Abandoned to the Night (The Brotherhood Series, Book 3)

by Adele Clee

She did as he asked. Once under his spell, she would do anything he asked.

  With one hand braced against the seat, the other holding her crumpled dress up around her waist, he came behind her and entered her in one long delicious slide.

  “I want to hear you cry with pleasure,” he said as he bent over her and his fingers found the sensitive spot begging for his touch.

  “Oh, Leo,” she moaned as he claimed her body. Her legs were trembling, yet her soul soared.

  “You’re mine, Ivana,” he said as he drove deeper, as his fingers strummed a rhythm unique only to them. “Don’t ever forget it. Don’t ever deny me your love.”

  Ivana pushed hard against him in a bid to hurry, the audible slapping proof of the desperate need to find her release. The intense flames of passion spread to her heart. Each hot, wet plunge of his throbbing manhood roused a soft sigh.

  “Don’t leave me.” The honest words fell unwittingly from her lips as her world exploded around him. Every part of her held him close. The muscles in her core gripped him tight; the muscle that was her heart swelled with undeniable love.

  His groan of satisfaction was a sweet melody to her ears. “Lord, help me. You were right,” he panted as his hands clutched her hips whilst he was still buried deep. “Everything about this feels right. We were meant to be together.”

  A tear trickled down her cheek, and she was thankful he could not see it. It was a tear to express her happiness at having had one more chance to love him. It was a tear to express her fear of the deadly power she knew their love would evoke.

  “Forgive me,” he said as he withdrew from her body.

  Ivana suppressed a whimper. “What is there to forgive?” she said, straightening her dress as she turned and flopped down into the seat.

  “For being too desperate to wait.” He did not bother to cover himself, and she fought the urge to taste him in the intimate way he liked. “For not expressing the depth of my feelings.”

  “It is how things are with us,” she said, thankful he had not conveyed anything other than lust as it was those powerful ripples of emotion that drifted through the night air, drawn to devious hearts and minds.

  He smiled. “You’re not curious to know how I feel?”

  “I do not need to hear the words, Leo. I see it in your eyes. I feel it in your touch. Indeed, you have opened yourself to me already. It is just that you do not remember.”

  “Perhaps I’m glad I have no recollection of it,” he said with a shrug before tucking the most tempting part of his anatomy back into his breeches. “I am enjoying this road to enlightenment immensely.”

  You will not feel the same when we reach our final destination.

  “Indeed, I think we should spend the rest of the evening in your chamber,” he continued. “I think I would like to take things a little slower, savour every single moment.”

  Ivana knew what would happen if they indulged themselves completely.

  “We can’t, Leo. We will drink from each other. It will be utter madness to risk everything, to hope that lust, love or whatever this is between us will be enough to banish the demons from our door.”

  “I am known for being reckless, Ivana. Up until now, my life has held little meaning. I have never had a purpose. Let me stay here with you. Let me help you with the children. And each night I shall bury myself deep inside the only place I belong.”

  He was offering her the world, the only thing she had ever wanted.

  And by God, she was tempted.

  She looked into his eyes, looked through the mirror to the soul she had already spent an eternity loving.

  “How adept are you with your sword?” she asked, as she considered surrendering to the light.

  He raised a confident brow. “My tutor believed me to be exceptional. I have yet to meet a man equally matched.”

  “And how far are you willing to go to protect what we have?”

  Leo narrowed his gaze, fell silent while he contemplated her question. “Nothing will stop me from having you, Ivana. Nothing will stop me from discovering all we could be to one another.”

  “Very well.” She sighed. She could not fight her feelings for him anymore. “When we return to the castle we will discuss alternative plans for the children. You must write to Elliot and tell him about Christoph, make sure your affairs are in order. I shall speak to Herr Bruhn. And may I suggest you keep your sword close, preferably next to my bed.”

  Chapter 9

  “Look at them,” Alexander whispered through gritted teeth. They stood at the tavern bar observing their wives sitting at the crude wooden table. “Anyone would think they were taking tea with the vicar not drinking in a tavern frequented by a cold-hearted devil with fangs.”

  Elliot ordered a bottle of Franconian wine which he had sampled once before and then turned his attention to Grace and Evelyn, who were busy chatting and laughing as though they had not a single care in the world.

  “I think they’re just relieved to be out of the carriage,” Elliot said, doubting their babbling had anything to do with suppressing nerves.

  The muscles in his shoulders were still painful to touch. But three weeks confined to such a small compact space — other than a few hours spent each night at various inns en route — had not affected his wife’s cheerful countenance.

  Alexander snorted. “As we all are. I don’t think I’ll be able to straighten my legs properly for a month. Every time I try, the joints in my knees crack.”

  Elliot chuckled but stepped closer and whispered, “We will need to find a way of getting more blood while we’re here. We must make it a priority once we’ve found Leo. An extra dose or two will soon lubricate your stiff bones.”

  Alexander glanced around the room, not bothering to hide his disdainful sneer. “I don’t know why, but I feel like throttling every person in here for not alerting strangers to the monster walking amongst them. Perhaps an extra dose would also help me to maintain my calm composure.”

  Elliot laughed. “Calm composure? Despite your best efforts, you always appear angry and highly irritated. Unless you’re talking to Evelyn, and then you look like an altar boy who has just witnessed an epiphany.”

  Alexander gave a sinful smirk. “Well, she is utterly divine. She’s a saint sent to soothe all my gripes and woes. I’d be lost without her.”

  A frisson of fear shot through Elliot’s body when he glanced at Grace’s angelic face. She met his gaze and smiled, but he imagined sharp fangs overhanging her bottom lip, the whites of her eyes littered with ugly red veins. “What the hell were we thinking? We should have left our wives in London,” he said as his chest grew tight and he found it hard to swallow.

  “I hope you’re not blaming me.”

  “Of course not,” Elliot scoffed. “We were both weak and pathetic when it came to making demands. It seems both ladies do not respond well to orders.”

  Alexander gave a weak chuckle, but Elliot could sense his anxiety. “Grace only had to straighten your cravat and flutter her lashes, and you were pinning like a puppy.”

  “I seem to recall as soon as Evelyn touched your cheek you fell to your knees and surrendered,” Elliot countered.

  Alexander raised an arrogant brow. “So, I’m in love with my wife. Indeed, I shall be glad of a little privacy this evening.”

  “I wouldn’t imagine you’ll get to spend much time in your room tonight.” Elliot winced as he anticipated Alexander’s growl of protest. “We need to search for Leo. There’ll be plenty of time to rest come the morning.”

  “That bloody idiot,” Alexander snarled. “He has a lot to answer for. Had it not been for his overinflated ego, I would be nestled up in bed with nothing to do but think of new ways to entertain Evelyn.”

  “Have you tried to tune into his thoughts?” Elliot asked. He was still struggling to come to terms with the fact Leo had raced off to Bavaria with the intention of punishing the woman who had ruined their lives.

  Alexander shook his head. “I can’t he
ar a thing.”

  “Me neither.” Elliot gave a weary sigh. He could pick up the faint strains of desire but assumed it must be the voice of his own inner frustrations. “You don’t think … think she’s killed him?”

  “If she hasn’t, I damn well will.” Alexander straightened and threw his hands up. “Forgive my insensitive outburst. I’m just so damn annoyed with him I can hardly contain it. Three weeks cramped in a carriage has done little to temper my foul mood.”

  “I understand. I feel your anger,” Elliot said with some sympathy, “just as I feel your fear. And like you, I’m struggling to hide my contempt for everyone here. I had hoped never to come back again.”

  Perhaps they should have stayed in England. Leo was man enough to make his own decisions and reap the consequences. But due to the nature of their affliction, the bond forged between them could not be broken. If roles were reversed, Elliot knew Leo would not rest until they were reunited.

  The proprietor’s cough disturbed his reverie. Elliot paid the man and took the goblets and the black bell-shaped bottle over to the table.

  “Well?” Evelyn said as soon as they’d sat down. “Is he here? Has anyone seen him? Please tell me we haven’t travelled all this way for nothing.”

  Elliot suppressed his anxiety and tried to infuse a level of confidence into his tone. “Apparently, he does have a room here and has paid until the end of the week, though the proprietor cannot recall the last time he saw him. His carriage is in the courtyard behind the tavern and his coachman, Chambers, has not seen him, either.”

  Grace turned to Evelyn. “Perhaps one of us should talk to the maid, offer an incentive if she agrees to take us up to his room.”

  “That’s an excellent idea,” Elliot said as his chest burst with pride at his wife’s logical suggestion. “Although I doubt there is only one.”

  Evelyn smirked. “What? You doubt there is only one maid or that he has only taken one to his bedchamber?”

  “Both,” Elliot replied with some amusement as he poured the ladies a drink. “Perhaps Leo thought to use his licentious ways to taunt the devil from her lair.”

  Grace raised a curious brow. “You still believe that is the only reason she poisoned you all with her tainted blood?”

  “We share no other commonality.”

  “Except for the fact we’re all peers,” Alexander added.

  Evelyn smiled. “And you’re all English. Perhaps she has a thorough dislike for arrogant foreigners.”

  “Then that would include most of the gentlemen in London,” Alexander said, the corners of his mouth twitching.

  Elliot was pleased they could make light of such a terrifying situation. Doing so helped suppress his anxiety, gave him hope they would find Leo safe and well and could all go home and continue as before. However, there was a strange feeling in the air: an icy breeze capable of penetrating through the hardiest resolve. He suspected their lives would be altered by any further interaction with the woman who had stolen their humanity.

  Evelyn tapped Grace on the arm, whispered in her ear, and they both scanned the boisterous crowd, suddenly gasping as they stared at a woman clearing tables.

  “You did say Leo is attracted to a particular type of woman.” Evelyn nodded to the petite golden-haired wench. “Perhaps we should ask her? I would wager a year’s clothing allowance he has taken her up to his chamber.”

  “We will say he is our brother,” Grace added. “That way she will be more forthcoming. We’ll say he has an illness where he forgets things, and we grew worried when he did not return home.”

  Evelyn nodded. “Come on.”

  Alexander leant across the table and put his hand on his wife’s arm. “I do not think it is wise to go off alone.”

  “I’m not alone. Grace is with me, and we will not leave the tavern. Besides, if you go out tonight to search for Leo we will be alone then.”

  Elliot put a hand of reassurance on his friend’s shoulder. “I’m sure they will be fine.” He glanced at Grace. “If you fail to return within ten minutes, I am coming to find you.”

  They watched the ladies converse with the serving wench, their friendly countenance helping to secure her cooperation. Grace glanced back over her shoulder and gave a confident grin.

  “Damn, I still can’t believe how lucky I am,” Elliot said. The thought of losing such a precious treasure caused a dull ache in his chest. “Do you remember what you asked me in the garden of Evelyn’s aunt’s house?”

  Alexander narrowed his gaze. “What, that I want you to kill me should anything happen to Evelyn? I have not changed my mind. Our pact still stands.”

  “Then I want you to do the same for me.” Elliot had never been happier than he had during the two months he had spent with Grace. “I love her deeply and cannot envisage a life without her.”

  Alexander sat back in the chair. “I understand completely. Does Grace know you’re immortal?”

  “Of course not.” He knew such a revelation would upset her, particularly when she discovered he would never age. “I’ll tell her at some point, just not yet. After all we’ve been through, I’d like a few years of peace and happiness.”

  “The words have almost slipped from my lips many times,” Alexander confessed. “But I cannot bear to see Evelyn’s eyes filled with sorrow. While I do not wish to deceive her, I am too weak to admit the truth.”

  Elliot forced a smile. “I’m glad our wives have become such good friends. It is important to have support from someone who understands your plight.”

  Alexander nodded. “You know I would like nothing more than to lock Evelyn away at Stony Cross and keep her all to myself. But I am beginning to think it is not healthy for her. When we return to England, I am considering spending a few months of the year in London. I would like her to see more of Grace. If you’re in agreement, we will time our trips to coincide with yours.”

  Elliot could not hide his surprise. “Then some good has come from spending three weeks together in a carriage,” he chuckled. “We are family in every sense of the word. I think it is important to support one another. With such a debilitating affliction such as ours, we should remain close.”

  Alexander gave a weary sigh. “All we need to do now is find that wayward brother of ours and drag him home. Perhaps on our return, we should trawl the ballrooms in the hope of finding a lady willing to tame him.”

  “She would have to have golden hair and a desire to let him drink her blood,” he said in jest. “I doubt it will be too difficult to find someone suitable.”

  “No. It will be bloody impossible.”

  They both laughed, but Elliot’s mood darkened when Grace and Evelyn appeared, their grim faces sending a bolt of fear shooting through him.

  “Is something amiss?” he said as soon as they approached the table.

  They both sat down. Grace nodded to Evelyn, who said, “Leo left the tavern two nights ago. The wench said she spent time with him in his chamber, saw him climb into a carriage and has not seen him since. All of his clothes and belongings are still upstairs.”

  A hard lump formed in Elliot’s throat and he couldn’t speak.

  “Does she know whose carriage it was?” Alexander asked.

  “It belongs to Frau Lockwood.”

  “Thank the Lord.” Elliot was able to breathe freely again. “More than likely he’s found a mistress and forgotten all about this absurd need for revenge.”

  Grace winced at his reaction and said after a slight hesitation, “Frau Lockwood lives in the castle high up on the hill. She has lived there for ten years. Frau Lockwood has golden hair, wears a dark cloak and is seen mostly at night.”

  With trembling hands, Elliot grabbed the bottle, filled his goblet and downed the potent liquid so fast he almost retched.

  Grace sighed. “The wench believes she may have been dreaming, but she thought Leo had a sword strapped to his back. We found an empty scabbard under his bed.”

  “But why would she allow him into her
carriage knowing he had a sword?” Alexander shook his head. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “You know what this means?” Elliot sucked in a breath. “I will have to go up to the castle. I can’t leave here until I know what’s happened to him.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Alexander said.

  “Perhaps we should all go together?” Evelyn suggested.

  “No!” both gentlemen cried in unison, aware they had attracted the attention of a few curious locals.

  “No,” Elliot whispered firmly. “You will both stay here. You promised you would else I would not have let you come. Do not make me compel you to do so.”

  Grace’s eyes grew wide. “You wouldn’t.”

  When it came to their safety, there was no room for negotiation.

  “We both will,” Alexander added ignoring Evelyn’s irate stare.

  “We will all go to my room,” Elliot commanded. “We will go to my room now without hesitation.”

  They escorted the ladies to Elliot’s room, used mind manipulation on their wives to keep them there as they could not risk them coming up to the castle. Then they compelled them to lock the door behind them.

  “I’m going to have to make Evelyn forget about this else she will find a way to punish me. I know it.”

  Elliot patted his friend on the back. “I hated doing it, too, but their safety has to be our priority. They will understand. Besides, come the morning they will be free to do as they please.”

  “You assume we’ll return tonight?”

  “I sincerely hope so. But that is why I told you only to force her to stay in the room until sunrise. If we fail to return, I have instructed Gibbs to take them home.” Elliot removed his pocket watch and glanced at the time before replacing it. “We’ll have nine hours to get there and back. It should be plenty of time. But it would be wise to note how long it takes us to reach the castle, should anything unexpected occur.”

  They headed out into the night, followed the path leading up through the forest. No clouds littered the inky sky and the light from the full moon cast a silvery-blue hue to illuminate their way.