Twice Bitten

by Samantha Reynolds

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  eXtasy eBooks

  www.extasybooks.com

  Copyright ©2008 by Samantha Reynolds

  First published in extasybooks.com, 2008

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  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

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  CONTENTS

  Twice Bitten

  About the Author

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  Twice Bitten

  By

  Samantha Reynolds

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Twice Bitten

  Copyright ã 2008 Samantha Reynolds

  ISBN: 978-1-55487-020-2

  Cover art by Martine Jardin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books

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  Twice Bitten

  Gabby wondered if Demonte would ever show his face at her door. It would be brave of him. Even for a vampire. If he did show up, she wasn't quite sure what her reaction would be. Would she go running into his arms? Or smack the shit out of him for standing her up last year after their night of incredible sex.

  Who knew that fucking a vampire would have such lasting consequences? The worst being every time she dated a guy and they got to the sticking point, she'd start remembering Demonte and those gorgeous green eyes, the way his lips felt against her neck or on the underside of her breast, and well, what mortal man could compete with a guy who could levitate you in the air while banging your brains out?

  Another problem? Men. There were lots and lots of men. Just none of them were Demonte and her body violently reacted to this fact. Vomiting on your date's shoes when he suggests a late night cuddle wasn't in the least attractive.

  So with no other choice she'd gone and ordered one of those industrial strength vibrators. Ha. No batteries needed. Just plug the sucker into the wall and go for it. Gabby just knew that would solve her problem.

  Wrong.

  Other than vibrating her ass clean off the bed, she'd gotten nada. Nothing. Except a loss of feeling in the lower half of her body for two days.

  After all of this she'd come to realize one truth.

  She, Gabrielle Cantrell, couldn't have an orgasm without him.

  And she pretty much hated his guts for that. A slow and painful death, if he ever showed up, would be too good for him.

  The asshole

  * * * *

  Demonte paced inside the iron cage deposited deeply below the ground. He needed to get out, to redeem himself. “Foster, you maniac! Open this door.” He shook the metal bars, the ones he couldn't break or bend with his tremendous strength, again, for the one-millionth time. “You stupid lame-brained-no-good-for-nothing-witch doctor."

  Who could've predicted when he'd made the mistake of taking the crazy doctor's daughter out one time that the scientist would invent a metal so strong not even a vampire could escape from it? He rattled the door again for good measure.

  "Temper, temper, Demonte. All of this is for your own good.” The doctor came into the room bearing a goblet full of a coppery smelling liquid.

  Demonte prayed it was blood.

  "All of this...” the doctor motioned with his arm around the room, the goblet still in his hand—"emotion is a waste of time."

  Demonte growled at the old man whose wiry gray hair stood out from his head like he'd stuck his finger in a light socket. The smell of fresh blood made his eyes cross with hunger, but he wasn't the crazy one. “Angelique doesn't even like me.” Not to mention it had been three months since the doctor had captured him and Angelique had yet to show up.

  The black glasses that were perpetually perched at the end of Dr. Foster's nose slipped a notch lower. Any more and the glasses would fall off. “I don't believe you. She's quite taken with you.” He stepped back away from the cage.

  Demonte let out a sigh. “Why don't you tell her you've kept me here for three months and see what happens? Or are you afraid of her reaction? And why hasn't she been to see her father in those three months? She probably realizes you're insane.” He couldn't take much more of this. The thump-thump of the doctor's rich blood made his mouth water in anticipation of what he'd do if only given half the chance.

  The doctor looked down at his watch. “She'll be here at any moment.” The doctor let loose with a wide grin. “It's my birthday."

  "Daddy? Daddy, are you down there?” A sweet singsong voice drifted down the into the basement lab.

  "Angelique?” Relief poured through his veins. “Get your ass down here. Your father is nuts. Do you hear me?” Demonte took a deep breath. How had he ever let himself get into this situation? Help a person one time and see where it got him?

  Angelique came clomping down the stairs in a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt, her long blonde hair curling around her heart-shaped face. Her mouth fell open at the site of him in the cage. “Demonte? What are you doing down there?"

  Demonte pointedly looked at her father.

  "Daddy?"

  The doctor looked a little taken aback, but went to his daughter and enveloped her in his white coated-arms. “Do you like my surprise?"

  Oh, yeah. What a great surprise, Demonte sneered at the both of them. The doc sure didn't know his daughter very well. “Would you please tell your old man that you have no desire to be tied to me for all eternity?"

  "What've you done, Daddy? Why is he here?"

  Angelique might look like an Angel with all that long blonde hair and those innocent blue eyes, but she was far far from it. They'd known each other for five years, which was really a pitiful amount of time when one had been alive for over a hundred years. They'd discussed her father in the past and he'd known they had their differences, but this was a bit much, not to mention failing to let Demonte know the man was certifiably insane. If he'd known that, he would've disabled him when he had the chance instead of being fooled and allowing himself to be captured, which was an incredibly stupid thing to have done.

  Dr. Foster pulled out of his daughter's arms. “But you said you loved him.” The doctor was doing some serious back tracking. He pushed his black framed glasses back up onto his nose.

  Demonte raised an eyebrow at her. “You said that?” Incredible. Who would have thought she'd been that desperate. Huh. Figured he had to be the last one to take her out. Damn his bad luck.

  At least Angelique had the good manners to look embarrassed. “I lied.” Her painted red lips tuned into a frown and she looked at Demonte and whispered a silent I'm sorry.

  By the nature of hell, did she think that made everything all better?
He rattled the bars of the cage carefully avoiding the chains of silver. He growled. “Let me out."

  "About what my dear? Him?” the doctor sighed. “He wouldn't have been my choice for you, that is true, but I pride myself on being open-minded. If he makes you happy then I'm happy. He is my birthday surprise to you. This way I'll have you married and halfway pregnant by the time my next birthday rolls around.” The old man giggled while put the goblet of blood back on his lab table about as far away from Demonte as he could get it.

  Damn him. Choking on air, Demonte knew he did not just hear the man say he wanted his daughter to have children. That was not going to happen. Demonte could feel his blood starved cells crying out for sustenance. “Um. Could I have my dinner? It's been a while.” And if the two of them wanted to survive once they finally did open the stupid door, they better feed him.

  "Give it to him, Daddy. He looks like he needs it. He's really pale and his eyes don't look so good sunken in like that."

  "You do it. I don't think he likes me."

  Demonte clamped his jaw shut. Sunken eyes? He'd been starved. No doubt he looked like a poster child for starving vampires. And of course he didn't like her father. By the stars who would like their captor? Especially one who'd withheld food and nourishment? Demonte was pretty sure the doctor had taken some of his blood as well.

  The doctor handed the goblet of blood to his daughter.

  Demonte noticed the sway of her jean clap hips as she walked to him. Angelique was a beautiful woman and he appreciated beauty. But he also knew that things weren't always what they seemed. When she handed him the goblet he downed the liquid then licked his lips before handing it back to her. It would barely hold him over until he could hunt. He looked at the woman he'd previously called a friend. “I think its time to be honest with your father, Angelique."

  "I can't.” She said through clenched teeth.

  "Yes. I believe you will, if you value his life."

  "You wouldn't.” Her plump little mouth fell open.

  "Oh, but I would. He's kept me here for over three months. I want out."

  "I'm waiting, Angelique. I don't understand why you're not happy with me. I thought he was what you wanted. Do you know how long it took to find a spell that would hold him? And the cost of that cage?"

  Angelique's eyes softened when she looked at her father. “Daddy, while I appreciate what you've done I have a confession to make."

  The doc's face fell in confusion. “I don't understand."

  She walked up to him, put one hand on his cheek. “I don't really like boys. I knew that you always wanted a normal family for me and I didn't want to disappoint you. So I told you all that stuff so you'd leave me alone about getting married."

  Demonte tried to stifle the laughter. “Can I go? Do you know how many dates I've missed? How much sex I haven't had? Do you know how really really pissed off I am?"

  Angelique rolled her eyes. “So dramatic. You always were a bit of a drama queen, Demonte. Let him go, Daddy. Even if I did like guys, Demonte and I would never have suited."

  "No?"

  Angelique shook her head. “No. I'm a vegetarian."

  Dr. Foster looked from his daughter to Demonte who couldn't help pacing in his iron cell.

  "I await your earliest convenience.” Demonte gestured toward the door to the cage.

  "Let him go, Daddy. It's the right thing to do."

  She was going to try and use logic with a madman? Well, she was his daughter.

  The crazy doctor looked a little nervous. “Are you going to try and kill us when I let you out?"

  He'd imagined only that for months. How he'd make the good doctor pay. How he'd enjoy draining every last neurotic drop of blood from his body. But telling the good doctor his thoughts wouldn't get him released any time soon. “No. You are safe from me. However, if you ever try to trick me again or try to imprison me in this cage again, they'll have a hard time finding enough of you to check dental records. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

  The doctor swallowed hard, several times. Then he looked at his daughter.

  "Let me go. It's the right thing to do."

  "All right.” He pulled the key from his pocket and walked on shaky legs to the door of the cage. He put the key in the lock and turned. The door swung open.

  Demonte breathed a sigh of relief. Freedom. Finally at last. He cleared his thoughts and imagined where he wanted to be. With a low bow to both Angelique and her father he made a quick exit. “If you'll excuse me. I've an appointment that I'm extremely late for.” And with those words, he stepped out of the cage and simply disappeared.

  * * * *

  Gabby lay back on the bed, trying not to think about sex. Her hormones were in over drive and she couldn't do a thing about it. Every time she flipped the channel all she got was skin-o-max. Yeesh. Where was Barney Fife when you needed him? Ewww. She shook her head that was so not a good visual.

  The doorbell rang.

  Gabby jumped about a foot off the bed. What the hell? She looked at the clock. Nine o'clock. Who on earth would be ringing her doorbell at this hour? She softly padded to the front door and peeked through the key hole. A green eye stared back at her. She shivered.

  "Trick or Treat?” A masculine voice asked.

  She knew that voice. Matter of fact, that voice had been haunting her dreams for three months. “It's not Halloween. It's Valentines Day."

  "Gabby, open the door. It's Demonte."

  "I know who it is. And if you think I'm going to open the door to you, you've lost your fucking mind.” The worst part? Her body went on instant alert the moment he spoke through the door. Her kegel muscles clenched and her nipples got hard. Gasp! No way. Damn it. If she opened that door she'd probably attack his ass right there on the spot. And she was mad. Damn right she was mad. Where'd he been? He didn't deserve to come in, damn it. She looked through the little peephole again.

  He stepped back.

  Holy sheep shit it was him. All beautiful six foot four inches of him dressed totally in black.

  "Open the damn door. Please? I'd like to explain."

  Huh. Yeah, he'd explain all right. He could explain through the oak door for all she cared. “I'm waiting."

  "I'm not going to talk to you through the door."

  "Really?"

  He sounded pissed and she had an instant flash back to the time they'd made love at the Halloween party. When they'd been getting naked he'd given her a command to keep her hands above her head and she hadn't been able to move them. Could he do that thing with his voice through the door? Her body tensed at the vivid memory.

  "I'm giving you one more minute to open the door or I'm going to take matters into my own hands. I understand you're angry, but I at least deserve the opportunity to explain."

  No he didn't deserve the opportunity to explain. He'd stood her up. She'd waited and waited, dressed in her best red-hot teddy designed for the hot-blooded male and he'd never shown up. Shoot. So he thought she would simply open the door and fall into his arms? Wrong boy-o. Then she thought a minute. Demonte wasn't your normal kind of guy. He had some wacked out mind tricks up his sleeve. If she didn't let him in, he'd probably do some mind-twisting thing and make her open the door. At least if she did it on her own, she could slam it back in his face when he was done. Decision made she opened the oak door and stared at him with what she hoped was a bored look. “What?"

  His eyes glowed with heat as his gazed traveled over her. “Not expecting company I see."

  So maybe her light pink fuzzy sweat suit wasn't very sexy. It wasn't like he'd called. “It's late, Demonte. What do you want?” She refused to give him an inch. He might've been able to put her from his mind, but she hadn't been that lucky.

  Dressed in a long black coat that came over skintight black jeans and a black t-shirt he looked scrumptious. Of course, he looked scrumptious, he was a vampire, gorgeous and good-looking was his calling card. Dependability was not. Still her gaze went to the inky curls of
his hair that brushed against the wool collar of his coat. Her fingers tingled at the memory of the soft tresses. She knew exactly the texture of his hair the soft silky feel of it. The strength in those broad shoulders that tapered into a trim waist. Damn him. Gabby started chanting in her mind. He's not that sexy. He's not that sexy. It didn't work because damn it all to hell and back he was that sexy.

  "Are you going to invite me in?"

  His voice had dropped to a low seductive tone that brushed over her skin like velvet fingertips. “I don't think so.” Oh no. No. No. No. If she invited him in, she knew what would happen. Immediately. She should've kept the damn door closed. Cause he looked so good. All that pale skin and his beautiful almond shaped green eyes and, well ... She hadn't had sex in like three months and the last time she did—it'd been with him. Hunky Dracula dude. Sigh. He really was too gorgeous for words.

  Demonte licked his lips and stepped forward. “I'd really like a chance to explain."

  His eyes went dreamy and she knew without a doubt if he came one step closer she wouldn't be able to say no. She held up a hand. “Stay where you are. Talk. If that's what you want to do.” Get a spine woman, she told herself. You can do this. Maybe.

  His full sensual lips thinned in frustration and he put his hands in his pockets. “Please. Let me come in. I'd rather not discuss this,” he looked around at her neighbor's houses that were less than twenty feet away, “where everyone can hear what I have to say to you."

  Gabby wasn't so much worried about what he wanted to say as what she wanted to do to him. The moment she opened the door her body started humming and the vibrations were only getting stronger the longer he stood there looking like some movie star dream on her front porch. Oh geez.

  "Come, Gabrielle.” He drew her name out like a long lingering kiss and again he took another step forward. “Let us be reasonable."

  Oh for cripes sake. “All right.” After all, he had to take the curse off her or she was gonna go stark raving mad.

  He reached behind him and pulled a dozen roses from behind his back. “Does this make it better?"