“He stabbed me… in the back,” Rialto said as he struggled to breathe. “The coward.”
“Who? Who did this to you?” she demanded.
“My father,” he told her. “I know who you are… what he did… to you. I… avenged you.”
“Oh my precious child.” Tears poured freely from her eyes as she assessed his wounds. The sword appeared to have went straight through him. Judging by the pool of blood beneath him and the thready pulse she felt, he would die soon.
Eron’s words floated through her mind. It is a spell, Seta, not a curse. There will be a time when your son needs you. At that time the spell will be broken and you will be sent to his side.
The spell had been broken because he was dying and only she could save him.
“I avenged you, Mother. Now I will die and haunt this land with you.”
“I am not dead, Rialto.”
He studied her. “You … appear…and disappear.”
“I am a witch.”
His eyes widened a bit, in surprise, but she sensed no fear.
“He killed you. Threw you off the cliff.”
“He did. Someone caught me, gave me a second life. I am a vampire, Rialto. I was saved from death by someone who shared his immortality with me. I can share mine with you and save you from death. Please do not be afraid.”
“Never… of you.” His eyes drifted closed.
“Rialto? Rialto!”
His eyes remained closed. Seta panicked as his pulse became nonexistent. She’d never witnessed a vampire being turned and only knew what Eron had told her. Quickly, afraid time had run out, Seta sank her fangs into Rialto’s throat and drank. She saw his life flash before his eyes. She saw the horrible way the countess treated him, the sadness he felt every day as he wandered the castle alone. She saw his meeting with her mother, the moment he learned the truth, and the way he’d raced back to the castle and beat his father with his fists before taking up a sword and chasing him out to the cliff. She saw Roberto Garibaldi plunge a sword into his own son’s back to save his blackened soul.
Sensing Rialto barely lingering between life and death, she took a jagged rock near his body and used it to slice open her wrist.
“Drink,” she commanded as she raised his upper body from the ground and forced her wrist into his mouth.
Though he hovered just over death, instinct took over and he greedily slurped the life-saving nectar she offered him.
She allowed him to drink until dizziness settled in and then wrapped her arms around him. She focused on the room Eron had provided her with over twenty years ago, praying the shelter inside the cliff face still remained and used her magic to transport them there.
ELEVEN
Seta sat next to her son, waiting for him to awake. The shelter Eron and Christian had carved from within the cliff face still remained but neither vampire appeared to still use it.
“Mother.”
“Rialto!” She checked him over as he rose to a sitting position on the bed. “How do you feel?”
“Hungry,” he answered, his brow creased as he placed his hand over his stomach. He looked down as his hand connected with the dried blood on his shirt. “I should be dead.”
“I saved you. Do you remember?”
He frowned for a moment, then nodded. “Vampire. You said you are a vampire … and a witch. You … you turned me into a vampire.”
“Please do not be angry with me. You are my son. I had to save you.”
“You are my mother.” He smiled before enveloping her in his arms. “I always knew on some level. I felt your love and I knew I did not belong there.”
“I am so sorry, Rialto. Please know I never left you by choice.”
“You never left me at all.” He still smiled as he pulled away but as he studied her his eyes grew dark. “I avenged you but he did not fight fair. He must pay.”
The rage that had simmered inside Seta for nearly three decades rose to the surface. “He must pay for what he did to you.”
They found him on the cliff, searching the ground.
“Looking for something?” Seta asked. “A body, perhaps?”
Count Roberto Garibaldi spun around, his mouth dropping open as he saw her and his son standing before him.
“You’re dead! I killed you! I killed you both!”
“You tried. Someone saved me that night so I could be here to save my son, who I never left.”
Garibaldi looked between them, his eyes bulging. “No. This is not real. You are dead.”
He rubbed his eyes and looked at them again.
“I should beat you and throw you off the cliff,” Rialto said, “like you did to my mother. That is far too lenient a death for someone as dark and heartless as you.”
Garibaldi stepped backward as Rialto approached but stopped, realizing he would walk himself right off the cliff if he continued. Desperate to live, he ran.
Rialto caught him in two strides, his vampire speed giving his father no chance to escape, and began beating the man who’d attempted to kill them with his fist.
Seta watched as her son repeatedly pummeled his fists into Garibaldi’s flesh, finding satisfaction in every snap of bone and every plop of blood. She knew the importance of teaching her son not to give in to the darkness of his vampire curse, but this was one death she had to allow him to take. After all, it was their oath to destroy evil and protect the humans. Count Roberto Garibaldi was a murderer, and he’d attempted to kill his own child. There was no greater evil than that so she did not interfere when Rialto roared with rage and drank his father to death before removing his head from his body.
“This way,” he said as he kicked Garibaldi’s body aside and led her up the path to the castle.
Taking her a secret route, they avoided his father’s guards and easily reached the countess’s dressing room without any trouble. Rialto threw open the door and they entered, finding the woman at the vanity, brushing her hair, back turned to them.
“Did you succeed in making it appear as if he had been attacked by wolves?” she asked.
“My body wasn’t there,” Rialto answered. “I left his to rot.”
The countess stilled in fear as recognition of Rialto’s voice sank in. She visibly trembled as she slowly turned around.
“I brought you this.” Rialto threw Garibaldi’s severed head at her feet.
She rose from her chair, screaming.
“Your turn,” Rialto said to Seta as he stepped aside and elegantly gestured for her to precede him.
“Hello, Countess,” Seta said, unbothered by the screaming. “You took my son from me and now, for that, I must take your life.”
The countess attempted to run but Seta swept her arm out, effortlessly pinning the woman to the wall with her magic before reaching through her chest and pulling out her heart.
“You never used this anyway,” she said as she crushed the organ in her hand.
“Who are they?” Rialto asked as they neared the two men standing at the end of the path.
“The men who saved my life,” Seta answered, bracing for a stern lecture, maybe something worse. She could imagine the thoughts going through Eron and Christian’s minds as they saw her and her son approaching them, covered in blood. “They are vampires, and in a way, family.”
Eron stepped forward. Christian remained where he was, shaking his head and looking anywhere but at them.
“We found Garibaldi’s body,” Eron said, looking between the two of them.
“He ran a sword through his own son’s back,” Seta informed him. “He left him to die.”
Eron nodded. “I felt the moment a new vampire was born in my line.”
“Are you going to curse us? Send me away again?”
“No, Seta. You saved your son’s life as you were always meant to do. You killed a murderer. There is no punishment for that. I never did punish you. I am sorry if it felt that I did.”
She looked into the eyes of the man who had saved her life near
ly three decades before and remembered looking into them the first night she rose as a vampire. She remembered the instant attraction to him as well as the fear of what danger he posed to her. Both were still there. Her gaze wandered down to his mouth and she remembered the feel of those lips on hers. She ached to taste him once more, but her son still had the blood of the last man she’d foolishly believed in on his clothes, a reminder of what happened when you fell for a lie.
“Why are you here?”
Eron turned toward Rialto. “We are here to welcome you to The Order, Rialto. You have much to learn about your new life and we are here to assist you. There are rules. We are not monsters. We are protectors. As long as you remember that and protect the innocent, we will have no problems.”
Rialto looked down at her. “My mother is a good person. She would not allow me to harm an innocent.”
Eron looked at her and she could practically see the night she’d killed the guard’s brothers play through his mind. He was her sire. He could project his thoughts to her.
I know what I did was wrong, Eron, she thought to him. You were right. I have remembered that moment many times over the years and it fills me with guilt.
I know, Seta. I only wish you had believed in me enough then to listen to me. You could have avoided such pain. I know you do not trust easily, and I understand why. I hope one day you will realize I have never lied to you and I never will hurt you.
“Guards will soon be hunting you as the bodies are discovered,” Eron said out loud, withdrawing from her mind. “It is not safe here. We move now.”
He turned and started walking down the path, Christian at his side. Seta took her son’s hand and walked behind them.
A mile out, she felt Rialto’s gaze on her.
“What is it, my son?”
“I do not want to lose you again. Can we trust these men?”
“You will never lose me, and Eron is my sire. He saved my life.” She smiled despite her fear and placed her hand over her heart. “No matter where I go he will always be here, as I have always been with you.”
Ahead of them, Eron turned his head and met her gaze. He nodded and she knew he felt what was in her traitorous heart because she felt what was in his. Whether she could trust it or not, only time would tell, and they had all the time in the world.
Seta and friends return in BLOOD CURSE.
Available Now.
If you enjoyed this story please leave a review.
Other Books by Crystal-Rain Love:
Blood Revelation Series:
Blood Curse
Slayer’s Prey
Witch’s Net
Siren’s Snare
Moonlit Series:
Moonlit Dream
Moonlit Watcher
Moonlit Protector
Moonlit Majesty
Moonlit Guardian
Contemporary Cowboy Romance:
Guardian Cowboy
Second Chance Cowboy
Lucky In Love
Romantic Suspense:
The Fire Still Burns
Little White Lies
Writing as Raymond Lee:
One Nation Under Zombies series:
Mail Horror Bride
FrostBITTEN (coming 2017)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Crystal-Rain Love resides in the south with her three children and enough pets to host a petting zoo. When she's not writing she can usually be found creating unique 3D cakes, hiking, reading, or spending way too much time playing The Sims. Slightly obsessed with David Cook and binge watching complete series on Netflix.
Find out more about her here:
http://crystalrainlove.com
http://facebook.com/crystalrainloveauthor
Also writes horror/thriller novels under the pen name, Raymond Lee.
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BLOOD CURSE
PREVIEW
Prologue
He came to her at night, when the moon was high and the rest of the world was at sleep. This was when he prowled, as all bad things do. She sensed the darkness immediately, yet she couldn’t restrain the carnal hunger surging through her body as he stepped through her balcony doors, entering her bedroom without invitation.
Eyes closed in sleep, she couldn’t see him but she felt him, every part of him. The desire that burned deep within him, the taint of darkness lurking in his soul, the pain and longing that cried out to her, obliterating her instinct to run. She could feel his strength, the intoxicating allure of his aura, the raw masculinity that seemed to spill from his pores.
She knew she wanted him without even a glimpse of his physical appearance, even though he wasn’t an ordinary man. He was . . . immortal? The word pulsated through her mind as she snapped open her eyes. Immortal? Not possible. She moved her gaze from the ceiling down toward the foot of her bed. There he stood, illuminated by the moonlight like some dark angel. But, he was no angel. There was a coldness about him, a dark beast that lurked inside. She stopped breathing as her body ignited with a desperate craving, an aching need unlike anything she had ever experienced.
He was over six feet of dark-haired, brooding perfection. Dark, stormy eyes stared down at her from within a tanned, chiseled face complete with the most enticing mouth she had ever seen. His bottom lip alone, she could suck between her teeth for days. She ran her tongue over her own lips just thinking about it.
He took a step toward her and her gaze roamed to his broad shoulders. Although sheathed in a loose white silk dress shirt and black pants, she knew every inch of his body was rock hard. Especially the part that bulged beneath the fabric of his pants, she noted, as her gaze fell there.
“Rialto,” she breathed as a suffocating heat took over her body, surprising her with the knowledge of his name. She knew the man, or beast, behind it. She remembered the heat of his lips pressed against her stomach, the soft whisper of his breath against her collarbone. She had cried out that name while staring into those tempestuous eyes, emblazoned with passion. She didn’t know when, but she knew she had . . . many, many times before. And she would again. Tonight.
“You belong to me,” he said, standing over her, his voice a sensual melody of deep, rich tones. “You cannot run from the craving.”
And, oh, did she crave. The desire to possess and be possessed gnawed through her like a ravenous beast, intent only on feeding its hunger. She didn’t recall moving, but she found herself against him, her legs wrapped around his waist. Then she was lowered back to the bed, the fever inside her body growing as he branded her skin with hot kisses and deftly ripped away her chemise and panties. Fully exposed to him, she felt no shame. The midnight stranger washed away her inhibitions as he laved her body with his tongue.
Once he’d tasted her from toe to neck, he rose to his knees and tore his shirt from his body, baring the hard, sculpted torso she had known was hiding beneath the silk. Impatient and dying to feel him inside, she quickly helped him dispose of the remainder of his clothing before pushing him onto his back.
“No, we can’t!” The storm clouds in his eyes parted, replaced with a lightning bolt of fear.
“The hell we can’t.” She took the opportunity to taste that juicy lip, biting down just hard enough to scratch the skin. A drop of blood touched her tongue and sent an electric shock jolting through her body, causing her to gasp. Her body quaked in response to the jolt of hunger that started furrowing low in her belly.
“No,” Rialto pleaded as he looked into her eyes. “We must stop.” He pushed up to his elbows and started to scoot backward toward the other side of the bed.
“More,” she growled, frightening herself with the guttural sound of her own voice as she impaled herself onto Rialto’s erection, stopping him from fleeing. She rocked back and forth on him with a speed she had never known she possessed. The hunger inside her intensified; the world around her ceased to exist as she concentrated only on the friction between her and her midnight lover, the pl
easure pulsating through her body, but there was something else she needed to truly go over the edge. She needed the sweet taste of his blood.
“No,” he protested, his own voice growing stronger and deeper. Looking down into his eyes, now burning with the same desire she felt, she knew he wanted her as badly as she wanted him. Then her gaze fell to the trickle of blood slipping from his bottom lip.
Without thinking, she sucked at his lip, drinking in the blood, feeling it flow through her body, intensifying her every emotion. She couldn’t pull back no matter how much Rialto pleaded. The blood was her drug. She would kill for it.
She heard a deep growl and then she was against the wall. Her legs were wrapped around Rialto’s waist and he was thrusting inside her with a force that should have hurt but instead sent her into one orgasm after another, until she experienced a level of ecstasy that left her mind empty. She could only focus on the sensations rolling through her body, knowing the blood had heightened her sensitivity, increasing her pleasure.
She wanted him to feel what she felt, to share the gift he was giving her. As she rode out another orgasm she screamed his name and used her nails to cut through the skin at the base of her own throat, offering the dark creature of the night her own blood as thanks for giving her the ultimate in pleasure.
Rialto froze mid-thrust. His eyes began to glow with his dark need, his nostrils flaring as the smell of her blood reached him. “I’m . . . so . . . sorry.” He lowered his head to lick the red droplets from her fresh scratches. Another orgasmic shock hit her body as his tongue licked over the open skin, filling her with a warmth that turned bitter cold as he threw his head back and roared like an animal, giving her a clear shot of the two gleaming white fangs descending from his upper gum.
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