Ironic Sacrifice (25 page)

“All right.”

He didn’t offer to join her and she realized he must have cleaned up when she’d been asleep.

“Should I turn up the heat?” he asked. “These old baseboards never seem to provide enough warmth.”

This new insecure Razvan was unnerving.

“Sure,” she said and fled to the bathroom, hoping he would be more himself when she came back.

The bathroom was cold and full of antique worn fixtures. The bare hanging bulb did little to lighten the gloom when she pulled its chain. But the water was hot and the shampoo and soap were luxury quality. She frowned at the stubble on her legs and grabbed his razor, hoping he wouldn’t mind.

When Jayden emerged from the shower, Razvan reclined on the bed. The lamplight cast half his face in shadow and highlighted the chiseled beauty of the rest. His eyes glittered like pieces of onyx. She trembled as she remembered the first time she saw him, looming over her like a dark god.

He stood up and handed her a red velvet smoking jacket. Suddenly shy, she removed her towel quickly and put it on, her face flaming.

With his indrawn breath at her brief nudity, the air became charged with electric sensuality. Her legs trembled as she walked to the bed to sit next to him.

“I don’t have any clothes for you,” he said suddenly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think this through. I just wanted—” His fingers gripped her shoulders as he looked into her eyes. “Jayden, I love you. I want you to stay with me and help me make this place into a real home. Please, be my girlfriend, or wife or whatever title you desire. I only want to wake up each night with you by my side.”

Warmth curled from her head to her toes at his awkward declaration. Jayden swallowed a lump in her throat and took his face in her hands.

“I love you, too,” she whispered and kissed him.

Razvan devoured her lips like a man starved. She reached for the buttons on his shirt, eager for the touch of his skin. In seconds they were both naked. Razvan worshiped her body like he’d never get to hold her again. When he slid inside her, they both sighed in ecstasy. He made love to her slowly, torturously, bringing her to climax again and again until they collapsed in each other’s arms.

As he tucked the quilt over them and cradled her from behind, she whispered sleepily, “'Girlfriend' sounds nice for now. And I hear that sort of thing sometimes leads to 'wife.'”

Razvan pulled her closer to him. “I believe this will be a pleasurable courtship.”

Jayden and Akasha sat at Silas’s dining room table, huddled over the latest issue of Elle Décor magazine. She and Razvan were staying in Coeur d’Alene while the warehouse was being renovated. Jayden was happy to be back with their old friends and ecstatic at trying her hand at interior decorating.

“What do you think of these drapes?” she asked.

Akasha frowned and lit a cigarette. “You don’t have windows in your place.”

Jayden sighed. “But they’re so pretty.”

Her friend’s expression was unyielding. Akasha wasn’t the best at giving opinions on paint swatches or carpet samples, but she was good with practicality.

“Why don’t you get some of those cloth hanging…things?” the mechanic suggested.

“Tapestries?” Jayden’s eyes widened at the thought. “That’s brilliant!”

“Whatever,” Akasha replied. “I’m just glad my house already came furnished. You better put that away and get ready for your date with Razvan. Didn’t you say you think he might propose?”

Her heart fluttered with excitement. “Shhh! They might hear you!” Then she thought of Akasha’s earlier words. “Wait, so Silas decorated this place all by himself? Maybe I should ask him for advice.”

Akasha shrugged indifferently. “I guess so. Maybe you can pick his brain after you show off your rock.”

Jayden narrowed her eyes. “Don’t jinx it!” she called over her shoulder as she headed upstairs to dress.

When she came back down, Razvan’s eyes raked her up and down, appreciative of her long slinky black dress and upswept hair.

“I guess we shall have to forego the motorcycle,” he said with a touch of regret.

Silas came into the room and chuckled. “I am certain your Charger will be enough to garner envy.”

When he opened the car door for her and got into the driver’s seat, Jayden fought back her usual nervousness. She had taught him to drive and besides that first mishap with the mailbox, he had done well, though he sometimes drove too fast.

He took her to Cedar’s, Coeur d’Alene’s famous floating restaurant. As she dug into her Seafood Pappardelle, almost moaning with delight, Razvan fidgeted with the tablecloth and gazed out the window at the lake.

He seemed almost as nervous as he’d been the night he first declared his love. Jayden hid a smile as she chewed her delicious food.

Soon afterwards, the waiter appeared with two glasses of champagne and a knowing smile on his face.

“A toast,” Razvan said. “To the woman who has made my life complete.”

She took her glass and clicked it against his, pretending not to notice the glint of metal in the bottom. But after she sipped her champagne, her cry of surprise was genuine. It was the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen.

After she fished it out with her butter knife, she examined the ring with wide eyes. It was platinum embedded with gold filigree, centering a diamond that likely had cost the earth.

Razvan left his seat and sank down to one knee before her.

“Jayden Leigh, will you marry me?”

She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes as she threw herself into his embrace. “Yes!”

The restaurant broke out in applause. Apparently they had an audience. Jayden dabbed at her eyes with her napkin, hoping that her mascara hadn’t run.

Razvan slipped the ring on her finger. At his touch, she was suddenly thrown into a vision.

Radu Nicolae was awake. The vampire reclined by the fireplace in the stone chamber beneath the ruins of his family castle. He felt her watching and looked up, meeting her gaze with eyes eerily similar to Razvan’s.

“You…,” he whispered and stood up.

Without warning, he plunged into her mind. She felt him tear the knowledge of her location from her head like a sort of rape. Mercifully, he withdrew and stepped back, his lips twisted in a bitter smile and he turned his back to her to address someone else.

“We are going on a little trip, my pretty,” he said. His Romanian accent was thicker than his brother’s. His voice was harsh, as if hadn’t spoken for ages.

Jayden saw a cage in the far corner of the chamber. A woman was inside, clinging to the bars. Her strawberry blonde hair was tousled and bite marks were starkly visible on her pale neck. She looked at Radu in fearful confusion.

Razvan’s twin said one last thing before he thrust Jayden out of the vision. “I am coming, brother.”

A cool breeze bathed her face and her eyes fluttered open.

“Are you all right, my love?” Razvan asked.

She struggled to sit up. He had taken her outside to the patio overlooking Lake Coeur d’Alene. The moonlight reflected on the gently lapping water, a calming sight.

“I didn’t embarrass myself, did I?”

He shook his head and smiled. “They assumed you fainted from surprise. One woman thought it was very romantic.” His gaze turned serious. “Now what did you see? Was it that other world again?”

Jayden shook her head. Dread filled her gut.

“Your brother is coming here… and I think he’s still mad at you.”

Acknowledgements

Thanks to all the people who read this book and helped make Razvan shine: Erica Chapman, Jamie DeBree, Rissa Watkins, Shelley Martin, Bonnie Paulson, Michel King, Millie McClaine, Layna Pimental, Jess Haines, Shona Husk, and Laurie Schneider.

Thanks to Kent Butler for taking an awesome background photo and helping me create the cover.

Thanks to my friends at Gus’s Cigar Pub for your enthusiastic support.

And thanks to my friends and family for being there for me on this crazy journey.

About the Author

A former mechanic turned paranormal romance author, Brooklyn Ann lives in the beautiful city of Coeur d’Alene with her son, her cat, and a 1980 Datsun 210. She can be found online at http://brooklynann.blogspot.com as well as on twitter and facebook.

Works:

Published by Sourcebooks

BITE ME, YOUR GRACE (April 2013)

ONE BITE PER NIGHT (August 2014)

BITE AT FIRST SIGHT (April 2015)

Published by Broken Angels

WRENCHING FATE (February 2014)

IRONIC SACRIFICE (October 2014)

Book 3, Untitled (To be announced)

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