“The moat of lights messes with my ability to check. The end of the line is in the butler’s pantry and I doubt they’ll be hanging out all day in there in the off chance one of us comes shooting out of the dumbwaiter. In fact, I’d place money that they don’t even know this existed.”
“How did those two idiots…” She stopped herself this time. “Nevermind, you can tell me later. After we visit my new chocolate factory.”
Armand’s chuckle helped relax her ever so slightly. She was grateful he’d been unconscious for three days. It had given her the time she needed to come to terms with the fact that he was a bloodsucking vampire, albeit a rather polite and sophisticated one.
“Good luck, mon cherie. And be careful. You are the first person I have enjoyed meeting in a very long time. I’d like to continue our conversations for some time to come.”
“Fine, but we have to take sex breaks since you are the first person I’ve enjoyed having sex with ever.”
“Aw, Lily, you will now leave me with a hardening cock and nowhere to put it.”
She could hear the light teasing in his voice and suspected this was a side of Lord Armand von Kassel that very few people had ever seen. Her heart skipped a beat in a ridiculously cliché way they do in romance novels.
You’re losing it, girl.
“Hold my beer.”
“Beer? I have not served…”
“Nevermind. It’s an expression.”
“I can see we have much to talk about. You can catch me up on all of the things I have missed since I’ve been in captivity.”
“And you can catch me up on what it was like to meet Beethoven—like the real fucking composer.”
“Focus. I believe you are stalling.”
“I believe you are right. Okay, I’m ready. Close the door.”
The small amount of light she had dimmed as he started to pull the door down to the elevator. Just before she was thrown into pitch blackness, she heard his final plea.
“Please come back to me safely, my pet. I have many games I wish to play with you.”
The darkness enveloped her before she could retort. Within seconds, she felt the lift moving. Lily slammed her eyes closed, not to block out light, but to try to fake her brain out that she was just meditating. She took deep, cleansing breaths, fighting to stay calm.
Then it hit her. She was acting more afraid of a little dark space than she had when she’d found out she’d been trapped in a cell with a bloodsucking vampire.
The muffled sound of talking grew stronger the higher the dumbwaiter went. The creaking sounds of the old mechanical pulley system seemed as loud as a marching band to Lily. She wished she had a way of communicating with Armand at the bottom to tell him to pause.
By the time the lift stopped moving, the voices were loud enough to make out what they were saying. Her interest piqued, Lily tried to pick up the conversation as, thankfully, they were not immediately next to the lift.
“I’m telling ye, Da. I should go down and check on the wee lass.”
“And for the final time, I said no. She stays in the pen. We stick to the plan. Now, eat your eggs. I have many chores for you today.”
Fucking great. It looked like she was in for an extended stay in her tight confinement, at least until they left the kitchen area. The only thing that could make her predicament even worse was the eggs smelled fantastic. Her stomach growled in agreement.
* * *
Armand watched the second hand of the old alarm he’d pulled out of storage. Each second that ticked by felt like a new weight on his chest.
Ten hours, thirteen minutes and forty-five seconds. Forty-six. Forty-seven.
That was how long Lily had been gone. With each passing minute, his agitation grew. One minute gleefully anticipating his final release and the start of his carefully planned revenge—the next minute worried that the Irish idiots had captured Lily and were presently torturing her somewhere in his castle.
It was the third scenario, however, that was occupying more time in his brain as the minutes turned to hours. He grew obsessed with the vision replaying on a loop in his head. The one where he’d been duped by an intelligent young woman who’d tricked him into helping her escape, but who would leave him rotting away in his prison of light.
Armand was a decisive man so the flip-flopping emotions brought on by the idea that Lily had escaped without him pissed him off.
He didn’t think Lily deserved to die. In fact, he wanted her to live a long and happy life.
But then his long-time friend, fury, would rear its head. What a putz he was to be duped again, and before he even escaped.
Armand crossed to the stereo, needing the calming sound of soothing music to ease his anxiety, but when he turned on the power, a pounding David Bowie song greeted him.
A smile came to his lips. She’d literally only been in his haven for three days, yet she’d left her mark. It was in that moment he let go of his anger. He may not like it, but there was a part of him that was happy that Lily would not be coming back. None of this fucked up scene was her fault. He’d made the mistake of trusting the wrong people decades before. She was merely a pawn in the grand scheme of things. A pawn that he cared for more than he should.
But what if she’d been captured by the idiots upstairs and was in trouble? He was helpless to assist her and that realization was the worst of all. He was used to being the most powerful in any room. The one mortals and immortals alike came to for help in their time of need. And now when Lily needed him, he could do nothing.
Impotent.
He wished he had saved some of the scotch whiskey or vodka, but he’d run out of those spirits years before. He had nothing left in his wine rack except the empty bottle from his last fine wine Lily had helped herself to.
Some time later, he forced himself to lie down on the bed. Giving up hope on Lily’s return, he’d need to rest, to prepare for the day ahead when another donor would arrive.
When he would enact his original escape plan.
When he’d track down one Lily Lewis and punish her for deserting him.
* * *
Armand had fallen into his hibernation state, letting Lily’s sweet blood restore him as he waited for his next donor. Like her blood, memories of her continued to flit through his brain, making true hibernation impossible.
“Unbelievable. You’re taking a nap.”
Her voice startled him. He shot up to a sitting position, frantically looking around the still dark haven. He’d clearly been resting more soundly than he’d thought as it took a few long seconds for the memories of Lily Lewis to fully return.
Why couldn’t he see her? “Lily?”
A few seconds later, she walked out from the bathroom carrying a glass of water. She took a long drag from the glass before answering. “I’m upstairs risking my life, working on getting us freed, and you’re down here taking a nap.”
The grin that lit up her face was like pure sunshine. It was the only kind of sunshine an immortal such as himself needed in their life.
An odd thought came to him then. At a time when he should be rejoicing at his impending freedom, or celebrating the start of his planned revenge, at the moment all he could think about was convincing Lily Lewis not to leave him to return to France.
“So, you have the key to the dungeon?” he asked tentatively.
“I do.”
“And the UV lights…”
“Are off. And before you ask, it’s also after dark outside.”
He was less sure he wanted to know what had happened to them, but he asked anyway. “The Irish idiots?”
“Gone for supplies. At least for now. It’s why we need to get a move on and get you upstairs so we can make a plan for how to handle them when they get back.”
Of all of those glorious words, Armand latched on to one in particular.
“We? Does that mean you’ll stay long enough to help me regain full control of my estate?”
Their eyes met i
n the dim lighting. He adored the humor, and not fear, he saw shining back at him. It had been a very long time indeed that anyone, let alone a gorgeous woman, had looked at his burned face like that.
“Hell yes, I’m staying. You owe me a bottle of wine. And a steak.” Her smile turned to a grin. “And I’m collecting on my chocolate factory.”
Armand pushed to his feet, loving that he towered over her petite frame by a foot as he yanked her into his arms. Lily crooked her neck to look up at him, licking her lips as if to beg him to kiss her.
He would happily oblige, but kissing would regrettably have to wait until after they secured the castle. Still, he took the time to promise, “And don’t forget, I owe you literally dozens of orgasms. It’s the least I can do to help repay you for your kind assistance.”
Her smile slipped, the humor in her eyes replaced with that sexual heat he loved. The best part was that she had that look all on her own. He didn’t need to glam her. Hell, he hadn’t even healed his own scars yet.
“I’d like to renegotiate on that point.” She paused long enough he became worried before she added, “I deserve thousands, not dozens.”
“Deal. But that could take years,” he played along with her teasing banter.
“If you say so. Maybe we should play it by ear.”
Armand released her, reaching to hold her hand as he headed towards the door to his prison.
“I accept your proposal, and make one additional request.”
They had walked through the now dark moat area that surrounded his bedroom prison. He was only seconds away from walking through the heavy dungeon door that he’d been trapped behind for almost twenty years, and yet Lily’s nearness was an unexpected distraction at a time he should be focused on revenge.
Armand turned to look into her eyes to add, “I’d like to repay you some of those orgasms in every room in the castle. Once we are rid of the idiots, we can explore together and christen each room so to speak.”
“Sounds interesting. How many rooms are there?” she asked playfully.
“Only thirty-five here, but then we can visit my extensive properties in Paris, London, Budapest, and Amsterdam.”
He loved seeing her eyes widen with excitement.
“Challenge accepted.”
Armand and Lily will live on in their own series coming in 2020 where we will have a front row seat as Armand takes back control of the Order of the Jagged Cross and gets his hard earned revenge against his enemies. You won’t want to miss their sexy trysts as they travel across the continent leaving traitors in their wake.
About Livia Bourne
Livia Bourne is the alter ego of USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Livia Grant.
With the Bourne books, you'll still be getting the same raw, gritty romances that will take you to the edge of your seat, but these stories will be out of this world...literally.
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The Devil’s Game
Sara Fields
Chapter 1
Fucking hell.
Not another one.
The rips and snarls from a freshly risen vampire echoed off the stone walls, reverberating loudly enough for anyone in the nearby vicinity to hear. Quickly, I turned the corner and pressed my back against the rock wall of the two-story crypt behind me. Gripping a thick pointed stake in my fingers, I prepared myself for the next fight. I was only slightly winded, but I was ready to take down whatever came at me now. I’d already killed two of them with a brutal blow from my stake right to the heart, and I was ready to take down more. It always gave me pleasure to watch as their remains quickly desiccated into nothing but shimmering dust bunnies that ultimately drifted away with the wind.
I had trained for this though. Ever since I was young, I had been a Demon Hunter. I was abandoned as a child on their doorstep and raised by their leader, Logan, as his own. During the course of my life, I’d seen it all in the world of evil. Monsters were capable of cruelty like no other and had no qualms about hurting the innocent to further their cause. I hated them and I’d do anything I could to fight against their kind.
I’d been sent here tonight because there were whispers of a new threat. Our sources hinted at a very strong vampire, one of the oldest in existence. Not much was known about him, but recently, there’d been a surge in vampire activity, both old and new. It almost appeared as though someone was building an army. Whatever it turned out to be, I would do anything to stop it.
It was dark, the moon rising high overhead and the twinkle of only the brightest stars shone down through all the high-rise buildings surrounding the cemetery. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for battle, and spun out from behind the ancient stone tomb I’d been hiding behind only to come face to face with not one, but two vampires. They turned their heads too quickly, their red angry eyes finding mine. Their lips rolled like a feral animal’s and I drew in an excited breath. I lived for this.
One of them was as big as a college football player. The other was only a little smaller, but formidable looking all the same.
They were freshly turned. Their eyes were bright red, indicative of their newbie vamp status. Their sharp pointed teeth were newly sprouted, bright white under the light of the moon. Pale faces flared with anger at my challenge and I readied myself for the fight, keeping low and bending my knees so I’d be as maneuverable as possible. They’d be strong and very fast, abilities that would allow them to catch their prey despite their fumbling, fledging status. They took a step toward me, hesitant like a newborn fawn. Then they took another, and I tensed.
They’d be ravenous for blood. Human blood. My blood.
I gritted my teeth, bent my knees, and surged forward, using their momentary confusion to my advantage. They would expect me to lie down and let them take me, but I wasn’t about to do anything like that. I was strong and I’d killed a fair number of their kind. Lifting my leg, I used my heel to deal a powerful kick to the smaller one’s chest, knocking him back about a foot while I swung my fist around to catch the bigger one in the chin.
The big one snarled and I chuckled in return.
Fucking stupid meathead.
The big one ducked low and reached for me, but I dove out of his reach just in time. I turned in a tight circle, catching the smaller vampire off guard. I punched him once square on the nose and then caught his jaw with a tight right hook. He staggered backwards and I spun as swiftly as I could before plunging my stake deep into his chest, right above his heart.
The bright red of his eyes flickered for a moment. The look of blatant shock on his face was obvious, but it didn’t last long. I watched as his body withered into dust, only to be carried away by the breeze that was making its way through the cemetery. The big dude roared in fury and rushed at me, trying to get revenge for his dead friend. As quickly as I could, I shifted my weight from one leg to the other and ducked, just missing his grimy fingers grasping at my shirt. Damn, he stank. It was rancid. Why did new vampires always smell like ass?
He came toward me, but
his movements were slow and not very calculated. He was bigger than me, but I’d fought worse than him before by a longshot.
A rumble passed through the air. It felt like thunder, but it carried with it something far more powerful. It reeked of magic and I wrinkled my nose with displeasure as a tingling sensation raced across my skin. What the hell? I looked around, trying to determine the source, but there wasn’t a single clue for me to go off of. It felt like it was everywhere. Chewing my lip, I realized something far bigger was at work here than I had originally thought. Either someone had convinced a witch, or more likely a group of witches, to do their bidding or there was something we had yet to figure out.
The very air around me crackled with electricity and the big vampire’s eyes rolled back in his head. After a brief second, his pupils reemerged, only there was something different about them. Instead of his irises being simply just red, they were a much deeper scarlet and there were flecks of black and gray. I took a step back and drew in a nervous breath.
“Ruby…” the vampire murmured, his voice low, gruff, decidedly alpha male, and very different than the grunts I’d heard out of him before. He crossed his arms over his chest as he cocked his head toward me. Yeah, definitely different.
“You’re not the newbie vamp I was just fighting anymore, are you?” I asked tentatively and he grinned with an unnerving cockiness in my direction.
I sucked in a breath. Holy shit. This couldn’t be happening.
Possession from one demon to another like this just wasn’t done. As far as I knew, witches could only attempt it on another human and it was temporary at best. None of the Demon Hunters books, scrolls, or writings mentioned the possibility of an ability for someone to take over a monster’s mind. Not like this. Magic this powerful must be ancient or extremely well hidden for a very long time. I chewed my bottom lip, staring at the man. Who the hell was this?
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