Crimson Echoes

Crimson Echoes

Azael Thorne

5.0
Comment(s)
42
View
23
Chapters

In the shadows of the modern world, a dangerous game of betrayal, revenge, and secrets unfolds. Darian Blackwood, a billionaire with multiple identities, harbors a dark secret: he is a vampire, cursed to live in the shadows for centuries. Haunted by past sins and driven by a need for vengeance, Darian will stop at nothing to reclaim what was stolen from him. When he crosses paths with Serah, a woman unknowingly tied to his past, their worlds collide in a whirlwind of danger, passion, and discovery. As the echoes of betrayal reverberate through their lives, both must navigate the thin line between redemption and damnation. In a world where the past never truly dies and darkness lurks at every corner, will Darian's thirst for revenge consume him, or will love be his salvation? Crimson Echoes is a tale of power, passion, and the shadows that linger long after the storm has passed.

Chapter 1 The Crimson Invitation

Rain spilled from the sky like it was trying to wash away the sins of the city. Flashing red and blue lights bathed the pavement in an ominous glow as Detective Serah Blake stepped beneath the yellow tape and stared up at the towering penthouse before her.

"Third floor. Corner suite," Officer Langford said, meeting her at the entrance. His voice was low, steady - but his eyes betrayed something deeper. "You're going to want to see this one yourself."

Serah didn't respond. She adjusted her coat, her fingers brushing against the cold metal of her badge before stepping into the elevator. The place reeked of wealth - glass floors, golden elevators, and a scent too pristine to be anything natural.

When the doors opened, the air changed. Thick. Still. Like a cathedral before a storm.

She entered the suite.

The body lay on pristine marble. Pale. Cold. Lifeless. But it wasn't the dead man that made her stomach turn. It was the look of ecstasy frozen on his face - like death had been a lover who kissed too hard.

And then there were the bite marks.

Not jagged like a dog. Clean. Precise. Two puncture wounds, right on the carotid.

"No blood," Serah muttered, crouching beside the corpse.

"Not a drop anywhere," Langford confirmed. "EMTs say he was drained."

Serah stood, her eyes scanning the penthouse. Sleek furniture. A sculpture of a phoenix in mid-rise. And by the floor-to-ceiling window stood a man.

Tall. Impeccably dressed. Hands clasped behind his back like he owned the skyline.

"Detective Blake," he said without turning. "I was wondering when you'd arrive."

She approached cautiously. "You the one who called it in?"

He turned.

Darian Cross.

The billionaire.

The face from a hundred magazine covers. The name attached to skyscrapers and tech empires. But in person, he was... something else. Eyes too sharp. Presence too loud, even in silence.

"It's my building. My responsibility," he said. "I found him like this. Called it in immediately."

Serah narrowed her eyes. "You recognize him?"

A pause. "He was a guest at my private auction last night. I don't recall inviting him."

"And yet he was here."

Another pause. Then a smirk that didn't reach his eyes. "Isn't that the nature of mystery?"

She hated riddles. And men who talked like riddles.

"We'll need access to your guest list. Security footage."

"Already sent to your department," he replied smoothly. "I'm fully cooperative, Detective."

She didn't believe him. And yet, something about him was... familiar. Like a song she'd heard in a dream.

As she left the penthouse, rain tapping against the windows like fingers on glass, she couldn't shake the feeling that this case had just opened a door.

And behind it, something was waiting. Watching.

Smiling.

Continue Reading

You'll also like

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

SHANA GRAY
4.5

The sterile white of the operating room blurred, then sharpened, as Skye Sterling felt the cold clawing its way up her body. The heart monitor flatlined, a steady, high-pitched whine announcing her end. Her uterus had been removed, a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but the blood wouldn't clot. It just kept flowing, warm and sticky, pooling beneath her. Through heavy eyes, she saw a trembling nurse holding a phone on speaker. "Mr. Kensington," the nurse's voice cracked, "your wife... she's critical." A pause, then a sweet, poisonous giggle. Seraphina Miller. "Liam is in the shower," Seraphina's voice purred. "Stop calling, Skye. It's pathetic. Faking a medical emergency on our anniversary? Even for you, that's low." Then, Liam's bored voice: "If she dies, call the funeral home. I have a meeting in the morning." Click. The line went dead. A second later, so did Skye. The darkness that followed was absolute, suffocating, a black ocean crushing her lungs. She screamed into the void, a silent, agonizing wail of regret for loving a man who saw her as a nuisance, for dying without ever truly living. Until she died, she didn't understand. Why was her life so tragically wasted? Why did her husband, the man she loved, abandon her so cruelly? The injustice of it all burned hotter than the fever in her body. Then, the air rushed back in. Skye gasped, her body convulsing violently on the mattress. Her eyes flew open, wide and terrified, staring blindly into the darkness. Her trembling hand reached for her phone. May 12th. Five years ago. She was back.

Revealing My Secret Identities! My Bros Are Speechless!

Revealing My Secret Identities! My Bros Are Speechless!

Zhen Xiang
5.0

For seventeen years, I was the crown jewel of the Kensington empire, the perfect daughter groomed for a royal future. Then, a cream-colored envelope landed in my lap, bearing a gold crest and a truth that turned my world into ice. The DNA test result was a cold, hard zero percent-I wasn't a Kensington. Before the ink could even dry, my parents invited my replacement, a girl named Alleen, into the drawing room and treated me like a trespasser in my own home. My mother, who once hosted galas in my honor, wouldn't even look me in the eye as she stroked Alleen's arm, whispering that she was finally "safe." My father handed me a one-million-dollar check-a mere tip for a billionaire-and told me to leave immediately to avoid tanking the company's stock price. "You're a thief! You lived my life, you spent my money, and you don't get to keep the loot!" Alleen shrieked, trying to claw the designer jacket off my shoulders while my "parents" watched with clinical detachment. I was dumped on a gritty sidewalk in Queens with nothing but three trunks and the address of a struggling laborer I was now supposed to call "Dad." I traded a marble mansion for a crumbling walk-up where the air smelled of exhaust and my new bedroom was a literal storage closet. My biological family thought I was a broken princess, and the Kensingtons thought they had successfully erased me with a payoff and a non-disclosure agreement. They had no idea that while I was hauling trunks up four flights of stairs, my secret media empire was already preparing to move against them. As I sat on a thin mattress in the dark, I opened my encrypted laptop and sent a single command that would cost my former father ten million dollars by breakfast. They thought they were throwing me to the wolves, but they forgot one thing: I'm the one who leads the pack.

Flash Marriage To My Best Friend's Father

Flash Marriage To My Best Friend's Father

Madel Cerda
4.5

I was once the heiress to the Solomon empire, but after it crumbled, I became the "charity case" ward of the wealthy Hyde family. For years, I lived in their shadows, clinging to the promise that Anson Hyde would always be my protector. That promise shattered when Anson walked into the ballroom with Claudine Chapman on his arm. Claudine was the girl who had spent years making my life a living hell, and now Anson was announcing their engagement to the world. The humiliation was instant. Guests sneered at my cheap dress, and a waiter intentionally sloshed champagne over me, knowing I was a nobody. Anson didn't even look my way; he was too busy whispering possessively to his new fiancée. I was a ghost in my own home, watching my protector celebrate with my tormentor. The betrayal burned. I realized I wasn't a ward; I was a pawn Anson had kept on a shelf until he found a better trade. I had no money, no allies, and a legal trust fund that Anson controlled with a flick of his wrist. Fleeing to the library, I stumbled into Dallas Koch—a titan of industry and my best friend’s father. He was a wall of cold, absolute power that even the Hydes feared. "Marry me," I blurted out, desperate to find a shield Anson couldn't climb. Dallas didn't laugh. He pulled out a marriage agreement and a heavy fountain pen. "Sign," he commanded, his voice a low rumble. "But if you walk out that door with me, you never go back." I signed my name, trading my life for the only man dangerous enough to keep me safe.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book