Marked: City of the Damned Book 1 (2 page)

The thud of his heavy footfalls on the floor
echoed throughout the room, followed by the sound of the door
closing. One by one, the man picked the items up off the floor and
placed them back into the bag, muttering something under his breath
that Sara couldn’t make out. Closing her eyes even tighter, she lay
perfectly still and listened as his footsteps retreated. Sara could
tell by the noise the man was making that he was still in the
apartment, but no longer in the same room. The sound of flowing
water accompanied the clanging of pots and pans. Five minutes later
the pungent smell of herbs filled the room.

The side of the sofa sank under his weight as
the man sat down beside her. Sara could feel his hand cup the back
of her head and raise it up off the pillow. The smell of the bitter
herbs became stronger as he brought the cup to her mouth.

“Drink this,” he grunted, and tipped the cup
forward, slowly pouring the hot tea into her mouth.

Sara coughed as she spit out the bitter tea.
He tried to force it on her again, but her tightly closed her lips
prevented him from forcing any more of the tea into her mouth.
Defeated, he lowered her head gently back onto the pillow. Just as
she was about to open her eyes and face her captor head on, his
fingers pinched her nose, cutting off her air supply. Sara opened
her mouth, gasping for air. As her lips parted, the man brought the
cup to her mouth and poured the hot liquid down her throat, not
stopping until she’d drank every last drop of the foul tasting tea.
When he was satisfied that she was not going to spit it out again,
he released his grip on her nose.

Certain that this stranger had just tried to
poison her, Sara lay perfectly still and wondered how quickly it
would all be over. Would she suffer a slow, horrible death, or
would it be swift and painless? As the minutes passed by, the pain
started to subside, and the fire that was ravaging her body
lessened. Sara slowly opened her eyes and stared into the face of
her captor. The same dazzling blue eyes that she remembered from
the alley stared back at her. Jet black hair, the color of
midnight, framed the harsh lines of his face.

“Gedeon,” she whispered.

“Don’t try to move yet,” he commanded.
“You’re still too weak and you’ve lost too much blood.”

“Where am I? What happened?” Sara nervously
looked around the unfamiliar apartment.

“I will explain everything, but first you
must rest.”

“You can’t keep me here against my will.”
Sara tried to yell but the words came out jumbled together.
Whatever Gedeon had put in the tea was causing her to become
drowsy, its effects almost immediately taking hold.

“You are free to leave whenever you wish, but
know this, if you leave here, I will not be able to heal you, nor
will I be able to protect you from Pryse.” Gedeon stood up and
walked to a burrow in the corner of the room. When he returned, he
placed her neatly folded clothes on the table beside the sofa.

Sara fought hard against the drowsiness that
was pulling her under. She needed to escape this place, but her
eyelids grew heavy and she succumbed to the darkness.

Whether it was two hours or ten hours later,
she couldn’t tell. The windows of the small apartment had been
draped with heavy black curtains that blocked out any and all
traces of light. The bitter smell of the herbal tea still hung
heavy in the air, as did the strong odor of sweat. Sara sat up on
the couch and felt her clammy skin peel painfully away from the
leather. Of course, the smell of sweat was coming from her. Fever
had been ravaging her body for who knows how long, and strands of
golden brown hair now clung to her face and neck. The stack of
clothing still sat untouched on the table beside her. If she
dressed in a hurry, she’d be able to escape undetected. A wave of
dizziness overcame her. Griping the edge of the table, she steadied
herself as she tried to stand up. As she grasped the table with
both hands, the white cotton sheet that had been covering her naked
body fell to a heap on the floor by her feet.

“Going somewhere?”

Sara turned quickly and came face to face
with Gedeon, and for a brief moment his blue eyes flashed black.
She followed his gaze to where they came to rest on her bare
breasts. Reaching behind her and frantically grabbing at the pile
of clothes, she tried to find something to cover herself with. Sara
cast him a warning glare and took a step backwards. “Get away from
me,” she growled.

“Get dressed. We have to talk.” Gedeon placed
another cup of the bitter herbal tea on the table and strode off in
the direction of the kitchen.

Sara fumbled with her clothes as she rushed
to get dressed. Who in the hell did this guy think he was? He had
no right to undress her in the first place, and he sure as hell had
no right looking at her the way he did. Once dressed, she
frantically searched the apartment for her purse, positive that
she’d had it with her in the alley.

“Looking for this?” Gedeon’s muscular frame
stood in the doorway, blocking her only means of escape. In one
hand was a dish towel and in the other was her purse.

Bravely, Sara stormed towards him and
snatched the purse out of his hand. “Get out of my way.”

“We need to talk,” Gedeon said pointedly.

“Get out of my way or I’m calling the
police,” she threatened.

“Suit yourself,” he said, and stepped away
from the door “but if you leave now I won’t be able to protect you
when he comes for you.”

Sara raised her hand and cupped the bite mark
on her neck. “What are you talking about? Who’s coming for me?” She
could vaguely remember the details of what happened in the alley
when she was attacked. There had been two men fighting, Gedeon and
another named Pryse. She remembered Gedeon trying to convince Pryse
to let her go, to let the human go. “What
are
you?” Sara
gasped and stumbled backwards into the table.

“I am a healer,” Gedeon took a step towards
her “and I am a vampire.”

“Don’t come any closer.” Her brain was
screaming at her to run, to get as far away from this place as
possible, but her instincts told her that he was telling the truth.
The bite mark on her neck proved that there was validity to his
words.

“Sit down and I will explain
everything.”Gedeon walked past her and sat in the armchair facing
the sofa. As Sara sat down, he pushed the cup of tea towards her.
“Drink,” he ordered.

“There’s no way I’m drinking that.”

“It will help you to heal. You’ve lost too
much blood and you need to regain your strength.”

“I don’t care,” Sara said. “There’s no way
I’m letting you knock me out again.”

“The tea didn’t cause you to sleep. Your
body’s need to heal itself caused you to sleep. I simply provided
it with the ingredients to help you recover more quickly.” Gedeon
pick up the cup and handed it to her. “Drink the tea,” he said more
forcefully.

Even if she ran, Sara knew that in her
present condition she wouldn’t get far. If she were in peek
condition the burly man sitting across from her would easily be
able to outrun her and stop her from leaving. Hesitantly, Sara
raised the cup to her lips and drank. The warm tea was bitter on
her tongue, but its effects could be felt almost instantly. Her
body relaxed and the dull ache in her muscles diminished. Ignoring
the bitterness of the tea, Sara drank until the cup was empty.
“There! Are you happy now?”

“Do you feel better?” he asked.

“Yes,” she reluctantly admitted, and placed
the cup on the table.

Gedeon stared at her with a quizzical look on
his face. “You have many questions that you wish to ask me.”

Of course she had questions. A thousand of
them ran through her mind, but she didn’t know which ones to ask
first. Yesterday her life was normal, and now, she was being held
against her will by someone who thought he was a vampire. “What are
you and what do you want from me?”

“I already told you, I am a vampire and a
healer. I don’t want anything from you, but it is my duty to
protect you.”

“Yeah, I got all that before,” Sara said
sarcastically. “Protect me from what?”

“You have been marked against your will, and
it is my duty to protect you until Pryse can be found and justice
is served.”

Sara sat back on the couch and ran a hand
through her hair. Unable to wrap her mind around the conversation
that was taking place, she let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t
understand.”

“Of course you don’t, how could you? You know
nothing of our world.” Gedeon stared at the terrified girl sitting
on his couch. How could he explain this without frightening her any
more than she already was? “What is your name?”

“Pardon me?”

“You never told me your name.” Gedeon had no
desire to engage in small talk, but he needed to gain this girl’s
trust if he had any hopes of saving her life.

“Sara, my name’s Sara Bishop.”

“Sara, our society does not follow the same
laws as yours. When a vampire unwillingly marks a human there are
consequences her or she must face.”

“What are you, the vampire secret police?”
she laughed.

“Do not criticize that which you know nothing
about,” Gedeon barked. “We live by rules just as you do. When a
vampire marks a human against their will it is punishable by
death.”

Sara’s head snapped up. “You mean you’re
going to kill the man that bit me?”

“He is not a man, he is a vampire, and yes,
it is the only way to break the bond.”

“Whoa, wait a minute here. You’re talking
about murdering someone.”

“No,” Gedeon replied “I am only going to see
that justice is served. By forcing his blood on you and then taking
yours, Pryse ensured that a bond was created. No matter where you
go, he will be able to find you. He will come to you whenever he
wants and he will take from you whatever he wants.”

“You mean that he’ll force me to give him my
blood?”

“Blood is only a part of it, but he will not
have to force you, you will give it to him willingly.” Gedeon was
sickened by the idea of forcefully marking someone, but to mark
someone who was as young and naïve as Sara made it that much
worse.

“What do you mean that blood is only a part
of it? What is he going to make me do?” Sara’s hands started to
tremble as a million possible scenarios ran through her mind.

“Vampires are very sexual creatures by
nature. For us, only two emotions exist; hunger and lust.”

Sara let out a sob and tears spilled down her
face. “He’s going to force himself on me?”

“No.” Gedeon’s tone softened. “As I said
before, he will not have to force you to do anything. You will
freely give him whatever he wants.”

“Even sex?”

“Yes, even sex,” Gedeon replied “but it’s not
what you think. A vampire will only feed from willing donors, and
in exchange for their blood, we will give them pleasure beyond
anything they’ve ever experienced before. Vampire bites are meant
to be pleasurable, not painful. A bite is only painful the first
time you exchange blood. A vampire will give the donor his blood,
and while it flows through their veins he must feed from them. The
pain that you experience from being bitten is caused by the mark
burning itself into the very essence of your being, thus creating a
bond that is breakable only by death. Most humans will choose to be
marked if they have forged a connection with a vampire because it
enhances the sensation of the bite. A vampire may choose to mark
someone if the human’s blood is particularly appealing, and by
marking them it makes their blood taste better. When you are
marked, and the bond is created, he will be able to sense where you
are and what you’re feeling. You will always be drawn to each
other.”

“Please, you have to help me,” Sara
pleaded.

“I will, but you must do exactly as I say.
First you must rest and regain your strength.”

Hesitantly, Sara lay back on the sofa.
Vampires couldn’t be real, couldn’t they? This had to be some sort
of sick twisted nightmare. Sara was positive that she’d wake up any
second now, but deep down she knew this wasn’t a nightmare. Her
perception of reality had just been permanently altered. Part of
her just wanted to run away and forget that any of this ever
happened, but if she left now, she’d spend the rest of her life
living in fear, waiting for the moment that Pryse would show up to
claim what was his. No, she couldn’t let that happen, even if it
meant putting her life in the hands of someone she didn’t know.
Gedeon was bound to protect her, and as long as she stayed with him
she’d be safe, or at least she hoped.

Chapter
3

Gedeon’s eyes flared black as he fought
against the beast within. The sight of the slender girl lying on
his sofa was enough to shatter his self control. Her long shapely
legs and firm round breasts fueled the hunger that was growing deep
within. Yes, when this was over, and she was no longer bound to
Pryse, he would offer her the pleasure of his bite. Gedeon leaned
back in the chair and inhaled deeply. The scent of her blood was
intoxicating, but if he were to feed from her while she was marked
by another it would poison him. Marking a human ensured that no
other vampire could ever drink from them. When this was over, and
Pryse was dead, he would offer himself to her, and hope that she’d
accept. Until then, he had to bide his time and force himself to
control the beast.

The smell of food caused Sara to stir. It had
been at least two days since the last time she had eaten anything
solid, and her body craved sustenance. Opening her eyes, she saw
the muscular form of Gedeon sitting in the chair beside her.
Sitting up on the side of the sofa, she gazed at the items on the
table. A clean set of clothes, her clothes, sat neatly folded in
front of her. “Where did these come from?”