Masters of Seduction Volume 2: Books 5-8: Paranormal Romance Box Set
Page 18
Would it subside in time, or grow like a beautiful cancer on her heart?
She didn’t know, but it hardly mattered. Her one night of exquisite pleasure was over now. The magic gone. She would have to be thankful for what she’d been given.
She was just inhaling his scent one final time when the bedchamber door suddenly burst open. Lia gasped and instantly dropped the pillow on the bed. Her eyes closed and she prayed that it was only Ms. Gilly behind her. Or one of the maids. Or— “Please continue,” came a deep male voice. A very familiar voice. Achingly familiar. One that had demanded wicked things of her in the bathtub last night, then whispered sweet and tender things while he held her close. “The bed must be seen to, of course…” he said.
She didn’t dare turn around. Not because Cas would recognize her—that was impossible—but because she couldn’t bear to look at him and see that cold, impersonal stare. Not after how he’d looked at her last night. With such fire, such desire, such knowing.
Magic was both wondrous and cruel.
“Yes, my lord.” She said the words softly, carefully, trying to hide her voice. He would not recognize her scarred face, but her voice… That could be the one thing to rouse suspicion.
“But first, see to my closet,” he commanded.
Was this going to be her punishment? An hour or more of Casworon Trevanion ordering her about—his maid…
Without a word, she started across the room, her limp as pronounced as ever. Maybe more so. Stress was not kind to ailments. Aware of his eyes on her, she straightened her spine as she moved. She despised the tears that threatened. She would not give in to emotion. This was as it should be. As it was meant to be.
“You hesitate,” he observed in a firm tone.
“No, my lord.” Chin lifted, she gripped the double doors and opened them wide.
The first thing she saw had her gasping, had her backing up a foot. “Oh…” There, on the floor, surrounded by several pairs of handsome Italian loafers, were her shoes from last night. Gold and glass slippers. She stared, her heart beating a frantic, confused, hopeful tattoo. If he’d not only kept them, but placed them with his own— “Was it in battle?” he asked, his voice no longer edged with authority Her heart lurched. No. No. No. She shook her head imperceptibly. “I’m sorry, my lord, I—”
“How you were injured?”
Her eyes closed on a sigh. This wasn’t happening. She had to do something…come up with something. He couldn’t know… “There was an accident on my family’s farm, my lord.” Was her voice high enough?
“Where is this farm?” he inquired. “And pray turn around to face your Master, female.”
Lia’s heart dropped into her belly. The very belly that had, only hours ago, thrummed with heat and climax. Lord Trevanion had just commanded her. She had no choice. She couldn’t disobey him. Breath caught in her lungs, she slowly turned, but kept her eyes on the rug.
“You won’t look at me?” he asked.
“I think it’s better if I don’t, my lord.”
She heard a sniff of irritation, then without warning, an object came flying at her. Time slowed. Born out of instinct long held and honed, Lia’s hand shot out and easily caught the object before it hit the wall.
Candlestick.
Her breath came out in a rush as she realized what had just happened, and that Casworon Trevanion knew exactly who and what she was.
Her lip curled. Pennice had given—and he had taken away.
No doubt, she would be out of this house before lunchtime.
Her eyes lifted to connect with those of the Master and Lord of the castle she’d called home for the past five months now. It hadn’t been a perfect existence, but it had suited her.
Where would she go now?
His gaze moved over her, from her maid’s uniform to her face. “It is you,” he said. The words were neither accusatory nor blissful.
“Yes,” she admitted.
For long seconds, Lia stood there under his scrutiny. Yes, Master Trevanion. That is a hideous, repulsive scar. And yes, I stand lopsided and damaged. And no, I didn’t tell you of it last night. What you had in the bathtub and your bed was an illusion. Now say what you must and release me.
“You were a Blade?” he said, his voice accusatory. “A Temple Blade?”
“Yes,” she confirmed, trying to hold back her tears.
“And a servant in my own home?”
His gaze moved over her again as if he was seeing her for the first time. She despised it. Despised herself. She wanted to run.
“Oh, Lia,” he breathed and crossed the room. Had her in his arms in seconds. “My Lia.”
Lia stood there, frozen, confused.
“Bloody hell, female,” he uttered, running his hands up her back. “I am so relieved to find you, to see you.
Her heart was pinging and paining, and she didn’t know which one to listen to. “And yet, you didn’t see me before,” she whispered back, tears pricking her eyes.
He was quiet for a moment, still. Then released her. “No,” he admitted, looking down into her face. Her scarred face. “I didn’t see a great many things. I’m afraid I’ve been feeling rather sorry for myself lately. Do you know anything about that?”
Her chin quivered. What was he doing? Why was he toying with her? Had he seen his mate today? Would he take her to the greenhouse tonight?
His eyes softened to liquid lavender. “Did you even want to be seen, Lia?”
The question startled her. “What?”
He took her in his arms again, forced her to look up at him. “You have been hiding here, haven’t you? My Temple Blade?”
Tears pricked her eyes and one started down her face in a casual path to her upper lip. Cas reached out and wiped it away.
“Last night,” he began. But she interrupted.
“Was a fantasy. An illusion, my lord.”
His grip on her tightened. “Don’t call me that. I’m Cas. To you, I’m Cas.”
She cried out. Not from any physical pain, but the pain in her heart. “I’m not the female you bedded last eve, goddammit! Look at me.”
“I am looking at you,” he insisted with ripe passion. “I see you, Lia. Perhaps you don’t see yourself. Your worth. Your beauty.”
“Beauty.” She laughed bitterly.
He held her still with one hand and reached up with the other, ran his index finger over the scar on her face.
“No,” she groaned, trying to fight him.
“Don’t you understand? This makes you even more beautiful than you were last night. This demonstrates your bravery, your skill, your perseverance.” His eyes penetrated her very soul in their ferocity.
Tears spilled down her cheeks. “My leg…you can’t possibly want—”
He had her in his arms in seconds and was carrying her to the bed.
“What are you doing?” she cried.
“Showing you how inconsequential that is.” He placed her on her back and started removing her clothing. “Unless it pains you. You must always tell me.”
Lia’s heart was beating a mile a minute. She glanced at the door. Closed. “My work,” she started.
“Is done. Over.” Once he had her naked, he started on himself. “You left my bed and my life once already. I will not allow it to happen again.” Gloriously naked, he came to rest over her, careful not to put too much weight on her. “Does this pain you, my sweet Lia?”
She shook her head, speechless, breathless. How was this happening? Was she still in the greenhouse, dreaming?
Cas leaned down and kissed her softly on the mouth. “You are mine now, do you understand? My one and only. And I am yours.”
She gasped, then he kissed her again, and gently splayed her thighs.
“But your mate—” she uttered when he came up for air.
He lapped at her lower lip. “Yes. My mate.” Then kissed a path up her scar and back down again. “My Temple Blade. My warrior. My lover.” He grinned, his eyes locking with he
rs. “You are my mate.”
She felt him at the opening to her body and inhaled sharply. All that he’d said, all that it meant…
One black eyebrow shot up. “If you’ll have me?”
As she cried out her happiness, her acceptance, and the true happily ever after to an impossible hope, Cas pushed inside her. He felt so warm, so right. It was like coming home. They belonged like this, together. One.
Mates.
Minutes expanded to hours, and as daylight turned to sunset, and another climax was taken, Lia knew true happiness for the first time in years. She had the male of her dreams. Her Master. Her lord. Her prince. And she was never letting him go.
Tired and sweaty and smiling, she curled up against him and prepared to sleep. And she must have, for when she woke it was dark except for one candle burning on the bedside table, and Cas’s cell phone was buzzing beside it.
She felt him reach for it, turn off the sound. Then his body stiffened. She looked up. Cas had the phone in his hand and was reading the screen intently. Where he’d been relaxed and languid and hungry and sexual for the past several hours, he now appeared strained.
She came up on one elbow. “Is everything all right?” she asked, then leaned in and kissed his shoulder.
He turned to her and his eyes warmed as he took in her face. “It’s Tiege, Master of Furia. My love, there is much I must tell you about my dealings with the other Masters.”
She raised a brow at him. “Is this good news, or…?”
A slow grin touched his features. “Very good, I believe. We can finally figure out how to rid ourselves of Marakel. Once and for all.”
Lia’s Blade radar went off. She knew Marakel, and what this could mean for both Incubi and Nephilim.
“I must leave to deal with my Incubi brothers as soon as possible,” he said. “But first…” He was moving down her body in seconds, eyes flashing with hunger and desire as he settled himself between her already trembling thighs. “I must have your cream on my tongue once again, Lady Trevanion.”
She laughed softly and canted her hips. “Oh, my lord, I will always feed my mate.”
His possessive growl rent the air.
“And his demon, of course,” she added, then gasped as Cas’s tongue slipped through her pussy lips and found the swollen bud beneath.
The Next Day…
“It is only fair,” Lia exclaimed from her spot outside the carriage.
From inside, Pennice gave her a weak smile. “I can’t do this.”
Her hands went to her hips. The Trevanion apothecary was giving her some herbs to help with the pain in her leg. And so far it was doing wonders. “Of course you can,” she told him, sticking out her hand. “And you will.”
He ignored it, but climbed out of the carriage anyway. “You’re far too cocky,” he said, looking pale and nervous. “I knew putting you and the Master together was going to be trouble.”
Lia warmed at the mention of her mate. He’d been gone only a few hours, and she already missed him desperately. “Then why did you?”
“To piss off his mother?” Pennice suggested.
Lia started walking up the cobblestone steps. “Try again.”
“All right, that’s not it, but you should watch your back, dear. Lady Kayna can be vicious when she doesn’t get her way. And in this, in you, she most assuredly did not.”
Lia felt no fear. She was a Blade, after all. “When Cas gets back he’s escorting her to London. For good. If she puts up a fuss, I have his back.” She grinned. “Now, why did you put us together?”
They had reached the door of the cottage. The cottage that had once welcomed Cas’s many lovers, but would now grant Pennice privacy and a fresh beginning.
If he would only take it.
The male stopped on the stoop and exhaled heavily. His eyes locked with hers and a sweet smile touched his mouth. “It was destined.”
Yes. She felt that too. Lia reached out and took his hand. “Well so is this.”
Pennice shook his head. “I don’t know—”
“You deserve to find happiness. Cas and I are partners in this mission.” She shrugged. “Let us perform a little magic for you.”
Those words were the Watchman’s undoing. After a moment, he released a breath and nodded.
For the second time in two days, Lia opened a door to a grand and wondrous surprise. She led Pennice inside, and into the living area.
“Pennice, Watchman of Trevanion,” she said, gesturing toward the leather couch. “Let me introduce you. This is Raphael, George and Bram. They look forward to getting to know you.”
*
RECKLESS: HOUSE OF FURIA ~ by Alexandra Ivy
Masters of Seduction (Book 8)
Tiege never expected to become Master of Furia, not until his brother's mate was kidnapped and brutally killed. With his House in mourning, Tiege has no choice but to lead, although that doesn't halt his hedonistic lifestyle. Sloane is a former Nephilim Blade who is dedicated to duty. She has nothing in common with the reckless Incubus--except a dangerous passion. But it's that passion they must draw upon in order to raise the spirit of a long-dead Succubus whose stunning revelations could topple the Obsidian Throne forever…
CHAPTER ONE
Jian, Master of the House Xanthe, and his captain of Watchmen, Taka, stood in the private lounge of the Hong Kong airport. This quiet oasis was thankfully shut off from the thousands of anxious travelers who rushed from one gate to another in an effort to be shoved onto a waiting plane.
In here, there were no screaming children or angry passengers demanding constant attention.
Instead there was quiet music piped through the speakers, and beautiful women who offered chilled beverages as the handful of males waited for their private flights. Overhead, the ceiling was constructed to mimic the undulating, shimmering waves of the ocean that was visible through the glass wall, and the plush seats were built for comfort.
Not that Jian was interested in their surroundings. Or the female gazes that lingered on his lean face that was framed by long, blue-black hair and eyes that were faintly tilted and glowed like melted gold. He barely noticed the slender fingers that slid over his black Gucci suit in silent invitation.
He was an Incubus. A sex demon. Just standing in the room was enough to make the females tremble with need.
At the moment, his entire focus was on his companion. Unlike him, Taka was wearing his usual leather pants and black T-shirt. He was a large male with bluntly carved features, and his head was smoothly shaven. Currently his massive arms were folded over his chest, blatantly revealing the tattoo that marked him as a warrior for Xanthe House.
“You have the coordinates?” he demanded.
Taka nodded. Although it’d been less than an hour since the Masters of the Incubi Houses had gathered in their secret location, they’d already formulated a dozen different plans to bring down Marakel, the current Sovereign who sat on the Obsidian Throne.
Jian’s task was simple. He was to protect the bodies of the Master of Akana House and his two servants that Jian had found hidden in the Oubliette. They weren’t entirely certain what Marakel had done to them to put them into such a deep sleep, or how to awaken them. Hell, they didn’t even know what the bastard intended to do with them.
But the Masters all agreed they had to keep the unconscious males out of the hands of the Sovereign.
Jian’s first thought had been to stash them at one of his estates. He possessed a dozen homes spread across Asia, but he wasn’t a fool. He didn’t doubt for a second that Marakel had spies everywhere. And that even now they were being watched.
So instead, he’d commanded his servants to spread out in different directions, while he’d concealed the bodies on his private helicopter that was to take Taka to a boat waiting in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. From there the Watchman would travel to a small, uninhabited island that had a dormant volcano where Akana and his men could be protected by a small contingent of guards.
“Once you’re in the helicopter I’ll send out three planes at the same time. With the additional cars, trucks, and vans that are already heading across Asia, that should distract anyone who’s keeping an eye on our activities, but you still need to stay off the radar,” he warned his companion. “And make sure the bodies are stashed deep enough in the volcano that they can’t be—”
“Did you intend to tie my shoes and wipe my ass before I leave?” Taka abruptly interrupted.
Jian cocked a brow. “They weren’t on my list of things to do.”
Taka snorted. “Good, because I’ve been the captain of your Watchmen for a long time. I don’t need to be told how to do my job.”
Jian grimaced. No question he was fussing like a mother hen.
Not really an image he wanted for himself. Unless it involved his lovely mate…
“Sorry. We’re all a little on edge,” he said, his voice raspy with weariness. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept. “The future of our people is hanging in the balance.”
Taka nodded, his gaze covertly sliding toward the male Incubus who was slouched in a chair next to the bar.
Tiege, Master of House Furia.
The Incubus was a tall male with a sculpted face that was more forceful than handsome. He had an arrogant thrust of a nose, high, chiseled cheekbones, and eyes the color of polished copper surrounded by thick lashes. His lips were thin and were framed by a well-groomed goatee. They could be cruel or sensual, depending on his mood. His black hair was just long enough to curl at his nape and fall in a silky swath across his broad brow.
Currently he was wearing a designer charcoal suit with a brilliant crimson shirt and gold tie that matched his House emblem of a phoenix.
A decadently beautiful male who seethed with sexual energy.
And, unlike Jian, he didn’t hesitate to take advantage of what was being offered in the exclusive lounge—plates of food, an open bottle of wine, and an enthralled female who was currently perched on his lap.