Sinful's Desire

   Warning: For Mature Adult Audiences.
 
Contains language and actions some may deem
offensive.
 
MF.

   In book one of the Vampire Lords: Marlee Hicks
decided that it was time to step out on her own and what better way than a vacation
in the lush lands of Ireland.
 
Loving the
scenery and food, she soon relaxes and enjoys everything Ireland has to
offer.
 
Until the one night trouble
follows her; however, she doesn’t realize the most sinful of troubles has yet
to step out of the shadows.

   Sin Donovan is the Vampire Lord of Ireland and
loves everything that comes with that title.
 
Lately he has become restless, until he meets a spitfire of a woman on
holiday.
 
He finds an instant connection
with her, and the way she seems to draw attention everywhere she goes, he isn't
the only one.
 
The difference between him
and the others, Sin wants to protect while the others want to destroy.

   When another vampire threatens to take over Sin’s
territory, it is up to him and a select few vampires to defend and defeat this
unknown threat.
 
With the enemy near, can
Marlee stay out of trouble or will Sin lose the one thing he desires more than
his own life and territory?
  

To my best friends, who never complained there were too many sparkly vampires in the world. Here is another one to sink your teeth into! Love you girls!

~Gracie

This was a fun book to write. I want to thank Gracie for co-authoring with me and putting up with all my idiosyncrasies.

~Jana

Table of Contents

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Books by Jana Leigh

Books by Gracie Meadows

Excerpt from Boots, Chaps, and Cowboy Hats

Excerpt from Dreamwalker's Duo

JK Publishing, Inc.

He was the Lord of Ireland, the vampire who held the most power on this land, the one feared and respected in other lands, because if truth be told, he could rule them all. The party raged on around him as he walked through the throng of people who moved out of his way. They recognized his power and bowed to him as he passed. Sin Donovan had been a lowly farmer growing up, but a single night had changed his life forever, made him into the man he was today. It had taken years for him to control his power, but when he did—there was no stopping him.

With a slight nod of his head, one of his men went to the woman he had picked for the night. Humans knew what they were getting into when they came to parties such as these, they were called blood parties for a reason. Sin had one rule: no one would hurt or abuse any human who was brought to these parties. They had to freely give them consent to drink from their bodies. The woman he chose, Sin had already known would say yes, he had used her before.

With a nod of his head, he walked to his office and waited for her to be brought to him. He understood why humans would want the bite of a vampire; it could bring the greatest of pleasures. It was the first thing he learned after his own blood thirst had been controlled, his turning had been torturous and violent. No matter what power he had, Sin refused to become a monster. When he was turned all those years ago, vampires were out of control. They turned and fed on humans without regard to anything, which of course led to his turning. When he discovered his true power, Sin made his own rules, and others who wanted to follow him complied. The rules had led to many vampires coming to him and pledging their alliance. He was a cruel bastard when it came to business—cross him and face his wrath. However, biting a human for feeding was one of the great pleasures a vampire had, and making it violent didn’t bring him satisfaction. Usually it was done during sex, since both vampire and human would be aroused, but Sin had long been able to control himself that way, which made him powerful.

The woman smiled as she stepped into the room and walked to where he was lounging on the couch. “Sin,” she whispered and sat down next to him and pulled her long hair to one side, offering him her neck. She knew the score, he would not have sex with her, if he had wanted that, then she would have been brought to his bedroom.

“
G
o leor
,” Sin whispered, meaning pretty, before he leaned forward and sank his teeth into the pulsing vein of her neck. The warm blood began to flow over his tongue and slide down his throat.

Sin finished drinking from the woman by licking her wounds clean. Her head was thrown back, lost in her own world from the ecstasy his bite brought. The woman whose name started with a “T” was done for the evening, and Sin fought the urge to call one of his servants to escort her out, he didn’t have the desire to take the other gift she was offering. For some reason, over the last few months he hadn’t wanted to do anything but drink from his companions. It was disconcerting and annoying really. The sweet tangy taste of the woman’s blood clung to his lips as he left her lying on the couch, a hint of champagne, exactly the way he liked.

Moving with his usual quiet grace, he walked over to the phone to call Cillian, his lieutenant to arrange for her to be taken home. He had some work to finish; after all, all work and no play makes Sin a very dull boy. He smiled at the very American thought. He loved his life and he loved his special treats, such as the woman lying on the couch in his study. That was why his disinterest in his companions was driving him crazy. With one last glance he turned and instantly forgot the woman who was there, someone would be along to collect her soon.

Cillian came in within a few minutes of him sitting at his desk. His lieutenant, or second in command, had been with him for decades. Cillian was once the leader of a battalion of soldiers, finding him nearly dead on the battlefield had been a stroke of luck for Sin.

“Cillian, what is going on this week? I have a feeling people are getting restless, and need to be let out of their cages. Any events, rugby, football, anything?” Sin asked, as a Vampire Lord his house was larger than most, and sometimes tensions ran high if they were working too hard. He didn’t mind the occasional formal get together, but he was getting tired of wearing a suit and tie, and would love to dress down. His people knew and tended to wait until he offered them such an outing to release their stress. He had power, more than most, and lived longer than most vampires, but it was getting tiresome to the point he was thinking of vacationing to another location.

“Well there is the rugby match tomorrow night, my Lord? Jager will be there with his contingency, you approved their coming to the match.” Cillian chuckled. “It could make for an interesting evening.”

Jager Lexicon was the Vampire Lord from Germany, they had meetings in the later part of the week, something was going on in the vampire community, and since Jager was an ally of sorts, Sin intended to find out if the vampire had heard anything. His people had been talking about disruptions along the border—the current cause for the stress they were all feeling.

The European countries were divided using the borders of the countries as imaginary lines other clans should not cross. Doing so would be an act of war if they didn’t have permission. Even the lowest of vampires had to ask permission from the lord whose territory they would like to cross into.

“Perfect, let’s get some seats and make a night of it. And for God's sake, Cillian, stop with the lord shit. There is no one here,” he said laughing at him. He knew there had to be certain protocol among the vampire community; however, when he was in his own home, he wanted to be normal.

“Sorry, Sin, I will have the seats reserved. Anything else? Do I need to line up some companions, or do you want to just eat out that night?” Cillian laughed as he flashed his fangs. Sin couldn’t help but follow in the laughter. It was no joke he was a ladies man, though many of them didn’t remember it in the morning.

“I’m not sure, but set something up at one of the blood bars so the men have a variety of flavors to select from,” he said and Cillian nodded as he set the arrangements up. The sun would be rising in about an hour and his body grew tired as he felt the change.

“It’s been a long night, my friend, I think I will how they say, 'Hit the hay',” he said laughingly.

Cillian nodded and left out the door as he hit the button to his private chambers. Only a few people had the code, but once he was securely inside, he would lock it so he had complete control. The only person he trusted explicitly was Cillian, as he was his child, along with many, but he was his first. Once in his room he locked himself in as the steel doors sealed into place making sure that no light would come in, along with unexpected guests. Stripping out of his clothes, he showered in record time before pulling the sheets down to his bed. Climbing in, he rested and allowed the daylight to take him into a dreamless sleep.

*****

Marlee Hicks left her hotel in hopes to catch up on her sightseeing. She took the vacation to get away from everything and everyone. Her extremely overprotective mother would wrap her in a damn bubble if she would let her. Since she was an only child, Marlee understood to a point, but it was getting a little old now that she was twenty-eight. Even the certificates in self-defense hadn’t eased her mother’s worry; well she was going to have to get over it.

She never was able to go to college, but she did take a few courses online allowing her to take a job as a computer web designer. It had become a passion, and soon she discovered that people would pay top dollar for her work. Striking out on her own a year ago, Marlee had opened her own business right out of her home. She could set her own hours, which was good since she was a night owl, and still have a life.

After a year of slaving away and saving money, she felt comfortable enough to actually take her first holiday by herself. Independence was amazing. For weeks, she had poured over travel brochures until her best friend had said Ireland would be an amazing place to go. Marlee found herself agreeing, so tickets were bought and plans were set and here she was.

Her fourth day of vacation, Marlee sighed and tucked her small backpack on her back and headed out to find the arena. Tonight she was being introduced to the interesting sport of rugby, the man who ran the hotel she was staying at told her if she wanted to experience the real Ireland, she had to go to a game. Of course, she hadn’t known if he was teasing or not, but the elderly man had seemed very intent on making her stay comfortable. Besides, Marlee had heard of rugby, but never seen it. It was supposed to be a brutal game, and the Irish people took their games very serious, just like they did with their food. She had already gained several pounds in the three days she had been there.

As she walked down the road, she was happy to see the various buildings that remained in their original state. She was amazed at how different it was from the normal city in America. She was determined to take everything in. The smells, the sounds, the culture. Looking at her map, she knew she looked like a tourist with a silly backpack on, but she needed to get to the event on time. It was a distance, and she didn’t feel comfortable with taking public transportation. She didn’t rent a car, and being so damn sheltered, she never took a cab, so she decided walking was good. The gentlemen who recommended the game told her she could walk it in an hour, and had even gone as far as circling the area on her map, and as long as she didn’t take any funky side roads she would be set.

Along the way she did find some cute shops that held trinkets and bracelets. She got one or two items and soon two hours had flown by. Stopping at a local pub, she ordered fish and chips. She wanted a pint, as they called it, but she still had to walk to the game, so she would just pick one up there.

The pub wasn’t too busy, and it reminded her of a cleaner bar back at home. The walls were covered in flags, with various photos of sports teams. Several football, rugby, rowing, even other things she wasn’t sure of the name for. All the men in the picture seemed rugged and mean. She loved it. Her mother had fixed her up a time or two with men from her local church. She only went out with them just to say she did. She did date, which was shocking that her mother allowed her to. It was mostly because her damn mother wanted her to find a husband and then have kids. She had no desire for either. She wanted to live, to experience life.

Her food arrived at the same time her stomach grumbled. Pulling a napkin on her lap, she dug in. The fish was hot and fresh. The outside crisp while the inside remain moist and full of flavor. Never was anything like this available at home. The chips, or fries, were the best. One thing she knew for sure was she was going to have to join a gym when she got back to lose all the weight she is going to gain.

Marlee was almost done with her meal, when a man bumped into her. “Oi, sorry, lass, I didn’t mean to bump into ye. Are ye okay?” his thick accent made it slightly hard to hear, but she got his meaning.

“Yes, I’m fine thanks. No harm, no foul.” Smiling at him, she went back to her meal, cautious of the time.

“Let me buy ye a pint. Pretty little lass like ye shouldn’t be wonderin' around.” He took the liberty to sit down next to her. She could have started a discussion with him, as he was a good looking man, but something was off about him. Maybe it was the way he weaseled himself next to her.

“No that’s okay. I’m on my way out. Have a good day.” With that, she stood and headed out the door not looking back.

Either she was paranoid, or the man had actually sniffed her a little when he had sat down.
That was just freaking creepy
, she thought as she walked stiffly to the corner. She refused to look back, but she could feel someone’s eyes boring into her back. Fucking asshole better not think she was an easy target, or she would have to show him a thing or two. Damn it, she was not going to let some freak ruin her vacation. Lifting her head, she walked quickly to her destination making sure she had people surrounding her all the time. She felt relieved and soon relaxed when she finally made it through the gates.

Wandering to her seat, Marlee watched the fans sporting their team’s colors, and making wagers with other fans about who would win the game. She was so sucked into the atmosphere that soon, with a pint of Guinness in her hand, she joined in the cheering as the home team scored for the first time.

The men she was sitting around quickly realized she was an American, and explained the game to her. Her blonde hair and blue eyes seemed to be an attraction to them. Laughing and arguing with the group, Marlee completely forgot about the man at the pub.

Soon it was half time, which apparently was the time everyone argued and dissected the plays of the first half. Shaking her head, Marlee stood and excused herself, promising to be back before the beginning of the next half.

The hallways were packed as spectators took advantage of the break and lined up for food as well as ale. Marlee just wanted to go to the bathroom before she had another pint. Smiling at the people surrounding her, Marlee didn’t see the man from the pub following her. If she had, maybe she would have never met the man that would change her life forever.