by Tiana Laveen
Le Roi Du Sang
Written by Tiana Laveen
Edited by Natalie Owens
Cover by Travis Pennington
This is not your ordinary vampire tale…
Le Roi De Sang
“They say the good die young.
My soulless body has walked the Earth for over four centuries. I’ve always been a king amongst the living dead, born into royalty and earned – not given. My head is heavy with a gold crown made of blood jewels from the drained essence of vessels all the way from Paris, to Zimbabwe to New York fucking City. Therefore, what they say, whomever ‘they’ is, that the good die young, is only partially true. Care to guess which part that is?”
– Count Alexandre Marseille
COPYRIGHT
Don’t Bite My Hard Work.
Copyright © 2019 by Tiana Laveen
Kindle Edition
All rights reserved.
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 (five) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. PIRACY IS AGAINST THE LAW.
IN OTHER WORDS: If you do any of the above, the karma bus is waiting for you. If you steal this author’s work and illegally loan and/or share it, request illegal/free copies online and/or in printed version, you are no better than a burglar that breaks into someone’s house while you think they are away. You are a criminal. A thief. A cheat. You don’t work for free, so why should authors?!
WE WORK HARD. SHOW SOME APPRECIATION.
ROI & REINE DU SANG
LE ROI DU SANG
BLURB
Alexandre Marseille was born during the Hundred Years’ War in France, a member of the royal House of Valois. His parents, both ruthless underworld monarchs, instilled endurance in their children above all else. Yet, while most of his family perished over time, he remained a survivor. For a 400-year-old vampire, staying in power has its share of challenges. Alexandre has now established his empire in New York City, living an opulent life and running a successful law firm. But his ultimate goal is one alone: to find his soulmate, his bestowed Blood Queen. Once he sets eyes on Venus Anderson, Professor of Art History, he will stop at nothing to get her, and the relentless, sensual pursuit begins.
Venus Margaret Anderson remembers vividly what it was like to be human. To smell the yellow Jessamine flowers and feel the warm sun on her flesh in the South Carolina heat. But being human sometimes meant she wasn’t treated humanely at all … for Venus once lived as a slave, on a plantation owned by a cruel master. Until the day she made her escape to freedom, changing her destiny forever…
The two twisted soulmates are bitten from the same bloody cloth, but it will take all the demons of Hell and all the prayers in Heaven to convince Venus that Alexandre is not always the ruthless monster he appears to be. Separate, they are forces to be reckoned with; together, they are an explosive power couple destined to leave an indelible, blood-stained mark upon the world. But, with all good things, there are those who wait in the shadows, working their black magic to drain and destroy this love at the onset, casket officially closed…
Will Venus step into her destiny and become the Reine Du Sang she was born twice to be? Will Alexandre Marseille prove to her he is capable of love, and that he can provide the sacrifice, training, and protection she so desperately deserves? Turn the pages of this bloody, hell-bound book to find out!
WARNING
This is not your typical paranormal romance…
There will be blood. Lots of it.
The violence is off the charts.
The profanity is abundant and profuse.
The sexual encounters are frequent, extremely graphic, and at times hedonistic.
Some of the topics explored may trigger you: debauchery, racial discussions/slurs, explicit murders, sexual deviancy, homicide, vengeance, African slavery in the United States of America, brutality and more.
This is a dark romance in EVERY. SENSE. OF. THE. WORD.
Please do not read this book if you are bothered by the aforementioned.
A warning is to be heeded – not ignored and then complained about as if never given. If you skip or ignore this cautionary notice, the author is not responsible for that.
Thank You.
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to the extraordinary, non-cookie cutter authors who are struggling to remain true to their vision in a world that prefers paper dolls over rock solid authenticity. You are a jagged pill that doesn’t go down easily… you scrape the throat as you are consumed, but you deliver the greatest remedy. Many of us just wish to write our books in peace, but at times, that seems impossible due to outside pressure, negativity online and elsewhere, and unrealistic expectations.
I want to encourage my fellow authors who are bizarre, gifted, capable and different from the norm to embrace their imaginations and step out on faith. Believe in yourself even when it appears no one else does. Do not allow yourself to be strangled by the invisible withering grapevines that attempt to wrap themselves around your neck and extinguish your light from within. Not everyone is going to love your work – but if YOU don’t love your work by being someone you are not due to the pressure to appease others who don’t know or love you, then you are killing your creativity, your vision, the reason why you became an author in the first place … one stab wound at a time.
You fit in no one’s box.
So don’t let anyone put your creativity in a coffin.
Embrace your metal spikes, torn, blood-soaked leather, and pointy glass edges.
Sometimes, true beauty is found in the bumpy imperfections, the flagrant flaws, the muddy puddles covered in wilted, black rose petals.
Fall into the silver waters face down.
Invite the masses to
drown in your oddity…
It’s a perfect day for a swim.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Epigraph
Copyright
About this Book
Warning
Dedication
Letter to the Reader
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
About the Author
Le Roi Du Sang Music Directory
LETTER TO THE READER
To my Laveen Queens and Kings, welcome.
I want to interrupt this letter and alert my old and new readers about a decision that I have recently made: I kn
ow that ‘goddamn’ is the proper way to say and spell this particular curse word. I have done so in the past but always cringed. It’s just a personal choice and situation that doesn’t sit well with me. Therefore, going forward, I wish to write, ‘gotdamn.’ I am not religious, but I am quite spiritual, and it has always bothered me to write it the proper/correct way so if you will allow me to deliberately spell this word wrong, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you.
…Moving along.
Let me tell you a bit about me…
I have written over 45 books, the majority of which are full length novels. I’ve written everything from sweet romances to a best-selling 12 book Zodiac series, to tales about paranormal psychics with sex addictions, to aliens living in Maryland and murdering drug dealers. I write whatever strikes me, whatever stories are begging to be released from inside me, petitioning me to be shown to the world.
Now, we’ve arrived here, at the abode of the Le Roi Du Sang.
Let the games begin.
I have been asked to write a vampire story several times, but was never moved to do so.
…Until NOW.
I never force anything on myself. I’m either inclined to write a story or I am not. This idea came to me and I fell in love with it. It was then that the story began to write itself, webbing the details inside my mind and flooding onto the pages.
All I needed to do was sit down and write it.
Before I continue, I want to take a commercial break right here. This may seem silly to some, but trust me, it’s necessary in my opinion. Let’s briefly discuss what a vampire is. The official definition, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary:
Okay… so now that we’ve covered the basics, I want to inform you that vampires, historically, are not sparkly, pretty creatures. They are monsters. Though I appreciate and enjoy, for example, the “Twilight” books, the characters in that series are not remotely close to the original definition of these beings. Vampires don’t give a single fuck – by nature. They suck and feed without an iota of care for the host. They kill, enjoy murder, mayhem, and are highly sexual beings. There is no such thing as sharing, consent, etc. When they see something or someone they want, they take it. PERIOD.
The difference between them and zombies is that:
1) They are not rotting. They are never in a state of decomposition, and should they have an injury, they tend to self-heal quickly.
2) They do not crave brains or other human organs – they have bloodthirst. Period.
3) They can learn, speak, read, sing, dance and make conscious choices. They are not slow in movement, either – in fact, they move faster than the speed of light, depending on what type of vampire they are (turned, pure/true blood, etc.)
4) They can be charming and alluring – they are con artists basically, and innately manipulative. Zombies are not charming or alluring due to their inability to speak in a clear manner if at all. They appear incapable, in most depictions, of learning new information.
5) Zombies are what they are – what you see is what you get. Vampires (many, but not all) are shapeshifters. They can turn into various animals: Bats are the most notable in books and movies, but also foxes, and some in literature have the ability to turn into wolves, snakes, and ravens.
6) Not all vampires written about historically or in Hollywood versions can be killed by garlic cloves, crosses, a stake to the heart, holy water, silver bullets, fires, Christian prayers, sunlight, etc. Some are not fazed by ANY of those ‘vampire weapons.’ The effective method to kill them truly depends on the type of vampire in question and their individual powers. For some, only beheading works.
7) Vampires are diverse! Zombies, a bit less so … but one thing about vampires is that they are naturally violent. I repeat, they are naturally violent. One more time for the folks in the back: They are naturally violent. They will present themselves at times as gorgeous beings – but beneath that lies the truth… the monster that they in fact are. Vampires were sometimes human before they were turned. Sometimes they were born a vampire – those are often called Royals, Pure Bloods/True Bloods.
Pure bloods are often depicted in a more stellar light than their ‘turned’ counterpart. Some people are ‘put off’ by vampires acting as their true nature in novels and movies because Hollywood and mainstream media have offered us a false narrative about these beings, including those cases looked into by the Catholic Church.
Now, I am not going to give a long ass vampire history lesson right here. You didn’t purchase this book for that purpose – but please Google it, look it up when you have time. It’s very interesting indeed!
Some professionals and clerics believe vampires to be real while others say that they are not. Some say they are mere demons (which I disagree with. They are a totally different entity and there is definitely more concrete proof that demons are real … but I digress…). But, regardless of anyone’s beliefs, the TRUE ORIGINAL definition of a vampire must be considered when reading tales about these beings – yes, even in the case of romance novels.
There is nothing wrong with writers, directors, etc. using creative license in their art and work, but as a reader, it would only be fair that you be told at least a little bit about the true nature of these immortals before we delve any further. Okay, now that that is out of the way, let’s continue with our regularly scheduled program…
This hero makes a shadow look like a ray of light.
I am not a stranger to dark tales. I have written many and my consistent readers are aware of this. I refuse to limit myself, so when the mood strikes for me to write something in particular, that is what I do. Writing for me is not only enjoyable, it is therapeutic and a need. Just like air, food, and shelter, which I have to have, I must do this, too.
These characters fulfilled my desire to tell this tale. They came to life and I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.
For those of you that have been reading my work for years –
THANK YOU.
You are much appreciated.
This is a modern day tale with some historical ties. I wouldn’t call it a historical romance because less than 10% of the book delves into incidents occurring in a past time period. Only what historical background and reference is necessary is explored in order to allow the reader to understand how these beings came to be. It’s important, as they say, to know one’s history in order to appreciate the present and prepare for the future. Not everyone’s past is peachy keen – and that is immediately realized when the reader is first introduced to Venus, a strong and determined young woman living in the South, during times of slavery in the United States. She was born a slave and is physically strong. She’s also brave and believes that if life can’t get better, then the only solution is death. She wishes to be free by any means necessary.
Death within itself doesn’t frighten Venus; it’s the idea of never even trying to stand up for herself, to discover whether freedom is fantasy or fact, that terrifies her.
On the fateful night of her fleeing the plantation that she’d been bound to for years, she discovers far more than she ever bargained for…
Alexandre Marseille, sometimes called Lord, Count, or King Alexandre Marseille, makes others in his bloodline look weak and ill equipped. He trained at an early age for battle, for his family protected the throne and the old way of life for Pure Bloods. He is notorious for his quick temper, superlative physical strength and power, lightning speed, and a penchant for violence straight out of a gory 1980s horror film. He is pretentious, conceited, intimidating, clever, promiscuous and has a unique psychic ability that allow him to tap into the fears and desires of humans – then use them like puppets to get what he wishes.
He has no conscience, has no idea what regret or guilt are, nor does he have any curiosity to find out. For Alexandre Marseille, life is about securing his position, furthering his reign of terror, and continuing the bloodline…
But it will take a special woman to convince him to
reconsider his ways…
Sex is to him like sleeping or eating; it means nothing and is just part of everyday life. He fucks frequently, almost as much as he feeds, and female vampires and human women are mere toys, something to look at and play with until he grows bored. When we meet him, his desire for a bride and to settle down are now at the forefront, and he begins to question whether the wizard assigned to him as a child was correct that he would find her in the United States, as predicted…
Once he meets Venus, however, there is no doubt in his mind and he refuses to ever let her get away.
He begins to feel things… strange things, and his craving for her grows into a full blown obsession. He’s never had to romance a woman or vampire; they would easily fall under his spell. But now, he must pull out all the stops, especially when he realizes that Venus is even more than meets the eye.
Their love for one another is explosive, poignant, volatile and all consuming.
Alexandre Marseille now has something new to fight for…
Love.
Can a wickedly cunning, seductive, and habitually cruel vampire that has been in existence for multiple centuries learn to use his natural skills to set free entrapped beings, rather than keep them in bondage using fear tactics? Sometimes, slavery is also a state of mind, and occasionally, freedom is an illusion…
Now, without further ado,
I present, ‘Le Roi Du Sang’ – (The King of Blood)
Tiana Laveen
PROLOGUE
The Little Cabin in the Woods
South Carolina, December 18, 1837
Cold, clammy hands covered in deep, oozing gashes and stinging cuts throbbed with ache and pulsed with insoluble pain. Covering her watering eyes to shield them from outstretched wild, sharp branches that knifed their way into her dry flesh, she was now partially blind while her blood felt as if it were freezing up right in mid-flow through her veins. Each step she took felt like she was being pulled and prodded, smacked and attacked… one big, walking open wound moving amongst the prickly brush and creatures of the night.