Master's Bride: Blood Brood Book 2 (Vampire Romance)

Chapter 1

        She'd never felt impotent fury like this before, especially not aimed at a person. Her brown eyes burned with an intensity, that if given power, would have eviscerated anything in its path. Her breath was coming in loud pants as she glared at the only other creature in the room.

        Stella couldn't make herself say human, for he wasn't, hadn't been for who knows how long. He was a vampire , a creature who lived by feeding off of others. His kind were less than garbage in her mind. They all deserved a swift end, and so far she'd had a great deal of luck giving that to them.

        But the odds of her pulling that off this time were frighteningly small. Not only was she physically exhausted, but her usual strategy of sneaking up wouldn't work. While she sat on the wooden floor, surrounded by a few piles of ash, he stood not five yards away, almost looming over her.

        And staring at her with narrowed and angry blue eyes.

        No, her typical attack wouldn't work this time. The blood on her clothes, very little bit of it hers, made the fabric stick to her skin in uncomfortable ways. The young woman grimaced as a particularly thick stain soaked through, leaving a cold, clammy feeling on her skin. She tightened her fingers around the wooden stake in her grip. His eyes were diverted to the movement, and Stella was very aware that if he so chose he could attack and end her in in a second. Their speed was very well known. And overpowering wasn't an option. This vampire would have the strength of twelve men. Even on a good day she would have problems with a regular man.

        All of this didn't mean she wasn't going down without a fight. Her trump card was what she held in the closed fist of her other hand. In a small, silver bottle, the lid having been abandoned earlier, lay a few drops of holy water.

        Her body unconsciously tensed as a plan of attack began to form in her mind. As if on cue his legs spread slightly, hands clenching at his sides. The body she was trying to attack was well muscled. Dark hair was on top of his head. His face was clean-shaven and handsome. In another situation she would have found him very appealing, but not this creature and not in this situation.

        Stella knew this would be her one and only chance of survival. The air in the room was suddenly thick with anticipation. Neither person took their eyes off of the other. Outside a nearby window a shout was heard in the yard. As if a bell had been struck, both competitors sprang into action.

        Stella opted not to take the direct attack. Instead she darted to the left, putting her feet beneath her and rolling to a standing position. He copied her movement, sidestepping with ease. The finger working as a temporary stopper moved away. Flinging her wrist forward in an arc the last bit of liquid sprayed in front of her.

        He was able to dodge, like she knew he would. The fluid went through the air far too slowly to touch him when he was on his guard. As she'd hoped, he kept going further in the same direction so as to not lose speed.

        With a burst of speed of her own, she flung herself through the air, bringing the stake forward in a powerful thrust. There were a few moments when she thought that maybe her plan was going to work. Those were very few. With lightning fast speed his hand came up, gripping her wrist and stopping her cold.

        That didn't stop the rest of her. Stella found her body slamming into his now immovable form. It was like hitting a brick wall. The breath was knocked out of her lungs. An arm as strong as a steel band wrapped around her waist.

        Stunned dumb as she gathered her breath, Stella began to struggle uselessly against her captor. Like a snake she squirmed, arching her upper body back over his arm. A warm breath on her neck and she froze, visions of fangs digging ruthlessly into the soft skin foremost in her mind.

        Her air came out in quick pants. She closed her eyes, waiting for the surge of pain followed by what had been described to her as a weakness that would pervade her entire body. But nothing happened, except that the hand holding her wrist tightened painfully.

        A deep voice broke the stillness in the room, speaking directly into her ear. Drop it, girl.

        If he meant the stake the answer would be hell no. You wish!

        In response the grip worsened until her fingers became numb as the circulation was cut off. With a clatter the wood fell to the ground, leaving her completely defenseless. Tears pricked her eyes from the agony centered where his fingers dug in. Angrily she blinked them back. No way would she cry in front of her soon to be murderer.

        Thankfully, with his goal completed, he was no longer trying to break the bones in her wrist. Then the arm around her was letting her go. Without the support she stumbled back awkwardly and fell on her butt. She glanced at the stake between them, wondering if there was any possibility of her retrieving her weapon. He settled that for her. With one decisive stomp the stake was reduced to splinters.

        Her eyes slowly came up to meet his. Fear shivered up her spine as she looked at those cold, ruthless, blue orbs. In those eyes she saw her death. Remembering all the training and time she'd put into becoming one of the best vampire hunters, Stella dug deep and straightened her back. Jutting up her chin proudly, she dared him to do his worst.

        But instead of jumping her and ending it in one swift blow, he carelessly glanced around the room. The décor was expensive, the walls decorated with priceless tapestries, the floor covered with oriental rugs. The owner was obviously very well off, sparing no amount of money on comforts.

        There were just a few items that didn't quite belong. The two piles of ash, for instance. One was in one of the two coffins that lay revealed in a hidden room. There were bits of clothing and jewelry mixed in. Stella followed his line of sight, and took a bit of pride in her handiwork. It wasn't often you found someone who could take out two vampires in one go, but she'd managed it.

        Too bad he wouldn't be pleased about it, whoever he was. She was still stuck on that. As far as her information went, the house was only inhabited by two of the fiends. This third one was a mystery, one she would doubtless never have the opportunity to solve. One didn't survive, unarmed, an encounter with a vampire.

        I see, he stared pointedly at the pile of ashes on the floor, that you are the one who has been decimating my Brood. His cold eyes flicked to her, taking in her tiny figure in the dark outfit. I had no idea the hunters were so desperate they were resorting to using children.

        It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she was twenty and not a child, but best not to give away any information. At least his slight introduction told her who this was, a master vampire.

        Her first lessons in vampire hunting had consisted of learning about their social structure. The more you knew, the better you could be at destroying them.

        Thus she was well aware that there were those at the top, the masters, who then created ones below them, who in turn created more. A horrible pyramid that enabled their kind to grow in number. Not that this knowledge would help her in the least right now. At least she could look at it as being something of an honor that it took a master to kill her.

        Stubbornly jutting out her chin, she answered back, And if I was? It's no great loss to anyone.

        His eyes flared red for a moment, and then shuttered again, leaving her to guess how he was feeling. She took that opportunity to stumble to her feet, rising off the floor slowly. With a creature like this you didn't want to move too quickly. They were like animals, reacting to any sudden movements.

        Trying for a careless air, she dusted off her black sweats and tank top. The clothes didn't make a sound, perfect for sneaking up on anyone or anything. The dark fabric made her pale skin stand out. Her ponytail was by now coming loose. With a frustrated growl she took out the band and then, used only her fingers to comb the brown strands back.

        This entire time the vampire didn't make a move toward her. Stella was beginning to believe that he was intentionally taking his time, drawing out her demise in a sick sort of game. What little patience she had was being sorely pressed. Fear and frustration caused her lips to become even looser than usual, making her reckless.

        You should have chosen a better servant if you didn't want them to die, she scolded him. One eyebrow rose at her audacity, but she continued on, This one attracted too much attention with his flashy kills. One particular kill came to mind. Eva. Her best friend. The horrible creature had taken her life, turning her into one of his own not more than a year ago.

        The red-headed beauty, filled with vitality, was a tempting target for one of his kind. At that time Stella didn't know any more than the common person about vampires, and certainly didn't believe they existed. Only when her friend disappeared one night, and then was found a few days later, dead and drained of blood, did the truth begin to come out.

        People, especially the police, claimed it was due to a demented serial killer that was on their books. There were no leads, and after a very tearful funeral Stella found herself with no answers. They had shared the same apartment for almost two years, and gotten along quite well. They were almost as close as sisters, sharing their dreams and their problems. Both of them worked in retail at the same store, so there was much they could speak about together.

        The rooms they shared seemed so very empty, her family having taken her things after the police were through with them. It was just over a week since Eva's death and Stella was coming back from a late shift, feeling more depressed than ever.

        As it happens, the road she was taking went by the graveyard. This particular road was deserted at this time of night, everyone else taking the more immediate routes home. A sudden urge had her driving through the open gates and into the yard. Having been there recently she knew the way to her destination.

        Parking in the gravel lot, she got out, promising herself that she would only be a few minutes. This behavior wasn't exactly healthy, she knew, but to her this was a kind of closure, seeing her friend's grave standing there among the many others.

        Walking on the cool grass, slightly damp from a recent sprinkling of rain, she made her way around the gray stones. Her eyes on the ground as she weaved her way through, she almost missed the form standing ahead of her.

        Black on black, she stopped, trying to decide what exactly it was she was seeing. If the figure hadn't moved slightly, Stella would have assumed it was a rather large statue. But as it bent down, she knew that couldn't be. A sense warned her that she didn't want to make herself known to this silent figure.

        Ducking down behind a nearby tombstone, she chose to watch and wait. Nothing happened after a few minutes and by then she had figured out that the stranger was right by her friends grave. Anger, thinking that maybe someone was messing with the fresh soil, lanced through her. News stories of vandals and grave robbers wafted through her mind.

        Too far away to see much, she chose to stealthily move closer. Her phone was in her hand and at the ready, the number for the police already dialed in shoulder the need arise. After dashing between a few headstones she was able to see that the person was a man, kneeling on the freshly churned soil that marked the new grave.

        He wasn't do anything, just sitting there, as if waiting for something. That something soon made itself known. A bit of moonlight made its way through the formerly cloudy night. The shaft of light lit up the ground enough that she could see the soil was shifting, almost undulating.

        Her mouth dropped open, body quivering in fright. The phone fell with barely a noise from her loose grip. This was a scene one would expect from a horror movie. When a group of fingers broke through the sod, reaching for the sky, it took both of her hands over her mouth to stifle the scream. Now wouldn't be a good time to be found out.

        There followed a hand and wrist. The person she'd seen earlier grasped the appendage, helping pull out the head and torso. Stella's eyes widened in shock. What she saw, who she saw, was Eva, dressed in the clothes she'd been buried in.

        This wasn't possible. This couldn't be happening. All sorts of denials came and went, as the form of her friend came fully out of the ground. Standing on wobbly legs, that familiar flame of red hair could point to no other.

        This was some type of miracle, or a horrible nightmare. Either way, Stella rose shakily to her feet. She stumbled, falling against the headstone she was formerly hiding behind. There was the scuffle of shoes on stone and the two people turned her way. Her first impression was of red eyes, two sets, watching her. The man whispered something she couldn't hear to his companion and the woman, she still couldn't quite convince herself it was Eva, stepped toward her.

        The closer she came, the more Stella could make out the familiar face she knew so well. But there were differences. The lips were redder, the skin paler. The usually open and laughing eyes were cold, lacking any of the easy friendliness she was known for.

        She smile lopsidedly, one tooth seeming longer than the others. Hello, Stella.

        The same voice, which she could almost hear the last few days, sitting alone in her apartment. Tears formed in her eyes. Eva? Is that you?

        A wider grin and she nodded. Yes, dear, it's me.

        Confusion furrowed Stella's brow. "But...how? You were dead ."

        Elegant shoulders shrugged. I don't know. Does it matter? We can be together once more.

        Her arms came up, outstretched to embrace her. Let me give you a hug. I have missed you so, dear.

        The distraught and thoroughly confused young woman could only stare as Eva came closer. Something wasn't quite right, but her shock was causing her to stand there like the statues surrounding them.

        The woman was only a few feet from her, those pale fingers reaching out, when a shout came off from the side. All three jerked at the noise. The stupor surrounding Stella seemed to be broken and she took a couple of steps back. Eva noticed her retreat and her lips pulled back, baring her two elongated canines.