VAMPIRE ROMANCE: The Fallen from Grace(Prince of Darkness Vampire Angel Fantasy Paranormal Adventure) (Dark Fantasy New Adult Devil Short Stories) (2 page)

Taking out the trash was always the highlight of Zoe’s night. The dimly lit back lot of the bar didn’t provide her with the right sense of security that she would have hoped when doing her duties for her job. A place of employment. A place where she shouldn’t be terrified on a nightly basis when taking out the stupid trash. Yet, here she was, walking to the large dumpster located on the other end of the parking lot, leaving the only light provided by a small porch light by the back door. The security light was placed near the front of the property and provided adequate lighting for the customers of Mickey’s Bar and that was good enough for Mickey. With the black plastic bag full of bottles hoisted over her shoulder, she trudged the remaining few steps and lowered the bag to get a good swing so she could toss it over the side of the large container. As she got momentum on her back swing, she saw movement in the tree line behind the dumpster.

“Who’s there? Hello?” She called as she lowered the bag of trash to the ground and peered into the darkness.

“I mean you no harm, miss. Just passing through.” Barry walked from the pitch black and made himself visible to the petite brunette. She was beautiful, pixie-like with her cute, upturned nose and small frame.

“What the hell are you doing out there, mister?” She asked as she kept her eyes on him, taking a few steps back to assure he kept away at a proper distance.

“Just taking a stroll.” He took a few steps towards her. She smelled so sweet, like nothing he had smelled on a human before. She wasn’t virginal, they had a completely different and invigorating scent. He couldn’t place it but he was definitely intrigued by this cute little human and didn’t wish to give any cause for alarm. He quickly checked his clothing and was confident that he showed no blood stains or any undesirable remains from his encounter with the mutt earlier.

“A stroll? Mister, it’s past one in the morning. There’s nothing out there for miles, trust me. I know every inch of these woods.” She eyed him with caution and went to hoist the bag once again but was interrupted when the stranger slid up beside her and took it from her, his hand lingering on hers for a moment as he effortlessly tossed the heavy bag into the metal dumpster. She looked up to him, trying to find his eyes in the dark and smiled. “Thanks, mister.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m Barry.” He said as he extended his hand to her. She took it in hers and immediately noticed how cold he was in comparison to her own hand.

“Hi Barry, I’m Zoe. Why don’t you come in and I can get you a cup of coffee to warm you up while I finish closing up shop for the night?” Barry scanned the area and found no sign of mutts or anything else that should be a concern so he followed her as she headed to the back door and the only light in the back lot. He had no need for coffee and knew that she assumed he was chilly due to the night air but it was his lack of blood flow that actually caused his icy touch.

Once inside, she turned and locked the back door then turned off the porch light.

“Go on and sit at the bar, I still have a pot on that I haven’t tossed. I’ll grab you some.” She pointed the way for him to go around to the bar while she ducked into the back and came in at her station behind it. Smiling, she watched him as he made his way to the stool nearest her. She couldn’t help but notice his tall, firm build. He looked as if he worked out but didn’t look like your average jock. He had shoulder length hair that was dark and unkempt with stray strands that fell in his face, framing his dark eyes.

He took a seat, shifting his weight on the barstool, and she poured him an hours old cup of coffee, sat it in front of him and turned to wipe down the bar, exaggeratedly protruding her back side under her revealing midriff shirt. He took the cup and held it in his hands, looked to her and nodded as he held it up in a gesture of good will. As she cleaned, Zoe did her best to make polite conversation but the once rebellious teen turned social outcast was not the best at polite, though she tried.

“You’re not from around here. I’d remember seeing you before.” She picked up an ashtray and wiped the bar where it had been sitting then returned it to its place. She looked to him and thought that he was quite handsome and thought about asking him back to her place for a nightcap, but decided that would be too abrupt.

“No, I’m from up north.” He replied with a smug grin on his face, referring to further north than she probably imagined. He’d given thought to making a meal of the woman but something about her absorbed him into conversation. It was rare that he had the opportunity to sit idly and talk with someone else and his hunger wasn’t uncontrollable at the moment, so he took the moment to do something other than kill.

“Yeah. You don’t sound southern at all. I can spot a hick from a mile away. What brings you around here? Not much in these parts except for DWI and Friday night football.” She gave him a charming grin and he once again allowed the thought of devouring her to cross his mind. He sensed a hint of pheromones being released by her and knew that if he had been mortal, he would have probably stayed and provided her with the carnal pleasure she so desired, but for now, he thought that leaving would be the best course of action. He didn’t want to eat her on the first date.

Zoe had the stranger from the bar on her mind for the next few days, thinking about him randomly throughout the day but more so at night. He seemed to haunt her dreams and the moments before and after falling asleep. She remembered his steely eyes and the outline of his rugged physique and how she had thought of his arms around her. It had been almost a year since she broke up with Jake Lawson and hadn’t really thought about going out with any of the regular losers who walked into Mickey’s on any given night. She almost regretted not saying something when he left so abruptly after not even touching his coffee. She thought maybe she had said something to offend him, for his demeanor changed and he seemed to be more uptight when he left the bar. Zoe thought she felt eyes on her as she walked to her car that night but searched the empty lot and saw nothing. The lingering thoughts of the captivating stranger left her confused in her mind, wondering why he had such an effect on her since they had barely had a full conversation.

Zoe leaned back in the bathtub after another long day and allowed the warm water to gently ease her tight, sore muscles and she exhaled a sigh of relief. She closed her eyes and placed her arms on the sides of the tub, relieving the strain between her shoulders and allowing herself to let go of the tension she had been harboring in her mind. She went through the day-to-day activities that were required of her to sustain her lifestyle such as going to work and paying bills like a good citizen but she felt as if she was still waiting for her life to start. She was still waiting for the day the precursor ended and the main event began.

The sleeping Labrador was roused from his dreams and sat up with a jerk, looking out of the open bathroom door, ears perked and the hair on his neck raised. Zoe sat up to see if she could hear what had alarmed the dog but assumed that it must be something that only his sensitive ears could hear and therefore probably not much of a threat to her. She laid back in the tub once more, this time fully submersing herself, listening to the sound of her own heart in her ears. A loud crash brought her to a sitting position, staring intently through the door as she reached for her towel. Pulling the drain, she stood up and wrapped the towel above her breasts then stepped out onto the plush blue bathmat that was placed beside the tub. Walking across the cool linoleum, she made the few steps out of the bathroom and into the hall where she called,

“Hello?” Waiting for an answer, she felt foolish and wondered what she would do if someone actually spoke back to her. She slipped into her bedroom, grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt then throwing them on with haste, hurried into the living room to peer from the front window. She saw no movement and nothing out of the ordinary, so she peeked from the window nearest the kitchen to find nothing there as well. Telling herself that it was the neighborhood dogs again, she walked to the kitchen to check the garbage cans by the back steps. After assuring they were in proper order, she turned and locked the door behind herself before leaning against it with a sigh.

“Great. That could have been a really nice bath, Homer.” She looked to the curious black lab, who stared back at her with a toothy grin at the mention of his name. She walked to her room and stood on the bath towel that she had left on the floor and slid it down the hall by her foot, wiping up her wet foot prints all the way back to the bathroom. Entering the bathroom, she thought she saw a shadow outside the window but when she peeked through the blinds, once again she was met with nothing unusual. “I need a vacation.”

She tossed the towel into the hamper and switched off the bathroom light and as the switch clicked, there was a knock on the door that was met by a whooping bellow from Homer. Curious that the canine didn’t give more notice, for he usually alerts her as anyone makes their way up the driveway and onto the property. “Who is it?”

She called from the middle of the living room, waiting for a response before nearing the door. Given no answer, she called again. This time her query was responded to with,

“I just need to use a phone, ma’am. My car broke down and my cell phone is dead.” She laughed at her heightened sense of paranoia and walked to the door. She opened it to reveal a man with pale skin and dark eyes and he flashed a pearly white smile. “Good evening. I’m broken down just down the road a way. This is the first house I came to. You’re pretty secluded out here, huh?” Something about him gave her an eerie feeling and even Homer seemed to be on edge by him, but she was drawn to him somehow. Upon second glance, she could have sworn his eyes were dark red.

“I’ve got neighbors through the woods here and my brothers up the dirt road a piece. I’m not as alone as it seems.” She placed her hand on the shotgun that she kept behind the door and smiled to him as Homer whined. She spotted her cell phone on the table, so she reached for it and passed it through the door. He took it in his hand and brushed her fingers with his cold fingertips and looked into her eyes as he asked,

“May I come in?”

The urgency on the wind expressed to Barry the importance of arriving in time. The woman’s dog had an intense sense of trepidation by her visitor and he couldn’t place his smell. Homer had been able to smell anything on all types of men. Mail men smelled different that the farm man and the butcher and even when he had gone to the lake and smelled the fisher man, he could tell that he was a man. What had knocked on his door tonight was not any kind of man that Homer had smelled before and to let his nose tell it, he was not a man. His eyes told him that the man was a man, but his nose argued profusely. Homer’s cries were carried by the wind to the owl, wolf and bat, who carried the urgent message to the ears of Barry Norris. If he was right, there was a mutt at the home of Homer and hopefully he could arrive before the woman did anything stupid…like invite him inside.

“Well, the place isn’t really ready for visitors.” She smiled as her hand lingered on the cellular device that she tried to pass him but instead of taking it and attempting to make a call, he just stood there, smiling at her with his chilling glare.

“I just thought that you and I could get out of this night air and have a civilized conversation while I wait for the tow truck.” His gaze seemed to penetrate her thoughts and she had to fight the urge to invite him in. Something about him didn’t feel safe and Homer pressed himself against her leg as he began to whine.

“But you haven’t even called them yet.” She said in a slow monotone, as if lost in a dream. The stranger grabbed the phone from her hand, tossed it into the yard and pulled back his lips to reveal a gleaming set of fangs. His hand went for her throat and Homer barked just as Barry quickly appeared at his side and grabbed him by the throat and threw him against a tree. Zoe shook her head as if coming to from a nap and within the blink of an eye, Barry was near the man with his hand grasping his hair, pulling his head back as he plunged a stake into his chest, causing him to catch fire and dissipate into a cloud of ash.

“What the FUCK?” Zoe cried from her position on the porch. She walked into the night air and hugged herself with her arms. “What the…” Barry looked to her from his position in the yard and shrugged his shoulders.

“Well.” He took a step forward, causing her to take a step back and he grinned. “I just saved your life. That’s what the fuck.” He took another step, noticed that she again retreated and stopped in his place. “You know that if I wanted to, I could rip your throat out before you can take another step.” His smile was the most beautiful that she had ever seen. Something in his eyes was trustworthy and even though they were as dark as the previous stranger, they didn’t have the menacing quality that she had seen in the other. He spotted her cell phone and in a moment’s time, he had retrieved it from where it lay almost thirty feet away, dropped it on the porch beside her feet and returned to his spot in the yard, all before she could complete a blink.

“So, what do you want with me?” She asked as she reached down to pick up her phone. Homer sat happily beside her, lightly panting with a goofy grin on his face.

“Nothing, really. It’s what I wanted with him.” He nodded to the area where the stranger had disappeared into the night. He watched her expression as the mind control effects that the mutt had used on her faded and she regained power of her own thoughts once more.

“He wasn’t human.” She pointed past Barry and he confirmed her accusation with a nod of his head. “You too! You aren’t fucking human, either.” She raised her voice as she took a step back but noticed that Homer seemed ambivalent to his presence as he continued to lick himself.

“No. I am not human but I am not your enemy either.” He folded his hands in front of him and stood still as she evaluated him, trying to make sense of the strange occurrence that had just taken place. “Never invite them in. They cannot hurt you as long as you are inside and don’t invite them in.” Zoe stepped through the threshold of her door and stated,

“Then you aren’t invited.” Barry laughed and turned to walk away, proving to her that he was disinterested, which only piqued Zoe’s curiosity, forcing her to say, “Wait”. He stopped and turned back to face her then took a few steps towards the porch.

“Yes?” He stood in her front yard, next to the azalea bushes that she had planted last spring, and awaited her answer. He thought she looked so demure, standing behind the door and the dog, looking to him for some clarity on the event with the stranger.

Zoe opened the door wide, feeling a rush of exhilaration in what she was about to do. She had a good feeling about Barry and felt that she would be safe if she allowed him entry to the home. The dog didn’t seem to mind and he had given her no reason to be fearful, other than admitting he’s not human and turning a man to dust before her very eyes. She lifted her gaze to him and with certainty in her voice, asked,

“Won’t you please come in?”