“The vampire of my nightmares just abducted my best friend. I was named one of the strongest knights on the force. And yet, I could do nothing but watch as the fanged demon scooped her up into his arms and disappeared.”
Antares (Book 2) the Cross Knight Chronicles
The Cross Knight Chronicles
A cyberpunk, dystopian series about friendship, love, betrayal and the survival of mankind.
Creatures only believed to exist in fantasy novels and horror movies crawled up from their graves and declared in one powerful roar that they were the supreme species.
Today is release day for my first steampunk fairytale, CRIMSON MEMORIES! Yey!
To celebrate, here’s a steamy excerpt for your reading pleasure.
Enjoy!
“Wait, Petra! Don’t go!” I dashed through the gathering of tall evergreens, slapping branches out of my way.
Her mass of wild hair swayed from left to right as she raced through the forest. She ran fast, so fast it was difficult to catch up. Soon, I lost the visual of her. She had disappeared.
“Petra!” I continued to move forward, hoping and praying she would come back to me. “Petra!”
“Yes, Argon?” purred a woman’s voice from the shadows.
I stumbled to a halt and glanced around my foreign surroundings.
She sauntered from behind a large oak, no longer a young lass, but a striking woman with bodacious curves that could shake the world. An impish smile curved her plush lips. Everything about her appearance was hypnotizing.
I couldn’t look away, even if I wanted to.
She was stunningly beautiful.Her slightly flattened nose, high cheekbones, and kissable lips were works of art.And her body… She swayed when she walked. Voluptuous breasts protruded from her chest in glorious splendor. Haloed at the tips were perfectly round areolas and hardened nipples. The chain she’d worn as a girl still resided around her waist, sparkling like diamonds against her swarthy skin and clinging lovingly to her wide hips. A triangular patch of dark curly hair covered her mons. She approached me with the lethal grace of a predator.
Panting helplessly, I reached out for her.
She skipped backwards and began to circle me, sashaying on her toes.She moved so fluidly, I thought she would twirl into a ballet at any moment. “Are you hunting me, Argon Quinn?” Her voice was a breath of silk, brushing over me like a soothing wind.
“I am,” I admitted with no shame. “You captivate me.” Like her, I had changed. My timbre had deepened greatly, my body had stretched. I was now a man, suffering the primal longing for the elusive siren before me. “Are you going to continue to make me chase you?”
“I think I will.” She ended her roundabout, tilted her head playfully, and then darted behind another tree.
Husky laughter shook my chest as I went in pursuit. “Such a teasing temptress.” I rounded the evergreen, and she wasn’t there.
She appeared from behind the adjacent tree. “You like to be teased and I like it when you chase me. It makes me feel wanted.”
I dared a few steps forward. “And want you, I do. Would you like to know what I plan to do once I get my hands on you?”
The question sent a visual shudder down her form. Her lips parted, eyes widened.
Taking one lengthy step, I lunged for her.
Determined to keep the space between us, she leapt backwards.“I would encourage you to enlighten me, but I’d rather you save it.” Leaving her girlish laughter echoing across the forest, she vanished behind another tree, only to reappear behind me. “You can surprise me…” Her breathy whisper feathered the shell of my ear. “That is, if you have the will to catch me.”
Crimson Memories is now available at your favorite ebook vendor!
My new novel, CRIMSON MEMORIES is available for pre-order on Amazon for only $0.99. It releases on May 6th! This is my first steampunk tale, and I’m sure it won’t be my last. Very excited about this one! Please purchase to support my journey into a new genre.
Thank you! ^_^
Crimson Memories is a dystopian retelling of the classic fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood. Only this tale is not for children. Step into a world shrouded in dragon flames, where the passion is as hot as the fire.
“We are kindred spirits, forever bonded together by our desire to fight for the love we will never have.” ~ Petra
Argon Quinn, a prestigious dragon hunter, takes a short break from the battlefield to visit his grandfather Ian—a brave man who lost his leg to a blood-thirsty demon wolf many years ago. Because of this, Argon carries a deep and abiding hatred for all supernatural creatures.
His hatred has fueled his illustrious career as a captain with the Dark Hunters Legion. However, recent memories are testing his resolve.
As a young boy, Argon met a forest nymph named Petra. She left a lasting impression on his heart. Now years later, she is the elusive woman who haunts his dreams. He realizes she’s more than human, but what will he do when he finds out she’s the very thing he despises most?
Crimson Memories is a dystopian retelling of the classic fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood. Only this tale is not for children. Step into a world shrouded in dragon flames, where the desire is as hot as the fire. 😉
(Paranormal Romance/ Steampunk)
“We are kindred spirits, forever bonded together by our desire to fight for the love we will never have.” ~ Petra
Argon Quinn, a prestigious dragon hunter, takes a short break from the battlefield to visit his grandfather Ian—a brave man who lost his leg to a blood-thirsty demon wolf many years ago. Because of this, Argon carries a deep and abiding hatred for all supernatural creatures.
His hatred has fueled his illustrious career as a captain with the Dark Hunters Legion. However, recent memories are testing his resolve.
As a young boy, Argon met a forest nymph named Petra. She left a lasting impression on his heart. Now years later, she is the elusive woman who haunts his dreams. He realizes she’s more than human, but what will he do when he finds out she’s the very thing he despises most?
Since October is officially over, this will be the last post for the free Halloween read, Crimson Days. However, the story is not over. This is one of those tales that seems to write itself. It was supposed to be no longer than 6 chapters and you see how that worked out. 😀
To those of you who are enjoying the story and desire to see it continue, don’t fret. I’m going to finish it and make it available on various ebook vendors for FREE—Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.
Now onto CHAPTER 8 of Crimson Days. 🙂
As you know, this story is being developed and written as I post it. It has not been edited or doctored up.
Comments are welcomed!
Enjoy!
Before reading CHAPTER 8, make sure to read the first 7 chapters. Links are below.
**WARNING: Not suitable for the faint of heart, prudes or those easily bothered by strong and vulgar language, graphic descriptions, urban dialect, blood-lusting hotties, kickass female warriors, sword-wielding bad asses, dark smutty sex and extreme violence.**
CRIMSON DAYS
**dystopian sci-fi, paranormal, erotic and interracial romance**
Chapter 8
“Why God?” I murmured, staring at the security screen. Another green dot popped up on the barracks’ aerial diagram. “Why would you bring him back into my life as a vampire? Why couldn’t you drop him in my lap as a… cute kitty are something?”
“‘Cause yeah, I would totally make an adorable kitty,” Roy called from the bedroom’s closet.
Titling my head back, I huffed out a groan. “Shadduuup.”
“No alerts to report from sector one hundred and forty-nine, Officer Winsort,” the com-screen informed.
I took a sip of wine. “Check sector one-fifty.”
“You’re wasting your time,” Roy sung in laughter. “I’m telling you, I was moving too fast. There’s no way the drones could’ve caught me.”
“Hush, vampire boy. I’m trying to concentrate.” The green dots on the screen started to blend together. Soon, they would be nothing but a big green blob. Maybe Roy wasn’t just being cocky. He may have actually evaded them all. Regardless, I’d never been the type of person to rely on maybes.
“Lexi, you should be trying to get some sleep instead of scanning drones. And stop drinking that wine on an empty stomach. That can’t be good for you in your condition.”
Clucking my tongue, I fixed my glare on the closet door at the far side my bedroom. “And what do you know about my condition?”
“I know this war is destroying you mentally, messing with your emotions, and as a result, you’re letting your health deteriorate. You should’ve left this madness years ago.”
I should have, but I didn’t. I wanted to counter his statement with something snippy, but I nibbled on my lower lip instead. He knew me all too well. That was one of the things I used to hate about him.
“No alerts to report from sector one hundred and fifty, Officer Winsort.”
I huffed out a sigh. “Check sector one fifty-one. Hell, check all seven hundred and fifty sectors, including the ones outside the barrier. Don’t report to me until you find an alert.” I linked the pending scan to my wristband then strapped it on my wrist. “Have you healed yet?”
There was a moment of silence before he uttered, “More or less.”
I entered my bedroom, disrobed and searched out a fresh jumpsuit from my dresser drawer. “I need you to be sure, Roy. Lord knows I can’t bear to
ALEXIS
see you all burned up with your skin hanging off again. It’s gross, and damaging to my unbalanced mental state.” Even though I tried, I couldn’t keep a straight face while saying that.
“Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure I’m past the gross stage. But then there’s the thirst…”
Aw shit, this was about to get bad. “Don’t tell me that. I thought the blood from a master vampire replenishes quickly, no matter how much he loses.”
“It does, but that doesn’t mean the thirst subsides.”
“Ugh… dammit! How long can you hold out before you need to feed?”
“A day. Two at the most.”
“Okay-okay. Give me a minute to figure out how I’m gonna get you fed, and more importantly, get you the hell outta here.” I sat on the edge of the bed and slipped the legs of the suit over my ankles and calves. Standing, I pulled the micro-fiber material up my thighs, hips and torso. Once I tugged the zipper up from my crotch to my neck, the inner layer of the suit molded to my body and clung to me like a second skin. The small panel directly under my name badge lit up, indicating it was now ready to monitor my physical status, which of course would be sent to headquarters.
I would love to wear some regular clothing. Something stylish and not so violating. I left my personal wardrobe behind years ago, when I joined the regiment, so I guess I’m stuck with these stupid jumpsuits.
“Don’t bother getting all worked up over this. I’m not in a hurry to go anywhere.”
Releasing an airy giggle, I shook my head. “You should be.” The steps I needed to take to get Roy safely away from the barracks flipped through my mind. I couldn’t try to get him out right away. It would take time. Only, I’m not sure how much time we had. Nevertheless, I had to plan his escape just right, but first thing’s first…
He needed a bath. Badly.
It wasn’t so much the burned skin scent, it was vampy odor that lingered on him. Ugh… Thank God, he wasn’t as nearly as stinky compared to the other demons. At least I could breathe around him without gagging.
I rushed to the bathroom, drained the water I had bathed in earlier, and begin to fill the tub with fresh water. I gathered every bottle of bath oil and scented bubble liquid I could find, and then emptied them all into the tub. Bubbles spilled over the edge and trickled down onto the floor. In no time, my pad smelled like flowers and sunshine.
Armed with my G-four gat, I stood next to the tub. “If you’ve regenerated enough to move, meet me in the bathroom.”
The sound of the closet door sliding open reached my ears. A split second later, Roy whooshed into the bathroom like a spirit. He stood before me, completely rejuvenated into the man I used to know—tall and toned—a porcelain version of his perfect self. Only he was a tad bit beefier than I remembered. Those crystal blue eyes glimmered, his fangs peeked from beneath his parted lips.
My breath hitched. Even as a demon, he was eerily gorgeous.
We stared at each other for the longest, without saying a word. Honestly, I couldn’t speak even if I wanted to. He always stilled my tongue with a mere gaze.
What was left of his clothing dangled from his beautifully masculine physique. Teasing glimpses of his chest, abs and legs enticed me in the most wicked way.
“You’re undressing me with your eyes, Lexi,” he crooned, his voice a breathy whisper flowing over my enflamed nerves. “If you want me naked, just say so.” He took a step towards me.
Still leery of him, I stumbled backwards and nearly fell into the tub.
With a blurred preternatural motion, he grabbed me by the shoulders and pinned me against the wall.
My reaction was swift.
He shot a glance to the left, at my glock’s barrel pointed at his cranium. “You’re clearly not afraid of me, so why do you run?” He leaned in closer. His lips were less than an inch from mine. “Why do you always run?”
The Roy I used to know would never come at me like this. It showed the demon inside ruled his actions, made him impulsive and unpredictable.
“You need to control yourself, Roy,” I said in the steadiest voice I could conjure. “And keep in mind, I have a twitchy trigger finger.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and lifted the black bag gripped in my right hand. “I need what’s left of your clothes to go in this bag, and then I need you to get your ass into that tub.”
“Ahh…” He pulled back with a smirk sliding across his face. “So you do want me naked.”
I sucked my teeth and snorted in annoyance. “Into the water, now.”
“Maybe in about an hour.”
“What?”
“That water is too hot.”
“Oh please! You haven’t even tested it.”
“I don’t need to. I can feel the lava-like heat from here.”
“Stop playing, Roy.”
He folded his arms over his chest and shook his head. “I just got my skin back and you’re trying to sear it off again?”
“You stink, like… like a vamp!”
“You know there ain’t shit you can do about that, right? You can’t boil the vampirism off me. Just admit it, you’re trying to make vampire soup in that tub?”
“Boooy, if you don’t get your silly ass in that water…”
“You forget I have balls. Big balls, if I must say so myself. Me being a vampire doesn’t make them any less sensitive to hot water. I’d prefer an ice cold bath, if you don’t mind.”
Gritting my teeth, I leveled my gun at him. “I know you can’t help yourself but be a crazy fool. That trait apparently trickled down into your vampire life, which is why I haven’t pulled the trigger, yet. You have two choices here. You can either strip out of those filthy clothes and get in that tub, or, you catch a bullet from this gun. Doesn’t matter to me. I’ll stand here and watch the ultraviolent liquid eat you from the inside out.”
ROY
An almost sadistic smile curled at the corners of his lush lips. “You are sexy as fuck when talk like that.” He ripped the shredded clothes from his muscled torso and tossed it at my feet. With unnatural speed, he discarded his boots, belt and scarf. Sliding his thumbs beneath the waistband of his pants, he cut his seductive gaze at me and whispered, “Watch closely now.” Slowly, very slowly, he pushed the pants down his hips, revealing more of the sexy dip below his belly, which led to his manhood. A curly nest of pubic hair was revealed.
My hands shook, but I kept my gun aimed at him. A wave of heat washed through me. My heartbeat quicken as I watched him intently.
Finally, the shredded fabric dropped to his feet, exposing his nude body.
“Dayum, Roy,” I gasped, doing my best to withstand the quivering in my belly.
I had never laid eyes on his penis before. However, I had a good idea a mighty python hid beneath the crotch of his clothing. But I had no idea he was hiding such a beauty. It was large, no doubt, hanging there between his thighs like a masterpiece.
My mouth watered. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. As I gaped at his member, it grew stiffer and longer. The dark veins bulged under my scrutiny. Have mercy… I licked my lips, wondering what his shaft would feel like gliding over my tongue.
“As you can see, he’s not shy. You shouldn’t be either.”
I lifted my gaze to his face, expecting to see a smug grin, but that wasn’t the expression he presented.
His face was drawn tight in need and sexual tension. “I sense your longing, Lexi. Life is too short to run from your desires. If you want something, don’t be afraid to claim it.”
I almost lost myself. “Dammit, man…” I quickly collected his clothes and shoved them into the bag, trembling as I did so. “Get your ass in that tub,” I grumbled, storming out of the bathroom. I grabbed the empty back sack hanging from the side wall. “I expect you to be clean when I get back.”
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“To get a few things,” I replied without turning to face him. “I won’t be gone long.”
I heard the first foot dip into the water. His scream in bloody murder came swiftly afterwards. “Aw fuck! How the shit do you women take baths in water this fucking hot? Ahhh, motherfucker…!”
I tried not to laugh as I rushed out of my quarters. Being around him was torture, nevertheless sweet torture. In this short span of time, he’d shown me so much of his old self that it was difficult believe he was a vampire. The enemy. However, when he pinned me to the wall with such force, I was quickly reminded of what I was dealing with.
I shook my head in an attempt to clear the image of his stunning naked body and his saluting cock from my mind. It didn’t work. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It’s not fair, God! It’s not fair for him to be that freaking fine. This must be a test, a test of faith. If I give in to the wicked desires stirring inside me, I’ll be surrendering my soul to the dark side.
I hurried to the maze of basements under the compound, where the incinerator was located. Standing in front of the fire breathing furnace, I fumbled through the clothing in the bag. They were filthy, covered in mud, blood and some other crap I couldn’t make out. It all smelled horrible. Throughout all the soot and damage, I noticed something interesting. These were no cheap threads. They were heavy, made from an expensive material. Even the scarf was woven from the finest silk. Well, what was left of it. There was a symbol stitched onto the sleeve of the jacket, which had been partially burned. I’d seen the symbol before, but I couldn’t remember where or when.
The clack of someone’s approaching footfalls jarred me. I tossed the bag into the mouth of the furnace and quickly left the building. I didn’t want to leave Roy alone too long, but I needed to find him some clothes. Couldn’t put him in a jumpsuit. As soon as the tiny sensors within the suit picked up on his extremely low body temperature and his lack of a pulse, we’d be in trouble.
My thoughts ran on Steve’s secret clothing stash. He never wore them, being that we were all instructed to wear our jumpsuits when we weren’t in uniform.
The sector he lived in was a little over six blocks away. I started to sprint in that direction. I used to jog to his place with no problem, but tonight, it was hard. It felt like my lungs were about to explode. Avoiding the main streets, which were cluttered with fellow knights and droids, I made the journey along the back alleyways. That made the trip longer. When I arrived at Steve’s compound, I leaned against the wall at the rear of the building, gasping for breath.
A few drones zipped over my head then paused briefly to scan me. Didn’t really matter at this point if they caught me on radar. Its better I get scanned outside of Steve’s place, rather than Sanjay’s since the council already knew Steve and I were friends. Though, there was the probation problem… I wasn’t supposed to leave my quarters this late. I’d deal with the repercussions of that later.
The rapid knocking against my chest wouldn’t slow down. I felt hot and woozy. Suddenly, I was covered in sweat. My suit’s read-out panel started to beep and buzz. I tapped it to silence the alarm and then I quietly slipped into the building. I took the short ride on the mobile platform up to the fifth level. By that time, my heart rate had returned to normal. Yet, I still sweated like a pig.
Standing outside Steve’s pad, I could hear the slow jams blaring through the door. I hoped the music would be loud enough to mask the sound of security system announcing my arrival.
I penned in his code.
“Door opening,” the system announced.
I slipped inside and waited to see if Steve would emerge from his room with his gun cocked. A few minutes went by and no one appeared, so I headed deeper into his living quarters. I moved closer to his room.
Moans and groans sailed beneath the music and resonated through the bedroom’s closed door.
Smiling, I snorted. No wonder he didn’t hear me come in. Tony had him thoroughly distracted with sex play. Should’ve known.
I crept into Steve’s pantry and pulled the loose panel from the wall. Behind it was a suitcase. Within that suitcase was a collection of stylish men’s clothing. Yes! I shoved some slacks and shirts, along with a couple of jackets into my back sack.
Hopefully, Steve wouldn’t miss a few articles of worldly clothing.
Once I had my sack filled to capacity, I returned the suitcase to its rightful hiding place. As stealthily as I could, I vacated the premises and made my way back home. Instead of jogging like before, I took a brisk walk. It was all I could muster.
I returned to my quarters and damn near passed out. The enervating heat enveloped me again. Sweat continued to gush from my pores. My head whirled, my breathing escalated. For the first time in a long time, I wanted to dive into my bed and give into slumber, but I had that vampire problem to deal with. “Roy?”
Hanging onto the wall, I made my way to the bathroom. The tub was filled with bubbles, just the way I left it, but there was no Roy.
“Goddammit!” Where the hell is he? If he left, oh my God, they would kill him.
Visions of his brutal death bounced around my mind, sending me into a bout of hyperventilation. My heart raced. I was about to leave the bathroom to scramble through my quarters, hoping to find him hiding somewhere, when out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the bubbles move.
Cautiously, I retrieved my gat from the countertop and approached the tub. “Roy?” I reached in.
A hand shot from the pool of bubbles and latched onto my arm.
I was yanked off my feet and into the tub. I flailed like a fish for a spilt second, then I caught myself. I braced my knees on the floor of the tub, wrapped my hand around his throat and contemplated jamming my glock up his nose. “Goddamn you, Roy!” I bit out on a growl. “You better stop doing that crazy vamp shit. You’re gonna mess around and get your ass shot!”
His hand slipped around to the small of my back. He moved up the tub, pulling me with him. I hadn’t realized I was straddling him until that moment. The length of his erect shaft pressed hard against my pussy, making me shudder.
His head emerged from a clearing in the bubbles. Darkened by the water, his hair clung to his head and dangling over his brow. His eyes were gleaming, fangs exposed. “Do you know what the worst part about being a vampire is?” He swiped a few dreads from over my temple. “Everything is intensified. Everything. Your senses, your emotions… When you’re stabbed, you feel it in your soul. When you’re sad, it feels like your whole world is crumbling around you. And when you’re secretly in love someone, you can’t hide it. No matter how hard you try.”
Spoken both out loud and telepathically, his words sailed along my mind as an echo. His voice wooed me, his body aroused me. It was difficult to withstand the pleasurable sensation of his beefy member pressing against my slit. The fabric separating our genitals did nothing to calm the fire raging within me. A heady wooziness accompanied that fiery desire.
His fingers trailed over the base of my neck and shoulder. “It was the scent of your blood that drew me from the grave three years ago. How sweet it was.” He pulled the gun from my grip and tossed it on the bathroom floor.
I allowed him to disarm me, without the least bit of resistance.
“I’d trapped myself within the deepest crypt in Paris to keep the demon inside from hurting you, from wanting you. You weren’t supposed to see me like this, but once I sensed your blood, I couldn’t stay away.” He licked his lips as he pulled the zipper tab of my jumpsuit down.
My breasts popped out from the opening, eager to greet him.
“I don’t know how to separate it—my physical need to be with you and the demonic bloodlust I’m damned with.” His fangs lengthened, his eyes darkened. “How? Tell me how to do it, Lexi.”
Squeezing his neck, I leaned in closer to him. “Can’t help you there. Maybe you should’ve tried harder to stay away.” Helplessly, I grinded my crotch against his deliciously erect cock. Quivers cascaded through me.
A wicked smile crossed his face. “So you do want me to take you.”
“I’ve always wanted you to,” I confessed on a drawl. “I felt wrong for wanting you the way I do. I still feel wrong, but I can’t help it anymore. Why?” My vision became hazy. It was hard to breathe, hard to keep my eyes open. “Are you… are you using dark magic on me?”
“Manipulate your emotions?” His brow furrowed. “You think I would do that to you? You think I would need to do that to you?”
“Cooockyyy,” I slurred on a breathless giggle.
“Lexi, if I take you now, I won’t be able to stop. I will consume every bit of you in monstrous passion; your body, your mind and your soul. I would absorb the very essence of you and I would hate myself afterwards.” He slipped hand around the nape of my neck and froze. His eyes grew large as the vampiric gleam died. “Holy shit, Lexi! This is not just heated lust, you’re burning the hell up. You have a dangerously high fever.”
“Totally your fault.” Stripped of my energy, I slumped against him. Our lips met as his arms encased me.
“Lexi baby, if I don’t help you, this fever is going to kill you.” Panic replaced the sexy croon in his voice.
“Better a fever… than a war. Better you… than anyone else.”
“Shut up, girl. You really know how to ruin the mood.”
My body rose from the water. Cool air washed over me.
“There’s gonna be a night when you will throw yourself at me and I’ll gladly take you, but not like this. I need you healthy if you are to be my queen. Now, sleep.”
Darkness flooded my mind and washed my vision away as I willingly surrendered to the black void.
**WARNING: Not suitable for the faint of heart, prudes or those easily bothered by strong and vulgar language, graphic descriptions, urban dialect, blood-lusting hotties, kickass female warriors, sword-wielding bad asses, dark smutty sex and extreme violence.**
CRIMSON DAYS
**dystopian sci-fi, paranormal, erotic and interracial romance**
Chapter 7
My whirling emotions overwhelmed me. I didn’t know how to feel, or what to do.
Is this creature actually my loveable Roy?
As the question entered my mind, I started to wonder… What if this vampire was toying with me? What if he was using my inner fear and memories to confuse me? I’d never experienced the compelling influence of a master vampire, but I’d heard much about it, mainly from victims who were lucky enough to survive the encounter.
“You’re not Roy! Get the hell off me, demon,” I hissed.
Without another word, he slid back from me and disappeared into the shadows. Though, I could still feel his presence.
Pulling the lapels of my robe together, I sat up and scooted back until my back met the door. It took a few seconds for my breathing to steady and my frantic heartbeat to normalize. At last, my eyes adjusted to the darkness shrouding the small closet. I couldn’t completely see him, but I did see the outline of his figure.
He reached for the hilt sticking out of his neck. He sighed then released a throaty groan as he pulled on the grip. The sound of my blade sliding from his flesh assaulted my ears. The dagger clanked on the concrete when he tossed it to the floor. “Ahh, that feels much better.”
I heard the continuous click of UV bomb popping off light every five seconds on the other side of the door. It was going to continue the sequence until I turned it off. My hands felt empty. I needed to have a weapon in my possession.
My dagger was somewhere on the ground next to him. It’d be too risky to make a go for it. I wanted to grab another weapon from the box to my left, but I couldn’t move. My thoughts were all over the place.
What if this creature is really Roy?
“How do I know you’re not using your vampy powers to play some sick game with me?”
“Well for one thing, I haven’t eaten you yet.” There was laughter in the reply that drifted across my mind.
That only added to my aggravation. “You are delusional as hell if you think you’re in a position to joke with me. I can still kill you if I want to.” One of the most important techniques Steve taught me during my training was how to kill a vampire without the use of a weapon. It took a lot strength and quick thinking.
“After seeing you in action, I have no doubt about that.”
“Stop using telepathy on me and speak words out loud…” I snapped, leveling my finger at his dark figure. “Yooou filthy demon, who’s pretending to be my friend!”
“It hurts to talk. It’s taking a little longer for my vocal chords to heal, so please grant me this liberty, to communicate with you, without speaking.”
Hearing his voice in my head was tearing me to pieces. Holding back the need to scream, I fisted my dreads. “Of all the people you could torture me with, why would you take his image? You are so fucking cruel.”
He titled his head. For a long moment, he said nothing. “How could I prove it to you? That I’m still the man you befriended fifteen years ago? What can I say?” Sounded more like inner thoughts than actual questions directed at me. “Should I mention that I used to live right across the hall from you in our old apartment building in New York? How about mentioning your phobia for dogs, because a pit bull attacked you when you were nine. Or maybe I should mention at the age of seven you watched a malfunctioning android rip your mother apart, and it still hurts you ‘til this day.”
By the time he stopped stirring my emotions with his words, I was crying so hard, I couldn’t breathe. My eyes stung, my heart hurt. There were only a few people in my life that knew about the android incident; Amber—my old best friend, Steve and Roy.
Jesus Christ, it really is him!
“I’m so sorry, Lexi. I had to mention things from your past to prove I hadn’t simply read your thoughts.”
Hugging my legs to my chest, I sat there bawling like a baby, trembling and shaking, wishing he had chosen somewhere else to hide.
“I wanna hold you, sweetheart. I wanna hold you so badly, but I can’t. Not while I’m like this.”
“Stop! Stop it,” I whimpered on a sob. “Give me a moment to take this all in. Give me a moment to mourn your death. My God, I can’t believe this. You’re dead! And worst off, you’re goddamn vampire!”
“Oh, Lexi…”
I wallowed in the dark silence without restraining my sorrow. The minutes ticked by like hours. Finally, the tears stopped. I wiped at my eyes with
ALEXIS
the heels of my hands. “Okay, Roy…” I huffed out a deep breath and steadied my composure. “Why’d you come here?”
He didn’t answer. Yeah, it was Roy alright. The man never answered a question he thought you should already know the answer to.
“How long have you been hiding in here?”
His reply came out on a growl. “Long enough to know you’re still attracted to assholes.”
Heat soared to my face as a bout of embarrassment washed over me. He’d been here that long? Dammit. That meant he’d heard me when I lured
Sanjay into a bout of angry sex. Ugh… It was probably torturous for Roy to listen to that.
“Not as tortuous as you think,” he offered without me asking. “I enjoyed hearing you moan.” A lustful meaning lingered behind his words, but that’s not what sent me reeling.
“You better cut that shit out right now, Roy. No reading my mind. That is an invasion of privacy. It’s bad enough you’re using telepathy.”
“Well you’re the one screaming thoughts at me. Why don’t you think quieter?”
I wanted to laugh. I hadn’t moved past the shock of him being here and we had already fallen into our silly banter. “How did you get past the security—”
“By moving really fucking fast.”
“But the security drones…”
“Didn’t catch me.”
“How can you be so sure? Hell, I caught you with several stakes and you were moving pretty damn fast then.”
“Maybe you caught me because I wanted you to.”
My body quivered, my heart fluttered. “Roy…”
“Truthfully, I almost didn’t make it here. Those two UV domes are a pain in the ass. It’s a little excessive on the defense, don’t you think?”
“Apparently not excessive enough, considering you’re here. Speaking of which, how’d you get in here?”
“Believe it or not, it’s not that difficult to rewrite the security codes for this place. I just had to convince your system that I was you, then shut down the special vampire alarms to the building.”
I could totally believe that. The compound’s security was lax, since we figured a vampire would never make it this far. “Still a hacker at heart, I see,” I muttered, staring into the darkness.
ROY
Visions of his beautiful face entered my mind. Of course, it was how I remembered him, before vampirism took over. I wondered if his features changed much since the last time I saw him. When we were tussling, all I could see was a shadowy figure.
Suddenly, I needed to look at him, to see the man who I’d wish I could have once upon a time.
“Please don’t, Lexi. It’s not a pretty sight,” he cautioned.
Ignoring him, I called out. “Lights on.”
The ceiling light above flickered to life. The instant I laid eyes on Roy, I wished I would’ve remained in the dark.
Patches of blackened skin clung to his face. In other areas, his skin was missing completely, exposing his opened, raw flesh. He was literally burned from his head to his feet. The clothes he wore were in shreds, some parts stuck to his seared tissue.
He looked horrific.
Those familiar eyes were the only thing about him I recognized. Ten years ago, they were a deep cobalt blue, but now they were an icy artic blue, the color stripped by the effects of vampirism.
One leg was bent, the other was stretched out. Three of my stakes protruded from various parts of his body—his left thigh, the right side of his torso, and his shoulder.
I slapped both hands over my mouth to muffle my gasp. “Oh God, I did this,” I whimpered as more tears fell. “I did this to you.”
Smirking, he grabbed the stake sticking from his shoulder and yanked it out. A ribbon of crimson blood spiraled from the sharp tip. “More or less.”
I shot to my feet, covered my eyes and turned my back to him. “Lights out, lights out, LIGHTS OUT!” The bulb couldn’t shut off soon enough. I truly hated seeing him like that, as a grotesque image of the gorgeous man I used to know.
“Told you it I wasn’t a pretty sight.”
“Jesus, I almost killed you.” The realization hit me hard. When I attacked him, I had every intention of taking him out, and I most certainly could have.
He chuckled. The wet sound of another stake leaving his flesh made me cringe “It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re not the first knight who’s tried to kill me, and I’m sure you won’t be the last.”
“Don’t laugh, it’s not funny. Roy!” I whirled around to glare at him. “Look at where you are! You have put me in an impossible position by coming here. Sure, you were crafty enough to get in, but there is no way in hell you’re getting out without facing a league of angry knights.”
“I had to come and see you,” he said on a whisper, no longer using telepathy. “If these are to be my last days, I can think of no better way to spend them than trying to get to the sun.”
Emotions I’d kept hidden surged to the forefront. I wanted to throw myself into his arms. I had to get out of this goddamn closet and put some distance between us. Not only to escape the nightmare I’d been tossed into, but to get away from my dark longing to have him.
Roy had always been that guy… the guy I shouldn’t have lusted for, the guy I shouldn’t have let get close to me, the guy who used to date my roommate and best friend back in the day. God! I’m a horrible human being. Even now, I felt the strong affection for him.
“Dammit, Roy!” I bit out on a growl. “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me. Why now?”
His fangy smile shimmered through the black void. “Because you need me, and I need you.”
“Yeah, you’re right about that,” I grumbled under my breath. “I need you NOT to be here.” I waited two seconds after the click of the bomb sounded on the other side of the door, signifying a break between its burst of light. I slammed my hand into the exit button. As soon as the panel slid open, I lunged into the bedroom and disarmed the grenade.
The door slid shut behind me. I leaned against it, struggling to catch my breath, struggling to find my composure. “How long does it take you to heal?”
“Well, considering my injuries… Maybe an hour or two,” he answered gruffly. “Minutes, if I feed.”
A tide of heat plummeted through me and soared around my throbbing core. The image of him sinking his fangs into my neck entered my mind, pulling a breathy gasp out of me. I felt his presence near me, even though there was a door separating us. I imagined the pressure on my jugular, his body pressed against mine… The quivering between my thighs increased. “Oh hell no! You’re living on another side of crazy if you think I’m gonna let you feed from me. Not gonna happen, bruh!”
His husky laughter sailed through the panel. “There’s my girl.”
Holding back the smile that threatened to cross my face, I stepped away from the closet. A haze flooded my mind, making me lightheaded. I felt a migraine creeping in. Should be used to those by now. “Don’t come out of there, Roy.”
“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. Hurts to move anyway.”
He said the healing process would take an hour or two. Good. While he was healing, I would use the time to thoroughly check the security footage. Just because he moved at the speed of sound doesn’t mean he could dodge a drone’s radar.
I giggled deliriously as I approached my com-screen. “This is not going to end well,” I muttered to myself. “They’re gonna kill us both.”
When the council found out I was harboring a master vampire, and there was no doubt in my mind they would, a battalion of knights would knock down my front door with orders to destroy him.
As a result, I would fight in blind rage and then they would be forced to kill me too.
**WARNING: Not suitable for the faint of heart, prudes or those easily bothered by strong and vulgar language, graphic descriptions, urban dialect, blood-lusting hotties, kickass female warriors, sword-wielding bad asses, dark smutty sex and extreme violence.**
CRIMSON DAYS
**dystopian sci-fi, paranormal, erotic and interracial romance**
Chapter 6
Fifteen minutes later, I sat in the tub filled with hot water and rose-scented bubbles. It was soothing, but it wasn’t nearly enough to stop my tears from falling. I had moved onto my second glass of wine and I wasn’t the least bit tipsy. I stared at the crimson liquid pooled at the bottom of the glass, wondering if I just should’ve brought the bottle into the bathroom with me.
Soft soulful music wafted through the air. It blocked out the sounds of the hovercrafts whirring above my building.
Slouched in the tub, I rested my head on the edge and closed my eyes. I tried to think of anything but the recent events. Despite my efforts, the last ten hours shuffled through my mind like broken film strips. There was no escaping it.
Tilting my head back, I quaffed the rest of the wine.
A chime sounded from the unseen speaker above, indicating a video call.
“Ignore,” I groaned.
The chiming stopped for a few seconds, then started up again.
“Ignore!”
Like before, it stopped, only to start up again. It almost sounded like it was getting louder.
I gritted out a scream. “For God’s sake, who is it?”
“Officer Steve Rial desires to speak with you,” the disembodied voice informed.
“Oh hell no.” After he betrayed me, he had the nerve to call? I didn’t want to speak to him, I didn’t even want to see his face, but I found myself taking the call anyway. “Answer,” I grumbled.
A large screen emerged from the back wall. Seconds later, I was staring at Steve’s grinning face.
“The fuck you want, Steve?” I sunk deeper into the water, making sure the bubbles covered my full breasts. Not that I needed to. I’m sure Steve wasn’t aroused by any of my womanly assets, being that he preferred to gawk at male anatomy.
He chuckled. “Come on, Alex. Don’t be like that.”
“Don’t be like that?” I cocked my head. “You sold me out to the council! I have every reason to be like that! I shouldn’t have even answered your call.”
Inner pain softened his eyes. “I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I was under oath…”
“Oh please bruh, don’t give me that crap. You always have a choice!”
STEVE
“They know we’re friends, Alex. So they linked me to the Bellrum before they started questioning me. I couldn’t twist the truth even if I wanted to while hooked up to that thing.”
I fell silent. No one could beat the Bellrum. It wasn’t an average truth machine. It not only monitored your heart rate during questioning, but your brain waves as well. If you even tried to think of a lie, the machine would pick up on it.
“I’m sorry, Steve,” I breathed out. “This whole ordeal got me all fucked up and angry.”
Guilt spread across his face. “No, I’m the one who should be apologizing. Because of me, they issued you a droid. I know how you feel about those things. I wanted to warn the council about it, but I had already put my foot in my mouth more times than I care to mention, so I remained quiet on the issue. I knew as soon as you saw that thing, you were gonna freak out.”
Freak out was a huge understatement. “Don’t worry about it. None of this is your fault. I’m the one who went rogue without warning.”
“Oh, you gave warnings alright. We just weren’t paying attention to them until now.” His brow suddenly furrowed with worry.
“What’s wrong?”
“I need to ask you something. Earlier, on site, when you said you heard someone say your name and touch you…”
The mention of it made me stiffen. Why would he bring that up? “I’m pretty sure I was imaging things,” I offered nervously.
Steve shook his head. “I’m not so sure about that, Alex.”
I jerked upright in the tub, sloshing water onto the floor. My heartbeat quickened out of anxiousness. “Why do you say that?”
He opened his mouth to speak then shook his head. “Naw, don’t worry about it. It’s classified stuff.”
“No-no-noo, you don’t get to say classified to me after mentioning that. What’s going on?”
He heaved out a sigh as he settled back in his seat. “The drones picked up some odd readings on site. I thought maybe it was a malfunction because there were so many vampires congregated in one area. That happens sometimes, but the readings… I don’t know what to think of this.”
“Well you’re thinking something, and I need to know what that something is.”
“Have you heard it?”
“Heard what?”
“The voice again?”
I didn’t answer. I just stared at the screen, baffled and frightened at what Steve’s questions meant. “Are you asking this to report back to the council, or…?”
“I’m asking because I need to know. You know what though? You don’t have to say anything. The look on your face says it all.” He leaned in closer to the screen. “I have to come and see you. We need to talk.”
An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. “Now?”
Steve suddenly pulled back and looked to his right. “Hey, what’s up, Tony.”
“Who’re you talking to, honey?” Steve’s lover walked into the view of the screen. He crouched down and waved at me. “Oh heeey, Alex!” His light grey eyes shimmered in mannish appraisal. “Ooo girl, those tit-teys are looking YUMMY.”
Whereas Steve was not lured by womanly assets, his boyfriend on the other hand, ogled me every chance he got.
ALEXIS
Heat soared to my face. I slapped my hands over my breasts and sunk back into the bubbly water. “Hey, Tony,” I murmured.
Steve shoved Tony out of the way and pinned him with a silent death glare.
Tony threw his hands up and laughed. “Don’t get mad at me. If the boobies are out, I’m gonna look.”
“Get out of here,” Steve grumbled. When the room was clear, he turned his attention back to me. “I can’t leave while Tony’s here, so look for me tomorrow. I’ll come by after your appointment with Dr. Chambers.”
The prickles running down my spine increased. “Wait, Steve. Are you going to at least give me a hint on what’s going on? I’ve never been this freaking nervous in my life.”
He slid his fingers across the screen. “I’m sending you some files on an incident that happened six years ago.” A document popped up on the screen’s right hand side. “Read them over carefully, then tomorrow we’ll talk.” He disconnected, and his face vanished leaving nothing but the file in view.
I made an attempt to read it, but I couldn’t focus on the words. I couldn’t focus on anything except the troubled expression Steve wore when he asked me had I heard the voice again.
What the hell does it all mean? Why is it happening to me? And why is he making me wait until tomorrow?
I settled against the tub’s back rest when a sound from my bedroom jolted me—a scraping noise, the sound of metal meeting metal.
Grabbing the stake-shooter I had resting at the foot of the tub, I lunged out of the water. I snatched my bathrobe from the side hook and quickly slipped it over my body. A wet trail was left in my wake as I crept into my bedroom.
I paused and listened.
Seconds later, the scraping noise sounded again. It came from my closet. It was the sound the hanger’s metal hook made when it was sliding across the metal rod. A deep masculine groan accompanied it.
What the hell…? Who’s hiding in my closet?
My mind raced. It couldn’t be Sanjay. I watched him walk out of here. Then suddenly I remembered a report I read earlier this week, about a group of male Cross knights sexually assaulting female soldiers.
Anger washed my panic away. I figured there wasn’t a knight stupid enough to try me like that. Maybe I was wrong. Nevertheless, he was about to get more than he bargained for.
Cocking my shooter upright, I moved closer to the closet door. I penned in the desired code for entrance, but the door wouldn’t budge. Dammit! Had the council restricted me access to my closet? Really? What’s the point in that?
Assholes!
A red light blinked at the top right corner of the door. I pressed it and the panel became transparent, displaying the dark space behind it. The infrared kicked in and exposed something that made my heart shudder to a stop.
Crouched in the corner of my closet was a figure. The infrared outline the form. In normal conditions, the figure would present a red glow, indicating the presence of a human being. But to my horror, this form was highlighted in bright blue, signifying the walking dead.
For a long moment, I stared in shock.
How the hell is this possible? A vampire shouldn’t have made it past the first layer of defense. Furthermore, the alarms should be ringing out of control.
My first thought was to alert Sanjay and Steve of a security breach and request their assistance. But I thought better of it. This vampire broke into my pad, which meant he was my responsibility, and my prey.
He was about to be one dead vampire.
My building was on the outskirts of the barracks, miles from the entrance. If he got past the effects of UV dome and still made it this far, then he had to be pretty damn strong.
First order of business; get the vampire out of my closet. To do that, I needed more than a stake-shooter.
I rushed to my cache. The second I stepped in front of the retina scanner, I knew it would deny me access. But I tried anyway. When the panel refused to open, I kicked the bottom of it in anger, and then I hurried to the kitchen. I dropped to my knees and pulled the box of backup weapons from the bottom of the pantry.
Thankfully, I wasn’t one of those knights who kept all of their weapons in the same place.
After I strapped my stake-shooter over my shoulder, I grabbed a UV bomb. I marched back into my bedroom on kill mode. I knew if I put in my code, the closet wouldn’t open, but if I penned in Sanjay’s code…
The keypad next to the door beeped, signifying access. As soon as the door slid to the right and I had an inch of an opening, I tossed in the live UV bomb. A burst of ultraviolent light emerged from the dark space.
A throaty howl followed.
Gotcha, demon! Once the door had completely disappeared into the wall, I stepped into the entrance and launched two stakes.
Pop, pop.
Both strikes hit him. Couldn’t mistake the sound of the pointed tips piercing flesh. Where they struck him was a mystery to me.
Even though he was wounded, he kept moving. He was but a mere blur, whipping around my closet like a hurricane. The bomb continued to release bursts of light in rapid sequences. His skin sizzled under the deadly rays, leaving wisps of smoke trailing behind him.
My closest soon became a vapor filled space.
Stake shooter leveled, I tracked him with my eyes, waiting for a clear shot to his heart, or his head.
He seemed to be keeping his distance from me. Clearly, he wasn’t really trying to flee. Though fleeing was out of the question, considering I was blocking his path out. Sure, he could shove me out of the way and make a run for it, but not without suffering a stake to the heart.
When his movement slowed, I popped off another shot. Moving supernaturally fast, he caught the stake in midair, and then just as swiftly, he kicked the UV device out of the closet.
I ducked, allowing the bomb to fly over my head, then launched a fourth stake at him.
The strike pierced his shoulder as he barreled toward me head on.
I fell back.
He lunged on top of me and knocked the shooter from my hands.
I brought my elbow up and clipped him in the jaw. While swinging at him, I reached for my weapon with my free hand. The shooter was inches from my fingers.
He leapt back, grabbed my ankles and dragged me into the closet before I could slip my hand around the grip of the shooter.
The door slid shut, blocking out the bomb’s flashing UV light. All too soon, darkness consumed the space.
Even though I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face, I knew where everything was located. I scrambled over to the box hidden under my shoe rack and extracted my short blade. The metal cried out with a sharp ching when I snatched it from its sheath. I got in position to attack with one knee to the ground, prepared to take his head. Patiently, I waited for the smallest sound from the creature I was trapped in the closet with.
My heavy panting, along with the rapid pounding beneath my chest, mingled with the stillness around me.
The vampire was smart to remain silent, since sound was my only way to locate him. Tricky bastard. He could be right next to me and I wouldn’t know until he attacked, but that wouldn’t hinder my resolve. I would kill him, or die trying.
A pair of glowing blue eyes emerged from the darkness. A chesty chuckle followed. “Lexi…”
I sprung forward toward the voice. My wrist was caught in mid-swung, but my blade tasted vampire flesh. I was shoved onto my back.
A weight fell on top of me. Strong thighs straddled my hips.
I punched him in his jaw with my free hand.
He grabbed my other wrist as I struck him and then pinned both my hands above my head. “Whooo girl, I knew you were a fighter back in the day…” His familiar husky timbre drifted over me, chilling my face. “But I had no idea you were a bonafide badass.”
That voice… Oh my God! Tears welled in my eyes as I began to sob. I knew it! I knew it was him earlier on site when he said my name, but I didn’t want to admit it to myself. I silently prayed that I was delusional, that the man of my past dreams was not contacting me like a master vampire would.
“Roy!” I cried out. “God, no. Nooo…”
“You missed me that badly, ay?” His fangy smile gleamed through the darkness. “Yeah, well, I missed you too, Lexi.”
