Relentless: A Vampire King's Desire

By Christine Gray

Grayson had been patiently waiting for this day to come. For the last six years he has hungered for Georgian, the savior of his clan and the woman that would become his Queen.
“So, what’s the mission?” Inquired Levi with a loud sigh.
Colin smiled. He handed him a black folder.
“It’s simple. You need you to watch the girl in the file…get close to her, and bring her to us,” answered Colin.
“You want me to kidnap her. Why? Did she see something, or you want to drink her blood?” Grumbled Levi while he flipped through the file.
The fact that the woman in question was a stunning African American wasn’t lost on him. He pulled out a picture that had been taken at a great distance with a high powered camera. The woman had her head tossed back in laughter. Her natural hair was being swept by the wind. The sunlight was hitting it just right to bring out the natural brown tint within the thick locks.
Levi didn’t like the fact that they still hadn’t answered his question about the woman.
“Is she human?” he pressed.
“To a point, yes,” answered Colin.
“Then why do you want her?” Levi asked again, this time a bit more firmly.
“Because,” smiled Grayson as he scooped up the same photo Levi had just been admiring a few seconds earlier. “She’s going to become my wife.” He bit his bottom lip and moaned. “And I can’t fuckin wait.”
27-year-old Georgian had no clue that as she struggled to keep herself together after the loss of both her mother, and later grandmother, the pale blue eyes of the Vampire King had been watching her with a deep desire that now, no longer would be denied.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sullivan Group Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Jul 20, 2016
• ISBN: 9781539069874

Christine Gray

Christine Gray is an author, publisher, and entrepreneur. Beginning her career under the pen name, Sapphire, her list of books include Don't Tell My Husband, One of a Kind Love, Sweet Obsessions, the paranormal series, Relentless; A Vampire King's Desire, and many more. Christine Gray is a very creative writer that's heating up the Interracial Romance scene with her talent for creating books that pull her readers into the story, allowing them to experience every emotion. Her gift for original story lines laced with mystery, humor and erotic moments combined with strong women, and devilishly handsome men, has brought her a large fan base since her start in fall 2014 with Royalty Publishing House. Now as a CEO of After Hours Publications, it's her desire to push the boundaries of the Lit world by offer stories in the Paranormal, Erotica, and Historical Fiction, even Sci-Fi genres which are areas that many African American characters aren't featured.

Book preview

1

Levi and Fran watched the car drive away before they turned to go to the docks. He was happy that it didn’t take roughing up anyone to get the couple out of the house and away so they could focus on the issues that had been keeping them apart. Levi had seen the sparks flash between the two young soon-to-be lovers. There was no doubt in his mind that with Pike’s determination, he was going to achieve his goal of making the currently reluctant Cashmere his. With their mission of the heart completed, there was no longer any need for them to stay.

Well, I guess your break won’t be that long after all, chuckled Fran. What the hell is that? she whispered in awe. The seaplane that had brought them to the house was there as she had expected. It was the other craft that sent a chill down her spine. It was nothing like she had ever seen before in her life. It seemed to levitate a whole ten inches off of the water. It was clearly something that was secret, and not seen by the masses. It looked more alien than human.

That’s my ride. A friend of mine called me to do him a favor, so this is where we part ways. But, I didn’t think I would be riding in this, explained Levi a bit hesitantly.

What kind of favor?

Normally, Levi would have kept what he had been told to himself, but there was something in her voice that made him break the code he’d held to since his years in Special Ops.

Have you seen a craft like that before? he asked while he took a step closer. He wanted to get a view of her face that had been hidden by the shadows of the night. He needed to confirm what his ears were picking up in her shaky voice.

"Where are you going, Levi?

I’m going to LA to check on something for a friend, he lied. He wants someone to verify a medical/biological finding that he has been working on for a corporation. It’s real top secret for a Mr. Tsugumi Ohba.

He didn’t have to ask if she had heard of the man. The lack of color in her face was all he needed to see. His training was telling him that there was a lot more to this story than a friend from his past calling him out of the blue. He wondered if she was the connection.

Did my name come up when you were talking to your friend? she gulped.

He had never seen her in such a state. Fran always carried herself as if she had the upper hand; but now, he could actually see beads of sweat on her forehead. What he had heard in her voice before, he now realized was pure fear.

Why would he? You must be the shit, Fran; only a handful of people can boast to seeing the man.

I never said I saw him! she snapped.

Are you going to stand here and bullshit me? I need to know what I’m stepping into, he stated in a controlled voice.

The man’s a myth. People make up stories about him as if he’s a non-aging beast, she answered as she tried to turn and walk to the plane.

Levi’s hand shot out to stop her. If that’s the case, then why the hell are you trying to run away? He took a step back as she used force to pull away.

"At times, Levi, you need to say no. If this guy—whoever the fuck he is—was your friend, he wouldn’t even have cast Ohba’s shadow over you. Go back to Angie, and do not mention that you told me about anything," she suggested.

Fran marched off without looking back at a confused Levi. Even though she had told him to leave it alone, she knew that he wouldn’t. Levi was a man of his word. If that didn’t cause him to get aboard the freaky aircraft, the detective in him would. The same curiosity in him that had almost gotten Angie, Luna, and him killed would take him into a place and a world that could only have come out of a fiction book.

She strapped herself into her seat with shaking hands while she shouted to the pilot to take off. Her mind went back to the two times she had seen Mr. Tsugumi Ohba; once when he saved her life as a kid, then one more time when he arranged a meeting with her 21 years later. It was that second visit, when she was in her 30s, that had made her a true believer.

Levi hesitated as he eyed the strange aircraft. The more the voice in his head screamed for him to turn back, to not approach what looked like an alien aircraft, the more his damn detective nature kept urging him on. He danced on the balls of his feet while he weighed his options until his decision was made for him. The voice startled him, causing him to flinch. It wasn’t the sound that did it. It was more so the fact that he hadn’t heard the man approaching on the wooden dock. There should have been the sound of footsteps that had signaled his presence, but there was none.

Now, now, there’s no need to run. I only bite those I don’t like.

Levi turned quickly. He examined the tall man that seemed to be born out of the dark shadows around them. Levi had always been one to not give another man’s appearance much notice, but even for him, he had to admit that the stranger was handsome. The acknowledgment of that fact shocked him, to say the least.

It’s the eyes, Levi considered.

He realized that it was the combination of the tan skin and almost blue-black hair with pale blue eyes that were almost hypnotizing. His eyes scanned the man’s frame while he watched Frannie’s plane take off. His maroon t-shirt stretched over his fit chest and arms. There was no doubt that the man was dangerous, even though he was trying to present himself as not.

That’s one hell of a ride. It looks like it’s from another world.

The man’s eerie eyes moved from the plane that was now in the distance to stare at Levi.

Trying again, Levi held out his hand for a handshake. You must be a representative of Mr. Ohba.

Why would you say that? the man asked.

Well, you’re too young to be him, chuckled Levi as he gauged the man’s shake as firm with a touch of crushing.

Ohba is an old name that my family uses for business purposes, but we change our actual name every few hundred years. I’m Grayson Sakamoto. He could tell that Levi thought he had a few screws lose.

Yeah, alright, chuckled Levi with a tilt of his head.

Grayson shrugged. He reached into his back pocket to produce a folded piece of paper. There was no need to tell this man too much until he knew that he was all in for the mission.

If you could please sign this confidentiality form, we can board and be on our way, he said. He paused at Levi’s raised eyebrow. The things that will be disclosed could compromise the peace of the world, he explained.

He could see the fight going on within Levi. He didn’t have to hear his thoughts to know that a part of him was telling him not to move forward, while the other really wanted to know what the hell was going on.

With a sigh, Levi grabbed the paper, signed it, and handed it back to the smiling man. Grayson took a few seconds to ensure Levi hadn’t missed a spot before he placed it back into his pocket.

Shall we?

One second. Why was my close friend scared when I mentioned your name, and why is your accent so strange?

Man, you don’t waste any time. I can see that you are the right one for this mission.

Who even told you about me anyway? I haven’t done anything for the government in years, Levi pointed out.

Grayson pondered which question he should answer first. He needed to get the damn man on the aircraft before he told him too much. Once he had him on the ship, Levi would be at his mercy.

Would you have preferred this one? he questioned as he switched to a perfect Hispanic accent. Or this one? What about this one? he added, going from Asian to American as he began to walk toward the aircraft.

That’s remarkable. You do that so effortlessly.

I’ve had countless years to practice.

He held up his hand to keep Levi from stating his doubts about that fact. He stepped to the side to allow him to go ahead. The craft may have looked like a UFO on the outside, but the inside was laid out to resemble more of a house than a plane. The flooring was a mixture of hardwood and carpet. The area was divided by knee walls that were painted red and separated the seating rooms, lounges, a bar, and a dining room that created an open concept. Further behind was a large door that led to an unknown area that Levi assumed was the control room.

You’ll have time to explore the ship later. Right now, we need to talk and… His voice trailed off at the expression on Levi’s face. He had hoped to have gotten him in the back part of the aircraft before the door closed, but the man was being too sluggish with all of his damn questions. He sighed and waited for what he was sure to come.

It had been the strange sound that had caused Levi to glance back in the direction of the door; they had walked through to board the ship. While walking through the large opening, Levi had noticed that there wasn’t a door; at least none that he would’ve considered to be such. He now understood why. What he was witnessing was too much for his trained mind to actually believe. The door to the ship didn’t slide shut or swing up too close. No; instead, the only way to describe it was that it pixelated out of thin air. Tiny boxes appeared, moved, and shifted into place until the opening of the ship had closed with a loud airtight thud that seemed to vibrate throughout the front area.

Grayson was impressed at how fast Levi dropped the luggage he had brought aboard, reached behind his back, and pulled his gun to train it on him.

I thought you were trained not to fire a weapon on an aircraft?

I have a feeling that a bullet wouldn’t do any damage to a machine like this. What the fuck is going on here? Who the fuck are you, and who told you about me? growled Levi.

Grayson rolled his eyes and gestured for Levi to take seat. He sent a text through his phone before he sat in the plush chair in front of Levi. It didn’t faze him one bit that the gun was still pointed at him.

You were handpicked by someone that felt like you were the perfect person for the job, but that’s yet to be seen. When you were in the service, you went on many special missions that you could never share with a living soul, so treat this as another one of those missions.

And what’s so secret?

Grayson paused. The way people reacted to what he was about to say never got old, no matter how many times he had done it in the past. He slouched down in his chair. He eyed Levi from behind his hooded lids.

"As you mentioned, this aircraft is of another world, right? What if I told you it was true? What if I’m not really of this world, even though I have walked among it for thousands of years?"

Levi stared at him with a blank expression for a few seconds as his mind raced.

Is this a joke? he wondered.

He then thought of the way Fran acted when he had mentioned the man’s father. He knew that there were a lot of things that the government had proof of that were far beyond his clearance level. Things that people speculated about, and were later made into blockbuster movies, but that were never actually confirmed.

"You’re trying to tell me that you’re an alien that’s over a thousand years old," scoffed Levi.

Anything that is different from the mass population is considered an alien. However, my race is referred to by a different name altogether…I am vampire.

What happened next was beyond Levi’s control. It was from the shock of the man’s confession. His body responded on its own. The deafening sound of the gun going off caused him to jump. His gaze went to his smoking gun in disbelief. His wide-eyed stare moved swiftly to Grayson. He was sure that he would have to rush to the disillusioned man’s aid. However, what he saw shook him to his core and questioned everything he thought to be fact and fiction.

Grayson narrowed his gaze. He leaned forward slowly. One hand dropped the bullet he had caught onto the small round coffee table between them; the other hand snatched Levi’s gun. In a motion that was too quick for Levi’s eyes to follow, he emptied the shells from the handgun, then placed it on the table.

Levi pointed while working his mouth, but nothing worth speaking was uttered. He turned his head at the sound of the door to his left opening, which separated the back area from where they currently sat. Once again, he experienced a shock upon seeing someone from his past walk into the room. He knew that shit was about to get real if this man was involved.

Fuck me, groaned Levi as he ran his fingers through his hair. Even if he wanted to