A/N: Well, here we are on a brand new adventure! This story is a collaboration I began many years ago with my bestie, AngelGoddess1981, but we only got about half way through before life led us both elsewhere. I just needed a break from it all, and while I'm back in the fanfic world now, she has moved on to writing original fiction as A.D. Ryan. Check her Blood Moon Legacy if you enjoy paranormal crime dramas such as this. It's one of my all-time favorites!

Much love and many thanks to PearlyFox for pre-reading, and for jumping up and down and showering me with encouragement every time I show her something new. She's the best cheerleader ever and I heart her very much! This and the next few chapters have been previously betaed by AG1981 and myself, but I have tweaked it here and there since then so any mistakes are 100% mine. I will be employing at least one more pre-reader and a new beta as I work my way through to new content, and I will express my gratitude to them when the time comes!

As always, respect to Stephenie Meyer for creating Twilight and its characters for me to play with. She owns all the original stuff, but all the fun new ideas here are mine and Ang's.

Alrighty, friends. Buckle up and prepare to experience . . .

THE DARK LUST

– Prologue –

The night air was cool on Tyler Crowley's face as he left his friends at the sports bar and began his six-block walk home. It was much later than he would normally stay out on a work night, but he never could resist a good game on the big screen, especially when it was the playoffs. His team had won in overtime, putting him in a cheerful mood that was further enhanced by the many celebratory drinks currently circulating his body.

He turned a corner off the main drag onto the quieter, house-lined residential street which led to his small basement apartment. It wasn't much, but it was home, and even in his current victory and alcohol-fueled excitement, he looked forward to passing out on his musty old couch.

After he jerked off a couple of times, anyway.

Tyler would admit that a girlfriend would be nice . . . for the sex . . . but he really wasn't interested in all the drama that came along with one. Flowers and presents for ridiculous 'month anniversaries,' fancy dinners and sappy movies, meeting the parents, arguments about how he didn't actually mean she looked fat in those pants—he didn't want to deal with any of it. A bottle of lube and some girl-on-girl porn was all he needed to stay sated, along with the occasional tryst with a random, unnamed bar-slut of course. Yes, he was doing just fine on his own.

His cock was beginning to tingle, but he wasn't quite sure if it was from thinking about pussy or from needing to piss like a bear. Either way, he knew he wouldn't make it the four remaining blocks to his own grungy bathroom, so he stepped off the sidewalk to relieve himself behind some bushes.

Fallen leaves and crisp, dying grass crunched under Tyler's feet as he crept into the strangers' front yard, cautiously eyeing the older, unkempt house for any signs of life. There were none; the porch light was off and all the windows were dark, their heavy curtains closed tight. Satisfied that the thick, overgrown hedges hid him well enough from anyone who might pass by, he planted his feet and lowered his zipper, drunk and swaying slightly as he pulled his dick free.

Tyler sighed in relief when his stream hit the ground, standing with his head flopped back as he shook the last drops away. He started to put himself back into his pants, but at the same time couldn't help but notice how good it felt to hold his cock. Alcohol always made him horny, but something about the smell in the air tonight made him almost desperate for pleasure. He needed release—now.

Once again ensuring that no one might see, he allowed himself to tighten his grip, massaging his flaccid cock to attention. Within seconds he was hard as steel, pressure building in his groin as he stroked himself rhythmically. Up, squeeze, down . . . up, squeeze, down. Tyler clenched his teeth so as not to make a sound as his movements became faster and more hectic, the warmth of climax radiating into his dick as his cum prepared to release.

Any second now. Three . . . two . . . one . . .

A twig snapped behind him and a young woman giggled softly, the shock of discovery causing Tyler's orgasm to flee back into the depths of his loins. How did they find me? he thought frantically. I made sure no one was around. He dropped his cock in panic, letting it flop pathetically into the air, slowly slackening against his zipper as he stood there panting nervously.

The seconds ticked on, and he knew he had to do something—but what? Distressed and mortified, Tyler stuffed his shrunken dick into his pants, hastily zipping them up and securing his silver belt buckle. Another giggle sounded, this time to his right, its higher pitch making his stomach lurch sickeningly; there was more than one of them.

Gathering all the courage he could, Tyler turned to face his unwanted spectators, determined to make the best of this horrifying situation. All the breath left his lungs as his gaze fell upon the three impossibly gorgeous women before him. They appeared to be his age, lean and fit but still shapely, with pale skin so smooth it looked like silk. Their faces were stunningly beautiful, but it was their eyes—eerily menacing and a color he didn't even know existed—that truly had him captivated. He couldn't stop from gawking blatantly.

The one in the middle, a long-haired brunette, cocked her head to the side as she stared at him, a sly smile curving onto her deep red lips. "I'm sorry. We didn't mean to interrupt," she said teasingly. Her voice danced and shimmered almost inhumanly, ringing around him like a choir of bells. "Please. Don't let us stop you from . . . finishing."

Tyler just stared at her dumbly.

"Ooh, maybe he needs some help," the girl on the brunette's right, a stunning blonde, suggested with an excited glint in her already bright eyes. "I call dibs!"

The final of the three, her hair a wild mess of fiery red curls, giggled in a high-pitched, girlish lilt. Tyler recognized it as the second laugh he'd heard when they first approached. It gave him the chills; there was something deeply more menacing about it than the other girl's. "Don't be greedy, now. He's cute. We can share . . ."

A tickle crawled up Tyler's back, though he wasn't quite sure if it was from fright or desire. These two hotter-than-the-sun chicks wanted to . . . to . . . help him? Help him get off? No. No, surely he must have misunderstood.

"Awww," the blonde girl whined. "They've only got one really good scream in them, though. I never get it all to myself." Her full pink lips turned down in a pout while her eyes remained on him hungrily.

Hungrily. The word echoed through Tyler's head as realization dawned on him. That was exactly how he would describe the look they all wore: hungry . . . insatiably hungry. But for what?

The redhead sighed dramatically, waving her hand dismissively at him. "Fiiiiine . . . he's all yours. Just don't get too carried away. You already pigged out back at the house. Hardly left anything for the rest of us."

Tyler gaped at her in confusion. He still hadn't said a word. They were taking so cryptically; he had no idea what was going on.

His heart beat faster as the blonde girl approached, her eyes alight with excitement. She licked her lips as she looked him over, her roving gaze finally settling on his mouth. "Mmm," she hummed softly, and then she leaned into him, her tongue trailing an icy path up his cheek.

Tyler shivered from head to toe, only this time he knew his chills weren't from lust. The air around him was suddenly freezing, as if he had been magically transported to the South Pole. Even stranger was that the cold seemed to be coming off this girl—she radiated it like an ice statue.

He shuddered visibly, the tremor making his knees want to give out as he sucked in a shaky breath. The blonde appeared to like that. "What's the matter, honey?" she purred into his ear, her icy breath bringing goosebumps to his neck. "You're not afraid, are you?"

Her hand slid down his chest, stopping below his belt and cupping his surprisingly hard cock. Tyler had no idea how he had been able to get erect under these circumstances. Honestly, he really was beginning to get freaked the fuck out.

"Ooh!" the blonde exclaimed as her fingers moved over the stiff bulge in his pants. "Cute, and well equipped, too!" The other two women snickered and Tyler's gaze jumped to them. He had almost forgotten they were there.

He tried to snort cockily at the reference to his sizable dick, but all that came out was a wimpy-sounding cough. All three of them laughed this time, making him feel as big a pussy as he must have looked.

"U-um," he was finally able to stammer. "I don't know what you think I . . . what you want . . . but I should get home. I have to work . . . early . . ." His voice trailed off as the brunette raised one eyebrow, her lips twitching with suppressed amusement. Tyler shuddered again. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were playing with him—like a cat toys with a dead bird before eating it.

Swallowing thickly and trying to quell his now-raging fear, he took a step back and made to duck around the blonde. She was in front of him again before he even blinked. "Now just where do you think you're going?" Her voice was light and teasing, but her eyes were starting to darken, making her look unnaturally dangerous.

Tyler wanted to run but had the sick feeling that she wouldn't allow him to, and found himself rooted where he stood. "I . . . uh . . . home?" was all he could say. He was starting to wonder if he'd actually made it to his apartment and was now passed out, having a seriously fucked-up dream. This bizarre situation resembled a bad horror movie; it couldn't possibly be real.

"Home?" she repeated with a mischievous giggle. "Sugar, why would you leave when the fun's just beginning?"

He had no response for that question. Before tonight Tyler never would have imagined a situation where he'd want to flee from three gorgeous, sexy, seemingly horny chicks who it appeared planned to have their wicked way with him—but here he was. This wasn't at all how he'd ever dreamed of this happening, though. Something about these strange and ethereal women wasn't right. He had a bad, bad feeling about just what they had in mind.

"I . . . I . . . I . . ."

The fiery redhead sighed in exasperation. "Okay, already. He's starting to wig and I'm getting bored. Can we just get this done and go find something else to do?" She nudged the brunette at her side. "Come on, make her hurry up."

The brunette hadn't said a word since she'd addressed Tyler when they first appeared, but now she nodded to her blonde accomplice, whose hand had somehow come to grip the side of Tyler's neck. He could barely breathe. "Let's go," the dark-haired beauty said simply.

The blonde turned back to Tyler in disappointment, obviously not done with whatever game she was playing, but acquiescing to her leader anyway. His stomach lurched when their eyes met; hers were now black as a moonless night sky. Nothing good could come of the way she was looking at him. Her gaze was ravenous . . . merciless . . . deadly.

In a flash the other two women were there, flanking his sides and each gripping an arm painfully.

"P-p-please," he whimpered. "I just want to go home. Please . . ."

"I love it when they beg," someone whispered huskily, but fear was beginning to cloud Tyler's senses and he wasn't sure which woman it came from. It might have been the redhead.

"Go on," another voice said, and this time he knew it was the brunette. He would never forget her eerily melodious sound. "You found him. You can have the prize."

Confusion and terror consumed Tyler. He had no idea what they were talking about, but of one thing he was dreadfully certain: he was about to die.

"Mmmmm, thank you." That was the blonde, still holding his neck too tightly. Her cold breath tickled his cheek as she brought her face to the exposed side of his throat, inhaling deeply before lifting her lips to his ear. "It's been fun, sugar," she whispered.

Tyler had exactly one second to let her ominous words sink in before he was overcome by a sharp pain on his neck. The pain went deep, waves of fire licking through his flesh and into his blood, hot enough to set his insides boiling. He wanted to scream from the sheer agony of it, but much to his dismay his voice was nowhere to be found. Instead, he began to struggle futilely.

In an instant he was on the ground, his back pressed heavily to the dry grass and fallen leaves by the woman now straddling his hips, her mouth not once leaving his throat. Stunned into dizziness, Tyler just lay there helplessly, barely noticing his arms were also restrained until each was punctured by a set of razor-like teeth. Again he was met with a thick, fiery ache where their mouths punctured his skin, but to his surprise he also realized that the pain radiating from his neck had turned to a cool fluttering, like a gentle waterfall flowing through him instead of a burning river of lava.

He felt . . . wonderful—carefree and relaxed, as if he were floating on a cloud in a bright blue sky. He closed his eyes, allowing the euphoria to seep in and take him away, completely forgetting who and where he was. Tyler floated along easily, his body becoming lighter with every second that passed and his mind sinking further into the heavenly abyss. He wasn't dying, he thought happily, he was being set free.

Time passed as Tyler lazed blissfully on his cloud—days, minutes, seconds; he didn't really know. A warm breeze picked up, caressing his skin and slowly seeping into his bones. He sighed in contentment and welcomed the pleasant warmth, urging it deeper, but then suddenly it wasn't warm anymore. It was hot—much too hot.

His eyes snapped open and he locked gazes with the blonde, who at some point had released his neck and was now sitting up, watching him. Her blood-stained lips curved into a sneer as she recognized the panic on his face. She knew what he was feeling: horror, terror, and that violent burn, and she reveled in watching his anguish. Her dark malevolence frightened Tyler more than anything else.

He found his voice, his piercing scream echoing off the weathered house whose lawn he was about to die on. Apparently this was all she was waiting for. With a satisfied smirk, her hands whipped to his neck, and the last thing Tyler saw before the loud crack sounded were her bright, excited eyes.

A/N: So . . . questions? Like who are these badass bitches, and just what kind of trouble are they going to be for Portland's top detective? Add this story/me to your alerts and start getting some answers next Monday! Reviews are sweeter than sugar! XO