Murder Among the Roses | Book 1

1. Blooms and Bites

Greed was like a starving monster, but the more he fed it, the more it craved.

In a dimly lit warehouse, a group of desperate players gathered around a table and clutched their cards close. Flames danced on the wicks of the candles lit around them, casting a shadowy glow on their hands and drinks. Everyone had their eyes on the stack of plastic pumpkin chips, praying to the Goddesses above to bless them with that fortune.

The air was thick with cigar smoke, tension, and the delightful metallic tang of blood. Vesryn Allidora kept a straight face, not daring to expose any telltale signs of his hand to the others around him. Lady Luck was on his side that night. Vesryn considered himself a seasoned gambler by now and knew just what those fools were thinking.

Perspiration clung to their nervous, foul-smelling bodies. He had played with a few of them before, even nibbled on their necks to quell his bloodthirst. Some of their blood still stained his fangs. That was what he enjoyed most about the underground of Killimourn, how they craved the thrill of being beneath his fangs.

Those blood bags didn't mind sharing their precious necks for him, not when he gave them the intoxicating high of his venom that they desired so much. The alcohol they continued imbibing, the cigars they smoked, and the lines of fairydust sprinkled across the table couldn't compare to it.

The witch beside him twirled a strand of her silk black hair around her finger as she eyed her cards like they'd combust into flames. She then adjusted her pointy black hat. It was a nervous tell he'd picked up from her during their previous games. She had a terrible hand.

All around him, the other four players scrutinized their cards with hopes of outwitting each other. Vesryn wasn't worried at all when it came time to show his hand. He'd been on a winning streak all night long.

When Vesryn laid his cards down with a triumphant smirk, hushed groans filled the stale, smoky room as the other players begrudgingly pushed their pumpkin chips toward him. Vesryn could've called it quits right then and walked out with double the amount of money he'd walked in with.

As long as he left before sunrise, everything would be fine. Vesryn had convinced himself of that countless times before, and tonight was no different. It was a thrilling game of risk and reward, and Vesryn knew he could keep on winning.

Until he lost.

In the blink of an eye, his fortune was snatched right out from under him by that devious witch's hands. The other players watched in amusement, chuckling drunkenly at Vesryn's losses. He had nothing left to bargain for. Not a single coin left to his good name. But did that stop him?

"I'm sure we can work something out, Cordelia." Vesryn flashed them all a charming grin with fangs.

Cordelia scrutinized him from head to toe, as if trying to decide there was something of worth on him. Finally, one of the guys suggested his clothes. That was fine with Vesryn. He bet his coat first, followed by his shirt and trousers until he was perched on the wooden chair in nothing but his white boxers checkered with bats. That earned him a lot of snickers.

"Ves, man. You gotta know when to stop." Mikey scratched at his white beard before downing his third beer.

"He still has his underwear, doesn't he?" The witch sneered. "It'll just be a cold flight home for him."

Vesryn glared at her. "Oh, I'll have more than that to take home. Just you wait."

More cards were dealt. Vesryn was confident he'd win that round, but he did not.

Unfortunately, Vesryn's luck had run out and he was forced to strip out of his boxers and sit stark naked amid the table of laughing drunks. Thankfully, cold temperatures weren't bothersome to vampires but the chilly draft between his legs wasn't very pleasant.