Heartless (Completed, Kings Series, Book 3)

Second Encounter

This is the end of sample chapters

The book is launching today at 

https://www.amazon.com/Kings-Book-3-Heartless-Alena-ebook/dp/B075K5QPND

(Riley's POV)

I woke up, alone in bed, the bed sheets wrinkled with last night's laborious bed activities. I had gotten rid of all the women once I was done with them. I sought solitude. I had taken them one after another and sometimes in pairs to appease a hunger that never seemed to abate, a hunger which gnawed a hole inside me. They hadn't complained. They'd been too happy to oblige. I didn't care. I didn't remember their faces. Their hair color was the only thing that remained with me, blonde, black, auburn, and then blonde again.

Yet.... I remembered her name. Oriana. And, I hadn't even fucked her.

I rose in bed and did my morning routine, took a shower, got dressed, and then headed for work. I'd been working ever since I mingled with the humans, though I continuously altered the workplace, as I was on the move from one town to another. That was how I kept my sanity. Work, and then change the scenery, work again...Strenuous physical exertion was the only way I could tolerate the wait. The wait before it all ended.

I walked to work, it was a cold, blustery day, and the wind hit me with a stinging force, chafing my face. I savored anything that made me feel. I appreciated any sensation, emotion to fill the void in my heart. That part of me belonged to him. He owned it. And, he emptied it, just as he'd promised, day by day, minute by minute, ever since I'd chosen to defy him, and walked on the path of treason.

I rounded the corner and headed to the door to the warehouse. I smelled the strong savory coffee permeating inside and the aroma of fresh doughnuts as I pushed my way in.

"Hey, Riley! You are just in time," said Joe as he finished brewing the coffee. He was a giant of a human at 6 feet tall and about 250 pounds. Despite his massive size, and a scary battle scar running across his face, he was a big softie inside. "You are up early again, here, " he said, handing me the cup of fresh coffee. Jo was staying above the warehouse, and he was the first one to unlock the storage and greet everyone with drinks and food every morning.

"Joe," I greeted him, welcoming the coffee. The heat of it cascaded down my throat, burning my tongue as I took a huge gulp. It felt good.

But, soon others started coming, and within minutes the air inside became stifling. I didn't know them; I didn't care about befriending them. It was better that way. I grabbed two large boxes piled up in rows on the floor and headed outside to the trailer, inhaling the breath of fresh air as I loaded them into the recently parked vehicle. Even if I did hours of carrying and lifting, I would not break a sweat, but it did empty my mind. Morning left its place to a warmer afternoon which is when Joe shouted, "C'mon Riley, let's eat."

I hadn't brought any food; I'd been otherwise occupied. I trusted Joe to have some extra, he always did.

"This is my last bunch," I replied back as I lifted the last few boxes in that row. These were larger than the others, and they covered my sight completely. I noticed too late that I didn't see much of anything when I bumped into someone, heard a grunt and the person fall with a loud thud.

"Ouch!" she cried out.

"Watch it asshole!" a man in suits shouted at me "Are you okay boss?" he asked her, crouching next to her protectively. "Is anything broken?" the man insisted.

I didn't like his attitude, I clenched my fists but kept my mouth shut.

I didn't see the woman's face. But, the word boss drew my attention. I cared enough not to mix with the crowd in the management, but apparently, I'd now messed up. Too bad, I'd enjoyed this job, I'd liked Joe. Now, I would have to move on. Perhaps, I could use the charm, but then again I wasn't too interested in fucking the boss. She would be ugly, old and boring.

"I'm all right," she said, laughing. Laughing? Perhaps, I'd fuck her after all. Her laughter was perfect. It was contagious, and I couldn't help but smile.

When the man lifted her up, she shook the dust in her skirts with her head bent down. I couldn't see her face, but I caught her long neck now bared to my lusty stare as she collected her rich hair at one shoulder. And my eyes definitely picked the shapely legs stretching beneath her high heeled shoes. She was lovely.

I felt the lustful craving in my loins as I took her body in. I had the weird urge to press her body to mine, but then she lifted her head.

"You again," she said, angrily. The laughter was now wiped off from her face.

"Me, " I said in a seductive voice as I looked at the woman who had occupied my mind the whole night even when I was with other women. "I guess this is fate," I smirked. "Hi, Oriana."

The warehouse lapsed into silence, as everyone held his breath. Joe pinched my arm, shaking his head in warning. She was the boss and apparently, flirting with the boss was not an acceptable behavior. I got it, but I didn't care.

A rush of excitement catapulted through me. She made me feel a stirring of emotions.

I stretched my hand to touch her, but she flinched back. "Don't you dare!" she warned me. She was stubborn, that was for sure. But, I wasn't giving up. I tried again which is when the man dressed like a joke punched me in the face.

"You are fired," he bellowed. I discarded his words.

She was a fetching sight in the shaft of afternoon light; her slim body was glowing golden in the sun's dazzling rays.

"Is that so?" I drawled, as I rubbed my chin. He was about to inhale his last breath. He was standing in between me and what I wanted.

"Yes, it is," the man said, firmly taking another step towards me. He was acting on an irrational courage, one he gathered from his upper-level position in the company.

"Stop it, Harold," she warned him. "This is all a big misunderstanding," she said. "I am sure Mr. Riley in here will be more careful from now on. You all can carry on," she said turning her back and left.

Hmm...she'd remembered my name, just liked I'd remembered hers. It was fascinating. Things had just gotten more interesting for me.

I didn't see her again for the rest of the day. I was brewing with impatience to gaze at her once more, and when I was done, I walked to the ten-storied building in the facility which held all the offices, but she never came out. When I asked the information desk, they told me she had left already. That brought an angry oath to my lips. What was it about her that appealed to me, made me feel again? I didn't know, but I was famished for the vibrancy she aroused in my body. It had been too long since I'd felt that way, way too long.

I walked past my studio apartment; I just needed to relax, my body was tense like a coiled spring waiting to be unleashed. I strolled the lonely and dangerous streets of the city as night crept in slowly and stealthily with its cloak of darkness. I wasn't ready for the screams that reverberated in the alley which cut my path. It was a woman screaming her heart out. I ran to find her bleeding to death; I had a glimpse of two figures disappearing from sight. I heard their fading voices as they laughed. I debated over whether I should stay with her, or go after them. In the end, I called the ambulance.

"Monsters," the frail woman kept muttering. I found out soon enough that it was not a figure of speech. The bites on her neck were a testament to that. She'd been drained by vampires. BSVs, blood sucking vampires. The rebellion in the Vampire family had been ongoing since the death of their King years back. Though the King's friend and confidante had been crowned soon after his death, his position was shaky at best, with many contesting his rule. The BSVs were one such group who wanted to oust his regime and bring back the ancient and pure traditions to the lives of vampires, one of which was to take blood directly from the vein of a living creature. It was all terribly annoying, and boring for me. I simply didn't care. But then again this woman was dying.

I heard the sirens of the ambulance, and I left the scene.

I finally went home.

This time, I slept alone.

This is where we last left off, and I know this is an old chapter for you, but it still needs to be published here. I know you are all wondering what is happening, when I will be updating next. Soon, I promise.

Hope you liked it.

Alena