Revenant in Training (Blood and Snow series)

Praise for this series:

“Best books that I have read!” Mercedez, CO

“This is a fun, smart, and sexy read!” Elizabeth Mueller, arward winning YA author of “Darkspell”

“Draws you in from the very beginning and never let’s you go…” Debbie Davis from Debbie’s Inkspectations

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Additional Works by RaShelle Workman

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1

“Y
ou are a revenant,” I said to my reflection. Even
she wasn’t buying it. I didn’t appear
any different.
It’d been
two hours, seventeen minutes, and
—
I checked
my watch—eight
seconds
since the
guy
with glowing red eyes sunk his extra pointy c
ani
nes into my throat. One hour
, forty-five minutes, and twelve seconds since Professor Pops, and Kenmei told me what
being bitten
meant
.
Was I worried I’d grow fangs, and start shunning the light? A little bit.

According to Kenmei,
th
at wasn’t going to happen. At least not in this phase.
Over the next several weeks
, I’d
gain strength, agility, and a penchant for blood.

Ya
y, I thought
sarcastically
, gagging.

Professor Pops and I were still at Kenmei’s. Little, obnoxious Hiro had gone to bed. I didn’t feel tired, not really.
From my expression
,
clearly I was in shock.
No one could blame me
. It wasn’t every night I was
bitten and changed into a make-
believe being. Only apparently they-
we weren’t
make believe.
Evidently
revenants
exist
ed,
as did vampires, fairies,
unicorns
,
and
…
other creatures I’d rather not think about.

I turned
o
n the faucet in the bathroom,
pat
ted some water on my face
.
The cool temperature soothed.

“Snow, are you alright?” Professor Pops asked, after knocking on the door lightly
.

I jumped.

My first thought was, No! I’m freaked beyond my wildest imagination, and I want to go home
, and hide under
the
covers
. Out loud, I said, “Yes, I’ll be out in a minute.”

I washed my hands, and turned out the light.
He waited f
or me on the other side
. I knew because I heard
the slightly accelerated beating of his heart.
A twisting need rose in
my throat
. But I pushed
the wanting down, t
he
craving,
tolerable.
Resting my hand on the knob, I turned slowly.

The first thing Kenmei gave
me, after the revenant revelation,
had been an herbal tea, which
consisted of Chapparral, Red Clover, Bloodroot, Mistletoe, Eye of Newt, Unicorn horn, and Fairy dust.
It didn’t taste the best
, but
it was
bearable
.

Professor Pops
had
explained
I
needed
to drink the tea twice
a day
, once in the morning, and once in the evening, to control my bloodlust. 

I still had a hu
ndred questions. The biggest:
“Why me?” I asked as I opened the door.

Pops
stepped back
. Then cleared his throat. “Com
e and sit. Let’s talk.” A sea
of guilt
washed over
his distinguished features
, but before I
said
anything, he turned away.

I followed him into the tiny office. A bowl of steaming rice and vegetables sat in front of my chair, on the edge of the desk. “Is this for me?” I hoped so.
My stomach growled with hunger
.

“Yes, Shiryo-san. I had my wife cook these up for you. I hope you’re hungry.” His fathomless eyes shone bright.

“Thank you.” I scooped up the bowl, and ate with the fork provided. It
s aroma had my mouth watering,
but the
flavors
fell flat. After I’d finished, I
placed the empty bowl
on the table,
satiated, but not
satisfied. I also realized I’d eaten in silence, and that Professor Pops, and Kenmei
watched
me, expectantly. My
cheeks
flushed.

“Sorry, were the two of you going to eat?”
They didn’t have
food in front of them
.

“No,
we are
curious
as to
how you
’re
feel
ing
?” Professor Pops asked.

My face grew hotter. Did they want to know if I
intended
to jump them? Attack them for their blood? At the
thought of blood, my mouth
water
ed
.
I ignored it. “
I’m fine,” I said to Profe
ssor Pops. Facing Kenmei, I added
, “
The food was
wonderful
. Please tell your wife I said, ‘thank you.’”
I’d lied.
The rice and vegetables had
tasted like ash,
but I had the distinct impression
it
wasn’t because of his wife’s cooking skills,
and
more that my body had already
begun to change.

He nodded. “I will.”

“Now, let me answer
your question,
”
Professor Pops said, crossing one of his long legs over the other.

I peered at him
, slightly confused.

“You asked why? Why she chose
you?”

“Oh, right. Yes.”
I leaned back in the chair, and clamped my
twitchy
hands in my lap.

“
First a little history.”

“Okay
,” I said
, noting it’d become my
word of the day
.

“
The Vampire Queen
has been alive for thousands of years. By our best guess,” he
eyed
Kenmei, “we’d say more than seven thousand. Every
thousand years she
must ch
ange bodies
. Regardless, or because of her immortal properties, like a snake that sheds its skin every year, she too must
escape the old body in lieu of a new, more healthy one
.
”