Highland Hunger Bundle with Yours for Eternity & Highland Beast

by Hannah Howell

  “Sprites,” Victor determined with annoying ease. “A few nymphs.”

  “Gargoyle?”

  “Not mixed among the others.”

  She snapped her gaze to his wary face. “But Levet is here?”

  His lips thinned; he was no doubt regretting his promise he would never lie to her.

  “Yes.”

  Relief surged through her. “Thank God.”

  “No god would be so cruel,” he drawled.

  She ignored Victor’s callous indifference toward her friend. Vampires considered any demon not a vampire as a lesser demon. Even werewolves.

  “First we must release the captives,” she decided.

  Victor scowled. “Juliet, you do realize this might very well be a trap?”

  “Do you sense—”

  “I do not need to sense danger to know it is there.”

  “I am doing this with or without you, Victor.”

  The silver eyes flashed with mocking amusement. “Ah, when you have need of me I am Victor, eh, little one?”

  She clenched her teeth, belatedly realizing she had indeed allowed his name to slip out. It was a luxury she never indulged in. Not when she needed the formality to remind herself that Victor was a forbidden temptation. Just as she pretended she did not notice the manner in which his silk shirt clung to the chiseled muscles of his chest, or how precisely his pantaloons outlined the hard lines of his legs . . .

  “I have several other names if you prefer,” she muttered.

  With an impatient sound, Victor captured her face in his hands and leaned down to steal a kiss that jolted through her with stunning force.

  “Let us be done with this,” he rasped against her mouth. “I have a far better means to spend the evening.”

  She shivered, the image of the delicious vampire sprawled on satin sheets, his fangs latched onto the vulnerable throat of a woman, searing through her mind.

  “I can imagine.”

  He pulled back, a wicked smile curving his lips at the thickness of her voice.

  “Soon you will not have to imagine,” he promised.

  Annoyed with the indecent ease with which he could make her heart pound and her body ache, Juliet turned her attention to the heavy door blocking their path.

  “Magic?” Victor softly demanded.

  She held out a hand, lightly touching the dull metal of the door handle, stiffening when the door slid open with shocking ease.

  “There are no hexes or curses.”

  “No silver,” Victor deduced. Like most demons, vampires were lethally allergic to silver. “A spell?”

  Juliet shook her head, ignoring the urge to gag at the putrid scent of unwashed bodies and human waste as she stepped to peer into the gloom of the cavern.

  She expected the dozen or so people huddled against the far wall, and even their deplorable state of misery. Whether human or demon, being held as a prisoner was a ghastly fate.

  No, but what did surprise her was the realization that none of them were bound in any way.

  No cages, no shackles, no magic.

  She turned to stab Victor with a puzzled frown. “What is keeping them in there?”

  “Pure fear.” His expression hardened. “There is nothing to be done, little one. So long as the prisoners are held captive by their terror, then nothing will induce them to leave.”

  “Could you glamour them?”

  “I am powerful, but there is no vampire who could glamour so many at once.”

  She gnawed her bottom lip, considering their limited options.

  “Then we must discover something that will convince them that it is more dangerous to remain than to flee.”

  His brows arched at her odd request. “I do not believe you would appreciate my means of convincing them just how dangerous I can be.”

  “No, I did not mean you,” she hastily said, appalled at the mere thought of the poor creatures being tormented by a rampaging vampire. “I know a spell, but I have not attempted to use it for years.”

  The silver eyes flickered with a wary surprise. “I did not know you could perform magic.”

  She reached into her pocket to pull out her mother’s amulet, ruefully wishing she possessed the sort of power that would frighten a vampire. Then perhaps she would have the courage to accept Victor as her lover.

  “I have no talent for true magic, but I can perform a few small illusions.”

  “I do not like this.”

  She heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Is there anything you do like?”

  His gaze flared over her with a blatant hunger. “You.”

  Good . . . Lord.

  Juliet hurriedly bent down, using her finger to draw a circle in the dirt, and at the same time hiding the heat staining her cheeks.

  “Stand back and do not break the circle.”

  Closing her eyes, Juliet rubbed her fingers over the amulet, using her mother’s lingering powers to bolster her own as she filled her mind with the image of a Saulgon demon in full bloodlust. The actual demon had been extinct from this world for centuries, but the sight of the hulking creature with its gray, rotting flesh and double row of razor-sharp fangs was enough to break the nerve of the most courageous warrior.

  At the same moment, she conjured the sensation of choking terror that had assailed her in the outer chamber.

  Whispering the words of power, she sent the illusion spreading outward, touching the minds of the captives.

  Engrossed with her spell, Juliet failed to notice the startled cries, and even the sudden pounding of footsteps. It was not until Victor snatched her into his arms and pressed her painfully against the wall of the tunnel that she realized she had very nearly been trampled by the fleeing prisoners.

  “Damn,” Victor snarled, keeping her wrapped tightly in his arms even after the last of the terrified humans had disappeared down the tunnel.

  “It worked,” she breathed, astonishment blending with relief as she sensed the prisoners continuing their frantic flight through the tunnels.

  “Too bloody well,” Victor growled next to her ear.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The escaping prisoners have attracted precisely the attention we hoped to avoid.”

  Shaking off the fog of her spell, Juliet stiffened as a violent wave of fury pulsed through the tunnel. Dear God. Something was charging toward them. And she did not have to be a full-blooded demon to know it intended harm.

  Profound, agonizing harm.

  The thought had barely flared through her mind when Victor scooped her off her feet and was bolting across the cavern to a narrow tunnel that Juliet hadn’t noticed until that moment.

  “Victor,” she breathed, fear crawling over her skin.

  “Just hold on, little one.”

  She did. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she unashamedly clung to him, knowing that without Victor she would still be stumbling across the cavern. Few things could match a vampire for speed.

  Well, few things except for the creature chasing them, she realized with a stab of regret.

  No matter how swiftly Victor sped through the tunnels, or how often he darted into side corridors, the menacing pursuer continued to grow closer.

  “We will never be able to outrun it,” she at last muttered.

  “I fear you are right.” Coming to a grudging halt, Victor placed her on her feet, his beautiful features grim. “It appears we must fight.”

  Juliet gave a sharp shake of her head. “No.”

  “No?”

  “This is not your battle,” she said, unconsciously pressing her hands to his chest. “You can escape. I will distract—”

  He muttered an incoherent curse before grabbing her face and kissing her with a combination of frustration and yearning need.

  “I will not leave you,” he husked against her mouth. “I will never leave you.”

  “Victor—”

  With a firm motion he thrust her back and turned to place himself between her and the approaching
danger.

  “Stay behind me.”

  She smacked him in the middle of the back, as aggravated with herself as with the stubborn vampire.

  It was not that she regretted her decision to rescue Levet. Even if it meant facing her own death. She was done with hiding from the world. But she had not considered the unfortunate consequence that her decision would endanger Victor.

  But then, why would she?

  She had always known the Marquis DeRosa desired her in his bed, but it had never occurred to her that he would involve himself in her mad quest. He had not survived for so long by being reckless.

  Now the thought that he might be hurt or even...

  No, she could not even bear to imagine such a cruel fate.

  “Damn you.”

  “I was damned many centuries ago,” he assured her smoothly. “Let us hope it is enough to convince the Jinn to seek easier prey.”

  Juliet sucked in a startled breath, instantly distracted by his words.

  “Jinn? Are you certain?”

  “Regrettably.”

  “I thought they were a myth.”

  He shrugged, still turned to face the oncoming danger.

  “The Commission has sought to keep them from mingling among the humans,” he said, referring to the ruling council among the demon world. “But they occasionally flout the restrictions placed upon them and create chaos among the masses. Which explains why the wood sprites have gone into hiding.”

  Juliet unconsciously clutched her mother’s amulet, a sensation of dread creeping down her spine.

  “Lovely. How do we defeat it?”

  “We don’t,” he managed to mutter before a dark shape abruptly lunged from the shadows.

  Even though she was prepared, a scream was wrenched from Juliet’s throat as the creature launched itself forward. Although it had taken the form of a human there was nothing reassuring about the beast. In fact, there was something highly unnerving about the delicately carved features and thick mane of golden blond hair that gave the Jinn its luminous beauty, when combined with the malignant lust for pain glowing in the large, lavender eyes.

  Venomous beauty.

  Clutching her mother’s amulet in her hand, Juliet futilely wracked her brain for a spell. Not that she possessed the power to actually harm the Jinn, but she might be able to distract him long enough—

  There was an unholy roar and Victor launched forward, his fangs fully extended and his frigid power blasting through the air.

  Juliet instinctively stumbled backward, wise enough to give the two ferocious predators plenty of space. It was a common tragedy for harmless humans or lesser demons to be crushed when caught between more powerful species. Besides, she needed room to draw her circle if she was struck by a sudden inspiration.

  A possibility that was increasingly unlikely as Victor and the Jinn collided with terrifying force.

  In fascinated horror, she watched the massive battle, realizing that there was no means of casting a spell without risking Victor.

  Her stomach clenched as the two warriors savagely fought, Victor’s fangs ripping deep gouges in the Jinn’s perfect skin as he shoved it against the wall. In return the Jinn filled the air with staccato jolts of energy that brought down showers of jagged stones smashing onto Victor’s head.

  Juliet bit her lip as she caught the exotic scent of Victor’s blood. As a vampire he could not bleed to death, but the loss of blood would quickly drain his strength.

  Victor again slammed the beast against the wall, his fangs striking over and over with sickening force. The Jinn, however, appeared indifferent to his vicious injuries. No, it was more than indifference.

  The violet eyes sparkled with an unmistakable pleasure, as if the nasty creature relished the pain. Or perhaps he simply enjoyed the battle.

  In either case, Juliet sensed that the Jinn was merely toying with Victor, and that when he wearied of the game, something very bad was going to occur.

  For both of them.

  On the edge of panic, Juliet absurdly found herself searching her pockets, as if she might discover a hidden weapon. It was hardly shocking that she found nothing more than a bit of lint and the small crystal from her father. She had come to the docks to rescue Levet, not to wage war against a mythical demon.

  Juliet cursed in frustration, gripping the crystal tightly in her palm.

  She needed—

  She gave a jump of surprise as the crystal abruptly flared with heat, almost as if it were feeding off her terrified emotions.

  With a frown she opened her hand, realizing that the soft glow that always surrounded the crystal when she held it was decidedly brighter, the pulsing center seeming to echo her heartbeat.

  For years she had attempted to call on the gifts of her imp blood with little more to show for her efforts than minor hexes and lingering headaches. Now she could actually feel the tingles of power darting through her body.

  She stilled in shock. Was it truly possible?

  Before she could consider whether it was all nothing more than a fluke, she heard a low rumbling from the Jinn.

  Good lord, was that . . . laughter?

  A sickening horror filled her as a familiar sensation of prickling electricity swirled through the air. She had suspected that bad things would happen when the bastard grew tired of playing. Now her fears were about to be confirmed beyond her wildest nightmare.

  Instinctively she charged forward, but it was already too late.

  With a massive shove, the Jinn freed himself from Victor’s grasp and tossed the vampire against the far wall. Stunned by the brutal impact, Victor crumpled to the ground, his pale face marred with blood and his arm hanging at an odd angle. Without giving Victor the opportunity to recover, the Jinn raised his hand and a sizzling bolt of lightning erupted from the tip of his finger.

  Juliet was blinded by the violent burst of light, her ears ringing as the solid rock wall shattered. She cried out as she dropped beside Victor’s unmoving form, leaning over to wrap her arms around him in a protective motion.

  “Victor . . .” she breathed, cruel pain wrenching her heart as she held him close, planting frantic kisses over his pale, beautiful face. “Please . . .”

  She tasted his blood on her lips and felt the dampness of her tears falling down her cheeks, but her thoughts were consumed by the sense of the Jinn moving ever closer.

  Did he intend to kill them both with his undoubted command of the elements?

  Or was he plotting something even more hideous?

  Squeezing shut her eyes, Juliet refused to accept failure. If she could not defeat the Jinn, then she must find the means to escape with Victor.

  An easy enough task had she been a full-blooded imp.

  Imps with any talent were capable of producing portals that could move them from place to place in the blink of an eye. Her father had been particularly skilled with such magic.

  But, of course, Juliet had never managed more than a weak gateway that collapsed the moment she attempted to enter it. And even that had left her exhausted for days.

  Tonight, however, she did not allow herself to recall her innumerable failures.

  Instead, she poured her thoughts and energy into the crystal still clutched in her hand, along with her mother’s amulet. If she’d ever needed her parents’ assistance, this was it.

  Burying her face in the rich satin of Victor’s hair, she willed the portal to form around them, sending up a silent prayer she did not kill them both.

  Victor could feel Juliet wrap herself around him, obviously attempting to protect him from the advancing Jinn. With an ancient curse, he struggled to regain command of his battered body to push her aside.

  By the gods, he would not allow Juliet to be harmed.

  Not even if it meant—

  His uncharacteristic flare of heroism was rudely interrupted as Juliet tightened her arms around him and the entire world shifted beneath him.

  As a vampire, Victor was incapable of sensing mag
ic, but he could not fail to notice the tunnel melting away to utter blackness before he landed with jarring force on a damp cobblestone street with the night breeze blowing in his face.

  Briefly disconcerted, he held himself perfectly still, absorbing the realization that he was lying flat on his back in the middle of London with Juliet sprawled on top of him.

  He rolled to one side, carefully cradling the tiny, unconscious woman in his arms as he scanned the area around them.

  Bloody hell.

  Juliet must have created a portal to rescue the both of them from certain death, but at what cost?

  The stench filling the air warned him that they were still dangerously near the docks, but thankfully there was no scent of the Jinn. Nor any other predators besides those who owed their loyalty to him.

  Sensing one of his servants hurrying in their direction, Victor grimly rose to his feet, holding Juliet against his chest. An unfamiliar torment twisted his dead heart as he noted her unnatural pallor and the pain that tightened her features even in her deep state of slumber.

  She had come perilously close to draining herself beyond the point of no return.

  Too damnably close.

  “Johan,” he called softly, knowing the young vampire would hear him despite being several blocks away. “Find a carriage.”

  “Yes, master.”

  There was a short delay, then the sound of horseshoes striking against cobblestones broke the thick silence. Victor watched the elegant black carriage turn the corner and come to a halt in front of him.

  Leaping from the driver’s bench, the massive vampire was forced to calm the nervous horse before moving to offer Victor a deep bow.

  “Master.” Although attired in rough wool clothing with his blond hair pulled into a simple braid, there was no masking the brewing danger that shrouded Johan. He was a warrior poised to kill. Straightening, the younger vampire narrowed his gaze as he took in Victor’s slowly healing wounds and the unconscious female draped across his arms. “You must feed, my lord. Shall I find a host?”

  “Later.” Victor easily dismissed his need for blood. At the moment his only thought was to get Juliet to the safety of his lair. “Return us to my estate.”

  “At once.”

  With a blur of motion, Johan pulled open the carriage door, waiting for Victor to settle on the leather cushion before slamming the door shut and returning to his seat atop the carriage. Then with a mental command he had the horse racing through the narrow streets with a reckless indifference to the occasional vehicles or even pedestrians that crossed their path.