"Come in." I heard the man's deep voice as I opened the door. "I've been waiting for you, Nala." My name came out of his lips as a breathy whisper—a promise of sinful pleasure.
I swallowed and stepped into his office. "Close the door behind you," he said. "I want no one interrupting us." Every word he spoke filled me with anticipation.
I finally mustered the courage to look at him. He was leaning against the front of his desk, his fingers curling on the edge of the desktop. One side of his lips gently curved as his eyes devoured me from head to toe. I stepped toward him and felt a shiver as if I was crossing an electric field that surrounded him. "Come closer," he urged, drawing his teeth through his lower lip.
"Mr. Malachious, I don't think we should be doing this." My words were the exact opposite of what I wanted.
He huffed a chuckle, and it must have been the most sensual sound I had ever heard since I instantly squeezed my thighs. Then he shrugged off his suit jacket and undid the three top buttons of his black shirt. "Do you think it's wrong?" he asked. "It feels right to me." He undid the rest of the buttons as I watched him with my heart accelerating to a mad rate.
"God…" I choked out, staring at every chiseled muscle of his. The next thing I knew, my hand was in his grasp, and he placed it on his bare chest, letting my poor, inexperienced fingertips taste the firm perfection of his unearthly body. His hand led mine lower, sliding through the ripple and hollow inches of his abdomen before stopping at the belt of his slacks. He jerked toward me, his hand wrapping around my waist. He pressed my body close to his, pushing the air out of my lungs. I bit my lip, feeling his rigid length against my lower belly. My hands moved to his strong shoulders, enjoying the cool temperature of his skin.
Our lips collided. He parted them and entered me with careful strokes, igniting my hunger for him. I moaned against his lips, reciprocating his caresses with equal passion. His hands roamed down to my buttocks, lifting me and placing me on his desk. After two heartbeats, I was on that desk naked, although I couldn't recall the exact moment he undressed me. My hands moved to cover my sensitive parts, but he grabbed both of my wrists and held them above my head as he pushed my back against the desktop. His other hand went between my thighs, increasing my humidity, my pleasure, making me soar...
"The doorbell," he whispered to my ear. That word did NOT sound sexy at all.
Confusion surfaced in my expression. What the hell did he mean by that? He released his grip on me and stepped back. I heard a faint bell-like sound, reaching my ears as a distorted noise. He chuckled and stroked my hair. "Nala…" He nuzzled my cheek and kissed it. "The doorbell," he repeated.
"You have a doorbell in your office?" I laughed nervously.
A split second later, the faint sound I heard before turned louder and more recognizable. My eyes opened in a violent motion, and I acknowledged three things: I had just woken up from a dream; I was lying in my bed alone; and that pesky doorbell sound was about to make my head explode!
Growling out a curse, I rose to my feet and walked to the door, shaking off the erotic cloud that was still wrapped tightly around my body. There had to be something wrong with me. I'd just had an erotic dream about the new boss I had seen for the first time several hours ago, and I hadn't even spoken a word to him!
I took a deep breath, silently praying for my sanity to wake up. Then I leaned my forehead against the door and blinked several times to adjust my sight enough to glance through the peephole. "The detective?" I murmured, recognizing the man in the gray suit standing in front of my apartment. "J-just a minute!" I rasped, hurriedly pulling on my tunic-like sweatshirt and combing my hair with my hands. Then I finally opened the door. "Come in, Detective Monroe," I said nervously.
He nodded and walked inside. "I'm sorry to bother you, Ms. Wallace... on Sunday at that, but there's this thing that bothers me... I was in the neighborhood, and I decided that I needed to talk to you about the murder of Mason Kerr."
My eyes widened. "Who?"
The detective gave me a dry smile. "The one who tried to rob you," he clarified.
"Oh," I muttered, leading him to the sofa while abruptly taking off every piece of clothing that lay there. "Coffee?" I offered, hoping that I still had some.
"If it's not a problem, then yes." He smiled stiffly, sitting down.
Since my kitchen area was two feet away from the sofa, I decided to continue the barely started conversation. "So, what kind of a problem makes a hard-working officer visit a witness on Sunday morning?"
He scratched his chin and chuckled. "Do you remember when you mentioned the surveillance camera footage last time?"
"Yes," I tossed, glancing over my shoulder as I searched for a clean cup for the detective.
"The footage from the camera you pointed proves that you were standing just where you showed us," he said, and I smiled in relief.
"I'm glad. I told you—"
"But we also checked the rest of the camera footage," he paused as if he was waiting for my reaction.
"And?" I smiled nervously as I placed a cup of coffee on the table in front of him. "Did you see the killer?"
He shook his head. "There were three cameras that should have captured what happened, but after checking it, we are now left with no image of the culprit."
I blinked several times. The no-image he mentioned, instantly directed my mind to all the vampire stories. The mystical creatures of the night had no reflection. That would also mean no image on the camera footage, right? OK, I admit that assuming that the culprit was a supernatural creature was ridiculous. Unfortunately, I had just woken up and my brain certainly worked slower than my dumb mouth…
"So... the culprit was… invisible?" I blurted before my mind could react.
The detective raised an eyebrow. "What?"
I laughed awkwardly. "You said that there was no image..."
He sighed. "I meant that all three cameras were broken."
"Oh," I mumbled, feeling like a complete idiot.
"Anyway," the detective continued while sipping coffee. "We found out that our victim had an extensive criminal history. He used to steal all sorts of things, and for the last two years, he's been stealing special items on contract."
I swallowed, letting his words sink. "Someone paid him to steal my wallet?"
Detective Monroe laughed. "No, of course not. We think that he might have stolen something else, and that was what got him killed." Then he added, shrugging, "You were just an easy victim standing on the way with a wallet in her hand."
"Gee... thanks," I all but hissed.
The detective ignored my annoyance. "What I wanted to ask you was... did you see anything else on him? Something sparkling? A golden chain necklace, or a ring?"
More annoyance surfaced in my expression as I glared at him. "I resembled a zombie then. I was so exhausted that I probably wouldn't notice him wearing a golden jacket. I wouldn't even notice him passing me by if it weren't for this fucking wallet."
"I see…" He gave me a thin-lipped smile. "Well, the killer cut off his little finger before he or she... did the rest, so I hoped that maybe you saw something."
Dread filled me, making me nauseous. "Someone cut off his finger and then ripped his throat?" I said, nearly breathlessly.
"Well, yes," the detective confirmed, rising from my sofa. "I apologize for taking your time again, Ms. Wallace. If you recall anything else, do call me."
"I will," I muttered as he walked toward the door. But seriously, I didn't want to recall anything else from that night.
"By the way, I will try to solve the money issue with your bank as soon as possible," he said, opening the door.
I gave him a slight bow. "That's OK. One of the police officers helped me find a new job. I got hired, and I will be able to pay for my apartment on time."
His smile widened. "I'm glad to hear it."
I grinned back at him. "Please, if you see the officer named Calvel, thank him for me."
"Who?"
I chuckled nervously. "He said his name is Calvel. I don't know his last name…"
The detective shook his head. "There's no police officer named Calvel in our department. I would remember an odd name like this one."
A cold shiver ran down my spine, alarming all my senses. And yet I forced myself to shrug. "Perhaps I got the name wrong then. I was tired, so…"
Detective Monroe nodded. "Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Wallace." A second later, the door behind him closed, and I was left with the sudden cold wind that lingered in the air like a warning.
Who was the man who told me about Regale Sanguis? Did I remember his name incorrectly? Or maybe he wasn't a police officer at all? But if he wasn't a policeman… then what was he doing at the crime scene in the middle of the night?
I sat on the bed and stared at the credit card Nicor had given me. I needed that money, but I suddenly began to wonder if I hadn't gotten myself engaged in some kind of shady business. Fine, the fact that Detective Monroe had no idea who Calvel was could have a simple and reasonable explanation. Maybe this Calvel was new or recently transferred. Or maybe he was off duty, working in some other department, and he saw police cars and decided to stop and ask if they needed help… That would sound reasonable, right?I collapsed on my bed and groaned. Certainly, if I had relied on common sense, I probably should have assumed that there were no such things as policemen recruiting girls to work as waitresses in a high-end club just when they desperately needed a well-paid job. Actually, I should have put Calvel right next to Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny... except that he existed, and now I had real money in my pocket and a credit card with ten thousand dollars on it.I groaned again and sl
Breath caught in my throat as I watched the steel construction fall where Merissa stood. It might have lasted less than a second, but time slowed down for me as it happened. I felt a sharp burst of wind brushing against my skin just before a hundred glittering crystals crashed against the floor. Horror widened my eyes as I tried to notice Merissa among the pile of dust. Then I found her lying on the floor on the left side of the stairs, almost unharmed. I exhaled with something close to relief, but then I froze, thinking about another person who stood near her. The dust fell, and I saw Ash standing next to the spot where Merissa was lying. He seemed unfazed, brushing off the dirt from his suit jacket. God… Even in a situation like this, he looked impeccable and mouthwatering. It took me an additional few seconds before I acknowledged Nicor's hand still resting on my waist. I shifted my feet, inching my heels deeper into the step. Nicor's feet were on the same step as mine. He stood o
I spent more than an hour staring at my ankle and testing its mobility. It seemed perfectly fine, but as I recalled all my previous injuries, I became highly aware that none of them healed so fast. Now, I could either assume that my ankle wasn't as badly twisted as I thought, or stick to the bizarre theory that my boss miraculously appeared in my room and gave me something that might have been a magic potion, which healed me. The latter sounded ridiculous—my entire dream seemed ridiculous! Anyone who would even suggest that whatever happened in my dream was real should have questioned their sanity! But I couldn't ignore the fact that, in the typical blur of my surroundings, all my dreams with Ash had one extremely vivid element—him.I couldn't explain it, but he, his scent, his touch, his whole goddamn presence felt real. I shook my head as if it could possibly chase the thoughts of him away from me. Unsurprisingly, it didn't work. I took a deep breath and then another one, summoning
I didn't have Carrie's number. I didn't have her twin sister's number either. I asked the other girls, but it seemed like I was the only one who heard the scream. How was that even possible? The shriek had sliced the air in the entire club, making people's heads snap toward the upper floor, but when I asked around, no one could recall hearing anything strange.It bothered me. It scared me. I might have tried to convince my mind that I heard wrong, that it was just my gloomy imagination, and I would have... if only I could talk to Carrie.I couldn't sleep. I was lying in my bed with my eyes fixed on the ceiling. My heart painfully pounded against my ribcage. Perhaps my fears were irrational. I knew that Carrie, Carol, and I were all scheduled for Friday. I knew that I would have to wait until then, hoping that Carrie would come over and laugh out my darkest assumptions.Maybe I was just paranoid. Even if someone had screamed then, it could have been anyone—a staff member or a client—an
Something stirred inside me, heated my blood, and electrified every fiber. The tiny bubbles of inner energy grew until they erupted in my muscles, as if my scream had activated them. Suddenly, my arms tensed, and I pushed the blond-haired man away from me before his teeth pierced through my skin.This had to be a nightmare. Things like that couldn't possibly be real. My mind was unable to rise above panic mode or rationally plan my next move. I stood still, trembling, as my eyes locked on the guy who tried to bite me.He stumbled back, his eyes widening in shock as if I were the first to defy him. Then his lips instantly curled up, and his eyes filled with something savage and wicked. The rest of the beast-like men stopped feasting as their eyes shifted to me. I glanced at their victims—the limp, barely conscious waitresses. Their gazes seemed blank, while their lips slightly curled as if they were actually enjoying being drained of blood. For a moment, nausea had won against other ex
I stopped breathing. My heart might have stopped beating for a moment as well. An avalanche of icicles fell down my spine as I looked at those three men in the room, and my sense of security dissolved in the air. I stared at the crimson flare in Nicor's eyes and felt the panic building inside me."We're not going to hurt you, Nala." Ash's deep voice made my head snap in his direction. He stepped toward me, and I wished I could sink into the wall I was leaning against. "No one can bite you unless you are willing."I groaned in frustration. "What does it even mean?" I looked at Nicor and the other man and watched uncomfortable grimaces appear. My frustration turned into anger. "I highly doubt if those waitresses were"—I air-quoted with my fingers—"willing."The man with white hair chuckled. "They thought they were, and in the eyes of the council, that's all that matters."His words confused me even more, but something aside from his words caught my attention. I didn't realize it when he
I couldn't even pretend to be calm; my whole body shivered despite the seemingly warm breeze brushing my skin. Two members of the council—whatever this council was—pulled the chain from my cuffs as if I were a dog they led straight to its cage. I wasn't wrong about the cage part, though. As soon as we got closer to the castle grounds, the two men led me down the stone steps toward the dungeons.As the warm breeze turned colder, my shivering body started to rattle without any control. Panic erupted, and sobs escaped my throat while tears dampened my cheeks and neck. Dread squeezed my insides. I swallowed shallow breaths, raising my chin as if only an inch of me was above the water."Silence, mortal!" the brown-haired man roared. "Either you remain quiet, or we'll make you, and it won't be pleasant."I clamped my mouth shut, but weak sounds still slipped through my lips. I couldn't control it. It was all too much. I had just learned that something like vampires existed, and now I was in
I stared at the cold, pale faces and watched them whisper to each other. Their taunting gazes pierced through me like sharp spikes. What had I done for them to treat me with such disdain? I was the only one standing in the arena, allowing the members of the council to look at me from every angle. I doubted that it could serve their better judgment during trials. I bet it was created to intimidate those who stood there before me, to lessen their comfort, to make them feel bare…The dressed-in-red member of the council clasped his hands, and the commotion within the hall faded until it turned into silence. Then he smiled coldly and gestured for me to step forward. I was too terrified not to disobey him. Once my feet moved toward him, his lips twitched into a grin, revealing hints of his sharp fangs.The council member sitting next to the one in red stood up and looked to his left and right. "By the allowance of the Head of the Great Vampire Council, Abdiel Tenebris, I will now open the