Sneak Peek # 2 of Cursed: Piper's Story from the Blood Courtesans Series

Cursed: Piper and Sebastian's story from the Blood Courtesans Series is now on pre-order discount on Amazon for only $0.99. Grab it before release week when the price will go up to its regular sale price of $2.99. Check out chapter two, the beginning of Sebastian's story below. 

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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.

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.