The Supplicant

by Michelle Marquis

  "I think I'm more worried about them than you."

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  56

  The Supplicant

  by Michelle Marquis

  Chapter Twelve

  The showdown house, as Sin liked to call it, was another beach house but not nearly as elegant as the one Krysis lived in. As she followed the Master Vampire in, her instincts immediately came to life warning her that she was being watched from the shadows. Then, the other two vampires emerged, a black man and a Hispanic woman. Each was attractive in his or her own way.

  "So you're Krysis's new plaything," the woman said with a sneer. "We were wondering how long it would be until he finally brought you to meet us."

  Sin rolled her shoulders and took in each of her rivals.

  "Let's cut through the crap, okay? Krysis filled me in on the gig. You all want to kill me, and I plan to keep on living. So if both of you think you're tough enough to take me out, I'm waiting."

  A ripple of nervous fear filled Sin, and she turned to see the black vamp trying to jump her from behind. With a speed and agility she didn't know she had, Sin sidestepped his attack and slammed her fist into the side of his head. He snarled and tried to grab her, but she used his momentum against him and threw him to the ground, where he landed on his back.

  Next, the female vamp tried her luck, followed closely by the male. They circled around her looking for a weakness. But Sin wasn't planning to wait around for them to find one. She lunged at the female, grabbed the woman's arm, and swung 57

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  her around into her male companion. The female vamp screamed out her rage and tried to claw Sin's eyes out, but Sin flung her against the wall. Another ten minutes of fighting ensued, but no matter what the vamps tried, Sin managed to keep her attackers at bay until finally Krysis stepped in.

  "This fighting is pointless," he said, stepping in between Sin and the other two. "She's proven herself enough for me.

  Let her be."

  The vamps seemed to relax their posture. The black male extended his hand to shake. "You're certainly more aggressive than any of the other women Krysis has brought to us. Welcome. I'm Blackjack."

  Sin hesitated. Was this a trick? Well, she'd have to extend the olive branch sooner or later. She held her hand out and shook his. The woman moved in closer, and Sin eyed her cautiously. "Is this over?" Sin asked the female.

  The woman shrugged. "For now."

  That wasn't the right answer for Sin. She didn't want to have to run around watching her back all the time. Without warning, she grabbed the woman and put her in a headlock.

  Krysis and Blackjack laughed but made no move to help the lady vamp.

  "If you want to take this further, I'll just snap your neck right here," Sin warned, surprised that she actually meant it.

  The woman held out her hands as best she could bent over as she was. "Okay, okay," she said angrily. "I'm done. You win. I'm Kat."

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  Sin let her go and held a hand out for a truce handshake.

  Kat rubbed her neck and glared at Sin. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

  "I grew up in Detroit," Sin said smugly. "We come out of the womb fighting."

  Kat laughed and extended her hand. The two women shook. "I think I'm starting to like you, lady cop."

  "So I'm in?" Sin asked, glancing over at Krysis and Blackjack.

  Krysis came over and gave her a steamy kiss. "You made your point. You're in."

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  59

  The Supplicant

  by Michelle Marquis

  Chapter Thirteen

  Paul came into the caretaker's shed where Henry was attaching some clean bones to a full skeleton. "He failed," he announced.

  Ignoring Paul, Henry stepped back from his masterpiece.

  He made a few adjustments and then hung the skeleton up on a hook. It dangled well. Finally he said, "Who failed?"

  Paul sighed. "The boyfriend you sent to kill the vampire cop. He got chased out of there like a naughty schoolboy."

  "That's a shame," Henry said. "I had such high hopes for him."

  "What do we do now?" Paul asked.

  Henry grabbed a soiled rag and wiped his hands clean. "I'll have to go and have another talk with him. I think I can convince him to go back out there and finish the job."

  Paul stared at the skeleton and chewed his bottom lip. "I fear he may be too incompetent. If he shows his face back over there, those vamps are likely to kill first and ask questions later."

  Henry smiled, running his tongue along his long, jagged teeth. "Better him than one of us." He crossed the room and took a seat in a torn leather chair. "We must get rid of that cop. She's dangerous to us."

  "Why is she any more dangerous than the other vamps?"

  "Because she has investigative skills. It won't take her long on a computer to ferret out where we've been hiding and the vehicles we've been driving. She has resources and knows 60

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  how to use them. We have to kill her before she gets on our tail."

  "But this boyfriend of hers is a complete idiot! I'm not convinced he could do the deed even with a map."

  "Don't fret so much, Paul," Henry said. "I'll go and talk to him. He trusts me. I'll just put a little more panic in him this time. It'll be all right. You'll see."

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  The Supplicant

  by Michelle Marquis

  Chapter Fourteen

  Krysis came into the bedroom after the hunt to find Sin sitting in bed reading up on ghouls. The book was an old one, written by an ancient vampire Krysis had known and given to Krysis to help him hunt the ghouls and kill them. He was surprised Sin had been interested in something so violent.

  "A little light reading before bed?" he joked.

  Sin dog-eared a page and closed the book. "This is fascinating stuff." She placed it on the table next to her bed and ran a hand gently over the ornate cover. "Have the vampires ever gotten close to wiping out all the ghouls?"

  "No," Krysis said. "There are outlaws among us that don't give much thought to who they create. When the hunger is on them, they feed. Simple as that. They don't give a shit about their victims and couldn't care less if the victim stays human."

  "Is it hard to make sure a victim remains human after a vampire bite?"

  "Not if you're careful not to drain too much from them."

  Sin nodded thoughtfully. "So my guess is you may never kill off all the ghouls. There'll always be vampires who are careless when they feed."

  "True, but we have to keep their numbers down for obvious reasons. They are treacherous and wicked. I mean, who else but a ghoul would stoop to convincing your ex-boyfriend to kill you?"

  "You think the ghouls did that?"

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  "I know they did. How else would he have known you were a vampire and where you were staying?"

  Sin nodded. "You're right. I didn't think of that. I guess I never really gave much thought to how Dennis found me. So much has been happening so fast that I'm still reeling and trying to get my head straight."

  Krysis came to her grinning. He kissed her cheek and lifted his shirt off, inviting her to touch his flesh. Sin's eyes shone with supernatural hunger, and he knew she could smell the new blood in him. Opening his arms to her in welcome, he said, "Come and let me feed you."

  Sin placed her hands on his belly and slid them up to bare chest. Her lips touched first his right nipple, then his left, and trailed up to his throat and the pulsing artery there. Then a not too gentle pinch and she was inside him. Krysis ran his fingers through her short, dark hair and inhaled her warm, fresh scent. He could feel the delicate agony of her drawing his stolen blood,
and when the agony of his loss became too great, he pushed her away. Sin didn't fight him this time. She just stepped back and licked a crimson smudge off her lower lip.

  "When will I be able to hunt for myself?" she asked.

  Krysis eased out of his pants and let them fall in a heap on the floor. His erection was thick and strong, eager to be inside her dark, wet center. "Soon," he replied, picking her up and carrying her to the bed. He climbed up over her and kissed her lush, full lips.

  "It's frustrating for me to be dependent on you all the time," she complained.

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  "It won't be for much longer," he reassured her.

  " When? I want to know when you're going to teach me to hunt for myself."

  Krysis glanced out at the red hue emerging over the sea's horizon. Morning was coming. He got up and pulled the heavy drapes closed. "Tonight," he promised, returning to the bed.

  "I'll begin teaching you tonight."

  "And when will you take me with you to hunt the ghouls?"

  Krysis laughed. "As soon as you're strong and knowledgeable enough to hunt by yourself. I'm not taking any chances with you, my beloved. I've waited a long time to find a woman like you, and I want to make sure you're trained right. That's the only way I can be sure you're truly safe."

  Sin touched his face and smiled. "Okay," she whispered, pulling his arms around her.

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  64

  The Supplicant

  by Michelle Marquis

  Chapter Fifteen

  According to Krysis, the best places to hunt were the nightclubs and back alleys of the red-light district. Sin should have guessed as much. She'd patrolled them often enough when she was alive. Alive. Even after a week, the word seemed surreal and distant. Death was something that happened to other people, not her. But not anymore. She wondered if she was happy about being immortal and came away unsure.

  Krysis and Sin cruised through the streets in the black car scanning the sidewalk for suitable victims. For Sin, it was unnerving. She was a former cop, one of the good guys, and here she was looking for a victim. It just didn't seem right.

  For his part, Krysis seemed as cool as ever. His face was calm, serene, as if he were on a Sunday ride through the countryside. Sin watched as streetlights cast pale stripes along his cheeks, only to see them slide off a moment later.

  There was so much about him and the others that she didn't know, and a part of her was afraid to ask. What if they weren't the good guys they claimed to be? What if the ghouls were the true victims in all this? Time would tell.

  "How does a vampire choose a victim?" Sin asked, staring out the window as an intoxicated couple stumbled out of a bar and into a dark parking lot.

  "They aren't victims," Krysis corrected. "They're sources.

  And you choose someone who you feel attracted to. Just the same as if you were looking for a one-night stand."

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  Sin grinned. "Well, feeding off them isn't quite the same thing as sleeping with them."

  "You're wrong," Krysis said. "The two are almost identical.

  In both cases, you're sharing a part of yourself with someone you barely know. Believe me, it's much more pleasant if you're attracted to them."

  "What if you're in love with someone else?" she asked, curious.

  Krysis smiled, revealing long, sharp teeth. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you of the big difference between love and lust.

  Just think of the bite as satisfying your lust for another."

  "And if your lover gets jealous of the human you choose?"

  "Then it makes the sex between you and your lover that much better," he said. "Nothing burns as hot as a grudge fuck."

  Krysis fixed those pale blue eyes on her, and she felt it like a caress under her clothes. The look was so hot her cheeks burned. Sin tore her gaze from his and continued looking out the window.

  After ten minutes of silence, she spotted a tall, elegant man with long blond hair. He was young, probably around twenty. "Stop," she said, grabbing onto the back of the driver's seat.

  Krysis leaned over her to glance out the window and examine her mark. Sin could smell the rush of stolen blood just under the flesh of his throat, and she resisted the urge to sink her teeth into him.

  "He looks a lot like me," Krysis joked.

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  "It must be true love then," Sin quipped. "Now what do I do?"

  Krysis opened her door and pushed it wide. "Step out and go talk to him. Then, when you've piqued his interest, get him to follow you into the alley. I'll be waiting here to make sure everything goes okay."

  Sin climbed out feeling both anxious and excited. "I think you're just a voyeur."

  Krysis didn't bother denying it. He simply smiled.

  The blond man was standing by himself texting on his phone. He was leaning against an old, boarded-up storefront just across from the nightclub Moody Blues . Sin walked up grinning to hide her sharp teeth.

  "Hi," she said. She made sure to sway her hips as she walked.

  The man looked up from his phone and stared at her.

  There was a strange, haunted look on his face, like he was in the presence of an angel. He blinked a few times, then closed his phone. "Hi, yourself."

  A current of power surged through Sin, and all she could think about was sinking her teeth into this beautiful blond man. She moved until she was so close she could smell the Ivory soap on his skin.

  "Are you alone?" she asked.

  "Yes."

  "Then . . . I was wondering if I could kiss you," she whispered.

  Wordlessly, the man placed his hand behind her neck and pulled her into a gentle kiss. But Sin wasn't interested in love.

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  She wanted to feed. Stepping back, she broke the kiss and placed her hand on the man's wide jaw. To her surprise, the man didn't resist, so she pushed his head to the side and sank her fangs into him. Hot, sweet blood filled her mouth.

  She pulled deep from the man, swallowing over and over, lost in this glorious connection. Then, after what seemed like only seconds, someone was grabbing her and pulling her off.

  Sin broke the connection with the man to hiss at the intruder. It was Krysis, and he was frowning deeply.

  "That's enough, Sin," he said in his most commanding tone. The deep rumble of his voice reached into her heart and fired her passion. Man, he was sexy, especially pissed off.

  Sin's blond victim, staring off in a daze, sank to the ground, and she suddenly became alarmed. "Is he okay?"

  Krysis crouched down and examined her victim. "He's fine.

  Luckily, I stopped you before you took too much. You need to take care not to lose yourself, Sin."

  Relieved, she nodded. "I'm sorry. It was so good I forgot to pull back."

  "He'll be all right. Let's go," Krysis said, escorting her back to the waiting car.

  But once inside, Sin was overwhelmed with ferocious passion. Grabbing him by the lapels, Sin pulled Krysis into a scorching kiss. To her great joy, he responded, kissing her back with a savage mauling that only inflamed her desire.

  With trembling hands, Sin peeled her jeans and underwear off and straddled his hips. Krysis ran his fingers into her hair and kissed her mouth, her face, her throat as Sin ground down on the erection straining the outside of his pants.

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  "Bite me," she groaned into his chest.

  Krysis fumbled with his trousers, unfastening them and sliding them down his hips. "But then you'll have to feed again," he said breathlessly.

  Sin tilted her head back and laughed. "Practice makes perfect."

  Sin felt a hard, insistent press
ure against her sex and Krysis's cock was inside her, his long, demanding strokes filled her with glorious pleasure. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and let out a loud moan. Then, like a viper in for the kill, he struck, driving his fangs into her throat. Dueling pleasures of the bite and the sex married inside her, took her to heights Sin had ever known. And for the next few hours, she surrendered completely to it.

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  69

  The Supplicant

  by Michelle Marquis

  Chapter Sixteen

  "You have to go back and finish what you started, Dennis,"

  Henry said as he pushed his way inside the house.

  Dennis, who was dressed in some cheap polyester security guard uniform, scowled like he'd just eaten a rotten lemon.

  "Now look, Henry," Dennis shouted. "I went there, and I tried.

  I really did. But I'm not going to risk becoming one of the undead myself. Her new boyfriend was pretty pissed, and he's one scary dude."

  Henry rolled his eyes. "The vampire's name is Krysis, and he has no interest in turning you into a vampire, trust me. He wanted your girlfriend, and he got her. Now he's turned her into a monster, and frankly, I'm surprised you don't give a shit."

  "I do give a shit!" Dennis replied, throwing his hands in the air. "But I already told you, I can't kill her because she's being protected by that scary guy."

  "Sooo," Henry said, dragging the word out a little longer than necessary, "you're just planning to let her stay one of the undead forever and ever."

  "What the hell else can I do?"

  "You can try again," Henry offered.

  "No way, man, no way."

  "I thought you loved her. I guess I was wrong. My mistake." Henry turned around and opened the door.

  "I do love her, but this situation is messed up, man!"