Dead Perfect (29 page)

Cursed to an eternity of darkness,

Antonio Battista has wandered the earth,

satisfying his hunger with countless women,

letting none find a place in his heart.

But Victoria Cavendish is different.

“You wish something?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. Good night.”

She started past him only to be stayed by the light touch of his hand on her shoulder. She could have walked on by. He wasn’t holding her, but she stopped, her heart rate accelerating when she looked up and met his gaze.

Time slowed, could have ceased to exist for all she knew or cared. She was aware of nothing but the man standing beside her. His dark blue gaze melded with hers, igniting a flame that started deep within her and spread with all the rapidity of a wildfire fanned by a high wind.

Heart pounding, she looked at him, and waited.

He didn’t make her wait too long.

He murmured to her softly in a language she didn’t understand, then swept her into his arms and kissed her, a long searing kiss that burned away the memory of every other man she had ever known, until she knew only him, saw only him. Wanted only him.

He deepened the kiss, his tongue teasing her lips, sending flames along every nerve, igniting a need so primal, so volatile, she thought she might explode. She pressed her body to his, hating the layers of cloth that separated his flesh from hers. She had never reacted to a man’s kisses like this before, never felt such an overwhelming need to touch and be touched. A distant part of her mind questioned her ill-conceived desire for a man she hardly knew, but she paid no heed. Nothing mattered now but his arms holding her close, his mouth on hers.

Battista groaned low in his throat. He had to stop this now, while he could, before his lust for blood overcame his desire for her sweet flesh. The two were closely interwoven, the one fueling the other. He knew he should let her go before it was too late, before his hunger overcame his good sense, before he succumbed to the need burning through him. He could scarcely remember the last time he had embraced a woman he had not regarded as prey. But this woman was more than mere sustenance. Her body fit his perfectly, her voice sang to his soul, her gaze warmed the cold dark places in his heart, shone like the sun in the depths of his hell-bound spirit.

He felt his fangs lengthen, his body tense as the hunger surged through him, a relentless thirst that would not long be denied.

Battista tore his mouth from hers. Turning his head away, he took several slow, deep breaths until he had regained control of the beast that dwelled within him.

“Antonio?” Vicki asked breathlessly. “Is something wrong?”

He took another deep breath before he replied, “No, my sweet.” Summoning every ounce of willpower he possessed, he put her away from him. “It has been a long night. You should get some sleep.”

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion. He expected her to sleep, now?

He forced a smile. “Go to bed, my sweet one.”

Vicki stared at him a moment; then, with a nod, she left the room. That was the second time he had kissed her and then backed away. Was there something wrong with the way she kissed? But no, he had been as caught up in the moment as she. She couldn’t have been mistaken about that.

She closed the bedroom door behind her, then stood there, trying to sort out her feelings. She knew very little about Mr. Antonio Battista. She had no idea where he came from, who he was, if he had a family or friends, or what he did for a living. But one thing she did know: no other man had ever affected her the way he did, intrigued her the way he did, made her want him the way he did.

Tomorrow morning, she thought. Tomorrow morning she would find out more about the mysterious Mr. Battista.

When artist Tracy Warner purchases

the rambling seaside house

built above Dominic St. John’s hidden lair,

he recognizes in her spirit the woman he has

loved countless times over the centuries.

She wasn’t surprised when Dominic appeared in the doorway. He wore a long black cloak over a black shirt and black trousers. His feet were encased in soft black leather boots. Though she had refused to admit it, she had known, on some deep level of awareness, that this was his house.

He inclined his head in her direction. “Good evening. I trust you found everything you needed.”

“Yes.” Her fingers clenched around the brush. It was hard to speak past the lump of fear in her throat. “Thank you.” Though why she should thank him was beyond her. He had brought her here without her consent, after all.

He took a step into the room.

She took a step back.

He lifted one brow. “Are you afraid of me now?”

“How did I get here? Why am I here?”

“I brought you here because I wanted you here.”

“Why didn’t I wake up?”

“Because I did not wish you to.”

The fear in her throat moved downward and congealed in her stomach. She started to ask another question, but before she could form the words, he was standing in front of her, only inches away. She gasped, startled. She hadn’t seen him move.

“I will not hurt you, my best beloved one.”

“Where are we?”

“This is my house.”

“But where are we?”

“Ah. We are in a distant corner of Maine.”

“So, I’m your prisoner now.”

“You are my guest.”

“A guest who can’t leave. Sounds like prison to me.”

“We need time to get to know each other again. I will not be shut out of your life this time. I will not share you with another. This time, you will believe. This time, you will be mine.”

“So you’re going to keep me locked up inside this house?” She stared down at her hands, noticing, for the first time, that she was holding the brush so tightly, her knuckles were white. “And what if I believe and I still don’t want you? Still don’t want to be what you say you are?”

“Then I will let you go.”

Edward Ramsey has spent his life hunting vampires.

Now he is one of them.

Yet Edward’s human conscience—and his heart—

compel him to save beautiful Kelly Anderson.

After dinner, they drove to the beach and walked barefoot along the shore. It was a calm, clear night. The moon painted ever-changing silver shadows on the water.

After a while, they stopped to watch the waves. Ramsey’s gaze moved over Kelly. She looked beautiful standing there with the ocean behind her. Moonlight shimmered like molten silver in her hair; her skin looked soft and oh, so touchable. He wished, not for the first time, that he possessed a little of Chiavari’s easy charm with women.

“Kelly?” He took a deep breath, the need to kiss her stronger than his need for blood. He knew he should turn away, afraid that one kiss would not be enough. Afraid that a taste of her lips would ignite his hellish thirst. But she was looking up at him, her brown eyes shining in the moonlight, her lips slightly parted, moist, inviting. He cleared his throat. The kisses they had shared at the movies had been much in his mind, but he had lacked the courage to kiss her again, afraid of being rebuffed. “I was thinking about the other night, at the movies….”

“Were you? So was I.”

“What were you thinking?” he asked.

“I was thinking maybe we should kiss again—you know, to see if it was as wonderful as I remember.”

“Kelly…” He swept her into his arms, a part of him still expecting her to push him away or slap his face or laugh out loud, but she did none of those things. Instead, she leaned into him, her head tilting up, her eyelids fluttering down.

And he kissed her, there in the moonlight. Kissed her, and it wasn’t enough. He wanted to inhale her, to drink her essence, to absorb her very soul into his own. She was sweet, so sweet. Heat sizzled between them, hotter than the sun he would never see again. Why had he waited so long?

“Oh, Edward…”

She looked up a him, breathless. She was soft and warm and willing. He covered her face with kisses, whispered praises to her beauty as he adored her with his hands and his lips. He closed his eyes, and desire rose up within him, hot and swift, and with it the overpowering urge to feed. He fought against it. He had fed well before coming here, yet the Hunger rose up within him, gnawing at his vitals, urging him to take what he wanted.

“This is crazy,” she murmured breathlessly. “We hardly know each other.”

“Crazy,” he agreed. Her scent surrounded him. The rapid beat of her heart called to the beast within him. He deepened the kiss, at war with himself, felt his fangs lengthen in response to his growing hunger.