Jailed

by Daniella Wright

  “You are so good at putting two and two together,” Mark said sarcastically. “Clever, Doctor.” He sighed heavily.

  “My father owned this factory,” he said, waving his hand in the air. “He built it from the ground up, spending his entire life perfecting it…making it run like clockwork. He so desperately wanted my brother to follow in his footsteps after attending college on the G.I. Bill. Instead, it came to me. And I let it fall into ruin and disuse from the moment my father’s heart stopped beating.”

  “My Maker showed me how to have power. Going rogue was the best thing to happen to me. And then Jared had to go and kill Gregor…bring him to some sort of justice. But that just freed me from the bonds of my Maker. Now that I have all of the power, I can ascend to the greatness for which I was meant.” He looked at me, and there was a strange gleam in his eye. “Now that I am the Undead, nothing can stop me.”

  “Why would you want that?”

  “And your life is working out so well, Samantha?” his voice was hushed, yet menacing. He was looking at me, his face in shadow, his head cocked to the side, as if he were making a study of me.

  “I can’t complain,” I replied, shrugging. “I mean, my relationships don’t seem to work out, and then I do tend to be a little awkward in social situations, but you know, my career is working out really well, and I love my apartment.”

  “And this is what you want? Always struggling, always rushing about to put other people back together?” It was like he was looking inside of me and finding something wanting. “Always tired, always the one in the relationship who gets left for someone else…someone with more time, someone more confident?”

  “When you put it that way…” My voice came out sounding hurt, as though stung by this remark. I steeled myself: I wasn’t about to let him get to me. I needed to survive this. I needed to stay on point.

  “Have you ever thought about what it would mean to put all of that aside?” he was walking closer to me, kneeling down so that we were face-to-face. I could smell his breath; it reeked of blood. I wondered that I had never smelled it before. “What if you could have power, and wealth?” He caressed my cheek with his frozen hand. “What if you could have beauty that would last for eternity?” He paused, exhaling in a rush of frozen air, reminiscent of a refrigerator door opening. I knew that this was not yet my moment. I let him go on and let him get comfortable within my reach.

  “You know, Samantha,” he said. “One of the reasons why I talk to you is because I really do find you attractive. Your pale, creamy skin, hair blonde like corn silk, eyes that would look like cold stars when I take all of the warmth out of you.” I suppressed a shudder at the thought of being so cold.

  “You would taste…incredibly sweet.” His voice was seductive. I tried to keep my breathing calm, and to not move a muscle, my hand gripping the stake in my jacket, but I was shaking horribly from tension and fear. From Mark’s undisguised pleasure as he smiled, cruelly stroking my cheek, and then my neck, right along my carotid artery, I could tell that he was savoring my poorly disguised fear. I was his plaything.

  He leaned back, pulling out his phone, and glancing at it, his pale skin blue in its light. He sighed as he checked the time.

  “We still have some time yet,” he said, placing his phone back into his pocket before he lunged at me, like a snake striking at its prey. He grabbed me by the neck, standing and lifting me to him in the cruel mockery of a kiss, his ice cold lips at mine. His razor-sharp fangs cut my lip as he forced his tongue inside of my mouth. I knew—it was time.

  In a single movement, I pulled the stake from my coat pocket, shoving it as best as I could up and in between his ribs and in the direction of his heart. He screamed in surprise and threw me against the wall, where I hit, sliding down to the floor in a daze. He looked down at the stake, sticking out from beneath his sternum. With a sinking feeling, I realized that I had missed his heart.

  He pulled it from his chest, and, snarling, leaped at me with lightning speed.

  Chapter Nine

  I ducked, curling into a fetal position to protect myself, certain that Mark was about to tear me to pieces. His strike never fell. An enormous, echoing growl permeated the warehouse. I felt an intense heat fill the air. I looked up to see a massive form, blocking out the doorway. It was reptilian, with a long and large, sinuous body. There was a crackling, thrumming noise coming from within the beast, as though it contained fire.

  Its eyes were lit from within, green and glowing; they were trained on Mark, who stood, crouching before the beast, sizing it up. Although Mark was smaller by a mile, I knew that they were evenly matched. The vampire attacked the dragon, who I knew was Jared, come to rescue me and exact justice.

  They fought, and my heart was pounding in my chest. Mark was using the stake that I had brought against Jared—I was furious with myself for placing a weapon at his disposal. He stabbed at the dragon with all of his might, trying to punch a hole in the scaled hide. Jared, on the other hand, swiped at Mark with his knifelike claws. Throwing the stake aside, Mark wrapped his body around Jared’s neck, squeezing, trying to suffocate him. Jared shook his head violently, causing Mark to be thrown off. He landed with a crash in a pile of rusting machinery parts.

  Jared reared his head back, looking for Mark. I sat, still dazed from being thrown. There was no way that I could free myself and help. Jared was searching frantically through the pile of machinery. I suddenly felt myself being grabbed by cold hands. I tried to scream, but I couldn’t make my voice work properly. I could feel Mark’s lips against the skin of my throat, the pulsing of my jugular as fangs pierced the tender skin of my throat. I could hear Jared, shuffling through the room, searching for the vampire in all of the wrong places.

  The room was alight in a wash of fire that blasted from the dragon’s maw. Mark was a dark shadow in the foreground. Old wood caught, and the room stayed lit as the dragon continued his search in vain.

  I struggled, trying to get the vampire off, feeling his lips tighten at my neck, feeling the strange suction as he drank my blood. The sound of my heartbeat was loud in my ears, and the fear that I was experiencing was nauseating. As I struggled, the cross around my neck grazed his hand. I heard a sizzling sound as Mark pulled away, cursing in pain. I smelled his seared flesh. Seizing my opportunity, I brought my knee up, hitting him in the balls. Mark cried out in surprise and pain. With a rush, I realized that I had lost too much blood already, and I reeled like a drunk and fell to the floor, unconscious.

  Chapter Ten

  I awoke with the taste of blood in my mouth, metallic and bitter. I felt achy, and a little tired, but I also felt brand-new, and stronger than usual. Opening my eyes, I found that I was wrapped within Jared’s arms. Looking at him, I knew that he had watched me closely while I had slept. We lay in a soft bed with a plush down comforter covering the two of us. I smiled at him, reaching up to cup his face in my hand. Two large tears rolled down his cheeks. They glittered in the morning light.

  “Where are we?” I asked, looking about me. The walls were a distressed, aged wood, and the windows were large and full of light.

  “My cabin,” he replied.

  “How long have I been asleep?”

  “We fought the vampire the night before last.”

  “So long?” Why had I slept for such a long time?

  “Samantha.” His voice was soft, almost reverent, as though my name was a prayer.

  "I'm alive," I said, happy to find myself in such a state. The last things that I could recall were darkness, teeth painfully biting into my throat, and ice-cold lips sucking the blood from my body.

  "About that…" Jared sighed. He looked away from me. “By the time that I could get to you, you were on the precipice between life and death. I needed to act quickly and do the only thing that I could in order to save you...” He trailed off.

  “What? What is it?” I reached out, cupping his face in the palm of my hand.

  “I turned you.” He looked gaun
t and tired…even guilty, as though he had taken something from me.

  “So, I am…”

  “A dragon shifter,” he replied. I pondered this for a moment. I thought of all of the things that I had been told about dragon shifters—none of them were inherently bad. None of them were as bad as being a vampire. “You are…my destined mate. The moment that we kissed, our lives became entwined. But I didn’t want it to happen like this.” He held my hand in his as he went on.

  “I never wanted to turn you and rob you of your human life. I was willing to die with you, the moment that you died, after we had lived a life together,” he said. “But I could not let you die before we’d had any time at all…so I brought you back. I am so sorry. Please forgive me for my selfishness, even if you won’t stay with me.”

  I sat up, looking at him. He expected rejection, I realized. He thought that he had committed a heinous act.

  “Look at me,” I said, and he did, raising his eyes hesitantly. I saw sadness there, and guilt. “I feel stronger than I ever have. You didn’t ruin my life; you saved it.” He sat up, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close to me. I could feel the strength of our bond.

  “I want that future with you,” I told him. I brought him to me, kissing him passionately. He rolled on top of me, supporting himself with his hands. He gingerly avoided making contact with me. “I’m fine,” I assured him, pulling him so that he dropped down, putting his weight on me.

  “I forgot that you weren’t human for a second,” he muttered into my hair. I growled as I pulled him to me; it came out as a rumbling purr, an animal vibrato against my sternum. His mouth met mine, and I ran my hands over his smooth skin. He no longer felt hot, as my internal temperature was the same as his now.

  I looked him in the eyes; they were glowing, an iridescent green, like the dragon from the night before. It was definitely going to take some getting used to, remembering that the dragon and the person were one and the same.

  I rolled, causing us to tumble within the sheets. Straddling his hips, I sat astride him. He reached up, cupping my breasts. I mounted him and began gyrating my hips sensually. It was a position of strength. I felt strong and sexy as I slowly moved myself up and down. I threw my head back, arching my spine. I could feel the heat generated by our bodies. It was just like the first time—we were on fire. It felt as though the house around us was beginning to catch—that we were setting the rest of the world ablaze, leaving nothing behind but ash.

  ~*~

  THE END

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  Double Fangs

  ~ Bonus Story ~

  An Erotic Vampire Menage

  “I moaned against Elroy as Quin stretched my insides, making me feel like he would rip right through me. Our first night together hadn’t made me realize just how big he really was. Soon enough, it was too much for me to handle. I couldn’t control the pleasure that surged within me. With Elroy hitting the back of my throat, I screamed out in ecstasy, my whole world painted in pleasure as I climbed over the edge. Seconds later, my lovers joined me…”

  I had never been a girly girl. With a sports bike and a commitment to kickboxing classes I took at the local gym, I was anything but. And that’s exactly how I liked it. I felt powerful during my gym sessions. I imagined a moment when I would need to use my kickboxing skills in self-defense. My attacker wouldn’t know what hit him. Maybe that’s why I kept coming back week after week. But then, everything changed once the new instructor turned out to be a vampire. Of course, I didn’t know that at first.

  I thought he was like any other smoking hot guy. He had a nice smile and an even better laugh. He was everything I wanted in a man so when he invited me to dinner, I simply couldn’t refuse. Little did I know I would be trapped in that house for quite a while. The world of vampires was a dangerous one and a single mistake could mean my death. In the end, would I make it out of the house alive or would Elroy, the vampire upstairs, change my whole life?

  Would I fall victim to his broodingly handsome good looks or would his seduction be the end of me?

  * * *

  Chapter 1

  Six thirty A.M. Most people my age would be fast asleep in their beds. Or they would be grumpily getting ready for work. I grinned, thinking about all my high school friends who were now stuck in a corporate job they hated. But not me. Maybe it was luck or maybe it was the perseverance to stay away from everything that I hated, but somehow, I had managed to make a successful life for myself. I was healthy, I had own business as well as a killer sports bike that was for all intents and purposes, my baby.

  I dismounted, letting my sneakers pound against the hot asphalt of the parking lot. As always, the lot was full. Fitness enthusiasts never seemed to sleep and they never seemed to leave the gym. Maybe I was one of them, but at least I made the effort to get a solid eight hours of sleep every night.

  I mean, my closet is filled with more active wear than anything else, but what can I say? It’s comfortable. I like tight-fitting stuff and leggings look good and make my butt look even better.

  As the early morning sun shone, I took off my helmet, letting my long, straight brown hair fall over my shoulders. I squinted against the sun, using my hand as a visor as I looked out at the road. Early morning traffic rushed by as commuters struggled to get to work on time.

  With my helmet under my arm, I hurried across the street once I had looked both ways. My backpack bounced against the small of my back. As I climbed the steps to the gym, a couple of girls carrying yoga mats giggled to themselves, drinking putrid green smoothies. They were kind enough to hold the door for me, but that didn’t mean I liked their fake smiles. Together, we descended to the basement level where all group classes were held. The blonde woman looked back and flashed a set of pearly white teeth that looked just as fake as her smile. “Are you doing the morning yoga class as well?” She inquired politely. By her side, her friend rolled her eyes. To her, it was obviously a waste of time to talk to me.

  “No,” I answered with a curt syllable. The woman’s smile only deepened as she moved her drink from one hand to the other.

  “Oh? I didn’t know there were any other classes held this early.”

  “There’s that horrible kickboxing class. I wish they wouldn’t grunt so loudly – it messes up my focus.” The friend mumbled under her breath with a small snicker before finishing off her smoothie.

  “I’ll try to be quiet.” I pointed my comment at the woman before I hurried past them. My elbow rammed into her body, knocking her sideways into the blonde. The two women looked appalled as I stepped into the kickboxing studio.

  Still irritated, I stomped to the cubbies and put away my helmet. I rummaged through my backpack, looking for a hair tie and my headband as I observed the crowd. All the regulars were here. Timmy with the lame left leg. Melissa the war veteran who had served in Afghanistan as a chopper pilot. James Malloy who was in his second year of sobriety. There were a few new faces, including the man who stood at the front of the class, where Mel James, our instructor, usually liked to stand.

  Putting my bag away, I watched a few timid newcomers blend into the rest, looking uneasy. With my headband in my mouth, I started to tie my hair into a ponytail. If I was any other girl, maybe I would have cared what my hair looked like. Maybe I would have used a mirror. I didn’t. To make sure no strands of hair flew into my face during the workout, I hurried to put my headband on before walking up to the new guy.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked him. Subtly, I studied his body. He was wearing a thin tank top that clung to his body, showing off his muscular physique. His shoulders were broad and powerful. His arms toned to perfection, albeit a little hairier than what I was used to. His loose-fitting gym shorts showed off part of his thick thighs and his well-defined calf muscles. This was a guy who paid attention to both arm and leg days.

  “Hmm?”
He turned to face me.

  “Where’s Mel?’ I asked, staring him dead in the eyes. He smiled, his pink lips curling at the corners as his hazel eyes seemed to sparkle.

  “Ah.” He nodded, running his fingers through his short sandy hair. “I was going to mention that at the beginning of the class.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him before turning on my heels and walking away. I took up my regular spot in the middle of the room and continued to watch him. He wasn’t half bad. I bit my lip. Who was I kidding? The man was smoking hot. His face alone with those warm eyes, rugged facial hair and pointed cheeks were enough to make any girl swoon. As he looked my way, I bent down, pretending to tie my shoe. I didn’t want to be caught staring.

  Abruptly, while I was still fiddling with my shoelaces, he clapped his hands together to get everyone’s attention. “Hello everyone, my name is Quinton Fraser. You can all call me Quin. Mel had a family emergency and won’t be joining us for the foreseeable future. So, I’ll be her replacement for the time being.” He flashed a smile that made my heart skip a beat. My cheeks became hot and flushed, my skin clammy. He looked directly at me, his smile broadening. “So let’s begin. I want to see everyone bringing their A-game to the table, alright?”

  Without another word, he stepped up to the stereo system and turned on the electronic dance music that was supposed to motivate us throughout the workout. For me, however, Quin was all the motivation I needed.