Disclaimer: All characters belong to Christine Feehan, for she is the Queen, and I bow to her queenliness. No copy write infringement intended.
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Dark Sunshine
by Pagaan Place

Sunshine Watts stepped out of the back door of Holy Roses, one of Crystal Cove's more elite restaurants, and into the windy night air of winter. Quietly shivering, Sunshine quickly slotted the key into the lock and made the quick turn of the lock that would secure the deadbolt.

She'd been working late, a lot later than was normal, but the head office was sending someone down to review the books and Sunshine wanted everything ready for him in the morning. She glanced upward and noticed the heaviness of the clouds, practically ensuring that for once the weather man may have been correct and they were due for a big storm. Shivering again, she pulled up the collar of her full-length leather coat and made her way to the little blue toyota, a car that had seen better days, no doubt, but started every morning even when some of the more expensive cars that frequented this area wouldn't even turn over.

Halfway into the alley, Sunshine felt her radar kick in, whenever trouble was headed in her direction the hairs on the back of her neck would stand and her heart would kick into overdrive. The intense pounding of her heart quickly made her aware that she was directly in the middle of the on-coming danger. Sunshine stopped and quickly scanned the area and knew at once that something was waiting her in the dark corner that was a side-entrance to the building next door. As she scanned deeper, the stench that emanated from that area, made her aware that this was no mugger or thug.

As the thought to head back into the restaurant quickly formed in her mind, a shadow emerged from inky blackness where she'd been scanning and knew that whatever this creature was, it wasn't human.

Come to me, it said.

The awful grating sound that was his voice, was hurting her ears but also knew he was attempting to disguise it. But Sunshine could still hear the awful sound and knew she'd come face to face with one of the unclean ones.

Varlam Grigorevna couldn't figure out why his prey was resisting him, he sent a harder push.

Come to me, now! Varlam wasn't looking for a lifemate to win back his soul. He enjoyed the fear he inflicted on his victims and loved the look of terror in their eyes as he drained the very life from them. And after 2 centuries of destruction under his belt, he was still seduced by the temporary high and craved it more and more with each passing year.

He was young when he turned, barely 400 years old. Spoiled and petulant, he never sought his lifemate, he never even tried. Even as a young boy he enjoyed hurting small animals and teasing the human children in his village. And now this one tried to defy him. He'd planned to drain her outright and just enjoy the screams and the terror-filled sustenance that would rush through his veins. But now she was determined to be defiant, he would take her and make her sorry for refusing him.

Sunshine turned and tried to run back to the restaurant door but it moved so swiftly as she turned, she ran directly into the creature. Sunshine looked up at the gleaming red eyes and stained jagged teeth and screamed, the reverberations through the surrounding buildings only amplifying the terror she felt within. Sunshine barely gasped for more air as the creature's fangs sank deep into her neck and the pain seared throughout her body. Slowly darkness was overtaking her, she knew she was going to die, she knew the obscene gulping was in fact her blood. As the darkness slipped over her mind, she thought to herself, "I should have believed her."

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Leonid Ivanovna heard the scream, and knew his little brother had found another victim. He was tired and decided tonight was the night he would end this. It had gone on for far too long. Too long he'd allowed his promise to his mother to debilitate him at the crucial moment. Over the last two hundred years his brother had continued to elude him. And the two times he'd been able to catch up with his brother, his Mother's voice and the painful memory of her death, stopped him just short of thrusting his arm into his brother's chest.

He knew it was a trick from his brother but hearing the voice of his mother, paralyzed him and his brother would swiftly leave the area, all the while laughing at Leonid's inability to finish him. Varlam learned that particular trick from a very old vampire he'd run across in his travels. He'd heard that vampires were banning together, but Varlam didn't care to share his conquests with anyone. He was a master unto himself, and so far not doing so bad a job.

Of course Varlam would never admit that when any other hunters were near, he would leave or find a remote spot and bury himself deep, until he no longer felt their presence. He knew his spell only worked with Leonid and he wasn't that good of a fighter. He only toyed with Leonid, he could never win a true battle with his older, and much more seasoned brother.

Leonid put on a burst of speed and turned the corner as he focused in on the point of origin of the scream. As he turned the corner and there was Varlam, so intent was he on gorging his full of his latest victim, he never felt the presence of his brother until Leonid's fist made it's entrance into his back. Stunned into inaction, Varlam never moved but dropped his victim as his brother's fist left his back with Varlam's heart in his hand. Leonid quickly threw the heart behind him, following it with a ball of fire.

Varlam screamed and blood poured forth as he turned and saw the ball of fire bounce from what was once his black heart and fly directly toward him. The fireball threw Varlam further into the darkness of the alley lighting his way to his own end. As the fireball consumed his brother, Leonid ruthlessly entered her body to try to repair the damage his brother had wrought.