Lord of the Night
Available in:
- eBook
- Paperback
- Book info
- Sample
- Media
- Author updates
- Lists
Synopsis
After vampires killed her parents, Kacie Renault devoted herself to becoming a vampire slayer. But now, desperate to begin a new life, Kacie decides to trade in her sword for a spreadsheet...only to be accused of murdering a powerful member of the undead. Suddenly this fierce woman is being hunted by a merciless clan--and one ruthless, seductive adversary she can't resist. Erik Winslow is shocked to discover the slayer he trained has murdered his best friend. Now he must decide if he will avenge the death or stand against his fellow vampires to save a woman who defies--and captivates--him at every turn. But when she falls victim to a force more formidable than his own, Erik will taste a desire he can't resist...and a hunger neither he nor Kacie can control.
Release date: December 1, 2007
Publisher: Forever
Print pages: 336
* BingeBooks earns revenue from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate as well as from other retail partners.
Reader buzz
Please log in to recommend or discuss...
Author updates
Close
Lord of the Night
Robin T. Popp
Critics Rave About Robin T. Popp and
TEMPTED BY THE NIGHT
“Robin T. Popp offers only the best! Yet another great work offering a highly intense paranormal romance that overflows with high action drama. Very highly recommended.”
—MyShelf.com
“HOT . . . Popp’s Night Slayer adventures branch out into new territories for even higher stakes in this latest chapter.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
“Mesmerizing and had me on the edge of my seat for the entire ride! Robin T. Popp is fast becoming one of my favorite authors of this genre!”
—RomanceReaderAtHeart.com
“Gritty, fast-paced suspense combined with an intense, intimate relationship. The characters from previous books make welcome appearances.”
—ARomanceReview.com
SEDUCED BY THE NIGHT
“Popp spins a suspenseful yarn and many will enjoy this take on vampire romance.”
—Publishers Weekly
“One of the best . . . [a] highly original twist on the vampire genre . . . Popp weaves threads of her former sci-fi genre into this vamp series to give a stronger base in reality. It sets the Night Slayers apart from all the other vampire books . . . Popp is a talent to stay.”
—SR.TheBestReviews.com
“A fast-paced vampire romantic suspense tale that grips the audience . . . [has] a bit more of an authentic side than the usual supernatural spin . . . the forbidden romance adds to the fun . . . delightful.”
—Midwest Book Review
“A good read.”
—Southern Pines Pilot (NC)
“Top pick! 4½ stars . . . Gripping . . . intriguing . . . crisp writing and a fast-paced tempo propel this story through plenty of adventure, romance, and thrills. This is supernatural suspense in spades.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
“Thrilling and enthralling . . . if you’re looking for a great paranormal romance, allow yourself to be Seduced by the Night.”
—RomRevToday.com
“Chilling, passionate, and very surprising.”
—NovelTalk.com
“Highly recommended . . . sensual . . . the pace is breathless . . . Popp pulls a cross-genre twist on this, making her Night Slayer series unique . . . [She] is a talent to watch.”
—SR.TheBestReviews.com
“Imaginative . . . I look forward to the next installment of this nicely written and intriguing series.”
—BookLoons.com
“I definitely recommend reading [this book].”
—FreshFiction.com
OUT OF THE NIGHT
“Wonderful . . . a fabulous supernatural romance.”
—Midwest Book Review
“A paranormal masterpiece . . . it captured my imagination from the very beginning.”
—Rendezvous
“Top pick! 4½ stars . . . Popp does a stellar job combining intriguing characterization with gritty suspense, adding up to a major thrill ride.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
“Thrilling all through its action-packed pages. You will be desperately turning pages just to see what is going to happen next.”
—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“Edge-of-the-seat . . . brilliant.”
—SR.TheBestReviews.com
“A new twist makes this story unique and I was thrilled to see that there will be a sequel.”
—ARomanceReview.com
“Four hearts! Pulls the reader right into the story . . . the action is fast-paced . . . [the] romance heats up nicely, and the ending is a doozy . . . Popp delivers a surprise or two.”
—Romance Reader
“Fascinating . . . reimagines old legends and puts a new ‘spin’ on them.”
—Huntress Magazine
Prologue
Hocksley, England
Twenty years ago
As soon as he stepped out of the woods behind his family’s ancestral castle, Erik Winslow smelled blood. His vampire senses had no trouble detecting the sweet coppery scent hanging thick and heavy on the air. He scanned the wide stretch of lawn that lay before him, searching for the source, but saw nothing.
Driven by a growing fear, he raced across the yard and around to the side where he stumbled to a stop, met by a sight he would never forget. The blood-drained bodies of the Winslows’ manservant, Vince Renault, his wife Sarah, and their young son Robbie lay ghostly pale in the moon-light.
Erik dropped to one knee beside the boy’s body and pressed his fingers to Robbie’s throat. There was no pulse. He went over to the boy’s mother and found she was dead as well. Twin round holes on the side of both their necks revealed how they’d met their deaths—vampires. Creatures of the night. Like Erik—and yet nothing like him. Erik revered human life while these murdering bastards preyed on it.
He went to kneel beside his friend. From the slashes across Vince’s face, arms, and torso, it was obvious he’d fought desperately for the lives of his loved ones. As he was a seasoned vampire slayer, it would have taken more than one vampire to defeat him.
Pressing his fingers against Vince’s throat, Erik was shocked to discover a pulse, one so faint and erratic that death loomed near at hand.
“Vince?” He touched the man’s shoulder, hoping to rouse him—if only long enough to discover what had happened.
The manservant’s eyes fluttered briefly before opening. There was a glazed, wild light in the eyes that searched Erik’s face. “Er-ik.” He struggled to make himself heard. “Sarah? Is she . . . ?”
Erik fought the urge to look at the other two bodies. “She didn’t make it.”
“Robbie?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh, God.” Vince’s expression crumpled with grief. “My fault.”
“Easy now,” Erik said as Vince struggled to sit up. “You need to rest while I get the doctor.”
Vince shook his head. “Kacie?”
Erik looked around for Vince’s five-year-old daughter but saw no signs of her. Nor did he see Gerard, his great-nephew several generations removed, which was not good. When Erik had left the castle earlier that evening, the two families—Gerard’s and Vince’s—had been together.
“Find my daughter,” Vince rasped as he struggled to grab the front of Erik’s shirt.
“I will.”
“Promise me . . . you’ll take care of her,” Vince gasped urgently. He released Erik’s shirt and held his hand up expectantly.
Erik gripped it in his own without hesitation. “I promise.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Vince’s hand went slack. His eyes closed and he sighed for the last time.
There was no time to mourn the passing of his friend. With the sense that the nightmare wasn’t yet over, Erik jumped to his feet and continued to the front of the castle.
As he rounded the corner, he saw more dead bodies. This time, they were vampires. Erik continued running until the sound of fighting drew his attention to a place on the far side of the lawn. His relief at seeing Gerard alive was quickly replaced with grave concern. His great-nephew was an accomplished swordsman, but even he could not defeat four vampires at once.
Erik started forward to help but stopped short at the sound of a soft whimper.
Turning to identify the source, he felt a cold stab of fear rip through him. Deep in the shadows, almost hidden from view, Lily Winslow, Gerard’s wife, lay dead. Beside her, their young daughter Jessica battled a vampire for her life. Beyond them, another vampire sat hunched over a body. Two small legs were visible, kicking violently as Kacie Renault struggled—impotently—to save herself.
Both children were moments from death.
Erik pulled his sword from the sheath at his back and raced forward. As soon as he was within range, he plunged the blade into the back of the creature attacking Jessica, piercing its heart, then shoved the creature aside as he continued to run, his full attention now on the scene before him.
Loud, wet, sucking sounds, mingled with the faint choking cries of the young victim, fed Erik’s rage so that by the time he reached the vampire he was consumed by a blind fury. Weaponless, he attacked the creature with his bare hands. When the rage had subsided and rational thought returned, the vampire lay dead at his feet.
There was no time to think about what he’d done. He looked around, praying Gerard was still alive. To his relief, he saw his great-nephew, wounded but alive, hurrying over to his daughter. Three of the four vampires he’d been fighting lay dead on the ground; the fourth raced across the lawn toward the nearby woods. As Erik watched, the escaping vampire was joined by several others.
Erik knew that if he didn’t stop them soon, they would disappear and he might never find them again.
As he was about to start after them, a soft keening noise at his feet changed his mind.
Bending over young Kacie, he checked her pulse and found it faint but steady. She would need medical attention, but she would live. Feeling the weight of her gaze on him, he looked into her face. The whites of her eyes shone like bright beacons and a fine trembling shook her small body. Erik, not used to being around young children, knew he needed to do something but was hesitant to act. After all, to a terrified child, he would look like one of the enemy.
The soft whimpers grew louder and Erik couldn’t ignore the small girl any longer. Calming himself so his eyes no longer glowed with their unnatural crimson light and keeping his mouth closed so his fangs wouldn’t show, he reached for her. To his surprise, she moved readily into his arms and buried her face in his neck. It had been a long time since Erik had offered comfort to anyone—much less a child—and he wasn’t good at it. Still, he stroked her back and murmured words of comfort.
Around them, the night fell silent until only the four dead bodies and the sounds of two weeping children gave testament to the tragedy that had occurred.
In that moment, Erik made a vow. Someone would pay.
Hours later, after the town’s physician had come and gone, Erik left his apartment in the castle’s dungeons and went upstairs to find Gerard sitting in the family room, looking worn and defeated.
“How are they?” He asked, going to join him.
“The doc gave them both sedatives. They’re sleeping.”
“How are you?”
There was a long moment of silence. Erik saw Gerard shake his head, fighting to keep his emotions under control. “We were all here, in the family room, enjoying a quiet evening. None of us realized young Robbie had gone outside until we heard his scream. Vince and I grabbed our swords and hurried out.” He paused, his eyes taking on a faraway look. “There were so many of them. For every one I killed, two more came at me. I didn’t even know Lily, Sarah, and the girls had come outside until . . .” He took a shuddering breath and dropped his head into his hands. “Oh, God. I can still hear her screams.”
“I should have been here,” Erik said, guilt weighing heavily on him.
Gerard looked at him, eyes bright with tears. “I’m glad you came when you did. Otherwise, Jess and Kacie would be dead, too.”
Erik’s thoughts focused on Vince’s daughter. “What’s going to happen to Kacie now that Vince and Sarah are gone? They didn’t have any family left and I made a promise . . .” He let his words trail off because he was in no position to raise a small child. He hoped Gerard would want to help. After all, while he and Vince had been close, theirs was nothing compared to the relationship Gerard and Vince had shared. Giving up Kacie would be like losing another member of the family.
“In his will, Vince made me her guardian.”
“Good.”
Both men fell silent for several long seconds, lost in their respective thoughts. “Tonight is the first time either of the girls have seen me,” Erik said finally. “With everything that happened, I doubt they’ll remember me. It might be best if we left it that way.”
“What are you saying?” Gerard looked confused.
“I just think it might be best, under the circumstances, if they don’t know about me.”
Gerard shook his head. “No—keeping who and what you are a secret isn’t fair to them or to you.”
Erik gave him a sad smile. “Maybe not, but I think you’ll agree that it’s necessary. Right now, those girls need to feel safe—especially in their own home. Finding out they have a vampire living below them isn’t going to accomplish that.”
“Are you thinking of moving out?”
Erik heard the worry in Gerard’s voice and shook his head. He and Gerard had been friends from the moment he’d met Gerard as a small boy growing up in the same castle. He’d watched him grow up and taught him to use the sword. “No. I’ll stay below and be here any time you need me.”
Gerard sighed. “All right,” he said, finally nodding. “I can make up some excuse why the girls can’t go into the lower levels for now. But when I think the time is right, I will tell them about you.” He stood up, signaling the end of the discussion, and walked to the front door. Erik followed him outside.
The bodies still lay where they had fallen. Erik stood back as Gerard approached each one in turn to make his final farewells. When he saw Gerard withdraw several small wooden stakes from his coat pocket, he stepped forward.
“No,” he said, closing his hand around Gerard’s fist. It was bad enough the man had lost his wife and closest friends. “I’ll do it.”
For once, Gerard didn’t try to argue. He surrendered the stakes, stood, and gave Erik a grateful nod before walking off. Erik stared at the bodies. If they weren’t staked, in two nights they would rise from the dead. Not as primes like Erik, who had been killed by a chupacabra and retained his intelligence and capacity for rational thought. But as progeny—created by vampires—quickly losing their intelligence; degenerating until they were nothing more than bloodsucking creatures that killed indiscriminately for food. They would become the parasites of the vampire world. That, in Erik’s opinion, was a fate worse than the one he’d inherited. At least he could pretend to still be human.
He steeled his emotions. It was hard enough staking victims he didn’t know. These humans had been his family and friends for the past fifteen years. Losing them under any circumstance would have been bad, but this was heartrending. Erik set about his grisly task and had just staked the last body—that of ten-year-old Robbie Renault—when he sensed the presence of Michael, Sedrick, and Ty.
“We came as soon as we heard your call,” Michael said as all three hurried toward him.
The three vampires had been his friends, both in life and in death. Because all four had been killed by the same chupacabra, they shared a psychic link. It was through this link that Erik had summoned them.
Standing, he quickly told them what had happened. “I want the ones who did this . . . the ones who got away,” he demanded after he finished. “Find them and bring them to me.”
Michael, leader of the local lair, stared at him, clearly surprised. “You don’t think it was one of my primes, do you?” Erik made no comment and Michael gasped at his silence. “That’s absurd.”
“Is it?” Erik asked. “I don’t know anymore. I don’t live in the lair, nor do I spend time with your primes. Maybe you have insurgents who don’t like the rule about not feeding off humans.”
Sedrick opened his mouth to argue but Michael held up his hand. “We’ll look both within the lair and outside it to find your killers. We will find them.”
“You have three nights.”
“Three nights!” Ty gasped. “Erik, be reasonable.”
But Erik was beyond reason at this point. Justice—meted out by him—must be served. “Three nights,” he repeated. “Or the pact is off.”
“What?” Michael looked angry as the others stared at Erik, eyes narrowed.
“You heard me. If you don’t bring me their killers, then I will not only kill every vampire I see, I will actively start hunting them, be they prime or progeny, feeding off livestock or humans. I’ll kill them all,” Erik snarled. “This was my family and I will not rest until I have avenged their deaths—as I would avenge any one of yours.”
Chapter 1
Hocksley, England
The present
The rain shower that swept through Hocksley earlier that evening had soaked the surfaces of the centuries-old storefronts until they glistened like new. Puddles of water reflected moonlight across the empty cobblestone streets, casting an eerie glow over a town that, at this hour of the night, seemed as lifeless as the eyes staring up from the severed head at Erik Winslow’s feet.
In death, Sedrick’s face bore little resemblance to the man Erik had known. So little that, at first, Erik hadn’t recognized him. When the realization hit, it was accompanied by a sharp stab of shock and grief. Sedrick had been a close friend.
Trying to find the same calm detachment he once wore into battle, Erik picked up the severed head and placed it gingerly on the lap of the headless body. Slipping his arms beneath the corpse, he was about to lift when his gaze fell on the small silver knife lying close by.
Resettling the body, he took a moment to study the weapon without picking it up. The short blade was open and covered in blood. Erik briefly wondered if this had been the instrument of Sedrick’s death, but quickly discounted it as being too small to make the clean cut through tendons, tissue, and bone. This knife, with its polished silver handle and small blade, was more decorative than functional, though in the right hands he supposed it could be deadly.
Logically, it would have taken a sword to sever Sedrick’s head, which limited the pool of assailants considerably. The average person didn’t normally carry a sword, which meant that Sedrick’s killer was an actual vampire slayer. Since Erik and Gerard were the only known slayers in Hocksley and neither of them had killed Sedrick, there was a new player in town.
Erik had no idea who it was, but the knife might be a clue to the killer’s identity.
About to pick it up, Erik stopped when he felt the hairs along the back of his neck prickle. He stood and moved in front of the newcomer, hoping to block the view of Sedrick’s body. “Michael,” he began, grabbing his friend’s arms and pulling him to a stop.
“Where is he?” Michael asked, sounding both worried and guarded. “Where’s my brother? I heard his cry through the link and then nothing. I’ve been searching for him ever since.”
His voice trailed to silence as he stared beyond Erik’s shoulder. Erik saw the worry and fear in his eyes and gave up looking for an easy way to deliver the news. “Sedrick’s dead.”
“No.” The strangled sound was filled with pain as Michael pushed past him. “Why?” He cried, falling to his knees beside the body. “Who would do this?”
“I don’t know,” Erik admitted, struggling to keep his emotions under control so he could think. With four hundred years of fighting experience under his belt, Sedrick had been a formidable opponent. That meant his killer was that much more skilled.
“Gerard?” Michael turned to glare at him.
Erik gaped in return, not liking how quickly Michael implicated his great-nephew. He shook his head. “Impossible. Gerard’s been out of town for the last couple of days. This has to be someone new.”
He watched Michael’s gaze rake over his brother’s body and then fix on the ground by his side. “What’s this?” He bent and picked up the knife, turning it over in his hands. “Do you recognize it?”
“No.” Erik felt anger seething just below the surface, threatening to explode. Who dared to come into his town and kill his friend? “Whoever did this will pay,” he promised.
“But not by your hand,” Michael warned him. “His death is mine to avenge.”
Erik nodded, watching as Michael wiped the knife clean using a piece of Sedrick’s shirt. He closed the blade and tossed it to Erik, who caught it in midair. “I will search the lairs for his killer, but I will trust you to search among the humans.”
Erik fisted his hand around the knife. “If he’s human and still lives, I will find him.”
For an instant, Michael’s gaze softened. “You are a true friend.” There was nothing more to say, so Michael lifted Sedrick’s body into his arms and let Erik settle the severed head on top before walking off.
Pocketing the knife, Erik continued down the street. There was still time before the sun rose to search for Sedrick’s killer. As Erik knew all too well, avenging his friend’s death wouldn’t bring him back, but it would bring a certain satisfaction.
When Erik finally returned to the Winslow castle hours later, he went directly to his dungeon apartment through the castle’s back entrance, using the modern electronic keypad to deactivate the locks. He’d had plenty of time to perfect his living quarters and short of a large meteor striking the castle, his apartment was impenetrable.
The main room was a large, open area with only a counter separating the kitchen from the living room. He crossed to the refrigerator and removed a container of pig’s blood purchased from the local butcher. It wasn’t as potent or satisfying as human blood, but Erik had grown used to it over the years. He did, however, keep several bags of human blood, secured from a blood bank, in the freezer for emergencies.
After he finished eating, he went down the short hallway to his bedroom where he removed his black leather jacket. Next he eased off the harness that held his sword across his back and draped it over the back of the chair.
Moving about the room, he flexed his arms to ease the tension and aches. He felt old; when he paused to look in the mirror, he expected to see gray hair and a face withered with age. Instead, the same face he saw every morning stared back at him—youthful, with a half-moon scar at the lower corner of his right eye and dark brown eyes that matched the color of his shoulder-length hair.
He absently scratched the back of his head and reflected how there had been a time when he’d been more aware of his appearance, enjoyed that women seemed attracted to him. Now there were more important things to worry about in life.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the knife. He’d not found Sedrick’s killer, which meant tomorrow he’d have to start all over again. The town of Hocksley was small, located in a remote part of Northumberland, along the eastern coast just south of Scotland. Not many tourists came through their area and there weren’t many residents, so he felt positive that he would find the killer.
Laying the knife on his dresser, Erik started to undress, moving with a bone-tired weariness brought on by more than the coming of dawn.
Every time someone he cared about died, a piece of him died with them. He would have thought that by now there would be nothing left, yet the ache in his chest over Sedrick’s death told him differently.
Despair filled him as he thought of his life, now measured by the number of loved ones lost rather than by the passing of years, and the thought of ending it all flashed through his head with the same intense longing it did every day just before dawn. He could think of no better way to meet his end than by standing on the edge of the cliffs he loved, listening to the ocean’s waves crashing against the sheer wall of rock, and watching the sun rise over the horizon until the sun turned him to stone. Oh, how he missed seeing the sun, feeling its heat on his face. The misery inside him turned in. . .
TEMPTED BY THE NIGHT
“Robin T. Popp offers only the best! Yet another great work offering a highly intense paranormal romance that overflows with high action drama. Very highly recommended.”
—MyShelf.com
“HOT . . . Popp’s Night Slayer adventures branch out into new territories for even higher stakes in this latest chapter.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
“Mesmerizing and had me on the edge of my seat for the entire ride! Robin T. Popp is fast becoming one of my favorite authors of this genre!”
—RomanceReaderAtHeart.com
“Gritty, fast-paced suspense combined with an intense, intimate relationship. The characters from previous books make welcome appearances.”
—ARomanceReview.com
SEDUCED BY THE NIGHT
“Popp spins a suspenseful yarn and many will enjoy this take on vampire romance.”
—Publishers Weekly
“One of the best . . . [a] highly original twist on the vampire genre . . . Popp weaves threads of her former sci-fi genre into this vamp series to give a stronger base in reality. It sets the Night Slayers apart from all the other vampire books . . . Popp is a talent to stay.”
—SR.TheBestReviews.com
“A fast-paced vampire romantic suspense tale that grips the audience . . . [has] a bit more of an authentic side than the usual supernatural spin . . . the forbidden romance adds to the fun . . . delightful.”
—Midwest Book Review
“A good read.”
—Southern Pines Pilot (NC)
“Top pick! 4½ stars . . . Gripping . . . intriguing . . . crisp writing and a fast-paced tempo propel this story through plenty of adventure, romance, and thrills. This is supernatural suspense in spades.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
“Thrilling and enthralling . . . if you’re looking for a great paranormal romance, allow yourself to be Seduced by the Night.”
—RomRevToday.com
“Chilling, passionate, and very surprising.”
—NovelTalk.com
“Highly recommended . . . sensual . . . the pace is breathless . . . Popp pulls a cross-genre twist on this, making her Night Slayer series unique . . . [She] is a talent to watch.”
—SR.TheBestReviews.com
“Imaginative . . . I look forward to the next installment of this nicely written and intriguing series.”
—BookLoons.com
“I definitely recommend reading [this book].”
—FreshFiction.com
OUT OF THE NIGHT
“Wonderful . . . a fabulous supernatural romance.”
—Midwest Book Review
“A paranormal masterpiece . . . it captured my imagination from the very beginning.”
—Rendezvous
“Top pick! 4½ stars . . . Popp does a stellar job combining intriguing characterization with gritty suspense, adding up to a major thrill ride.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
“Thrilling all through its action-packed pages. You will be desperately turning pages just to see what is going to happen next.”
—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“Edge-of-the-seat . . . brilliant.”
—SR.TheBestReviews.com
“A new twist makes this story unique and I was thrilled to see that there will be a sequel.”
—ARomanceReview.com
“Four hearts! Pulls the reader right into the story . . . the action is fast-paced . . . [the] romance heats up nicely, and the ending is a doozy . . . Popp delivers a surprise or two.”
—Romance Reader
“Fascinating . . . reimagines old legends and puts a new ‘spin’ on them.”
—Huntress Magazine
Prologue
Hocksley, England
Twenty years ago
As soon as he stepped out of the woods behind his family’s ancestral castle, Erik Winslow smelled blood. His vampire senses had no trouble detecting the sweet coppery scent hanging thick and heavy on the air. He scanned the wide stretch of lawn that lay before him, searching for the source, but saw nothing.
Driven by a growing fear, he raced across the yard and around to the side where he stumbled to a stop, met by a sight he would never forget. The blood-drained bodies of the Winslows’ manservant, Vince Renault, his wife Sarah, and their young son Robbie lay ghostly pale in the moon-light.
Erik dropped to one knee beside the boy’s body and pressed his fingers to Robbie’s throat. There was no pulse. He went over to the boy’s mother and found she was dead as well. Twin round holes on the side of both their necks revealed how they’d met their deaths—vampires. Creatures of the night. Like Erik—and yet nothing like him. Erik revered human life while these murdering bastards preyed on it.
He went to kneel beside his friend. From the slashes across Vince’s face, arms, and torso, it was obvious he’d fought desperately for the lives of his loved ones. As he was a seasoned vampire slayer, it would have taken more than one vampire to defeat him.
Pressing his fingers against Vince’s throat, Erik was shocked to discover a pulse, one so faint and erratic that death loomed near at hand.
“Vince?” He touched the man’s shoulder, hoping to rouse him—if only long enough to discover what had happened.
The manservant’s eyes fluttered briefly before opening. There was a glazed, wild light in the eyes that searched Erik’s face. “Er-ik.” He struggled to make himself heard. “Sarah? Is she . . . ?”
Erik fought the urge to look at the other two bodies. “She didn’t make it.”
“Robbie?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh, God.” Vince’s expression crumpled with grief. “My fault.”
“Easy now,” Erik said as Vince struggled to sit up. “You need to rest while I get the doctor.”
Vince shook his head. “Kacie?”
Erik looked around for Vince’s five-year-old daughter but saw no signs of her. Nor did he see Gerard, his great-nephew several generations removed, which was not good. When Erik had left the castle earlier that evening, the two families—Gerard’s and Vince’s—had been together.
“Find my daughter,” Vince rasped as he struggled to grab the front of Erik’s shirt.
“I will.”
“Promise me . . . you’ll take care of her,” Vince gasped urgently. He released Erik’s shirt and held his hand up expectantly.
Erik gripped it in his own without hesitation. “I promise.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Vince’s hand went slack. His eyes closed and he sighed for the last time.
There was no time to mourn the passing of his friend. With the sense that the nightmare wasn’t yet over, Erik jumped to his feet and continued to the front of the castle.
As he rounded the corner, he saw more dead bodies. This time, they were vampires. Erik continued running until the sound of fighting drew his attention to a place on the far side of the lawn. His relief at seeing Gerard alive was quickly replaced with grave concern. His great-nephew was an accomplished swordsman, but even he could not defeat four vampires at once.
Erik started forward to help but stopped short at the sound of a soft whimper.
Turning to identify the source, he felt a cold stab of fear rip through him. Deep in the shadows, almost hidden from view, Lily Winslow, Gerard’s wife, lay dead. Beside her, their young daughter Jessica battled a vampire for her life. Beyond them, another vampire sat hunched over a body. Two small legs were visible, kicking violently as Kacie Renault struggled—impotently—to save herself.
Both children were moments from death.
Erik pulled his sword from the sheath at his back and raced forward. As soon as he was within range, he plunged the blade into the back of the creature attacking Jessica, piercing its heart, then shoved the creature aside as he continued to run, his full attention now on the scene before him.
Loud, wet, sucking sounds, mingled with the faint choking cries of the young victim, fed Erik’s rage so that by the time he reached the vampire he was consumed by a blind fury. Weaponless, he attacked the creature with his bare hands. When the rage had subsided and rational thought returned, the vampire lay dead at his feet.
There was no time to think about what he’d done. He looked around, praying Gerard was still alive. To his relief, he saw his great-nephew, wounded but alive, hurrying over to his daughter. Three of the four vampires he’d been fighting lay dead on the ground; the fourth raced across the lawn toward the nearby woods. As Erik watched, the escaping vampire was joined by several others.
Erik knew that if he didn’t stop them soon, they would disappear and he might never find them again.
As he was about to start after them, a soft keening noise at his feet changed his mind.
Bending over young Kacie, he checked her pulse and found it faint but steady. She would need medical attention, but she would live. Feeling the weight of her gaze on him, he looked into her face. The whites of her eyes shone like bright beacons and a fine trembling shook her small body. Erik, not used to being around young children, knew he needed to do something but was hesitant to act. After all, to a terrified child, he would look like one of the enemy.
The soft whimpers grew louder and Erik couldn’t ignore the small girl any longer. Calming himself so his eyes no longer glowed with their unnatural crimson light and keeping his mouth closed so his fangs wouldn’t show, he reached for her. To his surprise, she moved readily into his arms and buried her face in his neck. It had been a long time since Erik had offered comfort to anyone—much less a child—and he wasn’t good at it. Still, he stroked her back and murmured words of comfort.
Around them, the night fell silent until only the four dead bodies and the sounds of two weeping children gave testament to the tragedy that had occurred.
In that moment, Erik made a vow. Someone would pay.
Hours later, after the town’s physician had come and gone, Erik left his apartment in the castle’s dungeons and went upstairs to find Gerard sitting in the family room, looking worn and defeated.
“How are they?” He asked, going to join him.
“The doc gave them both sedatives. They’re sleeping.”
“How are you?”
There was a long moment of silence. Erik saw Gerard shake his head, fighting to keep his emotions under control. “We were all here, in the family room, enjoying a quiet evening. None of us realized young Robbie had gone outside until we heard his scream. Vince and I grabbed our swords and hurried out.” He paused, his eyes taking on a faraway look. “There were so many of them. For every one I killed, two more came at me. I didn’t even know Lily, Sarah, and the girls had come outside until . . .” He took a shuddering breath and dropped his head into his hands. “Oh, God. I can still hear her screams.”
“I should have been here,” Erik said, guilt weighing heavily on him.
Gerard looked at him, eyes bright with tears. “I’m glad you came when you did. Otherwise, Jess and Kacie would be dead, too.”
Erik’s thoughts focused on Vince’s daughter. “What’s going to happen to Kacie now that Vince and Sarah are gone? They didn’t have any family left and I made a promise . . .” He let his words trail off because he was in no position to raise a small child. He hoped Gerard would want to help. After all, while he and Vince had been close, theirs was nothing compared to the relationship Gerard and Vince had shared. Giving up Kacie would be like losing another member of the family.
“In his will, Vince made me her guardian.”
“Good.”
Both men fell silent for several long seconds, lost in their respective thoughts. “Tonight is the first time either of the girls have seen me,” Erik said finally. “With everything that happened, I doubt they’ll remember me. It might be best if we left it that way.”
“What are you saying?” Gerard looked confused.
“I just think it might be best, under the circumstances, if they don’t know about me.”
Gerard shook his head. “No—keeping who and what you are a secret isn’t fair to them or to you.”
Erik gave him a sad smile. “Maybe not, but I think you’ll agree that it’s necessary. Right now, those girls need to feel safe—especially in their own home. Finding out they have a vampire living below them isn’t going to accomplish that.”
“Are you thinking of moving out?”
Erik heard the worry in Gerard’s voice and shook his head. He and Gerard had been friends from the moment he’d met Gerard as a small boy growing up in the same castle. He’d watched him grow up and taught him to use the sword. “No. I’ll stay below and be here any time you need me.”
Gerard sighed. “All right,” he said, finally nodding. “I can make up some excuse why the girls can’t go into the lower levels for now. But when I think the time is right, I will tell them about you.” He stood up, signaling the end of the discussion, and walked to the front door. Erik followed him outside.
The bodies still lay where they had fallen. Erik stood back as Gerard approached each one in turn to make his final farewells. When he saw Gerard withdraw several small wooden stakes from his coat pocket, he stepped forward.
“No,” he said, closing his hand around Gerard’s fist. It was bad enough the man had lost his wife and closest friends. “I’ll do it.”
For once, Gerard didn’t try to argue. He surrendered the stakes, stood, and gave Erik a grateful nod before walking off. Erik stared at the bodies. If they weren’t staked, in two nights they would rise from the dead. Not as primes like Erik, who had been killed by a chupacabra and retained his intelligence and capacity for rational thought. But as progeny—created by vampires—quickly losing their intelligence; degenerating until they were nothing more than bloodsucking creatures that killed indiscriminately for food. They would become the parasites of the vampire world. That, in Erik’s opinion, was a fate worse than the one he’d inherited. At least he could pretend to still be human.
He steeled his emotions. It was hard enough staking victims he didn’t know. These humans had been his family and friends for the past fifteen years. Losing them under any circumstance would have been bad, but this was heartrending. Erik set about his grisly task and had just staked the last body—that of ten-year-old Robbie Renault—when he sensed the presence of Michael, Sedrick, and Ty.
“We came as soon as we heard your call,” Michael said as all three hurried toward him.
The three vampires had been his friends, both in life and in death. Because all four had been killed by the same chupacabra, they shared a psychic link. It was through this link that Erik had summoned them.
Standing, he quickly told them what had happened. “I want the ones who did this . . . the ones who got away,” he demanded after he finished. “Find them and bring them to me.”
Michael, leader of the local lair, stared at him, clearly surprised. “You don’t think it was one of my primes, do you?” Erik made no comment and Michael gasped at his silence. “That’s absurd.”
“Is it?” Erik asked. “I don’t know anymore. I don’t live in the lair, nor do I spend time with your primes. Maybe you have insurgents who don’t like the rule about not feeding off humans.”
Sedrick opened his mouth to argue but Michael held up his hand. “We’ll look both within the lair and outside it to find your killers. We will find them.”
“You have three nights.”
“Three nights!” Ty gasped. “Erik, be reasonable.”
But Erik was beyond reason at this point. Justice—meted out by him—must be served. “Three nights,” he repeated. “Or the pact is off.”
“What?” Michael looked angry as the others stared at Erik, eyes narrowed.
“You heard me. If you don’t bring me their killers, then I will not only kill every vampire I see, I will actively start hunting them, be they prime or progeny, feeding off livestock or humans. I’ll kill them all,” Erik snarled. “This was my family and I will not rest until I have avenged their deaths—as I would avenge any one of yours.”
Chapter 1
Hocksley, England
The present
The rain shower that swept through Hocksley earlier that evening had soaked the surfaces of the centuries-old storefronts until they glistened like new. Puddles of water reflected moonlight across the empty cobblestone streets, casting an eerie glow over a town that, at this hour of the night, seemed as lifeless as the eyes staring up from the severed head at Erik Winslow’s feet.
In death, Sedrick’s face bore little resemblance to the man Erik had known. So little that, at first, Erik hadn’t recognized him. When the realization hit, it was accompanied by a sharp stab of shock and grief. Sedrick had been a close friend.
Trying to find the same calm detachment he once wore into battle, Erik picked up the severed head and placed it gingerly on the lap of the headless body. Slipping his arms beneath the corpse, he was about to lift when his gaze fell on the small silver knife lying close by.
Resettling the body, he took a moment to study the weapon without picking it up. The short blade was open and covered in blood. Erik briefly wondered if this had been the instrument of Sedrick’s death, but quickly discounted it as being too small to make the clean cut through tendons, tissue, and bone. This knife, with its polished silver handle and small blade, was more decorative than functional, though in the right hands he supposed it could be deadly.
Logically, it would have taken a sword to sever Sedrick’s head, which limited the pool of assailants considerably. The average person didn’t normally carry a sword, which meant that Sedrick’s killer was an actual vampire slayer. Since Erik and Gerard were the only known slayers in Hocksley and neither of them had killed Sedrick, there was a new player in town.
Erik had no idea who it was, but the knife might be a clue to the killer’s identity.
About to pick it up, Erik stopped when he felt the hairs along the back of his neck prickle. He stood and moved in front of the newcomer, hoping to block the view of Sedrick’s body. “Michael,” he began, grabbing his friend’s arms and pulling him to a stop.
“Where is he?” Michael asked, sounding both worried and guarded. “Where’s my brother? I heard his cry through the link and then nothing. I’ve been searching for him ever since.”
His voice trailed to silence as he stared beyond Erik’s shoulder. Erik saw the worry and fear in his eyes and gave up looking for an easy way to deliver the news. “Sedrick’s dead.”
“No.” The strangled sound was filled with pain as Michael pushed past him. “Why?” He cried, falling to his knees beside the body. “Who would do this?”
“I don’t know,” Erik admitted, struggling to keep his emotions under control so he could think. With four hundred years of fighting experience under his belt, Sedrick had been a formidable opponent. That meant his killer was that much more skilled.
“Gerard?” Michael turned to glare at him.
Erik gaped in return, not liking how quickly Michael implicated his great-nephew. He shook his head. “Impossible. Gerard’s been out of town for the last couple of days. This has to be someone new.”
He watched Michael’s gaze rake over his brother’s body and then fix on the ground by his side. “What’s this?” He bent and picked up the knife, turning it over in his hands. “Do you recognize it?”
“No.” Erik felt anger seething just below the surface, threatening to explode. Who dared to come into his town and kill his friend? “Whoever did this will pay,” he promised.
“But not by your hand,” Michael warned him. “His death is mine to avenge.”
Erik nodded, watching as Michael wiped the knife clean using a piece of Sedrick’s shirt. He closed the blade and tossed it to Erik, who caught it in midair. “I will search the lairs for his killer, but I will trust you to search among the humans.”
Erik fisted his hand around the knife. “If he’s human and still lives, I will find him.”
For an instant, Michael’s gaze softened. “You are a true friend.” There was nothing more to say, so Michael lifted Sedrick’s body into his arms and let Erik settle the severed head on top before walking off.
Pocketing the knife, Erik continued down the street. There was still time before the sun rose to search for Sedrick’s killer. As Erik knew all too well, avenging his friend’s death wouldn’t bring him back, but it would bring a certain satisfaction.
When Erik finally returned to the Winslow castle hours later, he went directly to his dungeon apartment through the castle’s back entrance, using the modern electronic keypad to deactivate the locks. He’d had plenty of time to perfect his living quarters and short of a large meteor striking the castle, his apartment was impenetrable.
The main room was a large, open area with only a counter separating the kitchen from the living room. He crossed to the refrigerator and removed a container of pig’s blood purchased from the local butcher. It wasn’t as potent or satisfying as human blood, but Erik had grown used to it over the years. He did, however, keep several bags of human blood, secured from a blood bank, in the freezer for emergencies.
After he finished eating, he went down the short hallway to his bedroom where he removed his black leather jacket. Next he eased off the harness that held his sword across his back and draped it over the back of the chair.
Moving about the room, he flexed his arms to ease the tension and aches. He felt old; when he paused to look in the mirror, he expected to see gray hair and a face withered with age. Instead, the same face he saw every morning stared back at him—youthful, with a half-moon scar at the lower corner of his right eye and dark brown eyes that matched the color of his shoulder-length hair.
He absently scratched the back of his head and reflected how there had been a time when he’d been more aware of his appearance, enjoyed that women seemed attracted to him. Now there were more important things to worry about in life.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the knife. He’d not found Sedrick’s killer, which meant tomorrow he’d have to start all over again. The town of Hocksley was small, located in a remote part of Northumberland, along the eastern coast just south of Scotland. Not many tourists came through their area and there weren’t many residents, so he felt positive that he would find the killer.
Laying the knife on his dresser, Erik started to undress, moving with a bone-tired weariness brought on by more than the coming of dawn.
Every time someone he cared about died, a piece of him died with them. He would have thought that by now there would be nothing left, yet the ache in his chest over Sedrick’s death told him differently.
Despair filled him as he thought of his life, now measured by the number of loved ones lost rather than by the passing of years, and the thought of ending it all flashed through his head with the same intense longing it did every day just before dawn. He could think of no better way to meet his end than by standing on the edge of the cliffs he loved, listening to the ocean’s waves crashing against the sheer wall of rock, and watching the sun rise over the horizon until the sun turned him to stone. Oh, how he missed seeing the sun, feeling its heat on his face. The misery inside him turned in. . .
We hope you are enjoying the book so far. To continue reading...
Copyright © 2024 All Rights Reserved
