Born Of Sin (Book 1)

by Deanna Richmond

  “You both may go.” Feeling himself weakening, he scooted back the chair and stood up to zip his pants.

  “Why?” Gabriela whined, looking up at him from the floor.

  Victor helped her up and handed over her clothes. With Andreea, he had to resist a bit harder. “Are you sure?” She remained on her knees in his bed. For a split second, he hesitated, giving into her hunger-filled kiss, before he gently pulled away.

  “I’m sorry, my lovelies, not tonight.” The women pouted as he escorted them out of his bedroom. He’d never rejected them before, but his mind was not in it. He could have easily completed the act, but that tug was still there, and it didn’t allow him the freedom to give into these urges.

  Once in the shower, Victor completed what the women had started. He stroked himself masterfully to the memory of the beguiling woman in the lobby. Her scent had lingered in his nose, and in his mind, her pink, polished lips moaned his name. He shuddered at the idea of being inside of her as he released his desires.

  Soon.

  He vowed he would have her soon.

  Chapter 5: Octavia

  It had been two months since Octavia had started working at the hospital. If she did not keep busy, she would start thinking of her mother again and become depressed. She’d always fought depression. She’d always had so much love to give to others, especially the young and old, but always the most vulnerable.

  Needing to stay busy, she loved working with the babies over night, but on her days off she volunteered with the elderly in the afternoon. The elderly told her stories of the past, while she helped them in art or photography classes. Their artwork would get displayed throughout the hospital where the visitors could vote on their favorite pieces, though everyone always won a prize.

  Octavia even joined the party committee, where monthly functions were planned. On this unit, patients tend to stay months at a time due to their blood ailments, so the staff and volunteers worked to continuously came up with functions or agendas to keep them entertained.

  Every day before work she did three things: one, placed a kissed hand on the plaque; two, coveted the man who was always there, but out of arm’s reach, and three; went to the rooftop to admire Château du Roux. There she allowed her fantasies to roam.

  Until one day, for the first time in a month, there was no beautiful stranger in the lobby. A part of her felt crushed. She looked forward to those moments of seeing him.

  You are ridiculous, Octavia, to even think he has time for you or cares. He’s a businessman who probably has women at his disposal, or worse, is married. She scolded herself in silence.

  But it felt odd. As much as she was fascinated by him, she never sought him out. Something told her that if she entered his world, she would never be able to deny him anything.

  Removing him from her mind, but still feeling deflated about not being able to see him, Octavia ascended to the hospital rooftop like her routine insisted. She walked towards the edge and took in the fresh fall air, focusing on the magnificence of the palace. The sun was descending, and it was as if the castle lights were summoning her. At least in her mind they were. It was stunning. “One day you will actually get to see the inside. One day,” she sighed in promise to herself.

  “I hear it’s magnificent,” said an unfamiliar voice from behind her. Octavia spun around on the uneven gravel to find none other than the man who had consumed her thoughts, the nameless stranger. Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest.

  It took a minute for her to respond. After a forced swallow she replied, “Oh, yes. Yes, it is. Well, that is what I hear.” She concentrated on the man so intently, it was a wonder she could not read his thoughts.

  For a minute, no words were exchanged, as they could not help but gaze at each other. It was Victor who finally broke the silence, “My name is Victor.” He extended his hand for her to shake.

  At first, she only looked at his polite gesture, while not moving. She was reluctant, as if taking it would be the end of her, opening her to a world she knew not. Deciding to take a chance, she seized the seductive opportunity and extended her hand too. An electric current shot through her body, slowing her thoughts, the breaths needed to sustain life, even the earth around her, the very second they connected. Finally, she took in a long inhale, finding her voice. “My name is…” she hesitated. “Amelia,” she lied.

  What am I doing? That was so rude, but I don’t want him to know my name. He’d most likely run off this roof to get away from me, so as to not be associated with Octavia Vail.

  He nodded in acceptance and watched her step away, as if shy. She toyed with her hands, apparently not sure what to do with them.

  They stayed on the roof; she admired the scenery of the sunset and the glow from the lights of the castle, while openly Victor admired the view of her. Every so often, she’d glance at him in wonder, unaware of his focus. His gaze remained vigilantly linked on her. He stood off to the side, leaning against a brick pillar with both hands in his pockets, while his eyes spoke the lust-filled words his lips dared not speak.

  Octavia had always been the wary type. She never stared at others for fear of what someone would say to her, but with him, she could not help but stare back. As if caught in his web, she could not free herself from his gaze. She intertwined her fingers behind her back to stop them from fidgeting. She gripped them tightly, wishing their bodies could do what her fingers were doing. Her mouth parted slightly, trying to steady her breathing as the world around them fell to nothingness. Her heart raced beyond reason, obliterating her rationality. Nothing existed. Not a sound. Not the wind. Not smell, nor sensibility. It appeared as if neither blinked.

  She cared about nothing else, not even the castle, as his eyes devoured her. Surprising herself, she removed her red coat so he could see more of her. It may have been cool out, but being this close to him ignited something inside of her. She turned away to take in the fresh air, hoping to lower her core temperature as her insides tingled with exhilaration. Without forethought, she glanced back at him seductively.

  His eyes rolled over every inch of her curves, taking in the contour of her figure in her jeans and a black fitted sweater. If she didn’t know any better, she would swear that she could feel his hands roving over every part of her, pressing up against her. She could only imagine what he was envisaging as his eyes appeared to make love to her. Her body reacted with a longing ache.

  Her hands were eager to touch his, to touch everything. She could hear Jared’s words of encouragement, take a chance, but that was not her.

  The stranger acknowledged her unspoken yearning with a raised brow. Fire shot through her. Her body reacted without her consent. As if drawn by invisible strings, she strolled over, reached up, pulled his collar toward her, and kissed him with fierce vigor. He lifted her up with ease, hugging her tiny waist, securing her with one hand while the other gripped her curls.

  Her kissing was passionate, aggressive, like one who’d been starved. She knew nothing about him, other than that she coveted him. Her hands dug through his thick mane while plunging her tongue deep. Nothing but pure need made her react in such a way as she wrapped her legs around his svelte midsection. My God, she craved more. She wanted all of him, now.

  If not for a bang on the door suppressing her longing, she would have completely succumbed to his shameful gazes and her immoral greed, here on the rooftop.

  But then Octavia did the most peculiar thing. She bit his lip. She stared at the trickle of blood for a second, then sucked the escaped sanguine that pooled. It was completely out of character. All of this was, on both of their parts.

  She pushed off of him, shocked at what she had done and even more appalled that she'd bitten him. He didn’t seem to mind, as he checked the blood from his lip on his finger. He then smiled at her with a crooked grin. He’d actually enjoyed it.

  “I have to go,” she managed to say through gasped breaths and rushed toward the door. What the hell was that? Are you mad? But as she thou
ght it, a smile crept upon her face, too.

  She met Jared on the landing of the stairs, still fidgeting to light his cigarette. “Where are you going? I want a smoke.” She grabbed his arm, yanking on him. The last thing she wanted him to see was a man behind her. Jared was adamant about details, especially when it came to her affairs.

  “You don’t need one. You’re quitting, remember?” She shoved him down the spiral staircase, until they reached the landing by the elevator. The door above them squeaked, but the stairs angled so that you could not see who it was. She hurriedly pressed the button to the elevator, knowing all too well who was descending the stairs.

  “Who's up there?” Jared yelled upward.

  “Oh, just some staff members we don’t know,” she said, then shoved him inside once the elevator doors opened, and hastily pressed the button numbered two. And as the doors were slowly shutting, Victor was there in a flash. He leaned against the wall with a mischievous grin on his face, watching her intensely as the doors slowly swallowed her whole. Her heart raced wildly, wanting to exit the elevator to finish what they'd started.

  Jared was preoccupied with taking off his coat, failing to notice Octavia’s riled expression. She was relieved that Victor hadn't stepped in between the closing doors. When the doors were finally shut, she fell against the wall to take a deep breath.

  “What’s wrong with you today?” Jared sounded annoyed.

  “I don’t know,” she answered, staring at the floor as her finger grazed her lips. Shutting her eyes, she added, “I don’t know.”

  Chapter 6: Victor

  Victor had enjoyed every minute of their encounter. He had never touched a human in such a way before. As worldly as he was, his intimate interactions with humans had been limited. Actually, he had never touched a human, unless it was to shake hands. It was forbidden. It wasn’t that he was fearful, it was just that he had never been attracted to one. Most vampires were cautious around them since the humans were likely to cause trouble for his kind. His interactions with them had been limited to mostly business. He had always been fine with that in the past, but now, he wanted more.

  Octavia intrigued him. Yes, he knew her real name and real identity, but he played along because he would partake in any game or take any route that would eventually lead to having her. He wanted her. He found it most amusing that she seemed shocked by her impulsive behavior towards him. Her response to her own actions was most puzzling for him. When vampires act, they don’t second-guess themselves like most humans. No regrets, no questioning involved. But then again, this was all new territory for him.

  He’d heard her heart racing as the elevator doors had closed in front of him, but he’d wanted to see more of her. He’d needed to smell more of her. Her scent was enticing, yet somewhat familiar. He could not recall how or possibly where from; all he knew was that he was charmed by it. And when she’d bitten his lip, it had stirred the animal within him. He could have taken hold of her there and made love to her on the rooftop while drinking her blood. The exchange of blood during sex was considered quite intimate. In fact, Octavia had been far more intimate with him than she was even aware.

  He went back to the rooftop to ponder their encounter. Instead of cooling off, he could not help but picture himself inside of her, drinking of her while she screamed his true name, Nikolai. Although he should've questioned this kind of behavior toward a human, he did not. In one swift motion, he leapt to the other building, the business center, and rode the elevator down to the second floor. Victor made it in time to see Octavia enter her unit from over one hundred yards away.

  “Octavia,” he growled, planting a hand against the glass window as if to touch her.

  Victor watched her turn around quickly like she might’ve heard him call her name. Her eyes scanned the vicinity. They squinted, as if in deep thought. After a few seconds, her face relaxed and she strolled into her unit. But not before he saw her touch her own soft lips.

  ***

  After a full day of quarterly meetings and public relations for the hospital, Victor changed his routine. He did not retire home after work, but instead decided to visit the hospital’s festivities that were occurring in the east wing.

  Patients would travel from overseas in search of a cure for their ailing health. Their stays usually lasted months at a time; so, in order to keep their spirits up, they were kept entertained by the Good Samaritan program. Tonight was in honor of war veterans, but all were welcomed to the 1940 Swing Brigade party. There were paid dancers at the function to represent an array of performances, a variety of caterers to host the food, and paid translators, so no one would felt left out.

  Victor had never attended an affair before and showing up now would only make others question his motives. He lurked in the balcony, veiled by darkness, keeping watch while everyone enjoyed themselves. There were many people partaking in the function. There was a combination of humans and vampires. Some of the vampires relished the thrill of coexisting with the humans, who had not a clue that their lives could end in a second.

  Victor could hear numerous people talking all at once, especially the veterans discussing their platoons and their past. Reminiscing was something Victor rarely did. No, he was too consumed by work all of the time. But over the past months, he had been astonished by his actions.

  This rare act of questioning his actions dissipated as soon as he saw her—Octavia, the dark-haired enigma. She was the one he thought about constantly, to his surprise. She wore a retro, dark navy skirt and top to fit the era. Her curls were pinned up on top, allowing the back to flow freely about whenever she was twirled around by a male partner. As innocent as it was, Victor’s temper rose. He gripped the metal railing in protest.

  “I thought I’d find you here,” Brayden said, sauntering over. He glanced toward Octavia. Brayden was always the calm type, no matter the situation. He’d find reason when most could not see it; he brought comfort where others could not feel it. He could figure out a resolution to any given circumstance. He was the man to turn to when the utmost calm was needed, discreet or not. That’s why Victor and Brayden were good friends. Although Brayden was good at it, he didn’t like the typical boardroom meetings or business practices. Despite his clean-cut appearance and business-like attire, Brayden liked to get his hands dirty; the dirtier, the better.

  Actually, Brayden's boyish charm worked in his favor. People liked to underestimate his gleaming smile, pretty-boy looks and calm manner. He was skilled in the art of battle and could take out men bigger than his size of 5 feet 10 inches and one hundred and eighty pounds of taut muscle.

  And he could always find a way to reason with Victor. There had never been a time, as of the past few centuries, Victor did not at least try to listen to Brayden's reasoning. They had a long history together. Brayden had already spoken to Victor several times about Octavia, but to no avail. He'd told Victor all about her questionable appearance on this world and her highly profiled history, but Victor didn’t seem moved. If Brayden didn’t know better, he would have sworn it added to Victor’s curiosity.

  “No one can see me, Brayden,” Victor said through flared nostrils, like a bull ready to charge. His hands gripped the metal, forcing it to release a whine when it bent to his hold. He focused on the party goers below, trying to ignore Brayden’s tone of impatience.

  “Has she not amused you enough? I only ask because you are not yourself. There are other matters for you to tend to, like Kazakhstan.”

  Victor faced his old-time companion. “I don’t want to discuss them.” That had struck a nerve. He didn’t say anything else to Brayden but turned back to watch below. He leaned over slightly to watch Octavia dance with an elderly male patient to a Laendler tune.

  Without so much as a word, Victor broke the top of the railing with a final squeeze. He addressed Brayden with a defiant stare, walking by the man who said not a word as he passed. Off to the right, Victor descended the stairs and headed towards the gathering.

 
; He didn’t know what had come over him. There was always a method to his madness, but this time, he was acting out of spite. No matter his intentions, his feet kept moving forward. He was angered at Brayden’s attempts to sway him, even though that's what his trusted advisor was for. He’d always listened to his friend's logic, but for some reason, he didn’t care about rationale, reason or proper protocol.

  Victor entered through the double doors. He walked past the guests, strolled up to the elderly gentleman and asked, “May I?” The man seemed both surprised and relieved. He was obviously tired. He obliged by stepping aside for Victor’s sake, handing over Octavia’s hand. Victor motioned for the young man controlling the music to start over.

  The room fell to a hush as Victor took Octavia’s hands and stared into her nervous, questioning eyes. It was as if he could feel the shocked gazes from the crowd as their gasps retracted the air out of the room. The only noise was the sound of pounding hearts. Victor heard them all, but he only focused on one, hers. It beat wildly when they touched.

  Resentment initially washed over the faces of the female vampires. Their mouths hung open but were quickly replaced with disapproving looks of daggered glares. One of the faces was Gabriela’s, the one he'd rebuffed from his bed not too long ago. She now understood why.

  Victor ignored them all. He stared up at Brayden and was met with a challenging glare. Victor was making a scene but didn’t care. He was just grateful that Octavia was unable to hear the envious whispers of the female humans in the room. They wanted to know why he'd chosen to dance with her. What made her so special? Even he could not answer that question himself. The vampires knew to keep silent. They knew their place and how powerful Victor was. He was a man whose rule was almost equal to the Cabalistis themselves.