One- Marley

Immortal Cravings Part 1-Temptation

If there was ever a time to be worried about my safety, it was now.

This very moment.

Sneaking through the factories. Hunting creatures which shouldn’t exist.

Persona Sanguinis. Person of the Blood.

Vampires.

Well, one kind specificlly.

Sanguinis Perfide. Traitor of the blood.

Somewhere on this dock, in this seething scent of fish, rubbish and motor oil, was a rogue vampire. A rogue which my boss wanted dead.

Well, more dead than it already was.

Back against the wall, I slid against the peeling paint, hearing it crackle behind me, hoping the sound didn’t attract unwanted attention. I out the blade in the thigh holder and bought it up in front of my face. Forged of silver, it’s a loan from my employer, a tool of my trade. Adjusting the collar on my jacket, I brought it up as high as it would go, making sure my flesh was covered.

Always keep your neck covered, Marlene.

Yeah, I’d been there before.

This was not my first hunt, and it would not be my last. I was a glorified bounty hunter, who killed the undead; but I was not invincible.

Stopping at the side of the factory, I strained my ears.

It’s quiet tonight. 

The ships have been docked for hours. The workers have long since gone home to loving families. I’m the only idiot out here.

Rolling my shoulders, I inhaled deeply, but quietly. Vampires have super sensitive hearing. Do not want the bloodsucker to hear me, while I am doing something as simple as breathing.

Gaining as much courage as I could muster, I tilted my head past the edge of the factory and scanned the area.

Boats, crates, smelly fish carcasses and a shit-ton of rope.

My gaze scanned the surrounds, trying to pick up the sight of the vampire. I’d been hunting this fucker for almost four hours. I’m tired, smelly, and over it. I craved a hot shower and a good night’s sleep.

The dock seems clear, and I started to get annoyed.

My intel is flaw— there.

Three factories over, there’s a figure. It’s dark against the wall and I frowned at how I almost missed it.

Edging forward, I lowered my body and sneak along the line of crates, keeping my head down. My gaze is on the figure in the distance and as I get closer, I notice it is two.

A man and a woman, in a lover’s embrace against the side of the factory. Entangled with each other, my mind rebels against the idea this is my guy—he’s supposed to be alone.

Stopping only a few hundred feet from the pair, I glance at them again, trying to pick what’s wrong with the situation.

 Her legs are wrapped around his waist, arms around his neck. The man is leaned against her, head nuzzled against her neck, holding her easily against the wall.

Everything about it tells me to walk away. Leave the pair with their voyeurism… until the scent of spoiled blood lifts on the breeze and reaches me, through the sea of stinky fish.

It is a scent I know all too well.

Damn it.

This is going to be harder than I thought.

Sighing, I duck back behind the factory and crouch.

While killing one vampire is hard enough, killing two is almost impossible. Getting the jump on one of them will be easy, but once the other realizes what’s happening, I’m done for. I’ll be bled out on the ground before I am able to blink and that’s if they want to kill me quickly and not play with their food first.

Looking around the side of the factory again, I stared at the pair. They haven’t moved. Their stance is the same, no change at all. No gyrating of hips, or moans of pleasure.

Again, alarm bells ring loudly.

My gaze falls on a small rock and I lean to the side, picking it up.

Standing, I take one step out from the safety of the factory wall and throw it.

The rock sails through the air, landing on the back of the man’s head and my stomach all but exits my mouth.

I expect him to turn and attack, throw himself across the yard and rip open my throat. But he doesn’t, and the stone rolls down his back, dropping with a thud to the stained ground.

I wait a little longer for a reaction, not wanting to chance being attacked. Maybe they’re good at playing statues?

After waiting for close to five minutes, without the pair moving, I bring the knife up again and start forward.

This is going to suck if they decide to finally turn and attack me. I’m out in the open and I know I cannot run as fast as them.

The closer I get, the better they come into focus, and I stop.

Sighing, I tuck the knife back into the holder on my thigh.

I am not going to need it.

Striding forward, I stop by the side of the pair and lean in, examining them.

The pair are dead.

And not vampire dead... But dead, dead.

A longer than normal arrow pierces through the back of the man, into the chest of the woman and through to the brick wall behind them. The flites have been pulled from the end of the arrow, as if to hide their ownership.

I lift my hand, moving a strand of the woman’s scorched hair to the side and frown, dropping it back into place. “Fuck. Well, that is going to piss Absinthe off.”

Both vampires who are pinned to the wall, are Mated. Not only do they carry the small tattoo behind their ear, but they carry the scars of mutual feeding. The ability to be attached to another, in both mind and body. It takes hundreds of years for a vampire to come of age to mate another.

I was not looking forward to the show and tell of this mission.

“Thought I might find you here.”

I spun on my heel, the dagger which I had only sheathed moments before, quickly coming up in front of me again. My gaze settled on the man leaning against the side of the factory, picking at his nails.

Dark jeans, white shirt, and black leather jacket. His hair hung loose, cascading over his shoulders in a curtain of champagne colored silk. His own gaze lifted, flashing silver in the moonlight and I rolled my eyes, turning away from him. “Fuck off, Rhayden.”

Rhayden was beside me in an instant. “Nice to see you too, sweetheart.”

His voice slithered into my ear, softly spoken and undeniably erotic. He leaned in closer, his nose touching the side of my jaw and I turned, shoving him away. “Get lost.”

“Hmm, you know that’s not happening.” He spoke again, his breath washing over me as he spoke.

The coppery secent of blood lifting to me nose. He'd obviously just fed. 

Steeling myself against his presence, I folded my arms over my chest and looked at the pair of crispy vampires in front of us. “Does Absinthe know, you’re annoying his hunter?”

“Of course, he does,” he replied, a hint of amusement coming to his voice. “He sent me to come and get you.”

My head turned for a moment and I stared at him. “What?”

“He is the boss, remember.” The smug look on his perfect features pissed me off. “He wants you back at the mansion asap.”

My jaw clenched. “Are you his fetch dog now?”

The smirk disappeared instantly, and Rhayden shot forward, his lips almost touching mine as he hissed at me. “Careful, Marlene. Dogs bite.”

My eyes rolled again as I turned back to the pair of dead vampires. “So do fleas.”

His chuckle sent cold breath over my cheek, and I involuntarily shivered as he spoke, “Are you calling me a flea?”

“You’re just as annoying as one… and harder to kill.”

“I am a vampire, sweetheart. What do you expect?” His hand ghosted over the small of my back and I turned, slapping out at him. He moved, quickly coming to my other side, and leaned in again. “Absinthe wants to see you. Now.”

“I’m busy.”

“Not anymore.”

The sound of a vehicle had me turning and I stared at the black van which pulled up. From its confines, streamed a flurry of vampires, all dressed to clean up the mess pinned to the factory wall, and I looked at Rhayden. “Are you serious?”

“Deadly. Now get your ass in the car. Absinthe is very particular about having you in front of him, within the hour.” The vampire turned, walking away and I lifted my hand, flipping him off. “I saw that.”

“I call bullshit!” I called after him, as I sidestepped the vampires coming to claim their fallen. They growled at me, and I flipped them off too, knowing they could not touch me.

Not only would Rhayden rip their heads clean off, for touching Absinthe’s hunter, but Absinthe himself would crucify them as well.

Sighing, I turned and followed Rhayden, climbing into his car. Settling down into the plush leather, I turned my head and looked at the vampire. The pale blue glow from the dashboard did nothing for the pallor of his skin, but it did heighten the sharp angles to his beautiful face.

“You’re still Absinthe’s whipped puppy.”

Rhayden chuckled, sending flashes of heat through my body and I closed off the sudden rush of dirty thoughts I had about the man—creature—in the driver’s seat. Buckling the seat belt, I gripped the door handle, just as Rhayden sent the Alfa Romeo hurtling out of the docks and back toward our boss.