Kiss of Temptation: The Kavanaugh Foundation, Book 3 (17 page)

Daniela pulled a cloth-wrapped object from her satchel. “Just the headpiece.”

Morwen pulled away the material and stared into the bird’s glittering blue eyes. She traced the lines of the feathered wings carved into the gold and appeared as mesmerized by the headpiece as everyone else who had held it. “And where’s the rest of it?”

“In a place where no one will dare look for it.” Daniela glanced over to him and smiled. They’d spent almost a week debating where to hide the rod before deciding to toss it into the Mariana Trench.

Morwen wrapped the headpiece back up in the cloth and turned her attention to them. “So, he hasn’t turned you yet?”

It’s not like he didn’t want to. Every night he spent in her arms only strengthened his desire to make sure she’d spend centuries at his side, but he had to admire Daniela’s reserve. Although she hadn’t told him no, she had said she wanted to learn all she could about living as a vampire before she committed to that lifestyle. At least he never questioned her love for him, and that was enough to keep him calm. “It is her choice.”

“And did he tell you that you would lose your powers as a witch?” Morwen closed the gap between them, her face softening. “It may take a few decades or a few centuries before you regain them, but you’ll physically mourn the loss of your magic. It can destroy your hope.”

At the last word, she turned her attention to him, and his mind was taken back to their conversation years ago at the church. Just being able to revive the rose bush had been enough to restore Morwen’s hope. It was a sign her powers had finally returned. But would Daniela suffer the same despair if she lost her magic?

His lover lifted her chin, and his concerns vanished. Because it was her choice, she’d never be forced to suffer the same experiences he and Morwen had. “I will consider that piece of information before I make the decision.”

“Good, and remember, you are always welcome at the Foundation as long as you’re still human.”

Hypocrite
, Luc mentally snorted. He’d taken care not to reveal Morwen’s secrets, but times like this made him want to tell every member of the Foundation what kind of monster was truly running things. On the other hand, she’d gained the power to do things he never thought possible before he met Daniela. If he could find his reflection again and have a beating heart, perhaps one day he’d learn her secret of walking in the sun without getting burned.

Morwen watched him as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. She nodded. “Remember what I told you, Luc. If you resist the temptation, the unthinkable is possible.”

She’d uttered the same words to him that night in Venice. He’d spent his first two hundred years as a vampire avoiding society, living in wilderness and feeding off wild animals. The shame over what he’d become—a bloodthirsty monster—had haunted him from the moment he’d first fed off of Simon. But the need to be around people finally broke him, and he ventured into Venice during Carnival wearing a mask to hide his face and conceal his fangs.

The smell of hundreds of humans clogging the streets sent him into a violent bloodlust, and he’d grabbed the first drunken reveler he saw. The sweet taste of human blood awakened the beast within him, and he would’ve lost control if a redheaded woman wearing a moretta hadn’t pulled him away from his victim. For such a tiny woman, her strength had shocked him, and he’d allowed her to drag him to a rich salon.

When she removed her mask, he recognized the sorrowful angel he’d once shown pity. Only now, the situation was reversed. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. “Oh, Père Luc, what did he do to you?”

“Do not call me that!” he snapped and turned to leave.

She blocked his exit with a speed no mere mortal could possess.

“It’s because of you that I’m forced to live like this.”

“And for that, I am truly sorry. I never dreamed he would turn you for helping me.” A single drop streaked down her cheek as she touched his face. A wave of calm washed through him, but he ground his teeth together. He refused to fall under her spell again.

“But what’s done is done.” He grabbed her wrist and yanked her hand away from him. “If I had more courage, I’d walk into the sun myself.”

“You don’t have to live this way, Luc. If you can resist temptation, the unthinkable is possible.”

He’d stayed with her for several months, learning how to blend in without revealing what he was. She’d introduced him to the glittering society of seventeenth century Venice, to poets and artists that brought the light back into his soul. She’d restored his hope, and by the time she retreated into the countryside for summer, he felt confident enough to no longer need her instruction.

The unthinkable was already happening. He threaded his fingers through Daniela’s and listened to the steady rhythm of his pulse. “So I will continue to change, Morwen, to become more human?”

“Possibly.”

Her cryptic answer rankled him. It was another game, one where she held all the cards, and she would use them to manipulate them. “What do you mean?”

She toyed with something hanging around her neck, and when she removed her hand, he recognized the same tarnished ring that she’d given to him years ago. Hanging next to it was a band of smooth, polish gold. “I mean your heart will continue to beat as long as your soul mate lives. But if you lose her…” Morwen’s voice cracked, and she once again ran her fingers over the smooth golden ring.

He turned to Daniela. What would he do if he lost her? She’d filled his life so completely, he doubted he’d find anything but emptiness if she was suddenly taken from him.

Daniela gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand. “Do not worry so much, Luc. I will not leave you.”

He tried to return her smile, but the ugly truth still haunted him. Unless he turned her, she would grow old and die. Would he able to stand back and watch her do that if she refused to be turned?

The sound of Morwen clearing her throat broke his morose thoughts. “Again, I encourage you not to make any rash decisions, Daniela. As much as I hate to lose a witch with your skills, I will respect your decision. And if that is all, I need to get this back to the Foundation.” She tucked the headpiece under her arm and disappeared down one of the tunnels, the clack of her heels lingering long after she faded from the view of their flashlights.

Daniela glanced around the dusty catacombs. “I’m glad we came back here, Luc. It seems fitting.”

He nodded. After waking up from one of his dreams of Ancient Rome, he’d mentioned it to her and was surprised to learn that she’d been having the same dreams. As they discussed them, he finally admitted that perhaps there was some truth to Morwen’s claim that they’d been lovers in a past life. He only hoped this one wouldn’t end the same way the other did.

Daniela gave his hand another squeeze. “Shall we go back to Sophia’s?”

The sultry hint in her voice reawakened the desire he thought he’d satisfied that afternoon before they’d crawled out of bed. Even though he hadn’t tasted her blood since that night at Houska Castle, he still carried an insatiable appetite for her body. Thankfully, she seemed to have the same problem as him. “Sounds good to me.”

But instead of racing back to the small pensione, he led her down the Via Agrippa and stopped in front of a familiar café. “Remember this?”

Her brows furrowed together. “Should I?”

“Perhaps I should revive your memory.” He pushed her against the window like he had over a month ago and covered her mouth with his own. This time, however, there was no hesitation in her kiss. She returned his affection full force, her tongue coiling with his and fanning the slow burn of lust warming his blood.

Daniela broke away, gasping for air. “I think I remember now.”

“I remember that young punk asking if I was going to fuck you.”

She shivered when he said that, the same way she always responded when he used such coarse and blunt language with her. The only thing he’d discovered that aroused her more was a good spanking. “And are you going to fuck me?”

“Maybe.” He traced the seam of her trousers. The heat from her sex already hinted how much she wanted him, and he toyed with the idea of taking her right then and there.

She bit her bottom lip and wiggled free from his arms. “First one back to Sophia’s gets to be on top.”

She took off running down the street, but he caught up with her in a matter of steps and hoisted her over his shoulder. Her giggles grew louder as he sped back to the pensione, and by the time he was carrying her up the stairs, she’d developed full-blown belly laughs.

“Luc, when are you going to do the right thing and marry Daniela?” Sophia called after them.

“When I can convince her to say yes,” he replied and closed the door behind them. He tossed her on the bed. “I’m sure Sophia is praying for us right now so we won’t be living in sin anymore.”

Daniela waited until she stopped laughing before beckoning him to come closer. She grazed her finger over the ridge of his erection. His breath hitched from the sweet agony her touch provoked. Her grin widened and she lowered his zipper. “I can be rather stubborn. It might take you a while to convince me.”

“What do you have in mind?”

She pushed him back on the bed and removed her clothes before she straddled his waist. The softness of her bare ass teased his exposed cock as she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “I think this is a good start.”

He allowed her to cover his body with chaste kisses and meek caresses until he couldn’t stand it anymore. He shed the last of his clothes and lifted her hips until the head of his cock sat at the opening of her slick cunt. “Please, Daniela.”

She slowly eased onto him, taking him in inch by inch until he was fully seated inside her. A sigh broke free from her lips and she stared down at him. “I love you, Luc, and I thank you for being patient with me while I make up my mind. I promise I won’t keep you waiting long.”

He gulped and soaked in how beautiful she was while rocking on top of him, moving her hips in a seductive rhythm that had his balls already tightening from the orgasm building inside him. Even if she never agreed to be turned, he’d always remember moments like this.

Her movements became more frantic, more irregular, and the walls of her sex tightened around his cock. Her body shuddered.

“Yes, Luc, please.” She arched her head back and pulled his mouth to her neck. “Please take me. I’m ready.”

He could no longer resist her. His fangs pierced her skin. The sweet taste of temptation filled his mouth, and his world exploded in light.

About the Author

Growing up in small-town Alabama, I relied on storytelling as a natural way to pass the time and keep my two younger sisters entertained. Of course, that also means I’m inclined to suffer some of the same maladies of many Southern writers, which may include overuse of simile and metaphor, exaggeration, melodrama and the ever-popular long-winded sentence.

I currently live in Western Washington with my husband and daughter, maintaining my alter ego of mild-mannered physician by day while I continue to pursue writing on nights and weekends. I refer to it as “therapy”.

To learn more about me, please visit
www.cristamchugh.com
. Send an email to
[email protected]
.

Look for these titles by Crista McHugh

Now Available:

Heart of a Huntress

Angelic Surrender

A legend…a myth…a high stakes game that could shatter them both.

Heart of a Huntress

© 2010 Crista McHugh

The Kavanaugh Foundation, Book 1

As one of the oldest surviving vampire hunters in the Foundation, Lana has learned the toughest lesson: success comes at a price. So while the yummy stranger she bumps into at Caesar’s trips all her temptation switches, duty comes first. Better to be alone than to gamble with someone else’s heart—or her own. Although maybe a one-night stand won’t hurt…

Byron has set a one-way course for revenge against the Vegas vampire who murdered his uncle. When he collides with Lana, though, her scent calls to him like a potent aphrodisiac. The only explanation: she’s his true-mate. And the timing couldn’t be worse. He can’t afford any distractions—not to mention it’ll be hell convincing her to love someone who sprouts fur and fangs every full moon.

One drink together turns into a daring night of passion. Their erotic interlude ends abruptly with the news that Lana’s partner has been abducted by the very vampire Byron seeks. Now Byron has no choice. He must reveal what he is and risk a rejection that could spell his own destruction…

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Heart of a Huntress:
 

His voice almost growled the last sentence, like he wasn’t used to people challenging his orders. A shiver coursed down her spine. Normally she didn’t like domineering men, mainly because she could kick most of their asses when push came to shove. But Byron looked like the type that could match her, tit for tat. An equal. A challenge. She rattled off the address to her condo just off the Strip and nestled into his arms. It would be a short ride, but she might as well enjoy it while she could.

His arms wrapped around her, warm and comforting. How long had it been since she allowed herself to get physically close to someone like this? She knew getting involved with him was out of the question—too many complications—but would one night disrupt the balance of her life?

“Let me take a look at your ankle.”

He slid his hand down her leg and her sex tightened. An amused light shone in his eyes when she met his gaze, like he knew exactly how horny he was making her. And if she wasn’t mistaken, he was struggling to contain his arousal as much as she was.

He cleared his throat. “It’s already starting to swell a bit. Can you move it, wiggle your toes? Do we need to take a detour by the hospital to make sure it’s not broken?”

She followed his commands, wincing as she did. “I think I’ll survive. It’s just a sprain.”

“Good. Anything else?”