Chapter Four
Adalyn never knew a world without vampires.
When they came out of the proverbial crypt ninety years prior, the world went into an upheaval.
Worse than it already was, if her history lessons in school were to be believed.
The Earth had been slowly dying from too many wars, too much poverty, and too much pollution.
Humans were awful creatures. The vampires had had enough of hiding and decided to give their management a try.
It turns out, vampires were savvy economists.
She’d never been fascinated by them, and certainly never thought one of them would end up being her first lover.
Blinking to dislodge the sleep, the memories of the night slowly replayed in her mind.
Although she had no one else to compare him to, it was hard to imagine another man being careful of her first time.
Gareth had been ... gentle, for the most part.
Like he cared for her. Or meant something.
Maybe she was simply projecting a sense of romanticism to the whole evening in hopes it erased how she’d sold herself.
Blowing out a deep sigh, she rose and dressed.
In the cold light of day, she had mixed emotions.
The night with Gareth had been ... extraordinary.
At the same time, shame washed over her.
She placed a hand over the area where he’d bitten her neck, secretly in awe at the euphoric feeling it invoked.
No one told her how incredibly awesome it would feel, and she saw why people would voluntarily become thralls.
Opening the ornate doors, she came face to face with a human male.
He had no emotion on his face, but he greeted her and said he would escort her to the banker so she could collect her payment.
As he escorted her down to ground level, she thought about Gareth. Instinctively she knew that it was going to take a long time to forget him. Of all the scenarios that could’ve happened, she was glad it had been him who bought her.
She was led to an office that had a sign designated as ‘banker.’ A woman waited for her, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk. Adalyn turned to thank the man, but he’d already walked away.
“Please, have a seat.”
Adalyn sat, and the memories still rolled through her mind like a projector screen. She touched her neck, feeling the slight ripple in the skin where he’d bitten her. Why did she feel strange now? Like she’d just passed through a veil and came out the other side a completely different person.
“They’ll fade.”
Adalyn’s gaze refocused on the banker. “Excuse me?”
The woman pointed at her neck. “They’ll fade by this evening. It’ll be like they were never there.”
“Oh.” Adalyn didn’t know how to feel about the puncture marks. Part of her wished they’d stay forever. The other part wanted them gone as soon as possible.
“This is the agreed upon payment,” she said, handing over an envelope. Then she placed a piece a paper in front of her. “This is the termination of the contract, payment paid in full. Please sign at the bottom.”
Adalyn quickly scribbled her signature. When she held the envelope, it seemed a little too fat, so she looked inside, immediately realizing there was too much.
“Wait,” she said, frowning. “I only want the contract price.”
“You have that. The rest is a tip from Lord Huntley.”
Several things hit her all at once. One, Gareth had a nobility title. Two, she discovered his last name. Three, he just reinforced all her self-deprecating thoughts. Vulgar words ricocheted through her head. Whore. Slut. Tramp. It took effort to stomp it all down and lift her chin.
Adalyn pulled out the money and counted fifty thousand. Then she held out the rest. “Please return this to Lord Huntley.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “What?”
“I said to please return this to Lord Huntley. I only want the contracted amount.”
“But ... but...
When she wouldn’t take it, Adalyn laid it on the desk, and placed the agreed payment in her purse. Then she rose and left The Crimson Den behind as quickly as possible. She would never set foot in it again.
****
She wrapped her sweater around her as she walked to the bus stop, keeping her head down.
Even in the cold light of day, it was always best to never accidentally look someone in the eyes in case that person thought a challenge was being issued.
Just because vampires had taken over and brought the Earth back from the brink of destruction didn’t mean the streets were now safe to walk.
Crime was crime no matter who was in charge.
Luckily, as soon as she arrived at the bus stop, it appeared. She scanned her pass under the reader and found a seat. Not many people were on it since it was past morning rush hour. As she settled into her seat, staring out the window, memories assaulted her mind.
He crashed his lips against her, kissing her deeply while he traced the contours of her face with his fingers.
Adalyn leaned her head against the window, letting the cool pane of glass calm the heat in her cheeks.
Gareth cupped her breasts, filling his palms. Gently biting her nipples, sucking them into turgid peaks. She never realized how erogenous they could be. Then his fangs sank into the swollen flesh...
It had shocked her that she actually liked his bite—then again that was the part of their allure. Their venom had an aphrodisiac that made blood doners bliss out, and after her evening with him, she could testify to that truth.
Gareth pulled one thigh across his legs so that she straddled him. Then he twined their fingers together as he pushed his hips upward just as she ground down. The friction spun her into the stratosphere, blowing her mind until all that mattered in the world was where they were joined together.
She had a feeling it would take a long while for the memories to fade.
Her stop was the second to last, and she hurried from the bus and down the street.
Marilisa lived above the shop and when she found out Adalyn lived in a shelter, had offered the second bedroom.
After years of abuse, where she actually felt safer sleeping on the street than with her so-called family, she finally had stability.
It meant everything, and she vowed to do anything for Marilisa.
Selling her virginity to a vampire meant nothing in the scheme of things.
She went around back and entered through the back door, heading up the staircase to their apartment so she could shower and dress for her shift.
In her bedroom, she pulled the money from her purse and laid it on her bed.
Fifty thousand. It was more money than she had ever seen in her life and would probably never see such again.
She hoped this would be the end of Lori’s schemes.
Adalyn collected clean clothes and then headed to the bathroom.
The hot shower sluicing over her skin felt heavenly and managed to help loosen the knots in her back.
Tears tried to rise up, but she batted them back.
Crying never helped any situation. It was time to forget about her evening at The Crimson Den and fall back to her life.
Leaving her hair damp, she padded into the tiny kitchen and grabbed a snack before placing the money in a bag and heading downstairs. When she entered the shop, Marilisa’s watchful eyes met hers. Adalyn held up the bag and then placed it on a shelf under where the register sat.
Marilisa took hold of both her hands, inspecting her like she was a bug under a microscope. She moved some hair off her neck, no doubt eyeing the puncture marks.
“Did he hurt you?” Marilisa asked.
“No,” she answered truthfully. “I was lucky to have a decent vampire buy me.”
Sorrow and pity reflected back. “You can take that money and run. I won’t blame you.”
Adalyn immediately shook her head. “No. I’d only do that if you came with me. Marilisa, we could set ourselves up with the money somewhere far away.”
Marilisa cupped her face. “If I was twenty years younger, maybe. But I’m too old to leave my home.”
Something sounded off. The words held a hollow sound. Adalyn frowned, but the more she studied her friend, the more things didn’t add up. Marilisa wasn’t that old, and the money she made would be enough to set them up in some other place in some other state.
“I don’t accept that you’re too old to leave,” she said. For a quick moment, Marilisa dropped her gaze, and all the warning bells went off. “What’s wrong?”
Marilisa sighed. “I was hoping we’d have more time.”
Dred slammed into Adalyn. She didn’t want to hear anymore, wanted to bury her head in the sand. Only ... she couldn’t. “More time. For what?”
“I have cancer,” Marilisa said, her tone paper thin.
Everything went cold. In her head Adalyn immediately denied it. “No.”
“Now you know why you need to leave and not worry about me.”
“Stop saying that,” Adalyn scolded. “There are cancer hospitals, right? Which is the best one? We’ll go there. The money can help heal you—”
“Adalyn,” Marilisa said softly, taking hold of her arms. “It’s too late. That’s why you should go.”
“I’m not abandoning you. I can’t. I won’t.”
“When the time comes, I want you to close the shop, sell the building, and live your life. Find something that inspires you. Something to love or someone to love you.”
She couldn’t hold the tears back and burrowed into Marilisa’s arms. Devastation filled her with despair.
She couldn’t lose her rock. Her hero. Her savior.
For a long while, she just cried and cried, until she had no more tears left.
Emotionally drained and dehydrated. Marilisa pulled away and reached under the counter for a bottle of water.
She broke the seal and handed it over. Adalyn drank then leaned her head on Marilisa’s shoulder.
“I’m not leaving you,” Adalyn told her firmly. “Don’t mention it again. I will be with you at every doctor visit and every chemo infusion. Okay?”