I am lost, broken, desperate. I awakened a centuries-old curse and the hunter has now become the hunted. The monster has chased me across the globe, leaving bodies and devastation in its wake. My only refuge is to become a blood courtesan and seek sanctuary from the vampires, still the beast haunts me.
Sebastian becomes my beacon in the darkness. He is my protector and while he can keep me safe, I'll never be free so long as the monster lives. His plan to use me as bait is terrifying. Am I willing to trust him with my life - or should I let another stranger tame the beast that threatens to tear apart my soul?
Will the curse be lifted or am I doomed to remain in the darkness... alone with my demon?
***** This book contains adult content of sexual nature and violence and was written for audiences 18 and older.
Sebastian becomes my beacon in the darkness. He is my protector and while he can keep me safe, I'll never be free so long as the monster lives. His plan to use me as bait is terrifying. Am I willing to trust him with my life - or should I let another stranger tame the beast that threatens to tear apart my soul?
Will the curse be lifted or am I doomed to remain in the darkness... alone with my demon?
***** This book contains adult content of sexual nature and violence and was written for audiences 18 and older.
Chapter Two
Sebastian
THE COPPERY SMELL OF BLOOD assaulted my
senses long before I entered the dingy bar. Any vampire walking by this
location would’ve been lured into the establishment by scent alone, not to
mention, the place was a well-known supernatural roadhouse bar, which was why I
was called in to help with the investigation. There were a lot of pieces to
this jigsaw puzzle, and my gift would help put some of those parts in the
correct place. Forensics would reveal the missing bodies were vampires, there
was no question of that. The others would require DNA testing to determine what
supernatural or human species they were.
One thing science
or my power wouldn’t answer was if the woman who called in the massacre at a
payphone down the street was a vampire or a human. If she was a vampire, I’d
assume she’d call the council, but there wasn’t any notification from them. The
only call I got was from the human police. My contact on the council responded
back fifteen minutes ago and told me they had no notification of the crime. The
unidentified woman could’ve thought the vampires’ bodies would take care of
themselves, and may be one of the few of our kind that had a soft spot for the
humans, which would’ve encouraged her to call the police, but why not the
council? Was she in hiding? Was she the one who did this? Not calling the
council left more questions than answers.
The evidence of
multiple vampire deaths was the scent of their blood mixed with the remaining
human bodies. There was also a distinct smell on the air, one I hadn’t
encountered in a long time, so long that I couldn’t place my finger on its
identity. Could it be the woman? Perhaps.
I’d seen death,
destruction, devastation, and plenty of crime scenes over the years. No amount
of preparation could get me comfortable with viewing these scenes. You’d think
after a couple of centuries I’d be desensitized to gruesome deaths, but one
thing I have learned from years of existing as a vampire, life is priceless.
It wasn’t just the
blood dripping from the corners, the bar, jukebox, and ceilings. It wasn’t even
the dismembered body parts that were strewn across the musty, alcohol-laden
location. It was the terror frozen on their faces that gripped my empty soul.
Whoever, or whatever did this, was a monster. One that horrified its victims
before it killed them.
“Is the crime
scene ready to be cleaned?” I asked detective Marshall, my good friend and
police contact. There wasn’t much for the vampire side of things to sparkle up,
but I needed to take notes and see what psychic energy I could discern from the
items found at the sight. I preferred to do that when the humans were out of
the way.
“It is. The CSI
have already examined the scene. I’m afraid they didn’t find much.” The grim
look on my old friend’s face told me he didn’t expect to find the killer. I
knew he feared it was a supernatural creature, and from the looks of the
devastation, I was starting to think the same thing. No human could rip bodies
to shreds like this without some sort of inhuman power behind them.
“That is because
their science trained minds are having a hard time grasping the supernatural.
This was obviously an attack by some sort of creature.”
“Any thoughts on
what it was?”
I shook my head,
and frowned as I looked around the room. “No. I haven’t seen anything like this
since the crusades.” Those were bloody, lawless times. Death was feared, but
human life was of no consequence to criminals. At least in today’s age, people
and paranormal beings put more value on life, most of the time.
“Do you think you
can find out more by doing your thing?” Marshall waved his pen in the air.
I frowned as I
looked around. My fingers itched to wrap around some of the remaining items at
the crime scene. “I’ve been looking for any kind of personal object to help me
with that, but there isn’t much left.”
Marshall grinned,
a sparkle lighting his hazel eyes. “I believe I can help with that.” He handed
me a crime scene evidence bag with a woman’s bracelet inside. “I also have a
dagger that might be of some use.”
I took the bag and
pulled out the bracelet. “Pretty,” I remarked to no one. The thin silver
trinket had a couple of charms attached to it, and it was coated in human
blood, mixed with that distinct, familiar scent. It was going to drive me mad
until I remembered what that scent was.
“Anything?”
Marshall’s tone was impatient.
I shook my head,
wrapped my fingers around the soft metal jewelry, and closed my eyes, allowing
myself to focus on the energy imprinted on the item. A fight broke out in front
of me. Eight men, some human, some vampires, were attacking a gorgeous
brunette. She fought with spirit, grace, and the fluidity of a trained fighter.
Despite her obvious martial arts training, she was overpowered. As the gang
piled on top of her, I felt something seize my heart. I knew it was an imprint
on time. There was no way I could help her, but something inside me wanted to,
something needed to step in and protect her. Was this the woman that called the
police? I shook my head. There was little I could do but watch as the men beat
the life out of her.
I turned away from
the battle for a moment. Maybe there was some sort of clue as to who ripped the
men and vampires to shreds around the room. They were obviously distracted. The
killer could have been watching the scene. Maybe he was as disgusted with the
whole thing as I was.
By the time I
turned back to the slaughter, a gargoyle was taking out the entire gang of men.
The woman was nowhere to be found. The gruesome scene played out to the bitter
end.
“Anything?”
Marshall asked, his hand extended to take the bracelet back.
I frowned as I
handed it over. “I think the woman that made the call escaped an attack by the
men who were killed.”
“And the killer?”
“Supernatural
creature. We’ll take the case from here.”
“Another vampire?”
“Do you really
want to know?”
Marshall shook his
head. “Not really. Curiosity killed the cat. I prefer to be in the dark with
these paranormal matters as much as possible.”
“Will you handle
the cover up?” I asked him as I looked around the room again, committing the
scene to memory. He’d send photographs, and when it was possible, more items
that I could use to rewind the psychic energy of the scene.
“Yes. I’ll take
care of it.” He bagged the evidence. “Can I report back to my boss that we
won’t have any more of these massacres?”
“We’ll do our best
to take care of the killer as quickly as possible and minimize the damage in
the process.” I knew it was a promise we’d have a hard time fulfilling.
Gargoyles were nasty creatures, and a rogue gargoyle on the loose in town was
going to be difficult to contain.
