A Shade of Darkness

Chapter One The memories keep coming, causing a storm to roil inside him, as black and vicious as that which blows its way across the seas that he loves. How stupid he had been to begin with; how vulnerable and weak later. How terrified, but at the same time filled with lust and power. He remembers all too clearly what she had made him feel. Just thinking about it now has made him so terribly angry. Her name was Zenia and she had been a very beautiful, sensual woman, always luring men in with her exotic, otherworldly looks. She had this talent when she was human, but now, it’s magnified tenfold. She had long blond hair the colour of burnished gold, her eyes the colour of violets, and her skin felt like silk the colour of pearls. Being a vampire made her very exotic, but wicked to her very soul. You could see it in her eyes, evil-incarnate looking out. The way she sauntered into a room also told you what she was truly like. The way she moved her body, so sensually; she owned the room and whoever was in it. Most men were drawn to her like a moth to a flame. They couldn’t help it and got singed for their troubles. She had lured him to her with her looks and lust filled eyes. “Come here, handsome. I want to see you more clearly.” Her beautiful, violet eyes were rimmed with red, her soft, full lips pouting provocatively, sharp white teeth peeking out. “I won’t hurt you, a big strong man like you and itty bitty me. What could I possibly do to hurt you? I just want to touch you, be close to you for one night.” He became hypnotised by her sultry voice. She lured him in so easily. “Aye, you are something else. I think maybe you could offer me something.” He had swaggered up to her, pretending he had the upper hand with this delectable, exotic lady. He couldn’t believe she had deceived him so easily. Oh, he could still remember, even if it was over three hundred years ago. He could still remember what it felt like when she sunk her teeth into his neck. First, she gave him a kiss with her luscious lips. “Oh, baby, that feels so good.” Then she bit him. How intense his emotions had become. The quick, sharp pain of her teeth going into his neck, then the euphoria and lust he felt as she began to drink him dry. “Oh, my god, that feels so good. Let me kiss your neck now.” But she kept sucking and sucking, not letting up. At the last moment he realized she was going to kill him, was killing him, and there wasn’t anything he could do. He was too weak from loss of blood. “What are you doing? Stop, you’re killing me,” he whimpered. “Yes, I am and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it. But I’m not really going to kill you. I will make you into what I am. I think you will be perfect for me. We can be lovers for all eternity.” He was too far gone to do anything else but lie in her arms and feel the pain and ecstasy. He’s been holed up for quite some time now and he’s getting restless. He thinks he needs a change of scenery to help him forget. A cruise on his ship, the Dark Lady, ought to soothe his restlessness; to see what he can find, whether it’s something or someone. He’ll have to wait until dusk, and then set out to get his ship ready to sail. His name is Vincenzo Alessandri, but everyone calls him Vince. He was born in 1675 and died a young man of thirty-five in 1710; he’s still thirty-five, but not so young anymore. When he died he was transformed into something supernatural, and because of the transformation, he is no longer like ordinary men. He has supernatural abilities other men only dream about. Of course, there are flaws that go along with these abilities, but he has learned to live with them, all of them. He didn’t have any choice. Zenia didn’t give him a choice.