A Dark Passion

by Natalie Hancock

  He shot her an apologetic glance. He couldn’t allow his guards to see that a woman had bested him, let alone the scene that would have played out had he stayed on the floor.

  “Master Tyroz.” His guards bowed. “Lord Theraux has arrived. He is waiting in the entrance for you.”

  “Thank you. I will be there shortly.” Tyroz quickly grabbed a towel to wipe himself down with before pulling on his top. He glanced at Alara as she brushed herself down. “I take it you will follow me even if I told you to stay put?”

  Alara raised her eyebrows in response.

  “Stubborn woman. Very well, but keep your mouth shut or you will be punished.”

  She smiled widely. “Sounds kinky.”

  He grunted and walked away, resisting the urge to tell her all the things he’d love to do with her.

  Chapter Three

  Alara followed Tyroz out of the hall and kept quiet. As much as she’d love to annoy him more than he was already, she knew how powerful Lord Theraux was. They walked through the halls of the manor, filled with portraits, plush carpets and warm coloured walls. Past open doors filled with expensive furniture, to where Lord Theraux stood, with his daughter next to him.

  Tyroz stopped. “Lord Theraux.” Tyroz bowed respectfully to the old and scary vampire and then turned to his daughter.

  Alara saw his jaw jump as he clenched his teeth together and bowed his head.

  “Layla.”

  What the hell is that about? Alara looked at the beautiful woman who looked so much like her mother, yet stood like the strong vampire at her side. What did Tyroz have against her?

  “I am part human and Tyroz has a thing against dhampirs, no matter who they are.” Layla looked at her and then glanced at Tyroz, smiling. “Yet the fact that he has bedded one is incredibly interesting.”

  Alara stiffened the same time Tyroz did. How did she know what I was? She took a closer look at Layla, but saw no difference in her. She wouldn’t have known she was a dhampir before she told her, so how had she known?

  Alara saw Tyroz glare at her and felt fear course through her with the murder he held in his eyes. She’d never told him what she was, never saw reason because he didn’t asked, too busy wanting her body rather than her life-story.

  She knew he despised dhampirs with a passion and only now did it occur to her that she was in deep shit because of what she was.

  Lord Theraux sighed softly. “Daughter, must you always cause trouble when we have a serious matter to talk about?”

  Layla grinned. “Payback for how he treated me for all those years.”

  “Aren’t you being a little childish?” Alara asked, putting her hands on her hips, and close to the hilt of her dagger.

  “Why stick up for him when you tried to kill him not long ago?”

  Alara’s eyebrows rose. How had she known that? “I’m an assassin and had a job. I don’t ask questions as long as I’m paid.”

  “Not a very good one it seems. Tyroz is still breathing.”

  Angry, Alara threw a dagger towards Layla before any of the others could react. She believed it would hit her target, until Layla smiled and the air around her shimmered. A tall, handsome, dark haired man appeared out of nowhere and plucked the knife out of the air before it could hit her.

  Alara twisted and side-flipped away from Lord Theraux’s attack, but couldn’t avoid Layla’s as dark tendrils shot out from her body and grabbed her around the leg, causing her to fall hard.

  “She’s fast,” the new male said, turning her dagger in his hands.

  “Not fast enough. Her dagger wouldn’t have hit me, Shade. I didn’t need your help.”

  The handsome man—Shade—rolled his eyes and pulled her close. “Always moaning.”

  “Only for you,” she replied seductively.

  Lord Theraux and Tyroz cleared their throats before Tyroz spoke. “I apologise on her behalf. She’s yet to come to terms with my rules.”

  “Leave her,” Layla interrupted before Lord Theraux could speak. She held out her hand when the darkness holding Alara to the floor slithered away. “She was defending herself—something all of us would have done, no matter what the company.”

  Alara glanced at everyone before grudgingly accepting her hand.

  “Teach him how to respect others, Alara, before he gets himself killed,” Layla whispered before letting her go and looking at Tyroz. “We will come back to talk when things have calmed down here.” Taking hold of Shade’s hand, Layla smiled at Alara before disappearing in a blinding light, while Shade disappeared in darkness.

  Lord Theraux glared at her, but Tyroz blocked his line of sight when he stepped in front of her and bowed his head. “Once again, I am sorry. I will make sure this does not happen again.”

  Lord Theraux didn’t speak and a second later, Tyroz relaxed slightly.

  He turned to face her, the murder back in his stare. “You have some explaining to do.”

  Shit.

  Chapter Four

  Alara stuttered at his words, but didn’t explain anything. Alara. He should have known. The name was human.

  “Alara,” he warned. He could barely contain his anger as it was. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a…dhampir?” he spoke the word with disgust.

  She crossed her arms and glared at him. “You didn’t ask, and you didn’t seem to care while you were banging my brains out!”

  Tyroz felt her anger and hurt as she spun on her heels and stormed off. He sighed and scrubbed a hand across his face. “Alara!” He ran after her, catching her as she reached her room. He turned her and held her in place when he felt her stiffen, ready for a fight. “I am sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you with my words. I just don’t have good experience when it comes to dhampirs.” He inhaled deeply, knowing his words were going to hurt him as well as her. “I cannot be in a relationship with a dhampir, nor can I allow you to drink the blood of my people.” He’d learned from his past mistakes. He won’t let it happen again.

  “We weren’t in a relationship in the first place.”

  Tyroz heard the hurt within her words, but she spoke as he opened his mouth.

  “As for drinking blood—there are only a handful of dhampirs in the World, why set up such a meaningless law?”

  “You have met Layla—she was captured by the humans, herself and her twin. Both were tortured, but only Layla survived. After that, Guardian Nikalye gave up his post as my guard to look after her. She couldn’t be saved and went into bloodlust—she attacked my people and killed them before she could be stopped. Since then, I set up a law forbidding dhampirs from drinking blood.”

  “You make it seem like it was her fault she went into bloodlust.”

  “Everyone has the willpower to resist bloodlust. I have lived for hundreds of years and have resisted the lure many times. She gave into that darkness and brought her own fate upon herself.”

  “I suppose I can understand that. As I am in your debt, I will abide by your law and refrain myself from drinking blood.”

  “Thank you, Alara. My people’s safety comes first.”

  Alara nodded and met his eyes. “If you will excuse me, it has been a very long day.”

  Tyroz frowned. She didn’t sound at all like herself. “Of course.” He watched her walk into her room. She spoke just before she closed the door.

  “Goodnight, Master Tyroz.”

  His heart slammed into his chest. He felt like the heartless vampire most people called him.

  Chapter Five

  Alara poked her head out of her door when she heard Tyroz walk away, muttering to himself. She sighed heavily, knowing he didn’t mean to hurt her, but it didn’t excuse the fact that he did. Where has the carefree vampire I first met gone? She remembered him all those years ago. Remembered him not having a care in the World, despite the chaos the humans caused at the time. He protected his people and still had fun.

  You’ve changed also.

  Alara couldn’t deny that, and for the most part, she bla
med Tyroz for that. If he hadn’t left her so soon after having sex, and taken her heart with him, she wouldn’t have wanted to seek revenge and wouldn’t have signed a contract to become an assassin for Jahlmari. She wouldn’t have been hunting him for all those years, waiting for him to come out of hiding so she could kill him.

  Alara closed her door after she stepped out of her room, angry over the thought of what ifs. What if she hadn’t taken that contract? What if she killed him when she had the chance.

  What if she hadn’t fallen in love with him when he’d charmed his way into her underwear?

  You should have kept your legs closed.

  “Idiot,” she scolded herself. Whether she resisted him at the time or not wouldn’t have changed anything between Tyroz and herself—she’d felt the slight connection they shared when she’d first met him. It was what drew them together in the first place. And it was the reason she hadn’t been able to kill him when she’d had the chance.

  Grunts and yells drew Alara’s attention to the sounds, and brought her out of her own thoughts. She glanced around quickly before following the noise to the training room she’d been in not long ago.

  Tyroz’s vampires were obviously training hard. The sweat covering their body spoke volumes, along with the scent they gave off.

  When she neared, they noticed her and stopped fighting.

  Alara kept still when they neared and circled her. One stepped close and inhaled deeply.

  “A dhampir? What is a creature like yourself doing in Master Tyroz’s mansion?”

  Alara cocked her head to the side and assessed the vampire—tall, muscular and built to tear limbs apart with his bare hands.

  She would enjoy fighting him.

  “How do you know?”

  “You have a human scent all over you.”

  “So has Master Tyroz gone soft?” another spoke.

  Alara snorted and pushed through the group of males. “I’m in his debt. He isn’t going to pass up on that now, is he?”

  The males laughed. Big Boy spoke while shaking his head, “Very true.”

  Alara smiled when she turned to the others. “How about you show me what kind of men you are?”

  “Babe, we’d only hurt you,” Big Man replied.

  She laughed and set her feet apart. “Honey, I like it rough.”

  The men glanced at each other and advanced, moving with such speed, Alara couldn’t see them and wouldn’t have known where they were going to attack.

  If she hadn’t been a trained assassin.

  She smiled and stepped to the side, avoiding one of the vampires. She grabbed his arm and pulled him around, bringing her knee up at the same time.

  When he grunted, she spun, keeping her hold on the other vampire and lifted her leg up, kicking another vampire in the face and then flipped over the vampire she had hold of. She pulled on his arm hard, spinning him off balance and used her leg to slam him into the floor.

  She ducked and stuck her leg out before reaching behind her and pulling him over her head, and punching him hard.

  She back flipped, kicking the vampire on the floor and the one behind her. She jumped up, wrapped her legs around the vampire’s neck, bent back to grab another vampire and spun to the side, knocking both men over.

  She landed on her feet but stayed at a crouch, balancing herself with the tips of her fingers. Three vampires remained unharmed, including Big Guy, while the others lay on the floor, groaning.

  Smiling, she stood and took a step back.

  “She’s quick on her feet,” Big Guy said.

  “But not quick enough,” the vampire who spoke ran at her. Alara jumped back and lifted her leg up. He blocked her move with his arm and grabbed her leg, pulling her close. He head butted her and slammed her into the floor.

  Alara flipped herself to her feet and back flipped away.

  “Scared?” the vampire asked, advancing.

  Alara wiped away the blood dripping down her chin. “No, just being cautious.” She kicked him in the groin and head butted him hard. “And returning the favour.” Rule one of assassins: when the need called for it, fight dirty.

  She jumped up as he staggered back and kicked him in the face before tackling him to the ground.

  “Get off me, Dhampir!” Blood sprayed from his mouth, drops of it landing on her face.

  Alara unconsciously licked her lips at the tantalising scent of his blood, when her taste buds came alive at the taste.

  Using her distraction to his advantage, the vampire kicked her off him and away.

  She landed on the floor before rolling onto her feet. She stood and backed away, when Big Guy stepped forward.

  “Are you in control?” His tone told Alara that he’d dealt with dhampirs in the past.

  She ran her finger through the vampire’s blood on her face and put it into her mouth. The blood made her heart race and her stomach grumble.

  She walked forward while she sucked the blood from her finger. Big Guy stepped in her way, protecting the bleeding vampire.

  Didn’t he know how dangerous dhampirs were when they were hungry?

  She grabbed his arm, twisted it around, elbowed him in the face and kicked him to his knees before releasing her hidden blade, and swinging her arm around to the vampire sneaking up on her. With the big vampire unable to get away from her, she turned her attention to the vampire behind her. Her blade was inches away from his eye.

  “Has no one told you that it’s impossible to sneak up on an assassin?”

  “Assassin?” Big Guy asked.

  Alara smiled. “Didn’t you know? I’d have thought Master Tyroz would have warned his guards about the woman who tried to kill him. I guess that’s his mistake.”

  “Alara, let my men go!” Tyroz’s voice boomed across the room.

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that. He spilt blood first and his mother obviously didn’t teach him not to talk with his mouth full of blood.”

  “Ziahzu?”

  “She speaks the truth, Master. His blood sprayed onto her face. She is holding on.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She tasted blood after what I imagine is for a long time, according to the assassins rules.”

  “Assassins rules?” Tyroz asked.

  “Assassin rules are clear. If a dhampir should sign the binding contract, they are not allowed to drink the blood of any creature, only the one she is to assassinate. She has been looking for you after the episode at the club all those years ago and has not drunk blood in that time.”

  “How is it you know that?” Alara asked.

  “Because I was there the night you both met, and I broke the rules when I didn’t assassinate the dhampir I was contracted to kill. Not long after that, the dhampir herself showed up and signed a contract.”

  “You were an assassin?” Tyroz asked.

  “Yes, and it is only because of my size, strength and skill that I have been able to avoid death since. I agreed to protect you, Master Tyroz because no one could touch me, and I could protect you from the death I saw coming.” Big Guy eyed Alara. “She has gone into bloodlust, yet has not made one attempt to kill and drink from any of us.”

  “How is that possible?” the bleeding vampire asked.

  Alara met Tyroz’s eyes. “Vengeance.”

  “And self control. It takes someone strong to push back that kind of hunger.”

  “All because I left?” Tyroz asked.

  “You ruined my life when you left—took a part of me with you once you’d had your fun with me!”

  “Alara, I never meant for you to believe that night meant anything more than one night of passion.”

  Alara pulled back her blade and let go of the vampires. She strode up to Tyroz, when Big Guy held her in place. She didn’t fight him off but didn’t take her eyes of Tyroz.

  She’d come to realise it now, why she felt so strongly attracted to him. Why he filled her dreams, stirred passion from deep with.

  “When you have the bond,
Antask, nothing is just one night of passion.”

  She pulled her arm from the vampire’s grasp and strode from the room.

  Tyroz knew about the bond, she knew, but he was fighting his feelings for her, all because she was a dhampir.

  “Alara! Wait!”

  She didn’t and she ignored Tyroz as she walked through his mansion. When she slammed open the large doors that led outside, she broke into a run, tears streaming down her face, she crossed the gates before stopping deep in the shadows. She couldn’t breathe and could hardly see through the tears as she watched Tyroz walk to his gates and stop.

  Come on. Come and find me. Prove that you care.

  He didn’t. He glanced around and shook his head. He turned and walked away.

  Alara opened her mouth to call out to him, when a hand covered her open mouth and she instantly grew sleepy. She dropped to her knees and swayed.

  A sharp prick in her neck made everything go dark and all feelings in her body, and all thoughts of Tyroz disappeared.

  Chapter Six

  “Tyroz?” Nikalye was in front of him as he walked into the house. Tyroz tried to walk past him but Nikalye held him where he was.

  “Tyroz. Something is wrong,” Doxiak told him.

  Tyroz instantly felt calm with the vampire’s words, and looked at him without a word.

  “Tyroz, Alara is involved in what has gone wrong.” Nikalye murmured quietly and urgently. Nikalye turned to one of the vampires standing close by. “Tell him your name and what your power is.”

  “My… my name is Xiathor. My power is to feel the life force of someone—I can sense emotions from this if the beating of the heart changes.”

  “Why are you telling me this, what has this got to do with Alara?” Tyroz asked. The room grew colder.

  “Tyroz, calm yourself,” Nikalye said, putting his hand on his shoulder.