Dark Seduction: A Vampire Romance (Immortal Legacy Book 2)

by Lorraine Kennedy

  “I don’t care,” I was adamant.

  “Nicole, I am a creature - a monster. Don’t you get it? I am not your Prince Charming.”

  “Maybe I want a prince of darkness,” I told him, hotly.

  Again he closed his eyes as if he couldn’t tolerate looking at me. “Let’s go, Nicole.”

  “Can you help me find my father?” My tone of voice had changed. It was now all business. Turning off my emotions was the only way I knew to soothe my aching heart.

  “I agree that finding Donovan should be our next step,” he said.

  Chapter Eleven

  Alec

  It was late. The skyline in the east was already turning pink with the dawn of a new day. I could feel my skin getting hot.

  It was a relief to lower the lid on the coffin that I kept hidden in my house on Jackson Avenue. A coffin was not as preferable as a bed, but a necessity for protection against the sun’s UV rays. If a vampire wanted those kinds of luxuries, it required a completely windowless room and a lightproof door.

  The only other option was beneath the earth’s surface. There, a vampire could enjoy the comfort of a bed. Living beneath the earth was safer, but these places didn’t offer the beauty of the night that one could experience above ground.

  Could Donovan have descended into one of the underground cities of the immortals?

  I’d once heard that’s where Donovan had gone. Most of the oldest vampires migrated to one underground city.

  Maybe it was time I paid a visit to the City of the Dead?

  Though I rarely felt tired, tonight I did. My fatigue was more emotional that physical.

  But vampires don’t have emotions.

  A long time ago, I’d discovered this was a lie to help the immortal cope with the losses they faced. The vampire may not experience the same range of emotions they did while human, but they were still there. When the emotion was something as powerful as love or hate, a vampire could sometimes feel it even more deeply than he had as a human.

  Was I falling in love with Nicole?

  She had a powerful hold over me, but was it love? I was disturbed by her feelings for me, but even more troubled by my feelings for her. Every moment that I was with Nicole, I could feel myself falling deeper and deeper. If I didn’t get out soon, I would never want to let her go. That would be disastrous for her.

  As far as I was concerned, this secret of the light was Nicole. She carried its essence within her. Loving an immortal would extinguish that light, and that was something I could not let happen. That internal light was one of the reasons she held such power over my emotions.

  I would see that she was safe, and then I would sleep. Alec Norwood would disappear from the mortal world for a few decades. When I returned, Nicole would be a distant memory, for me as well as the rest of the world.

  Closing my eyes, I sought the only haven known to the immortal; sleep. Instead of finding the comfort of oblivion that I desperately needed, I kept seeing her beautiful dark eyes and luscious red lips.

  Leaving her would be by far, the hardest thing I’d ever done in my long existence, but it had to be done. To love a vampire meant giving up your life in one way or another. Even if she didn’t turn, she would eventually succumb to the darkness of my world. I could never let that happen.

  Chapter Twelve

  Nicole

  After packing a bag with a few clothes and necessities, I sat at the bottom of the stairs to wait for nightfall, and for Alec. It wouldn’t be long now. Only a few more minutes until the sun was down and then he would come.

  For two days I didn’t hear or see Alec, and then last night he called and to tell me to be ready to take a trip at sundown. When I asked where we were going, he’d refused to be specific, only that I would need a few clothes.

  I was excited to see him again, but there was a little seed of doubt that kept rearing its ugly head. I trusted him, but what if he did change his mind and turn me over to Omar?

  Dismissing the possibility, I looked at the time on my phone. Not that the time actually mattered. What mattered was how long the sun had been down. For sure, the night only thing would be difficult to get used to, but I would do it for him.

  When I’d asked about Ethan, Alec assured me that as soon as we returned, we would be in a better position to confront Omar and get Ethan back.

  But there was another problem. Alec had very blunt about the fact that us making love again was out of the question. How was I going to be in his company for a couple days and not want to be with him again?

  There was no way I was that strong, especially when it came to Alec. Being away from him was torture.

  Yet I knew that the more time I spent with him, the more I fed my addiction. I was addicted to Alec Norwood. He was my drug, my comfort, and my escape from the horrors of life.

  Closing my eyes, I imagined what life would be like without Alec. I was sure that sooner or later he would leave me, just like my father had left my mother. Life without him would be dark, as bleak as the darkness I was born to.

  I felt his presence before I heard his car approach. Either I had some kind of soul connection with him or I was getting very good at sensing vampires.

  As soon as I saw his Mustang pull up to the curb, I ran to the car before he had a chance to get out. When I was settled in the front seat, I looked over at Alec. “So where are we going?”

  “Well, greetings to you too,” he said, a secretive smile on his face.

  “Sorry,” I apologized. “ I’m just a little nervous about all of this. Why couldn’t you tell me where we’re going?”

  Alec pulled onto the road. “We are going to get your friend, Dash, and then we need to go to New York. I didn’t want to let you know ahead of time, just incase there is a vampire out there who can read you.”

  “How are we going to do that?” I asked.

  It didn’t make a lot of sense to me. If he couldn’t fly me out to the swamp, I had serious doubts he would attempt to take me all the way to New York. No doubt driving was out of the question. It was at least a two or three day drive.

  And I couldn’t imagine how he’d convinced Dash to help out. Maybe he’d scared the other vampire into it, which is more than likely exactly what he’d done.

  Alec laughed. “The same way most people get to New York. We’re using the airlines. It is only a three-hour flight. Obviously, we’ll have to stay over before our return flight,” he explained.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nicole

  It was only a short flight from New Orleans to New York, but I was glad when it was over. Although I was getting used to staying up all night and sleeping during the day, just sitting in a cramped chair had a way of wearing on me. I was tired.

  Throughout the entire flight, Dash complained about the business he was losing out on by taking this trip.

  As we were exiting the airport, Dash did some more complaining. “I just don’t understand. Wyoming is way out west from here. What are we doing in New York?”

  All I could do was shrug. Alec still hadn’t told me exactly why we were going to New York. All he would say is that it was something he had to take care of before he tried to find the place in Wyoming where Dash had seen the man on the side of the road.

  Outside the airport, Alec hailed a cab. A yellow taxi stopped abruptly and the three of us slid into the backseat.

  “Can you take us to the Cortlandt Station?” Alec asked.

  The cabby peered at us through his rear-view mirror. I noticed that he had a strange look on his face. “What the hell ya want to go there for? The place is abandoned, and it’s a shambles.”

  “Personal business,” Alec smiled coldly.

  The cabby shrugged his shoulders. “Well, ya get all kinds these days,” he muttered to himself.

  I gave Alec a curious look, but he betrayed nothing.

  A short time later, Alec pointed to a dark street corner. “Let us off here.”

  The cabby pulled over without comment.
As soon as Alec paid him, he drove off, but I could see him shaking his head as he pulled back onto the street.

  “What are we doing here?” I asked.

  “Follow me,” Alec told us.

  He led us into a dark alley where we came to a steep staircase that appeared to go underground.

  “This is the back way in,” he told us.

  “To where?” I wanted to know.

  Dash laughed. “He is taking us to the City of the Dead. It’s an underground city that was built in the abandoned tunnels beneath New York.”

  “Oh.” I really didn’t know what else to say. Over the last few days, I’d kind of grown accustomed to the strange and unexpected.

  At the bottom of the staircase, we entered a dark walkway. I couldn’t see a thing once the door to the outside closed behind us. Grabbing Alec’s shirt, I let him guide me through the black hole we’d entered. At least that’s what it seemed like it was.

  “You know, I wish you would remember that I can’t see in the dark like you guys can.” My words echoed through the empty corridor.

  We came to more stairs that took us further under the city. With my free hand, I held onto the rails, taking the steps slowly. The staircase seemed to go on forever, but finally we came to a door. Alec pulled the door open and we stepped into a tunnel.

  The emergency lights illuminated the tunnel somewhat, though it was dim. Every few seconds the lights flickered, which didn’t do much to boost my confidence in them.

  Suddenly, a rat scurried across my foot and I screamed.

  Both of my companions laughed at the same time. Apparently they were amused that a mere rodent would frighten me.

  “Not much further,” Alec promised.

  “I hope not,” I told him. The last thing I thought I would be doing tonight was walking through abandoned subway tunnels beneath New York.

  At last, we came to a small break in a cement wall. Alec slipped through and motioned for us to follow. I eyed the opening skeptically, puzzled by the fact that Alec had managed to squeeze through it.

  Finally, I took in a deep breath and held it so I could slip through the opening. Dash was close behind me.

  When my eyes adjusted to the brighter light, what I saw brought a dozen questions to mind. We seemed to be in some type of underground city. There were actually structures built from cement and bricks.

  “What is this place?” I asked.

  “This is where vampires go that don’t want to deal with the hazards of the sun, and vampire hunters?” Alec informed me.

  “How do they feed?”

  “Like the rest of us. They go out to hunt at night or they bring a feeder down here,” Alec informed me.

  Dash was staring at the city as if he were seeing it for the first time.

  “Have you ever been here Dash?” Alec asked him.

  He shook his head. “I’ve heard of it, but never really had the desire to go underground. I’m a Light Seeker at heart.”

  “You would think someone would have found this place,” I said to no one in particular.

  “The people that have worked in the subways for a long time know about these underground nests, but they keep quiet and they stay alive. The vampires hunt elsewhere,” Alec said, taking my hand in his.

  With only a couple of hours until dawn, it appeared as if the inhabitants were winding down. I didn’t detect much movement around the maze of small, apartment-like buildings.

  “You sound as if you are familiar with this place,” I commented.

  “I’ve spent some time here,” he said, providing no more detail.

  “Well, I’ve seen enough,” Dash told us. “Can we get on with what we’re here for?”

  Alec continued to lead us into the city. We were walking down a narrow sidewalk with structures on both sides.

  Suddenly, a hand popped out of a door and I jumped about ten feet. Probably it wasn’t that high, but it felt like it.

  The vampire immediately recognized me as human. He began hissing and looked as if he were ready to leap at me. I instinctively moved closer to Alec.

  Stopping in his tracks, Alec stared at the vampire, his eyes glowing with fury. “Do not accost someone in my company,” he warned.

  The vampire withdrew, immediately becoming non-aggressive.

  “So few of our kind are civilized these days. Wouldn’t you say?” Dash directed his question to Alec.

  “Yes,” Alec answered. “I would say that.”

  Alec turned his attention back to the makeshift building where the vampire was still watching us. “I am searching for Donovan Ashe. Is he here?”

  Again the vampire stuck his head out the door and this time, he looked normal. Actually, he looked more like a school janitor than a vampire. His hair was short and gray and he had a bald spot on top of his head. He was even a little overweight. Not exactly what you’d picture a vampire to look like.

  I couldn’t help but wonder how many vampires roamed the streets at night, without the human inhabitants even realizing it. What would they think if they knew the world was full of these creatures?

  “Down that way.” The vampire pointed to the end of the alley-like street. “He’s in the fanciest place here.”

  Alec started walking again. “Well, at least we know he’s here.”

  “My father? We’ve come here looking for my father?”

  Alec nodded. “Your father would be in a much better position than we are to back down Omar. He’s not someone Omar’s followers want to tangle with.”

  Soon we came to a gray stone structure that was much larger than the rest of them. There were even steps leading to the double doors.

  “This is incredible!” I said, gazing up at the building.

  Alec knocked on the door and a moment later it opened. A woman with long blond hair stood there, glaring at us.

  “I want to speak with Donovan,” Alec told her.

  “And you are who?”

  “Alec Norwood. Tell him it’s about his daughter.”

  “Wait here,” she said before closing the door on us. I didn’t miss the hateful look the woman tossed at me.

  When the door opened again, it wasn’t the woman, but the dark man from the park. He looked exactly the same as he had all those years ago.

  “Come in,’ Donovan said, stepping aside.

  I was again surprised by the interior of the structure. There appeared to be several different rooms to it. The room we entered was lavishly furnished with antique pieces. The walls were even adorned with fine art.

  I looked around for the woman who’d answered the door, but she was nowhere in sight.

  “Alec, it’s been a very long time,” Donovan said.

  Alec nodded and then pointed to me. “Your daughter.”

  Donovan stared at me for a long time and then smiled. “Nicole! You’ve grown even more beautiful than I imagined.”

  A storm of emotion raged through me. Here was the man who’d abandoned my mother and me - the dark man who never returned like he promised. “You never came back,” I accused.

  Sadness entered my father’s eyes. He looked at Alec and Dash. “Can I have a few minutes with my daughter?”

  Alec hesitated.

  “She is my daughter. I will not harm her,” Donovan assured them.

  Alec nodded and he and Dash left through the same door from which we’d entered.

  When they were gone, my father reached out and touched my cheek with the back of his hand. “Nicole, you are truly a rose of the night.”

  “Why did you leave? Didn’t you care about us?” I asked, my emotions torn between anger and elation.

  “I left precisely for that reason, because I did care about you and your mother,” he said.

  Unable to accept what his reasoning, I shook my head. “I’m not buying it.”

  “A little girl needs to grow up in the light, not the darkness.” He made a sweeping motion, bringing attention to the structure he lived in. “When I saw you playing in the park,
all I could think about was how I should have been able to watch you beneath the sunshine.”

  “So you left for selfish reasons,” I spit out.

  “A born vampire is forbidden. If the others had found out about you, it wouldn’t have been safe,” he explained.

  “But I am not a vampire.”

  “But you are, Nicole. You are a vampire that can live in the light, but a vampire nonetheless.”

  “I’ve never -” My words trailed off.

  “You’ve never consumed blood,” he finished for me.

  I nodded.

  Donovan smiled. “You are half vampire. You will not turn, unless you are infected by the poison, but it would take very little to do that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “With most mortals, they must be bitten and drained. They have to drink the vampire’s blood and experience death. Even then, they must carry a certain type of DNA from the original vampires before they will turn. A born vampire will turn quickly if they are even given a drop of the vampire’s blood. They do not have to be bitten.”

  “Omar knows about me,” I blurted out.

  Instantly, a look of apprehension entered his eyes. “You must go into hiding.”

  “What good is it for me to remain human if I must hide in the dark?”

  Donovan seemed to be wrestling with some internal demon. Finally, he spoke. “If my brother gets his hands on you, he will use you for things that are not good.”

  “What about the ancient secret he is hiding and this dimension where vampires can live in the light?” I asked.

  “Yes, what about that?” Dash stuck his head in the door.

  Donovan motioned for them to come in.

  “This place is not a myth. This is a common story circulated by the oldest vampires, but only because they don’t want others searching for this place and discovering the secrets of the ancients. It is simply another dimension where the virus doesn’t affect us in the same way as it does here,” he said. “But, this place is the realm of the wolf. We have never been welcome there.”