Sweet Cravings

Blood Rose, Book 1

Elisabeth Morgan Popolow

Published 2014

ISBN: 978-1-62210-095-8

Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © Published 2014, Elisabeth Morgan Popolow. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Liquid Silver Books

http://LSbooks.com

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

You know those things that go bump in the night? Those horrible monsters people dress up as for Halloween? Well, I’m one of those monsters—a vampire to be exact. I didn’t
want
to be this; it kind of fell upon me by some weird guy named Darius who I met at a bar one night. Then there’s Sang, a kind and funny vampire I met through the nut job who changed me, and whom I’d actually developed feelings for. Yeah, it’s a complicated story, a mixture of hellhounds, shifters, homunculi, and to add a little spice, some romance and humor. Oh, and a little fighting and a dangerous drug that can kill people. Yup. This is the story about the dark underworld I’ve been thrust into and how I’ve learned to deal with the complexity of my new undead life. Not to mention the lingering question of why Darius changed me to begin with.

I rushed into the Siren’s Song Tavern as quickly as my heels could take me and halted in the doorway, gasping for breath. I took off my name tag and brushed my hair with my fingers. It wasn’t extremely curly, but it had a tendency to become sloppy when I did a million things at once. In the mirror hanging in the doorway, I noticed that my makeup was still unscathed from when I’d applied it that morning. I slipped my light pink jacket on before stepping farther in, the dim lights pleasing to my eyes, which were used to the agonizing fluorescent bulbs I endured at work every weekday.

I knew I was really late for my outing with my friend Dana, and I felt awful about it. But I had to close the shop today, and that was no fun. I worked at The Beauty Boutique, a local clothing store in town, and I had been there for a while now, even after I earned my degree in English. I found out there were no journalism jobs available
yet
in the quaint suburban area I lived in. So, I waited like a hungry vulture for my chance to scavenge a job opening when someone moved or retired—which was taking longer than I had expected.

A redhead in a green cable-knit sweater dress waved from her perch at the counter, and I scurried over with a rhythmic tapping as my heels clicked on the smooth floor. “Lily! You were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago!” she exclaimed.

I bowed my head shamefully. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Dana. I completely lost track of the time. Plus, I had to close the shop today.”

“You do this
every
time.” She emphasized her pout with a flip of her hair.

“I’m sorry! I get so engrossed with stuff sometimes I become oblivious to everything else going on. Plus, as I said, I had to close the shop today. Now scoot over. Your big butt is in the way.”

She laughed and smacked my ass. “Okay, but you’re buying my next drink for being late.”

I took my seat and ordered two glasses of beer. I started to feel chilly, so I buttoned my jacket up to my throat. When our drinks were set in front of us, I immediately grabbed mine and gulped it down.

Dana raised an eyebrow. “Lily, slow down. You act like you’ve been in the Sahara Desert all day.”

“I might as well have been! The manager always cranks the heat up in that place and bitches if anyone lays a fingernail on it.” I raised my voice to the bartender. “Another glass over here.”

“Your place is the exact opposite of mine. The office area is freezing!”

“I’d rather be cold than hot.”

She took a long sip. “Well, I’d rather be hot than cold.”

About five drinks later I still maintained my “normal” state of mind, but Dana was giggling at every little thing and speaking her mind. I was about to ask the bartender for another drink when he came my way and placed a glass of red wine before me.

“I was told to give this to you from the guy over there.” He nodded to the left of the bar. There was no one there.

“I swear he was there a second ago.”

Hmm…a free gift from a stranger.
Was I daring tonight? I don’t know if it was the alcohol or my stupidity, but I accepted the wine without any doubt and took a sip. It was surprisingly sweet but had a bitter bite near the end. It was smooth and had a peculiar taste to it. I took another sip, and my throat instantly warmed. The heat formed by the drink contrasted with the cold building nicely.

I spun around in my seat to check if the kind stranger was there and found myself staring right into the eyes of a man. I had to tilt my head back a little; he was fairly tall, and I drank in his astounding features. His hair was wavy, a deep, chocolate brown that spilled down his back. The other striking feature was his eyes, which were a brilliant, golden amber I’d only seen on wolves and cats. He wore a classy, cream-colored, long-sleeved dress shirt, complete with beige tie and black jeans. The polished tips of his boots showed from under the jeans.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he started before me. “It seems you like the wine. I was hoping you would, since this is one of my favorite kinds.”

I fumbled for the right reply. “Yes, I really like it! It has a nice taste. So you’re the kind stranger who gave me this wine? You are…”

“Darius.” The faint trace of a grin curved his lips.

“I’m Lily.” In that moment, Dana swiveled in her chair and noticed us.

“Lily!” she whispered painfully loud. “He obviously wants to know you more! Get up, and go talk where it’s less noisy!” She pushed me off my seat and gave me a thumbs-up. My whole body cringed from embarrassment. She always got mouthy when she had too many beers. I decided to compose myself and flicked a loose hair from my eyes.

“Are you sure you’ll be all right?” I asked.

“Austin is coming over to get a drink and take me home later, so don’t worry! Enjoy yourself!”

I turned to Darius for confirmation, and he smiled. “Let’s go somewhere where it’s quieter.”

I stood up and nearly twisted my ankle, but I quickly regained my composure. Heat rushed to my face. “High heels can be a pain.”

Darius laughed, and unlike Dana’s fun, whimsical laughter, his was light, collected, and frothy. He ran a hand through his thick hair and then extended it. “Follow me, Lily.”

I was already mesmerized by the sound of his voice. It was like a cool and beautiful melody that was as relaxing as it was dangerous. I offered him my hand and shivered when I felt his icy palm. Why did they have to make it so cold in here? I bet they lost customers because of it.

Darius led me to a door in the back of the bar. He took a key from his pants pocket and casually unlocked it. I followed him through and had to go down a few steps before we arrived at another door, this one ajar with light spreading onto the small cement space from within. Darius entered while I abruptly stopped.

My heart began to pound and my mind screamed to not follow him into the room beyond the door. Something wasn’t right. Something definitely wasn’t right, and I was caught square in the middle of it. I started to back away when Darius sat on a red velvet couch and called my name.

“Lily,” he breathed. “Come.”

My body began to move in the opposite direction I wanted to, and I entered the oddly placed room. It was as though my limbs were being controlled by some invisible force—some powerful force—that washed over and engulfed me. My body wouldn’t listen to me as I gently closed the door and turned the lock.

What was happening? What was happening? Was I drunk? Had he put something in my drink? Had I been drugged? Was I passed out and dreaming?

I didn’t know. My head was a jumbled mass of confusion and fear, and I screamed at myself inwardly to break free from whatever constrained me and run like hell to the police. Tears began to form in my eyes from the unknown terror that was about to be enacted. I was like a helpless marionette being manipulated by the puppet master—a dark and horrifying performance rolling out in my mind.

I quickly took in my surroundings. The room was a good size, laden with a maroon carpet laced with flowers, with the red couch, a matching chair, and a short black love seat in the corner. The walls were decorated with wallpaper, which had gold and red roses intertwining endlessly. There were two tables next to the couch with antique lamps, and there was a larger light hanging from the ceiling. My short-lived intake of the gorgeous room broke when Darius patted the spot on the couch beside him.

“Come next to me,” he commanded, voice barely a whisper.

I took a seat beside him on his right and shuddered as his cold fingertips caressed my forehead. I tried to speak, but the words died in my throat.

Darius simply chuckled and gazed into my eyes with an intense pain and longing.

“You are confused and frightened,” he uttered. “I don’t blame you. You must be thinking that I put a drug in your drink or something of the matter. Rest assured, I have not done such a cowardly thing.” He brushed his fingers against my cheek, the barest of touches, but it was like a fire blazed across my face. “You are more courageous than I expected. Don’t worry; I will not execute some insidious act upon you. I am only going to make you mine, as I should have done long ago.”

I inhaled shallow breaths as he continued to study my face and trace the curve of my jaw with his thumb. It took all my willpower, all my concentration, to force the words from my lips. “Wha-what a-a-are you do-doing? Who a-a-are y-you?”

“I already told you who I am, my dear. Darius.” He cradled my head with one hand. “You’re so beautiful. Like a rare and delicate flower.”

I trembled beneath his touch, his eyes, his words. He, Darius, seemed to flow inside and permeate me, cloud my mind, and reverberate within my very core. I’d never felt something so strong and sinister, so overwhelming it shrouded my conscience. His desire ripped from his words like poison, and I was the one injected.

“Lily,” he whispered, dragging out my name as if it were a delicious candy, rolling it on his tongue with great pleasure.

He smoothed the hair from my face and hugged me tight to his chest. “Relax. This will be the only time I will do this. Never again. Nor to anyone else, only you…never again will I choose the path of a fool.” He inhaled deeply. “You smell so sweet, so enticing. You’re like an exotic entrée made especially for me to devour.”

He lowered his mouth to my neck and tightened his grip on my back. I tried to move and squirm, to get out of his menacing embrace, but I was limp and lifeless as a doll. He opened his mouth and revealed two gleaming white fangs, and then struck me like a viper would its prey. The initial pain of his teeth piercing my flesh was immense but short-lived.

I balled my hands into fists as I felt him sucking at my neck, at my blood, and I wondered what in the world was going on. The pain came roaring back like a tidal wave and seized my very being, rocked me from the inside out. He kept drinking and drinking, swallowing my life into him. My neck throbbed and burned like a wild inferno. It blossomed through my whole body and tore through my lips in a muted series of screams. I was dizzy and exhausted—so heavy and tired. He finally stopped, and when he wrenched his curved carnassial teeth from my neck, I suffered the agony of a thousand stinging needles. Blood dribbled onto the floor, and he licked his lips. I noticed that his eyes weren’t golden amber anymore but a deep and luminous crimson. He set my head on his lap and sighed.

A throbbing rush of pain ripped through me and it was as if my insides were melting, and the hot, hot heat overcame my senses. I was on fire, and the flames scorched through my veins. In that moment, I was ripped apart and burned alive, thrown into the deepest pit of hell. Hot tears streamed down my face and raked against my cheeks. Darius lifted my head with one hand and set me gingerly on the couch. Then, he pierced his wrist with his fangs and used his other hand to slightly part my lips. I swallowed hard and attempted to close my mouth, but I was frozen. His blood dropped onto my lips and into my mouth, and I unwillingly swallowed. My vision blurred and began to fade into darkness. The last thing I saw was Darius coming close to me and planting a tender kiss on my forehead. My breath slowed and slowed—until I finally took my last breath.

And died.

I awoke, gulping as if I had taken my first gasp of air after drowning. My eyes tore open and were met by darkness. A sudden rush of pain swathed my entire body, and I cried out. It was like an enormous pressure was crushing in on me, ripping me apart, and igniting a strong maelstrom within. I became so hot and was in so much pain that I could feel the tears sliding down my cheeks, and I bit my tongue to silence the screams that erupted in my throat.