by Lila Dubois
Pearl and crushed moonstone covered the ground. Small fountains bubbled in the corners, the water scented with jasmine. In the center, reaching nearly twenty feet high, was the statue of a woman. The female figure stood tall and straight, the carved white robes flowing in straight, structured lines around her. The face was both lovely and stern. The base of the statue was carved with vines, flowers and wildlife—the most prominent of which was four elegant swans. The curves and details of the base were in direct opposition to the sharp lines of the figure’s dress and the angular crown that sat atop her head.
Isabel raised a brow. “The High Queen, I presume.”
“Come.” Aed urged her to walk, uneasy to have brought the vampire here. “This courtyard was a gift, from the High King to his Queen.”
“I will not press you for details. I know plenty about your king. Duke Drakul has spoken highly of King Cormac.”
“You know the Vampire king well?”
“Drakul is not our king.”
“Who is?”
“We do not have a king. Each vampire chooses their life. Those who are smart join a coven.”
“A coven?”
“Our word for a group of vampires. It would be equivalent to one of your houses, assuming your court structure is similar to what we once had in the human world.”
“The houses—both high and low—are made up of families, though the members of the family might be only distant relations.”
“That is what I expected. While you have your lower houses, we have our covens. Each coven is part of a cabal, a ruling group.”
“Like the high houses.”
“A good analogy. Within each cabal there is a Duke.”
“How many cabals are there?”
“Many, but four that have most of the power. Paris, New York, Mexico City and Bucharest.”
“If each cabal has a Duke, how was Duke Drakul able to sign the Wraith Accords for all the Vampire?”
“The other dukes were there, as were, I heard, other kings of the Tuatha.”
“But Cormac is our High King.”
“And Drakul is the most powerful Duke and the most famous of our kind. The humans call him Dracula.”
“I have not heard that name.”
“You would enjoy seeing what the humans think of Dracula. It causes the Duke no end of irritation. Especially when I insist on bringing him copies of each new Dracula movie, book or action figure.”
Aed had no idea what an action figure was. “Don’t you fear his wrath?”
“Of course. Why else would I do it?”
Isabel’s expression was so gleeful that Aed laughed. Only then did he realize that they’d passed through another of the royal courtyards without notice. Relieved, he took them down a small hall, doubling back slightly to reach the section of the palace where the guest rooms were.
“You must be very close to your Duke.”
“I am. I am the Sage of the Bucharest Cabal.”
“I know your titles, but I fear I don’t know what they mean.”
“Then I will tell you this secret. And if anyone questions the time you spend with me, you may tell them that you seduced me until I told you all my secrets.”
He barked out a laugh. “Me? Seduce you?”
“You are not capable?”
Aed frowned. “I…”
“Aed.” She touched his cheek as they walked. “I’m teasing you. At least until we reach my room. Then I intend to seduce you. Then you’ll seduce me. That way it’s fair.”
She was clearly joking. That didn’t stop Aed’s body from tightening with need.
“Tell me your secret,” he demanded, desperate to talk about anything else.
“Each Duke has three that are closet to him: the judge, the sage and the warrior. They are to the duke as your prince is to your king.”
That surprised him. He’d known she was a high-ranking Vampire but hadn’t really understood exactly how powerful she was. “You are a princess among your people.”
“If I’m a princess, will you be my knight?”
“Knights were human warriors, weren’t they?”
“They were. Warriors pledged to protect their king or noble houses. I am too young to have met a true knight, but I’ve always found them romantic.”
“The Fianna protect the Tuatha de, not just the royal house.”
“And what if the threat to the Tuatha de Danaan is the royal house?” Her tone was teasing. There was no way she could know how dangerous her question was.
Aed thought about remaining silent, but he wanted her to understand him, and his order. “I would kill any who threaten Danu or her children. I have served the High King and Queen all my life, but if Danu needed, I would take their lives and destroy their bodies and spirits so that they would never rise again.”
Isabel sucked in a breath, and there was a hint of fear in her eyes. Aed clenched his teeth. It was better that she fear him. This strange, dangerous journey to the heart of the castle had led to a false camaraderie, but as they approached the guest quarters he knew their time was coming to an end. His conversation with her was the longest and most interesting he’d had in years. Soon he would again be the silent brute standing against the wall, while Isabel would go on to dance her way through the court.
If his steps slowed, prolonging his time with her, no one but him would ever know the reason—know that Aed mac Goll was infatuated with the vampire princess.
Isabel was lost in her own thoughts—a dangerous thing to do, but she trusted Aed to protect her. She’d learned more than she could have hoped in the short time she’d been here. There were things that needed to be recorded in the Vampire archives and disseminated to the other cabals, so anyone else who had reason to venture into this viper’s nest would not be so ill informed as she was.
And there were things she would not record, such as Aed’s kindness and lack of awareness of his own appeal. For both their sakes it would be best that his name never enter her reports. Without his help she could imagine herself easily agreeing to sex with one of the Tuatha de Danaan, not realizing what her consent would mean. She would kill anyone who tried to do to her what the golden prince was doing to the crawling woman.
“Your chamber is just up here.”
They were in a hallway that sided a small courtyard with fruit trees. The overhang from the story above would probably keep her door in shadow come daylight, but she would take precautions before dawn.
Aed opened the door for her. Her room was well appointed, with a large bed mounted on a platform in the center of the chamber. There was a fireplace of elegantly carved stone with the embers banked for the night. On the far side, heavy wood shutters covered what she assumed was a window.
The floor was white marble veined with pale blue. The walls were made of blocks of a smooth white stone that might have been quartz, but the crystal-like rock didn’t come in pieces large enough to have built this castle. At least, not in the human world.
She wandered the space, touching the walls, the bed. A single glowing orb, suspended in a delicate metal casing, illuminated the room. Isabel wondered vaguely how to turn it off.
“I was told that it has been made light tight for your safety.” Aed’s tone was more formal than five minutes ago.
She responded with equal formality. “My gratitude to whomever is responsible.”
“If you need anything, tell me, and if I can I will get it for you.”
“And where will you be?”
“Outside your door.”
Isabel raised an eyebrow. “Guard or jailor?”
His lips twitched. “Guard.”
“In that case…” Isabel crooked her finger, beckoning him in.
Aed paused for a moment, his eyes widening slightly. He swallowed once. She was struck again by his size. He was eas
ily six foot four. With the armor on, his shoulders were almost as broad as the doorway. For a moment she thought he wouldn’t enter, and she prepared herself to take that as a sign that it was no time to indulge herself.
Even if he did enter the chamber, it was not wise to do what she was thinking of.
Aed stepped inside, closed the door behind him and touched the wall. It started to glow as if lit from within, filling the room with more gentle, pale light.
Then again, she may not survive tomorrow. Best to take her pleasure while she could. Their conversation had been the best kind of foreplay and her blood was up. Aed’s sweet ignorance of his own appeal stirred her in a way she’d never felt before. It was too much to resist. She’d wanted Aed since she first saw him, and with dawn approaching this was her chance to have him. Perhaps the only chance she’d have.
Reaching up, she undid the hidden buttons at the throat of her cloak, letting it fall to the floor.
Chapter Four
Isabel stepped away from the puddled fabric of her cloak. “I would like to rest during the day, but as you can see I would not be comfortable in my dress.” She gestured to herself, licking her lips as his hungry gaze raked over her.
She wore a dress from a contemporary designer and friend to the Vampire. The top was molded like a corset, midnight silk overlaid with silver and black lace. It was fitted over the hips, flaring out into a full, ball-gown skirt below that. The silhouette was unusual enough that she would be memorable, but harkened back to the formalwear of years past. She’d asked for a garment that was both elegant and powerful, and the dress fit the bill.
Now that she was here she knew a gown in a Grecian style might have been more appropriate, or perhaps something in leather, but she was not really trying to fit in.
She was Vampire.
“Lady Isabel…”
“Isabel.”
“Isabel.” His gaze raked her. “I can call a servant or one of the queen’s ladies. They can help you.”
“What if I want you to help me?” She could see the hunger in his eyes.
“You know I desire you.”
“I wasn’t sure. I hoped you desired me the way I desire you.”
Aed stripped off his gloves, throwing them to the floor. Isabel sashayed toward him, her arousal growing with each step.
She took his armored forearms, brought his hands to her waist. “I think this should be our little secret, don’t you?” She guided his hand up to her breasts, smiling in satisfaction when his gaze dropped to her chest and he shuddered slightly.
He seemed to relax. “A secret, yes.”
Isabel brushed the back of her hand across his cheek. In the next breath he was kissing her. He’d moved fast, taking her by surprise as his lips captured hers.
The kiss was better than she could have imagined. His lips were firm and warm against hers, his hands strong and sure on her body. She breathed deep. This close, his scent was intoxicating and she could hear the blood pumping in his carotid artery.
Had she been younger or less powerful, she might have lost control, forcing his head to the side and biting into his neck. As it was, when he went to deepen the kiss she had to pull back. Her canine teeth were sharper and longer than a human’s even when retracted. When she was this aroused, by both blood and man, they elongated to lethal points.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” She opened her mouth so he could see why she’d stopped the kiss.
He touched her fang. “You want my blood.”
“No. I want you.” She ran her hands over his armored chest, frustrated he was so hidden from her. “But your blood calls to me.” Isabel stepped away and turned her back to him. Reaching around, she took hold of the hidden zipper and slid it down a few inches. “Luckily for you I have good self-control.” She smiled at her own lie. “Well, somewhat good self-control.”
He touched the bare skin of her back. She felt that touch along every inch of her body. After a long pause he took hold of the zipper, fumbling with it a bit before drawing it down the rest of the way.
When her dress was undone, Isabel crossed her arms over her breasts and faced him. “It seems rather unknightly for you to be wearing all that when I’m—” Isabel slid the dress down and off, leaving her naked except for black lace panties and high heels, “—wearing only this.”
Aed’s hand slashed through the air and in the next moment his armor was gone, vanished. He now wore a tight-fitting leather top, pants and boots. He’d gone from knight to biker in a matter of seconds. He looked just as good like this. Maybe better.
Through the tight pants she could clearly see the bulge of his erection. The armor hadn’t taken away as much of the bulk as she’d thought. His chest and arms were still thick with muscle.
Isabel ran her hands over her bare breasts. “It’s been a long time since I had a man like you.”
He reached for her, taking her hips in his hands, rubbing his palms against the lace there. His gaze raked her naked body. “What kind of man is that?”
A good man.
The thought surprised her, but it had the ring of truth. Aed was a good man—or the most skilled liar she’d ever met.
“A warrior,” she replied, knowing that was a safer answer. Standing on her toes, Isabel pulled the tie from his hair. It swung forward to frame his face. She placed her other hand over the bulge of his cock, tracing the length with her palm.
He kissed her again, sucking her lower lip into his mouth. “I don’t want to hurt you either.”
“I’m tougher than I look.”
“The things I want to do to you…” His voice was ragged. “I have not felt this way, let myself feel this way, about a woman in a century.”
Isabel knew the feeling. Usually it took much more than a few kisses to have her this aroused, and lately it took all manner of toys, games and usually a touch of sadism to elicit any response from her at all.
He lifted her hips and Isabel wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging to his shoulders.
Aed groaned as he kissed her neck.
“More,” she demanded.
He lifted her higher until his lips settled on her breasts. He laid hot, open-mouthed kisses over them. Isabel tangled her fingers in his hair and twisted, trying to press her nipples into his mouth. He skillfully evaded her machinations, teasing her until she wanted to scream with need.
Finally his tongue found the tips of her breasts, first flicking each nipple before taking the left into his mouth.
Isabel threw her head back as he suckled her. His teeth closed over her, tugging, and she hummed her approval at the little stab of pleasure-pain.
“Do you like that?” he growled, carrying her toward the bed.
“Yes.”
“Will you tell me if I hurt you?’
“Only if I don’t like the pain.”
He let out a bark of laughter as they tumbled down onto the mattress. Isabel reached for his clothes, but they were molded to him and she couldn’t figure out how to get them off.
“Take off your clothes.”
“No. Not yet.”
He parted her knees, running his fingers over her panties. She reached for him, but he grabbed both of her hands, capturing them in his and pressing them down above her head.
She strained against his hold. There was a moment of shock when she couldn’t get free. Isabel was one of the strongest of the Vampire, her slim frame more powerful than many male vampires who were larger than her. But Aed was something else. He was stronger, larger and more formidable.
She tried one last time to free herself, using all her strength. His arm tensed to counter her strength, but his hold never lessened. A fresh wave of arousal spiked through her at the bondage.
“You’re strong.” Isabel was panting from effort and desire.
“Do I frighten you?”
&nb
sp; “You should.”
“But do I?”
“No. I like it.”
His fingers continued to dance up and down her sex, pressing the lace of her panties into the folds and flicking her clit.
She arched her hips into his hand and succeeded in rubbing her clit against his knuckles. She growled in frustration when he pulled away. “I thought you didn’t play games.”
The hungry look faded from his eyes. “Normally, I don’t. I do not enjoy submitting, and I do not want to unintentionally hurt my partner.”
Isabel knew that there was something there—his past sexual experiences were causing him to fight his natural desires. But that was an issue for another time. “You’re not hurting me, but you are frustrating me. The game I don’t like is the one where you’re toying with me instead of fucking me.”
His brow cleared and a devilish smile transformed his face. “Perhaps I want you frustrated.” He cupped her sex, the heat of his hand warming her, but not stimulating her. He blew across her nipples.
Isabel went limp, then in a burst of speed pulled her hands free and pushed him over onto his back. He was stronger than her, but she was fast and had surprised him.
Straddling him, she raised an eyebrow. “I see no reason to delay pleasure.”
Taking his wrists, she guided his hands to her breasts as she ground herself down on his still-hidden cock. Aed’s whole body arched under her, his fingers squeezing her breasts.
“Aed,” she moaned.
In the next breath she was on her back, and he was beside the bed, unlacing his clothes. She saw what he was doing and rolled onto her knees to help, pulling the laces free with quick fingers. Finally his chest was bare and she kissed and licked it, biting at his nipples as he shucked his pants.
When he was naked, she sat back on her heels to look at him. His body was perfect—all hard muscles and smooth, creamy skin. A few white lines of scars marked one shoulder. His cock was deliciously big, the head thick and wet with his desire. His pubic hair was more blond than brown and trimmed short, hiding nothing from view.
She traced the underside of his erection with a single finger and watched him shiver. Cupping his balls with one hand, she squeezed the base of his cock with the other. When his hips jerked forward, she lowered her head and licked the crown of his cock.
