The Sanctuary: The Vampire's Secret Read online

  THE SANCTUARY

  #1: THE VAMPIRE’S PROMISE

  ATHENA BLACKROSE

  CONTENTS

  Also by Athena Blackrose

  Join The Sanctuary

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Also by Athena Blackrose

  Join The Sanctuary

  ALSO BY ATHENA BLACKROSE

  The Sanctuary Series

  The Sanctuary #1: The Vampire’s Secret

  ——

  The Sanctuary #2: The Vampire’s Passion

  ——

  The Sanctuary #3: The Vampire’s Promise (Available August 15th 2017)

  New Sanctuary novels are scheduled to arrive monthly!

  JOIN THE SANCTUARY

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  PROLOGUE

  Perched on his head like a crown, his hat was almost as white as the man’s flawless, thousand-watt smile. A tailored alabaster suit clung to his sculpted body, a stark contrast to the luscious, jet-black hair that flowed over his shoulders and down his muscular back. The black silk, button-down shirt he was wearing beneath it was half unbuttoned, displaying his smooth, broad chest.

  He wasn’t just Hollywood gorgeous. This kind of beauty surpassed the standards required by the silver screen and shot straight to Greek god proportions.

  “Welcome to the Park, my friends!”

  He welcomed the crowd of people in front of him like a modern day Mr. Roarke from Fantasy Island, flashing them his intoxicating smile and charming even the most jaded of the group.

  It was difficult to resist the enchantment of the Park and its inhabitants.

  At the remote island far off the coast of Australia, the guests were greeted with an extraordinary vision of astonishing beauty. A beautiful volcanic isle, surrounded by cliffs falling directly into a turquoise-colored sea. Trailing up the edge of an ancient caldera filled with a sparkling azure lake in the distance, it was simply breathtaking.

  “I’m Apollo Youngblood, your host. We’re so happy you’re here! I’ll be leading you on this journey for the next few days.”

  The group gathered at his feet, rippling with anxiety and anticipation. Some were healthier than others, but they were all compromised in some manner.

  They listened intently, hungry for what was to come.

  “I know you have questions,” he continued as if reading their minds, “and we will get to them all. But first! We must get you settled in your rooms and get you fed!”

  He gestured grandly to a small group of equally beautiful people that had been waiting patiently behind him. They wore neat, black suits with crisp, white shirts underneath. Welcome smiles spread across their faces.

  “My assistants here will check you in and take you to your rooms. After you’re settled, we’ll have a delicious gourmet buffet created for you by our talented chefs spread out in the Grand Hall. You must have the steak! I’m not sure how he does it, but it’s the best you’ll ever have the pleasure of tasting!”

  He clapped his hands together, his crystal-blue eyes sparkling with pure, unadulterated joy.

  “Tomorrow, you’re free to indulge in an array of services at our luxurious Flora Spa, where you’ll be able to enjoy a relaxing massage and luxuriate in our grand hot springs. Please relax and enjoy yourselves as much as you can. Tomorrow night, the games will begin and you’ll need all of your strength. At dusk, we turn on the cameras,” he said, an ecstatic smile spreading across his handsome face, “and then it will be time for the real fun!”

  A quiet murmur spread through the crowd. Apollo held their attention, his smile disarmingly comforting. A palpable sigh of relief rippled through the contestants at his words.

  None of them had known exactly what to expect.

  They were all sick in some manner, whether mentally or physically or emotionally. Each and every one of them had different reasons for coming here, but they shared a common thread.

  The sheer desperation that fills anyone confronted with the reality of their mortality.

  They were all going to die…soon.

  But first, they would go through the motions so many had faced before. They would enjoy the pleasures of the Park and fight to make it out alive.

  If they knew the dismal chance of that happening, they might have hesitated in their decision. Unfortunately, the Collectors were known to stretch the truth for a signature. Lying, exaggerating, selling this opportunity were all necessary to persuade someone to sign away their lives.

  In fact, these people had no idea what lie ahead and frankly, it was better that way.

  The horror they would soon witness, the racing heart beats, the cold fingers of terror wrapping around their necks…well, it would make the most courageous men tremble in fear.

  But it wasn’t time for that just yet.

  First, they’d be plied with sensual massages, delicious food and expensive spirits, even sex, if they so desired. It was all on the table.

  The leaders of the Park had refined this game, learning with time and experience that providing these small luxuries allowed the contestants to summon the strength to fight just a little harder in the end, increasing the challenge even more.

  The fear and courage pumping through the contestant’s blood is precisely what makes the Park so valuable to its true guests.

  It was a rare vintage they provided…

  So flavorful…

  So warm…

  So fresh…

  So human.

  ONE

  ADDY

  My dog Quackers pulled on the leash, walking me instead of the other way around. The hot August sun was a welcome respite from the ten months of rain that simultaneously blessed and cursed the Pacific Northwest. The sun’s rays bathed my skin with its warm blessings, and I turned my face up to it, basking in the delicious heat.

  I had one hour before I needed to clock in at the hospital and I was happy the sun had chosen to come out now while I had a chance to enjoy it. The park near my home was almost empty, save for a lone soul walking a much larger dog than my precious shih-tzu on the opposite end of the park.

  Quackers pulled me along, stopping every few seconds to sniff a blade of grass and deciding whether or not to pee on it. I knew it would take awhile for him to find just the right spot, and I lost myself in thoughts of work.

  My caseload was huge and the fate of my patients was in my hands. As a heart surgeon, the responsibility weighed heavily on my shoulders. I lost a patient last week and I was still second-guessing my decisions. There must have been a way to save him. His wife’s tear filled eyes were haunting my dreams.

  I take any failure personally.

  I’m not supposed to, I know. My colleagues would be quick to say ‘losing is part of the job’. I’d been doing this long enough to know that I am better than that. There’s a reason the hospital saddles me with the most difficult cases. I’ve proven time and again that I can beat the odds.

  Except when I don’t…

  Here, in the light of day, the warmth of the sunshine beating down on me, it was a little easier to let go. I knew once night fell, and I was alone in my home, with nothing to distract me — I’d see her eyes again.

  Over and over, in slow-motion…

  The realization of the words I was speaking would hit her amber eyes first, causing the light inside of her to cave in, to retreat, the pain darkening everything that came before I stepped in front of her that day.

  In that moment, I’d changed. I wasn’t the miracle working heart-surgeon they came so far to see.

  I was the grim-reaper in sky-blue scrubs and an ugly pair of plastic shoes.

  I despised that role.

  Nevertheless, I did my best to comfort, to explain, and to answer the endless questions that would never bring her husband back.

  Of course… that meant lying to her face.

  I could have saved her husband… if I was willing to break the rules.

  I tried to stay away from those thoughts, because nothing good ever came from them.

  Going that far wasn’t part of my job.

  It was too dangerous for everyone involved.

  Quackers and I neared the empty playground. I sat down on a bench, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, trying to
let go of the guilt.

  Blood on your hands is hard to wash clean.

  The pain would fade, but for now it was a sharp dagger lodged in my chest that wasn’t ready to release its mighty grip. All I could do was tough it out, take my walk, and exhale, exhale, exhale.

  I closed my eyes, turning my face back to the sun, inhaling, exhaling, inhaling, exhaling. I’d been sitting there with my eyes closed for several minutes before I heard a tiny yelp from Quackers as he pulled on the leash.

  My eyes flew open just as a massive blur of fur, muscle, fangs and tongue rushed towards me, knocking me completely off the bench and onto the grass. I was on my back with a huge beast standing heavy on my chest, frantically licking my face with a frighteningly long tongue.

  I put my hands up, trying to ward it off, but it wasn’t fazed.

  “Bessie! Stop it!” A man’s voice yelled through the hot and heavy panting. The beast finally stopped licking, long enough to gaze down at me as a huge ribbon of drool trailed from its open, smiling mouth before commencing the licking again.

  “I am so sorry!”

  The man ran up to my side and pulled the beast away, allowing me to see that it was a beautifully happy dog. Bessie was a gorgeous tan mastiff that was very taken by me, apparently. Frantically pulling at the leash, the man struggled to pull her away.

  I sat up laughing, wiping the drool from my face.

  “I can’t believe she did that… I’m so sorry! Bessie!” he cried, gently pulling on her leash.

  I looked up at him and smiled.

  “It’s fine,” I said. “It happens all the time.”

  “I’ve had Bessie since she was a puppy and she’s never done anything like this…”

  I stood up and wiped the grass from my back, walking over and collecting Quacker’s leash along the way. When I reached out to scratch the top of Bessie’s head, she leaned her massive body into my legs, rubbing up against me as much as she could.

  “Really, it’s fine,” I said. “I’m okay. I had my eyes closed and didn’t see her coming.”

  “It’s weird, she doesn’t like anyone. She barely likes me,” he muttered.

  I laughed knowingly, nodding my head.

  “She seems like a real sweetheart,” I said, smiling into her eyes. She whimpered and sat down in front of me, looking up at me enthusiastically.

  “She’s really not,” he said, his voice full of confusion. I looked up at him, his bright green eyes looking at me questioningly as I took him in. His tall frame towered over me and I drank in his dark good looks. Short, wavy black hair framed his tanned face, his square jaw permanently set with fierce determination as he studied me petting his dog. “She absolutely hates people. And other dogs. And cats. And squirrels. And leather couches. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile like that…”

  “Is that so?” I asked.

  “Bessie pretty much hates everything but peanut butter and steak.”

  “Ah,” I said, nodding my head and scratching under her chin, “a girl after my own heart.”

  He just stood there shaking his head in disbelief.

  “Well,” I shrugged, peering into Bessie’s eyes, “I like you, too big girl.”

  She whimpered and laid down, then rolled over on her back in an act of complete submission.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” the man exclaimed. I scratched her belly, then stood up, laughing as I checked my watch.

  “It was nice meeting you both, but I need to go,” I said, turning back to him. I caught myself smiling, and a little familiar shiver ran up my spine.

  He was handsome…

  The kind of handsome you’d want to spend hours gazing at. The kind of handsome you wanted to do a lot more with than look at. I felt a deep stirring in my stomach, followed by the feeling of burning loneliness, both of which I promptly pushed away.

  There was no time in my life for that.

  I had no time for men like him, with dogs like Bessie…

  I turned to walk away, a yapping Quackers pulling on the leash as I pulled him along.

  “Wait!” he shouted after I took a few steps away. I turned back and he was smiling, his hand outstretched. “I didn’t get your name. My friends call me Leo.”

  “Hello, Leo,” I said, taking his hand, the heat of his palm warm in mine. “I’m Adriana…Addy.”

  “Addy,” he nodded, still smiling, his green eyes sparkling. “And who is this?” he asked, nodding to the little bundle of crazy yapping at Bessie beside me.

  “This is Quackers.”

  “Like a duck?” he asked, tilting his head.

  “No, like a doctor.”

  “A doctor?”

  “You shouldn’t let this little furball give you any medical advice.”

  “I’ll take that under advisement,” he said, letting out a little laugh that somehow managed to be tremendously sexy. The stirring inside moved even deeper and I took a slow breath, determined to continue pushing it away.

  “You know, Bessie will eat me in my sleep if I don’t ask you to have a drink with me.” He peered into my eyes, his hopeful gaze so tender, so earnest, so damned sexy.

  I’d become jaded over the years and his vulnerability touched something deep inside of me, weaving its way past the familiar savage stirrings that I was used to pushing away effortlessly.

  Not only was I jaded, but I was desperately lonely.

  It was the life.

  My life.

  I’d accepted the loneliness a few lifetimes ago, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. It went deep. It was a part of me, and I knew better than to allow someone in. But the urge, the yearning to be close to flesh that I didn’t pay for or have rationed out to me, the deep satisfaction that I rarely allowed myself to feel? Well, that was something one never stops fantasizing about.

  I hadn’t been to the sanctuary in many months and that didn’t help.

  His eyes on me now, looking at me with such trust, completely unaware of the monster he was smiling at, just made me want him even more.

  “All right,” I nodded slowly, knowing in the back of my mind that I was playing with fire, and lying to myself that everything would be alright. It was just one drink. I could handle one drink.

  And that's true. I could.

  I always followed the rules these days, unlike a lot of others I knew. I was only hurting myself by agreeing to have a drink with him. It would just make the loneliness hurt more, make the yearning stronger, make it harder to get through the days until I could escape the rigorous act of normal life and retreat to the sweet relief that awaited me at the Sanctuary.

  Leo’s adorable smile widened across his face, his eyes shining brighter than the sun overhead, as I nodded.

  It was worth it, I told myself.

  For a little slice of companionship, I could take a little more pain.

  Quickly, before I could change my mind, I gave him my phone number and said goodbye again after giving Bessie another scratch.