The Violet Line Read Online Free PDF Page A

metal double doors at the end, he heard footsteps hurrying towards him. He ducked back into a darkened doorway as a man in a smart suit rushed past him. Sam waited until he could hear the man talking to someone else in an office down the corridor. The other voice belonged to a woman and it sounded as though they were having some sort of argument. Sam didn’t waste any more time listening to them; he had business to attend to and Jade was waiting for him. Feeling satisfied that there was nobody inside the storage area, he ran to the double doors and pushed them open.
    Slipping inside, his eyes immediately adjusted to the dark room; he could see just as clearly in the dark as in the light and he navigated the room without issue. Collecting the packets and putting them into his rucksack, he wondered what Jade was doing at that moment; was she thinking of him as much as he was thinking of her? Rushing he closed the bag and flew out the door. To a human he would appear as little more than a blur speeding past them, but luckily he met nobody in the hall.
    He knew the woman had left while he was in the storage unit because he had heard her slamming the door on her way out. His head filled with thoughts of Jade as he reached the fire exit and freedom once more. Stepping out into the fresh night air he felt light and free. He couldn’t wait to get back to Jade and just hold her in his arms, be close to her; he could quite happily spend eternity breathing in her intoxicating scent, he thought to himself. Reclosing the fire door, he turned and came face to face with his very own personal nightmare.
    He stood in the alleyway not fifteen feet from where Sam was frozen to the ground. His six foot seven frame was draped in a long black leather coat and instead of hiding his build it seemed to emphasise it. His ice blond hair was short now, cut into spikes that stood at various angles. Very modern, Sam thought; it seemed they had embraced the new life they were given and wore all the appearances of a very fashionable group. He was flanked by four others that Sam didn’t recognize but they all wore the same type of very expensive designer clothes that meant they could only have come from one place.
    Sam inclined his head. “Raphael, to what do I owe this pleasure? I see Marianne has not accompanied you this evening, how unusual.”
    He let his voice trail off; at least if Marianne wasn’t here it meant he could lie to Raphael and very easily get away with it. Marianne was one of the high council’s pets and Raphael’s partner; they very rarely went anywhere without each other. Perhaps she had been sent on council business someplace else and this was just a coincidence, Sam hoped but didn’t feel particularly confident.
    “ Ah Samuel, still eating like an animal I see.” Raphael’s heavily Italian accented voice drawled over the words. “Why you insist on pursuing this type of behaviour is beyond me and the council. Don’t you miss the taste of fresh blood, the sheer delight as it gushes hot and sweet into your mouth? Feeling your victim’s body as it grows limp in your arms and you drain the very last drops from their body, absorbing their life? I can see from your face you do indeed still miss it. I shan’t tease you anymore by describing the heady pleasures of dining on tasty morsels.”
    Raphael’s face broke into a cruel smirk as he watched Sam’s discomfort read in every line of his body. Sam knew he was taunting him; Raphael enjoyed inflicting pain and was known for his cruelty towards his victims. He very rarely used his gaze to lull them into a peaceful death, preferring instead for his victims to struggle and scream as he bit them multiple times in many different places before finally draining them. Raphael had been a sadist when he was alive and now that he was dead he put his tendencies to good use by working for the council.
    “ As for my beautiful Marianne, why she is indeed here; she was simply hungry and