Eversong (Midnight Playground)
Page 9
“Before Mr. Kaspan purchased the island, it was uninhabited except by wildlife. He’s kept as much untouched as possible, a preserve for local species of reptiles and birds.”
“Reptiles?” Akila scanned for alligators that might pop out of the underbrush.
“Various kinds of lizards and frogs, except frogs are amphibians.” Jacob was suddenly babbling, and she realized he was covering his own embarrassment at what had happened between them, trying to pretend his cock hadn’t been pushing insistently into her crotch.
Clearly having sex with Jacob wouldn’t be a burden for either of them if she were really to follow through on Kaspan’s plan. As if she would. To be impregnated with a child? Crazy! And how in the world would it be Valarian’s anyway?
“Tell me more about this thrall thing.” She interrupted Jacob. “What does it mean that you share his blood? Why doesn’t that turn you into a…what he is?”
Jacob stopped walking and stared at the scarlet blooms that dotted a bush beside the path. “To become a vampire, one must be drained nearly to death and then ingest a large amount of blood from a donor. After a long, coma-like sleep, a period of hibernation during which the body alters and the blood changes, the person has become a vampire. But a thrall…is something different.”
He stopped talking and Akila waited. Even she was able to hold her tongue once in a while. Right now, she could tell it was difficult for Jacob to speak about what had happened to him. She gave him time to formulate the words.
“I met Mr. Kaspan in Germany toward the end of the war.” He glanced at Akila. “The second World War. I was in a camp, in bad shape. He freed me, fed me and then made me an offer. He needed someone to serve him since his previous thrall had been killed. Valarian showed me his fangs and explained what becoming his servant would mean.”
Akila could barely breathe as she listened to his voice, as quiet as if he was in a confessional. The birds calling in the trees were louder than Jacob.
“I had no illusions. I agreed to it. I welcomed the chance to repay him for his kindness.” He paused. “Besides, I had no one left to go home to.”
“How does it work?” she asked softly.
“A vow and an exchange of blood, although not enough to turn the chosen one into a vampire. I suppose you would call it a covenant. I will serve him until I die.”
“But what do you get from this arrangement?”
“Long life, health, strength, protection and a bond you could not begin to understand. I owed Valarian my life. I was happy to give it back to him. In return, he helped me accomplish something I was determined to do.”
Jacob began walking again, signaling he was through discussing the topic.
Akila trailed after him. “May I ask one more thing?”
“Could I stop you?” he said dryly.
“What’s Kaspan’s story? How long has he been alive? When was he turned and how?”
“That is his story to tell. You must ask him,” was the unsatisfactory reply.
She would indeed. There was a goldmine of a story here that spanned years and continents, life-changing experiences and deep emotions. She was determined to extract the gold if she had to chip away the rock piece by piece.
His hunger for one woman will make him a traitor to his world.
Unending Desire
© 2011 Tina Donahue
Outlawed Realm, Book 1
From a portal in his lab on E2, one of the five dimension of Earth, quantum physicist Nikoli Zorr gazes on everything forbidden to him. Passion. Desire. The exquisite pleasure of running his hands over the lush curves of a young woman he should have stopped watching weeks ago.
His duty is to close the portals that keep the monsters out of E2—and never interfere with the inevitable fate of those on the other side. Yet he can’t bring himself to abandon the woman who has captured his soul.
Psychologist Regina Page is trying to keep her mind on her client, and off the mysterious, unbearable sexual cravings that consume her when she’s alone in her bedroom. The next moment she’s attacked by vampires, then swept into another realm by a stranger whose touch awakens that same raw desire. Whose eyes are already filled with farewell.
Yet beneath their undeniable carnal lust, something else stirs. The beginnings of illicit love. The unexpected need to protect him. Even if it means risking body, blood and soul to defeat the merciless horde…for a future that was never meant to be.
Warning: Contains a repressed scientist who likes to look, and the woman who delights in unleashing his inner caveman. And sex hot enough burn a hole in all three dimensions…and maybe create a whole new one.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Unending Desire:
Nikoli glanced at Regina’s hand, chiding himself for having followed her here, for wanting to be near her before Sazaar arrived. A foolhardy act that wouldn’t change anything. It wasn’t as though he could tell Regina what to expect. A horror she wouldn’t believe until it unfolded before her.
Fearful of behaving inappropriately, of running her off and losing his only chance to be this close, Nikoli lifted his hand. After weeks of fantasizing about touching her, he cautioned himself to temper his reaction.
The warning did little good.
Longing he’d never experienced stole his breath as he clasped her exquisitely soft fingers, his thumb stroking hers.
Lids sliding down, Regina parted her lips on a quiet sigh. Color rose to her cheeks, the same as it had this morning in her bath when he’d watched her, hungering to touch and taste every inch of her flesh. To smell it. A pleasure unknown in his dimension.
On E2, sterile air replaced all fragrances, a matter deemed necessary to keep the populace disease-free. Here, the scent of food, drink and muggy rain bombarded Nikoli. Even so, it wasn’t enough to keep him from catching Regina’s fragrance. Light and faintly sweet, it reminded him of what her people called vanilla and peaches.
Blood rushed to his groin, pooling in his cock. Another word from her realm. A language Nikoli had learned over the years as he’d monitored the spontaneously occurring portals, never realizing he’d someday cross through one he had created into a dimension more electrifying than he could have ever imagined.
Time passed more swiftly here than it did on his plane. As people moved about, their bodies seemed to blur. The vibrant colors dazzled when compared to his realm’s somber hues, making Nikoli slightly dizzy, the same as touching her.
“Regina,” he repeated, enjoying the sound of her name. He glanced at her fiery red hair, gold earrings—the color of stars on his side—soft gray sweater and black pants.
Gently, she squeezed his hand, her expression soft with arousal. “And you are?”
There was no need to lie. Tonight would be their only time together. Tomorrow, Regina would be safe, and he would surely be dead. Even if he escaped harm from Sazaar, Andris and the others, death awaited him on his return to E2. Fear or sorrow should have overwhelmed Nikoli. Instead, gratitude for this small slice of time, this moment of unrestricted joy, quickened his answer. “Nikoli Zorr.”
Regina moved her lips as though testing his name. Her resultant smile said she liked it. “Nikoli.” Her iris’s green tint was darker now, lushly verdant in the room’s scant light. She studied his features. “It sounds Russian. Were you born there?”
Prepared for her questions, he continued to lie. “My parents emigrated from a small isolated village in Romania. They brought me over when I was twelve. I’m afraid our accent is quite unique.”
“It fits you,” she said. “Do you work here?” She glimpsed at his shoulders. “Are you on your way home?”
“Sir?”
Nikoli glanced over at the young woman who had waited on him. She regarded Regina’s hand in his, then flashed him a hungry smile.
Unmoved by her seduction, growing cautious, he said, “Yes?”
“You forgot your change.” She rested a series of bills and circular coins near his cup, then regarded him, her expressi
on expectant.
Nikoli wasn’t certain how to respond. Of the currency he’d stolen, he hadn’t known how much to offer for the drink. Overwhelmed at seeing Regina, at being close enough to hear her speak, he’d watched her hand over a bill for her order but hadn’t noticed if she’d received anything back.
“Thank you,” he said.
Brows drawn together, the girl glanced at the bills.
Nikoli sensed she wanted them back. Why, he didn’t know. Taking a chance, he slid the one on top toward her to see what would happen.
“Thank you,” she said, pocketing it. Ponytail swinging, she hurried back to her station.
“Wow. You’re a good tipper,” Regina said, arching one brow.
Nikoli wasn’t certain what she meant. His only answer was the truth. “I wanted her to leave.” He smiled. “It was the only way I knew to get rid of her.”
Regina laughed.
The carefree, tinkling sound stroked Nikoli’s soul. With great care, he squeezed her fingers.
Regina’s expression grew distracted, her smile fading as she glanced at their hands, her fingers hugging his. Not caring if he acted recklessly, Nikoli held on to her for a few seconds more.
After he released her, Regina wrapped her fingers around her cup. She asked again, “Do you work in this building?”
“On the third floor,” he offered, lying easily, giving her the name of one of the companies he’d passed on the way down here.
Nodding, Regina captured a bit of the drink’s whipped cream on her fingertip, then brought it to her mouth, licking it off.
The back of his neck tingled.
“Do you own the company?” she asked.
His attention remained on her mouth, the promise of its wet heat beyond her plump bottom lip. He imagined his tongue stroking her lips, parting them, seeking entrance. Once claimed, he pictured Regina offering even more of herself. On her knees, she’d take his cock into her velvety palms, lifting it to her mouth, drawing it inside, providing shelter, elation, completion. Sounding distracted, he said, “Yes.”
“What business are you in, Nikoli?”
The shameless images in his mind evaporated with her question. Stalling for an answer, his knowledge of this realm, he peeled off the white circular cover on the top of his cup and placed it to the side. A word popped in his mind, one he’d seen quite a few times on this plane. “Consulting.”
“On what?”
His pulse pounded. He thought back to things he’d seen here. “Computer software designs.”
Regina’s quick nod told Nikoli he hadn’t said anything strange.
She smiled. “My system could certainly use some expert help. Carly’s always complaining about how we need to move my accounting and other files into the twenty-first century. Sad to say, I’ve let her whine without really doing anything to fix the problem. I figured she could just live with it since she’s my only employee, kind of a combination bookkeeper-receptionist-secretary. But hey, if you know software, maybe you can give me a couple of tips on what I need to do.”
Sweat trickled down Nikoli’s back. He had no idea what to suggest. The systems on this side were centuries behind the advancements on his. “Of course, but I generally work with large firms with hundreds of employees.” To take the focus off himself, he asked, “What business are you in, Regina?”
“I’m a psychologist.” She ran her fingertip over the food she’d been eating. Small, delicate flakes fell from it onto the countertop. “I deal with anxiety disorders.”
He offered a nod of encouragement. “I admire anyone who helps others with their problems. Your work must be very rewarding.”
Appreciation for his comment radiated from her. “I certainly try to help all that I can. Unfortunately, I’m not always successful.”
He thought of Sazaar and was careful to keep himself from sounding worried. “It’s understandable that some can’t be helped.”
Regina offered a rueful smile. “I’ll have to remember that when I’m feeling badly about a failure. Now that I know you work here, perhaps I can ask you for a pep talk from time to time.”
He spoke without thinking. “A pep talk?”
“A word of support,” she amended.
“Of course.” With his full attention on her, he spoke from the heart, offering a future they didn’t have. “Always.”
A soft heat emanated from her, the kind a woman on this side showed when she wanted a man. “Are you on your way home, Nikoli?”
Surprised at her question, not knowing why she asked, he shook his head.
She glanced at his coat, confusion sparking in her expression as though she’d expected him to leave.
“There’s a matter I have to attend to,” he said, being deliberately vague, “but I still have work to do and planned to return shortly.”
Naked pleasure shone on her face.
It pleased him as nothing else ever had. “Are you going home?” he asked.
“I have one last patient in a few minutes.” She nibbled on the edge of her food, then returned it to the white square it had rested on—what her people called a napkin. Brushing crumbs from the side of her mouth, she said, “The appointment will be over in an hour. If you don’t have to work past seven fifteen or so, would you care to have dinner with me?” She lowered her hand to the table, waiting for his answer.
His mouth had already gone dry. Her words rang in his mind.
I have one last patient.
Sazaar. For weeks, he’d watched his mate arrive at Regina’s office, then struggle to disclose her abominable secrets. Thus far, Sazaar hadn’t revealed anything about Andris and the others. Tonight, she would. Nikoli sensed it. Feared it.
Once Regina learned what no human was meant to know, Sazaar would destroy her. She’d have no other choice.
Eversong
Eden Bradley
In a realm of dangerously delicious decadence, three lost souls dare to love…
Ever, owner of London’s infamous Midnight Playground, fears the pain of his past and the weight of centuries are pushing him to the edge of insanity. Not even his favorite indulgences—sex, blood, companionship—hold his interest. And he wonders, what’s the point of immortality when life is unbearably empty?
Into the void stumbles trouble.
Kidnapped, Turned against her will then abandoned by a rogue vampire, Mercy Turned the handsome Deo in a fit of loneliness and despair. Now they stand, frightened and confused, before the Council to be punished for their unintentional crimes. Their fresh innocence, the intensity of their illegal bond, rekindles Ever’s sexual and emotional fire.
The trio forges a connection that’s more than simply a cure for Ever’s lassitude. Its brilliance drives the shadows from his soul…until Mercy is threatened, and he must draw on his darkness to fight for her life. And risk losing his happily forever after to madness.
Warning: Old love lost, new love gained, and in between some of the hottest three-way vampire sex ever seen in Europe! Includes oral sex, anal sex, m/m/f, with a few spanking and rimming scenes because vampires are a dirty bunch.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
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Eversong
Copyright © 2011 by Eden Bradley
ISBN: 978-1-60928-683-5
Edited by Sue Ellen Gower
Cover by Angela Waters
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotati
ons embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: October 2011
www.samhainpublishing.com
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
About the Author
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