feathers of pure white, a great snowfall that soon gave way to a blizzard as if a sky dam had burst. The cold is so fierce that it nearly froze my scales. "Flavius how are you holding up," I shout.

No attempt at disguise. Her nails bit into her palms, drawing blood. The withdrawal memories surged uninvited: the bone-deep cold, the vomiting, the feeling of insects burrowing under her scalp. But alongside the horror came the memory of the warmth. The golden, syrupy weightlessness that made the world stop hurting. The feeling that Jeff, the van, the ditch, and the betrayal of Robbin and Nora were just bad dreams from someone else’s life. Addiction is muscle memory. It doesn’t need permission to restart the engine. She let herself feel it—the racing pulse, the phantom itch at the crook of her elbow.

Damn. “Yes. I see that. Drink.” She commanded. Her words were so close. I could feel her breath fan my face and soon after her cool skin against my lips followed by a warm liquid. She pressed harder when my lips did not move. “Drink,” she repeated. This time I parted my lips slightly, just enough to allow the smallest amount of the liquid in. Blood. Her sweet, intoxicating blood that quenched my thirst like nothing else before, replenishing some of my energy almost instantly like the drug it was. My eyes shot open and I grabbed the arm that pressed against me pulling her into my lap at the same time taking more of her blood as if I was dehydrated. I needed it and she didn’t fight me.

Her hand subconsciously moved toward his wounded arm but he stopped her. “We can’t stay here…it's dangerous. We'd better look for a place to spend the night then head for the mansion tomorrow.” He told her and she nodded. Madison looked around and her eyes almost widened in shock, as she could see three animal carcasses and two dead human corpses, lying around. A small stream of blood could be seen, stretching and dying the ground red, ad they came together to form a pool of blood. The scent of iron reeked everywhere, which gave off a nauseating feeling. Even Madison had to close her mouth as she battled to fight the urge of vomiting on the ground.

she cursed out loud, forgetting for a moment where she was. "Blood." Her abductor growled, a deep sound that sent shivers down her spine causing her to feel dread. "I hate the sight of blood." Hers was a rich red and thick blood that smelled nice and caused his nose to pucker. He tried so hard to contain his fangs but couldn't. They bared themselves out in agitation and he turned away immediately. It's been so long since he had any contact with human blood. The beastly side of him had become excited when they perceived the richness of her blood and had reared up its ugly head.

“I’m pregnant.” Her words slammed into him and for a moment it felt like he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t see or hear anything. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins but it felt like his lungs couldn’t expand enough to get the oxygen he needed. “Fuck,” Faro murmured and moved away from her so swiftly that Sihana barely had time to comprehend what had happened before Faro had sweatpants on and she heard the doors of their suite slamming closed. Faro sat in the library and emptied his second glass of bourbon for the night. He clenched his eyes shut and a tear escaped and rolled over his cheek. He didn’t bother to wipe it away and he lowered his head.

He stared at me like I was something disgusting stuck to the buttom of his shoe. The same man I dragged to safety behind crates. The same man I gave my own blood to keep him alive. The same man I worried about while sleeping in an uncomfortable hospital chair with numb legs and an empty stomach from not eating. Now he stood in front of me, alive—but his heart full of hate. “You,” he said coldly, his dark eyes burning into mine. “Are you really the one they chose to send?”

In my previous life, Derick had his fling with his so-called 'sister' Jasmine before he ever knew me. All the while, unaware of the truth, I was running the mafia business and raising their child myself. They were busy dreaming about their love child and blowing through the cash I made, which ended up costing my son his life. I poured my soul into making their kid my successor, and they just sat back and enjoyed the spoils. My boy and I? We were just pawns in their perfect life! Fate handed me a do-over, and this time, Derrick and Jasmine would be dealt with a well-deserved retribution!

] [Repaid: 15. Then, I unfolded a map. My gaze drifted north, all the way from Southridge, past so many cities and states, until it finally settled on Winterford. More than 2,000 kilometers away. A city of ice and snow. Far enough. I closed the map, pulled out a practice test, and dove back into solving problems like my life depended on it.

In the blinding brightness of the room, the blood looked unnaturally dark, almost black. "There is a beautiful vulnerability to the human body," the Director said. He sounded entirely conversational, his voice smooth and untroubled over the sound of my ragged, choked breathing. "We think we're so strong, so invincible when we're running through the shadows. But we're really just water, bone, and nerves. And nerves, Elara, are so incredibly easy to manipulate. They are the ultimate biological design flaw."