Enthrall grinned. “I’m not a Demon. I’m a Vampire. And do you believe I could let you live, now that you’ve touched my female?”
“But I didn’t! Not really, just a tease here or there. She was meddling in my business. You should teach her not to get between a man and his wife.”
Enthrall’s eyebrows raised. “I should teach her? No. No, instead, I think I shall teach you. Do not ever put your hands on a woman that isn’t yours. Come to think of it, do not ever put your hands on a woman at all, unless she has invited you to do so.”
“I can touch my own wife any way I like! She’s my property.”
Enthrall took a deep breath, sighed, then reached out with one hand, punching the man as hard as he could without punching through him.
The man dropped to the floor, completely unconscious.
Enthrall looked down at the man, wondering what to do with him. There were far too many witnesses to kill him here and now. And if the man were to disappear sooner rather than later, it could bring the authorities to Enthrall’s door. Something he really didn’t need. Slowly a smile began to spread across his lips. Those that didn’t know him would have thought him sinister if they’d seen it. He squatted down in front of the unconscious man and took the man’s head in his hands. He pressed the pads of his thumbs to the man’s temples and the pads of his fingers to the rest of the man’s head. He closed his eyes and pulsed energy through his fingertips at the same time he sent thoughts and visions the likes of which no mortal could possibly witness and remain sane. He’d remember the creature that was Enthrall, and he’d remember all the atrocities of the lost souls who dwelled in the realm that Lore inhabited, and he’d live the tortured emotions of any creature Enthrall had ever come across — he thought it was the least he could do. There were things far worse than death, and Enthrall had simply allowed the man to commune with them for the rest of his natural life. Once Enthrall was sure that he’d reduced the drunken bully to no more than a simpering shadow of his former self with a firm grip on insanity, he stood, a satisfied smile on his face.
Enthrall opened the door and stepped into the hallway to find it completely empty. Even the boys that had come for him earlier were gone.
He went straight to the carriage and found them milling about outside. “Mister!” the older boy called to him as he exited the building. “We waited for you here. Watched over your wife for you.”
Enthrall, still struggling to get his emotions under control, nodded. “I see that you did. Very well done.”
“She’s okay, right?”
Enthrall avoided looking directly at the boys, he had no doubt his eyes were red. Instead he peeked inside the carriage and said, “Yes, she is. Thanks to your quick thinking in coming for me, she is well.”
The boy glowed with the praise Enthrall gave him. “She was nice to us. And she’s really pretty. I didn’t want to see her get hurt.”
“You did well. What is your name?” Enthrall asked, looking in the general direction of the boys, but keeping his eyes downcast.
“I’m Shane.”
“Thank you, Shane.” Enthrall reached into his pocket and took out a piece of silver. He handed it to Shane and said, “For your troubles.”
Shane’s eyes almost popped out of his head. “Thank you!” he said, turning the silver piece over and over in his hands.
“No, Shane. Thank you. You take care of yourself, hear?”
“Yes, sir!” Shane answered.
“Where are your parents, son?” Enthrall asked.
Shane shrugged. “Don’t know. But I can take care of myself.”
Enthrall couldn’t just leave the boy here. “Why don’t you come with us?” he opened the carriage and indicated he should climb in.
Shane looked at the two smaller boys standing with him, then the open door to the carriage. Finally, he shook his head, “No. I need to stay here. But I’ll be fine. We all will.” Shane stepped back into the midst of the boys standing with him.
Enthrall peeked through his hair, having broken free of its binding, and regarded the group of them. “Alright. But, if you ever need me, or anything else, you come find me. Here,” he opened the briefcase he’d salvaged from the hallway where he’d dropped it when he rushed into the apartment after Felicity. He took out one of the sheets of paper with the address of Clara’s House written on it and handed it to Shane. “This is how you can find me.”
Shane took the paper from Enthrall and looked at the words written there.
“Can you read it?” Enthrall asked.
“I can read the numbers,” Shane said.
“The street is Schuylkill.”
“Just like the river?”
“Yes, just like the river. That’s my address. You need me, you come there, and I’ll take care of you.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
Enthrall climbed into the carriage and as it started to roll away, he heard Shane say to the other two boys with him, “We eat good tonight!”
Enthrall had no doubt the reason the boy stayed was to take care of the two younger kids. He almost made the carriage stop and pick up all three, but he needed to see to Felicity and get the woman and her family home and settled. He knew that Shane would keep himself and the boys safe for a few more days.
Chapter 4
Enthrall took his place beside Felicity in the carriage. Now that the threat was over, the boys tended to and Felicity seated safely next to him, his mind had a chance to truly grasp what could have happened had he not made it to her side in time. He could barely contain his fury at the thought of what she could have endured.
Felicity could sense the tension coming off Enthrall in waves. He was not at this moment, the calm, charming man she’d come to think of him as. He never failed to have a quick smile for her and always seemed happy to see her. But now, he wouldn’t even acknowledge her. “Enthrall?” she said, and reached for his hand.
He pulled his hand away and turned his face further from her and focused even more on the sights going past their carriage. He allowed his hair to fall forward to obscure the red glowing of his eyes.
Felicity was stunned by his behavior. “Enthrall?” she asked again, though more of a hushed question, the hurt at his rebuff easily detected in her voice. She didn’t like his lack of attention to her. She realized she’d come to expect him to welcome her attentions.
He did not turn toward her, nor did he look at the woman and children seated across from them. He let out a deep sigh, with a bit of a rumble to it, then hissed, “Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?”
Felicity looked down at her own hands folded neatly in her lap. “I… No, I didn’t think. I just knew I had to save them.”
Enthrall said nothing further, just stared off out of the carriage and away from the women and children sharing it with him. When they were almost halfway home, Enthrall finally reached for Felicity’s hand and scooped it from her lap, bringing it to rest on his thigh, held protectively and warmly in his own.
Felicity’s heart gave a little lurch, and she felt immediate relief and comfort from the simple gesture. She squeezed his fingers slightly where they wrapped around hers, and he squeezed hers in response, but still he didn’t look at her.
They finished the rest of the ride home without a word to one another, though Felicity several times spoke to the woman across from them, assuring her that all was fine and that she had no reason for worry.
The carriage pulled from the street onto the long drive that led to the house. As it came to a stop, Gheorghe opened the door of the carriage and helped Felicity down. Felicity turned for the little boy to come next and helped him safely to the ground. Gheorghe then dutifully helped the woman — still holding her infant daughter — down from the carriage. The woman’s eyes widened as she looked up at the huge home where they’d arrived.
Enthrall, by this time, had gotten himself for the most part under control and was dismissing the driver for the evening. He turned to
the woman and said, “Welcome to Clara’s House. You are the first woman to benefit from our services.”
The woman looked at him and Felicity. “Are you sure it’s okay for us to be here?”
Felicity smiled at her. “Completely sure. Clara’s House is a foundation started to help women and their children in need.”
“I can’t pay you. I have nothing.”
“We don’t want you to pay us. We’re here to help any who need it and to teach them a skill so that they can learn to provide for themselves,” Felicity explained.
The woman looked around again. She snuggled the baby close to her chest then reached down with her right hand to take the hand of her son who stood at her side.
Enthrall walked toward the house, lifting his hand in the direction of it. “Come. There is no need for fear or hesitation. You are safe here, protected. You will be fed and cared for. You may stay as long as you need, until you are able to take care of yourself in a suitable manner. Allow me to introduce you to our staff.”
The woman nodded and began to follow Enthrall.
He spoke as they walked. “I am Enthrall. This is Felicity, and this gentleman is Gheorghe. The house belongs to Gheorghe’s daughter, Rowan. They wanted to provide a home for women who needed shelter or an escape from abusive relationships. Rowan’s family, for the most part, keep the house running smoothly.”
“And Mr. Enthrall and Miss Felicity take care of all the finances and see to the legal aspects of things. They are basically the Lord and Lady of the house,” Gheorghe added, smiling.
Felicity scoffed, laughing. “We are no such thing! We are employees, just like you.”
Enthrall said, “We are executors of the estate.”
As they entered the house, Gheorghe called out, “Oksana! We have our first house-guest!”
A portly woman with a happy face hurried into the foyer, “Oh! Welcome! Welcome, miss! I’m Oksana. Come in, make yourself at home. You’ll be fine, now — just fine.”
The woman nodded. “Thank you. I’m Anna.”
“Come along, Anna. Let’s get you situated, then we’ll get you some food. Are you hungry?” she asked, guiding Anna away from the foyer and toward the upstairs bedrooms so that she could choose a room for herself and her children. “We can have a baby bed moved into the room you choose if it doesn’t already have one, so don’t pay any attention to that when you pick which you want for your own.”
Enthrall, still tense, but not as uncontrolled as before, said, “Gheorghe, if you and Oksana can see to Anna’s needs, I have a few things to see to.”
“Of course, Mr. Enthrall. We have it well in hand.”
“Very well, then.” He turned and stalked from the foyer and toward his own bedroom, which was next door to Felicity’s.
Felicity was left standing with Gheorghe and looking after Enthrall as he stalked away from them.
Gheorghe regarded her curiously, “Is everything alright, miss?”
Felicity moved her attention from Enthrall’s retreating back to Gheorghe. She nodded. “Yes, we’ve just had a trying day.”
“Go have yourself a rest. We’ve been waiting for our first guest and know exactly what to do. You go get washed up, and I’ll send some food to your room later.”
“That would be lovely, Gheorghe. Thank you.”
Enthrall stalked back and forth in his room, breathing deeply, trying to work out the rest of the anxiety he carried from the day’s events. The picture in his mind of Felicity in the grasp of Anna’s husband kept running on repeat, each time his imagination taking it a little further and little further, until his mind clearly showed him a picture of Felicity being viciously attacked by Anna’s husband. Her delicate skin under assault from his hands and mouth.
The horrid pictures running through his mind were displaced by the sound of water splashing. He turned his face toward the adjoining doors in the wall separating his room from Felicity’s. There it was again, the sound of water splashing. His emotions raw, his beast close to the surface, he acted without thinking. Enthrall went to the door and quietly turned the doorknob. He paused for a moment before pushing the door open, listening again to the splash of water. Very slowly he opened the door, stepping into Felicity’s bedroom without warning, without invitation. She stood across the room from him, her back to him, dressed only in her white shift. She stood at the dresser, splashing water on her face and shoulders from the wash bowl sitting atop it.
Enthrall’s breath caught as he watched her. She was beautiful — to him, easily the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
He watched as she reached, eyes closed, for the soft towel she’d left lying across her bed. Her fingers found it and brought it to her face at the same time he moved silently across the room toward her.
Felicity splashed the cold water across her face and neck, the feeling of Anna’s husband’s hands still present on her flesh no matter how many times she’d washed there. She’d played it off as though it was no issue to her because Enthrall had been so enraged by the fact that she’d almost managed to get herself really hurt. But in truth, she’d been pretty shaken up and could still imagine the feel of the man’s hands and tongue on her skin. She reached for the towel she’d left on her bed to dry herself with. She pressed the towel to her face, then her shoulders, patting away the water before drying her face once more and opening her eyes.
Felicity startled, holding the towel to her chest, her eyes wide, when she found Enthrall’s gaze in her mirror, staring back at her with a strange look on his face.
Enthrall stood right behind Felicity, so close he could feel the slight heat of her body. His nostrils flared as his eyes took her in. She was his. And he wanted to touch, to taste her. He stood behind her, watching her in the mirror, waiting for her to open her eyes and see him. He watched every detail — the rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed, the water droplets clinging to her dark blonde lashes and yet others blazing a path down her skin and disappearing beneath her shift. Then he watched as she opened her eyes and gasped at finding him standing there.
Felicity turned to face him, still holding the towel to her chest, the only thing other than her thin undergarment between them. He was so close and so tall that she had to lean back a little to look up at him in spite of her own height. She was not a short woman, almost 5’10.
He found he liked her looking up at him. In fact, he took the half step still between them to put himself as close as possible and caused her to tilt her head even further back.
Enthrall leaned forward, crowding her against the mirrored dresser behind her. Just as he anticipated, she raised her chin, turning it slightly away from him giving him unfettered access to her neck and throat. His beast was fully in control now. He pressed the side of his face against her jawline, turning ever so slightly to press his nose against her cheek, inhaling deeply, taking the scent of his mate into his lungs. Slowly his hands came up behind her to hold her to him. He inclined his head, rubbing his forehead against her chin, his cheek against her neck then coming back up the other side of her face with his nose again. When he decided he needed more access to her, he slid his hands up her back and into her hair. He rubbed his face against hers before slowly raising his head to look her in the eyes. It was then that he noticed the towel was still held between them. He used one hand to pull it gently away from her and toss it carelessly behind him. Then Enthrall pulled Felicity against him again and sank his hand back into her hair. He pressed his nose along-side hers and just barely brushed his lips, open-mouthed, across hers. Enthrall fisted the hand that was in her hair and tugged her head gently, yet steadily back until she was no longer able to see him and was instead staring up at the ceiling, her neck and chest fully exposed to him.
Enthrall leaned back just enough to see her clearly — then, he dipped his head, dragging his tongue from the soft, sweet valley of her breasts to her chin.
Felicity gasped, her heart pounded and her hands came up to steady herself by holding onto
his arms.
Enthrall nipped her chin lightly and licked her again and again, until he was sure that he’d entirely bathed her skin from breast to chin with his tongue. Each time nibbling here and there, and stopping to suckle along his way.
Slowly he let off the pressure he held her head in place with, and she raised her head to look at him.
Enthrall framed her head in his hands, looking into her eyes and holding her still while he kissed her lips.
Felicity kissed him back, still clutching at his biceps where she felt them flexing beneath his shirt.
Enthrall kissed her again, his tongue sweeping into her mouth to taste her and tease her own. When he pulled slightly away from her kisses, he suckled her lower lip into his mouth, releasing it with a soft pop. “Mine,” he whispered, his face so close to hers that she could feel his breath across her face as he spoke.
“You are mine. You will NOT ever put yourself in jeopardy again,” he insisted calmly, quietly.
Felicity looked as though she was about to answer, but he cut her off. “The proper answer is, ‘I understand.’”
Felicity raised her eyebrows, but at his intense glare, she gave up any idea of argument and nodded.
“I do not care who is in danger, or what you think you need to do to save them. You do not ever put yourself in danger again.”
Felicity swallowed and looked into his eyes. “But, what if someone needs me?” she asked shakily.
He didn’t hesitate. “I need you. No one could ever possibly need you more than me. You call to me, and I will come. I will save any you deem worthy, but you are never, under any circumstances to risk your own safety. Do you understand?”
Felicity nodded again.
Enthrall leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers once more, before kissing his way down her jawline to her neck and throat again. He no longer held her head back. He didn’t need to, she moved it willingly on her own to give him better access. He took his time, kissing, tasting, nibbling every inch of flesh not covered by her under-shift.
Enthrall Page 4
