Page 41 of The Sins That Bleed
He’s drunk, the stench of his blood putrid to my sensitive sense of smell as it mixes with his sharp and tangy body odour. It swirls with the dank air of the dark alley, covered in garbage and other people’s bodily fluids.
A fitting environment for a sewer rat like him, who thrives off the dark underbelly of this city.
My senses alert me that he’s not alone. I hadn’t immediately picked up on it thanks to his smell coating everything in a thick, slimy film. I take a deep inhale and that’s when the scent of adrenaline slams into me, whoever is with him doesn’t want to be. Looks like the vile prick hasn’t changed a single bit.
Tearing him apart slowly is going to be so much fun.
I’m close enough to hear him slurring his words. “You’re going to lift up that skirt and let me shove my dick into that tight pussy of yours, and if you scream, I’ll slit your throat.”
Like fuck he will.
“I suggest you unhand the lady if you know what’s good for you.”
My hand snaps out, snatching the knife from his loose grip, the handle slick from his overly sweaty palm. I have him pinned to the wall by his throat, his own dagger now nicking the skin of his neck from where the tip rests under his scruffy jaw. The smell wafting from him is enough to turn my stomach. I won’t be drinking blood from this rat tonight.
He claws at my hand, his feet kicking at me and the wall trying to find purchase as he dangles over the ground. I squeeze harder, my sharp nails drawing blood and I smile at the way his eyes bulge. I’ve got big plans for him tonight, but I can’t do it with a witness.
I turn back to the woman who had the unfortunate displeasure of meeting this motherfucker. I could easily enter her mind and alter this part of her night from her memory, making it hazy, but I’ve always hated taking things from those who have a choice.
“What’s your name?” My words are calm, at complete odds with my actions.
I don’t even pretend to struggle holding this bulbous man up.
Here eyes flick to his and back to mine as she considers answering me, but she must realise he’s not going anywhere. I’m not hiding my red eyes from her like I usually would, like I do with Rai. If she’s scared, she gives no indication of it.
“Lorelai.”
She states her name without a tremble and I already know I like this woman. I study her for a moment, her white hair coiled in tight ringlets down to her hips. She’s celestial, a real-lifegoddess before me with her deep skin and dark brown eyes, her heartbeat the only reason I haven’t suspected her a vampire with that kind of beauty.
She’s more than human, but I’m struggling to put my finger on it.
“Lorelai, it’s a shame to meet you under such circumstances, but a pleasure all the same.”
I squeeze the neck of my victim until he stops flailing, passing out from the lack of oxygen as I let him go. His body crumples to the floor in a heap but I’m not looking at him as I tuck his knife into the back pocket of my black cargo pants.
I wipe my hands on them to clean off the filth of the human that’s now unconscious by my feet before holding it out to her. She eyes my hand up before slipping hers in and we shake.
“I’m Valeska, or Lilith, depending on who I’m talking to.” My lips tip up as I put my hands on my hips and let out a sigh. “I’m going to give you some options, Lorelai, I can make you forget this moment in the alley ever happened, or let you remember?—”
“What’s the catch?” She cuts me off and crosses her arms.
Yeah, I like her alright.
I smirk at her directness and the fact she hasn’t batted an eyelid at thewrongnessof me, or that I took this man out so easily. Didn’t even question me altering her mind. My curiosity claws at me but I’ll have to explore that another time.
“Clever woman, the catch is a mutually beneficial one.”
She tilts her head slightly as she considers me. “I’m listening.”
“Come work for me. If you choose to, I won’t make you forget and you’ll be put in some difficult positions, but you’d have access to information most people would dream of. You’ll be paid handsomely in return, of course.”
“What will the job entail?” I’ve piqued her curiosity.
“You’ll be undercover with one of my most trusted employees, getting information from the inside and helping me scrub this earth of sin and rot.One vicious man at a time.”
I can’t give her any more than that until she has agreed and signed the paperwork. Zyon is going to be so pissed at me for not sharing this part of the plan with him, but he’ll come around eventually.
She’s perfect for the job, nerves of steel are essential for this plan to work.
