Table of Contents
Praise for D.B. Reynolds
Other D.B. Reynolds titles from ImaJinn Books
Unforgiven
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Epilogue
Vincent
Please visit these websites for more information about D.B. Reynolds
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Praise for D.B. Reynolds
“Smart, suspenseful and sexy, D. B. Reynolds’s characters linger long after the last page.”
—Kelley Armstrong, NYT bestselling author of the Otherworld series
“Watch out readers! I fully expect to see Reynolds’s books lining the shelves alongside great authors the likes of Kenyon, Hamilton, and Moning.”
—DemonLoversBooksAndMore.com
“D.B. Reynolds has created a vampire society with characters full of depth, charm, and charisma.”
—I Smell Sheep
“D.B. is a master at writing these scenes. The sensuality will take your breath away.”
—La Deetda Reads
“In one of the most compelling vampire books I’ve read in a while, Reynolds blends an excellent mix of paranormal elements, suspense, and combustible attraction.”
—RT Book Reviews on LUCAS
Other D.B. Reynolds titles from ImaJinn Books
The Vampires in America Series
Raphael (Book One)
Jabril (Book Two)
Rajmund (Book Three)
Sophia (Book Four)
Duncan (Book Five)
Lucas (Book Six)
Aden (Book Seven)
Vincent (Book Eight)
(Coming November 2014)
The Cyn & Raphael Novellas
Betrayed
Hunted
Unforgiven
A Cyn & Raphael Novella
by
D.B. Reynolds
ImaJinn Books
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events or locations is entirely coincidental.
ImaJinn Books
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Ebook ISBN: 978-1-61194-536-2
Print ISBN: 978-1-61194-552-2
ImaJinn Books is an Imprint of BelleBooks, Inc.
Copyright © 2014 by D.B. Reynolds
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
ImaJinn Books was founded by Linda Kichline.
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Cover design: Debra Dixon
Interior design: Hank Smith
Photo/Art credits:
Couple (manipulated) © Konradbak | Dreamstime.com
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Dedication
As always, this is for my readers who make the dream possible.
Chapter One
CYNTHIA LEIGHTON laced her fingers with Raphael’s as they made their way down the staircase. He squeezed back, his big hand warm and secure. Her beautiful vampire lover. He was dressed as usual in one of his elegant power suits—dark charcoal and custom made to fit his gorgeous physique—tall, muscular, big chest and shoulders. And he was all hers. A thrill of lust shivered its way up her body, making her wish this was one of those nights when they could stay in, just the two of them, alone in their underground lair with its big bed.
She sighed quietly. But no. Raphael was off to do his master of the universe thing while she and Elke were heading over to the gym for a bit of torture. Or as Elke called it, a good workout. And then Cyn had work of her own to do. Raphael might not like her going out and spying on wayward spouses anymore, but her private investigations business was still active and thriving on the internet.
Juro, the sumo-sized Japanese vampire who was Raphael’s chief of security, walked ahead of them through the double front doors, pausing to get a nod of acknowledgment from his twin brother who already waited by the limousine. This was Raphael’s headquarters, his private estate, with security up the wazoo. But even so, Juro wouldn’t let him cross the threshold to the outside until he was sure it was safe. He’d always been observant, but times were more hazardous than ever these days with the European vamps agitating at the border and no one knowing exactly what they’d do next. Only one thing was certain—they were coming, and Raphael would be their number one target. If the Europeans could get rid of him, it would go a long way toward softening up the rest of the continent.
Or so they thought. Cyn thought the European vamps grossly underestimated the strength and determination of the other North American vampire lords. Sure, if something happened to Raphael, it would be a blow. Not that anything was going to happen to him. Juro wasn’t the only one who would die before letting that happen. But speaking purely hypothetically, if something did happen to Raphael, the other lords wouldn’t just roll over and show their bellies. If anything, Raphael’s death might make some of them fight even harder. Lucas and Duncan fell into that category for sure. Those two wouldn’t rest until they’d avenged their Sire’s murder.
Cyn’s goal, however, was to make sure it didn’t come to that. Whatever it took, whoever else had to die, including herself, she would not permit Raphael to become someone’s dead inspiration to fight harder.
“Lubimaya?”
She smiled at the familiar endearment, at the warm roll of happiness in her gut at the sound of Raphael’s dark velvet voice.
“Yeah, babe,” she said, leaning into his side and looking up at him.
His mouth quirked into a smile. “You’ll be here when I return.”
Bossy. But then, Raphael didn’t make requests. He gave orders, even to her. Or he tried. This time he succeeded because she intended to be around anyway.
“I’ll be here,” she agreed, then reached distractedly for her cell phone when it rang a recognizable tone. “That’s Luci,” she noted for Raphael’s benefit, then frowned. Luci was her best friend, but today was Thursday, and Luci never called on Thursday night. She ran a group counseling session at the teen runaway shelter for any kids who chose to sit in, whether they were living at the house she managed or not.
Raphael waited, pulling them both to a stop as Juro continued around the limo to the open driver’s door.
“Luci?” she said, answering. “What’s wrong?”
“What makes you think something’s wrong?” Luci snapped, her irritation a sure sign that something was definitely amiss.
“Tonight’s group, Luce.”
“Oh. Well, yeah, it starts in a few minutes. That’s why I’m calling.”
“Is one of the kids giving you trouble?”
“Not the kids, no. But there’s�
�” Luci paused, her tongue clicking in frustration. “It’s probably nothing.”
“Just tell me.”
“There’s this new guy. He looks the part, sixteen, maybe seventeen years old, but . . . something doesn’t ring true about him. I think he’s a vampire, Cyn. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I’m getting this weird vibe off of him. Plus, he keeps asking a lot of questions about you and Raphael. Stuff like where you live, if you ever come around the house, if I know any of the other guys out there.”
“How long’s he been hanging around?” Cyn asked, her gaze lifting to meet Raphael’s, knowing his vampire-enhanced hearing would be picking up both sides of the conversation.
“Just over a week, and he’s been here every night. Oh God, I’m probably making way too much—”
“No, you’re not. Is he there tonight?”
“Yeah, he is. That’s why I called you.”
“Okay, I’m coming over right now. If he leaves, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll see you as soon as I can get there.”
“Thanks, Cyn,” Luci said, her breath running out on a long sigh.
Cyn disconnected just in time to see Raphael and Juro doing their mind meld thing, staring at each other over the roof of the limo, their identically blank faces concealing the conversation that was no doubt going on inside their heads.
“Juro will accompany you,” Raphael said abruptly, pulling Cyn against his side as Juro came back around the limo to stand next to them.
“Elke will be with me,” she protested. “And you need Juro with you.”
“Juro is more powerful than Elke,” Raphael murmured. “He’ll be able to deal with whoever this is.”
“We don’t even know it’s a vampire,” Cyn persisted.
“Cynthia.”
Cyn’s protest stopped dead at the sound of Juro’s deep bass voice. He so rarely spoke that when he did, it was worth listening.
“I’m concerned about Lucia,” he said quietly.
Cyn tried to keep her reaction from showing on her face as she looked up at him, and knew she only partially succeeded. Juro had been dancing around Luci for months, and Cyn had been shoving them at each other for just as long. This was the first time he’d admitted any interest though, and it gave Cyn a little thrill of satisfaction. At the same time …
“Do you think Luci’s in danger?”
“Not the way you mean,” Raphael assured her. “If this is what I suspect, then Luci’s shelter is simply an avenue of entrance.”
“Are you expecting someone?”
“I’m expecting an overture of some sort. This may be it.”
Cyn studied Raphael’s handsome face, but his expression gave away nothing, not even to her, and she wondered if he was hiding something. Again. Not so long ago, she’d nearly left him because he’d kept secrets from her. Secrets that almost got him killed.
As if reading her thoughts, he reached up and stroked his fingers along her cheek. “I’m holding nothing back, my Cyn. I know nothing more than what I’ve just told you.”
Cyn nodded. She believed him, because no matter what problems had come between them, she had never doubted the strength of his love. And she knew he wouldn’t risk losing her. Not again.
“You’ll keep your cell phone on?” she verified.
“I will, though Juro won’t need it.”
“If Juro’s with me, who’ll protect you? Maybe that’s what they want.”
“Juro’s brother will be with me, as will Jared,” he reminded her. As if conjured by the sound of his name, Raphael’s lieutenant, Jared, pulled open the doors and joined them on the wide porch.
“A problem, my lord?”
“A probe, I believe. Coming in through the program for homeless teens run by Cyn’s friend Lucia.”
Jared glanced at Cyn. The two of them didn’t get along well, but played nice for Raphael’s sake. “Shall I check it out?” he asked Raphael.
“No, you’ll stay with me. Juro will accompany Cyn and Elke. Before the night is over, we’ll know if this is a threat or not. It may be a simple misunderstanding.”
“But you don’t think so,” Cyn commented, stepping closer and resting her hand on his chest.
“No.”
Cyn nodded again. “Okay. Then we’ll handle it.”
“Follow Juro’s lead in this, my Cyn.”
“Of course,” she assured him, but he knew her too well for her breezy words to be reassuring.
“You will humor me in this,” he said darkly.
Cyn rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll let the big guy call the shots. If he’s not too busy flirting with Luci,” she couldn’t help adding with a wicked grin.
Raphael’s eyes closed briefly. “Perhaps I should cancel my meeting and go with you myself.”
Cyn blew out an exasperated breath. “Relax, fang boy. I promise to behave, okay? Besides, I’m not exactly helpless, you know.”
“All too well, my Cyn. Juro?” he said, turning to face the huge Japanese vampire. “You know what to do.”
Juro nodded silently, which had Cyn giving him a narrow look. How come he knew what to do and she didn’t?
“Juro will brief you on the way over, lubimaya,” Raphael murmured, correctly interpreting her look. “Now kiss me good-bye. The sooner we leave, the sooner we’ll return from our separate ventures.”
Cyn rose up on her toes to give him a lingering kiss, not caring that half of his security team was watching, and knowing that he wouldn’t care either. One of the many things she loved about Raphael was how open and obvious he was in his love for her, as if sensing she needed that kind of reassurance. And it worked.
“Come home soon, babe,” she whispered against his mouth.
He cupped her jaw in his big hand and touched his lips to hers in a sensuous caress. “Stay safe, lubimaya.”
And then he was gone, sliding into the dark interior of the waiting limousine.
Cyn waited until the limo was out of sight then rattled her keys in Juro’s direction. “Are we taking mine, or do you want something bigger?” she asked him. Her regular ride was a good-sized Range Rover, but she knew Juro preferred the bigger SUVs that Raphael sometimes traveled in. They had been modified with security in mind, their black-tinted windows bullet-proofed and every inch of the exterior armored, including the undercarriage.
Juro flashed his own set of keys with a droll look on his face that passed for amusement. “We’ll take mine,” he told her predictably.
“Are we going somewhere?” Elke asked, joining them on the steps. She was dressed in her usual workout gear and looked distinctly unhappy at the apparent change of plans.
“Luci’s,” Cyn provided. “She may have a vamp spy on her hands.”
Elke gave her a narrow look. “Is this just your way of getting out of a workout?”
“Not this time,” Cyn said somberly. “The threat is real enough that Raphael’s sending Juro along with us.”
Elke’s pale eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Juro, a questioning look on her face. After all, as Raphael’s security chief, Juro was her direct superior in the pecking order.
“What happened?” she asked.
“We can discuss it in the car,” Juro rumbled. “Lucia is alone with a strange vampire.”
A warm glow sparked in Cyn’s heart at this evidence of Juro’s feelings for Luci. She loved them both and especially loved the idea of her two friends finding happiness with each other.
“We’re taking the Expedition,” Juro said, as if there’d ever been any doubt. Not that Cyn cared. In fact, if there really was an enemy vamp waiting for them at Luci’s, she’d rather have the more secure vehicle at hand. Not to mention the giant vampire.
“Let’s go then, big guy. Luci’s waiting,” she a
dded, giving him a wink. He didn’t react to her teasing. Not a blush, not a twitch.
“You’re no fun,” Cyn growled. He gave her a Mona Lisa smile then turned to walk toward the SUV with an athletic grace that belied the sheer size of him. Cyn and Elke followed, the latter, grumbling about going off to confront an enemy vamp while wearing workout clothes.
Cyn tuned her out. Elke was just pissed because she thought her uniform suit made her look more intimidating. With her short, white blond hair and relatively small stature, Elke was too often dismissed as a threat. But that could be handy sometimes. Still, Elke felt it interfered with her ability to do her job as Cyn’s bodyguard effectively. Cyn could have told her that wasn’t true. Elke gave off such a strong don’t-fuck-with-me vibe that she didn’t need a mannish charcoal suit to make her point.
Juro was in a less charitable mood than Cyn, however. He gave Elke a single quelling glance and she shut up. Because that same don’t-fuck-with-me vibe of Elke’s was amped up about a thousand times coming from Juro. Cyn bit back a smile as she settled in for the trip to Luci’s.
The drive from Raphael’s Malibu estate to Luci’s place in West L.A. took longer than it should have. But then, any time you climbed into a car in L.A., you entered the great lottery of traffic jams. One day a ten mile trip could take ten minutes. The next, the same journey could take an hour. Today was in between, but by the time they finally arrived at Jessica’s House, the shelter for runaway teens that Luci and Cyn had founded several years ago, Cyn’s anxiety had skyrocketed. Luci was a very competent woman. She dealt every day and night with a bunch of rowdy, unhappy and maladjusted teenagers, and she did it without blinking. If this new guy was worrying her, then there was a reason to worry.
Juro pulled up in front of the house, his eyes on the entrance as he drew to a stop. Cyn followed his gaze but saw nothing other than a few teens slipping out the front door with wary glances in the direction of the big, black vehicle at the curb. There didn’t seem to be anything about the house that warranted the kind of intense scrutiny Juro was giving it, but then he was a difficult guy to read. His default facial expression was a carefully cultivated blank. He and Cyn got along fairly well, and she’d known him to crack a tiny smile on occasion, but that wasn’t what she was seeing there now.
Unforgiven (A Cyn and Raphael Novella Book 3) Page 1