SEQUEL TEASER:
"The Allure of the Curse"

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A tall man stood in the doorway wearing a long frocked coat and black slacks. Salt-colored hair hung past his shoulders in the back. His flawless face was the color of old newspaper, and his pale blue eyes were half-opened.

Thomas felt a cold tingle in his stomach, and a sharp, smoky smell reached his nostrils. He thought of burning leaves.

The man was looking at his fingernails. "Mr. Bryant," he said, his voice flat and unconcerned. "Thank you for bringing our guest. You will find Candida in her quarters. She has been fitted with a collar and cannot harm you. You have my permission to do whatever you like to her."

Jeremy's eyes widened and he quickly bowed in gratitude. "Thank you sir," he whispered. He hurried from the room.

"Mr. Beazer and Mr. Beazer," the man continued, still looking at his hands. "Take the girl away from here. Indulge yourselves however you like, but you are not to kill her."

Thomas immediately flung himself between Mariah and the two thuggish men. Austin grabbed Thomas's shoulders from behind; as Thomas grappled with the larger man, Mariah sprang to her feet and kicked Ben in the shin. Ben grunted and stumbled back, and Mariah dashed toward the door.

"Enough!"

The tall man's voice resounded through the small room. Austin's arms instantly went slack and dropped to his sides. Mariah froze in her tracks as though cast in concrete.

"You two are embarrassments," the tall man said in his bored voice. "Back away from our guests."

The Beazers obediently retreated to the far corners of the room. The tall man took a graceful step forward.

"The girl's audacity has changed my mind. I would rather she was here to witness this."

He approached Thomas and peered closely at his neck. Thomas's stomach was a block of ice, and the overpowering smoky smell choked off his breath.

"You are the half-breed's pet," the man stated. "But she has not bitten you." He smirked. "Or perhaps she has done so in a more intimate location. No matter."

In a blink, his bored blue eyes flashed to enraged silver. His thin lips curled back to reveal a set of upper and lower fangs that curved to wicked points.

The vampire lunged toward Thomas's neck.

Thomas didn't react until he felt the twin bolts of pain stinging his skin. Mariah gasped.

But then the vampire recoiled violently, falling onto his back. He rolled over, retching and spitting on the carpet as the stunned Beazer brothers looked on.

The vampire looked up at Thomas and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his coat. His blue eyes had returned, only they no longer held unconcerned boredom. Now they held fear.

"What are you?" the vampire whispered.

Thomas just shrugged.

The vampire gestured to the Beazers, then at Thomas and Mariah. "I need to recover," he wheezed. "Leave them here. Do not harm them."

He palmed the wall, pulling himself up to his feet, and staggered out of the room. The Beazers flashed a couple of worried glances at Thomas, then hurried after their master.

The door closed, and a couple of deadbolts clicked into place.

Thomas sighed and put his hand to his neck. The wounds left mere traces of blood on his fingers.

Mariah stared at him with her jaw hanging open. "Sparks," she sputtered, "at your neck, when he... What just happened?"

"I don't know," Thomas said. "But I might as well explain some things to you now."