Read The Vampire & the Reporter Online
Authors: Nia K. Foxx
Tags: #bwwm, #african-american, #vampire, #paranormal, #Romance, #Interracial, #multcultural, #Erotica, #fiction
The Vampire & the Reporter
The Vampi
re
&
the
Reporter
Nia K. Foxx
After Dark Press, LLC
Warning
This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which may be considered offensive to some readers. After Dark Press, LLC prints and e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which the purchase was made. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be retrieved by underaged persons.
The Vampire
&
the
Reporter
Nia K. Foxx
This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Published by
After Dark Press, LLC www.afterdarkpress.us
Copyright ©2005, ©2006, ©2012 by Nia K. Foxx
All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from After Dark Press, LLC. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
Printed in the Unites States of America
Dedication
Thanks to those who encouraged me to step out on faith
Prologue
Of all the hokey things Kyra Littleton had ever participated in, and as a reporter she’d been invol
ved in her fair share of crazy situations
, this one had to take the cake. Here she was on a red
eye flight to Europe, but was she
heading somewhere romantic like France or Italy? Hell, she’d even take Amsterdam. No, she was bound for Eastern Europe, or more precisely, Transylvania. Why? Because her superiors thought it would be a great idea for her to do a Halloween feature on the history of vampires.
And w
here better to get
first-hand
knowledge than the
mythological
motherland of all the
infamous
fanged creatures?
She would stay in a fully functioning castle with several
other
invited guests who
she supposed
eagerly awaited a view of the famed home of Vilhelm Dracul. According to local legend, Vilhelm, not his cousin Vlad the Impaler, was in fact the man behind the Dracula myth
os.
Vilhelm Dracul had
lived over five hundred years ago in the historic castle with his family and several servants, all of whom mysteriously vanished
one night
. For years
after
the
disappearance the castle
rem
ained vacant and
the me
mory of the Dracul family faded in
to
obscurity
;
until almost a century later when random murders began to ravage the nearby village. Suspicious that the killers were hiding in the abandoned relic, the local constable, along with several angry villagers, reopened the long forgotten ruins. Despite its outward appearance, it was reported that the castle’s interior remained in pristine condition as
if it were still maintained by its former
staff of servants. However, a thorough investigation of the castle failed to reveal anyone in residence.
Unsatisfied with his findings, the constable and a small band of men began a nightly vigil to determine if their murderers had found a secret entrance into the fortress. Each night a group would go out, and each night they would return shy a man or two. Frightened, the town’s people took matters into
their own hands by torching the castle in a
mi
d-afternoon celebration. For nearly two
centuries the ruins lay
as
a reminder of the atrocities
visited on the small community.
In 1781, construction began over the ashes of the old castle, much to the surprise of the locals who watched in silent awe as an exact replica
of the former structure
was erected. Although generations had passed since the murders and subsequent destruction, many people in the now thriving town felt a sense of unease at having the gruesome historical reminder reconstructed to loom over their homes.
The years to come proved
hist
ory didn’t always repeat itself; t
he castle changed hands to various descendants of the Dracul family, eventually employing many people from the town, once again, to handle the day-to-day maintenance required for its upkeep. While its pre
sent owner was rumored to split his time between homes in both Europe and the Mediterranean
, over the last two years he’d spent an unprecedented amount of it in Transylvania while he completed a project aimed to spark tourism to the forgotten community.
“Do you know ho
w many people would like an all-
expenses
paid trip to somewhere exotic?” her editor had asked when Kyra voiced her objections to the assignment.
“If you want to send me somewhere exotic, how about Morocco or Turkey? I’m sure I can find all types of wonderful stor
ies there. Why me
anyway
? I’m sure
anyone else can do this, would probably even want the assignment. Why now, when I’ve met the man who could quite possibly be the one? For God’s sake, I d
on’t even write tourism columns,
”
she rant
ed, not pausing to take a break until she ran out of steam.
“Number one, you’re a damned good reporter. Two, you’re not working on anything right now that can’t take a back burner. Besides, the new boss doesn’t want the traditional tourist piece; he wants something fresh and new from a novice traveler. Three, the new owner, Mr. Dracul requested you personally.”
“Why would he want me?”
She’d shrugged. “I guess he’s a fan of your work. The bottom line is I need you on that flight at the end of the week.”
***
“Like I had much of a choice,” Kyra muttered to herself as she squeezed her way into the plane’s narrow aisle en-route to the bathroom.
She
sent up a silent thank you to the powers-that-be at finding the
pantry sized rom
vacant.
Not only was she on her way across the ocean to a city whose name was synonymous with
undead bloodsuckers and
cult-like murders, but she’d also had a fight with William
, her current boyfriend,
over leaving town j
ust before his first pre-season
game.
They were on the last leg of their journey, and cabin fever was in full effect from the lengthy flight with a space-hording seatmate.
First class just didn’t carry the same meaning when you
r neighbor ignored the fact
it would be two people sharing the
not so
personal space
of the double leather seats
.
Her dark caramel reflection in the mirror looked as tired as she felt. Tig
ht curly tendrils had escaped her single braid and
looked as if she’d sle
pt on it
for days
. Her only hope was
the new boss would be kind enough to wait until his guests had a good night’s rest before requiring them to be social.
Her coffee-colored, almond shaped gaze
stared back at her in the mirror and
did a
s she performed a
slo
w assessment of her face. Not packing
her mak
eup in her carry-on was a mistake
. A little color to her plump lips, perhaps a bit of eyeliner, several swipes f
rom her brush and she could pass for
human again.
But she had none of that with her and was
truly a lost cause.
Kyra
took extra time in the bathroom to give herself a little alone time, no doubt the guy next to her had found a reason to spill his way into her seat in her absence. It was a battle she didn’t relish taking on
, again
. Kyra
sagged against the locked door
wanting the flight to be over; better still wanting to be back in Chicago. For a few seconds her mind drifted and she
found herself wondering
wha
t William was doing
. The thought was quickly banished by renewed irritation;
why
should she even care
since
he hadn’
t bothered to see her off or even return her calls
.
Typical, his superstar attitude had definitely begun to consume their relationship and she was starting to feel more like a personal assistant than a girlfriend.
When she got back to Chicago, she would
have to
reevaluate
their relationship.
Kyra
sighed heavily
. A week wouldn’t be too long,
in fact
it would pass in a heartbeat if she loosened up and allowed herself to have a bit of fun.
Chapter One
Ivan bowed as he entered the room where the vampire he’d faithfully served for over five hundred years stood.
“Everything is going as planned, my Lord.”
Good. Have
all
the other guests arrived?
“Yes, we await only her
now.”
Dumitri nodded his acknowledgement, turning back to look out the picture window to the darkening sky above. The rains would start soon. He would ensure it. His guests expected to visit an authentic vampiric castle, the home of Vilheim Dracul and he would make sure they received the entire gothic package. In actuality, he couldn’t care less for the humans who even now traipsed about his ancestral home, fingering his paintings, and turning over every candelabra as if they would discover some cheap knockoffs rigged with wires. To him the people were a necessary evil, a means to an end.
What he really wanted was her… Kyra Littleton. And in a matter of a few short hours he would have her with him where she belonged.
She was one of the Worthy, a small group of humans who were descendants of the
first vampires. It was said
these human/vampire hybrids
were capable of breeding with both races. If a
vampire mated with one
of the Worthy they
would have an almost guaranteed chance of reproduction. More importantly
t
he
y
could conceive multiple times with a
Worthy
partner and produce a true line of
vampiric
child
ren and not just one’s sired
from the bite.
Children born to vampires were stronger than a turned human and maintained an absolute loyalty to their families.
But the Worthy
rejected their lineage centuries ago, choosing to breed among humans
only
to dilute their beastly anc
estry. Many believed they
were extinct, their vampire heritage being completely
cleansed away. It was said
only a true vampiric
life
mate
could detect the special pheromone present in the males or females of the Worthy destine
d for them, and it had been countless
centuries since a Worthy and vampire joining.
If not for a chance encounter Dumitri would have
never thought such a pairing even possible for him. But Kyra made it all possible. He
carefully devised his plan after sensing her for the first time many months a
go. He’d known immediately
she was the one who would share the rest of his immortal existence. Her scent had wafted to him as he exited the limousine to
inspect his new
est
acquisition; a United States based newspaper headquartered in Chicago with worldwide distribution and acclaim. Until that
moment, he’d never thought any of the Worthy lived,
let alone one actually exist
ing
for him
. None had been seen since his grandparents’ time. Like most vamps, he’d been content with living a life of decadence, satisfying himself with
multiple
human conquest
s
to temporarily assu
age his
baser
needs.
Acquisitions had become his true passion; with the help of a few closest to him he’d grown his holdings to amass a veritable empire. Dumitri
thought
he would
eventually
choose a
life mate
from amongst the vampire nation, someone with whom he could tolerate an eternity
and possibly produce an offspring
.
But
the
instance he’d scented Kyra his life changed.
H
is frantic gaze had searched the various humans milling about
in the
early
evening. New York may be considered the city that never slept but Chicago’s hustle and bustle was in full effect at what most considered quitting time. The foot traffic in and out of the building seemed evenly matched. Most totted umbrellas in case the ominous clouds hanging over the city decided to release the rain swelling inside. The combination of the downtown skyscrapers and obsidian clouds allowed for him to travel in relative ease
. He wouldn’t release his hold over nature until he’d concluded his business. He caught a
glimpse of her dark frame as she entered the downtown building in front of her short
er
companion.
“Kyra, can you slow down? Not everyone is gifted with long legs,” the woman chasing her had complained.
Kyra
. He’d repeated the name, knowing it would be one of many times he would say it. She would be his
sotie
, his life mate
, of that he was certain.