by Brenda Trim
After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she checked on her sister. Throughout Elsie’s life, Cailyn had always made sure she was safe and had what she needed. Despite living two states away, that was no different now, with her daily calls and bi-monthly visits. Cailyn was Elsie’s only remaining family and her saving grace. She loved her more than anything.
Thankfully, her sister hadn’t heard her in the bathroom, and was still asleep. She didn’t need or want another lecture about her lack of eating and weight loss.
Quietly, she grabbed her robe off the back of her bedroom door and made her way into the living room. She stopped by the kitchen first for an energy drink before she plopped down onto the futon with her laptop. She needed to put the finishing touches on a paper before she turned it in on Monday. As she waited for her laptop to start up, she grabbed her day planner and looked at her work schedule. In order to keep her apartment, she had picked up extra shifts to make up for the loss of income. The reality of it was that she used her activities as a diversion from the crushing grief.
Her head flopped back on the futon and she stared at the colorful Mexican blankets that served as one of the reminders of her life with Dalton. Tears gathered in her eyes. Would she ever be free?
Elsie hunched into her black coat and wrapped her scarf tighter when a breeze found its way down her back. Shivering, she flipped up the collar and pulled her pink beanie down over her ears. It was cold, and to add to the misery, it had started to drizzle. Springtime shouldn’t be this cold, she thought to herself, but that was Seattle for you.
“Let’s grab a burrito for dinner since I know your fridge is empty. You need to eat at least one meal today,” Cailyn said as she linked her arm through Elsie’s and they headed down the street.
“I do try and eat, you know. I just can’t get anything down, but before you go all maternal on me again, I will try,” Elsie replied, contemplating using an umbrella to cover them. Since coming to live in Seattle, where it seemed to rain constantly, she had become accustomed to being damp like the rest of the city.
They hurried down the street and talked about what assignments Elsie had remaining before she graduated from college next month. Time had crawled by since Dalton’s death, and she still couldn’t believe her Bachelor’s degree was within reach. She didn’t want to go down memory lane again today, and focused on the fast food restaurant. Cailyn held the door for her and they walked inside. Warm, greasy, cumin-scented air hit her as they entered the establishment. Her stomach growled. She was hungrier than she had realized. She removed her jacket and shook off the moisture then turned to contemplate the menu.
Cailyn leaned into her side and her warm breath hit Elsie’s cheek as she whispered in her ear, “El, your high beams are on and there are two gorgeous guys who have noticed.”
Heat suffused Elsie’s cheeks. She had on an unpadded bra and it provided no protection under her skin-tight Henley. “Oh God, and I’m mostly nipple too,” she whispered back.
“You aren’t wrong about that, sis. Doesn’t mean they aren’t enjoying the show.”
A deep, masculine groan had Elsie’s blush intensifying. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and spotted a trim waist encased in tight, black, leather pants. Controlled by an unknown force, she was drawn to the sight and turned to appreciate the man more fully.
Her eyes followed the ropes of muscle up his abdomen and broad chest, locking with the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Electric currents ran underneath her skin as he devoured her with his gaze as if she were a gourmet meal he intended to savor, slowly and thoroughly. Her stomach clenched with need. His full lips pulled in an erotic grimace. He was the sexiest man she had ever seen.
An unbearable ache bloomed in her core, followed by a strange pull. She wanted to perform sexual acts with this man that were illegal in some states. A wanton sex-fiend had just awoken, wanting this strange, sensual man and it was decidedly unsettling. Hell, who was she kidding, she was terrified.
An odd fluttering and pain in her chest took her breath as guilt assailed her. She shouldn’t have these thoughts. In her mind and heart, Dalton was still her husband, and she was betraying him with these urges. She had made vows to be loyal and love her husband to the day she died, and that was what she was going to do. There would never be anyone else for her.
She lowered her head and rubbed her temples, hoping to erase the image burned into her retinas. It was not right to ogle this hot guy. Flustered, she pulled her jacket back on and rushed to the counter, sputtering out an order for God only knew what food. She chanced a glance back to her sister. Cailyn, thankfully, was oblivious to Elsie’s desire for Mr. Blue Eyes. The last thing she wanted was for her sister to question her.
“Someone has an admirer,” Cailyn half-sang, bumping her shoulder against Elsie’s.
“Shut up. I do not,” Elsie hissed under her breath.
“You’ve been out of the game too long. He is absolutely checking you out.”
Elsie gritted her teeth as she listened to Cailyn.
“He is hot,” Elsie snuck another peek of Mr. Stunning Blue Eyes, “and an opportunity waiting to happen.”
Elsie’s eyes widened when she noticed he was hard everywhere. Wow, his leather pants left little to the imagination. One word ran through her mind… huge. She felt that desire and pull once again.
“Not going to happen,” Elsie declared, a kernel of shame blossoming alongside her guilt. She wasn’t this person. Turning away, she thought of her vows and love for her husband, dead or not. The second her order was ready, she raced from the establishment without a backward glance.
Zander watched the frail human female hurry from the restaurant. Something about her was familiar, but all he could focus on was how beautiful and intriguing she was. The cupid’s bow of her lips had thinned as she fled the establishment. The image struck him as wrong. She should always smile, and her lips would look best wrapped around his cock. He berated himself for obsessing over the female. Yes, she was sexy and held his attraction in a way no female ever had before, but he’d never had sex with a human and didn’t plan on starting now. Besides, he didn’t care for one-night stands and that was all he could ever have with any human.
Humans were fragile beings, unaware that all legends of myth and fantasy were no myth at all. As the vampire king of the Tehrex Realm, it was his duty to enforce the Goddess’s edict and protect humans from the demons and their skirm. That job didn’t leave room for much else.
He shook his head at the fact that he was tempted by the female, and was surprised at how difficult it was to stop from following her tantalizing honeysuckle fragrance. Sure, he could have sex with her and erase himself from her memory, but he wanted more. He was tired of having empty dalliances. He was one of the few in the realm who still held high hopes of finding his Fated Mate. The fact that his thoughts lingered on the female belied those beliefs. She was a human, and not the one for him.
Put her out of your mind, dumb arse! The order fell on deaf ears as desire consumed him.
Like an addict, he replayed every moment from the second she had entered the establishment. The cold had left her face flushed, and her nipples had strained enticingly against her top. His keen hearing had picked up the conversation between the two females, and she hadn’t been far off about the size of her nipples, but he found them positively perfect.
With one glance, his heart had raced in his chest, sweat had beaded his brow, and static electricity zipped under his skin. His fangs had shot painfully into his mouth. For an instant when their gazes had locked, his soul stirred. The enigmatic female had controlled his body at that moment, and he had to close his eyes, lest the glow reveal his true nature.
Her sweet honeysuckle scent had set an inferno ablaze in his veins. His shaft had hardened the moment the tendrils reached his nostrils. The urge to get naked and sweaty with her had become irresistible—so much so, that a groan had slipped past his lips. A fucking groan, of all things.
; He’d never hear the end of it from Kyran, who was, at that moment, chuckling softly beside him. Not that his twisted brother had much room to talk, but Zander had never lost his focus. For the first time in his 765 years of existence, he was struggling to control his mind and body.
Zander shook his head at his warriors. He had come to Confetti after encountering an enchanting human, seeking release. The problem was, no one appealed to him. He wanted what his mamai and da had shared.
Happiness. A true and lasting love. Completion.
He wanted to find his Fated Mate.
That wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, seeing as the Goddess had not blessed any couple since he had become vampire king over seven centuries ago. He had tried so hard to please the Goddess and had made strides never before seen in the Tehrex Realm. He had initiated and formed the Dark Alliance and established the Dark Warriors, the realm’s first army, but still, the curse continued.
“I need a female so badly it’s not even funny. If it weren’t for their hair-scorching breath, I’d grab that sexy little fire demon,” Orlando said, grabbing Zander’s attention.
Shoving aside thoughts about what he couldn’t change, Zander scanned the crowd. He was looking for Lena, one of his few preferred partners. He had heard she was there and tonight he needed to ease the ache.
“You afraid of a little heat, O? Can’t handle the flames?” Rhys teased.
Orlando threw a pretzel at Rhys, “Fuck off, dickhead.”
A delectable, honeysuckle scent teased Zander’s senses, taking him back to earlier that night. He had been obsessing over the human for the past several hours when it dawned on him that she had been all over the news eighteen months ago after her husband’s murder, when every reporter in the area showcased her misery.
“Orlando. Do you remember the case where a group home counselor was murdered aboot a year and a half ago?” Zander asked, redirecting the conversation.
“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. Why? What’s up?”
“Just curious. Kyran and I ran across the widow tonight,” Zander replied.
“She seems like a pleasant girl. Hasn’t given the department any problems. Did she say something?”
“Nay. We didna talk to her. Skirm were responsible, aye?” Zander wanted vengeance for the beautiful female. He may never be able to have her, but he would do this for her. There had been an old pain in her clear blue eyes that he hated to see.
“Yeah, their magic was all over the body and scene. Why?” Orlando asked, his eyebrows scrunched and mouth twisted. Zander understood his warrior’s confusion. There was no reason for him to scrutinize the case.
“Did you locate the ones responsible?” Zander sipped his scotch as he looked around for the provocative scent.
“No. Santiago and I didn’t take the case. We didn’t see the need. You know how hard it is to discover one particular skirm,” Orlando said, a crease marring his forehead.
“I want you two to take the case and uncover the one responsible. Re-open it if necessary,” Zander ordered. His warrior was smart enough not to question him and nodded his agreement. “Good, now has anyone seen Lena?”
Orlando chuckled and slapped him on the shoulder. “No, Liege. I’ve been too busy talking shop with you.”
Another wave of honeysuckle reached Zander and his body responded to the delectable fragrance, hardening in his pants. And damn, if his fangs didn’t shoot out of his gums. He ran his tongue over the teeth that had become recalcitrant, and was stunned he was having this reaction. It had to be because he hadn’t had sex in months.
He continued his search for Lena, scanning the large dance floor. Numerous colored lights and lasers bounced from the steel rafters on the ceiling and down onto the stained cement. He didn’t see the human’s heart-shaped face among the crowd of gyrating, sweaty bodies. He scanned both bars. She wasn’t there either. He rested his arms along the backs of the chairs next to him and looked toward the hall of private rooms. Nothing.
He shook his head and reminded himself he needed to look for Lena, not the human. That didn’t stop him from opening his senses and telepathy. He picked up nothing of the human in the club. The scent hadn’t come from her. He felt a bone-deep disappointment at that. But, why?
New voices brought his attention back to the table. Orlando was off with a female, and his brothers, Kyran and Bhric, had joined them. He hadn’t realized how pre-occupied he had become. Normally, he was aware of everything going on around him. He couldn’t afford to be so distracted, not in his position. He straightened in his chair and berated himself for not being more vigilant.
“No, you’re a douche-bag. An entire coven of witches wouldn’t be able to fix the mess your escapade with her would create. You would ruin the poor girl. Thank the Goddess for not gifting cambions with a vampire’s ability to erase human memories. You’d leave the entire human female population of Seattle empty shells. Stay the hell away from the staff at my hospital,” Jace snapped at Rhys.
Zander wondered what he had missed. Rhys smiled and threw his arm over the back of the chair next to him. Trouble was brewing behind the cambion’s kaleidoscopic eyes.
“Hmmm… vampire abilities. Hey, Bhric, I have an idea that I think you’ll like,” Rhys proposed as he sat up straighter, excitement in his every move.
“Do share.” Bhric smiled broadly as he leaned forward, folding his thick arms on the paint-splattered table. Zander wanted to smack the back of his brother’s head for encouraging Rhys. They all knew better.
“It’s hard to be with human females because they notice differences about me when I fuck, so I say, we double-team the humans and you erase—”
Horror washed over Zander at what his warrior was proposing. “Absolutely not! No vampire will use their power over the human mind so you can tup them. With the way you guys go through females, we would be exposed by dawn. There are plenty of willing females in the realm,” he interrupted before this conversation escalated any further.
The problem was, the idea was out there, and he could tell both males were churning it. He growled low in warning, “Doona even think it, arseholes. I mean it.” He pondered enacting a law prohibiting his subjects from using their mind control on humans in such a manner. Such abuse of power went against his beliefs. The realm and its supernaturals were better than that. They were protectors, not predators, of humans.
The sound of glass breaking caught his attention. He noticed that each of his warriors had gone into battle-mode. Across the bar, an imp was arguing with a sea demon. The pesky little demon had grabbed the transformer talisman from the sea demon and he was now a fish-out-of-water, literally, gasping for air. Females began shrieking at the sight of the large fish. Zander shook his head. Imps were notoriously mischievous, but they meant no harm, and thankfully, sea demons were fairly mild-mannered.
He turned away from the scene as Bhric began grumbling. “Stupid little fuckwad had to go and scare the females. Speaking of fuckwads, have we received confirmation of a new archdemon, brathair?” he asked as he threw back another shot.
Zander met his brother’s gaze. He had suspected for months that there was a new archdemon in town. It was to be expected after they had killed the last one, but he had the feeling that whoever Lucifer had sent this time was more powerful, with better skills. They had been encountering skirm who were trained in combat and on organized patrols. No doubt the patrols were designed to discover the location of their compound. “Nay, dammit. The Valkyrie and Harpies deny any knowledge. There is only rumor and conjecture.”
“Och, it would be good to know what we are facing, and give Killian a chance to work his magic on the computer and gather some intel,” Bhric said.
“That it would. But, for tonight, put it oot of your head, brathair. Find a lass, or ten. The war will still be there in the morning, unfortunately,” Zander responded as he spotted Lena returning from the restroom. He had found his partner for the night. He crooked his finger at her. “Lena, join me, it’s been too lon
g since I’ve seen you.”
“Of course, mon coeur,” she purred as she sashayed to his side. He looked into her dark-brown eyes, eagerly grabbed her hand, and sat her across his legs. His erection returned with force. He paused in his caress of Lena’s arm when he realized the honeysuckle scent was coming from her. He picked out slightly astringent notes that told him it was a bottled fragrance as opposed to the natural tones of the human’s. “You smell different tonight. Is that a new perfume?”
“Oui, it is. I thought of you when I bought it. I was hoping to find you here tonight. I have missed you, mon ami. I see you are eager for me,” she whispered in his ear and started caressing his inner thigh and erection.
Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of her soft hands stroking his body. The incredible effect the perfume had on his libido amazed him.
Lena tilted her head slightly, exposing her neck to him. The movement stirred her perfume. Mmmm, addictive. He ran his teeth over her throat, anticipating sinking his fangs into her neck as he sank his cock into her heat.
He downed the rest of his scotch, stood up, and pulled Lena up against his chest. Lowering his lips to hers, he relished the gentle slide of her soft lips against his.
“Backroom. Now,” he ordered.
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About the Author
Brenda loves everything paranormal. She has co-authored over twenty-five books in the best-selling Dark Warrior Alliance series, as well as the Hollow Rock Shifter's series. She also has best-selling solo titles readers are raving about.
Brenda creates worlds that feature dangerously handsome heroes and feisty heroines. With the help of popcorn and candy, she takes dragons, fairies, witches, vampires, and so much more and brings them to life. She lives in Texas with her husband and three kids, who fuel not only her heart but her life.
