Mara

6

DEN OF SIN

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA 2002

MARA

I was created believing that love was pure and yet I was taught the cruel lesson that even the purest of creations can sin. Now I have fallen, my soul is tarnished and I am alone. Alone in my pain and full of revenge.

My heart no longer beats for love and acceptance. Hatred runs through me, coating my veins, allowing the arteries, in what has proven to be a bad imitation of a human heart, to pump the red lifeblood that grants me the energy to hunt the men who dare to harm those too innocent to understand their lies.

I used to have hope, but that has been overrun by a pain embedded so deep that even God's pure light has no chance of eradicating it. I am not only a prisoner of my sickness, but it is the only option for me to remain on this Earth. My hatred has changed me in ways that make me unrecognizable at times, but by giving me the ability to transform into a vision of my rage, I was given a gift of sorts. One that allows me to pay back all those sinners, but it shackles me to my own sins. Sins that allow me to live and thrive in this human dungeon.

This transformation did not come from God or Samael. It was my very pain that created this creature. I've lived and simmered in my pain and allowed it to seep into everything that I am made of. If I were a pot of boiling water, there would be nothing left of me. Everything would have evaporated years ago. But I am not that proverbial pot. I'm more of a time capsule, suspended in the past, so in the future someone will have the power to crack open my stone heart and I'll be able to remember who I once was and be saved from this darkness and pain. There is no opening. No beginning. No ending. I am only what my heart and soul need to be. To heal, to survive, to cleanse this world of the evil that has no judge.

It took a few decades to situate myself into the life I felt I fit into. I was lost at first without Sasha. Wandering the streets, stealing from the well-dressed patrons in the small market, and allowing men to use me for their pleasure when the city is too quiet to hunt for heavy pockets. The act always made me feel dirty. Not only my body, but my soul seemed to carry the scars of my shame, until one day, while giving myself over to a man, something in me finally broke.

He, alone, I could have dealt with. But unknown to me, his friends hid in the same shadows I had encountered all those years ago when I first came to this realm. Five strong profiles separated themselves from the darkness and stalked towards me with the intentions of an ancient evil army. One I escaped once, but knew I wouldn't avoid again. And when four of them put their hands on me, to hold me down, that's when the numbness caressed my skin and the fear abated. My emotions locked themselves behind the scar tissue encasing my heart and a fire ignited in my soul.

These were not heroes from my past. Not Samael's soldiers either. Strangers, ones with the same intentions, now came for me. To steal from me what they wish and to leave me with nothing but the shell that makes me seem human. I will not hide inside myself. I will let them see all of me. I will not try to stop them. Men will do what they will, and no one will protect them or stop them from doing what they feel they have permission to take at will.

The men began to devour me in ways only a sadist would enjoy, but I felt none of their ruthless attack. Anger became my armor until the break snapped into place and a hunger grew in my core. Heat raced through my body until I felt like a torch. The next thing I knew, I came to, and six shriveled bodies lay on the ground all around me.

So distorted did my heart and soul become from the hatred I carried inside, I became something other, something vile, a true monster who relishes sucking the life force from my chosen victims. I became what the unnatural world calls a succubus. A creature that feeds off of sex. I snack on the lust in the air, but I thrive off of the action. Don't get me wrong, it's not all bad. I learned to enjoy the act, but I live for the ability to draw out their souls through their release. I am a freak. A weapon so evil that her whole being relies on the sin of fornication. I am a beauty that cannot be denied and a wild one in the sheets. But here is your warning: If I am in your bed, you are fucked, because I am there for a reason. And not one that you will be pleased with. Make sure you enjoy the ride, because it will be your very last.

After that incident I decided to linger outside the dens of sin in Philly. There were only a couple legit strip clubs throughout the state, but I found myself in Nicetown, outside a quaint little building whose insides were disguised by the condemned looking exterior. A woman was walking into the back and paused. "Do you need a job?" she asked. "A pretty thing like you shouldn't be begging on the street. She should have others begging for her while she makes the decisions on how much to give and what to charge for those gifts." I didn't reply to her comment, but I did walk towards her when she beckoned me to come closer.

That was my introduction to Dark Temptations, a strip club hidden in the middle of a crime-filled town where not only could I make money, but I could feed the beast within me.

"What the hell, Dex?" I frown at the smirking man in the doorway. Looking him up and down, I notice his hand is resting behind his back. "Give it back."

"What are you talking about?" His shit-brown eyes light up, enjoying my reaction to his little trick. "I didn't do anything."

"Quit acting like a fucking child," I growl. "You know what you took." Twirling around with one hand out and the opposite arm covering my very bare chest. He chuckles as he raises an eyebrow and looks down at obstacles that hide his view.

"Show me those beautiful tits, and I'll think about it." He steps into the room, leaving my door wide open. He knows not to close any of the girls' doors. Men are not permitted in the dancer's dressing rooms without supervision. It's something the boss holds tight to in order to protect his assets from harm. "Come on, Mara, it's not like I haven't seen them before. Hell, my mouth was wrapped around them last weekend. Or did you already forget that fact?"

"You're an asshole!" My face twists with aggravation. "Just because I allowed you to touch me, doesn't mean you own me and can order me around."

He steps closer, pinning me to the vanity. With the mirror chilling my back and his smooth chocolate-colored hand pressing against the reflection behind me, he leans down. His clean-shaven face just inches from mine as he whispers, "You're lucky I don't order you to open those sexy legs, gorgeous. I promise, once my cock fills you, you'll never want another."

He lowers his head even more and without pause licks me from chin to the edge of my left eye. I don't move. Don't breathe. Just freeze. Muscles tight and back straight. What he doesn't know is that Chase is behind him, staring at me with murder in his eyes.

Dexter stands and takes a small step back. He smirks and I return it with my own as he is pulled back with extreme force, into the chest of the boss himself. Fingers wrap around his neck from behind and a gun jammed into his spine. "Hand Mara her top, motherfucker," Chase whispers in a low growl. Dex stiffens and shakes slightly. His arm reaches out with my lace bra. It falls into my outstretched hand, and he gulps, waiting for his sentence from the prison warden. Chase's fingers tighten a fraction on his throat and deals Dex his punishment. "You no longer work here. Strike that. You no longer live in this state. You have one day to pack your shit and get out of Pennsylvania."

"Bu-But, Chase." Dexter doesn't finish his nervous reply.

"Don't fuck with me Dexter. You mess with my girls, you mess with me," he snarls as he pushes the gun harder into his ribs and Dexter winces. "You have carried out some of my orders, so you understand what the end result is if you cross me." Chase backs up and slaps Dexter on the back, hard. He catches his balance and coughs. "So do me a favor, man. Don't make me exterminate your useless ass. Now leave."

Dexter looks at me with hatred. I don't know why. He knew the rules, and he continued to push the boss's boundaries, thinking he could get around them. But his dumb ass wasn't that sneaky. His sticky fingers and roaming eyes (and hands) have caused him to lose the best job he would ever get, along with the respect of one of the most dangerous men in Philly. Even though I know it's not my fault, I still soak in that stare and make a mental note to watch my back tonight when I leave the club. This man wants to punish me for his actions. Nothing new. He pushes past Chase and stomps out of the building, his best bud, Marcus, following him through the front door.

"Sorry about him, Mara. He's a teenager in a body way too big for him. Too bad his brain has been stunted by the steroids he poisons himself with. He would have been a great bodyguard for my girls." He sighs before speaking again. "Do you need a few more minutes before you go on stage?"

Dropping my arm and showing my boss just what he pays me for, I strap on my slightly see through bra. "No worries, Chase. I'm a big girl. But thanks for the assist."

"Anything for my girls," he chuckles as he shakes his head at my boldness. He doesn't hide his own interest in my body, as his steely gray eyes move slowly down and then back up to meet my face. The one good thing about Chase is that he stands by his rule of not sleeping with his dancers. He has never once come onto me, but I know if I ever quit, there would be nothing that would hold him back from trying to get into my pants. He may have skewed morals but he's a good guy to his girls, the opposite of my type. And even though he is ruggedly gorgeous with his finger length, dark curly hair and athletic body, his soul isn't dark enough for me to crave. I like them as bad as they get. Playing with them is fun, and in the end I always get what I want.

"Is it true that Chase fired Dexter?" Anna whispers after the club closes. Her light blue eyes brighten with hope. With her slender arms crossed, she leans on the doorframe. She looks like a teenager ready for her first date with a cute boy in the light yellow dress she wears. The orange highlights in her auburn hair standing out against the fabric. In this dark pit, she portrays the sweet girl next door.

"Yup," I reply, but I don't look her way. Counting my tips and hoping for a good night's end.

"About fucking time," Tiffany grumbles. "That asshole was too clingy." Now if Anna is the sweet one, Tiffany is the older sister. Bossy and motherly to all the girls that come into the club. Her tanned skin is slowly showing her age as slight wrinkles peek through around the corners of her eyes and lips. She is definitely a beauty with her natural blonde hair and toned body, but I find her emerald green eyes the best of her attributes. The true beauty of her soul shines through to the outside world.

"You mean obsessive," Chanel snarls. Her soft pink lips curling with the sound. Very unlike her normal sweetness. "That man child wouldn't take "No" for an answer." Head tilted down to look at the vanity top before her, Chanel's sharp cheekbones hidden behind the curtain of her straight brown hair. Her long legs barely fit under the vanity as she sits in the chair preparing to wipe the thick makeup from her ivory skin. Her heart is softer like Anna's, but being in her profession for over ten years, she knows when to let the harder side show.

"He was harmless," I stated while pulling out all the bobby pins in my hair. "I controlled him just fine." Running my fingers through my thick, wavy midnight hair to release the tension in my skull, I sighed.

"You were his main obsession," Tiffany laughed. "That boy had it bad for you."

"Yeah, I told you not to let him lay his fingers on you," Chanel blurts. "But no, you did one worse and let him suck on your titties. I don't get it. That right there puts a bullseye on your pussy. And his arrow always pointed at you."

I looked at Chanel in the mirror and burst out laughing. "What a fucking metaphor to use." I choke on the words as tears started sliding down my cheeks. "Leave it to you to turn anything sexual."

"I know, it's a gift." Chanel smiled at me and smacked Anna's ass. "Move, girl, I gotta go." Anna squeals as her hand flies to her butt cheek to relieve the sting.

I just smile as I stand. "Well, ladies, it's been fun, but this girl needs her beauty rest."

"Damn, girl, you could walk through a tornado and still be the sexiest bitch on the street!" Tiffany jokes as she grabs her bag from the floor. Slipping it over her shoulder, she leans in to each of us and gives us a hug.

Anna is the quietest, and hasn't yet learned our love language. She will. I have faith in her. She just smiles at all of us and, with a little wave, Brent, the bouncer, walks her out to her car. Tiffany and Chanel leave next with Rick, bouncer number two, and jump in Chanel's beat up Honda. I am the last to leave, and it's clear that Chase isn't taking any chances with my safety as both bouncers walk me to my pick-up truck.

As we make our way out of the building and across the parking lot, I find myself thinking about just how human these females are. You'd think in this line of work they'd be more hardened and worry more about themselves than each other. But we are like a club. Only we fully understand this life and the choices we made to be here. If I had the heart, I would love them like sisters, but that ability has been lost to me.

"You be safe now, Mara," Brent says in his rough voice.

"Ya, we liked Dexter fine, but he wasn't the smartest. Ya know?" Rick replies awkwardly.

"The dumbass doesn't know his place," Brent grumbles. "And definitely doesn't know how to treat a lady."

Putting my hand on Brent's cheek, I smile and say, "You guys are the sweetest. Don't lose that quality." He smiles back and I can't help but continue as I drop my hand. "Us ladies could use more of you in this fucked up world."

Brent opens my driver's side door and smiles back. He has a light in his eyes that makes me wonder if he's got a touch of angel in him. "You be careful now, and call one of us if there are any problems."

"We got you, Mara. No way is this prick, or any other asshole, gonna lay his hands on you if you don't okay it first," Rick states as I close the truck door.

"Thanks, guys." I smile and feel their protective souls reach out. My demon is getting hungry and I know I have to leave before she tries to grab onto one of these good souls. "I'll see you guys in a couple of days. Take it easy."

They both back away from the truck as the engine comes to life and I wave before pulling out of the parking lot. All I can think of is how lucky I feel for finding my job at Dark Temptations. I had lost any and all hope that there were good men. In my mind they were all vile creatures who prayed on helpless women. But the men who run this establishment and work here are, for the most part, amazing humans who treat women with respect. I prefer to keep those souls on this Earth, while the others feed my needs.

CREED

As she passes and travels down the dark street, I step from the shadows of the alley. This woman is something else. I've been watching her for the last month and not only is she beautiful, but her heart isn't as hard as everyone thinks. She seems to have a soft spot for the good human males, while she gets thrills from the baddies. Even though I haven't been able to catch her in the act of feeding, her human guise is astonishing. She is a true beauty with a tough-as-granite personality, but her core can be softened towards these softer males. I'm not sure if Samuel knows that his runaway bride still holds a piece of her angelic side hidden under the rubble he left her with.

I must be loyal. My strength and faith cannot wane. She is dangerous and we have to find a way to trap and return her without putting ourselves at Hell's gates with no way back to Earth. I've realized that we can't get too close without masking our true identities. If she senses that we too are fallen, she would run. We'd lose her again and this time we might not be able to find her again. I won't put my brothers in danger. Samuel has us by the balls and if we fuck up this time, there's a good chance that we might be demoted in Samuel's army and imprisoned for treason. We'd never breathe the fresh air again. I like it here on Earth. The humans are interesting. Not as smart or as strong as us, but their personalities really intrigue me to the point that I find myself studying them in order to appear as human as possible.

"Creed," Ash's voice slides into my head. "Is she done for the night?"

"Yeah, but there was a situation at the club," I reply. "One of the bouncers was let go tonight and it seems it had something to do with the girl. He wasn't happy, and I'm wondering if I should follow her home?"

"Do it," Cass says, budding into our mental communication. "If the bastard decides to mess with her, you might be able to evaluate how dangerous she is to us."

"Alright, I'll report back when I have news," I reply and shut down the link as I step back into the shadows and use them to follow our target home.

I stalk her until she is in the rundown building and watch over her the rest of the night, but all is quiet. "Cass?" I speak across the bond. "Are you there?"

"Yes, brother. Is there trouble?" he replies.

"No." I exhale and turn to slip through the streets. "The sun will be up soon, and it is all quiet here. I am heading back now, but I think I will watch her the next few nights, just incase that ass thinks he can take her on."

"Very well. I'll see you back at the compound." Cassius's voice fades and I make my way back to the hidden compound. My agitation is fading with every step. I wanted to see some action, but tonight would not be the night for entertainment.