Cutthroat Carmine (Book 1)(COMPLETE) (Wattpad Featured Novel)

2: [kahr-dn-l / red-o-zuh]

bloodlust [bluhd-luhst]

n.

1. Uncontrollable desire for bloodshed through gore; slaughter; or murder.

2. A sexual fetish for blood or the drinking of blood in a vampire-like manner.

3. A gift and a curse from the gods to their favourite shit-disturber, Carmine Redoza.

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SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO...

"Congratulations, it's a girl," the midwife says as her arms cradle the slippery body of the newborn baby.

She places the healthy infant against the mother's breast. The babe lets out a weak cry, attempting to open her eyes. She is covered in white slime, fine downy hair and blood.

"Oh, she's so beautiful," Kardinal Redoza murmurs. Her oily black hair is drenched in sweat and plastered to the sides of her cheeks. Her face is deathly pale from the trauma of giving birth.

But this isn't a regular birth. And Kardinal's survival is nothing short of a miracle. Because she's just given birth to a creature that defies the very laws of nature: a child both alive and undead at the same time: a half-blood vampire.

When Kardinal ( or "Red", to those who knew her intimately) discovered that she was pregnant again, she hadn't even wanted to find out the sex of the baby. She didn't want to jinx anything.

She was extremely fearful for her own life as well as the life of her unborn child. Every single day of her 7 month long pregnancy, Red prayed that the baby would be healthy and look somewhat normal. After all, it had grown at a terrifying pace, ravaging her body- covering her belly with purple stretch marks and giving her severe anemia.

No matter how many prenatal pills Red took, and no matter how many meals she ate, the fetus would almost instantly sap up all the consumed calories, leaving Red with very little nutrients to sustain her own wellbeing. It had been an awful pregnancy. Despite the reassurances of her husband, Mason Redoza, Red was secretly terrified of how the baby would turn out...and what it would be capable of.

In the final months before the birth, she had been plagued by endless nightmares. Bloody rain. Mass open graves. Demonic fires that consumed her home and everything she held dear...And in the most common dream of all, her baby was always born incomplete. Sometimes it was missing its eyes. Sometimes an arm...or a leg...Once, it was even missing a heart.

Yet at this moment, all her worries seem to have been for naught. Because her child is perfect. In every single way.

Yes, the 15 hour labour was gruelling. The burning pain in her pelvis was literally supernatural. And the midwife was completely baffled by how a 7 month old fetus could be the size of a full term baby. But when the mewling babe slithered out with the final push, Red found herself instantly in love.

Perhaps it is the oxytocin hormones coursing through her veins that are helping with the mother-daughter bonding. Perhaps it is the satisfaction and pride derived from finally meeting the spawn that's terrorized and tantalized her imagination for so long. Regardless of the reasons, Red knows at that very moment she is willing to sacrifice anything and everything to raise and protect this child. Red presses her blood red lips against the pulsing forehead of her newborn daughter. "I love you," she whispers.

The midwife grabs a pair of scissors and snips the throbbing purple umbilical cord, severing the babe's last ties to her mother's womb. "Let me clean her up a bit, then I'll bring her right back to you."

Red  breathes a sigh of relief. Her body shivers uncontrollably and the white hospital gown sticks uncomfortably to her back. She feels sticky afterbirth still leaking from below. The entire lower half of her body feels paralyzed, swollen and bruised.

"Water," Red begs, her voice fragile and thin.

The attending nurse fills a small paper cup full of water and places it in Red's hands. She eagerly gulps it down within seconds. "More...Please." The nurse promptly refills the cup.

The midwife beams at the gorgeous baby girl lying in the plastic bassinet layered with towels. Even though the girl is only eight minutes old, it is apparent to anyone who cares to see that she will grow into a beautiful- no- bewitching woman.

"Do you have a name for her yet?" the midwife asks, "For the records."

"Carmine," Red whispers softly. "C-A-R-M-I-N-E. Carmine Redoza."

"What a unique and pretty name!" The midwife smiles. She places the baby on a scale. "Carmine...Little Carmine Red. You weigh seven pounds, three ounces. And you are just adorable!"

After scrawling a few more measurements onto a hospital chart, the midwife cuffs a tiny diaper around Carmine's waist, wraps her in a soft blanket, and hands her back to her mother. "It is advisable to bring her to your breast now and try to feed her. This will encourage her nursing instinct and facilitate the letdown process. Help your milk come in."

With the help of the midwife, Red sits up in her adjustable bed, propped up by a fluffy pillow. She holds her precious bundle of joy in her arms and brings Carmine's eager mouth to her nipple. Carmine parts her tiny lips and clamps down on her mother's nipples with surprising force.

"Oww!" Red flinches in pain, pulling the baby away from her breast. "She bit me!"

"It's normal. Not all babies are born with the knowledge of how to breastfeed. It takes practice. For the first couple of weeks your nipples will be sore, but it will get better." The midwife puts a reassuring hand on Red's shoulders. "Try again. Make sure her lips are parted wide over your areola."

Red tries again, this time slowly bringing her breast to the baby's mouth. Baby Carmine, however, has intentions far removed from feeding on milk. The newborn clamps down hard on her mother's nipple once more, severely bruising it until a single drop of blood drips out. Satisfied, Carmine takes a gulp of her mother's blood. Then another. She suckles for two or three minutes before falling into a peaceful newborn slumber.

***Yes, Carmine was a troublemaker, even as a fetus. I was hoping to show a bit about Red's unconditional love for Carmine in this chapter, as well as give you a taste of her supernaturalness, even prior to birth. Next up, Ritual Night. Please vote if you're likin' what you're readin'. ;)

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http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B012LM7X18

Published version has bonus chapters, extended scenes as well as a sneak peek at Book 2 of the series!

~Jackie