Chapter 1

A Chance Meeting

 

Kristoff rode the subway often through here this time of night. After he had fed, there really wasn’t much of a reason to stalk the quiet streets. Or even to stalk the not-so-quiet ones. Years ago, when the roads were still cobblestone, it had been different, smelled different. But today was so much different, and getting around the city via tunnel was just so much more convenient for him. And it wasn’t nearly as unsanitary as the media made it out to be. That’s not to say it was in any way clean, he’d just seen a lot worse.

 

He was standing there, squinting his eyes to block out the harsh florescent lighting of the car when his eyes landed on her. It had become a routine for him, to board the subway at this time of night, just so he could have those few precious minutes just to look at her from behind his sunglasses. She was so incredibly beautiful, but it was more than her simple beauty that appealed to him. She reminded him so much of his beloved Ana, the one who truly held his heart.

 

She looked so much like his Ana it took his breath away at times. Sometimes, after a hard day, he’d nearly double over just from seeing her. Other times, though, he could see she was nothing like his Ana at all. Ana had been alluring, yes, but she had been a wicked temptress. Deceptive. There had been an evil in her so darkly beautiful; it was that erotic wickedness that had attracted him to her, and kept him in her thrall for so long. But that darkness was not in the woman on the train.

 

No, the aura surrounding her was too light. She was kind, friendly without being gullible, but generally trusting nonetheless. She usually wore slacks or skirts—not suits—but nicer clothing. Except when she occasionally caught the train on the weekends and he could see her in jeans and billowing button-up shirts. He figured she was some kind of professional, but he wasn’t for certain. He didn’t even know her name.

 

She usually got on at the Museum station on the green line. He smiled to himself as he looked up at the intersection and realized he was but blocks from there on the cool Friday night. He knew he shouldn’t—but since when did he ever follow what he “should” do? What was the point of being immortal, undead, if he didn’t get to live a life of adventure? Kristoff lazed through the crowd, finding his way to his destination—and hopefully his brown-eyed beauty.

 

Kristoff saw the dark pile of clothes before it registered that it was a person lying in a heap on the ground. He ran toward it, seeing the tawny brown hair, and the vision of his love withering before his eyes truck him so suddenly, in an instant he had gathered her in his arms. Dear gods, this couldn’t happen to him twice, he cursed.

 

She had hit her heard, it seemed. There was a deep cut at her left temple and swelling had already started, and he knew she would feel like a freight train had run her over when she woke up. If she woke up.

 

Kristoff gathered her in his arms, gently pulling her into his lap to get her head off the dirty concrete, but the shift in weight had her eyes opening for the briefest period.

 

“You…attacked…vampires...Lil…” she mumbled incoherently before she blacked out again.

 

He mumbled a stream of curses. It was too much to hope she was hallucinating or it was a mere coincidence that his nightly pleasures and means of survival were coined from her lips tonight. She had been beaten, that was clear, and chances were that whoever attacked her, it wasn’t random. No matter what, he needed to know what she saw and remembered. As it was, she was passed out in his arms. He didn’t know anything about her, therefore he didn’t know where to take her, if there was anyone to care for or worry about her. Either way, he needed her awake.

 

In his arms, he took note of how wonderful she smelled—like honeysuckle. She was incredibly warm as well. He wished he had more god-like powers. He couldn’t flash from place to place like the gods and demigods he normally cavorted with. But he was incredibly fast and seemed to move in the blink of an eye. D****t, where was an earth goddess or a muse when he needed one, he grumbled to himself.

 

Kristoff looked down at her, lying so vulnerable and helpless in the arms of a killer. There was only one person he would ever call for something like this. Merrick. The God of Vengeance would certainly know what to do with her, where to take her, and the best form of concealment for them.

He carefully slid his phone out of his pocket and dialed his old friend. “Merrick, I’m at the museum station on the green line in the city. I need some help. Trust me, if nothing else, it will be worth your amusement.” He had no sooner flipped his phone shut and slipped it into his pocket before Merrick was standing before him.

 

“Well, what do we have here?” he asked. “I would have never taken you as the good Samaritan kind.”

 

Kristoff rolled his eyes. “I’m not. But look at her.”

 

Merrick studied her closely. “Not a perfect match, to be sure, but the resemblance is there. Did she have a chance to say anything?” he asked gruffly.

 

“Yeah, but it was on the incoherent side. Something about vampires, though, and she trailed off saying ‘Lilith,’ I think, before passing out on me again.”

 

“Right. Well, she can’t stay here, and you need to talk to her after she wakes up. That’s just all a little too convenient, if you ask me, especially since you get your nightly hard-on from watching her on the subway.”

 

The damn god always knew just a little too much to be comfortable with, but Kristoff always knew how to reciprocate in kind. “So how are you and the missus doing?” he asked with a knowing smile.

Merrick growled. “I finally manage to get back in her bed and the next thing I know, we’re fighting again. I swear, I tied Devlyn up one time and you’d think I tried to murder her or something. I swear, those girls are entirely too damn problematic. They blow everything out of f*****g proportion.”

 

“So what do you propose we do about this one?”

 

“Your place. Quiet. She won’t know where she is, you can pump the information out of her, pump her veins, pump her body if you prefer as well, then finally be done with your cryptic, stalking the shadows profession that you seem to have taken up where she’s concerned.”

 

“You think I could just do that, so easily?”

 

“I don’t think. I know. I know because you feel something for this unknown girl, and you know that if you have any kind of permanent or semi-permanent relationship with her, Lilith will kill her. And we both know that your sanity couldn’t suffer seeing that face die twice. Which means that myself, or one of my brothers, or Devlyn, our little earth goddess, will be forced to kill you forever. And none of us want to do that to you.”

 

Kristoff nodded. It might not be what he wanted to hear, but it was the reason he got along with Merrick so well—there was no bullshit with him. He didn’t sugarcoat anything, but he didn’t lie either.

“All right. Can you help me get her to my apartment without anyone seeing us?”

 

Merrick merely nodded, let Kristoff gently pick the lady up, then clapped a hand on his shoulder.

Reviews

[Erotic Goddess]

She looked so much like his Ana it took his breath away at times. Sometimes, after a hard day, he'd nearly double over just from seeing her. Other times, though, he could see she was nothing like his Ana at all. Ana had been alluring, yes, but she had been a wicked temptress. Deceptive. There had been an evil in her so darkly beautiful; it was that erotic wickedness that had attracted him to her, and kept him in her thrall for so long. But that darkness was not in the woman on the train.

I love that part, it's so perfectly him. And just one thing, you have a truck in there where you mean struck! :) MJ, again, this is incredible, I love these stories. I am actually waiting to see the first one in stores, it's good enough. Have you been working on it? Soon, I will have time and I will get busy reading it and giving you all my suggestions! :) Miss you babe!

Love,
Stephanie

[Dianne]

Hey, I want a few friends like that, special commuter powers and all. The friendly banter and teasing make these characters take life (well you know what I mean). lol

[thewritenword]

dont want to be a killjoy but how did the florescent lights make his eyes squint when he had dark glasses on. If you want your readers to be in tune with the characters keep reading back over what you write.
I did like it though

[Michael X]

in thus chapter you really open up the environment and show what the surrounding scapes look like"D****t, where was an earth goddess or a muse when he needed one, he grumbled to himself."
bringing the supernatural element to surface, one can fully visualize the streats, subway, the
entire event unfold, as well the events unfolding are easilty understood, the way you introduce
a new key character is identifable, and allows the intent to move in forward motion, creating
the next scene, nice job, cant wait to see where this goes