by Rue Volley
"Hell, no. He is an old lover and I heard he was in town. I just wanted to get reacquainted with him again."
"Mhm. You ain't fooling me, child. Are you the wife or the other woman?" She asked as she studied the photo. Before I could answer, she exclaimed, "Mmm that man is fine! I have seen him a few times in here and always alone. I think he hangs around the Oyster more than here." She handed me back the phone and walked off, clearly bored with the conversation. I almost smiled at her indifference and for her willingness to give me any kind of information. Locals tended to be really superstitious about outsiders. Even though I was from here, I didn't look or even sounded like it. My mother was an Islander and my father? Fuck if I know, I don't even think my mom knew who he was. I finished my drink and headed back out, it was nearly midnight now and I was running out of place to hunt. I wasn't hungry per se, but I could always go for a snack.
I decided to walk the beach before heading back to the hotel. The night air was sultry with the faintest hint of rain whenever the wind blew. That wonderful earthy scent mixed with the sea water was something I actually missed about Barbados. We never had that scent in New York; the city overpowering any kind of natural aromas. Taking off my shoes, I let the tide lap over my toes. The beach was empty except for a few stragglers here and there and the quietness calmed my jumping nerves. But too quickly that peace was gone when I felt myself being watched. Not reacting to the potential threat, I kept walking, shoes in hand. But when shadows danced in my peripheral vision and I jerked around to catch my peeping tom. There was nothing there and the hairs on the back of my neck began to bristle. I didn't like the feeling of being some thing's prey. I am the hunter, not the hunted. Feeling too exposed on the beach, I headed back to my hotel's in the hopes of running into Luca there. Little did I know that I would find more than I bargained for.
A feast of all saints; a Russian prayer
"Is this seat taken?" A heavily accented voice asked from behind. No fucking way. No fucking way it was that fucking it would be that easy, would it? I turned slightly and smiled widely, hoping it didn't come off creepy. I get creepy a lot. It comes with the species and the profession.
"What's your poison, Dorogaya?" He asked as he signaled the bartender and I was able to get a good look at him in all his delectable Russian glory. Dressed in an expensive suit, the Russian was taller than I had first thought and he was much more delicious in person.
"Vodka and naughty Russians," I purred as the bartender poured me another shot of Grey Goose. He chuckled, a deeply sexual laugh and I was pretty sure I just came.
"Is that so? Well, you are lucky tonight." He took a sip of his own drink, a whiskey sour.
"Have a name, Ruski?" I asked, downing the shot completely. He watched my every movement enthralled with me. I could use that to my advantage later on.
"Luca Pokrovsky. And you, my sweet...what is your name?" So he was handsome and charming? Chances are that was what got him into this mess in the first place. Seduced the wrong woman. I see it more often than you would think. I smiled at him and whispered in his ear, "Adelpha Void, but Ruski, you can call me, Ady."
"So Ady, what brings you to Barbados? I am assuming you are not a local and your accent sounds American," he asked, curiosity lighting up his dark eyes.
"Does it now? I was actually born here, but left the Island when I was seventeen. I seem to have picked up a mutt mix of accents." I laughed and the general easy of talking with one of my hits surprised the hell out of me. I shouldn't be telling him anything about me. I should be fucking him and finishing this job. The thought of him beneath me, moaning my name in that accent, flashed through my mind and I was instantly wet. He laughed again and I was ready to take him, right there at the bar in front of everyone.
"How long are you here for?" His voice was hopeful and I knew this would be the easy part. Seducing him would be a cake walk now that I had found him.
"For a while, here on business. You?" The conversation was so normal between us and it bugged the hell out of me. I was supposed to be detached. I was supposed to be merciless. I was not supposed to like the guy. Fucking hell. He finished off his drink and smiled sadly. "I live here now. It was kind of a vacation that lasted too long. Not sure when or if I will be leaving." How odd. He almost sounded like he knew he was going to die here.
"Shame. This place has a habit of either spitting you out or keeping you chained up. Trust me, I know." I spoke truthfully. And again I had the feeling of familiarity with this man. It was unsettling. I fucking hated being unsettled.
"Very true. I might be crossing a line here but Ady, would you want to take a walk with me? It isn't too late and I can feel the rain moving in soon. Humor a lonely man for one evening?" He asked, pushing his empty glass aside and I smiled.
"I was thinking more along the lines of spending the evening in my hotel room, Ruski. Pretty sure I am crossing a line there, but I am not a big fan of rules." I tipped the bartender and stood up. He looked shocked and very interested, but he shook his head. I was floored. What? Did this man just reject me? Pretty sure, hell had just frozen over.
"You are saying no?" I laughed, a full on laugh and people turned to stare. I ignored them. "I am not saying no to your offer, I would be a crazy man if I were. I am saying no to your room. Come to mine, I am in the penthouse suite." His rumbling voice caressed me in all the right places. "Lead the way, Ruski."
* * *
Taking the elevator up to the top floor, I watched him, his mannerism. He moved with such grace, I could have sworn he wasn't human. As soon as I had the thought, he chuckled and I froze. Did he just read my mind? Oh hell, this was not good. Not good at all. He laughed again and sighed. "I am not a mind reader if that is what you are so worried about. I do read emotions and you are all lust and apprehension. I didn't mean to pry; I just can't turn it off." He whispered as the doors opened onto his floor. Holy shit, the Russian was an empath. It was what I was before Dante changed me into this. It was the freak genetic coding allowing the monster to make me into this beast; this creature of insatiable hunger and need. He must have read something in me because he stepped toward me to pull me up into a kiss. It was gentle at first, a first taste of what was to come and I let him lead. He tasted of smoke and whiskey and I was addicted to it. My hunger getting the best of me, I took a sip and nearly came from delight. His fear was amazingly sweet and I wanted to drink him down, but I stopped myself. When he pulled away, he looked slightly confused, probably from my tiny pull on his emotions. But whatever he saw in my face made him quickly unlock the door and try to pull me into the luxurious room, but I stopped him. "You have to invite me in." He looked at me in confusion, but he said, "Come in." The moment I stepped into the huge room, I realized two things. One, he was richer than I thought and two, Sandi screwed me by booking a regular room. The place was stunning.
Before I could think of anything else, he was on me. His hands roaming all over my sensitive body and I wanted to purr. Deliciously rough hands, stroking my breasts and inching down lower. "Fuck, I want you, Ady. So fucking much." He whispered in my ear as we ripped off each other’s clothes. Nude and fully erect, the man was a god. Kissing him deeply, I reached down to stroke his huge length. He growled in response and nipped at my earlobe and I squeezed tighter around his thick cock. We didn't even make it to the bedroom. Pushing me up against the wall, he entered me, swift and hard and I cried out. "Fuck, yes. Harder!" I demanded as he lifted me up onto his cock, slamming into me again. I moaned as he fucked me harder and faster. He growled with every pump into me. "You feel so damn good, Ady. So tight and wet." I clawed at his back in response and he pulled me onto the floor and flipped me to my stomach. Pulling me onto my hands and knees, he slammed back into me from behind, grabbing my hips to get deeper inside me. I blew apart. My orgasm was so intense that I saw stars and he followed after me with a brutal cry of my name.
* * *
"I know why you are here, Ady." He confessed later on as we lay in bed togeth
er. I stilled. "What?" I asked, dreading the answer. "I know why you are here. You were sent to kill me." Do I deny it? Is the jig up?
"And why do you think that?" I tried for casual, well as casual one can be naked in a bed with the man you are contracted to kill. "I can read your emotions now to confirm my suspicions. But also, Tabby told me my wife was looking for me and asking questions."
"The bartender? That bitch!" He laughed at my reaction and kissed my forehead. "It is okay, Milaya. I've known they were coming, I just didn't know who they would send. And I certainly didn't expect to fall for my reaper." My heart raced at his words. He had fallen for me. And he knew why I was there and he still wanted me. And in a brief moment of insanity, I blurted out, "You don't know what I am though. You wouldn't want me if you did." Horrified at my confession, my hand flew up to my mouth. And he looked at me expectantly, as if to say, "Go on."
I took a deep breath and let my eyes go black, a thick cloud of oppression swirling around me. And I heard him gasp but he didn't run. He was curious. And I was stunned. I let the blackness bleed back into my normal eyes. I waited for the horror, the disgust, but it didn't come. "What are you?" He asked, not afraid, but he should be.
"I was an empath like you. But now, I am something darker; something without a soul. I'm a Skleros. I feed off people's fear." I blurted out, waiting for the rejection. He laughed. Not what I was expecting. His reply, "We all are monsters in one way or another, Ady. Do you know why I am on your hit list?" I shook my head. "Well, I am the cause of a woman's death. She loved me, was obsessed with me and I didn't feel the same about her and she took her own life. So I am just as much of a monster as you. I don't care what you are. I want you. And I want you to do this job, but I want to fuck you again before you do."
Get the fucking job done...
"What do you mean the job isn't done yet?" Sandi's shrieked over the line in disbelief. I rolled my eyes as I heard the shower turn on. The mere thought of the Ruski, naked and soapy, made my mouth water.
"It is getting done. Quit bitching at me." I could hide the disdain in my own voice. I mean, really, it was like talking to a fucking child. She huffed and I heard a cabinet slam on the other end.
"So what? You want to play with your food now? Is that it?" Her condescending tone chaffed and I was beginning to really loathe the other woman. I growled a low warning, but she didn't take the hint.
"Because the last time I checked there was only one profession that paid for that. And let's face it, Ady, you're too bitchy to be a whore." Aw, hell this bitch wanted to die.
"Watch yourself, Sands." It would be her last warning before I ate her for dinner and not in the good way.
"Fuck you, Adelpha. Get the damn job done. Have you forgotten that you were hired to kill this man, not fuck him?" She sneered and I wanted to devour her soul.
"Have you forgotten who you work for, Sandi? That's right, so shut that damn mouth of yours before you become my next job."
"One week, Ady. One week before they come and do the job themselves,” she warned.
"Let them fucking try."
Sladkiy bezumiye (Sweet madness...)
Steam billowed out of the small bathroom and his scent hit me like a freight train. The delicious chocolaty undertones over pine wafted out of the fog and I nearly purred. I was becoming addicted to this man, his Russian murmurs and his fierce lovemaking. I needed to just end it before this addiction ended me.
"Don't look so crestfallen, Dorogaya," his thickly accented words poured over me like honey, gumming up all rational thoughts. Sex. Deliciously rough sex was my only thought when he was near. I smiled faintly, trying to lock my misgivings away. He knew why I was here. He knew I was sent to kill him and he still wanted me. He still wanted me even though I would be his greatest downfall.
"Luca, they are coming to do the job I can't do." I let the words hang in the air between us. He still had moisture dripping from his dark hair, down his bare chest and I had the sudden urge to catch them with my mouth. I wanted to eat him, to steal his fear, but the thought of hurting him now made me think of the monster that created me. I wasn't the creature that Dante had been. I am not without emotion.
"Do it. Tonight. I would gladly accept death if it was by your hand," he whispered into my ear and I jerked away from him. I refused that fate. I would not be the one to snuff out this being's amazing light. I was darkness, I was death, but I would not be his death. Not anymore.
"I can't." I felt a deep stabbing pain in my chest at that revelation. A pain so deep it was hard to breathe. Regret. Heartache. Loss. All emotions I have never known until that moment. It was a revelation I wasn't ready for.
"Milaya, we can't change fate. This is happening because of something out of my control but it is happening. Dimitrios will never stop looking for me. Nadia made sure of that. Do this for me. Let me choose the death I am destined to have." And I shook my head at the thought.
"Sladkim t'ma," he whispered in Russian as I fought not to shiver at his words. His lips branding my skin, a marking I would feel for days after I had to kill him if I even could still do it. I really doubt I could now.
"Sweet darkness? I am neither, Ruski. I am the void. I am death, I am your death."
"If I had to choose my reaper, it would be you, Ady. Death by your hand wouldn't be an end, it would be a release."
"But what if you didn't have to die?" I asked, my thoughts chaotic and completely insane. Could I do what Dante did to me? Would it even take? There is a good chance that he didn't carry the gene to even become a Skleros; a rare genetic fuck-up among empaths as old as time itself. And if he did, could I go through with something so horrible? Reading my swirling emotions, he frowned.
"I don't understand."
"I could make you like me. You would be technically dead, but you would live forever. No one could hurt you then. I could make you like me." I tried to convince myself that this was our only option. He looked at me, half intrigued, half horrified. "Bad idea?" I asked, trying my best not to give away the fact that my mind was already made up. I was going to try at least if he was hell bent on dying over something he had no control over. He had no control over this decision either. I refused to let him kill himself over the death of a mad woman. He wasn't at fault for Nadia's obsessive behavior. He didn't ask for her love and he certainly didn't know she would kill herself over his rejection. If only her brother would get that.
"What happens if it doesn't work?" He asked, truly considering my offer and I was honest with him. "You die." He took in my words for a moment before replying, "Let's do it. I have nothing left to lose and if it works then I get you forever. Let's do it now."
Birth and death...
"This will hurt, Luca. I won't lie." I whispered as I tied him to the bed. He grinned. "Not the first time I heard that after being tied to a bed." I smacked him lightly. "I am serious. If this works, it will be the worst pain you have ever known." He nodded. I was drawn into the memory of my own rebirth. The night Dante forced the transformation on me.
* * *
“But you let me in, little one. You can’t hide from me now.” His sweet voice turning into something horrifying. When he found me, hiding in the cupboard, I was shaking so bad that my teeth were chattering. And then the kiss of rebirth…the pain of coming into my new skin.
* * *
Shaking off the memory, I breathed in deeply and let my beast out and moved in to strike. I kissed him, but not a normal kiss. No, this kiss was one of pain and rebirth. I put all my power behind it and his heart started to beat so fast it sounded like it would explode. Sweat coated his face as I pushed back into him the essence of terror and darkness within me. This was just the beginning though. I had to do this a few times and his heart had to survive it. I pulled back and he heaved, but nothing came up. "Wait," he gasped and I replied, “Again.” I repeated the process three more times. He barely was alive and his heartbeat was faint and erratic by the fourth go round.
"Luca, try to fe
ed. Pull my fear into you. Can you feel it?" I asked and he moaned in response. I slapped him, hard. "Focus and feed, dammit!" I yelled at him and he roused a bit more. "I can't..." He moaned. I slapped him again. "Do it now!" He focused on me and I watched in relief as his eyes began to change. I felt the first lap of his newfound power and I could have screamed out in pleasure. I kissed him, giving him that contact he needed to feed and feed he did. He pulled me into a whirlwind of terror in seconds. I had to break the contact before it took me under.
"Oh my god, that was good. More. I need more." He growled, breaking the restraints with ease; his face was a mask of hunger and lust. I pulled on my own Skleros' nature. Tonight was only the beginning for us. I get to keep my Russian and we could take on his enemies together. Sandi would be a problem until I paid her that cut of this hit. She will get over it quickly for the right price.
When he kissed me hard, I melted into him and let him feed from me. It was bliss. It was pain. It was rebirth. And now nothing could stop us.
"How did you feel, Luca?"
"Hungry and ready for revenge." He growled, his accented voice raspy from the transformation.
"Welcome to my world, Ruski. It is a world of violence, sex and death. It only can get better from here." I whispered as he threw me to the bed. Oh, yes, Ruski...it can only get better...
The END
Rue Volley
©Text Copyright 2014 Rue Volley
“There's nothing in this world so sweet as love. And next to love the sweetest thing is hate.”
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Prologue
I drove along with the music humming in the car. It was low, reserved, I sighed as I tapped my red nails on the black steering wheel. The beat droned on, reminding me of how stale I had truly become. I reached over and pressed the button, forcing the CD out of the small slit cut into the car’s dashboard. I tossed it out the window and it rolled to a stop on the deep black asphalt behind me. I flipped the armrest up and it exposed my secret stash of driving music. I fingered through it, never taking my eyes off of the road, and finally felt it. The soft paper case that housed the CD I had ignored for a while now. A CD made for me, a mix CD, yeah…one of those fucking things. I was sure it was packed with songs I could do without, songs that reminded me of her. The woman who had ripped my heart out and then took a dump on it. I hesitated, and then pulled it out. I tapped it on the edge of the armrest, glancing at it. “To my Love” was written in black script across the stark white paper sleeve. Nice handwriting, coming from a demonic hand. A cheater, a liar, a coward, who also happened to be the love of my life. The one that would haunt me forever.
