The Trouble With Curses

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eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. Samhain Publishing, Ltd. 577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520 Macon GA 31201 The Trouble With Curses Copyright © 2008 by Anara Bella ISBN: 978-1-60504-204-6 Edited by Heidi Moore Cover by Angela Waters All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: October 2008 www.samhainpublishing.com

The Trouble With Curses Anara Bella

Dedication

For my critique partner, Cat, without whom this book would never have been written. She believed in this story from its inception and kept after me until I’d submitted it for publication. For my editor, Heidi, who also believed in this story and worked hard to make it the best it could be.

Anara Bella

Chapter One

Tonight’s choice of victims was pitiful. Selena Tremayne chewed on a swizzle stick as her gaze skimmed the crowd once more, hoping to spot someone she’d overlooked the first time. But no, no one looked even remotely interesting. She sighed. Just her luck. How did she always wind up at the wrong bar? She must be cursed. The ironic thought brought an unwilling smile to her lips. What else would you call a vampire besides cursed? “Now see, a beautiful woman like you should always smile. It lights up the whole room.” On hearing the sexy baritone that had uttered those words, she dropped the swizzle stick and a flurry of butterflies took flight in her stomach. He was so close his mintyfresh breath tickled past her ear, causing a delicious shiver to ripple down her spine. Ordering her hormones to knock it off, she struggled to regain her equilibrium. There was no way in hell the actual man would match that incredible voice. No way. In her experience, the men with the sexiest voices invariably looked the exact opposite of sexy. More along the lines of nerdy. www.samhainpublishing.com

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She forced her gaze up grudgingly, somehow reluctant to have the fantasy behind the voice destroyed but unable to help herself. What if this guy was the exception? Yeah, sure. Dream on. “That’s got to be the corniest line I’ve ever heard.” Her breath caught on the last word as her gaze took him in. The man was knee-melting gorgeous, and that was no exaggeration. His eyes were deep blue and mesmerizing, captivating her in a way she hadn’t experienced for a very long time. Maybe too long if the tingling that rippled through her body was any indication. She could almost hear her best friend, Anne, agreeing with that assessment. Anne was forever bugging her to get out more. Dropping her gaze to his full, sensual lips, she noted they had an ever-so-slight curve at the corners. As if he knew she was attracted to him and was suppressing his amusement at her expense. That snapped her back to reality and put an immediate damper on those unruly butterflies tap dancing like mad in her stomach. He was obviously quite accustomed to women falling at his feet, and getting his way. Not surprising since sexual magnetism almost leapt off the guy in waves. She shivered. This guy was danger personified. Someone she should avoid at all costs. Besides, she didn’t care how gorgeous he was, she wasn’t the type to be predictable. Nor was she interested in becoming one of his groupies. She threw him a caustic look for good measure. He shrugged and somehow even his nonchalance was another strike against him. In fact, everything about him seemed to set her on edge. She knew her reaction was out-ofproportion considering she didn’t even know the guy, but she couldn’t help it. Purely instinctive, it smacked of self-preservation and she knew it. “It might be corny, but it’s still true.” Bristling at his overconfidence, and not the least bit impressed by his flattery, she tried to signal the end of their little parley by turning away. However, the man obviously couldn’t take a hint, because he continued talking. “Besides, it served its purpose. Got your attention, didn’t it?”

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Anara Bella

Damn him and that hypnotic voice of his. Those moronic butterflies started up again in earnest. Even worse, she somehow couldn’t make herself just shut up and ignore the guy, no matter how much she knew she should. She turned back around. “But it didn’t keep it.” A deep, sexy chuckle greeted that pronouncement. “We’re still talking, aren’t we?” He was right. Double-damn the man. “Not anymore.” With that, she reached for her purse and made to leave. But before she could stand, his large, strong hand covered hers, effectively stopping her. “If you leave now, you’ll never know what you’re missing.” The feel of his slightly calloused hand touching hers seared along her skin, from her fingertips clear down to her toes. Ridiculous for such a slight contact. And that voice. Damn it all to hell. It resonated deep inside her, in a secret place she never allowed to surface, stopping her cold. It didn’t matter how much his overconfidence grated, nor how much her brain screamed at her to get away from him, she couldn’t move. That voice was so full of promise, of nights filled with passion and heat. Of entangled naked limbs. Of sweat-glistened bodies. She dug her fingernails into her palm to keep from throwing herself at him in a humiliating act of outright lust. Her gaze flew to his and that damned hypnotic quality was still there. Daring her to find out. Daring her to not disappoint him. Daring her to take a chance. Somehow she knew he was testing her. Waiting to see what she would do. If she would take up his dare. With the challenge thrown down there was no way she could leave. He’d think she was chicken and her pride wouldn’t allow it. Couldn’t allow it. That would give him the control. Something she’d never let a man have again. Ever. She settled back on her stool and snatched her hand out from under his, fighting the urge to massage the tingling his touch had set off. Who was this guy, anyway? And why couldn’t she just walk away? Not happy with the obvious answer, she shoved the unwelcome thought out. She fervently wished she’d left back when Anne had, instead of sticking around to finish her drink.


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“What makes you so sure I’d be missing anything?” She took her time scrutinizing him, hoping to convey how unimpressed she was. She paused at broad shoulders that would make any woman’s mouth water, continued past abs visibly taut even through his clothes, finishing her scrutiny by skimming the noticeable bulge in his pants. Oh my. She blinked and jerked her gaze away, fiercely hoping her eyes hadn’t just bugged out, because it sure felt as if they had. She couldn’t believe she’d just done that. And the possibility he might have noticed her gawking at his crotch like some silly teenager was beyond even contemplating. Fighting down the blush that threatened to out her, she took a deep breath and valiantly continued her futile efforts at conveying annoyed disinterest. She knew she fell far short of her goal. She was so pathetic. Damn her traitorous hormones. She cleared her throat. “It doesn’t look to me like you’ve got anything I haven’t seen before.” How she managed not to roll her eyes at that outright lie she wasn’t quite sure. Especially since her gaze kept flicking back to his impressive package. But despite her double-crossing hormones, it was nice to know he couldn’t make her fall at his feet like a pile of mush. Not quite, anyway. She was in complete control here. Complete control. Uh huh. Sure she was. He gave her a knowing smile. “Ah, but you haven’t seen it, have you?” She almost choked. Had he seen her gawking? “And I don’t want to, either.” Oh God, did my voice just squeak? She cleared her throat again. “You don’t have anything that interests me in the least.” Liar, liar. Pants on fire. And the pathetic thing was that her pants were on fire. Had been ever since he’d first spoken to her in that deep, rich voice of his.

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She almost groaned out loud in sheer frustration. This guy was irritating beyond words, and worse, dangerous to her self-control. Why would he be the only guy in a long time to even tempt her? She was in trouble. Humungous, monumental, astronomical trouble. She fought down a momentary feeling of panic. What was the matter with her? She was made of tougher stuff than this. She would never have survived if she wasn’t. She sat up straighter and threw back her shoulders, at once feeling more in control. That’s better. All she had to do was remember she was only in trouble if she followed through on the impulse to jump his very fine bod. Since she had a lot more self-control than that, she was safe. Nothing could happen. As long as they didn’t leave the bar together. His low chuckle brought her out of her musings, raising her hackles again. “What are you laughing at?” He nodded at her. “You. You’re fighting this attraction between us, but you’ll come around soon enough.” Arrogant ass. Did he imagine she’d fall into his lap like an overripe peach? Well, he was in for a shock. Hiding a smile, she decided tonight might just prove more amusing than she’d thought. If she handled things right. She waved the bartender over. “Another Bloody Mary, extra bloody, hold the celery. And could I have another swizzle stick, please?” The bartender gave her a grin that made his already too-pretty face more so. “Sure thing.” She grinned back at her own private joke. The reason she drank Bloody Marys was because she thought it was an amusing choice of beverage for a vampire. Deigning to acknowledge the tall, dark and thoroughly irritating stranger beside her, she asked, “So, what’s an overconfident guy like you called anyway?” His wicked grin showed he was anything but put off by her comment. In fact, he still looked highly amused. “Rafe. It’s a family name.”


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Okay, so he had a sexy name too. So what? “And what’s an exotic beauty like yourself called?” If there was one thing Selena knew for sure, no one would ever call her beautiful. Her eyes were slanted, her mouth was too big, and her body was pretty far from a size zero. Not impressed by the empty compliment, she raised an eyebrow whilst fighting back the urge to roll her eyes yet again. “Selena. And since there’s nothing even remotely exotic about me, I now know something else about you. You’re blind as well as corny.” He reached over and ever so slowly ran his finger along her cheekbone. “Sounds to me like the other men in your life are the ones who are blind.” Selena pulled away from his way-too-tempting touch. “No, they just weren’t the type to use empty flattery to get my attention.” This time he raised his eyebrow. “What makes you think it’s empty flattery?” A bitter laugh escaped her lips. “Experience.” Rafe’s gaze bore into hers, scouring her face. If she wasn’t careful, he’d see too much. “You’ve been hanging around the wrong kind of men. Maybe it’s time you tried something different.” He threw her a wolfish grin. “Like me.” Audacious bastard. Choosing not to take the bait, her mind drifted over the various men who’d passed through her life. Despite the source of the comment, she found herself agreeing with what he’d said. Not that she’d ever give him the satisfaction of letting him know it. She shrugged. “Maybe.” He caught her long fall of hair in his fingers and pushed it behind her ear. Leaning in close, he whispered into her ear. “Definitely.” There went the idiotic butterflies again. Damn things were beyond annoying. At this rate she’d literally take flight before their verbal exchange was over. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the exasperatingly persistent butterflies were now outdone by the goose

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bumps that started skittering up and down her spine the moment his warm breath touched her neck. She needed to pull herself together. In spite of her best efforts, the pile of mush thing seemed to be happening with frightening speed, and that wasn’t like her at all. In fact, it was getting old fast. She had to put a stop to it. Now. “If I ever decide I want to try something different, I’ll be sure to let you know.” His eyes narrowed, giving her the uncomfortable feeling he could read her mind. Then, as if he knew she’d had about as much pushing from him as she was going to take, something in his manner shifted. He hadn’t moved, but to Selena it felt as if he took a huge step back and gave her some breathing room. She all but audibly sighed her relief. He gave her a sexy grin. “You do that.” A loud disturbance at the far side of the bar caught their attention and when she glanced back at Rafe he was no longer studying her with those probing eyes of his. The relief was palpable because she could almost believe he saw right through her. What was this strange pull she felt towards him? Granted, some of it was plain oldfashioned lust, but there was something more going on here. Something that set off every danger signal she owned. Something that frightened the ever-living crap out of her. That threatened her peace of mind and control. She was drawn to him to the point where he disrupted her equilibrium, but it was more than that. He threatened her safety barriers. Vital walls she’d worked very hard to erect. So much so, she knew she needed to get away from him the first chance she could. Like right now. To hell with proving she could resist him. Escape was more important. She eased off her stool. “I’m going to the ladies’ room.” He nodded absently and with wary eyes continued watching the escalating argument at the other end of the room.


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When she reached the exit she glanced back. He was still watching the altercation, so she slipped out unnoticed and went straight home, hoping she would never lay eyes on him again.

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Anara Bella

Chapter Two

Rafe Hunter was still fuming when he dropped by his office the next day. He couldn’t believe he’d let Selena leave without getting her phone number, or at least her last name. It was his own damn fault too. She’d been prickly and defensive from the moment they’d met. He should have known she might sneak out on him. In fact, he would have thought of it if he hadn’t been distracted by that damned fight. His entire focus had shifted to the fracas because he thought he’d finally found the one he’d gone to that bar to find in the first place. The one he’d gone there to hunt. By the time he’d determined it wasn’t, Selena was gone. As if she’d never been there. As if he’d conjured her straight out of his fantasies and thin air. Only her chewedup swizzle stick had given mute testimony to her actual existence. Damn it. She was the most intriguing woman he’d met in like, well, that he’d ever met. There was something different about her. Something that drew him. It was more than just her beauty. More than the unique combination of black hair and eyes of lightning-green fire. More than her voluptuous figure. All of which were captivating in themselves. It was more than all those things put together. It was a feeling he couldn’t nail down. An intangible difference that intrigued yet eluded him. www.samhainpublishing.com

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And he damn well couldn’t believe he’d let her slip away before he had a chance to figure it out. Some private detective he was. Opening the door with Hunter Investigations tastefully displayed on a plaque, he wondered what his sister was going to say when he told her the bad news. As he stepped into the office, the attractive blonde at the reception desk lifted her head and smiled. “Hey, Rafe.” She paused, no doubt noticing the scowl he couldn’t seem to wipe from his face. “Why the glum look?” He felt like growling at his sister’s cheery tone, but managed to stop himself. It wasn’t her fault he was a bumbling idiot. On two counts. “I didn’t find last night’s target.” “What! That’s not possible.” I beg to differ. Despite his foul mood and the seriousness of the situation, he almost laughed at Larke’s incredulous expression. “You’ve been wrong before.” “But not when the vision was so clear. There was so much detail this time, I couldn’t have been wrong.” At her escalating agitation, he attempted to gloss things over. “Maybe it wasn’t as clear as you thought because I’m telling you, the target never showed. I would have known.” Her troubled gaze skewered him in place. “Are you sure you checked the whole place out?” “I wandered around everybody in there and nothing. No blood-sucking vampires to be found. And the full moon’s almost here, so he would have reeked of blood for sure.” That halted the questions he could see brewing in her eyes. She knew he could smell an actively feeding vampire a mile away. If one had been there last night, he would have sniffed him out. “But I don’t understand. How can that be?”

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Her confusion and distress added to his foul mood. Now he was not only miserable about Selena, but he felt like shit for failing his sister. Until this moment he’d assumed her vision was at fault. Even though she was the family visionary, she wasn’t always right. But at her unwavering conviction, he wasn’t so sure anymore. “I don’t know. I’m sorry, Larke.” She didn’t say anything for a long moment and Rafe could almost feel her pain. He tried to think of something to say to console her, but without much success. Before he could come up with anything, she got up, and in typical Larke fashion, walked over and gave him a quick, reassuring hug. “You’ll get him next time.” He couldn’t help but be moved by her attempt to soothe him when she needed it much more than he did. He cleared his throat and gruffly said, “Let’s just hope he doesn’t kill anyone before then.” She nodded and looked away, but not before he saw the tears shimmering in her eyes, reminding him she hated it even more than he did when they failed to stop a vampire from killing again. To distract himself he headed for his desk. He didn’t want to think about any of it. Didn’t want to think about the innocent victims or the horror they suffered. And he especially didn’t want to think about his failure. He hated failing in a big way. When he failed, people died. No one knew that more than he did. Except maybe Larke. Tentatively, he asked, “Guess this means you haven’t had any more visions.” She looked up, then shook her head. “No.” He wasn’t surprised. As a rule, she didn’t get them two nights in a row. Mind you, he didn’t usually fail to find the target either, so there was no need for her to have visions so close together. Shit. He sat down and opened a file. “We might as well work on one of our official P.I. cases. Until you have another vision, the vamp slaying will have to wait.” *** www.samhainpublishing.com

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The battle raged on. Despite Lucien’s added height and weight, the opponents were equally matched in strength and stamina. The good against the evil. Light verses darkness. Slayer and vampire. Blood dripped from their many wounds as they circled, hatred burning in the depths of their eyes. Neither was weakening—not from loss of blood, nor from their prolonged struggle. And neither was going to give up. For much more was at stake than just this fight. It was about life. Survival. Revenge. Staring each other down, each willed the other to make the first move, each sought an advantageous opening, each hoped the other would make the ultimate mistake. A mistake that would end in death. In a blur of movement, Drogan lunged and before Lucien could react, the vampire succeeded in knocking him to the ground. End over end they rolled, over broken glass, unidentifiable muck and reeking trash, slamming up against the rusted garbage cans lining the alley. Their grunts of pain and gasps for air broke the otherwise oppressive silence. Nothing else stirred, as if everything had frozen to watch the ensuing battle. Landing on top, Lucien snatched at his advantage, swinging his fist with every ounce of his considerable weight behind him and connected with Drogan’s vamped-out face in a deeply satisfying crunch. Drogan’s scream of pain was accompanied by blood spurting from his broken nose. He blindly swung back, but the slayer dodged with unnerving agility, avoiding Drogan’s fist. A jarring clatter rose from the darkest reaches of the alley, distracting them as they anticipated an interruption to their war of wills. But nothing appeared, and Lucien recovered first. In one smooth move he pulled out a wooden stake, poised to drive it into the snarling vampire’s murderous heart. 16


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Selena stopped typing and burst out laughing. Snarling vampire, indeed. She’d never snarled in her entire life, not even when she was furious. Did people even snarl? Did vampires? Or was that only animals? She automatically picked up the well-chewed pencil on her desk and gnawed on the end while flipping through her much-used thesaurus, trying to decide if she should use another word besides snarling. Sneer. Growl. Scowl. None of them sounded right. Maybe she should stick with snarling after all. After several minutes of back-and-forth indecisiveness, she glanced at the time and realized she’d been writing for hours. No wonder she couldn’t decide on anything, her brain was fried. She saved her work and shut off the computer. The next installment of Ravyn Simone’s Vampyre Chronicles would have to wait until tomorrow. Her yawn echoed long and loud in the sparsely furnished apartment. Selena hated clutter of any kind. Not in her surroundings and not in her life. It was one of the reasons she didn’t have a lot of friends. Too much emotional clutter. Another was she’d long ago realized it was better to be alone than to trust someone who would one day turn on you anyway. She shook off the impending bad memories. She must be tired if those kinds of thoughts were pestering her. Time to call it a night. Or should she say, morning? It was way past dawn. Most people were just getting started on their day, but for her it was bedtime. Mind you, it was almost impossible to tell it was daytime with all traces of sunlight blocked out by the impenetrable blinds. A necessity. One she resented. She got up, stretched out the kinks and headed for the bedroom. Although she tried not to think about it, she missed the sunlight. Missed lying on a beach reading a good book. Missed trying to get a nice tan for the summer. Missed watching kids building sandcastles and giggling with glee at their accomplishment. And she most definitely missed drooling over hunky guys playing volleyball to show off their muscles. Things most people took for granted.


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She sighed. No more tans for her. Nowadays only makeup kept her from looking pasty white. Like the walking dead. Amazing what a little foundation and blush could do for a girl. Even an undead girl like herself. Thank God, the mirror thing was a myth. Or at least she thought it was a myth. It could just be her. She’d never asked the others, but then she hadn’t been around them long enough to ask them much of anything. She’d realized very soon she was different, and it wasn’t long before they’d figured it out too. She could still hear Ambrose’s nasty tone of voice saying she was a freak of nature. As if a vampire could be considered a normal part of nature to begin with. Anyway, she didn’t know about other vampires, but although her reflection wasn’t crystal clear like it was for normal people, she could at least see something of herself. Her image had a weird transparency to it, almost like looking at a ghost, but it was better than nothing. Good thing, too, otherwise putting makeup on would have been near impossible. Selena shuddered at the horrifying thought. She’d just washed up for bed and slipped on her favorite oversized t-shirt when the phone rang. “I hope you weren’t in bed yet.” Selena smiled at her best friend’s half-hearted concern. Patience wasn’t Anne’s strong suit. When she wanted something, she wanted it now. “Almost, but no.” “Good, I wanted to remind you about coming out with me tonight.” Thinking back to her run-in with Rafe the other night, Selena didn’t feel like hitting another bar. “I don’t know. I should work on one of my magazine articles. Gotta pay the rent, you know.” “Come on. I’m in the mood for a good hunt, but I don’t want to go alone.” Selena smiled at their private joke. For them a hunt wasn’t for finding victims to feed on, it was to scope out some good-looking guys, possible “victims” to hit on. Or in Anne’s case, maybe even to get laid. Selena only went to keep Anne company. Although lately Anne had managed to talk her into at least thinking about picking up some guy and

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getting laid. Getting seriously involved with a guy was the last thing on Selena’s mind though. That way led to trouble. Anne continued her plea. “Besides you promised to go with me.” Selena could hear the pout in Anne’s voice even over the phone and she grinned. Anne hated not getting her way. “Yeah, I guess I did.” “Darned right.” She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at Anne’s self-satisfied tone, and decided to tease her some more. “Although I’ve sort of changed my mind since then.” Here it comes. “What! You wouldn’t. How many times have I gone out with you when I didn’t feel like it? You owe me, girlie.” Selena couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore. The truth was, she rarely wanted to go out, so Anne’s claim didn’t apply, but it was typical of her to be oblivious to that fact. “I know. What can I say, you’re so darned easy to bait I just can’t help myself sometimes.” “Yeah, well…” Hearing Anne’s voice trail off like that quickly sobered her. In actual fact, Selena could never repay Anne. “I think of just how much I owe you every single day.” Anne sighed. “I know you do.” She paused a moment, then pounced, knowing this was her chance. “So, does this mean you’ll come?” “Yeah, I guess so.” Selena threw back the covers on her comfy bed and slid between the crisp, clean sheets with a contented sigh. No ridiculously cramped coffins for her. Anne always teased her about her claustrophobic aversion to small spaces but even aside from that particular problem, there was no way she was giving up her soft, cozy bed. Especially not for the sake of some stupid clichéd expectation other people might have.


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“Great! I’ll meet you at The Blue Monkey at nine. You’ll have plenty of time to work on your article before we go out, and you can always finish it after. You’ll have the rest of the night.” “I suppose. But you’d better not leave me there like you did last time.” Anne laughed. “But that guy was so hunky I couldn’t say no.” “Well, if it happens again tonight, try.” Anne immediately sobered. “What happened?” “I met this guy and he pushed every button I have. I couldn’t wait to get away from him.” No need to tell Anne it was because he hit all the right buttons. “I’m sorry. Listen. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to help you get rid of anyone like that.” “Okay, you have a deal. But I’m going to hold you to the rescue thing. If I get cornered by some dud you have to bail me out. I don’t care what you’re doing.” Anne laughed. “Even if Brad Pitt is trying to pick me up.”

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Chapter Three

She was here. Rafe couldn’t believe his dumb luck. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Selena since they’d met, and the fact that he’d had very little hope of running into her again had been eating away at him. And yet, here she was. His sister would say it was fate, but he didn’t believe in that kind of nonsense. Fate or not, he wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip through his fingers. This time he’d find out her last name and even her phone number if he could swing it. The kink in his plan was that she wasn’t alone. He sat back in the dark, corner booth he’d snagged when he’d arrived and watched the two women as they talked and joked together. Their comfortable camaraderie indicated they were good friends who’d known each other a long time. Just then Selena threw back her head and laughed. He could’ve sworn he saw her gorgeous green eyes twinkling with mirth all the way over here. And even in the dim lighting of the bar, her long, straight, almost-black hair shone with a life of its own. Her luscious mouth was chewing on yet another swizzle stick.


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She seemed to have some sort of oral fixation with those things and he couldn’t stop the picture that popped into his head. An arousing image of her lips closing around a certain part of his anatomy instead of that lucky swizzle stick. Rafe’s body reacted predictably to the erotic visual and the aforementioned body part sprang to immediate attention. Down boy. No fun and games for you tonight, there’s work to do. Besides it wouldn’t look very good if he approached Selena with a hard-on. He barely knew her and she’d already run away from him once. He supposed he could just go over and join them, but with the reception he’d gotten from Selena last time, he didn’t think it would go over all that well. And if her friend ganged up on him too, then what? No, it would be best if he waited until Selena was alone. In the meantime he’d keep looking for the vampire his sister insisted would be here tonight. He hated to admit it but so far, there wasn’t any vamp here that he could see. Maybe Larke was losing her touch. Although it was odd Selena was here both times. A strange coincidence. Very strange indeed. And he wasn’t one to believe in coincidences. He stopped scanning the room and fixed his complete attention on Selena again. If he hadn’t been so close he’d actually touched her the other day, he’d wonder about that, but there was no way she was a vampire. Unless he was losing his touch. He thought back to her captivating eyes from the other night. He’d looked long and deep into those gorgeous green orbs and there was no murderous intent lurking in their depths. He’d stake his life on it. He’d seen anger, bravado, even desire. Lots of emotion simmered in there for sure, but no viciousness. Even if his sense of smell was somehow off, he’d still be able to pick out a vampire at such close proximity. So it was just a coincidence. It had to be.

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A movement caught his eye and he watched as Selena’s friend got up and headed over to a guy sitting in a booth at the far end of the bar. This was his chance and he didn’t hesitate to go for it. Just outside of Selena’s line of vision, he made his way over to her. She idly looked around while doing wicked things to the ever-present swizzle stick fortunate enough to be the current recipient of her ministrations. He was positive she didn’t realize she was driving most the guys in the place halfmad with lustful thoughts. Most especially him. Her movements were so innately sensual, so seductive it almost brought him to his knees. He wanted that mouth on him. Craved to feel her tongue gliding against his. Longed to learn the taste that would be uniquely her. Damn. He had it bad. Standing just behind her, Rafe leaned in close. “Did you miss me?” Selena jumped and her head shot around. She gaped at him as if she couldn’t believe he was really there. “You!” Not a very promising start, but it showed she hadn’t forgotten him at least. He grinned. “In the flesh. But you didn’t answer the question. Did you miss me?” Her gaze locked onto his mouth and then skittered away as if she wanted to kiss him, but was fighting it. “Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I miss the likes of you?” “My charm? My wit?” “I don’t know where you get this overblown opinion of yourself. As I recall, I called you corny, blind and overconfident. Now why would I miss a guy with those attributes?” “Because I’m cute?” She blinked and he could see her fighting the grin that tugged at her lips. Apparently there was no holding it back because she burst out laughing at his ridiculous comment. Which was, of course, why he’d said it. “What? You don’t think I’m cute?” He feigned a hurt expression. Still giggling, she shook her head at him. “You’re incorrigible. And cute.”


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He mock-bowed at her unexpected acquiescence. “Thank you. I knew you’d see it my way eventually.” Selena shook her head at Rafe’s cheek. She was still trying to take in the fact that she’d bumped into him. What were the odds of that happening? She’d been certain she’d never see him again. At least she’d hoped so. But here he was anyway. And he was just as bold as she remembered. The complete audacity of this man was incomprehensible to her. She threw him an incredulous look. “You honestly think I’m going to fall right into your lap, don’t you?” She watched as he gave her a slow, oh-so-sexy grin that exuded self-assurance and innate cockiness. Oh Lord, the man’s sexual magnetism was fierce. Selena felt that grin zing right through her, hit all the pertinent spots in her body and ping its way back again, where it settled into a sultry simmer in the most secret part of her. Darned if he didn’t know exactly how he affected her too. And worst of all, she knew he’d have no problem using that knowledge to get his way. His eyes sparkled with determination. “No, at least not right away. But you will eventually. That’s one thing you’ll learn about me. I’m a very patient man when I see something I want.” He leaned in closer and his overpoweringly sexy presence enveloped her. “And never doubt I want you.” The depth of purposeful determination in his eyes frightened her, but she ignored the fear and tossed her head. “Your overconfidence is unbelievable.” He flashed another of his mega-watt grins. It really was downright lethal, doing things to her insides that should have been illegal. “It’s not overconfidence. I just know what I know. I’m attracted to you, you’re attracted to me. It’s inevitable.” He pinned her to the spot with his gaze. Reaching over, he slowly ran his thumb along her cheek. “Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you. You’re more than worth it.” Mesmerized by his eyes again, Selena didn’t think to object to his intimate touch, just mutely stared back into their deep blue depths. They seemed to call to her,

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Anara Bella

commanding her to give in to his will. To do what she longed to in the most private part of her mind. Why fight it? There’s no real reason to. Go ahead. Just give in. Give in? She wrenched her face away from his tantalizing touch. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be following him around like a lost puppy before she even knew what hit her. How did he do this to her—turn her into a mindless zombie who wanted nothing more than to cave in to his will? Well, she was stronger than this, and it was way past time she let him know it. “You’ll be waiting a long time. Like until hell freezes over.” He cocked an eyebrow. “So soon? I figured you’d make me wait a lot longer than that. Things are moving along a lot better than I’d hoped.” She tried not to laugh. She really did. But it was no use. She just couldn’t keep up the façade of being unaffected by him. He grabbed her hand. “Come on. Let’s dance.” As she stumbled behind him, she tried protesting. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. There isn’t even a dance floor here.” He indicated to the other couples already swaying on the makeshift dance area several people had cleared in the middle of the room. “Close enough.” Without another word, he pulled her into his arms and held her so close she felt the heat emanating off his extremely fine physique—wrapping around her. Caressing her. Enveloping her. His scent was earthy and altogether unique. Already she knew she’d never confuse it with anyone else’s, even if she were blindfolded. Her brain had imprinted it. This close to him, her entire being suffused with heat. She felt herself flush with excitement, her breathing accelerated and an exhilarating tingle set up residence in her belly, keeping the ever-present butterflies company. She tried to concentrate on the slow song that was playing instead of his powerful presence, but that didn’t help in the least. The lyrics only made her think about sex even more. “This isn’t so bad, is it?”


25


Not so bad? The man was clearly insane. The tantalizing tone of his voice was never more erotic than at that moment. And with their bodies pressed up against each other, her breasts flush with his hard chest, she felt every move he made as if it was a seductive serenade just for her. Which, of course, it was. Not so bad. Ridiculous man. This was terrible. The man was pure sex. And she was falling for him. She jerked away from him and headed back to her stool. She would leave while she still had the strength and sanity to do it. Rafe caught up with her. “Running away again? I didn’t think you were afraid of a challenge.” Afraid? Great, she couldn’t leave now. He’d know just how afraid of him she was. No, not afraid of him. Afraid of what he did to her. Of her instinctive and powerful response to him. “I was just going to the ladies’ room.” Now there was a whopper of a lie she was certain he didn’t buy. Especially since she’d all but shoved him over in her haste to get away. “That’s what you said last time. Just before you disappeared.” Selena felt herself blush. “I’ll be back.” She grabbed her purse and headed to the washroom. Maybe it would help if she threw some cold water on her face. She almost laughed at the absurdity of that notion. She could douse her entire body in a vat of ice cubes and it still wouldn’t help. There was something different about Rafe. Something she’d never encountered before and wished she hadn’t met up with now. It called to her. It pulled her very soul, and yet in one fell swoop, also made her want to get as far away from him as possible. The irony was that as much as she’d been considering hooking up with a guy, she hadn’t wanted to meet a guy like him. He was way too dangerous. He took immediate control of her, and that could never be. She wouldn’t allow it. She had to be the one in control. That was her number one priority. Anne burst into the washroom. “Who is that guy?” “He’s the dud you’re supposed to save me from.”

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Anara Bella

“No way.” “Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t say the guy was an ogre.” Anne laughed. “Are you kidding me? You didn’t say the guy was a stone fox either.” Selena pulled out her lipstick and shrugged. “He’s okay.” “Okay? What the hell’s wrong with you?” “Nothing’s wrong. I just don’t like the guy. He makes me nervous.” Anne’s eyebrows rose to comical proportions. “Come on, what’s your problem? The guy looks harmless enough.” Harmless. The guy had sin and sex written all over him. Not that that was bad in itself. The problem was he also screamed power and control. He was the kind of guy who would expect to be in charge, and that she could never allow again. “Your definition of harmless is way different than mine.” Anne snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. The guy’s sexy as hell, but that doesn’t make him dangerous. You’re just chicken.” “I am not.” Anne’s disbelieving look stopped her short. “Yes, you are. You have been ever since Ambrose and you know it.” Selena muttered under her breath. “I wouldn’t call that being chicken. More like being cautious.” “I could deal with cautious, but you’re way beyond cautious. You’re downright paranoid.” “And you don’t think I have reason to be?” Anne’s face fell and she reached out and touched Selena’s arm. “Look, the damage is done. You can’t undo what Ambrose did to you. You just have to deal with it.” “I am dealing with it. I don’t have any choice, do I?” Anne tilted her head to one side. “No, you don’t. But you don’t have to close yourself off from life either. I thought we’d already agreed you were going to find yourself a guy, or at least make the effort. That’s what the other night was about. That’s what tonight is about too.”


27


“But Rafe isn’t that guy.” “You can’t know that already.” “Yes, I can.” Selena blurted it out way too fast, too vehemently, and she knew it. Anne eyed her closely. “There’s more going on here, isn’t there?” Time to retreat into feigned cluelessness. “What makes you say that?” “I haven’t seen you react like this to a guy in years. In fact, not since Ambrose. You’re attracted to this guy, aren’t you? I mean really attracted.” Selena fished around in her purse until she found her comb, and with brisk strokes ran it through her hair. “Maybe.” “Not maybe. Definitely. You’re terrified.” Selena stopped what she was doing and lifted her chin. “And what if I am?” “If you are then you have to pursue this. You owe it to yourself. If you don’t you’ll always wonder.” Selena started to object, but Anne cut her off. “Yes, you will.” Anne gave her a cheeky grin. “It doesn’t have to be anything serious, you know. You could just use him for sex.” “What!” The word popped out of Selena’s mouth without thought. It wasn’t so much Anne’s suggestion that shocked her. It was that Anne had nailed her heart’s secret desire even before she’d realized it was there. “Oh, why the hell not? Guys do it all the time. I’ve done it a time or two myself. Come on. We’ve talked about this before.” “I know both men and women do it all the time, but it’s never been my style.” “Maybe it’s time you changed your style.” Selena stared at her reflection in the mirror. “You think?” She sighed. “I have been trying to talk myself into taking that step, but I’m not getting very far.” “If there ever was a guy I’d wanna use for sex, it would be this one. He gives new meaning to the term scrumptious.” Selena giggled. “He does at that. Which reminds me, how’d it go with Robert? I thought you’d still be talking to him.”

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Anara Bella

“He had to make a call. He’s canceling his plans so we can talk.” “That’s great.” “Better than I’d hoped for. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him here and I sure didn’t expect him to talk to me. In fact, I’d better get back out there before he changes his mind. Wish me luck.” “Luck.” “Now get your butt back out there and jump Rafe’s bones.” With a wink and a careless flick of her hand, she left. Selena shook her head and laughed at Anne’s cheekiness. Could she do that with someone as overpowering as Rafe? She’d considered the possibility of doing it with someone she felt in control around. But could she distance herself enough to just enjoy the ride with Rafe? Could she keep herself from getting emotionally involved? If she could, then she’d still be the one in control. Still maintain the necessary emotional distance she needed. Under those circumstances, Rafe would be just the man for the job. A delicious shiver ran through her. She had no problem imagining sex with Rafe. It was sure to be seductive, sizzling and a whole lot satisfying. He’d make one hell of a boy toy. If she could get past her instinct to run away from him, that is. She firmed up her backbone. It was certainly worth giving it a try. She grinned at her attempt at bravado. Why the hell not? She could do this, and if she succeeded, things could get pretty interesting in a real big hurry. Decision made, she nodded at her reflection and headed back to her hotter-thanblazes, potential boy toy, Rafe.


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Chapter Four

Something had changed. Rafe didn’t know what, but even Selena’s walk was different. More self-assured, more determined somehow. And definitely sexier. As she made her way back over to him, he couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful she was. She took his breath away every time he saw her, and whatever had come over her just added to her allure. The seductive smile she threw his way clinched it. Something was up and he could only hope it meant good news for him. And if the twitch in his dick was any indication, his body was in complete agreement. When she reached him, she leaned in close and whispered into his ear. “Did you miss me?” He chuckled at her deliberate repeat of what he’d said to her earlier. “You know it.” “Good.” She sat on the stool and crossed her legs. God, she had the most amazing legs. All he could think about was having them wrapped around him while he was embedded deep inside her.

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Anara Bella

He almost groaned at the image and couldn’t help thinking that this perpetual hardon he sported around her was getting old fast. Especially since she wasn’t likely to allow him into her pants any time soon. He watched her fidget for a bit, wondering what was on her mind, when she jumped up and grabbed his hand. “Come on. I still owe you a dance.” That was almost the last thing he expected her to say. “Have sex with me” was dead last, but this was a close second. Following behind her, he contemplated the seductive sway to her hips. If she ever delivered on all the promises her body made, he’d die a very happy man with an enormous smile pasted on his completely satisfied face. Still, it was strange the way she was all of a sudden taking the lead. Up to now, he’d almost had to force her to just talk to him. Now here she was pulling him close to her voluptuous body, wrapping her arms around him, just like he wished she would in a far more intimate setting. It just didn’t fit. Well, her body fit just fine, better than fine in fact, but her actions were out of character. Not that he was complaining. Deciding it was pointless trying to figure women out, especially this one, he stopped thinking and just enjoyed the warm, lush feel of her in his arms. Although he wasn’t sure that was such a good idea either. She fit so perfectly, felt so right that his body reacted in the most predictable of ways. She had to be able to feel his hard-on pressing against her and based on her recent reactions around him, he still wasn’t sure she wouldn’t run at any moment. His brow furrowed as he contemplated his unusual lack of self-control around Selena. This exaggerated reaction wasn’t like him at all, even when he was attracted to a woman. Of course, he’d never been this drawn to anyone before. On top of that, he sure as hell wasn’t used to the kind of one-sided chase she was leading him on and it was driving him nuts. Women either liked him or they didn’t. He just didn’t bother with the ones who didn’t. Not that there had been that many of them.


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But somehow he couldn’t seem to do that with Selena. Giving up on her was not an option. She snuggled even closer, leaving nothing to his imagination, and his vivid imagination was already in overdrive. Her fingers tangled with the hair on his nape and her full breasts pressed into him. He fervently wished they were somewhere private, alone and naked so he could lick and suck her nipples until she screamed her release. He pulled back a smidge before he lost complete control and just hiked up her skirt and took her right here on the dance floor. Damned hormones were running his life since he met Selena and he didn’t think he liked it much. Not that he could help himself. When the song finished, he stepped out of her arms with great reluctance and glanced into her expressive eyes. What he saw there almost stole his breath. Desire and yearning burned in their haunting depths. How it was possible he didn’t know, but they echoed the potent feelings surging through him—something he’d barely dared hope would happen at some distant point in the future. And he knew she saw the same surge of emotions in his eyes because there was no way he could hide it. It was too raw, too immediate. On one level he was aware they should be doing something—dancing, heading back to their seats, anything. Despite that, they continued to stare at each other, not saying a word, just drinking each other in. In that moment, the desire to kiss her was so strong it almost felled him. Another song started up, but it didn’t change a thing. They still didn’t move. He liked to think she was as loathe to break the spell as he was, but didn’t hold out much hope of that. It took another couple bumping into them to jar them back to the present. He cleared his throat. “I guess we should go back to our seats.” “I guess we should.” She gave him a mysterious smile that tugged at his crotch, making him wonder what was on her mind. As they headed back to their seats, he contemplated what his next move should be. This new attitude of hers was throwing him, and he was afraid to jinx it by saying the wrong thing.

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Anara Bella

The bartender brought their drinks over and went back to drying glasses. Strangely Selena now seemed to be avoiding his eyes, and instead stared at her drink while twirling the ever-present swizzle stick around in it. Instead of letting the silence worry him, Rafe used it to study her. If he could just figure her out. He noted the adorable little uptilt to her nose, convinced it hid an extremely wide stubborn streak. Her long dark fan of lashes and full ripe lips just begged to be kissed. Everything about her was perfect as far as he was concerned. Suddenly, as if a cold wind swept between them, he could feel an air of standoffishness wrap itself around her again. He didn’t know what had happened but the change in her was all pervasive and her body language screamed, “back off”. It was so weird. On the outside Selena seemed calm and collected, more interested in what the bartender was doing than in him or anything else going on around her. But somehow he knew that on the inside she was churning with emotions. Maybe it was how she shifted away from him. Maybe it was the sudden tenseness in her shoulders. Or maybe it was the blast of cold now emanating off her in frostifying waves. What the hell had happened? She’d been one hundred percent with him while they were dancing. Had she all of a sudden turned shy after practically duct-taping herself to his body? It just didn’t make any sense. The bartender cursed, breaking into Rafe’s thoughts and Selena’s naturally pale complexion drained of all color. Rafe dragged his gaze away from her to see what had captured her attention and saw the bartender staring blankly at his bleeding hand. Pieces of broken glass lay on the counter in front of him. It looked like he’d broken the glass he was drying and managed to cut his hand in the process. Quite badly too. Before Rafe could move to help the man, Selena gracefully crumpled forward in an unconscious heap in his lap. “Selena!” What on earth was going on? He gathered her into his arms, making sure he had a good hold on her, and carried her over to the closest booth.


33


Addressing the couple sitting there, he stated the obvious. “She’s fainted. I need to lay her down.” Without a word, the couple vacated the booth and pushed the table out of the way so Rafe could lay her on the bench seat. He grabbed a jacket lying on the seat, rolled it up and placed it under her knees to elevate her legs. Leaning in close he could see she was breathing normally. In fact, other than being white as a sheet she looked fine. Surely she’d wake up soon. If she didn’t they’d have to call 911. What the hell had happened? With relief, he saw her eyelids start to flutter just before she opened her eyes. She weakly raised a hand to her head. “What happened?” “You tell me. You fainted.” “Shit!” Interesting reaction. “Does this happen often?” “No, thank God.” She tried to get up but he held her down. “Oh no you don’t. You’re liable to pass out again if you get up too soon. Just lie back and relax.” “This is so embarrassing.” “What’s so embarrassing? You fainted. And quite elegantly I might add.” Her eyes snapped to his. “You wouldn’t understand.” “You’re right. I’ve never fainted. But it’s not like you just belted out a tuneless rendition of Tonight’s the Night in front of everyone here.” She half-giggled and he relaxed. It couldn’t be anything serious if she could laugh. “You’re right.” “On the bright side, I was right about you falling into my lap. And way ahead of schedule, I might add.” She didn’t quite blush, but some hint of color definitely returned to her face. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

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Anara Bella

He chuckled. “I’ll do my best. Any idea why you fainted?” She heaved a great sigh in obvious disgust with herself. “I always faint at the sight of blood.” “You’re kidding.” Someone thrust a glass of water at Selena. “No, she’s not.” Rafe glanced up to find Selena’s friend standing there. She held out her hand to Rafe. “I’m Anne, Selena’s friend.” He shook it and nodded. “I saw you with her earlier.” “She’s had a deathly fear of the sight of blood since she was a kid.” “At least it’s not something more serious.” “Depends on who you are,” Anne said. He wondered at the odd comment, but shrugged it off. “Anything special we should be doing?” “Nah, she’ll be fine. She just needs to rest for a minute.” With Selena out of danger, Rafe could finally drag his eyes away from her and noted that one of the other bar employees had pulled out a first-aid kit from somewhere and was taking care of the bartender. Well, one thing was for sure, his sister must have been wrong about tonight. Again. All that blood and he didn’t sense any ravenous vampires in the vicinity. It was all so strange. What had put Larke’s visions off? He glanced back over to Anne. “Do the two of you need a ride home?” Before Anne could say a word, Selena jumped in. “We didn’t come together, but I can find my own way home.” “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.” Selena leaned up on her elbows. “Well, I think it is.” He tried reasoning with her. “Selena, you just fainted.” Her eyes flashed fire. “Give me a minute and you won’t even be able to tell. You’ll see.”


35


He had his doubts, but she was obviously determined. Even if it meant killing herself. Stubborn woman. He’d already suspected it about her, now he knew for certain. He had to try one more time. “I don’t think you should drive. If you get behind the wheel of a car it’s not just yourself you’d put at risk.” He could tell he’d pushed too far by the mutinous look now on her face. “You think I would ever risk another person’s life?” What could he say? She was determined enough to want to avoid him, but he didn’t think she was the type to deliberately hurt another person. “Then I guess you didn’t drive here?” “Damn straight!” That meant she lived close by. “I could walk you home.” “I don’t need your or anyone else’s help.” “I think Rafe’s right.” Anne piped in. “I’ll take you home.” Selena pushed herself up off the bench and sat on the edge. “Stop fussing, Anne. I’ll be fine. Besides, I can see Robert’s waiting for you to get back to him.” By the expression on Anne’s face, he knew she wasn’t any happier about this than he was. “Come on, Selena. What’s wrong with your friend wanting to help you? She’s worried about you.” Selena flashed him a look that should have melted the hair right off his head. “Don’t try to make me feel guilty about this. I’ll get home under my own steam.” She slowly got to her feet, only wobbling for a moment before looking steadier. “In fact, I’m heading home right now. Without your help. Either of you.” Wow, he’d really struck a nerve. It would appear her independence was pretty damned important to her. More important than almost anything else. Maybe even her safety.

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Anara Bella

Well, there were ways around that. He was a P.I. after all. No reason he couldn’t use his talents for his own benefit for a change. He’d just follow her home to make sure she got there safely. He was damned good at his job. She’d never even know he was there. He tried one last thing. “You’re using this as an excuse to run away from me again.” If that didn’t make her relent, he didn’t know what would. She stabbed him with her eyes, but he could have sworn he saw a flicker of guilt in their luminous depths. He’d hit home with that comment. “I’m not even going to answer that.” Selena looked over to Anne. “Call me when you get home. I want to know how things go with Robert.” Anne nodded and gave her a hug. “And I want to know you got home safe.” Without looking his way, Selena snatched up her purse and marched out the door. After jotting something on a napkin, Anne grabbed his hand and pressed the napkin into it. “Call her.” She gave him a long, steady look and without another word went back to her boyfriend. He looked at the crumpled napkin and written on it was the most welcome thing he’d seen in a long while. Selena’s phone number. He just managed to stop himself this side of whooping with joy. Anyway, he didn’t have time for that. He’d better get going or he wouldn’t be able to pick up Selena’s trail.


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Chapter Five

There it was again. That damned tingly vibe on the back of her neck making it feel as if every hair on her head was straining to escape the confines of her scalp. She was being followed. Selena would bet her life on it. She wasn’t particularly terrified. There weren’t many advantages to being a vampire, as far as she was concerned, but her superhuman strength was definitely one of them. She could take care of herself, no problem. What worried her though was the question of who was following her. And why. If it was a criminal, he would have attacked her already when she walked past the dark alley a while back. If it was Anne, she would have said something the minute she caught up to her. That left Rafe. So, she had a dilemma. Should she confront him out here, or wait until she got home?

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Anara Bella

She didn’t want him finding out where she lived, but as determined as he was, she figured it was only a matter of time before he found out anyway. Although later would be better than sooner. Or did it matter? If she refused to see him, there was nothing he could do about it. The problem was she didn’t know if she’d be able to fight this attraction for very much longer. For that matter, did she want to? For a minute, back at the bar, she’d considered doing what Anne suggested—just letting loose and having wild monkey sex with Rafe with no strings attached. Lord knew, he was tempting enough. But it hadn’t taken long before all her doubts and fears came to a glorious crashlanding in the forefront of her brain and she knew she wouldn’t be able to go through with it. Fainting had clinched it. Brought her back to her senses. She hated to be seen as weak and she was determined never to be in a vulnerable position with anyone ever again, especially a man. Being as embarrassed as hell about fainting was just enough to tip her over the edge. There was something else too. Something she barely acknowledged even to herself. Since she could remember, she’d always fainted at the sight of blood. Despite that, since being turned she craved it on a deep, cellular level. That craving reminded her of what she was. And even though the thought of ingesting blood completely revolted her—and she would never follow through on the craving even if she was capable of it—she was always afraid the hunger would somehow show. Yep, she had more than enough problems without a man like Rafe to complicate things further. Maybe if he didn’t affect her so strongly it’d be different. In fact, the night she’d first met Rafe, she’d sort of been on the prowl. It had taken Anne ages to talk her into at least checking out the available guys and keeping an open mind. That night had been the first time she’d semi-seriously toyed with the idea of picking up some random guy for a night


39


of wild sex, like Anne had been bugging her to do. She’d known, though, that if she were ever able to do it, keeping emotional distance was the key. With Rafe, she couldn’t see how she’d be able to keep the necessary detachment to pull off a one-night stand. But damn, the sex would be hot. No, more than just hot. More like scorching hot. Blazing-inferno hot. Lava-flow hot. Okay, she’d better stop thinking like this or she’d turn around right now and jump Rafe’s bones. She forced herself to switch gears and try thinking about bunnies and kittens, anything innocuous and non-sexy, but she couldn’t stop the arousing thoughts from coming. She could still feel his breath on her cheek, his voice setting off that chain reaction of butterflies and goose bumps. Worse than that, she could imagine his lips kissing their way down her neck to her breasts, sucking and licking her nipples to diamond-hard peaks, until she was out of her mind with wanting to have him inside her. She could almost feel his hard erection pressed against her belly, like it had when they were dancing. God, she was just thinking about it and already she could feel herself getting wet for him. Only one other man had come even close to affecting her this way. Ambrose. The man who could turn her insides to mush without even trying. Who’d made her feel like the sexiest woman who ever lived. Who’d made her feel like she was the most important person in his life. The man who’d turned out not to be a man at all. Who had, in fact, ultimately betrayed her and turned her into a vampire. Just like him. No, she couldn’t take a chance with Rafe. Although it was doubtful he could harm her physically, as Ambrose had done, he could hurt her in other ways—like emotionally, or psychologically. And that was even worse. It had been three years since Ambrose, and she was just now beginning to get over the worst of the damage he’d done to her. Like ruining her ability to love a man, to rely

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Anara Bella

on others, to simply let go and be herself. And she knew there were some things she would never get back. Like trust. She hadn’t found it easy to trust even before Ambrose’s betrayal. Which was why it had taken him so long to get close enough to be able to turn her. Even then, she’d had to be drugged into near unconsciousness. Now, it was almost impossible for her to let anyone get close to her. In truth, Anne was the only one she trusted since her parents had died, and she’d known Anne since high school, long before Ambrose had come on the scene. She simply didn’t allow new people she met to get close at all. All that baggage aside, how could she get close to anybody now? She couldn’t tell them she was a vampire. And without telling them, how could she explain the odd hours she kept and some of her other even stranger quirks. Like her aversion to sunlight. Or her ghostly reflection in a mirror. It wasn’t easy dating when you slept all day and were up all night. How did you tell someone you were sorry, but you couldn’t go for a walk on the beach in the bright sunshine, because if you did you would spontaneously combust into a flaming ball of fire? Yeah, that would go over well. Anyway, the crux of it was she didn’t trust Rafe. Didn’t trust him to treat her right. Didn’t trust him to not hurt her or leave. Didn’t trust herself not to fall end-over-ass in love with him. So, the safest course of action was to avoid him. And the first step in that direction was to confront him out here before he found out where she lived. She stopped walking and turned around. “Okay, Rafe. I know you’re back there. You may as well show yourself.” Nothing.


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“I have no intention of letting you find out where I live, so you have nothing to gain by following me. I’ll wander around all over town all night long before I’ll show you where I live.” A dark shadow separated itself from the wall. “How did you know I was here?” His rich, deep voice shivered down her spine in its usual intoxicating way. “I have a sixth sense about these things.” “Has to be something like that because I’m damned good at what I do. No one’s ever caught me tailing them before.” She threw him a quizzical look. “You do this often, do you?” He chuckled. “Actually, I do. I’m a private investigator.” Well, that explained it. If she hadn’t felt him behind her, she wouldn’t have known. “Just my luck.” “I didn’t intend for you to ever find out I’d followed you home tonight. I was just going to make sure you got in safely and leave.” That would have been great except he’d still have found out where she lived. “That’s really nice, but I already told you that I’m fine. I don’t need you checking up on me.” She heard rather than saw him shrug. One of the perks of having amazing hearing. “Sorry. My father always taught me that you took care of a lady. Made sure she got home safe and sound.” “But I wasn’t your date, so I’m not your responsibility.” “Doesn’t matter. Look, Selena, whether you like it or not I like you, and I want to get to know you a helluvalot better. I won’t give up on you anytime soon, it’s just not my way so you may as well give in and give me a chance.” “And I have no say in the matter?” “Yes and no.” Despite herself she laughed. “Meaning?” “You’ve already decided. Your heart and body have already said yes. It’s only your mind that refuses to give in.”

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Anara Bella

“Unfortunately for you, it’s my mind that’s got the deciding vote.” The second the words passed her lips she wished them back. She’d as much as admitted to what he said. He shook his head. Stepping closer, he reached out and cupped her cheek. “No, it doesn’t. This is the real deciding factor.” She felt his sweet breath on her face just moments before his lips gently brushed across her own. They were feather-light and warm, at first coaxing, then growing more insistent as her response became evident. She knew she should push him away, but she couldn’t seem to make herself do it. She’d been fantasizing about kissing Rafe from the moment she’d first heard his voice trickle over her senses. Now that it was happening, the last thing she wanted to do was stop him. Her hands developed a mind of their own. Happily, they explored everything they could reach, from his hard biceps to his strong neck and finally ended up clutching his tight ass for everything she was worth. She was right in her initial assessment—he was most definitely sex-on-legs. And right now, with his erection nestled between their bodies, she wanted nothing more than to traverse the very path that led to what felt like his very impressive sex. She moaned into his mouth and ground her hips against him, feeling him return the exquisite pressure. Their tongues danced along each other, questing, exploring, enticing. Her breath caught. Blood pounded in her ears, all but igniting in her veins. She tried to tell herself it was just a kiss, nothing more, but who was she kidding? She’d never felt anything that came close to this kiss before. Everything about him struck a chord with everything she was, and everything she wanted for herself, but was too afraid to take. With an answering groan, his mouth started eating at hers, their tongues now melding together. Tasting. Needing. Wanting.


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Oh Lord, how she wanted. She wanted it all with this guy. Sex without a doubt, but the terrifying thing was she wanted more than that. She could deal with just the physical. In fact, Anne was probably right that all she needed was a good, long night of hot and heavy sex. But with Rafe, she found herself dreaming of the happily-ever-after, and there was no happily-ever-after for her. There couldn’t be because of what she was. Pushing him away with a determination she didn’t even know she possessed, she stepped back. Did she have the same stunned expression on her face he did? With disgust, she realized she must. Neither said anything. They couldn’t. Both of them were breathing so hard you’d have thought they’d been running for their lives. Then again, maybe they had. Rafe, because he was chasing after her. Her, because she was striving to get away from his magnetic attraction. The whole thing was ridiculous. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Damn her voice’s quavery betrayal. He reached out and skimmed his thumb across her lips. “Because I can’t.” She shook off his touch and his hand dropped away. “That’s not an answer.” “It’s the only one I can give you.” Selena threw her hands up in frustration. “What am I going to do with you?” An utterly wicked chuckle erupted from him. “I can think of a few things.” “I’ll just bet you can.” So could she, although she’d never let him know it. Despite her resistance, he pulled her into his arms and held her close. “Stop fighting this, Selena. At least give us a chance.” It felt so good to be held in his arms. She felt warm, secure and cherished. She nuzzled into his shoulder and inhaled his comforting scent. How was it was possible to feel so comfortable with a man and yet be so turned on you wanted to screw him senseless at the same time? It didn’t make sense. She sighed and snuggled in closer. “You need to go away.”

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His arms tightened, drawing her even closer. “Whatever you say. Just as soon as I see you home.” “You’re not going to give in on this, are you?” He kissed her forehead. “Nope.” “Bastard.” He held her for a long moment, then lowered his arms and took hold of her hand. “Come on, my little exotic beauty, let’s get you home.” She sighed in utter contentment and, feeling ridiculously happy considering she’d just been overruled, acquiesced. Since they were only about a block away from her apartment, it didn’t take long to get there, but Rafe held her hand the entire way. It was such a sweet thing to do, and she loved it. It was almost as if he couldn’t bear to stop touching her, because he didn’t let go of her hand until she needed it to dig out her key and open the door. Once the door was open, he pressed his forehead against hers and backed her inside with a look of such determination on his face that she didn’t stop until she hit the entranceway wall. He placed his open hand on the wall beside her head and leaned in with his body. “When can I see you again?” The ferociously dogged intent in his eyes set her heart racing. Her stomach lurched, her body heated. “I don’t know.” “Wrong answer.” “Sometime soon?” He slowly shook his head. “Not good enough.” “Since you seem to know all the answers, you tell me.” “I have to go on surveillance tomorrow night, so how about Friday night I take you to Stelladora’s for dinner. It’s about time we went on a proper date.” She couldn’t believe she was going to agree to this. “Okay.”


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“Good answer.” He closed the distance between them and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. “And just to keep you thinking about me when you’re all warm and cozy in bed tonight…” With devastating sensuousness, he kissed her with such thoroughness, it was a wonder she didn’t end up a pile of goo on the floor. “Sweet dreams.” Oh yeah, she’d be dreaming for sure, but she doubted her dreams would be all that sweet. More like sweaty and raunchy. An exquisite shiver zipped down her spine. Yep, she was definitely in for a night of sweet, sweaty, wet dreams. *** “So, did he kiss you?” Selena rolled her eyes at Anne’s prying question. How on earth did the woman know? “When would he have kissed me? I left the bar without him, remember?” “I’m not blind, or stupid. I saw him leave the bar right after you. He had a pretty determined look on his face too. I’m sure he followed you home.” What was the use? “You’re right, he followed me home.” Anne whooped in glee. “I knew it! So…did he kiss you?” She couldn’t resist teasing her friend. “Define kiss.” Anne squealed. “He did kiss you. Okay, I want details. Was it good? Did he use tongue? Any groping involved?” The rapid-fire questions had Selena laughing at her enthusiasm. “Yes. To all of the above.” Anne’s wistful sigh spoke volumes. “Sounds like fun.” “I gather things didn’t get to that point with you and Robert.” “No. But we’re going to see each other again tomorrow night.”

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Anara Bella

Selena heaved a sigh of relief. Anne had been pining for Robert ever since they’d broken up, and even though she’d pretended to want to meet someone new, even going so far as to start dating again, the fact was she still loved Robert. “That’s great news.” “Yes, it is. When do you see Rafe again?” “How do you know I’m going to?” “I saw the way he looked at you, and he’s not the type to give up easily.” Wasn’t that the truth. “He’s taking me to dinner on Friday.” “Oooh, this is serious. A real date.” Selena laughed again at her friend’s eagerness. “Yeah, that’s what he said.” “Whatever else you do, just keep an open mind. And give the guy half a chance, would ya?” “To be honest, I’m already having second thoughts. If I had his number, I would have called and cancelled already.” Anne’s voice exuded exasperation. “Maybe that’s why he didn’t give it to you.” Thinking back to their little tête-à-tête in the hallway, Selena wrinkled her nose. “You could be right.” “Promise me something else?” “What’s that?” “Seriously think about sleeping with the guy. You desperately need to get laid.”


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Chapter Six

“What’s the goofy grin for?” Damn. Rafe thought he’d managed to banish the stupid thing from his face by the time he got to the office. Obviously not. “I do not have a goofy grin.” Larke laughed. “Have you looked in a mirror lately?” “Very funny. Maybe you should worry less about me, and start worrying more about yourself. Have you checked to see what’s wrong with your vamp radar?” Her gaze clashed with his. “You can’t be saying there was no vampire again last night.” Rafe couldn’t believe he had the same bad news to tell her two hunts in a row. He leaned a hip against her desk. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Larke’s brow furrowed, her mouth pursed. Her entire face was a picture of confusion and disbelief. “But that’s not possible. You must have missed him.” Thinking back to how he’d left the bar to make sure Selena got home, he supposed it was possible. “Maybe.” Larke leaned back in her chair and glared at him. “What happened?” “I had to leave for about an hour.” She snapped forward again. “What?” 48


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“What was I supposed to do? She’d passed out. I couldn’t let her walk home alone in a weakened state like that.” Her eyes narrowed and she leaned towards him. “Now the picture becomes clearer. So, who’s this mysterious ‘she’?” He shrugged nonchalantly. “No one you know.” She got up and walked over to him. “You know, Rafe, no one would like to see you find someone more than me, but people’s lives are at stake here. You know how serious this is. If you don’t catch the vamp, he goes out and kills people.” Anger and guilt warred within him. “You think I don’t know that?” “Normally, I’d say you do. But you let this woman distract you from your target, and now a vamp is out there looking for his next victim because of it.” Her voice wobbled making him feel terrible, but it wasn’t his fault. “I’m telling you he wasn’t there. Something’s wrong with your visions because I’ve never had this much trouble finding a target. The problem’s with you, not me.” Larke pinched the bridge of her nose and then speared him with a look. “I can’t believe this is happening. How’s this even possible?” “I don’t know, but something’s definitely wrong and I don’t see how it could be me. I have too many indicators. Even if my sense of smell is off, I’d spot the evil in their eyes. It has to be your visions.” Temper flared in Larke’s eyes. “Well, I can’t see how it could be my visions. I’m still getting them and they’ve been especially vivid. This doesn’t make any sense.” No, it didn’t, but arguing wasn’t going to get them anywhere. “Sis, we hunt vampires, creatures most people don’t even believe exist. How much sense does that make?” He watched as his pathetic effort to diffuse their argument hit home. After a moment, a half-hearted smile crossed Larke’s face, she nodded, then took a deep breath. “Okay, so what do we do? Passing the buck isn’t getting us anywhere.” “I don’t think either of us is passing the buck, but something’s off and we need to figure out what it is, pronto.”


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Larke sighed. “Agreed. I guess the best place to start is for me to go talk to Dad. He knows the Archives better than any of us. Maybe he’ll have some ideas.” *** After a long night of surveilling some stupid asshole who was cheating on his wife, Rafe wasn’t in a particularly good mood. He stomped back to the office the next day to write up his report and found Larke sitting at her desk looking more than a little worried. When Rafe had taken over as slayer, their father had taken on the role of studying the Slayer Archives, imparting whatever knowledge he could to any out-of-the-ordinary situations that arose. Like the one they were dealing with now. Based on Larke’s expression, things must not have gone too well. “What did he say?” She pursed her lips. “Nothing good.” “Could you be more specific?” “We checked with the Seer’s Crystals. There’s nothing wrong with my visions, Rafe. The problem has to be with you.” “There’s nothing wrong with me. I told you.” She watched him closely as if hoping she could divine what the problem was just by looking at him. “When was the last time you sensed a vamp?” Rafe stopped and thought. “It wasn’t all that long ago. A week or two at the most.” “And when was the last time I had two strong visions in a row without them being true?” “Well…never.” “Exactly.” Shit. Was there something wrong with him? Larke came over and laid her hand on his arm. “I think you’d better go see Dad and talk to him too.” Bloody hell. Just what he needed. Rubbing his forehead, he noted with mounting irritation that he hadn’t even seen his father yet and he could already feel the stress lines

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creasing his brow. Thanks to the old man, he was no doubt going to be prematurely wrinkled. Larke’s soothing voice broke into his thoughts. “This might be serious, Rafe. You need to get past your issues with Dad and talk to him about this.” Issues. What a sanitary word. He almost laughed. Their issues, if you could call them that, weren’t anything that could be talked out or changed. They would never go away, no matter what anyone did. They weren’t even anyone’s fault. It was just the way it was. Regardless of his feelings, Larke was right. If there was something wrong with him or his abilities, they needed to find out right away and deal with it. “Okay, I’ll go.” “Right now?” “Yeah.” She nodded with a strange combination of relief and worry etched on her delicate features, making him wonder what exactly their father had said to her. “Then you’d better hurry. Dad’s waiting for you.” Rafe scowled and turned to leave. “I hate it when you two already know I’m going to give in.” Thirty minutes later, he pulled into the driveway of the old family estate just outside city limits. The Hunter family had lived here for over a century and it was expected that when his parents died he would carry on the family tradition and live here too. Traditions. What a pain in the ass. He didn’t want to carry on anything, but he knew he would. He’d been well trained. And whatever else his father might think of him, he knew that in the end Rafe would do the expected thing. No matter how much he didn’t want to. The only thing Rafe had continued to balk at was getting married and having kids to continue the family line. Not because he didn’t want to settle down, but because he hadn’t found anyone he wanted to settle down with. The problem was, his younger brother, Tristan, was off seeking his own path and Larke was still grieving. Not able to count on the others, all his father could focus on was


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the fact that it was up to Rafe to continue the slayer line. A real bone of contention between them. He cruised up to the house, admiring, as he always did, the ancient oaks lining both sides of the drive, standing as if sentinels of a long-ago time. Despite the swirling montage of feelings surging through him—ranging from nostalgia to resentment—Rafe still managed to love the old place. Memories, both good and bad, passed through his consciousness. Riding his bike down this very drive. Flying a kite for the first time in this yard. His childhood, for the most part, had been good, mundane even. Sprinkled with what were probably your typical garden-variety disagreements with parents due to personality differences, discipline and plain old growing up. Except for one thing. The tiny detail of being raised to be the next slayer. Not to mention everything that went with it. Responsibility. Duty. Tradition. There was that word again. Why couldn’t he have been born into a normal family with a normal heritage and normal traditions to pass down? Your typical things, like whether to have goose or turkey for Christmas? Or whether to open presents Christmas Eve or Day? He parked the car, and his parents were there to greet him before he reached the door. “Rafe, honey, it’s so good to see you. You don’t come round near enough.” Was the ability to instill guilt a gene all mothers carried? He gave her a hug. “Hello, Mother. You’re looking beautiful as ever.” She smiled up at him and latched onto his arm to walk him in. “Son, I’m glad you came.” He nodded at his father. The man hadn’t aged in years, and still had the same military-like bearing and strength he remembered as a child. “Sir.” “Larke told us all about what’s been going on.” “Yeah, she said the Crystals gave her the all clear. I guess that leaves me. Didn’t the Crystals indicate anything about me one way or the other?”

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His father led the way to the study. “Larke asked but it was inconclusive.” “What do you think that means?” His father stopped and looked directly at him. “It must mean something but I don’t know what. I’ve been looking up anything that might apply here, but there’s not much to go on.” “Have any other slayer’s ever lost their abilities?” His father shook his head. “There’s no record of it, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Have you noticed any decrease in your strength and agility?” Rafe walked over to the mini fridge in the corner and grabbed himself a bottle of water. “Nope. And my night vision is still excellent.” “So, the only thing that might be affected is your actual ability to sense a vampire.” Rafe took a welcome swig of cold water. “Don’t you think I’d be able to tell if something was off?” “Maybe, maybe not.” “That’s helpful. Aside from being within range of a vampire, is there any way to test this out?” “There’s just one thing I can think of, although it’s never been done before that I know of.” Rafe sat across from his parents. “And what would that be?” “The Seer’s Crystals.” Rafe jumped back up as if he’d sat on a tack and started pacing. “You can’t be serious.” “I know it’s risky, but I’ve been thinking about this and I’m reasonably certain it’d be safe enough.” Risky. Talk about an understatement. “You’re reasonably certain? Well, hell. That’s not good enough for me.” In typical Hunter fashion, his father was all about the slaying. Nothing else mattered except tradition and doing your duty, and if something interfered with that, then it had to be fixed. No matter what. And pronto.


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His mother came over to him and stopped his pacing. “Your father and I have been talking this through, and the wording of the text could be interpreted to mean the slayer as well as the visionary.” “I thought you at least would be more cautious, Mother. That’s an awfully big chance you two are willing to take with my life.” “We’re not taking this lightly, Rafe. Not at all. We wouldn’t let you do it if we didn’t think your father’s theory was sound.” His father nodded in agreement. “The text says, ‘Only those with gift of sight, can see the clearness of the light. Be not one to gander deep, lest loved ones will ye leave to weep.’” “Yeah, I know what it says. You warned me often enough when I was growing up that only Larke could use the Crystals. Even as a curious youngster I wasn’t stupid enough to take a chance with my life, so I always kept my distance.” “You were always such a good boy.” His father’s bark of laughter startled them both. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same son, Eloise?” She waved her hand in his direction. “Stop that. You know very well Rafe got into trouble just to goad you.” Rafe marveled at his mother’s perception. “The text states that only the one with gift of sight can use the Crystals. That’s definitely not me. No visions are lurking anywhere in my head.” He watched his father who was now in full professor mode. “But think about it. You have a different kind of sight. You can ‘see’ vampires. Not everyone has that ability. Only slayers. So you do have a gift of sight as well. It’s just different than Larke’s.” He couldn’t fault his father’s logic, but still… “That’s pretty shaky reasoning. Has any other slayer ever tried this?” “Not that I know of for certain, but when Larke used the Crystals to see if there was something off with her visions, I had her ask if the slayer could use them too.” Startled, Rafe watched his father. “And the Crystals indicated I could?”

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His mother started fidgeting. “Not quite a direct answer, but they definitely gave a positive sign.” “I see.” This was an unexpected turn of events. After avoiding the Crystals his entire life, it would be pretty damned funny if he had just as much right to use them as Larke did. His mother prodded his father. “Tell him the rest, Etienne.” “After Larke left I remembered something I’d read a long time ago. It never registered before because I was always so positive using the Crystals was restricted to the first-born daughters and thus the visionaries in the family. But I got to thinking, why doesn’t the text use gender? It doesn’t say ‘she’, it says ‘those’, which could refer to male or female and as we all know, the first-born daughters are always the visionaries and the first-born sons are always the slayers, so why the ambiguous reference? While I was pondering that, something else came back to mind.” “What’s that?” “Over a hundred years ago, our family line almost came to an end. During that generation, the family only had one son. There was no daughter who could help the slayer find vampires with her visions, or by consulting the Crystals for him.” “That made his job a lot harder, but I don’t see how it applies here.” “All indications in the family history show he was just as prolific with finding and killing vampires as any other slayer has been. Without being able to rely on visions to help him, how would he have accomplished that?” Okay, that was interesting. “You think he might have used the Crystals to help him find vamps?” “It’s the only logical conclusion.” “He may simply have been an exceptional slayer.” “Maybe, but the more I reason on this, the more I don’t feel that’s the case. I think he used those Crystals to help him find his quarry.” Rafe got up. He needed time to mull this over. It wasn’t that easy to toss aside a lifetime of viewing things a certain way. “This is all very interesting and may very well


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be true, but I don’t think I’m ready to risk my life on it just yet. If Larke gets another vision and I don’t find the vamp, then I’ll consider it.” His parents stood too. “Just don’t leave it any longer than that, son. Every time you fail, more people die.” “I know. But if I die trying to use the Crystals, that will only leave you with Tristan to take my place. Do we really want to risk that?” *** Rafe headed straight back to the office, hoping to run everything past Larke. No wonder she’d looked so concerned before he left. She was worried about this cockamamie idea their father had of him trying to use the Crystals. He was pretty damned worried himself, but hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. “You’re back!” Larke launched herself at him and squeezed him so tight his eyes about popped out of his head. He hugged her back. “Why wouldn’t I be?” “This whole scheme of Dad’s terrified me. But you’re here so he must have been right.” “Not exactly.” “What do you mean?” “I refused to test Father’s theory.” She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. “What was Dad’s reaction to that?” “Fine. Basically, I told him I’m not willing to gamble my life on what could just be a coincidence. If it happens a third time, then I’ll think about it.” She sighed. “I hoped you were going to say you’d figured out another way.” “Afraid not.” “Well, we’re going to find out real soon.” Rafe’s head whipped up. “You had another vision already?” She nodded. “Yes.” “When do I go on the hunt?”

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“Tonight.” “Damn it. I have a date tonight.” “You’ll have to cancel it.” After everything he’d gone through to get Selena to agree to a date, he couldn’t believe his cursed bad luck. His sister continued. “On the bright side, at least you’ll get to eat this time. At your favorite restaurant even.” His gaze shot to hers. It couldn’t be. It simply wasn’t possible. But it was. Because both siblings, one with certainty and the other with disbelief, said the restaurant’s name in unison. “Stelladora’s.”


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Chapter Seven

Selena hated the full moon. It hadn’t always been that way. As a child, she’d loved it, often going to great lengths to see it. Well, to her child’s mind they’d felt like great lengths. Like sneaking out of bed when her parents had closed up for the night. Seeing how far she could get before a floorboard creaked, or some other sound seemed loud enough to wake them, sending her scurrying back to bed for fear of being caught. One time, when the balmy summer night had beckoned, she’d actually managed to sneak all the way outside and had basked in the full moon’s glow for what seemed like hours. It was funny to think on it now, but getting outside had felt like such a huge accomplishment. Certainly it had been an adventure. She couldn’t remember any more what the real fascination had been. Maybe it was the stories she’d read about the man on the moon. Maybe it was the way it lit everything with an opalescent light that made even the simplest things look mysterious and enchanting at the same time. Or maybe it was just an excuse to do something daring. Whatever it was, once she’d discovered what looked like the face of a man etched on that gloriously luminescent surface, she’d spent hours gazing upon it. Even talking and sharing secrets with it like an old friend. 58


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Back then, she’d preferred the moon to the sun for a number of reasons. For one thing, you couldn’t stare at the sun without eventually going blind, but you could stare at the moon for hours on end and nothing bad happened to you. Add to that the fact she’d always burned so easily. The whole summer she’d work hard to try to get some color, but her pale skin had never tanned well. She was more likely to look like an overcooked lobster long before she’d ever get that healthy glow everyone else seemed to gain so effortlessly. Maybe it was prophetic. It was certainly ironic. Here she was, all these years later, unable to go out in the sun without literally burning up. And the only luminary in the sky she could enjoy was the moon. Despite all that, she still hated the full moon. Not because of how it looked, but because of what it represented for her now. Feeding time. You’d have thought she’d be used to it after all these years of months, each with its own full moon. But no, she would never get used to it. She hated feeding time. There was nothing good about it. It was nothing more than a reminder of what she was. Unfortunately, there was no way to avoid it, and heaven knew she’d tried. If she didn’t feed during the full moon, she became very ill—short-tempered, weak, nauseous and mean. She supposed it was much the same as a human. If they didn’t eat, the same thing happened to them and if it went on long enough, it eventually led to their death. Not commonly known though, was that a vampire not feeding also led to its death. It wasn’t, however, a very practical way to kill one. Which was no doubt the reason it never seemed to make its way into folklore as an effective method of termination. You heard about stakes through the heart, fire, sunlight and beheading. Those were much more practical and immediate ways for ridding yourself of a pesky vampire. But a little known fact was that if a vampire ever wanted to commit suicide, not feeding would be a way to accomplish the deed. Not a particularly viable one though. Especially since most of them were death-dealing feeding machines. The need to survive


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was as strong, if not stronger, in a vampire than in a human, and the urge to feed was so powerful it never became an issue. Except for Selena. An issue was exactly what it had become for her. One she almost hadn’t survived. If not for Anne, she didn’t know what she would have done. She tried not to believe she would have become the murderous monster other vampires were, but she didn’t know for certain. She was just grateful she’d never had to find out. To be truthful, she wasn’t even sure the monthly feeding thing applied to other vampires, or if it was limited to her. It wouldn’t be the first thing that made her different from other vampires. Selena pushed away from the window, not wanting to look at that fully illuminated portend of despised needs anymore. She didn’t want to think about what its current phase meant either, but she had no choice. She headed into the kitchen and opened the fridge. There, nestled inside their nondescript little packets, was something Anne had invented just for her. Surprisingly small for something that had such a huge impact on her life, they looked strange in their sterile, hermetically-sealed packaging. Like something from a sci-fi movie. Certainly not something that belonged in the fridge of a mythic creature. She reached in and took out a packet, it’s cold, clammy feel somehow appropriate for what it substituted and symbolized—something she hated needing and relying on so desperately. Its creation was a godsend though. Being both a chemist, and her best friend, Anne had been in the perfect position to help Selena when they’d realized she’d been turned into a vampire. Anne knew that blood—any kind of blood, but especially human blood— was guaranteed to make Selena pass out. Not a very auspicious foundation for a thriving vampire. Although they hadn’t known at the time, Anne had only had a month to try to come up with some kind of substitute for Selena. At first, she’d worked on it in her spare time, but as it became obvious Selena was getting weaker and weaker, she’d taken all her

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vacation time off work and spent every waking moment she could on the self-imposed task. And she’d succeeded. Barely. Because once they’d passed the full moon, they’d known the time was very short. Anne had come up with one concoction after another for Selena to try. None of them had worked. And Selena almost hadn’t made it. But Anne had come through for her, and Selena owed her everything, right down to a life that was worth living because she didn’t have to kill other living things in order to survive. She reached into the fridge again and pulled out a bottle of vegetable cocktail, poured some into a blender along with the priceless, life-giving contents of the packet and buzzed it until it was well mixed. There was something distinctly humorous about using a rich, blood-red, tomatobased juice for this monthly ritual. The symbolism appealed to Selena. As well as the fact that it hid the taste better than any fruit juice she’d tried. She poured the mixture into a tall glass, in an effort to make it look more appealing, and raised it high towards the moon in salute. “To Anne. May she live the long, rich and rewarding life she deserves.” Selena took a couple of deep breaths to fortify herself, then plugged her nose and downed the foul-tasting cocktail as fast as she could, trying not to gag when it hit the back of her tongue. The cold, bitter brew slid down her throat, almost choking her, leaving in its wake a horrendous aftertaste that utterly defied description. She slammed the glass down just as her taste buds reared up and shuddered their disapproval of her choice of beverage. The powerful reaction almost shook her teeth loose with its sheer violence. Once the shudders stopped, she took another deep breath and held it for as long as she could before slowly releasing it. There. It was done. She was free for another month, until the next full moon loomed overhead.


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Free of phase one, at least. She headed for the bedroom and set her teeth, preparing for the onslaught of physical reactions that always coursed through her body afterwards. What she fondly referred to as phase two—the aftereffects. The aftereffects weren’t truly terrible. At least, not as terrible as drinking blood would be. Nor were they horrifying, like taking a life would be. They were tolerable because the reactions weren’t inflicted on anyone else. They were limited to her. She could endure the sweats, debilitating nausea, often violent shaking. The only positive was that they ended in a rush of adrenalin that made her feel unbelievably vital and alive. She often wondered if drinking actual blood would minimize some of the unpleasant aftereffects, such as the nausea and shaking, but she wasn’t willing to try it to find out. Nor was she going to ask another vampire to find out. She went out of her way to avoid them. It was quite possible the nasty aftereffects were because she only fed once a month when she absolutely had to, rather than all throughout the month like most vampires did. Or maybe it was because it was a chemical compound rather than the real deal. She’d never know for sure. And she was fine with that, as long as it meant she could survive without killing. Now that the deed was done, she heaved a great sigh of relief. She didn’t know why she always felt relieved since the not-fun aftereffects were yet to come, but she always did. Once they had passed, the only other thing she had to worry about was phase three— the next twenty-four hours or so. She supposed it went hand-in-hand with feeding, no doubt because of the fresh surge of energy and life that permeated every cell of her being. Besides the actual feeding and subsequent aftereffects, this was the hardest thing for her to endure. The overwhelming, all-encompassing, mind-consuming urge for sex. Lots and lots of sex. It was all she could think about while awake, all she dreamt of while she slept. And it was exhausting.

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Mostly because she’d been fighting that urge, not allowing herself to give in to it because she didn’t trust herself, her judgment or men since Ambrose. In fact, in the name of caution she always stayed in her apartment during this period of super-heightened sexual urges. It was the one way she could be sure she wouldn’t be tempted to pick up any convenient guy in close proximity for a night or two of wild sex. But Rafe had caught her off-guard with his sexy voice and seductive manner, and the other night she hadn’t been thinking with enough clarity to remember Friday was the full moon. If she had, she would have turned down his dinner invitation. Not that he would have taken an answer of no easily, if at all, but she might at least have been able to put him off for a couple of days. Unfortunately, she’d been off kilter and pretty much not thinking. It didn’t help that he’d just kissed her senseless either. Now here she was, tonight of all nights, going out with Rafe. The one man she was having an agonizing time resisting anyway. A fleeting and traitorously tempting thought crossed her mind. For once it might be fun to be exhausted from copious hours of sex with Rafe rather than from fighting her overwhelming sexual urges.


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Chapter Eight

Stelladora’s was packed, but still managed to feel intimate, with cozy booths and lush plants that gave the illusion of privacy. Soft background music muffled the sounds of the other diners, adding to the romantic ambience. And Selena looked incredible. She wore a slinky little barely-there red dress that showed off every delectable inch of her perfect body. Lush, pert breasts above a beautifully curved waist, ending in a full, firm behind his hands itched to hold. The four-inch heels made her already long, shapely legs look never-ending, and when he’d seated her at the table, he caught a crotch-twitching glimpse of the lacy top of her stockings. She wore the kind that stayed up all on their own, sans garter. Picturing her with nothing on but those stockings and fuck-me stilettos had given him an instant hard-on that made sitting a challenge, and very, very uncomfortable. He couldn’t get over how everything about her was his fantasy come to life, and it was almost enough to make him forget Larke’s vision and what it meant with regards to Selena. Almost. “Is something wrong?” 64


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He pulled his mind away from pondering the strange coincidence of Selena that might not be a coincidence at all. Time to settle his attention back on the beautiful woman across from him. “No, why do you ask?” “You keep looking at me kind of funny.” He’d better watch himself. He thought he was hiding his suspicions well, but obviously he’d been studying her too closely. Relaxing his muscles, he gave her what he hoped was his most charming smile. “I’m sitting across from the most beautiful woman in the room. Of course, I’m looking at you.” Selena scoffed. “You’re so full of crap, but thanks anyway.” He chuckled and shook his head at her unexpected comment. Any other woman would have been preening, or at least taken the comment as her due. But not Selena. One day he was going to have to teach her just how beautiful she was. And when that day came, he’d delight in showing her every last thing he found beautiful about her. For now, he’d let the comment go and try to focus on the time-honored ritual of eating food. He could fantasize about feasting on the woman later in his lonesome bed, because he was positive he’d be sleeping alone tonight. “So, what are you in the mood for?” Her head snapped up from studying the menu, and she blushed as if she’d been thinking of something naughty. It was a ridiculous notion, of course, but just thinking about the possibilities of what might be flitting through her lovely mind was enough to set his semi-erect penis to throbbing. This was going to be a very long meal. Whatever she’d been contemplating, he couldn’t deny her mind seemed elsewhere. Her tongue traced her bottom lip, and she looked as if she’d just consumed something delicious. When she still hadn’t answered him, he indicated the menu. “You know. Food. Drink. Dessert.” She blinked and laughed nervously. “Oh, that.” Glancing back at the menu, she said, “I’m still trying to decide. Everything looks so tempting—” she glanced back up and took in every inch of him she could see across the table “—I want to eat everything in sight.”


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Rafe offered up a silent prayer she was talking about something other than food. Like maybe him. Selena held his gaze a moment longer before she blushed again and looked back at the menu. What on earth was going on? Was she flirting with him? It seemed so unlike her, at least it was new to him. Up until now he’d pretty much done all the flirting and she’d always quite neatly sidestepped all his advances or pushed him away. Well, except for that dance the other night and that had been fleeting at best. But this was a side of her he’d never seen before. And damned if he didn’t like it. Maybe too much. He didn’t quite understand where all the blushes fit into things though. She was dressed like a temptress, flirting like a seductress and blushing like a virgin. A very unusual combination. Captivating. Intriguing. And sexy as hell. Their waiter came, took their drink order and returned with the basket of breadsticks Selena had requested. As soon as he left, she grabbed one and started nibbling on it. Lovingly, and with devoted precision, she savored it in a way that could only be called sensual. Rafe watched with enthralled fascination as she put the end of the cigar-shaped breadstick in her mouth, sucking off the baked-on coarse salt, ending the ritual by daintily nipping off the end with her sharp little teeth. He flinched. Watching her, he could all too easily picture something else in her mouth, something that was screaming for mercy in his pants right now. The erotic image had him so turned inside out he broke out in a cold sweat. If she was teasing him, he’d make sure she paid. Trouble was that thought simply tortured him further as he went over the various pleasurable things he could do that would have her begging for mercy. He couldn’t stop the wicked grin he knew flashed across his face. Selena stopped chewing on her breadstick and her eyes opened wide in query. “What?”

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He tried to look innocent, but knew he’d failed when her pupils dilated and she blushed yet again. He scrounged for something innocuous to say, came up with nothing and settled on the truth. “I was thinking of how cute you look when you’re chewing on something.” She burst out laughing so loud several of the other diners looked their way. “Now I know you’re full of it.” “I knew you wouldn’t understand. It feeds into men’s fantasies.” She froze, then swallowed. “Fantasies?” Her voice literally squeaked. “Oh yeah.” She searched his face and he could almost see her brain working. “I don’t get it.” “You have this very sexy habit of always having something-or-other in your mouth. Up to now, it’s been a swizzle stick. But tonight, seeing your lips wrapped around that rather phallic-looking breadstick is putting some pretty wild thoughts in my head.” She looked at the half-chewed breadstick in her hand for a long, silent moment. Turning a bright, fiery red, she glanced up at him, then back down again. “Oh.” “Never even crossed your mind, did it?” Quickly placing the breadstick on her plate as if she’d been caught doing something wrong, she shook her head. “No.” He was sorry he’d said anything. Even if her unconscious actions were driving him crazy, he didn’t want her to stop. And if she was at long last flirting with him, he didn’t want her to stop that either. Chuckling, Rafe placed his hand over hers. “Don’t worry about it. I told you, it’s a guy thing.” Her eyes flashed to his and in the instant before she looked away, he could have sworn he saw heat flare in their depths. Maybe it wasn’t only a guy thing after all. And just like that, his mind crashed back into the gutter he’d been struggling to get out of since he’d picked her up.


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He wondered if the sexy outfit and flirty manner weren’t unconscious at all, but rather Selena’s attempt to seduce him. If they were, he had a news flash for her—when it came to her extremely sexy self, he was a sure thing. Hell, he hadn’t done anything other than fantasize about her for days now. A wayward thought jumped into his mind. Maybe it was the hormone overdrive that was interfering with his vamp-scoping abilities. Now there was an interesting theory. Although they hadn’t conclusively determined if the fault lay with him or with Larke. Still it was something to consider. At the very least, it could very well have contributed to his recent failure to spot vamps. His brain was probably on overload thinking about the down-and-dirty things he’d like to do to Selena. It was especially possible since he’d never been this obsessed with any woman before. And speaking of vamps, he still hadn’t sensed any in the restaurant. Not a good sign. Was his sister right? Did the problem lie with him and not Larke after all? Fool that he was, he’d all but promised his family he would test out those Crystals if he didn’t find his target tonight. He’d been so sure it wasn’t him, that he’d find the vamp this time, but it wasn’t looking good. Especially if Selena was the vamp in question. He was sitting close enough to touch her and there weren’t any evil vibes coming off her that he could sense. And tonight was the full moon. Vamps would be feeding for sure. He studied Selena again. Not at all a hardship, since he could look at her all night. She was so beautiful, so ethereal, all he wanted to do was lay her on the nearest flat surface and worship her body as it deserved to be worshiped. Maybe she had something to do with vamps, maybe she didn’t. But even though she was the only constant on all three nights, he still couldn’t make himself believe it. It wasn’t possible. He was sure he’d be able to tell somehow. Well, if he was going to have to risk his life on those damned Crystals, then he was for damn sure going to go out with a bang. And the only woman he wanted to bang was sitting across from him yet again fiddling with that damned breadstick.

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Selena nibbled on her breadstick with intense concentration. She couldn’t stop herself. Somehow, chewing on things helped calm her. And calm was something she was desperate to achieve because it was about the last thing she was feeling. She was on fire with lust and couldn’t believe what Rafe had just said to her. Did he know how much she craved to taste him? To run her hands over the smooth, hard planes of his body, and explore every part of him that was hidden beneath clothes? Those parts of him she’d been fantasizing about all night? She was very much afraid he did. It was no doubt emblazoned on her face like a blinking billboard. Anne always said she sucked at poker and her sexual urges were just too strong tonight for her to be able to play it cool, no matter how hard she tried. She should never have come. She knew that, but she’d fooled herself into believing she could control herself out in public. Actually lied to herself so she could see him again. It wasn’t helping that a part of her was tired of fighting these urges. She longed to just give in to them. Slake her hunger for carnal pleasures all over the delectable person of Rafe Hunter. He’d be willing, she was sure of it. So why was she fighting it? Because she didn’t trust him, or her strong feelings towards him. It was those very kinds of strong feelings that had led to her downfall. To her life as a vampire. A tiny voice inside asked what could possibly happen to her that would be as bad as what had already happened. She couldn’t imagine anything worse. Problem was she’d never dreamed this could happen to her either, and it had. Who knew what other unknown things were out there she could fall victim to? One thing was for certain, she didn’t want to find out. So, fight the urges she must. “They make the best lasagna here.” Rafe’s voice broke into her thoughts. “I think I’ll have that. How about you?” Selena pulled her mind back to the present. “Sounds good to me.” Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only thing that sounded good to her. In fact, feasting on Rafe sounded just about perfect.


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Chapter Nine

The entire evening was pretty much a blur. Selena had expended most of her energies fighting the ever-growing urge to jump Rafe’s bones right there in the restaurant. She couldn’t even remember what she’d eaten. Her only real memories were more like impressions than anything else. A series of still-photo images—Rafe laughing at something she’d said, the wicked grin that periodically flashed across his handsome features, or the erotic sight of his firm lips surrounding his fork with pure delight as he savored the food before him. To say sex was the pervading thing on her mind was putting it mildly. It was amazing she could even remember those images because her concentration was shot. Anything that didn’t pertain to sex, sex and more sex just didn’t compute right now, and the sight of Rafe’s sexy lips surrounding that lucky fork returned again and again. It was enough to send the heat rushing to her face, and every other sensitive part of her body, every single time. She felt more vital and alive tonight than she could ever remember. And the more she thought about sex with Rafe, the less she could remember why she shouldn’t sleep with him. 70


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Was there anything of true importance keeping her from doing it? More and more the answer was no. And she couldn’t decide if it was her out-ofcontrol libido talking, or if she was actually beginning to like Rafe. To say nothing of the ever-present, off-the-charts, sheer lust she felt for him. By the time they were standing on her doorstep, she couldn’t muster one single reason why she shouldn’t throw herself at him. Even her mind was screaming yes, and her hormones had long ago gone way past screaming, straight to rabid chanting. “I guess this is goodnight.” Selena, still fixated on his sexy lips, mostly noted they’d moved without really hearing what they’d said. “What?” There went the wicked grin again. “I was saying goodnight, but that isn’t what I want to say. I don’t think it’s what you want me to say either.” She swallowed. Dare she ask? Her blood pounded the answer in her ears. Yes. Yes. Yes. “What do you want to say?” He leaned in closer, his lips just a hair’s breadth away, tickling hers as they formed the words, “Invite me in and find out.” Before she could answer, Rafe’s mouth slammed into hers, tasting and licking, completely devouring, totally draining the miniscule objection that had remained. Who was she kidding? Any objections she’d had were meaningless, and she’d long since talked herself out of them. She’d wanted this from the moment she’d first heard his voice sizzling along her senses several days ago. Her fears had raged against it, but she’d always known this was where they were headed, and she no longer wanted to fight it. She wanted to revel in it. She wanted to drown her senses—her entire being, everything she had—in this man. Was she terrified? Absolutely. But she was beyond letting fear rule her now. The call of the full moon, combined with her monthly feed, had finally won out over her fears. Rafe was the right man, in the right place, at the right time. Tonight she would give over to her desires. Tonight she would allow her deepest yearnings to surface.


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Tonight she would fuck both of their brains out. “Come in.” The words whispered past her lips before she even knew she was going to say them, and they both knew she meant more than just “come in” to her apartment. The invitation was much more intimate than that. Heated fire flashed through Rafe’s eyes. Without hesitation, he stepped past her into the apartment, pulling her after him. “Those were the words I wanted to hear.” He leaned back against the wall and cradled her between his legs. Settling her where she could feel his erection, letting her feel exactly how much he desired her. Heat suffused Selena’s entire being. If the long, hard length of him nudging her soft, yielding belly was any indication, she was in for the night of her life. Suddenly impatient, she couldn’t wait for him to take the lead. It was her turn to show him what she hungered for. Rocking against him, her soul drank in the groan he exhaled. Ahhh. This is much better. She needed to be the one in control. She craved to unleash the raging masculine power Rafe possessed, to mold and use it for their mutual pleasure. Selena looked long and deep into his eyes and saw he knew exactly what she desired. Saw he was more than willing to let her have it. And that was the most exciting realization of all. With shaking fingers, she undid the buttons on his shirt, licking her lips at each new glimpse of flesh she revealed. The man was perfect, like the statue of David. She leaned in and brushed her lips across the taut skin. Satiny steel, salty sweet. Perfect. She skimmed the tip of her nose across his nipples, taking in his scent, and then licked each one, watching as they hardened from her ministrations. Another throaty groan told her just how much she was getting to him. As did his now-throbbing erection. Still he held back. Let her control the pace. The thought flashed through her mind he was the exact opposite of Ambrose. The two were nothing alike, which kicked up her confidence even more. Rafe chuckled. “You enjoying yourself?”

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A smiled toyed at the corner of her mouth. “Yes. Are you?” She punctuated the question by running her hand down his abs, only hesitating for a split-second before continuing the journey past his waistband to settle on the prominent bulge behind his fly. He growled and surged into her hand. “You have to ask?” She couldn’t believe how free she felt and flushed from the sheer joy of it. “I guess I’m not one to take things for granted.” “Let’s not leave you guessing.” In a flash, her laid-back conquest reverted to the true conqueror he was, taking her mouth in a searing kiss that left her in no doubt as to how he was feeling. His tongue swept into her mouth, tasted her as thoroughly as if she were a delicacy to be savored. A hot, deep kiss like nothing she’d ever experienced before and would probably never experience again. His mouth lifted from hers, just long enough for him to search her eyes. Looking for what? Acceptance, acquiescence, assurance, something else? She wasn’t sure, but he must have found what he sought because his mouth plundered hers once more. But he wasn’t just taking. He gave her more pleasure in that one kiss than she’d ever received from anyone. Melting into Rafe’s embrace, Selena gloried in the sensual overload he rained upon her. His unique taste and masculine scent all melded together with his strength and physical magnificence. She could die right this moment knowing she’d never find another man as perfect for her in every way as Rafe. Something about him set everything inside her to blazing, and somehow she knew to the very fiber of her being he was the only one who ever would. If tonight was all there would ever be between them, she’d still be forever grateful they’d met and had this time together. Pulling away from him, she stepped back, watching him take in every inch of her. She’d never felt sexier, nor more desired, than she did at this very moment.


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As if in a dream, she reached for the hem of her dress. In one fluid movement she gathered up the silky fabric and inched it past her hips, her breasts and finally over her head to let it drip carelessly from her fingertips and pool on the floor. Selena searched Rafe’s face, hoping he approved of what he saw. His breath caught, his pupils dilated and a red slash across his cheeks assured her he did, making her feel sexy, risqué, playful. And horny as hell. Her voice dropped to a sultry timbre. “Like what you see?” His dumbfounded nod confirmed that every penny she’d paid for her sexy lingerie was worth it. “Good.” Reaching out, she took his hand, their gazes locked with an intensity that astounded her. Not breaking eye contact, walking backwards, she led him oh-so-seductively to the bedroom, reveling in his indrawn breath when she turned into the room and he caught a glimpse of her skimpy thong. Yup, power was a wonderful thing.

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Chapter Ten

Rafe had never been this hard in his life. If he didn’t get his pants off soon, he was sure his cock would explode right through the tough denim material. Even in the shadowy light from a corner floor lamp, the sight of Selena’s glorious ass exposed in that sexy thong almost sent him over the edge. It left him eternally grateful he’d managed not to embarrass himself by coming before he’d even undressed. Standing there watching as she turned back around to face him, he had just one thing on his mind, and strangely it wasn’t just to get in her pants. Now that the moment was here, he was determined to drive her out of her mind with pleasure first. Then, and only then, would he allow himself the release he craved, no matter how much he wanted to just bury himself in her lush body. Every move she made was enticing, alluring, arousing. Selena stopped by the bed and seductively unhooked the front clasp of her bra, first letting the straps skim down her arms and then allowing the bra to fall to the floor. Her luscious breasts sprang free of their confinement and his heart stopped, quickly racing forward again, nearly pounding clear through his chest at the glorious sight before him. She was even more beautiful than he’d imagined. Her full breasts tipped with ripe, dusky nipples he ached to taste, fondle and kiss. www.samhainpublishing.com

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His breath caught and held when she skimmed the thong down her long, shapely legs and kicked it aside. Just when he thought it couldn’t get any better, Selena draped herself across the bed. Completely naked, completely welcoming, completely his for the taking. Rafe fought the urge to pinch himself to be sure he wasn’t dreaming. She was so much more than he could ever have imagined, and he forced himself to breathe. Taking slow, deliberate steps towards her, he leaned forward and skimmed his fingers along her body from creamy shoulder to alabaster thigh. “You do know murder is against the law.” She blinked. “What?” “You are so beautiful. Too beautiful for mortal man. My heart almost stopped dead at seeing you like this.” “You think I’m beautiful?” While shucking his unbuttoned shirt, he nodded. “Oh yeah.” A wondrous smile lit her face. “Then what are you waiting for?” As if he’d subconsciously been waiting for her signal, he sped into high gear and removed the rest of his clothing. As he stood there naked, her gaze roved up and down his body making everything inside him heat up and swell unbearably. Her eyes widened when they settled on his throbbing cock. “Like what you see?” He saw the glimmer of a smile behind her eyes, acknowledging he’d echoed her words. She licked her lips and nodded, a small grin kicking up the corner of her lush mouth. “Then what are you waiting for?” Without hesitation, she took him up on his invitation, surging to her knees, reaching out and grasping his length in her gentle fingers, cupping his balls as if measuring their weight. “I thought you’d never ask.” Selena leaned down and rolled her tongue around the bulbous tip of his cock, toying with him until he thought he’d go mad or collapse to his knees. Just when he was ready to

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start begging, she took him into her mouth. The exquisite sensation of her hot, moist mouth surrounding him, coupled with the visual of seeing her deep red lips encompassing his engorged cock, almost did him in. He’d been fantasizing about this ever since he’d first seen her toying with that swizzle stick. Ever since he’d first laid eyes on Selena, in point of fact. From that first moment, he’d instinctively known she was the sexiest woman he’d ever met. But the reality was far more than what he could have imagined. More engaging. More intense. More everything. He had to fight the urge to start pumping into her mouth. She felt so good as she sucked and savored him, working her magic up and down the entire throbbing length of him. But there was no way he was going to last like this, and he wanted to come in her hot, sweet pussy, not her mouth. He pulled out and she pouted in complaint. “I’m not done yet.” A wicked laugh rumbled out of him. “No, you’re not.” “What have you got in mind?” Her immediate bright-eyed interest had him grinning like a fool. “Wait and see.” Taking her by the shoulders, he laid her back on the bed, and knelt in front of her, taking a moment to simply drink in the sight of her all splayed out in front of him like a feast for a king. Since meeting her, he’d dreamt of seeing her like this, had hoped it would happen. No, he’d more than just hoped, he’d willed it to happen, but he wasn’t the type to take anything for granted. As much as he’d wanted this, she had to want it as much, or more, than he did or it never would have happened. Her desire had to be as great as his. He would settle for nothing less. Rafe skimmed his hands down the outside of her legs and back up the inside, gently spreading her legs further and further apart. She shuddered, her breath caught, and by the time his fingers were only an inch away from her already moist pussy, he could see she was incredibly wet and ready for him. He leaned forward and trailed kisses along the


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inside of her thighs, tasting and nipping her silky skin, working his way up to where his hands now rested. “Lift up for me.” When she complied, he grabbed a pillow and placed it under her so she was even more open to him. “Spread your legs wider.” Her hesitation was endearing, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer. He positioned her himself, spreading her wider and wider until her pretty little pussy was fully exposed to his hungry eyes. “Perfect.” Selena giggled. Her uncertainty obvious and adorable. “I’ll bet you say that to all the girls.” Slowly shaking his head back and forth, his gaze still fixed on her beautiful sex, he said, “Not even close.” Breathing deeply of the intoxicating scent of her arousal, he only hesitated long enough to murmur, “Enough talk.” She tasted exquisite. Like sweet, ripe fruit. Her little moans of bliss and cries of ecstasy fed his desire like nothing else could, making him feel powerful. Invincible. And so hard he had to fight the urge to just plunge his throbbing cock into her tight, moist heat in one mighty thrust. But he was determined she’d come at least once before he’d allow himself that particular piece of heaven. Needing to be inside her in some way, he gently worked one finger, then two, into her, moving them in and out in imitation of what he wanted to do with his cock. Continuing that movement, Rafe concentrated his attention on the nubbin that gave her the most pleasure, sensing the tension in her building higher and higher until the tell-tale fluttering started and her breath caught and held. When she screamed her release he removed his fingers and gave her clit a final kiss before working his way back up her delectable body. He only tarried long enough to tongue her adorable navel before moving on to lavish kisses on her pebbled nipples. Taking the ripe flesh into his mouth he laved and suckled to his heart’s content. She was so soft and luscious, he could kiss her breasts all day, loving the contrast of her soft flesh and hard nipples against his tongue.

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However, Selena had other ideas. She started squirming again, trying to get his attention. “Please. I need you. Deep inside me. Now.” He lifted his head and took in her flushed face and shining eyes. Was there ever a more beautiful sight? He doubted it. Selena begging him to fuck her was something he’d dreamt of, craved even, but the reality sent a sharp, piercing stab to his heart. He wasn’t quite sure what the feeling meant, but it almost made him come right then and there. Rafe threw on the condom he’d snagged from his wallet, surged forward and plunged into her wet, inviting body, surprised and thrilled to find her so tight. It was almost too much. Too intense, too perfect. Her tight core squeezed him, milked him, causing beads of perspiration to break out on his brow. He needed to slow down or this would be over way too fast. To distract himself and give her time to adjust to his body’s invasion he stopped moving and said, “Either it’s been a long time or your last lover wasn’t much to write home about.” She turned her dreamy gaze toward him and seemed to have great difficulty in understanding him. “What?” He loved the way her little forehead crinkled up when she was perplexed and couldn’t resist dropping a kiss there. “I’m surprised at how tight you are.” Selena finally focused on him and smiled ruefully. “You want to talk? Now?” “You’re too sexy. I need the distraction.” She chuckled. “Okay. Well, let’s just say it’s been a while.” Now his curiosity was well and truly caught. A gorgeous woman like Selena could have any man she wanted. If she’d been celibate, it had been by choice. “How long’s it been?” “From how I feel right now, way too long.” Her inner muscles squeezed him again, and he fought the urge to start thrusting. But when he didn’t move, she took charge of things and undulated her hips, rocking against him, causing fireworks to burst behind his eyes. Or maybe that was his brain exploding from sheer ecstasy.


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He didn’t need any more encouragement. He met her thrust for thrust, the intensity building at an incredible rate. Before he knew it, he was teetering on the very edge again, fighting to make it last, to give her as much pleasure as she was giving him, determined to make her come once more before he let go. Thrusting for all he was worth, he felt her inner muscles contracting. He couldn’t believe how soon her spasms had started again. She was so damned sexy. He’d wanted to take things slow for Selena’s sake, but there was just no way. Maybe next time, once the edge was off. Right now his balls felt so hard they were probably blue, and he just couldn’t hold off any longer. She was far too tempting and he desperately needed the relief. With one last deep thrust, he let go and came long and hard, his seed filling the condom, draining him physically and mentally like he’d never felt drained before. He collapsed on top of her, but quickly shifted to alleviate some of his weight. Even as he tried to catch his breath, he knew an instant of regret she couldn’t become pregnant from their joining. Startled by the ludicrous thought, he knew for a certainty he’d lost his mind. He rolled away from her and got out of bed, needing to distance himself from the frightening direction his thoughts were taking. Once in the bathroom he disposed of the condom, washed up and leaned on the counter looking in the mirror without seeing himself. He barely knew this woman. At the same time he felt as if he’d known her forever, or in another life. As if they’d always been meant for each other and had only now found each other. Ridiculous thought, one he’d have teased his sentimental sister for coming up with, but there it was in his brain. Like a neon sign declaring what must be his impending insanity. He could only hope he hadn’t lost his heart. Embarking on a sexual adventure with this beautiful woman was one thing, but it was way too soon to think further than that. He scarcely knew her and she knew nothing about him and who he really was.

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He threw more water on his face and headed back to the bedroom. On catching sight of her splayed across the bed, he stopped in his tracks. Her impossible beauty struck him as it always did, as it had from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her, making him feel breathless all over again. And damned if his cock wasn’t already stirring with interest. No other woman had ever affected him with the intensity Selena did, and that scared the shit out of him. He got back into bed, all the while wondering how he could make a quick exit without looking like a complete jerk. She turned on her side and rested her head in her hand, boldly looking him in the eye. “What are you thinking?” He almost choked on hearing the words every man dreaded at any time, never mind post coitus. “Why do you ask?” “You had a strange look on your face.” He could imagine. He seriously needed to practice his poker face. “Strange, how?” “Strange as in you’re thinking, ‘How the hell do I get out of here?’” The laugh blasted out of him, surprising them both. He should have been horrified she’d guessed what he’d been thinking, but strangely it had the exact opposite effect, releasing him from the desire to run. He took her hand and placed it on his dick. “Does it look to you like I want to go anywhere?” Her hand reflexively massaged his already semi-engorged cock, making it swell even more. “You have a point.” Her touch was incredible, sending jolts of electricity rippling throughout his entire body, setting his heart to racing and tensing his stomach muscles. He watched her delicate hand as it worked its magic. It was pure ecstasy seeing her touching him this way, working his flesh for their mutual pleasure. He couldn’t hold back the groan and she smiled a knowing smile. All the while she played with him, palming his balls, tracing his length, her thumb catching a drop of pre-come and spreading it over his cock’s head, driving him insane with sensual bliss.


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“I’ve never thought of a man’s penis as being beautiful before, but yours truly is.” He chuckled at the ridiculous notion of anything on him being called beautiful. “It wouldn’t win a beauty contest.” A cheeky grin spread across her beautiful face. “Perhaps not, but it’s definitely an outstanding specimen.” “You think so?” He couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. “Oh yeah.” She licked her lips as if contemplating a delectable treat. “It makes me hot just looking at it.” His dick twitched and throbbed at her comment. “That makes us even then, ’cause just looking at you makes me hot.” With that, he reached for her. “Turn onto your hands and knees.” “Really?” He liked the way she sounded so intrigued by the idea. “Really.” He held his breath, waiting for her answer. Would she be willing to expose herself to him that way? So fully? So soon? Her eyes set to twinkling. “Sounds like fun.” Without hesitation she did as he asked, teasingly wriggling her ass in his direction, setting his blood to flame. In that moment, Rafe realized what a truly lucky man he was. A guy could live an entire lifetime and not see anything as beautiful as the sight of a warm, willing woman with her pussy positioned just so, waiting for him to have his way with her. He moved in behind her, fitting his cock in the crease of her ass, loving the free access this position gave to her voluptuous breasts, their fullness spilling over his hands. As he worked them with his deft fingers, her tantalizing nipples hardened into peaks that echoed how hard his cock was at that very moment. Skimming her silky fall of hair aside, he kissed her neck, grazing his teeth across the delicate skin of her nape, tasting her sweetness and inhaling her scent. He kept one hand on her breast, ran the other down the smooth, soft skin of her belly, past her nether curls and found her clit already hard and soaking wet for him. Slicking his fingers over the sensitive flesh elicited a deep moan from Selena, followed by her hips taking up a rhythmic movement that mimicked the very thrusting motion he was desperate to initiate.

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No, that wasn’t quite right. He was more than desperate—he hungered for it in his very being. He pulled back just enough to bring his cock down to run back and forth along her vaginal lips. The soft heat and wetness there almost sent him over the top. He thrust like that for long moments, savoring the delicious shudder that raced through him, savoring each and every carnal sensation, prolonging the moment when he would thrust into her. He now shook from the effort of holding back. When Selena’s moans grew deeper and raw, he knew she was close to coming. He was pretty fucking close himself. It was time. He quickly donned a condom, positioned himself with his hand and thrust home into her tight pussy. He couldn’t hold back the guttural groan of ecstasy that exploded from the back of his throat. It sounded nothing like him. It didn’t even sound human. More like an animal, and right then he almost felt like an animal. Primitive. Primeval. Wild. Selena’s answering groan sounded as if it were ripped from her throat as well and that released something innately powerful, completely untamable inside of him. He pounded into her, desperate to attain something. He wasn’t sure what, but he strove for it with all his being. Perhaps to get closer. Perhaps for a deeper connection. Perhaps to possess her. Yes, that was it. To possess her. But despite being overtaken by the all-consuming need to possess, he was still attuned to Selena. And because of that he was certain of one thing. Instead of his wild abandon frightening her, she was reveling in it, reveling in their carnal almost animalistic mating and amazingly she was with him all the way. She met him thrust for thrust, straining to get closer, her inner core squeezing his cock each time he retreated as if not wanting to let him go. And like the near-animal he was at that moment, he had to fight the strangely compelling urge to bite her on the neck, to mark her in some animalistic way. To show the world she belonged to him. Which was crazy since she didn’t belong to him at all,


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and in all probability never would. But still, he felt it. Had to fight it with every powerful thrust. Every powerful beat of his heart. When they came, they came together, entirely in sync, reaching life’s eternal mating song together. Long, hard, soul-searing, their groans of passion filling their ears, echoing in the night. Pulling their every muscle tighter and tighter, to the breaking point. They howled in unison. He could feel his seed coming and coming, draining him in mind and body and soul. And then it was finished. It was done. Totally spent, Rafe collapsed on top of Selena. He couldn’t move. Could barely breathe. It took every ion of energy he possessed to just roll onto his side, and yet he still held her tight. Utterly stunned by the intensity of what they’d just shared, he couldn’t think—didn’t want to think of what it might mean. Oddly, her neck still called to him in some primitive and elemental way. But instead of giving in to the primal urges still coursing through him, he only allowed himself to tenderly nip her neck, taste her sweet flesh, then suck the fragile skin, savoring her saltysweetness before falling back beside her. Still gasping for breath, they cuddled for long minutes until their breath slowed to a normal rhythm. Stunned, Rafe rolled onto his back and wondered if it had been as profound, as earth-shaking, for her as it had been for him. As much as he didn’t want to admit it even to himself, that had been more than sex. What it was, he wasn’t sure, but it left him in awe. How did Selena feel? He watched out of the corner of his eye as she settled herself on her stomach, watching him with an intensity that made him think she’d felt the staggering power of it too. Still feeling the overwhelming need to touch her, he turned back and skimmed his hand along her hip and butt cheek. Its creamy smoothness both soothing and enticing to

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the urges still thrumming through him. It seemed as if he couldn’t get enough of touching her. As if he never would. Not willing to look her in the eyes right then, he followed the movement of his hand and something caught his eye. Something he hadn’t noticed before, or if he had he’d only absently noted it. He leaned in for a better look. There, high on her butt cheek was a birthmark, or a tattoo, or something. Whatever it was, he’d never seen anything like it before. How he’d missed it in the first place, he wasn’t sure, but then he hadn’t been looking this high up on her anatomy at the time. When she was splayed out in front of him on her hands and knees, the only thing he was focused on was her sweet, pink pussy and plunging his aching cock balls-deep into it. But now that his eyes weren’t blinded with lust, he couldn’t miss it. It wasn’t very big, no larger than a nickel, and was sort of tone on tone rather than a specific color, making it difficult to see, especially in the bedroom’s dim lighting. But it was definitely there. And he could not believe what was right in front of him. The shock of it hit him to the very depths of his soul, making him feel as if he’d been sucker-punched and then broadsided with a two-by-four. His eyes glazed over and sweat poured off his face. But that was nothing compared to the deafening pounding of his heart in his ears. His sight darkened for a moment and then cleared. He realized he was in some kind of shock, but it wasn’t surprising, because what he was seeing wasn’t possible, at least it shouldn’t be. But, possible or not, there it was, big as life. The mark. The mark he’d heard about his whole life. The mark none of them actually believed in or thought was real. The mark in the shape of a raven. The mark from the prophecy.


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Chapter Eleven

Selena stared in outraged wonder at the still reverberating front door. She could swear the ear-piercing slam continued to echo throughout her apartment, stamping the very air around her with the exclamation mark of his abrupt departure. She shook her head in an effort to make sense of what had just happened, and flashed back to the last few hours of unleashed passion and heart-stopping sex. Sex like she’d never known or believed existed. She’d thought they were in sync. Wasn’t sex supposed to bring people closer together? Instead of that happening, Rafe had raced out of there as if his dick was on fire and the only way to douse the flames was to escape the confines of her apartment. And here she’d been foolish enough to hope he would spend the night. Hell, she’d already been thinking about round three, but it was quite obvious that was the last thing on Rafe’s mind. “Asshole!” Anger built in a steady crescendo till she literally shook from it, her fists clenched tight at her sides, her breathing accelerated in reaction to a fight that hadn’t happened. Yep. Angry and confused as hell pretty much summed up how she felt. And the more the shock wore off, the more her anger built. “What kind of jerk jumps out of bed and takes off like that? No explanation, no nothing.” 86


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Hell, did he even say goodbye? This just went to prove men couldn’t be trusted. They were all the same. Rafe was no different from Ambrose after all. She forced herself to stop staring at the door and headed for the kitchen. She needed a good stiff drink to take the edge off. Preferably one with a very high alcohol content. Taking a deep breath in an effort to calm down, she remembered the last time she’d seen a guy high-tail it away from her that fast. She’d accidentally bared her fangs in a fit of rage when some hapless drunk cornered her and tried to force himself on her. Despite the unpleasantness of the incident, the look of horror on his face still brought a reluctant smile to her lips. Whatever else had happened tonight, she knew the fang thing wasn’t the case this time. Everything had been going just fine. Better than fine. Hell, she’d still been trying to regroup from the mind-blowing orgasm Rafe had just given her when he’d taken one look at the mark on her hip, inexplicably jumped up, thrown on his clothes and shot out of her place like a bullet on a mission. Was he phobic about beauty marks? Selena suppressed a semi-hysterical giggle. What a stupid thought. A big, hulking guy like Rafe wouldn’t be afraid of anything, let alone a stupid beauty mark. Although, she had to admit, there was something very odd about hers. She wasn’t born with it. It had mysteriously shown up sometime after she’d been turned, making her feel as if it somehow branded her as a vampire. She shook her head. Well, whatever had driven Rafe out of here in such a rush it sure as hell had spooked him, but good. She sighed at the mystery that was man, and pulled out the bottle of scotch that resided in the back of her kitchen cupboard. Pouring herself a generous dollop, she downed it in one movement. She closed her eyes with a blissful sigh as it burned its way down her throat to her churning stomach, reaching all the empty spots it found along the way and filling them with warmth and comfort. Ahhh. That was much better.


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Selena poured another swig and polished it off too. She was such a fool. She should never have shown up for their date in the first place. If she hadn’t been in hyper-sex mode, she would never have allowed tonight to happen. This proved that not trusting people was the only way to go. They always let you down. Always. And Rafe had let her down in the worst way. It would never happen again. Looking around the now bleak-feeling apartment, she realized she wasn’t even close to being calmed down. The adrenalin still pumping through her system was a lethal combination of their sexual calisthenics and her subsequent anger, and she felt mega worked up and edgy. And although their earlier sextivities had taken the edge off her sexual cravings, they were still there raging below the surface. Besides, it was still early for her. Barely midnight. Her gaze skimmed past her computer and she thought of the fresh inspiration their sex-a-thon had given her. Now might be the perfect time to write the next sex scene in her Vampyre Chronicles. Still tingling from head to toe from the multiple mind-blowing orgasms, and feeling ready for a fight all at the same time, she pictured the raunchy images her night with Rafe had given her and felt herself getting turned on all over again. Hell, even when she was furious with him, he could still turn her on. How pathetic was that? “Yep, fictional, wild vampire sex suits my mood perfectly.” Violence, fighting and fucking. A perfect combination for writing her book. And the perfect place to focus her sexual energy and anger. *** In a cold sweat and still fighting residual tremors from the adrenalin rush, Rafe raced out of town heading straight to his parents place. It was the very last place he wanted to go. He hated asking for the old man’s help, and this would make twice in one day, but he had no idea what the hell to do. As much as

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he hated to admit it, his father was the one person who could help him make sense of this nightmare. Thank God he’d still be up at this hour—a by-product of his days as the slayer. He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax the stranglehold he had on the steering wheel. For the life of him, he couldn’t believe this was happening. Allowing himself to be so shaken up about it was stranger still. One thing about being the slayer, it generally took a lot to ruffle you. But no matter how much he wanted to tell himself he’d just imagined that mark, he knew he hadn’t. He could still picture it vividly—the most unusual birthmark he’d ever seen. Its very uniqueness made it stand out like a rampaging vampire in a monastery. Most birthmarks were just vague shapes, a filled-in outline at best, but this one was almost like a tattoo in its delicate intricacy and fine detail. Despite that, you could never mistake it for a tattoo either. You could tell it was something else, something different. Maybe not even of this world. He ran a hand through his hair. God, what was he going to do? Flexing his hands on the steering wheel, he relished the feel of something real and solid under his fingers when everything else in his life felt hazy. As if it was careening out of control. The hell of it all was the mark wasn’t even supposed to exist. He’d only ever heard of it through the never-ending repetition of prophecy his father uttered, and it had always had a very unreal quality to it. Even his father didn’t believe in it. Not really. In fact, it was an inside family joke. Although the prophecy was vague, potentially applying to any slayer in any time period, Rafe had been teased mercilessly about “his future vampire bride” since he could remember. He hadn’t minded though, because it wasn’t real. At least that’s what he’d always thought. Tonight, when he’d seen that mark on Selena, everything he’d ever heard about it came rushing back. And what scared the absolute living shit out of him was that it hadn’t felt like he was looking at that damned mark for the first time. He’d recognized it, for


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God’s sake. How the hell was that even possible since no one he knew had ever seen it? There wasn’t even a picture or drawing of it anywhere. Despite that, he’d known what he was looking at on a cellular level the moment his gaze lit upon it. As if his very soul recognized the significance of that mark. Knew what it represented for him, and the complete inevitability of it. As if its certainty had been written into the very fabric of his being. The very fabric of time. A life-changing symbol of monumental significance. It didn’t bear thinking about, but he knew his life would never be the same again. Was about to change in a very intrinsic way. Forever and always.

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Chapter Twelve

“You can’t be serious.” Rafe watched as his father paced back and forth across the antique Persian carpet in the study. With avid concentration, his father worried his bottom lip so forcefully that Rafe would have been concerned his father was going to chew it clear off had he not been familiar with the mannerism. “Yeah, I’m serious. Believe me, I wish I wasn’t.” He continued under his breath. “No one wishes it more than I do.” “Are you absolutely certain that’s what you saw? Maybe it was something else.” Rafe fought down his impatience. “Yes, I’m sure. Very sure. Dead sure.” His father stopped his pacing and gave him an uncharacteristically sympathetic pat on the shoulder. It wasn’t that his father was unkind, he was simply not a very demonstrative person. “We’ll get to the bottom of this don’t you worry about that.” His mother stood in the corner looking flustered and upset but resolute, with her arms crossed tightly in front of her. He could almost feel her holding herself back from protectively hugging him senseless. It was uncanny how his parents, each in their own way, could still make him feel like a six-year-old child. Normally that would have grated on him, but tonight he couldn’t help but appreciate all the love and support he could get. www.samhainpublishing.com

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“You’re going to tell me we have to try the Crystals for sure now, aren’t you?” He did not want to hear the answer, but knew a yes was inevitable. “I’m sorry, son, but how can we avoid it? Not only are your vampire-sensing abilities not working, but now this? We have to find out what’s going on.” His father looked at his mother, who solemnly nodded her agreement. Then he looked Rafe directly in the eyes, making sure Rafe saw his concern, turned and headed toward the wall. “I know.” What a fucking unbelievable day he was having. Make that, a fucking unbelievable week. First his vamp radar, now the mark. Yep, fucking unbelievable about covered it. He watched in resignation as his father pulled out the lavishly engraved silver box from its cleverly concealed secret compartment behind the paneling in the wall. It was festooned with all manner of religious icons, crosses and every other symbol vampires feared and loathed in order to keep said vampires at bay. The hiding place and symbols were a necessary and vital precaution because this was a very special box. It held the Seer’s Crystals. The Seer’s Crystals were essential in a couple of ways. When the visionary in the family needed more guidance or information than her visions were giving her, she could consult them for extra insight. But that wasn’t their sole function. They also mystically drew vampires to them like doomed insects to a flame. They could feel its pull but weren’t conscious of it. They couldn’t help themselves because they were irresistibly drawn to its power. Sooner or later they all ended up in the vicinity of the slayer, wherever he happened to be. As long as the slayer kept the Crystals close, and safe. Dire doom was predicted if a vampire ever got hold of the Crystals. Because of that, Hunter’s had always guarded them with their very lives. And now he was going to risk his very life by trying to use the Crystals himself. It was amazing. He apparently couldn’t sense vampires right now, but like a tangible thing, Rafe could feel his parents’ anxiety and concern wafting over him in waves. They

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didn’t want to do this any more than he did, but they all knew it was a risk that had to be taken. His father reverentially placed the exquisite antique box on the coffee table in front of him. Rafe fought down a feeling of panic born from a lifetime of hearing countless dire pronouncements of what would happen to him if he ever touched it. “This doesn’t feel right. You’re certain this is the only way?” Rafe’s father nodded solemnly. “Yes, son, I believe it is.” What to do? He could still back out, but dare he? With all the strange things happening right now, the answer was obvious. “Then let’s get this over with.” Strangely, there was no big ceremony to using the Crystals, although he’d often thought there should be. It was somehow anticlimactic to just pull out a box, sit down and use them, but that was the way it was. He’d seen his sister use them a couple of times, and the most notable thing to him was that no one else in the room could see anything, but Larke swore she saw images she then had to interpret. He’d always been curious about what it was like, of course, but not enough to risk his life to find out. Now he’d get his chance. Even if it did end up killing him. He reached out and lifted the box’s ornate lid, staring inside for several long minutes, still reluctant to touch the Crystals. Before him, the beautiful pale blue Crystals nestled benignly in their bed of deep royal blue velvet. At about two inches in diameter, each one rested perfectly in the palm of a person’s hand. At first he only admired their crystalline beauty, but the more he gazed into them, the more they began to radiate an unearthly glow that drew him almost against his will. He leaned in. The closer he got to them, the more the glow grew and spread and the stronger the pull became until he couldn’t hold back from touching them for one more second. He had to hold them. Was compelled to do so. When he took one in each hand their otherworldly light seemed to scorch his eyes, and his hands tingled and burned upon contact with the mystical objects.


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Despite the off-putting sensation, he found he couldn’t put them down or look away. They drew him and pulled him into their power, almost making him feel faint, and yet somehow he knew they welcomed his touch. No malevolence emanated from them. Nothing to make him feel as if he shouldn’t be there and he finally relaxed. It was okay. He didn’t know how he knew it, but it was going to be okay. Suddenly, a plethora of images hurled themselves at his mind, physically making his head snap back. One after the other they came. Overwhelming. All-encompassing. Relentless. Blood and darkness. Fangs and a raven. Hatred. Love. Life. Death. Change and a child. On and on it went, repeating and expanding. Completely filling every corner of his mind until there was no room for anything else. None of it made any sense. Words and images barraged him without mercy until he didn’t think he’d be able to take anymore without going mad. And still it went on. His head began to ache and burn, feeling as if it would explode from the power inundating him. And then…nothing. Darkness. Peace. The Crystals stopped glowing and went dark. It was over. Done. And damned if he knew what the hell any of it meant. Completely exhausted, he placed the Crystals back in their resting niche and sat back. All he could muster in the way of a reaction or movement was to rub his temples in an attempt to ward off the headache that threatened to pound its way clear through his numbed brain. A tender touch soothed him. “What did you see?” His mother’s gentle voice called him out of the semi-trancelike state he was in and he scrubbed his hands over his face in an effort to snap out of it. “I don’t know. Too much. Not enough.” His father nodded. “Yes, that’s always how it is.”

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Rafe had always respected what his sister did, but his respect increased a hundredfold now. “How does Larke make any sense of it all?” His mother patted his forearm reassuringly. “Experience. When she first started using the Crystals it took a bit of time for her to figure out what the images meant. You’ll see. It’ll all come together for you too.” Great. All that and he still wasn’t any further ahead. Rafe fought down his frustration. He wanted to know now, not at some vague unforeseen moment in the future. His aggravation must have shown because his father’s tone took on an unaccustomed gentleness. “Go home and sleep on it. It’ll all become clear to you eventually, maybe even by morning. For now let’s just be grateful you’re all right.” “But I have to know what that mark means and I need to know it now. Not tomorrow, not next week.” His mother chuckled. “You were always an impatient child. Give it time. The mark and the woman will still be there tomorrow, and even next week.” “Easy for you to say, Mother. You’re not the one facing a life-changing event.” He balled his hands into fists to keep from grabbing the Crystals and throwing them across the room. “All this and I still don’t know what the hell that event might be!” Frustration overshadowed everything. He was frustrated with the oblique message, with the uncertainty he was facing, with his life in general. Especially with his life. Rafe couldn’t begin to articulate how fed up he was of being chosen for things. As the firstborn, he’d had to be the responsible one. Had to become the slayer. Had to take on the family home. Had to carry on the family line. And now this. A lifetime of honor, duty and responsibility being pounded into him came to a head. Was there no end to what he had to do? All he wanted was to choose his own path in life for a change. Not answer to anyone. Not be obligated in any way. Just be himself. And live his own damn life. Was that too much to ask?


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Chapter Thirteen

Driving on autopilot, Rafe headed for home. His mind was anywhere but on the road. Flashes of the images the Crystals had thrown at him kept playing over and over and over again. He just couldn’t stop thinking about them. Or shut them out. No doubt his brain was trying to make sense of everything that had been hurled at it tonight, but he just wanted to stop thinking and rest. No, that wasn’t quite true either. What he wanted was to rewind tonight back to the last orgasm, and never see the mark that symbolized the chaotic mess his life had suddenly become. How was that for denial? Exhausted to the bone, and fighting a wicked headache, he couldn’t believe it had been less than twelve hours since he’d picked up Selena for their date. He’d started out the night with not much more on his mind than the desire to have hot sex with the woman of his dreams. He’d ended up finding the very last thing he ever thought he would. Certainly the very last thing he ever wanted to find. That damnable mark. He just couldn’t accept what that mark meant. He knew it should all make sense, it wasn’t all that complicated.

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Could Selena really be a vampire? It didn’t seem possible. The logical part of him knew she had to be, nothing else made sense, but the mark wasn’t enough proof for something so serious. He needed more. He needed more because everything in him rebelled against believing it was true. Selena was the first woman to catch his eye in years. Hell, if he was honest about it, to ever catch his eye in such an all-consuming way. She fascinated him and turned him on like no other woman had come close to doing. It just wasn’t possible this particular woman was a vampire. He’d always hated vampires without question, and even more so after Larke’s husband was killed by one. There’s no way he’d be attracted to one. No way. The prophecy couldn’t be true, and it most especially couldn’t be about Selena or him. It had to be wrong. It just had to be. He parked the car and turned off the engine. When he finally focused on his surroundings, he realized he’d ended up back at Selena’s place. If someone had asked him, he’d have said it was the very last place he wanted to be right now, but his subconscious knew better. Even more than rest, he needed answers. And the very first thing he needed answered was the question of whether Selena was in fact a vampire. No matter how conflicted he felt about the outcome, he had to find out for sure. Dragging his feet, he headed up the stairs. To anyone watching, he likely looked as if he was headed to the gallows, and in truth it felt as if he was. It might not have been his literal life at risk, but his heart sure was. With just one word, Selena could slice it to shreds and leave nothing but a bleeding shell. Reaching her door, he stood there for several long moments, trying to decide if he wanted to do this right now. The answer was, probably not, but the reality was he couldn’t let it go. He had to deal with it head-on. He knocked. There was no answer, but he knew she was there. He felt it, so he knocked again. “Selena, it’s me.” There was a long, telling silence followed by an indignant, “Go away.”


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She was obviously not happy with his hasty retreat earlier tonight and he didn’t blame her. He was a complete shit for running out on her like a heartless cad indulging in a one-night-stand. No apology or word of explanation. It had been a knee-jerk reaction, but still there was no excuse for it. “I can’t. We have to talk.” An even longer silence. “If you’re here to apologize, you can do it through the door and then go away.” What could he say? Vampire or not, he’d slept with her and the way he’d taken off on her was completely unacceptable. “You’re right, I do owe you an apology, but that’s not why I’m here. We need to talk, and it’s not a conversation we can have through the door.” After another long pause, a chair scraped and footsteps headed his way. The door opened and Selena stood there looking even more beautiful than when he’d left her earlier. She also looked angry as hell. His mind flashed back to the hot sex they’d had just hours before, when she’d looked anything but angry. All soft and glowing and pleasantly spent. It felt like a lifetime ago. Leaving the door open, she turned and headed back into the apartment. “Say what you have to say and then get out.” He followed her in and closed the door behind him. His mind raced with various ways to ease into this impossible conversation, but none of them felt right. After tossing them all out he realized there was no right way and just blurted out why he was there, “Are you a vampire?” Judging by the way her back and shoulders tensed, he realized he should have started with something a bit more mundane, but he couldn’t help asking the one thing he needed to know more than anything else. The only thing that mattered. He’d obviously forgotten how to be subtle. She threw back her shoulders and turned to face him, her eyes wide and disbelieving. “What did you say?”

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“Tell me you’re not a vampire.” It was what he was desperate to hear. Needed to hear. Her eyes searched his, and he could see her mind was racing with a myriad of thoughts. “Why would you ask me something like that? Vampires don’t exist.” Despite her words, he could already see the answer in her eyes. Lying didn’t come naturally to her. “We both know that’s not true, don’t we?” Rafe scrutinized her as she fiddled with the hem of her top, clearly thinking her answer over very carefully before relenting. “Yes.” “Yes, what? That they exist, or you’re a vampire?” He was such a fool. He all but held his breath waiting on her answer. Everything hinged on it. Deep down, he already knew what she’d say, but he had to hear the words come out of her mouth. She closed her eyes and then opened them. “Yes to both.” He blinked. Charged silence strung out between them. Stunned by the impact of her words, his mind stalled. But it didn’t last long as his brain jolted out of its stasis teeming with a jumbled mishmash of thoughts. The predominant one being, she’d said it. She’d said the words. He hadn’t had a clue how he would respond if she said yes, but he wouldn’t have said it would be with shock and confusion. Relieved if she said no, angered if she said yes. But instead, here he stood feeling as if he’d been broadsided. It was stupid. He’d known she’d say yes way before he got here. Hell, back when he’d run like a coward from this very apartment, he’d known, although he’d refused to acknowledge it. But now that she’d come right out and admitted it, he couldn’t seem to take it in. It was too incredible to believe. The beautiful woman he’d only hours before had the most amazing sex of his life with was a vampire. How could it be? Hell, she fainted at the sight of blood for God’s sake. None of this made any sense. Suddenly, as if the switch had been flicked back on his emotions, everything inside him raged against the truth. He didn’t want to hear it. See it. Believe it. It couldn’t be true. It absolutely, indisputably, irrefutably, couldn’t be true.


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But it was. She’d deceived him and let him believe she was a normal woman. Someone worthy of love and respect. But she wasn’t. Not even close. She was a God-damned vampire. And vampires deserved to die. Everyone knew that. They killed innocent people, sucked the very lifeblood out of them in order to survive. Death was the only way to deal with them. It was what they deserved. And it was what he was destined to do. It was, after all, who he was. A vampire slayer. And Selena was a vampire. Prophecy be damned. It was his responsibility to kill her. His alone. Without allowing himself any further thought, his hand reached inside his jacket’s inner pocket and wrapped around the stake he always kept there. Feeling its shape had always been comforting in the past. It was his friend, and had saved his life on many occasions. But tonight, it felt more like an enemy. Like the weapon it was. The destroyer of someone he cared about, maybe even loved. But none of that mattered now. He pulled the stake out of his pocket and watched the realization of what he held etch itself across Selena’s shocked face. He steeled himself to do what he must. It was his job. No, it was more than his job, it was his calling, his heritage. His duty. Selena backed away from him. “What’s going on?” He took a step towards her. “It’s very simple. You’re a vampire. I’m the slayer.” Her head shook back and forth. “Slayers don’t exist. It’s just a myth. Something made up for books and movies, to entertain the masses.” “They exist. Just like vampires exist. Didn’t your fellow vamps tell you?” She uttered nothing but a barely there “no”.

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Rafe ignored the tug on his heart and willed his senses to pick up the fact that she was a vampire. He scoured her face, her eyes, her aura—but nothing. Damn it! She’d already admitted she was a vampire, but he still couldn’t see it. Not in her eyes, which were devoid of evil. Nor in her bearing. At the very least, he should have been able to smell that unique combination of freshly spilled human blood and pure evil a mile away, and yet here she was, right in front of him and still nothing. How is this that possible? He raised the stake. “I have to do this, Selena. It’s my duty to rid the world of your kind. It’s what I do, what my family has always done.” Nothing. He sensed nothing. He frantically sought any sign of the evil within her, but it wasn’t there. It didn’t exist. An overwhelming feeling of doubt and disbelief filled his soul. Selena should have shown her true self by now. She should be vamped-out and fighting him with pure hatred in her eyes, looking for ways to kill him. Instead she just stood there looking sad and yet proudly resigned at the same time. “If you figure it’s what you have to do, Rafe, then do it. Kill me.” With that, she took his hand, the one that held the stake, and pressed its deadly point against her breast. “Do it.” He looked into her beautiful clear-green eyes, devoid of anything even remotely evil. If anything, a strange purity resided in their depths. The very last thing a vampire should possess, could ever possess, was purity of any kind, and yet there it was. Pure goodness. No vampire looked like this. He gripped the stake harder and willed himself to ignore what he saw, to do what he had to do. There was something wrong with him. There had to be. The Crystals had missed something. She was a vampire, whether he could sense it or not. She deserved to die. And yet, and yet…


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In sheer desperation, he searched her eyes once more for the evidence he needed to be able to follow through. But it wasn’t there. It just wasn’t there, no matter how hard he searched. And then it hit him. Was this what the mark meant when the prophecy said the marked one would be a vampire and yet not a vampire? Was she special not only as the prophesied mate, but in her intrinsic goodness? Was this the reason he couldn’t sense she was a vampire, because she wasn’t a true vampire at all? It seemed too far-fetched to believe, but could it be? He didn’t know. He just didn’t know. And without proof that she was evil he couldn’t do it. He just couldn’t. Killing her wasn’t an option he could live with. Feeling defeated and yet strangely relieved, he lowered his hand and dropped the stake to the floor. It clattered and rolled away, sounding unnaturally loud in the deathly quiet surrounding them, finally stopping when it hit the wall. Minutes passed where no one moved or made a sound. As if neither of them wanted to break that silence. Or was able to.

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Chapter Fourteen

Selena watched in disbelief as the stake hit the wall and finally stopped its harsh clattering. Even now her stomach was clenched in tensed-up readiness for the final blow that had never come. She’d been sure it would, but for some unknown reason Rafe hadn’t gone through with it, and she had absolutely no idea why. In a bizarre way she almost felt let down. Or maybe she was overwrought. The range of emotions that had ripped through her in the last few hours was staggering. Earlier, Rafe had shown her ecstasies she hadn’t dreamt existed. Then she’d been angry and hurt at the way he’d abandoned her after they’d shared what she thought was something special. She’d been furious when he first showed up at the door, then hopeful he would apologize for his atrocious behavior earlier tonight. That had shifted with lightning speed to disbelief and fear when he’d said he was the slayer. But now, after all of that, she was just exhausted and numb. Completely worn out emotionally and physically, and not at all sure what to think of this latest turn of events. Why hadn’t he staked her? He’d looked determined enough to do it when she’d admitted she was a vampire. Determined enough that she’d simply given in to the inevitability of it.


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In fact, she’d been strangely at peace in that moment. Maybe even relieved. For herself, because her secret was finally out, and for him, because she understood why he felt he needed to kill her. How could she not? She hated vampires as much as he did. But considering how angry she was just a short time ago, it didn’t make any sense that she felt at peace after their strange and intense altercation. She should have been angrier than she’d been before. And yet, there it was. Maybe it was because she could see how conflicted Rafe was. Or maybe she had stronger feelings for him than she was allowing herself to believe. Or maybe she was just a stupid sap. “What’s the matter? Am I so beneath you that you can’t even bring yourself to stake me?” Rafe barked a harsh laugh that dripped with bitterness. “If only it were so simple.” “But it is that simple. Earlier, when you ran from my bed, you showed your complete disregard for me. Now that you know I’m a vampire, you must hate me even more.” Rafe reached out, but dropped his hand before he touched her. “I don’t hate you. Not even close. And that’s the problem. As the slayer I should hate you.” He shook his head. “No, that’s not right either. I shouldn’t be emotionally involved at all. I should only hate what you are. There should be no hesitation on my part to kill you, and yet I can’t bring myself to do it.” Hope foolishly glimmered in her heart. “Did you ever stop to consider I may not be the evil beast you’re determined to think I am?” He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Not if you’re a vampire. No.” And just like that, the glimmer died. She watched as he raked his fingers through his hair, giving it that sexy sleep-rumpled look she’d seen for the first time only a few short hours ago, and a part of her heart shriveled knowing she’d never see it again. The flicker of an idea took root and she latched onto it. “Let me ask you this, did you choose to be the slayer?” She saw his confusion at her apparent change in topic. “No. It’s a duty that was passed down to me.” Success! “So it wasn’t something you sought out.”

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“No.” “You might even consider it a curse, at times.” He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” “Well, guess what, I didn’t choose to be a vampire either. Any more than you chose to be the slayer. In fact, I hate vampires and every last thing they represent.” She saw his doubt and turned away. “But I can see you don’t believe me.” “You have to admit it doesn’t seem very likely.” She hesitated, knowing that with most vampires he was right, but not with her. She had to make him see that. She turned back. “That doesn’t make it any less true. Like it or not, we’re not so different, you and I. You’re fooling yourself if you think we are. Neither of us is happy about the legacy passed on to us. Neither of us asked for it, but your ‘curse’ at least is a good thing. Something you can use to help people. Mine is a horrible thing forced on me by someone I loved and trusted. “What you’re not taking into consideration is that I wasn’t asked if I wanted to be a vampire. It was done against my will. You could call it a rape of sorts. I wasn’t even really conscious. My so-called boyfriend had to drug me to do the deed.” She couldn’t keep the bitter sarcasm out of her voice as images of her ex’s hatefully triumphant expression flashed before her. Her lack of appreciation for his “gift” had wiped the smug look off his face pretty fast. It was small consolation, but it was something. Seeing Rafe had nothing to say, she continued, “Do you know why he did it? It wasn’t because he loved me or couldn’t bear to be parted from me. It was because I’d discovered he was a vampire and tried to run. Problem was, he wasn’t bored with me yet so he turned me instead of killing me. Turned me into a monster because he wanted a pet, a plaything, someone to control.” This time he did touch her face. “I’m sorry.” She didn’t want his sympathy and shook off his hand. “The bottom line, Rafe, is that we’re both cursed. Both stuck with something we didn’t ask for and don’t want. If you want to be a hypocrite and condemn me for that, then go ahead. But just remember you are being a hypocrite.”


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Disbelief still dominated his expression. “Most people don’t ask to become a vampire, but once they’re turned, they always become avid killing machines. Why should I believe you’re any different?” “You already know I’m different. It’s the reason you couldn’t kill me, isn’t it?” She saw his hesitation and pressed her advantage. “Well, isn’t it?” His shoulders seemed to sag in defeat. “That’s part of it, yes. I can’t seem to sense the evil that has to be inside you.” “You can’t sense it because it isn’t there. I’ve fought tooth and nail against the curse that was thrust upon me. I’ve found a way to survive that doesn’t entail hurting or killing people. I’ve fought the very nature of this beast that’s inside me, and I’m proud of that. “When Ambrose realized there was something different about me, that I wasn’t going to be his murderous playmate to carouse and feed with, he left me to either succumb to the cravings that were driving me insane, or to die. Either way, he didn’t care. I was on my own.” Rafe started pacing. “I can’t accept this. I can’t accept any of this. I don’t care what the prophecy says.” That caught her attention. “Prophecy? What are you talking about?” She watched him as he seemed to choose carefully what to tell her. Was he hiding something? “The past few days have been hell. Tonight alone, I went from having the best sex of my life to complete shock in an instant. It’s the reason I took off like I did.” Finally, an explanation. “Why did you take off like that?” “The mark. I saw that damned raven’s mark on your beautiful backside and it totally threw me.” She nodded. “I thought that might be it, but it didn’t make any sense. What are you, deathly afraid of beauty marks?” Rafe gave her a sad smile. “Of that one, I guess I am. You’ll think I’m crazy, but there’s a prophecy about it in the Slayer Archives.” Slayer Archives? “You’re joking, right?”

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“I wish I was. I wish this whole week was just some ridiculous figment of my imagination, but it’s not. It’s a nightmare that all began the night I first laid eyes on you.” Ouch. “Gee, thanks.” His eyes tried to negate the harshness of his comment but that didn’t help much. “I was at that bar to find a vamp. My sister is a seer. She has visions of where vamps will be. I go to the designated place and kill them. But that night I never found the vamp. It happened again the second time we met. At first I thought it was a coincidence, even though I don’t believe in them, but it never crossed my mind the vamp we were looking for was you. I was ready to believe there was something wrong with me, rather than that there was something ‘off’ with you. When it happened again tonight, I knew it had to be more than a coincidence, but I stubbornly fooled myself it wasn’t possible it was you. I was sure my senses would have told me, and my heart refused to accept it as a possibility. Until I saw that blasted mark. In that moment, it hit me. I had let my lust for you blind me from seeing what was right in front of me all along.” “And this mark somehow told you I was a vampire? I have news for you. Not all vampires have a mark like this.” “No, only one very special vampire is prophesied to have it. And I guess that vampire is you.” “Me?” “I could quote you the prophecy, but the upshot is that the vampire with the raven’s mark would be special and bring about great change, ushering in the dawn of a new era of some kind. She would also have major significance for the slayer.” Okay, that wasn’t something you heard everyday. “I can see why it threw you, but there’s no way the prophecy can be about me. There’s nothing special about me. In fact, I’m not even your typical vampire. Other vampires shun me because I’m so different.” Her mind flashed back to Ambrose scorning her because she wouldn’t kill to feed. She saw Rafe hide a smile. “I’d think a vampire who’s so special she’s prophesied about would likely be considered different in some way from most vampires.”


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The obviousness of that statement made her blush. He continued, “Look, I realize how improbable all of this sounds. I grew up with this stuff and I still find it hard to believe. But as much as I don’t want to accept its veracity, the fact that you have that mark has got to mean something. As you said, not all vampires have it. It’s unique.” Maybe it meant something, maybe it didn’t. She just didn’t know. This whole stupid prophecy thing was too bizarre for her to buy into. And even if the prophecy itself were somehow true, it couldn’t possibly have anything to do with her. Then another thought hit her. Was her possible connection to the prophecy the only thing that had saved her life? Without it, would Rafe have been able to kill her? And if she was right and the prophecy wasn’t about her, would he turn around and try to kill her again? She was very much afraid he would. Rafe broke into her thoughts. “I have to go. I need time to think, to sort everything out.” The rapidity with which anger and rage washed through her shocked her. He needed time to sort things out? This whole thing was so unfair. She wasn’t the one going around killing people, he was, even if they did happen to be vampires, and yet somehow she was the evil one. Not only was it unfair, it was completely unacceptable. “Unbelievable. I’m the one who was almost killed tonight, not you.” She bent down and picked up the offensive stake and shoved it at him. “Here. Take this revolting thing and get out of my sight. You’re not the only one who needs time to sort things out. And right now, I can’t even stand the sight of you. Get out, and don’t come back. Ever!”

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Chapter Fifteen

Rafe ran faster than he’d ever thought possible. Terrifying images flashed past him with frightening speed. He wanted to stop, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to do it. He tried closing his eyes, but he couldn’t do that either. And the horrible images wouldn’t stop. A raven swooped by his head, almost pecking a piece out of his scalp. Vampire fangs loomed, then swooped, grazing his neck, drawing blood, until everything around him was covered in it. Saturated in it. The Crystals floated within sight, but just out of reach. They glowed and burned in front, behind, all around him, until they set his very skin on fire, the flames rising higher and higher, surrounding him. Scorching him. He tried to scream. Wanted desperately to scream, but to no avail. He couldn’t get away from the horror, no matter how much he wanted it because he was now standing still. His feet simply wouldn’t move. When he looked down to see why, he realized he was sinking. Drowning in a quagmire of blood and emotion, fire and fury, lust and despair.


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When he thought he could take no more, thought he would explode or disintegrate from the pain, he suddenly became lighter. Up he went, higher and higher, floating towards something that both terrified and yet called him. He didn’t want to go where he was headed, that much he knew, but he had no control over it. And then, as suddenly as it had all begun, he stopped. He was still floating, but when he looked below, there was Selena lying in bed, naked and splayed out before him. Her hands restlessly explored her body, just like he wanted to do. Fondling her breasts and playing in her nether curls. His cock hardened and he wanted nothing more than to touch her himself. Taste her and bury himself in her hot nakedness, feel her contracting around him, squeezing him dry. And then he was there. He could feel her heat. Smell her arousal. He could actually feel himself thrust into her tightness. It was pure magic, perfection, how it was meant to be. Selena looked at him with total trust and love as the flush of completion washed over her and through her. Only for him. Only for him. He couldn’t believe his good fortune. That this incredible woman was his. He leaned towards her and with complete awe and reverence, brushed her lips with the lightest of kisses. And when he raised his head she smiled. Or was it a smile? Something changed in that instant and the smile turned into a grin of triumph. A triumph for the vampire within her. She had him where she wanted him and she bared her fangs with glee. Before he could react, her razor sharp incisors buried themselves deep into his jugular. He couldn’t stop it and shockingly, didn’t want to. Somehow the horror of that was worse than what had gone before, because everything that had happened since meeting Selena was meant to be. He couldn’t stop it. He had no control over it. And off in the distance he heard the cry of a child. A child he knew was his. Was theirs.

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With a harsh gasp, Rafe shot straight up in bed. Sweat poured off him, his sheets were soaked, his heart pounded with an unbelievable fury. He was breathing so hard if he’d been standing he’d have been doubled over in pain. All of this would have been the predominant thing on his mind, except he was also experiencing a moment of such clarity it physically hurt. Everything suddenly made perfect sense. Everything that had happened in the past few days—the images the Crystals had inundated him with, even his fear—all of it was piercingly clear now. And underlying it all was one very singular thought. He was a damned fool. And he’d probably managed to ruin the best thing that would ever happen to him. He glanced at the clock and saw he’d slept almost the entire day away. After everything that had happened yesterday, it wasn’t surprising but that didn’t mean he was happy about wasting so much time. Without delay, he untangled himself from the sweat-soaked sheets and headed for a much-needed shower. He knew what he had to do now, and he was on the road to Selena’s in record time, hoping she’d be there, because he had to talk to her. Had to get her to understand that he knew he was a complete moron and didn’t deserve a second chance, but he was begging for one anyway. Pounding on her door, however, proved a waste of time. He kept at it because he was desperate to see her, but he knew she wasn’t there. He could feel it. Now what? Where the hell could she be? Realizing the futility of standing there willing her to be home, or trying to guess where she was, he decided his best course of action was to head to the office. Maybe Larke would be there and could help him find Selena and even if she wasn’t, it would be quiet and he could catch up on some paperwork while he figured out what to do next. For whatever reason, it seemed as if things were destined not to go his way today. And maybe that was all he deserved.


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*** Selena glanced around the dark, smoky club, chewing voraciously on her swizzle stick. Damn it all. Even that made her think of Rafe. He’d said that particular habit of hers drove him wild. And she had to admit, she liked turning him on. A lot. Even now, when she was hurt and royally pissed at him, a tiny part of her gloried in the knowledge she could affect him that way. She must be certifiable. The raucous dance music pounded through her brain, practically rattling all the teeth in her head, but she still couldn’t shut her thoughts off from what had happened with Rafe earlier. This club was the absolute last place she wanted to be. What she’d wanted was to sit at home crying and licking her wounds, but Anne, as usual, had refused to take no for an answer and put the kibosh to that plan. In Anne’s opinion, Rafe had been an ass and Robert hadn’t called her and therefore was equally an ass. So, what they both needed was to forget about men in general and these two guys in particular and go have some fun. So, here they were pretending to have fun. What Selena was really doing was looking around and noting that all the men around her didn’t even come close to measuring up to Rafe. She was such an idiot. Even when she thought Rafe was a pig, maybe even a monster, he still managed to look better than every other guy around. She leaned over to Anne and raised her voice to be heard above the blaring music. “This was a bad idea. I’m going to split.” Anne threw her a forbidding look, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her all the way to the ladies’ room. “Like hell you are. You promised me we’d go out, and I’m not letting you go back on your word.” “It’s not like I’m good company anyway.”

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“That’s true, but then that isn’t the point, is it?” “What is the point? Torturing me?” “What else?” Seeing the face Selena pulled, Anne continued, “Sitting around at home isn’t going to make you feel any better.” “I hate to break it to you, but neither is this.” Anne sighed then relented. “Maybe not, but at least your headache will be from the loud music rather than from crying your eyes out.” She had a point. “I’m done with crying. Men aren’t worth it.” “Very true. Thus the brilliance of my idea to get you out.” Anne’s cheeky grin dragged a half-hearted smile out of Selena. “I just don’t know what to do, or even how to feel. The only man I’ve been even remotely interested in for years is duty-bound to kill me.” “He didn’t though, did he?” “But what about the next time? The worst thing is, now that I’ve had time to think, I’m torn about everything. I’m hurt and angry that he can’t see I’m different, yet I really don’t blame him. I’m sure he knows, as well as I do, that vampires are the greatest deceivers and manipulators around. How could he not want to kill me? Hell, I’m a vampire and I think killing is too good for most of them.” Anne moved to primp in front of the mirror. “Well, here’s a thought, he could at least get to know you instead of staking first and asking questions later.” “In a perfect world, yes. If he hadn’t found out what I was so soon, maybe he’d have had the chance to see for himself that I’m not evil. Maybe then things would be different.” Selena sighed and felt that sick, sinking, doomed feeling wash through her again in waves. “Anyway, it’s far too late for that now.” And even if it wasn’t, could she ever trust him again? ***


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Once at the office, Rafe was happy to find Larke there, but then she spent way too much time at the office since her husband had died. He wished he knew what to do to help her get past her grief, but time was probably the only thing that would help. When Larke turned around, he took one look at her face and knew what she was going to say before she opened her mouth. “You had a vision.” Disappointment flashed across her fine features. “How’d you know?” Rafe chuckled. She honestly didn’t realize her face was like an open book. “Good guess. So, what did it tell you?” “That there really is such a thing as a Sasquatch.” “What?” Larke giggled. “Kidding. You have another chance to slay a vamp tonight.” His heart started to pump double-time. It was Selena. It had to be. Rafe couldn’t keep the excitement from his voice. “Where?” Her eyes narrowed, studying him. “You think it’s the same vamp as the other night, don’t you?” He wasn’t interested in discussing this with her. “Where?” She hesitated but finally shrugged. “Libertine’s.” Without a word, he spun on his heel and ran back out the door with Larke’s questioning voice chasing after him. Even though it was clear across the city, he made it to Libertine’s in record time, breaking more than one traffic law to do it. He didn’t care either because he was willing to break however many laws it took to find Selena. The moment he opened the door, the club’s energy smashed into him. Deafening music pulsed through him, adding to his excitement. If Selena was here, he had a chance to make her listen to him. To give him another chance. And something deep inside told him she was. Looking around it was difficult, if not impossible, to see any one person in the poorly lit club. The pulsating lights flitting across the raucous crowd of dancers only made it

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worse. Everyone seemed to gyrate as one enormous entity, throbbing to the incessant beat of the latest dance beat. But Rafe had one thing in his favor. He may not be able to sense Selena as a vampire, but as a woman, every fiber of his being was attuned to her as he’d never been attuned to anyone before. He’d noticed it ever since their intense sexual encounter. Like when he’d gone to her door later that night, he’d known she was home even though she hadn’t answered right away. He’d felt she was there. And earlier tonight, he’d known she wasn’t home but had wanted to see her so badly he’d foolishly kept knocking anyway. How else could he have known she wasn’t there? It was like some freaky kind of telepathy, or psychic connection. Magic. It was the only word he could think of to describe it. A magical connection he’d felt growing steadily. Trusting in that magic, he let his instincts take over and before he knew it, he honed in on Selena at the far edge of the dance floor. Something inside him relaxed. He’d found her and she wouldn’t get away from him this time. He’d never be foolish enough to let her out of his sight again. At least not until they’d worked things out between them. Never taking his gaze off her, he worked his way over to where she danced in carefree abandon with some guy who was obviously hoping to go home with her tonight. The man was all but drooling over what he no doubt hoped was a sure thing, but Rafe knew better. It wasn’t happening. He’d make sure of it. But as he got closer, he realized she wasn’t dancing with Mr. Drool-a-lot after all. Rather, she danced with her best friend in what looked like a free-for-all between the three of them, and somehow that reassured him. She hadn’t already paired off with another guy.


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He kept his gaze on her and knew the precise moment she became aware of him watching her. Elation raced through him. The connection between them was there. Indisputable. With great relief he realized, it wasn’t just on his side. She felt it too. Her gaze locked with his. She stopped dancing and her arms dropped to her sides. After a moment, she started to move towards him. He couldn’t help but hope she’d fall into his arms, but something in her bearing told him that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. “We need to talk.” Selena stood with her feet firmly planted, hands on hips. “Why?” “You know why.” “Explain it to me.” His frustration mounted. They were shouting to be heard over the music. This wasn’t the place to try to talk. “Not here.” “After last night you expect me to go somewhere alone with you?” When she put it like that, he realized she had a point. She didn’t know he had no intention, nor desire, to kill her. However, they needed to talk and this wasn’t the place to do it. Without thinking his actions out, he grabbed her in one smooth move and threw her fireman-style over his shoulder. She immediately started pounding on his back, and with her augmented vampire strength they were far from insignificant pats, but it felt great to him. He had her in his grasp and he would get things sorted out between them. “Put me down!” “No can do.” Despite her continued efforts to break free, he winked at an open-mouthed Anne and worked his way out of the club. When he reached the car, he put his squirming bundle down and waited for the inevitable explosion. She pushed away from him. “How dare you manhandle me like that!” “It was the only way to get you out of there. Hell, my ears are still ringing from the racket. We couldn’t talk in there.”

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Her pause as good as acknowledged he was right. “Well, maybe not. But still…” “Look, I promise on my mother’s life I won’t hurt you in any way, but we need to talk.” “About what? How you tried to kill me mere hours after having sex with me?” “Yes, that. Everything.” She scowled while she considered what he’d said. Next thing he knew she was patting him down like a cop with her latest perp. “What are you doing?” “What do you think I’m doing, I’m checking for weapons.” Since having her hands on his body in any capacity was just fine with him, he didn’t object, but rather enjoyed the moment. “Satisfied? I’m clean. Not a stake in sight.” She glared at him. “Fine. We’ll talk. But we go to my place. At least there I know there aren’t any weapons stashed anywhere.” He hid the grin of triumph that welled up in him. “Whatever you say, beautiful.”


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Chapter Sixteen

Selena unlocked her door, wondering if she was the biggest fool on the planet, or just had a serious death wish. Neither of them had said much of anything on the ride over, as if they’d both been afraid to break the truce between them. But now that they were here, she couldn’t wait another moment to find out what Rafe had to say. Throwing her keys on the hall table, she rounded on him, jabbing her finger at his chest. “Okay, we’re here. Now talk.” She’d barely gotten the words out of her mouth before he cupped her face in his huge, warm hands, and kissed the living daylights out of her. For a split-second she didn’t react, shocked beyond thinking or reacting, and not at all sure if she wanted him to kiss her after last night’s fiasco. But he tasted so good, and felt so right, she just couldn’t fight it. And, if she were honest, didn’t want to anyway. She wanted this, in the worst way. As if by getting a taste of him, she was now addicted and couldn’t get enough. The kiss was soft, warm and coaxing and yet still managed to be insistent, enticing and exciting. And when his tongue sought entrance to her mouth, she simply opened and took him in.

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This wasn’t the kind of communicating they needed to do, but on another level, it actually was. This was where they really connected. This thing between them transcended their differences. It didn’t matter that she was a vampire and he was the slayer. It didn’t matter that he was duty-bound to kill her, and she, predisposed to fear him. They had this. With a huge sigh of surrender, she melted into his embrace and kicked the kiss up a notch, tasting him, absorbing him in every way she possibly could. His sprinting heart pounded against her chest, a sure sign he was as into the kiss as she was. And that wasn’t the only sign. His already noticeable erection pressed against her belly, letting her know a kiss wasn’t enough for him anymore than it was for her. She wanted all of him. To feel him hot and hard against her naked flesh, thrusting into her wet heat, pounding into her, taking her to a place where their differences didn’t matter. Where nothing mattered but them and what they were feeling. But, however much she didn’t want it to, a tiny germ of reality intruded on her desires. In this realm they did need to communicate verbally, so with great reluctance she pushed against him, forcing some distance between them. “Rafe, this isn’t going to solve anything.” He nibbled on her ear and she bit her lip to keep herself from sighing out loud. How was she supposed to concentrate on anything with him distracting her like this? His onslaught continued as he moved lower, nipping her neck, sending shivers skittering down her spine in the most delicious way. “I think it just might solve everything.” “That’s your dick talking.” And maybe her own hormones. His low, sexy laugh told her better than words she was right and he wasn’t the least concerned that she knew it. “It probably is, but right now, I don’t care.” In one movement, he adeptly pushed aside the fabric of her halter top and to her complete bliss, took her breast into his mouth. There was no way she could stop the moan that escaped her lips. Who was she kidding? She didn’t want to talk right now. All she wanted was more of this. Right here, right now.


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She held his head to her, not wanting him to stop the ecstasy he gave her. His deep, meaningful chuckle told her he knew exactly what she was feeling, that she had already given in. He was right of course, damn him. His overconfident attitude should have made her angry, bringing her to her senses, but it was pointless. She was already beyond that. Somehow with Rafe, it always went this way. From the moment she’d met him, no matter how hard she fought his charm, or how much he irritated her, it didn’t matter. And right now, there wasn’t any real fight left in her. She, Selena Tremayne, was a masochist. Who knew? Rafe sensed Selena’s capitulation the instant it happened and he was beyond thankful for it. Everything hinged on her accepting what was between them, on giving it a chance. That she’d taken this first step was a gift and an opportunity. One he wouldn’t waste. Rafe picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He was on a mission—to show her just how special she was. Just how much he cherished her. The prophecy said she would change him and his life in some meaningful way, and in some ways she already had. Like with their newly found special connection, and if he could trust the visions, it wouldn’t just be his life that was altered. He knew he was being presumptuous. They still needed to talk and work things out, but with this burgeoning physical and mental connection between them, surely it wasn’t possible for things not to work out. Gently laying her on the multi-colored comforter, he paused to admire how beautiful she was. Black hair fanned out around her like a halo, ivory skin downy soft, inviting green eyes so striking it almost hurt to gaze into their depths. He would never tire of looking at her. He just hoped she’d give him the chance to prove it. He slowly removed her top, appreciatively taking in the peaked nipples just begging for his kiss. Leaning forward on one knee, he answered their silent plea, nipping one turgid tip before fully taking it into his mouth and savoring its salty sweetness.

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At her gasp, he grinned, loving her uninhibited response, the way she strained toward his mouth. How could he not love the fact that she still responded to him even though they had so much unresolved conflict between them? It increased his confidence they’d be able to work things out. That and the fact that deep in his soul he felt her tender heart. Actually felt her acquiescence. It was a strange thing, this bond between them. It was so new, barely there really, and yet already so strong in some ways. He hadn’t even consciously realized it was there until tonight, but it had pulled him to her as surely as the tides pull the ocean. And with just as much force. It had nothing to do with how long they’d known each other, or even how well, but their connection went deeper than anything he could ever have imagined. It was unique, special, probably mystical. The word magical had come to him earlier. Silly, sentimental claptrap of the variety his sister would have glommed onto. It wasn’t normally his way at all, but how else could he explain it? He had no idea how he was going to manage it, but he’d convince Selena that what they had was special if it was the last thing he did. He knew now he could never have killed her any more than she could ever kill him, or anyone else. But proving it to her was another thing entirely. He figured a good place to start was to show her just how precious she was to him. With regret, he stopped kissing her nipples. Her breasts were so luscious he could kiss them all night, but he had other things on his mind now. And in order to accomplish those things he had to remove the rest of her clothing, which he did with alacrity. In one smooth movement, her jeans and thong were discarded. With the rest of her silky-smooth skin revealed, he trailed kisses down her belly, tarrying for a moment at her cute little navel before moving down to his real target. He could sense her holding her breath as he gently ran his hands up the insides of her thighs. Her skin was so incredibly soft here. Like silk and satin at the same time, but better because it was her.


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When he kissed her, barely an inch away from her hot, wet pussy, all the breath she’d been holding whooshed out of her lungs in a low moan. He glanced up. “You like that?” She squirmed and her head tossed from side to side. “Is that a no?” She grabbed his head, trying to make him go back to what he was doing. “Why are you talking? Don’t you have something better to do with your mouth?” The laugh ripped out of him. He couldn’t help it. “I suppose I do.” And with that, he spread her thighs wide and feasted on her hot flesh. Selena thought she’d go mad with anticipation. She desperately needed his mouth on her. Craved what his wicked tongue could do to her. Hungered for his fiery touch. Burned to have him inside her. Only Rafe could do this to her. Make her lose her mind with desire and lose all sense of self-preservation. Only Rafe could get past all her defenses. Only Rafe. When his talented mouth finally closed over her clit, she almost exploded. But she wanted more than just immediate satisfaction. She wanted him right there with her, inside her, filling her to completion. To be one with him, even if only physically, and for a brief time. And she wanted it now. He wanted it too, she could feel it. However, Rafe had other ideas. Ideas that were quickly driving her out of her mind. She was moaning like a lunatic, and thrashing around as much as his firm hold would allow. Lights exploded behind her eyes and before she could fully appreciate that knife-edge thrill of near ecstasy, she came. Long and hard, almost screaming herself hoarse. Only Rafe could do this to her. Only with Rafe could she let herself go so utterly and completely. Before that thought could drift away, Rafe shucked his clothes, giving her a glorious view of his fully engorged cock. She reached for him, wanting to feel the silky-steel

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length of him in her hands. But his idea was way better than hers and all she could do was moan once more in complete agreement as he buried himself deep inside her with a powerful thrust. This was what she wanted, and she met him thrust for thrust as he plunged himself deeper and deeper inside her. So deep she swore she could feel him everywhere, inside and out, throughout her very being. In her body, in her mind, in her soul. They were one in every way possible. Two beings drawn together against all odds. She clung to him, relishing the comforting feel of his skin beneath her fingers, the way it somehow anchored her at a time when she felt so adrift. Relished that they were together like this when such a short time before she’d thought never to feel this way again. Rafe shifted position so his thrusts gave her clit extra friction. She could already feel another explosive orgasm building and she hung on for dear life. “Oh my God, you’re going to kill me.” “I’ll be right there with you.” Throwing her legs over his shoulders, he plunged deeper still. She could feel his balls slapping against her, feel the friction of his flesh against hers, and savored the erotic sensation. Something niggled at the back of her mind. She knew it was important, but in the moment it slipped away unheeded. Her mind was preoccupied with more urgent things. She was once again teetering on that precarious knife-edge, not wanting the feeling to slip away, but also knowing it would be over too soon. Too soon, because it would never be enough. She would never get enough of Rafe, and she knew it. That thought terrified her, but that thought too slipped away as she once more skyrocketed into a mind-blowing orgasm. As if from far away, she heard Rafe’s shout as he came with her in a great, powerful final thrust. In the aftermath, the only sound in the room was their combined heavy breathing as they both came down from their shared ecstasy. “I think you blew the top of my head off.”


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Rafe, who had collapsed on top of her, chuckled and lifted his head. “Well then, it’s in the same place as the head of my cock. Hopefully they’ll both find their way back to us.” The absurdity of his comment got her giggling, and the more she giggled, the more she couldn’t stop. The tension of the past few days took its toll and released itself in the worst fit of the giggles she’d ever had in her life. She laughed and laughed, and then laughed some more to the point where her sides hurt. And the purely self-satisfied expression on Rafe’s face just made her laugh more. Able to stop at last, she took a deep breath, held it and let it out slowly. “What are you looking so smug about?” “I told you sex would solve everything.” She smacked him on the shoulder. “Get off me. It hasn’t solved a damn thing.” “Sure it has. You’re not mad at me anymore and I’d say we’re both in a much more relaxed frame of mind to talk.” He gave her a devastatingly sweet kiss. “Now as soon as you admit that, I’ll get up and we can have that talk.” A part of her didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of agreeing with him, but since he’d just given her not one, but two awesome orgasms she decided to cut him some slack. “Okay, fine. Now get off.” He gave her another kiss and chuckling, rolled over and propped his head on one elbow. His hair was all mussed in that super-sexy way it tended to go, a fine sheen of sweat covered his body, his muscles rippled in all their glory. How the hell could she stay mad at him? Especially when his free hand was caressing her hip in the most tantalizing fashion. “Well, say something. You’re the one who wanted to talk.” “Mmmhmm. I’m just savoring the moment.” “No you’re not. I already recognize that twinkle in your eyes. You’re plotting something.” He laughed. “Can I help it if the sight of your gorgeous naked body makes me want to ravish you all over again?”

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What could she say? The sight of his gorgeous naked body made her want to ravish him too. She sighed at her lack of restraint and then giggled. “Okay, you’re forgiven.” Selena couldn’t believe they were joking around like this. They still had so much unresolved between them and yet she felt as if they’d known each other forever, or in another lifetime. It didn’t make sense. They should be mortal enemies and yet, they were so comfortable with each other. So in tune. She felt as if she knew what he was thinking, feeling. How it was possible, she didn’t know. “Since you’re not inclined to start talking, I will. Why are you here? Why did you come and get me?” “I told you, to talk.” “That’s not what I mean. Neither of us can deny the attraction between us, but we have no future. How can we have a future? I’m a vampire and you’re the slayer. That’s not going to change. Ever. So, why are you here?” He watched her somberly, and his hand left its exploration of her hip to reach up and tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m here because there’s nowhere else I want to be, that I can be. We’re meant to be, you and I. I don’t know what all that entails in the long run, but for now, it’s enough.” “You’re talking about that stupid prophecy again, aren’t you?” “I still don’t know everything the prophecy means. For us, or for others. But the Crystals only showed me the way after the fact. I’d already found you on my own. I was drawn to you from the first instant I saw you, and from that moment on couldn’t get you out of my head. I knew we were meant for each other. That we were meant to be together. Something deep in my very soul came to life in that moment. I can’t explain it.” “Until you found out I was a vampire, then all the hearts and flowers stuff flew by the wayside in a big hurry. I won’t forget you tried to kill me anytime soon.” “The operative word is tried. I tried and failed because there’s no way I could bring myself to do it, even if you’d tried to kill me first.” Selena felt tears behind her eyes and fought them back. “I could never kill you. Well, I could never kill anyone, but I especially would never be able to kill you. Even if you really ticked me off.”


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“Good thing since I seem to do it with frightening regularity.” “Yeah well, that’s because you get under my skin. You always have, from the moment I first heard your voice I had to fight the urge to jump your bones. That scared the shit out of me.” “You hid it well. I was worried I’d never be able to get past your defenses. You were so prickly.” She shrugged. “I’ve never found it easy to trust people, but what Ambrose did changed me, even beyond the obvious change of turning me into a vampire. I guess the expression, once bitten, twice shy has special meaning for me. I trusted him and he broke that trust in the most horrific way. He killed me, but he didn’t even have the decency to make it permanent. Instead, he condemned me to a life that isn’t a life at all. It shut me off from others because most wouldn’t understand what I am. I felt isolated and alone with no way out.” “Is that why you were in that bar that first night we met? To meet someone?” Selena laughed. “Anne talked me into it. I didn’t want to go, but she’d convinced me I needed to get out and get laid so I pushed myself to make the effort.” “I came along in the nick of time then, didn’t I?” She smacked his shoulder. “You weren’t what I was looking for.” “Ouch, that hurts.” And she knew he didn’t mean in the physical sense. “You had too much control over me and my reactions from the beginning and that terrified me. I’d convinced myself I could never let another man have as much control over me as Ambrose had. Look where it got me.” Rafe nodded. “That makes sense. A quick fling, you stay in control, purge some excess sexual energy.” She playfully punched his arm. “Yeah, deep down, I knew there was nothing quick about you.” “I don’t know. That last go-round went pretty fast. Much faster than I’d anticipated.” “You didn’t hear any complaints from me, did you? I couldn’t have waited a second longer.”

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“Neither could I. In fact, I’m ready for round two if you are.” She laughed. “Is that all you can think about?” “With you lying naked in front of me? Yes.” “Good.” She reached out and laid her hand on his face. “Who would have thought being cursed could ever bring anything good into my life.” Rafe nipped the tips of her fingers. “That’s the trouble with curses, they lock down your fate and define who you are.” Selena ran her hand along his chest and trailed her fingers down over his already engorged cock, enjoying how it leapt at her touch. “They don’t completely lock in your fate. I thought I’d never have this kind of closeness again. Never have someone like you in my life because of what I am.” Rafe chuckled. “I kind of like who you are.” She pulled his short hairs and he winced. “Okay, okay. I get it. If it wasn’t for curses we would never have met and we wouldn’t be here together like this right now.” Selena nodded and fought back unexpected tears just at the thought of her life without Rafe in it. She was so lucky. Thank God she’d finally figured out she didn’t have to keep running away from love in fear. They still had things to work out, but she didn’t doubt they would. How could they not? They were so in tune with each other already and if they could get past the slayervampire thing, they could figure anything out. “I know. We’re truly blessed.” Rafe ran his fingers up along her spine and speared them into her long fall of hair, cradling her head and tilting it up to look at him. “Blessed beyond measure.” She nodded and he captured her mouth in a searing kiss that proclaimed more loudly than words ever could that she was his. There was nothing more she could ask for. Nothing more she wanted. It was enough. It was everything.


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Epilogue “Shit.” Selena shook the living crap out of the offending object as if that would somehow dislodge what it said. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and looking at it again. Nope. The distinct twin blue lines were still there. How the hell is this possible? Well, she knew how it was possible. They did have sex on a regular basis. She giggled. If you could call what they did regular. It was more accurate to say they went at it like rabbits. It was just that she couldn’t be pregnant. It was way too soon. Her mind flashed back to that day a couple weeks back when she’d known something was wrong but was too caught up in the moment to think out what it was. With blinding clarity it hit her now. They hadn’t used protection. In the heat of the moment, neither of them had thought of it. Before, during or after. She heard Rafe walk up behind her. “What’s up?” Her first instinct was to hide the wand and not tell him, but she didn’t feel right about doing that. “I just took a pregnancy test.” She peeped up at him through her lashes, wanting to gage his reaction. “It’s positive.” Rafe looked dumbstruck at first but quickly turned thoughtful. What the hell was he thinking? Was he angry? “Okay, spill.” “You don’t want to know.” “Yes, I do.” “No, you don’t.” Something clicked in her brain. “It’s that damned prophecy again, isn’t it?” “I’m afraid so.” “Lay it on me. What does it say?”

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Looking sheepish, he shrugged. “Well, it does mention a child coming forth from the vampire with the mark and the slayer.” “So now you’re saying this child is prophesied.” “Looks that way.” Selena closed her eyes and ran her hands down her face. This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t. “What does the prophecy say?” “Not much is said really. I just know it means some kind of great change is in store.” She couldn’t believe this. Was he kidding her? “At least tell me if it’s a good change or bad change.” He didn’t answer. Just shook his head and shrugged again. Great. He didn’t know. Selena shook her head in wonder and finally sighed in resignation. Just her luck. This could only happen to her. She bit back a semi-hysterical giggle. She really was cursed.


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About the Author

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Look for these titles by Anara Bella

Now Available: Ready or Not

She’s his match—but he’s not in her business plan.

Byte Marks © 2008 Mardi Ballou A Fangly, My Dear story. Hereditary witch Dominique LaPierre has always refused to use her powers, especially when it comes to business. Until now. Her new company, a computer dating service that hooks up the San Francisco human and para communities, thrives on crossing that boundary. Business is great despite opposition from the arrogant and conceited Antoine Thierry, a leader in the vampire community. And, to her irritation, she finds she’s got the hots for him. Antoine doesn’t like or trust witches. Nor does he like the growing power of technology; real vampires, in his view, don’t need it to have a social life. Besides, if he can’t control the game, he doesn’t want to play—except with Dominique. The heat between them could melt down any hard drive. She pushes his buttons on every level, from the board room to the bedroom. But he’s holding out, especially when she looks to him to support her new business. Antoine wants it all. His way—and his woman.

Enjoy the following excerpt for Byte Marks: Dominique had never before ached to have a man between her legs as she now ached for the feel of Antoine’s hard cock deep within her. Goddess knew he’d been hard since their first moments together—she’d snuck glances at his crotch, and then she’d felt his tempting bulge pressed against her in each embrace. He seemed huge, restrained within his still-fastened pants so that she feared he might explode before she ever got him inside her. But, judging from his movements and his sounds, her wait was about to end. If not, she’d have to take matters into her own hands. His eyes wide with invitation, Antoine pressed her hand exactly where she wanted it—over his bulge. To show her acceptance, she squeezed him there and then unzipped his pants. When Antoine’s erection sprang free, they both sighed. His cock rose thick and

long, so appealing she wanted to get on her knees and take him into her mouth. When he realized what she planned, Antoine shook his head. “Tempting as the prospect is, I want this first time to last. If you take me into your mouth, it won’t.” She loved knowing how much she turned him on, what power she had over Antoine. What clothes they still had on interfered with this power. She needed to be naked with him now. Eyes fixed on his, she stripped and threw her clothes aside. He growled as he swallowed her up with his eyes. Lips locked with hers, he backed her to the king-size bed covered with black silk and laid her down. Her heartbeat careened out of control as desire swept through her. Antoine groaned rubbing his erection along her belly, down to the warm wetness of her pussy. With her body on fire, she met his longing with her own, relying on instinct to lead her. Antoine pulled away from her for a moment, and Dominique thrust her hands out to draw him back. “I want you,” he whispered. “I’m yours,” she whispered back. He started to say something else, then appeared to change his mind. Instead, he laid his head on her breasts. She burned for him to possess her. He traced a line down her belly to her sensuous core, and Dominique sucked in her breath hard. Already wet and hot for him, she’d die if he didn’t possess her completely. But now Antoine began to act as if he had all the time in the world. Maybe he did— but she didn’t. “Touch me.” Though she despised her neediness, Dominique whimpered the words of desire. “With delight, my lady. I am yours to direct.” Right. The last thing this man would ever do was obey. But he flashed a smile. She’d never understand this man who seemed to know all her secret desires. With his mouth and hands, he dared her to dance to his erotic beat. She squirmed with intense need, which seemed to feed his huge ego. But she could worry about that later, much later, when she’d achieved the satisfaction only he could bring her. Quivering, she placed his questing hand where she most needed it. “Here,” she

ordered, except her request came out as a gasp. If he refused her, she’d wither into a little pile of ash. “As you wish, my beauty,” he crooned before he expertly flicked her clit with his large thumb. Still trying to hold on to a shred of dignity and control, Dominique bit her lip. She wanted to cloak herself with an icy mantle. Like an empress entwined with a commoner, she’d command him to fill her wishes. But at this point she couldn’t even dredge up the right words. Though she longed to come in his arms, she didn’t want this man to realize the extent of his power over her—a losing battle, she suspected. The sensuous pressure of his fingers tracing the contours of her pussy, playing with her folds and her clit, distracted her from further thoughts. The sharp, thrilling sensation of his touch, the overwhelming promise of his presence filled her. At this moment, she would give herself totally to the physical wonder of being with him. Later, she’d have too much time—the rest of her life—to analyze what had happened. She would be with him only once. Antoine slipped a finger into her, teasing her with a foretaste of the satisfaction she craved. She moved her hips to maximize the sweet pressure of his touch inside her. “The things you do to me, Dominique.” He took her hand and splayed her fingers around his aroused length. The feel of his erection, rock hard and throbbing against her hand, tantalized her beyond endurance. Why was he making her wait? She wanted to take him completely inside her, needed him so much. Her pussy clenched and tightened, holding his finger hostage. Now that she’d felt the dimensions of his erection, his finger could never be enough, no matter how great his skill as he played with her. Dominique had to have his cock in her right then. “Come into me.” He rose and for a moment stared at her with such intensity, she swore he’d swallowed up her soul. Then with a growl, he lowered himself to her again. She wanted to seize every moment so she would always remember the sensation of his skin heating her, his hard muscles pressed against her own firmness and softness, his

mysterious scent, the pungency of being with him like this. Just the two of them alone together in their own world. Her hand trembling, she squeezed his aroused length, making him even harder. The veins and cords of his cock stood out along the marble of his shaft, and all she could think was how she wanted to take him into her in every possible way. She longed to taste, smell, lick and nibble this beautiful man’s body. Much as she yearned to tongue him and cover his cock with love bites, her pussy would not be denied. Still lying on their sides and facing each other, Antoine opened Dominique’s legs and positioned his sex at the apex of her need. One hand on his cock and the other on her ass, Antoine filled her feminine opening with the thick head of his engorged penis and gently probed. Dominique gasped as the movement unleashed sensations she’d gone too long—maybe forever—without. In reaction to her shudder and her soft growl, he clasped her to him and thrust his huge, hard dick deep inside her.

Her day couldn’t get any worse—until the wolf shows up.

The Howl and the Pussycat © 2008 Ann Cory Jacqueline’s sexy little Red Riding Hood outfit was supposed to rekindle her boyfriend’s flagging interest. Instead she’s red in the face and dumped for another woman. To add to the indignity, she finds herself pursued into the woods by a wolf. Somehow she manages to escape, only to end up with two new pains—a twisted ankle, and a sexy rescuer who claims he’s been searching for her all his life. After several decades of searching, Baldric is surprised that his destined mate is a provocative human woman with a catty attitude. Hardly a perfect match for a werewolf, but there can be no other partner for him. To seduce the woman he’s hungered for all his life, he’ll have to convince her hardened heart that he’s capable of love. And do it without scaring her off with the truth—that underneath his hard body beats the loyal heart of a wolf.

Enjoy the following excerpt for The Howl and the Pussycat: “Don’t be mad. Nothing may come of this and then we can just pick up where we left off. Absence is supposed to make the heart grow fonder and such.” Her stomach churned. “Oh shut up. The absence is going to make me even more ready to be with someone else. You had your shot. Sorry I wasted three years on your ass.” She clicked the phone off and slammed it shut, uninterested in anything else he had to say. Glancing into the rearview mirror, she took a good look at her reflection. Pathetic. All dressed up and nowhere to go. If she went to the party alone, it would be obvious what had happened. She’d spend the entire night catching glimpses of Sophie in Ted’s arms whispering naughty little words into his ear. The office would be buzzing with gossip in the morning. A great day to call in sick. Maybe even for the entire week. She wanted to hit something, strangle someone and scream obscenities all at once. Men.

Even more upsetting than Ted were the tears starting up. She hated to cry or admit defeat. Weakness sucked and so did getting dumped. Had he seen her dressed up like sin in heels, he never would have chosen Sophie. The whole idea of her costume was to get him to realize what a great thing he had with her. Brilliant plan gone wrong. Jacquelyn wiped at her eyes, careful to not smear any mascara, and blindly tossed her cell phone to the backseat. She froze. Was that a growl? She was about to turn and look behind her when a car pulled into the next space over, distracting her. A man in a dark blue jacket got out and ran toward the costume shop. For a split second she considered returning Ted’s wolf outfit, but the humiliation of explaining the situation to Cassidy quickly helped make her decision. Instead, she backed out of the parking space and pulled out onto the street. It would be a long, miserable drive back. She couldn’t believe how cold Ted had been. All the times she’d put up with his selfish ways and this was her thanks. Not even ten minutes on the road, a light drizzle started that instantly turned into a heavy downpour, making it near impossible to see. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered aloud. Before Jacquelyn had a chance to start up a solo tirade complete with f-bombs, she heard the same low growl she thought she’d heard before come from the backseat. She straightened and tried to catch a peek in the rearview mirror, a difficult task with the rain pounding the windshield. The blood rushed out of her face the moment she caught movement in the mirror. Or so she thought. “What the hell?” Jacquelyn went to take a second look when the car hydroplaned. Knuckles tense, she gripped the wheel and rode it out, doing her best to keep the car steady. Judging by the unfamiliar signs she passed, she realized her exit had come and gone. Shivers crept up her back as she heard something rustle around behind her. Not willing to risk getting in an accident, she veered off at the next exit and turned onto a gravel road. She followed it just long enough until she came to a patch of trees. God she hoped it wasn’t some rabid raccoon or stray dog. Before she panicked, she decided to take a look.

“It’s just your imagination. You’re fine. There’s nothing back there,” she reasoned aloud. With the car in park, she counted to five and turned around, coming face to face with a large gray wolf. Jacquelyn screamed and bolted from the car. The rain pelted her skin and soaked her cape, making it twice as heavy. She looked back once and noticed the animal bound from the car and come after her. It let out a howl that reduced her to half-screams, halfwhimpers. Why the hell did she pick to run toward the trees? She should have run toward the road and flagged down a driver, though dressed in her outfit she worried who would stop for her. With only the newly risen moon to see by, she found herself running through a forest that stretched for miles. Old crippled trees surrounded her, looking like they would reach down and swoop her up into their gnarled clutches, a thought she quickly shook from her mind. “I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die,” she chanted to herself, trying to ignore her screaming calves and ankles. Not only was it murder to run in high heels, but her stockings scratched against her inner thighs. Talk about chaffing. She looked back again and saw the wolf still hot on her trail. God, why was it chasing her? Dumped, desperate and now some wild thing’s prey. Her heart nearly beat right out of her chest, thundering loudly as she ran. How had it gotten inside her car in the first place? Did it crawl in when she first went into the costume shop? Someone’s cruel joke at her expense? Damn Ted. It was all his fault…somehow…in a way that didn’t make any sense, but made her feel better to think. As she made it to a clearing in the woods, the rain let up, becoming a light mist. Just in time too, as up ahead she spotted a small cabin. Maybe her luck had changed? She tried to forget about all the scary movies she’d watched where a young woman runs into what looks like a deserted house, only to become dinner and a show for a band of nasty little men. Though, the other alternative, her limbs being torn apart by fangs and devoured, left much to be desired. One way or another she was screwed. And here she’d planned the night to be screwed for pleasure, not pain.

Jacquelyn fought the pain in her calves and ran toward the cabin like a madwoman, jarring her ankle hard in the process. Nothing, not even the grueling pain, would make her stop until she made it safely inside. At the door, she stopped a moment to catch her breath and tried to peek in through the window. No lights were on. Should she knock? Waking an angry old man might not be a good idea. Out of good manners or stupidity, she didn’t know which, she knocked. A branch snapped behind her followed by another eerie howl. The sound vibrated and made her queasy. She didn’t dare look back. As her hand closed around the doorknob, something grabbed her from behind. She heard herself scream, high pitched and blood curdling. Her knees buckled. Instead of falling to the ground, she felt herself being picked up and propelled over something curiously solid. Whoever or whatever it was couldn’t be good. Finally, the delicious black shrouded her vision, and she let it take her.

Samhain Publishing, Ltd. It’s all about the story… Action/Adventure Fantasy Historical Horror Mainstream Mystery/Suspense Non-Fiction Paranormal Red Hots! Romance Science Fiction Western Young Adult www.samhainpublishing.com

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