Whips and Chains

Born of Fire… Ending in Fire…

Sakima Mato was wealthy and highly respected within the ranks of Mixed Martial Arts. His American Indian heritage kept him spiritual, yet a fire burned deep within his soul. Well known for his signature techniques within the brutal, his methodologies of training were considered savage. His mysterious aura was the darling of tabloid fodder, but few knew the real man behind the mask. Fewer still could handle the brooding creature underneath the sensuous persona. If his dirty little secret were ever revealed, he’d be hunted like the monster he’d become all those centuries before. After all, he was a vampire, scouring the streets for blood and sex, and for a human companion to ease the loneliness, what some called destiny. A curse followed him, one that offered him a chance to become very human. If he believed.

Caldre Parker was a fireman by day, a martial arts fighter by night, hiding his penchant violence from all who knew him. His standings stalled at the bottom of the heap, he needed a new mentor or his second career would tank before it even started. Dark and angry whispers about his destiny trailed behind him, torturing him until he was left a shell of a man. Fighting eased the pain. After meeting Sakima, he was intrigued by the seemingly haunted man. The attraction was instant and they fell into a heated tryst, one involving pain as well as discipline. As his fighting career became headline news, Caldre was forced to learn the ugly details about his lover. Demons of his own haunted his every waking moment as an unknown illness plagued him, driving him into near madness. Suddenly everything he respected and held dear about human life was called into question and he was forced to choose. Life or soulless immortality.