Beginnings (Nightwalkers) (3 page)

“I will never let a prize as valuable as you wander from my hand. You will become as I. Even if I have to force you.”

“I do not wish to—“

“Say it!” he screamed in her face, his voice booming. There was great pain in his eyes, his anger so hot it burned to her core. “Say you’ll become my queen!”

“No!” Sobbing, she struggled to push him off, Nicolas taking a firm grip of her shoulders. His grip was painful, his fingers digging into her tender flesh.

“Then you will live with the slaves in the catacombs until you submit!”

“Please, Nicolas…” she pleaded, her voice wet as she stopped struggling. Reaching up to his face, she tried to sway him with a loving gesture, but he ripped her hands away. “I beg of you. Allow me to see the sunrise. Do not lock me in there. I’m scared, I—”

“The next sunrise you will see, my blood will flow through you and you will be my queen. And you will stay in darkness until you agree!” he growled.

Swooping down, he sunk his fangs into the tender flesh of her neck. She let out a bloodcurdling scream, the pain magnified by his magic. He was punishing her. Making this the most intense pain she had ever felt.

Ashleigh abruptly woke and quickly sat up in bed. When she realized she was awake, she held her neck. Her breath was rapid as she gazed around the room. Everything was quiet, the soft light of morning filtering in. Letting out a sigh of relief, Ashleigh palmed her forehead.

She glanced at the clock. Her alarm was going to blare in a few minutes. Making a sour face, she reached over and turned it off. Her laptop sat next to her, still open and now with a cat perched on the warm keys.

Chapter Two

Ashleigh released a happy sigh as she looked at her advance copy of
Kiss of the Moon
. It was her breakthrough novel, one that had been inspired by her dreams. It had vampires like the ones in her nightmares, and Nicolas shined in the book as the villain. But there was a big difference. Her main character, Lady Sasson, didn’t lose to him. Ashleigh had invented a hero to save her. To rewrite the tragic ending she had in her dreams.

She ran her hand over the cover, a picture there of her main characters, Drake and Lady Sasson, in a loving embrace. “I still can’t believe this. Nightwalkers is finally going to be in book stores. The whole thing still doesn’t seem real.”

“This is so cool, Ash.” Natalie took the book when Ashleigh handed it to her. “So, can I read it now?”

“You don’t read, remember?” Ashleigh chuckled.

“So, I still want to read it.” Natalie flipped open the book and looked at the title. “When’s it coming out again?”

“On the sixth.”

“I’m so proud of you, girl. My best friend is a writer. Like, a big time writer.”

“I’m not big time, yet,” Ashleigh laughed, a softness to her voice. “And don’t be too harsh on me when you read it, okay?”

“Me? Harsh?” Natalie laughed. “And come on, New Castle took it, so it’s gotta be gold. It’s amazing, I know it.” She then glanced at the clock. “I gotta get to work.”

“’Kay.”

Her friend left, leaving Ashleigh to fend for herself the rest of the day. She spent most of it writing, and by the time Natalie got home, Ashleigh had lost track of time.

Seeing the door open, Ashleigh startled. She looked at her friend’s grin as Natalie’s tall frame filled the doorway. Pulling off her headphones, Ashleigh sent her friend a confused look. “What?”

Natalie simply shook the manuscript. She had marked several pages with order forms from the bar. Ashleigh sent her friend an annoyed glare. She didn’t like Natalie’s devious smirk.

“Did you read it?”

“Some.” Natalie walked over to the bed and sat next to her roommate. “It’s great, Ash.”

“You think?”

“I love it. I missed five customers because I couldn’t stop reading.”

“That’s great. Thanks, Nat.”

“I’m gonna read the rest tomorrow.” Natalie smiled as she opened to a page she had marked. “But….”

“But?”

Natalie folded back the page and read a passage, “His song drew her to him.”

“So?”

“This man was a siren. She knew this raven haired seducer had bedded many women with his words, but she couldn’t resist falling for him as well.” Natalie’s grin grew, her cheeks slightly reddened.

“I don’t—“ Ashleigh tried to speak.

Natalie spoke over her friend, “This is the best one.” She laughed lightly before reading a passage. “This
troubadour
of the night.” She then looked at her friend. “Caleb’s your Drake, isn’t he?”

“No.”

“Liar.” She erupted into laughter, but that only made Ashleigh madder. “He is too. You can’t fool me.”

“And what if I did…” Ashleigh made quotation marks in the air as she said her next words. “
Use
him as a muse?”

“He should be flattered. You made that boy look good.”

“Is it
really
that obvious that I used Caleb?”

“Yes.” Natalie set the book on her lap and waved the subject away with her hand. “But that’s only because I know you have such a huge crush on him. But I wouldn’t worry about it. No one’s gonna know. But…wouldn’t it be funny if he read it and was like, ‘Is she writing about me?’”

“I doubt it. Caleb wouldn’t read romance novels.”

“This isn’t
just
a romance novel.” Natalie tapped the book’s cover. “Its horror, adventure, and love all mixed together. I could see guys totally reading it.”

“You think they would?”

“Yeah.” Natalie nodded.

“Thanks for reading it, Nat.” Ashleigh wore a grateful smile, her eyes gazing at her best friend.

“Well….” Natalie pointed to Ashleigh’s laptop. “You better hurry up and finish that next book, because after this one, I can’t wait to read the next one.” They both shared a laugh. Natalie opened to another page and read it silently. “And some of these scenes are super hot. Wow.” She clicked her tongue. “So, this is what you fantasize about.”

“I don’t
fantasize
. I write.”

“The taste of your blood drives me mad, but not as much as the teasing taste of you that lingers on my fingers. Last night, we were interrupted, but tonight, both of us will be
fully
satisfied.” Biting her tongue, she laughed. “Your Drake’s a horn dog.”

“He is not.” Ashleigh grimaced. “You’re reading that out of context.”

“What is out of context about ‘your taste’? Especially since in the scene before he was finger banging her in the manor hallway.”

“If you’re gonna make fun of it—“ She went to grab it, but Natalie ripped it back.

“I was just teasin’. Stop being so uptight about it.”

“Then stop making fun of it.”

“Never let your gran read this.” She flipped through the pages. “Especially the scene in the woods. Wow!” Natalie chuckled. “I practically bit my finger off when I was reading it.”

“It’s good.”

“And it’s gory.”

“So?”

“So? Your gran would have a heart attack.”

“I’m not letting her read it anyway. She already hates it.”

“So….” Natalie sighed as she sat back against the headboard. She gazed up at the poster of Caleb Ashleigh had hanging over her bed. “Do you think Caleb’s as good in bed as Drake is?”

“He’s better, I bet.”

“We should save up and go to one of Armageddon’s concerts again. If you make a lot of money off this book, you can buy us backstage passes. Maybe you could even get Caleb to sign your book.”

“That’d be way awesome.” Ashleigh smiled, her mood light.

****

Kiss of the Moon
released a week ago, and all Ashleigh could do to ease her nervousness about it was to write. She was working on the next book in the series.
Kiss of the Moon
seemed to be doing well and that made Ashleigh happy. But, on the flipside, it was being criticized by some reviewers as well. And only the bad reviews stuck with Ashleigh. After reading one where the book got bashed by a Christian reader, she swore off reading reviews for a few weeks.

She was now on her way to work and was late. This happened often because she worked for her grandfather, and didn’t seem to put as much heart into her job as she did her books. Besides, there were no customers lined up outside and it was a Tuesday. Most people were at work and wouldn’t stop in till later or on their lunch break. Occasionally, they’d have a few tourists wander in, but that was about it. Most customers were regulars that had watched both Ashleigh and Natalie grow up.

Her laptop bag was slung over her shoulder, the khaki material covered in buttons. She was fumbling in her purse for her keys, her nails painted black and their edges chipping. They were short, showing she was a habitual nail biter. In her ears were earbuds, one of Armageddon’s songs blaring, Caleb’s angry voice screaming out the lyrics.

She found the key and opened the door. She turned on the lights and flipped over the closed sign. She scanned the perfectly organized bookshelves, nothing out of place here. She went to the front desk and dropped her bags on the floor.

She opened the register, then gazed outside. People were strolling down the well-kept sidewalks, checking out the small shops on the strip. There was a clothing store, a thrift store, a hardware store and then there was this place. Harmon and Brown. The local bookstore.

She went to the back and grabbed a bagel out of the fridge. She then went back to the register and hopped up on the high stool. In her ear was one headphone, the other taken out so she could hear everything else going on in the store.

She took a few bites from her breakfast then grabbed her laptop and worked on her new book. About an hour later, her grandfather came in. She chatted with him a bit, but when he went to the back to do paperwork, she turned back to her writing. She was now at the part where Lord Drake was looking for his love at the masked ball.

Ashleigh wrote,

She was now in a ballroom, the sound of lively music playing. Ribbons of white and blue snaked around the ceiling, diamonds dripping from the large chandelier in the center of the room.

She could feel happiness fill her chest. The light, intoxicating feeling of love making her feel light on her feet. She felt as if she were floating, her gait smooth. She had just fed and everything felt intense. Every smell. Every movement. Every beat of her heart. Ingesting blood made her feel like a god.

She was dressed in a fine gown, layers of heavy, blue fabric weighing her down. She wore a tall, white wig, perfect ringlets falling down her shoulders. In her loose hand, she held the stick of a mask. The mask was silver, molded from metal into a fancy wire design and fitted with sparkling diamonds.

She was searching the thick, masked crowd for someone, her mind moving at an alarming speed. Her mouth tasted of blood, her tongue making a swipe across her lips to clean them.

“I have found you.”

A voice made her turn around sharply. Her eyes settled on the mask that covered his face. “My prince.” Her lips formed a tender smile as she extended her hand. “It was my turn to win.”

“Forgive me, my love.” He took her hand and spoke in a dramatic, soft tone, “For I could not stand another minute without you by my side.”

“I missed you as well.” Her eyes went to her hand as he kissed it. On her finger was a grand diamond, an extravagant trinket from her love. “Will you dance with me?”

“I would stop time to make a dance with you last forever.” He waved his hand, the crowd now standing unmoving. The music changed, a slow waltz beginning to play.

She giggled, covering her mouth politely as she gushed. “How I love you, my dearest Drake.”

“As I, you.” He took her in his arms and they began to dance. They appeared to be floating, every movement fluid and perfect.

But their dance was soon interrupted. The doors flew open, a barrage of soldiers entering the room. Lady Sasson turned to Lord Drake, a wicked grin on her face. “Catch me a playmate, my love.” A single finger trailed down his well-tailored suit, a seductive tone to her words.

“I will catch you an army of playmates.” Waving his hands, he halted the men mid-motion.

“An army? How you spoil me.”

Lord Drake flew from her side, and retrieved one of the men. Breaking the spell he had cast over him, Lord Drake held the now struggling man in his arms.

“I will not let you ravage my colony!” The man spat at the ground, some of the spray hitting Lady Sasson’s gown.

Springing forward, Lady Sasson plunged a small sword into his stomach. Ripping upward, she slashed him. With a wicked grin, she studied the terror on the young soldier’s face.

“Beg….” She cooed. Removing the knife, she brought it to her mouth. Her tongue peeked out and licked at the thick blood that soiled the blade.

“Monster….” the man choked out the words. Lord Drake dropped him and the man fell to his knees. The soldier held his hand over his wound, blood spilling onto the floor.

“That’s not begging.” She made a sour face then turned to Lord Drake. “I find no amusement in this one.” She waved her bloodied hand, sticking her nose in the air. “Find me another.”

“As you wish.” Lord Drake bowed to her, his stance that of a king.

Henry looked at Ashleigh, a customer coming toward her. But Ashleigh didn’t see them. Henry came up to the desk and slammed the lid of the laptop down, Ashleigh pulling her fingers out before they were caught in it. He whispered to her, “Put
that
away and put
those
…” He pointed to a cart of books near her. “Away.” She nodded and did as he said.

****

Ashleigh was at the book store, this time of day quite dead. Her grandfather was at his computer, ordering some new titles.

“So, what should I order?” Henry beamed as he glanced at his granddaughter, then at the screen. He smiled at her as he typed.

Victoria Allure

Ashleigh laughed and playfully slapped his arm. “Gramps. Gran said she’d never allow you to sell my books here.”

“It’s
my
store and
my
little girl is a published author at Castle. That’s big.” He clicked on
Kiss of the Moon
.

“Thanks, Gramps.” This made his granddaughter smile, Ashleigh holding onto his arm and resting her head on his shoulder.