by Isabella
SUMMARY
Selene Hightower is a killer for hire. A vampire who walks in both the light and the darkness, but lately darkness has a stronger pull. Her unfinished business could cost her the ability to live in the light, throwing her permanently back into the black ink of evil.
Doctor Francesca Swartz led a boring life filled with test tubes, blood trials, and work. One exploratory night, in a world of leather and torture, she is intrigued by a dark and solitary soul. She surrenders to temptation and the desire to experience something new, only to discover that it might alter her life forever.
Will Selene allow the light to win over the darkness threatening the edges of her life? Two women wonder if they can co-exist despite vast differences, as worlds collide and threaten to destroy any hope of happiness. Who will win?
Scarlet Assassin
Scarlet Assassin
ISABELLA
WRITING AS
JETT ABBOTT
SAPPHIRE BOOKS
SALINAS, CALIFORNIA
Scarlet Assassin
Copyright © 2014 by Isabella, writing as Jett Abbott All rights reserved.
ISBN EPUB - 978-1-939062-37-6
This is a work of fiction - names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without written permission of the publisher.
Cover Design by Christine Svendsen
Editor - Lisa Boeving
Interior Designer - LJ Reynolds
Sapphire Books
Salinas, CA 93912
www.sapphirebooks.com
Printed in the United States of America
First edition – February 2014
Dedication
To the woman who never questions, why.
My love, Schileen.
Thomas, Eric and Alex, my heart!
Acknowledgements
Sometimes, no, isn’t the end of journey, but the beginning of one. At least it was for me and I have the readers to thank for accompanying me on my travels.
To the readers who kept asking for another Jett Abbott book, thank you! Now you know my secret!
To my beta reader, Erin Saluta - your insight into the story was thought provoking and right on target. Thank you.
To my editor, Lisa Boeving - you keep me honest when I want to be lazy. Many thanks.
To Peggy Adams for finding all my flaws, a huge thanks for joining us at Sapphire Books.
To the wonderful women at Sapphire Books - you are amazing storytellers. When I grow-up I want to be just like you!
Chapter One
Selene sat entranced as the scratched and grainy images popped on the old, by-gone era theater. Built in the early 1900’s, it still had all the smells of stale food, mold, and body odor that assaulted her senses as she kept her eyes glued to the images playing out before her. Her phone vibrated in her pocket as the scene continued to unfold, glowing in the darkness of the theater. She was tempted to ignore it. Whoever it was had intruded on her time and she had so little to herself lately.
Her jaw clenched. The longer the phone vibrated the angrier she got. Clearly, the caller wasn’t getting the message. Her phone settings would prevent the caller from leaving a message for a reason. She didn’t like talking to people. The phone was a necessary evil she had accepted on her terms. Finally, the vibration stopped and she lost herself once again in the silent film she had seen at least a hundred times. “Gish the dish” as she liked to refer to the silent film star, had enthralled her from an early age.
“One piece of that candy and you had to go back to the dish for more.” A gentleman sitting next to her had said when the film premiered.
He was right. Selene had returned to see the film many times and would continue to do so for the length of her life, she was sure. Watching the DVD couldn’t compare to the big screen setting. The larger than life images reminded her of a different time in her life and she could almost smell the hot popcorn, the heady rush of perfume, and the warmth of the woman she first saw the film with. She closed her eyes and laid her head back on the seat, memories flooding her mind.
It was her first time seeing a “moving picture” as they called it back then. World War I raged on another continent, rationing was common, work was hard, the hours long and days off were few and far between.
“Oh, I can’t wait to see this. I heard the girls talking about it at work,” her date said, pulling on her elbow, stopping her progress down the dirty, dark street. “I’m so glad you finally decided to take a night off, Selene. This should be fun.”
The giddiness from Mavis was contagious. Selene rarely got excited, but it was hard not to as she watched her date. Smiling at the sheer joy on her companion’s face, she grabbed her by the hand and started towards the theater. The smell of popcorn from the vendor sitting in front of the theater wafted through the air, greeting the movie patrons the closer they got.
“It’s all the rage in New York. I hear the Ziegfeld Follies might have to shut down. No one’s going to the shows now that moving pictures are here,” Selene said, gettting caught up in the moment.
“Oh what a shame that would be. Don’t you think?”
“Well, nothing lasts forever. Eventually things change.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Mavis pulled Selene’s arm. “Come on let’s get a good seat. I don’t want to miss one minute,”
One more turn and they would be on the lit street of the movie theater, but something, someone, moved in the darkness next to Selene. Instinctively Selene leaned close to Mavis’s ear.
“Don’t turn around. Go straight to the movie theater and wait for me.”
“What?” Mavis whispered.
“Don’t turn around, we’re being followed. Run to the theater and don’t look back.”
“But—”
“Save me some cracker jacks, now RUN!”
Selene was grabbed from behind and spun around. A slap across her face momentarily stunned her.
“You shouldna done that, now I gotta chase her down,” a low voice husked out.
The rank smell of tobacco almost made Selene puke as she was struck again, this time with a closed fist. The tinny taste of blood filled her mouth while her body tensed with rage.
“You’re gonna be so sorry you did that, asshole.” Selene grabbed her attacker’s hand. The bones of his knuckles ground together as she squeezed tighter. With a twist, she wrenched his hand over until his wrist snapped. He fell to his knees cursing.
“You bitch! Ya broke ma hand. I’m gonna kill ya.”
“I don’t think you’re in a good position here, buddy,” Selene snarled. Her fangs popped.
“What the fuck?”
“You should’ve really decided to do something more productive than molest two women going to the movies.”
“Let me go and I’ll leave you and the lovely lady alone. Look, I got a family to feed…kids.” He pleaded his case.
“You should have thought about that before. I can’t let you live now.” Selene’s nails lengthened and bit into his hand, anchoring him to her.
“Argghh.” He screamed loud enough that she was sure someone would come to investigate. Pulling him behind some discarded wooden boxes, she cupped her hand over his mouth, muffling his scream. One swift lunge and she was on his neck, draining the life out of him. Finished, she dropped to her knees and suddenly felt nauseous. Gagging, she tried to stop herself from throwing up but her stomach revolted at the sour t
aste of his blood.
“Christ, he’s a fucking drunk and a doper.” Selene turned his arm over, looking for the telltale signs of drug use. He probably drank it with his alcohol. Medicinal of course. Waiting for the queasiness to stop, she stood and looked around, making sure no one had seen them slip behind the boxes. Throwing a few on top of him to cover his body, she tucked her shirt back into her trousers, pulled the cuffs of her sleeves down and straightened her jacket before returning to her date waiting for her at the ticket office.
Selene’s vibrating cell phone yanked her from her memory. Pissed, she pulled it from her pocket so hard she almost ripped her pants. Her eyes narrowed when she recognized the caller ID. She jabbed at the screen.
“This better be important,” she hissed.
An old man in front of her turned around, but before he could say anything Selene let out a low ominous growl.
“Don’t growl at the nice humans, Selene.”
“How do you know I’m not growling at you, AJ?”
AJ chuckled and continued, “Are you busy?”
“What the fuck do you want?”
“Are you busy?”
“Yes.”
“Clarissa wants you to come over for dinner.”
“Again?” Selene grabbed her grumbling stomach. Clarissa’s last gastric creations weren’t bad, Selene just wasn’t sure she was ready to go all-carnivorous quite yet.
“Yep and she specifically asked me to invite you. So, Thursday at six p.m.”
“I’m busy.”
“Okay, Wednesday same time.”
Selene could tell by the tone in AJ’s voice that the kidding was over and it was no longer a request.
“Look, I might work for you but you don’t own me. Is that clear?”
The man in front of Selene turned as her voice grew louder. This time she flashed a set of fangs and let out a low rumble. Selene smelled urine and felt a tad sorry for the old guy.
“You’re not my master, AJ.”
“I’m not asking for me, I’m asking for Clarissa.”
“Fine, tell Clare I’ll be there on Wednesday.” Might was well get it over with.
“Clare?”
“Yeah?”
“Since when do you call my wife, Clare?”
“Since she told me to, why? I’m sure you have lots of other things you call her that she likes better. Like, Sweetheart, Honey, Sweetie Pie, Sugar Lips, shit like that.”
“Well yeah, but she’s never told me to call her Clare.”
Selene could feel the fingers of jealousy reaching through the phone and thread around her neck. Calm down AJ Shit, she’s your wife for Christ’s sake.
“Don’t tell me to calm down.”
Selene shook her head, she forgot AJ’s telepathic abilities were greater than hers and she would have to sensor her thoughts around AJ.
“If you’re jealous of Clarissa and my history, I guess I won’t come over. Either that, or you’ll have to deal with it. Besides, I have plenty to keep me busy at the club and hunting down leads on De Marcus.”
“No, no it’s fine.”
Selene heard AJ strumming her fingers, a sign she was frustrated.
“I’m just…I’m just worried about Clarissa, that’s all. Until we get De Marcus, I’ll always be worried.”
“We can talk about this tomorrow. Like I said, I’m right in the middle of something.” Selene slammed the phone shut.
The lights and darks of the black and white film flicked across Selene’s pale complexion as she immersed herself back into the movie
“Fine, tomorrow then.”
Her target sat two rows in front of her. He’d been giving the wrong someone trouble and Selene was the solution to the problem. She could smell his fancy perfume, the gel he wore in his hair and the B negative coursing through his veins. Selene noticed the old man in front of her had decided to leave. Lucky for him, otherwise she would have had to shorten his time on this earth, too. Slipping up one row, she settled herself and watched the movie again. Things had picked up for her recently and she wasn’t quite sure why, but she never passed up a job. More money got her closer to her goal of chucking it all and finishing her mountain retreat. It was so far off the beaten path, she relished her time alone there. The solitude, the clean air, the quiet made her nostalgic for another time, another place. Letting the memories slip away was probably best. She didn’t need another walk down memory lane during a job. She needed her wits and speed, both of which were affected when she let the melancholy creep in.
Sliding over the seat directly behind the man, she caught a full whiff of him. Vampire! That’s why she’d been called. The bastard wasn’t just anyone; he also wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. Great! Why do these clients lie? He’d probably heard her twenty minutes ago when she growled at the man, who wet himself. Beautiful.
Pulling her garrote, she unwound the thin piano wire, grabbed the handles, and sat quietly for a moment. She studied the size of his neck, his position in the seat and noticed his ears perk, just a bit. She’d have to be quick. Without a second of hesitation, she wrapped the long wire around his neck and pulled. He’d managed to get a couple of fingers between his neck and the wire, but it wouldn’t matter. Putting her knee against the seat, Selene leaned back and yanked. She felt the digits stop her progress for a moment and then the resistance was gone. She’d cut right through them. Now she needed to be quick to finish the job. Pulling harder, she leaned back more and pushed both knees against the seat. A growl escaped the man’s lips and she knew he was trying to shift into his vampire form.
“No doing, big guy,” she said, switching handles from hand-to-hand and scissoring the garrote. So focused, a snap, a squish and the ping of the garrote as the wire straightened were the only sounds. She took a deep breath, taking in the aroma of fresh blood sprayed on her starched white shirt. Selene groaned as the heady smell engulfed and enflamed her. With a quick flick of her tongue, she wiped the garrote clean and wound it up, slipping the deadly instrument back into her pocket. She settled back and focused on the movie, her job done.
Chapter Two
“She’s coming.”
“Oh good. I’ve missed her. We haven’t seen much of Selene since she left with De Marcus. Do you think she’s avoiding us?” Clarissa stirred a pot, the steaming aroma filling the room.
AJ walked up to her wife, grabbing her hips and rubbing herself against Clarissa’s tight ass. She would never miss an opportunity to touch Clarissa now that they were finally together. Clarissa stiffened and leaned against her chest.
“Is that all you think about?” Clarissa laid her head back on AJ’s shoulder, giving her just enough room to snip at Clarissa’s neck.
“Not all the time.”
“Hmm?”
“Okay, most of the time. But can you blame me? I have a lot of catching up to do.”
“How lucky for you the semester is almost over and you can have me all to yourself.”
“Yes.” AJ licked the throbbing vein, ready to burst. The pulse pulled AJ’s incisors, an audible pop as they dropped ready for action. “I am lucky. I can’t wait to keep you in bed all night and day. I think about making wild passionate love to you, feeding your heart and your soul.” Pulling Clarissa closer, she grazed her points down Clarissa’s neck, barely pricking the skin. Flicking her tongue across the slight bead of blood, her heart thumped so hard in her chest she knew Clarissa could hear it.
Hungry, my love?
Starving. AJ’s thoughts were overpowering. She closed her eyes and concentrated on controlling her appetite.
What am I going to do with you?
Make love to me.
AJ’s empathic abilities intensified as her connection to Clarissa got stronger. They felt each other, even when great distances apart. AJ knew Clarissa was working to bring them closer. She’d had a lot to overcome, thinking at first that AJ had been the one to kill her family, only to discover that De Marcus had in fact done it to keep Clarissa clo
ser to him. De Marcus was evil personified even a hundred years ago. He’d taken advantage of his relationship with Clarissa’s father and wormed his way into the family. Finally, he turned Clarissa when she was at her sickest, and AJ wondered how harsh her life with De Marcus had been. She’d gotten bits and pieces when they were quiet after their love making, but she’d had to be strategic with the questions. Clarissa had withdrawn when AJ inquired the first time, a sign she wasn’t ready to talk about the past. While they had an eternity to explore the world and their pasts, AJ wanted De Marcus dead now so Clarissa could live.
“What are you thinking about?” Clarissa turned in AJ’s arms and cradled her face.
AJ’s eyes softened. Looking down at Clarissa’s mouth she let her tongue slide across her lips, wetting them, and then answered. “You.”
“Why?”
“Why? What a funny question, my love.” AJ scooped Clarissa up and carried her to the couch, plopping down with Clarissa firmly ensconced on her lap. Pressing her nose into Clarissa’s hair, she took a deep breath and enjoyed the warm scent enveloping her. Feeling a lover’s energy, savoring their essence and being in tune with them gave AJ a feeling of contentment, and she wasn’t about to rush her time with Clarissa. AJ constantly lived with the fear of losing Clarissa niggling in the back of her mind. She would never be settled until De Marcus was dead. Everything else she could handle.
“Maybe—”
AJ put her finger on Clarissa’s lips. “I think about you all the time. I watch you sleep and wonder how I find myself lying next to the one person in this world I never thought I would see again. I marvel at the way you’ve adapted to this world we find ourselves living in now. I know so many of our kind who’ve slid into degradation, depravity and self-loathing. They medicate themselves, they recreate themselves by turning the most depraved of human kind into vampires, and they’ve traded what was left of their humanity for hatred of everything breathing. We’re faced with a problem that the coven wants to neither address nor take credit for. They’ve allowed masters to feed wantonly, turning whomever they want and killing those that fight back.” AJ pulled Clarissa tighter. “We must be diligent in our lives. We can’t become like those who have little regard for life. I’ve finally found you and I refuse to walk back on the dark side, never again. I won’t let us devolve, I won’t.” AJ buried her nose in to Clarissa’s hair and memorized her scent.
