Blood, Lust, and Secrets

By Erin Elyse

What would you do if your mind was psychically connected to someone else? What if that someone else was a vampire?

Michelle begins having vivid dreams from the point of view of a male vampire. Tobbe, the vampire, realizes the dreams are an actual psychic connection. Can these two find out how they are connected?

Her mother went missing long ago. Her father died without revealing what happened. Now, Michelle must figure why and how her mind connected with a vampire's mind. One nightmare went wrong and they feel something more.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Erin Elyse
• Release date: Oct 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201106270

Erin Elyse

Erin Elyse is a Texas Author who loves reading and writing. She is a mom to two children and two cats. Her husband is her biggest fan and provides her with treats while she writes her newest fantasy. 

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

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One of the best things in life is going to bed when you are completely exhausted, Michelle thought. She collapsed onto her bed, burrowing herself into the covers and pillows. The plan was not to come up for air until her alarm went off. She didn’t do much physically during the day but working as a data entry clerk, her mind was always running a million miles a second. She would leave work physically tired as if she was on her feet all day. As she felt her eyelids close, her body slipped into a deep sleep.

She opened her eyes but she wasn’t in bed. Oh, this is a dream, she thought. The sky was always a muted shade of red in her dreams. She looked around but couldn’t move her feet. She saw she was standing on a sidewalk but her feet weren’t able to move. This sometimes happened but this felt different. She blinked and the scenery changed. She was no longer under the familiar red sky.

Hey, man, you ready to get dinner? a voice behind her called out. She felt her body turn around, my feet can move she thought, but it felt wrong. She was not in control of this body. She faced the voice and if she could control this body, she would have felt her jaw drop. Instead, the body she possessed didn’t react.

The man was gorgeous. He had a medium build, dark hair, skin-tight pants with a fitted button up shirt. His eyes were a bright blue that seemed to cast a faint glow in the darkness. His facial features seemed to be chiseled as if his face were made of marble. He looked flawless, beautiful, and dangerous.

Yeah, can you stop wearing my clothes though man? a voice not belonging to her, said. She could feel the strange male voice reverberate through her chest. Oh, wow, she thought. This is not my body at all. I am looking through the eyes of someone else.

Yeah sure, when you stop buying things that look better on me than you, the other man quipped.

Perry, shut up! her possessed body moved lightning fast to run up to the gorgeous man and punched him in the shoulder. Michelle could feel the punch, but when he struck the man’s body, it felt like hitting stone. 

Tobbe, just admit I look better than you and we can move on from being friends to more. He moved in slowly as if to go in for a kiss. Her body moved back and lightly tapped him on the chin with his fist.

Har har, you know if we ever did that, all the women of Mistholde would kill us, Tobbe replied. Besides, you would never get over the fact that I will always be prettier than you.

What is up with these two, she thought. Were they together or just good friends who loved to tease?

Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night, Perry said. Alright, enough, daylight is in two hours. We need to get going.

She felt Tobbe’s body turn around. His face looked up at the dark sky peeking through a hole in what looked like a cave. My dreams are getting very vivid, she thought. Tobbe’s body jumped into the air and they were flying towards the hole in the cave. Her stomach dropped as Tobbe flew straight up through the hole and then across the night sky. Tobbe gazed around. Perry was flying next to him with the wind whipping through this perfect hair.

They flew for a while over the landscape. The mountains turned to rolling hills and there in the distance was a small town. It looked like every small town in America complete with a tall chapel as the only multistory building around. Perry and Tobbe flew until they were on the outskirts where they landed.

We took too long to get here, we need to find our meal and then book it home, Perry wiggled his legs back and forth anxious about the time.

Don’t worry. We made it in time. There are always a few ladies out this early getting in their morning workout, Tobbe said looking around.

What the fuck? How does he know that? She wondered. Did he stalk the women here?

They walked around for a few blocks until she heard a sound. She could barely make it out but it sounded like two women gossiping and laughing. Oh no, they were getting closer. Tobbe reacted to the sound and tapped Perry on the shoulder and pointed in the direction of the ladies.

She watched Perry move out of line of sight while Tobbe walked to the side of a nearby building and waited. She felt her heartbeat race in her throat. This was getting intense. He peeked around the corner and she could see two women in tracksuits with weights in their hands power walking. They looked like they were having fun walking and talking to each other. Probably thought they were safe in this small town, Michelle thought.

Quicker than a blink Tobbe moved to stand in front of them. The ladies screamed in shock at his sudden presence.

Good morning ladies, out for a morning walk? his voice was smooth like velvet. It was a different tone from the one he used when talking to Perry.

Who are you? one woman asked, while clutching the arm of her friend.

The real question is what are you doing up this early? Perry walked up behind them.

Both ladies yelped and turned around to see him.

We don’t want any trouble. You want money? We have enough cash to get breakfast. Take it all! She reached into her tracksuit pants and pulled out the cash she carried.

Tobbe moved lightning fast to grab her hand clutching the money. Who said I wanted money, my dear?

Her eyes gazed into his and for the first time of the night, Michelle saw Tobbe. He was gorgeous. His green eyes were glowing in the woman’s eyes. Beyond the eyes his dark black hair was parted to one side. She wanted to run her fingers over his cheekbones but feared she would cut herself on them. His lips curled into a wicked smile. She watched the woman go from worried to terrified when his canine teeth extended down.

Before she could wonder how his canine teeth could grow, he attacked the woman. She could feel his lips on her neck. Then she felt something she never thought she would feel. His teeth pierced the woman’s skin. She felt the woman’s blood leak into Tobbe’s mouth. He bit down harder and felt her carotid artery burst open and her blood squirted into Tobbe’s mouth.

He groaned with every gulp of her blood. She could feel his body react. It felt like fire was pulsing through his veins. He sucked harder swallowing her blood as fast as it was leaving her body.

Michelle woke with a jolt. She sprung up in her bed and gasped for air. She could taste the blood. She licked her lips and gagged a little. What the fuck was that about?

CHAPTER TWO

Sleep was not going to happen after that. The sickening sweet taste of blood was still in her mouth. She glanced at her alarm clock and saw it was early enough to eat a nice breakfast without rushing around. After the dream, she needed something to get the images out of her mind.

She padded around her small studio apartment. In her kitchen, she started her coffee maker. She loved the smell of coffee brewing in the morning. She brushed her teeth waiting for it to percolate. Some oatmeal with fruit would be good today, she thought.

After sitting down to eat a leisurely breakfast and drink her coffee, she thought maybe she should get up early more often. It was nice to not have to rush out grabbing a package of pop tarts to hastily eat on the bus. As she sipped her coffee looking at the time. She had enough time to brew another pot of coffee and take it with her. She chose a tumbler she had customized with her favorite book quote on the side that she never used.

With so much time to spare this morning, she had time to tidy her small studio apartment. Minimalist, yet cozy, Michelle loved it so much. It reminded her of her father. After her mother had abandoned them when she was young, he was all the family she had had left. As with most fathers, it was his dream to see her independent with a nice place to live and a good job. Right before his death a few months ago from a long battle with cancer, his final wish had come true. He had been so very proud of her success. Ready to go, she unhurriedly grabbed her purse and sipped her coffee on her way out. As usual, she quickly looked around before leaving and locked the door.

Still sipping her coffee, she waited at her stop for the bus. The air was crisp this morning, she thought. Cool mornings in Texas were not unusual but they never last. It was fall here but that just meant she would need nothing more than a light jacket. She shivered thinking today warranted a jacket but thankfully, the bus would be warm. Just as she thought of the bus, she could hear it rumbling down the street. She boarded and sat in the middle section settling in for the 10-minute ride to work. With her drink between her legs, she got out her phone to listen to some music. She pulled out her ear buds and got lost in the easy listening of heavy metal to start her commute.

She bobbed her head to the music as the bus went from stop to stop. Up front in one of the sideway seats, a guy caught her eye. She recognized him as a regular rider who always got off two stops before her. He was definitely cute. Tall, nice tan, dark hair, and the most piercing blue eyes she had ever seen. He had headphones on and was moving his head like her. What does he listen to, she wondered? He bobbed his head smoothly as if the song was slow. Unable to take her eyes off of him, she watched him for a bit. Her eyes trailed over the parts of him she could see and imagined the parts of him she couldn’t.

The stranger suddenly seemed aware someone was watching him and turned around. His eyes found Michelle. He smiled then looked away as he continued to listen to his music and do his own people watching. They did this dance every day. She would stare, and he would notice; but never once did they make an attempt to move seats and talk to each other. Michelle quickly scanned his hands for a ring on an important finger but did not see one. She also caught a glimpse of a tattoo peeking out from the cuff of his long-sleeved button up. She wondered about what image he could have inked on his body. Whatever it was, it looked very colorful. It might be a full sleeve hiding under the pinstriped suit. With that enticing thought, she decided that maybe she needed to finally ask him out or at the very least start a conversation with him. Maybe today after work she would find her way to the front of the bus.

She watched the buildings to block out the morning sun as the bus neared her stop. She knew a huge pile of papers, nearly a foot-tall was sitting there waiting for her every morning without fail. She tried her hardest throughout the day to whittle it down to the bottom. Some days she accomplished her goal, other days, the task was a bit more complicated. Medical billing was a pain; especially when the required paperwork was not filled out correctly. Though she would admit she secretly loved calling doctor’s offices to annoy the nurses with the uncompleted questions. Nothing annoyed her more than healthcare workers who didn’t do a thorough job. She understood everyone was busy, but mistakes cost time and money. One wrong code or missing insurance numbers could end up costing a patient thousands of dollars or the physician an unwanted audit.

Lost in these thoughts, she saw the cutie had already gotten off at his stop. She then looked at her surroundings and saw she was about to miss her stop. She hit the stop button on the railing and stood up. She got off the bus and walked to her building: Roth Medical Billing. It was a very modern building uptown in a posh part of town. Their office was on the 5th floor and had amazing views from every corner of the office. Michelle was lucky enough to snag a cubicle next to a window. This perk was most needed when she wanted to take a small break from typing; all she had to do was look to her left and stare off into the trees. It was wonderful how green the city remained with all the new buildings that sprang up every year.

The building was already swarming with people trying to cram into the six elevators. Michelle took the stairs. It was never crowded, and she loved the feeling of getting her heart racing before sitting for nine hours. Maybe today she would take her two 15-minute breaks and run the stairs a few times to help break the monotony. She reached her floor a little breathless but not too exhausted.

Good morning, Michelle! said her boss, Mary. She was a very pleasant and an extreme morning person. You could not kill the joy she brought into the office. Isn’t today just beautiful? The air is getting crisp with fall coming!

Oh yes, I really enjoyed seeing the sun shine on everything this morning, Mary, she said trying to match her enthusiasm.

It’s going to be a good day. I hope it won’t bother you too much that I added another doctor’s office to your list. They seem to not understand what or how we do things around here, and plus, you always have such a way with troublesome offices.

Michelle wanted to grumble. There was no way she could take on another client at this point. She was literally busy from the time she clocked in at her desk until she clocked out. Maybe this was a good time to request permission for overtime. She could always use the extra money.

Well, that would hard, to be honest. I am swamped as it is. Could I have some over time until I can figure out how to work them into the regular hours?

Of course! Thanks for being such a team player. Just let me know how much extra time you put in by the end of the week!

Michelle nodded and walked into the open cubicle area of the office. She heard whispers from her coworkers. Some people begged for over time and never got it. Now she was granted the extra time after asking just once. She shrugged. Making friends at work was never a great concern to her. She loved data entry because it was a solo job. She could go the entire day without speaking to a single person – a dream job for someone like herself.

She sat down in her chair and pulled out headphones from her top drawer and plugged them in her computer tower. She logged and clocked in so she could get started quickly. Her inbox was ridiculous. Today it was twice the usual height. To add insult to injury, she noticed these papers were ONLY for the new client Mary had given her. Her regular work hadn’t even come in yet.

Fuck she whispered under her breath. This was going to be a lot of overtime. There was no way she could get through this in one day. With an irritated sigh, she started her music and picked up a more up-tempo heavy metal playlist to try and pace herself. As she was working, she looked up at the small shelf in her cubicle. She smiled. The figurine from her favorite band, Ethereal Riot, complimented the rest of the shrine dedicated to them. They were amazing, and their music helped keep her focused while she worked.

Nine hours later, with no breaks to run the stairs as intended, she had made a considerable dent. She worked her regular clients first before tackling the tall pile from the new client. She found she could organize it into different insurance companies and go from there. Many, many organized piles later, she felt confident she could indeed take on this new client.

She noted her hours spent on the client and logged out of her computer. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her body. Her back, arms, and wrists were killing her. She had not typed that fast and hard in a long time. She grabbed her coffee tumbler and walked to her bus stop. A frown took over her face when she realized that she was not going to see the hot guy with the tattoo on the bus.

Maybe tomorrow, she muttered.

To kill time waiting for her bus, she toyed with her phone looking at random things on the internet. She didn’t notice someone come up behind her. She was smiling to herself watching a video of a puppy saying ‘I love you’ when a strong voice startled her by saying, That’s adorable.

Whoa! she turned around to see the tattooed hottie. He was standing right here at her stop waiting for the bus. What in the heck? she exclaimed.

Sorry! he held up his hands to her to show he wasn’t armed or anything. I see you on the bus every day.

She took a deep breath and hoped her heart would eventually slow down. Yeah, I know. I did not expect to see you here this late. You normally get off a few stops before I do.

I do, but today I had to stay late and my team wanted to eat at this bistro, he turned around and pointed to the building she came out of. The first floor housed a wonderful farm to table bistro where she liked to eat lunch. They served dinner for the night shift here in downtown.

Oh, she said. He looked and smelled amazing. Her heart was still racing from him scaring her. She didn’t know what else to say and she knew she was being rude by staring at him.

My name is Eric, by the way. I didn’t catch your name.

She shook her head found her mouth could function other than welcoming flies to swarm in. Michelle, nice to meet you, she held out her hand and they shook.

Their bus came roaring down the street. After an ear-piercing stop, they boarded together. She fought an urge to sit in her regular spot in the back but instead sat next to Eric. Her one chance to get to know him was now and she was going to take advantage.

What do you listen to in the morning? I see you moving your head while you have your headphones on, she asked him.

I listen to classic rock. I have an FM radio app on my phone. I can listen to music from anywhere but Austin has the best rock station in Texas.

With the combination of his tattoos, cologne, and excellent music taste, he was looking better and better. She felt the beginnings of attraction to him build. She stared at him trying to figure out what to do.

He eyed her up and down, What do you do? he asked. You don’t look like an executive. Working in this area you either wore scrubs or a business suit. She never did follow dress codes, preferring her own version of a business casual.

I do data entry for Roth Medical Billing. You?

Accountant for a law firm, he responded.

Wait, if you work for a law firm wouldn’t you make enough to get a car instead of riding the bus? she asked gesturing around them. 

I do, but I want to save the environment a little. Can’t do that with more cars on the road. Public transit is the way to go.

Smart, sexy, and wanted to save the world. This was going great already. She silently hoped the bus would go a bit faster. She was getting turned on by the second talking to him. As he kept talking about the merits of using public transit, she couldn’t resist any longer. His soft pink pips were beckoning her. She had an urge and leaned forward hoping to give him a peck on the cheek. He moved his head to see what she was doing and caught her mouth instead.

Oops, she whispered at him, slightly blushing; not from embarrassment but from arousal.

Suddenly, he grabbed her face and pulled her to him for another kiss. Michelle felt giddy. She kissed him back feeling his lips suck hers. She tried to place her tongue between his lips, but he pulled away every time. She was not deterred. As she was trying desperately to capture his tongue, the bus finally stopped. She unceremoniously yanked him out of his seat and off the bus. She walked fast to her apartment door. Thankfully, he had kept up. When they reached her door, she fumbled with her keys as she tried to get it open fast.

Eric saw her fumble and grabbed her hand to steady her. When she looked at him, he ran his fingers up her arm slowly. Her breathing became heavy. She pushed him against the door and kissed him hard. How she did it, she didn’t know, but she managed to get her keys into the lock. With a click and a push they stumbled into her apartment.

While she was glad she had tidied up this morning, she was equally glad she lived in a studio apartment. Her bed was opposite the front door and near the kitchen, so they