Sexual Appetites of Vampires (Sexual Appetites of Unearthly Creatures #1)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

I t was much too dark, the night much too cold, and Lara too unfamiliar with her surroundings. She hurried along the street, the cold air nipping at her nose and cheeks. She pulled her red, black, and white plaid scarf up over her chin determined to find what she was looking for. The shops on Main Street were near to closing in the quaint Village of Mull. She scanned the street signs as she got close enough to read them. The librarian had told her that the book shop was off Main on Juniper. She should have waited until morning, but she was anxious to gather what information she could as quickly as possible, since a major snowstorm was headed this way. She wanted to be home on the Jersey Shore before it hit, tucked away in her nice cozy cottage where she could start on the chapter she’d been invited to write.

She had been surprised when Vera Duluth, an executive editor with a top publishing company in New York city, had called—not e-mailed—but actually called to speak with her in person. Vera Duluth had this wonderful idea for a book and was searching for writers who would embrace the topic with their hearts and souls. And Vera believed Lara would be perfect to write the chapter on vampires.

Vera claimed to be an avid fan of Lara’s successful blog I’m Not That Gullible, or Am I? To Lara’s surprise her blog had become popular practically overnight. She had tens of thousands of followers who religiously read and posted comments daily. The unbelievable had always fascinated Lara and research had been another interest of hers. Add to that her endless curiosity, though her dad called her his nosey one, and it was inevitable that her blog was born.

While the invitation to write for a major publisher sounded inviting, the premise of the book was another matter. It wasn’t a chapter on simply vampires Vera was looking for, but rather a specific area concerning vampires, and the chapter title said it all...Sexual Appetites of Vampires.

Vera had gone on to explain how she was hiring topnotch writers for each and every chapter of the book titled Sexual Appetites of Unearthly Creatures: Fiction, Fantasy or Fact? Vera had also intimated that if the book did half as well as she suspected it would, they would then talk about a contract for single title books from Lara.

It was an enticing offer, though she was doing quite well on her own and wasn’t even sure if she would have the time to write a book. With her various social media accounts growing daily, advertises were coming out of the woodwork to be on her site, publishers included. Sales for the e-books she had complied from her various blogs were doing great, enabling her to do some traveling to research the unbelievable and provide a variety of interesting topics.

In the end, it wasn’t the fact that Vera had made her a generous offer to write the chapter or the possibility of more books to come that had her accepting. It was when Vera had dangled the enticing fact that the Village of Mull in upstate New York near the Canadian border was believed, as legend claimed, to have been founded by vampires that had actually sealed the deal.

Lara certainly didn’t believe in vampires, but the information she could get from such a place would give her tons of material for her blog. And with the publishing house footing the bill for her trip, how could she say no?

She also figured that somewhere buried beneath the folklore she would find some beguiling tales about seductive vampires, providing her with material for the chapter. To Lara it was a win-win situation. The only problem was that the winter weather was refusing to cooperate. Vera had hired a car service to deliver her to the Village of Mull and the driver would return for her in three days. With the approaching storm, it had been necessary to change it to two days, and she had wasted most of today at the library with Madge, the librarian who had never heard such a ridiculous tale that Mull was founded by vampires. After scouring the shelves for any hint of such a myth, she had given up and had cajoled the temperamental Madge into confiding that the village had worked hard at burying the insane tale, fearing they would suffer a never-ending string of crazies descending on them. They much preferred to keep the quaintness and quiet of their small town. Lara had promised, crossing her heart, that she had no interest in marking the Village of Mull as a haven for vampires. She simply was looking for some information on vampires that she could not find anyplace else. Madge had told Lara that Desmond, the proprietor of Treasures of the Mind Book Shop on Juniper off Main might be able to help her. But Madge had also and, with some reluctance, suggested that Lara speak to Michael Alexandru Valaine, a descendent of the original founders of Mull.

Lara was relieved that the next street sign she came upon read Juniper. She turned down the narrow alley to find four shops, all but one closed, and it was the bookshop. She hurried to the light from inside reflected on the cobblestone street. Her hand grabbed the doorknob just as the sign on the door turned to closed.

She was not one to give up easily, so she tapped on the door’s windowpane.

Surprisingly, the door opened, though not surprisingly the distinguished looking white-haired man said, “I’m sorry, but I’m closed for the day.”

“Please, I have one day left to find the information I’m looking for and leave Mull before the snowstorm hits,” she said with a smile and a bit of desperation.

“How can I say no to such a beautiful woman,” he said and swept his hand back, inviting her in.

She stepped into the shop with a, “Thank you,” and pulled off her white gloves to rub the chill from her cold hands.

“Knit gloves won’t do here,” he scolded with a smile. “You need ones that will stand up against the cold. Come with me. You can sit by the fire while I make you a cup of tea.”

“I don’t want to impose,” she said, though she would kill for a cup of hot tea right now.

“Nonsense, you’re freezing,” he said and with a gentle hand to her back guided her to the rear of the small shop where a black cast iron stove radiated heat. He assisted her to sit in one of the two wing-back chairs that sat opposite each other in front of the stove. Then he opened the stove doors, inserted two logs from the nearby basket that was almost empty and instead of closing the doors, placed the fire screen in the opening. “Warm yourself, I’ll only be a moment.”

He didn’t have to tell her twice. Lara yanked off her white knit hat and ran her hand over her long auburn hair to chase away any static before slipping out of her red wool jacket and draping it over the back of the chair. She stretched her hands out and sighed with pleasure as the heat from the roaring flames licked away the cold. If only she could slip out of her mid-thigh black boots and do the same with her cold toes, though she was glad she had worn her gray leggings. They had, at least, kept her legs somewhat warm as did the black swing sweater she wore over a white tailored shirt.

She took the opportunity to glance around the shop as she continued warming her hands. It was smaller than she had expected. Two walls held floor to ceiling shelves filled with hardcover books, all old, not a new one among them. Chest-high, double-sided shelving ran down the middle of the store, dividing the small space into two aisles. Next to the door was a large window and in front of that sat a desk with all the usual technical paraphernalia for ringing up a sale, along with a laptop.

That made her reach into her oversized harvest gold leather purse and fish for her cell phone. “Drat,” she mumbled when she saw she still had no bars.

“If you’re looking for cell phone service, it’s practically impossible to find around here,” the man said, returning with a silver tray in hand. He placed it on an antique, pie-crust table next to the empty chair, then lifted both and placed the pair between them. After asking her how she took her tea and fixing one for her, and then one for himself, he sat opposite her and said, “I’m Desmond Hargrove proprietor of this shop and you are?”

“Lara Bennett,” she said, extending her hand.

Desmond shook it and smiled. “You’re warming up, that’s good.”

Lara determined his age to be somewhere in his late sixties. He was tall, over six feet, slender, and she had no doubt he could still set a woman’s libido jumping. She could only imagine how the women must have responded to him when he was younger.

“Now what may I do for you, Lara?”

“Tell me you have books about the vampires that founded this town.”

His brow knitted for a split second, and then he smiled like a father about to placate his child. “Now what does a lovely woman like you want with vampires?”

“Research for a book.”

“Ahh, yes, vampires are all the rage now, but I’m sorry to tell you that vampires are truly nothing more than myths.”

“I’ve always found that myths have some basis in fact, and I was hoping to find something different that could help me. Like the origin of the myth that the Village of Mull was founded by vampires.”

“That is an easy one to answer. It seems that gypsies were camped in the area when the founding family, the Valaines, arrived and began settling the place in 1784. The tale goes that Thaddeus Valaine chased them off the land and that the gypsies cursed Thaddeus to forever walk the earth as the undead and feed off the blood of his kind. Tales...nothing more than tales to frighten the ignorant.” He stood, placing his teacup on the silver tray. “I believe I have a book on the settlement of the Village of Mull, which mentions something about the gypsies, if you’re interested.”

“Very much so,” Lara said. “Would you also have any books on vampire legend or lore?”

“I do,” Desmond said and went to scan a couple of shelves before returning and handing Lara three books. “These two vampire books are the best I have of the lot. The others repeat much of what has already been written.”

The books smelled musty with age, and she carefully scanned the delicate pages. She knew with a quick glance that she would take all three as long as they weren’t too pricey. “How much for the three?” she asked.

“The book on Mull is old and hard to come by, though certainly not in demand. On the other hand, there is a demand for the vampire books.” He robbed his chin. “A hundred dollars should do it.

A bit steep, but Lara felt they were essential not only to help write her chapter, but the vampire books would also give her social media material. “Sold,” she said before she could give it more thought.

“I’ll ring them up for you while you have another cup of tea,” Desmond said and refilled her cup before taking the books from her and walking to the front of the store. “It is a shame you don’t have time before you leave to speak with Michael Valaine. He has amassed a unique library on unearthly creatures, and he is a direct descendent of Thaddeus Valaine. Unfortunately, he doesn’t see anyone unless they have an appointment. He is a very busy and very private man.”

It was the second time that name was mentioned to her, which naturally got her curious. She had such limited time before she was to leave, though perhaps she could arrange a phone interview with him once she was home. When Desmond returned with her books and receipt, she said, “I have kept you long enough, Mr. Hargrove.”

“Desmond, please, and it is getting late. I’m sure Martha warned you that she closes the bed and breakfast for the night as soon as Main Street shuts down. Spring and fall are a different matter, but we don’t get many tourists in the winter since we’re not near any ski resorts. And when a winter storm hits, it’s not easy to get in and out of Mull.”

“Then I best be on my way before the storm hits.” Lara stood, slipping into her jacket and tugged her knit hat down on her head, and over her ears, before putting on her gloves. She thanked Desmond again for all his help and the hot tea and was out the door after a peck on the cheek from the old charmer.

Main Street was deserted, the streetlights turned low, and the night so eerily quiet that it had her quickening her steps as she made her way to Martha’s Bed & Breakfast. She tripped on her own feet and a chill crept through her when she thought she caught sight of a shadow moving along the street opposite her. Was it the cold, dark night that had her jittery, the talk of vampires, or the complete silence?

She was startled when she thought she spotted it again, and this time she knew she wasn’t wrong. Someone was following along with her on the opposite side of Main Street. Her heart began to beat harder as she hurried her steps. Two more blocks to the bed & breakfast or was it three?

Hurry, Lara, hurry!

Her skin prickled with fear and her breathing quickened.

She yelped when she saw the shadow dart across the street so fast that it blurred before her eyes. He was on the same side as her. She would have to pass him, but would she see him? Was he hiding?

She stopped abruptly when she realized she was in front of the bed & breakfast. Two blocks, it had only been two blocks. She sprinted up the few steps and tore open the door. Once instead, the door closed, she threw the lock.

“I was just going to have a look outside for you. Desmond called and said you were on your way not to lock you out. He’s such a sweetie and a hottie as well,” Martha said with laugh.

Lara smiled, feeling relieved and somewhat silly. Everyone she had met from Martha to the waitresses who had served her lunch and dinner at the local eatery, and to Madge at the library and Desmond had told her how safe and quiet this town was.

“I know your car service doesn’t arrive until twelve tomorrow, but I was wondering if you could possibly vacate your room by nine in the morning?” Martha asked. “When a major snowstorm is expected, I always close up the place and go stay with my sister and her family. Don’t want to be marooned alone here for days. Gets too boring.”

“Not a problem,” Lara said thinking it an unexpected opportunity. “And don’t worry about breakfast. I’ll grab something at Molly’s Place.”

“You’re an angel, thanks so much. Now can I get you anything before bed?”

“No thanks, I’m fine. Goodnight, Martha,” Lara said and headed upstairs to her room. Her mind was racing with ways to carry out her plan that had suddenly struck her out of the blue. If she called Michael Valaine and asked to see him, he could refuse, but if she simply showed up at his door, how could he turn her away? She would explain that she wouldn’t take much of his time, a few questions that’s all and maybe she could even get a quick look at some of his unique books on vampires.

She hurried into flannel bottoms and a thermal top and was about to hop into bed when she was struck with the urge to look out the window that faced Main Street. She tried to stop herself, but the impulse was too strong to resist. Was it that she wanted to see if the shadow still lurked there?

Lara turned away from the window before she reached it. “You’re being silly,” she scolded herself. Then suddenly, as if an unseen force took hold of her, she rushed to the window and pushed the curtain aside.

The distorted shadow stood in the middle of the street, and she swore that it was looking up at her window—at her. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t look away, couldn’t move, and then in the blink of an eye it vanished.

As soon as movement returned to her limbs, she ran to the bed, jumped in, and pulled the covers up to her chin. Whatever was the matter with her? She had never been frightened that easily even as a child. Her curiosity had always proven stronger than her fears.

Why did the shadow frighten her?

Nonsense, this was all nonsense. Besides, tomorrow she would be done with the Village of Mull and on her way home. The shadow could find someone else to stalk.

Lara yawned, turned on her side, and closed her eyes, but she didn’t turn out the light.