Poisonous Pleasure

The Soul Collector

Poisonous Pleasure

No one knows what happens to a supernatural's soul whenever immortality doesn't last, but Marcella does. After an accident that takes the lives of her family and herself, she's born into the one thing the paranormal world considers a myth or legend. She's a soul collector, covered in tattoos and hidden chants, with enough power to become any mystical creature she chooses.

Mated to a demon and paired with her human boyfriend, Marcella and her men try desperately to unravel the visions that plague them. When they add a master vampire into their midst, will the truth of their past lives become revealed, or will he ultimately be the one Marcella sees destroying them all?

Sensuality Rating:
SCORCHING
Genre:
Ménage a Trois/Quatre/Paranormal
Length:
81,488 words

POISONOUS PLEASURE

Jennifer Salaiz

POLYAMOUR

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

IMPRINT: PolyAmour

POISONOUS PLEASURE

Copyright © 2010 by Jennifer Salaiz

E-book ISBN: 1-60601-889-2

First E-book Publication: August 2010

Cover design by Jinger Heaston

All cover art and logo copyright © 2010 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter from Jennifer Salaiz

Regarding Ebook Piracy

I am honored that you have purchased one of my books. Nothing

makes me happier than to know I’ve written a story interesting

enough to capture your attention. With every sentence I write, I try to

put as much care and emotion into it as possible. These stories are my

passion but also my job. This is how I help to support my family. I

ask that you please not share this book or send it to your friends.

Please understand that pirating books is stealing. It’s morally wrong

and it’s also illegal.

With deep gratitude,

Jennifer Salaiz

DEDICATION

I’ve been working on this story for a while now, and the first person I’d like to thank is Sonny, my husband. I’m so glad you’re in love with this story line. To be able to read it to you as I go along gives me great joy. It makes me positively giddy that you ask fifty million questions on where everything is going. Sorry, my love, but like everyone else, you’re going to have to wait and see.

Also, I’d like to thank Amanda and Debbie for reading over the story before I ever sent it off. I’m happy you both enjoyed it. I can still remember the phone call with you, Amanda. The excitement in your voice while you relayed the parts you loved will forever be imprinted into my mind.

And last, but not least, to all of the readers. Thank you so much for giving my stories a chance. I hope you enjoy them.

JENNIFER SALAIZ

Copyright © 2010

Prologue

“I’ll tell you the entire story. Not because I want to, but because I have no other choice. If you think I chose this life, you’re wrong. One doesn’t choose to die by mere thoughts, nor does one like to know they are responsible for their family’s deaths. But since I’m telling you all of this, I guess that part can wait until further in the story.”

Marcella stopped talking as she took in the beauty of the master vampire she could hardly see. Her angelic face, so innocent, so young, was capable of things no one could imagine, things only the cruelest of the supernatural could fathom.

The Corpus Christi Police Department, for one, never knew what hit them when they walked into the abandoned warehouse to find two dozen bodies mutilated and hung on the walls for all to see. Bodies, which all just happened to be female, with long dark hair and light skin, all resembling Marcella.

The whole city was in an uproar, hunting down what it assumed could be nothing more than a deranged serial killer. They weren’t far off, but it wasn’t just one. From what Marcy had uncovered, several of the servants had been forced to commit the crimes for their master, for Gwendolyn. Who, from the looks of the sour expression on her face, couldn’t be more than nineteen years of age.

“Story or no story, the facts still remain. You came into
my city
without
my permission
. You take my lover. My lover!” Delicate fingers angrily pulled the long blonde hair out of Gwen’s face. “For over a month you elude my servants causing nothing but grief, and yet you come here as if you’re actually going to make it out alive.”

Marcella took a deep breath, feeling heat scorch the inside of her skin. Since her change into a soul collector, getting control of her emotions proved nearly impossible.

“Gwen, I don’t think I’ll live. I know.”

Bubbly laughter echoed off of the bare walls of the abandoned mansion. The sound fit more in a school cafeteria during lunch time, than in a place where ghost stories derived. But the placement made the noise altogether more eerie.

“Is that right? You’re a confident little bitch, aren’t you? Well, I could say to hell with your story and kill you now to prove you wrong. How would you like that, child? I think you forget who you’re talking to.”

Aggravation pulsed through Marcella’s body. Her collector stirred around inside, calming her enough to control the rage. “I’m not a damn child. To tell you the truth, my true age makes you an infant in my book. But you wouldn’t want to know about that, now would you,
child
? You’re ready to take me out, so have at it. A warning though before you try. I won’t die easily, and if you manage to kill me, how will you know what happened to Ambrose?”

Gwendolyn’s pale green eyes deepened in color until Marcella could literally see a blaze ignite behind them. Their luminosity gave enough light for the vampire’s pale face to become transparent in the surrounding darkness. Veins of blood surfaced though the mask of skin, blood that no doubt didn’t belong to her at all. Fear poured from Marcella’s pores, but she couldn’t show the vampire how afraid she truly felt. Gwen might be able to sense it, but she wouldn’t see it.

“Nothing troubles him. I would know. You put on a good bluff, but I’m more experienced than you, older or not.” The glow in her eyes began to die out, leaving her face barely noticeable in the pitch black room. “If you weren’t so damn intriguing you wouldn’t have lived this long.” Relief took over the instant the illumination disappeared completely. “Now, come to my chambers and tell me this story. One lie and I finish you off.”

Candlelight appeared as one of the servants opened the door. A mass of billowing red silk flared through the air while Gwendolyn spun around and headed for their exit. The small amount of light gave view to a mound of old clothes and cardboard boxes littering the bedroom floor. Focusing to block out the smell of mold and dust, she slowly followed the tall, blonde out of the room.

The sound of Marcella’s stiletto boots echoed loudly against the creaking wooden floorboards making chills race up her spine. She could do this, she had to. If for some reason things didn’t go as planned, she could lose more than just her life.

“After you tell me this story, you’ll tell me where Ambrose is. If you do, I might make your death a fast one. If you don’t tell me, not to worry, I’ll find him myself while my servants torture you, human.”

The long hallway gave time for her to think. There had to be a way to get Gwendolyn to accept that her master wasn’t coming back, and that she needed to move on. At this point, Marcella wasn’t sure that was achievable at all. The woman clearly would kill for Ambrose, and Marcella wasn’t about to let him return.

“So, you don’t believe me to be a collector? If that’s so, then why are you willing to listen to what I have to say?”

The door at the end of the hallway opened, filling the entrance with an abundance of light. Hundreds of candles filled every available space in Gwen’s room. “You’re human now, are you not?”

“Yes.” Marcella couldn’t deny it. She’d come here human for a reason. What vampire wouldn’t gladly let a meal walk willing into its domain? But one mention of Ambrose’s name caused just the panic she needed. Gwendolyn appeared, dragging her up the stairs before she could get one word out of her mouth about him being safe.

“The only reason I’m interested in your story is to see how you managed to detain my lover. He could kill you in a breath’s time and yet, you’re not dead. This alone interests me.”

“Well, I’ll get to that part, of course. If I’m going to tell my story, then I’ll start from the beginning. Otherwise, I’m afraid you’re not going to believe it.”

Red and gold filled the room, completely transforming the condemned outside appearance. A bed, bigger than her own king size sat in the middle of the large space, looking more suited for a palace than an abandoned mansion.

“Sit.” Gwendolyn gestured to a red velvet chair next to the bed. “Is there anything you would like? A last meal?” She laughed, once again making Marcella uneasy.

“No, I don’t have to eat, at least not in my original form. It’s up to me, really. It seems I do it more from habit than actually needing the amount of nutrients it brings.
You
might want to feed though. This is somewhat of a long story. I just ask that you don’t feed from me.”

The pale blonde sat rigidly on the bed. “Original form? What are you talking about?”

It was Marcella’s turn to laugh. She couldn’t help but feel a spike of pleasure at the coldhearted vampire’s nervous stirring. “Well, if you promise not to freak out on me, I’ll change and show you.”

A nod was the only response. Looking down at her pale arms, visible from the black leather halter top she wore, black tribal tattoos began to form while the cobwebs moved under her skin. The feeling took some getting used to, but she had become accustomed to the foreign sensation over these last few weeks, even embraced it. Designs left bare, inside the tribal, were filled with words only Marcella could understand. Gold lettering rippled in the unmarked flesh, disappearing almost instantly. The thick designs surrounding her symbols darkened as her collector made itself known. This was her true form, but not her only one.

“Impossible! Soul collectors are legend, myth,” Gwendolyn squealed.

“So are vampires.” Marcy raised her eyebrow at the irony of her words. “Do you want to hear the story, or not?”

The sound of the master’s throat clearing nearly made Marcella smile.

“Start at the beginning,” she whispered.

Chapter 1

Marcella stared across the large expanse of water from the deck of her second story bedroom. Salty sea air brushed against her face warmly while she waited for the sun to set. It had been a little over three years since she’d graduated high school. The feeling of freedom quickly turned to boredom as everyone left for college, a place she still didn’t intend to go for another year at least. What she had been prolonging the experience for, she had no idea.

Seagulls echoed off in the distance, but the sound died out while random thoughts began to surface. The amount of time she spent off in what her mother considered la-la land was beginning to pose a problem. No matter how much she tried to focus, the trances continued to come, blinding her to the outside world.

The water disappeared from Marcella’s immediate view as color intensified, filling her vision. She could see herself standing out, facing the water. But her appearance wasn’t even close to resembling the one she held now. Flawless skin covered her face and shoulders. The rosiness of her cheeks and lips looked almost airbrushed on. Studying herself, she wondered why this continued to happen. The white gown she wore billowed out behind her while the wind picked up. The urge to know more forced Marcella to look closer, but as her other self turned, light reflected off something on her forehead and suddenly everything vanished.

The last few days these images plagued her. They were all remotely similar and becoming more frequent. She stood staring out over the water. Sometimes, she rested further down the white stone balcony, but always facing in the same direction. Aggravated that she couldn’t make any sense of these daydreams, Marcy rubbed her blurry eyes. What was happening to her?

With the problems she faced with Jason, her college boyfriend, and the troubles of life in general, it became more and more stressful to cope with the changes of her body and mind. Marcella remembered in her earlier years hearing of late bloomers, but did they usually develop overnight? People at the law office were already joking about her getting breast implants. As if she could really afford those making two dollars over minimum wage.

The sound of a horn in the distance made her cringe. Unexplainable anger rushed through her, filling her insides with an intense heat.
He really needs to learn some manners. Four years and he still forgets to get out of the truck and knock on the damn door.

“Marcy, Jason’s outside!”

“Yeah, I heard him, Mom. I think the whole neighborhood heard him!”

The bedroom door opened just as Marcella walked through the opened sliding glass door from the deck. “Go easy on the boy, honey. He’s had it hard the last year with his father dying, you know that. Now with the baseball draft coming up, he deserves to be cut a little slack, don’t you think?”

“Of course, but he’s been honking like that since he received his driver’s license. That was years ago.”

Her mom laughed and kissed her forehead. “He’s a good kid. You both be careful tonight. I know today is your twenty-first birthday, but I really don’t see why you would want to go to a bar of all places.”

“I’m not sure I want to go now. I think we’re just going to go to dinner and maybe a movie instead. Jason should be okay with that.”

“I like that idea better. You two have fun, and if you need anything, call me.”

Marcella kissed her mother’s cheek as another round of honking pierced her ears. “Dammit, Jason, I’m coming!”

“Watch the language,” her mother yelled, but Marcella was already running down the stairs and was out the front door before she could respond with an apology.

The black Ford F150 sat parked in the driveway caked in mud. There was no need to ask what he’d been doing all day. The remaining guys in town, who hadn’t left area for a bigger college, always went off-roading on the weekends. Both girls and guys used to go, but over the last few months Jason insisted on guys only. The thought made her pause midway while opening the door. The email she received from Kasey, claiming to have had sex with her boyfriend refreshed in her head. With everything happening, somehow she’d forgotten. New pain stabbed through her heart, nearly taking her breath away.

“Well, hop in, babe. I’m starving. I’m thinking steak. What about you?”

Dark brown hair stuck out in odd angles and still looked wet, but not from a shower. Jason was covered in mud and sweat. Marcella blinked twice trying to process his words and intentions.

“You can’t be serious? You want to go out to eat, looking like that?” Slowly, she climbed into the seat, never taking her eyes off of him. The white shirt he wore stuck tightly to his broad chest, showing off the defined lines of muscle.

“No, I thought we’d stop by my place first. There’s something I want to talk to you about. I think it would be best before we head to Corpus.”

Marcella’s stomach flipped. Suddenly, the email didn’t sit so well with her. Somehow, she’d dismissed it before. The thought that Jason would cheat had never crossed her mind. Since childhood, she felt connected to him. The link was something she couldn’t explain, nor one she never questioned. Now, as his words hit home, she was starting to wonder if she put too much trust in the guy she’d loved for as long as she could remember. “Okay, I think that would be best. I need to speak with you, too.”

“You do? About what?” She couldn’t ignore the way he slouched and ran his fingers through his hair nervously.

The truck rolled out of the driveway and started down the street. An answer wouldn’t come no matter how hard she pushed herself to reply. Orange and pinks painted the sky as the sun hovered along the water for the last few minutes. Silence followed them all the way to Jason’s house, he didn’t push, and for that she was thankful. With the way her temper kept sparking, she didn’t want to fight with him.

“If you want, you can stay in my room while I jump in the shower. My mom’s over at her boyfriend’s for the night, although I’m sure she wouldn’t care. Hell, she probably wouldn’t say anything if we walked out of the shower together.”

“I’ll stay in the room,” Marcella whispered, climbing out of the truck. She followed Jason in and sat on his bed while he picked out clothes to wear. She hardly noticed while thoughts of the woman on the balcony began to push into her head again.

“I won’t be long. Are you sure you’re okay? You seem…distracted.”