DESCENT INTO
DARKNESS
Genre: Historical/Vampire (erotic novel)
Available from:
REVIEW:
This story is darkly intriguing. It explores the mental status of an
older vampire who finds he has lost something very important to him, but only
after the fact. Denyse is amazing in her ability to bring across to her audience
such intense feelings in such a short time. As always, I have thoroughly enjoyed
her current offering and will definitely suggest it to others.
FULL review is here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=9983
Alexander DeLenoir is an ancient creature of the night, born in a
betrayal that has left him without conscience or morality. He’s witnessed
history that is now myth. Throughout his long life, Alexander has seldom sought
companionship, and never has he looked for love. He has kept two of his immortal
children with him, through whatever means necessary, and is not intending to
expand his family.
Arriving at a small Massachusetts town
after killing the sailors on their ship, the vampire trio meets the mysterious
and lonely wife of the innkeeper, and Alexander is entranced by her beauty and
her indomitable spirit. In Amberlaine Calvert, he senses a nature as dark and
depraved as his own seeking freedom. Despite the protests of his companions,
Alexander takes her and in adoration of him finds an obsessive kind of
happiness.
When the town slowly awakens to the evil among
them, a bloody slaughter ensues, and Amberlaine is forced to see the madness
that will define her life with Alexander. Yet, in spite of her fear, she is
obsessively devoted to the powerful vampire, and the darker things she feels
lurking within her are about to be unleashed by a hunger even greater than her
passion—the thirst for revenge against those who dare to threaten their
existence…
EXCERPT:
The night air was chilly, but for the first time in a week, it was clear.
Amberlaine gazed upward at the glitter of frost-white stars that dotted the vast
blackness of the sky. There was a stillness to the night that felt vaguely
disturbing, but she dismissed it as her own miserable state of mind. She often
walked the paths behind the huge, sprawling inn, and had found a lovely,
secluded cove less than a mile from her home. She escaped to the sanctuary every
chance she could risk. It had been almost two weeks since she’d last ventured to
the hidden place.
She threaded her way through the tangle of wooded
growth, her eyes easily picking out the path even within the heavy darkness. The
glow of a nearly full moon lit the way with tiny shafts of silver light that
filtered through the boughs of the trees. She found the spot she sought a short
while later, and smiled with genuine freedom for the first time that
day.
Amberlaine went to the edge of the water and sat, the mossy bank
soft and comfortingly warm beneath her. She trailed her hand through the still
waters, smiled at the silken feel of the clear water flowing through her
fingers. Moonlight shimmered white radiance off the surface of the lake, and she
gave in to the impulse that had brought her here. Standing, she stripped off her
clothes and waded into the pool. The water welcomed her, enfolding her as the
arms of a lover would, and Amberlaine finally permitted herself to cry.
* * *
Diana continued to lead her unsuspecting victim toward the stand of trees near the back of the Inn. She could feel Alexander’s presence, his nearness an undeniable force. Less intense, but somehow brighter, was Julian. They couldn’t risk a string of bodies, so they had chosen this form of hunting for the short time they would be in the small village. Diana knew the men she traveled with hated the method, but it was safe--for the moment.
Charles Peabody was
too busy congratulating himself on his good luck to notice that the beautiful
woman at his side was more interested in her surroundings than him. Thomas
be damned! Charles thought with a smug grin. Let him punish his slut of a
wife in whatever way he chose, Charles had his own promise of pleasure to
pursue. That thought made him bold, and he stopped their trek into the heavier
growth of trees.
“Just a little further, chéri,” Diana purred sweetly.
“You do not expect me to enjoy our tryst so close to possible
discovery?”
“If your companions return, Thom will deal with them,”
Charles boasted, and tried to catch her in a kiss that would silence the talk.
He was more interested in engaging this little minx in other
activities.
“My... brother will not like it if he finds us,” Diana teased,
thoroughly enjoying that particular lie. The idea of Alexander defending her
honor was vastly more amusing than this poor fool could ever imagine. Still, she
didn’t object too strenuously when Charles pulled her tightly to him and claimed
her mouth in a kiss that lacked any seductive lure at all.
Diana snuggled
closer to her victim and laughed softly when he moaned his pleasure and his hips
moved against hers. She nuzzled his neck and nipped lightly at the sun-weathered
skin. Blood teased her senses and she shuddered with passion her partner
couldn’t begin to comprehend. Sharp, gleaming fangs emerged and Charles cried
out in sudden pain and surprise when Diana’s mouth closed on his neck. He tried
to push her away, only to find his wrists were now firmly held by one of the men
who had accompanied her to the Inn.
Terror seized him and he struggled
more earnestly in the hideous embrace. He could hear the soft, sucking sounds of
her feeding, and his horror rose as Julian stepped into a pale sliver of
moonlight and smiled. As the world spun away from him, Charles felt the grasp on
him change.
Julian’ fangs tore the hapless man’s throat with a savagery
that made Diana grin. As he drank, Diana’s head tilted back and laughter bubbled
from her blood stained lips. The body of Charles Peabody fell to the soft, mossy
ground long minutes later, a barely audible sigh of air escaping him as he
died.
A short distance away, Alexander fed a different need--one he had not felt
for centuries. He remained hidden in the shadow of gently swaying trees, and his
smile grew as he watched Amberlaine Calvert’s sylph-like body glide through the
moonlight- tinted waters of her private bath. Auburn hair streamed out behind
her and she closed her eyes as the warm water caressed her. Alexander heard the
lingering roughness of tears that made her breaths uneven and erratic. Pain
emanated from the beautiful woman, pain and deeply repressed desires.
The
vampire felt his children feed, was aware of the twitch of hunger that rose from
deep within him, but he was reluctant to rejoin them. She stood and Alexander
watched her walk from the small lake. Droplets of crystalline water trickled off
her pale curves and he was surprised to note the purely sexual craving that woke
inside him. Firm breasts strained against the lightweight fabric of her shift as
she tugged it on, and Alexander resisted a laugh when he acknowledged his desire
to suckle and caress those soft, tempting swells. How long had it been since
he’d lusted for a mortal? His beautiful witch had enchanted him--the thought
was met by a small self-mocking smile; he already thought of her as his
prize.
Her head came up sharply and he was momentarily disconcerted by
the piercing gaze that was cast in his direction. Fear drifted to him and he
turned away, mentally searching as she quickly gathered her things and dressed.
Her panic became more tangible with each moment. Then she was gone from the
haven he’d discovered was her refuge.
Annoyed, Alexander extinguished the
throb of desire she’d created in him and reached further outward with his
thoughts. He sensed the stalking wolf that had alarmed her, and quickly
dispatched the unfortunate animal with a mental command that made it yelp in
pain before bolting away. He went to find Diana and Julian.
Amberlaine shivered with the after-chill of her bath, and the inescapable
sense of unnatural silence that permeated the forest. Something she couldn’t
name had frightened her away from her sanctuary, and it had taken her some time
to curb the sense of panic. Because of her distraction, she’d taken a wrong turn
on the path and now ended up walking an extra half mile back to the inn. The
added distance was not entirely unwelcome, she mused, it was simply more time to
be spent in freedom. More time to miss the three people who had so unexpectedly
reminded her of a different life, and all that she had been forced to give up.
Three people? A voice inside her head repeated in self-mockery. She
would miss him. The tall, dark-haired stranger with the piercing eyes
and the voice that touched her like rich, flowing silk. She would long for
Alexander for the rest of her life.
Amberlaine’s mental wanderings came
to an abrupt halt moments later when she encountered an obstacle she hadn’t
noticed on the trail. She stumbled and fell. The feel of a body was almost a
relief, probably one of the drunkards from the inn looking for a shorter way
back to his home. Still, she was relieved, until she looked closely and
saw the lifeless eyes of one of her husband’s cohorts. Peabody, her
mind noted in shock. She reached out a badly shaking hand and the scream of
terror began to rise within her. She knew before she actually touched him, then
she saw the gaping hole that had once been his throat. A tiny trickle of crimson
dribbled into the cushioned ground beneath her.
Before Amberlaine could
consciously stifle her horror, she started to scream. Unreasoning fear forced
motion, and she crawled backward until she met the unyielding resistance of one
of the huge trees that filled the forest. She groped blindly and hauled herself
to her feet. Her eyes remained riveted to the dead stare of the corpse in front
of her.
Alexander knew what he would find before the first shriek of
terror shredded the peaceful night air. He’d felt her approach seconds before
the actual sound had reached them. Suppressing his annoyance, he strode back to
the spot they had just left.
“Amberlaine.”
When she didn’t respond
to him, he repeated her name with a new inflection, one of commanding power to
his tone.
The quiet, controlled voice cut through the wall of panic that
surrounded her, and she was able to look away from the crimson gore that had
once been Peabody’s throat. Alexander stood a few feet away, pale moonlight
surrounded him in a silvery radiance and gave him the appearance of a benevolent
angel. She ran to him before she knew what else to do. Her arms went around him
and she buried her face against his chest, desperate tears finally spilling
forth.
Alexander hesitated for a moment, pleasantly startled by the feel
of Amberlaine in his arms. She was clinging to him, quiet sobs shuddering
through her. He pulled her closer and began to whisper soft words of comfort as
he led her away from the grisly scene she had found. He spotted Julian peering
at him through the trees and the younger vampire’s anger brought a small glimmer
of amusement to his smile.
“You are safe, my pet,” he murmured to the
frightened woman. He stopped walking once they were well away from the body, and
he turned her face up to meet his gaze. “You saw nothing, Amber,” he told her,
weaving the hypnotic spell that would erase her memory of the horror she had
witnessed. He felt her mind resisting his influence, and was oddly pleased by
the realization. It reinforced his belief that she was much stronger than she
knew. Still, it was not long before she succumbed to the pressure of his
suggestion, and the fear that had lit her eyes began to fade. “There is nothing
here to frighten you, pet,” he assured her in the same gentle, soothing tones
he’d used to erase her remembrance of the death.
After several tense
minutes, Amberlaine’s fear ebbed away completely and left only confusion in its
wake. Confusion, and an awareness that made her body tremble with a new kind of
fright. She knew she should not allow herself to remain in Alexander’s embrace.
The desire to be this close to him, closer, over-rode her good sense.
“I
am not frightened, my lord,” she whispered in a tiny voice. “I have never felt
safer in my life,” she admitted with a sudden candor that made Alexander
smile.
The irony was a pleasure in itself, he thought. She was in more danger
than her young life had ever known, yet all she felt was trust. And desire. Yes,
the light in her eyes spoke clearly of her desire to share his
bed.
Alexander bent to brush her lips with his, and the sharp intake of
her breath was followed immediately by the tentative pressure of her mouth
meeting his caress. Her inexperience was frustrating but intriguing, and the
vampire carefully tasted her mouth, keeping the stroke of his tongue delicate.
Amberlaine stirred in his arms, and she moved closer to him to press her small
frame to the long length of his body. She opened her mouth to him, invited his
probe, and he felt the warmth of her tongue entwined with his as she answered
his reawakened hunger.
Alexander eventually drew away from the sweetness
of her shy, caressing responses to him and held her face between his hands. “You
are making it very hard for me to let go of you, my pet,” he whispered, the
words strangely sincere despite his flippancy.
“Take me with you,
Alexander!” she cried, no longer caring if she had to beg for his attention. She
had never felt so alive before, and her body shook uncontrollably in his arms.
All she could think of was the mindless, intoxicating happiness he had just
taught her with his kiss. No one had ever touched her this way, nor had any kiss
made her feel as she now did. “Please, my lord?”
The words were
breathless, pleading.
“Amberlaine,” he smiled warmly. “I am not
leaving.”
“But you will,” she said sadly as tears filled her eyes once
again. Stung by his apparent rejection, she pulled away from him and turned her
back to hide the shame she felt at her actions. She was a married woman,
behaving like a wanton tramp. Why would someone like this nobleman want her? He
could have any lover he chose, he would certainly want better than the battered
wife of an innkeeper.
“Alexander?”
Julian’s voice reached them a
moment before the young noble stepped into view. Amberlaine turned glistening
eyes to him then she ran, unable to face his kindness and decency.
“Why
won’t you leave her alone?” he asked, his voice low with anger.
“She
wants me to take her with me when we leave,” Alexander laughed. “She feels
safe with me, Julian,” he informed the younger vampire.
“Why
wouldn’t she?” Julian retorted instantly. “You are making a habit of saving her
from her fears. She doesn’t know you are worse than anything she could imagine
in this place.”
“Perhaps you should tell her,” Alexander suggested
coldly. The nobleman’s words angered him more than he would have preferred. He
laughed then, the sound dark and contemptuous. “But, that would mean admitting
you are just like me, wouldn’t it, my Julian? And she would no longer look at
you with such adoring respect. If you find this little wench so enchanting, dear
boy, take her and be done with it!”
“It’s not me she wants, Alexander,”
he pointed out.
“And that matters?” the ancient vampire enquired, his
voice again tainted with mocking amusement.
“Doesn’t it?” Julian challenged,
unexpected knowledge in his eyes as he faced his master. Alexander held the
steady stare for a full minute, then he nodded. The humor had vanished from his
mood, to be replaced by the dangerous introspection Julian knew so
well.
“Very good, Julian,” Alexander whispered. “You are finally learning
to see more clearly.”
The confirmation of Alexander’s desire for the
woman did little to comfort the younger vampire. If anything, it made him feel
that his reluctance to warn her was somewhat cowardly. Still, he could see no
way to make her life better, short of taking her away before Alexander could
suspect him. It would only be a temporary solution, at best. He’d tried to leave
Alexander before, hadn’t he? He’d never been successful. Amberlaine herself
would not want to leave the master vampire. She was a child, he thought. A
trusting child.
“She’s an innocent--” Julian stopped the sentence before
he could complete the thought, and understanding lit sudden wrath in his eyes.
“I should have guessed,” he noted bitterly. “That’s what fascinates
you.”
Alexander’s eyebrow rose as he considered the truth, then he
laughed again and strolled back toward the inn.
“He will take
her with us, Julian,” Diana remarked, as she appeared at his side seemingly out
of thin air. “Perhaps she will be better off?”
“Are we?” he asked
quietly. Blue eyes met blue in a moment of silent communion…
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