Surrender: A Little Harmless Military Romance (16 page)

Though in truth, he had never reacted even to another Carrier so strongly.

“You may be right,” Gray surmised.

“I am. It’s easy to scent a Carrier. It also explains why Hurst is after her.”

The young duke crossed his arms over his chest. “Hurst is not one of us.”

“Indeed. He's Made for sure.”

With satisfaction, Nico watched Gray's eyes widen in alarm. It was the first Made vampire to hit the ton in recent times. “Bloody hell.”

“Precisely. He has shown little to no interest in Lady Cordelia until recently. We need to find out where he was before his fascination arose. If he has not left town...”

He let his words trail off letting Gray draw his own conclusions. “And a nobleman at that. This is not a good development.”

“No. I need you to find out where he was, discover any of the places he frequents. Who he’s spent time with. We also might want to put a man on him.”

“Do you think we need to warn the other noble houses?”

Nico snorted. The other vampire families were notoriously stubborn. “Would it do any good? They refuse to believe there is a problem. My father is the only patriarch who is worried. No one else but the three of us seems to understand the gravity of the situation.” He thought about Lady Cordelia and her role in everything. “I say that Hurst's attention started just over a fortnight ago. Something must have happened then. He does not appear to have gone completely into the Blood Lust, but there is a good chance he is not far from sinking there.”

“How do you know he isn't already there?”

Sometimes Nico forgot that Gray was too young to have seen Made vampires and their terrible descent into murderous madness. “If he had, you would have seen more than just a slight altercation when I asked Lady Cordelia to dance. It is very likely the bastard would've challenged me on the spot—possibly even attacked me.”

Shock crossed Gray’s face. “Truly? That would have been a sight.”

Nico ground his teeth again, but this time not to keep his teeth hidden. Gray was a good sort, but he was young, especially for a vampire. He was not around for the last purging, and he did not know just how bad this mess would end up.

“He probably doesn't know I am a Born, has no idea what is going on. His body is telling him to pursue her. And since she has no protection, such as your sisters and others in the ton, he knows she would be easier to prey upon.”

“I'll get a man on him, and I'll talk to father about his connections, where he has been before. I hope this doesn't end up like that bit of business you had to handle up north.”

With that, Gray left Nico alone with his dark thoughts.

There would be no way out of it; Hurst would have to die, but not before they got some information out of the bastard. The one he had to kill three weeks ago had been too far gone to question, but Hurst seemed to still be functioning surprisingly well…but Nico didn’t expect that to last. If they could grab the viscount off the street, they might be able to persuade him to talk. He'd make plans tonight with Malik. Time was precious when a vampire had been Made. If they were not handled properly, they would turn into a craven beast searching out the nearest Carrier to consume. If the woman didn't die, she would wish she had.

Now Hurst had apparently set his sights on Lady Cordelia. And that bothered Nico. Exceedingly.

With a sigh, he straightened away from the desk. His body was still humming with anticipation of a joining. While he could not satisfy the mating call Lady Cordelia had nearly wrested from him, he could find a woman to slake his lust.

He walked to the door but it blew open, bringing Lady Cordelia with it. His body responded immediately. The normally perfectly coiffed curls that dangled over her ears were in disarray. A look of irritation marred her usually smooth features. She slammed the door shut behind her and then leaned against it much the same way that Gray had. Clearly, she did not notice him in the room.

“Stupid man.” She locked the door behind her and then patted down her hair. “He is becoming a real trial.”

“I hope you are not referring to me,” Nico said.

She started and then looked in the shadowed corner where he stood.

“Mr. Blackburn?”

He cursed himself the moment he realized she could not see in the darkness. If he had stayed quiet she would not have seen him. She had not mated yet, so she possessed only human abilities.

“It is I. I take from your comments that you did not follow me here.”

She sniffed. “Of course not. I am trying to avoid that idiot Hurst. Why on earth he has decided to bother me now is beyond me.”

Bloody hell. Hurst’s constant pursuit could herald the coming of his blood lust. If the viscount touched her, he’d likely sink into madness. Something would have to be done—tonight.

“Come, now, Lady Cordelia. You could easily attract his lordship’s attention for any number of reasons.”

She mumbled something under her breath that sounded like “not bloody likely.”

At least she understood there was danger. Unfortunately, it did not help his protective instincts. The need to shelter her, keep her safe, coursed through his blood, along with a healthy dose of lust. He did not speak for fear of revealing the depth of his need.

Silence loomed several moments, then without any warning she flashed him a brilliant smile. He blinked as he watched her approach, amazed at the change in her expression. And wary. No woman could be trusted, especially a Carrier. Those with the ability to birth vampires were frighteningly clever—they had to be to survive. He knew without a doubt, Lady Cordelia was working something out in her brain that would only bring about disaster for them both.

“Mr. Blackburn?” She stopped in front of him, her scent wrapping around him, tempting him. It was a mixture of musky woman and innocence that had his incisors threatening to descend. The woman was too bloody tempting for her own good. No wonder Hurst had been after her.

“Yes?” he asked, surprised that he hadn’t started panting. Or done something far more aggressive. Even now as she gazed up at him as if she worshipped him. He reacted, his lust in full bloom. He wanted—ached—to throw her across the desk and strip her naked. Nico knew it was primal; it had nothing to do with the woman.

But he’d never had such a strong reaction to a Carrier.

“I wondered…” She pulled her bottom lip through her teeth, and he inwardly groaned. The woman was going to undo him with her innocent gestures. He curled his fingers into the palm of his hands.

“Lady Cordelia, what do you need?”

She blinked and hesitated. He did not blame her. Even he could hear how his voice had deepened, roughened. The earlier altercation still thrummed through his blood. Maybe she would flee the room, and he would be free of her long enough to ease his desires elsewhere.

He should have known better.

She raised her chin, and said, “Can you explain a bit more about your shipping business?”

“W-what?” He could not concentrate on her words, but rather watched the way her lips moved in the slant of moonlight that illuminated her face.

Cordelia cocked her head to the side. “Are you unwell?”

He shook his head, his attention still on her mouth. Her tongue flicked out over the fuller bottom lip as she took a step closer. Bloody hell, he craved to taste her, to feel her mouth move beneath his. He wanted to feel her flesh beneath his and he wanted to sink his teeth into her neck. With every bit of his control, he pulled his mind away from the image of her wearing nothing but the moonlight.

He needed her to go, far away. He made one last attempt.

“Lady Cordelia, I think you should leave.” He bit out each word, the lust he felt dripping from each syllable. Unfortunately, the woman apparently was oblivious.

She stepped even closer, determination stamped all over her face. Passion darkened her eyes. She was magnificent.

“I will not be deflected again.”

Good God, the woman smelled of heaven. He could imagine rolling with her on a bed, the scent of her surrounding him, the tangy taste of her on his tongue. His incisors descended, primed for feeding. He did not even try to stop it. He knew it impossible.

Without another thought, he grabbed her. She gasped, the sound erotic in the darkened library. He had the satisfaction of seeing her eyes widen as he dipped his head.

“Mr. Blackburn, whatever do you think you are doing?”

“Shutting you up.”

Then he bent his head and took possession of her mouth.

From an early age, Melissa loved to read. First, it was the books her mother read to her including her two favorites,
Winnie the Pooh
and the Beatrix Potter books. She cut her preteen teeth on Trixie Belden and read and reviewed
To Kill a Mockingbird
in middle school. It wasn’t until she was in college that she tried to write her first stories, which were full of angst and pain, and really not that fun to read or write. After trying several different genres, she found romance in a Linda Howard book.

Since the publication of her first book in 2004, Melissa has had close to fifty romances published. She writes in genres from historical suspense to modern day erotic romance to futuristics and paranormals. Included in those releases is the best selling Harmless series. In 2011, Melissa branched out into self-publishing with A Little Harmless Submission and the popular military spinoff, Infatuation: A Little Harmless Military Romance. Along the way she has garnered an epic nomination, a multitude of reviewer’s recommended reads, over five Capa nods from TRS, three nominations for AAD Bookies and regularly tops the best seller lists on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Since she spent her childhood as a military brat, Melissa swore never to marry military. But, as we all know, Fate has her way with mortals. She is married to an AF major and is raising her own brats, both human and canine. She spends her days giving in to her addiction to Twitter, counting down the days until her hubby retires, and cursing the military for always sticking them in a location that is filled with bugs big enough to eat her children.

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