Hello, hello :D After some long and hard thinking, I have decided to post the first chapter from the first book in the Crescent series! For those who have read Lover Promised, this is the story I've been working on for a while now. There are some similarities to my recent BDB stories and ones to come so consider this new story like a preview. Yes, Jessie's in this story as well and yes, she's a pain in the ass. I'll give you guys a brief summary of the first book since this is going to be a long series: this world is full of vampires and humans who are called Roma (short for Romani). These humans are born with an aura that makes people reconsider fighting and run (you know, that chill you get when something spooky is around the corner? Yeah, that one.) There are seven families who serve the vampire king and his family and have been for hundreds of years. Vampires and Roma mainly live in Europe since the main families and the king lives there. As for those who've traveled to America, that's where people like Jessie step in. I think that's as much as I'm willing to say for the moment. Now there are some names that'll be difficult to pronounce so look at the bottom for a little cheat sheet. I will also be posting this on my Wattpad page. Besides that, I hope you guys like the preview to this upcoming series.

Dark Crescent

Chapter One

The sun had set only two hours earlier and a waitress brought Emyr his third Erdinger Weißbier. Waiting for the waitress to leave his lonely booth with his refreshment, Emyr brought the glass mug to his lips and swallowed the alcohol until half remained. Placing the mug on top of a napkin, he ran a hand through his dyed black hair and glanced over at the group of vampires two tables away from him.

After waking to the night, Emyr had been prepared to leave Lüneburg and cross the German border into Belgium before the sun rose when unsavory news found its way to his ears. Learning that a local vampire had abused his mate and child, forcing the two to flee their home, he was more than ready to paint the walls with the male's blood.

For as long as he could remember, acting as the one to deliver justice came natural to him. It didn't matter if the incident had no connection to him; if he heard an innocent had been harmed with no punishment for the offender, he took matters into his own hands.

His bloodlust for justice was sadly put on hold when he found a bunch of Roma at the male's home. Since Emyr had spent a couple of nights in the town, he knew the Roma weren't locals. The way how they spoke in hushed voices and leaving two guards outside the building was a clear indicator they had been sent from Berlin.

Emyr spent a full hour waiting in some alley, waiting for the Roma to leave. When he thought he'd be spending his whole night in the narrow space, his mission was put on hold a second time as he followed the male and his companions to the bar. With minutes slowly turning into a second wasted hour, the liquor in his system only fueled the desire to walk over to the male and smash his smug face against the table.

Smirking at the thought of beating the bastard unconscious and finishing the drink, Emyr waved for a forth round when the air suddenly thickened. He wasn't the only one to notice the change in the atmosphere. All the vampires in the building paused, glancing over the crowd of humans, searching for the culprits. Sitting in a booth where he could see the front of the establishment, Emyr was the first to spot the Roma entering the building. As if realizing what they were doing, the Roma waved at the vampires and the aura surrounding them receded, the feeling to run following not far behind.

Emyr kept an eye on the newcomers while his kind went back to their meals. One look and he already knew they weren't from Germany. A waitress led them to the empty booth next to Emyr's, allowing him to listen in as they spoke. Wearing casual clothing to blend in with the tourists, they spoke in German with a foreign accent trialing their words. Emyr grasped his drink, his mind already identifying the foreign accent. Besides the obvious Spanish accent, the Roma were fairly tan compared to those in the room.

Now what were a bunch of Roma from Spain doing in the same town as Emyr was the question of the night.

He cursed to himself when the waitress departed and one of the Roma shimmied over into his booth, sitting across the vampire with only a table protecting him. Drink still in hand, Emyr stalled by drinking as slow as possible. That smirk of his returned from the sight of the annoyed Roma tapping their finger impatiently. Emyr was prepared to order a fifth round when the Roma reached for the empty mug and dragged it to his side of the table.

"You need to come with us," said the Roma.

Emyr leaned back, placing his hand over the bag tucked to his side. Casting his green gaze over towards his target, he glanced back at the Roma with a bored expression. "Now why would I do that?" he asked in a neutral voice.

The Roma settled in his seat and nodded to his back, indicating the group he entered in with. "We aren't the only ones," the Roma answered back. "Five more are waiting outside for us." Emyr kept his body still when the Roma leaned over so he could whisper. "And someone wants to talk to you."

Warning bells rung in Emyr's head.

"¿Mi padre?"

Relief washed over the male when the Roma shook his head. However he knew he wasn't out of the woods yet. There were six Roma inside the bar with him and five extra waiting for them. If it wasn't Emyr's father who finally had the balls to come look for him, there was only one person that would require so many Roma to be present.

His attention shifted when the male he'd been following suddenly parted from his group. Watching the male head towards the front, Emyr curled back his lips in a snarl, revealing his fangs. "Tell him I'll be done in three minutes," Emyr growled as he threw down more than enough money to cover his tab and stood. The Roma waved for his friends to stay put as Emyr began to follow his target to the entrance.

It was time to act.

Right when the door swung behind Emyr, he surprised the male, grabbing him from behind and dragging him around the building. Once they were hidden from unwanted eyes, Emyr released the vampire only to land a solid punch in the gut. He quickly threw an uppercut, clenching his jaw as his knuckles connected with the chin. Watching the bastard fall to the ground didn't satisfy the anger growing inside him. Emyr was going to make this piece of shit pay, just like the rest of the sons of bitches he punished all over Europe for twenty years.

Standing over the gagging male, eyes the color of emeralds bore down on the male who raised his hand against his own blood. He focused on the little shit who thought he was going to get away with this crime. Well, his luck finally ran out. It was time to pay the piper and Emyr was more than ready to collect.

Jessie Beauvillier reached out from under the covers when an emergency siren went off. Touching the nightstand next to the circular bed, her fingers danced around its smooth surface until she caught the vibrating device. Because she couldn't afford a touchscreen phone, she opened the flip phone and moaned at the caller ID.

A body rolled up against hers, hands traveling down her back and gripping her ass. She rubbed her body against the vampire's, her body arching back when she felt two sharp teeth scape against her skin. If it wasn't for the damn phone demanding her attention, she'd push the male down against the mattress and restart their fun.

The siren kept getting louder.

Having no choice but to answer, Jessie playfully swatted the male back as she sat up and accepted the call. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" she snarled into the receiver. Then again, she didn't have a clue herself. And considering how the room contained no clocks, her best guess was the middle of the afternoon or something.

"I need you to come in," her boss said in his stern voice.

The bed shifted as the vampire rubbed his way up her back and started massaging her shoulders. "In the middle of something," she responded. "Whatever it is, get someone else to handle it. I got something I need to take care of."

"I have a female at the clinic."

Jessie pushed the vampire away. He pouted as he fell back on the fluffy pillows and stretched his body over the purple silk sheets. This was one of the more modest rooms the owner of Nightfall owned. Jessie hadn't been in the mood for one of the hardcore shit so she paid for this room along with whoever came with it. She might as well kiss her hard-earned money goodbye since she would be leaving with a trail of fire behind her.

"Tell me what happened." When Ilya didn't start spitting out details, she bared her teeth even though her boss wasn't there to see her. "Don't fuck around with me. Give me names and numbers, Ilya. How bad is she and how bad do I hurt the shithead who did it to her?"

"Fine. I got the call less than an hour ago from a scared Roma. She told me the vampire couple next door were fighting and the male threw her out. If it wasn't for the Roma, the female most likely would've died. All I know is that the female isn't doing so well and might need some medical help we can't provide. Andrea's with her so she'll keep me posted."

Jessie released a low snarl.

It was the middle of summer in Los Angeles, practically a total hazard for vampires who lived in the city. Being under the sun was just as bad; throw in the average eighty to ninety degrees or the rare hundreds and add it with the sun's burning light, that was like throwing someone inside an incinerator for five seconds.

L.A., just like the rest of the United-fucking-States, had no official rules for vampires and Roma; the country was basically a run-wild territory for the communities. The vampire king had yet to send any real help to establish order and the seven Romani households had their hands tied in the home countries. With no sense of order in the five largest cities in America, people like Jessie took it upon themselves in doing just that.

The L.A. Arcade where Jessie worked was just a front for the Los Angeles Syndicate. Because a small percentage of vampires and Roma populated the city, the organization had been established with the sole purpose of keeping order in the city.

It was because of the L.A.S. that the Roma who sheltered the injured female knew who to call in a time of need.

Now it was Jessie's turn to enforce the L.A.S.'s number one rule.

If the L.A.S. worked on logic, the logical move would've been for Ilya to send Luciano over to collect since he was a Villar. Those bred from the Villar family were warriors even though they were the lowest household of the seven. Instead, Ilya called the employee who possessed zero tolerance for those who broke their rule and would happily display the heads of vampires or Roma on a pike who even dared.

"Bring him in alive," ordered her boss. "I don't care if it's in one piece or more. That bastard is to have a steady pulse when he gets here."

"Where does he live?"

"Serrano Towers. Third floor. I already called the twins. Their one their way as we speak. Now get going. I have enough on my hands to deal with."

Ending the call with her orders, Jessie found her clothes neatly folded on a stool and started suiting up. And by "suiting up", it meant slipping into a pair of dark blue jeans and a turquoise crop top. Picking up her stiletto heels and strapping them to her feet, she finished her work uniform by clipping her stun gun holster to her pants. Removing the weapon and switching it on, she was more than satisfied as the gun clicked with each jolt sparking in the center. Placing the gun back where it belonged, Jessie marched over to the antique rotary dial and tapped the receiver once.

"Front desk," replied a cheery voice.

"I need a car ready for me in two minutes," Jessie ordered.

"It's on its way. Will that be all."

"Yes."

"Very well. May you have a wonderful day, Ms. Beauvillier."

A pair of hands slithered over Jessie's shoulders, ten fingers tangling themselves in wild brown hair. The fingers parted the brown from the indigo stripes dyed in and brought the blue strands to the male's lips, him sighing with a light kiss.

"Sounds like someone broke the L.A.S.'s cardinal rule. Why don't you send someone in your stead? You did pay for a full day's pleasure."

Jessie grabbed the male's hand and twisted, her fury stoked by his groans as he went down to his knees. With him bowing next to her, she patted him on the head and marched out of the room.

Red carpet ran each way in the hallway, its bloody color reflected from the mirror ceiling. Multiple black doors with white Roman numerals lined up along the walls, some either quiet like the dead or loud enough for the sex to be heard. Jessie paid no attention to the noises as she approached the elevator at the end of the hall and stepped inside.

Instead of heading to the upper levels of Nightfall, she pushed the button to take her down to the club. Rushing past the levels which contained more sex rooms, the doors parted once reaching its destination. There was little sun reaching past the drawn curtains. With the light fighting against the dark fabric, it was no doubt high noon on the west coast. As it was night for normal human to sleep, the rising sun was night for Roma and vampires. If the vampire couple had settled their dispute and waited till sundown to end things, Jessie would still be upstairs enjoying her treat.

With the club area being two floors, Jessie picked up her pace as she traveled down the stairs and strode over the dance floor. She spotted some sleeping forms in the distance; all of them undoubtedly Roma given how they didn't burn under the beams of sunlight. No one stirred as she made it to the golden grand doorway and showed herself out. Greeting her was another flight of stairs that took her directly main entrance of Nightfall.

The sight of a parked cab and a Nightfall employee waiting for her sent a sense of thrill rushing over her body. Hand placed over her stun gun, she was already imagining all the terrible and horrible shit she was going to inflict on the male who incurred her wrath.

Emyr: Em-ear

Ilya: Il-ya

Luciano: Luc-i-ano