Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (118 page)

“
Yes.”

“
What did you
say?”

He paused for a moment, digging his
long nail into the wood of the table. “That’s not really important,
is it?”

“
I insist,” I replied with
my polite royal tone I used when I wanted it to be known I expected
to get what I sought.

He chuckled. His laugh was low and
throaty. “I’ve seen pomp and circumstance from my father. You don’t
have to take that tone with me. There is no need for
hierarchy.”

I attempted to soften my insistence.
“I’m sorry. Please then.”

“
Don’t apologize. Let’s
keep this a level playing field. I treat you as an equal, and you
treat me as one. Okay?”

His confidence was
infectious.

“
Fair
enough,” I whispered, only realizing a second later that I had not
fully enunciated the words.
Clearly this
man had not kidnapped me so why was I in his presence? Did he know
who had kidnapped me? Maybe he could lead me to the person? Equals?
Why would he say we were equals? Men in my father’s kingdom
certainly didn’t think like that. His words and actions of kindness
and hospitality thoroughly confused me.
As
a sign of good faith, I placed the weapons down before me on the
bed, noticing in passing the letter ‘V’ carved into the blade of
each knife.
I needed to know more before I
made my move.

“
A beauty like no other. So
beautiful. Calm yourself. Calm yourself, my sweet. I’m not going to
let anyone hurt you.”

“
I’m sorry? What did you
say?”

He repeated his words for my
benefit.

I replied, “No demon would know how to
practice Wolfen Magic.” I observed his new nervousness. His mood
had shifted, and he refused to look at me as he continued to
scratch at the table.

“
I’m not a demon. I’m a
vampire. I’m a warrior, a vampire warrior.” He glanced at the
ceiling, looking again at the lighted design of the warrior and
wolf. “I thought we covered that? Here we call it Lunar Magic or
the Magics by the way.” His tone was very gentle even though I saw
the muscles in his jaw twitch a few times.

“
Vincent, the vampire
warrior, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” I curtsied, trying to appear
more of a princess than I felt as well as lighten the
mood.

The intensity of his serious face
vanished, and he laughed as he stood up from the table. Watching
his contentment was like observing Zeus shower the Earth with the
Northern Lights when he was in a good disposition. Immediately his
disposition put me at ease.

“
My mother is a sorceress,
so yes I dabble in the Magics. I bet I know more about Lunar Magic
than you do,” he bragged.

“
That’s probably true. I
know nothing about magic. Only the Wolf guides me.”

“
Perhaps
I can teach you some.” His smile was radiant, confident, and proud.
His demeanor changed frequently.
Was there
such a thing as a moody vampire
, I
wondered.

When he
turned and looked directly at me, my heart splintered into a
million pieces as I witnessed the expression on his face.
Wolf, what has befallen upon me?
Despite my confusion, I returned a half-heatedly
crooked smile in his direction from across the room as my mouth
fell open slightly, instantly forgetting why I was there. I was
speechless to do otherwise. This man, this vampire was a vision of
sheer beauty, and he wanted to help me. Moreover, he instantly
trusted me. A person he didn’t know. He trusted me.
A warrior who understands and strives to be
honest, loyal, and trustworthy. A man like no other. A vampire.
Maybe. A demon? Never!

Within
seconds, his dark, broody stare had transformed to a delightful,
glorious appearance. That essence of love came from his heart. From
what my aunt had told me, no demon could fake love or real concern
for another. They didn’t possess it. This man. Vincent, as he was
called, was a real warrior. A vampire, a man, and a warrior. All in
one. No trace of a demon at all. I couldn’t form a single word to
respond. The attraction I felt pooling up in the pit of my stomach
was undeniable.
But how could this be? And
more importantly, why?
Why would I feel an
instant attraction to a different species?
I instantly realized I couldn’t kill him. I couldn’t think
straight. Actually I couldn’t think at all. I simply returned his
gaze, letting myself be taken in by his eyes.

Our silence intensified as I studied
him. He returned my gaze without shame, looking into my very soul
it seemed.

Vincent was tall with a well-toned
physique, and long muscular arms and legs. He defined every square
inch of his clothing perfectly – like a warrior – as he stood there
watching me in his black fitted T-shirt, tight leather pants, and
bulky leather boots. None of that should have registered with me as
I continued to watch him, but it did. His facial expression said it
all. It was a familiar fondness as if he had known me all his life,
unashamed and comforting as if I were a lover who had discovered
her way back to him. Despite my duty, I wanted to run and jump in
his arms, smothering his handsome, rugged face with kisses. He
sealed my fate with his eyes. No man had ever looked at me with
such desire. It overwhelmed, and I knew my life would never be the
same from that day forward.

Before I
realized it, he crossed the room. In my disoriented mood, I let him
pick me up and sit me on his bed in front of him. To my
astonishment, he knelt before me, brushing away the remaining
knives to the center of the bed behind me. He let his hands linger
on my naked knees and immediately rushes of warmth radiated in
every direction along my upper thighs and lower legs. His shirt,
the one I wore, was the only thing that divided us. I swallowed
hard, trying to dispose of my immediate attraction for him.
Wolf, what has certainly befallen
me?

The curse of true
love.

“
I know we just met, and
this is the worst way to meet someone…” The rich timbre of
Vincent’s voice surprised me. “You seem like a nice, pleasant
person, and I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. Emily, I’ll
get you out of here. That I can promise you, but this is a strange
and dangerous place. And at all times, I want you to promise; you
will stay by my side. No matter what you see or hear. Do you
understand?”

I nodded, swallowing again as I
attempted not to roll my eyes at the polite command in his
instructions. “I’ve been around,” I challenged. “Where am I
exactly?” I asked, knowing already what the answer may
be.

“
I doubt you have been to a
place like this. You are in the Dark Place, in the city of
Alichinian. Lord Alichino is the ruler here. He kidnapped you, and
he’ll put you in the games where you will be hunted and killed,
preferably by him or one of his brothers. He has a wall of trophies
in his study featuring many of your species.”

“
What?” I
screamed.
My younger brother. My aunt. My
blood instantly went cold.

“
Shhh.
Someone will hear you.” He clamped his hand over my mouth. We fell
onto the bed in each other’s arms. He shifted his weight, flipped
me over, and I ended up on top of him. I could see the knives out
of the corner of my vision.
From this
vantage point, it wouldn’t be difficult to kill him. Did silver
affect vampires the way it did werewolves?

“
If you want to use those
knives, I suggest you go for my heart. But it won’t do any good. I
lost my heart long ago in a place like this. You can’t kill me. I
was born as a vampire, a pure blood. I can’t die.”

How far
could I get if I tried to kill this vampire? Was a vampire the same
as a demon? I had heard only the vampires born were beyond death.
Was that what he was? I couldn’t stand the thought of killing him,
even if it didn’t work.
My heart and soul
raged at me.
Maybe he could be an ally
instead.

There was a tingling sensation in the
pit of my stomach I couldn’t deny when I saw Vincent smiling up at
me. I couldn’t believe such a gorgeous man was in my presence. No
one looked like that in the Golden Kingdom, alive or dead I
surmised. Half-heartily I had expected a zombie with half his face
missing or a tall lanky, malnourished vampire with glowing red eyes
and skunk breath to be glaring. Those were my ideas of the
supernatural creatures in the Dark Place. It was the way my aunt
had described them to me. “Those creatures are not to be thought of
as romantic. Don’t succumb to their charms,” she had told me long
ago like one was going to pop out from behind a tree and snatch me,
which actually happened. I sighed under my breath. Suddenly her
words made sense and I felt my body respond to this man before me
with a pulling sensation of unbelievable strength.

“
Do you
promise to help me escape?” I asked the question with as much
innocent I could muster for a princess, a princess of a Werewolf
King surely going mad. My world was turning into one of kill or be
killed.
Should I kill this vampire and be
done with it? Could I kill him despite his proclamations against
the latter?

His hands continued to rest on my
exposed thighs. I felt his fingertips delicately massaging the
inside of my legs. It sent shivers of delight up my
spine.

“
I will help you, Emily,”
he whispered. “I must, but I have to ask you a very important
question and I want you to be honest with me.”

“
What?”

“
Are you a
virgin?”

Vincent ran his hands through his
shortly cropped wavy black hair and scratched his scruffy beard,
obviously waiting for me to respond in some fashion. I noticed he
stared for a few moments at my opened thighs, obviously eyeballing
my pussy. His shirt was the only clothing I had on. Finally he
crisscrossed his hand behind his head and simply watched
me.

I wanted to lie and say that I wasn’t
a virgin, but drinking in his handsome presence, I couldn’t deny
him the truth. I wouldn’t be able to deny him anything I realized.
My inner core surged with hot desire for him. I swallowed down my
fears. “Yes,” I finally said. “But I’m experienced.” With that
utterance, I hoped Vincent would understand what I
meant.

He laughed, low and seductive. A smile
swept across his face and his eyes brightened. Slowly he raised an
eyebrow at me. “Indeed?” he whispered. “You find me attractive,
don’t you?”

“
Yes,” I replied feeling a
bulge in his pants meet the curve of my buttocks as I rested upon
him.

Vincent gently ran his fingers across
the side of my face. He had amazing blue eyes, angular features, a
perfectly shaped nose and square jaw. He was
breathtaking.

When he
touched me, I froze, unable to resist his sexual magnetism as he
stared up at me. His eyes surely held the secrets to worlds beyond
my comprehension. No one told me vampires would be so tempting. It
was more than I could handle.
Or was
it?
I need the naughty thought hand in the
back of my mind.

“
I promise to be gentle. I
only want a taste. Will you allow me that, Emily?”

My heart
again shattered when he said my name. I moaned as his large hands
found my neck. He tugged lightly on my hair as he plunged his hands
into the cascades of my long curly blond hair. My neck extended
upwards and I was forced to look away from him. I was held captive
in his embrace. His hands held me powerless as he gripped the back
of my neck and the small of my back. The safety of the shirt I wore
failed me and the front of my body was clearly exposed to this man,
this vampire. My face reddened with shame and I forced my eyes
open, looking upward. The lighted design of the warrior with his
wolf returned my gaze. It was the most beautiful artwork I had ever
seen. An offering of harmony between the two supernatural
beings.
Was such a thing possible?
Instantly I felt my body relax under the vampire’s
touch.

Vincent licked his tongue across my
chest, circling and darting his tongue over my breasts. His hot
breath seared my body. He swept his moist tongue over my flattened
stomach, and then kissed me deeply on my belly button, circling it
at first and finally darting his tongue into its ticklish curve. A
wave of bliss spread through me. He paused for a moment, gazing at
me, perhaps searching my eyes for a reaction. I was stunned, but
amazed. I could see the passion surfacing in his eyes. He wanted me
like I wanted him.

“
Kiss me, Emily,” Vincent
said. He pulled me towards him, but it didn’t take any persuasion
for me to respond to his request.

“
Yes,” I moaned, falling
into his arms and meeting his lips.

He
covered my mouth hungrily. His deep kisses sent the pit of my
stomach into a wild swirl, igniting my sex in unimaginable
delights.
Had there been men like this in
my kingdom, I’d lost my virginity long ago,
I surmised as I returned his kiss. A feverish passion grew
inside me.