Page 2 of Rescued By the Vampire Assassin

Keri had sat down hard on the bed.

“Okay, tell me about the Vasiles,” she said.

Keri had always prided herself on her instincts and ability to ferret out the truth no matter how deeply it was buried. It was what made her one of the best investigative reporters in the city. But this time, she'd been in over her head from the start.

The signs had been there if only she'd been willing to see them. Victims drained of blood. Eyewitness accounts of shadowy figures with inhuman speed and strength. And always, always, the bodies disappeared from the morgue before any official investigation could begin. Chrissy’s body had been one of them.

Keri had dismissed the whispered rumors of vampires as superstitious nonsense. A cover-up for a more mundane — if no less deadly — criminal enterprise. She'd been so sure, so cocky in her assumptions. But she'd underestimated the Vasiles.

“They’re behind the murders. I can get you proof,” Chrissy had said. “But you have to come with me. Now. Before dawn.”

So Keri went with her friend. Except Chrissy disappeared after leading her into the warehouse. Had Chrissy set her up? Were they going to turn Keri into a vampire, too? Doubt gnawed at her. Did she really even believe all this nonsense? She had to because she sure as hell wasn’t still dreaming. She was in a dungeon. That had to be some kind of proof. Who had a dungeon on their property, if not vampires?

A chill ran down Keri's spine that had nothing to do with the damp cold seeping into her bones. She stood up and pulled on the cell door, but it was locked. Irritably, she kicked it and, when that didn’t do anything, redoubled her efforts to free herself from her manacles, straining against the unyielding metal until her wrists were slick with blood.

A low growl rumbled from the shadowy corner of the cell, froze Keri in place. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes darted to the source of the sound. How had she not realized she wasn't alone?

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a gravelly voice rasped. "It’s not wise to tempt a starving vampire with the smell of blood."

A figure stirred in the shadows, and Keri's heart thundered in her chest. Every instinct screamed at her to run, to fight, to do something. But she could only watch, paralyzed, as her cellmate emerged into the meager light.

He moved with an unnatural fluidity, each motion precise and predatory despite an obvious weakness. Broad shoulders sagged with exhaustion. Muscular arms hung limply at his sides. But it was his face that sent ice through Keri's veins.

Pale skin, almost translucent in the gloom. Sharp, aristocratic features gaunt with hunger. And his eyes... dear God, his eyes. They glowed with an unholy blue light, boring into Keri with an intensity that stole her breath.

But it was his smile that truly terrified her. Recognition slammed into Keri like a freight train. She knew that face — she had seen it in grainy surveillance photos and hastily sketched wanted posters. Joshua Nicolau. The most feared assassin in the underworld. And now, apparently, her cellmate and ... a vampire?

"Welcome to our humble abode," Joshua said, his voice dripping with dark humor. "I'd offer you the grand tour, but as you can see, accommodations are somewhat limited."

Keri's mind raced, searching desperately for some rational explanation other than vampires were real. Chrissy was playing an elaborate prank. Someone must have slipped Keri hallucinogenic drugs. Anything but the impossible truth that she was locked in with a hungry vampire assassin who looked at her as if she was something delicious.

Joshua took a faltering step closer, nostrils flaring at her scent. "Mmmm. Fear smells delicious on you, little mouse. It's been so long since I’ve had fresh prey."

His gaze raked over her body, lingering on the pulse pounding in her throat. Keri suppressed a shudder, painfully aware of how vulnerable she was. Shackled. Helpless. At the mercy of a predator who saw her as nothing more than a potential meal.

But she’d be damned if she'd give this monster the satisfaction of seeing her cower. “Where’s Chrissy?”

“Who?” He quirked an eyebrow.

“Are you a Vasile stooge?”

He snorted. “Hardly.”

Then, softer, she said, “Are you really a vampire?”

He bared his fangs at her in a mockery of a smile.

“Shit.”

“Indeed, but if I wanted you dead, you'd be drained dry already. You were dumped in here with me a few hours ago. I watched you sleep. You looked like an angel."

“Like that’s not creepy as hell.” If he wasn't going to kill her, then what?

Joshua's eyes glittered with a mixture of amusement and something darker. “What did you do to piss off the Vasiles?” he mused.

“I’m a reporter.”

“That would do it. But I wonder, what secrets that pretty little head of yours holds? What did you learn about the Vasiles that warranted being thrown in here with me?"

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