All Chapters of A TASTE FOR BLOOD : Chapter 31
- Chapter 40
72 chapters
THE MAN IN THE STROBE LIGHTS
The bass from the nightclub shook the pavement outside, a steady thump-thump-thump vibrating like a heartbeat through the neon-lit street. People laughed, danced, smoked, stumbled. But under all that noise… Something darker moved. Something hunting. Cars passed, headlights cutting through drifting smoke. A group of young men shouted over each other as they stumbled toward the entrance, while two girls took selfies in the glowing pink neon. A drunk couple argued near the taxi stand, their voices drowned out by the music. No one noticed the shadow sliding along the wall. No one except him. Inside Club Solstice, colored lights flashed across swirling bodies. Sweat, perfume, alcohol, and smoke mixed into a fog that clung to the skin. The DJ screamed into the microphone, the crowd roaring back, bodies packed so tight the air tasted like heat and adrenaline. A man sat alone at the far end of the bar, head lowered, hoodie up, hands tucked inside fingerless gloves. Co
BROKEN SONS OF MONAGHAN
The mansion was colder tonight.Not because of the temperature…But because of what had been awakened inside its walls.---Lower ChamberThe chains creaked with every shallow breath Diego took.He sat slumped on the stone floor, blood drying on his jaw, his wrists torn raw where the iron bit into flesh. The hunger still crawled under his skin like fire, but the guilt…The guilt was worse.His head hung low as memories of the human he killed flashed again and again.The scream. The blood. Claire crying. Dominic smiling.Diego squeezed his eyes shut.“Stop… just stop…”But the images wouldn’t fade.“Uncle Liam… please… don’t let him hurt me…”Her tiny voice echoed in the chamber like it was haunting him.His jaw clenched.He slammed his fist against the stone.The sound echoed.“I didn’t want to do it,” he whispered shakily. “I didn’t want to…”His fangs slid out again, not from hunger this time, but from fear.Fear of himself.The monster inside him purred contentedly, pleased with th
SHADOWS AND HUNGER
Deep in the Forest – The underground CaveLucian stumbled into the cave, one hand pressed against the claw wound on his shoulder.The cave swallowed him in darkness, cold, jagged stone walls, dripping water, and the faint smell of earth.No comfort.Just shadows.His breathing was sharp, uneven.He ripped a strip of cloth from his shirt and poured alcohol over the wound.The sting tore a hiss from his throat.“Lewis… you bastard.”He leaned against the stone wall, forcing himself to stay upright.The cave was the one place no vampire dared enter, the smell of silver, old blood, and runes carved into the stone kept them away.But tonight, even the cave felt too small.Too tight.Too dangerous.Lucian slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a crack in the stone.“I failed.”The child’s screams echoed in his memory.He could still see Lewis dragging her through the window.He could still hear the family screamsLucian closed his eyes, jaw trembling with fury.“I swear… I’ll get her back.
THE BREAKING POINT
Lewis stepped out of the VIP lounge and moved through the swirling crowd like a shadow wrapped in silk and anger. The moment he entered the dance floor, people turned. Instinctively. Unconsciously. Humans always sensed a predator. A girl with glitter on her cheeks brushed against him, smiling up at him shyly. “You’re really handsome…” she said, breathless. Lewis smirked without warmth. “Run along, sweetheart. I’m in a very bad mood.” She giggled, thinking it was flirting. Dean leaned close to Logan as they followed behind Lewis. “This is one of those nights where we might need to drag him out before he kills half the club.” Logan shrugged, amused. “Or we let him. Better entertainment.” Lewis stopped in the middle of the crowd. The lights flashed crimson over his face. His eyes glimmered, too bright, too sharp. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The music cut abruptly. The DJ froze, staring at the booth controls, confused. The entire club went silent. Peopl
TWO CASES, ONE NIGHTMARE
Earlier That Morning — 8:42 AMAt the Evans HomeThe house felt hollow in a way Mara hadn’t known possible. A blanket lay crumpled on the couch, Claire’s rabbit sat in the middle of the rug, and the silence pressed against her ribs.Mara sat at the kitchen table, hands wrapped around a cold cup of tea she never finished. Thomas stood by the window, staring down the street as if the car that had taken Claire might suddenly turn the corner and stop in the driveway.The phone rang. Both of them jumped.Thomas snatched it. “Evans residence.”A calm, professional voice answered. “Mr. Evans? This is Detective Mira Hayes.”Thomas straightened. “Detective. Any news?”Mira’s tone softened, practiced and grave. “Not the kind you want to hear yet. We need you and your wife to come down to the station. There are developments, we’ve been re-examining the Liam case in light of last night.”Mara’s hand flew to her mouth. “Liam? You,there’s something new about him?”“We’re still piecing it together,
THE CRY, THE FEAR, THE HUNTER
Lower Chamber – DiegoThe chains rattled so violently the iron bolts in the stone floor groaned, wobbling under the pressure.Diego pulled again.Harder.Hard enough that the veins in his neck bulged and his shoulders shook. Blood streaked down both arms, pooling beneath him.His breath came in broken, animalistic snarls—nothing human left in the sound.His eyes burned a deep, merciless crimson.“CLAIRE!!!”The roar tore through the underground chamber, shaking dirt from the ceiling. Torch flames snapped violently with the force of it.He lunged forward again—CLANG!The chains ripped into his skin, reopening the wounds until the shackles were slick with blood.But Diego didn’t feel pain.He felt panic.Raw.Crushing.Uncontrollable.He saw her face again—Claire reaching for him.Claire screaming.Claire crying his name.“Uncle Liam… don’t let him hurt me…”That voice.The voice he failed.His throat tore with another scream, deeper and more monstrous than any before.“LET HER GO!!!
THE AWAKENING OF A MONSTER
Lower Chamber – DiegoThe chains shook so violently dust drifted down from the ceiling like falling ash.Diego’s breathing was no longer human.Short. Sharp. Ferocious.His eyes glowed a molten red, veins spreading across his skin like cracks in glass.Every heartbeat in the mansion echoed through him—but one pulsed louder than the rest.Claire.Her tiny, shaking heartbeat.Her fear.It stabbed him like knives, fueling the monster tearing at the edges of his control.He threw himself forward again—CRRRRACK—One of the bolts anchoring the chain to the stone floor shifted.Blood dripped from Diego’s wrists, pooling beneath him.But he didn’t care.He didn’t feel the pain.He only felt the image burned into his mind:Dominic’s hand on Claire’s throat.Lewis dragging her like a toy.Claire crying for him.“UNCLE LIAM—HELP ME—!!!”Diego roared, voice ripping through the chamber like thunder.“CLAIRE!!!”His muscles bulged unnaturally, bone cracking loudly beneath his skin.His fangs leng
THE ONE WHO FOUGHT THEM
The fluorescent lights in Interview Room 3 buzzed faintly, casting a cold glow over the table where Thomas and Mara sat. Both looked exhausted—eyes red, shoulders slumped, fingers intertwined in silent fear.Detective Mira Hayes entered first, a file tucked under her arm.Detective James followed with a tablet and coffee he forgot to drink.Mira sat.James stood.They exchanged a look—an unspoken this is bad.Mira folded her hands.“Mr. and Mrs. Evans… we’re going to ask you something very important. It’s about what Thomas said last night. You mentioned someone came into the house before the intruders attacked.”Thomas nodded immediately.“That man saved us. Saved me. Fought those things.”James leaned in slightly.“You said he fought like someone you’d never seen before.”Thomas shook his head breathlessly.“I—I don’t even have the words. He wasn’t just fighting—he was hunting them.”Mara swallowed hard.“He moved too fast… too strong… it didn’t make sense.”James glanced at Mira.
WHEN MONSTERS ANSWER
Lower Chamber – Diego The final bolt trembled. Dust rained down around Diego as he crouched forward, every breath ragged, every muscle swollen and twitching with unstable power. His claws dug into the stone floor. He could feel it now. The last chain. One pull away. One heartbeat away. One fear-filled breath from Claire away. Claire. Her heartbeat spiked again—tiny, terrified, pounding through the mansion like bells ringing inside his skull. She whispered something. He heard it as if she were right beside him. “Uncle Liam… please…” His eyes snapped open. Pure gold flashed behind the red. A sound ripped from his chest—a sound no vampire had ever produced. Not feral. Not pureblood. Something in between. Something born of pain, instinct, and a child’s cry. He wrapped the chain around both hands. Every vein in his arms bulged. Every muscle locked. His voice came out broken: “Claire… I’m coming…” He pulled. The world shook. STONE CRACKED. METAL SCREAMED. And with
WHEN MONSTERS ANSWER
Lower Chamber — DiegoDust rained in soft streams from the ceiling as the final bolt trembled, whining under Diego’s strength.His breathing was no longer human—short, sharp, feral bursts scraping raw through his chest.His eyes burned molten red, flickers of gold sparking behind the rage.Claws dug into the stone floor. Veins stretched across his skin like cracking glass.And beneath all of it—he felt her.Claire.Her heartbeat thudded inside his skull in small, terrified bursts.Another whisper reached him through the darkness, thin and shaking:“Uncle Liam… please…”His eyes snapped open.A sound rose inside him—deeper than a roar, older than any vampire cry.Not pureblood.Not feral.Something in between.He wrapped the chain around both hands.Every muscle locked.Every tendon strained.“Claire…” he rasped, voice breaking. “I’m coming.”He pulled.The world responded.STONE SPLIT.METAL SCREAMED.Then—CRAAAAAAACK—!The final chain erupted off the floor, sending shards of iron