Fatal Allure Collection

by Woods, Martha

  Joseph is in the middle, battling Olivia. Voric comes in swinging his giant sword and letting out a roar. He takes a swing at Joseph’s head but doesn’t make it. He falls straight onto the floor dead with a stake through his chest. Mika holds it in her hand, and I see three of Olivia’s army dead behind her. I begin to weep. I didn’t want Voric to die. I didn’t want anyone to die.

  Ivanka pulls her hand back from me and brushes at my tears. She licks them away before standing to her feet. “Ah, young sister, I felt the same before I was turned. I must enter the battle now; you must seek shelter.”

  “Wait! You can’t let Olivia die,” I say. “Not yet.”

  “Is it for the vampire Vincent’s sake?” she asks.

  “I don’t want him to die,” I plead.

  “I will relay the request,” Ivanka says as she stands. She goes to battle alongside Mika, who is being pinned down by two vampires. Ivanka opens her arms in a sweeping motion and the vampires fall back. Mika is up to her feet and stabs them both before the two vampire witches turn to the others. I sense some of them fleeing.

  Charlie is suddenly in front of me. He grabs me by the neck and slams my head against the wall, but since I have had vampire blood, it hurts much less than it should. I grab up my dagger and slice both his hands off; the blade moves through his dead flesh like butter. He lets out a scream and falls back. I jump on top of him and slide my knife right where his heart should be, he flails beneath me and sprays blood across my face to the point that it nearly blinds me. Then he goes still. I wipe the blood from my face.

  “You monsters!” I hear Mabel scream. I turn my head and watch her run at Joseph, who is in the process of ripping off Olivia’s arm. His face is red, and I can see bite marks on his neck from Olivia trying to rip out his throat. He opens his hand and sends a blast of power that shoots Mabel into the next room. I hear her go through a wall before her screaming goes silent. I feel zero need to go check if she is alive or not.

  Joseph manages to rip Olivia’s arm off, and I watch Mika and Ivanka stand in front of her, chanting in a language I have never heard before. Ghost-like shackles wrap their way around the screaming Olivia. Joseph moves forward and rips her vocal chords out and tosses them on the floor. His breathing is heavy, and I can see he is far more wounded than he is letting on. I carefully stand, holding my dagger, and the two twins are suddenly beside me.

  “We are in your debt,” they both say in unison.

  “Uh, thank you,” I say.

  “How can we repay?” the one with the glasses asks.

  I am just looking at all the torn bodies slowly flaking away. The amount of blood in the room is making me want to gag. I’m covered in its cooling stickiness. I just want to wake up from this nightmare, but it is real.

  “There are humans in this house,” I say carefully, trying to get my thoughts straight. “Please save them and return them to their homes. One, Cara, she’s been deeply hurt by Charlie.”

  “We can erase Charlie and return her home safely,” the one without glasses says.

  “No, you will have to make Charlie out to be a horrible boyfriend that just left her. He’s done too much damage to just disappear,” I say.

  “Consider it done,” the two say in unison before they disappear to do as I’ve asked.

  Joseph turns to me, his eyes blazing. I can feel the blood lust inside of him. He is one who hungers for battle; it has been a long time since a worthy opponent has attacked him.

  “You wish her alive?” Joseph asks me.

  “No, I wish her dead, but we have to save Vincent first.”

  “He broke our laws,” Joseph says.

  “Because of me. The Sisters took my boyfriend. I went to save him. Vincent came to my rescue. If anything, I should be killed for it, not him.”

  “I find you interesting, and you managed to save us. I will allow you to save Vincent.”

  I nod my head, feeling as grateful as I possibly could that they are going to let him live. That means he has to be brought to full health. That means he is going to need a human, but I’ve decided I can’t sacrifice another person’s life. I’ve decided to give Vincent my blood.

  We all walk into the basement. Vincent is in a fury of bloodlust, pulling at the chains, howling, his eyes burning silver in that skeleton of a body that is mere flesh clinging to a form. I can’t sense any of him in there.

  “I still win,” Olivia says, laughing. “How are you going to save him?”

  “I’m going to let him drink from me,” I say.

  “You will die,” Olivia states.

  “Maybe.”

  “You would be better coming with us,” Ivanka says. “We can open you up to a world of power. We do not go about like Olivia does.”

  “Thank you,” I say, and I mean it. The offer is tempting, I can see how unlimited their magic is, but I want to stay human. With Vincent. There is a chance, though a slim chance, that maybe I can find him in there.

  “If he doesn’t drain me, let him drink the rest from his maker,” I instruct.

  “That is one way to bring him to true health, though her death will still wound him,” Joseph says.

  “But he will live,” I say.

  Joseph nods his head. Olivia starts screaming in a language I don’t know as I slowly begin walking towards Vincent. He sees me as prey; I don’t see a trace of him left inside his mind. I’m hoping I can find him somewhere in there before he drains me dry. I see Mika with the keys; she waits until I’m close enough to Vincent to unchain him. I take a deep breath and can’t let it out before his teeth are sinking into my neck and his claws begin to rip into my side. The pain overwhelms me before I reach up with shaky hands to clench the side of his head and dive into his mind.

  The pain is there as I feel myself freefall into what seems like oblivion. It is all blackness and suffering around me. I can feel the weeks of torture Vincent has suffered; the dreams were so real, and they come flooding back to me now. All the times he tried to reach out to me, to feel alive again, the despair at knowing he would die. The wish that it would just hurry up and happen. What is strongest in him right now is the need to live and feed. He has no idea it is me he is feeding on. I go deeper in through the pain, searching for any spark of him. I see it, down below, but I feel myself getting so weak, my pulse beating slower.

  “Vincent,” I call out. There is no response; the thing that is him sits staring up into the darkness.

  “Vincent,” I say again, my voice failing as I reach out a hand to him.

  He stares at me, and for a moment there is no recognition. Inside his mind he is full, healthy, he looks the way I know him to be.

  “Amy,” he breathes.

  “You have to come to the surface,” I say.

  “I don’t want to. Let the actual death take me over,” he says, pulling away from me.

  “You’re killing me, Vincent.” I can feel myself fading.

  “You’re not here,” he says.

  “I am; you’re feeding on me right now. I will die. And it won’t be you that is left,” I say.

  “You’re…I’m… what?” A fury mixed with fear shines in his bright eyes. He reaches a hand up to mine, but it goes through. I’m beginning to feel the pain again, but it is so distant. It didn’t work. I am going to die.

  Vincent suddenly let’s go of my body and jumps back. Everything is going black around me. I try to smile up at him, but there is a look of absolute horror on his face.

  “I think I love you,” I choke out before the blackness takes me over.

  Chapter 13

  I wake up in a soft cushioned bed. A simple bed. My bed. I hold a hand up to my face and see the blood has been washed away and I’m dressed in comfortable pajamas. Damon is sitting in a chair in the corner of my room. As soon as he sees me stir he jumps to my side.

  “You’re here,” he says, choking back tears.

  “I am,” I mutter, trying to fill in the blanks of how I got here.

  “Vincent
brought you to my door. You were covered in so much blood and the holes in your neck…I was sure you were gone to me,” he says.

  So, Vincent didn’t drain me dry. I wonder what blood they gave me to keep me alive, or if they even gave me blood. I can feel the puncture marks in my neck, but my sides where his claws dug in are healed. Not enough blood to save me entirely I guess. Does this mean I am now in debt to Joseph? That thought makes a headache begin to swirl in my head.

  “I’ll kill all of them,” Damon says as he kisses the top of my head.

  “They’re all dead,” I mutter. At least the ones who matter are dead.

  “What happened? You just disappeared after the text from Cara,” Damon says.

  “It’s a long story. I just really need some rest right now. And maybe some water and Ibuprofen.”

  Damon nods his head before getting up from the bed to go into the kitchen. I slowly sit up so I can drink the water and take the drugs, then snuggle back down into my bed. I feel the covers being lifted on the other side and Damon gently pulls me into his warm arms.

  “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you, Amy. I’ll never leave your side again. I’ll quit hunting. I’ll get a regular job. We can live happily together away from danger.” Damon places a kiss on my shoulder. I feel so safe in his arms. He’s offering me everything I want with him. A way out of a life filled with vampires – just him and me. Maybe we could even go out on dates like normal people do. It feels so right.

  Except I told a vampire I loved him. And I think I really meant it.

  The Vampire’s Infliction

  (Book 4 of Fatal Allure Series)

  Martha Woods

  © 2017 Martha Woods

  All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  * * *

  For permissions contact: bookpublisher@protonmail.com

  Chapter 1

  I did it to save him.

  I let Vincent drink from me so his life would be spared. I told him how I felt, that I thought I might be in love with him.

  Me, the cynic. The one who doesn’t believe that love is really possible has managed to love two men at the same time.

  I do love Damon. I do. And as I open my eyes to find him next to me, it takes all I have not to turn away. Damon and I haven’t really talked about what had happened that night. I guess that’s because I’m confused about my true intentions in going to Olivia’s.

  I’m also ashamed. I thought I was going to die when I closed my eyes and felt Vincent’s teeth pierce my skin. I was ready to die. For him. And I couldn’t go without him knowing. I’m also angry. No, not angry, disappointed. I’m disappointed because, after all of that, he delivered me to Damon and disappeared.

  A year ago, I was a happy dog-mom, hunting for clues in a serial murder case that had left the entire force flummoxed. I was content in my belief that science was the be-all, end-all for answering complicated questions, and that no relationship could ever last.

  I still believe in science. But now I know there is more. And I know that love can be messy and complicated. Whether it’s worth it remains to be seen, as I still believe that humans are simply not meant to be monogamous.

  Damon kisses my cheek and rises from the bed, wandering around to pull on the clothes he will wear to his very first job interview. It’s laughable, really. He told me once that he was in the security business. Of course, he wasn’t lying so much as stretching the truth. He’s a hunter. Or…was. Now he considers himself retired, willing to move into something more mainstream, thinking it will be safer for us both.

  Damon’s regret runs deep, as he truly believes he should have been there to stop me, change my course, and keep me safe. I’ve never been a fan of having men do things for me, and that includes protecting me.

  Someone else who tries very hard to protect me is my boss, Rick Gordon. A father figure in so many ways, he still has a force to manage. He still needs me to be levelheaded and rational–the Amy he knew before all this nonsense began in that alleyway the night I met Damon and was pulled into the world of vampires, witches, and werewolves.

  Los Angeles is a safer place because of Rick, and it kills me that I’m not pulling my weight in helping him keep it that way. I love my job. I find bits and pieces that no one else sees. With a mixture of science, patience, tenacity, and diligence, I help solve crimes. There is nothing more satisfying.

  Less satisfying is how intertwined I have become with a series of crimes in the city. So intertwined, in fact, that Rick believes the force may be better served if I’m not on it. This is heartbreaking for me, and I simply can’t tell him the truth because he’d never believe it, just as he didn’t believe me when I said I had nothing to do with James Roberts’ abrupt disappearance during a criminal investigation. James Roberts simply ghosted and Rick’s red flag went up.

  The truth is, James Roberts no longer exists. He’s a suspect on Rick’s list and he’s disappeared, and I’ve been questioned about it. But there is nothing for them to find, no evidence of the guy’s whereabouts. Vincent made sure of that after the piece of garbage tried to rape me.

  Ever since James’ disappearance, though, things had been a little strained between Rick and I. I know he trusts me, cares for me, but what makes him a great cop is his rational, decisive, methodical nature. Vampires and werewolves simply do not fall into those categories.

  How can I get back to normal after a year that has been everything but?

  A quickly constructed lie about my health saved my job, but I’m on thin ice. I need to get back into the swing of things, back to the work I know and love. This will be easier if I can just live here with my hunter boyfriend, who will soon have a normal job, and try to move past everything that has happened.

  I have questions, of course. If I didn’t always have questions, I wouldn’t be a very good forensic scientist, now would I? I mean, the scars on my body are nothing compared to the damage inflicted by an out-of-his-mind Vincent. That kind of healing had to come from some kind of…aid. Vampire blood, perhaps? How much? And what is the debt that comes with such a gift?

  Damon, looking uncomfortable but handsome in dress clothes, leans in to kiss me, breaking into my thoughts.

  “I’m off,” he says. “Wish me luck.”

  “You won’t need luck,” I say. “You look nice.”

  “Nice?” he asks. “Just nice?”

  “Ummm…professional? Hirable?” I ask.

  “I guess I’ll take that,” he says, grabbing his keys from the nightstand. He grins and his dimples make him look so boyish, not like the fierce hunter I know he was born to be. “Hopefully I’ll come back a gainfully-employed…What job am I applying for again?”

  I groan and throw a pillow at him. “Security officer,” I say.

  He shrugs and waves as he heads out. I cover my face with my arm, taking in a deep breath.

  So many questions, maybe too many to answer. And I’m not the wallowing type, so the best thing I can do is to get up and get back into a regular routine, put this as far behind me as possible. I need to get a grip and get back to my life, whatever is left of it.

  I was a fit person before. I ran every day with my dog, may she rest in peace. So, I’m going to run again. This is something very simple that I can do for myself, to establish some independence and confidence again. Damon has made it clear he’d rather I stay home, where he thinks I’ll be safer, but I can’t live the rest of my life in this apartment, hiding from the world.

  Though I work with the police and most of us are armed while at work, Damo
n and I both know that human weapons rarely work on the supernatural. Strength and stamina are critical to survival, as well as understanding the tools and weapons that do work against such creatures. So, I’ll work on the strength and stamina part. I dress in my running clothes and head out to the street, starting with a fast warmup walk. I’ll try to run a few miles today, see how it feels.

  I appreciate Damon’s protectiveness, of course. He’s been protective since the day we met, a feeling I enjoy, for the most part. It’s a conflicting feeling, really. I have never wanted or needed a man to save me. I’ve always wanted to be independent, do things for myself. But with Damon, from moment one, I just wanted to be in the protective circle of his very well-defined arms.

  He’s built to protect people–all people–from the threat of the supernatural, and so it’s only natural that he’s nearly rabid in his attempts to keep those he loves safe.

  What bugs me, though, is that he and Rick have formed some kind of alliance designed to keep me in a bubble. As if they think I can’t handle myself or make my own decisions. They confer on many things, from when I should be able to work, to when I can leave the house. I have literally been on my own since I came of legal age and I’m not quite ready to have two men deciding what, where and how I live my life.

  As I pick up my pace to a run, it feels good to stretch my legs, push my body a bit more than I’ve been able to in the past few days. I’m vigilant about my surroundings–always have been, working on the force–but more so now that I know what lurks beneath the surface.

  Even in me.

  I run a familiar path, feeling good and strong, almost as if I have some supernatural help coursing through my veins. The thought makes me frown, but I don’t turn back. I run three miles out and then turn for home, stopping short, though, when a familiar-looking, muscular man walks down a nearby alleyway.