Sanguine Kiss

By Alexandra Christian

Vengeance is only the beginning...

Gillian Thompson wants to end her life. Deserted by her lover and desperate for peace, she thinks that death is the only answer. But life never closes one door without opening a window. On a fateful night, the one that should be her last, she meets the dark and mysterious Seth, who seems to understand the depth of her pain. Rather than let her kill herself, he offers Gillian a new life beyond pain and regret. A life bathed in bloody kisses and bittersweet vengeance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Purple Sword Publications
• Release date: Sep 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781612920511

Book preview

SANGUINE KISS

Alexandra Christian

Published By Purple Sword Publications, LLC at Smashwords

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

SANGUINE KISS

Copyright © 2012 ALEXANDRA CHRISTIAN

ISBN 978-1-61292-051-1

Cover Art Designed By Anastasia Rabiyah

Edited By Traci Markou

Prologue

The creature watched her closely as she made her way down the darkened street. She moved quickly, and he smelled the fear emanating from every pore. She had parked in the alley earlier that afternoon, but she hadn’t expected it to be dark when she came back. Now, everything looked dark and imposing. Every shadow was a demon, every passerby a murderer. Her eyes darted this way and that, seeing nothing but she imagined everything. She felt hunted, though she couldn’t possibly imagine that which hunted her. She moved faster, sensing his presence, her keys clutched firmly in her hand. She tried not to look around, afraid that she’d be staring into the face of the devil if she took too much time to focus. Finally, she reached the end of the alleyway where her car sat and seemed relieved to see it.

Creeping along the ledge overhead, he followed her down the street, keeping low so that she couldn’t see him. He didn’t need to see her, he could feel her. Smell her. Her scent permeated the air around him, and he breathed deeply, taking it in. He wanted to pounce, but knew that the anticipation would only make it sweeter. He ducked back into shadows, crouching down at the corner of the building to lie in wait.

She fumbled with her keys and cursed the lack of streetlamps in this town. Someone down the street screamed, startling her. She turned to look, and her keys went flying, glinting once in the moonlight before being thrust into the inky darkness. The girl made a noise somewhere between anger and terror and dropped to her knees, feeling around the rutted pavement desperately.

Where the fuck…? she whined, crawling forward a little. Her knees scraped against the rough gravel, and he was instantly inflamed with the scent of her blood. It carried on the wind and for a moment, it clouded everything else. His mouth watered, and he felt the burning pinpricks as his fangs began to grow. It was time to make his move. He was in the perfect position to head her off if she tried to run. There was no escape from the alley but into his embrace. His body tensed, ready to pounce. If the monster had a heart, it would have been pounding hard against his sternum as the blood rushed through his veins. But there was no heart. As they say, it’s always the first thing to go.

Can I help you, ma’am? A voice thick with alcohol and bayou stopped him so suddenly that he had to slam his body against the brick wall behind him to squelch the momentum.

I’m not sure, the woman replied weakly, almost slithering on the ground as she felt around. I dropped my keys.

Stupid girl, the vampire thought. Never tell a stranger that you’ve lost your only means of defending yourself. That’s Self-Defense 101. He narrowed his eyes, watching the intruder closely. Perhaps this would be a two-course meal. The man was slight, wearing dirty jeans, an old sweatshirt and a toboggan. Classic mugger material, but the silly cunt on the ground couldn’t be bothered to notice. The corner of his eye detected a slight glimmer, and he noticed the gun shoved down the back of Toboggan Man’s pants.

That’s a bummer, girl, he grunted, shamelessly checking her out as she crawled around, head down, ass up. The vampire closed his eyes and opened himself to the man’s thoughts.

"Yeah, baby…show me that sweet ass. I’ll fuck that shit up before I’m through with you, bitch."

The vampire listened a little longer, his eye twitching at the disgusting plans this man had for his prey on the ground before him. And they called him a monster. Vampire or not, he could not abide rapists. It was their weakness that sickened him. This waste of skin couldn’t get a woman on his own and even if he could, he couldn’t get it up, so he had to prey on weaklings to satisfy his reptilian brain. It was revolting. Not that he was noble—far from it, but as a child of the Pharaoh’s slums, he could never stand to see good food wasted.

Toboggan Man strolled up behind her, going for his gun, slowly but surely. About where did you drop them?

I can’t tell, she whined. "They flew out of my hand so fast; I didn’t