Highland Hunger Bundle with Yours for Eternity & Highland Beast

by Hannah Howell

  Within a half hour they were wheeling up the long drive to his isolated mansion. As they pulled up to the wide veranda, Victor did not wait for the carriage to come to a halt, simply opening the door and leaping onto the flagstone courtyard. With the same impatience, he charged up the stairs, fully prepared for a uniformed servant to tug open the wide double doors.

  “Uriel,” he called, crossing the marble foyer and heading toward the private rooms at the back of the mansion.

  With commendable speed the angelic vampire appeared at Victor’s side, his brows arching as he caught sight of Juliet in his arms.

  “Do you wish me to call for a human healer?”

  Pausing before the door at the end of the corridor, Victor released a trickle of power to open the heavy locks. No one, not even his servants, was allowed in his personal lair without his permission.

  “Not yet.”

  He glanced down at Juliet, a frustrated fury racing through him at the tumble of fiery curls that were in such contrast to her ashen face and the bruises already visible beneath her closed eyes. She looked like a crushed flower, he painfully acknowledged before viciously pushing the thought away.

  No. She was merely exhausted. He would accept nothing else.

  “You have food prepared?” he growled.

  “Yes, the”—Uriel stumbled over the unfamiliar word. It had been several centuries since the vampire had eaten solid food—“chef was most uncooperative, complaining at being taken from his bed and then insisting the markets were closed and he could not discover the necessary ingredients to prepare a meal.”

  “I assume you managed to convince him to comply with your request?”

  “Certainly. He promised a seven-course meal would be awaiting your approval.”

  “Ensure he keeps it warm until Juliet recovers.”

  Uriel gave a dip of the head. “The guests have been removed from the property and the upper chambers have been prepared for the female.”

  Victor’s arms tightened. “The female will remain with me.”

  A rare shock rippled over Uriel’s face. “But . . .”

  “You have something to say, Uriel?”

  “It will soon be dawn.”

  “I am well aware of the time.”

  Uriel’s gaze shifted to the woman in his arms. “Then you are taking the woman to your lair? Your private lair?”

  Victor’s lips twisted; he did not entirely blame his young servant. He had never, in all his countless years, allowed a female to enter his lair.

  “Your swift grasp of the situation is what I have always admired most about you, Uriel,” he said dryly, stepping into the small, conspicuously plain room. “Be certain we are not disturbed.”

  Expecting his command to be obeyed, Victor slammed shut the door and crossed the floor to pull the lever hidden behind a particularly ugly oil portrait. Silently the paneling slid aside to reveal stone steps that led to the deep chambers beneath.

  Passing through several more heavy doors, Victor at last reached his private resting place, crossing the barren room to lay Juliet on his bed.

  On the point of covering her with a thick fur blanket to ward off the chill of being so deeply underground, Victor slowly froze, dumbfounded by the sensations that were quietly settling in the center of his heart. Sensations that he had barely noticed in his frantic haste to get Juliet to safety.

  Now he couldn’t deny the shocking truth.

  He could actually feel Juliet.

  Not just as a vampire conscious of another creature in his lair. Or with the awareness of a man near a beautiful woman.

  But deep inside him.

  Barely aware he was moving, Victor leaned down and with a jerk he had ripped open the sleeve of her loose linen smock.

  “Bloody hell.”

  Victor allowed his gaze to study the intricate crimson tattoo that was forming beneath the inner skin of Juliet’s forearm. A tattoo that was unmistakably the mark of his bonding.

  He was mated.

  To Juliet.

  Irrevocably and eternally.

  Chapter Five

  Juliet opened her eyes. It was odd. One moment she had been deeply asleep, and the next she was wide awake, her heart pounding with fear.

  With a small gasp she abruptly sat upright, anxiously glancing about the unfamiliar surroundings. She was not reassured by the stone walls that were covered by ancient tapestries or the heavy wooden furnishings that spoke of a splendid but barbaric past. Only the vast fireplace that was blazing with cheerful flames offered a hint of welcome.

  “Victor?” she breathed.

  There was a cool rush of air, then Victor was at her side, his raven hair left loose to frame his pale, perfect face and his muscular body covered by a brocade robe.

  Juliet shivered, a strange yearning stirring in the pit of her stomach. Stripped of his elegant attire that added a layer of civilization, the vampire was savagely, irresistibly handsome.

  “I am here.” Settling next to her on the wide bed, Victor held out a crystal glass. “Mulled wine, little one?”

  “Thank you.” She was relieved to discover her hand did not shake as she reached to take the goblet and sipped the warm wine. It was perfect. Spiced just as she liked it, with only the faintest hint of cinnamon. She cleared her throat. “Where are we?”

  “My private lair.” A smile curved his lips, but his eyes were watchful, predatory. “Dinner will be served whenever you wish.”

  Juliet blinked in surprise. Not only at the notion that Victor would consider she would be hungry when she awoke, but that he would bring her to his lair.

  It was . . . inconceivable.

  And strangely exciting.

  She licked her dry lips, her heart leaping as his gaze dropped to watch the nervous gesture.

  “How long have I been asleep?”

  “Several hours.” His brows drew together in a sudden frown. “You risked far too much by creating a portal. You might have killed yourself by calling on so much power with no training.”

  She drank her wine, ruefully accepting she was a fool if she’d expected gratitude for saving this vampire’s life.

  “It was not as if there was a lot of choice,” she muttered.

  He looked as if he intended to continue his lecture on her foolishness, only to give a faint shake of his head. No doubt accepting that she was beyond his ability to train.

  “We will discuss this newfound desire to play with fire later.” He reached to gently tuck a stray curl behind her ear, his slender fingers lingering to brush her cheek, his cool touch sending sparks of heated awareness through her blood. “There are more important matters we must address.”

  Feeling as if her mouth were suddenly as dry as the Sahara, Juliet took a large gulp of the wine, indifferent to the dangers of drinking on an empty stomach. Perhaps if her head was a bit fuzzy then she would not be so acutely aware that she was completely alone with Victor . . . in his lair . . . on his bed....

  “Of course,” she managed to mutter. “We must consider what is to be done with the Jinn.”

  Easily sensing the rapid beat of her heart and the rush of her blood, Victor settled closer on the bed, his hand reaching to tug aside the heavy fur cover.

  “Later.”

  “But Levet . . .”

  “It is still daylight. The gargoyle will be in statue form for at least another three hours. There is no means to rescue him until he awakens.”

  Victor reached to pluck the empty glass from her fingers, leaning across her to set it on a low mahogany chest.

  “Are you not going to have any wine?” she inanely demanded, shivering as he deliberately brushed against her body.

  “Not tonight, I think. I prefer that my senses not be dulled when I am in your company. Your mere presence is quite intoxicating enough.” His voice was husky with a thickening accent; the scent of sandalwood filled the air. “Have you fully recovered?”

  “Yes, of course,” she said, even as she wondered if she wer
e speaking the entire truth. It would be convenient to blame her giddy excitement on the events of the day, but she was not completely naive. “In fact, I should be returning home.”

  He laughed softly. Just a breath of sound but it flowed through her body, as potent as the mulled wine.

  “You are home, little one.”

  Home.

  With Victor.

  Her heart clenched with a dangerous longing.

  “Ridiculous,” she whispered.

  The smoldering silver gaze lowered to her unsteady lips. “It is perhaps lacking a feminine touch, but I assure you that it will be refurbished to suit your pleasure. Whatever you desire shall be yours.”

  It was a flamboyant promise but oddly she did not doubt him. “My lord . . .”

  “What is it?”

  Juliet spoke the confusion that had besieged her since the moment she had awoken.

  “I did not think a vampire would allow others to enter his private lair.”

  He stilled, as if considering how best to answer her. Juliet watched in fascination as the firelight danced over his perfect features, adding a hint of mystery. Suddenly she possessed the most desperate urge to shove her fingers into the rich curtain of his raven hair and tug him down so she could drown in his kisses.

  “A vampire will share his lair with one other,” he said, at last breaking the silence. “His mate.”

  She abruptly tensed. “Mate?”

  He moved to take her arm, laying it across his lap. Then, with a deliberate motion, he pushed aside the torn sleeve to reveal the crimson tattoo that shimmered beneath her skin.

  “Mate.”

  Juliet forgot how to breathe as she stared at the unmistakable marking.

  For two years she had struggled to keep Victor at a safe distance. She had sworn to herself that she would never become a mindless toy for the vampire.

  But over the past hours she had been forced to admit that she had been far from successful in keeping the beautiful demon out of her heart. Why else would she have preferred to die than to watch Victor harmed?

  But to become his mate. Good Lord.

  “How did . . .” She lifted her head to meet Victor’s unwavering gaze. “How is this possible? I thought that you must exchange blood to complete the bond.”

  He shrugged. “You must have taken some of my blood during our journey through the portal.”

  A heat stained her cheeks as Juliet belatedly recalled her frantic kisses over his bloody face.

  “And now we are mated?”

  “Not . . . precisely.”

  She frowned in confusion. “I do not understand.”

  “I am mated to you, but until you are prepared to accept the bond and offer your blood, it remains incomplete.”

  “So.” She took a moment to consider the implications, a rather wicked smile slowly curving her lips. “You are bound to me, but I am at liberty to find another?”

  “You are mine.” He leaned forward, the silver eyes shimmering with a dangerous purpose as she hastily pressed back against the pillows. He stretched his long length beside her, remaining raised on his elbow to study her pale face. “I was a fool not to have recognized the truth the moment I met you. There has never been another female who has fascinated me as you have. Even when you are at your most infuriating I still crave to be in your presence.”

  A shudder of anticipation wracked her body even as she narrowed her eyes.

  “I am infuriating?”

  “Admit it, little one. You do love to challenge me.”

  “Only because you are so insufferably arrogant, my lord—”

  “Victor,” he interrupted, his fingers running through her curls and spreading them across the pillows. “I want to hear my name upon your lips.”

  A delicious heat curled through the pit of her stomach, sending tiny tremors through her body. For once, however, Juliet made no effort to deny her scorching reaction to Victor’s touch.

  She was done fighting a battle she could not win.

  “Victor. It suits you.”

  His hand moved to cup her cheek, his touch flowing through her until her toes curled in response.

  “Just as Juliet suits you,” he husked, his fingers drifting down the length of her throat. “You intrigued me from the moment I first caught sight of you. The candlelight shimmering like fire off your magnificent hair. Your features as pure as those of an angel. The elegance of your every movement. It stirred a hunger in me that haunts me no matter where I go.”

  Some deep part of her whispered that she should be frightened as his fingers briefly lingered upon the pulse at the base of her throat before gliding along the opening of her smock.

  Not that he would physically harm her. That had never been her fear. And, of course, now he was bonded to her. A vampire would destroy the world to protect his mate.

  No, he would not injure her, but she was not so foolish as to believe that she could give herself to Victor without consequences.

  Fright, however, was the last thing Juliet was feeling as his fingers brushed over the curve of her bare breast. She arched upward as a jolt of pleasure burst through her.

  “Victor.”

  “Look at me, little one,” he whispered.

  Allowing herself to become lost in the silver gaze, she made no demur as he tugged the smock over her head and tossed it aside. The remainder of her clothing swiftly followed until she was lying naked on the satin sheets.

  The world had somehow slipped away. There was nothing but the dark eyes and the slender fingers that tenderly explored her body as if he were memorizing every angle and curve of her.

  “This is madness,” Juliet whispered.

  The faintest smile curled the corner of his mouth. “This is fate.”

  “Fate?”

  “Destiny.” His head lowered, his lips brushing her mouth as he spoke. “I have waited an eternity to find you. I will never harm you.”

  Of their own will her hands lifted to grasp his shoulders. The brocade was smooth and delicious to the touch and she found her fingers stroking down the wide width of his back.

  A low sigh hissed through his lips. His kiss became more demanding, his tongue dipping into her mouth with a sweep of wetness. At the same moment his hand cupped her breast and his thumb rubbed over the tight peak.

  Juliet bucked against him as the shock of sensations jolted through her.

  “Oh.”

  He pulled back enough that she could see herself reflected in his shimmering silver eyes. Or at least someone who looked vaguely like her.

  Her curls were tumbled like a river of fire onto the pillows, her face flushed with pleasure, and her parted lips still damp from his kiss.

  She looked like a decadent sacrifice offered up for some sensual beast.

  “What has brought that frown to your beautiful brow?” he whispered.

  Her attention returned to the man poised above her. Good heavens, he was so beautiful. Astonishingly beautiful. Unable to resist temptation, her fingers lifted to plunge into the heavy thickness of his hair.

  Ah . . . yes. It was just as soft and silky as she had imagined.

  “I have wanted you from the moment I saw you in the ballroom,” she confessed in soft tones. “But that does not mean I intend to complete the mating bond.”

  His chuckle slithered down her spine. “You are my mate. You hold my heart and soul. We are one, whether you are too stubborn to admit the truth or not.”

  Holding her gaze, he pulled the brocade robe from his body. Her eyes widened at the sight of the hard, chiseled muscles that rippled beneath the ivory skin that was tattooed with a beautiful dragon. His shoulders were broad, his chest so pale and smooth the nipples appeared startlingly dark in contrast. Her gaze refused to lower beyond the contoured ripple of his stomach. Her body already felt as if it were burning from within.

  Holding her gaze, he slid slowly downward. The rub of his skin against hers made her breath catch painfully in her throat.

  Hi
s lips touched her collarbone, tracing the delicate line with the tip of his tongue before slowly traveling down the curve of her breast. Juliet shifted restlessly beneath the teasing mouth. Good Lord, nothing had ever felt so wondrous.

  “You are so warm,” he whispered against her skin, turning his head just enough to capture the tip of her nipple between his lips.

  “Blessed Mother.”

  She arched off the bed and her hands slid to frame his face in silent encouragement. Whatever she had thought she knew of passion had never included the tender caresses that were sending a storm of sensations lashing through her body.

  With obvious expertise he used his tongue and even his teeth to torment her nipple to a hard peak. Her eyes squeezed shut as she groaned low in her throat. He turned his attention to her other breast, his hands sliding down the curve of her waist.

  Juliet was lost in the tide of building sensations when his arms encircled her and without warning he had rolled onto his back. In one powerful motion she discovered herself perched on top of his hard frame. Her eyes widened as she regarded the fiercely handsome countenance.

  “Victor?”

  “Do not fear,” he murmured as his hands smoothed down the curve of her back.

  “What are you doing?”

  His lips twitched in soft amusement. “If you have not noticed, I am a rather large vampire, while you, my beloved, are delectably tiny.”

  She smiled wryly. “Even if I had not noticed our size differences, your habit of calling me ‘little one’ would have given me a hint.”

  His expression settled in oddly somber lines even as his hands continued to send shocks of pleasure through her body.

  “I have never made a secret of how desperately I want you, Juliet,” he said, his voice husky with need. “But what happens, or does not happen, in this bed will be decided by you.”

  An unexpected thrill of power raced through her as she gazed down at the compelling man beneath her. She better than anyone understood the effort it took Victor to relinquish control. He was an ancient demon who had gained his position by brutal force.