Dead Before Dawn: The Vampire Curse

Chapter 1 - Cat and Mouse

A/N: Welcome to my new novel Dead Before Dawn: The Vampire Curse. I am very excited to share it with you, and hope you enjoy reading about Max and his exploits as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Don't forget the re-edited version of this can be purchases in paperback and eBook from Amazon and other eBook sellers.

This is first and foremost a paranormal adventure with vampires and magic and vampire hunting, but it also has strong male/male romance elements and mature content.

~*~

Max was lost, as in very, very lost. He wasn't sure how he'd managed it. He'd been walking down a perfectly normal street in Moscow on his way to meet the rest of the cast of "In From the Cold 2: Rogue Agent". On Thursday it was the Russian premiere and everyone who was already in town was meeting up for dinner. Since he'd had a few days down time he'd flown in early to meet up with old friends.

Why he had taken the dingy side street he had no idea. By the time his brain had caught up with the fact that he was walking in the wrong direction it had been way too late. Where he was, was, frankly, a mystery. It was dimly lit and full of inky black shadows; an alley with a chain link fence blocking his way forward that he had never seen before. As he looked around he felt the first tendrils of fear creeping up his spine.

He liked Moscow and the Russian people, even if he didn't agree with all their politics. Having a Russian grandmother he spoke the language passably and he'd visited several times, but he definitely didn't want to meet the shadier side of the capital. He might play a spy on the big screen, but he was more of a pacifist in real life. Elicit deals and back allies were totally not his scene.

"You have a strong mind, Kitten," a voice said from behind him and he span to see a man standing half in shadow; "I almost couldn't ensnare you."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" he demanded, as cold daggers of shock lanced through him.

He could only hope that a little ire might make the man think twice about coming anywhere near him. The man's accent was thick, but he was pretty sure he had heard correctly and it sounded deranged. He licked his lips as he scanned the area looking for any possible bolt holes. Now his eyes were adjusting he could see his surroundings, but it seemed to be an alley with many locked doors and not a lot else.

"So pretty," were the unsettling words all but whispered at him.

When the man stepped forward, Max stepped back; he knew it was a sign of weakness, but he did not want the man any closer than necessary. If he had to run he wanted as much head start as possible. There was something about his stalker that set off alarms in Max's head, and it wasn't just the fact the man was a creep.

"I had to work very hard to keep that pretty mind occupied while I enticed you here," the man said, smiling and showing very white teeth that almost looked pointed in the dim light. "I enjoy a challenge."

Clearly the man was short of a full deck, but he was tall and broad shouldered. Max knew, if it came to hand to hand, he was well out matched. If only he'd been like some of his co-stars, all muscle and taller than god, he might have had a chance, but he was five ten and wiry. His stalker had, at minimum, four inches and twenty pounds on him.

At least it didn't look as if the other man had a weapon.

Max was an athlete; he'd been a gymnast before he went into acting, he could run fast when he had to. His shoes weren't exactly made for running, but he was pretty sure he could make a dash for it.

His stalker laughed at him, as if the man knew what he was thinking.

"You can run," and suddenly the man wasn't ten feet away anymore, he was right there in front of Max, "but you can't get away."