Paranormal Magic (Shades of Prey Book 1)

by Margo Bond Collins

  Believe me, it’s not something you’ll want to know. Of course, she wisely kept her thoughts to herself.

  His fingers reached out to stroke her cheek and though she wanted to recoil from his touch, she held her ground. It was no use trying to disguise how affected she was by his presence, he already knew. Those sensitive ears of his could already hear her heart thundering in her chest, and he wouldn’t miss the little gasps of breath that she couldn’t contain at his touch. She could only be thankful that he couldn’t read her mind. That would be a disaster of the grandest order. There was only one thought uppermost in her mind right now—escape. How hard could it be?

  He didn’t speak again until another large landmark loomed into view. “Ah, la Tour Eiffel! One of the grandest manmade structures in the world…fancy a climb? I hear there are over six hundred steps to the second tier, but the view over Paris is apparently well worth the effort.”

  Lainey almost missed his words for as she stared out of the window she couldn’t help but be fascinated by the sheer magnitude of the iron lattice tower. Covered from top to toe in bronze paint against the backdrop of an early dawn, it shone with incandescent light. Even now at this early hour of the morning, several people were milling around to admire its beauty.

  “It’s the tallest structure in Paris and weighs around ten-thousand tonnes. It took three years to build, but the engineers did the job properly. It’s still here.”

  Lainey snorted. “It would take more than a little wind to blow that thing down.”

  “You’d be surprised. Due to its clever design, it only sways six or seven centimetres in the wind.”

  “It does what? Remind me never to climb up to the top then,” she said.

  “Come now, where’s your sense of adventure? A little swaying is the least of your worries at the moment.” He snorted with amusement.

  He had that right, she thought ruefully. As the car tried to cut a path through the bustling traffic alongside the river Seine, her eyes focused on a couple of early morning joggers. They’d picked the right place for a run. There were miles of cobbled pathways for them to beat their trainers upon, and the view was amazing. There were ornate bridges covered in gilt and decorated with leaves and cherubs, old-fashioned wooden barges with decks locked up tight for winter, a depot for a Bateaux Parisiens cruise tour, a municipal park with a multitude of water features and fountains, yacht clubs and so much more. Lainey itched to be in those trainers, drinking up all of the sites that Paris had to offer.

  “And here we are.”

  With a sudden lurch, the taxi ground to a halt and the driver lazily strode around to the rear of the vehicle to retrieve Mercer’s holdall. Lainey wondered if she should make a break for it now, but then decided she’d do better if she waited for somewhere a little more crowded. If the vampire could see her, she could run as fast as she liked and he would still catch her. Looking down at her feet, she sighed. There wasn’t going to be a lot of running going on with the pumps she was wearing either. She’d need somewhere to hide, maybe a baggage room. That would perhaps put him off the scent for a few minutes giving her time to recoup and consider her options.

  “Thinking of running, princess?”

  Lainey gasped as a cold fist clamped around her wrist, its grip tighter than a steel manacle. Biting down on her moan of disappointment, she replied, “I thought you couldn’t read my mind?”

  “Let’s get one thing straight, darling. I’ve been hanging around this world a very long time and I’ve known a lot of women. After being inside several thousand heads of the female persuasion, I pretty much know what they’re thinking before they do. So I don’t need to be able to read your mind.” He opened the taxi door and yanked her roughly outside. “The look at your feet was telling enough. Why do you think I put you in heels? Was it luck that I stole your jacket just before leaving the aircraft? You tell me.”

  Giving her a look of disgust, he turned towards the driver to offer up a wad of bills. He then marched her into the lobby of a grand hotel. To her horror, she now had only one hand with which to cover herself. Knowing it would be futile to protest such rude treatment she did her best to keep up, but she was no match for Mercer’s legs. Her being dragged bodily along the beautifully glossy marble reception floor was not a particularly elegant entrance.

  Chapter 5

  Waves of anger radiated off the vampire as he checked in. The pretty receptionist had been coyly eyeing him up, but one look at his face had persuaded her that efficiency was probably the best course of action and she delivered their room key promptly. Having only just gotten her breath back, Lainey found herself once again dragged along the floor this time to a large concourse, which housed a massive staircase.

  Mercer turned to face her. “Now it’s time to burn off a little of that excess energy, princess. We’re on the tenth floor. Feel free to hurry on ahead.”

  He finally released the grip on her arm but the bite of his fingers remained imprinted into her skin. The electric current between them was so strong it almost hurt. Already scared, the intensity shocked Lainey and with the insane urge to bolt yet again, her feet raced ahead of their own accord.

  Taking the marble steps two at a time, she managed to get to the first floor before bending down to yank off both heels. If she kept trying to run in them, she’d end up breaking an ankle. Leaving them where they lay, she sprinted off. With any luck, the vamp might trip over them. Hearing the soft thud of Mercer’s footfalls behind her, she knew she had no time to waste so she began to run again as fast as her lungs would allow.

  Lainey made it to the eighth floor before her body refused to go any further. Sucking in painful gasps of air, she crashed through the double doors and found the elevator. Pressing the call button, she frantically scanned the corridor for a fire escape but nothing was immediately visible. Rushing off to explore, she took only a few paces forward before a solid hand closed around her wrist.

  When she came to a skidding halt nearly twisting her ankle, this time it was her turn to be furious. Even though she had known there was no chance of escape, he had shattered her last tiny fragment of hope. She fought back in the only way she knew how.

  “Why don’t you just fling me over your shoulder, caveman-style, and have done with it,” she roared.

  When Mercer turned his flickering amber eyes her way, she wished to God she had kept her mouth shut. The vamp looked all kinds of evil and she knew her luck was just about to run out. Her brain had begun misfiring all over the place and once that happened, there was a good chance things were about to get worse.

  Mercer’s head tilted slightly to the left as he considered her words and the sharp ping of the arriving lift did not detract his penetrating stare away from her face. “That is a very good question,” he said slowly, as the lift door slowly began to slide open. “I think I had been considering your dignity, seeing as how you’ve already lost so much of it today, but I guess you’re right. You clearly don’t know what’s good for you, and I intend to show you the error of your ways.”

  As the doors behind Lainey began to close, Mercer yanked her body upwards, and then swung her over his shoulder. Placing his hand over her backside, he then swivelled around sideways scraping them both inside the lift with a centimetre to spare.

  Lainey was speechless for about three seconds. Then she let out an ear-piercing shriek. Mercer took care of the noise by slamming her back against the elevator wall, knocking the air out of her before his lips crushed down upon hers. Lainey didn’t know which way was up. Scrap that, she wasn’t even sure which planet they were on anymore. Every atom in her body was trying to claw its way towards the vamp, whilst the sensible part of her brain had upped and gone on holiday to a neighbouring galaxy. The horrifying thing was that it felt so good. Her previous boyfriends, with their fumbling, awkward kisses, had never managed to elicit much of a response from her. To be honest, up until now she’d wondered what all the fuss had been about but the universe had suddenly aligned in the
right place. The chemistry around them was now exploding with more bubbles than vintage champagne. Somewhere in the back of her brain, someone whispered something about vampire and you can’t do this but lust was intoxicating Lainey, and it would have taken a head-on collision with a car to shake some kind of sense back into her.

  When he pressed even tighter into her body and caught a fist of her hair in his hand, she would have done anything he asked. He drank her inside him like a fifty-year-old bottle of whisky, savouring each tiny drop and it made her head spin. Every bone began to illuminate inside her and the resulting glow was nothing short of stellar.

  When the lift doors opened two floors later, and he reluctantly pulled their lips apart, Lainey had forgotten her age, address, name, and also how to walk. Her legs simply would not move one foot in front of the other, and she felt mortified.

  Smirking, Mercer simply hoisted her back over his shoulder and marched towards their room, not missing a beat. In no time at all, the key card clicked smartly into its slot and moments later, she found herself thrown against a crisp white duvet. Even then, all she could do was stare at his backside as he emptied a few shirts and a pair of jeans out of his holdall before hanging them up in the wardrobe. Carrying a small soap kit into the bathroom, he spent a minute or two freshening up and then there he was, looming in front of her once again.

  Her brain told her all sorts of things, none of which were very interesting. Her body was screaming let’s party, and it had a magnificent smile on its face. When Mercer placed his elbows upon the front of the bed and stared at her, she wanted to grab the collar of his shirt and his pull him towards her. Managing to stamp down upon the impulse, he then bared a mouth full of startlingly perfect white teeth and all she could think about was the kiss that they had just shared. She felt light-headed and wondered what her world might be like with a vampire in it. The word impossible floated around inside her head, but she ignored it.

  A sharp rap at the door distracted Mercer’s attention for a moment, and he strode over to open it. After a couple of seconds of muted conversation, the door closed again and he returned carrying a large rectangular aluminium attaché case.

  Flipping the metal catches, he propped it up on the TV desk in front of him and Lainey’s curiosity was instantly piqued. Sitting up on the bed, she watched intently as its contents were revealed. The case housed a pile of grey foam and a whole arsenal of guns. Sucking in a tight breath, she found herself sobering up abruptly.

  “What do you need those for?” she whispered.

  Mercer turned around to face her and raised an eyebrow. “I’m not a miracle worker, sweetheart. One-on-one or even three-on-one, I can hold my own but vampiric speed and strength will only get me so far. If we truly have the kind of numbers I’ve been led to expect coming for us, we’ll need firepower and lots of it. That way I can get rid of the minions first before I need to concentrate on killing those who can’t be killed. You gotta love my line of work.”

  Lainey just stared at him. What was she supposed to say to that anyway? He didn’t seem at all bothered by her lack of response. Examining each gun in turn, he used the same method of evaluation…he emptied the magazine, took aim, released the safety and pressed the trigger. Then he took a good look at the workmanship on both the left and right side, reloaded the magazine, and placed it back in the case.

  “Are you trained in the use of firearms?” He began refastening the catches on the aluminium box.

  “Do I look like I’m trained to fire a gun?” Lainey responded dryly.

  “Good point. What are you good at by the way?” He gave her a look that said he’d be surprised if she was good at anything. It rankled her to the core.

  “Killing people is not one of my many talents,” she retorted.

  “You have a problem with authority, don’t you? Did I ask you that? No. I asked what you were good at because it might come in handy. We need all the advantages we can get if we’re going to make it through the next few days, so work with me.”

  Lainey looked at him. “Since when are you an authority figure…you’re a thug. You’ve kidnapped me…”

  “I’ve rescued you. There’s a difference,” he said, his loud voice booming out over hers. He had an amused look on his face.

  Lainey, on the other hand, was anything but amused. Throwing her hands in the air, she yelled, “You’ve kidnapped me, else I’d be free to leave. Unless I’m completely stupid, I appear to be a prisoner.”

  Mercer released an evil smile and began unbuttoning his shirt. “If you were a prisoner, Lainey, I’d have you in handcuffs, and put you in a tiny little cell somewhere deep underground. Instead, I’ve put you in designer clothes and heels. Obviously, you’re free to go any time you like but for your own protection, I will be retrieving you at some point if you do. That’s what bodyguards do. You have to understand that if anything happens to you, I get into trouble. I prefer staying out of trouble.” He winked at her and let his shirt drop to the floor.

  Lainey immediately cast her eyes down to the bed sheets, knowing that if she stared at that perfect chest, she’d be lost forever.

  “Look at me, Lainey.”

  “No,” she said stubbornly, knowing that ultimately there would be no choice in the matter. Sure enough, the bed dipped under his weight and a hand propped her chin up, allowing her to admire the chiselled perfection of his abs before she drowned in those unfathomable amber eyes.

  “Do you always get your own way?” she whispered.

  Her heart had once again gone into overdrive and it wouldn’t be long before all sensible thought was lost. She received no verbal answer to her question but his fingers lightly grazed her waist making her jump, before they reached up to cup her breast. There was no stopping the subsequent moan of lustful torment.

  “I’m going to put a stop to those thoughts of running, sweetness. Soon, all that little head will care about is how to please me.”

  Lainey whimpered but his lips were on her neck, and it seemed to roll back of its own accord. Stroking her pulse point with his tongue, his teeth nipped at her jugular. Her throat went dry and she swooned in a burst of heat before biting her lip as hard as she could to snap herself out of the liquid-lust drugged state that consumed her.

  “Lay back, baby. I’m going to make you come screaming.” He nudged her body gently across the bed.

  “Best of luck with that,” she whimpered but she backed up a little farther, and all of the bluster and confidence of before rapidly seemed to disappear. “I’ve never had an orgasm with a man and you aren’t going to be the first.” Her words were barely audible and with little spirit behind them, but they were the best she could manage.

  “You’ve never had an orgasm before?”

  Compressing her lips tightly, she shook her head. “I didn’t say that. I said no man has ever managed to make me orgasm before.”

  “Lucky for you, I’m not a man.”

  “No. You’re a blood-sucking, monstrous…”

  “I suck other things as well,” he said interrupting her then with an evil glint in his eye, put his two arms on either side of her giving her the full weight of his stare. “Care for a demonstration?”

  “We can’t do this,” she said helplessly but her traitorous body didn’t move an inch to back up her words.

  “I have news for you. Either you start talking or we are doing this. What’s it to be?” Mercer leaned down on his elbows and flipped the top button of her blouse open.

  Lainey’s brain apparently short-circuited so talking was no longer an option. She watched with avid fascination as he began undressing her. It didn’t take long for she was only wearing two items of clothing, and the stockings hardly counted which he left on regardless.

  “Why can’t I tell you no?” she whispered and at first, she hadn’t thought she’d spoken the words aloud because he didn’t respond for the longest time. It seemed he was wholly focused on the job at hand, his fingers walking up and down her inner thighs, one mi
nute teasing the nylon of her stockings and in the next, sending flurries of sparks across the bare flesh over the top of the lace bands. He had her squirming in seconds. His lips then pressed where his fingers had been and the heat of them on her skin was exquisite. He began humming a soft little tune as he moved higher while her head began thrashing from side to side on the soft cotton of the duvet.

  “No one can say no to me, so don’t feel bad.” His eyes twinkled as he regarded her from between her spread-eagled thighs, and his hands once again began caressing her as he talked. “It’s a combination of things. I’m too pretty, too old, too persuasive, too charming… but mostly too old. I’ve been around long enough to have worked out what the fairer sex enjoys and the odd spot of compulsion goes a long way.” Having said his piece, his lips went back to work.

  Lainey groaned as her fingers grasped great handfuls of the duvet hanging on for dear life even though she lay out flat, and was going nowhere. “Am I under compulsion now?” she hissed.

  “Do you need to be?” His tongue had just flicked a long line up her sex and her body jumped off the bed as little spirals of heat flew through her body.

  “No,” she squeaked, finally defeated. She couldn’t fight this nor did she want to. She’d warned the vamp, and it was his problem if he chose to ignore her. This was not going to be on her conscience.

  “Should I make you come with my fingers or tongue? Which would you prefer, Lainey?”

  A red stain flushed across her chest and crawled slowly up her neck at his provocative words, but she managed to shelve her embarrassment. “I don’t care how you do it, as long as you finish what you’ve started. I need…I want…I ache…” The soft ragged sound of her voice wouldn’t have been perceptible to anyone but a vampire.

  “I know, baby. I’m going to make it all better.” Having said that he flattened a palm against each of her thighs and spread her wide, before his mouth descended.

  He was as good as his word. His tongue circled, stroked, and flicked before his mouth suckled at her core until she was mindless with pleasure. He was creating a throbbing, pulsing hunger between her legs that grew with each swipe of his talented tongue. The sensations were indescribable. It was as if her world had been lived in black and white up until now, and suddenly someone had found an artist’s palette. Mercer was colouring in her body, but he was doing it outside the lines because brilliant explosions of reds, yellows, pink and purples were lighting up her brain. Her legs began trembling violently and all the muscles of her body began to tense in anticipation of something incredible. She coasted upon a deliriously hedonistic precipice for the longest time until he raised his head up, and spoke.