Unsalvageable (Sanguine Blood Seekers 1)

Unsalvageable (A Razor’s Edge Vampire Erotica Novella)
J. Hali Steele
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2022 J. Hali Steele

“Good evening, Drew.”

He knows my name!

This can’t be happening. None of this is real. A nightmare brought on by the beating he’d sustained. Drew barely remembered how he’d ended up in the filthy alley, let alone wherever he was now. But he recalled watching a man commit murder by tearing another’s throat out.

Drugged. The creep from the bar must have drugged me and coerced me outside.

His watch was gone. A gift from his mother after graduating university. Feeling his neck, Drew discovered the chain missing, as well. My chain! A present from…

Should have taken time to have that clasp replaced.

He wondered how long he’d been out. Exploring the back of his head with shaky fingers, he discovered the scab he touched wasn’t painful. His nose had been broken, but it didn’t hurt when he located a bump along the bridge. Unkempt hair fell onto his forehead, his chin was covered with more than normal stubble and bristled beneath his fingertips.

How many days had he been butt ass naked in a stranger’s bed? A stranger who acted like…

“Just over a week. And the word you’re searching for is vampire.”

Drew sat up carefully, anticipated pain in his abdomen where the robber had repeatedly kicked him. Barely ached. “What?”

Faint light filtered through blinds. Not enough to make out the speaker’s features. “This will help.” A lamp came on beside the bed, but there was no sound to indicate the use of a remote, and the creature didn’t appear to have moved from his seat.

“What did you say?”

“Vampire. And just over a week.”

“I can’t be away from work that long. I’ll lose my job.”

“It’s losing your job that concerns you?”

“Yes. No. Who the hell are you?” Vampire.

“Call me Sten. And your boss does not expect you back until next month.”

“A month?”

“Predictable timeframe for a human who has sustained injuries such as yours.”

Drew peered around in search of an escape route. “Goddamn it, what did you tell them?”

“Your office was informed you had been in an auto accident.”

“You lied?”

“I didn’t say anything. My staff, which includes doctors, handles such problems.”

“I take it this isn’t the first time you kidnapped a battered stranger.”

“Actually, it is. Any others I allowed to live were collected and tended to.”

“You didn’t kill them?”

“No.” Lips shifted into a stern slash. “And I wouldn’t call it kidnapping. You do recall asking me to save your life?”

“I expected to wake up in a hospital.”

“Instead, you woke up in my bed, with your secret safe.”

“Secret?”

“We’ll talk of that another time.” Sten leaned forward. “What do you really want to know, Drew?”

“Nothing.” Drew took note Sten wore a partially open black shirt revealing an intricately designed tattoo, most of which remained hidden. Thin leather strips tied close around his throat held several trinkets. One had small, unidentifiable stones while a longer, thicker chain held a ring.

Sten wasn’t a big man. Nowhere near Drew’s height or weight. Impossible to be what he claimed. Those monsters are huge. Short to medium height, with walnut hued skin, he looked no older than thirty, maybe thirty-five. Slender, but if Drew had to guess, lean muscle likely covered his body. “You have short hair.” And a neatly trimmed beard. Both were inky black. God, his mouth is… What the fuck am I thinking! Senseless thoughts. “You’re short.”

“Ridiculous.” Hollow laughter ricocheted from walls whose color matched a magnificent sunset. “You’ve read too many romance novels.”

“I don’t read those kinds of books.”

“Then why the preconceived ideas regarding vampire appearance?”

“I just thought, well, I expected a beast like you would be larger than life.” I watched you kill a man!

“Beast. I see.” Sten stood and walked to a window. “Evening approaches.” He twisted a rod and the blinds opened to allow fading sunlight into the space. “Does your information predict how long before I burst into flames if the sun’s rays touch me?” The man had moved fluidly past the bed, yet each step appeared measured as if a wild animal reigned in his body, ready to break free and pounce.

“I don’t…” Drew stared at expensively shod feet. They had made no noise on the highly polished wood floors gleaming under admitted sunlight. Bet those shoes cost a pretty penny. He took note of pants as black as the shirt. A perfectly tailored fit, the slacks clung to narrow hips that Drew had trouble pulling his eyes away from.