2023-01-10 08:17:28
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INDIGO (RISE OF CRIMSON) CHAPTER 41
Anna limped unto the highway, dragging her bad leg. Her eyes were blinded by the lights of the big rig. She then heard the loud crunch of twigs and leaves as the creature landed on this side of the wall. Terror filled her and she rushed straight into the path of the truck waving her arms and screaming. The powerful noise of the brakes squealing rushed into her brain. The she knew she would die. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact. When she was hit, she was knocked toward the ditch on the opposite side of the road. Darkness surrounded her.“Miss…Miss! Are you okay?” Bob barely got a look at what saved her, but it sure as hell wasn’t his driving experience. Although, he was still able to keep his rig upright and on the road, something else pushed her out of the way in time. He hit the something. He hadn’t gotten a good look at what it was, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to from what little he had seen. It was gigantic and hairy.Anna’s eye
INDIGO (RISE OF CRIMSON) CHAPTER 42
A man Liya had not seen before was walking toward her, his eyes on the wolf. Her eyes flashed back and forth from one to the other.The wolf sat humbly at the man’s words and started panting, no indication it was going to eat her only moments ago.She was still afraid to move. He was almost as handsome as Damon in the same dark way but he looked to be several decades older and he was as hulking tall and thick as Nathan.“Miss Collins?”She was fixated on the wolf and didn’t hear himHe stared at her for a moment, then spoke slowly, “Miss Collins?” His ‘s’s sounded like ‘z’s.His accent was thick, so he took great care in speaking. So she knew his English wasn’t that good. She guessed it was German or Austrian.She snapped out of it, “I’m Liya…..” Then she realized that he had known her name and she had never seen him before.His eyebrows went up “Are you well?”. His eyes m
INDIGO (RISE OF CRIMSON) CHAPTER 43
Liya was unprepared for his presence when he opened the door. He was captivating. It didn’t help that he was sporting a devilishly gorgeous grin and a new glint of knowledge in his eyes over their intimacy. Natie had just finished with her hair and Sadira zipped up the back of her dress. When his eyes settled on her she swore her insides just turned to molten lava.“You’re beautiful.” He said softly as Natie and Sadira gathered their things, bowed at Damon and rushed out the door. Julian closed it behind them leaving them alone.She tried to meet his gaze like Sadira told her to when she got embarrassed, but she couldn’t. Her thoughts immediately flashed to the night before.He felt her newly found feelings of desire and walked toward her while his eyes combed heatedly over her. A smile of approval lit his face, “I’ll have to give Sadira and Natie a raise. Did you sleep well?”She whispered still not meeting his gaze. “I don’t
INDIGO (RISE OF CRIMSON) CHAPTER 44
Anna sat straight up in bed trying desperately to explain what had happened to her in the last few days and what had happened when she tried to rescue Liya. “It’s true Aya, I swear! I have never lied to you before, you have to believe me.” She pleaded.“But monsters, Anna? I stopped believing in them when I was a little girl.”“I believe her.”Jeff’s admission startled Aya, “What? Not you too.” She faced him with her mouth hanging open in shock, “Has everyone gone nuts?” she threw up her hands.Jeff ignored her and came up beside Anna, “I’ve seen it too, in his eyes. When I took Liya out last night, he showed up in the bar and took her…” He glanced at Aya, “I mean, she went with him. When a friend of mine tried to stop him, Damon had this look in his eyes and it terrified the shit out of me.”Anna nodded in understanding her voice raising in excitement that someone believed her, “Did his eyes glow and his teeth ge
INDIGO (RISE OF CRIMSON) CHAPTER 45
Damon couldn’t erase what she’d known because she had already told too many people. They would grow suspicious if she suddenly couldn’t remember anything. So he had another way, “It’s simple. I let you live and you return the favor.”“Gee thanks.”Damon was amused at her guff and continued, “We both have a mutual interest. I do not wish for her to hear any of what has happened. Be warned Anna, I will not hesitate to kill you if she finds out even the slightest of what had happened last night.”“That isn’t fair! She deserves to know. You put me through hell.” Her tears began to fall again.Damon remained unmoved, “I was sparing her grief of you trying to come between us.”“I was trying to save her from you.”“What you were trying to do was disrupt our fate. You cannot prevent what is meant to be.”“You’re confidence in yourself is disgusting.” She stated.He chuck
INDIGO (RISE OF CRIMSON) CHAPTER 46
Liya didn't sleep that night. Her thoughts lay with Damon and what he had proposed to her. His touch haunted her flesh and her body charged with desire every time images of his naked body flashed in her mind. She couldn’t deny that she wanted to be with him, but what about her life? She worked very hard to escape her past, and that was all that seemed to matter, until now. He made her feel so whole, so loved. Her mother would have ridiculed her for being weak towards a man. She could almost hear her lectures echoing in her head. She was so confused. Damon gave her something that no one else had been able to, herself. She realized now that she did have the freedom of choice. The only reason she felt she needed to have a career and make something of her life was to prove something to her mother…he was right. However, was she supposed to drop all of this and become dependent on someone else? It terrified the hell out of her. What if Damon decided that they weren’t right toget
INDIGO (RISE OF CRIMSON) CHAPTER 47
Aya returned home early that morning as Damon was closing his eyes for the day. She and Jeff had gone to a movie to get their minds off of how disturbed Anna had been and then sat in a coffee shop for the rest of the night talking. They discovered that they had a few things in common, more than they thought they would. They talked about their lives, upbringing, and friends. In fact, they began to really like each other. Aya didn’t think she laughed so much in a long time. The horrible fight they had the night before was forgotten. Jeff actually kissed her after he’d walked her to her dorm room. They said goodnight and he left. She smiled to herself. Thinking of him just as a trophy boyfriend was very appealing to her. Now she knew him as a person and he was amazing. Damn! He knew how to kiss too.She crawled into bed just after the sun rose. She had classes in an hour and a half, and so did Jeff for that matter. Oh well, it’s not like she hadn’t missed classes before.
INDIGO (RISE OF CRIMSON) CHAPTER 48
As the sun crested high in the sky Nathan awoke. His body had sufficiently repaired itself. He got out of bed and groaned as the evidence of repaired broken bones ached with movement. One by one, he rotated his shoulders and his head before dropping on all fours doing two hundred pushups off his knuckles and toes to work out any of the aches he felt. Satisfied that things seemed to be working right, he got dressed and made his way downstairs to consult with the others. He had been injured before, many times so this wasn’t new to him. What was new to him is compromising Damon’ best interests by saving Anna’s life. By rights, he should have let her die instead of injuring himself. He had to find out what he missed and to find out about Anna. His mind flashed to that night.When she ran out in front of the Semi, something in him snapped. He couldn’t just let her die. He knew Damon would probably throttle him for nearly losing his life. That was something he didn
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 95
Natalie shuddered with fear as the dark demoness stepped forward. “Aren’t you happy to see me?” Latoya asked in mock innocence.Gabriel glanced over his shoulder at Aiden and Latoya, and gently laid Natalie on the floor. He pulled his long black coat off and carefully wrapped her in it before he scooped her up.Natalie tried to ignore her throbbing body as he stood and shifted her in his arms. The pain from everything Ellish had done to her was still fresh, though not as sharp as it should have been. Her shoulder screamed when she was jostled, was the “inner” pain that hurt most. All of her blood vessels shook, and the underside of her skin trembled from the seizure-like state and the burning sensation that had coursed through her. Her mind still reeled from Ellish’ invasion, and she was so weak.Somehow what he’d done to her body paled in comparison to the rest of it. She remembered him laughing at her “primitive fears” and saying that he could do something much more terrible to her.
CHAPTER 94
He shook her violently so that her teeth clacked together. “What do you have to say to that? Do you still want to insist on your innocence? Where is that device?” He clawed at her body with his free hand.“I don’t have any ... device!” she cried. Tears Stabbed her swollen eyes and the room swam. She didn’t understand why he was doing this again.“Liar!” He threw her to the floor. Her elbows locked painfully, but she saved her face from slamming into the concrete.She tried to roll away, but he knelt down quickly and grabbed a handful of her hair in his fist. He used it to pull her head back and force her to look at him. “Where is it?”“There isn’t one! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”Cain stood behind them, his arms crossed over his chest and a sneer on his face. “Then how did he find us?”He? Could they mean…? A white hot spark of hope filmed inside her. “He’s here?” she asked, unable to stop he
CHAPTER 93
The vampire who’d spoken a moment ago asked, “How doyou know she was ever at his den? Surely Aiden is smart enough to keep her in a less incriminating place?”“Now you’re suggesting Miles lied?”Ellish asked lightly. “Or do you suggest his brother lied to him?Do you think he made up a false location, intending to go andretrieve her himself and return her for his freedom? Are youimplying he intended to let his brother die for his sins?”The vampire looked exasperated. “I don’t know whatI’m implying. I wasn’t here when you interrogated Miles.”“You’d be sorry you missed it,” Cain commented,snickering. “He screamed and begged– ”“Enough.” Ellish motioned him to silence. “Miles Informed me that the plan was Aiden’s from the beginning, as part of our little war. He and Marcus were brought into it, so to speak.”Natalie tensed at the mention of Marcus’s name,but she tried hard not to make her interest obvious. Did this h
CHAPTER 92
The room was a large one, like an open basement complete with cement floor. A glowing chandelier hung above her andin front of her sat a large wicker chair. Draped lazily in it was ayoung man who might have been sixteen. He had blonde hair, coldgreen eyes and a face made for boredom, snobbery, and cruelty. Hewas flanked by two large men. A host of others were visible outsidethe ring of light, all moving closer and gazing curiously at thenew prisoner.“Who is she?” the boy in the chair drawled. Hisvoice was bored and peevish.Cain answered from behind Natalie’s prone body,“It’s Marcus’s human, the one Gabriel’s claiming now.” He snickeredand prodded her in the side with the toe of his boot.“Interesting.” The blonde stood from the chair andwalked towards her languidly. “What’s so special about her that twomen would go to such effort?” He walked around her in anever-tightening circle and finally bent down to examine her faceclosely.
CHAPTER 91
Natalie sought a nonexistent escape and tried to figure out what she was going to do. Despite LaToya’s concern,she doubted Gabriel would return in time to save her. He’d alwayscome before, just when she had no hope left, but somehow she couldfeel that he wasn’t going to this time. And when he didn’t whatwould happen? Would they really take her to Ellish? Would he kill her? Was this really how her life was going to end, to die in a pool of blood and terror?LaToya stood over her looking thoughtful, then suggested casually, “She has enough blood on her to look like a battle, but you should rough her up a little to make it more convincing.”Cain nodded in the affirmative and grinned. “Don’tworry. I’m sure she’ll be plenty roughed up by the time we getthere.” He turned his head and called over his shoulder, “Won’t sheboys?” Two voices agreed with him from the obstructed depths of themotel room.Natalie’s stomach dropped at the sound of
CHAPTER 90
Natalie woke. She blinked in the dimness, her eyesdrawn to the open bathroom door. Light flooded out of it and gaveshape and depth to the small motel room.Gabriel was still next to her on his back, his arms under her head. His dark lashes lay on his pale cheeks and hisraven hair pooled against the crisp white pillowcase. He wascovered from the waist down in the ugly bedspread and the bathroomlight gleamed on the smooth expanse of his chest.She looked away from him to the water stainedceiling. She closed her eyes tightly to blot out the world andasked herself the requisite “what have I done?” morning-afterquestion, only she truthfully felt no regret. It was simply a gameshe played out of habit, a society imposed guilt complex thatfailed to actually make her feel guilty. No, she knew what she’ddone and she wasn’t even slightly sorry, only vaguely excited atthe warm memories.She rolled towards him and tentatively brushed hisnaked f
CHAPTER 89
After the strange silence in the warehouse, the car seemed too loud. Gabriel’s anger was palpable; the air seemed to pulse with it. Natalie didn’t know what to say to make it better.She stuttered a question, “Aiden wouldn’t really…” but couldn't bring herself to finish it. Would Aiden really kill her because his wife had been killed? As if it was all Gabriel’s fault.“No,” Gabriel said with force. “He wouldn't dare.”She nodded but found no more words for fear of enraging him more. She wasn’t afraid that he’d hurt her, or even be mean to her. In truth she wasn’t sure what she was afraid of, but she didn’t want to make him any angrier. They pulled into the motel and, after parking the car, walked around behind the building to their windowless room.Once they were inside, Gabriel shut the door and clicked all of the locks into place. He absently ran his fingers through his long,dark hair before he threw himself on
CHAPTER 88
The silence was so thick she felt she would choke on it. Her ears strained for every tiny sound: a rat scampering across the floor, the breeze whistling softly through the broken windows,the flap of a sheet of plastic that hung against the wall. Her eyes searched the gloom and she tried not to jump at every shadow.Really, she didn’t understand why Gabriel’s business couldn’t have been in a nice restaurant, or at least somewhere with electricity!She was so busy eyeing a pile of mysterious refuse that she didn’t notice Gabriel stop suddenly and ended up bumping into him. He held his body rigid, so completely still that Natalieswore his heart had even stopped beating.Her search for the gloom revealed nothing, but her clutch on his sleeve grew tighter. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on when he broke the silence with a single word,“Latoya.”The woman seemed to appear from nothing. Her dark skin gleamed in the pale light, a
CHAPTER 87
Gabriel joined her. “Here,” he said as he handed her one of the motel keys. “Go on in. I have something to attend to but then I’ll be alone.”She opened her mouth to ask him what pressing errand waited for him elsewhere, but thought better of it. She didn’t see anyone in the gloomy shadows, but how did she know that some creature of the night wasn’t camouflaged in the darkness? Ifvampires were real, then what other monsters from the nightmares of humanity were lurking and listening to them?He walked down the sidewalk and she watched him until he turned sharply, and disappeared around the far side of the building. Her curiosity piqued, she thought about following him,but resisted the urge. The memories of the vampire manor were still too fresh in her mind.The key didn’t want to fit into the scarred lock,but finally it surrendered with a groaning click, and she opened the door and was met by the smell of stale cigarette smoke. Shewished she
