Tempted - Chapter One

She gripped the steel dagger with white-knuckled determination as she palmed the handle of her M9 with her free hand. Her boots echoed off the walls of the cement walkway as the stench of rot infiltrated her senses. Scarlet ringlets came loose from the low bun and whipped around her face as an icy wind tore through the brick-walled alley.

The pallid face of the creature could almost pass for a human if not for the canines that peered beneath crimson lips, dripping with the blood of another hapless mortal as it turned to face her, dropping its victim in a crumpled heap on the litter-strewn floor.

"Come to join the party, sweetheart?" His forked tongue slithered out at the mocking request as he stepped toward her, his arms outstretched in welcome.

"Play nice and maybe I'll end your life quickly," she said as she extracted the 9mm, directing it to the heart of her target.

The vampire hummed low in his throat on a moan, the temptation of blood a seductive poison. He smiled, revealing the razor-edged canines as he said, "Mmmm, I like 'em feisty."

The vampire lunged at her, ageless strength carrying him in a gravity-defying leap unknown to man.

She dodged the attack on a roll, landing on one knee as she threw the dagger, staking the vampire in the eye. His earlier smile faded at the assault as he tore the dagger from the socket and tossed it to the ground, baring his fangs in a threat that promised retribution. "B***h," he hissed as he ran at the woman, his black suit only a blur as he raced towards her.

She rolled to dodge him again, but he caught her by the arm, scouring her flesh with elongated nails. She let out a tight-lipped cry at the strike. The vampire held her arm behind her, yielding the M9 useless. He bent down to her throat, fangs open to tear open the thin flesh, but she bent her neck away from the pungent stench of breath and kneed the undead, the sound of cracked ribs echoing off the brick walls.

The vampire grimaced and loosened his hold as pain shot through his chest. She took advantage of his distraction and pulled back, aiming the 9mm at the pallid neck even as she pulled the trigger.

Only the click of the trigger rebounded off the walls as the body fell to the ground, her silencer keeping the citizens of New York in ignorance.

She pulled out her phone from her back pocket and dialed the familiar number without looking, her eyes still upon the body. It rang once. "I got him."

"Good work, Alessandra. I'll send someone out to collect the body."

"Anything else you need me to do or can I go home?" She shifted from foot to foot, impatient to go home after a sixteen hour day.

"I need you to come to the office. I have a new assignment for you."

She inwardly groaned and glanced briefly at her phone. It was already 11:30 and she was ready to go home and catch some much-needed sleep. "Can't you just tell me over the phone?"

"Not if I need to hand you plane tickets."

She sighed, but nodded to herself. "Fine, I'll be there in thirty." She hung up before he could say another word, already walking out of the alley.

Jack's men would arrive in moments to collect the body of the vampire and the human, but for now, her job was done. The tracking device on her cell phone had given Jack her exact location.

Her heightened senses gave her an edge and she was the only agent Jack trusted to eliminate the vampire threat in the crowded streets of New York. Jack managed a handful of other agents throughout the country, but New York posed the largest threat.

Tracking a vampire through the sleepless streets while keeping the citizens ignorant of vampiric presense posed a challenge for even the most experienced agents. And she had plenty of experience.

She strode swiftly along the busy sidewalks of Manhattan as people passed by her in hurried steps, rushing to get out of the rain. It wasn't unusual to be surrounded by people in New York and she welcomed the camouflage provided by the cluster.

The building was only another block away. She could see the tower from here. It stood out starkly against the blackened, starless sky with its brightly lit windows and chrome-colored walls. She picked up the pace, eager to discover what Jack needed from her at nearly eleven o'clock.

She walked across the main street, dodging cars as they rushed to their destination, to the cement steps of the corner building. She opened the glass doors and stepped into the warm foyer.

The entry way was brightly lit with a crystal chandalier hanging from the twenty foot ceiling of the foyer. Elevators stood to the left and right of her. The stairway was marked by a red door in the back corner of the foyer, but she chose the quickest mode of transportation.

She pressed the arrow and waited as the elevator opened its doors. Sighing in impatience, she stepped inside and pressed the button for the 40th floor. The doors closed in front of her and she stood silently, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

The doors opened moments later and she stepped onto cream carpet. She walked through the dimly lit main room, passing by empty secretarial desks and chairs that littered the waiting room until she reached a black door at the end of the hallway. She knocked twice and walked in.

Jack was sitting at a large black desk that gleamed from the dim light of his office. He was dressed in a black on black suit, a red tie his only adornment. His short, black hair was laced with silver, but it only made him look more distinguished. He was in his forties, but for the silver in his hair he could have been in his twenties.

His facial features were cut in sharp lines that marked stark cheekbones, a broad nose, and firm jaw. The rigidity of his jaw matched his take-no-s**t attitude while his silver-green eyes spoke of compassion wrapped in vengeance.

His back was to the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked over Manhattan as he sat in the black leather chair. He watched as she walked into the office. Cherry bookshelfs lined the office to the left of her, while plush, cream-colored chairs sat across from his desk.

 Alessandra took a seat in the chair nearest to her and waited for Jack to explain his reasoning for calling her to the office at midnight.

"Alright, let's get to the point." Jack was not a man to waste time with pleasantries. "There's been a situation upstate that requires immediate attention." The steel in Jack's gaze spoke volumes on the type of situation they were dealing with. "There have been five murders within the past three days. The marks on the bodies lead me to believe that it's the work of a rogue vampire. However, no blood was taken from any of the victims."

His stare leveled on Alessandra. "This wasn't a vampire in a feeding frenzy. These were calculated murders, but from whom and why, I have no clue."

He leaned back in his chair then, clasping his hands in front of him and leveled a knowing gaze at Alessandra. "The attacks have been on the outskirts of panther territory. None of the victims have been members of the pack, but the deaths are getting increasingly closer to the border." Jack sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, suddenly looking tired and much older than forty-three.

"Jason is on edge and has already threatened to send out his own people to deal with the situation. We don't need that kind of interference right now and Jason won't handle it as cleanly as we need him to. The brutality of the attacks is already drawing unwanted attention from the Albany Police Department. If we don't handle this quickly, we're going to have a mess on our hands with the media."

Jason was the leader of the panther pack in upstate New York. Alessandra's mind raced in sudden anxiety at the thought of returning to the Adirondack Pack.

Not to mention Jason himself. There was something about controlling, arrogant males that set her teeth on edge. She'd have to speak to him when she reached Albany and inform him that she would be handling the case from now on. He wouldn't be happy, but she wasn't a woman that was easily cowed.

Though his territory encompassed the Adirondack Mountains as well as the surrounding forestry, she'd have to meet him in Albany. There was no way she would be able to locate his home in the mountainous forestry that he called home.

"Do we know if the killer had a motive? Were these families in any way related by wealth, social status, genetics?" Alessandra considered the possiblities, hoping that if there was a link between the families they could track the killer down before he striked again. But Jack simply shook his head.

"These were middle-class families. The only similarity between the families besides location was that they all had children." A shadow crossed Jack's face and anger turned his voice to steel blades as he continued.

"You'll head up to Albany tomorrow. I've already made flight arrangements. You'll leave from JFK airport at six in the morning and should arrive at about eight o'clock. Jason will pick you up from the airport." As he spoke, he handed the plane ticket to Alessandra.

Alessandra stood up, preparing to leave Jack's office. "I'll contact you once we reach Jason's territory." Jack gave a single nod and turned in his chair to face Manhatten, signaling the end of the meeting.

She turned and walked out of Jack's office, heading towards the elevator, not willing to waste anymore time. She was tired and wasn't keen on waking up in four hours to get on a plane to begin the investigation.

She'd need to be fully rested to begin this case, especially since she'd have to be dealing with Jason. Sighing, she tied her scarlet hair into a bun atop her head before pressing the down arrow on the elevator.

After making her way to the front entrance of the building, she exited out into the torrentual rain that awaited her. Despite being nearly one o'clock in the morning, hordes of people continued to make their way through the city that never sleeps.

Alessandra walked for fifteen minutes in the unrelenting downpour before giving up and hailing a cab. There were days she could walk from work to home without any difficulty, but today was not one of those days. After giving the driver her address, she leaned back, trying to absorb the events of the day.

All she knew for certain was that she was getting on a plane in less than seven hours and heading to Albany to deal with a murder case that involved who-knows-what. And she'd be dealing with Jason. That last thought gave her a twinge of anxiety. It'd been seven years since she'd seen him last and she had not left on good terms.

The cab finally reached her apartment building and she paid him before exiting out of the car and walking up the steps to the front entrance. Her apartment was on the first floor so that she was able to exit onto the street at a moment's notice. In the event of someone breaking in, being trapped several floors above Manhatten was not her idea of fun.

She opened the door into her apartment and was instantly put at ease. The white and burgundy color scheme of her apartment framed the elegant furniture of her living room as she walked in. The lush carpet beneath her stiletto boots felt like heaven after a full day of walking in the four inch heels and she did not waste time before undressing and climbing into bed.

She'd take a shower in the morning. What she needed now was sleep.

Author's Note

I look forward to hearing what you think!

Please feel free to give me your honest opinion :)

Reviews

[Michelle_H]

Thank you so much :)

[Kyle]

This is very good. I actually want to read more. Sometimes....i just say that to be nice....but this story is really good and I will keep reading.

I like the premise!