Written in blood E-Book

Amanda Aalto

• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Erotik
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Etheniel Vlachos has been hiding from the mortals for almost three centuries. One night he meets a young woman at a club where goes to find humans for prey. This meeting turns his life upside down and changes the very course of his actions. The dangerous affair between the living and the dead comes with a price though and soon Etheniel has to learn to pay for his decisions.

Leseprobe

Amanda Aalto

Written in blood

BookRix GmbH & Co. KG81371 Munich

Black as the night

Dana

I had seen him driving his black Corvette in the night like he was not afraid to die. Back then I did not know that was because he could not. Not the way we mortals did anyway. But what I did not see back then was that in his heart he was constantly afraid and that only I could release him from that inner prison when my role in his ancient tale would begin.

I met him at a club in the city one Saturday night. He was wearing his long, icy blond and wavy hair down which was lining his handsome but pale face. He was wearing black from his jacket to his shoes, an elegant suit with some details that kept reminding me of the glorious times that had passed us centuries ago. His deep green eyes kept staring at me the whole night and I will not lie to you when I say I never forgot the way it made me feel.

Afterwards I have returned to that night in my mind many times and thought to myself that maybe already then I knew in my heart he was not one of us, that he carried the knowledge and the pain from many centuries past and that he was a survivor from many battles he had been forced to face throughout his mysterious life.

It was some time before dawn when he finally came to me. Without saying a word he took my hand and kissed it gently which first seemed a bit strange to me. During this act he kept looking firmly into my eyes like he could actually read my thoughts. I wanted to act in some way to his dramatic gesture but his whole appearance made me feel uneasy and I suffered from loss of words.

»You need to come with me.« he said. His proposal sounded arrogant to me though he seemed genuine in his words.

»Do I?« replied to him, trying to resist his offer while inside I

knew my every cell wanted to leave the club with him.

The music roared loudly around us and the people were noisy but for a while there was only silence between us. Afterwards I realized it was a silent expectation for the beginning of something new. In the abstract waves of neon lights I saw him reach for my hand and without hesitation I took his hand in mine and he walked me away from that place.

We went down to the alley somewhere behind the club where he had parked his car. The black Corvette, shining almost spotless under the streetlights. He walked to the car and opened the doors but then I suddenly started having second thoughts about my choice of leaving the club with him.

»Where are we going?« I asked him, hoping he would not see that I was doubting the decision to leave the club with him.

»You will see.« he said to me confidently.

»But you haven’t even told me your name.« I said, a bit ashamed of my sudden alertness. He seemed like a man who spent his time with women who knew exactly what they wanted and did not doubt their actions when it came to situations like the one we were in.

»I will tell you my name if you get into the car.« he said to me and something about his appearance assured me that I could trust him. I got into his car and waited for him to sit next to me and to turn the motor on. After that we drove off from the club and continued deeper into the beating heart of that cursed city.

Even then he drove like a maniac and I did not have to stay long in the car with him to notice the kind of danger he had in his aura. I sat beside him silent, hoping that he would get more talkative soon. It was not usual for me to leave the club with someone I had never seen before but there was something special about this man’s appearance, something almost magical which made me believe it was the right thing to do – to be with him. Even for one night.

»Etheniel.« he said then suddenly without turning his eyes off the road ahead of us.

»What?« I asked him, feeling confused.

»Etheniel, that is my name. You asked about it.« he said then, now looking up at me with his piercing green eyes. His gaze seemed always deep and sharp as he could peer right into my soul.

»And yours is Dana.« he added after that and his words partly shocked me. How did he know my name? I was pretty sure I had not told it to him during our brief conversation. Had he been spying on me? The thought of it made me feel even more uneasy for a moment. Maybe I had made a stupid mistake by leaving the club with him. After all, I had no idea of who he was and where he was taking me.

»Where are we going?« I asked him again, hoping he would slow down even a little before we would both die in a car crash. He looked at me with a silent smile but still not saying a word.

We drove somewhere on the outskirts of the city and got up on a hill where we could see the city lights shine bright below us. The view was magnificent, especially at night time. After driving some more around we finally got to a big iron gate and drove through it to the front yard of an old manor house of some sort that must have been built by a wealthy family long time ago.

»Do you live here?« I asked him when he had stopped the car in front of the main entrance, which to me seemed grand.

»Yes.« he replied to me shortly in his manner, taking his keys away from the lock.

»It’s beautiful.« I said in some kind of awe and hoped that he would accept my compliment.

»I know.« he said to me with a smile, opening the door and getting out of the car. After that he walked to me and helped me out like a true gentleman so I thought I had worried for nothing and that I was safe with him. How much more wrong couldI have been.

I was wearing my black platform sandals and my bright red jumpsuit that felt a bit chilly in the breeze of an autumn night.

We walked to the main entrance of the house, leaving the car somewhere in the darkness behind us. When I looked closely at the building again I realized it must have been built at least a century ago, probably even more.

»What is this place?« I asked Etheniel when he let me into the dark space before him. I could feel the tenseness between us grow as he shut the door behind him. It was dark all over us but Etheniel did nothing to turn the lights on.

»A family home.« he said, running his cold fingers on my neck and kissing my lips tenderly. His caress was first gentle, then more intense like he was not sure whether to make love to me or to attack me. I had never been with a man like him before and suddenly being inside his house I realized he could be dangerous.

He pulled me onto the couch, which was probably as old as the house, and climbed over me so that I could feel him getting hard between his legs.

»I want you.« he whispered to my ear, running his other hand across my breasts and the other one on my hips and then slowly between my legs.

For a while I felt almost like I was in a trance. I had never experienced anything as intense before. It was like dancing somewhere between life and death, knowing about the danger around you but still surrendering to it.

With one strong gesture he pulled the jumpsuit off me and the fabric got torn in some parts. I pulled off his jacket and unbuttoned his black shirt, then ran my hands into his trousers where I could feel him getting harder. For a moment we were wrapped up together and I could feel him kissing and biting my neck but then suddenly I felt a piercing pain on my throat which forced me to pull away from him. When I touched the place where I had felt the pain, I noticed I was bleeding there.

»You bastard!« I said while getting away from him, still not sure what he had done. I knew I had to get out of the place but feared the door had been locked.

I heard him laugh in the dark. There was now a dry and somehow colder tone in his voice.

»My darling Dana.« he said and got off the couch. I could see his figure moving towards me in the darkness of the room.

»Come back here.« he said but then I found a light switch and managed to turn the lights on. When I looked at Etheniel again I noticed his face was all covered in blood. Soon after I found myself in a state of panic.

»Leave me alone!« I shouted at him as he slowly walked towards me.

»Sweet Dana. I can not let you go, not when we have come this far.« he said to me, his eyes glazed and fixed upon me.

»You are mine now.« he continued, still walking closer to me.

In one moment my affection for him had turned to fear and disgust. Was he a murderer or a maniac or both? Why had he brought me up here? Could I leave the place alive?

I could see him still walking towards me, then grabbing me by the hair and pulling me up against the wall. I tried to scream but then he put

his hand on my mouth.

»No one will hear you, sweet Dana.« he said before he started licking the wound he had caused on my throat. For a while he seemed more like a beast than a man which terrified me the most.

»What are you?« I managed to ask him when he had pulled his hand off my mouth.

He laughed again, like we were playing some kind of a game.

»A man who can not die.« he replied, gazing deeply into my eyes.

I had no idea what he was talking about. I ran back to the door and tried to pull it open but it was no use. It had been locked as I feared.

»Oh Dana.« I could hear him say right behind me.

»It seem you won’t learn. Not unless I teach you.« he continued and after that I felt something hitting me on the back of my head and suddenly my world went black and silent. I remember faintly hearing Etheniel humming something while he was carrying me upstairs and after that my world went black again.

The next time I opened my eyes I felt like my head was splitting in two. The world around me seemed dim and when I looked around me I found myself in a room that I had never seen before. Soon I realized I was not alone but that there was a woman too, a bit older than me, standing in front of me like making sure I was still alive. She was also wearing black, a dress that reached just below her knees and that had a low neckline and she also had blond hair with some waves.

»Where am I?« I asked her, hoping she would tell me what had happened. But soon it all came to me. The club. Etheniel. Our drive away from the city center. The couch. The struggle.

»Welcome to your new home.« the woman said to me with a ruthless voice.

»You are one of his brides now. But don’t worry, the pain won’t last long since he usually gets bored soon after he gets to play with you.« she continued.

Her words did not make any sense to me. I tried to get up but the pain in my head and the hangover from the night before made it impossible to move.

»What do you mean?« I asked the woman, feeling like my patience was running out.

»Etheniel. He goes to the club to find young women like you and after that he does whatever pleases him.« the woman said and then walked to the door.

»I will let him know that you are awake.« she said to me and opened the door. Before I knew she disappeared to the dark corridor locking the door behind her.

After that I forced myself up from the bed and ran to the door, trying to pull it open by using all my strength but it was no use. I tried to scream for help but felt like no one heard me. After that I ran to the window, noticing it had been barred as well. I had become Etheniel's captive. But what kind of a man was he? And who was the woman that had visited me, his partner? Nothing made sense to me. I crawled back to bed and tried to sleep for as long as I could, until I heard the door open again.

I saw Etheniel stepping into the room, still looking handsome and sharp but his charisma now frightened me more than before since I did not know what he was capable of.

»Don't come near me!« I shouted at him, pulling the blanket tighter around me in panic.

He seemed disturbingly calm considering the situation and

walked right next to me, keeping me tightly in his gaze.

»Now you must remember where you are.« he said while sitting on the bed next to me.

»Let me go!« I yelled and tried to attack him but he was much stronger than I and in only a matter of seconds he had managed to wrap his arms around me so that I could not move.

»Listen to me very carefully! If you behave, you get to live longer. If you don't, I will kill you here and now. Understood?« he said and I could see his unnaturally sharp teeth while he was talking to me.

»What are you?« I asked him again since he did not feel like a man at all. His skin felt ice cold and I could not hear his heartbeat though he had pulled my ear next to his chest.

»A child of the night, a man who can not die. Or in other words, a vampire.« he spoke calmly to me like he was not afraid of me thinking he was a lunatic.

»You're mad!« I shouted, trying to break free from his hold and then to my surprise he let me go. He put his other hand on my mouth and then grabbed my wrist, bringing it close to his red lips. He kissed the skin and then licked it gently, after that placing his sharp teeth just where the vein was and biting them through my skin. I moaned of pain which soon turned to a strange feeling of pleasure. It is strange how the kiss of a vampire works. The pain comes first but then it always leaves you feeling pleasure beyond your imagination like an opiate.

He drank from me for some time and then laid me down on the bed, covering me with a blanket.

»You need to rest now.« he said to me but I could hardly hear him through my ecstasy.

»Tomorrow I will teach you more.« he added and then left me lying alone in the dark.

Though I felt hopeless, tired and hungry, I managed to fall asleep and slept the whole time until the next evening when everything changed.

I woke up sometime before midnight when Etheniel came to visit me again. He was dressed up like he was going out and when he stepped into the room I noticed that was carrying a tray of some sort, with some food and drinks for me to my surprise.

»Estelle is not a great cook but you'll survive.« he said to me. I could still sense a coldness in his voice and wondered what my stay with him would be like from now on.

»Will you let me go?« I asked him, feeling desperate inside. After all, he had taken my phone and locked me inside that damp little room like a caged animal and I could not help myself to think for what kind of an end. Luckily the room was an ensuite of some sort, which had been useful when I had felt sick after waking up the first evening.

»No, I won't.« Etheniel said and laid the tray onto the table which stood on the other side of the room.

»If you wish to kill me then do it now!« I said to him, though I still feared what he might do next. Of course I did not want to die but waiting for the moment of my death seemed also unbearable.

Etheniel looked at me without saying a word. I could see a strange smile on his face as he walked towards me.

»I won't kill you, at least for now.« he said and kissed my forehead which only confirmed my doubts of him being insane. I was terrified of him and had no idea of what he wanted from me.

»I brought you some new clothes too.« he said then and pointed

at a purple fabric that lay on the back of the chair next to the table.

»I want you to wear them tonight. I am going to bring someone to you and it is your job to take care of them.« he continued like I knew what he was talking about.

»What do you mean?« I asked him, feeling my insides turn because of the hunger that had been growing inside me for a day and a half. But he just smiled at me without saying a word and then left the room, barring the door so I had no chance of escaping even if I wanted to.

I ate some of the food he had brought me fearing it had been poisoned. But my hunger was too great to be ignored and so I stuffed myself with some of the cheesy pasta with garlic and tomatoes which wasn not too good but edible. It was enough to make me feel even a tiny bit better considering I was still a captive of the most dangerous man that probably meant to kill me. My only salvation now was to see where things were going with Etheniel and hope for the best.

I had a look at the clothes he had brought me and could not help to think his taste seemed old-fashioned. He had brought me a purple dress with a corset-like top and a wide hem that reached all the way to my ankles. What was even stranger was the fact that when I tried it on, it fitted almost perfectly like the dress had been made especially for me.