Eversong

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.

eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work. 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. 11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B Cincinnati OH 45249 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 quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: October 2011 www.samhainpublishing.com

Eversong Eden Bradley

Dedication

To all the readers who have begged me for Ever’s story, and who are as taken with him as I am. Much love must also go out to my bunny wife—she knows who she is, and what that means.

Chapter One

Valencia, Spain, 2069 The roar of the ocean was a soothing, womblike white noise in the background as he took her in his arms. Arms that felt strong to her, yet not as strong as her own were now. She wasn’t used to it—her strength, how powerful her hearing, her sight had become. The terrible driving needs of this changed body—nearly unendurable thirst, unbearable hunger. The need for sex. For blood. Vampire. Mercy knew the word. Heard the echo of it in his mind as he kissed her and discovered that she was…different. Yes…but we are here together and I need… Her hands went into his dark, curling hair. Truly like silk under her fingertips. She’d never felt anything like it. But he was her first lover since she had been changed. And as he parted his lips, inviting her tongue into his wet mouth, despite the small trembling fear running through him, desire filled her. Burned her. Ate her up like some monstrous thing. Except that it felt better than anything had in her life, to be touched by this beautiful man. Deo… Broad shoulders and golden skin. She could see him even in the dark of night, lit only by the crescent moon hanging in the cloudy sky and that same light reflected off the water. She could even see the strange blue-green of his eyes that reminded her of the Mediterranean Sea.

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His tongue sucked hers in, his hands closing around her waist, desire overtaking him as powerfully as it had her. The sound, the salt scent of the ocean faded away—that and the fainter scents and sounds of old stone and violence from the town. Everything but the sensations of hands and mouths and bodies pressed together. The soft sound of his thoughts that wasn’t really a sound at all but still spoke to her with the same lovely Greek accent as his voice. He sighed as she pressed her breasts against the solid wall of his chest. Her blood was moving, quickening. She breathed in his fragrant skin. Sweet. Precious. Human. She needed that. Craved it. She’d never thought of it before. She’d never had to. But she’d been so alone these last days. He pulled her down onto the sand, and she felt every tiny grain against her skin. The sand and the fine, fine texture of his flesh. Her need rose, spiraled. Inside her something growled, snarled to be set free. Her arms wound around his neck. Ah yes, there it was. That pulse at the base of his throat, beating, beating. She swore she could smell the blood running through his veins. Needed it even more than she needed him. He seemed to sense her urgency, tore her dress over her head, kicked his way out of his jeans, and they were naked together on the sand. His hands went to her breasts, his fingers teasing her nipples, and they came up hard, pleasure intense, nearly hurting. His rigid cock pressed against her belly. Yes, that was what she wanted. She parted her thighs, pulled him in too hard—she heard his gasping surprise at the pain. She tried to rein it in, but it was too much for her as he entered her, his thick cock piercing her flesh, sinking deep. “Ah…”

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A wild keening seemed to grow in her chest, and in moments, as he plunged into her, it became a scream. Raw. As if some animal inhabited her body. “God, Mercy,” he muttered as he thrust again then again. “There is no God,” she said between panting breaths, between one stab of pleasure and the next. “There is only this haunting between place… Come with me, Deo. I need you with me. I need someone…” “Mercy?” Her name was a whisper on his lips. She sensed his confusion as she sucked the tender skin at the base of his throat into her mouth, pierced it with the sharp eyeteeth that had grown in the last days. “Ah, what are you doing to me?” She grasped his cock inside her, felt pleasure ripple through him, through her, as they both came in a torrent of indescribable pleasure. She drew her lips back, roared her pleasure and bit. His blood was impossibly sweet. Her first human blood. She was so thirsty. Unbearable. She sucked harder as he writhed, held on to his shoulders. Held him down. As she drank, he fought her, but soon he went weak. Limp. And some part of her knew he was dying. No. She pulled away. Listened for a moment to the fragile beating of his heart as she pushed him off her, rolled him gently onto his back. “Deo, I’m sorry.” He stared up at her with hollow eyes, his brows drawn together. He was fading. “Stay with me,” she begged him. But she understood he had no choice now. Tears poured down her face. She wiped them with the back of her hand, and it came away red with his blood.

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“What have I done?” She sat up, held him in her arms, rocked him. Felt him begin to slip away. “Forgive me,” she whispered. “Forgive me for doing to you what was done to me. It’s too late to do anything else.” She lifted her arm, tore open the flesh of her own wrist and held it to his lips. Immediately he began to suck, drawing her blood in. A few drops at first then more as he pulled her back down onto his chest. She grew dizzy, knew he was taking too much. But did it really matter? She didn’t want to live like this, with what she had become. Black spots danced before her eyes. Beneath her, she felt the strength return to his beating heart. And knew she had changed him. Forever. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her tears falling onto his shoulder. She could hear the soft splash against his skin. “Please…I’m sorry. So sorry…”

London, four months later The music pumped like heat in Ever’s veins. Hot, heavy, sinuous as a snake. He had often thought of music in this way, comparing it in his head to some sort of primal animal. Sensual. Tactile. The idea seemed to fit well there at the Midnight Playground, London’s exclusive vampire sex club, where despite the luxurious surroundings everything was about those most basic, primal drives. The need for flesh. For sex. For blood. Where everyone, on some level, was as cool and sleek as a snake. Including him. Possibly even more so, in his case. He’d lived too many years not to be a little cold at the core. And the force of his appetites often reduced him to a purely animal being, where everything ran on instinct. He didn’t believe it was a bad thing necessarily. He’d been a vampire for far too many centuries not to accept

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that aspect of his nature. He still managed to maintain that shred of control that prevented him from killing anyone. For the most part. Not that it concerned him very much. He was, after all, a vampire. And this was his club, his palace of carnal appetites in Soho’s old Palace Theater. He loved to think of it that way—his palace. This beautiful old building that once had housed the grandest theater in London. The country’s aristocracy had watched the finest in entertainments from the gilt-edged theater boxes, among the black-and-white marble-paneled walls. And now, twenty-nine years after the fall of the monarchy, this lovely structure served the more wicked entertainments of the immortals. His kind had taken over most of the nicer homes and other structures left standing after the riots. The vampires were the only ones the street thugs wouldn’t dare to approach. The only ones who could safely keep what they laid claim to. Oh yes, that had been proven effectively enough in the early years of the cultural and governmental collapse happening all over Europe. The financial crumbling of the world’s economies. It was what had allowed the vampires to come out of the dark, to become known, with most of the world in too much a state of chaos to protest. It was, finally, a rather grand time to be a vampire. He leaned into the hard, cool marble surface of the bar and gave a sharp nod of his chin. The leather-clad bartender, a young human beauty with a gorgeous swell of cleavage over the top of her red corset, came instantly to refill his wineglass. He smiled at her, holding the fragile crystal between his fingers, rubbing at the smooth surface. Her returning smile was brilliant, full of want. She would do anything for him, this one. Like any of those humans who came to the Midnight Playground. She would have sex with him, certainly. Let him take the whip to her in the club’s dungeons. Drink from her. And yet, he couldn’t find it within himself to want her. Or anyone, lately.

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He’d even let his latest matched set go a few weeks earlier—Franco and Julian, a pair of dark-haired Italian beauties whom he’d Turned less than a year ago. He’d sent them off to the Rome club with his recommendation. He’d never parted with one of his sets so quickly, but he hadn’t been able to bear it any longer. To be with them and feel so little, not even the desire that normally drove him as hard as it did any of his kind. He sighed quietly, sipped at the dark red wine he favored, but he barely tasted it. Why was he so restless? Why could he no longer appreciate all life had to offer? And why did the idea of living forever in the lap of utter luxury fill him with dread these last months? He looked around the club, at the humans and vampires milling around the long, polished bar, undulating on the slick marble dance floor. Beautiful, all of them. Stunning, as only the vampires and those few humans they allowed into their space could be. Shining hair and gleaming skin. Desire so thick in the air it was palpable. But he was entirely unaffected by any of them. He hated when he was morose. It had happened all too often of late. And now, he was waiting for the arrival of a problem. One he’d volunteered to solve. If he’d been capable of having a headache, he was certain his head would be pounding. “Ever.” A touch at his elbow and he turned to find Calam, one of his new assistants, at his elbow. Gorgeous, with his hulking musculature, his short crop of dark red hair, the auburn goatee framing his lush mouth. He’d had Calam a number of times, played the beautiful human male in the dungeons over and over. He’d been a longtime favorite. Calam’s love, Ilana, was a more recent favorite. The two

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of them had been the last humans he’d felt any real desire for. He adored them both, in his way. But he was beginning to feel that limitation too acutely. It bothered him more than he wanted to admit. “Ever?” Calam asked, making him realize he’d been wool-gathering, as the English called it. “My mind was wandering, Calam. What is it?” “I just got a call. They’ll be arriving shortly, your new guests,” the Scotsman said, his accent giving his deep voice a lovely, rumbling edge. “Ah. Thank you.” “Will you see them in your office?” Ever nodded. “Yes. Please call for Aleron. I’ll see him before the others.” “Aleron is just getting out of his car, I believe,” Calam told him. “Ah, so he is,” Ever said, casting his thoughts out and finding his old friend’s essence nearby. “Thank you.” Calam nodded and moved away. Ever finished his wine quickly then made his way through the crowded bar and up the wide marble staircase, his hand trailing over the gilt-edged wrought iron railing until he’d reached the top floor. Down the plush carpeted hallway, everything pristine, silent, the sounds and the energy from the bar and the sex rooms and the dungeons fading. He approached his own doors, a wide pair of heavy, black lacquered wood, each with the insignia of the club—a dragon head done in fine gold filigree, with lashing tongues in red enamel, the eyes a pair of burning garnets. A brief pull in his chest. He usually had his matched set standing guard at his doors. But he’d had to let them go, hadn’t he? It wasn’t fair to keep them there, acting as no more than guards any longer. It was his duty to satisfy those he Turned, as much as it was theirs to satisfy his needs and desires. He simply didn’t seem to have any lately.

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Why did he feel so hollow? So lost? As he pulled the door open and slipped into his office, he flashed back to his lovely, lost Vérún. Her lithe figure going into the sea, her long, waving blonde hair floating around her like a mermaid’s before she went deeper, under the water… Don’t think of her now… But he couldn’t help wondering if perhaps he was losing his mind, as she had. As the older vampires sometimes did when the weight of the world rested too heavily on them. One reason why he’d begun grooming his dear friend Aleron to assist him with the management of the London club. Or perhaps even to replace him one day. He moved to his enormous antique French desk, carved and trimmed in gold, trying to shake his mood. He had important work ahead of him tonight. He ran his fingers over the edge, letting the old wood bite into the hard flesh and bone of his hand. He pressed harder, a small sense of desperation filling him. Need to feel something. He heard Aleron in his head before he turned to see the old vampire coming through the doors. He was beautiful, his spiky blond hair so pale it was nearly white, his brilliant blue eyes like two piercing pieces of sea glass. He crossed the room in a few long strides, went to take Ever’s hand, pulling him in for a kiss, and Ever tasted that faint stone-like flavor that was common in the older vampires. Just a friendly brush of lips, but Ever was glad when his body heated a little. Perhaps he wasn’t entirely dead after all. “Come, sit down,” Ever told his friend. “Shall I call for drinks?” “No, thank you.” Aleron’s voice still held a faint trace of a French accent, even though he’d been in London for some time, had traveled all over Europe in

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his three hundred years. “Calam met me downstairs to let me know they’ll be arriving in a few minutes. Is there anything I should know before they come?” “No, no more than we’d already spoken of.” He listed the facts aloud, if only to force himself to focus on the task at hand, to shift his mind from his morbid musings. “That this girl, Mercy, was Turned by a rogue who abandoned her almost immediately. That she met and Turned her companion Deo only days later. I hear they are both quite young. Innocents, especially the girl. That they didn’t even know how to feed properly.” Aleron shook his head. “A terrible state of affairs.” “She has no idea of our rules, I am certain.” “No, of course not. Tragic, that any of our kind would Turn another and leave them so suddenly.” “That is why they’re known as rogues, my friend.” Ever smiled at Aleron. “A different sort of rogue than you were known for being in your day,” he said. “Ah, my Meeraj has cured me of that.” A smile spread over Aleron’s face. “I am glad to see you happy.” “So am I. I would wish the same for you, Ever.” “That is not meant for me.” Aleron raised one pale brow. “Never?” “I’ve lived for over a thousand years. If it hasn’t happened yet, then…” “One never knows.” “Perhaps.” Ever shrugged, not really believing it. “Perhaps.” Aleron smiled again, his eyeteeth catching the light, and Ever felt once more that small spark of desire for the alluring, masculine vampire. No, perhaps not dead yet…

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Not entirely. But he’d felt dead for months. Had felt that fear of his mind going. Had those moments when, alone in the darkest part of the night, he almost thought it might be best if his mind did go and he slipped into some sort of dream. Or sought a true death the way his dear Vérún had. He ran a hand over his sleek ponytail, straightened his posture. Tonight, however, would not be that night. He had responsibilities. And as he tuned his mind’s ear, he heard that they were just about to come through the door.

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Chapter Two

It was all so confusing. The last months, wandering through Spain with Deo. Ramsey, the darkly beautiful vampire who ran the Madrid club they’d wandered into, hoping for help. The long trip from Madrid to England in the heavily armored car that was pure luxury inside. Through the tinted, slatted, bulletproof windows, Mercy could make out the tall buildings, their grandeur barely reduced by the occasional bombed-out structure. Even in this elegant part of town, the gangs of street kids, the morphies, huddled in doorways. The sky was clouded—with fog, with smoke. Yet behind the clouds she could see with her new eyes how the sun tried to shine through, its rays almost white through the dark glass. As a child in the United States, she’d read about London, about its history that didn’t seem to matter anymore. Not to humans. Certainly not to the vampires. To her, now. The car slowed and she caught a trace of Ramsey’s thoughts. Their trip was almost over. Mercy couldn’t get her hands to stop shaking. Ramsey had been unbelievably kind, yet she was still afraid. Frightened of what they might do to her—the vampire council they’d been told had been called in order to decide what to do with them, two young vampires who had been created in some outlaw fashion.

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She glanced at Deo beside her. Her lover. Her only friend, despite the fact that she had Turned him unwillingly, as she had been Turned. He was so beautiful, his profile silhouetted against the dim morning light filtering in through the tinted windows. As a human, he’d been devastating, with his curling black hair, his soft blue-green eyes that looked like two aquamarines when they caught the light. As a vampire he was so exquisitely gorgeous, she thought there could never be another creature on the Earth as beautiful as he was. She loved his face, his lush mouth, his long, tapered fingers. And his perfect, muscled body. Flawless. Hard. Like hers. The hardness of their bodies had shocked them, at first. But she’d come to know the sleek velvet of his skin. The sweetness that was his vampiric body. That was him. Deo had accepted what she’d done to him. Had come to love her, as she loved him. She was so incredibly grateful he’d stayed with her. But what else would he have done? They were lost together in this strange existence neither had known much about until they’d become immortal, felt the preternatural strength, the incredibly heightened senses, the driving need for sex. The even more powerful driving need for blood. She felt him watching her and smiled at him, squeezed his hand for comfort. He squeezed back. Even now, through the unease, the confusion, she felt that sharp, lovely stab of desire. Felt his, like a wave of pure heat rolling off his body. Heard an echo of it in his mind. He leaned in to her, whispered in her ear, “Yes, love, I want you. But it will have to wait.” She shivered, bit the need down hard. “We’re nearly there,” Ramsey told them, his tone low. Mercy nodded.

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He was magnificent, this old vampire, with his velvety, coffee-colored skin, his gleaming green eyes. His hair was a cap of short dreadlocks, his body impossibly graceful. Although he looked to be no more than thirty, perhaps, he’d mentioned that he was hundreds of years old. Hundreds! Hard to absorb. Hard to imagine that she and Deo could live that long, as long as Ramsey had. He emanated power in a way she’d never encountered before. He’d been gentle with them. But she still wasn’t certain they wouldn’t be punished, she and Deo. She’d heard the whispers between Ramsey and the other vampires at his club. The questions about how she and Deo had come to be vampires. She’d heard the terms outlaw, rogue. Retribution. And as much as Deo had since become her protector, she’d sworn to herself that Deo would not be made to pay for what she’d done to him. The car pulled up in front of the club. As the chauffer, a handsome human male, held the door open, she caught the scents of damp pavement, gunpowder and wood smoke. Ramsey stepped from the car, held a hand out for her. Not that it was necessary, given what she’d come to know was her low station among the hierarchy of vampires. But she’d always loved this sort of rare graciousness the human race seemed to have lost, and which, she’d recently found, the vampires still possessed. Those other than the outlaw who had Turned her. Gauis… Why did she feel some small trace of adoration for him still? But she didn’t have time to think about it. Deo was right behind her, taking her hand once more as they moved toward the front doors of London’s Midnight Playground. The building was grand, with its pale red bricks and soaring arched windows, its turreted façade. Her nerves drawn tight, she focused her gaze on the fine white linen of Ramsey’s shirt stretched across his wide back as he led the

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way into the club, past a pair of burly human doormen who nodded respectfully at the older vampire. Inside, the light was dim, burning red and amber as though it were still nighttime. And she realized right away that in some way it was, inside the club. That it had been the same in what little she’d seen of the Madrid club before they’d been taken to Ramsey, secreted away until the car had arrived to bring them here to London. As they moved through another pair of inner doors flanked by another set of human doormen, she could feel the low throb of music coming from somewhere, smelled the metallic scent of human blood. She felt the sexual hum of bodies coming together, blood being drunk. Still, as titillating as the idea was, she was too distracted by worry to allow her mind to indulge in the sensual scents and sounds assaulting her from every direction, as though she were one raw nerve ending. Maybe she was. She hung on tighter to Deo’s strong hand as Ramsey led them down a hallway that seemed to be made all of black marble. She was vaguely aware of those they passed—humans and vampires, all of them gorgeous, unbelievably beautiful. Her heart hammered in her chest. She was overwhelmed by it all. Fear and desire. Stimulation overload. Emotional overload. Her fingers dug into Deo’s hard, silky flesh. “It’ll be all right, Mercy,” he murmured, leaning in to press his lips to her temple. Still, she was glad when they stepped into a quiet elevator. It was paneled in sleek wood, as fine and luxurious as the walls of any mansion might be, making a soft whirring as it rose several floors. Her pulse sped up as the doors opened on to a long hall and Ramsey gestured for them to step out of the elevator. He took them to a pair of doors decorated with two dragon heads, gilded and jeweled.

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“Deo…” “Shh, love. Don’t be frightened,” he assured her. “I’m right here. We’ll be fine, I’ll make sure of it.” But she felt in his touch that his heart was beating with the same racing doubt as hers. Would they be punished? Separated? She couldn’t stand to think of that. Being left alone again, as she had been those first days after being Turned. After Gaius had abandoned her. Ramsey turned to her then, his accent a soft rumble of Spanish and a touch of Southern French from his life in New Orleans centuries earlier. “Mercy, you will never have to be alone again. That is our purpose here. One of them, anyway. They will not take you from your companion. I can promise you that.” He smiled, his teeth a stunning flash of white. He really was beautiful, his green eyes brilliant, his dusky skin so sleek. She wanted to touch him, just his cheek, to feel that gorgeous skin. Or maybe more… His smile widened and she knew he felt her desire for him. She couldn’t help it. Lust was barely within her grasp, something she could control only with great effort since her Turning. She nodded, but she couldn’t seem to calm down— desire or nerves—as Ramsey opened the door and led them through. She felt the grandeur of the room more than she saw it. She had a vague impression of the same black-and-white marble-paneled walls she’d seen in the rest of the building. The same ornately gilded mirrors everywhere that caught the misty morning light coming in through high, arched windows. But what really caught her attention was the two vampires. Both of them unbelievably pale, as milk-white as Ramsey was dark, with skin like softly gleaming porcelain. They were tall, one with short, spiky platinum hair, while the other had his smooth, blond locks tied back from a face so exquisite she could barely look at it. The flawless features and eyes that were

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black as night and just as deep, just as mysterious. She could read the centuries there. He’d seen more than she could even begin to imagine. Her body surged with a hot, hammering desire so fierce she felt her lips begin to draw back, baring her fangs. She clamped a hand over her mouth, and Deo’s grasp on her hand tightened. “I feel it too,” he whispered. The ancient vampire was watching them, those black eyes taking in every motion, Deo’s whispered words. His nostrils flared the tiniest bit, and she knew he could smell her. Her fear. The damp heat between her thighs. When he smiled, her body wanted to melt, wanted to just sink into the floor. But Deo held on tightly. “I am Ever, the owner of this club,” the ancient one said. Oh yes, he was old. Years and years, more than she could possibly guess. She could feel it. And she could feel the desire rising in him, mirroring hers. Next to her, Deo’s skin was growing warmer by the moment, but whether with his own need or his sense of hers, she couldn’t tell. Her mind was spinning. “Don’t be afraid,” Ever said, stepping from behind an enormous desk to approach them. He stopped and laid a hand on the other vampire’s shoulder. She’d forgotten he was there. Forgotten about Ramsey, who stood on her other side. Forgotten everything but Ever for the moment, and Deo’s hand in hers. “I am Aleron,” the other vampire introduced himself. He was handsome too. Spectacular, really. She’d been too blinded, too stunned by Ever to see him at first. She nodded, ducking her head, her cheeks flaming. What a foolish girl these two amazing beings must think her! “Come,” Ever said. “Sit down. We will talk with you.”

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She looked at Deo and he gave a small nod of his head. She felt his nerves, like a small electric current running just beneath his skin. She was grateful for his solid presence beside her as they sat on a couch upholstered in creamy damask. Ramsey and Aleron seated themselves in a pair of velvet chairs, and to her surprise, Ever came to sit next to her. He brushed her shoulder with his fingertips, and she shivered. Need him… She swallowed, wondering if Deo could feel the intensity of her desire for this vampire. She didn’t want him to be hurt by it, but she couldn’t control it. “Beauties, both of them, do you not think so, Aleron?” Ever asked. “Yes. Absolutely. Such beautiful long hair she has…golden and red. The English call it strawberry blonde, I think.” “Yes,” Ever agreed. “And eyes like the sky…the palest blue. The sweetest face.” He paused, brushed her jawline with one fingertip, making her shiver once more. “And Deo, you would have been irresistible as a mortal. Now you are glorious.” He touched Deo’s shoulder briefly, let his hand trail down over his arm. “But I know the two of you appreciate each other’s beauty. And we have important matters to discuss. The other elders of the Council will be here soon. We must decide what is to be done about you. This is a highly unusual situation. Not that it never happens. In the past, when we were hidden in the shadows like the dangerous secrets we were…but in these times, it is rare. Now that we have the Council to govern. But do not worry—we don’t hold you responsible for Gaius’s actions. Or you, Mercy, for Turning Deo. We understand why you must have done it. You were lonely, yes? Frightened?” She nodded. “You may speak to us, Mercy,” Ever said, his voice soft, making her melt a little all over.

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“I…yes, I was scared. And so alone. This was…everything was so strange. I didn’t understand. I’m still not certain I understand.” “Of course,” Ever soothed. His dark eyes were making her tremble, yet his words were calming. “Can you tell us what happened with Gaius?” Aleron asked. He had a soft French accent. Lovely, smooth voice. “We know you’ve told Ramsey, but I’d like to hear it from you.” She nodded once more, gathering her courage. “It was in Barcelona. I moved there from San Francisco with my parents a few years ago, when I was fifteen. My father is a diplomat.” “How old are you now, Mercy?” Ever asked her. “And Deo?” “I’m twenty-one,” she answered. “And I’m twenty-three.” Ever nodded, and she went on. “He came into our house,” she said, her throat tightening at the memory. “I don’t know how he got in. We had the best security system. But he got in—he came into my room as I slept and he…he took me.” Deo wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder. She’d only ever told the story in detail to him, and only once. Thinking of it now, of her parents, whom she knew she’d likely never see again, broke her heart. Tears stung her eyes, but she wiped them away. She didn’t want to cry in front of these powerful strangers. “It’s all right, Mercy,” Deo told her, his thumb stroking the back of her hand. Aleron leaned forward in his chair while Ramsey sat quietly beside him, his gaze moving from her face to Ever’s and back again. “Go on,” Aleron prompted. She glanced at Deo and he nodded.

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“He took me away. Just carried me over his shoulder to some old abandoned house. He drank from me. And drank from me again. And again, until I thought I was dying. I think I was dying. Then he bit into his own wrist and held it to my mouth. I…I couldn’t help myself. I drank from him. I did it.” She shook her head. “I didn’t want to but I did. This is my own fault.” “It’s not,” Deo said, his tone fierce. “This isn’t your fault, Mercy.” She turned to look at him once more. His aquamarine eyes were full of sympathy. Love. “But it is, Deo. And you…that’s my fault too. I did this to you!” “Shh, love. You didn’t understand what it was you were doing. You were afraid. And you thirsted. I understand now.” She shook her head, and he pulled her in, brushed a kiss across her lips. And for a moment, everything, everyone else disappeared, and all she knew was Deo’s touch. Comforting and searing her at the same time. He looked around the room. “It’s not Mercy’s fault,” he said to the three other vampires, his eyes blazing. “You can’t blame her.” “We don’t,” Ever assured him. “We are only interested in finding out what we can about this Gaius.” “I will not be separated from her,” Deo said, his voice a low growl. “And you shall not be,” Aleron told him. “Did Ramsey not tell you so?” “I did,” Ramsey said with a shrug, “but apparently they didn’t believe me.” “It’s only that this is our worst fear now,” Mercy explained. “To be apart, when for the last few months all we’ve had is each other.” “You will never have to be apart again, if that is what you wish,” Ever said once more, leaning closer. “What else can you tell us of Gaius? Do you know his age? Where he came from?”

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“He’s old. Maybe as old as you are, Ever. I’m not very good at sensing these things yet. He said something to me at one point about Rome. And I saw into his mind…” She paused, shivered, not wanting to remember all of the ugly, twisted things she’d seen there. “I saw what looked like ancient Rome to me. I recognized the names of some of the places, the gods he still prayed to. Cursed. But he never spoke to me as much as he sort of muttered to himself, and little of it made sense. He was with me only for a few days before he left me.” “And that’s when you met Deo?” Aleron asked. “I found him camping on the beaches of Valencia, south of Barcelona. After Gaius left…I wandered. I didn’t know where I was going. Only that I couldn’t go home again. Not like this. And I was so alone. It was…terrible, until I met Deo.” “We traveled around Spain for a few months,” Deo said, “learning what we could do with these new bodies. This new life. We’d both heard of the vampires, of course, but neither of us knew much. We… I’m afraid we did some violence learning to feed. We didn’t know…until Ramsey showed us. Until we heard of the Midnight Playground and made our way to Madrid to ask for his help.” “You met Mercy in Spain, yet your name, your accent is Greek, is it not?” Ever asked Deo. “You look Greek, with that dark, curling hair. Except for your eyes. They are most unusual.” “My family is Greek.” “Ah, you have family, then.” Aleron nodded, stroking his chin with long, pale fingers. Deo shrugged. “I lost them several years ago. There was a riot in Athens.” He’d told her about the loss of his family. She knew he still carried that pain with him, despite his casual attitude. She could feel his sadness, even if he never spoke of it. “Mercy is the first real family I’ve had in a long time.”

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“I’d been alone for several days by the time I found him,” she told them. “I couldn’t stand it. At first we just talked. Then he kissed me and…he realized something was different about me. But there was the blood lust, as Ramsey has explained to me. I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t mean to,” she said fiercely, tears scalding her eyes. “It just happened, I swear it. I didn’t have the strength to stop.” “You’d been taught nothing by Gaius,” Aleron said, and she could detect the restrained rage beneath his calm tone. Rage that was clearly aimed at Gaius, not her. “This is why we require that a new vampire wait ten years before Turning another. So that you can act as teacher as well as lover and companion. But you’re here now. We’ll teach you both. And when we find this Gaius, he will be dealt with appropriately.” She was suffused with gratitude. And beneath that was some strange sense of dread that Gaius should be hurt if they found him. It didn’t make sense. He should be punished for what he’d done to her, she knew that. But she couldn’t shake some vague attachment to him. Ever stood, taking her hand in his. His fingers were cool, yet she could feel his pulse beating just beneath his skin, his blood warm. “You must be overwhelmed, both of you. We have rooms set aside for you. My assistant Calam will take you there. Go. Rest. Be together. I will come to you after a time.” Deo stood and helped her to her feet. She felt as if she were out of her head. Could all of this really be happening? She’d existed in this state of disbelief for the last several months, but she and Deo had been too busy simply surviving to think it all through. Now her life was about to change again, and while Ramsey, Aleron and Ever had tried to assure them that all would be well, she found it difficult to trust. And regardless of what they said, nothing could relieve her of her guilt.

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She looked at the vampires, who had also risen to their feet. A sort of oldworld gesture, but she loved it. Then Ever stepped forward and took her face in one hand, cupping her cheek. The other he laid on Deo’s shoulder. He looked into her eyes, his that bottomless black that would be frightening if there wasn’t so much sadness in them. Her heart surged—for Ever. For herself and Deo and everything that had happened. “We will not let anyone hurt you, either of you,” Ever told her. “I promise you that. We will see that your family is protected, Mercy, in case this Gaius still lurks there. Ramsey has already sent someone to watch over them.” “Oh…” It came out on a small sob. “I didn’t dare to hope… I know I’ll never see them again. I’m learning to accept that. But I’ve worried. I don’t know what they must think about my disappearance. But I couldn’t go back to them. Not this way. They would be horrified.” “That is something you can decide later. But I don’t want you to worry any longer, do you understand? We will help you. Take care of you. And you have a strong protector in Deo. I can see that.” “I would do anything for her,” Deo said, his tone low, but there was power in it. Ever turned to him. “Yes, I think you would.” He lifted Mercy’s hand, kissed the back of it, and need coursed through her, strong and hot. And as he lifted Deo’s hand and brushed his lips over his wrist, an even stronger surge of desire passed through her. She had an image in her mind of them together, Deo and Ever. The old vampire’s plush lips coming down on Deo’s. Their beautiful, naked bodies pressed together. When she shook the image away and glanced up at Ever, she knew he’d read her thoughts, knew from his small, wicked smile that he’d seen it all, felt the reverberating desire in her body.

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“I will come to you both a little later,” he said, his black eyes glittering, his smile widening just enough to reveal his sharp eyeteeth. “Ah, Calam is here.” He turned. “Please see our new guests to their rooms.” “Aye,” the muscled redhead said. He was beautiful, as was everyone here. She could smell his humanity as though it were an exotic perfume. Smelled the human blood in his veins. “Come this way, please.” Deo slipped an arm around her waist as they followed Calam from the room. Her body, her mind, were buzzing. Everything was changing so quickly she couldn’t seem to focus on any of it. Ever. Aleron and Ramsey. The council of vampires who were to arrive at the club soon. A new life she could barely begin to imagine. And all of it with Deo. “Always,” he said quietly, his fingers squeezing hers as they moved toward the elegant elevator. They stepped in. The doors slid shut and she held on to Deo as the elevator began to move down and down. She gripped his hand tighter and he pulled her in closer. She needed him, to feel the safety in his arms. To feel him. It was the only thing that made the fear go away. Deo tucked a hand under her chin, looked into her eyes. “Make it go away, Deo,” she begged him in a whisper. “I promise,” he told her. It was the one thing she knew she could count on.

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Chapter Three

Calam opened a pair of doors and led them into their room. Creamy damask wallpaper everywhere, a row of tall windows draped in mossy-green velvet. An enormous bed—large enough for six people to fit comfortably—was at the opposite end of the room. Here and there were sitting areas, gilt-trimmed lamps shining softly. The furnishings were luxurious even beyond any she’d seen in her father’s house, making her think of the grand homes she’d read about in books. Fit for royalty. But perhaps the vampires were a kind of royalty. How was it that she was one of them now? She couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. “I hope it’s all to your liking,” Calam said, and again, if she drew her breath in, she could smell his sweetly mortal flesh. His blood. She didn’t need blood. Ramsey had made certain they were fed before their long trip to London. But she’d found the vampiric appetites—for blood, for sex— to be nearly unquenchable. She swallowed down the urge. “This is wonderful,” Deo said, moving farther into the room, taking Mercy with him. “Beautiful. Like everything here.” He smiled. “Including you, Calam.” Calam grinned. “As I find you both. Perhaps after you’ve had time to settle, you’ll find my love, Ilana, to your liking, as well. We sometimes choose to share ourselves with others.” Mercy shivered as desire struck her like a small, electric shock. She had never been with a woman. But since she’d Turned, everything was different. And Calam was a gorgeous specimen of a man, his muscles heavy, beautiful to her.

Eden Bradley

“Mercy would like that,” Deo answered. “We will be here should you require us.” Calam made a small bow then turned and left them alone. Alone. For the first time in days. She moved into Deo’s arms, and he pulled her in, kissing her. Softly at first then harder, deeper, his tongue pushing into her mouth. In moments he was taking her clothes off then his own, his lush lips never leaving hers. No one had ever kissed her the way Deo did. Even when he was mortal, there was something about his mouth, the softness of it, the way he used his tongue that made her crazy with lust. Her body burned as she pressed against him, naked flesh to naked flesh. His body was all hard planes, muscle like steel beneath his velvet skin. And against her belly his cock was thickening, lengthening until all she could think of was having him inside her. Fucking her. His hands came around her, under her buttocks, and he lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his narrow waist, her hands going into his dark, silky hair. She arched, impaling herself on his cock. “Ah, Deo!” He thrust into her, over and over. His cock, his pubic bone crashing into her, driving pleasure deep. “I need you, Mercy love. Need you. To fuck you. Be with you. A part of you.” “Yes…” He reached between them, his fingers pressing onto her hard clit, and she moaned as desire built. With his other hand he entered her ass, a firm press of two fingers. She loved it, that sensation of being filled. Loved that her immortal body could handle things she never could have as a human. She arched, taking his cock into her cunt, moved back to take his fingers deeper into her ass.

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“Come on, Deo,” she murmured. She didn’t know if she was asking to come or asking him to. She was full of pleasure, overflowing. Full of him—cock and fingers and his tongue surging into her mouth, wet and sweet. As the first shudders of her climax trembled in her sex, her breasts and belly, he lowered his head and bit into her. His mouth was hot on her throat, sucking, sucking, drawing the blood in. And it was as if his mouth were on her cunt, on her nipples. Everywhere at once. Images flashed in her head. Of the ocean in Valencia, the two of them exploring each other for the first time, when she had Turned him. His cock slipping between her thighs, nearly as hard then as a human, as he was inside her now. She felt it as though she were pussy and cock all at the same time. Through his eyes. Through her own memory. Even then, it had been frenzied and beautiful, pleasure burning into her like a flame. She shivered, her sex clenching. As she came, she felt Deo tense, pistoning into her. She screamed her pleasure, heard his animal roar. And she took his neck, bit into his lovely, golden flesh and drank. His blood was like some stunning aphrodisiac, sweet on her tongue. Pure ecstasy in her body. She came and came. Arching hips and grasping hands. Thrusting cock and plunging fingers. And the scent of Deo in her head. His blood on her tongue. Finally, they both calmed. He carried her to the bed, lay her down. One at a time, they licked each other’s wounds clean. Kissed each other softly. Deo leaned up on one elbow, his body next to hers, and gazed into her eyes. His were that startling green-blue of the ocean. “I love you, Mercy.” He traced her jaw with his fingertips, murmured, “My love.” “And I love you.”

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He stroked her long hair, taking the ends of it and running it through his fingers. His brows drew together. “You want him.” “Calam?” “Yes. But I was talking about Ever.” She nodded. “I could feel his desire for you. Like a lamp lighting up the room.” “He wants you too.” “Yes,” Deo agreed. “And he is the most amazing creature…” She brushed his cool cheek with her fingertips. “What is it, Deo?” “I’ve become used to having you to myself. But now…I feel different. I know you do too. My need for sex is so powerful. It’s not that you aren’t enough for me.” “I understand. I do,” she insisted. “It’s just that some of the others are so incredibly enticing. But Ever… I’m so drawn to him. I didn’t think I would want anyone as much as I want you.” “Yes, exactly.” “He’s so sad,” she said, as much to herself as to Deo. “It makes him more approachable. And less so, at the same time.” “Yes. But, Deo, how do you feel about this? The idea of us being with others?” “I want it,” he answered. “But only with you, Mercy. Only if you’re a part of it. And you? What do you want?” “My desires are the same as yours. For others. For Calam. But mostly my desire is for Ever. He knows it.” Deo nodded, a slow smile crossing his features. “I have a feeling we’re about to discover something wholly new to us both.” “You’ve been with other men before, I know. I’ve seen it in your head.”

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“I have. But Ever isn’t like any man I’ve known before. I’m glad to know you feel as I do. I had some sense of it in your response to him. But I had to hear it from you.” He picked up her hand, brushed a kiss over her knuckles, and once more her body lit with need. She smiled to him, and his eyes went dark, glossy. She reached down and found his cock hardening once more. “Ah, I love this about you. About your being immortal,” she told him, stroking him with a light, teasing touch. He laughed, arched his hips into her hand, and she fisted around his rigid flesh. “Ah, yes, let me just fuck your hand for a moment, love.” She tightened her grasp, loving the solidity of him, his moans and sighs of pleasure as she moved her palm up and down his erect cock. She felt the power in it, in the ability to bring him pleasure. Loved to see him close his eyes, his lips parting. “Will you come in my hand, Deo?” He laughed again, and suddenly he was on her, picking her up then shoving her down on the Persian carpet next to the big bed. Spreading her thighs with his hands. “Maybe, love. But first I’ll make you come. Once, twice. I want to hear you come. I want to hear you scream.” He bent his head and licked her, his tongue slipping over her already wet cleft. “Ah, Deo.”

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He licked again, his tongue delving between the soft folds of her cunt. His fingers pushing inside her, one then two. Then three. He angled his fingers, pressing against her G-spot. “Deo, you’ll make me come too soon,” she protested as pleasure rose, spiraled inside her. Another short laugh from him before he tugged on her clit with his teeth, hurting her a little. He knew she loved it, the contrast of the pleasure and the pain. “You torture me, Deo.” He only drove his fingers harder into her soaking-wet pussy and sucked her clitoris into his mouth. And bit. She felt the warmth of her blood seeping onto his tongue. Felt the heat move through her body as her climax hovered, shimmering at the edge of sensation. Pleasure was like fire inside her, spreading, spreading as he sucked harder. Another flash of the two of them together, and behind it, Deo alone on the beach. Then an image, cast into her mind on purpose, she knew immediately, of Deo with a pretty young man. The drape of the man’s long, brown hair as he knelt between Deo’s human thighs and sucked his cock. The lovely undulating pleasure of the man’s wet tongue, his silken throat closing around his erect flesh. Her climax hit her, hard and pulsing as she came in Deo’s mouth. As Deo came in the pretty male’s mouth in her head. Sensation merged until she could no longer tell whose orgasm was hers, or his, or both of them together. When it was over, he pulled away, his strong hands going to her waist to turn her over, placing her on her hands and knees. He spread her ass cheeks, leaned in and licked her tight anus. Her cunt contracted with new pleasure. “Deo, please…” “Please what, my love?”

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“Fuck me there. You know how I love it.” He licked again, pushed his tongue inside her ass, wet and lovely. “Oh God…” He fucked her with his tongue, just as she’d asked. Pleasure was wet and sweet as his thrusting tongue, like some tiny, silken cock in her ass. But she needed more. “Come on, Deo. Really fuck me now.” He pulled away and parted her ass cheeks with his hands, shifted behind her and thrust right in. If she’d been human, her flesh would have been torn by his iron-hard cock. As it was, it hurt, but in the most lovely way. And as he fucked her ass, slowly at first then faster, harder, his hand came down on her buttocks. “Ah!” “Come now, my lovely girl. You know that didn’t hurt.” “Do it harder, Deo.” He smacked her again, the sound echoing off the vaulted ceilings. “Yes, Deo…” His cock was pushing deeper, sliding in, out. He was slapping her hard, his hands burning her flesh. She felt that first stirring in her blood. The thrumming. Humming. Until it was a sound that seemed to fill the room. “Ah, the singing,” she murmured, too caught up in the pleasure to say more. But he understood this strange phenomenon they’d discovered when they indulged in pain play. Some odd vampiric response to the combination of pleasure and pain. Deo reached around her, pinching her clit between his fingers. And she felt the hot rush inside her body as he came in her ass, heard his pleasure as he cried out. “Ah, Mercy! Mercy! Fuck!”

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He pumped into her, and she was coming, coming. The pain of his spanking was like a high, beautiful sound in her head, in her blood. Urging her climax on as she tumbled, shattered. Screamed. They collapsed together onto the floor. Not because their immortal bodies could tire so easily, but because it simply felt good to lie together in a tangle. “My love,” Deo murmured against her cheek, stroking her long hair, pulling the strands between his fingers. “You are as beautiful as Ever said. And as sweet.” She laughed, looping an arm around his muscled neck. “And did you think I was sweet when you were in my ass?” “Every part of you is as sweet as wine. As pure sugar. The sex doesn’t change that. I could do every dirty thing to you, and it wouldn’t make you less sweet, Mercy love.” “Well, I hope you will, then. I can’t seem to get enough.” “Oh, I plan to,” he said, laughing, a low, warm chuckle. He kissed her cheek, let his sharp eyeteeth graze the flesh there, and once more lust trembled in her body. She climbed on top of him, parting her thighs, letting him feel the wet heat of her cunt on his belly. “Again? You are insatiable. But then, so am I.” He smiled as he rose to kiss her, his lips sweet on hers. And as she lifted her hips, impaling her body on his hard cock, she knew she was safe at last. With Deo. And in the Midnight Playground. Safe for now, at least. She didn’t know what tomorrow might bring. The results of the Council of old vampires. But for now, this was enough.

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Ever was just pouring wine for Aleron and Ramsey, a cabernet the deep color of garnets, when Calam came into the room. “They are all here, the Council. Shall I have them come in?” “Yes, of course. Let’s not leave them waiting.” Calam nodded and hurried from the room. “It will be nice to see everyone,” Ramsey said. “Yes, I’ve not yet met them all.” Aleron accepted the glass Ever handed him. “I’m afraid my world has been rather limited. I’ve only been here and to the Paris club. Before meeting you today, Ramsey, I’ve known only Laurent and Xavier.” Ever tuned his mind’s eye to the vampires gathering in the hall outside his rooms. “Ah, they come.” Aleron and Ramsey stood as the heavy double doors swung wide and the Council members entered. A small tremor of desire hummed through Ever’s veins as the group walked in. Vampires, all of them. Ancient. Unbelievably beautiful. The bonded pair of vampires from the Paris club were the first to cross the room, the lovely, androgynous Laurent with his angelic, curling mane of blond hair, and his partner Xavier, whose chestnut locks hung in waves around his broad shoulders. They both smiled, white eyeteeth glinting, as they came to greet Aleron with a kiss on each cheek then the same for Ever and Ramsey. Behind them was the darkly brooding Bastien from the Berlin club, his calm, gray eyes gleaming, and Dane, the youngest of the Council, who ran the Amsterdam Midnight Playground. His hair was as pale as Ever’s, but his eyes were a brilliant, startling blue. So pretty as he smiled at Ever, as he leaned in to give him a kiss of greeting on the mouth that lingered deliciously. So pretty, Ever spent a moment considering him…but his mind was on the new pair of vampires

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who were even now fucking in another room. He could feel their heat, their great need calling to him. Later… He reached out with his mind, forcing his focus past Mercy’s distant cries of pleasure to the dark vampiric essence moving down the hallway. He lifted his gaze to the door as the remaining two members of the vampire Council came into the room. The elusive Storm, who managed the Midnight Playground in Prague, his long, black hair seeming to float around his tall form like a mist, a stunning contrast to his jade-green eyes. He was old—older even than Ever. No one knew how ancient Storm was, or where he’d acquired his name. But he wore his great age like an aura of both sadness and sensuality. Invincibility. Enormous power. And finally, behind him, was the diminutive Chiara from the Rome club. She was like some wicked sprite, with her glowing olive skin, her dark hair and eyes. Those who knew Chiara knew her hot temper, her blatant, simmering sexuality and her propensity for extravagance. It was said she kept a pair of albino alligators on golden chains in her rooms in Rome. She came to Ever and wrapped her arms around him. He breathed her in, flashes of the nights they’d lain together running like some sensual film through his head. She was as lovely as ever. But still, his mind kept wandering back to Mercy. To Deo. The two of them together. He couldn’t seem to stop. To concentrate on the vampires before him. He felt pleasure shimmering through Mercy’s system, biting deep. Pulsing. Saw Deo’s aquamarine eyes as he gazed into hers. Filled with love. With lust so powerful he felt his own cock thrum with the force of it. That gorgeous, plush mouth of his coming down between her thighs. Tasting her flesh. Her blood. Like honey, all of it… Pleasure stabbed into him. Sharp. Unexpected.

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He blinked, tried to shake it off. “Ever?” It was Chiara’s voice, her lyrical Italian accent. “Is something wrong?” “No, no. Everything is fine. Of course.” He pulled her in, kissed her stonesmooth cheeks then both her hands, making her smile. “Please, everyone make yourselves comfortable. Calam will serve you some wine.” There was a low murmur as they all found seats on the velvet and damask chairs and low couches, giving him a moment to regain his composure. What was it about those two? So very young. So freshly made. Perhaps that’s it. Perhaps they remind me too much of what I’ve lost. Innocence. The ability to see the world with new eyes. Why then did they make him feel more as though he’d gained something rather than lost it? He’d felt that odd sense of loss too often recently. Had spent hours brooding about Vérún, lost in memory. Thinking too much of his love for her, how it had faded with time and yet seemed more crucial than ever lately. He’d thought almost constantly of her encroaching madness. The idea that perhaps his mind would wander too far at some point, as well. That he didn’t have enough to anchor him… “Ever, will you not sit with us?” Xavier asked, gesturing to the empty space on the couch beside him. Ever nodded, sat down next to his old friend. Pull yourself together. He took a slow sip of his wine. “You know why you’ve been called here,” he said, his glance darting from one flawless vampire to the next, saw their nods of assent. “We cannot allow this sort of behavior from one of our own. These rogues will topple our fragile hold on society.”

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“We must not give mortals any greater reason to fear us,” Ramsey interjected. “Do you not think it is good they fear us?” Chiara asked, a gleam in her dark eyes. She was known for her merciless nature. He understood that even among the vampires, a female must show her strength more outwardly to gain respect. And Chiara gloried in it. He had to admit it was part of her attraction for him. It had been, anyway. “I believe there is a balance,” Ever answered. “They must fear us enough to leave us alone to do as we wish. But if the fear becomes too great, they will rebel against us as they have their own governments.” “We are not easily taken down.” Storm’s deep voice echoed with the centuries of his existence. His green eyes were like cut glass, his cheekbones just as sharp. “But I agree with you, Ever. We cannot allow things to get out of control. I don’t like these rogues. I don’t like their primitive makeup.” “I prefer to think of myself as more…sophisticated,” Aleron remarked, his fingers twining around the stem of his wineglass. “Whether it is in my selfcontrol, or my…finer desires.” “Yes, exactly.” Ever sipped from his own glass as images of Mercy’s lush and naked body filtered through his mind. Mercy and Deo, the two of them a contrast in hard and soft, fair and dark. Naked flesh and smooth skin. Her flowing red and gold hair, the sweet beauty of their faces like some shimmering mirage at the edges of his vision. He was hard for them both. But he had to concentrate. He refocused the lust raging in his system, channeling it into the task at hand. Along with the lust was something else…something more. A fierce protectiveness for this rare, young pair. His fingers curled into fists. “We must hunt this Gaius down. And dispose of him.”

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“We don’t know how old he is. How powerful,” Ramsey said. Ever nodded. “He is but one vampire. We are many. I don’t doubt that he can be dealt with, should we find him.” “We will find him,” Ramsey answered, his low tone dangerous, his green gaze like a pair of sharp-edged peridots. “I hate that he is in my country, my jurisdiction, so to speak. I will not allow it. I will not allow him to wander. Killing at random. Turning so irresponsibly the way he did Mercy.” Mercy. Another shaft of desire struck Ever like a blow to the chest simply hearing her name spoken aloud. He sucked in a breath. “And what of this Mercy? What of her companion, Deo?” Chiara asked. “She is innocent,” Ever said. “She had no idea what she was doing in Turning him.” “You are saying she should suffer no consequences for her actions?” Chiara’s dark eyes glittered with barely banked animosity. “She broke the rules.” “Rules she was not aware of. Rules we made. We can choose to govern their effect,” Ever answered, a rage growing in his chest. “I promised her she would not be made to pay for actions that were beyond her control. She had no way of knowing.” He leaned toward the female vampire, his teeth bared. “I will not allow it, Chiara. Do you hear me?” Xavier laid a hand on Ever’s arm, but he shook him off. “Ever,” the old French vampire said gently. “Calm yourself. I agree with you. The girl did not know the consequences of her actions. How could she? I do not hold her responsible but this rogue Gaius. And Deo is even more innocent of any wrongdoing than she is.” “I feel the same, as you know already,” Aleron put in. Ever’s gaze moved from one unearthly figure to the next, daring any to argue with him, but they all nodded their agreement. Chiara caught his eye,

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frowned at him, but he knew her well enough to understand she would back down. He would find some distraction for her from among the club’s members— that would soothe her. “So, where do we begin?” Laurent asked quietly. Xavier’s partner was softspoken, but he was old in his own right. Powerful. Exquisite. “I will gather my forces from the Madrid club,” Ramsey answered. “But I would welcome aid from your clubs, as well. The sooner we find this fiend, the better. We don’t even know yet if he is still in Spain.” “I agree,” Ever said. He couldn’t stand the idea of this villain going unpunished. What he’d done to Mercy, and in turn, Deo. But if they hadn’t been Turned, they wouldn’t be there, in his club. And he wanted them both so badly. It was as if some wild animal tore at his insides. He truly could hardly wait to be with them. Pure torture knowing they waited for him. Eager. Wanting. Lovely. “And until they know enough to decide for themselves,” he went on, “to go about the world on their own, I will watch over Mercy and Deo here in London.” “It is decided, then,” Aleron said. “We join resources to hunt Gaius, and the young ones will remain here for the time being under Ever’s protection.” “It is decided,” Chiara agreed grudgingly. The others nodded, murmured their accord. Ever stood. “I thank you all for coming. Enjoy my club for the night. For as long as you wish.” Chiara rubbed up against him, as sleek as a cat. “You are anxious to leave us, Ever,” she purred. “Do you have an appointment elsewhere?” “As a matter of fact, I do. Another time, perhaps? I’m certain we can find some entertainment for you downstairs.”

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“Yes, I have no doubt. Or perhaps right here.” She gave him a small smile then slipped away to take Dane’s arm in hers as they walked from the room. He was nearly breathless waiting for them all to go. His need was driving him. He didn’t like that he had so little control over it. It had been years since his desires were stronger than he was. But he didn’t want to think of it like that now. He didn’t want to think of anything but Mercy and Deo. Another flash of Deo’s hands on her flesh. Hands so strong and beautiful. His golden skin against her paler flesh. Yes. Must have them… But he couldn’t think of it just yet. No, now he would do what he needed to in order to see that his esteemed guests, these leaders of the vampires from every corner of Europe, were comfortable. See them settled in their rooms. Or in the dungeons. Make sure they had plenty of partners to choose from. Blood. Wine. Whatever they wanted. That would keep him distracted for a little while. Keep his mind off the lovely, sweet Mercy. The equally sweet and stunning Deo. Their air of youth and vigor and innocence that drew him like some sort of magnetic current he could barely comprehend. That he couldn’t resist. Yes, today he would play host, do what was expected of him. But tonight he would go to them and taste for himself the succulent fruit of their innocence and youth.

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Chapter Four

“Deo. Mercy.” Ever moved into the room, drawn to their twined, naked bodies on the big bed. They looked like some exquisite piece of art to him. A Canova sculpture. Just as lovely, with their sleek immortal skin. That divine contrast of light and dark. Except that they were all light, these two. As fresh and sweet as any mortal he’d ever come upon. That was their magic. He’d been thinking about it all day. The fact that they were vampires yet had come to it without the hard edge most humans had when they decided to let go of their mortal lives. When they came to the Midnight Playground, yearning for the Turning kiss, willing to do anything to be offered immortality. That innocent magic had awakened his senses—senses that had been deadening bit by bit these last months. “Ever?” Mercy’s voice, as soft as she was. “I am here.” “Will you come to us?” Deo asked. He could hear the desire in the young vampire’s tone, felt his cock harden simply knowing they wanted him. He crossed the room, shedding his clothes. Naked, he stood over them, watching them. Mercy licked her full lower lip and his balls pulled tight. “You are almost too lovely to bear,” he told them. It was true. Mercy’s body was petite but with lush curves, her hips and breasts full. The ultimate in femininity. Her strawberry hair lay in long waves on

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the pillows, a lock draped over Deo’s arm around her narrow waist. Even the line of her back was exquisite as she lay in Deo’s arms. And her face…the delicate jaw, the plush pink mouth almost pornographic in her innocent face. Her eyes the lightest, glossy blue… “Ever?” she asked again. “I am only admiring you, little beauty,” he answered. “In all my centuries, with all I’ve seen, I almost cannot believe you are real. You’re like a fairy. Like the Ljósálf, the light elves, I knew of in my youth.” “I’m real, Ever. Come to us. Find out how real I am. How real we can be together. Please.” “Ah…” He moved in, leaned over them, and Deo drew him down with a strong hand, until Ever lay between them on the bed. Mercy pressed against his chest, her breasts a symphony of silken flesh. Except for her hard nipples. His cock filled. Behind him, Deo was all sleek planes—muscle and flesh and a sprinkling of hair on his chest and belly. And below that, his cock pressing against him, thick and hard. Deo’s arm went around Ever, and Ever joined hands with him, their fingers lacing. Together, they stroked Mercy’s body, making her squirm, making her sigh with pleasure. He brushed her mouth with his, and her lips were so damn sweet, he could hardly stand it. Must be inside her. Mercy arched her hips, and he felt the hot press of her pussy against his cock. Her panting breath against his face. Now. “Open for me,” he commanded.

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Mercy slid one leg over his hips, and with one quick thrust, he was inside her. “Ah, you feel like heaven, little beauty. I am going to fuck you so hard.” “Yes, Ever,” she gasped, her hot sheath tightening around him. “And you will fuck me, Deo. Fuck my ass. Do it now.” Deo shifted, his thick cock pressing, searching, until it finally slid between his ass cheeks. Ever let his body still, opened for Deo, who slipped the head of his cock inside him. There was that momentary burn then Deo buried his cock deep. “Ah, perfect,” Ever muttered as pleasure shimmered through him. As Mercy lifted her chin, pressing her mouth hungrily to his, they all began to move. He arched his hips, surging into her hot sex. Deo drove his cock deeper into Ever’s ass. Pleasure was a fiery heat in his ass, his cock, his mouth. Mercy ground her hips into his, her sweet pussy like heated velvet, sleek and wet. Deo’s cock was ramming into him now, over and over. Sensation shafted into his body as Deo bit into the back of his neck. “Ah, yes,” Ever whispered as the images flooded his mind. Deo on a beach with two others, beautiful young men, like him. He could smell the ocean. Could smell the scent of male come. Could taste it in Deo’s mouth as one of the men pushed his cock between his lips. The other man had Deo on his hands and knees as he pushed into his ass. Everything merged— reality and memory—sensations coming from every direction. The image changed, and it was Deo with Mercy, the two of them fucking against an old plaster wall. The animal lust of the immortals making their fucking a primal thing as pleasure devoured them both.

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That same primal pleasure ran through him in a long shiver, like a serpent in his veins. His hips slammed into Mercy, his cock plunging deep into her hot pussy. Deo’s cock was ramming into his ass, pushing sensation deeper, deeper. Mercy came first, her cries echoing in the room, her pulsing sex gripping his cock. “God, Ever! Yes, harder.” Her orgasm drove his own pleasure on, higher, higher. Deo was fucking him so hard, so deep, his cock pounding into him, if Ever had been mortal he would have been torn apart. “Harder, Deo,” he urged, needing the pain. Needing to feel as deeply as possible. “Harder!” Deo thrust, hammering into him. He felt the pull of Deo’s mouth as he drank his blood. And as they came together, sensation hot and liquid, drowning him, making his body limp in Deo’s strong, young arms, his mind was once more filled with images. He caught the scents of old stone, damp pavement, the morning sunlight beginning to dry the rain from the night before. This time it was Deo as a boy, perhaps fourteen or fifteen, and a tall man who looked very much like him holding on to his shoulder tightly as they made their way down a narrow alley. They reached a wooden door, and a woman with Deo’s blue-green eyes and soft, lovely features opened it. On her hip was a small boy who looked like Deo. The same dark curls, the same stunning eyes. “I thought you wouldn’t make it,” the woman said, worry lacing her voice. “We have to go now,” the man’s tone was tight. “We may be too late already.” The woman nodded. “I gathered some of our things.”

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A sudden roar that made them all draw together, the small boy beginning to cry. Ever felt Deo’s heart racing, fear heavy in his chest. “There’s no time,” the man said. He grabbed the boy from her, took her arm, and together they ran into the streets. People everywhere. Smoke that made his lungs burn. His mother pressed close, her hand in his. “Deo,” she said urgently, “if anything happens, take your brother far away from here. Keep him safe.” “Yes, Màna.” “Promise me!” “I promise.” Deo looked up, saw her eyes glistening with tears. “We’ll be fine,” his father said. But Deo heard the doubt in his voice. They began to run, the crowd surging, pressing into them. There wasn’t enough air, but he kept running, his mother’s hand in his. Deo could feel her bones beneath her flesh, she held on so tightly. They rounded a corner into a wall of fire. Another roar, this one so loud he felt it in his belly. The ground shook. His mother’s hand slipped from his. “Màna!” The acrid scent of smoke and flesh. Ash and blood everywhere. Screams filled the air. Desperation. He was alone. Ever blinked, his heart twisting in his chest. He shifted, turned to Deo, kissed his cheek, his mouth. Deo was quiet, letting him do what he wanted.

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Mercy was shivering, her body against Ever’s back, her cheek resting there. He felt her tears on his skin. Finally, Deo spoke. “I didn’t mean for you to see that. Either of you.” “No. But that is how it works sometimes,” Ever said, still shaken by the depth of emotion he felt. In Deo. In Mercy. In himself. “There was an intense connection between us. Perhaps because you and Mercy are so bonded.” “Maybe,” Mercy said, her voice muffled against his shoulder. “Or maybe it’s you too, Ever. Maybe you’re a necessary element.” He couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t had that sort of bond with anyone since Vérún. Perhaps not even then. He’d loved her, but her mind had never been solid. A sharp pain thinking of her now, with Deo’s sorrow so fresh. How was it he was feeling so much? After the way he’d been these last months. These last years. And he hadn’t ever come upon anyone, mortal or vampire, who touched him the way these two did. There was a purity about them. Even their wantonness in bed was pure, as though they hadn’t been tainted by the world. As though they could wash him clean. His heart was thundering in his chest. He didn’t understand it. Mercy’s arms enclosed him. Deo’s joined hers. He was held between them, these two sweet bodies. He wanted to leap up. To leave them. To leave behind this jagged sense of vulnerability. Something he’d never felt before. Never. But he couldn’t force himself to move. “Ever,” Mercy whispered. “Stay with us. Be with us.” His heart surged once more. It was pleasure and pain, but of an unfamiliar kind. “Yes, Ever. Be with us,” Deo echoed.

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Mercy felt Ever’s body tense, as though he would spring from the bed. Her tears for Deo’s past had dried but new ones sprang to her eyes. So much pain in Ever. So much sadness. She wanted to heal him. The only way she knew was with her body. With hers and Deo’s and the love they shared. After several long moments, Ever relaxed, bit by bit. “I will not leave you,” he said. “I find I cannot.” She smiled, and he turned onto his back. Mercy raised herself onto her arm, leaned in to kiss him softly on the mouth. She drew back to let Deo do the same. And felt lust squeeze deep in her body, cunt and belly and breasts, watching their mouths join. “Ah, seeing the two of you kiss… I’ve never seen anything like it,” she whispered in awe. “Never seen anything more erotic.” Ever smiled even as he pressed his mouth harder to Deo’s. He reached for her, his hand finding her breast. He squeezed her nipple hard, making her gasp, making her laugh. Deo growled, pulled his mouth from Ever’s. “Come here, love.” She moved in, kissed Deo’s soft mouth, her body going hot all over. And absolutely soaking wet when Ever slipped his hand between her thighs. “You’re more than ready,” he said. She pulled away from Deo’s mouth, looking into his ocean eyes as she answered Ever’s question. “Yes.” “But you need more.” Ever suggested. Without taking her gaze from Deo’s, she said, “I want to see the two of you. I want to see Deo’s beautiful mouth on your cock.” Ever laughed. “So do I.” Deo grinned at her, and she sat up on her knees to watch as he knelt next to Ever’s beautiful body, which was all sleek planes and angles. Deo bent his head,

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his dark curls falling over his cheeks. He stroked Ever’s long, pale cock with his fingers. “Suck me, Deo,” Ever commanded. Deo licked his lips. Her pussy clenched as he leaned in and took just the swollen tip of Ever’s cock between his lips. Ever groaned softly. “Ah, God,” she murmured. Deo lifted his head. “Is this what you wanted to see, Mercy? Ever’s cock in my mouth. Down my throat?” His blue-green eyes were sparkling. His own cock was a thick shaft of rigid flesh between his muscular thighs. “Oh yes. I want to see you take command of him. To see you render him helpless with desire, as you do to me.” “Ah, you two will kill me with desire,” Ever moaned. “Come and kiss me while he gives me head, my lovely Mercy.” Ever reached for her as Deo bent to his task once more. And as her mouth met Ever’s, his lips and breath, that unearthly combination of cool flesh and wet heat, she went loose all over. He tasted like eternity. Sex. Deo’s flesh and her own. It was intoxicating. His tongue was pure silk against hers. His teeth grazed her lower lip for a moment before he bit. The first drop of blood on his tongue and she felt it like a shock—that connection once more, as strong as it had been when they’d all been fucking. She felt Ever’s pleasure as Deo swallowed his cock. The great pleasure Deo took in Ever’s stony flesh. Ever’s hand working at Deo’s cock in long, hard strokes. Their sensations merged, became her own. She felt it like some sublime heat blossoming between her thighs.

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She moaned, opened her thighs, and without her asking for what she needed, Ever’s other hand moved over her wet cleft. His clever fingers found the hard nub of her clit and pressed, rubbed, pinched. She panted into his mouth. He pinched harder. At the same time, Deo’s hand found her breast, tugged hard at her nipple. She came apart all at once, came in a sharp torrent of sensation, gasping into Ever’s open mouth. He kissed her harder, pinched her clit harder, until the pain was nearly unbearable. But unbearably sweet at the same time. Her head spun as her climax thundered through her. From some distant place she heard Deo cry out, felt the pulsing of his cock as he came in Ever’s hand. And still he sucked on Ever’s cock. As Ever finally came in a hot spurt down Deo’s throat, she tasted the salt and sugar of his vampiric come. And saw into his past. A woman with golden hair falling in rippling waves around her full hips. She turned, and Mercy saw her face—heart-shaped with high, rounded cheekbones. Flawless. Beautiful. Except there was a strange light in her eyes that were the gray of a storm-tossed sea. She smelled the salt, then. Looked beyond the woman and saw a ragged line of cliffs that let into the ocean. “Ever,” the woman said. He moved to join her. Vérún His love for her filled her heart. Her mind, as he joined her at the mouth of the cave. Together they stood as the sun sank and the sky went dark. He held her in his arms, her naked breasts pressed to his chest. He was hard for her. Yearning for her. She lowered her head to his chest, bit into the flesh below his nipple, and

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he cried out as she drank. He saw her darkness. It filled his head even as his cock swelled. Need to be inside her. To have her. To keep her safe. Keep her with me… Vérún. She moved against him, and he felt her slick little cunt on his thigh as she straddled him. He lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he impaled her with a cry. Vérún! Together they moved. Pleasure was hot, sharp. His heart hammered as his hips arched, as she took him into her body, over and over. As she bit into his shoulder, his neck, pulling his blood into her hot mouth, tearing his flesh. Still, he could only see a darkness inside her. But he kept fucking her. Kept loving her. Vérún. She gasped as she came then screamed. He was coming too, his hips pistoning. And before he was done with the final shivers of his climax, she was crying. Still drinking from the wound in his throat, pulling at his blood, sobbing against his skin. “Vérún,” he whispered, his body going weak as she drained him. “Do not do this, my love.” His fingers went into her long, silky hair, trying to pull her head back. She fought him even as she cried. “Stop, my love. I cannot fight your sadness if I am made too weak.” She latched on. Cried harder. Drank more deeply. Until he had to dig into her scalp and yank her head back so hard he heard the bones of her neck crack with the force of it.

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He was gasping for breath. She had taken too much again. He blinked at her lovely face, which was covered in her tears, his blood. “Ah…” She made a noise, a strangled sound coming from deep in her throat. She pushed away from him, fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. “No, Vérún…” He bent over her, gathered her in his arms, his heart breaking. If only he could take her sadness from her. The shadows that haunted her mind. That had begun to fill it completely lately. Vérún. His lover. His love. “I want to die,” she sobbed. “No,” he protested. “You cannot leave me.” “But I will, Ever. You know I must.” He only rocked her in his arms. And tried to resist the knowledge that the unthinkable would surely happen, just as she said. It was the one thing he was helpless against. Her darkness. Her shadows. The death that hovered always over his love, and that eventually, he would not be able to fight. “Mercy.” Deo’s voice came to her from some faraway place. “Mercy!” It was a roar of sound now. It hurt her ears. “What is it?” “You wouldn’t answer, love.” She felt Deo’s hand on her cheek, stroking the tears from her eyes. Had she been crying? She sat up, held her fingertips to her damp face. Her heart was thundering madly. “Ah, Ever!” She turned to him, found his eyes squeezed shut.

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“I would not have you see this.” Ever blinked, his black gaze darting from her face to Deo’s and back again. His jaw was clenched tight. “I would not share that part of my past with anyone. I do not. I never have. Never.” “And yet we saw,” Mercy said quietly, “and felt it with you, Ever. My poor Ever.” She swept her palm over his face, the sharp angles, the lusciously curved lips. She watched as his expression shifted so quickly she could barely keep up with the changes—confusion, tenderness, a little anger, a little fear. And something else that might have simply been love for the vampire who had made him, and whom he had lost in some terrible way. But was perhaps more… “Ever.” Deo’s voice was as gentle as hers. “We all have our pain. This is yours. We would never judge you for it.” “No, of course not. I understood that instantly. I know it even more now.” Ever sat up, wrapped a hand behind Deo’s neck and pulled him upright. With his other hand he pulled Mercy in, slipping it around her waist. “There is something about the two of you… I am still trying to figure out what it means. I find that I am…vulnerable with you two in a way I am not with anyone else. I find that I feel more. More than I have for a very long time. I don’t want to. And yet I cannot help myself. I want you both in a way that completely overwhelms me. And I want to be with you.” Mercy smiled, her chest filling with a lovely, bubbling joy. “Yes, Ever. We want the same.” “Is this usual for a vampire?” Deo asked. “To feel so much so quickly, so completely? It seems as if I have known you, as if Mercy and I together have known you, for months. Years.” Ever nodded. “Time passes differently for immortals. It is too infinite for us to have the same sort of comprehension we once had of it as humans. And it is

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perhaps also part of the same connection we feel during sex, and when we drink from one another.” “Yes. There is more to it than the images. They’re like a movie,” Deo said. “A movie with all of the senses intact. The emotions. As though it’s happening to me. It is the same for Mercy.” “Ever…” Mercy took his hand in hers, held it to her breast. Even now she could sense the shadows in his mind, the doubt. The pain of his past. The weight of his many centuries. She understood in some strange way how one could drown beneath that weight, become buried under the years, and all one must witness and experience. She didn’t want that for Ever. Not for anyone she loved. “We will not let you lose yourself in this darkness.” She felt the words like fire in her veins, a flame that burned as hot as her desire for him. She could not imagine her world without him. She realized she had felt that way almost since the first moment she’d seen him. As if she were meant for him. Or he was meant for them, herself and Deo, the three of them together. As if they were only truly complete as a triad. “I have carried my darkness, as you call it, for a very long time. It draws me in, more lately than ever before. There are times when I’m uncertain if I will be able to resist it forever. I no longer know if eternity will be mine. If I can stand it.” Tears stung her eyes. “Don’t say that. Please, Ever. Let us try to help you.” Deo pulled Ever’s face to his, laid a kiss on the old vampire’s beautiful mouth. Mercy’s body stung as though shot with a dozen needles of pleasure. But more than that was the rapid beating of her heart. The emotion she was feeling. The love for them both. Deo released Ever, and he feathered a quick kiss over Mercy’s lips before she leaned in to kiss Ever. She felt him sink into her kiss. Knew he was allowing this,

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giving some sort of silent consent to their adoration of him, to the connection between them. Deo’s arm slipped around her waist, bringing them all together in a tight embrace, and desire seeped through her veins. Ever sighed into her mouth, his hot and wet, his tongue going from soft and sweet to demanding, clever. She was torn with need, with love for her two lovely men. Her two vampires. Her body burning for them both, she sighed as they all came together.

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Chapter Five

Ever’s fingertips tapped an impatient rhythm on the edge of his desk. It had been a week since the Council met, and still no word about the rogue vampire Gaius. He was growing impatient. He would have taken somebody’s head off by now had it not been for Mercy and Deo. They had been a lovely distraction. But no, he was fooling himself to credit them with nothing more than that. He knew their quiet, tender new strength. Understood how it held him up. Held him together. He still thought of his lovely Vérún, but not with as much despair. Strange, how much could change in only a week’s time. But as he’d said to Deo, time was different for the vampires. Time had shifted for him. Had come to weigh a bit less heavily on his mind. While he’d spent the last number of months doubting his ability to remain rational for another twelve centuries—and certainly not happy—the happiness Mercy and Deo brought him made it seem possible again. Possible. Perhaps even happy. He’d never really thought of himself as happy. Satisfied, yes. Basking in this luxurious life, certainly. But happy? His human life hadn’t been happy. The life of a Viking was rough, with death, loss, hunger, pain, a part of everyday existence. He’d loved his brothers fiercely. Had done everything, felt everything fiercely. But in that era, in that part of the world, so cold and bleak and hard, there had never been time for

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happiness. He wasn’t sure how he recognized it now. But he did. And he wanted it. Possible? Perhaps it was, with Mercy and Deo. If he could allow himself to soften. It seemed insane to even consider it. He was too ancient. Had seen too much. Experienced too much. Centuries of indulging his desires while keeping those deepest parts of his heart closed off. He’d needed to. And yet… He stood and began to pace the sleek marble floors of his office, gazing out the windows. London was dark outside, the night sky streaked with a little silver from the full moon, amber from the street fires—whether those belonging to the many homeless or the result of a small riot, a bombing, he didn’t know. Strange that he even considered it—what was happening in the mortal world outside. Something he hadn’t thought about in a very long time, other than ensuring the rules set down by the Council to maintain the vampires’ aura of power, mystique. To be certain the humans would never have reason or the ability

to

challenge

them.

But

responsibility

was

very

different

from…compassion. He ran a hand over his sleek hair, unnecessarily smoothing down the long ponytail, drawing it over his shoulder. He sensed Mercy’s presence, smelled the scent of her skin, like the petals of some rare flower blooming, and turned. She was standing in his doorway, so delicate in her pale blue silk chemise, her feet adorably bare. “Ever? May I come in?” “Of course, my sweet.” She smiled, her lovely face lighting up. He could see her shining blue eyes from across the room, ablaze with preternatural light and pure pleasure. Desire surged through his veins, his cock going hard. His heart beat faster. Mercy.

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My Mercy. She came to him and kissed him on the cheek, a soft brush of her pink lips. “What are you looking at out there?” she asked him, her fingers threading through his. “The night. The city, perhaps.” His gaze went back to the tall windows. She remained quiet beside him, watching with him. Then she said, “There is so much pain out there.” “Yes.” “I don’t mind leaving that part behind. That part of being human. The…vulnerability. The fear.” He stroked his thumb over her hand, feeling the satin of her flesh. Her body—and Deo’s—had become harder even in this past week. They were changing already, their bodies adapting more and more each day to being immortal. Yet they were no less sweet, either of them. “I don’t remember that anymore,” he said. “It’s been far too long. But it wasn’t so long ago that I could still relate, somehow, to humanity. There was a time when I’d reach out with my mind to take in what was happening on the city’s streets. But it’s been years since I’ve taken such an interest in the mortal world. All that’s interested me has been the clubs. Sex and blood. Luxury. Those things that feed my desires. It’s only now, since you and Deo have come to me, that I even realize it.” He paused, sighed. “How shallow I’ve been.” “I never felt that from you, Ever. Even that first day, you were caring of me. Of us.” He turned to her, slipped a finger along her jaw. “Ah, but you and Deo are vampires. Not human.” “Still, I don’t think it’s possible to be a vampire for very long without separating ourselves from mortals. I can feel it happening already. So does Deo.

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We’ve talked about it. We are different. It can’t be helped. And I can only imagine, after so many centuries as a vampire, how foreign humans must seem.” “Foreign, yes. Still desirable. There is something I envy in them, even now.” He realized as he spoke the words how true that was. “What can we possibly envy in them? I know I haven’t been immortal very long, but now, after being at the Midnight Playground in Madrid with Ramsey, and here with you, seeing the way the vampires live. We have everything, don’t we?” “Except the ability to die in any usual way. In any way other than by going into the ocean. Having to make that damning choice.” Mercy’s brows creased. “Is that something you truly want, Ever?” He shook his head, and she gripped his hand tighter. “I…don’t know. I did before you came.” Tears pooled in her eyes, making the blue look like water, clear and luminescent. “Ah, Mercy. I cannot stand to see you cry.” His heart twisted in his chest. He pulled her close, held her tiny body to his. “And I must tell you, you and Deo are changing everything for me. Everything.” She pressed up against him. Despite the emotional tone of the moment, his body flooded with need, his cock pulsing. “Are we? I’m glad. We don’t want you to leave us.” “I don’t want to. I don’t want to go anywhere. Not any longer.” “Ever, show me now. Show me what you feel for us. For me.” He drew back just enough to see her face as he buried his fingers in her sleek strawberry hair. Desire simmered in his blood, hot and thick, a primal force that normally would turn him into a savage, especially with another vampire. But

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something about Mercy, about this moment, filled him with a strange tenderness he hadn’t felt in a long time. Centuries. Not since… Vérún. He loved her. He loved Mercy as he had loved Vérún. No, this was different. More…present. And he loved Deo in much the same way. It hit him like a blow to the body. He stared at her in wonder. “Mercy.” She reached up, stroked a hand over his cheek, and he turned his face to place a quick kiss on her palm. She took his hand, raised it to her face and kissed his palm, gazing up at him through her long lashes. Even in the soft evening light he could see how her lashes were edged in gold. Beautiful. Then her tongue lanced out across his palm before she let her eyeteeth pierce the flesh there. He shivered. Ever smiled, lowered his hand to tear at the silk covering her gorgeous flesh and the remains of her chemise fell to the floor. A shudder of pleasure ran through her as he picked her up and carried her, naked, to his big desk. He laid her down on the sleek surface, his gaze never leaving hers as he undressed. Mercy watched as Ever removed his clothes, as his lean body was revealed. Just the sight of him went through her like heat lightning, a shock of pure need. She felt her cunt go wet all at once, soaked and swollen. She spread her thighs, watched as his black, bottomless gaze shifted to her open sex. He licked his lips. “I need you, Ever. I need your touch. Your mouth on me. Please.” He smiled, went down on his knees and pulled her to the edge of the desk, so that her legs were draped over his shoulders. He went to work right away, his tongue thrusting into her aching hole. “Ah, Ever. It’s too good.”

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He pushed his tongue deeper, in and out like some small, hot cock, yet softer, silkier. He began a pulsing thrust then, his hands holding her thighs wider. Her hands went into his hair, tearing the leather cord that held the satin tresses back, burying her fingers in them. “Come on, Ever. Make me come. Over and over.” He thrust deeper, his sharp teeth scraping at her pussy lips. “Oh, that’s good…” Her hips arched as her climax hit, pleasure roaring through her system, making her cry out. But he never stopped. His tongue kept working inside her, and he slipped his hands over her inner thighs, down, until his fingers were pressing inside her along with his hot, wet tongue. “Oh…” He shifted, taking her hard clit between his teeth, nibbling then sucking, sucking. She came again, lights going off in her mind, as brilliant and shattering as the sensations rocking her body. Ever pulled away long enough to demand, “Again.” He stood and flipped her over onto her stomach. She loved when he did this—handled her as if she were a doll. And instantly he was pulling her up on to her hands and knees on the hard desk and spreading her wide. He dove right in with tongue and lips, his fingers working her clitoris this time, rubbing, rubbing, while his tongue pushed into her then pulled out so he could suck on the swollen folds. And as he did, he smacked her ass, just a few stinging slaps that drove sensation higher. Once more her climax rolled over her, hard, thundering waves that made her shiver all over. “Ever!”

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He pulled her off the desk then bent her over it, holding on to her hips, her toes barely grazing the floor. Her breasts were crushed against the painted antique wood. She could smell the wood, the faint, lingering scent of Ever’s hands from years of use. Her own juices left on the surface. “I have to fuck you now, my love,” he said, his tone a low growl. “Yes. Do it, Ever.” “But first, I have to truly spank you.” “Oh yes.” His hand came down hard on her ass, and she smiled to herself. “More, please.” Ever laughed. “I’ll give you more.” He chuckled as he spanked her, one sharp blow after another, the pain sending lovely shivers through her system. Her pussy pulsed with need that grew with each strike of his palm on her flesh. “Are you ready, my Mercy? Are you wet?” Ever swiped at her slit with his fingers. “Ah, you are more than ready.” He pushed two fingers into her, and she moaned. “You need it all, don’t you? You need both of us. Call Deo to us.” Silently, she cast her mind out into the club, searching. She found him in the dungeon. He was watching a beautiful pair of male vampires torture a lovely young female human. She was bound by a pair of cuffs dangling from a chain, her arms overhead. She watched through Deo’s delighted eyes as one of the vampires struck the woman’s ass while the other sucked on her nipples. She took the scene in along with Deo as they worked the mortal girl, who was writhing with pleasure. Felt along with Deo as his own pleasure mounted. Felt it like a warm blow as the human woman came. Mercy’s clit pulsed along with hers, and she panted, squirming in Ever’s grasp.

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“I see it too,” Ever said softly. “I feel her pleasure. Her pain. I feel the hum of her blood. I can smell the scent of it, sweet with her climax. It makes me want your sweet pussy all the more. Call Deo to us.” She nodded, closed her eyes and did so. He answered, one word in her mind. Yes. Her heart beat faster simply knowing Deo would join them. Ever lifted her and sat her on the edge of the desk then moved to her side. He leaned in and kissed her lips. Softly at first, maddening her with need, then harder, until he was panting into her mouth. He tasted of the ancient stone of his years, of her own come. She reached down and took his cock in her hand. It was hard, pulsing in her palm as she squeezed him. She smiled into his kiss when she felt a shudder of pleasure ripple through him. Ever pulled back just as she heard the soft snick of the door opening. She sensed Deo as he crossed the room. Smelled the familiar, male scent of his skin. Vampire yet something almost human about him still. Delicious. She looked up and found him naked, smiling down at her. His cock was hard for her, for Ever. Thick and ready, the head darker with his need. “You called,” he said. “We called,” Ever said. “We called you here to fuck me while I go down on our darling Mercy. While I make her come again.” “God, I can smell it, her come,” Deo said, “Even before I came into the room. It’s making me so damned hard. My cock is ready for you both.” “Come fuck me, then,” Ever said with a small laugh. She saw Deo’s warm smile as he moved behind Ever. Loved the contrast of Deo’s hard-packed muscle against Ever’s lithe form. She waited with breathless anticipation for him to enter the old vampire’s body. Watched over Ever’s shoulder as Deo grasped his shoulder with one hand, using the other to guide his

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cock into Ever’s ass. As he thrust, Ever’s body shifted, pleasure washing over his beautiful face. His features went absolutely soft, his mouth loosening. She reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him in, kissing him hard as he moaned into her mouth. “Taste her, Ever,” Deo said, his own voice ragged with pleasure. “I want to see you lick her sweet cunt. I want to taste her through you.” Ever moved down her body, pausing to bite one nipple, causing a riot of sensation to shimmer over her skin. As he moved lower, she felt the wet droplet of blood on her nipple. Deo swiped at it with his thumb, sucked on it, licking the blood off as she spread her thighs, tilted her hips, and Ever’s mouth latched on to her soaked and needy cunt once more. Then it was a flurry of sensation—Ever’s mouth on her sex, sucking, licking, his tongue thrusting inside her, his fingers pushing into her ass as Deo’s cock surged into his. Her hand pumping Ever’s hard cock, like velvet-covered steel, yet pulsing, pulsing. Time stilled, suspended in the sensations washing over her. She no longer knew which was hers, which was Ever’s, which was Deo’s. She became everything at once. Cock, pussy, ass. Nipples, skin and tongues. Probing fingers and a pure driving pleasure that was all the sweeter because it was them, all of them together. Because it was love. When they came, they came together—all of them at once, their climaxes merging. There was, for several moments, no sense of individuality. She saw simultaneously, it seemed, images in the minds of her vampire lovers. Ever’s lost Vérún. She felt his intense love for her as he took her in his arms, the acrid scent of the ocean piercing the veil of memory. She saw Deo on the beach in Valencia, this time with a woman with long wild hair and gorgeous dark eyes, nearly as dark as Ever’s, straddling Deo’s body as she rode him. And again, the ocean crashed in the background, the salt and the seaweed floating on the waves

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invading her senses. And finally, she saw the moment of her own Turning, the rogue vampire Gaius poised over her, the sweet pleasure of him drinking her blood. The panic when she knew she was dying. The wild taste of his vampiric blood on her tongue as he fed her. Turned her. Saved her. It was as if it were happening all over again. The peeling wallpaper and the half-rotted floor of the empty house he’d taken her to. He’d kept her tied down to an old iron bed at first. She shivered, trying to pull her mind back from the memory. Over and over he’d drunk from her, so often and so fully she was too weak to move. Finally, he tore the ropes from her wrists and let her lie on the floor, watching her. “I have lost everything, over and over. They all left me. Or died when I took too much,” he muttered, his accent thick, his voice deep, guttural. He was pacing back and forth like a caged animal. “But they offered themselves to me, did they not? And this is how they repay me for my gift. My gift! Eternal life. My blood.” He stopped, towering over her. “I gave you my blood, Mercy. You are a part of me now.” Was she? “You dare to question me?” he roared, making her tremble. “Do you not think I can hear every thought in your head? Do not take me for a fool. Oh no. I may be less than sane, but I am no fool!” He stomped his foot, the floorboards quaking. “Please,” she whimpered, too frightened to know what she begged for. Then he was on his knees beside her, pity on his lean, handsome face. “No, do not cry. Here, drink from me. Be a part of me. See what I offer you? Immortality. Yes…”

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She drank his blood, latching on to his arm as it poured down her throat like some exquisite nectar she’d never even dreamed of. Pleasure simmered in her body. Her heart filled with love for him. Gaius. Pain and terror and a sadness so great, she couldn’t comprehend it. A sharp jolt of pure pleasure brought her back into her body. Even as she came, felt the force of Deo’s orgasm, and Ever’s, tears poured down her cheeks. Tears for Gaius. Her enemy. Her maker. She couldn’t escape the dream-state, the mental connection between her two lovers. Some part of her was aware of it, as if from a great distance. She saw Ever’s brothers being cast into a stormy sea, all of them tossed from their ship as if they were paper dolls in the wind. She felt the pain of his loss, his loss of faith in the gods who had failed him. She witnessed once more as though it were happening to her, Deo’s family being torn from him by the bomb that had killed them, felt the heat of the blast. His heart breaking. No! They were shaking her. She could feel it. But she was caught in the web of remembered emotions. Deo’s, Ever’s. Her own. Caught in pain, caught in dread. Gaius’s handsome face—oh yes, he was handsome, stunning, as the vampires always were, with his sleek black hair, his luminescent eyes. He frightened her. And yet…and yet… She knew the taste of his blood on her tongue, strong and pure and sweet. Knew how tortured his mind was, how lost in agony. Insanity. Her mind cried out for his pain as she saw once more, as if she were merely an observer of the incident, Gaius hunched over her in the abandoned building, drinking the life

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from her. She was already Turned, and still he would drink from her until she was nearly drained before giving her his own blood, reviving her. A seemingly endless cycle of fear and weakness, sadness and pain. Then the bizarre surges of incredible strength that still would never match Gaius’s own. There was no escaping him. No more than he could escape the ravings of a lunatic mind that had lived and thought, analyzed and philosophized for far, far too long. She knew that even now he was being hunted. Like a dog. That when the vampire Council caught him, they would kill him. Drown him in the ocean, that scent she couldn’t escape. He couldn’t escape. A sob rose in her chest, and soon she was crying until she thought her heart would burst. She felt Ever and Deo holding her tight, cradling her as they would a child as they carried her through the double doors behind Ever’s ornate desk and into his bedroom, to the big bed. She felt the softness of the mattress beneath her, the hard muscles of her lovers’ arms. The images faded, went dark. She couldn’t open her eyes, couldn’t see. “Mercy, my love,” Deo crooned to her. Ever was quiet, but she felt the strength of his arms around her. Finally her body, her mind, calmed. When she was able to focus again, they were both looking down at her, concern etched on their faces. Concern and a love so powerful she could feel it as though it were a palpable thing. As much from Ever as from Deo. “I’m sorry,” she said finally. “Shh, there’s no need to be,” Deo assured her, stroking her cheek. “Don’t be sorry, love. You can’t help it, any of it. We love you. Don’t worry about anything.”

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She turned to Ever. “Do you love me, Ever?” Why did it feel more crucial to her than it had before, with the strange thoughts in her head about Gaius? His hand cupped her cheek, and she saw on his face an expression more fierce than any she’d seen before. There was power there, more power than she knew she could even conceive of. And love. So much love it made her heart swell. “I love you, Mercy. I love you both, you and Deo. You are mine. And I am yours. I will not let anything happen to you. I swore it the day I met you. I mean it even more now. You are a part of me.” “We are a part of each other,” Deo said, his tone nearly as fierce. “We will protect you, Ever and I.” Her lovers exchanged a glance, and she knew it was a silent agreement. She was a part of them. As Gaius had wanted her to be. Only this time, it was true. It was what she desired most. Suddenly she was exhausted, in a way she hadn’t been since her Turning. “What happened to me just now?” she asked. Ever shook his head. “It’s something I can’t explain. It’s something about the connection. It makes us raw. Open.” “Yes,” she agreed. “Do not worry about it. We are with you. You’re safe here, in the Midnight Playground. With us.” “I’m so tired. It’s strange.” She felt her voice going softer, as though speaking were a great effort. “I thought we don’t need to sleep, we immortals. But I feel as if I do.” Ever was stroking her hair. It was a lovely sensation. She heard him talking—even her own voice—as if from some great distance.

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“We do not sleep, but we do go through periods of rest. It’s rare. It can happen with a newer vampire, after times of great stress. The two of you have been through a terrible time. And now, perhaps, that you are truly safe, your body senses it can rest. Adjust to this existence. This is the most I can explain. Some things remain a mystery to us.” “Is she all right?” Deo asked, his brows drawing together. “Yes. She will lie here for a time.” Ever brushed his fingertips over her cheek. “Rest, our Mercy. Our love. We will watch over you.” She tried to nod her head, but a strange numbness seemed to be taking over her body. Her limbs felt as if they were made of lead, impossibly heavy. She felt, again as if from some faraway place, as Ever and Deo settled in with her, one on either side, their bodies surrounding her with their warmth. Their strength. Their love. Her eyes closed. And even though she did not sleep, her mind drifted into some warm, numb place. She let it happen while awareness remained—of her two lovers, of the room, the dark night outside the windows—as if reality were a dream. But Deo’s arms were around her, and Ever’s. She was safe.

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Mercy struggled against the fog that had filled her mind for…how long? She didn’t know. She’d felt Deo and Ever with her, sometimes one of them, sometimes both at once. She’d watched with the clear vampiric vision of her mind the two of them together, fucking on the hard marble floor. Watched as Deo had taken Ever’s long cock into his mouth. As they had kissed. Stroked each other’s bodies with clever, searching hands and tongues. Even in her dream-state she felt desire for them. Love for them. Felt their desire for each other. Their love—for each other, for her. But it was time to wake now. To become a part of the world once more. She forced her eyes to open and found Deo resting beside her. She blinked. He smiled. “You are back, my love.” He kissed her lips, her cheek, lifted her hand and brushed his lips over her fingertips. “How long was I…?” “For three days. I was worried. I reached into your mind, but everything was so dim. Ever assured me you were fine, but still… I’m glad you’re back with us.” “Yes. I’m better now.” “I’m glad. Do you need to feed? I can have Calam send for one of the club members.” “Not yet. I’ll feed later.”

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Deo stroked her hair, running it through his fingers, as he often did. His eyes were that lovely blue-green of the summer sea. “What was it like, love? Did you dream?” “No dreams. It was as if my mind was at rest. I felt you here with me. Both of you. I felt safe.” “We were always with you, love, one or both of us. We always will be.” She flexed her feet, her legs, feeling her strength returning. She lifted her hand to his smooth cheek, loving the hard silk of his immortal flesh beneath her palm. “I love you, Deo.” “As I love you. Always. Truly forever.” “Yes.” She smiled. “Where is Ever?” “Conducting some club business. He’ll be back soon. You can’t wait to have him.” Deo grinned. “I can feel your need.” Mercy laughed. “Always. Both of you, my lovers. My loves. But I need a bath first. Draw one for me?” “I’ll be right back.” He kissed her hand once more and stood. Mercy stretched, raising her arms over her head. It felt good. A bath would feel wonderful. And being in her lovers’ arms, their bodies joined, even better. It was nighttime, she realized, her gaze going to the high windows. There was no moon tonight. Or perhaps it was simply obscured by clouds. She could smell the rain outside, heard the distant rumble of thunder. And in the club below her, if she focused, she could hear the heavy pulse-beat of music, of human blood thundering in those delicate veins. She could hear—could sense— the desire. And something else… What was it?

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There was a crash of splintered wood, and she bolted upright, her heart hammering. A dark flash, and then he was on her, hands gripping her waist as he lifted her from the bed. She struggled, but he was so much stronger than she. So much older. Ancient. Familiar. Gaius. She knew the tone of his anger, the scent of him like old earth and moss and the hardest granite, even before she saw his tall, dark form hovering over her. “Deo!” she screamed. He was there, his hands on her, and she wanted to cry with relief. But Gaius was so ancient, so powerful. Even with the two of them struggling against him, they would never win. “Do not fight me, Mercy.” Gaius’s gravelly voice echoed with what she now knew was the hollow tone of centuries untold, and that strange accent. “I made you. You belong to me.” “Never!” Deo roared, trying to keep one arm wrapped around her waist. But she was slipping from his grasp. “Gaius, you abandoned me,” she accused him, tears pouring down her cheeks, her hands clawing at his, trying to make him let go. He paused for one moment, and in his dark eyes she saw a sadness unmatched even by Ever’s. But they were devoid of that depth. They held instead the flat shadows of insanity. “You left me. You ran away. I’ve come to collect what is mine.” “I belong to whom I choose,” she argued, using all of her strength to try to push her way out of his arms. There was one moment when his grip on her lessened, and she yanked back. Deo held her, stepped back. But Gaius’s expression shifted instantly, filling with rage. He lunged for her.

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Deo pulled her away so quickly they nearly toppled over, but he wasn’t fast enough. A small table went over with a crash, a lamp shattering on the cool marble floor. And once more Gaius had her, so tightly this time his nails dug into the flesh at her waist, drawing blood. She could smell it—that sweet, metallic scent that was the blood of the vampires. She could smell her own fear, heavy in the air. “Deo, help me!” “Damn you, Gaius!” Deo gripped her shoulders, tried to pry her from the rogue’s grip. Gaius reached out, fast as lightning, and knocked Deo back, onto the floor. “We are all damned,” he said, with a small, strangled chuckle. She pounded on his shoulders, his broad chest with her fists. “Gaius, you will let me go!” “I will not,” he growled. “I will take you to the bottom of the ocean, if that is what it takes to keep you.” “Gaius!” Deo roared, lunged once more, and bit into the old vampire’s arm. Mercy did the same, tasted Gaius’s ancient blood on her tongue, and instantly she was transported back to the moment he’d Turned her, to those images of Gaius’s past that had flooded her brain then, and did so again now. The air was moist with summer heat in the Temple of Apollo Palatinus. Gaius stood before the altar. Even though the sun shone outside, the marble floors were cool—he could feel it seeping through the soles of his sandals. And Mercy could feel his heart heavy with despair as he called out in prayer. “Great Apollo. Do not abandon me, even though I am now a creature of Proserpine’s Underworld. A creature of evil. Send me some sign, that this is a test you have set before me. Tell me what I am to do to please you.” Agitated, he sighed, pushed his hair from his face, his jaw clenching. “Does it please you to

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have me drink blood? I, who have always been your devoted servant? My family has brought gifts to your altar, I have prayed to you every day, and still I remain…in this strange condition all these long months. They reject me now, my family, and I have no one but my gods. Unless you have you rejected me as well, great Apollo. Have you?” he demanded, sinking to his knees. “Have you?” He paused, breathless, his chest heaving. “I have nothing now,” he murmured, his hands fisting at his eyes. “Nothing…” he sobbed. “No!” Mercy cried, her heart breaking for him. Her maker. Her enemy. He was dragging her across the room, and Deo with them as he held on to her. Deo’s beautiful eyes blazed with blue-green fire—anger and fear and a helpless pleading it nearly broke her to see. Gaius let out a yell, tore her from Deo’s grasp and carried her out the door, into the hallway. Fear was like thunder in her veins. She called to Ever in her mind, felt his answer. Then he was with them, tearing her from Gaius’s hold. Deo took her in his arms, and they watched as Ever threw the rogue to the floor, his fist slamming into Gaius’s face. There was no blood, just the sound of stone hitting stone while she shivered with some strange loathing she couldn’t explain. Ever raised his fist once more and she felt the power of his anger, like molten heat. Like death. “I will kill you myself for what you’ve done to her.” Ever’s tone sent shivers down her spine—dangerous. Deadly. His lips had drawn back, baring his fangs. “Kill me, then, if you can. End this torture.” Gaius’s voice grew stronger, and he demanded, “Kill me!” Ever’s hands closed around Gaius’s throat, and she heard the sharp crack of bones snapping. She caught the old vampire’s dark, darting gaze. He was so clearly out of his mind. So clearly in some kind of hell.

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“Ever, no! Please, no.” A sob tore at her throat and she shook all over. Deo held her tighter. “He is too insane, Mercy. Too out of control. If they let him go…” “I can’t bear it. Please. Please, Ever. Don’t.” But Ever’s fingers only dug harder into the ancient vampire’s throat. “Ever.” It was Aleron’s calm French accent. He was in the hall, along with Ramsey. A group of vampires stood behind them, some she’d never seen before. She watched as Ever went tense all over. His hands were still at Gaius’s throat, but his grip lessened. “Ever, we must do this properly,” Aleron insisted. “Come now. Let us take him away.” He stepped forward, laid a hand on Ever’s shoulder. “It is unforgivable, what he has done,” Ever growled. “Which is why we’ve been hunting him,” Ramsey said. “I followed him here from Madrid. He was so damn fast. Faster than I am, or I would never have let him get this close to Mercy. But Aleron is right. You have to let the Council deal with him.” “Ever. Let us take him now,” Aleron pressed him. Mercy watched the exchange. Gaius lay still on the floor, as if the fight had gone out of him. It wrenched her heart to see him this way, despite what he’d done to her. What he had just tried to do moments earlier. “Please, Ever,” she begged. “Let them take him. I can’t bear to see this. I can’t. I know what has to be done, but don’t do it in front of me. Please.” “Do as she asks, Ever,” Deo said, his tone full of a power she’d never heard from him before. “Do it for her.” Ever sighed, eased back the slightest bit, and Ramsey and the other vampires moved in, lifting Gaius to his feet.

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“Ah, God, I can’t stand it.” Tears poured down her cheeks. She couldn’t stop crying. Couldn’t stop the sadness cutting into her like a razor, right through her flesh, into her heart. “Shh, love,” Deo murmured into her hair, kissing her cheek. She burrowed into Deo’s big body, watching as Ever stood, wiping his hands on his leather-clad thighs as he let the others carry Gaius away. He was shaking with rage. He wouldn’t look at her but kept his gaze on the floor. She turned her face into Deo’s strong shoulder. “He would have carried me off,” she sobbed. “No, love. We wouldn’t have let that happen.” “But he’s so strong. He almost…” “No,” Deo said again, power in his voice once more. “I was so scared. Afraid to be taken from you and Ever. Afraid of Gaius. And yet…I’m so torn. It hurts me to think of what will happen to him.” “It’s all right, Mercy love. It has to be this way. There is no other option. You understand that, don’t you? But don’t think of it now. Think only of being safe.” Deo lifted her in his arms, carrying her back into their rooms, and she saw the broken door hanging on its hinges. He took her to the bed, but she didn’t want to lie down. “Deo, please.” He set her on her feet, brought her a robe, and she wrapped herself in the pale blue velvet. They sat together on the low sofa, Deo never letting go of her hand. She was aware of Ever, still out in the hallway. Sensed his tension like a knife blade against her skin as he slowly gained control of his temper. She leaned into Deo, realized that he was trembling, just a small shiver beneath the surface of his skin. She buried her face in his neck, let the familiar scent of his skin soothe her.

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Ever looked through the broken doorway, saw Mercy and Deo together and felt a stab of…what? Envy? But they were his, as much as they belonged to each other. Or he’d thought so, until he’d had to hear Mercy beg on behalf of that evil rogue. How could she have done it? How could she possibly care for him still, after what he’d done to her? Months ago. Today. He strode down the hall, away from them. Away from the sight of Deo soothing Mercy as he should be doing now himself. And yet he couldn’t. He couldn’t bear it. He stopped at the end of the long hall, ran a hand over his hair, smoothing it back into place. “Ever.” Aleron laid his hand over the back of his neck. Ever whirled around to face his old friend. “Would you turn against me now, Aleron?” Aleron shook his head. “I am with you as always, Ever. You must calm yourself.” “How can I? After what happened here today? He would have carried her off, held her prisoner. God knows what he might have done.” “But he didn’t. You stopped him.” “I would have done far more than stop him had Mercy not pleaded for him,” he spat out. “Had you yourself not argued on his behalf.” Aleron moved closer, placed his hands on Ever’s shoulders. He wanted to shake him off, but this was Aleron, one of his dearest friends. “Ever, my friend, why are you so angry?” “How can she care for him? And Deo is with her on this. Oh, not that he cares as she does, but still, he would have us be gentle with that fiend. How is it

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possible that she…loves him? She tells me she loves me, as she loves Deo. Where does this Gaius fit into the equation? You know what it is for one of us to give our heart.” “Perhaps it’s more the bond of Turning than real love, Ever. And even if it is some final shred of love, in some stunted form, then perhaps the part of them that is able to do so—that almost human empathy and freshness—is the very part of them you love so deeply,” Aleron said quietly. Ever glanced away. “Yes,” he said, his tone soft, his body loosening. That was it, wasn’t it? He loved Mercy. And Deo. He loved the very things about them Aleron had spoken of. The rest didn’t matter. Perhaps one of the things he’d forgotten about love was how boundless it was. It didn’t matter that Mercy felt some lingering emotion for the treacherous vampire who had made her. Or, rather, it did. It spoke only of how much love she had to give. How devoid of bitterness this lovely and loving woman was. Which, as Aleron had said, was one reason he and Mercy and Deo had made such a bond. A bond never to be broken. “I must go and speak with them. Thank you, Aleron.” “It wasn’t me, old friend. It’s love.” Ever smiled at him. “Yes. I must go to them, my loves.”

Mercy looked up as Ever strode into the room then knelt on the floor before her, took her hands in his, kissing them. “Did he hurt you, my love?” There was a small bit of rage in his face, still. And love. So much love. “No. I don’t think so. He scared me.”

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“I would have killed him myself. Torn him to pieces with my hands if it weren’t for you, Mercy.” She reached out to stroke his stone-hard cheek. “Thank you, Ever. What will they do with him?” “They have him in a room in the basement. He’s strong, but they have him.” “They will kill him,” she said quietly. “Yes.” “Ever…please tell me you won’t do it yourself.” A shadow crossed his features, but it was gone in moments. “I know you care for him still, Mercy. I don’t understand it.” She shook her head. “I can’t help it. He made me. Saved me from death.” “He was the one who nearly caused it!” Ever’s face grew tight with the effort to control his anger. Deo gripped her hand in his, but he remained silent. “He is a monster,” Ever went on, his voice rough. “A rogue. He lives outside our rules. Rules made to protect our kind from the mortal race. If he were allowed to roam, to make more vampires as carelessly as he did you, the humans would revolt against us. We cannot allow it to happen.” “I know that,” she said quietly. “I knew it before, and Deo has reminded me.” “But more than that, Mercy, is what he did to you.” He stood, his hands fisting at his sides. “You. The first woman I’ve loved in centuries. I cannot stand it. I cannot stand to let him live, even in captivity.” “Ever, don’t be angry.” He turned from her, slammed his fist into a small table, crushing it as if it were made of paper. The sound echoed in her ears. Deo bolted to his feet. “Ever.” His voice was a low growl.

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Ever whipped his head around, glaring, his dark eyes like two piercing shards of midnight. But Deo did not back down. She felt the tension in the room like some palpable force. She stood. “Stop it! Stop it, both of you. This is crazy. Don’t let him do this to us. Don’t let him tear us apart. I can’t take it.” The tears were back. She brushed them away. “We love each other. Don’t we?” Deo was at her side in an instant, his arms around her. “Always and forever, my love. Of course.” She could feel him shivering beneath his calm tone as they both looked at Ever. His ancient face was full of shadows, his lips a tense line. “Ever,” Deo demanded, his grip on her body tightening. She watched as Ever’s shoulders dropped, as his face absolutely fell. His eyes glistened. Was it tears she saw pooled there? He came to them, went down on his knees once more, drawing them both with him onto the plush Persian rug. She went into his hard embrace willingly, her body, her heart, melting. “Forgive me, my loves. Both of you.” He kissed her mouth softly then Deo’s. “We understand,” Deo said, stroking Ever’s hair as he would Mercy’s. “You are only trying to protect Mercy. To protect us.” “I would die to see you both safe.” When Ever brought his lips back to hers, she could taste Deo on them. Her body lit with need, a sinuous heat surging through her veins. Need you both. They pressed in on either side. She could feel how hard they both were— their beautiful immortal bodies. Their hard immortal cocks. “Now,” she said quietly. Ever lifted her in his arms. “I need to wash the stench of that vile creature from us all. Come.”

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Deo led the way into the bathroom, turned on the hot water in the enormous shower. He stripped his clothes off in moments. Ever set her on her feet and gently undressed her then he was naked. Together, they moved into the shower. The white marble was cool beneath her feet for several moments. Then, as Deo and Ever surrounded her, as the hot water fell all around them, she warmed—her feet, her body, her immortal blood. Their hands were on her, their bodies pressing against hers—Ever in front of her and Deo behind her. She loved the hard planes of their bodies, one as hard as oak, the other like the marble that lined the shower. She smoothed her hands over Ever’s face as he bent to kiss her throat, let her head fall back to rest on Deo’s chest. “Love you, Mercy,” he whispered in her ear, making her smile. “Love you, Mercy,” Ever murmured against her throat, echoing Deo. He kissed her there, softly, let his eyeteeth scrape her skin. She shivered. “Drink from me, Ever. I can’t wait. Please.” He didn’t answer, just let his fangs sink into her flesh. She felt his silky tongue against her skin, felt the exquisite pleasure fill her as he pulled her blood into his mouth. “Ah…” From behind her, Deo’s hips were surging, pressing his hard cock against the small of her back. His hands came around her, cupped the weight of her breasts. He brushed the hardened tips of her nipples with his fingertips, sending pleasure coursing through her like lightning. Like fire. “Come on, Deo. Pinch me.” A small laugh from him as he did as she asked, squeezing her nipples between thumbs and forefingers. “Yes…”

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She sighed her pleasure as Ever drank from her, one small drop then another, while Deo teased her nipples, gently squeezed her breasts. It was like some lovely sort of torture that neither of her lovers had touched her aching cunt yet. That neither of them filled her as she needed to be filled. She squirmed, undulating between them. Then she reached down, taking Ever’s cock in her hand. “Ah yes, stroke him, my love,” Deo instructed. She ran her fingers down the length of Ever’s cock, smiled when he shuddered, his tongue flicking at her throat. Deo pressed closer, his cock sliding in between the cheeks of her ass, his hands still playing her nipples. Clever. Wicked. Lovely. “I’m going to fuck you, love,” he said quietly, some small threat in his low tone. She loved it. “Yes, Deo. Now. I need you. I need you both inside me.” Ever raised his head. There was one tiny crimson drop at the corner of his mouth. Mercy stood on her toes and leaned into him to lick it off. “Love me, my vampires,” she told them. “My lovers. My loves.” Ever smiled, and for perhaps the first time, she saw almost no trace of the shadows in his bottomless black gaze. They would always be there. He had lived too long, and his past could never be erased. But the idea that she and Deo, their love for him, and his for them, had helped him, was the most glorious feeling on Earth. “It’s true,” Ever agreed. “You two have healed me in a way I never thought possible.” “It’s love,” Deo said, one hand coming up to stroke the older vampire’s cheek.

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Eversong

Ever turned his head to kiss Deo’s palm, and a long shiver of excitement shimmered over her skin at the sight of her two beautiful, unearthly lovers touching, as it always did. “Yes,” Ever answered. “Love. I never knew it could be so simple. But it wouldn’t have happened with anyone but you two.” “And we could never have allowed any other into our circle. No one but you, our Ever.” “You are too chatty, my loves,” Mercy teased, reveling in the things they were saying to each other. Knowing it was all true. But her body needed to feel them. “You are our insatiable girl,” Ever said, a grin on his lush mouth. “You two have made me so.” “To our great pleasure,” Ever answered. He looked over her shoulder at Deo. “Now.” They impaled her as one, Ever thrusting deep into her soaking cunt, Deo into her ass. She felt the friction of their cocks inside her, separated by only that thin membrane. Their arms were around her, gripping each other, holding them all together as one being. She spread her thighs, allowing them both deeper access, pleasure spiraling in her body, making her mind soar. She saw them all together, herself, Deo, Ever. They lay on a beach, the sun setting in a blaze of pink and orange. She smelled the fragrant salt of the sea. Felt the soft, tiny grains of sand beneath her. Felt their love for each other like some palpable thing. Like some soft breeze blowing over their naked skin as the water from the shower cascaded down their joined bodies. She’d never had this sort of vision, of something that had never happened. But she knew it was more about what they were all feeling than anything that had taken place, or would. They might never find this peaceful beach. But they

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would all be together. They would love, all of them. Love and desire so fierce, so powerful they could never resist it. As they plunged into her over and over, crying out their pleasure until their moans and sighs merged as much as their bodies, she felt herself melt into sensation. Into their arms. Into the lovely vision in her head. She shivered as she came, as she felt them coming inside her, all of them together as one. And she knew this was forever. Truly until the end of time. Deo and Ever. Her loves. Forever and ever.

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About the Author

The award-winning author of a number of novels, novellas and short stories, Eden Bradley writes dark, edgy erotic fiction. Her work has been called ‘elegant, intelligent and sensual’. One erotic novel was profiled in Cosmopolitan magazine. Eden appears regularly on Playboy Radio’s Night Calls, Dissident Radio’s Breaking Taboos, and the West Coast In the Flesh readings. When she’s not writing, you can find her wandering museums, shopping for shoes and reading everything she can get her hands on. A California native, Eden currently lives in Los Angeles. You can visit her website: www.edenbradley.com.

Look for these titles by Eden Bradley

Now Available: Tempt Me Twice Midnight Playground The Seeking Kiss Bloodsong The Turning Kiss Eversong Celestial Seductions Winter Solstice Spring Equinox Summer Solstice Wasteland The Breeder

This summer is going to be twice as hot…

Summer Solstice © 2009 Eden Bradley

The view from Leigh’s front porch was never this nice. In fact, her hunky new neighbor is sparking all kinds of naughty ideas about how to beat the heat. Much to her delight, the feeling is mutual—as long as they keep things light. Her divorce left her a little lonely, but far from needy. Jared doesn’t plan to spend much time in his new place before jetting off on his next photojournalism assignment. Leigh’s classic, California blonde looks are any man’s fantasy. A little flirting, a little playful, neighborly car washing, and it isn’t long until their summer fling is in full swing. Neither can imagine the sex being any hotter—until Jared’s sometime roommate and lover, Matteo, comes to town. In the arms of two men, Leigh brings her ultimate fantasy into scorching reality. Jared revels in the chance to command his two lovers’ every move, but when he gets the call for his next overseas gig, he’s not so sure he’s ready for the fireworks to end. And even as Leigh gives her two lovers the most precious gift—their freedom—she wonders how she’ll find the strength to say goodbye. Warning: Hot M/M/F ménage, sex in public places (sort of—read it and you’ll see!), every possible orifice filled (some simultaneously), a big, sexy, bossy alpha, an equally hot beta and a little spanking for good measure. Because let’s face it, who doesn’t need a little spanking now and then? Enjoy the following excerpt for Summer Solstice: He was as beautiful as Jared told her he would be. Dark hair waving to his shoulders, his skin a gorgeous golden-brown. And his eyes were green, darker

than her own, a deep shade of moss. Electric. He had his shirt off, and she could see that while he was more delicately built than Jared, he was still all muscle, long and lean. And his chest was perfectly smooth, his skin sleek, his nipples dark. He was smiling at them, his gaze assessing her. Jared crossed the room in a few short strides, taking Leigh with him, her hand in his. He reached out and pulled Matteo to his feet, his arm wrapping around his neck to pull him in close. The two men kissed, and heat shot like lightning through Leigh’s body. Jesus. There was something almost terrifyingly erotic about those two masculine mouths meeting. She’d never seen anything like it, this intimate caress of lips between men, not this close up. Not with Jared holding onto her hand, as though she were a part of it. They pulled apart and Jared pulled Leigh closer. “This is Matteo.” “Hi, Matteo. It’s nice to meet you.” Matteo was smiling at her, his teeth a brilliant white in his wide, lush mouth. He really was beautiful. He took her free hand in his, his long fingers wrapping around hers. His palm was warm, his fingertips callused from playing guitar. She couldn’t help but imagine what those rough fingers would feel like on her skin… “And you’re Leigh.” His accent was purely American, surprising her for some reason. “Jared told me his new neighbor was a beauty, but I had no idea…” He turned to glance at Jared. “I hope you weren’t planning on keeping her all to yourself.” “That’s entirely up to her.”

Matteo’s smile widened into a grin as he turned back to her, and she went hot all over as he gave her hand a squeeze. “I’ll have to work hard to charm you then, Leigh.” She smiled back. He was charming enough already. And she understood fully that the invitation was there, for them all to go to bed together. Would it be too much if she simply screamed ‘yes’? “Can I get you two anything? A beer?” “We just came from dinner and a few margarita’s. Have you eaten?” “I stopped on my way from the airport. I didn’t want to waste time eating once I got here. I have a new piece I’ve been wanting to play for you. Do you mind, Leigh?” “No, not at all. I’d love to hear you play. Jared says you play beautifully.” “I hope you like it. Come, sit next to me.” Matteo was still holding onto her hand. He pulled her down next to him on the dark leather sofa. Jared sat on her other side. Matteo began to play, his fingers fluttering over the guitar strings, making them sigh. The tempo built, a lovely rhythm that was sensual, sexual, somehow. He was watching them, Leigh and Jared both, his green eyes gleaming, some sort of challenge in them. Or was she imagining that? But he could certainly play. The music was gorgeous, Spanish-style guitar mixed with a bit of Caribbean flavor. She turned to look at Jared, and his gaze was on Matteo, but quickly flicked to her. He smiled, his dimple flickering in his cheek, and he took her hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb as they listened. The music, Jared’s touch, was sending heat spiraling into her system. And Matteo’s beautiful face, the intensity of his expression…what sort of lover would he be? When Matteo was done he set the guitar down on the floor carefully. “What do you think?”

“Brilliant,” Jared answered. “You always say that.” “It’s always true.” “And you, Leigh? Did you enjoy my playing?” “Jared’s right, that was brilliant. So soulful.” “Ah, I like this one, Jared,” he said, lifting her hand to kiss it, his soft lips lingering. Jared was still stroking her other hand, and he moved his palm up over her arm, stroking her shoulder. She was shivering with need, with the sensation of the two men touching her at once. With the exquisite anticipation of what might happen between them all. Jared moved closer, his mouth next to her ear, until she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. “Leigh, tell me what you want.” It was a command, and yet she knew this was up to her. Knew she’d be crazy to turn this opportunity down. “I want you both.” “Ah, wonderful.” Jared kissed her cheek, his hand slipping down over her collarbone, his fingers stroking the side of her neck. He’d come to know how sensitive she was there. He knew all her most sensitive spots already, had known instinctively almost since their first moments together. “I was hoping you’d say that. I thought you might.” Matteo still held her hand to his lips, brushing them over her skin. His gaze was on hers, his eyes a beautiful, dark green. Full of fire. Full of need. His lips were so damn soft, kissing the back of her hand over and over, then turning it over and sliding up to her wrist. Neither of them had touched her breasts, her sex, and yet she felt as close to coming as she ever had in her life. “Jared…”

“What is it, darlin’?” “Undress me, please.” A small chuckle from him, then he pulled her dress over her head in one smooth motion. Matteo reached out and caressed one taut nipple with his fingertip. “Beautiful breasts, Leigh. Damn perfect, really. I could write a song about them.” She laughed, feeling freer than she ever had in her life, somehow. Powerful, desired by these two men. “It’s true,” Matteo insisted, leaning forward and laying a soft kiss where his fingertip had been. Pleasure surged through her, her breasts aching, her lacy panties soaked. She was vaguely aware of Jared undressing behind her, but Matteo’s touch, his mouth, were making her crazy. His fingers were still stroking the undersides of her breasts as he feathered his lips over her nipple. “Come on, Matteo,” she told him. Pleaded with him. “I like that you’re so eager,” he murmured. “But we’re just getting started,” Jared said, pulling her back, until she was reclining on his naked body.

Bloodlines merge, passions surge…

Vampires’ Consort © 2011 Bonnie Dee

Magical Menages, Book 2 One riveting glance from the handsome stranger stalking her in the supermarket shakes Akila Massri down to her soul. And when Jacob Baum hands her an engraved invitation to visit his billionaire employer’s retreat, curiosity—and the need to pay off her student loans—overcomes the instinct to refuse. Once on Valarian Kaspan’s private tropical island, her dark and deadly host confronts her with several incredible facts. Vampires exist. Her Egyptian ancestry traces back to the sun god, Ra. And her bloodline is critical to the future of mankind. From his thrall’s heated reaction to the supple-limbed Akila, Valarian is certain she is destined to mingle his Genghis Kahn bloodline with that of Ra. As a vampire, Valarian is sterile; it is through Jacob that a prophesied savior of mankind will be born. As Akila tries to wrap her mind around all this, she finds herself caught up in a whirlwind of erotic passion for two, very complicated men. When they all come together, something powerful unfolds within her. Something that makes her the target of evil vampires who plan to use her—and her unborn—to erase humans’ very existence from the earth… Warning: One woman plus a powerful vampire and his thrall equals sexy ménage with explicit sex scenes. Enjoy the following excerpt for Vampires’ Consort:

Akila decided to let Jacob walk off whatever demons raged in him. She kicked off her sandals and went to the edge of the water. She could smell the brine in the astonishing blue-green water as it lapped warmly around her toes. The Atlantic down here was an entirely different ocean from the gray water of Long Island Sound near her parents’ home. It would be great to strip bare and simply float in it for a while. This place was too gorgeous not to take advantage of it for the brief time she was here. Why not stay through the weekend? She could learn more about Kaspan and when she returned home, write an exposé about him as she’d planned. Of course, she’d have to edit out the vampire stuff…and the bloodline stuff…and the crazy baby-making plan. That didn’t leave much juicy gossip to spill. Without those elements, there was only a wealthy businessman hanging out at his tropical retreat. She squatted in the sand and dug with half of a clamshell, watching the water fill the pit she made. Her mind careened all over the place, trying to fix on one aspect of his crazy tale and have it make sense. As shocked as she was about vampires existing, what really got her was the idea of Ra, a god, for God’s sake, as her ancestor. It was preposterous but utterly fascinating. Maybe she needed to learn more about this prophecy thing. “I’m sorry.” An unexpected voice beside her made her screech, drop the shell and leap to her feet. She slapped a hand to her chest. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” “I apologize.” Jacob’s eyes reflected the sunlight, making them bluer than the ocean. “I lost my temper, something I rarely do.” She believed that, having gotten the impression he was usually firmly in control of his emotions. “That’s okay. I press buttons. It’s what I do. I shouldn’t

have said that about Hitler. I’m sure Kaspan is a great guy. He supports about half the charities on the planet.” Her head was tipped back in order to look up into his face. The angle, coupled with their bodies’ proximity, made it feel like she was waiting for him to lean down and kiss her. Their gazes locked while the surf rhythmically washed the shore and seagulls screeched overhead. There was no denying the attraction between them. She’d felt it that night at the supermarket and again from the moment she saw him at the airport. A subtle thread stitched them together every time they were near each other. Akila reached out a tentative hand and rested it against his chest. His heart beat as steadily as the incoming waves. Thud, thud, thud, filling up her senses and drawing her closer still. Her toes dug into the sand as she rose up. His eyes widened and he seemed suddenly younger and uncertain, a man who perhaps wasn’t used to women coming on to him—surprising, since he was so attractive. She liked his hesitation. It gave her the courage to slide a hand around the back of his neck and pull his head down to hers. She heard his small gasp before she fastened her lips over his and softly plucked at his mouth. Jacob’s hands encircled her waist, holding her steady as she leaned into him. For a moment, he acquiesced to her kiss, then his mouth opened and he kissed her back. Their tongues met, slicking around each other, and electricity shot through Akila. The taste of him left her hungry for more. Her body thrummed with the low voltage that passed between his body and hers. She’d never experienced anything quite like the rising need inside her, a sudden flare like a spike in a heart monitor. Jacob’s hands moved below her waist, cupping her ass and pulling her tighter against him. She felt his hardness nudging her crotch, escalating the heat

there. He groaned quietly into her mouth and their kiss deepened from sensual exploration to passionate hunger. She gripped his shoulder with one hand and drove the other through his hair to cup the back of his head. Her tender breasts smashed flat against his solid chest and her entire body throbbed. It was too intense, too soon, too crazy. Akila broke it off, pushing her hand against his chest to propel herself back from him. She stood in the moist, cool sand, panting. His lust-glazed eyes seemed as shocked as she felt. He wiped a hand over his lips, as though wiping away—or capturing—her kiss. “I’m sorry,” Akila said. “I don’t know why I did that.” He shook his head. “No. It’s…” God, she was humiliated. She could sink into the sand right now and let the tide wash her away. But even in the midst of embarrassment, her body still clamored for more. More of those kisses, more of the way he’d held her, the solidity of his body in her arms, more of his scent, his taste. His cock. She wanted to see his erection, not just feel it pressed against her. Another shudder of lust passed through her. Akila crossed her arms over her chest and began to walk down the beach. “Maybe you should show me the rest of the property. Or the house.” Or maybe she should go to her room and hide, get entirely away from this man to whom she seemed to have an uncontrollable attraction. “Yes.” He strode alongside her, but several yards away, and blurted random facts about the island as they walked from the beach to the interior. The vegetation grew thick around the narrow path through the trees. “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 expression 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.