Caressed by Moonlight (7 page)

“If I ever hear you speak of Ms. Kingston like that again I will not hesitate to rip your head from your shoulders,” Dorian growled.

The man’s eyes were wide in disbelief and paralyzing fear.

Dorian turned and, with long elegant strides, exited the ballroom.

Victoria leaned her shoulder against the cold block wall that surrounded the lovely manor house. The sound of rich music and voices drifted in the night air.

She had danced with the devil. Lana was absolutely wrong; a dance was not harmless. She thanked the stars above that Rogers was not here to witness her folly and prayed that he would not hear of this scandal. He would be back next week and she would propose. He was her only hope. The remaining men on her list had been present this evening and would surely believe all the lies that were being spread.

She was entirely lost in her ocean of thoughts; she did not hear Dorian approach on his horse.

“My lady, your chivalrous knight has arrived.”

She started at the intrusion of his voice and took a step back, but Dorian was not about to let her refuse his help. He bent down, scooped her up with one powerful long arm, placed her across his lap, and tapped his mount into a slow walk.

She was stiff in his arms until they rounded the corner and were out of sight of the awful house. She relaxed and rested her head on his shoulder. Dorian took in a deep breath and allowed the
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lavender scent of her hair to wash over him. She shifted on his lap, stirring his desire. He gritted his teeth as her backside slid over his thigh. She was so innocently inviting. He needed to get her home before she fanned the flames of his longing into a raging inferno.

They passed by his home and he was a bit surprised to sense Gabriel’s presence there. His friend must be waiting for him.

Dorian studied the windows and he held back a grin when Gabriel pushed aside the drapes of his study.

“Why is that man waving at us?” she inquired, confusion in her voice.

“Because he is my friend and that is my house.”

“Oh,” she said in understand. “You have a lovely home.”

“You are welcome to visit anytime you like.”

The cool wind felt like ice on her cheeks, but she loved it.

She decided to ignore the huge man behind her and enjoy the ride.

It was a peaceful time of day, when the moon reigned as king high in the sky.

He brought the horse to a stop before her home, jumped down, took hold of Victoria’s waist and set her on her feet. She quickly moved away, needing distance.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked. “I couldn’t let a beautiful woman like you roam the streets of London alone. It would not be very princely of me.”

“Indeed it wouldn’t,” she chuckled.

Dorian gently brushed a silken strand of her dark hair away from her throat. Victoria swallowed hard as he stroked her pulse with the pad of his thumb. The caress warmed her entire body; the chill of the night had vanished. She wished he would take her in his arms and kiss her with all the passion that he possessed. But it was just a wish; one that she feared would never come true. That realization startled her.

She pulled away and headed for the steps. He snatched her arm and spun her about forcing her against his chest. His heat scorched her.

Dorian knew that if he kissed the perfect lips his eyes devoured, he would not be able to stop. He would take her here on the steps and to Hell with anyone who passed. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten his kitten with his abnormal hunger and lust, and so he loosened his grip. He took in deep breaths of air trying desperately to calm down.

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Victoria’s heart pounded. She knew Dorian was struggling with himself. She could see it, feel it, and hated it. She did not want him to regain his control. She wanted –

Dorian was stunned, immobile. Victoria had kissed him. It was the smallest of pecks, but she had done it. She had also squeaked in horror and ran into the house. Dorian’s head was spinning and he had trouble returning to his saddle.

No one had ever been able to catch him off guard, but this little woman had. She had tied him up with knots of lust and confusion. Then swooped in for a surprise attack. She could have run him through with a sword and he would have never seen it coming

She had kissed
him
.

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Chapter Eleven

A book whizzed past her head as she entered the drawing room. Aunt Nelly stood by the shelf, her face bright red and her brown eyes shooting sparks of deadly flames. Her lips were razor thin as she took up another book. She clutched it so tightly her knuckles were as white as snow.

“Whore,” she snarled as she hurled the book at Victoria.

“Have you gone mad?” Victoria demanded, dodging the paper filled missile.

“I saw you out there with that man. You brought your stud to my front steps. How dare you bring him here? This is a rich house not some lowly brothel, which is where you belong,” she screeched in outrage. “You have disgraced the family name.”

“I have disgraced the name?” Victoria repeated, her temper rising.

“Yes you and your mother. You both are nothing but the Devil’s mistresses, with your fine faces and sinful figures. I should have tossed you out on the street the instant you walked through my front door, like a beggar. I knew you would be trouble, just like your mother.”

“You can say whatever you like about me, but not my mother!”

“You have no right to be angry. I’m the one that deserves to be angry. What was I to say when Lady Winsten informed me of the attention you have been receiving from the young gentlemen?

How was I to respond when Lady Hennings came here and told me about you spending your spare time in that foreign prince’s bed.”

“Lies! Slanderous words that are passed along by gossips, everyone knows not to listen to them,” she answered.

“I have seen you with my own two eyes.” Nelly slammed her meaty fist down on the bookshelf. The wood quaked and Victoria wished it would fall on the wretched woman. “You have ruined every chance that Margaret had for a good marriage. They will think her a finely used strumpet just like her mother and sister.”

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“You would believe rumors before you would believe your own family?” She was appalled; the woman’s hate knew no bounds.

“You are no family of mine!” Nelly snarled. “I saw the way you two talked, so at ease and free. Then, you kissed him, right outside my door.” She threw another book. Victoria caught it and slung it back. She hit Nelly in the shins. The wretched woman howled then curled her lips in a smile that dripped with evil. “Get out of my house. I don’t want to see you here again.”

“I’m not leaving without Margaret,” Victoria stated firmly.

“She is no long your concern.”

“We had an understanding, Nelly,” she pointed out; her voice was as controlled as she could manage. She wanted to scream at the woman, to shake her until she was dizzy. She clenched her fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms.

“You are unfit to care for the girl.”

“I will be wed at the end of the month.”

“That is absolutely laughable,” Nelly croaked. “No man would want you. Not even that foreign devil if he knew how well used you are.”

“You say that I am a disgrace to the family but in truth, Nelly, you are. You are a bitter, loathsome, foul, old woman who never married because no man wanted you. You have rotted from the inside out and not even the people that once were your friends would have anything to do with you. You are just jealous of my mother and me. Men trail after us and we have friends in abundance. Jealousy is an ugly trait, Nelly.”

The older woman screamed and began to shoot book after book at Victoria, who dodged and ran for the dining room door.

She ducked inside and sprinted to the servant’s stairs. She was going to get Margaret out of here. She had no idea where they would go, Lana and her family were out of town as well as Lord Rogers and she knew no one else in town well enough to ask for help. She would not go to Tabitha for it was hers and the other gossips fault that all of this was happening.

No, she had a part in it too. She had kissed Dorian. What on earth had compelled her to commit such a ludicrous act, she would never know.

She came to the second floor and threw open Margaret’s door. The girl sat on the enormous bed with tears trailing down her cheeks.

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“Come on darling,” Victoria said in a rushed yet soothing voice. “We must leave. Gather what you need.”

The little girl nodded and stood.

“Hurry, Margaret,” Victoria urged. She knew that Aunt Nelly would be up here any moment. “Grab a few things.”

Margaret grabbed a dress and her new doll. Victoria took her up in her arms and decided that the front stairs would be the best way out if Nelly had followed her to the dining room. She rushed down the stairs and had just made it to the landing when Margaret was ripped from her arms. The little girl wailed as she was handed to the maid. Nelly stood ready for battle with her hands on her hips. Victoria reached for her sister but was shoved aside and toward the door.

“The girl stays.”

“No!” Victoria screamed as she tried grabbing her sister again.

Nelly took hold of Victoria’s arm, pulled open the front door, and flung her out to onto the steps. She landed hard, not noticing the pain; she quickly came to her feet only to have the door slammed in her face. She tried the knob but it had already been locked. She pounded on the threshold. No one came.

Thunder shook the deep night and Victoria turned from the house. She knew that her aunt would be watching her from a nearby window and she would not give the woman the satisfaction of her tears. She hurried down the street and around the corner where she came to a stop. She leaned against a brick house and allowed her tears to fall.

Where was she to go? Lana’s family would not be back for a few days. She chewed at her lip in deep thought, ignoring the lady and gentleman that rushed passed her with their umbrellas high in the air, prepared for rain. There was only one other person that could offer her aid and she was desperate.

She pushed away from the wall and rushed from street to street hoping the rain would wait until she reached her destination.

She had no such luck. The clouds opened and poured what seemed like an ocean down upon her.

Victoria ducked under the cover of Dorian’s small porch.

She wringed what water she could from her clothes before knocking on the door. Her hands shook from anxiety, anger, fear, or the cold, she did not know.

A tall thin man dressed in black answered the door.

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“Is Prince Vlakhos home? I really must speak with him,”

she said, her voice quivering.

“I’m sorry Miss, but the Prince does not wish to be bothered by visitors this evening.” Dobbins began to close the door, but Victoria pushed with all her strength against it. She would not have another door slammed and locked in her face tonight.

“Please, it is imperative that I see him,” Victoria insisted.

Dobbins shook his head in refusal.

“Just tell him that Ms. Kingston it here to see him, I’ll even wait outside so I don’t ruin the floors. Please?” she begged.

Dobbins gave a heavy sighed, he knew Dorian would not be pleased with him. He opened the door so she could squeeze by.

The girl was in sorry shape, drenched to the bone.

“Wait here, I don’t want you to catch your death out there.

After all, it would be on my head.”

She nodded and smiled, her teeth chattering.

The butler quickly disappeared down the dark hall. He lightly tapped on the study’s door.

“Enter.”

Dorian sat in the large chair behind his desk gazing out the window, deep in thought. Gabriel had brought news of the number of hunters his men had killed but he also brought a letter from one of the Mylonas soldiers. Even though most of the witches had left his land and were now in London his people were still being terrorized. Two more villages had been burned to the ground and Kal wanted to gather the remaining clan members within the walls of the castle. Dorian would have agreed with this decision and in fact that was what he wanted Raphael to do, but he did not trust Kal. For all he knew Kal would round everyone up and turn the fortress into a slaughterhouse. Once locked inside the castle walls there was no escape. For now, being scattered was the best way for his people to survive.

“Disheartening news from home, sir?” Dobbins said noting the envelope on the desk and letter that was ripped in half.

“What is it?”

Dobbins hesitated in his answer.

“My Lord, I know that you had requested not to be disturbed, but there is a woman that would like a word with you.”

“A woman?” he repeated, watching the lightning tear apart the sky.

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“Yes, she says that she has something very important to speak to you about.”

“I gave you orders. I do not wish to see guests this evening.”

“Yes sir, but she is set on seeing you.”

“Then tell her to return tomorrow. I need to hunt. Gabriel is leaving for America this evening, which leaves the witch hunting to me. Their numbers have drastically risen in the last few days.”

Dobbins nodded in understanding, Dorian had to closely monitor and control the witch population since Gabriel would no longer be here to help him. But he had one last question for his chieftain before he returned to his work. “Sir, the girl is soaked through. Could I take her to the kitchen where Ophelia can maker her something to eat and give her some tea?”

“Fine,” Dorian agreed with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Dobbins nodded and headed toward the door. He stepped into the hall and the sweet scent of woman and lavender wafted into the study. Dorian shot to his feet, his heart pounding, his blood rushing, his lust flaring.

“Why didn’t you say it was Ms. Kingston?” he demanded harshly.

Dobbins’s face turned a shade of white only belonging to the dead.

“I apologize my lord.”

“Show her in.”

“Right away, sir.” The servant hurried off.

Dorian had no idea what had brought her here and he did not care. All that mattered was that she had come to his home willingly. She had entered the lion’s den and he was not about to let her go. He opened a drawer in his desk and swept the letter away. He would give the disturbing news of home more thought later and his hunting would have to wait. Right now he was going to give Victoria his undivided attention.

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