Loving a Vampire(4)

“You feel indebted to him?” Augustus asked.

She blushed, looking down at the floor. “Yeah, I do. He’s been so kind to me.”

He also knew why Donald had been so nice to her. The man wanted to fuck the pretty red-head and find out if she was a natural red. There were times like these where Augustus hated the human world. Innocence and niceness were never qualities that were valued. For too long he’d seen what happened to people with these qualities. Unlike the books or the movies, nothing good came of it. They were the first people to be hurt or killed.

Marianna would be tainted if Donald had his way. From the way the man was looking at her, Marianna had about three weeks before he cornered her and demanded a payment for his kindness.

Donald’s kindness came at a price, sex.

She didn’t even realise how quickly her life could turn. Staring at her pale skin as she tried to get the tables spotlessly clean Augustus couldn’t handle it. He may hate the Donalds of this world, but he was one just like them. Augustus preyed on the weak and made sure his opponent would always lose in a fight. She passed him, and the scent of rich chocolate drifted toward him.

“Marianna, how long will you be?” Donald asked, licking his lips. The lust reverberating off the man disgusted Augustus.

“Not long.” She pointed to several tables she needed to finish. “I’ll have it done. I know you want to get home to your wife.”

Donald didn’t want to go to his wife. He had every intention of setting Marianna up in an apartment of his choice so he could visit her whenever he wanted.

Staring at the woman, Augustus knew that lifestyle would kill his sweet Marianna. Throwing some change on the table he stood up.

“Thank you for your service.”

He walked out of the café and scented the night. The town was filled with the rotting decay of the city and the cackle of humans close by.

Augustus was hungry.

****

Marianna watched the man go. He’d been visiting her for several weeks inside the café, and every time he did the same thing. The mystery man ordered coffee, sat in the same seat, and watched her. She’d noticed he watched her from the second night he arrived. No one turned up to sit with him, and the women who approached turned away without looking back.

“I don’t like that man,” Donald said, wrapping his arm around her waist.

She pushed his hands away feeling nervous. Recently he’d started to touch or brush past her in ways she didn’t feel appropriate. Marianna was thankful for everything he’d done to help her since her parents died, but she worked hard. There was nothing else she owed him. The money he paid her was enough to get by. She didn’t want to be his waitress forever. There was a life out there that she hoped to live.

Staying in this café would kill her. She just knew it would.

“Why are you being like that?” he asked.

Wrapping her arms around herself she turned toward him. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t you like my touches?” He caressed her cheek.

It took every ounce of willpower she possessed not to vomit. His touch repulsed her.

“You’re married.”

He let out a sigh. “You’re right.” Donald looked around the room and nodded. “You did a good job tonight, Mari. You may go home.”

She hated the way he shortened her name. Choosing not to argue with him, she collected her coat and bag from the back room before making her way out into the night air. The chill of the winter was a welcome relief from the heat of the café. Donald liked to keep the heaters on full blast. Sometimes they were too strong for her to handle, and the café made it hard for her to breathe. She liked the fresh air a lot more than the cold.

Thrusting her hands into the pockets of her jacket Marianna made her way toward her small apartment. Her place contained a bed, bathroom, and small kitchen. It wasn’t much, but it was home. The small bit of money she had once possessed was taken to pay for her parents funeral bills.

Sadness filled her whenever she thought about her parents. They had been a loving couple, and Marianna had loved spending her time with them. They’d been encouraging and sweet to her at all times. She was their daughter, but she knew families were not always so devoted to each other.

Passing several dark alleys Marianna was too lost to her thoughts.

“Look what we have here,” a man said, stepping in front of Marianna. She stopped and took a step back only to be stopped by another hard body. Arms surrounded her stopping her from moving.

“What do you think, Frank? A nice little morsel for us to enjoy,” the guy behind her said.

“Let me go!” She struggled against the hands that held her when another man came into view.