The Knights of Darkness Chronicles 01 - Desires Unleashed

by D N Simmons

  He watched as a single ultraviolet bullet entered her flesh, embedding itself in the thick skull. Blood oozed thinly from the wound, then the flow began to turn thick, black and sticky, like tar. The surface of her skin began to dry, turn brittle and flake away, like ash in the wind. Her eyes paled till they lost all color, beginning to dry and shrivel inside their sockets. The muscles, bones and sinew had melted away to a thick greasy tar-like substance in the shape of her form on the cement. Warren felt a chill ripple through his body, he didn't know quite how to feel at this point. He was relieved that it was all over. He looked at the man she had been feeding on when they had come upon her. The man lay in a crumpled heap beside the dumpster, but he was alive. Warren could hear his heart beat, smell his blood flow. He walked over to the man, checking him over, monitoring his pulse and breathing. He called Matthew to inform him of the situation.

  “I called for the ambulance,” Matthew said as he walked into the alley. He stood over Warren's kneeling form.

  “Thank you,” Warren said, staring forward thoughtfully. “All this was done as a challenge to Darian, it was her plan to throw insult to him and have a thrill at the same time.”

  “Where's Darian? Don't answer that, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is it's all over,” Matthew said, patting Warren reassuringly on his shoulder. They looked up to see the approaching emergency vehicles. The flashing lights flickered over their faces. Two paramedics rushed over to them and immediately began checking over the injured victim. Warren and Matthew answered all of their questions, then watched as the paramedics placed the victim in the ambulance and drove away. The two detectives waited for their supervisor to come to the scene for questioning. Forensics continued to gather evidence as the two detectives answered questions from both their Captain and the media. When the scene was wrapped up, Warren and Matthew walked shoulder to shoulder to their squad car. The sun was a few short hours away from creeping up over the horizon. Warren looked at the nighttime sky, knowing that the sun would be rising soon. He wondered what life as a vampire must be like to never be able to experience such a vision as dawn or high noon, never be able to feel the sun's rays on their skin. He turned on the engine and drove back to the precinct to wrap up the paperwork and close the case.

  CHAPTER 22

  Natasha awoke the next morning with the sun's warming rays shining on her smooth caramel-toned skin. She stretched, flexing both fingers and toes. She gradually looked over on her beside table glancing at the little black digital alarm clock. The time was 7:05 A.M. She groaned softly, not wanting to get out of bed. She laid there, staring at the ceiling, attempting to think of excuses to avoid going to work. Then, after glancing once more at the clock and seeing five minutes had passed, she forced herself to climb out of the bed before she would be late for work. When she reached the bathroom, she glanced at the counter behind the sink, remembering she had taken her medicine to block her visions. She hadn't wanted to see what would happen between Warren, Darian and the female vampire. She wanted to rest easy for the first time in five days. It felt good for a while, she had forgotten just how good a full night's rest felt.

  Natasha climbed into the hot shower and soaped her body, enjoying the sensation of the tingling, foaming bubbles of her shower gel. She rinsed off, stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her body as she headed toward her closet. She slid the articles of clothing back and forth along the steel rod, looking for an appropriate ensemble. Even as she looked for clothes, her mind drifted to Darian, and Warren. She knew if she was going to have any peace of mind she would have to talk to Warren. She walked to her bed, sat down on the edge and reached over, picking up her telephone. She dialed the cell phone number Warren had given her and waited for an answer.

  A groggy, deep voice came over the phone. “Hello?”

  Natasha didn't recognize the voice and checked the little green digital screen on her phone that allowed one to view the numbers dialed as well as caller ID. It was the right number.

  “Hello, um, is this Detective Warren Davis?” she asked.

  “No, he's asleep right now, do you want me to wake him? Is it an emergency?” asked the voice. Natasha wondered what he looked like, she enjoyed talking to people with sexy voices. She also derived a little guilty pleasure imagining the physical appearance of a person over the telephone whose voice was appealing.

  “Um, I really hate to wake him. I can imagine how exhausted he must be, but I really do need to ask him something. Do you mind?” she asked politely.

  “Not at all, one minute,” said the voice pleasantly, Natasha listened as the voice called to Warren to wake up and answer his phone. She could hear Warren groan loudly, but after a few seconds she heard his voice.

  “Hello?” Warren asked groggily. Natasha giggled, thinking his sleepy voice was a far cry from his sexy awake and alert voice.

  “Warren, this is Natasha. I'm really sorry to bother you, I know how tired you must be. I just wanted to know what happened last night?” she asked steadily.

  There was a long pause over the phone and Natasha was beginning to suspect that Warren had drifted back to sleep. But then he answered her.

  “First off, I want to thank you once again for everything you've done for us, Natasha. I really mean that with all my heart,” Warren said empathetically. “I can't imagine what you've had to see just to tell us what was happening, and we couldn't have wrapped up this case without you.” Natasha felt herself blushing, tears welling up in her eyes. She had always been the sensitive type, a sentimental commercial for Mother's Day would often set her to crying. Warren's kind words were hitting home with Natasha and she had to reach over to her bedside table for a tissue to blow her nose and wipe her eyes.

  “Oh, Warren...I...I don't know what to say. I'm just glad I could help. But more importantly, what happened last night? Are you okay?” she asked, concerned.

  “Well, I went to Darian's home to ask him to help us,” he paused, remembering the events of the night before.

  “Did he help? Or did he give you shit?” Natasha asked, annoyed.

  “No, actually he was a hell of a lot more pleasant than the first time we asked for his help. He was willing to do it,” Warren said, reflecting on Darian's obliging attitude. He did wonder why Darian hadn't refused as he had before.

  “Oh, okay. What else,” Natasha asked, obviously surprised to hear how compliant Darian had been. She didn't know Darian well, but her first impression of him left her uncertain about his true intentions and personality.

  “Well, we tracked her to the human only district. She was in the alley of the Slayer's Lair nightclub. She had taken a victim and was feeding on him when Darian and I interrupted her. It turns out that she was Darian's fledgling and wanted revenge,” Warren said thoughtfully.

  “You're kidding me, right? She and that werewolf murdered all of those people just for her bitter revenge against Darian?!” Natasha was furious. She didn't like the fact that people died for selfish, hateful revenge.

  “Yeah, I know just how you feel. Darian seemed a bit...well, I don't know. He just seemed a little sad after he left her for me to deal with,” Warren said as he remembered the expression on Darian's face and his manner as he looked down at his own dying fledgling.

  “Sad? So he fought with her and almost killed her?” she asked.

  “Yeah and it was an amazing battle, I've never seen anyone move as fast as he does!” Warren said, still amazed.

  “I can only imagine. All of this is new to me and it's going to take some getting used to. Okay, I'm going to let you go, I just wanted to know how things went last night. I wanted to make sure both of you were alright,” Natasha said, finding a successful way to end the conversation.

  “Yeah, we're alright. I'll be keeping in contact with you. Take care Natasha,” Warren said.

  “You, too,” she replied and hung up the phone. She thought about what Warren had said about Darian. She couldn't figure Darian out, she found him to be a
rrogant, yet charming. Natasha looked at her little digital clock again, ten minutes had passed since she first phoned Warren. If she didn't get ready fast, she would be late for work. She walked back to her closet, picking a simple, black tapered pantsuit. She located her black suede, two-inch heels and tied her long dark brown hair into a tight ponytail. Natasha gave herself a look over.

  “Well, it's not elegant, but it will do,” she said to herself, satisfied with her attire. She grabbed her purse, coat and keys and left the apartment.

  Her day at work was tiring, but not boring. She was still in the new employee training phase and needed to learn the ropes. There was a reporter working on a story about a school on the north side which was under investigation for violating the sanitation guidelines. Students had reported seeing rat droppings in their food, as well as in their classrooms. Natasha had to accompany the reporter to take photographs of the condition of the school. It had angered her that a school would be in that condition. She felt sorry for the children who had to attend that school. She hoped the reporter's efforts to expose the school wouldn't be in vain.

  After work, she went to the hospital to bring Annette home. Annette had been quite a popular patient. When Natasha walked into Annette's hospital room, there were two male nurses with her, both of the men wrapped up in Annette's feminine wiles. One fluffed her pillow while the other joked with her. Natasha shook her head as she leaned against the door frame.

  “Alright Queen Annette, time to go,” Natasha said. The two male nurses smiled and left the room. Natasha turned to watch both of the men as they walked past her, glancing lustfully at their buttocks.

  “Well, I'm ready to go!” Annette said enthusiastically.

  “You sure? I mean it looked like you were having fun. Don't let me interrupt you,” Natasha said sarcastically.

  “Girl, please. I had to persuade someone to bring me some real food. I couldn't deal with hospital food three times a day. I had to have some real food, the kind that won't make you sick,” she said, eyebrows raised for emphasis.

  “Okay, let's go. You know how I feel about hospitals,” Natasha said.

  Annette looked at her. “Come here, what happened to you?” she asked as she noted Natasha's blemish free skin.

  “Oh, long story and I'll tell you when we get home, okay? Come on! I'm tired, I want to go home. Plus the cab's waiting,” she urged Annette. Annette agreed to wait until they got home to ask more questions. She climbed out of her hospital bed slowly, with Natasha's aid. Annette was already dressed in a pair of blue jeans and blue knitted sweater. Natasha helped her put on her sneakers.

  “Okay, we're outta here!” Annette exclaimed. Both of the women walked out of the hospital. The stars shone brightly in the indigo blue colored nighttime sky. The winter air was cold and both of the women had to close their coats to keep warm. They climbed into the waiting yellow and black taxi cab. As they settled into the cab, they looked at each other knowingly.

  “Remember what happened the last time we took a cab together. I don't know which one of us is bad luck, you...or me,” Annette said, jokingly.

  “Oh stop that. Neither one. Goofy-ass woman!” Natasha said as she chortled. It amazed her how Annette always had an optimistic approach to life. Natasha gave the cab driver their address and within thirty minutes they were in front of their apartment building. Natasha paid the driver, then she and Annette went inside.

  “Well, at least it's still clean. I figured you'd go insane, throwing all sorts of parties without me here to monitor you,” Annette said, teasingly.

  “Oh shut up, I liked it better when you were at the hospital. Everything was peaceful,” Natasha said playfully.

  “Girl please, you know you missed me!” Annette said as she hugged Natasha with her good arm. Natasha smiled and nodded.

  “You know I did. You know...” Natasha said as she looked at a corner in the living room, “we should get a Christmas tree before it's too late.” She went into the kitchen to make dinner, when she opened the refrigerator, she heard the doorbell ring. “Annette, can you get that?” she called.

  “Yeah, yeah, I'll get it,” Annette said as she walked to the door. She peeked through the peephole. And gasped. “It's Darian Alexander, my boss!” she squealed, a multitude of thoughts rushing through her mind. She calmed herself and opened the door, smiling warmly as Darian stood in front her. Giving him the once-over, she saw that he wore a long, black trench coat brushing his ankles. His light gray, ribbed sweater and smoke gray, knit pants fit as if tailor-made. His black leather shoes were shined perfectly. He held a floral bouquet in each hand. He smiled that charming smile, revealing dimples on both sides of his cheeks. His long, jet black, wavy hair was combed back and tied in a ponytail.

  “May I come in?” he asked, traces of his Greek accent laced the words. His voice made Annette's legs tremble slightly. She nodded, still smiling. Darian walked gracefully into the modest living room. He looked around, smiling. He turned to face Annette, handing a bouquet of purple lilies to her.

  “For you, my dear. I am sorry I was unable to visit you while you recuperated in the hospital. My most sincere apologies,” he said with his customary charm. Annette blushed and took the flowers. She held them under her nose and inhaled deeply. She looked up, smiling warmly at Darian.

  “These are beautiful, I love them. Thank you,” she said coyly.

  “You are most welcome.” Darian, the debonair gentleman, looked around the apartment before turning his gaze toward the kitchen. “Is Natasha in there? Do you mind if I give her these?” he asked.

  Annette looked at him, confused. “How do you know Natasha?” she asked guardedly.

  “We became acquainted two nights ago. With her assistance and my own, we aided the police in their investigation of the serial killings of the past week,” he said matter-of-factly. “May I...” he raised the flowers to his nose and inhaled seductively, eyes focusing on Annette's. “...give these to her?” he asked once again. Annette looked at Darian and nodded. He smiled and walked into the kitchen. He saw Natasha standing by the stove, stirring a pot of pasta.

  “Annette, who was that at the door?” Natasha asked. She had become concerned when she'd heard Annette talking to someone.

  “It is I,” said Darian smoothly. Natasha turned around, surprised. “I wanted to speak with you and to bring you these. Although, they can't begin to convey my feelings for you.” He extended the bouquet of red roses towards Natasha.

  She took the flowers and smelled them. She smiled warmly. “Thank you. I heard what you did last night and I want to thank you for helping us, you didn't have to,” she said, feeling herself blush.

  “I helped your police friends because I'm interested in you. It has been a long time since I've met a woman like you. You intrigue me, your gift...” He raised his hand now, to caress the left side of Natasha face. He brushed the back of his fingertips lightly over her soft skin. “You have an extraordinary gift. I want to help you control it, master it,” he said in a hushed, seductive voice.

  “I...I don't know what to say. All of this is new to me. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that you're a vampire, Xavier's a vampire, Warren's a werewolf and well, it's going to take some getting used to.” Natasha turned, placing the flowers on the counter and took the spatula to stir the pasta. She opened a can of meat sauce and poured the contents into a separate pot. Darian watched her prepare the meal with a keen fascination. Natasha looked over her shoulder, catching him trying to peek over her shoulder at the pots on the stove.

  “What?” she asked, perplexed. His eyes moved from the pots to hers.

  “It's been a long time since I've seen anyone prepare a meal,” he said honestly.

  “It's been a long time for a lot of things for you, hasn't it? Perhaps you should get out more,” she suggested. Darian laughed, his dimples giving his features a boyish charm.

  “So it seems. Why don't you show me all that I've been missing,” he said softly. He stepped close
r to Natasha, pressing his chest against her back. Natasha felt alarms go off in her head. She was powerfully attracted to Darian, as well as Xavier. She didn't know how she felt about Darian's advances.

  “Darian listen, you are handsome, I'm sure you're aware of that. But I'm with Xavier...well, Xavier and I are talking, getting to know one another. It wouldn't be right if I started something with you. Not to mention it might be too overwhelming,” Natasha said, stepping away from Darian. His gaze still locked on her, he reached over and took her hand in his. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips in a gentle kiss on the back of her hand.

  “Xavier hasn't told you, has he?” Darian asked, looking up at her.

  “Told me what?” Natasha asked. She didn't like the implications of Darian's question. What was it that Xavier hadn't told her?

  “Natasha...” Darian started, but the doorbell interrupted him. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard Annette open the door. He recognized the male voice as it charmed Annette. “Well, it looks as though Xavier will tell you firsthand what he decided to keep from you,” he said. Darian turned off the pots on the stove, then led her into the living room.

  Xavier stood in the middle of the room, fashionably dressed. He was wearing a long, calf length, black leather trench coat. His brown hair was cropped short and was neatly combed back, parted on the side. He wore brown silk slacks and a cream cashmere turtleneck sweater. He was breathtaking. He turned, his eyes sparkling when he saw Natasha. Xavier's gaze fixed on Darian and a hint of lust spread across his face.