Blood Desire

Book 1 of the Vampire Mafia Kings series.

When a ruthless vampire king sets his sights on her, nothing will stop him from making her his bride. Forever…

Born into a family of protectors, Lara is determined to prove her worth as a vampire hunter. She knows everybody in the settlement, even her own father, looks down on her for being a woman. When she’s given the chance to run a mission through dangerous vampire wastelands, she accepts despite the risks.

Captured by the vampire king, stranded, and alone, he makes her a deal she can’t refuse if she wants to live.

Surrounded by blood and violence, Dominic, of the Diamantis clan vampires, rules his kingdom with an iron fist. Yet the one who drives him mad with desire is the one who should be forbidden to him. He will stop at nothing to claim his fated mate. She will be his in blood, body, and soul.

Will he break her spirit or win her heart forever?

Excerpt

LARA

The men’s greedy eyes bore into my back as I dashed across the rapidly flooding street, eager to get away from the tavern. I clenched my fingers tightly around the neck of my cape, fully aware that the piece of sage green fabric and the gold band insignia embroidered on the shoulders was the only thing protecting me from their drunken lustful advances.

Those born into the drone class knew their lives were worth less than nothing, and they took their anger at the world out on the weak. From birth, they inherited their family’s debt, and male drones worked in the factories to earn credits, while female drones were doomed to be a breeder or a whore. Only the lucky drones were able to escape this fate by going into service and working in the home of a protector or overseer family. As much as the drones slaved away to buy their freedom, the government made sure it was impossible. Every slight misstep they made throughout their lives added more debt to their accounts, and eventually that amount was passed onto their unfortunate offspring.

Low ranking as I was, I was still a protector, like the rest of my family. Only the overseers outranked us. The inhabitants of the settlement knew their survival depended on us. The protectors were the only ones keeping the trade routes open between the human settlements. By the terms of the peace treaty, the vampires were not allowed to attack our settlements, but all bets were off once any of us stepped outside the fortified walls of New Los Angeles and into the wastelands. The land in between the living and undead belonged to nobody, and roving gangs of vampires and rebel humans were all too eager to loot any unprotected travelers passing through.

With a crash of thunder, the rain came down hard, like endless buckets of water being poured on me. I picked up my pace, cursing under my breath as my foot landed in a deep puddle of muddy water. The liquid seeped in through the leather of my boots, and each step I took made a wet squelching sound.

Despite decades of reconstruction, the city was a crude and barely functional copy of its historical namesake. Rebuilt with scavenged parts like all the other human cities, the infrastructure was barely enough to keep the factories running and disease from spreading too quickly. Since a working sewage system was considered a luxury more than a necessity, the drainage tunnels under the city were prone to overflowing at the slightest amount of rain. While historical Los Angeles had dry weather with infrequent moisture, we were hit with monsoon storms year round. Father once explained that it had something to do with the restoration of the sun and the instability in the atmosphere caused by the dark period.

I walk past a dilapidated brick building, its front door was long gone, replaced with a rusted iron gate and a tattered curtain that did nothing to block the smoky sweet scent of oblivispyce being huffed inside. There was no sign on the outside of the building, but the smell was a dead giveaway that this was a blood giving den. The drug was described to give the smokers a sense of overwhelming euphoria as well as speed up their recovery from blood loss.

Technically, blood giving in exchange for drugs was illegal, but the overseers looked the other way since it kept both the blood suckers and drones placated. The donated blood kept the vampires from attacking our cities, and the oblivispyce they provided in exchange, kept the drones from rioting against the government.

“C’mere sweet cheeks.” A sallow bald man with pock marked skin stumbled out of the building. He shot me a nasty grin, revealing his brown rotted teeth. “You look like you’re lost.”

He reached out and tried to grab me, but stumbled, no doubt under the effects of the spyce he had been smoking. Still, his fingers managed to grab onto the edge of my cape, which was too close for comfort. I yanked the fabric close to my body and ran down the next alleyway, blind to where I was heading. The spyce addicts were a plague on society, but the overseers knew exactly what they were doing when they entered this devil’s deal with the vampires.

A river of water sluiced off of the sheet metal roof of a crumbling building and dumped on top of my head. I let out a yelp and jumped away from the waterfall. Somehow, I had managed to make my way to the market district. The journey home from the junior protector training center was almost an hour by foot, and I was only a quarter of the way there. This was my last year of training before I would be sent off to patrol the wastelands. I couldn’t wait to be assigned to my first mission. Spotting a familiar bridge in the distance, I decided to head over there and take shelter in the underpass beneath it while I waited for the rain to die down.

I stepped onto a concrete ledge against the wall of the bridge, making sure to stay out of the torrential rainwater that flowed along the road under the bridge. After what seemed like an eternity, the rain began to die down and turned into a light drizzle. Just as I was about to continue on my way home, the gruff sounds of men’s voices barking commands made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I pressed my back against the wall and took a step deeper into the dark underbelly of the bridge.

Above me, I heard the sound of a vehicle driving onto the bridge. That should have been the first sign that something about this wasn’t right. Materials for manufacturing fuel cells to run machinery were far too scarce to be used by anybody outside the government. Whatever was going on, was sanctioned by the overseers.

The vehicle stopped, and then there was a metallic clang as the doors were opened. There was a commotion up above me, as if people were being roughly herded and shoved. Someone started screaming, only to be met by the sickening crack of something heavy striking against flesh and bone. A heavy thud hit the ground. Their cries were incoherent and slurred, a sure sign of them being spyce addicts. With a loud slam of the doors and the clink of a lock, their whimpers were silenced, replaced by the hum of the vehicle’s motor.

I held my breath, biting into my lips as I waited for the men to get into the car and leave.

“Hold up, I’ve gotta take a piss.”

A stream of yellow liquid dripped down just feet away from my head. I took a step back in disgust, unknowingly kicking a rock against the wall.

Shit.

The sound of the rock pinging hitting the concrete rang out like a boom.

“Did you hear that?” asked the pisser.

“Did I hear what? It’s probably a rat. Hurry up before the thing bites your dick off. This delivery has to make it past the gates before the guards change shifts.”

“I swear there’s something down there,” he grumbled. He climbed into the car, slamming the door as he did so.

I waited until the vehicle had cleared the bridge before I emerged from my hiding spot. Relieved that I had not been spotted, I continued my journey home at a quick pace.

The rich spicy aroma of bean and pepper stew with a hint of bacon hit my nose as soon as I stepped inside. Cook had prepared my favorite meal, anticipating that I was going to be tired from training and wet and cold from the rain.

I shrugged off my cloak and hung it to dry on the rack next to our fireplace. The ancient clock on Father’s desk ticked a steady beat in the background. The working antique was one of his prized possessions, a relic from before the dark period. In the warm cozy glow of the crackling fire in our living room, it was easy to forget the depressing world outside the thick walls of our home.

Father walked out of his office and tutted as he ran his eyes over my soaked hair and clothes. He went to the linen closet and pulled out a crisp white towel. I was sure I resembled a drowned rat.

“Lara, you look a mess. I told you before, not to dally after training.”

The ice in his tumbler clinked against the glass as he brought the cup up to take a sip of crystal clear alcohol. Government issued rotgut, only available to high ranking protectors and overseers. His face was ruddy, marked by a spiderweb of fine blood vessels that blossomed across his cheeks. I hated that Father drank so much. Still, it was better than whatever fermented garbage the drones had to drink to forget about their miserable lives.

I took the towel and rubbed at my hair before leaning in to give him a hug and peck on the cheek. He smiled and patting my shoulder, guided me to the sofa in front of the fire before making his way to his own plush chair in the corner of the room. Father hitched up his uniform at the knees, the same sage green as my cloak, as he sat. The four gold stars and a full set of gold stripes stitched on to the shoulder of his uniform indicated his high rank as a general.

“I’m sorry, Father. I got held up in the storm and had to wait out the rain.” My mind flashed back to what I heard when I was under the bridge. There was no doubt in my mind what had happened. Those people were kidnapped to be bloodmeals, humans who were sold to vampires who wanted a living human to feed off of. The practice was illegal, but highly profitable, and someone in the government was hoarding massive wealth by selling off the dregs of society.

Cook came in with a metal serving tray loaded with a bowl of steaming hot stew and a loaf of crusty bread on a plate. As she set the plate down on my lap, she nudged the bread roll aside to reveal a bit of treasure hidden under it. A small piece of foil wrapped toffee. Candy was a rare luxury, and a gram of sugar cost almost as much as a gram of oblivispyce. Father would never have approved such frivolous spending of our grocery allowance. I had no idea where or how Cook managed to sneak the sweet treat into the household grocery budget, but I wasn’t going to turn down the gift.

I shot her a small smile of gratitude. With her back turned towards Father, she winked. Our secret was safe.

“If that is all, sir, I will be in the kitchen.”

He mumbled a reply and waved her off. Cook nodded in Father’s direction before leaving the room.

Hungrily, I picked up the bread roll, and as I did so, I hid the candy in my palm and let it fall into my sleeve. There was no need for formalities here. The last meal our family ever had together in an actual dining room was before Mother’s death.

Dipping the bread into the stew, I scarfed down my dinner like a ravenous stray dog. The comforting warmth of the meal spread throughout my body as it settled in my belly, making my skin tingle. My eyes grew heavy, tired from a long day of training and being chilled to the bone.

Father waited until I had cleaned the last bit from my bowl before he spoke. “This is going to be your last year of training before you join the forces.”

I wiped my lips with the cloth napkin and nodded. “Yes, sir, it is.”

“There is an emergency transport leaving tonight with medical rations for New Las Vegas. We are short on manpower and need another driver to secure the rear of the convoy escorting the load. The goods must arrive by the end of tonight. I shouldn’t even think of asking you–“

My back straightened, the tray almost tumbling off of my lap, any traces of fatigue immediately vanished. Putting it aside on the sofa cushion next to me, I sat on the edge of my seat. This was it. After more than six years of practice, I was finally being called to serve. For years, I had waited for an opportunity like this to prove to my father that I was as capable as the son he wanted but never got.

“I completed vehicle operation and equipment training last semester and scored at the top of my class.”

Father frowned. “I don’t know, Lara. It’s a short and simple trip, and this part of the wastelands is low risk, but these are desperate times. We don’t have any reinforcements to spare. I’m not comfortable sending you out there on your own for your first time, and in the middle of the night, no less.” He shook his head and downed the rest of his drink in a single gulp. “No, forget I said anything. I’ll find someone else.”

He started to get up, and I saw my chance to make him proud slipping away. No. I placed a hand on his arm. “I can do it, Father. Like you said, the New Los Angeles and New Las Vegas corridor is secured and at low risk of attack from vampires or rebel forces. This is a straightforward trip out and back.”

Father sank back into his chair and looked up at me with shimmering eyes. “Your mother would be so proud if she could see what a brave young woman you’ve become. I wasn’t half as mature as you when I was twenty-three. Do you accept this mission then?”

I stood up straight and saluted him. At this moment, he was no longer my father, but my commander and leader.

“I accept, sir.”