Dark Studies (Arcaneology)

by C. P. Foster

  When she reached the door, she turned the lock and slid back the bolt, grimacing at its click. She had just curled her fingers around the knob when she realized her keys were on the coffee table in the living room. The nearest neighbor was at least a half mile away. If she was going to escape, she needed those keys.

  From somewhere in the back of the house came a rapping sound, like knuckles knocking on a door. It sent a surge of adrenaline through her. Should she run? There were no trees or rocks to hide behind outside, nothing but sand and wispy grass. She’d have to sprint, and her body was in no condition for it. Her stamina was practically nonexistent.

  She saw no option but to stand her ground and fight. If she landed the first blow and did enough damage, she might get lucky. Angie gripped the knife hard and inched toward the bedroom.

  “Grace.”

  Her eyes went wide at the sound of that voice.

  “Don’t be afraid, it’s me.”

  Impossible. There was still an hour of daylight left. It couldn’t be—

  “Steffen?”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  As a species, humans are more predictable than the tides. As individuals, however, anything is possible. When dealing with a single human, listen to your instincts. You might be surprised by what they tell you.

  —James Morgan, addressing newly appointed vampire ambassadors to human nations

  “Close all the shutters and curtains, tight, so I can come out.”

  Shock immobilized her. When the knife clattered to the floor, she jumped so hard it jarred her ribs and shoulder, making her gasp aloud. He couldn’t possibly be awake. Vampires did not just sleep, they went into a coma so deep it looked like death and could not rise while the sun was above the horizon. Everyone knew that. Shaking, she went to the nearest window and did as he’d asked. It took a few minutes to make her way around the entire house, even as small as it was. When she had everything secure, she turned on the lights and walked in a daze to the bedroom.

  “Is it safe?” Steffen asked.

  “Yes.”

  The trap door in the floor rose a few inches. She caught the gleam of his eyes as he paused to make sure the sun had been shut out completely, then he opened it the rest of the way. The vampire emerged. He lowered the door into place and turned.

  “Grace,” he repeated. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  She had to be Grace, now, not Angie. The character wavered, not quite coming when she reached for it.

  “How?” she asked.

  He stretched out a hand, and she flinched. He froze. He didn’t move again, just looked at her until she took it. Grace would not understand the implications of what was happening. She didn’t know enough to be frightened, only that she loved and trusted Steffen. Angie managed, just barely, to bring herself back into the fantasy.

  She gave him an uncertain smile. “I didn’t think you guys could do that.”

  “Very few of us can.” His gaze traveled to her throat and stayed there. “It’s…taxing. I need to feed.”

  “Oh. Okay.” She pulled her hair out of the way and tipped her head to one side.

  A shiver whispered over him. His muscles stood out with tension. “I need more than you can afford to give me.”

  Looking closer, she saw he was even more pale than usual, and his skin was stretched tightly over his face, as though he were so dehydrated he had begun to mummify. Hunger cast a reptilian sheen over his eyes. Ravenous hunger. How much control did he have right now? She’d never worried about it with Steffen before. For the first time, she was careful to make no sudden movements and to show no fear. “I’ll heat up a bottle for you then.”

  “Make it two.”

  He’d already downed both bottles by the time her dinner of chicken and pasta was ready to eat. A third bottle sat in a pot, heating. Steffen’s flesh had filled out, and his skin was almost its normal color. His expression no longer raised the hairs on the back of her neck. He’d even taken the trouble to put on a shirt, instead of walking around in only the jeans he’d worn when going to his daily rest.

  Grace was bursting with curiosity, which suited Angie’s agenda. She could get information without breaking character. After sitting at the table to eat, she pointed a fork at Steffen. “All right, how did you do that? Can other vampires rise before sunset?”

  Instead of meeting her gaze, he got up to check on the last of his meal and kept his face turned away.

  “The ability is rare. We prefer to keep it secret, from our own kind as well as from humans. There are advantages to being underestimated.”

  What other secrets might they keep? It unnerved Angie to discover something she had not known about vampires, after all the time she had spent studying and living among them. But then, the ones she’d lived with had been relatively young, less than three hundred years. Even the older ones in her acquaintance were only half Steffen’s age, with the exception of one or two clients, and clients did not share the intimate details of their lives. Clearly, the ancients were more of a mystery than she had guessed.

  Another question occurred to her. “If you keep it a secret, why did you reveal it to me?”

  Steffen fell still. “It would appear I trust you more than I’d realized.”

  Who was he talking to now, Grace or Angie? By revealing himself to one he had revealed himself to the other, surely he knew that. The overlap of fantasy and reality had escalated to an alarming degree. Was this a result of having made him fall in love with Grace? It was the power she had sought, but now that she had it she felt more humbled than victorious.

  She went to stand beside him. Steffen didn’t move until she touched his arm, and when he looked at her she saw frown lines etched into his forehead. Grace took his hand and raised it to her lips, pressed them to his knuckles, then turned her head so her cheek rested on the backs of his fingers. Keeping her gaze locked with his, she brushed a strand of hair from his face.

  “I will never do anything to make you regret it,” she promised. And she meant it, Angie just as much as Grace.

  His frown transformed into a series of emotions that went by too fast for her to read. Steffen eased his hand from hers so he could cup the back of her head and bent to graze a kiss over her mouth. He touched another kiss to her temple. The corner of her eye. Her brow, hair, and back to her mouth, where he lingered, drawing her to him so their bodies rested against each other. When his tongue slid over hers, she tasted the metallic tang of blood.

  Steffen drew back to search her face. “Is this what love feels like?”

  How could she answer that question? Angie had shut herself off from it, despising the very concept after how it had been used against her. But Grace knew. Grace was the part of her that remembered. Her throat tightened to the point that she couldn’t speak, so she simply nodded.

  His expression softened, and he kissed her again, caressing her lips with his. Grace lifted onto her toes so she could coil her arms around his neck. The strain on her ribs made her wince, but that didn’t stop her. After a while, he carried her into the bedroom, eased her onto the rumpled covers, and urged her to lie on her uninjured side. Steffen stretched out, facing her. Deep inside, Angie trembled with the urge to run away, but Grace held her there as Steffen skimmed his fingertips over her cheek.

  It’s just a role, she reminded herself, and let the character take over.

  Grace nuzzled the tip of her nose against his. Her eyes drifted shut as he edged closer, until their mouths met and clung together. When she slipped a hand under his shirt, he sat up to wriggle out of it, then propped himself on one elbow and nudged her onto her back. Firm muscle shifted under her touch as she mapped out the familiar contours of his chest and stomach. Kisses blended one into another, deepening, tongues moving in a slow dance.

  He helped her out of her clothes, pausing to caress each new expanse of skin as it was laid bare. A gasp caught in her throat when he knelt at the foot of the bed and parted her legs. He bent low to brush his lips over
her ankles and calves, up the inside of her thighs, and at last came to rest on her moist folds.

  He licked.

  “God!” Grace clutched his arms. She started to arch her hips, but a twinge of pain convinced her to lie still while he made love to her with his mouth. Pleasure built until her toes curled. She was on the verge of orgasm when he raised his head. Grace whimpered. “Why—?”

  “Shh.” He sat back on his heels and opened his jeans. “Give me a pillow.”

  Her hands shook as she did what he’d asked. Steffen slid his arm under her upper thighs, and lifted so he could ease the pillow beneath her ass, raising her a few inches. Grace held her breath as he guided the head of his cock to her entrance. Leaning over her, he braced himself on one arm and gazed into her eyes as he slipped inside. With his free hand he squeezed her breast. Stroked down her belly. Found her bud and massaged in lazy circles as he glided in and out.

  “Don’t stop,” Grace begged.

  He stroked faster, careful not to thrust too hard. Steffen watched her as he pushed her higher. So close, so close…

  Throwing her head back, she came.

  A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as her orgasm faded into an occasional tremor. Grace reached up to caress his hair.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  A shudder rippled through him. Steffen shifted to hold himself up on both hands, and rocked his hips faster, body tensing as he took his own pleasure. She watched his face twist an instant before he plunged into her one last time, cried out, and came.

  He stayed awake for nearly an hour after the sun breached the horizon, lingering as long as he could. He knew she would not be there when he woke.

  “I’m not sure when I’ll be able to see you again,” he told her. “There are things that require my full attention, and I don’t know how long it will take to resolve them.”

  “I understand. But I’ll miss you. A lot.”

  “I’ll miss you, too,” he murmured. “More than I ever expected.”

  When he could wait no more, he gave her one last kiss, then pulled on his jeans and climbed through the trap door. Grace stayed in bed a while longer, inhaling the scents that infused the sheets and reliving the feel of his hands, his mouth, his body moving over and within hers. At last she rose.

  Angie shook off the dreamy mood. She showered, packed her things, and left the cottage behind. As she drove away, the piece of her heart that was Grace whispered, Are you sure it’s only a role?

  ~ About the Author ~

  C. P. Foster is a writer of urban fantasy, romance, and erotica. She lives in Seattle with her husband and a cat named Tom who is no longer actually a tom. She doubts he appreciates the irony.

  Discover more about C. P. Foster here

  http://Cpfosterauthor.wordpress.com

  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-C-P-Foster-Aphrodites-Writer/287293758037990?fref=ts

  http://twitter.com/CPFoster1

  ~ Also by C. P. Foster ~

  Partners

  It takes a good Dom to Craft sex into magic…

  There’s nothing simple about Meredith’s magic. Unlike most Channels, she can’t draw magic on her own--she needs a Crafter to help shape it and cast it. But no ordinary Crafter will do. Meredith needs a man who can give her three things: domination, pain, and pleasure. And if she can’t find a partner soon, the sheer weight of her unchanneled power will drive her mad.

  When Nick meets Meredith, he’s stunned by the wild power she can channel. It calls to him like nothing he’s ever felt before, and the moment he touches it he knows he has to have more. He has the skills to give her what she needs, both as a Crafter and a Dom, but no one has ever attempted to mix dominance with magic. If things go wrong, it could kill them both. But if they go right…

  Buy Partners here

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  Five Haunting Nights: A Love Story in Serial

  One night of love to last all year…forever.

  At midnight on Halloween, in a crumbling old Victorian house, he answers her invitation. His invisible seduction begins with music, then with words that shock and arouse. From his unseen lips, “whore” is a silken caress that makes Olivia flush with desire, while his ghostly hands pleasure her body. But at sunrise, he is gone.

  Each Halloween, her mysterious phantom spends the night making love to her, mastering her body and soul. But it can’t go on forever. The place is falling into ruin, and it will eventually be too dangerous to enter. But Olivia can’t bear to let him go…

  A complete love story, told in serial

  “Night of Seduction”

  “Reunion Night”

  “Bittersweet Night”

  “Night of Truth”

  “Night’s End”

  Buy Five Haunting Nights here

  http://www.amazon.com/Five-Haunting-Nights-Serial-ebook/dp/B009PGGQS0/

  “Night of Seduction” Halloween Heat III

  An Anthology of Erotic Paranormal Romance

  Five erotic stories of love and passion, full of paranormal heat, werewolves and witches, ghosts and fae, perfect for Halloween.

  “The Wolf Binds the Witch” by Lilly Morgan

  “Mate Event” by Milly Taiden

  “Tied” by Lillian Diamante

  “Night of Seduction” by C. P. Foster

  “Serena” by Antonia Van Zandt

  Buy “Night of Seduction” Halloween Heat here

  http://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Heat-III-ebook/dp/B009M7TB9S/

  ~ More Fantasy from Etopia Press ~

  Awakening the Fire

  Guardian Witch Book One

  by Ally Shields

  Arianna Calin has sworn to keep the peace in Riverdale. Most of the Otherworlders prefer to haunt the Olde Town district--partying at vampire strip clubs, dining in elegant supper clubs, and inhabiting the cliffside caverns along the Mississippi. Being a cop is a tough job, but someone's gotta do it, and Ari's got her derringer, a sharp stiletto, and a few handy charms against things that hunt in the night. She's also a fire witch--a pedigree that comes in handy, since her partner's only human.

  When a virtual reality drug hits the streets, people start to die, and an elusive pack of werewolves threatens the status quo. Ari and Ryan are drawn into a web of murder and evil that will lead sworn enemies to a confrontation. While the city simmers around them, Ari struggles to prevent an all-out supernatural war...

  Fire Within

  Guardian Witch Book Two

  by Ally Shields

  A hidden evil stalks the city…

  Ari Calin refuses to believe her human friend Eddie murdered a vampire—in spite of his confession. Her human partner Ryan thinks the case is a slam dunk, even though there’s no weapon and no witnesses, but Ari’s not about to let her friend take the rap without finding out more.

  When Ari attends a charity event on the arm of a handsome werewolf, she finds someone she never expected to see again—Andreas De Luca, the charismatic vampire she used to date. When their eyes meet across the room, memories come rushing back. His kiss, his touch, a savage death…and a terrifying magical bond. A reconnection is the last thing she wants. Only by staying away and forgetting Andreas can she hope to avoid the Legend of Ramora.

  But when vampires keep dying, one thing becomes clear: Riverdale has a serial killer on its hands, and Andreas could be next. Ari begins to fear there’s more to it, though. Something truly evil is stalking the city, waiting to take control…

  When the Moon is Gibbous and Waxing

  by Angela Parson Myers

  Unspeakable evil rises with the moon…

  Graduate student Natalie Beres can’t remember who attacked her that autumn night under the full moon. She can’t remember anything between leaving her lab in a secluded building at the south end of campus and arriving at her apartment in the wee hours of the morning. Covered in blood. Not her own. Other than the loss of memory, she’s completely unharmed.


  She can’t say the same for the men who attacked her. The grisly campus murders force Natalie to dig deeper into what happened that night, to force herself to remember. But what she learns about herself is horrifying. When the police officer investigating the murders tries to get close, Natalie is caught between her attraction to him and her fear of discovery. But worse, can she avoid being found by the young man with a similar problem who’s on his way from the West coast to find her…leaving a trail of shredded corpses along the way…?

  The Taste of Magic

  by K.C. Shaw

  Magic’s in her blood. Unfortunately, that just makes it taste better...

  Analefa Miradwen has spent the last ten years avoiding vampires. She knows her blood is a delicacy, but she doesn’t want to share. Not after the last time, which nearly left her dead.

  When the vampire mage Magnus begins stalking her, Ana turns to the King’s Enforcer for help. Vincent Ondarr has the manpower and the magic-power to keep her safe. According to him, Ana’s blood doesn’t just taste good, it enhances a mage’s magic.

  The trouble is, Vincent’s a vampire mage too. If Ana wants to keep her blood to herself, she’ll have to figure out which one of them she can trust. And what exactly Magnus wants from her...