Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2013 Tatum Throne
ISBN: 978-1-77130-349-1
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
For my boys. I love you for all that you are and all that you will be. Thank you Kelly and Melissa for walking the walk with me. You girls are the best!
DARK CARESS
The Fallen, 1
Tatum Throne
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
Amber Steele was about to die.
Dying was not on her list of things to do, but she didn’t have any other options. She fell to her knees, shaking. Her sundress was ruined.
The knife in Amber’s hand rolled from her palm and across the mat. Sweat dripped from her temples. Outside the half cage, the Fallen crowd erupted. They were on their feet chanting for her death. She knew she was at the old mill turned into arena on the outskirts of Charleston, SC, a.k.a. The Holy City.
She stared across the sweat- and blood-stained mat to see the Fallen warrior gloat. Short blonde hair caressed the vampire’s cheeks in a sharp cut. Black leather and golden chains showed off her long legs. Thick eyeliner coated her almond shaped eyes.
She was a predator. Were they all like that?
Amber was nothing like this tall, beautiful vampire. She was average, athletic, and had generous curves that made her a voluptuous version of the girl next door.
Amber shook her head trying to figure out why she had been taken. She’d been on her way to the grocery when she was kidnapped. Her brand new sandals were sitting on the edge of the ring. She knew she wouldn’t be putting them on ever again. It couldn’t be her position on the Charleston PD. Every officer who knew of the Fallen also knew to stay out of their way.
That left just one possibility. They knew she was an Elemental. Panic began to well up inside of her. Whenever one of the few Elemental were captured by the Fallen, the end was never pretty. Amber cast about the arena for something to help her, but she already knew there was nothing here she could use. She could feel it.
The Fallen were vampires who were cursed out of heaven. They complicated life for the few scattered Elementals who remained. At least, Amber hoped that there were more of her kind out there hiding or living just the same way she was.
The roar of the crowd was deafening, but all Amber heard was the beating of her heart in her ears. She took short breaths, trying to ease the pain in her ribs. She looked around the arena. A few humans were in the crowd. One of them stood within the crowd watching closely. His dark hair fell over his forehead. Their eyes met.
“Water,” she said.
The guy looked down at the bottle of water in his hand. The corner of his mouth ticked up as he tossed it through the crowd. Amber leapt up, catching the half full bottle. The Fallen warrior laughed as Amber unscrewed the bottle and tilted it up to her mouth. Amber took a long drink, but didn’t swallow. She stared down the warrior across from her.
Amber tossed the empty bottle aside as the warrior circled close. Amber lifted her hands, spraying the water through her fingers. Energy flowed down through her body, turning the water in to sharp blades of ice. The Fallen warrior screamed as the ice hit her skin. She dematerialized, and the shards stabbed into the mat. A blow hit Amber from behind, striking her in the head. Amber fell to her knees on the mat again. She frowned as her gaze locked with the human who had given her the water. There was something off about him. Who was he?
Fate.
The word whispered through her mind as the Fallen warrior circled. It was over. She had never expected to die like this.
Not many humans knew of the Fallen or the fact that Elementals had once populated the world in great numbers. After the war between the Fallen and Elementals, the last few Elementals had gone into hiding, thus giving humans sole dominion over the Earth. That was almost a hundred years ago. Amber’s grandmother had spoken with a haunted expression when she talked about the war. The war had started over territory and ended with the spilling of nearly all Elemental blood. She had called it the Time of Darkness.
The Fallen had won again with her death.
The Fallen vampire warrior worked her way around the cage. Amber was done. She knew it. Elementals didn’t walk out of the cage, not when they were pinned against a vampire. If she was going to die, she was going to do it on her own terms. Her hand was steady as she reached for the blade they had given her to fight with.
Amber flipped the knife around, fisting it blade down. Amusement danced in her opponent’s eyes. Amber returned her wicked grin as though she were planning to attack again. Amber circled around the ring, getting farther away from the warrior. The crowd went crazy. At the last possible second, Amber fell to her knees and stabbed the knife with both hands toward her heart, arching back for the crowd to see.
The point of the knife struck the silk of her dress and froze. Amber’s eyes flared wide as she was willed into submission by another Fallen. The crowd went silent. It was clear that no one had defied the sanctity of the match with suicide until today.
Amber couldn’t move. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the Fallen warrior. The warrior shook her head “no” once. It wasn’t she stopping Amber from dying. The crowd spilling into the aisles turned as though someone had entered the building. Amber struggled for purchase on the knife, but she couldn’t move.
Dark energy swirled up from the legs of a Fallen woman materializing in the middle of the mat. The Fallen who materialized across from her was deadly in a sexy, fatalistic sort of way. She was heavily armed for a vampire. Her hair was spiked purple in a punk cut.
“This Elemental was brought here for Kane. I want to know who put her in the ring!” The Fallen warrior paced the cage as silence echoed within the crowed. “This Elemental is sacred.”
The warrior paced, making eye contact with everyone in the crowd.
“Elementals will not be touched again!” The vampire’s voice echoed within the silence. “Defy Kane’s order. I dare you.”
The warrior stopped in front of Amber, leaning down on her haunches. “I didn’t expect you to kill yourself, Elemental.”
Amber struggled with the knife. “Release me.”
The vampire shook her head. “I wish I could, but I can’t.”
Drop the knife.
The hypnotic suggestion was overpowering. Amber felt her palms opening, and the knife fell.
Sleep now.
Everything went black. Amber’s body fell limply to the mat. The last thought in her head was that this was not going to be good.
Wake up.
Amber startled. She sat up and nearly fell over from getting up so quickly. Her entire body was in pain from the fight. A white bandage covered the cut on her arm. There were bruises on her legs. Her buttercup yellow sundress was stained, but her brand new sandals were strapped to her feet. She drank in her surroundings. She was on a black leather couch in some kind of VIP room. Outside the room, she heard the crowd erupt. She was still at the Fallen arena.
The vampire who had saved her from the cage fight was across the room, arms folded. Amber felt better than she should have.
“What did you give me?�
�� Amber asked.
“Something to help you heal. You were close to death.”
“What am I doing here?”
“He wants to talk with you.” The warrior licked her tongue over one of her fangs as though there was a bad taste in her mouth. “He wants to apologize.”
A chill raced over Amber’s skin. He could only be one person. The leader of the Fallen. “Why?”
“Your kind are now protected creatures. This shouldn’t have happened. Kane is trying to help right the wrong that occurred to your kind.”
“Did Kane lead the war?”
The Fallen warrior looked pained. “No. It was the Fallen leader before him. Allow Kane to have this act of love. There are so few days he has a chance to be who he truly is.”
Amber smoothed the loose strands of hair falling around her face. “It’s not necessary. I’m fine. You can wipe my memory clean. I don’t care.”
“You’ll have to convince him of that, if that is your wish.” The Fallen shook her disbelieving face as she moved around the room. “Follow.”
Pain shot through Amber’s ribs as she stood. They stared at each other across the empty VIP room.
“You will be blinded for this. It’s the only way I’ll grant this meeting.”
There was really no reason for Amber to meet the Leader of the Fallen, but she could see that the warrior wouldn’t be convinced otherwise. Amber wasn’t comfortable with the condition offered. It was then Amber realized the Fallen warrior was serious. Amber fought the urge to snap the word “no” across the room the same way one would pull the trigger on a gun. She steadied her breathing.
“Blinded, not blindfolded?”
“Blinded. I want to be sure you are the one.”
The one? What was she talking about?
Vibration tingled down Amber’s spine. He was here. On the other side of the thick door, waiting. His energy electrified the air with quick tantalizing pulses that brought her body alive. Amber steadied her nerves against the exotic temptation. No one had laid eyes upon the Fallen leader and lived to tell. No one.
“Fine. How long will it last?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
Fifteen minutes. No big deal. She could do this. She had made it through a cage match with a Fallen warrior with only her police training. She could get through this meeting. “Okay.”
The Fallen inclined her head. Seductive, fierce, she was a beautiful combination of what the Fallen race could be.
“You are?” Amber asked.
The Fallen looked flustered for a moment. She was the only thing that now stood between her and the meeting with the leader of the Fallen, Kane. Amber wasn’t sure what had caused the reaction. Amber had only asked her name.
“Kane says I’ve given him too much advice over the years. He started calling me Advice years ago, but that was too long. So now he just calls me Vice.”
Vice’s dagger sharp heels dug into the glossy floor. She was an alluring creature. They all were. She stopped in front of Amber.
“It stings.”
Vice brought her cupped hand to her lips. Golden dust clung to the long lines of her palm. She blew. Dust flew before Amber’s nose striking like a can of Aqua Net in the eyes.
Amber swore through the rough wave of ache. Blindness tumbled over in seconds. Sting didn’t even begin to describe the throbbing needle sensations. Her eyes watered. She sucked in air like that would make it all better. Wrong.
“Wait here.”
Like she could go anywhere? Her vision clouded, and then winked out. She was now blind. Part of her most sacred empathic side was now shut down. Amber closed her eyes and centered her breathing, focusing on her vow of tranquility. Elementals used their vows to stay in harmony with their environment. An Elemental’s vows were decided upon when their powers fully developed. It was Amber’s grandmother who had walked with her through the ceremony.
Beyond the walls, she heard the sounds of another fight getting underway. A bell rang, and the crowd erupted. Cheers vibrated the floor, the walls. She moved restlessly around the room. She’d seen the stripper poles and the elaborate vintage bar. The room was made for infinite night and infinite seduction.
Kane was royalty. Amber was just a plain Jane from Charleston, South Carolina, with a seven year career in law enforcement under her belt. She had just made detective a few months ago. Life was exactly the way she wanted it to be. Like most cops, she was married to her career. A pang of longing for more crept into her heart when she thought about the number of hours she put in. Deep down she knew she wasn’t truly happy. She was an Elemental who didn’t fit in a human world. She was an Elemental who didn’t fit anywhere.
Amber’s senses began to hum. She took a breath and held it.
He was coming in, and all she wanted to do was run away. For the love of God, she was a hot mess. She ran a hand through her long hair, trying to fix it. Amber rolled her eyes. She was pathetic.
Chapter Two
The click of the door opening signaled the leader of the Fallen, Kane’s, arrival. Despite her blindness, Amber sensed the light as it swirled around darkened forms. The leader of the Fallen was backlit by the lights coming in through the doorway. The door shut, taking the light. Despite her blindness, she kept her eyes defiantly open.
“You blinded her?”
“I wanted to be sure,” Vice said.
To Amber’s Elemental side he was a dangerous seduction she couldn’t indulge. She sensed an entourage of three vampire warriors following behind. Amber focused on her other senses to glean what she could.
Tingles tickled her skin. She felt his gaze move from the top of her head to her heels and then back up again. Another shift in the darkness brought Amber’s head around. Amber tuned her empathic ability to the mood of the room. The three vampire warriors were watching her closely. Amusement undulated off of them. Instinctively, she knew they were taking bets on who would make the first move and lose.
“Do you know who I am?”
A shudder danced down Amber’s spine, knocking each one of her vertebrae together. Only a Fallen sounded like a smooth, dark, forbidden piece of chocolate. The illicit kind, laced and imported from Eastern Europe. A bittersweet chocolate that would keep her tongue busy all night. There was sadness in the Fallen leader’s voice. What was the cause?
Amber felt her heart open. She didn’t want to feel compassion for this vampire. “I’ve heard some things about you.”
“Have you now?” he asked.
“I know you have rein over The Holy City.”
“Yes, I do.”
“The crime rate sucks though. You might want to do something about that,” Amber said.
“Our burglary rate is low.”
The corner of Amber’s mouth ticked up. “The murder rate is way higher than the national average.”
“Are you saying that’s my fault?” he asked.
“Maybe.”
Vampires didn’t like being played with. He circled close. Every muscle in her body locked. Amber became very aware of his big, brooding height. Sorrow lingered in the way he moved. He was lonely. As an Elemental living in a human world, Amber knew all about loneliness. There were days she’d trade being an Elemental for the ability to live in ignorant bliss the way humans did.
“Leave us.”
Amber heard movement as the other vampires dematerialized from the room.. Amber focused on their auras. Dark energy twisted up from their feet.
They were alone.
Power undulated in spicy waves off his body. She’d be a fool not to acknowledge how seductive he was to her Elemental side. She just might willingly jump out of a plane with no parachute, if he promised that he’d catch her before she hit the ground. Then again, at one time, she had been stupid when it came to all forms of men, even the Fallen warrior kind.
Amber felt her heart rate spike as she sensed him moving closer. She was shocked that she wanted to get closer to him. Anticipation juiced her muscles for playing a game of s
exual tag. A healthy dose of fear coursed through her body, quick and hot, but she ignored it. She was disappointed when he moved farther away. She wanted him closer as they spoke.
“I want to apologize for the fight.”
Amber heard a clink as a glass was set on the bar, followed by the swish of liquid being poured. She even heard the alcohol pass over his lips and down his throat.
“You don’t need to apologize.”
“I’d like to make it up to you.”
He was smooth, and she was blind. “I want to see you.”
“I can’t. I’m sorry. It’s for your safety. You cannot see me until I know for sure that you are the one.”
“The one?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She heard the catch of sadness and longing in his voice when he started to speak. Her heart hammered. She could feel his erotic stare burning into the soft layers of her skin. Several long seconds slipped away. “Then I guess you won’t be able to make tonight up to me.”
She walked around the room as though she could see, putting one of the stripper poles between them. She leaned a cool hand against it for balance. Amber let her empathic side reach out and caress his aura. As an Elemental she could read the emotional pathways of others. She quieted her breathing, listened to the way his body hummed. There was risk in letting her empathic side play, but she didn’t care. She stroked her hand up and down the pole.
Amber turned her head, listening to Kane’s movements. The leader of the Fallen was a seduction she couldn’t indulge. What if he offered and she said yes?
He stepped closer, and she refused to step back. His silk shirt brushed her dress, and his heat, his breath, mingled with hers. She could almost taste the expensive bourbon on his breath.
“You’re not afraid of me?”
Again, unhappiness lingered in his words. She wanted to know what circumstance kept him caged. She felt breathless as their lips brushed. Amber lifted her hands to his jaw, seeing with her hands. “No.”
Dark Caress (The Fallen) Page 1