Dane’s Lair
D.L. Gabriel
Copyright 2014 by D.L. Gabriel
Published by Pen’s Delight Publishing
www.pensdelight.com
Cover design by Daniela Llanos
www.dllanosartist.wordpress.com
All Rights Reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.
Thank you for downloading this ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please visit https://www.dlgabriel.com and sign up to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.
ISBN: 978-0-9879817-2-1
To my family
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Connect with D.L. Gabriel
Chapter 1
Dane Frost stood statuesque in the shadows, watching, waiting for her to face him. For her to even glance in his direction. More than two hours had passed since his observations began. The woman had spent the last hour alternating between staring at the floor from the bedside and washing her hands more than a dozen times. Locks of black hair stuck to her face, damp from her earlier hour-long shower; her effort to wash off blood no longer visible. Yet Dane smelt it. His irritation grew as he sniffed for the smell of her blood, resting beneath her victim’s. Her blood’s odour was faint, and fading fast. Noah was losing his touch if he thought this woman worthy of Dane’s attention. The woman’s disappearance into the tiny bathroom interrupted Dane’s contemplation.
Dane should have left. Hunger burrowed deeper into his core as he watched her through the open bathroom door. Plenty options surrounded him, in the inn alone. Life throbbed around him, yet he stared at the empty woman, whose life force ebbed. He would receive no sustenance from her, yet he couldn't bring himself to walk away.
He stiffened as she re-entered the room, her face heavy with the blood burden she had silently sought to wash from her body. Dane stared at her downcast eyes, wondering what made him stay, especially since he had not consumed for more than six months. His steel eyes roamed her body, hugged by the black silk robe she wore. Beyond her pale flesh, Dane sought the pulse of blood flowing through her veins. A dusty grey aura surrounded her, matching the muted scent of her blood.
Instead of sitting on the bed as she had done so many times, she rummaged through a small green duffel bag at the foot of the bed. The woman pulled out a pair of scissors and stared at its sharp point glinting in the dim light. She clenched her jaw and walked back into the bathroom, leaving the door open. Dane's gaze rested on the reflection of her teal eyes in the mirror. Dark hatred filled them as she stared at herself, twisting her face in what seemed like an effort to weep. No tears came as she raised the scissors and lightly traced a line across her throat with its point. Her low moan echoed against the cream bathroom tiles as she hacked at her long, dark tresses.
Dane decided that she had ignored his presence enough. The pale bathroom light fell across his even paler skin as he stepped into the room. The woman turned and walked towards him, her gaze fixed on the dark blue hotel carpet. She took her place at the edge of the bed, never once looking up at Dane.
Dane was about to open his mouth when she spoke. “Are you here to rob me?” she asked. The flatness of her voice made Dane’s energy momentarily dip.
“No,” he said, his steel grey eyes following the flow of her robe as it curved around her hip.
“Are you going to rape me?”
“No.”
Teal eyes met his. “You’re here to kill me,” she stated.
Dane remained silent.
“No need,” she said, looking back down. “I can do it just fine on my own.”
Dane silently cursed Noah for the umpteenth time that night. Why had he chosen this vacant woman for him, knowing how much he needed to feed? Desperation filled Dane as he opened his mind to the life in the adjacent rooms. He envisioned himself walking into one of those rooms to appease his aching hunger. Still, he stood rigid and silent in the presence of his failed prey.
“Would you, really?” he asked softly.
The woman cocked her head, and some hair fell away, revealing a pulse on her pale neck. Dane inhaled, yearning for the smell of her blood, almost growling in frustration at the emptiness flowing through her veins.
A distant memory whispered in his mind, “A dragon cannot feed on a human who is willing to die. To do so ushers death upon that dragon, since the human is already dead in its mind.”
“Whose blood is on your hands?” Dane asked. The woman gasped and faced him with despair in her teal eyes. Dane leaned over and brushed her cheek. Something stirred within her, bringing a smile to Dane. A woodsy, feminine scent rose from her veins, like that of a forest nymph. The aura surrounding her was still dark, but for the first time, Dane tasted hope. By the end of this night she would be his. He would claim her life force and continue the immortal legacy of the dragon.
The woman jerked her head away from Dane’s touch and her blood’s scent faded once again. “Fine,” she said bitterly. “Kill me. Do whatever.”
“Kill you… like you killed someone tonight?” Dane prodded.
Pain crossed the woman’s face as she closed her eyes and swallowed. “Yes,” she said.
“I shan't,” said Dane, straightening. “Not tonight.”
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll do it.”
“No,” said Dane. “I won’t let you.”
“You can’t stop me,” she said.
“Yes, Athens, I can.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How do you know my name?” she asked.
A smile tugged at Dane’s mouth and he remained silent. Anger flashed in Athens’ eyes, turning them green. Another hunger rose in Dane, one he hadn’t experienced in centuries. It overwhelmed his desire to feed and he suddenly wanted this woman alive. Perhaps he could feast on another soul tonight then return for Athens’ flesh. He studied her aura. Still dusty grey. She wouldn’t survive the night if he left. He ran his fingers through his white hair, focusing steel eyes on the human in front of him. The room grew hot as Dane fought his internal battle. He was here to take her breath, her life. But for her life to give him any chance of immortality, he would have to give her a reason to live.
Athens looked away, breaking the baffling connection. Dane tilted her chin to face him. Her breathing grew shallow and once again, the scent of her blood filled Dane’s nostrils, making him dizzy. She made no attempt to move as he pressed his lips to hers, tasting her life essence as it flared up against him. The life essence that would belong to him soon enough.
“What are you doing?” she murmured. Her voice caressed him as her lips stroked his. Dane didn’t answer, deepening the kiss instead.
“Stop,” she whispered, leaning away. Dane forced himself to withdraw from her plump reddened lips, his breathing shallow.
“Why?”
“I don’t do this…” Athens said, her eyes boring into Dane’s. “I’m not that kind of…” Her voice trailed off
Dane straightened. “Kind of… what?”
Athens chewed her bottom lip, still staring at Dane. He gently tugged her lip free, stroking it with his thumb. Waves of desire washed over him, filtering through his every pore, soakin
g into him. Weakening him.
“I have to go,” he said, his voice husky.
“No!”
Desperation in her voice made Dane flinch. Her woodsy scent disappeared, reminding Dane of how close she was to answering death’s beckon. He wished he could somehow suppress the new fire burning in him. Wished he could just let her die.
Athens shifted on the bed, interrupting his thoughts. The hem of her robe rose against her cream thigh, quickening Dane’s pulse.
“I can’t stay,” said Dane, sweat forming under his white shirt. He roughly plunged his hand through his hair, swallowing the desire flaming in his chest. Before he could turn away, Athens stood and grasped his forearm. Her fingers burned his bare flesh, just below his rolled sleeve.
“Stay,” she whispered, closing the space between them. Dane closed his eyes as her soft curves pushed against his muscular frame through the sheer fabric of her robe. Dane shuddered, overwhelmed with the need for her bare flesh against his. Athens’ fingers trailed fire along his chest, up to his jaw. He allowed himself to look at her, his hands rigid at his sides, held there by the fear that he would lose himself. As she tiptoed to kiss him, her body slid against his, sapping his self-control. Dane wrapped his arms around her waist, moulding her body to his, unleashing his desire.
In a blur of falling silk, snapping buttons and caressing hands, they tumbled into bed where Dane let Athens consume him, pulling her back from the brink of death.