Gracen Miller

SYNOPSIS

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It was the opportunity of a lifetime, or so Meredith told her best friend, Serena. It had Serena thinking Meredith was finally eligible for the looney-bin. Meredith was talking about monsters and fairytales, some real wacko smack bordering on insanity as far as Serena was concerned. So, when Meredith disappeared, there was only one thing Serena could do, take matters into her own hands and investigate the local criminal hotspot, The Devil’s Den. The bar was as seedy and decadent as it was reputed to be. And the creature she found there—Six was his first, middle and last name—was nothing short of terrifying, his abilities completely defying logic. Yet, it was easier for Serena to pretend he was not all that he claimed.

Born over three thousand years ago, Six is a vampire who has become jaded and spoiled by his feral power and immortality. Humans are nothing more significant than toys to be played with and in fact his favorite sport is to locate the most innocent of victims and then torture them cruelly before taking their lives. Even with his supernatural arrogance, nothing could have prepared Six for the sudden unexplainable desire he feels toward the human, Serena. Serena, a karate instructor happy with her bland, boring life, launches his demoralized existence into a chaotic mess.

Through their tangled encounters, Six is surprised when he realizes he has found his salvation in the one thing he despises most…humanity. And Serena having never been the adventurous type, but instead having always taken the safer route her entire life, finds adventure when she needs it most and wanted it the least.

EXCERPT

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The night was as dark as smut. The moon was a void behind the thick billowing clouds, clouds that rolled and heaved an evil omen. The single streetlamp flickered. Meredith held her breath, afraid its dull luster would go out and leave her wandering blind in the darkness.

The pent up air burst from her burning lungs when the streetlamp continued to emit its gloomy iridescent glow; even the scant light it offered cast only shadows into the corners of the alley.

The inside of her mouth felt like mush from chewing on it. Her heart beat loudly in her ears.

Just the thought of traveling that dark path made her shiver with fright. It made her feel as if she would be swallowed whole if she were to venture beyond the beams of light. But even she knew it was unrealistic to associate light with safety.

Meredith knew it was her imagination, but even the air seemed to hover, as if afraid to move. The silence was deafening and not a single sound slithered to her alert ears.

With a tentative glance over her shoulder, Meredith took a steadying breath in an attempt to stifle the overwhelming urge to bolt. Never had she experienced such a longing to turn and flee. But the thick gloom and even thicker portent that secreted from the dank shadows like clawing talons seemed to have a life of its own. It felt as if it waited expectantly for her to enter its deadly embrace, and the fear that threatened to consume her coagulated in the pit of her stomach, making it churn with nauseating trepidation.

Twisting her hands together, she squared her shoulders. There really was no choice. The informant had instructed her to meet him at the end of the alley and to come alone. The or else that hung like a silent warning at the end of his sentence had made her shiver from the other end of the telephone line. The or else clearly informed her, if she were to bring anyone with her, there would be hell to pay. Any other time she would have refused to meet an unknown informant so secretly and privately.

But, the informant had promised a break in her otherwise dull reporting career. And she wanted to make it big so bad it was like acid in her mouth. College was just a fading memory now and her plan to break out of college with a bang had been deflated years ago. She was still stuck in this dead end town doing dead end beats. Such debilitating success had made her desperate and because of that desperation she now stood here on the edge of a dangerous precipices.

If she entered this alley and met the informant, she instinctively knew her life would race along a path that could never be altered. The challenging question was whether the change would be good or bad. But, there was no choice. Meredith could no longer accept her fate without attempting to create a little luck for herself. She had to have this break. She needed this break. Her life depended upon this break. And she could not let a little fear stop her. This was a chance in a lifetime. It wouldn’t come along again.

So, after squaring her shoulders and stiffening her spine, she took a deep steadying breath. It didn’t calm her, but it gave her the gumption she needed to make the first step.

“I won’t hurt you, little one,” the gravely voice grated along her spine and made her shiver. The hand compressed against her mouth felt like ice. Meredith moaned against his hand, her eyes rolling in their sockets, as fear swirled in her belly. “Do you promise not to scream?” He asked in that same scratchy voice.

Quickly, she nodded her head. In that chilling moment, she would have promised anything to have that icy hand lifted from her mouth. Slowly, his hand peeled away and it felt as if she could breathe again.

Her attacker spun her around and held her firmly by the shoulders. “I am your informant,” his silver-tongued voice swirled around her like an obscure vapor.

“Oh!” Meredith mouthed, trying to glimpse his features in the gloomy light, but it was no use. All she could make out was his dark silhouette.

“I’m sorry I frightened you.” His hands still did not release her shoulders and it was making Meredith more than a little wary. The informant tossed a glance over his shoulder. “I don’t have long.” He dragged a chip of wood out of the breast pocket of his black jacket. “Here, take this,” he shoved it toward her hand as if it were poisonous. In the diffused light, Meredith could just barely make out the small square chip of wood with the number six engraved on its grainy surface.

“What’s this for?” She asked him confused by the appearance of the wood, but she refused to take it from his gloved hand. She was here to break the story about an evil man that owned The Devil’s Den. She was not here for some cheap joke.

“That will kill him,” the informant said in a hurried voice.

“Kill him?” What had she gotten herself into? Now, she expected someone to jump out of the shadows and scream Gottcha! at any moment.

“Look, mister,” Meredith glanced up at his ambiguous face. “I don’t plan on killing anyone. All I want to do is expose him. You know, the things he has managed to hide from the police.”

Meredith could feel the informant’s intense scrutiny in the darkness of the alley. Before she could react, he gripped her by the shoulders again and pulled her to his frame. He whispered in her ear. The things he told her made her eyes round in horror and fright. And when she told him she did not believe him, he proved to her that he was telling the freakish truth. With the word vampire ringing in her ears, she snatched the wood from the informant’s gloved hand and fled the alley. Even with the fright pounding in her chest and licking at her mind, she knew she would investigate the informant’s information. How could she not? She believed him only because he had exposed his spiky fangs and tore into her wrist, drinking a portion of her blood. She couldn’t remember ever being so horrified in her life.

She tried to open the car door, but the handle slid from her shaking grasp and banged loudly against the still night air. Glancing frantically over her shoulder, she clawed her way into the car, started the engine, and peeled away from the curb in a streak of squealing tires.

The wood clutched tightly in the palm of her hand, she rubbed her fist over her forehead. The information she had was dangerous. It could be the end of her life if she did not handle it tactfully.

She flew through the first two red lights, thankful that it was late and no one was on the road. But at the third red light, she forced herself to stop the vehicle. Peeling her palm open, she looked at the chip of wood. According to the informant, it had been blessed by a priest and would kill the demon owner of The Devil’s Den.

The informant had been a vampire too!

The chip of wood had been held between his gloved fingers as if it was coated in acid.

Meredith released a shaky breath. She would only use the piece of wood if she had no other alternative. She could not exactly expose this Six fellow if he were dead. All her proof would die with him. Meredith smiled at her reflection in the rearview mirror. She was about to become famous. Rich wouldn’t be so bad either, she mused.

WARNING: Graphic and violent content