by Kim Faulks
Seductive Sands
By Kim Faulks
Copyright © 2011 by Kim Faulks 2011
ISBN: 978-0-9871841-1-5
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Acknowledgments
This book is dedicated to my parents Basil and Aileen, my brothers Scott and Daniel. We have shared many a hard day together and it was through these days that have instilled the determination to do the best that I can, and this book is just that, the best that I can.
Chapter 1
Natalie could feel the exact moment when Alexander read her letter. Their connection was so strong that she felt his torment and it tore through her like a knife. A lone tear slid down her face and disappeared under the line of her jaw as her heart pained in her chest.
But Alexander’s heart would not pain, no. His heart would never pain again. It had ceased its right to life when he died and became a vampire.
Natalie could almost see him flick away the tear, staining the crisp white handkerchief red. Natalie, please, he whispered as her flight was announced over the speaker, as hurt as she was she fought herself not to turn around and run from the airport and back to him.
She was heading to the shifting sands of the Arabian Desert. There she hoped to gain the answers she desperately needed. Answers to the events that surrounded her death in a previous life and to the reason she was condemned to live her life again and again, torn between her husband and murderer Alexander, and her lover Malik.
Malik turned and looked at her, motioning for them to head towards the terminal and to their plane. Natalie nodded and picked up her bag, wiping the tears that threatened to fall from her face. Malik had resumed his normal guarded self after declaring his love for her. His softer caring side was left for them in private.
Natalie handed her ticket to the attendant and climbed the steel stairs to the plane, sliding into her seat next to Malik. The twenty hour plane trip to Cairo would be torture for her, she had developed an issue with planes and heights since her helicopter had been shot down while serving in Afghanistan, so she had come prepared with her headphones and music.
She felt the brush of Malik’s hand as he comforted her in secret and she nodded, letting him know she was okay. Their connection was complicated and she felt his desire for her no less than she felt Alexander’s. Both men seemed content to invade her thoughts and her body and leave her to struggle through the torment that ultimately came with them.
The plane lurched forward and Natalie grabbed hold of the armrest, holding on until the plane had climbed through the clouds and smoothed out. She slipped her earphones in and selected play and the sweet voice of Jared Leto filled her ears; his tortured words filling her mind, telling her that it was all a beautiful lie. The words resounded loudly inside her; they scratched away the mirage of her life, leaving what was left bleeding and raw.
She needed to focus on this, on something else that would get her through the flight and relieve the tension inside of her. The music took her away and she closed her eyes and concentrated on calming herself and clearing her mind. But no matter how hard she tried not to think of Alexander his cool pale skin and ice blue eyes drifted to her. Come back to me, he pleaded. The image in her mind was as clear as if she stood before him, his body cold and hard like marble against her. She lifted her hand towards him and a chill swept through her, settling low inside her and she felt the pull of her unmistakable desire for him.
Her fingers trailed upwards along the pale skin and blood red lips of his face and disappeared into his silver blonde hair as he moved against her. He stood only slightly taller than her and barely moved his head so that his lips brushed hers. God she wanted him, her own desires were disloyal to the warnings of her mind and her body shuddered as she sat in the seat next to Malik. She could feel Malik’s anger, the heat rolled off him like waves, warming the places where Alexander touched her, even in her mind.
She felt Malik’s hand as he gently tugged at the wire of her earphones and leant in to her. “Tell the dead one to back the fuck off,” he said. He would not give Alexander an inch and even the sound of his voice was unable to stop her from looking up at him, as the malevolence in his words matched the blazing flames in his eyes in that moment.
Anger and just a touch of satisfaction flared within Natalie. Malik was content to tease her with other men, normal, human men. But it seemed Malik wasn’t prepared to play where Alexander was concerned. She knew only too well the hatred the two had for each other. It had spanned lifetimes - her life times to be exact. Whether she wanted to be or not, it seemed she was the rope in this tug-of-war. She looked up into Malik’s eyes, watching as the black and orange flames flickered back at her and she felt the ghostly presence of Alexander drift away.
Malik leaned back in the seat back and closed his eyes, seemingly content for the moment. It would be a long flight and they needed as much sleep as they could get. Once they landed they would be focused on finding Natalie’s contacts and stocking up on guns and ammunition before heading towards the shores of the red sea and to the answers she needed.
The hum and the vibration of the engine soothed Natalie’s strung-out nerves and she closed her eyes, willing her body to relax. Before long her breathing deepened and her fears subsided and she slept.
Chapter 2
She was thankful when the plane touched down under the cover of darkness. The sky would start to lighten soon enough and with it would be the unbearable Egyptian heat. She had dressed light, in beige cargo pants and a light colored shirt, knowing too well the need for camouflage in such a desolate place.
She had served two tours in the harsh Afghanistan desert so she knew the danger of even getting into Arabia would be a feat in itself, let alone finding a nomad camp that moved around like the shifting sands they called home.
Natalie stepped off the plane and slipped her red hair under a black cap. It wasn’t safe to be a woman here, especially one with red hair and pale skin and the sooner they were out of the city and on their way the better.
She walked behind Malik as they entered the airport, although it was not by choice. He hadn’t spoken a word to her since Alexander had given up his pleading and disappeared from her mind. Malik seemed motivated to get as further from him as they possible could, even if that meant in the middle of the Arabian Desert. Both men fought over her like she was a possession that neither wanted to share.
Alexander was more up front with his advances, his seductive call was at most times hard to resist, drowning Natalie in an ocean of longing. Malik on the other hand preferred to brood and keep the challenge against the Vampire to the bedroom. Her body had been pushed to its limits more times than she could count and after witnessing the way the flames flickered in his eyes earlier, her body shuddered with excitement of what he would do with her tonight.
She walked faster to catch up and couldn’t help but be drawn to his muscled body. The view from behind was just as appealing as the one from the front. His black cargo pants fit snug against the tight curve of his arse and thighs and his black T-shirt spread upwards, smoothing out across his back then bulging with the muscles of his shoulders and upper arms. Natalie’s breath caught in her throat and she tore her eyes away and attempted to concentrate on the armed guards who patrolled the baggage area next to her, an
ything but the seductive movement of Malik’s body in front of her as she felt the first shiver of her excitement between her thighs.
They collected their bags from the well-worn conveyor belt as it clicked and groaned in protest, then walked outside to the awaiting taxi. Malik slid into the seat in front and she moved quietly into the back, keeping her eyes down and drawing no attention to herself. It was handy to have an immortal creature around at times; no dialect was undiscovered for them, as they had lifetimes to keep up with the ebb and flow of mankind around them.
Malik spoke fast and fluent and soon the taxi lurched forward, weaving in and out amongst the already steady stream of traffic. They were headed to the other side of the city, to a group of Australian mercenaries, who would probably not welcome either of them with open arms. But they would give Natalie what she needed, either out of respect or fear and that was just fine with her.
Natalie settled down into the seat and relaxed. She concentrated on Alexander for a moment, curious if their connection was still as strong as it was when they were near. Yes. It was only one word and it was faint but the smooth voice was unmistakable to her, as was the desire inside of her.
Natalie had given herself to Alexander only once, but he had left his mark inside of her. She was an armed bodyguard and had been hired to escort him while he was in Sydney. But he had another motive. He used his powers as a vampire to ensnare her into his world. A world which she seemed destined to share.
His world was one filled with creatures she never knew existed, but she had quickly learned that they were not to be feared, not by her at least. Asylia and the Demon Leron had been the first creatures she encountered. Asylia was a Serpentalias; they were in some way related to snakes and one of the most gorgeous creatures she had ever seen. Natalie had been stunned more than scared, but the memory of Asylia surfaced in her mind as she lay next to her. She knew this creature, she remembered her somehow as though it had been a long forgotten memory, now pushing its way to break through the fractures of her mind. She sparkled like silver, each scale of her skin intricately joined to the next one as it covered the swell of a woman’s body. She was both beautiful and deadly and Natalie couldn’t help but be drawn to her.
The Demon Leron was the opposite. When Natalie thought of him all she could remember was his first words to her “Ever been fucked by a demon?” His yellow-eyes and repulsive essence made her feel nauseous and although she hated to admit it, he scared her. She had been lured to an All Hallows Eve party by Alexander and began to break the walls down inside her revealing a life where she lived as his wife.
Malik had burst in and pulled Alexander from her, his mouth dripped with her blood as he screamed at Malik to get out. She had been confused, lying exposed in front of the two men while she dripped from her neck and from between her thighs. Malik had been the one to find her torn apart and bleeding in the hands of Alexander in her first life, so when he had burst through the doors at the party and saw Alexander biting her he reacted violently, ready to tear the vampire apart.
The tension between them was ferocious. It was a deep seated hate that had centuries to cement into each other’s immortal hearts. It was understandable; they could not have been more different if they tried. Malik was a Djinn, an ancient creature born of fire, while Alexander was cold like ice. They were her fire and ice.
She had fallen in love with them, although she didn’t entirely trust them. Both men filled the emptiness inside her and both hated each other with a passion, so she figured that they were so focused on each other that she was safe for the time being.
The taxi drove through Cairo, eventually crossing the River Nile and into Tirsa while the sky lightened and the day began. They were headed for an old abandoned building, where they would obtain the equipment they needed, most of which was bought on the black market. The directions they were given were clear and before long they pulled up outside of a massive steel building. It looked like an old garage, abandoned a long time ago; it was now filled with mercenaries and equipment. She climbed out of the taxi and waited for Malik.
They waited for the taxi to disappear before walking into the building. Steve and Robert weren’t friends but they had served in the same platoon and sometimes obligation to your fellow comrade outweighed friendship. Natalie moved inside the massive building in front of Malik. “Steve, Rob?”
“Butcher, how goes it?” said a voice from the darkness.
Steve hadn’t changed in the years that they had returned home. His predatory gaze was the same one he had kept for her in the close quarters they shared with the other ten in their squad. His reputation had been one of a hot-head and prone to be trigger happy so she had been wary at first until the day his need outweighed his common sense, so he had waited until the dead of night while the others slept and then he made his move.
There was one simple difference they had from the day they met; to the day they deployed back home. He was scared of her.
Chapter 3
He sat on the stairs which were partially hidden behind a corner of the room. He could see them perfectly, but the darkness hid him from her until he stood and the morning light showed her the outline of his massive body.
“Who’s your friend butcher?” he said, his voice deep and his words echoing no emotion as he moved with careful steps toward them, never taking his eyes off her.
“This is Malik, and I’ve told you not to call me that,” she said; her tone as cold as his. There was only one way to deal with men like Steve and that was with malevolence. He needed to know that he didn’t frighten her, but to be careless with her attention would be deadly.
“Malik, sounds fuckin’ Arab. You fucking this Arab, butcher?” he said, walking towards her.
She could feel her back grow warm and she held out a hand behind her, pleading with Malik to calm down.
“You want to start the negotiations by pissing off the money?” she said, keeping her voice calm.
Steve walked up to her, stopping only just before they touched. His brown eyes deceived his usual friendly manner, they showed his true self and were as lifeless as his soul. He didn’t waste any pretense on her, he knew that she saw him for what he was. But he still tried his best to rattle her with the proximity of their bodies. It was a scare tactic and she knew he was testing her. He wanted to see if she still had it, the edge - the hunger.
Natalie met his stare, her eyes showing a side of her she usually kept private and sedated with a bottle of whatever she could get her hands on. But she let it out now, just this once - it was the only ticket she had that would get them out of here alive.
The seconds of her watch moved slowly for her now, its beat matching her heart as he stared deep into her eyes and the brutal killer that she was, stared back into his.
She knew the moment he saw it in her eyes. His tell was a twitch of the nerve near his eye, as he moved slowly back.
“You bought the money with you?” he said, his eyes dropping from hers now. The problem was once she acknowledged the darkness inside of her, it was hard to not let it consume her. She nodded her response, not sure if her voice would sound normal.
“We will want to see the product first,” said Malik, and Natalie whispered a silent thank you for his intrusion.
“Sure, this way B…” he stopped and let the last of his words fade away as he watched for her reaction. She moved carefully, focusing on her surroundings as the darkness faded.
“Let’s get this done,” Natalie said, giving Steve the okay to leave the blunder behind. He walked over to the far end of the building and pulled off a dark grey plastic tarp, revealing an old black jeep that had seen better days.
“Is this it?” Natalie asked, looking at Steve.
“What did you expect, air-conditioning and leather trim seats?”
The jeep had no doors, but at least it had a hard roof that would keep the sun off them. Piled in the back were large black bags and Steve reached around and grabbed them from the back.
/> “There are nine MP5’s and enough ammunition for ten squads, as well as the Glock you asked for and the knives. I’ve also packed maps and survival gear as well as enough food and water to last you a week, if you’re lucky.”
It was more than she asked for. You could say a lot about Steve but he was the best tactical officer she had ever seen. She reached out and took the yellow envelope from Malik and handed it to Steve.
“So where you headed?” Steve asked as he pocketed the money.
“Libya,” said Natalie. Her tone made it clear that no more questions were to be asked. Steve shrugged and walked over, picking up a set of keys on a table and tossing them towards her. She caught the keys and handed them to Malik and he quietly carried the bags towards the jeep, loading them into the back.
“So, what’s the deal with you guys?” Steve said, nodding towards Malik.
“There’s no deal. We’re not here to take your business Steve, there’s nothing I’d love more than get back on the plane and head for home. I’m not about to stay here any longer than I have to.”
He seemed satisfied with her answer, it was either that or she didn’t give a fuck anymore. She threw her bag into the door-less Jeep and looked at him. “We good?”
He looked at her, the question was hidden but they both knew what was going on. She was asking if he would try to stop her. A wrong response would start something that she knew she may not survive, but knew with cold certainty that Steve most certainly would not. His eyes narrowed slightly and looked from her to Malik, unable to judge who would be the most deadly if he did stop them from leaving the warehouse. But, in the end he nodded, hit the button for the massive steel door and the motor whined as it pulled it up and out of their way.
She stared straight ahead as they drove out and headed away from the warehouse. It wasn’t until they were two streets away she realized that she had stopped breathing and gulped the dust filled air into her lungs. Malik concentrated, driving fast as they headed out of the city.
