Chapter 1 of "Untitled"

Here's the first teaser chapter from my new story. It's quite different from my first, but I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think! 

:: PROLOGUE ::

I knew vampires exist; everyone knew. In eighteen ninety-six, a group of archaeologists working in southern Germany unearthed a medieval lead casket containing six mummified corpses. On each of the bodies, there was a streak of red paint across the chest and a wooden spike was driven into the heart. No one was taking any chances. Accounts of the burial were found in a nearby church, and the story of the vampires spread.

According to records, in 1457, Lyulf of Drubich, his wife Erzabet, and his four brothers had been accused of vampirism. Hundreds of people had gone missing after the clan settled in the small principality, and it wasn't long before the church intervened. No one knew Lyulf's origins, or how far his reign of terror spread before he was hunted down, slaughtered by Catholic priests and buried in the lead-lined casket for eternity. The humans could finally sleep in peace, knowing that the devils were gone.

However, not every member of Lyulf's house had been exterminated. There were two other brothers, Alder and Secundus, who escaped and fled to France. There they began to rebuild their clans, keeping well out of the church's reach until they were strong enough to get revenge.

In time, Secundus and Alder had created a small army of vampires, but their raging desire to avenge their clan had lessened. Members of their clans melded into human society, living undiscovered by the general population for hundreds of years. That secrecy ended when the archaeologists dug up their long-cursed brothers and put them on display at the Berlin Museum.

The discovery of the supposed vampires in itself did not convince humans that vampires were real. It was only after Lyulf's descendants laid claim to the bodies that all hell broke loose. Alder's clan swept into Berlin, their lust for revenge remembered. Within two days, the archaeologists, museum staff and several other humans were dead.

Secundus had not been a part of the attack, and a few days later—disgusted with the slaughter—he disappeared.

 

:: CHAPTER ONE ::

"Where have you been, Carter?"

"I haven't left the house," I said.

A wild look crossed his face and his eyes lit with anger. "Liar! I know you have been with him! You reek of his scent. Did he fuck you?" A hard blow landed on my cheek, knocking me to the floor. "Answer me!"

His foot connected with my ribs. I cried out and attempted to drag myself away from him, but he took me by the hair and pulled me to my feet. "Please," I begged. "It was my fault. I seduced him."

"Indeed?"

He released me and I sank onto the bed. When I felt cold hands unbuttoning my pants, I screamed, "No! You can't do this."

"Silence! You must be punished for your infidelity, Carter." My clothes were ripped from my shaking body, and he bound my hands behind my back with a thick piece of wire. When I twisted to try to free myself, pain shot through my wrists. He laughed. "Oh, come now. Surely you don't think you will escape? Keep struggling, though. The movement will make your tunnel contract beautifully. Pardon me for not preparing you, my sweet one, but I must make haste to find your lover and deal with him accordingly."

"God, no! Please! I'll give my life if you spare his. You can torture me for eternity and I will never say his name again."

"How very noble," he sneered. "But you mistake my meaning, Sweet. I do not intend to kill your lover."

Relief washed over me. "Thank—"

"That way, I can watch him suffer after I lay your body at his feet."

Cold, hard dread paralyzed me. Bile churned in my stomach and I stopped struggling. He gripped my hips with bruising strength and thrust into me, making me cry in pain. The last thing I remembered was begging for mercy before his fangs sank into my throat.

ffff

The pain in my head made me cry out. A man was at my bedside almost at once. His voice was soothing, "Calm yourself, Carter. It's all right. You're in the hospital."

"Why?" was what I tried to ask, but it came out as a garbled croak.

The man beside me stroked my hand as he called for the nurse. A young, attractive woman came into the room and said, "Well, he is beautiful, I'll give you that."

"He is the most beautiful being I have ever known." He leaned down and tenderly kissed my temple. I marveled at my body's reaction. I had no idea who this man was, and yet, the moment his lips met my skin, every nerve, every muscle, every ounce of energy was electrified. A delicious, savory scent flowed from him, but I couldn't place what it was. All I knew was that I wanted him, wanted to taste him, and even having the nurse in the room wasn't going to stop me. I put my hand to his neck and pulled his mouth to mine.

The handsome man laughed loudly and said, "I am so glad you have finally awoken, I've been waiting for ages to feel your lips on mine."

I coughed and hacked for a few minutes before I could whisper, "How long was I out?"

The nurse felt my forehead and said, "Ten years."

"What?" I muttered in horror. "Ten years? Whu…I don't understand."

My lover—for somehow I knew he was just that—stroked my arm and shushed me. "Yes, my love. You have been in sort of coma, so your mind could heal itself of the horrible memories. Do you recall anything?"

"A…a nightmare," I said. His eyes widened, and I hurried to reassure him. "It wasn't you in the dream."

I told him about the man who beat me so severely and he exhaled slowly. "I am sorry you have been so trapped within your own mind. By the time I found you, I had very little time to turn you. Only moments later, you would have died. I could not lose you."

"Turned me?" I asked in horror. He opened his mouth wide and I saw his canine teeth lengthen slightly. I shrank away from him and said, "But…I feel fine. Kind of."

"It is my blood that has healed your body, love. Worked like a charm—just as I said it would." He looked at the nurse and grinned. Turning back to me, he said, "Your mind could not be healed by me, though. It had to have the time to heal itself after the attack."

"What attack?" I snapped. "I don't remember anything but that nightmare! I don't know you, or what day or even year it is. I can barely remember my own name."

The stunning, tall god of a man knelt by my bed and kissed my hand. "My name is Secundus."

© July 2012 by VampWriter. No reproduction or redistribution without permission.