Twisted Love: A Twisted Sisters Anthology

Twisted Love

Twisted Love

A Twisted Sisters Anthology

Dovey Mayali Cralk

Kaydence Rayne

Vakalia Reaper

Riley Ross

Twisted Love

© Valari Roberts Februrary 2015

Warlock’s Kiss  ©Dovey Mayali Cralk 2015

Forget About Me © Kaydence Rayne2 015

An All Consuming Love © Vakalia Reaper 2015

The Getaway ©Riley Ross 2014

Coming Undone ©Riley Ross 2015

Cover photo ©Amanda Smeltzer 2014

Cover art ©Amanda Smeltzer and Valari Roberts 2015

These stories are works of fiction.  Any resemblance to any persons, places, things, or situations are purely coincidental.  No part of this book, including but not limited to cover work or any stories within, may be used without the express written consent of the author or copyright holder in question.  If you are reading this book and did not purchase, nor was a copy purchased for you, please return it and purchase your own copy.  If you would like to share this with others, please purchase a copy for them.  Piracy is NOT a victimless crime!

Table of Contents

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Warlock’s Kiss

Forget About Me

An All Consuming Love

The Getaway

Coming Undone (Elaine’s Story)

Warlock’s Kiss

Dovey Mayali Cralk

This is for you, the reader.  Thank you for reading.

Love you all, Dovey

Prologue

How could he do this to me?  After I gave him everything he wanted?  Offered him the world?  I’m not a monster, and he assured me he knew that.  Sure, I’m not exactly the prettiest thing on this planet, but tell me what you would look like after 573 years of life!  Yes, I kill my prey.  But how is it really any different from humans killing animals for their food?  I have to eat, and it must be the last drop of life blood that sustains me.  The essence contained in that tiny little spec is more important than sucking the life from a thousand mortals.  I could drink all the blood I wanted (but who would want to, really?  It’s not exactly gourmet dining!), but without that single, final drop, I would perish.

I try to be careful and only take those who would make the world better with their disappearances, but I won’t lie.  Sometimes a girl’s just gotta eat.  I still try and feed on those who at the very least have no family and not much of a circle of friends, thus leaving no one to mourn them.  Like I said, I’m not a monster.  Besides, it’s not like I can help myself, I have to feed.  Why should I choose to let myself die?  Are humans going to stop eating altogether so that they don’t kill any plants or animals?  No, I didn’t think so.

Another thing!  I have never, ever turned anyone into my kind.  It’s not an easy feat, but I have never even offered it, let alone tried.  I am already a drain on humanity, the poor, weakling species; I have always refused to try and create more.  Well...until I met him, anyway.

Chapter One

Gods, I’m starving!  I feel myself weakening, and I just can’t decide which of these mortals to take.  I can’t say they smell delicious, because they don’t.  They smell of the sweat that’s pouring off of them as they writhe against each other under these pulsing lights.  I know they think their gyrations are sexy, but how do they think they can make a true connection this way?  I shall never understand this age.  Thankfully, I know that my disgust is hidden beneath my glamour, judging from the way the men and some of the women are openly looking me up in down.  I’ve gone with a leggy blonde for tonight.  That’s what they see, anyway.  None of them are catching my eye, but I know I need to feed.  I can feel myself losing strength and concentration, and I’m actually a little surprised that I’m still able to maintain the glamour at this point.

Giving myself over to the beat of the music, I begin to sway.  Let them come to me, let them offer themselves up.  I try not to cringe as bodies begin to grind against me.  I don’t like this sort of display, but I’ve found the night clubs, full of willing bodies, has always been the been the best hunting ground, the easiest to lure my meal from.  I feel an erection press against my thigh.  That’s it!  I need to find my food quickly and get the hell out of here!  My eyes snap open so that I can decide who will be the easiest.  I start to scan the minds of those around me, trying to figure out who has the least familial connections, when I find him.

His thoughts on the scene seem to echo my own.  His friends have dragged him here, promising a quiet night of drinks.  This is not what he bargained for.  Making a snap decision, I grab the body nearest me, not even taking the time to notice if it is male or female, and whisper in their ear that I want them, and tell them to follow me to alley out back.  I’m usually more careful about what (who!) I take, but this strange man has captured my attention in a way that no one has in decades.  I need to escape.

I stride toward the door hurriedly, not bothering to look back.  I know my dinner is following me; I can smell the putrid stench of hormones and sweat, mixed with the scent of one of their so called designer drugs, trailing along behind me.

Shaking off the thoughts of the strange man back inside, I focused what little remained of my energy and firmed up my glamour.  No sense in frightening such a willing meal at the last minute, right?  Turning to bestow my best smile on the victim, I found a middle aged woman.  Not what I usually came across in such a forum, but it wasn’t totally unheard of.  She was dressed in a skin tight, lime green, strapless mini-dress.  The teensy scrap of fake leather barely covered her bits and pieces.  Her makeup was slathered on as though she had used a shovel, rather than the little sponges and brushes that most females used.  It was painfully obvious to me that she was trying to appear to be years younger than she truly was.  I fought to stop my eyes from rolling.  Pathetic.

I beckoned to her with one long, slender finger.  I’d need to remember this look, since it seemed to be working well for me.  Hey, baby, why’re you way over there?  The voice that came out shocked me, as it always did.  The voice seemed to be a part of the glamour package, though I had never pretended to understand why or know how things like that happened.  I didn’t even know how the glamour in general worked; it just happened when I wanted it to. 

The woman giggled a little and batted her fake eyelashes.  I’m not really into women, you know.  I’m not sure what I’m doing out here with you!  Even as she said it, she slipped closer and ran her fingers up the side of my neck. 

Ugh.  Foreplay.  I wasn’t one of those types who felt the need to get my prey all riled up and turned on before I fed.  Really, what’s the point in that?  Then I’d just be horny and hungry until I had actually fed, and after I’d still be horny!  Seemed stupid to me.

Come on, let’s get around here where we a little more...privacy, I purred.

Okay!  I’m Tamara, by the way.  What’s your name?

I smiled tightly at her as I grabbed a hand to pull her along, feeling my powers slipping as I moved farther into starvation.  I’m Lucianita, I answered.  I always gave my real name.  What was the point?  One last moment of truth before the death of whatever poor sap I happened to be  dining on at the time.

Lucianita.  She rolled the name around in her mouth, and it felt to me as though she were dirtying it.  That’s very pretty, I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before.

Old family name, I replied hastily, dragging her behind an overfull dumpster.  I had no time left.  I shoved her roughly against the bricks that made up the back wall of the club and jerked her hair to the side, uncovering her throat.  I was so hungry that I didn’t even flinch when her hair came completely off in my hand.  A wig.  Everything else about her was fake, why not that, as well?

I briefly heard her muttering something about liking it rough and Oh yeah, baby, but I paid no mind.  I was losing focus and beginning to get dizzy.  I had issues finding the pulse in her throat that was the best delivery system of my nourishment.

Hey, what the fu—?! her words died on her tongue as I struck, sinking my teeth into her leathery skin and tearing.  My canines may have been sharper and a tad bit longer than was normal for a human, but my other teeth were just as important.  I needed them to rip away the hide and rupture the large vein that lay protected in a human’s long necks.  And it hurts.  Though I take no pleasure in the pain and suffering that I bring, I do admit that it is anything but pleasant.  All of those movies showing how sexual and pleasurable a vampire bite is?  Bullshit.  Complete and utter bullshit.  The taking of a life shouldn’t be a pleasant experience, and in my cases, it never was. 

Tamara tried to scream out in her pain and agony, but my mouth was clamped too tightly over her throat and she was unable to do more than gurgle and claw weakly at my face and back.  When her hands finally fell limp at her sides and her heart stopped sending mouthfuls of blood pumping into my mouth, I released her. 

Gasping for breath, I gently slid her body down to the ground.  My glamour was now gone; there was no need for it anymore.  Closing her eyes, I thanked her for providing me nourishment and life, albeit unwillingly, and stretched her body out to lay prone on the ground, preparing her for the shadow imps, small creatures that seem to always appear after a Vampyrie kill and clean up the scene by devouring the body.  A scuffle behind me made my body go stock still.  Had I been discovered?  Was I about to meet my end?  There were no hunters in this part of the world, though.

Turning my head slowly, I fixed my gaze on the intruder.  It was the man from the club who had caught my interest!  His eyes were wide in either shock or terror, I wasn’t sure which. 

I...I won’t tell anyone, I swear!  He held a pleading hand up in front of him, as though that would stop any attack I might direct at him.  Please.  I know you’re different, and I...I need your help.

Chapter Two

I wasn’t sure how to react.  While it was exceedingly rare for a human to see me in my natural form, when it did happen, there was always a lot of screaming and name calling, and sometimes the sign of the crucifix made an appearance.  This man, though?  Nothing of the sort.  He didn’t seem phased by my appearance in the slightest! 

What do you want with me, human? I asked slowly, suspiciously.

He took a deep breath and slowly lowered his hand, apparently having decided that it was safe.  I know about your kind.  I’ve always known.  My grandfather was friends with someone who had once been a part of the Vampirius Huntresses.  He threw his palms back up quickly, as if to ward off an attack.  Now, I’m not saying we believe they’re right!  You have as much right to live as the rest of us, I’m just explaining how I know about you.

I huffed, getting bored with this.  If he had truly known a member of the Huntresses, he would have known their truth.  This was just someone who had heard the rumors the other night creatures put forth and thought to use it as a means to get close to me.  I moved away from the body of Tamara, expecting the shadow imps to do their thing any moment now.  Very well, you know of Vampyries, now what help do you seek of me?  My true voice was raspy and came out as more of a growling, raspy hiss.  I put it down to the age of my poor vocal chords.  Ah, the things they don’t warn you about before you sign up for this life! 

The man nodded his head, and I was struck by the brightness of his blue eyes when they locked onto mine.  I was still in a little shock that he wasn’t visibly repulsed by my appearance.  First, my name is Corey.  I need help because the Huntresses are after me.  I helped a Vampyrie out of a tight spot not long ago, and they found out.  The Vamp I was with ditched me a few weeks ago, and I’ve been running on my own since then.  I don’t want to impose myself and my troubles on you, but you’re the first Vamp I’ve come across since then, and I’m desperate.

His story made absolutely no sense to me, but there was something about him that captivated me.  I felt helpless against the pull of those damned eyes.  I will help you,Corey.  First – , I was cut off by the sound of a sizzling and hissing behind me.  Tamara’s body had begun to collapse in on itself as the imps inhaled her from within.  Less than two minutes later, the body was gone, what little blood there was on the ground vanishing into the invisible imps’ stomachs, until there wasn’t even a trace that a person had been there.  As I was saying, I will help you, but first I need to ready myself to go back through the streets to my home here.

He cocked his head to the side.  Can I watch?  I’m sorry, I’ve just never seen a vamp’s glamour actually go on before, and I’m intrigued.

Um....  I wasn’t sure how to respond.  The request seemed odd, yet also something I would ask had our roles been reversed.  I suppose there would be nothing wrong with that...  I pictured a young woman I had seen once in a film, short and slender with long, raven black hair and an olive skin tone.  Firming up the picture in my mind, I heard Corey gasp.

Wow!  I don’t know what I was expecting, but I guess it wasn’t that!

Curious, I had to ask what it had looked like.  After all, I had never seen it before, myself.

He grinned and placed his hand on my shoulder.  Well, one moment you were standing there as yourself, and then it was as if I had blinked, and you were replaced with this lovely young creature!

I couldn’t help but return his smile.  What was wrong with me?  I didn’t know this Corey from Adam, but here I was, acquiescing to his odd requests as though it was something that happened every day!

I couldn’t understand myself, but I seemed unable to do anything other than what he asked, either.  So, together, we went back into the bar for a drink before heading out, as a way to keep the focus off of myself if there was an investigation into the disappearance of Tamara.  Sure, people had seen me leave with her, but after looking at a clock, I realized I couldn’t have been gone more than 10 minutes, and most likely it was considerably less than that.  It didn’t take long to swallow down the life force of a person if you knew what you were doing.  And I did.

I flirted with a few guys and gals who were drawn to my natural pheromones and exotic glamour before slipping an arm through Corey’s and sashaying out of the club.  Another plus of my glamour powers was that no matter what language or