The Black Rose Chronicles, Deceit and Lies: Book 1 in this suspenseful, action filled, and sizzling paranormal romance.

by A K Michaels

Seth looked him in the eye and Cassius saw the doubt shining there as the Witch asked. “Am I safe here? Or was it all bull?”

  “You are definitely safe.” Cassius put his hands in his pockets to try and look more relaxed. “So long as you don’t break any of our rules. Simple rules. No stealing, killing, or generally hurting someone else. We sometimes have a tussle or two between folks that have a disagreement, but that’s about it. I don’t condone illegal behavior here so as long as you don’t do anything wrong then you are safe.”

  “Really?” Seth challenged, a steely look in his eyes. “What if we’ve done things in our past? I’m not exactly a choirboy.”

  “I assume you’re not a serial killer that goes around kidnapping women and children to torture?”

  Cassius watched the man intently, looking for any signs he was not the type of man they’d want within their fold. Seth shrugged and shook his head. “As I said, I’m no choirboy but anyone I’ve killed has had it coming. I’ve never harmed a woman or child in my life and I’d fight pretty damn hard to protect either.”

  Valentine stepped forward and held his hand out. “I’m Valentine, I’ll be the one looking after you to begin with. We’ll get you a room and then you can go meet Sue. She’ll be able to feed you and possibly make you feel more at ease here. She’s not a Vampire.”

  Seth nodded. “Good to know.”

  Cassius frowned as he looked at the Witch. “Seth, is that the same Seth that sent that annoying little man, Kuan?”

  “That’s me.” Seth gave a small smirk. “He is kinda annoying, isn’t he?”

  “Yes,” Cassius murmured. “Do you know what he is?”

  “No.” Seth shook his head. “I only know he’s powerful and, so far, has been on our side. Anything else and you’ll have to ask him. That’s if you see him again.”

  “I see.” Cassius looked pointedly at Valentine. “If he does appear again you know to make sure to come get me.

  “Of course.” Valentine smiled. “He’s a slippery little devil.”

  “That he is,” Cassius said as he lounged back against the wall. “I understand this must feel strange. A Vampire offering Witches a safe place to stay isn’t exactly the norm, but I’m sure you’ll soon realize that I’m not bullshitting and you are safe.”

  “Thank you.” Seth seemed to relax but only slightly. His body still looked tense and ready for flight as Cassius nodded to Valentine.

  “Get him settled and let the guards know we have our first Witch. It means they need to be on high alert in case anyone tries anything. Okay?”

  Valentine agreed, looking at Seth as he spoke, “I’ve already doubled the guards and they know the penalty of anyone breaching the perimeter. I’ve put the fear of Hades into them so I’m pretty sure he’ll be safe.”

  Seth nodded once as Cassius said goodbye and Valentine motioned him out of the room. “Come with me and we’ll get you a room allocated. You prefer a view of the park?”

  “That’d be nice,” Seth replied, his face a mask of astonishment.

  “He’s serious about this,” Valentine reiterated as he retrieved a key, handing it over to Seth.

  “I’ll show you to your room and you can stash your belongings, then I’ll take you to Sue.”

  “Thanks,” Seth said and this time Valentine thought the Witch meant it.

  Seth followed Valentine back down as the Vampire led him towards this Sue he’d spoken of and hopefully food. Warm food. Seth prayed the woman could cook as well as he did himself, because he was damn hungry. He always got hungry when he was nervous and being within Allarde’s community made him very nervous indeed.

  The fact that Rose was within the building had him trying to figure out how to find out where she was. And if he could get to her. He hoped so because he wanted to see with his own eyes that she was indeed alright. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d lied to him saying she was fine when she wasn’t. She could be a devious little Witch when she wanted to be.

  “What if Basilius was right and we’ve walked into the lion’s den?” he thought, as Valentine pushed open a door and ushered him in.

  “Sue,” Valentine called as they entered a large commercial kitchen. “I’ve got our guest with us and he looks like he could do with some food.”

  The smell of hot food permeated the air and Seth’s mouth began to water as a woman appeared from what looked to be a pantry. Her hair was in disarray and she had flour on her cheek as she hefted a side of beef over her shoulder. Without thinking he rushed forward, taking the heavy load from her. “Where do you want it?” he asked as she smiled at him.

  Her eyes twinkling as she stared at him intently. “Over there’s fine. I need to chop it up.”

  He was sure her eyes had widened in surprise when she looked at him and wondered why. Did she know him? No. He always remembered faces and this one he’d never seen before. Seth returned her smile as he placed the carcass where she’d instructed.

  “I’m Sue.” She held out her hand and he shook it as she flushed a slight pink color.

  “Pleased to meet you, I’m Seth.”

  “So you’re our first Witch?”

  “Yes.” Seth nodded as he vaguely heard Valentine mumble a goodbye and leave.

  “You must be brave, coming here and being the first to admit they’re a Witch.” Sue started to rush around the large area, her first port of call was grabbing a plate and piling food onto it.

  “Not really.” Seth grinned as he took in the hot stew that smelled divine on the plate she held out to him.

  “I think you are.” She handed him flatware and pointed to a stool set at a tall counter-top.

  “Someone had to test the waters and I thought I should be the one to do it.” Seth started to dig into the food as she disappeared for a moment, returning with a cold bottle of beer.

  “Thanks.” He took the beer, tugging the top off and drinking almost half of it down. “Damn, that’s good and this stew is great. What herbs did you use?”

  Sue leaned against the counter as she studied him for a moment. “Do you cook?”

  “Yes.” Seth chuckled. “I like my food so I learned early how to prepare stuff I like. I have herbs growing at home as well as fruit and vegetables.”

  “Really?” Sue relaxed against the counter. “I’m not very good at growing things, although I try. Maybe you could give me some tips on what I’m doing wrong?”

  “Sure. I’d be happy to help.” Seth started to eat again as she chattered away at what she’d been trying to grow on the roof of the hotel. “Proper watering and timers is a must-have if you want things to grow properly. I’ll check it out for you and we can get things fixed. If you want my help?”

  “Yes.” Sue almost gushed too quickly, her face flushing again.

  As Seth relaxed he noticed how at ease he felt in her company. Not something that usually happened. He was always guarded, on edge, and to feel not on high alert was a nice change for him. “I’m kinda just finding my way around this place so maybe you could come get me in the morning?”

  Sue laughed lightly shaking her head. “We work mostly to Vampire hours here. But, I’m always up late afternoon if that’s okay with you?”

  “Yes. I’m in,” Seth pulled out his key, “room 1046. Do you know where that is?”

  “I know where all the rooms are. Don’t worry, I’ll come get you once I’m up. We can go to the roof before I need to make breakfast.”

  “Do Vampires have breakfast here?” he asked surprised.

  “No, silly.” Sue laughed again as she playfully punched his arm. “A lot of the staff are like me, Wolves, and we even have a few humans. It takes a lot to keep this place running for Mr. Allarde.”

  “He treat you all okay?” Seth queried, hoping she’d be a mine of information.

  “Yes, he does.” Sue’s face became serious. “He’s saved a ton of folks and brought them here and given them jobs and he treats us all very well indeed.”

  “Good to know,” Seth said
quietly, letting the subject drop. He didn’t want to raise any suspicions by grilling her too much.

  “You’re the second person to ask me about Mr. Allarde and I’ll tell you the same as I told her. He is a fine man with morals and with ideas that could help all of us. If he manages to do what he’s talking about then this entire country will benefit. He’s a man of vision, Seth. A man of vision.”

  “I believe you.” Seth tried to placate her. “Second? Who else have you been talking to?”

  “A poor girl that came here looking for a job and she got attacked. She was real sick for a while there but she’s on the mend now.”

  “A girl? Where is she?” Seth tried to sound casual as he sipped his beer.

  “She’s still in the boss’ room. He kept her in his own bedroom the entire time she was unconscious, he felt responsible because she’d been hurt just outside.”

  “I see.” Seth had to force himself not to frown at the thought of Rose in Allarde’s bedroom. There’d be no way for him to get in to see her while she was still there. Damn.

  “He’s been looking after her very well and she’s much better, thank the Goddess.”

  “I hope to meet her soon.” Seth shook his empty bottle around. “Any chance of another?”

  “Sure.” Sue rushed away and the few moments she was gone gave him a chance to collect his thoughts and to hide his concern for Rose.

  “Here you go.” Sue handed him the cold bottle. “I have to get back to work but I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Thank you, for the food, the beer and the conversation.” Seth smiled and saw her blush again.

  “You’re very welcome,” she muttered as she rushed away.

  “Strange,” he murmured as he opened the beer, taking a sip before trying to retrace his steps to his room.

  Cassius felt happy as he returned to his apartment. The first Witch had taken that leap of faith and put his safety in his palm. He’d make damn sure he kept his word because if he didn’t then everything else might unravel and he couldn’t afford that. Not at this stage of his plans.

  Opening the door he saw Rose still sitting on the sofa, a book in her hand that she appeared to be reading. However, she looked on edge and he wondered, not for the first time, what her secrets were as she stared blankly at the pages in front of her. That she had secrets wasn’t in question but he thought he might just be surprised by what she was about to tell him. Cassius liked her, in ways he hadn’t felt in centuries, so he hoped to hell and back that she wasn’t a cuckoo in his nest. That would upset him. A lot.

  “You like reading?” He saw her jerk as if she hadn’t heard him come in. Her face blushing as she closed the book carefully and placed it on the sofa next to her.

  “Yes.” She patted the book beside her. “I don’t find enough of them still in good condition so I try and take my time reading them.”

  Cassius looked at the cover, faded but still in one piece. “Halfbreeds is a rather intriguing title. What’s it about?”

  She watched him as he went to refresh his drink before sitting down. “It’s a little ironic really. It’s about a world that humans don’t know exist. One with Vampires and other beings in it and it’s a really good story. I’m dragging my heels because this is book one in a series and I don’t have book two. I’m dreading getting to the end and not being able to carry on the story.”

  “Who’s the author?” Cassius asked with the intention of sending someone out to hunt for the next book.

  “Eden Elsworth, she’s from England and if I didn’t know better I’d say she’s been in contact with some of our kind. Maybe not, and if she hasn’t, well damn, the woman has a fantastic imagination.”

  “You like that sort of book?” Cassius tried not to smile at her enthusiasm for Paranormal stories.

  “I like lots of different genres, but I do like this sort of thing. I find some of them very funny, hell, I even read one that had Vampires sparkling in the sun. Jeez, that was hilarious.”

  Cassius frowned. “Sparkling? That’s definitely fiction.”

  “Yeah, but most of what I read is good fun. I use books to de-stress and they work for me. It’s just a pity there seems to be so few books still around.”

  “I may have something you’d like.” Cassius got up and strode to his office, quickly retrieving a small book-sized device. He saw her eyeing it as he handed it over, complete with a charger. “Here, this is what people were mostly using to read before the war. It’s an electronic reading device and it’s working perfectly fine. Obviously no new material can be added but from what I saw on this it was an avid reader who owned it, as there are hundreds of books.”

  She took the device, studying it as her eyes lit up. The look on her face one of excitement and pleasure as she looked up at him. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Cassius sat back down.

  “I’ve seen these before but had no clue what they were. If I had I would’ve been snapping them up whenever I came across them.”

  “Well, you know what they are now. There were dozens of different types so if you see anything that’s similar and got a charger then grab it. You never know what gems they’ll have already loaded.” Cassius shrugged. “Although, I prefer the classics and I have all of those if you ever want to borrow them.”

  “I’ve only come across an old paperback of a Shakespeare book, can’t even remember the name, but it was too boring for me.” She grinned over at him cheekily. “The language was too hard to follow. I gave up on it rather quickly.”

  “Yes, some of his stuff was a little hard to get through, but there’s so much more I have that I think you’d enjoy. When you have the time that is.”

  “I’ll remember that, thanks.” She fingered the e-reader in her hand as if itching to open it and see what delights it held inside. However, they had far more serious issues to discuss.

  Cassius sat forward staring intently at this young woman who was most definitely much more than she’d so far portrayed. “So, Marie, is there anything you’d care to share with me?”

  He saw her flinch and a shield come down over her face as she took a deep breath. “Cassius, I know this is a lot to ask but can I ask you to trust me? For just a little while longer and then I’ll tell you everything.”

  He got up, closing the distance between them and sitting down next to her. “I don’t like secrets.”

  “I understand that.” She cocked her head to the side, her dark hair falling over one shoulder as she seemed to study him. “You’re not what I expected. Not at all.”

  “What did you expect?” he asked as his eyes were pulled to the vein in her throat. He was certain it screamed at him to pierce it, taste her as he held her in his arms. Shaking his head he looked back up into her eyes and he knew she’d seen his momentary lapse by the guarded look she gazed upon him with. “My apologies.” He leaned away a little, giving her some space as she gazed at him.

  “It’s okay.” She looked away quickly before turning back. “I’ve never met a Vampire that I didn’t need to fight off, and I don’t mean in a good way. I’m a little nervous when I’m around you and a little intrigued as to what it would feel like.”

  “Being fed from?” Cassius asked as his mouth watered at the thought of warm blood once more dripping down his throat.

  “Yes,” she said then quickly shook her head. “I mean, no. I’ve never wanted that before. Any I’ve met have been out to drink me dry and not in a pleasant way, Cassius.”

  “Sounds as if you’ve met a lot of Vampires.” He raised an eyebrow hoping she would elaborate.

  “I have.” Her eyes flitting away as she admitted. “I’ve killed a lot.”

  “Have you?” He could almost see her swinging that large sword and taking down a hungry Vamp and the sight was delicious, erotic, and downright sexy.

  “Only ones that attacked me first.” She stopped, backtracking slightly. “Okay, I’ll change that to only ones that deserved it.”

  �
�You must be very talented with that blade to take on an angry Vampire, Marie.”

  “I had a real good teacher.” She smiled and that smile had him doing something he hadn’t done in a very long time; he kissed a woman.

  His lips caressed hers, his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him and he heard the surprised gasp at the same time as feeling it in his mouth. His cock hardened as he held her close, deepening the kiss and when her hand snaked up into his hair he couldn’t stop the moan from escaping against her lips. Passion engulfed him like never before and he had a fleeting thought of wondering why she affected him in such a manner before he was lost in the moment. One of her hands in his hair while the other slipped between the buttons of his shirt, touching his bare skin.

  Cassius pulled back to murmur against her lips, “If I don’t stop now I’m going to pick you up and take you to my bed.”

  Her answer a soft groan as she tugged his hair to pull his lips back to hers. It was all the encouragement he needed. Picking her up easily and striding to his bed, the bed she’d been in for over a week. Her scent surrounding him as he placed her on the comforter before he quickly removed her clothes. His need rising with every inch of skin he uncovered. “You’re gorgeous,” he breathed as she lay before him, lust in her eyes as she gazed up at him.

  Cassius almost tore his own clothing off, desperate to feel his skin next to hers. Too many years had passed since he’d allowed himself this kind of pleasure causing him to almost take her as fast as possible. However, he managed to stop himself, wanting to savor each moment.

  As he lay next to her, his fingers caressing her breasts she arched her back before pushing him on his back so she could mount him. Cassius grabbed her firmly, flipping her back to the bed and holding her arms as he nibbled her bottom lip. “I’m in charge here, Marie, not you.”

  He felt her struggle for a brief moment as he stared into her face. Releasing one of her hands he slowly stroked her side, moving lower to feel every part of her before finally dipping his fingers between her thighs. Her body stilled, stiff and strained as he gently prodded inside her warmth. “You appear to be as aroused as I am.” He smirked before taking a nipple between his lips, sucking it in and twirling his tongue around the hard little point.