Her Dark Pleasure

By Renee Joiner

Vampire queen versus a seductive rival. A throne at stake and a kingdom to lose.

Vampire queen Katia, ruling with iron fangs and a fierce will, faces an unprecedented challenge. The charismatic Bastian, with legions of vampires at his command, eyes her throne – and perhaps her heart.

As a potent new threat emerges, these two vampire titans find themselves in a precarious alliance. An uprising of formidable vampires threatens to shatter their world, demanding a sacrifice of blood and power.

Katia must decide: join forces with her enigmatic adversary or watch her empire crumble.

For fans of Game of Thrones meets Interview with the Vampire, this tale weaves political intrigue with dark romance.

Step into a world of darkness and desire. Claim your copy now and join the fight for power and passion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oshun Publications, LLC
• Release date: Aug 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781956319453

Renee Joiner

Renee Joiner has been in love with the supernatural for longer than she can remember, so it is no surprise that she is an author of paranormal urban fantasy. Although she discovered her passion for writing when she was only twelve years old, she didn’t make her writing debut until many years into the future. Adventurous and fun-loving, she enjoys traveling to new places, exploring new sights and meeting new people. Thus, she delights in creating fantastical worlds that are sure to give her readers an escape from the real world while simultaneously providing thrilling entertainment. Besides her special knack for writing, you'll also find a passion for metaphysics spirituality which she has been nurturing for over four decades. Renee hails from New York and currently resides with her husband in their empty nest—unless you count their three adorable fur babies—in Florida. She enjoys adding to her sea of knowledge and thus spends her free time learning new things.

Book preview

ONE

You, Again?

Katia’s gaze was unmoving, fixed upon the faint imprint of the setting Sun’s light through the shades of her office window. Her hands continued to type, undaunted by her lack of attention to the briefs. It came effortlessly when you had been practicing law for as many years as Katia. The automatic shutters began to hum as the motor kicked into action and the blackout curtain slowly rose. Katia shifted her eye line toward the silhouette of the mountain in the distance, which had begun to shroud the valley between them in darkness. Looking at it, she mused again about the mass of stone and dirt opposite her mountainside mansion. She thought it felt more like a respected colleague than a topographical feature, one who allowed her people an extended time of active operation within her domain. When alone, she would joke that the mountain was her King, ruling the valley by her side. She pushed the foolish idea away once more with a chuckle. There’s no way she would remain Queen for much longer if her subjects caught the scent of such a fantasy.

Her amber-red hair bounced gently as she shook her head with a sigh and checked over her work before returning her gaze to the nearly set Sun. The typing resumed again. She should be receiving her first night briefing soon; she could sense her legal aide, Zara, approaching through the corridors. The door softly opened, and Zara came into the office with a gentle knock. Katia’s Schumann record automatically stopped playing as the door was opened, allowing the Queen to give her full attention to the task being brought to her. Today Zara wore a pencil skirt, which she had paired seamlessly with a white and black polka dot blouse, and a solid black blazer to match her raven hair. By contrast, her lipstick was painted a bright yellow to match her teardrop glasses and freshly manicured nails. More than her aide, by night, Zara was one of Katia’s most trusted advisors and coven members. She leaned over at Katia’s side and whispered something in her ear, almost as if someone had been in the room with them. It might have been unnerving if this wasn’t routine for Zara, who did this often when speaking with Katia.

The Morelles Coven was raided. Bastian continues to deny us any clues. Whoever he’s working with now is precise and organized. All signs point toward one of ours helping the outsiders strike. Your remaining subjects in the manor have requested permission to reinstate hunting operations. Their rations for the next week were taken, and they could become ravenous if they fail to feed for that long, she whispered to the Vampire Queen. The latter continued to watch the sprawling shadows work across the valley until even her office was awash in the mountain’s shadow. Still no progress on a location. None of the larger manors in the valley have been occupied by new tenants. No new business licenses have been issued to any suspicious IPOs. No police reports match anything like the activity we’d expect from a coven; no increase in abductions or assault. We’ve even checked into the homeless shelter in town. They say they are actually down in attendance. He’s completely eluding us somehow and turning enough of your people away from the treaty’s sense to make a difference. That’s how we think Morelles Coven was raided.

The clacking of keys halted for a moment as Katia processed the news. She decided on their course of action with a smooth yet stern tone as her shimmering black nails continued typing. The volume of her own voice rose barely above that of Zara’s whispers.

The Morelles Coven has been explicitly forbidden from hunting. Last time they lost too much face with the humans when the hunting party was apprehended by the locals. Katia had gotten her subordinates off on a technicality when they were captured. Having practiced law in Grey Bruce County for quite long enough to confound the local prosecutors easily. Katia thought fondly back to Sheriff Ibrahim’s wrinkled face that had shriveled when he’d been forced to release her subjects from their holding cells. She could only watch as she led them out of the precinct.

The shadows stretched across her office; night had just about finished descending on the valley. Katia’s clenched hand-hammered down on top of her ornate marble desk. We’ll send them half of ours for now. Send them tonight. I’ll have to negotiate for early delivery of rations. She sighed, not looking forward to having to ask Sheriff Ibrahim for more.

As Katia spoke, she opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a pouch of thick dark red liquid. She hooked the bag onto the top of her high-backed office chair and pulled the plastic cap off the needle-tipped umbilical cord protruding from the blood pack. The dark red drew a sharp contrast against the white and lightly shaded trappings, and artworks hung about Katia’s office ‘O Negative,’ the pouch read. Nothing but the best would do for a child of the Pact. Jabbing the needle into her arm, she grunted, followed by a long sigh. After all these years, she still didn’t like needles and expected to feel the pain every time. Yet every time, she was surprised by its absence, the rush of the feed filling the void. She could feel the living nutrients being distributed through her body, repairing the decay from her undead condition and renewing her youth. She could almost forgive those unable to give up the rush of the hunt and the feed’s exhilaration.

But times have changed. Things are different now, she thought. We couldn’t succumb to our baser urges like mindless beasts. It’s what humans think of us, but it doesn’t have to be the way of things.

As for Bastian, she said, keep working at it. He’s smart. We’ve always known that, but we can’t allow him to take our supplies. Those rations are for covens willing to abide by the treaty. There has to be something we’re overlooking. Her gaze broke from the mountain as her smoldering red eyes swiveled to meet Zara’s. Katia could sense her blood nearly frozen in her veins. I would prefer not to get directly involved.

Katia spoke slowly without pausing to wait for an answer. We suspect treachery. Have there been any leads on who the traitor is? she asked expectantly. Her gaze flicked to her computer screen to observe the last few paragraphs she had written since the conversation had begun.

The Claremont girl, she was newer. We’re trying to figure out if Bastian sent her from the start or if he seduced her from within our walls. Right now, I fear we’re frustratingly fuzzy on the details. She was discovered missing after the attack.

Very well, leave me, commanded Katia. Zara bowed slightly and backed away a few paces before turning and making her way to the door. As it latched shut, Katia stood from her desk and stepped up to the window, transferring her blood packet to an ornate dark IV pole on freshly oiled casters. She watched the lights illuminate her canopy topping the outdoor villa and the valley that lay at her feet.

Bastian, are you trying to punish me? she muttered. Then, more quietly, Is this really your doing? She rapped her nails against the glass in frustration. All signs pointed to him, but it didn’t seem like his style. Whatever the case, there was an undeniable loyalty problem. She knew some weren’t happy about the treaty, but it had been good for the kingdom. So why weren’t her subjects falling in line?

The kingdom was still recovering from incursions by the relentless Hidden Shadow Agency also known as the HSA. Recently, this government-sponsored agency sent its agents to decimate all kinds of paranormals worldwide. Not just Katia’s people. Among their ranks were mages, humans born with innate magic, strong enough to rival the vampires. King Damevski had fallen before the onslaught of Hunters that had descended on them. According to their Ancient Lineage, Katia and her advisors agreed to the treaty, officially instating Katia as Damevski’s rightful successor. In exchange, she halted the hunting and exploitation of human prey. Medicinal transfusion packs would be delivered to the covens that joined the treaty, ensuring clean and virile blood for the vampires to imbibe. The last tenant of the treaty was the hardest pill for most of the now-dissenters to swallow; only a willing human may be subjected to the vampirism gene. But Katia felt they should be rallying to her with a new Queen to lead them, not splintering away like incessant infants.

Katia closed her eyes and reached out from within herself, beckoning to those of her coven and kingdom. She could smell the iron in the air from the first feeding shift of the night. She sensed the rush of nutrients and endorphins invigorating her people as they fed. She could hear the march of her soldiers patrolling the other side of the house. Despite the dark, her eyes pierced through to those checking the defenses on her villa. It was unlikely Bastian would be bold enough to attack Katia directly. Still, if he did, she wouldn’t allow her denizens to betray her within the safety of her manor. Satisfied by her surroundings, Katia took a deep breath and examined her influence throughout her network. She had to relinquish her vision of her surroundings to reach out. Katia had been led to believe her powers would be much more all-encompassing than they had been turning out to be since her coronation.

While past regents had been able to survey the lands of their influence quickly, Katia was forced to direct her will with focus and effort. Some whispered that it was because she lacked the support of all the previous vampire covens that regents had enjoyed. The HSA had seen to that fracture, and now with Katia signing a treaty for peace with them, she looked weak to her own people. Some part of her also wondered if the past regents had simply exaggerated the scope of their abilities to subdue their more unruly citizens and maintain order. Only Zara had any idea of Katia’s insecurities and fears as Queen. Still, she was faithful, and Katia thought that if her enemies could penetrate so far into her organization to get to her most trusted confidant, then she didn’t deserve to be the Queen of this wretched hive.

Slowly, she turned her attention to each of the coven houses in the valley. In most of them, she sensed devotion to the regency and loyalty. A small amount of malice persisted around the fringes of some