Marked: City of the Damned Book 1

by Everly Drummond

  “Here are your clothes.” Gedeon placed the neatly folded pile of clothes on the foot of the bed. “Dinner’s on the table.”

  “Gedeon, wait,” she stammered.

  “Sara, please. Don’t make this harder than it already is.” Gedeon turned his head and averted his gaze from the slim naked form that lay just beneath the sheet, and well within his reach. Soon he thought to himself, but soon couldn’t come fast enough.

  A sweet and spicy aroma filled the air, soft jazz music drifted from the speakers of the stereo, and the iridescent glow of candlelight flickered gently on the walls and floor of the apartment. Sara approached the table where Gedeon sat waiting for her. If she didn’t know any better, she might have actually thought that this was a date. Gedeon raised his head and the look of something that was neither love, nor lust, nor hunger flashed in depths of his aqua blue eyes. It was longing; longing for something that he couldn’t have, longing for something that was not his to take.

  “It smells delicious.” Sara sat down quietly in the seat across from him and placed the napkin in her lap.

  “I hope you like Thai food.”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never had it before. Stuff like this is hard to come by in backwoods Montana.” A small laugh escaped her lips. Sara knew not to push him too far. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to be able to figure out that Gedeon was very close to his breaking point.

  “Listen Sara, about what just happened. I should’ve never let it get that far.”

  “You don’t have to explain yourself, Gedeon.” A faint blush colored her cheeks.

  “Yes, I do. I don’t want you to think for one minute that I don’t want you, because I’ve never wanted anything more in my life. But if I were to drink from you now, while you’re marked by another, it would poison me. Your blood would eat away at me from the inside out, and if I were to make love to you, I don’t know if I could control myself enough to not drink from you.” Gedeon bowed his head in shame. Never in his life did the blood of a woman have this kind of effect on him. It drove him mad with hunger and crazy with lust.

  “What will happen when you kill Pryse?” Sara asked as calmly as she possibly could. The idea of killing someone, even if it was a vampire, scared the hell out of her. “If I’m no longer marked, will my blood still have the same effect on you?”

  “No.” The hint of a smile crept up the corner of his mouth. “The bond will break and your blood will be clean.”

  “Then we only have to wait a little while longer, don’t we?” Sara picked up the glass of wine that Gedeon had poured for her and smiled as the bitter sweet taste danced across her tongue.

  Gedeon let out a husky laugh. “I hope so.”

  “So do I, Gedeon. So do I.” The taste of the Thai food was unlike anything she’d ever had before. It was good, but it was something that would take some getting used to. Sara tried to keep the conversation light, but a question had been burning on the tip of her tongue all night. Building up the courage, she finally asked, “What is it that Pryse wants from you? In the alley, you told him that you’d give it to him if he let me go.”

  “Pryse thinks that because I am a healer, I have the ability to make him into a day walker.”

  “Do you?” Sara poured herself another glass of wine and leaned back casually in the chair, as if this conversation was nothing more than first date banter.

  “Yes and no. I have an ancient recipe for an elixir, that if brewed right, will allow my kind to walk in the sun, but it is flawed. The effects are not permanent and could wear off at any time. If a vampire gets caught in direct sunlight when the effects wear off, the light from the sun will turn him to ash.”

  “So why not just….” Sara began, but froze as a burst of fear shot through her body. With trembling hands, she placed the glass of wine on the table.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” Gedeon sprung from his seat.

  “It’s Pryse. He’s here.” Sara’s body began to shake uncontrollably and she jumped as Gedeon grabbed her by the shoulders.

  “Sara, listen to me. We have to go NOW.” Gedeon shook her, desperately trying to get her attention as the sound of running footsteps echoed in the hall outside the apartment. “Go out the window to the fire escape. It’s the only way out.”

  Sara sprang from her seat and ran in the direction of the open window. She glanced behind her just in time to see Gedeon pick up a small burlap bag and fling it over his shoulder.

  “Go,” he yelled. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  Sara squeezed through the open window and shivered as the cold night air assaulted her skin, but there was no time to go back into the apartment and get her jacket. She looked over the edge of the fire escape and took a deep, calming breath. The third storey wasn’t really that high up, unless of course you had a fear of heights. The metal ladder that led to the ground looked impossibly unsecure, and Sara wondered briefly if it would support her weight.

  “Hurry up. What are you waiting for?” Gedeon shouted as he came through the window.

  “Gedeon, I don’t think I can climb down.” Sara looked down at the ground and shook her head.

  “Please,” he begged. The tone of his voice was urgent and desperate “You have to. Pryse is going to break through the door any second now.”

  Sara nodded, and in a monumental act of bravery, she reached over and clung tightly to the metal rungs of the ladder. One by one, she lowered herself down towards the pavement below, each rung painfully cutting into the palms her hands. She breathed a sigh of relief as her feet touched solid ground. Gedeon was only two feet above her when one of Pryse’s cronies emerged at the end of the laneway.

  “Shit,” he cursed, and landed with a thud on the pavement. “Follow me.” Gedeon grabbed Sara by the arm and dragged her towards the back of the apartment building.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I’m not sure yet.” Gedeon expertly maneuvered through the parking lot and to a path that led out to the street behind the building. The air around them vibrated, and the sound of dance music could be heard in the distance. “Hurry up, let’s go this way,” he instructed, and grabbed Sara by the arm, pulling her behind him as he ran.

  “What is this place?” Sara asked as they stopped in front of the entrance to an abandoned warehouse. The loud pounding of the music reverberated through the heavy metal door.

  “It’s a rave. It’ll be hard for Pryse to track your scent in here.” Gedeon opened the door and the sound was almost deafening. They skirted the outer perimeter of the dance floor where boys with blue and green hair, and girls with rainbow colored tutus, danced in a trance like state. Gedeon spotted an empty table in a darkened corner of the room and led Sara towards it.

  “What wrong with them?” Sara asked as she intently watched the dancers move to the beat of music. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen before.

  “Most of these kids are on ecstasy. Such a damn shame too, it makes them easy targets for us.” Gedeon looked repulsed by the idea. “If these kids weren’t strung out on drugs, most of them wouldn’t be so willing to offer up a vein.”

  “You don’t actually…” Sara began, but was unable finish the question. The idea of vampires preying on these kids nauseated her. Half of the kids in here didn’t look a day over twenty.

  “God no,” Gedeon replied sharply “I’ve never fed from an unwilling donor, or from someone under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but there are plenty of vampires out there who do.” He shook his head in disgust.

  “And they can get away with it? I thought your laws protected people?”

  “Our laws only state that the donor has to be willing. I don’t think they took illegal substances into consideration a thousand years ago when the laws were originally created.” Gedeon looked anxiously at the crowds of people that surrounded them. A steady stream of people now filed through the front door, making it difficult to see who was coming and going. “Wait here and do not move until I come back for you.” />
  “Where are you going?” Sara hated the idea of being left alone in a place like this.

  “I’m going to get a drink.”

  “You’re leaving me alone so you can go and toss back a cold one?” Sara yelled, but with the noise of the crowed growing louder, it didn’t have the desired effect she was hoping for.

  “No, but I need something to fill the vile with. Pryse wants a remedy, so I’m going to give him one.” Gedeon reached into his burlap bag and pulled out an empty glass tube. “I need to have something to bargain with. If I’m not back in five minutes I want you to run as fast as you can to the police station. There’s a small sub-station two blocks south of here. Even Pryse wouldn’t have the balls to track you down in there. A bullet may not kill him but it would certainly put him out of commission for a while.”

  “What am I supposed to tell the police, that an insane vampire is chasing me?” she said sarcastically.

  “No, just tell them that you think you’re being followed, and whatever you do, stay there until I come for you.”

  Sara nodded and watched as Gedeon disappeared into the throngs of party goers. Sitting at the table alone made her feel vulnerable. She waited on pins and needles as she searched the crowds for any sign of Gedeon’s return. Out of the corner of her eye, Sara noticed the brown burlap bag that sat on the stool next to her. Cautiously, she picked up the bag and untied the string. One peek would hurt, would it? Inside the bag was an assortment of glass viles filled with a various powders and dried herbs. In the bottom of the burlap bag were two shining silver stakes. Sara considered her options. Slowly, she reached into the bag and pulled out one of the silver stakes then retied the bag and placed it back on the stool exactly as she’d found it. When she was certain that no one was watching, Sara untucked her shirt and slipped the stake into the back of her jeans. Gedeon was going to be pissed that she went through his stuff, but she’d deal with his anger management issues later, once they’d taken care of Pryse. Where was Gedeon, and why was he taking so long? Sara scanned the club again, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

  Before she could let out a scream, the gloved hand grabbed her from behind. She could taste the metallic tang of blood as his hand pressed hard against her mouth, cutting her lip.

  “Nice boots,” Pryse said. With one hand covering her mouth, and the other wrapped tightly around her waist, he violently yanked Sara off the stool. “I’m going to uncover your mouth, but if you scream I’ll snap your pretty little neck. Do you understand me?”

  Sara nodded. Even if she wanted to say no, being marked by Pryse ensured that she’d be willing to do whatever he wanted. The gloved hand slipped away from her mouth and she gasped for air. “What do you want from me?”

  “I don’t want anything from you,” Pryse scoffed. “You’re nothing but a filthy little human, but you’re going to help me get something that I do want. I’m sure your boyfriend will be willing to negotiate with me when he hears you scream.”

  “You didn’t have to mark me to get what you wanted. Gedeon would’ve given you the remedy if you had just let me go like he asked.”

  “Don’t fool yourself. Vampires are selfish territorial creatures. Gedeon would’ve just taken you for himself, and I’d still be without the remedy. With blood as sweet as yours, it was only a matter of time before one of us claimed you.” Pryse tilted his head back and a dark sinister laugh escaped his lips. “You don’t actually think that he loves you, do you? Creatures like us aren’t capable of love.”

  “Maybe a sick psychopathic bastard like you isn’t, but Gedeon is nothing like you,” Sara spat.

  “Enough with the small talk,” he barked “follow me.”

  Sara felt the bone in her finger snap as Pryse grabbed her by the hand and dragged her towards the steel fire door at the back of the warehouse. No matter how hard she tried to scream, she couldn’t force the sound from her mouth. Pain coursed through her hand as he led her through the door and up the stairs towards the second floor. “Where are you taking me?”

  “Shut up,” Pryse barked, and stopped in front of another heavy metal door that led to the second floor of the warehouse. “In here,” he ordered. Moonlight streamed in from the skylights above, casting imposing shadows on the floor below. The room was empty except for an old wooden office chair and stack of boxes that sat against one wall. “Now we wait.”

  “You won’t have to wait long.” Gedeon’s voice echoed throughout the cavernous room.

  In one swift move, Pryse grabbed Sara by the waist and turned to face Gedeon. “Stay where you are.”

  “Let her go Pryse. It’s not Sara that you want, it’s this.” Moonlight glinted off the glass from the small vile that Gedeon held in his hand. “This is what you’ve wanted all along.”

  “Drop it on the floor and leave. When I have it in my hands I’ll let the girl go.”

  “You know I can’t do that. I’m not leaving here without her.” Gedeon continued to walk towards them at a steady pace.

  Pryse’s fangs unsheathed and his grip on her tightened, “Take one more step closer and I’ll drain her dry.”

  Sara knew she should be afraid, she knew that she should be screaming at the top of her lungs, but being marked to Pryse made her lose all sense of reason. A shiver of anticipation ran through her at the idea that Pryse was going to drink from her. She needed his bite. She wanted his bite and the pleasure it would bring. Slowly, Sara tilted her head to the side and offered him her neck.

  “Sara, don’t,” Gedeon yelled. “Look at me, and concentrate on my voice. You can fight him off.”

  “Gedeon,” she whispered. The sound of his voice sparked something deep within. Her muddled thoughts began to clear as her eyes focused on the man walking towards her. In the darkness of the room Gedeon looked like a warrior ready for battle; her warrior, her vampire.

  “I told you to stay where you are,” Pryse yelled, but it had little effect. Gedeon’s pace remained steady as he walked across the warehouse floor towards them.

  “This is your last chance,” Gedeon warned. “Give me the girl and I’ll give you the remedy.”

  “No deal. Put it on the floor and leave. If you don’t, you’ll never see her alive again.”

  “Okay, have it your way.” With the flick of his wrist, Gedeon sent the vile flying into the air. Pryse released his grip on Sara and lunged for vile as it crashed to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, Gedeon saw the reflection of moonlight on the sliver stake that Sara gripped tightly in her hand. “Sara no,” he yelled, and in once quick movement he leapt forward and pushed her out of the way.

  Sara felt the searing pain rip through her when the stake she was holding plunged deep into her shoulder as her body hit the concrete floor. She tried to scream but the words came out as a muffled cry. Her sounds couldn’t be heard over the pounding beat of the music coming from the club below, or from the battle that was taking place before her eyes. She watched in horror as Gedeon removed the second silver stake from the bag and drove it into Pryse’s heart. His body smouldered, filling the air with an acrid stench, and turned to ash. The faint smell of burnt hair filled the air, causing Sara to gag.

  A feeling of relief washed over her as the bond shattered, but it was soon over shadowed by the pain that now consumed her. Warm crimson blood poured from the wound in her shoulder and pooled on the frigid concrete beneath her. A familiar voice called to her, and she knew she should respond, but the darkness was closing in too fast. Her eyes grew heavy with sleep, and then fluttered shut. Sara stopped fighting and succumbed to the darkness.

  Chapter 5

  Sara lay very still in the center of the bed. It must be a dream. She knew that Pryse had broken her finger, and that she should be crying out in agony from the wound in her shoulder, but she felt nothing; no pain, no discomfort, not even the slightest ache. Gedeon must’ve healed her while she was unconscious. Cautiously, she let her eyes flicker open. Blackness surrounded her, but by the feel of the satin sheets agains
t her skin, Sara knew that she was in Gedeon’s bed. Slowly, she stretched her limbs one by one. The sound of clashing pots and pans echoed from the kitchen followed by soft patter of footsteps in the hall. She squinted against the bright light that emanated from the hallway as the bedroom door slowly inched open. Pulling the sheet around her, she sat up in the bed.

  “Sara, thank God you’re awake.” Gedeon placed the tray he was carrying on top of the dresser and rushed to her side. “I’ve been so worried about you.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be fine? You healed me, didn’t you?” Sara flexed her fingers as if to make a point.

  “Yes, of course I did, but I didn’t know what effect the silver would have on you.”

  “I don’t understand.” The pained look on Gedeon’s face tore at her heart.

  “You’ve seen what a silver stake can do to a vampire. I had no idea what would it would do to a marked human, and when you still didn’t wake up after two days…” Gedeon shook his head as he thought about what could’ve happened. “I wasn’t sure you were going to wake up at all.”

  “Exactly how long have I been out of it?”

  “Three days.” Gedeon reached out and took Sara’s hand in his. “I’m so sorry. This is entirely my fault. I never should’ve pushed you.”

  “Gedeon,” Sara snapped “how is any of this your fault? You’ve spent the past week going out of your way to protect me.” Her temper flared. How could he possibly blame himself for any of this? “And while we’re at it, why did you push me out of the way? I’m a tough girl, I could’ve handled myself.”

  Gedeon forced out a laugh. “I don’t think that there’s a human alive that’s strong enough to puncture vampire skin. It would be like you trying to use a pencil to poke a hole in a rock.” He raised Sara’s hand to his lips and gently kissed the back of her hand.