Groaning as she stood, she stretched, trying to loosen the muscles that had stiffened up. What had happened? She rubbed her forehead.
The last thing she could remember involved running from Cian down the hotel hallway. Her eyes filled with tears at the memory and she pushed them back down. She’d never been a crier and she didn’t intend to start now.
So what if the first man who had managed to touch her soul and give her the orgasm of a lifetime had also turned out to be some sort of creature of the undead? She sniffed. If she kept up that line of thinking she wouldn’t succeed in her “no crying” rule.
Then she’d run into an elevator. For a second, Cian had looked like the man she’d spent the day with—somehow normal again. He’d begged her not to get in. She hadn’t listened and now…she was standing in some sort of clearing surrounded by trees with only the moon to light her way.
What. The. Hell?
Felicity turned around, looking for some kind of indication of where she stood. Nothing seemed familiar but then it happened to be nighttime and everything appeared different in the darkness.
Fortunately, she’d existed in the nighttime for a long time.
If she could find her bearings, she’d be okay.
“This way. He’s gone this way!”
Voices called, off in the distance. Her heart beat fast. Thank goodness. She’d find some help and maybe figure out what had happened to her in between the time she’d gotten into the elevator and now. Someone would help her.
She took off running in the direction of the voices. A little nagging voice in her head kept poking at her consciousness as she moved. Where were the lights? Why had it gotten so dark? How far had she traveled? And why couldn’t she remember?
“Hello,” she called out, although no one answered. “Hello. I’m here.”
Okay. She panted. Perhaps she’d gone the wrong way. Just when she thought she’d found her way to help, no one had appeared. How could she be so lost? She pushed a twig off her face. When this ended, whenever that happened to be, she’d take a very, very long shower. How much mud could someone get caked on them in a single night?
And why did this night feel like it would never end?
“Easy there, Cian. You’re not going to find me swinging around like that.”
Cian? She didn’t know whether to be relieved to discover him nearby or horrified. If he’d just been the gentle man who had rolled her over and plunged his cock into her pussy, she’d jump for joy. But what of his other side? The—she could hardly even bring herself to think it—vampire aspect of him?
She fisted her hands. All she could do was proceed with caution. She’d approach slowly and if it seemed he hadn’t regained control of himself, or whatever, she’d keep moving until she found some other kind of help.
“Who’s there?” Cian sounded panicked, not a tone she’d heard from him before. She moved closer to get a better look. The moonlight gave her some illumination—she should be able to see something.
A little beyond where she was hiding, Cian stood facing down a much taller man. Her lover-turned-vampire appeared different. She couldn’t exactly put her finger on what had changed—maybe it was how he held himself. His confidence, the way his spine remained stiff all the time, had disappeared. Cian practically cowered, staring at the stranger.
That didn’t seem right at all.
“You don’t know me. But I know you. For the last three weeks, you’ve traveled these paths at this hour. Planning something, were you? From the way you smell tonight, I’d say you accomplished your goal.”
What could Cian have been planning for the last three weeks? He’d only arrived at the hotel that day, chasing her because she had his necklace. She touched her pocket, which felt heavy. Yep, she still had the red piece of jewelry with her. Maybe she should throw it away. Let it go and never see it again.
Cian’s voice shook. “Look, I don’t know who you are but I don’t appreciate this little game you’re playing. If you want me to see you, come here where I can make you out and we’ll talk like men.”
He sounded so scared and small. She wanted to rush forward and throw her arms around him. Instead she remained still. Something felt very wrong about all of this. Felicity couldn’t put her finger on what it was yet.
“Ha. You’re funny. You’re young, virile. Stupid. Exactly the type of boy I love to hunt. And I have been hunting you.” The man, whom she still couldn’t see, took a deep breath. “For quite a while. There’s nothing like the anticipation of it for me.”
Could it be? She shook her head. Could someone actually hunt Cian? Didn’t he rank as one of the top hunters, being that vampires were, at least by legend, predators?
Her head started to spin and she gripped the tree next to her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about and if you are saying what I think you’re saying, I have to tell you I’m not interested. That’s not my way. I like women. Stay away or I’ll break your neck. I swear I will.”
Now Cian sounded downright panicked. She couldn’t stand it. Vampire or not, Felicity couldn’t stand to hear other people’s fear. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
“Hey.” She rushed out from the darkness and placed herself between Cian and the stranger. “I don’t know who you are, but you leave him alone. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you don’t want to fuck with Cian. He’s going to tear you apart.”
“Oh, look at this. A woman.” The stranger sniffed the air loudly. “And you managed to sneak up on me. How quaint. That’s okay. Two for the price of one.”
Cian grabbed her arm and tugged her back toward him. She struggled and managed to get out of his grip, which surprised her. Cian had been strong earlier, enough so that he’d ripped her clothes off her body. No way could she have gotten out of his grip then if he’d wanted to keep her.
“Stay behind me. I don’t know what this man wants. I’ll do my best to protect you. Whoever you are.”
“Whoever I am?” She couldn’t believe her ears. “Listen, vampire boy, I’m not interested in whatever game this is.”
“You’re quite beautiful but you must be a little mad. I’ve never laid eyes on you before.” He shrugged. “Right now I don’t care.”
The stranger stepped closer to them. His eyes held the same unearthly red glow Cian’s had earlier. She swallowed, her throat gone dry. “Vampire.”
“That’s right, lovely lady. Curious you called him ‘vampire boy’. I’m afraid you got your monster mixed up tonight.”
Cian hissed. “It can’t be. There’s no such thing as vampires. They’re just legend.”
“What?” She tugged at Cian, getting a better look at his face. Yes, he’d changed. In small ways, but it was there. The line between his eyes had hardened. He didn’t look quite as world-weary. This Cian in front of her hadn’t yet become a vampire.
Which meant… No. Her mind screamed against the concept. Time travel couldn’t happen. Even if monsters existed, time travel had to go against the laws of nature or some such thing. She shook her head, realizing that she had to get control of herself. The wrongness of everything would have to wait, because assuming she had gone backward in time, this had to be the moment when Cian had been attacked and become a vampire. This vampire in front of them happened to be extremely dangerous.
“We need to run,” she screeched. “We have to go now.”
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that.” In a motion faster than she’d ever imagined possible, the vampire leapt at them, his claws aiming for their throats. Cian hadn’t moved that fast when he’d gone for her earlier. He must have been holding back, because no living creature could be faster than the nightmare in front of her.
She closed her eyes, ready to die. There’d be no escape from this.
Knocked to the ground, she waited for the pain she expected. A growl filled the air around her. Felicity opened one eye, needing to see what happened and terrified to do so at the same time.
Except that Cian was also fighting the vampire in front of them. Two Cians.
“How hard did I hit my head my when I fell?” the Cian next to her asked.
“I don’t know how this is possible. But that Cian,” she pointed at the fighting vampires, “I know him. We’re from…the future.”
“What am I doing still alive, looking exactly the same?” He rubbed at his face as if it might come off.
“You’re a vampire.”
He turned to face her. “I can’t… I mean… I…”
She looked away from him, the scene involving the two vampires holding her attention. The human Cian would have to come to terms with the fact that he’d become a vampire on his own. Felicity had no idea how to make this okay for him. If it had been her discovering such a thing, she’d have to be locked up for years in a padded room.
Cian the vampire struck at the other vampire, knocking him to the ground. He took him by the throat, ripping the skin from the other monster’s neck. The creature hissed and tried to reach up to grab at Cian’s face.
Her vampire craned his neck back. “Not again. You won’t do this to me again.”
The other vampire gasped. “How can it be? How can you be him?”
“I came back to kill you. I’ve looked for you for hundreds of years. I couldn’t find you in the future. At least I can end you here, in the past.”
Cian’s vampire eyes glowed red in the dark. He looked the monster she’d come to accept him to be. And yet she didn’t feel fear when she looked at him. More like awe. She stood up, her legs feeling steady beneath her.
As she took a step forward, Cian’s hand pulled her back. “I don’t think you should go over there. I don’t think now is the time.”
“But I—”
“Wait.” He sounded firmer than she’d heard him so far and decided to listen to him. Instead of moving forward into the scene, she remained still.
Cian yanked the heart out of his opponent’s chest. Felicity gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. The other vampire writhed beneath him.
“I know. That won’t kill you. It just hurts like hell.” Cian the vampire stood up. Out of his pocket he pulled a lighter. “For three hundred years I hoped I could burn myself. I couldn’t. But now, as I use it on you, I’ll be ending two disasters with one flick of my wrist.”
The lighter hissed for a second before an orange flame appeared in the night. Next to her, Cian squeezed her hand.
He whispered. “What magic is that?”
“Not magic.” But she could certainly see how it looked that way to him.
Her vampire dropped the lighter on the writhing vampire beneath him. The evil creature caught aflame. He yelled out for one second before vanishing into a pool of dust where he had once taken up space.
“That fast.” Cian visibly swallowed, his eyes losing their red glow. He looked up at her and his earlier self standing to the side.
“Felicity.” He extended his hand. “Please.”
She rushed to him, knowing time was not on their side. He’d killed his maker, undoing the night he’d become a vampire. Would that mean he now didn’t exist at all? A lump formed in her throat.
“I’m so sorry.” He pushed a strand of hair off her face. “This is all my fault. I should have stayed away from you.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I instigated the romance. Not you. The necklace was your reason for coming to me.”
“Don’t believe that for one second.” He kissed her knuckles.
“I’m sorry I ran from you. I shouldn’t have done that, I—”
Cian interrupted her. “Yes. You most definitely should have. I don’t know how to get you home. The elevator that brought us here, it’s gone. Maybe there’s a way, but none I’ve ever learned.”
His hand shuddered in hers. “I’m going now. It’ll set things right in all ways except with you. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s my fault. I rushed to the elevator. You said not to.”
She could hardly breathe. All the things that happened. Her mind wanted to shut down, to hide from these events as if they had never happened, as if she could wake up in her hotel room and realize she’d drunk too much tequila.
He looked over her shoulder. “Do better, boy.”
One second Cian held her hand. The next he’d vanished. She stood, her hand extended into thin air, with no one holding it.
Felicity cried out. Tears rushed from her eyes, all thoughts of bravery fleeing. She’d loved, for one brief night, a monster. He’d killed another vampire, protected her, ended his curse, and now disappeared as if he’d never existed. Her stomach rolled. She’d been left in God knew what year, with no hope of ever going back.
Behind her, Cian shouted. She whirled around in time to see him grabbing his head one second before falling to his knees.
She wiped away her tears and ran to him. “Are you okay?”
He didn’t answer for a moment. Finally, he raised his head to gaze at her. “I’m okay, banphrionsa.”
She took a step away from him. “Why would you call me that?”
Maybe it would turn out to be just a name that Cian, in whatever time he happened to be in, used for women. It had made her feel special. She hated to think it anything but genuine.
“Because that’s who you are.” He rose. “I don’t know what happened. I’m really confused. but…” He took her hand, pulling her toward him. “I have all these memories of things that cannot be my own experiences. And yet they are. One of them is you.”
Heat infused her cheeks. “I don’t know how I feel about you knowing certain things about me.”
“Give me a chance to show you that I’m him, your Cian, and also not him. I’ll never drink your blood, for example.”
She laughed, despite the heaviness of the universe positioning itself on her shoulders.
He smelled the same as his other persona had. She closed her eyes and let herself dive into the wafting scent of pure maleness that Cian carried with him. Finally, she opened her eyes. “What’s going to happen to me here?”
Cian leaned over and kissed her nose. “I’m going to see to you and eventually we’ll take care of each other.”
That sounded nice. She smiled, some of her burden lightening with his words. A thought dawned on her and she pulled the necklace out of her pocket. “Maybe I can help us out with this.”
His eyes got huge when he saw the crimson necklace. He grabbed her hand and pushed it back down. “Put that away. It’s stolen. I know because I stole it. I won’t have you caught with it.”
He made a good point. She really didn’t want to get arrested in God knew what year she found herself.
“And I happen to have it too.” He pulled his version out for a split second before re-pocketing it.
“Two of them? I know what I would have done with it in my time. What should we do with it here?”
His brow furrowed while he considered her question. “I think we can find something altruistic to do with the money we can get from them. Don’t you?”
Her mind returned to the book she’d found in the library. Could they be the couple who had spent their time caring for others? She rubbed her nose. Was it possible such things could be fated? Had she been meant to come here and do that? She’d longed for a different type of life…
“I do.” She shivered. “Can we go somewhere warm? I’m horribly dirty.”
“Sure.” He tugged her even closer, her face pressing against his chest. “I just think there’s something I need to do first.”
“What?”
“This.”
Cian bent over and kissed her square on the mouth. She closed her eyes. He did that just as well as his counterpart. Yes, she could make this work.
Things hadn’t gone exactly as she’d imagined them. Perhaps they’d be better. Up against her, Cian’s c
ock jumped. She smiled, pulling back.
“Let’s hurry back.”
About Rebecca Royce
As a teenager, I would hide in my room to read my favorite romance novels when I was supposed to be doing my homework. I hope, these days, that my parents think it was worth it.
I am the mother of three adorable boys and I am fortunate to be married to my best friend. We’ve just moved from New Jersey to Texas where I am learning to love Barbecue!
I am in love with science fiction, fantasy and the paranormal and try to use all these elements in my writing. I've been told I'm a little bloodthirsty so I hope that when you read my work you'll enjoy the action-packed ride that always ends in romance. I love to write series because I love to see characters develop over time and it always makes me happy to see my favorite characters make guest appearances in other books. In my world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.
Rebecca welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Rebecca Royce
Demon Within
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
Crimson Lust
ISBN 9781419945526
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Crimson Lust Copyright © 2013 Rebecca Royce
Edited by Rebecca Hill
Cover design by Syneca
Cover photography by BenHur and Conrado/Fotolia.com
Electronic book publication July 2013
The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.
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