Harlequin's Deception (The Naked Truth Series Book 1)

by Candi Fox

  Luc’s grip on Zoe tightened; she could see his fingers biting into her shoulder.

  “You have disobeyed me, Zoe.” His voice was quiet. The kind of quiet that only comes from an enormous amount of anger. He turned her around so she was facing him.

  Harley couldn’t see the look on her face, but her body language still looked defiant. She had no idea why Zoe was so angry with her. She really hadn’t done anything she could think of to piss off the vampire chick. She needed to study more on vampire etiquette.

  “You will be punished. Never doubt that I am the head of this brood. I am the master, not you. You have gone too far this time.”

  He looked at the two vampires in the back of the room. “Michael, Randolph, escort Zoe to her quarters and lock her in them. Make sure she cannot escape. If she does it will be your heads. Do you understand?”

  They nodded and stepped forward taking a hold of Zoe. She fought, kicking, and trying to claw them. Harley had figured them for two lesser vampires. They seemed to be handling Zoe just fine.

  Luc walked over to her. Glided was more like it. He moved so effortlessly. Once he was standing close he looked her up and down.

  “Are you unhurt?”

  “I’m fine, just surprised. Why does she hate me so much?”

  “She is jealous. Aiden protected you. She thinks Aiden is hers. She also very much mistakenly thinks that I am hers. I have never, nor will I ever, be.”

  Harley shook her head. She still didn’t understand Zoe or her reasoning. It didn’t matter. One thing she knew is that she would have to find some way to protect herself from Zoe. One day no one would be around when Zoe attacked her and she had to be prepared.

  “I think it best if I leave.”

  “We can continue our discussion later. Next time, I will make sure that we are uninterrupted.

  “Can you get home alright without Aiden? I have some work for him to do.”

  “I can. Thank you again for the information. I will be in touch soon.”

  Harley turned smiling at Aiden. “It was nice having you visit.”

  She wanted to hug him but she didn’t. Instead, she walked quietly down the hall and left the house. She turned on the music full blast on the way home and toyed with the idea of calling cowboy.

  No, she didn’t want to wear out her welcome with him. They had an understanding, but everyone had their limits. Harley had just seen him yesterday.

  She went straight to the library when she got home. There had to be something in the text she hadn’t yet found. There was a way to fight everything. She thought again of her favorite book character. Her way around vampires was weapons. Usually guns, lots and lots of guns.

  Guns were not really Harley’s style but she admired those who did use them. Many in her field had no compunction of protecting themselves with firearms. Harley had nothing against them. She, in fact, owned several. It’s just she preferred the organic flow of more personal weapons. She liked knives and swords.

  Hey, that’s a thought! Her sword. Perhaps she could bespell it to give her some kind of edge when fighting vampires.

  Harley called her friend Emery. He would know exactly the right spell or ritual she needed to bespell her sword.

  “Harlowe, you are calling me rather late.”

  “Or early. It depends on how you look at it.”

  “Either way it must be important.

  “It is. I need a way to fight vampires. I thought perhaps I would bespell the sword.”

  “It is important. I take it you can’t come to me?”

  “Not right now. I’m in the middle of a case.”

  “Then I will come to you. Look for me in the morning. I will be there for breakfast.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Luc waited until he knew Harley was long gone. He sat in the high-backed chair in the library and said nothing.

  Aiden and the others looked around worriedly. Quiet was far worse than being yelled at. It meant that Luc was beyond angry. It also meant he was taking his time to decide the punishment that would be meted out.

  “Michael, Randolph, you are to lock Zoe in the casket in the vault room below. She will stay there until I am no longer angry with her.

  You will not visit her. She will not be fed. She will not be allowed out. Do you understand?”

  Luc looked at the fear on their faces. To be locked away and hungry for an unknown period would scare any vampire. His anger was such that it was either imprisonment or death for her. She had disobeyed him for the last time.

  He and Zoe had never been lovers. She had wanted him, or rather she had wanted the power he could provide her. Zoe was an ambitious vampire.

  The politics in America were still unsettled. They had been out in the open for ten years and only legal for a couple of those years.

  The vampire world was one of greed and power. The leader of one brood would often look to take over not only the region of another brood but the brood itself.

  If a brood’s area was taken over, the vampires in the area either pledged their loyalty to the new leader, or they died. The deaths were usually prolonged and painful to set examples for others.

  Luc maintained the area from just outside of Dallas to just north of Tulsa. It was a large area. Zoe had wanted to rule that area with him. He had no interest in her, or anyone for that matter, ruling beside him.

  The more leaders you had, the more chance you had to muddle things up. One leader, one set of rules. If the rules were broken the punishment was decided by one person. It was consistent. Vampires, more than many supernaturals, needed consistency.

  He’d like to think that vampires had become civilized in the last hundred years or so. It just wasn’t the case. Vampires were as savage as they had ever been. They were used to living life behind closed doors. Not much had changed.

  He looked at the two in front of him. The fear showing plain on their face. He would have been displeased if they weren’t afraid. Fear was one way to lead vampires. It was a good way.

  “You have your orders. Now go and let me know when it has been completed.”

  They bowed to Luc and left the room. Aiden stood there the entire time by Luc’s right side. His face was carefully devoid of all emotion.

  “Say what you need to.”

  “Do you really think this stringent a punishment is necessary, Luc?”

  “You know as well as I do, very few things would make Zoe stop and think. She needs time to cool off and our lovely Harley needs time to learn how to fight vampires.

  “I have no doubt the fight will occur at some point. I’m merely trying to even the playing field.”

  Aiden nodded. “I understand.”

  “Good. Now, I need you to go and find out what Nikolas is up too. I do not trust that Russian excuse for a vampire. He will cause trouble for all of us if he has his way.

  “We cannot afford to have the humans repeal the laws that protect us. After the world found out about us, vampires were open season around the world. We are far less than we were 10 years ago. The old laws about creating others are still in place.

  “If it continued, the population of vampires could be wiped out, worldwide. While that may be fine for some, I’m not so eager to cease existing.”

  “I’ll go now. I’m still not sure locking Zoe away is a good idea. What doesn’t kill her will just piss her off. You’re the boss.”

  “Get back with me as soon as you can, Aiden.”

  He was left alone with his thoughts. The others wouldn’t come in for a while. Everyone could feel his anger. The brood master was tied to all his brood members. He could feel their hunger, their pain, their anger. Any intense emotion, and in turn, they could feel his.

  His thoughts turned to Harley. It had been a long time since he had been this intrigued by a woman, even though he had no want of companionship.

  Companionship was completely different than being intrigued. Not to mention if Harley belonged to the ancient line he thought she did, she would on
e day be very powerful.

  She already had a reputation for getting the job done. His research even showed she sometimes traveled outside of the country to do magic.

  He thought she was delicious in more ways than one. He had never understood modern America’s demand for thin girls who resembled boys more than women. He liked women with some meat on their bones. Women with curves, women he could not break during sex.

  Sex with her had been delicious, yet he knew the dream walk was just the tip of the iceberg to what she could give him. Her essence had been just as delicious.

  His mouth watered at the thought of her blood. It sang with a power that called to him. It sang with a power that made him stiff just thinking about it. He wanted her in his bed. He wanted her in his mouth.

  He literally ached with desire for her. The desire to possess her in so many ways. Each one more delectable than the last.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Emery was on her doorstep early the next morning. She should have known he wouldn’t miss a meal cooked by Mrs. Reyes. His short spiky black hair was tinged with gray at the temples giving him a distinguished look.

  He had full lips, a square chiseled jaw. Though he was only 5’8” a few inches shorter than Harley, he carried himself well. In fact, she always thought he was larger than life.

  His broad shoulders were encased in a long leather jacket that was lined with sheep’s wool. Under that, she could see an ivory linen shirt peeking out. Black jeans and equally black boots finished his ensemble.

  She stepped out the door greeting him warmly. He immediately folded her in a near rib cracking hug. Pressing his nose to her neck. It was cold making her laugh and pull away.

  “You were just trying to warm your face.”

  “Oh no, I wanted to smell your perfume dear one.”

  She laughed. “Likely story. Come in. You are just in time for breakfast.”

  “Knew I would be.” His smile widened as he followed her into the house.

  Warm greetings were exchanged all around. Hector insisted on taking Emery’s luggage to one of the guest rooms. He put Emery across from Harley’s room.

  The entire house knew they would be locked away in the basement lab for who knows how long. Once Emery arrived the two were generally inseparable.

  Harley had called Lieutenant Meyers and her office letting them know to call Mrs. Reyes in an emergency. It would take days or even weeks for them to bespell the sword.

  An hour later they had made their way to her sub-basement. She, Emery and several other magical people had built a basement, below her basement. It was sealed to contain any magical accidents that might occur when she was making difficult potions, doing large rituals or dealing with unidentified magic items.

  It also contained a small living area. She and Emery would be comfortable down there. Mrs. Reyes would insist on bringing them food several times a day. There was no getting around that woman when she had made up her mind.

  Emery was more than ready when everyone left. He was always excited to play with magic, especially if involved alchemy. He’d lugged down a huge bag with him, slinging it over one shoulder. He went to the lab immediately and began unpacking its contents on his counter top.

  Yes, his. He may not live there, but he did the heavier magic with Harley often enough, he had his own space.

  “Why do the contents of that bag remind me of some Shakespearian sonnet?”

  “Perhaps because I’m older than Shakespeare and I have better stuff.” He turned around and stuck his tongue out at her like he was a five-year-old boy.

  She laughed and shook her head. “I don’t have to go looking for dragon spleen because you already have it?”

  “Mmhmm, something like that. Now be a darling and come help me unpack.”

  An hour later they had finished unpacking. She felt like a character out of the “Halloweentown” movie. The grandma with the unending carpet bag.

  The last thing he pulled out was a set of daggers that matched her sword.

  “I brought you a few things.” He handed her the daggers. “You won’t have room for the sword in a tight spot, so I figured these would do nicely.”

  Harley was speechless. Emery never ceased to surprise her with his generosity and thoughtfulness. She didn’t have the words, so she threw her arms around him and hugged him. She held on for a long time, tears of gratitude running down her face.”

  “Harley, I love your boobs, but don’t smother me to death.”

  She laughed out loud. “You are not that short.”

  “No, but they are that big.”

  She stepped back and playfully slapped him on the arm. “Dirty old man.”

  “Yup, and don’t forget it. Now, let’s get to work.”

  Harley laid the sword and daggers on the stone altar that was in the middle of the room. Ancient runes had been carved into the table’s surface.

  The altar had been used when she first got her sword. She, Emery and a few friends had bespelled the sword. She had no idea who forged it. Emery kept secrets even from her.

  Emery spread several large tomes across one of the work tables. These were special books that he always carried with him. When Harley touched their pages she could feel the thrum of energy and magic. It pricked along her skin and made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

  She washed her hands three times and then put on white linen gloves before opening any of the tomes. She didn’t want the oils from her skin to get on any of the ancient paper.

  Harley wished these were her books. The information contained in the pages was hundreds of years old. Some of the spells were for eternal life, others were for removing warts. There seemed to be spells for everything in between.

  They spent two days going over the books before they decided on a ritual. Emery said the first step was to magically etch my Goddess’ symbol onto the blade.

  Harley chose to use a raven in flight, the cowslip and the eyes of a great cat. Emery had amber put into the hilt of each blade. The cowslips intertwined around the raven in flight and lead to the cat’s eyes which were closest to the hilt of each blade.

  Freya was well known for her relationship with the great cats, but not as well known for the raven. Ravens were contributed to Odin and the Morrigan. The raven was Freya’s sacred bird and Freya was her goddess of choice.

  The blades were laid out in the middle of the stone altar. Around the edge of the altar were primrose, cowslips, daisies and large pieces of amber.

  The four elements were represented at the four corners of the altar. Sacred oils and incense lined the blades. Candles were lit around the room. Both she and Emery were nude. They had bathed and cleansed each other with salt and sage.

  Emery stood at one end of the altar and she stood at the other. A salt circle surrounded it all. He began to call the four quarters.

  We call on the element of the North, the element of earth. We ask that you bless us with your gifts of prosperity, endurance, patience, and stability.

  We call on the element of the East, the element of air. We ask that you bless us with your gifts, perception, wisdom, inspiration and intellect.

  We call on the element of the South, the element of fire. We ask that you bless us with your gifts, energy, will power, passion and strength.

  We call on the element of the West, the element of water. We ask that you bless us with your gifts, healing, emotion, receptivity, and pleasure.

  We ask for the Goddess Freya, our ancestors and the ancient ones to join us this evening. To bless us and to hear our pleas.

  They both began to circle the altar going clockwise and chanting.

  We circle round this place, creating a sacred space. Invoking the elements and the Goddess’ grace.

  Imbue these blades with your power so that your champion will shine in their darkest hour. Bless these blades with your grace and might.

  May they strike swift, strong and true. May the wielder be imbued with supernatural graces, Freya, fair
Goddess of great might.

  They repeated the spell three times while they walked inside the circle around the altar. Just after they finished the third chant of the spell a great wind blew through the enclosed room. The flames on the candle grew three feet off the table, the earth trembled and then everything in the room went dark.

  Emery and Harley stayed inside the circle feeling the energy of the spell and the Goddess course through their body. It was like a mild form of electrocution. Harley was sure her hair was standing on end.

  The darkness remained in the room for several minutes. Harley felt another presence in the room with them. She didn’t speak or move, neither did Emery. A shadow that was somehow darker than the darkness of an unlit room moved in and out of the circle.

  The hum of energy around the altar grew. It literally began to hum. The vibrational energy was quiet at first, then rose to an almost ear-splitting pitch before going completely quiet.

  Harley had never experienced anything like this before. She couldn’t hear Emery moving, and he hadn’t said anything. She stood her ground and simply waited.

  The candles that had been extinguished earlier relit. The room was bathed in a soft glow. The energy that had been there earlier seemed to have diminished or perhaps disappeared altogether.

  She didn’t see or sense the shadow or whatever had been circling them earlier. Looking over at Emery he didn’t seem to be upset, in fact, he had a huge smile on his face.

  “Let’s give it a few minutes before we dismiss the circle.”

  Harley nodded in agreement and waited. Nothing else happened. Emery began to dismiss the circle.

  Thank you, Goddess ancient ones and ancestors. We bid you farewell with grateful hearts.

  Elements of the West, element of water thank you for your presence in this circle. Stay if you will; go if you must. Well Met and Farewell.

  Elements of the South, element of fire thank you for your presence in this circle. Stay if you will; go if you must, Well Met and Farewell.