Shen and Dao-Ming were the center of attention as they sat silently in an ornately decorated dining hall, at the long mahogany table amongst several of Wadim’s sons and their women. Some of the women were in the process of being turned into vampires, while other were there for breeding and pleasure only. A few of the women’s bellies were swollen with child.
The Meissen China, gold flatware, and gold trimmed stemware were neatly laid out, awaiting the feast. Male slaves, dressed in serving attire, filled goblets with blood for the vampires and a mild wine for the breeders.
“You are Wu. We heard you were coming,” said someone from the opposite side of the table.
Shen looked at the owner of the booming voice quizzically. How could he know he was coming? Who were all of these creatures? Was everyone there an offspring of Wadim? These questions, and more, reeled through his head as Wadim entered the room like a regal king. The crowded table le
Stripped of my shirt and shoes, I paced the eighteenth century styled bedroom. After struggling with the locked door in hopes of escaping, I was evaluating the possibilities of what was on the other side of the tightly sealed and darkened glass windows.They’d tossed me into the room and locked the door about an hour earlier. My muscles and joints were still stiff from the time spent in a cell with nothing to separate me from the harshness of the dank earthen floor. Without having contact with the outer world, and my worldly possessions stripped from me, time became an illusion. I could only guess how long it was since Shen and I were captured and separated. By the rumbling of my empty stomach, I surmised I’d missed more than one meal.I wondered what had happened to Shen.From Dumitru’s sneering remarks, I was fairly positive he was still alive, but where was he being held? Was he somewhere in this hell hole? He had to be.The gua
Wadim eased his way amongst the crowded casino with Jasmine snuggled familiarly at his side. Stevenson had just finished giving him the list of new captives and made arrangements to bring them to the den the next day.Stevenson always bought back the captives that Wadim rejected. It was a rather unfair deal since he did all the work to capture them in the first place, but he wasn’t about to bring that point up to the temperamental vampire. He valued his life too much. Occasionally, Wadim would have a moment of kindness and toss in a captive or two free of charge.Stevenson handed Wadim a thick pile of money. The vampire slid it casually into the inside breast pocket of his sport coat. Wadim loathed the attire he was forced to wear when he left his den, but he was wise enough to know it was in his best interest to do so. Although modern technology and ignorant scientists managed to take fact and turn it into fiction, there were still a few die hard vampire h
Shen and Dao-Ming lay together in satiated silence. He’d just finished making love to her once again. His frustration over their situation swelled within him, but his frustration at his inability to subdue his own carnal needs overshadowed all else. He’d always been able to control his wants and desires. His whole life’s training was focused on control. Now he was no more than an animal rutting repeatedly throughout the day. What made it worse was that it was a function that he was ordered to perform for the ‘Master’. He and Dao-Ming were little more than the pigs they kept out in the yard.Shen rolled off the bed and walked to the basin. There were no mirrors in the room, so he did his best to wash up and groom myself without the visual assistance he’d taken for granted all of his life. He’d noticed that the hollows in Dao-Ming’s eyes were worsening and he wondered if the same was happening to him. He didn’t feel ri
Stevenson pushed his way into the novelty shop. he walked boldly past the clerk to the door in back and entered without hesitating. He skirted through rooms filled with vampires huddled together in small circles around couples, trios, or singles providing never-ending sexual entertainment until he reached the large, gilded door and then paused to regain his composure. Of late, the number of captives he’d presented to Wadim was painfully limited and lacking in substance. It had been months since he’d received such a large inventory of beauties to present at once. This new shipment would certainly put him in a better bargaining position for the future. He knocked soundly, stepping back slightly while the lion’s head doorknob turned without him touching it and the door slowly opened.Ignoring the others in the room, Stevenson confidently climbed the spiral staircase leading to the observation balcony where Wadim sat regally on his gilded throne. As he rea
I reflected on our decision as I stood in front of the mirror inspecting the marks on my neck. It was the only thing we could think of to fool the guards and make them believe Mei-Lien had finally fed. With great deliberation, she’d taken a strand of her silky hair and measured the width between her fangs. Then she carefully took a steak knife that fell off the tray when the guard removed my dishes. She positioned the strand of hair on my neck and she punctured my skin to look like her fangs had penetrated. After which, she dabbed my blood on the corner of her mouth and fought the urge to lick it.“The urge in me is strong. I am changing. Soon it will be too late,” Mei-Lien moaned in frustration.She dreaded becoming like Wadim and was fighting it as hard as she could. Soon she’d no longer have control over her body and she’d give in to the desires and ways of the vampire.“Do you want to become one of them?” I ask
Even with the door as a barrier, there was no denying the screams of a woman in anguish that pierced the air. Dao-Ming stiffened in Shen’s embrace. Although his senses were dulled from his daily drug doses, hers were acute. She shuddered as she gently pushed her lover away and sat at the edge of the bed.“A new shipment has arrived,” she said in a voice just above a whisper.Shen struggled to focus. He was growing less and less aware of his surroundings with every dose of potion they forced him to drink. He felt as if he was living in a lucid dream where his sexual fantasies were becoming sexual nightmares. Sex was becoming so routine it held little value or appreciation for him now. It was becoming a revolting task instead of a sensual pleasure. It was just something that he did over and over and over again. It was as commonplace as breathing.The fact that he was providing stud service for the purpose of increasing Wadim’s stock d
A frightened girl stumbled as Stevenson shoved her into the line. Shrill gasps escaped the bedraggled row of captives when Wadim entered the room and walked back and forth observing them. He stopped in front of a few, cupping their chins in his bony hands and turning their heads to study their profiles. A look of disgust consumed his death-like features.“There is very little of value here. I expected better,” he spat.Stevenson wasn’t worried. He’d witnessed this reaction from Wadim every time he brought in a newload of captives. It was the vampire’s way of getting theprice for the shipment down. Stevenson wondered whyhe bothered. It went without saying that Wadim would only have to pay what he wished to pay; if he paid at all. Then Stevenson would be forced to buy back the captives Wadim rejected. More often than not it was at an inflated price. Stevenson was at his mercy. Since Wadim seemed to enjoy his little ga
Sleep was impossible for Dao-Ming as she lay next to Shen. She knew all too well the reason for the wild screams coming from the new shipment. She wondered how many Wadim kept and how many were to be sold. It was rumored that the buyers weren’t vampires. She’d heard Wadim ran a large slave and prostitute trafficking business and his buyers were prominent men and women from around the globe. The black man they called Stevenson was in charge of these transactions. She saw him only once. That was when she was taken. She knew immediately by the way the others jumped when he spoke that he was in a position of power.The door silently opened and a guard stepped in. He sneered down at Shen before reaching over him to grab Dao-Ming’s wrist and pull her off the bed. Shen stirred and tried to grab for her, but the drugs sapped his strength for everything but making love.The guard laughed and held her close to him while fondling her defiantly.&ldq
“... And may the good Lord be waiting as the gates of Heaven open wide to accept our dear sister. Amen.”The spindly priest’s voice blended with the gusts of wind and pelting rain. Water drizzled off the oversized canopy that was provided in anticipation of the storm to offer protection for the attendees. It was a futile effort at best. A small group of mourners gathered around the open grave. They bowed their heads in silence as Father Robert indicated he’d completed what he came to do by closing his bible and stepping back. His eyes bore into the crowd as if he was searching for something, but what?Although he’d never known Mei-Lien, he was a longtime friend of her uncle who entered his church asking for help after immigrating from China twenty years earlier. He knew there was a small population of Catholics in China, but he never dreamed one of them would find his way into his small congregation. Curious to learn more about the conditi
Tatyana wasted no time leading Bruce and me directly to the breeding quarters.Shen was watching for us out of the doorway of his room. The vampire was stronger than he’d anticipated. He was forced to utilize his knowledge of pressure points on the body to keep him in tow until help arrived. Spotting us making our way down the corridor as inconspicuously as possible, he swung open the door and motioned us in.“Man, am he glad to see you,” I said.I’d kept my voice just above a whisper, but never-the-less my enthusiasm was apparent.“No more than me, but, first things first,” Shen said as he pointed to the unconscious vampire tied up on the bed. “Kill him, please.”Bruce smiled as he pulled an arrow out of his carrying case and gripped it with a firm hand.“Happy to oblige,” he said. Then he turned to Tatyana with a look of concern. “You might not want to watch this, they go sl
Fane paced the floor of his father’s study. Everything was such a mess. He’d gone off to find a new location for their den and returned very pleased with himself. He’d located a perfect spot in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. His father would have been proud of him.Returning only hours after the slaughter of his father, siblings, and many prominent vampires, Fane retreated to the recesses of the den to recover from the shock and to think of what to do next. With his father gone, it was up to him to pull things together and squelch the panic running rampant amongst the few fortunate vampires who happen to have either not been invited or not been able to attend his father’s ball.Since he and everyone around him considered themselves invincible, the revelation that there was someone who had the power to kill them was traumatizing. He was sure more than ever that they needed to relocate as quickly as possible. Before they did so, he needed t
I followed Tatyana and Bruce through the alley door that led to the dungeon. I’d brought up the topic of the hairy beast that lived there when she mentioned this entrance. She identified it as a werewolf. Earlier, we would have laughed such a notion off, but now we huddled close together while staying prepared for action if we encountered it. Armed with only our crossbows and arrows, we hoped it would be enough. Crossbows worked on vampires, but what about werewolves?It took a moment for our eyes to adjust to the dimly lit dungeon. We crept along slowly, looking in all directions for the creature. We were almost to the bottom of the stairwell when he appeared out of nowhere. His enormous hairy hands yanked Bruce back, knocking him off balance and causing him to fall to his ass. Before we could register what was happening, the creature grabbed him by the throat and pulled him to his feet.To both Bruce’s and my surprise, it was Tatyana who reacted first. Wi
It was almost dusk before the valet pulled our SUV out of the parking garage and we piled in. Shen and I climbed in the back seat, leaving Tatyana to sit up front with Bruce. Even if Tatyana seemed oblivious, it was clear that Bruce was more than just a little smitten with her. It was a long time since I saw my cousin so taken by a female. It saddened me that they met under such dire circumstances, but then no one really knows when or if the right person will come along. So, dire circumstances or not, we fully intended to give my cousin the space he needed to get to know Tatyana a little better. This was another reason why I had decided to pair up with Shen.Tatyana felt a sense of security and comfort while in Bruce’s presence. She hadn’t felt such peace since before her father died, but it was more than that. She felt something else as well. There was a sort of tugging deep inside her abdomen whenever he’d come close and lightly brush against her. She wasn
The transformation to true vampirism was far easier for Osip than he’d anticipated. Dracula not only sympathized with his plight and agreed to allow him to stay with them, but he apologized for the abominable behavior of his bastard son. He took immediately measures to have Osip transformed into a respectable vampire.Dragomir volunteered to perform the task of transforming Osip and showing him the ways of a vampire. He did it partially because he took an immediately liking to the lad, but mostly because it gave him extreme satisfaction to undo the works of that bastard Wadim.Osip gave thanks to Dracul daily for his good fortune. Life in Dracula’s castle was such a pleasure. There was no butchering and consuming of human flesh performed there. The vampires, both male and female, carried themselves with an aristocratic air and wouldn’t dream of stooping to cannibalism. They considered themselves far above such barbaric actions. In fact, they rarely ki
To our relief, Tatyana gave us no difficulty in escorting her back to our room. She sat at the edge of the bed, calmly watching, and waiting. Bruce was awestruck by her pale skin and green eyes. They were a beautiful combination that were only accentuated by the burnt red hair that framed her face and cascaded down her back. He blushed when he caught himself staring.“I sense vampire around you, but you are not vampires,” Tatyana said as she closed her eyes and cocked her head to the side. “You do not work for Wadim...” She opened her eyes and looked directly at Bruce. “Who are you?”Bruce felt a wave of energy push from Tatyana and shove him in his chest.“I... I’m Bruce,” he stammered.I pulled a chair up close to her and sat down. After a brief moment of silent staring on both our parts, I questioned her softly.“You seemed frightened when you looked at that man in the restaurant,&rdquo
Mei-Lien’s body was placed in the care of a local funeral home and arrangements were made for her husband to receive her body in Queens. Las Vegas was a city filled with homeless people, so it wasn’t difficult to pass her death off as that of a starving and homeless woman. The police accepted the story willingly and didn’t bother to detain us.Shen sipped on a cup of strong tea while he waited for Bruce and me to return to our hotel suite. Although eager to be reunited with Dao-Ming, he couldn’t stop thinking about the innocents left behind after the vampire’s destruction. Would they know where to go and what to do? Many of them were held captive to breed or to serve for so long he questioned if they’d be able to find their way out of the den to rejoin society. Did they have any money? With Wadim no longer there to provide them with a fresh supply of food, would they kill each other when their food supply ran out? They’d become cannib
Evening came and the room slowly filled with vampires decked out in their best eighteenth century ballroom attire. The musicians tuned their instruments while servers walked around with trays of blood filled glasses for the guests.When they started the evening with a waltz, fabric swirled and jewels glittered while the men twirled the ladies around the dance floor. Several dances took place before Wadim made his grand entrance. The music stopped, giving his climb onto a small platform next to the musicians the dramatic entrance he thrived on.All eyes were on Wadim when he said, “Tonight is a very special night. Not only did we have an exceptional year in trade...” His attention went to a server walking by with a tray of blood filled glasses and the vampire who took a glass off the tray and drank from it greedily. “Ah, I see some of you have already begun to partake, very nice.” He was silent for a moment as he looked around the room with a dev