“Of course I do,” said Liam. “My family built it over seven-hundred years ago. Don’t think for a minute that I don’t know the history of my ancestors, or the blood, sweat, and tears that went into building it. You see that tower on the left?”
We all turned and looked out the window.
“I helped to restore the bartizan with my grandfather when I was just a kid. He used to tell me stories about his grandparents, Duke and Duchess Rylan. The Duke was quite the rogue.”
“You mean he was a player?” said Melody, smiling.
“Call him what you want, but my grandfather said he was one bad-assed lycan and that all the ladies adored him.” He grinned arrogantly. “Sounds kind of familiar.”
“Aiden does get his share of dates,” said Steve.
“That’s because I’ve been gone. When the girls in town learn that I’m back, we’re going to have to hire extra security,” he replied, puffing out his chest. “Maybe even build a moat.”
“You’re so full of shit,” said Steve, chuckling as we pulled up to the entrance of the castle.
The driver got out of the car and walked around to open the door. As we stepped out of the limo, two men approached us from the castle, one of them obviously Liam’s brother.
“Speak of the devil,” said Liam, walking over to his brother. He grinned. “Is that a ‘track suit’ you’re wearing? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dress this informal in my life.”
“Didn’t want to make you look like a total schlep,” said Aiden, patting him on the back. Like Liam, he had blond hair, but his was cropped short and his face was freshly shaven, whereas Liam looked more like a scruffy gladiator.
“Funny guy,” he replied and then turned toward us. “By the way, I’d like to introduce you to our new houseguests, Melody and Chelsey. They’re from Montana.”
Aiden walked over to us, his face now somber. He held out his hand to me and I shook it. “Hi, I’m Aiden Rylan. I’ve heard about your losses.” He turned to Melody and extended his hand again. “I’m so sorry. If there is anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you,” she said.
I cleared my throat. “Yes, thank you, Mr. Rylan. I think I speak for both of us when I say that allowing us to stay in your home is already asking so much. We really appreciate your kindness and hospitality.”
“It’s the least I can do. One thing I insist on, though,” he smiled,” is that you both call me Aiden. Mr. Rylan makes me feel like an old man.”
“Oh, gosh… I’m sorry. You’re definitely not an old man,” I said, blushing. The only thing old about Aiden was the castle he owned and maybe the impressive ruby ring on his finger, with the letter “R” embossed. I’d noticed it right away when we shook hands.
He chuckled and then looked at Talia, who stepped forward. “Good evening, Talia. Are you excited about tomorrow?”
She smiled. “Of course. I’m just so relieved that Steve was able to get me here before the big meeting.”
Aiden grunted. “Right. The big meeting with Lucian Frazer.”
“Who is Lucian Frazer?” asked Liam.
“He’s a dreamer that needs an investor,” replied Aiden.
Liam sighed. “He wants money from you?”
“Of course. He’s working with some scientist in the U.S. and they need funding for some special project. Some guy named Shephard.”
“You don’t look very thrilled about the meeting. Why are you even wasting your time?” asked Liam.
He looked at Talia. “Because of Talia. She thinks they have some pretty conclusive evidence supporting their research.”
“What is it they’re trying to do?” asked Liam.
Aiden looked at me and Melody. “I promised to keep it classified. I can’t talk about it with anyone but Talia. Now, enough business. Let’s get everyone settled in and eat. Are we expecting any more guests?”
“Slade,” I replied.
Aiden looked at me and smiled. “Of course. Well, in that case, we can start without him. Something tells me he won’t mind a bit. Or should I say – a bite?”
“Good thing you’re a better businessman than comedian,” said Liam, as we followed him into the castle.
I’D STAYED AT the castle once before, when Aiden had hired me to be part of his Financial Research Advisory Group. During that time, he had his security staff research my background, while we spent the week getting to know each other as friends. Although he was a lycan, and I didn’t particularly care too much for them in general, I generally liked and respected Aiden Rylan. He was honest, straightforward, and brilliantly smart. He was also a wealthy billionaire, but so down-to-earth, you’d never know that the man could actually buy countries if he really wanted to.
My week at the castle had put me on pins and needles. Not that I was worried about any kind of physical danger, I was terrified of disappointing Lucian by making some kind of mistake. Thankfully, he had spent a lot of money to generate references and create an impressionable work history. Then there was the MBA in Finance, which even impressed me. All to create a façade that would help him gain Aiden’s support in lycan and vampire DNA testing. Supposedly, his associate, Dr. Shephard, had discovered a way to create a new species of immortals using both of our DNA. A species that would be stronger, faster, and easy to manipulate. Lucian believed that the new immortal hybrid would be the beginning of the end, especially for vampires, if we didn’t gain control of the research now. By funding Dr. Shephard, Lucian would be able to monitor the project and make sure that it didn’t fall into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, Dr. Shephard’s monetary demands were outrageous. And that’s where Aiden came in. Not only did he make millions on his various investments, but he was also an Internet mogul. He’d created several websites for investors, enabling them to research and make real-time investments with a press of the button. Fast. Easy. Convenient. That’s what the public wanted and that’s what Aiden had given them. And in return, he charged a small fee on each investment and sale. Lucian guessed that Aiden made more money in one week than he could make in a year. I had no idea how much that was, but it was more than enough to help fund the project.
We were all shown to our bedroom chambers and right away, Steve tried to slip into mine for a ‘quickie’.
“Are you crazy?” I whispered. “We can’t do this here.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, who cares,” he said, grabbing my hand. He kissed the inside of my arm. “Aiden has the same kind of sex drive I do. He’d understand if I was trying to get down your pants. You’re a beautiful woman and I… I have needs,” he said, putting my hand on his zipper.
“So do I,” I replied, pulling my hand away. “And right now I need to get my thoughts together for the meeting tomorrow. Besides… I… I have my period.”
His eyes widened. “Really?”
I smiled weakly. “Really.”
“Hell, I don’t care,” he said, pulling me toward him. “I’ll take you any way I can get you.”
“No. I’m sorry but I will not have sex with you when I have my period.”
Or ever.
He pulled away and looked me in the eye. “Well, maybe you could just help me relax.” He smiled. “Like you did on the plane? Otherwise, I’m going to be all hot-and-bothered during dinner. I won’t be able to concentrate on anything.”
“I’m sorry, but I have cramps and I don’t feel all that good. Another time, maybe?” I replied, pushing him toward the door.
He grinned wickedly. “You don’t have cramps in your mouth, do you?”
Pig.
“Actually, sometimes I do,” I replied with a straight face. “Could you imagine if I got one when I was… you know?” I grimaced. “That could be very painful and extremely messy. All that blood. Come to think of it, I would probably enjoy it, but I doubt you would.”
His face paled and he stepped outside of the chamber. “Um, I think I’ll be fine without your help.”
“I thought so,” I said
, shutting the door in his face.
I heard him retreat and heaved a sigh of relief. I really didn’t want to kill him, lycan or not. He was more of a nuisance now, and hopefully my excuses would simply keep him at bay. Or, maybe he’d find a new playmate. There were several nubile, young servants wandering the castle. Some of them very pretty. It was obvious that Aiden liked his maids young and pretty. I was pretty sure that they also liked him. He was easy on the eyes, even for a lycan.
And then there was Steve.
Steve wasn’t bad-looking. He just revolted me. In every way. The truth was that I had used him to get introduced to his childhood friend, Aiden Rylan. If it weren’t for that, I’d have never allowed him touch me. But, gaining Steve’s trust had been an integral part of the plan to get to Aiden. But now, I no longer needed him to want me. Or to even trust me. Our plans were already set in motion and as far as I was concerned, nothing would stop them.
THE CASTLE WAS everything I’d imagined it to be, and so much more. Old, grey stone walls, rich tapestries, dimly lit corridors, spiraling staircases, and carefully hand-crafted furniture. And to top it off, there were servants! The moment that we walked in, half a dozen people were assisting us to our rooms and making sure we had everything that we needed. It was like taking a walk back in time, to the medieval renaissance days. My dad, who used to love watching movies about knights and dragons, would have thought he’d died and gone to Heaven in Rylan Castle.
“How’s your room?” asked Melody, walking in after we’d both had taken showers and changed into jeans and T-shirts. Fortunately, the servants had provided us with some toiletries. She grinned and spun around the chamber. “Wow, it’s beautiful, too. Doesn’t it feel like we’re in another world? I feel like we should be changing into our ball gowns or something.”
“I know. I just can’t get over this,” I said, staring at the large four-poster bed, with the dark plum velvety drapes. I flopped down on the mattress and turned over. “This feels so nice. It just has got to be a king,” I said, spreading my arms out.
“Yes. It is. So is mine. Room enough for two, right?” she replied, walking over to the fireplace. She bent down and looked inside. “I wonder if this really works, or if they’re all for show.”
I got out of bed and went over to her. “It’s real. It just hasn’t been used in a while.”
“Cool. Maybe I can get one of the servants to light mine later. I’d love to fall asleep with a fire going. It is kind of chilly in these large rooms.”
“Yeah, I agree. I think it’s a great idea. I’m sure they’ll do it.”
“Does my hair look okay?” she asked, turning to me. “It doesn’t look too frizzy or anything, does it? I found a hair dryer, but the brush they gave me wasn’t the kind that I usually use.”
“I know what you mean,” I answered, touching my own hair. I’d pulled it back into a ponytail after running my fingers through it. “Yours looks fine. Doesn’t look frizzy at all.”
“Where did you find a binder?”
“I found some in my dresser. Do you want one?” I answered, walking over to the antique dresser. I picked one up and held it out.
“No, that’s okay,” she answered and then smiled. “Liam told me he thought my hair was beautiful. I want to keep it down.”
“It is beautiful,” I admitted, staring at her long blond hair.
“Thanks. Should we go and find everyone? I think Liam said they were going to have a buffet or something.”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
We took our time finding the dining room, which was more of a dining hall, exploring some of the rooms in the castle. Most of them were other large bedroom chambers, but we also found a large den with a library connected to it. Some of the other rooms were locked. When we finally made it back downstairs, the food was laid out on a long, elegant dining table, buffet style.
“Go on and help yourselves,” said Liam, walking over to us with a large plate of food. “Tonight is informal, obviously.”
“Yum, that looks good,” said Melody, staring at his plate of food.
“Are you talking about me or the food?” he asked, grinning wickedly.
“Just like my brother to always have his mind on two things. Since he has a plate filled with food, you two might want to watch yourself around him,” said Aiden, walking up behind Liam with Talia at his side. He also had a heaping plate of food, while Talia was drinking something from a large goblet.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about Chelsey,” said Talia. “Since she’s getting married.”
“Oh, you’re engaged?” said Aiden. “I had no idea. Who’s the lucky man?”
“Slade,” said Liam quickly. “It was a surprise to all of us.”
Aiden’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “Slade?”
“Yes,” I laughed nervously. “We wanted to keep it a surprise, but Slade let everyone on the plane know.”
“How long have you two known each other?” asked Aiden, still looking skeptical.
“Long enough to fall in love,” I replied, surprising myself. “To be honest, it was love at first sight.”
“Yes,” said a voice behind me.
Slade.
He put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. “I fell head-over-heels the moment she looked at me with those big blue eyes.”
I smiled as if I thought he meant it. “Oh, you’re so sweet.”
“You bring that out in me,” he replied, nuzzling my neck. His breath was warm on my skin and it reminded me of the kiss we’d shared earlier.
Just then, one of the servants walked over to us. “Excuse me, Mr. Rylan… there’s a phone call for you. It’s rather important, I guess.”
“Do you know who it is?” asked Aiden.
“No, sir.”
“Okay, I’ll take it.” Aiden looked at us and smiled. “I’ll be back shortly.”
“No problem,” said Liam.
“I’m glad you joined us, Slade,” said Aiden. “I must say – I can’t wait to hear about your wedding plans.”
“We’ll tell you all about it later,” said Liam, as he shoveled a large spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.
“What, are you their wedding planner now?” replied Aiden, chuckling as he walked away.
“I’d make a damn good one,” he called back, smirking. He looked at me. “I could even help you pick out your wedding gown. I’ve dressed many women over the years. It’s usually after undressing them, but hey…” He winked. “I’ve got a good eye for fashion.”
“I’m sure you do,” I said, laughing. “But, Melody’s going to help me pick it out, aren’t you?”
“Of course,” she said.
“Don’t these two just make a wonderful couple?” said Talia, smiling coolly. “Unfortunately, life is so short, especially for mortals. Do you plan on making her one of us, Slade?”
“No,” he replied, an edge to his voice. “Absolutely not.”
“So, she’s just going to grow old and you’re going to watch her die?” asked Talia. “I can’t imagine that being easy for you or Chelsey. My heart breaks for the both of you just thinking about it.”
“I’m sure it does,” he replied dryly. He looked at me. “Have you eaten yet?”
“No.”
“Let’s go and get you some food then,” he replied, guiding me toward the buffet. “You coming, Melody?”
“Yes,” she said, following us.
When we got to the table, he released my hand and I glanced over my shoulder at Talia, who was still watching us. “She’s a joy.”
Slade grunted. “You’re too nice.”
I grabbed a plate and began loading it with food. “Someone has to be.”
“Chelsey,” he lowered his voice. “I’m sorry about before. You know… after the kiss?”
“What do you mean?” I said, playing dumb. I didn’t want him to think that it bothered me.
He sighed. “I was short with you. I didn’t mean to be and I’m sorry.”
“I wasn’t mad at you. I was just…”
“Just what?”
He lowered his voice again. “A little overwhelmed by the kiss.”
I felt myself blushing. “You were?”
“Hell yes. Very.”
I couldn’t imagine him being overwhelmed by a simple kiss. But, I’d seen the fire in his eyes and had felt something hard pressing against my pelvis. We’d both gotten pretty excited. Heck, I was getting excited again just thinking about it.
“What about you?” he whispered, near my ear.
“Yes.”
His lips brushed against my neck and heat pooled into my lower stomach. “Yes, what?”
“It was pretty… intense,” I whispered back.
He let out a ragged breath. “You smell amazing. Like honey.”
“Look at you two,” said Talia, walking by us with a smirk. “Maybe you should take it upstairs.”
“Maybe you should mind your own business,” said Slade.
“My goodness, you’re touchy. Some things never change,” she said.
Slade stiffened up and moved away from me. I suddenly wanted to punch the bitch.
“I’ll meet you at the table,” said Slade, walking away.
“Was it something I said?” said Talia, now standing next to me.
I didn’t reply. Instead, I turned away and put more food on my plate.
“How did you two meet?” she asked, grabbing a grape. She popped it into her mouth.
I ignored the question. “Aren’t you a vampire?” I asked, staring at her as she grabbed another one.
“Yes. I can eat fruit and vegetables, though,” she said. “I love grapes. I guess it’s because I miss drinking wine so much.”
“So, you weren’t always a vampire?” asked Melody, now standing next to us.
She grinned. “No. I wasn’t.”
“Was it forced upon you?” I asked without thinking. “Oh, I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that. That’s none of my business.”
Slade (Venom Series) Book Two Page 18