Love in Death’s Embrace
Copyright 2010 by Trina M. Lee
Smashwords Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cover Art by
Michael Hart
Published by
Dark Mountain Books
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
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Chapter One
Leaves crunched under the heavy foot of a creature intent on one thing. With the face of a man and the hunger of a beast, the vampire was one of the most fearsome monsters in existence. But this one’s attempt at stealth was laughable. At least it was to Luca.
A stake clutched tightly in one hand, he waited for the vampire to draw near. Luca didn’t doubt that this was the one he’d been following for the past two nights. Good. He had a few questions to ask before dusting the bastard.
From Luca’s place behind a large headstone, he couldn’t see the approaching vampire without giving away his position. The graveyard was thick with foliage. The well-kept trees and shrubs created an endless number of places to hide, tempting him to get closer to his quarry. Luca knew better than to make a move too soon. He’d been killing vampires long enough to know that patience made all the difference.
He’d almost decided against scoping out the cemetery tonight. Since everybody within it was dead, there was rarely any exciting action taking place. It was more likely to be inhabited by teenagers conducting a séance or lovers seeking a place to be alone rather than anything really dangerous. After tracking more than one vampire to this graveyard, he was sure there was a coven nearby.
Taking slow, even breaths, Luca was keenly aware of the scent of fresh flowers on a nearby grave. No normal human would have been able to smell them with such intensity. But Luca was definitely no normal human.
The sudden silence was eerie. It was possible that the vampire had detected his presence and was trying to draw him out of hiding. It was even more likely that he’d fled. Fast-moving vampires didn’t make a lot of noise. Their feet barely touched the ground. Risking a glance over the top of the headstone, Luca swore. The slight sway of branches was all that indicated the vampire’s hasty flight.
He wasted no time giving chase. This one wasn’t getting away. After waiting several months for a lead on Arden’s whereabouts, Luca had found one of his goons. It was about to become his lucky night. He was sure of it.
Dodging trees and ducking stray limbs, he ran as if his life depended on it. In many ways, it certainly did. Little did Arden know, but his bloodline of undead spawn held the key to Luca’s future. As far as Luca knew, there was just a handful left to be disposed of before he was free to resume his life. That, of course, was much easier said than done. Vampires like Arden didn’t die easily. And they sure as hell didn’t go down without a battle. Luca and his enhanced human form might not be enough.
At his fastest speed, Luca was just slightly slower than the vampire he pursued. It wasn’t long before he had the creature within his sights. Oh yes, he could feel the excitement, the knowledge that this one would be his. So close. Just a few yards separated them. Perhaps Luca could go without answers tonight. If he threw one of his deadly daggers at just the right angle…
Something drew the attention of the vampire. It slowed him just enough for Luca to launch himself full-out. Their bodies slammed together, and they both went down. The breath was crushed from Luca’s lungs, but still he rolled to his feet and leaped on the vampire with a stake in one hand and a dagger in the other.
Fast, but not as fast as Luca’s adrenaline-fueled instincts, the vampire found himself on his back, staring up into the dark eyes of his human attacker. With the sharp-edged blade of the dagger pressed to his throat, he still laughed.
“So you’re the one. I always thought you were a myth, one of Arden’s many delusions.”
“You won’t be thinking anything at all in about thirty seconds. You have exactly that long to tell me what I need to know before I cut your damn head off.”
Luca pressed the blade deeper into the pale white throat of the vampire, drawing blood. It took every bit of reserve he had not to hack through the bastard’s esophagus. “Where is he?”
“Killing me won’t lead you to Arden. Let me go, and I’ll take you to him.”
Luca laughed down into the face of his conquest. “You think I haven’t heard that one before? Spare me. Fifteen seconds.”
He put a little more weight on the blade, just enough to enforce his words. Some vamps just wouldn’t talk. They’d rather die than be labeled traitors. Luca sensed fear in this one, though, and he counted on using that to his advantage.
“I have no reason to tell you anything if you’re going to kill me anyway. Just get on with it.”
“Fine. If that’s the way you want it. I am going to start cutting pieces off of you. And I’m going to take my sweet time doing so. Until sunrise, to be exact.” Luca grinned, his straight white teeth standing out in contrast to his mocha-colored skin. “And then I’ll watch you burn.”
The vampire’s eyes widened in horror, and he began to struggle. With the blade buried in his throat, he didn’t achieve much by doing so. “Okay,” he cried, the one word sounding strangled. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
Luca eased up just enough to let him talk. He knew better than to trust the word of any vampire. But just maybe this guy would give him something to go on. “You have ten seconds to impress me.”
“Arden, he’s got a place just outside town. A brand-new, huge house. Five minutes from here. Now, get off of me.”
“Five minutes in which direction from here?”
“West! I swear it’s west.”
Luca studied him for a mere second or two before throwing his weight behind the blade of the dagger. It sliced through with ease, separating the head from the body with a slick, wet sound. He got to his feet and kicked the head a good distance away, watching as it and the rest of the remains turned to dust.
He had no way of knowing if he’d been told the truth, but he had every intention of following up on the lead. After tracking Arden for more years than he had bothered to count, Luca was going to find him. It was the only way. The curse would never be broken until every last vampire in Arden’s bloodline was dead. Only then would Luca live and die as any other man. Until that day came, he was cursed to live in limbo.
It wasn’t easy watching the world go by, changing and evolving as he stayed the same. Descended from a family that had always been hunters of the undead, it had been his destiny to destroy the creatures of the night. The calling of every man and woman born into his family when they reached the age of maturity. They were called to live and die as destroyers of darkness. Until Luca’s father had made the mistake that changed his offspring’s path.
Unable to age or die a natural death, Luca was also unable to truly li
ve. It never should have been this way. If his father had been dedicated to his cause as a hunter, if he hadn’t willingly joined the undead by giving himself over to Arden…
But that was in the past. And Luca’s father had been turned to dust long ago.
Until every vampire in Arden Ashton’s bloodline had been destroyed, Luca would never find peace. Only then would he be free of the dark magic that held him prisoner.
The strangest sensation crept up his spine as he stared down at the corpse at his feet. He was being watched. Moving carefully so as not to alert his watcher of his awareness, he turned slowly. Finding nothing, he wiped the blood from the blade of his dagger and sheathed it. He felt his watcher slip away in silence.
Luca couldn’t help but follow. As he moved quietly through the dark cemetery, he started to wonder if someone was purposely trying to lure him. Well, he had done away with that last vamp pretty quickly. He was up for another rumble.
Passing between the graves, Luca skimmed over the names and the ages. He’d come to terms with his lot in life, yet he always wondered at times like this if he would ever reach that final resting place. It had to be better than hunting vampires in the hope of escaping a conditional curse.
The graveyard was easily the size of a football field. When nothing jumped out of the bushes at him, he decided to call it a night and head home. Arden would still be out there tomorrow. He hadn’t been in the city long. He wouldn’t move on yet, not without good reason.
Luca had just turned to go back the way he’d come when the hedges next to him seemed to open up and a woman burst through, colliding with him in a bone-jarring impact. The next thing he knew, he was on his ass with a beautiful redhead sprawled in his lap.
Her hair was not the copper red of most, but a deep blood red. Uncanny. Bright green eyes blinked up at him in surprise. He reached to steady her, but she was already scrambling to her feet. He recognized those eyes, their eerie shimmer. Vampire. Disappointment settled in his gut, a sensation he was confused by.
“Who are you?” she asked, taking a stance of self-defense. “If Arden sent you after me, you can just tell him that I’m not coming back. And that employing humans is incredibly pathetic.”
“Wait,” Luca said, getting to his feet. “You know Arden?” Taking in her appearance, he noted that her long pale blue dress was torn and tattered. Dirt smears stained the once-silken material. “Are you all right?”
She gave him a once-over with those green eyes, then another. A bloody cut on her forehead and scratches on her bare arms gave the impression that she might have been victimized. Luca had to remind himself he was looking at a vampire. They were never the victims.
“I asked you a question.” She stood rigid, waiting for his response. The flash of fang from beneath her upper lip drew Luca’s eye. He almost hoped she would rush him. Tangling with this one just might end his night on a pleasant note.
“I’m Luca Alexander.” He saw no reason to lie. It was likely that she’d never heard of him anyway. “And you are?”
“In a hurry. So if you don’t work for Arden, then forgive my clumsiness. I do apologize.” With that, she turned to go.
“That’s it?” Luca heard himself ask. “No attempt to kill me? Drink my blood? No fight to the death?” What the hell was he thinking? Something about letting her just walk away didn’t sit right with him.
She turned back to fix him with an icy glare. Her gaze went to the stake he still held. She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Like I said, I’m in a hurry.” After pushing a long, tangled lock of hair away from her face, she crossed her arms over her chest. “If you insist on doing this the hard way…”
“No,” he replied quickly. “I’m not working for Arden. I’m looking for him.”
Luca couldn’t help but wonder what those tousled locks felt like. Even a disheveled mess, it looked amazing falling down her back in waves. He’d faced many female vampires before. Not one had encouraged this kind of curiosity or intrigue within him. As he stared at her, it grew more difficult to remember she was the target.
A hint of a smile tugged at her full lips. “If you think a stake is going to help you take down Arden, you’d better think again. He is a master vampire in every sense of the term. It’s more likely that he’ll just stick it right up your—”
The sound of wood splitting was deafeningly loud as a vampire exploded through the trees next to them. He went straight for the red-haired vampiress, intent on her as if Luca hadn’t been there at all. She threw her hands up in defense, connecting with one hell of a punch. It didn’t stop the oncoming assault, though, and she went down beneath her attacker.
Snarls and shrieks cut through the night as the two vampires fought like animals. They moved fast, a blur on the ground. Luca watched as the male fought to get his hands around her throat. She landed a series of blows to his face, then clawed his eyes. He didn’t let up.
“Goddamn you, Kat. Can’t you just stay put like a good little pain in the ass? Arden didn’t say you could leave.” The vampire smirked as he got his skinny fingers around her neck.
Luca had to do something. His instinct was to get closer, his stake held ready. Common sense said he should use the opportunity to wipe them both out. Before he could do anything, the scarlet beauty got her legs up under her attacker and launched him into the air. She leaped to her feet, then rushed the guy before he recovered.
“I don’t need permission from Arden to do a damn thing,” she snarled. She slammed the palm of her hand into his nose, then followed up with another solid, full-fisted blow.
It didn’t do much to slow the other vampire down. It did, however, enrage him, and he flung himself at her like a man intent on murder. Eyes wild and fangs bared, he quickly gained the upper hand by unleashing a blast of metaphysical power at her. It knocked her off her feet, and he was on her like a rabid beast.
Luca moved fast, not a conscious thought guided him. He kicked out with a strong right foot, hoping to stun the attacking vamp. Instead it earned him a blow that sent him reeling. The stake flew from his hand, and he rushed to pick it up. When he whirled around, the vampire had directed his attention back to his intended victim. Relentlessly he continued his physical assault on the vampiress, who continued to curse and fight.
Throwing his weight into it, Luca brought the stake down hard, driving it into the vampire’s back through to his heart. He let out a wail and, seconds later, exploded into dust. The remains rained down, covering both Luca and the vampiress with a thick, ashy layer. She blinked up at him in confusion when he offered her a hand.
“Are you okay?” he asked, uncomfortable with his question. “Kat? That’s what he said your name was, right?”
Ignoring his hand, she eyed the stake and pressed her lips together. When he made no move to harm her, she began to shake the dust and ash from her dress. “Yeah, something like that. What’s it to you?”
Good question. What was it to him? Luca took an uncertain step back. Glancing at the bloodied stake still clutched in his hand, he wondered why he hadn’t already dusted her. Much as he’d like to think it was vampire mind tricks, he knew they held no power over him.
“It’s nothing. Forget I asked.”
Picking herself up off the ground, Kat scowled at her attire. “That stupid asshole. He ruined a five-hundred-dollar dress. Shit!” To Luca, she said, “All right. Let’s get this over with. If you want me next, I’m more than ready to tear your throat out. But I’d really much rather be on my way.”
Having his throat torn out would be a painful inconvenience. Luca wasn’t going to mention that the only thing that would kill him was fire or decapitation. Why encourage her? Of course, the thought of tangling with her certainly did have its appeal. With her tattered dress and wild hair, she was a hell of a sight.
“What are you gawking at?” She fixed him with a dark glare, hands on her hips.
He hadn’t realized he had been staring so intently until she called him on it. What the fuck? Som
ething about her had captured his attention. Whether it was that hair, the color of blood, or the creamy white skin of her sensational cleavage, he didn’t know. Or those eyes. Oh Lord, he really needed to get laid. A woman like this easily put all others to shame. It was impossible not to be attracted to her.
“I just want Arden.” Luca refused to acknowledge that he’d been enchanted by her. He was ashamed. He’d never felt anything in the presence of a vampire other than the need to kill. There was no mistaking the surge of desire within him. He’d have to be blind not to notice how damn sexy she was.
Kat nodded and took a step away, as if to leave. Pausing, she flashed him a small smile. “You’ll find Arden outside of town, where Campbell Road ends and the country roads begin. It’s the first house. Can’t miss it. Iron gates and all. You’ll need a lot more than a stake to get inside. The place is heavily guarded.”
Luca was suspicious. “Why are you telling me this?”
“It’s what you want to know, isn’t it?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Then does it matter?”
She faced him with a stony expression. Luca was no idiot. She obviously had her reasons.
“No,” he replied. “It doesn’t. Thank you.”
She moved fast. Faster than his mind could comprehend. Her lips, soft and persistent, were on his before he could react. She kissed him with a passionate fervor that got his pulse racing and his blood boiling. The shock quickly gave way to pleasure. His response to her went against all the natural laws of the earth, but it felt so good. Her body brushed alongside his, supple and warm. The resulting rush had his heart pounding loudly in his ears.
A wave of heat shot through him, straight to his groin, and he grew hard. She tasted sweet, and he couldn’t help but kiss her back when she slipped her tongue into his mouth. Luca was enticed, wanting to taste more of her, to delve deeper.
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