Honey and Gerald were not going to the Bahamas, but to the so-called popular elite party that Gerald had been raving about for months, and now that they had been personally invited by one of his business partners, he had decided to invite his girlfriend. He smirked as he watched as the host of the party glided down the stairs to his girlfriend, tied up-half naked and drugged up with the red substance the rich and powerful had been talking about, and yes, he did feel like he was on cloud nine. This "red happy pill" was a new product on the market. One of the masked females dressed beside him in an unusual vampire costume licked his ears and murmured sweet nothing. Gerald moaned as he forgot about Honey with a small nibble from the alluring woman he was a goner. "Take me, darling. I want to taste you." The woman smirked and motioned him to follow.
James Grayson, however, furrowed his forehead. He had never met this woman before, but her scent was familiar, like a blossom of lilac and vanilla. She smells like Grace Lim.
"Who are you, little girl?"
The woman didn't answer but arch her body towards him. She’d wanted him. Of the many vampires, she’d wanted him specifically.
The woman later muttered, "Oh, Edward dear, take me, show me heaven!" The woman giggled. "Take—"
He reached out his gloved hand and closed her mouth with his fingertips. He leaned over her, bared his canines, and went for her throat. But he didn’t bite her. He ran the tip of one fang up her jugular. And yes, she didn't exactly smell like Grace Lim, but rather just her mask. She was using Grace's mask.
With a jerk against the chains she had volunteered for, she orgasmed for him right then and there, the alchemy of the crowd display, the threat he represented, and the sort of sex she needed, converging into a release that glowed her face and made her wail as she thrashed.
Down below, the pleasure she felt trembled through the teeming bodies.
And he was aroused, yes. But not like they were. Not like she was.
Never as any of them. Nonetheless, the screaming voice in his head that told him he was a piece of shit was dimmed down by the sex. The flame of his fury against himself was annihilated by the distraction. The crowded house of condemnations under his skull was, shortly, emptied.
So yes, this acted for everyone. Nothing made sense, but last night when he made love with Grace, he felt something. Something he had never felt before, but those extraordinary passions left him nothing but emptiness.
Reaching up to his own throat, he released the cord of his dark uniform-sort cloak and dropped the heavy weight from his shoulders. He had black leathers on and nothing else but his magical tattoos.
James’s hands went to the woman’s body and he roamed, with his mouth, everywhere.
And the hurricane he was gradually creating raked over the decimated landscape of his soul, concealing the ragged, desolated mess he was.
She was getting what she needed, and so he savoured her blood.
Good thing. He needed to be at his apartment, his own refuge that no one else knew about, in about an hour, to get some sort of rest to continue his emotional torture. Being a warrior in the fight against the undead and walking the line between vengeance and staying alive, his clan and brotherhood needed a leader who was not mentally exhausted.
Now that was finally going to get him what he was after.
Inner peace through acts of war: Because he had to believe if you were facing off with the undead, surely vampires were too busy trying to stay alive to worry about anything else.
Fucking excellent.
One hour later, on the tenth floor of his apartment, James entered the room and went straight to his mini gym. He had always prided himself on his ability to roll with the punches.
What choice did he have? From the time he could remember, he’d understood his life as a pure-breed vampire meant he would never be controlled by others. If only he could remember his past.
But while other vampires and his sired might have resented their fate, James had decided to embrace what he was given.
He might be the last pure-blood vampire, but by the time he remembered Europe, he’d already developed an easy charm that made him the most powerful leader among the other clans. And, of course, it didn’t hurt that he was capable of casting magic; a strong alpha male with sculpted features, pale blond hair, and eyes that sparkled with humour.
The female vampires were usually desperate to make sure he never felt like an outsider to any other man without a memory of his origin or past. He was a leader, merciless and unforgiving, and executing vampire hunters was a necessity, like breathing air. He was born to hunt down and exterminate all hunters. Nothing else matters but their blood. His calling was for vengeance, and hatred scorched his soul like molten lava that freely flowed into his veins.
But now that Louie was dead, he felt alone more than even. He'd continued over the years, as he’d developed a relationship with Louie that went way beyond master and servant. They became as close as brothers. But still, James remained prepared to adapt to the inevitable changes in his life, especially now that he was responsible for Louie’s daughter.
For the time being, no one knew about her, and he wanted it to stay that way, with only two of his most trusted warriors, Dean and Kean, who managed to trick Grace's roommate's boyfriend into offering his apartment next door, but not without convincing Gerald. After all, it only took the pathetic human to be invited to the party to accept Dean and Kean's offer, not that it was a difficult job. Vampires could do wonders in mortals' minds.
And just earlier, Grace arrived, and now she was sleeping next door, her heartbeat steady.
James wasn’t sure what that would mean for his own place, but it was certain to be different.
Still, it was all good. He was a guy who understood how to adapt and overcome.
Until this moment.
Right now he didn’t know what the hell was happening.
One minute he was standing next to Grace’s bed, and the next, the world around them was fading to black.
For just a second, he thought he must be dying. What else could explain the encroaching darkness and the sensation that the floor had disappeared and he was floating through space?
It wasn’t a portal. He’d travelled through hundreds of them in his long life. He’d even visited Hades on a dare from Louie—a journey he never intended to take again.
But this was different. He felt as if he was melting along with the room, his very being dissolving into nothingness.
He couldn’t tell how long he drifted in the nothingness before the world once again became solid.
It was almost as disconcerting as the melting.
One minute he was weightless, and the next his feet were hitting a marble floor with enough force to send him to his knees. He grunted in pain, his mind scrambling to clear out the fog.
It was still dark, but it was the darkness of natural shadows, not... well, whatever had surrounded him before.
Holding up his hand, he allowed flames to dance over his skin as he cautiously rose to his feet.
He was in a large octagonal chamber. It looked similar in size and shape to the room he’d just been zapped out of, only it wasn’t lavishly decorated. At least not yet. This was not Grace’s room either.
Glancing around, he could see the domed ceiling was in the process of being covered with priceless golden tiles, while the heavy furniture and tapestries were carefully stowed in the corners of the space.
What was going on? Was this some sort of illusion meant to deceive his eyes?
On the point of moving toward the door on the far wall, he came to a sharp halt as he caught sight of an object lying on the stone floor.
No. Not an object.
Grace.
Shit. It hadn’t occurred to him that she might have been sucked up in the same magic that was affecting him. Stupid, of course. Why would anyone go to the effort of wasting their power on him? He was a pure-blood vampire.
But Grace...
She was…
James halted. Does anyone know about her?
Not only was she a rare half-breed female vampire, but she was the daughter of Louie. One of the most powerful half-breeds on the planet, with sorcery blood coursing through his veins.
With a blur of motion, James was moving to kneel at Grace’s side, studying her delicately carved features. The slender nose, the full lips that were the colour of summer roses. Her pale, creamy skin sharply contrasted with the golden curls of her hair that spilt across the stone floor in a river of silk. Just like the first time he’d seen her in the pub the other night, the sight of her beautiful curls and beautiful-addictive scent lured him in. It wasn’t just her beauty. A vampire can see and feel better than any other creature. He understood the outer shell was meaningless; it was his soul that was pure and innocent. It was her inner essence that reached out to touch the monster within him. James grimaced, squashing his renegade blast of awareness. This hybrid female vampire was destined to become the mate of a powerful pureblood vampire. And he was the last pure-bred of his kind. Hybrid vampires were extremely rare, especially those of human lineage. Grace was a mistake. Her m
"How did I even do that? I can't remember anything." Grace murmured and started pacing again and halted when she saw something in the room. It was a flowing luminous thread. She grabbed onto the threads and pulled them backwards," she added in absent tones. "What on earth is this?"James raised his brows. The woman was indeed shocked, she was seeing things."The... what?" He asked."This thread, it's freaky, it's floating in the air…" She fondled it and marvelled at its esoteric properties."Oh, I'm not seeing anything, but I guess you are seeing the thread of time.""Ah what?"He sighed... This was not what he anticipated. He didn't want to teach her again. Back to square one."You pulled us backwards in time by using the thread of Kali." James tried to wrap his brain around the mere thought.He’d never heard of anyone capable of moving through time. Perhaps a spell. Maybe, Kali? the goddesses of time, doomsday, and death, as well as the black goddess? Impossible.Gods and goddesses
Life was spontaneous. Grace craved redundancy, simplicity, and, well, ordinary. But when midnight rolled around, her mind still hadn’t settled in regards to the vampire. Giving up, she returned to the kitchen, grabbed the book, and prowled to bed. She promised just a few more passages, just a few pages... damn it, then she’d start craving redundancy again. Her oversized white T-shirt huddled at her waist as she braced the book on her upraised legs, opened to the middle of the tale, where the bookmark was still set, and paid attention again to the pages. For many seconds, the letters appeared to be written in a language she did not understand. It's like it was made a very very long time ago. Then, a blink later, they were written in English again. It was very strange, and surely, and hopefully—a she-just-needs-sleep mistake on her part. She found her place. "‘They called him James.’" James Gregory III. A pureblood vampire from the kingdom of Nork. A powerful, delicious name. The
"Mistress Leticia, wake up. Your mother is waiting."Grace blinked open her eyes. Muffled sunlight pushed into the bedroom—an unfamiliar chamber, she realized with uproar. Goodness, where the hell am I? She gasped as she looked at the grand chamber. Her cabin's tiny room was ordinary, with yellow-faded walls and cream carpet, the only furniture an unadorned old bed.However, now a lacy red canopy was swaddled overhead. To her right was an intricately carved oak imperial nightstand; a bejeweled crystal goblet sat on top. Beyond that, a plush, glittery red and golden carpet led to arched two-fold doors edging an ample, majestic closet bursting with a golden yellow of velvets, satins, and delicate silks.Her eyes widened.This wasn’t right.She jerked upright. Dizziness hit her—familiar, but not soothing, and she whined. "Are you all right, mistress?"She compelled herself to concentrate and focus. A girl stood beside her bed. A girl she had never encountered before. Asian-looking, with
Warning Rated PG+18 Grace twirled and leaned into the vanity, watching her reflection in the mirror. The moment she came into the picture, she froze. Light orange hair flowed over one shoulder. Her hair. Familiar. Her green eyes were polished, with crescent-moon bruises underneath. Also familiar. She reached out. Her fingertips pressed into the glass. Cool, solid. Real. If she lifted her gown, she would see the scars that marred her abdomen and legs. She knew it. She hadn’t morphed into Mistress Leticia overnight, then. Or, hell, perhaps she and the mistress looked alike? Goodness, there were more questions than answers. How was this even possible? "How did I get here?" Grace asked, turning back around to face the servant girl. Then halted when a familiar voice echoed. I need you, Grace. Come to me. James. It was his voice. Sweet demanding voice. She sucked in a breath as his name unexpectedly filled her mind. James, the enslaved vampire, was shackled and wounded. Her lover, Ja
They named him James. He didn’t know if that was his real name. He didn’t remember anything about himself. Whenever he attempted to recall, his head throbbed with pain, discomfort, and anguish, and his mind shut down. All he knew was that he was a vampire, and the females here were sorcerers. Powerful. He loathed this kingdom and its people—and he would eradicate them. One day. Soon. Just as he’d killed one of their precious mistresses on the cliff. Mistress Leticia.Impatience rushed through him. His captors thought him vulnerable and weak. They kept him on the razor edge of starvation, giving him a drop of blood in the morning and a drop of blood at night. That was all. He was taunted and tortured frequently. Leticia, the mistress, in particular. The oldest daughter of the Master Sorcerer, now the king of this kingdom of Nork. So highborn, but look at you now, Leticia. At my feet, mine to do with as I wish.Highborn? He would find out.They assumed that just because he was bound and
James scanned her, his blood nearly on flame. Anyone who looked at her would see the cloak his shifted magic had built. The magical illusion of being someone else. Hair as dark as the Abyss, eyes of vivid emerald, skin as pale as cream. But that was where the gift of her father’s acclaimed elegance ended, and the brutality of her mother’s ugliness reflected itself. Mistress Leticia was huge and hulky, her cheeks puffing from excess, her jaw squared with jowls. Her dark brows were extensive and virtually adjoined in the center. Her nose was long with an unmistakable hook.What James saw, nevertheless, was the woman his summoning magic had chosen. The one from his dreams. Dreams in which she stood off to the side, watching him, never speaking. Dreams he had not comprehended. Until now. All along, his mystic had known what he needed.She was just as tall as Leticia, but beautifully slender, with hair the color of a sunrise. Her eyes were seductively uptilted, a shade darker than her hai
Must taste her blood. How many times would he think of the word? His inner demons were asking him to just drive his fangs into her delicate neck and be done with it, dry her to her last drop. Numerous times, he thought of the words. Until he got what he wanted, he was certain."Give me your arm, woman." He licked his lips at the thought of touching her, of knowing the texture of her skin and the smoothness of her sweet veins. "I will mark you… I need to mark you so I'll know wherever you are. This is for your safety." A little nip of her wrist, and he would stop. He would make himself stop. For now, he promised.She shook her head, her sun-kissed hair dancing over her shoulders. "What? Hell No! Tell me something... I need an explanation now. Afterwards, we’ll talk about the marking thing, whatever that is."Certainly, the woman was not as cranky as she appeared. "We might be separated…I need to know…" Before she freed him. "I want to know where you are at all times.""Uh, I’m not cer
He drew her to the ground. He couldn't help but notice her heated, red nipples. He made a circle with his tongue, flicked it till she moaned, and then moved on to the other. His fangs grew long and painful. However, now was not the moment to wallow in the ecstasy that was her blood. He'd eaten before approaching her, expecting to satisfy his hunger for her. No other blood had ever had the same effect on him as Grace's. So powerful, so devouring. And, as much as he desired his entire memory back now, he would rather not disappear without notice again and have to chase down his woman's position, putting her at risk. He laces his fingers through Grace, squeezing. "I get it. We both made mistakes, and I regret ever keeping you from knowing what really happened. If only I had the memory, I would have risked my life all over again. But I'm selfish; I wanted you so much. Thank you for sticking by my side even though I was pushing you away. For not turning your back on me." James murmured.
Sweet 84Grace was engulfed in James's arms, and he returned her passion in equal measure. He'd nearly fallen to his knees the instant he saw her, perched beside his adversary, in danger but yet alive. Yes, he'd had that sensation of relief. Fury, as well. The mother sorceress was within his grasp, his to slay.However, fear accompanied the rage. He'd felt the magical charm protecting the mother sorceress from physical harm and returning whatever damage was meted out to the attacker.If he'd gone for her throat, Grace would have. They would have been killed.That didn't happen. Grace was now safe.The mother sorceress had to have known James was on his way to her, or she would not have cast the enchantment. A spell that most witches feared casting. True, no one could hurt her, but no one could help her either. If she inadvertently hurt herself, the spell would turn on her, viewing her as a threat. She would suffer not only from her injuries but also from the magic hundredfold.Grace
Grace was holding a bejeweled, golden goblet when the servant behind their chairs leaped to obey. Rather than refuse it, she clung to it. However, drinking the wine was out of the question. She needed all of her wits. She planned to give her a care gift tonight if the opportunity arose. Poison? A stab wound? Whatever way she chose, she would have to use caution. She was powerless against the mistress's magical skills. Particularly considering she had no idea what the girl was capable of, especially with the mother sorcerer watching in the corner. "Now," the mother sorcerer said softly. "Enjoy." The men danced for over an hour while the mother sorcerer ate and drank. Grace stood there, staring at her like a lab rat. The mistress soon began giggling and throwing grapes at the males. She grew aroused after the chuckles stopped. She placed her hand beneath her robe and massaged herself between her legs, unapologetically. "Touch his chest, Leticia," the mistress huskily said. "That's ri
Even though Grace was carried on a plush golden carriage with the mother sorcerer and the princess, the sun was blocked by a canopy of dark netting. She much preferred traveling with James. She knew she was buying time, and soon enough the magical cloaks that made her look like Leticia were deemed to fade at any moment. She just prayed that James wasn't too far away from her, and where was he anyway? She knew he was close by, Close, she thought. Grace could almost smell him—a hint of magic, a pinch of seductive ocean, sandalwood, and spice. She prayed he’d opted not to follow her.The mother sorcerer thought he was dead. So, in a way, he was finally free of the bitch. He could travel to Nork and do what needed doing. And Grace could deliver his vengeance—a special care package of lethal—for him.The mother sorcerer and Levy had killed an innocent old witch for no damn reason. No wonder the people in the village were afraid of Leticia. The royal family and the people associated with th
Kingdom of NorkDizziness rolled through Grace, and she couldn’t contain her gasp of excitement. Next time she opened her eyes, she would be there. Back in Nork. And if she retained this ability, she would never have to worry about losing James to magic again. She could stay with him always. If she didn’t retain it automatically, she could drink from him every day to ensure that she did.“Well, well,” a female voice said. “There you are, using your magic to become invisible again. Who were you spying on this time, sister Leticia, dear?”Dread replaced Grace’s excitement as she opened her eyes. She was in the little room, all right, but that room was now overflowing with Levy and her soldiers. Two of them held a teary-eyed woman. The very woman who had brought Grace here, who had fed her, clothed her.Levy stood at the edge of the bed, peering down at her. There was no sign of James.Slowly Grace sat up. Careful. “Yes, I was using my invisibility again.” As far as lies went, that was
There were no smells here either, not even the smell of her own skin—a scent we become so used to that we aren’t even aware of it. It becomes lost in a sea of other scents minutes after we leave the shower. She searched for that lost smell now, but it was gone as if she were gone, like she no longer had a body to emit a scent.There were no sounds. She couldn’t even hear her own heartbeat. It was strange how she’d spent the majority of her life ignoring or tuning out that sound, but even when she wasn’t paying attention to it, it was still there, thumping reassuringly, telling her in the most basic way that she was alive. The absence of that rhythm scared her more than anything ever had.She tried to shout, but it was eaten by the void. She couldn’t even scream in her mind. She felt like she was disappearing, or had already disappeared, and all that was left was some small, broken shred of herself, futilely resisting the darkness, struggling to not be eaten and become nothing herself.
Stay calm. I’m dreaming. The void will go away. It always does.Just as she thought that, the emptiness disappeared, bit by bit. Sensation came back first, then memories, and finally awareness of the space around her. Usually, the blank cut right to hazy images of sand, cheering, and fighting, but this time felt different.This doesn’t feel like a dream.Grace sucked in a stuttering breath, trying to inflate lungs that felt like they’d never been used. Her chest burned, and her thoughts were sluggish and cloudy. Prying her eyelids open only earned her a stab in the brain from the bright, white light around her. It took blinking repeatedly for the room to come into focus.When it did, adrenaline flooded her in a rush, sending her heart pounding so hard that her chest ached. Shock scattered her thoughts, but her training kicked in almost instantly.Mindlessly taking a slow, silent breath, she forced herself to calm down. Something vaguely resembling composure came slowly, in increments,
James gave chase.Grace heard the voices before she spotted the town, and she nearly toppled over with relief. She increased her speed, and finally, blessedly, she reached civilization. The sun was steadily rising in the sky, casting a violet haze on the people just now starting their day. Warming Grace, and even burning her. Her skin itched, prickling as if little bugs were crawling through her veins.She did not want to contemplate the possible reasons for such an occurrence. People—humans?—strode along cobbled streets, some carrying wicker baskets piled high with clothing, some carrying bags of—she sniffed, moaned—bread and meat. Her stomach grumbled as her mouth watered. She was lightheaded; her blood supply was a little low. She needed to replenish.Grace paused beside a tree, watching, thinking. She had two choices. Continue to move, remaining on her own, and risk being discovered by mistress Levy. Or enter the town, eat, and risk being found by Levy. At least the second option
James dragged Grace through the forest, branches slapping at him. She was limping again, and he wanted to carry her, but Levy’s guards must have caught his scent, because the echo of their footsteps increased, and the sense of magic intensified in the night air.They were closing in.He could have moved from one location to another with only a thought. Back to the withered, perverted kingdom of Nork from here. His heart clenched in his chest, and he gritted his teeth. Now was not the time to think of his home. Or the condition of his home. Or his parents and the sorcerer he would soon destroy.What if he disappeared, but Grace did not go with him? She would be left on her own in an inhospitable environment, the enemy all around.Damn this. He had to try something. He’d managed to beat the flood of memories back, but they were knocking at his mind, demanding release. If they overtook him again...James focused on what was most important. He and Grace shared a past he’d barely touched o