Crimson Temptation

VIOLET-BLUE EYES watched the amber liquid swirl in the thick crystal glass.

Every now and then they shifted to the busy boulevard outside the limousine. He smiled to himself; it was a typical Friday night in Los Angeles everyone and their dog were out tonight.

That’s one of the reasons Alexander liked living here because the only difference between the night and day was the light.

Then the crowds would shift from the streets to the clubs and provided him the cover he needed.

Alexander was on his way to a late gathering himself.

He took a drink from the glass and shifted gaze shifted to a group of four young men walking along the sidewalk, obviously with too much liquor in them by the way they clung to each other to keep themselves upright.

He gave a faint smile at the lewd whoops and hollers they emitted as they passed by a group of young ladies. Physically Alexander looked about their age, when in fact he was much older.

Usually he liked to enjoy life the way they were, but unlike that group he didn’t intend to enjoy himself tonight.

It would be business meeting not a social event. Normally, he did attend public appearances and social events to keep suspicions‟ eyes looking in the other direction because he’d built up quite the name for himself over the years and reclusive tycoons were targets for bloodthirsty journalists.

This didn’t mean he still was not in the camera lens, but it kept most sneaking paparazzi out of his bushes.

The other reason, and main reason why he kept a false front, was much darker.

His father, Jasper frowned on his career choice, telling him that he drew too much attention to himself, but Alexander couldn’t cut off all contact with the population as Jasper and the rest have.

His own kind was not enough for him. What he and the others didn’t understand was that he still needed to be around them.

It was a grave recognition of his last coveted grip on mortality and he refused to let it go. In the past, Alexander had been criticized for being sympathetic towards them, which was not far from the truth. Although he never harbored any ill will towards the race, he did not see them as a mere means of survival either.

Humanity had endless reasons for why he wanted to remain attached to them and even though his father may not have liked his reasons for walking among the living, at least he never forbade him to do it.

Alexander turned his gaze to his companion across from him.

Originally given to him as a gift from his father as a Protector, Alexander also considered him a close friend. Although Alexander loved his father, and would give his life for him, he did not completely trust him.

Orion on the other hand, was the only one that Alexander trusted implicitly with his dark secrets and his life even if he was a ruthless predator.

Right then, Orion turned his attention to Alexander and cocked his head in question as he felt his eyes on him, “What is it?” Alexander silently shook his head indicating it was nothing, before returning his bluish-purple stare to the lighted busy streets outside and let his thoughts roam again.

It had been centuries since he had savored daylight, but his world was now lived in darkness.

More than seven hundred years had passed since that fateful night. He could still easily remember the terror he’d felt upon seeing Jasper for the first time. It was a horror that could not easily be forgotten. Seeing Jasper ‘s terrifying form in the moonlight would have stopped the most fearless of men in their tracks frozen with fear. However, Jasper brought him a new life and opened up an unthinkable world to him.

He never regretted it or Jasper because he was young and was the victim of a quicker sword on the battlefield. He was not ready to die. Of course he also did not expect to live as long as he did either.

Jasper had a way of eliminating those who gain too much power and are stupid enough to try and overthrow him. Alexander never had that ambition and therefore outlived his brothers. Maybe it had something to do with the love he had for Jasper and the thought of losing him, horrified him.

Living as long as he did gave him the opportunity to learn so many things and he still yearned to learn more.

He had mastered a multitude of different languages, some now extinct, played many different musical instruments, studied with world renown scholars and lived and traveled all over the world.

Jasper had told him once that the urge to know everything will stop after a few hundred years, but it never did.

He was still just as eager today. Religion fascinated him most of all, especially when there are thousand year wars being waged in the name of God.

Such hypocrites, He thought. He was distracted from his thoughts as he saw Orion glance over his shoulder at the driver.

His protector was hungry.

Alexander knew he would not harm the man, he needed Alexander ‟ approval.

Orion ‘s kind was fiercely loyal and that is what made his race ideal to protect Vampires.

No one knew how long werewolves protected their race, but they were not like the books written about them.

Orion used to get angry at some of the presumptions, but now he just accepted them stating the human race was just stupid.

Although Alexander did understand his frustration, the human race was naïve, because they did not live as long as he did to gain the intellect they possessed.

Orion only scoffed when he relayed this to him, making him smile.

He had expected that. Orion was arrogant, and rightly so.

His skills were virtually unsurpassable and his intolerance for anything superior to him was common to the breed for they were not just predators, they were a highly intelligent race and the books written about them never portrayed that.

As for the Chauffer, Alexander was thankful for the present day conveniences that prevented senseless brutality that had been necessary in the past. However, there was still the rare need to take live prey to sustain his power. His quarry only consisted of those the world could do without. It somehow made what he was easier to live with.

The driver was not in that group; therefore, he would live this night. He would have used his own driver, but this man insisted on sending his own. Alexander did not want to lose the deal over such a petty thing and he was hungry, so he agreed.

He figured it was just a control issue Michael Reese had. Suddenly, his thoughts were violently interrupted by a powerful alluring feeling that enraptured his whole body like an electrical current. He shot forward in his seat, “Pull over.”

He spoke calmly to the driver despite his inner turmoil.

“But sir, Mister. Rease said to…”

The driver began to politely protest while loo