Lure of Forever

by Doris O'Connor

  "Oh I know that, little human. I'm rather fond of some pain myself." Those purple eyes changed to a yellowish red and the evil smile accompanying the next words sent a flood of ice-cold dread down Coralie's spine. "I'm rather hoping Carmen will let me play with you a little, once she's had her fill. Now move it."

  Coralie had no choice but to follow the far-from-graceful fairy as he marched her along the multitude of corridors at dizzying speed. The fact that every other occupant of the place hurried to get out of their way – in fact, one of the maids double backed so fast that she tripped up – did not fill Coralie with confidence that she would like this encounter, or survive it.

  When they finally stopped in front of huge, double doors she had no idea where they were and could hardly breathe. Three rapid knocks on the door were followed by a bid to enter.

  The tall blonde facing them looked horribly familiar, and Coralie bit back the curse she was about to utter. This was Carmen? The snooty ice queen who'd referred to Coralie as a snack on Lucas's boat? Snack indeed. This was one snack that would stick in her throat, even if it was literally the last thing Coralie would do.

  "Ah, about time. What took you so long, Bughar? I hope she didn't give you any trouble?"

  Bughar gave Coralie a shove that sent her flying face-down to the floor in front of Carmen. Coralie immediately tried to get up, but the fairy's big, booted foot in her shoulder blades pushed her back on the stone tiled floor. Her chin smashed into the floor and she tasted blood.

  "You'll give Carmen the respect she commands, human."

  To hell she would. Bughar could just bugger off. She spat the blood pooling in her mouth on the floor.

  "You can both just fuck off. I'll do no such thing."

  Tears sprang into her eyes when Bughar yanked her to her feet by her hair. "Oh, I won't fuck off." One of his hands settled on her breast and Coralie had to fight the urge to bring up her lunch. "But I will fuck you."

  "You assume too much, Bughar."

  Carmen's cool voice held a hint of amusement and Bughar's hand slid under Coralie's blouse, his heavy breath in her ear turning her stomach.

  "Forgive me, Carmen, but you're welcome to watch."

  Oh God, no fucking way, she'd rather die right now. Coralie leant in as far as the brutal grip on her hair would allow and bit the fairy's cheek. The minty taste of fairy blood filled her mouth, and Bughar pulled away with a roar, leaving bits of his cheek in Coralie's teeth. His retaliating punch snapped her head around and sent her body flying halfway across the room. Fueled with the flood of adrenaline, Coralie landed on her feet and when Bughar advanced on her again she ran at him. Using all her bodyweight, she managed to unbalance the giant temporarily, and with her momentary advantage, she rammed both fists into his groin, bringing him to his knees with another roar.

  He grabbed her arm and pulled her on top of him, his razor-sharp teeth missing her shoulder by inches. Coralie screeched in terror as he rolled them both over. His now blood-red eyes bored into hers and he ripped her blouse clean off her with one hand. Trapped under his giant bulk, Coralie couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Spots danced in front of her eyes as Bughar's hand fumbled with the button of her jeans. He grunted his excitement like a pig and Coralie welcomed the encroaching darkness. If he were going to rape her, at least she wouldn't be conscious for it.

  The light faded and the noises stopped and Coralie floated, in her own little bubble for several blissful seconds of oblivion before the pain in her ribs brought her back. The heavy weight of Bughar lifted off her. She sat up in confusion and clutched the torn sides of her blouse around herself.

  Lucas had Bughar pinned against the wall, looking every inch the ruthless killer and at that moment in time, the most wonderful sight ever to Coralie.

  "Enough." Carmen's cool voice held an unmistakable air of demand. "This has been fun but I'm bored now. Lucas, let Bughar go. Now."

  Lucas growled his denial, one claw-shaped hand raised above Bughar's heart. "He went too far, Carmen."

  "I said, let him go. Now. Obey your maker, Lucas."

  Maker? The ice queen and Lucas? Coralie couldn't quite suppress her gasp and Carmen's attention settled on her. In the blink of an eye Carmen had Coralie pinned to her side. She effortlessly bent her back over one arm, and Coralie screamed when Carmen's fangs sank into her neck.

  "Hmmm, so tasty, Lucas. I can see why you like this one."

  Chapter Ten

  It took all of Lucas's control to not the gut the bastard where he stood. Instead he released the fairy slowly. Bughar straightened to his full size, and the superior smile on his face as he strolled back to Carmen made Lucas's fangs itch. His nostrils flared and his gut folded in on itself upon seeing Coralie struggle in Carmen's hold, her huge brown eyes filled with tears and full of pain and terror. It was that sheer terror that had alerted him to her peril. He had sensed her unease, her fury and her wonder, ever since he'd regained consciousness three days ago, after Carmen's healer injected several vials of her blood straight into his heart. But he'd kept away from her. He wanted to be fully restored to his normal self before facing her. Carmen had thankfully been too involved in establishing the origin of Jacomo's summons to bother with Coralie – until now.

  Whatever she had discovered had clearly put Carmen in the mood for a bit of torture. And his feisty little human had been chosen as the entertainment. His fingernails drew blood inside his clenched fists and he willed his fury to subside. He had to beat Carmen at her own game to save Coralie, even if it meant she would never speak to him again.

  "Come on, Lucas, why the sour face? Don't want to share?" Carmen pouted and pulled Coralie up straight. Her long fingers dug into Coralie's neck, causing the girl to wince in pain.

  "Not at all, Carmen, go ahead." He steeled himself against the hurt in Coralie's eyes as he advanced on her. "I got fucking fairy blood all over my suit, that's all." He dismissed Bughar's growl with a wave of his hand. "You really need to control your pet. The way he went at her, there wouldn't have been much left of her to share…and that would be a shame."

  He bent Coralie's head and allowed his fangs to sink in just far enough to give the impression he meant business. As he hoped, Carmen lost interest instantly. There was no fun to be had if the prey was so easily available, and if she couldn't torture him in the process. Such was the price he paid for turning away from his former lover.

  Carmen dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "I'm not hungry. Compel her and send her on her merry way. I need you focusing on Jacomo. He's too close."

  He flashed his fangs at Carmen and pulled Coralie closer, willing her to co-operate. She pushed against him, but went limp when he tightened his hold on her enough to hurt and whispered in her ear, "Follow my lead if you want to live."

  He tilted her head up and focused his thoughts. Like the last time he tried, his hands heated but this time Coralie didn't repel him. Instead he got her thoughts loud and clear. You bite me again and I swear I'll stake you, you bloody obnoxious, good for nothing…thing, you.

  ****

  She was going to kill him, she really was. Here she was about to be eaten alive and he smiled at her as though it was the most amusing thing ever. She trembled and her stomach clenched as the adrenaline that swamped her system dissipated. Every bone in her body hurt, her skin felt too small for her frame and she could swear even her hair ached. Against her better judgment she leaned into Lucas, and some of the tension left his shoulders as he pulled her closer into him, supporting her with an arm around the waist.

  "She won't remember any of this, Carmen."

  Coralie did her best to adopt a vacant expression. Not that Carmen paid any attention to her. She'd dismissed her like Coralie would an annoying fly, and had it not been for Lucas's arm tightening around her waist in warning she'd have swung for the bitch.

  "Let me take the human back to her quarters." Bughar's snarl made Coralie's skin crawl and she leaned further back into Lucas's hard chest just as his answering gro
wl vibrated through her and curled her toes.

  "You keep your filthy hands off her, Fairy, or I'll wear your guts as a necklace."

  "Hah, you got lucky last time, De Tourneau. I was too busy enjoying your whore to notice you." Lucas leapt onto the fairy in one dizzying blur of air and the floor shook, as the two of them fell down. Coralie watched in horror as they rolled around the floor. Lucas sank his fangs into Bughar's chest and the fairy roared a high-pitched squeal that hurt Coralie's ears and shattered the large glass windows at the far side of the long room.

  "Boys, boys, really. All this fuss over a little human." Carmen laughed, clearly enjoying the spectacle in front of her.

  God, that woman really was a monster. They all were. As Coralie watched, Bughar seemed to get the upper hand. He shook Lucas off and the vampire slid across the floor and crashed into the wall with such force it cracked. He lay motionless on the floor and Coralie almost ran towards him. To do what, she wasn't entirely sure. Thankfully before her brain could send the message to her feet, Lucas got up. Head down, hands raised into claws he readied himself to fight the advancing fairy again.

  "Stop this, for goodness sakes. They're gonna kill each other."

  Carmen laughed at Coralie's plea, but she did clap her hands and order the vampire and fairy to stop.

  "It seems your little human is worried about you, Lucas. If I had a heart it would be bleeding right now."

  Coralie breathed a sigh of relief when Lucas walked away from Bughar and her stomach fluttered at the expression she thought she glimpsed in his eyes for a fleeting second. She must have imagined it though, because his sinister laugh replaced the butterflies with shards of fury.

  "Just goes to show that humans have no sense, Carmen."

  Tears of frustration at her own stupidity rose in Coralie's eyes and she resolutely blinked them away. What did she expect, really? It took all of her survival instinct kicking in to not slap away Lucas's hands on her backside. How dare he treat her as though she was some sort of amusing pet? She crossed her arms and bit her lip to keep from blurting those thoughts. The lecherous way Bughar's eyes roamed across her skin, made her all too aware of her state of undress and she pulled the ends of her torn blouse around herself as best she could.

  Lucas's suit jacket being placed round her shoulders took her by surprise, so lost was she in her own misery. She looked up at him, startled by the action and the way his hands skimmed across her neck, before he pulled the jacket tight over her exposed skin. He didn't break his rapid conversation with Carmen in a language that Coralie didn't understand.

  The only words she caught were her name and Jacomo's. The mention of the demon in that guttural language stirred a faint memory that she couldn't quite grasp, but her heart beat faster and her breathing grew shallow as the fine hair on her neck stood to attention. She sensed this memory was important with every cell of her being and the world dimmed as she went into herself to remember. Jerry's face swam in front of her eyes. Her friend's broken body covered in blood, as a hideous scaly being danced around her, a ceremonial dagger raised high above her heart. Coralie tried to scream, to warn Jerry, to do something, but no sound came out. Nothing but her strangled breath forced past a throat that felt too tight to function.

  Cool hands on her shoulders shook her out of her nightmare. Lucas's concerned face swam into view. Shit, what had just happened? Carmen was talking to Bughar and neither one was paying any attention to her, thankfully.

  "If we're done here, I'll retire to my chambers." Lucas addressed Carmen, his deep voice causing those butterflies in Coralie’s stomach to awaken anew. "I'm taking my snack with me."

  ****

  Lucas had no idea what had happened to Coralie back in Carmen's hall. She had gone a shade so pale, any vampire would have been proud, her breathing almost nonexistent. Her warm, brown eyes had changed to a vibrant yellow and she had been completely unresponsive until he had literally shaken her out of whatever trance she'd been in. What's more, she had followed him meekly, head bowed, through the myriad of corridors back to his chambers. He had expected her to explode into a ball of fury the minute they were out of sight of Carmen and Bughar, but all he sensed was a void, as though all the life had been sucked out of her.

  He encountered no resistance when he took his jacket off her shoulders and peeled her out of what remained of her blouse. Her skin was clammy and so cold goose bumps rose in front of his eyes. Merde, he had to warm her up. Anxiety made him clumsy and his fingers shook when he unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down her slim hips. He settled her on the low settee and pulled her jeans off completely.

  She was beautiful. Sat just in her underwear, the ugly bruises forming on her delicate skin did not detract from her natural beauty. Her hair tumbled over her shoulder and down her cleavage, the nipples erect in their lacy confines. He clenched his fists and swallowed the growl rumbling in his throat at the sight of Bughar's large handprint on the slight indent of her waist. His eyes roamed lower over the slight curve of her belly and flared hips, leading to long legs. He groaned when his eyes travelled up to the juncture of her thighs only just covered by the tiny, black thong. His cock responded instantly at the sight and his fangs ran out with a soft click.

  Coralie continued to stare into space at a spot far over his left shoulder. What the hell was wrong with her? It was as though she was under a powerful spell. He pulled her to feet and she went into his arms without any resistance. The single tear running down her freezing cold cheek brought his long-buried human side up, kicking and screaming. Forcing his fangs to retract, he fitted his mouth against hers, willing her to respond. It was like kissing a fucking corpse and she reeked of the fairy. With lightning speed he bundled them both into the en-suite shower unit. The stream of hot water hit them both. Coralie moaned and stretched upwards and Lucas swallowed his tongue. His gaze followed the rivulets of water cascading down her naked body and his cock rose in direct response to her upturned breasts. The nipples stood proud in their rosy surroundings and he itched to taste them and swipe the drops of moisture glistening on their tips away. The look in her eyes stopped him and with a deep growl he turned her around and reached for the soap instead.

  She was not herself and she would never forgive him. If he wanted to convince her that he wasn't the monster she thought him to be, fucking her semi-conscious self in the shower was not the way to go about it. Instead, he cleaned every inch of her luscious curves and dried her off with infinite care. He lit the hitherto unused fire and wrapped her up in one of the fluffy dressing gowns every room was equipped with, then settled Coralie in front of the warm glow and waited for her to come back to him.

  Chapter Eleven

  It was the smell she noticed first. The sweet aroma of burning wood surrounded Coralie. Heat suffused her toes and crawled slowly up her legs and over her torso, until it reached her neck. She moaned softly and huddled closer into the softness surrounding her. Cool hands framed her face and a familiar dry scent surrounded her. Her eyes fluttered open on a soft exhale. Slowly Lucas's concerned face swam into focus. Why did he look so worried, and where was she?

  "Welcome back, Chere."

  The gravelly, accented tones wrapped themselves around Coralie like a protective cocoon and she smiled. Her eyelids weighed a ton and she struggled to keep them open. Why was she so tired?

  "Oh non, stay with me. Coralie, wake up."

  She responded to the urgency in his voice and slowly the fog cleared. Memories returned with sickening clarity and his expression darkened when she scrambled away from him.

  "Stay away from me, you… you…monster."

  "You're confusing me with Carmen and Bughar."

  "Crap, you just stood there and let her bite me, and you…" Her hands went up to either side of her neck and she winced at the soreness there. Come to think of it, every bone in her body ached as though she had been run over by a truck…or a massive fairy. She shuddered and resolutely pushed the memories of Bughar's heavy body on top
of her away. She was going to be sick if she allowed herself to think of him.

  As if reading her thoughts Lucas shook his head at her. "Don't, Chere, just don't. The fucker is never going to lay a finger on you again or I'll drain him where he stands."

  The fury and barely controlled violence radiating off Lucas made Coralie swallow nervously. He watched her warily, hands pushed into the back pockets of his jeans, his muscles straining the material of his tee. Damn it, it just wasn't fair. Even after everything that had happened her body reacted to him instantly. She straightened her shoulders and crossed her arms over the soft robe and glared at the man watching her with an unblinking gaze.

  "Where the hell are my clothes? How dare you…" Heat rose in her cheeks, when she realized it must have been him undressing and washing her. And why the fuck didn’t she have any memories of that? The last thing she remembered was Lucas fighting with the fairy and Carmen's cruel laughter.

  "They reeked of fairy, as did you. Forgive me for taking care of you and saving your life – again. How dare I indeed? Next time I happen to find you in deadly peril, I'll just leave you to it, shall I, Chere?"

  The growled endearment settled somewhere perilously close to her heart and Coralie's conscience chose that moment to whisper in her ear. Shame flooded her and she dropped her gaze to the floor. Her mum would be turning in her grave right now. Lucas's frustrated sigh and mumbled words of French made her bare toes curl into the plush cream carpet. She could almost hear her mother berate her. "It doesn't matter one iota what somebody looks like, what race he is or what his reputation is like. Sweet words are easy and mean nothing. What matters is inside, and actions speak louder than words. Remember that in future, Coralie."

  Her mother's wise words increased her discomfort. Vampire or not, he had saved her life twice. Shit, he almost killed himself trying to convince her that he hadn't turned her. And as despicable as his actions in Carmen's presence seemed, Coralie was still alive and relatively unharmed, the chunk of lost time and the big black hole in her recent memory notwithstanding. Had he caused that memory loss?