by C. M. Steele
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
All Hallows’ Eve
C.M. Steele
COPYRIGHTED © 2017
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
COPYRIGHTED © 2017
C.M. Steele
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written expressed permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.
Cover design: C.M. Steele
Cover Image: Deposit Photos
The use of actors, artists, movies, TV shows, and song titles/lyrics throughout this book are done so for storytelling purposes and should in no way be seen as advertisement. Trademark names are used in an editorial fashion with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and please purchase your own copy.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior express, written consent of the author.
This book is intended for mature adults only. Contains sexual content and language that may offend some. Suggested reading audience is 18 years or older. I consider this book as Adult Erotic Romance.
Chapter 1
Dietrich
The sun set, revealing the night and welcoming me into its fold. My world had always revolved around the darkness. It was how I was born and how I lived. I’d never known the sunlight and I might never know, but I’d grown accustomed to it. I was born after families of vampires were forced into darkness by a dark wizard hell-bent on destroying vampires.
It didn’t bother me like it bothered others because I’d never known another way. My life was dark and I kept it that way, but tonight I was going to a large masquerade ball given by the local wealthy human eager to become even wealthier. Most of us vampires were beyond wealthy because we had lived longer than all of them and had a special gift. Hearing the thoughts of humans made a difference when it came to smooth talking them into buying into our business offers.
I joined the family business in real estate. Vampires happened to own real estate because we’d been around for centuries. We had property in the Northwest Territories and throughout the southwest USA. I had received an invitation to this ball and nearly refused, but word had gone around through our vampire acquaintances that the daughter of the hosts couldn’t be heard. When a human female’s thoughts couldn’t be heard, she belonged to a vampire. After a hundred years, I was about ready to go through every damn state every night hunting for my mate.
The ball tonight would be filled with vampires from all around the US, looking to see if she was a mate. The problem was, we all didn’t get along. Just like humans, we had jealousy, competition, and hatred for others, especially those of us forced into the night and those who haven’t mated yet.
I hated several of them coming, but we were all in the same boat. Several of the vampires coming had waited much longer than me. Both of my friends Falcon and Draco were the oldest of the vampires who had to wait. They were nearly four hundred years old. They were located near Seattle, but they were willing to make it across the country to the east coast and the suburbs of Portland, Maine to see if the one was here. I couldn’t even be jealous if this woman was the one for one of them, but I hoped to fuck she was mine.
I opened my windows and took in the air before getting ready. I loved the night. I didn’t have a sight problem, so everything seemed clear to me like it would for someone in the daytime without the sun’s reflection to blind the vision. I’d watched the news and movies, and many people had to wear sunglasses in the daylight so that they could actually see. I had no urge to see the sunlight, but that was what scared me. What if my mate loved the light, and I would steal it from her? Could she live in darkness?
I shook off the thought. This girl probably wasn’t my mate either. After all, there were others coming tonight to see if she belonged to them. All we knew was that she was barely eighteen, isolated from the outside world and, more specifically, boys. Like many parents they didn’t want her having underage sex, but according to the one vampire who had met the family, it was more than that. They viewed her as eye candy for their guests. As if she was a trophy of beauty and brains that they could say they made. It was kind of sick; actually, it was completely sick. I wanted to help her out even if her mate wasn’t one of us. Maybe I’d take her anyway and give her a job and a place to stay. The poor girl apparently was smart and beautiful, but had no chance at a life outside her gilded cage. I was forced into the darkness, but I still had a life. A great one.
I turned to my favorite mirror. Yes, contrary to popular lore, we can look at our image. In fact, we happen to be very vain. It wasn’t my vanity, but rather the reason behind this mirror. It had a history rich in love. Only two were made for a Count and his bride. I wonder if the bride’s mirror was still in existence. I hadn’t been able to locate it. I hoped that it was in someone’s attic and that they would put it up for auction because it would be mine.
My suit was perfectly dark blue with a black dress shirt. My brown hair was a little longer on the top and shorter on the sides. It was perfect, and I had a matching mask my mother picked out. She couldn’t help herself. A century later, and I was still being treated as a loved child.
I shook my head at that, but I tucked the mask in my pocket because I wasn’t slipping it on until we pulled up to the valet. One more taut tug on my cuffs, then I lowered the windows and my steel blinds to protect me from the morning sun. Grabbing my invite, I headed out to my waiting truck.
“Good evening, sir. You look well rested and a bit nervous, I’d say.”
“Can you tell? It’s strange, but I feel nervous.” Cody was one of my employees. He didn’t know I was a vampire, but believed that I had a skin condition that made the sunlight harmful to my skin. It sure as hell was, but many humans suffered skin diseases all the time, thus giving many of us a great opportunity to be hiding the reason for our lack of sun.
“Yes. You’re actually sweating, and it’s in the low fifties.”
“Thanks for the reminder,” I sarcastically bit out. He was lucky I liked the kid.
“I’m just worried that you might need a doctor. I’
ve never seen you look like this.”
“I’m fine. Trust me.” I wasn’t unhealthy at all, but they didn’t know that. I was feeling different the second I walked out the door. Perhaps it was the bit of hope that this woman could be the one or because I was ready to snap her father’s neck for making a future vampire suffer. She belonged to one of us unmated vampires, and that meant she was already one of us. His actions merited some suffering at the very least Perhaps his pocketbook might be the perfect way.
It took about an hour to get there on the highway. I wish I had teleportation abilities. I couldn’t really fly outside because people would fucking notice. With the world of cameras everywhere, I haven’t flown without sitting on a plane or helicopter in a long time.
My phone rang as we pulled off on the exit to a long road. It was my mother. “Hello, Mother,” I said, wondering if she was just as anxious about the possibility of a mate for me.
“Dietrich, be careful tonight. I have a bad feeling.” My eyes widened and my mouth parted slightly, but I was quick to mask my concern before my driver noticed.
“Mother, what do you mean?” She’d never said anything like that to me before. It was surprising, very surprising. She wasn’t gifted with visions of the future. I’d only heard of one who had that ability and she perished during the great war, Lady Lombardi, Falcon’s mother.
“I don’t know exactly, but I feel like this is a setup,” she answered in a hushed whisper. I wondered where she was that she had to speak softly.
“Mother, who would do such a thing? I mean, I’ve got enemies, but nothing that harsh.”
“I don’t know, Dietrich, but I feel that way.”
“Okay, well, I’ll be on the lookout.”
Chapter 2
Evelyn
I stood in front of my large, Victorian-style mirror. It was my favorite piece of furniture. My mother hated it because it was the only piece that wasn’t stark white in the room. It was a gift from my grandmother before she passed away, and that was the only reason she let me keep it. When I stared at my reflection, I could feel the history behind this one object. It was as if it held some magical hold over me.
Tonight, I had on a gown that would have once graced this mirror. I spun in circles at the rush I got from wearing it. My deep, dark blue corset pushed my already ample breasts up to my throat, and the flair of the gown made me feel like a countess. I’d rather be called a countess because I was never a princess kind of girl. Maybe it was the never-ending pink dresses that my mother forced me to wear, but I loved the richness of darker colors. Luckily for me, the mix-up on the order left my mother no time to object to this gown.
I pressed my hand to the embellished bodice laced with black vines and roses. I felt wicked, something I clearly had never been. For once, my red hair didn’t clash with my gown. My pale skin had a glow about it, and my green eyes were bright with hope that tonight would be different.
The sudden delicate knock at my door shattered those thoughts. No one else knocked like they were such a lady. My mother did all she could to hide that she once was part of the slums, living in poverty and never having anything nice. I walked to unlock it just as I heard the key. My blood started to boil, knowing that I wasn’t allowed to have an ounce of privacy. There were times when she walked in on me while I was in the shower because I didn’t answer her knock. I needed to find a job—if I managed to get out of her clutches long enough.
“This deal is very important. It needs to run smoothly. Are you listening to me, Evelyn?” my mother asked. Her body was tense and her voice screechy. I knew it was important. How could I forget? She told me every day for the past month how “Important” this event was.
“Evelyn, don’t forget about the masquerade ball and dinner. It’s important.”
“We have to go to the salon before the ball. I need you to look stunning. The ball is important.”
“You can’t hide in the library. This ball is important.”
My father is a real estate developer with ambitions to be the best. He was always looking for ways to make it into the big leagues, rubbing elbows with the rich and well-known. I didn’t mind it much until some of the creeps looked as if I would be a bonus on a deal. “Yes, Mother. I think you made it clear as crystal,” I muttered, staring at myself in the mirror.
“Well, then why aren’t you ready?”
“Because, Mother, we have another hour. It’s not going to take me that long to put on my heels.” I mentally rolled my eyes because I didn’t want a lecture about respect. I just turned eighteen and had no work experience. I’ve wanted to leave the house, but I had no way out. My parents didn’t give me money for anything. Even my school lunches had been prepared by our chefs, and my clothes had been custom ordered so I never stepped foot in a mall. The few girls I had at my prep school have now gone off to college, and my parents managed to create a useless piece of eye candy out of me.
“I’m sorry, but this guy is the real deal. He owns over a dozen properties in the Pacific Northwest and in Vancouver. Your dad wants a few pieces of the property there.” I totally understood that, but my presence wasn’t necessary for it. I hated sitting with these old men with their hands that managed to be overly friendly. Tonight would be different because it was a masquerade ball with hundreds in attendance.
“I’ll be ready. You know that. Stop panicking or you’re going to have a heart attack.”
“I’m going to go check on dinner,” she told me, like I really cared.
“Okay,” I answered indifferently. We had a staff that cooked and cleaned for us. There wasn’t anything she needed to do, but if it got her out of my room, that would be wonderful. I felt as if I was suffocating. Running away looked more and more like an option. I walked over to my desk and sat there wondering why I bothered to get straight “As.” Then I remembered. It looked better for my parents to present a daughter who was smart and beautiful.
I closed my eyes and tried to picture myself falling into the arms of a man who would know me inside and out and would love that woman. Woman? Who was I kidding? I’d never been kissed or even out on a date. My parents wanted bigger and better things for me, and that meant only the best of the best. Until that time, I was their ace in the hole. One day I hoped to find a non-creepy guy to sweep me off my feet, but until then, I had to find a way out of my lavish prison.
Chapter 3
Dietrich
I walked up the steps and handed the man at the door my invitation. “Welcome, Mr. Van Helsing.”
“Thank you,” I said with a slight nod, slipping on the mask over my face. I entered the large home. The place was swamped with guests. I could hear so many voices that I shut them out. As much as I wanted to find the woman that was a possible mate for one of us, I needed to meet my hosts. My mother’s words were still in my head, so I felt like my heart was in my throat.
Everyone in the room had masks on their faces, some more embellished than others, some covering just the eyes, and others covering most of their faces. The costumes were dated to the late 18th to early 19th century. One of the many servers walked up to me. “Sir, may I get you a drink?”
“A vodka, please.”
“Bring us one, will you?” Draco Rossi said, walking up alongside of me with his partner in crime, Falcon Lombardi. The woman blushed, then turned away.
“So, gentlemen, I see you made it and you’re not acting like raving lunatics. So either you’ve met her and she’s not your mate, or you haven’t gotten a chance yet.”
“We have. Unfortunately, more time passes us by,” Falcon muttered. The feeling of defeat washed over his enormous frame.
“I’m sorry, Falcon.”
“Don’t worry about us; you’re not getting any younger either,” Falcon added, picking up his loneliness and tucking it away. He came from a royal line of vampires. He and his brother were all that remained.
“How’s the company?” I asked. They owned a genetics research lab in Washington which held a privat
e lab searching for a cure. A cure to my life in darkness and all the others as well. It was great that they did that since neither of them were forced into the darkness. They walked in the sun with no problem. I never resented it because they were good vampires and had been through much more than I could have known.
“It’s been the same. We’re still working on the same problems.” The server came back and set our drinks down, and Falcon handed her a hundred tip. Holy shit, this will get me through the month with more than ramen noodles. She thanked him and walked away with a little more pep in her step.
“She had been thinking about the appetizers. She’s on a fixed college budget.”
“I’ll make sure to tip her next.” We may drink blood and live forever, but we understood the human plight. They were forced to make the most out of their short lives, working hard or suffering, in poverty. I took a drink, grateful that I was who I was, even if I never saw the light of day.
Draco nudged me. Immediately their thoughts penetrated my brain. “Hey, here comes the hosts.”
Wow, damn. The three of them need to be on some cover or in my bed.
I wonder who she’s going to try and convince to visit the pool house. Fucking whore. At least she’s not trying to pawn Evelyn off on them. One of them might actually take her away. Then where would our dinner parties get their eye candy at?
I have to keep Evelyn away from them. A room full of younger hot men. Surely, they’ll all want her.
I felt the innate need to smash their heads in. I don’t know why. She was just another human I didn’t know. Hell, her parents weren’t actually trying to sell her off, even though they used her to make their meals better. It was more like she was a part of the décor.
“Mr. Van Helsing, it’s such a pleasure to finally meet you,” Mr. Hill greeted me with his hand out. I took it for civility purposes, but that was about it. I made sure he knew my strength when I squeezed it. He nearly doubled over, bending his elbow before I let it go. My hand and my body never implied that it was intentional.