A Bitten Curse: A Darkness Bites Paranormal Romance Novel Read online

  The second vampire removed his hood and revealed a younger-looking face, but his eyes were just as stern. He had close-cropped black hair, and he looked like he was ready to kill. These two meant business, and I took a cautious step back from them.

  My heart continued to beat fast in my chest, and when the first vampire’s eyes flicked momentarily to where my heart was, I suspected he could hear it too. I forced a smile to try and at least make it look like I wasn’t deathly afraid.

  The vampire on the left bowed slightly to me. “May we come all the way in, please?”

  I glanced around the room feeling a sudden pang of embarrassment at the state it was in. The walls were drab, the curtains were torn, there were clothes and old empty take-out containers thrown all across the room. I looked back at the vampire and shrugged. “Sorry. As I said, I’m not feeling well. I’d really rather not have people over right now.” I paused on the word people, unsure if that was the correct term to use.

  It wasn’t like the whole paranormal thing was new to the world anymore. Vampires and shifters had been around for at least the past few hundred years, out in the open for everyone to know about. From what I understood, they even dated farther back beyond mere mortals. But in terms of being out there in normal society, paranormal had become, well, fairly normal.

  “I’m sure you understand,” I said, forcing an even bigger smile. I forced a cough and pounded my chest with my fist. “I’m really not well right now, so please come back another time.”

  The vampire on the left rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as his eyes narrowed dangerously. “You need to come with us, Miss Rose.”

  Oh, shit. That was the last thing I wanted to hear. “Who did you say you work for?” I looked back and forth between the two vampires and couldn’t help but laugh at how easily they fit in the neighborhood. They were both dressed in long robes, Victorian-looking clothing, and had an air of historical significance. They fit right in with the local goth scene, and looked like they came straight out of a Dracula movie. A small laugh escaped my lips. The vampires I’d seen back in Chicago just dressed like normal, modern people.

  The vampire on the left cocked his eyebrow, but the one on right looked even angrier with me. I stifled my laugh and forced myself to look serious. I crossed my arms and stared at them both in turn and waited.

  The silver-haired one nodded to me again and said, “I didn’t say. My name is Victor, and if you could please come with us, Miss Rose, it would make all of our lives much easier.”

  I nodded and thought to myself for a moment, a deep panic setting in. “Actually, I have an engagement today. An appointment, and there are a lot of people waiting for me. So, if you don’t mind, I have to get ready and go, otherwise people will send a search party looking for me.” I blurted the words out too quickly, and from the expression on their cold, hard faces, I knew they didn’t believe me for a second.

  The vampire on the left scowled. “No games, Miss Rose. Come with us. You don’t want to anger the Master.”

  I stared at him and swallowed loudly. “And who’s your master?”

  I had a feeling I knew the answer to my question, but I stood and waited for their response anyway. When no reply came, my body began to shake.

  Shit. Well, so much for hiding.

  “What are the chances of you letting me stay? What if I refuse to go with you?”

  The vampire on the left side frowned. “That would be disagreeable.”

  “You and I both know that that’s not an option, Miss Rose. Please come with us. I promised no harm will come to you, but you do need to come with us. Quickly,” the silver-haired vampire said coolly.

  I sighed and nodded, knowing full well that if it came to a fight between myself and two vampires, there was absolutely no chance that I would come out on top. I could try and stubborn my way out of it, but I had a feeling that wasn’t going to be effective at all either. “Okay, but at least let me shower first. Please?”

  The vampire on the left glanced to his companion, and then looked back at me and nodded. I feigned a half smile and then sauntered towards the bed and reached for a towel on the floor. I rummaged through the top shelf in my dresser and pulled out a fresh set of clothing that didn’t smell like beer and a sweaty wolf man.

  I glanced back at the two men and then walked stubbornly into the small bathroom on the other side of my one-room apartment. I stepped into the bathroom and slammed the door, and immediately turned on the hot shower and let it run until the bathroom filled with steam. I shook my head and tried to think clearly, hoping that maybe in the few minutes I had alone I might be able to come up with a plan to get out of there.

  I looked around the bathroom for a way out, but realized the tiny window above the sink was far too small for me to climb out of. The three-story drop would likely kill me anyways. Or would at least break my legs, in any case. A tempting alternative, but not necessarily an ideal outcome.

  The burning water felt good against my skin when I finally stepped into the shower. I scrubbed away the traces of the events of the night before and washed my hair with the no-name budget-brand shampoo and conditioner that sat on the floor. I didn’t exactly live a life of luxury, but I enjoyed the shower just the same. I might have enjoyed it too much, as I suspected it may be the last chance I had at normalcy for a while.

  I didn’t know how long I was in the shower for, but when a knock came at the door I realized I’d better hurry up and finish. “I’m coming, I’m coming.” For fuck’s sake, you’d think the undead would have a little more patience.

  I turned the shower off and quickly toweled myself dry, then wrapped the towel around my hair as I pulled my clothes on. My skin was still damp, but I slid my tight jeans on awkwardly and pulled my favorite black sweater over my towel-covered hair. I then dried my hair as best I could with the damp towel and sprayed in a little bit hairspray so my hair wouldn’t get too frizzy. I then stared at myself in the mirror, and wiped a circle in the foggy mirror with my hand so I could see. I hardly recognized the reflection that looked back at me.

  I wasn’t what you would necessarily categorize as classically beautiful, but my looks had their strengths. I had deep blue eyes and full lips. I was attractive enough for men to hit me up at the bar, yet unassuming enough to go unnoticed when I wanted to. The cheap bleached-blond hair didn’t help though. It made me look washed up and aged. I had bleached it in an attempt to hide from the vampires, which I realized now was probably one of the dumbest things I could have done. Would blond hair really have concealed my identity from him when he was in my thoughts every day and probably watched me bleach it in the first place? Likely not.

  I reached for my makeup bag and ran my clear lip balm over my lips and stared back at myself in silence. I looked plain without makeup, but I was clean. Whatever the hell their master vampire wanted with me, he’d have to accept me as I was.

  With one final look in the mirror, I stormed through my tiny shit-hole apartment and straight through the front door into the hallway. And then turned and looked back through the threshold at the two vampires standing silently in my apartment.

  “Well, are you coming?” I didn’t wait for them to answer as I turned on my heels and stormed down the three flights of stairs to the street. I waited outside for them, and not a moment later they both joined me on the sidewalk. They wore their hoods covering their faces, and I turned to look at them as they stood next to me. “So you guys can go out in daylight?”

  When neither of them answered me, I rolled my eyes and laughed to myself. I guessed maybe that was why they lived in London, where it was constantly gray and dreary and they didn’t have to risk bright sunlight every day. Between the constant cloudy weather and their funny-looking ancient black cloaks, I figured that was enough to keep them safe.

  I’m then laughed wildly to myself as I realized I was contemplating the safety of my two vampire escorts. Really, I should’ve been focusing on my own safety, however futile the task may b
e. I had absolutely no chance of survival against two vampires without any protection or backup, and if things ever came to that there was nothing I could do to save myself. I shrugged my shoulders and turned my attention to the street, and waited silently for whatever the two vampires seemed to be waiting for.

  Despite vampires being fairly common in modern society, it still felt strange to be standing next to two vampires in the middle of the morning on the streets of London. But I supposed my life hadn’t really had a whole lot of normal lately, so I let it go.

  A moment later a long black limousine pulled up on the street next to us, and the older-looking vampire opened the door and motioned for me to get in. I crawled into the back seat of the long vehicle and both vampires followed me in right after.

  A soon as the door was closed, the car took off down the street, and I looked out the window and watched the buildings pass by. After we left Camden, I turned my attention back to the older-looking vampire with silver hair. “So, where are we going?”

  The vampire didn’t answer and I sighed as I looked back out the window to see if I could figure out our route. We passed familiar streets, but eventually we left the city and I turned my attention back to the two vampires beside me. “Seriously, where we going? Aren’t you guys in London anymore?” After a long moment of silence, the silver-haired vampire turned to look at me. He slowly removed the cloak from his head and peered at me curiously. “We have relocated to Oxford. Is proven quite…sustainable…for us.”

  I wondered what he meant by sustainable, and then I realized I really didn’t want to know. From what I understood, vampires still feasted on human blood, and I then imagined all the yuppie humans in Oxford, professionals and students alike who would be sustaining these freaks. I shook my head to rid myself of the thought and smiled as sweetly as I possibly could at the two vampires. I refused to admit my fear to them.

  “So our little raid scared you out of London, then?” I thought back to our raid on their coven in their underground lair in the middle of the city a few months back. I then remembered the five men and women that I worked with, all so smart and who had so much to live for, who were still missing. Missing or dead, I didn’t know. The memory of them made me feel sick to my stomach. Maybe I could get some answers from their master if I worked hard enough on him.

  Before he killed me, that is.

  At least I would die knowing. I chewed my lip thoughtfully as I realized I wasn’t actually as frightened of that outcome as I should have been.

  I looked out the window and watched the passing buildings become sparser and sparser as we made our way west towards Oxford. The journey took about an hour and a half, and we finally slowed and pulled over in front of the large stone building. The vampires pulled their hoods back up and left me alone in the limousine. I’d expected them to wait for me, but they walked immediately up to the front door which opened as soon as they approached.

  I rolled my eyes and crawled out of the limousine after them and followed them up to the building in silence. I knew there was no sense in trying to run. No matter how fast I once was, I wouldn’t be able to outrun them if I tried. I reluctantly walked up the massive stone steps and through the open door, and was immediately shocked by the space that sprawled before me.

  The room was grand, complete with white marble walls, heavy timber beams, and massive chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. There were clerestory windows along the top wall, letting a wash of warm light into the space. It was the last place I would have imagined a vampire coven to be.

  The older-looking vampire, Vincent, cleared his throat, and when I turned towards him, he motioned for me to follow. I swallowed hard and followed him slowly down the long hallway towards the back room. We arrived at a long set of stairs, and I turned back to see the angry looking vampire following me closely from behind. We walked down what felt like at least a dozen flights of stairs until we hit the damp, dark basement far below the building’s foundations.

  I figured we must’ve been below the sewer system as the walls seemed to drip with moisture and the floor glistened with puddles of water. Vincent led me down another long dark hallway and I held my hands out in front of me to protect myself from walking into anything.

  The vampire didn’t seem to need light to see and I wondered if he realized that I was completely blind. I didn’t want to say anything as I didn’t want to make myself seem even weaker than I knew he already considered me to be. Each step I took down the dark hallway made me more nervous as my hands began to shake as we walked.

  After another few minutes of moving in silence, the vampire in front of me stopped and I walked straight into his back with a thud. “Shit. Sorry,” I muttered as I rubbed my nose that had smacked into his back. His body was harder than I would have imagined and it felt like I had just walked into a brick wall. A very cold, very creepy brick wall.

  “This is as far as I take you,” the vampire said as he turned towards me. He looked at me in the eye as I stared up back at him, the dim light from the room beyond made him appear as a silhouette before me. “I’ll be waiting upstairs for you when you’re finished. Please, do your best to be polite. He’s easy to anger, and I have a feeling his temper is roaring hot today.” And with that, the vampire sauntered past me down the hall, followed by his angry sidekick who had been lurking behind me the whole time.

  I watched them disappear into the darkness, and then turned back towards the room that glowed at the end of the hall. I swallowed hard as I let my eyes adjust momentarily.

  I mustered as much strength as I could and stepped through the threshold. I was greeted by the warm flicker of a fire that gently illuminated the cold, stone room. The room was long and rectangular, and at the end next to the hearth a large sofa sat facing toward the flames. My eyes immediately settled on the tall figure that sat stone-still on the edge of the sofa, staring into the fire.

  I stood in the doorway and stared at him for a long moment in silence. Finally, the form slowly began to turn, and when he looked at me and our eyes met, my mind flared into a violent cacophony of color and a silent scream echoed through my mind. I fell to my knees and clasped my hands over my ears in panic. I knew then that the vampire that sat before me was the one that had bitten me two months before. The one that had taken away my identity and my freedom. The one that I had felt an unwilling longing towards for the past two months.

  I held my head in my hands and gazed angrily up at him from across the room. Staring back at me in the firelight was a set of piercing ice-blue eyes and a handsome chiseled face that made my heart skip a beat.

  A sudden desperate need consumed me as my entire body ached for him. We stared at each other for a long moment, and I knew completely and utterly that I needed to belong to him. To be with him. To become his.

  My mind betrayed me.

  4

  Our eyes remained fixated on one another for what felt like an eternity.

  My hands remained clasped on my head as I looked up and he stared back at me. Firelight flickered around the walls, casting long dark shadows across the room, the eerie orange glow filling the space like a smoky cauldron. After a long moment, the vampire slowly stood up out of the couch. His movements were calculated as if he was moving in slow motion. He turned towards me and his mouth hung open loosely, his fangs just barely visible through his lips.

  “Rise,” he said. I pushed myself up to my feet, dropping my hands, and stood facing him. I hadn’t even intentionally done so, but my body seemed to react to his voice as if on command.

  “Don’t be afraid. Come forward,” he said to me in his smooth, enticing voice. I couldn’t make out his features in the shadows, but from the distance I could tell he was tall and strong, and yet his voice sounded young. I knew there was no way he was young, as vampires technically lived forever. If they weren’t killed, that is.

  Without so much as a thought, I stepped one foot in front of the other and walked towards him slowly through the dark room. But within
a few feet of him I stopped and looked up into his piercing light blue eyes. He looked down at me with an amused look on his face, but remained silent.

  “Hello, Charlie.”

  Looking at him, I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest. The longing I felt towards this men, this vampire, was more than my body could take. My mind had finally quieted, and I no longer hurt from the soft chatter of his voice whispering to me, echoing in my mind. I hadn’t seen his face the night of the attack, but only heard his voice. The voice he spoke to me now filled my ears with familiarity.

  He reached his hand out and touched my cheek, tracing my jawline with his cold fingertip. I stood there in place, my eyes fixated on his, unable to pull away.

  “I…” Immediately shut my mouth as I didn’t know what to say. His eyes were like diamonds, as clichéd as that sounded, and I was lost in their depths. He took a step back from me and looked me up and down, and then smiled gently as he stood still, waiting.

  We stood in silence for another moment, and the memory of that night came flashing back in my mind. An expression of fear and anger flashed momentarily across his face and I knew he felt the memory too. I was reminded of our mental connection, the link that was apart of me, and I was immediately pulled out the daze I’d fallen into the moment I came into this room. I shook my head and anger filled my body. I took a few steps back and glared angrily at him. “Stop with your games. That won’t work on me.” I looked behind me and noticed that the door to the room had closed, and I figured there was no way to escape apart from convincing him to let me go. I wouldn’t run as that would likely end in my death. I turned back to the vampire who stood before me and tried to make sense of the expression on his face. He looked confused and amused at the same time. Anger showed in his eyes but I could also sense a hint of kindness. He sat down on the couch and motioned for me to do the same.