A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor (Tempting Monsters Book 1)

by Kathryn Moon

  I started to laugh, but with the first stroke of his cool, hard tongue and the way it narrowed to a point to swirl around my clit, my voice was stolen. I'd have words with Auguste later about dictating my sex life, but at least he gave good advice. My hands clapped onto Booker's round head, polished and solid, and I rocked up into the rumble of his approval, my toes curling on the bed beneath me.

  Leaves crunched under my feet, my chin lifted high to catch the warmth on my skin. It was sunny out and surprisingly nice weather, and I had found a note from Ezra in my bedroom after lunch inviting me to be caught out by the loch. I'd wandered farther around the edge of the loch than ever before, past the bench I'd napped on and dreamt of Amon weeks ago.

  I wasn't sure if Ezra was teasing me with anticipation or if we were wandering in opposite directions, but I was debating letting him find me in the grass simply to take a break, when I finally heard a male grunt.

  I was tucked behind a line of trees, but I could just make out a little grassy clearing on the other side. My steps paused, listening, and a longer groan caught the breeze heading in my direction, followed by a few feminine catches of breath. My eyes widened, and I moved slowly around the edge of a tree, off a path and closer to the clearing.

  Blonde hair peeked through tall grass, bobbing in the telltale rhythm that matched the moans and sighs of the couple. A sudden blaze of anger rushed through me.

  Ezra wouldn't…would he? Had he given up waiting on me or not expected me to find him in the middle of—

  My fingers clenched to a fist, and I jerked to march forward, lips parting and ready to bark out his name, when a calloused hand clapped over my mouth.

  "It's me, puisín."

  I sagged, relief shocking and embarrassing as Ezra wrapped himself around my back, lips pressing to the shell of my ear.

  "Meant to meet you, but then I caught these two," he whispered as quietly as he could.

  "Peeping Tom," I mumbled into his palm.

  He shook his head, beard scratching against his cheek. "Not like that, come see."

  Ezra lifted me off my feet, turning me in his arms so I could wrap my own around his shoulders. It would look strange to anyone who might see us, but since we were the ones creeping up on a couple unawares, that probably didn't matter.

  Ezra didn't take us very close, only as far as the next tree, but it was enough to make the blonde in the grass clearer. Ezra clapped his hand back over my mouth as my face went slack with shock.

  Mary! Mary with flushed pink cheeks and a furrow of aggressive concentration on her face. My brow furrowed with confusion—why should this be any secret?—and then the man Mary was fucking sat up suddenly, and it was a good thing Ezra had a tight hold on my mouth because I wanted to shout.

  I knew that face! It was the local human who had woken me from my dream with Amon. Oh damn, what was his name?

  "Jacob!" Mary squealed as the young man began to grunt and buck wildly, Mary's face wincing with his force.

  Ezra held me tight, drawing us back behind the tree and out of sight as Jacob finished with a great deal of muttering praises to himself. There was a strangled bellow and then a rustle of grass and fabric, until finally, the only noises were panting breaths.

  I wished I could see Ezra because I wasn't sure why we were still waiting here. Jacob and Mary weren't exactly an inspiring pair, and my head was spinning around the fact that we'd found them together. Hadn't Mary been after the milliner? Was she why Jacob was snooping around the manor?

  Ezra's lips grazed my cheekbone, but it felt like comfort rather than amorous intention, and a moment later, there was a new sound from the clearing—the clinking of metal.

  "You're short," Mary snapped out.

  "I'll make up for it next time."

  Mary huffed and then muttered, "You better or there won't be another next time, Coombs."

  "Oh come on, love," Jacob said with a laugh. "It's a few farthing. It's not like I'm the only one, is it?"

  Mary hissed, and Ezra pulled me a little farther out of the way, heading back to another tree. Close enough for us to hear, but more easily able to hide.

  "If anyone finds out about you—"

  "I know, I know. Not as though I'm about to spoil my own fun, now am I?" Jacob asked. I heard the clink of a belt buckle and the wet smack of a kiss, and then I stiffened and wrapped myself into Ezra's arms as the two parted ways. Jacob turned deeper into the clearing back to the wood, toward the town, as Mary hurried to the path that led around the loch back to Rooksgrave.

  Ezra kissed my temple as we waited for them both to move out of hearing range. "Didn't mean to not meet you, but I caught the young lady on her walk and she looked…"

  "He paid her, didn't he?" I whispered back.

  Ezra appeared before me, striking me again with that giddy heat of seeing him, but this time, the excitement was mingling with my unease at what had just transpired.

  Ezra met my gaze, looking uncommonly solemn, and he nodded. "Far as I can tell, he don't know what kind of men Rooksgrave is for, but he does know what you all do."

  I shivered at the thought and the memory of his flirtatious attempts with me when I'd met him. He must've wanted to see if he could arrange the same deal he had with Mary, or maybe skipped it altogether for more.

  "Magdalena says we aren't bound only to the house," I muttered weakly.

  I didn't know if I wanted to excuse Mary or not. I'd fucked Ezra when he wasn't a member of Rooksgrave, and I hadn't even asked for money in exchange. But there was something that unsettled me about the scene. I loved being a lady of Rooksgrave, and even before I'd developed feelings for my gentleman, I'd been excited at the idea of them.

  "I promised Mortimer I'd report what I saw, puisín," Ezra said gently. "And I think that means this too. She can make her own decisions about whether or not there are any consequences for the girl. But I definitely don't like the idea of that lad snooping about the grounds, even if we are over the border at the moment."

  I released a slow sigh and nodded. That much I agreed with. Jacob Coombs left a bad taste in my mouth.

  "You seem distracted, mon coeur." Auguste leaned over, fingertips dragging a curl off my shoulder. We were seated next to one another at the dinner table, a general lull of conversation floating around the table with the other couples out tonight.

  Sally, a dark-haired beauty I'd met early on at Rooksgrave, was across the table with her own vampire, Enrique. He and Auguste seemed familiar with one another. Not friendly exactly, and I thought they both might've been showing off a bit, nuzzling into Sally and me as we ate our vampire-approved meals of tender meat, fresh nuts, fruits, and greens. Down the table, Cassie was with her dark-winged man who had a beaky face and seemed to be entertaining his lover, if Cassie's flushed cheeks and the way she was sagging into her chair was any hint.

  But it was the guest just a few seats left of me and across the table that had me so distracted. He was an elegantly dressed, green-tinged gentleman with high pointed ears and a jaw that jutted forward, two white tusks rising up to frame his full upper-lip. His nose was closer to a snout and his brow was pronounced, but he'd made an obvious effort with his clothing to appear tidy, and his thick hair was oiled and braided back from his face. At his right was Mary, pinched face blank as this man lifted a slice of brandy-soaked pear to her lips in offering. He had to be Hunter, whom she'd complained so thoroughly about. And perhaps he was cruel in private, but here at the table, he gazed at Mary with a devout reverence I didn't think she deserved. Especially not after what I'd seen earlier with Ezra.

  Auguste pressed a kiss to my shoulder, and I caught my breath, turning to him and remembering the question he'd asked minutes ago.

  "I…I thought Ezra might join us, but I haven't heard from him since this afternoon," I whispered. "And...Magdalena's guests left hours ago." I hadn't had an opportunity to tell Auguste about what I'd seen by the loch, and I wasn't sure I wanted to. It was Ezra's business to spy for Magdalena, and I had a
guilty twist about reporting on another girl, regardless of her motivations.

  "Mm," Auguste said, ducking again to my shoulder, brushing his mouth over the spot, but I caught the twitch of his cheeks.

  "Auguste? Do you know where he is?" I hissed, and Auguste ignored the question, tugging down the shoulder of my dress to lick at my skin. "What are you planning? Booker told me of your orders, you know."

  "Did he follow them?" Auguste asked, glancing up through dark lashes, laughter wrinkling the corners of his eyes.

  "In spite of my best begging, yes," I said primly.

  "Mmm, then I am very impressed. You excel at begging." Auguste scratched his fangs briefly against me and then sat up, drinking me in with his stare as his pupils expanded with interest.

  "He has a will of stone too, as it turns out," I said, rolling my eyes a little as Auguste laughed.

  Mary caught my glance then, eating obediently as Hunter admired her, and for a moment, her expression was open with disdain, eyes glaring as ferociously at Auguste as she did at Hunter. She assumed I was really annoyed with him since that was how she would've reacted. I turned immediately back to my vampire, stretching my throat for his gaze and leaning myself into his side, inviting him to haul me into his lap. I reached a hand to his jaw and drew him down into a kiss, smiling as he hummed with pleasure and then groaned as my tongue slid in to stroke against his.

  "I've had enough to eat. Take me up to bed?" I didn't try to keep my voice down, and Enrique watched us with his head cocked.

  Auguste's eyes narrowed in suspicion. I'd made him promise the night before to show me the social rooms, and he shook his head slowly. "I want to show you off."

  I snorted at that and he grinned. Showing me off at the theater was all well and good when there was only a handful of humans for his kind to admire, but I seriously doubted whether any of the other men at the table would care one whit about the pretty dress Auguste had picked out for me when they had their own ladies to admire.

  "Come, you suspect me of concocting plans, and you're right," Auguste said, taking my hands in his and rising from the table.

  "You'll tell me?" I asked, jumping up to follow. We weren't the only ones getting ready to leave the dining room. Enrique and Sally were coming too, as well as a few of the others. Cassie was still in the throes of whatever her feathered gentleman was up to, but Hunter was murmuring something in Mary's ear, missing the scowl she wore.

  "I won't, but I'll start putting them into motion and wait in pleasure as you learn what they are," Auguste answered, flashing me a grin over his shoulder.

  I'd seen a few of the social rooms by daylight when I was bored and visited with the others—one parlor room after another in dramatic shades of wallpaper and velvet furniture that swelled and swooned and seemed designed for reclining in. Some of the girls spent their afternoons there, trading turns on the pianoforte or embroidering their dresses with embellishments. A few took advantage of the library to read, others painted in watercolors. They weren't skills I was especially familiar with, but I liked the company of the others, and occasionally, it was fun to lounge and pretend I was a fine lady.

  Tonight, the first of the rooms already had a group of gentlemen and a few women drinking cocktails, one couple dueting at a pianoforte. The room was brightly lit and conversation was bubbling. It reminded me of a dinner party, and for the most part, everyone seemed to be behaving like fashionable, polite couples, regardless of the fact that one man had skin like smoldering coals and was faintly smoking through his dinner jacket.

  "That's Ivan," Auguste whispered in my ear, nodding at the pale man at the piano who lifted his chin to belt a note and revealed a pair of pointed fangs.

  "The terrible?" I whispered back, eyebrows rising. I'd heard rumors of the ancient vampire, but I hadn't expected to see him singing in a velvet waistcoat.

  "Do you think so? I don't mind him," Auguste said, winking at me. "Do you want a drink?"

  I nearly shook my head, I was too excited about Auguste's plans, but then I remembered we had an audience. For the most part at Rooksgrave, Magdalena seemed to have achieved her goal of finding excellent partners between the women and gentlemen, but Mary wasn't the only girl in the whole house who treated her clients as a duty rather than a pleasure. I wanted the whole house to know how I felt about Auguste, and most importantly, I wanted him to know. That I was proud to be on his arm and lucky to have him on mine.

  "Should I have one? What tastes best on me?" I asked, feeling a moment of victory as Auguste's eyes darkened in answer.

  "It's up to you, but I think you'll look beautiful, all flushed and drowsy as—well, that's still a secret," Auguste said, grinning, and then he led me to the bar in the corner. "Drink as much or as little as you feel comfortable with, but remember that I have plans for you."

  "It might help if I knew what they were," I teased.

  Auguste combined some concoction of rich red juice, wine, and something dark and syrupy before offering me a glass that looked almost like blood. It was sweet and sharp and heady, and Auguste leaned in to lick a droplet that clung to my bottom lip before sliding his tongue into my mouth to let me taste it on him.

  "Would I make a pretty vampire?" I whispered, nuzzling against him, grinning at the growl that rose from his chest.

  Auguste's arm snapped around my waist, lips claiming mine, his tongue fucking my mouth with a sudden hunger as he pressed me up against a bookshelf and held me there until I was desperate for breath. He pulled away slowly, nipping and returning for more, before finally leaning back enough for me to see his eyes, all black.

  "Ask me again in a year, mon coeur," Auguste rasped, face sharp and hungry.

  My eyes widened, chest heaving to catch my breath. I'd been teasing mostly. Was that something Auguste wanted? Was that something I wanted? Auguste pulled me away from the bookshelf, his chin lifted high, the eyes of the room tracking us as he hurried me to the doorway leading to the next room.

  This one was smoky, the lighting dim in the wall lamps. There was a card table at the far end of the room where a few couples were gathered, but my eyes immediately focused on the shadowy figures on the couches, bodies embracing, soft catches of breath.

  "What did you think went on here at night?" Auguste asked me.

  "This," I said nodding and staring at the beastly figure hunched over a woman in a pale gown. It was hard to see, they had chosen the darkest corner of all, but I could've sworn he was covered in fur and I could hear the wet sounds of licking accompanying her whimpers.

  "Mm, just this?" Auguste asked.

  My eyes widened and I stopped in the middle of the room, turning to stare at everyone in turn. One woman blushed and twisted away as our eyes accidentally met, but her gentleman just swatted her on the ass and draped her over his lap, grinning at me as she went back to kissing his neck.

  "Is it like the theater?" I whispered. No one was undressed, and they seemed mostly to be kissing or were at least trying to hide their more illicit activities.

  "Come," Auguste said, tugging on my hand.

  I followed him eagerly, drinking more of my potent wine. It ran richly through me, warming my blood and making my steps bounce. That heat sank directly down into my core as we slid through the partly open door of the next room.

  Bodies slid together in union, the salt and musk of sex muddling with an aromatic smoke trailing out of small metal containers, creating a soft haze in the air. The lamps were shaded in colors, painting flesh in pretty rainbows. Suddenly, the waving liquid structure of the couches made sense, women draped over rolling seats, barely having to shift into the hips of the men seated across the chaise, stroking into them.

  "There are more rooms downstairs, but they're more to Mr. Tanner's taste. What do you think, ma petite?"

  Auguste was watching me, as if he found it no struggle at all to tear his eyes off the horned, bull-faced man who held the hips of a woman, fucking slowly and steadily into her, stretching and exposing her to m
y gaze. He huffed, picking up his pace, black eyes lifting proudly to mine as his partner began to whine with pleasure.

  "Esther," Auguste murmured, fingertips taking my chin in a gentle grip, his smile teasing as he turned my face to blink back at him.

  "Yes. I want to watch," I breathed out, seeing a woman fitted between two men over Auguste's shoulder, my body clenching on the memory of Booker toying with my ass as his tongue lapped and fucked my cunt.

  "Watch, mon coeur?"

  "I think we can do better than watch, puisín," Ezra hissed, his breath hot on the back of my neck, Auguste's grin stretching wide as I gasped.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  A Plan in Motion

  Auguste was leaning against the wall in front of me, ignoring the languidly fucking couple on the chaise next to him, his eyes black and focused on me as I moaned, fingers digging into the velvet cushion.

  I was on my tummy, draped over the arching settee, my skirt flipped up to bare my ass to the room. Strong fingers held me open, my legs stretched wide for me to straddle the furniture, and a wet tongue prodded at the tight entrance of my ass.

  I wanted to beg, to whine, to threaten Ezra if he didn't start fucking me, but Auguste had given me one order before moving aside to watch. Be good.

  Ezra's tongue burrowed in, and I let out a nonsensical giggle at the intrusion. I was used to being told to behave, I just wasn't used to that meaning I ought to let an invisible mouth eat me in places I didn't generally share with the world. I sighed, sagging as Ezra's tongue retreated, sliding down to clean me where I was wet with need.

  "Please," I whispered, trying to push myself onto Ezra's face, his beard tickling my neglected clit.

  Auguste's eyes flicked up, and I watched his tongue wet his lips, fangs peeking and glinting in the gold and blue lamplight on either side of him. There was a mirror behind me, and with Ezra invisible, that meant Auguste had a perfect view of my sex.

  A grunt at my left caught my attention, and I bit my lip as Ezra shifted me higher to torture my clit with sucking kisses. I'd been surprised when Mary and Hunter entered the room, not long into Ezra spreading me out on the cushion, and I couldn't resist my curiosity in studying them now. All the couples in the room seemed as absorbed in one another as they were with enjoying the view of watching the others, and I took it as permission to let my attention wander.