Haunting Savannah: 8 Dark and Seductive Tales

by Lia Davis

  She pulled her hoodie up and shoved her hands in her pockets. The dark, wooded area known as Dead Way, just beneath the dimly lit bridge frightened her, but those who spent their time under the old bridge scared her more. Creatures of the night, immortals, bloodsuckers or just plain old vampires. Society had become used to them. Most vamps kept to themselves. Most humans chose to believe that such types were myths, urban legends, but others embraced their presence. Cassie had always been indifferent to them. She’d never seen one before. Growing up in the foster system, she heard stories of vampires taking kids in. Getting them off the streets and providing them an alternative to the dead end lives most of them faced. She’d never been fortunate enough to have been adopted by either a human or a vampire, so she never cared one way or the other if they had existed. She aged out of the system five years before and hit the streets, surviving, scraping to get by and hoping things would get better. They hadn’t.

  As she slowly made her way down the dirt covered path, muffled voices spoke beyond the mist. One time, she told herself. She would try this one time. Vampires needed humans to survive and her blood was just as good as the next. Why shouldn’t she sell it? A chill prickled down her spine when two shadowy figures appeared in the distance.

  Just this one time...

  Chapter 1

  Grant Bellow’s hard, muscular body stiffened as he and Maxim Avery entered the large, historical stone building. Max’s partner didn’t care for this place, and only accompanied him because Grant didn't like to be away from him for long periods of time. The two had been together for over one hundred years. Maxim gave Grant immortality when he was a student at Oxford University just at the turn of the century. They'd been inseparable ever since. The truest of companions. No one had ever come between them. No one ever could.

  Maxim, a professor at the university, had been assigned as the keeper there in the fall of 1895. Since it was one of the oldest universities in the world, it had a large vampire population and needed a strong leadership presence to keep order. Proving to be a strong leader, he had a way of keeping his kind in line. They respected him and rarely challenged his authority. He was fair and as long as the night walkers in his territory obeyed the rules, no one had a problem. Vampires were expected to live a quiet life and mingle amongst the humans without being too obvious. They weren't to expose what they were in their everyday lives. Of course, there were humans who knew of their existence, but a good vampire knew how to handle such circumstances. They were forbidden to feed publicly. Satisfying their thirst was a necessity that was meant to be discreet. It was that rule that made keeping a human companion a popular choice for survival.

  Grant was Maxim's human confidant for several years before he decided to give him eternal life. It was a choice Grant entered into freely. One Maxim was more than willing to accommodate. He'd fallen hard for the young student who had enrolled in one of the evening courses. Grant was smart and observant and figured out what Maxim was in a matter of weeks. Grant couldn't stay away from Max. The older vampire was just as drawn to his student, and allowed himself to care deeply for the human who had stolen his heart in such a short period. Once Grant became a vampire, Maxim offered him the opportunity to explore all of his options even if they didn’t include Maxim. Grant vowed to stay with his creator for as long as he would have him. Max intended for their union to last an eternity.

  As they walked down the long corridor of the old building, Maxim sensed Grant's displeasure. The disgust in Grant’s ice blue eyes dominated his expression. Maxim didn't care to see his partner so unhappy.

  “You didn’t have to come with me,” Max said. “You dislike it here.”

  “I didn’t want you to have to come alone. I know how the others can be when you check up on them.”

  “They don't like it.” Maxim laughed. He tried to be amiable, but when a person was in such an authoritative role others feared them even detested them. “It's necessary. This is my domain and I have to make sure everyone is following procedure. It's always risky when humans are involved in our world.”

  The couple had relocated to the United States in the early eighties when Maxim was assigned to be the keeper of a largely populated vampire pocket in the Savannah area. One of his duties was to oversee the operations of the human auction houses in his area.

  They lived a quiet life. They were eccentric beings and content with one another’s company. Grant never liked the concept of these auction houses. Maxim didn’t love the idea either, but the auctions had been in operation since the beginning of the vampire existence, and they served a purpose. They were beneficial. The humans were willingly sold to the highest vampire bidder and taken to live with their new owner. The auctioned party was treated well, and in most cases given a life of privilege that most could only dream of. In exchange, the human would allow the vampire to feed from them and provide companionship. A vampire’s life could be a lonely one. Most times the relationship became intimate, but sex wasn’t mandatory or expected.

  As they walked down the hall, they observed many rooms filled with both men and women. Humans were signing agreements. No one was held against their will. The sale was a consensual arrangement. There were no underage participants. All the humans knew what was expected of them once they stepped up on the auction block. They were educated thoroughly on the subject and given every opportunity to walk away before the bidding had begun. Maxim left little room for error in his territory and never tolerated mistreatment.

  Grant shook his head as he watched a woman sign the contract and hand it back to one of the vampires responsible for handling the humans while they waited to be sold.

  “This is disgusting,” he mumbled.

  Max took his lover’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “No one is here who doesn't want to be,” he told Grant. “No one is being forced into this life.”

  “That's absurd and you know it. These people are desperate and in most cases they don't have a choice.”

  “We all have a choice.” Maxim led him into the massive room where the bidding would take place.

  “They're runaways, drug addicts and victims of abuse,” Grant reminded him. “What choice do they have?”

  “You know as well as I do that in almost every case these humans end up much better off than when they are given to their vampire.”

  “Bought, not given.” Grant stared into Maxim's eyes daring him to play a game of semantics on the subject.

  Maxim sighed because he wasn’t going to win this argument. He shouldn't have brought Grant here for this impromptu inspection. “Their vampire's treat them well, pay for their educations, give them luxuries and companionship. You've seen many humans who have gone onto better things because of the life that started here.”

  No matter how much Grant detested the idea, he couldn't argue that point. Many prominent figures, lawyers, doctors and people who’d gone on to do good in this world were once a companion to a vampire. Humans even proved helpful when a vampire needed assistance at some point in time. Some humans chose to become immortal when the contract expired. In exchange for a good life, the human was bound by secrecy. Whether they became immortal or not, they would be protected and well cared for by their night walker for as long as time kept them on this earth. Once the contract expired they were free to leave, but vowed never to speak of the time they had spent serving their undead companion.

  “I just don't get it, I guess.” Grant pushed his dark hair from his eyes. “You found me without an auction.”

  “Things were different for us. You figured out what I was and wanted to be with me.”

  “I still do. That's why I'm in this dreadful place with you.” When Grant smiled, his chiseled jaw relaxed. “I don't like to be away from you.”

  “I know, my love,” Maxim said. “I hate to be away from you. Let me make my inspection and then we'll go home. I'll show you how much I appreciate you when we get there.”

  “Promise?” Grant slowly licked his kissable lips.r />
  “You'll be mine all night.” Maxim wanted more than anything to make his inspection so he could spend the rest of the evening pleasing his partner.

  When Grant stopped, Max sensed his mood turned colder, when they approached the entrance of the huge ballroom. Maxim followed his lover's gaze and immediately locked in on the stunning woman standing on the auction block. Her long, dark hair fell over her slender shoulders, curling slightly at the ends. Her olive complexion was a stark contrast to the pale yellow silk dress she wore. She appeared to be in her early twenties. Maxim sensed her fear as she stood on display in front of a room full of blood thirsty vampires. He was certain Grant was picking up on her anxiety.

  Grant's jaw tightened again, growling from someplace deep within his chest. “Look at the way these men are lusting after her.” Max had never seen his normally docile mate so fired up.

  Grant stepped deeper into the room, never taking his eyes away from the dark-haired beauty who couldn’t get her fidgeting under control. Maxim had to admit she was the most striking woman he'd ever seen. He wondered if her skin was as soft as it appeared or her full pink lips were as inviting as they seemed. And then there was the vein pulsing along her neck. His sensitive hearing tuned into the blood flowing through her warm body. So vibrant, so alive.

  “She’s distressed,” Grant said.

  “You can feel that?” Max observed his partner, trying not to appear alarmed, but something was off. Grant was intrigued by this particular human. Max had never seen his creation so enthralled over a woman. It was unsettling.

  “You want this girl.” It wasn't a question. Maxim could see the desire in Grant's eyes as they darkened. Grant did his best to conceal his protruding fangs, but as each second passed, the more his animalistic instincts pushed to the surface. In that moment, Maxim accepted the inevitable. His content existence was about to change.

  Grant continued to stare at the beautiful, young woman standing on the auction block. The rapid beat of her heart drummed out any other sound in the room. The lust from the other vampires swirled around, fueling his rage. He could hear the whispers of how they wanted to drink from her and take her in ways she'd never known possible. A few planned to bid fast and high to ensure they left with this woman. It infuriated Grant in ways he couldn’t understand. This had to be stopped. His ice cold veins hardened, his throat ached to feed, but he had to control the beast within. Maxim taught him to be civilized and in command of his inner demon at all times.

  “Grant?” Maxim moved closer to his side, taking his hand. The concern in his master’s voice took him by surprise. Grant wasn't sure he could vocalize his emotions. The only other time he experienced this type of desire was over a century ago when he encountered Max.

  Honesty was an integral part of their relationship. They'd been exclusive since the beginning, but had shared their bed on occasion with both men and women through the years. They had never done it without the other present. It was always to spice things up. A different way of feeding. Forever was a long time and they both agreed that sometimes having a third in the bedroom helped when things got familiar.

  “Do you want this girl?” Maxim asked.

  “I don't know,” Grant admitted as he retracted his fangs. “But I don't want anyone else to have her.”

  “Very well,” Maxim said.

  “What can we do?”

  “I'll stop the auction.”

  Maxim’s well-toned body filled out his designer suit perfectly as he strode toward the auctioneer. His strong, imposing form held an eloquence not many men possessed. With one word from Maxim everything stopped. There wasn’t anything this man wouldn’t do for Grant.

  Maxim whispered into the confused man's ear, but Grant heard everything. He could see the fear on the man’s face as the impressive vampire told him this particular auction was closed and he'd pay triple what the girl was worth. The auctioneer nodded and within seconds Max’s orders were followed.

  Grant didn’t care that Maxim had bought her. All he wanted to do was get her out of there. He shifted his focus from Max to the scared girl. Their eyes had connected briefly when he first came into the room. When he held her gaze, electricity coursed through his cold body. In that moment he remembered what it was like to be alive. The sensation lasted no more than a few seconds, but Grant wanted to experience it again.

  The emerald-eyed angel kept her head down as she waited to find out her fate. The other vamps in the room booed and hissed during the unexpected delay. They were clearly annoyed Maxim had stopped the show before the bidding even started. Disappointment and impatience settled in the air. It would quickly be replaced with anticipation when the next human was brought out for bidding.

  Ten minutes later the paperwork was processed and the three of them were in the limo on their way back to Grant and Maxim's secluded estate. This scenario was never an option.

  The men sat on the same seat while the girl whose name, according to the paperwork was Cassie, sat across from them. She scooted to the corner, pulled her legs into her chest and shivered. It was late October and once the sun had set, the evenings were quite cold. It probably didn't help that she shared the enclosed space with two extremely frigid vampires. Their breath alone could drop the temperature by ten degrees. She didn't even have a jacket.

  “You’re cold.” Grant stated the obvious.

  She nodded.

  Maxim flicked a switch and turned up the heat. Grant smiled at him in appreciation. Max continued to stare at the stranger sitting across from them. He didn't do well with new people, especially humans. He liked to have total control in every situation so Grant wasn't certain how this new arrangement would work. He wasn't even sure what he'd been thinking. Perhaps it was best to stop this before it started.

  “Cassie,” Grant said.

  She raised her head when he called her name. She looked up at him with her mesmerizing green eyes and waited for him to speak. Grant momentarily lost his voice. He couldn't stop staring at the vision who had overtaken his world. No human had ever looked directly into his eyes. They were too afraid. There were many myths surrounding his kind, but the one about a vamp being able to command someone with their eyes was true to form. This was the second time she had stared him down. She never faltered.

  “My name is Grant and this is Maxim.”

  She didn’t say anything, but acknowledged them both with her wide, enchanting eyes.

  “Where can we drop you?” Grant asked.

  Maxim's head snapped in Grant's direction. “What are you doing?” He spoke too low for Cassie to hear. An advantage the undead had when they needed to speak to one another without mortals overhearing. “She's homeless. She has no place to go.”

  Homeless?

  There was something about these men that intrigued Cassie. She thought she’d be more afraid after the auction, but an odd sense of familiarity came over her when her new suitors came to collect her. Almost as if she’d been here before. Before signing up she had been given the scenarios of what could happen once she left with her companion. For the next couple of years she would serve as a special friend to the highest bidder. She had imagined what it would be like to leave with a stranger all afternoon. To put her total trust in her new master and fulfill his every need. On some level it excited her. Her life hadn’t been easy. She was ready for a change. A shot at something more. Something she didn’t totally understand, but was drawn to. Now that she had settled down from the adrenaline the auction had caused, she was calmer and ready to hold up her end of the deal. She didn't get what was happening with her new men. Why did it seem as if they weren’t going to abide by the deal? No one had ever given her any reason to trust them. Perhaps that was why this whole scene seemed so familiar.

  When she bumped into her friend Andrea under the bridge at Dead Way one desperate night, she'd looked so put together and happy. The women had been in and out of the foster care system together for years and were both released into the big, cold world on their eig
hteenth birthdays. They had no families, no skills and no money. That didn't matter to the system. When a kid aged out, that was that.

  Cassie had been on her own for the last four years, struggling to get by. After she'd lost her job at the local bar due to cutbacks last month she couldn't keep up her tiny, dingy apartment. She'd been sleeping in a shelter when there was room, but it wasn’t the safest place. Andrea insisted she come home with her. Cassie didn't want to impose but Andrea wouldn't hear it. She had been fortunate enough to become a companion to a very prominent businessman who she found through a vampire auction.

  It was Andrea’s companion, Jonathan, who put her in contact with the auction house. Vampires had been a myth, nothing but fiction. When Cassie witnessed Jonathan feeding from her friend she realized the stories had been true. Jonathan treated Cassie very well while she stayed in his home, and encouraged her to put herself up on the auction block. Andrea assured Cassie she was well taken care of and safe with Jonathan, and she could have a good life too. What did she have to lose?

  She never expected to go home with two vampires when she signed up. She had no idea what was happening when Maxim approached the man in charge of running the auction before the bidding had begun. Cassie was pulled off the block and ushered into a back room amid some loud displeasure from the other vampires in the room. A few minutes later she was brought to the car waiting at the back of the auction house. After all that they were releasing her? Into the world where she was no better off than when she was eighteen?

  No fucking way!