by Mark Wooden
“A girl can’t have a bit of fun?”
To his surprise, Valentina suddenly pulled Strathan close and gave him a long kiss on the lips. When she pulled away, Strathan asked, “And that was for?”
“I’m impressed, Dwyer. I figured you wouldn’t see Thorne’s double cross until he had you burning in his pyre.”
“You would have liked that, wouldn’t you?”
Valentina shrugged. She looked to Taylor. He had finally died, his body now a mass of blood and flesh burnt from the inside, as if his very blood had boiled.
Strathan shook his head as Valentina walked over and picked up the lacquer box.
“Whether you lived or died,” she said, “I would claim these.”
“And you’re gonna do what with them, exactly?”
Valentina smiled. She tip-toed around the carnage and kissed Strathan; this kiss was less wanton than the last. “I’ll call you.”
The Spanish vampire slinked toward the exit.
“Ms. Lorena?” Fatale called after her.
Valentina turned to address the other vampire. Once Fatale had stood as a butcher of men; now she had the demure pose of a teenaged fangirl.
“I really love your music. I use it for my daily dance workouts.”
Valentina didn’t know what to make of this. She decided to play it off with a smile. “I could use a woman of your talents. Perhaps you’d like a spot as a dancer on my tour?”
Fatale’s once dead brown eyes showed a bit of light. She brought her hands to her heart, bending over as if that would help her hear better. When she spoke, her words flew out at a rapid pace. “Really? I did a stint at the Paris Ballet as the Sylph in La Sylphide. That was over a decade ago.”
“But a minute for the likes of us,” Valentina interrupted.
Fatale suddenly stopped, her mouth hung open. She looked to the ground as if the meaning of life were there while her foot trailed absently in the gore around her. “Yeah,” she stammered.
“Hate to interrupt the heroine worship,” Strathan said. He looked to Valentina. “Me and Miss Murder here have some business to discuss.”
Valentina glanced at Strathan. “Of course.” She looked Fatale up and down. “I’m at the Peninsula. You may want to freshen up first.”
Fatale looked herself over, noting the bloodstains on her outfit.
Valentina exited.
“Alone at last!” Strathan said.
Fatale looked to him. “You defeated my assassin during the Millennial Massacre,” she began. “You found us Daughters, and you cut a deal.” Looking to Throne’s remains, she finished with, “That deal is now complete.”
“But I am curious about one thing,” Strathan said. When Fatale turned her gaze back to him, he asked, “What’s your deal with Adriana Dupré?”
Strathan guessed the Adriana in question was Dupré. She was a female vampire assassin, right in line with Fatale and her Daughters of Lilith.
Fatale lowered her head so that she took on a look of menace. “Don’t mention her unless you have something to tell me.”
Strathan smiled. “Honey, you’re gonna wanna sit down for this one.”
Fatale pressed a nearly imperceptible button on her kama stick. The chain retracted into the stick. She twisted the end, locking it in place. Fatale then gave Strathan her full attention. He preened, feeling very comfortable and confident in what he was about to say.
“Fatale, my dear, I found your wayward sister Adriana Dupré.”
Fatale shifted her stance, crossing her arms in anticipation.
“She’s dead,” Strathan deadpanned.
Fatale’s mouth fell slack. Her kama fell from her hand, splatting in the blood at her feet.
Strathan tilted his head in confusion. “Something I said?”
###
Thanks for reading this short story, which takes place during the missing six months of
The Second Song of the
AVAILABLE NOW
What people say about “By Virtue Fall: A Song of the Shadowdance.”
"This author has a wonderful imagination, and I like the way he mixed historical fiction into his modern-day setting making his writing style unique for this genre."
— The Book Diaries
"Reminded me of an RPG game – an unbelievable infrastructure rooted in historical fact with action from all angles, and every character with their own ulterior motives that could take the story in so many directions – the details blended seamlessly toward a dramatic conclusion that only left this reader wanting more."
— Audrey DeLong, producer at Electronic Arts
"Love the story. You're on my list of great reads waiting for the next in the series. Who needs romance?? I'd rather read a great story. ["By Virtue Fall"] reads like an action movie."
— Kris Blankenship, editor at the University of Tampa Minaret newspaper
Get a free ebook copy of “By Virtue Fall”
when you become an Initiate of the “Shadowdance” saga!
To learn more about the “Shadowdance” Saga,
go to www.shadowdancesaga.com
Follow the saga on Facebook and Twitter
About the Author
The son of a sharecropper (not really), Mark Wooden has actively pursued the dream of being a Creative since his epic kindergarten work, "Ne-Ne the Vampire Panda.”
He draws inspiration from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Blade,” decades of “Batman” and “X-Men” comic books and conspiracy epics “24” and “The X-Files.” He'd be remiss if he didn't mention the influence of a certain Frank Miller-created assassin named Elektra.
Mark mines his two decades of experiences in live entertainment to instill humanity into the vampires, demons, werewolves, sorcerers and other creatures of his “Shadowdance” urban fantasy saga. The novels allow readers to confront the evil that men and monsters do from the comfort of a book.
“By Virtue Fall: A Song of the Shadowdance" is the first novel in the "Shadowdance" saga.
Look into the shadows and see horror in action.
Catch author Mark’s pop culture musings on Facebook, his “Thinking Out Loud” blog and Twitter (@Shadowdancesaga). Become an Initiate of the “Shadowdance” saga for free ebooks and geek culture news.
