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Category: Erotica/Erotic Fantasy/Dark Fantasy
Description: He might be her enemy, but she could have this night. In the darkness he could be hers and with the light of dawn, no one would know what had passed between them in the night. Rating: Carnal.
eBook Publisher: New Concepts Publishing, 2009
eBookwise Release Date: February 2010

27 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [279 KB]
Words: 65565
Reading time: 187-262 min.

Chapter One

"I didn't realize I'd been dating a vampire until the night I died."

Lavinia watched as the girls' eyes widened appreciatively at her story. People were always wanting to know how she got turned. Vampires were all the rage it seemed. She told a different story every time she was asked, only this one was true. She wasn't schizophrenic or anything and it wasn't like she had trouble remembering how she'd been turned ... or how she had been betrayed. She just didn't think it was anyone's business. So she usually made something up.

The two girls sitting across from her couldn't have been more than eighteen. They were dressed in black and one was wearing fake fangs. Lavinia fought the urge to roll her eyes. In over two hundred years she had gotten use to the "normal" reaction. Pitchforks, torches, stakes and crosses, that kind of thing. But this new vampire fetish had her stumped. Ever since they had decided to go public her afterlife had changed. Lavinia had always been able to mingle with mortals with relative ease. But now, with all their identifying traits made known, she often stood out in a crowd. Even when she didn't let her fangs show. Sometimes it was because she was the only one in a restaurant who didn't eat. Other times it was the near perfection of her alabaster skin that gave her away. Whatever it was, it seemed that everywhere she went, someone wanted to hear her story. Well, tonight she was going to tell it. At least, enough to scare them away.

"So you were bitten by your boyfriend?" the one with the fangs asked.

"Yes. He drained most of my blood and left me for dead." She reported the tale flatly, as if she were speaking about someone else. She hoped this made it even more frightening to the young women who were so interested to learn more about her. However it was all Lavinia could do to hide the pain she was feeling at just the mention of her true origins.

"Um ... how old are you?"

Lavinia put down the papers she had been trying to read and sighed. "Old enough to know this is not a game. And these aren't fashion statements." She pointed at her own fangs. "Go home and find another hobby."

"But we just--"

"Go home," she repeated, but her tone was softer this time. "Interviewing vampires is not a safe pastime."

"Why, are you going to bite us?"

Lavinia raised a brow. "No. I have no interest in young girls. But I can't say the same for everyone else here."

Lavinia gestured toward the rest of the room. She watched as the two girls took the place in with a glance, and quickly departed. In a matter of seconds she was left with only the faint smell of their perfume and a smile curled her sensuous lips. Maybe she had saved their lives, maybe not. Either way, they had no business in this place. Lavinia took another look at her familiar surroundings. Dark chocolate colored drapes were pulled back, revealing the street outside. Soft rays of moonlight shown onto a few tables and reflected off the black and white checkered floor. Vampires sat in booths around the room. Some were there with companions, deeply engrossed in conversation. Others, like Lavinia, were alone. Unlike her, most did not prefer it that way.

"Sorry about that. I didn't see them come in."

Lavinia smiled at the familiar masculine voice. The vampire standing over her was named Judas and he ran A Whiter Shade of Pale. It was sort of like a coffee shop, except for vampires. They sold a substance known as Re-vita Life. It had only hit the market in the past couple of years. It was a blood substitute for vamps who were trying to be more politically correct and not drink blood in public. Lavinia wasn't much for PC, but she actually enjoyed the flavor. Besides, drinking from a coffee cup made her feel almost normal sometimes. She enjoyed what she was. However there were times, like when she saw fear in the eyes of those young girls, that she wanted to be normal for just a little while.

"That's alright," she said, smiling up at Judas. "You can't always keep out the fang bait."

"The usual?"

"That'll be fine."

She only paused a moment to watch him walk away, taking in the tight curve of his ass and the way his long red hair swished when he moved. Maybe she would see him over at Sinful Delights later. She could use a good romp in the sack. She smiled when Judas paused beside the counter and turned back, his long silken hair spilling over one shoulder and down his back. He gave her a wink that seemed to say he could feel her eyes on him, and he didn't mind at all.

Lavinia returned his wink and went back to reading the papers in front of her. They were written in an ancient language the two girls couldn't possibly have understood, so she hadn't bothered hiding them. In fact, she'd heard most vampires couldn't read it either. It was a language spoken only by the ancients and one she had learned a long time ago. From what she understood, most vampires knew nothing of its existence, nor did they care to. It was for this reason that Lavinia could read the death sentence in public.

Her orders were to be carried out tonight. She'd learned not to ask questions. Being an assassin wasn't the best job she'd ever had, but the money was good and business was never slow. She was known as The Reaper. Only one person knew her true identity. Most who had heard the name didn't even know if The Reaper was a man or a woman. But the master of the city knew and it was for him that she worked. He had saved her when she was left for dead all those years ago, and Lavinia felt she owed him her allegiance.

Time was growing short. She needed to feed, but business first. She finished her cup of Re-Vita Life and stepped out into the night. The streets were busy. Traffic moved in an endless flow of metal and people cluttered about on the sidewalks. Everyone looked intent on getting somewhere. People moved around her. No one seemed to notice that she stood still. They just moved around, like water flowing past rocks in a river.

Lavinia looked up at the moon, closed her eyes and breathed in the night. The darkness was her strength and her freedom. It enveloped her like a familiar embrace. The moonlight caressed her pale skin almost like a lover's touch and she smiled, just as oblivious to the people around her as they seemed to be to her. But there was no time to waste. She needed to get moving too.

Lavinia headed across town to her apartment. Being a servant of the master did have its advantages, and her penthouse was one of them. What furnishings she had were expensive, but she had never been much for decorating. Lavinia pulled the death sentence from her inner coat pocket and picked up a lighter on her way to the closet. She lit the papers on fire and tossed them into a metal trash can before changing clothes.

Blood didn't show up on black and it was for this reason she preferred the color. Lavinia had accepted what she was years ago. She wasn't squeamish when it came to blood and she wasn't shy when it came to her sexuality. After all, both were necessary to sustain a succubus. She wore a solid black bodysuit and knee high boots. Her long dark hair blended with the outfit which stood out in sharp contrast against her pale skin and blood-red lips. Her dark eyes sparkled in the mirror as she smiled her approval of her appearance before turning out the light.

Time to go to work.

Robert had been a pain in the master's ass for quite some time. He stuck his nose into too many places where it didn't belong. Honestly, she was surprised she hadn't gotten the order for his execution before tonight. Lavinia preferred to take out her targets from a distance. It made for an easier escape. But this specifically called for "up close and personal." Maybe that was because the order had come directly from the vampire council. Once the master spoke to them of Robert's nosy ways, they decided he had to go. And not in a pleasant way.

She was to cut out his heart and bring it back in a box "Snow White" style. Only she had forgotten to bring a box. She was halfway across town and closing fast on Robert's location when she realized her mistake. Lavinia could move at superhuman speed and preferred to go on foot to find her targets. That way she didn't have to worry about her car getting blocked in when she needed to make a fast get-a-way. She came to a screeching halt in an alleyway and started rummaging around for a decent box. A Chinese takeout carton was the best she could do.

"Gross."

She dumped the carton's half-eaten contents onto the pavement, careful to get nothing on her hands or clothes. It smelled like ass, but it would have to do. In a matter of minutes she stepped back onto the sidewalk. There were only a few people out at this hour and in a bad part of the city. Lavinia definitely stood out. Two men from across the street looked her way and she captured them with her eyes.

"Do not see me," she whispered.

The men went back to talking to each other as if she didn't exist and Lavinia took off once more toward her target.

She stopped several feet short of the building where he was supposed to be. The master had arranged for Robert to meet one of his representatives here. He had made up some bullshit business deal as a premise for the meeting and it looked like Robert had taken the bait. She moved slowly past his car and sat the takeout carton on the hood before stepping out of the shadows.

Robert had his back turned and she was quite certain that he was unaware of her presence. He had long brown hair and was only slightly taller than she. His dark eyes glimmered in the faint light as he turned to greet her.

"Lavinia," Robert said, moving toward her. "I didn't expect to see you."

"Well, I am a representative of the master. Have you obeyed his command and come alone?"

He spread his arms wide in a harmless gesture.

"Why, can't we do business if I brought a friend?" he teased.

"I'm afraid not."