Authors: Multiple
Love Charms (170 page)
Trinity watched
the vampire's eyes turn from white to bold, striking violet. He was built as if
he were a gladiator from ancient times. Trinity watched Beth, released from the
vampire's hold, start to regain her senses with alarm stirring inside her. He
sent forth a soothing presence.
"Ah, you
are truly bound, as in the old ways," the vampire murmured as Trinity
halted beside Beth, grasping her waist to carry her to his side. His arm
circled her as his thoughts divided. This vampire seemed to know about things
he did not, such as mating. But his attention divided between Beth and her
accoster.
"
Who
are you and why are you here accosting our women?" Church demanded,
confronting the vampire and turning him away from the others. Trinity watched
Church catch hold of the blonde-haired lady, holding her at his side. She
seemed still under the oldest vampire's spell.
"Trinity?"
Beth questioned, leaning into him. His attention stayed on the older vampire
and with Baptiste they formed a semi-circle behind Church.
Trinity leaned
to Beth's ear and said, "We are not out of danger yet, love." He felt
Beth's soft body stiffen against him, but she stayed quiet.
"I am Lord
Titus Constantine, Duke of Ironwood, on this small island.
Salvete
,
gentlemen, and my lady." He bowed slightly to Church and to them. "I
normally keep my presence secluded to my estate in the far north."
"Are we
being threatened by you?" Church demanded.
Titus raised a
well-formed raven eyebrow. "I have no cause against you." Then he
added, "Yet." Lord Titus Constantine's returning smile was not
sinister.
Trinity
demanded, "Why have you approached my mate?" The word Titus had used
felt so appropriate it sunk into him with perfection.
"I seek the
killer of my progeny and your mate has a connection to the slayer."
"Lord
Fanton!" Beth exclaimed.
Trinity held her
tightly, watching Titus nod.
"You sired
Cull?" Church asked with surprise.
They all watched
Titus nod again, while Baptiste muttered beside them, "I'll wager that is
some story."
Titus smiled a
brilliant flash of white teeth with fangs still held at bay. "As you can
imagine I am very protective of what is mine," Titus uttered. "I will
not allow my blood's — Cull's murder to go unpunished."
"Then you
align with us," Church said. "Nothing will stop us from hunting down
Lord Fanton Rothschild and ending his terror."
"I perceive
there is more to his evil ways I have not heard yet," Titus said.
Church nodded.
"But we don't take live human blood, nor will we ever again, and we will
not align ourselves with any that do."
Titus raised a
hand. "I applaud your morality." He bowed. "I have not fed from
human in over two hundred years." His smile lifted. "Shall we
challenge each other's commitment?"
Church scowled.
"If your words can be believed."
Titus raised
both eyebrows. "You are careful. I am careful also," he stated. He
turned fully to Trinity. "I will ask your permission to visit your mate
next time, in your presence, to ask about this rogue named Fanton."
Trinity didn't
respond as Titus started to turn away as though leaving them. The blonde lady
sighed, and Church caught her before she sank to the ground, obviously released
from the ancient vampire's hold.
"Wait,"
Trinity called, and he set Beth aside, next to Baptiste, then he approached
Titus. "You seemed to know we are mated. How?"
Titus stepped a
few paces forward and looked up to the moon, as he murmured, "You do not
know of this?"
Trinity shook
his head, watching Titus’ striking gaze return to him. "Your Sire never
taught you?" he questioned again.
"No,"
Trinity expelled with more loathing than he wanted to reveal.
"That is a
grave grievance for such perfect knowledge," Titus said lowly. His gaze
swept Trinity from head to toe as if judging. "You live by vows?"
Titus asked. Trinity nodded as Titus continued to ask, "Vows you've freely
chosen to, shall we say, uplift your humanity?"
Trinity nodded
again, curtly. "We do, and we try to enforce other vampires to live by certain
vows."
Titus glanced
over at the others. "This is good. Our brethren were destroyed, hunted
into ash in the old countries across the sea, because they could never learn to
deprive themselves and temper their lusts."
"You are
from the old countries as you call it? Across the sea?" Church asked as he
held the lady cradled in his arms. She seemed in a faint against him.
"I
am."
"The
questions I could have for you!" Baptiste blurted.
"I can see
you all are young and eager to learn," Titus said. "Perhaps we will
become better acquainted. For now I will just tell you …" He bowed to
Trinity. "That you have found a human woman capable of mating with you. It
is not as rare as one would think. Once you are blood bonded, she will never
age, along with you, and you will forever hear her call of need. Here,"
Titus pointed to his temple. He turned sideways, retreating slightly. "The
rest I will leave as enticement so that we have something to trade each other
in the future, you and I."
Trinity held out
his hand. Titus looked at it curiously, and then, slowly, his hand rose, until
they clasped hands. "I will expect you to come through the front door next
time."
Titus returned
his firm handshake, then released his grip. From one second to the next, Titus
was there, and then he was gone in a whirlwind of what looked like thick, black
smoke.
Trinity felt the
shock of the unexpected apparition strike through him as he held against any
outward reaction. He heard Beth gasp, and Baptiste exclaimed, "Bloody
hell, did you see that!"
They watched the
black cloud whirl and coalesce in a swirling configuration leaping toward the
moon, and then it darted away toward the north.
"I'm glad
he seems on our side," Church muttered behind Trinity, making Trinity turn
back to the group. Then Church added, "Anyone know who this is?" They
all looked at the lady starting to revive in Church's arms.
"She's Lady
Elsbeth, the dowager Duchess of Hawthorn," Beth supplied.
"She's too
young to be widowed and a dowager," Church blurted, as Trinity watched him
looking down into the lady's blinking gaze behind her spectacles.
"W-What in
the world is happening?" Lady Elsbeth Hawthorn stuttered.
Trinity strode
to Beth's side, as he uttered, "You'd best fix that quickly, Church."
Church seemed
caught in a trance of his own, standing immobile looking down at the woman
beginning to struggle in his arms. "W-Who are you?" she demanded of
Church.
Baptiste
announced to the group, "I'd best get back to Miss Irene, if all is
well." He started away at a regular pace before adding, "I can feel
she's very upset." Suddenly, he stalled, looking back at them and his gaze
bore down on Trinity. "Didn't Lord Titus just say one can inwardly
hear
their mate?"
"Damnation,"
Church cursed. "She won't mesmerize. I've tried it several times."
Beth let out a
small laugh and exclaimed, "And we know you cannot hypnotize your
mate."
Trinity's eyes
widened as he looked at his brothers. Beth clasped his hand and he pulled her
to him as she smiled at him with loving amusement. He felt the certainty in her
thoughts that surely it seemed his brothers were heading toward romantic
entanglements.
He grasped her
waist and turned her several times as though they danced a slow dance, until
they stood off alone in the moonlight. His brothers could handle their dilemmas
because he had something more important to do.
"Trinity,"
Beth laughed, as they danced an impromptu waltz.
He bowed.
"My lovely wife." Then he drew her against him. "My lovely
mate," he said with such clarity, and then his lips slanted over Beth's
welcoming mouth.
When he allowed
her lips free, she gasped, "I do love you, Trinity."
He bent,
sweeping her up into his arms, catching her by surprise as she gasped his name.
He began to
stride away from the ball. "I love you too, Beth, and I intend to show you
how much. Now."
He would find a
back way to their bedchambers even if he had to display unnatural strength and
scale an outside balcony to do so.
The End.
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Love Charms
A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set
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First Edition, March 2014
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