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Stolen by The Vampire King 10
He gestured at the small spread of food. “Eat, ma petite. And bon appétit.”I expected to croissant to be hard and stale—as badly preserved as the rest of Francois’s home, but the pastry flaked pleasingly under my fingertips. Despite myself, my stomach grumbled and my mouth watered.Francois smiled. “You haven’t been eating enough.” He pitched his voice low, concern in his eyes as his brows drew together. “I hoped the answer was company. So—” He clapped his hands. “We eat together. Bon!”He punctuated his sentence with a wide, benevolent smile, and it changed his face, ushering away the scary monster I absolutely knew him to be. He reached for a pastry of his own, his hand brushing against mine, and he stilled, his eyes fluttering closed. I jerked away and he set his croissant on his plate.“I don’t usually partake.” He made it sound like a confession. “My sustenance doesn’t come from food… Father doesn’t approve.” Then he seemed to shake himself or press the rest button. “But you, yo
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I glanced around Francois’s bedroom. The place he wanted to bring me. The dread festering in the pit of my stomach tasted bitter.But this room was clean and dust free, with touches of modernity that were incongruous with the rest of the house, and also incongruous to how Francois presented with his hairstyle and the clothes he favored.The maid threw open another door. “This is the bathroom. Once you’re finished in the shower, I’ll bring the dress the master has selected.”Another wave of longing for Nicolas passed through me. I missed him. But once I escaped here, I didn’t intend to see him or Francois ever again—no matter how much I yearned to be in Nicolas’s arms, kissing him, fucking grinding against him as he roamed his hands over my body.“Go in.” The maid waved her hands forward and I entered the bathroom, where I expected to find the same clunky plumbing as in my bathroom at home, but my mouth dropped open at the modern luxury.The shower was an altar to cleanliness, with a b
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I stopped, my heartbeat nearly in my throat as my dress seemed to cinch tighter around me.Francois emerged from the mystery room, closing the doors tight behind him. He wore a suit, less flamboyant than his usual style, and something more modern suited him, the clean lines revealing his broad shoulders and hugging his trim body. His tousled hair shone under the low lights, and when he grinned, he looked every inch the handsome date.“Ma petite.” He held out an arm, his hand open for me to take. “You look ravishing in that dress, just like I knew you would.”The maid gave me a small push in Francois’s direction, and his eyes flashed as he looked at her.“Leave us,” he commanded. His eyes blazed red, and his fangs descended as he looked at the maid. “No one touches my bride in that way.”She gasped quietly and bobbed a quick curtsey. “Yes, your highness.” Then she fled from the room like Francois had just released the hounds of Hell to chase her.After she’d gone, he approached me, his
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Kyle chuckled. “Nah. My contact.” He drew his phone from his pocket. “I should tell him we’ve arrived. Get this party started.”I crossed my arms and ankles and leaned against the wall while Kyle had a brief, quiet conversation, the street sounds of New Orleans filtering in behind me, the breeze bringing the bitter tang of coffee and the cloying odor of swamp. I’d never really enjoyed New Orleans. It had always been enemy territory, but diplomatic visits had always been necessary—and Father had usually relied on me for those.But since Leia had been attacked here, I didn’t just dislike it. I hated the entire city with a loathing that burned through my veins. Final death would be too good for Francois Ricard.I hadn’t figured out what to do with him yet. But maybe New Orleans was ripe for takeover.“Nic?”I glanced at Kyle. “Yeah?”He shook his head slightly and his eyes narrowed. “I said Temple’s on his way.”I nodded. “Good.” I returned to my thoughts then glanced at Kyle again. “But
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We waited in silence for the next twenty minutes before Sebastian pushed himself away from the door. “Someone’s coming. Get Nic out of view.”He waited until I was standing around the corner then threw the door open, reached out, and dragged an elderly woman inside before slamming the door behind her again.“Temple?” The witch looked around, obviously familiar with the New Orleans vampire. “You didn’t mention your friends would have no manners.”Temple opened his eyes but didn’t make any sort of move to straighten his position. “Relax, Lettie. Let me introduce you to the King of Baton Rouge.” He pointed at me. “The rest of these guys are his entourage. Not my friends.”“My guards and my brother,” I ground out. “I don’t have an entourage.”The woman in front of me, her hair a frizzy gray mess, lifted her chin. “Word is you don’t have a virgin anymore, either.”I bent down, pushing my face into hers. “And what do you know about it, witch?”She held her ground. “I know I did a lot more t
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We made our way to the Ricard Mausoleum on foot. I wanted to race, utilizing my super speed, but the witch couldn’t have kept up, and she wouldn’t be carried. Instead, she insisted on leading.“Where are we going?” I fell into step beside her, keeping my voice low as we stuck to lesser-known streets.“Out beyond Holy Cross, to one of the oldest cemeteries. No one will bother us there.”“Good.” I nodded. “But I wish you’d let me carry you, witch, so we could move at speed. We’re not exactly unobtrusive here in New Orleans, even where it’s quiet.”I cast a watchful gaze around.“It’s going to be a long night, but I have my own protection and my own strength. I’ll get you to the cemetery, I’ll open the portal,” she said. “You will have one hour. No more, no less. But that’s all I can hold the portal open for. Temple has told me where the girl is, and I can give you precise directions through the home.”“And how do you know about this portal?” I asked a question I didn’t expect her to ans
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I needed the strength. I couldn’t guarantee anyone else would rescue me from this. For years, Harry and Pierre had been the silent threat at my back, their mere presence intimidating anyone who got out of hand in my bar.But maybe vampire politics were different, because Nicolas lurking in my metaphorical shadows hadn’t prevented Francois from bringing me here. It hadn’t scared him.And what if Nicolas wouldn’t come for me?My throat dried.I couldn’t even really say why I wanted my savior to be Nicolas Dupont. My thoughts should have been of the police. Of the law.But no. I yearned to see the man whose liquid diet came in baggies organized by alphabetical type rather than vintage. I wanted to see that same look of conquest on his face that he’d had when he took me from Sebastian.I wanted to be his.I wanted to feel his touch on me again.And I wanted to call him Nic.A tear slipped from the corner of my eye and slid toward my ear as I turned my attention to the ridiculous ceiling l
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As I began to slide my hand over the comforter, searching for the blade I’d hidden, he grabbed my wrist and yanked me to my feet before pressing me against the wall, the movement so fast it was almost a blur.I whimpered. “Please, Francois. Please, no.”“Please, ma petite,” he groaned in response. “I long for you.”I struggled against him, but the long skirts tangled around my legs, and he grabbed my wrists, jerking my arms over my head as he pressed closer and dropped his head forward, resting his nose at the crook of my neck. His tongue touched my skin, and he groaned.“I need—” His voice was hoarse. “I need to claim you before I go… I want…You’re my bride, my queen.” As he spoke, he rocked against me, and his fangs grazed over my skin.“I’m not willing, Francois.” I pushed against him, arching my back and twisting my head away, my voice emerging thready and desperate. I didn’t entirely know why I had to be willing, but that much seemed important to all of them, so maybe it made a d
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21NicI slammed against the door of the safe house covered in blood that wasn’t mine, my body aching, but with a fierce need to hold Leia in my arms. I yearned for her, to comfort her, to know she was truly mine. That she was okay.And if somebody didn’t let me in the door soon, I’d crash my way right through it. I paused as the sound of a bolt being drawn back scraped over metal on the inside, and the door opened.Aimée grabbed my arm. “What the fuck are you doing? If you break the door, Leia’s a sitting duck for any of those vampire fledglings who escaped. It’s not like Francois is going to gather them all up and take them home with him.”I waved a hand, dismissing her concern. “The wolves are feasting on fledgling tonight.”A movement from the shadows at the other end of the room attracted my attention, and the female wolf shifter came into view. She was naked. “Fledglings?”“I’m sure if you hurry, there will be some left.” I didn’t have time for pleasantries or conversation. Not
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When I didn’t move, he sighed, and Nic’s arms tightened around me.“Leia.” Francois never used my name, and I stiffened as I looked into two clear and focused eyes. “We can either do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is for you to accept all that you are—mon destin—and come with me now, and the hard way is for me to kill this man—” He shook Dad then, and Dad gurgled at Francois’s choking hold. “And then I shall claim you anyway.”“Please.” I reached toward him. “I’ll do anything.” I glanced up at Nic. “I need to help my dad. I need to do what Francois wants.”“No.” Nic’s words were a desperate growl. “You’re not his heart, you’re not his destiny. You’re mine. Only mine.”“But…”Nic shook his head.“Non?” Francois cocked his head, his expression empty of anything but curiosity as he studied me. “You reject your sire?” He shook Dad again. “You reject me?” He pointed at Nic. “For him?”I struggled again, sensing Francois’s grip on lucidity slipping away. “I need to do somet
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She gusted out a sigh. “You humans and your privacy. Nicky told me to protect you.”“Congratulations—you bolted the door.” I tried to smile to soften my harsh-sounding words, but tension ratcheted through me and I could only think of Nic out there trying to protect me as well, endangering himself for me—again. “Someone should be with Nic,” I murmured.“He’s got Conri’s pack and he’ll contact his own men, too. Nicky has more than enough protection. As do you,” she added, like I might somehow doubt her.I shook my head. “I’m going to get changed.” Then I walked into the bedroom that had been assigned to me and grabbed some of the clothes Aimée had provided, making sure to select dark colors.It didn’t matter how well-protected we were separately. When we were together, power seemed to course between us, stronger each time we had sex, and Nic needed that power now. I glanced in a mirror, momentary embarrassment coloring my cheeks as I took in my appearance. Moss clung to strands of my ha
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As we lay quietly together, I straightened her clothes and drew her against me, content to simply hold her as I considered all of the things I needed to say. I wanted to turn her for all of the right reasons, but time and the prospect of Leia becoming a thrall was also an aspect I couldn’t ignore. I’d withheld myself from her recently, not wanting to hasten her descent, but also not knowing if limiting the blood I took from her would help in any way.The limitation also served to reduce my power gains, but no one else would know about that effect. I would be stronger when we were truly together, but that was fast becoming a secondary reason for wanting her.Hell, who was I kidding? It was already a secondary consideration and slipping in priority every day.I stroked her hair and rubbed the ends between my fingertips as she used my upper arm as her pillow and rested against me, her soft breaths bringing me absolute calm.A howl echoed through the air, then another, and Leia sat up, he
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“Be my bride,” I murmured. “I love you, stay with me.”She stilled, and even my heart paused as I waited for her reply.“Be with me.” I tried again. “Let me turn you. Say you’ll stay. It’s the greatest thing I can ever offer you. The only gift I have to give. And I want to give it to you.”Fear that she might refuse seized me, and I kissed her with fervor, stroking my hands over her warm skin, luxuriating in the softness of her.Her gaze met mine, her eyes gleaming.“I’m human,” she whispered. “And there are so many things I don’t want to forget. My mother, not least of them.” She shook her head then focused on me again. “But I’ll be okay. And we have this. We have now.”She tugged me back toward her and took my mouth again, her kiss almost painful as she pressed her blunt teeth against my lip.My heart was heavy in my chest, but I could try again. I could show her my love this way. Prove myself, and I could talk to her properly after. Explain it all. Make it more than a desperate man
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Her laughter.She laughed harder and beckoned both of the other women forward. “Come at me then,” she taunted, as she took a swaggering step toward them. “If you think you’ve got what it takes.”I could have run so fast I would have grabbed Leia and taken her back to the jetty almost before Aimée or the shifter woman knew I was even there, but the sound of Leia’s laughter held me back.She was sparring with two women who could break her in half as easily as look at her, and she was having a better time than I’d seen her have in days. I couldn’t take this away from her.But either I moved, or I made a noise, or simply her blood ran as fast as mine did when we were near each other, because she turned around. For a moment, she didn’t spot me, and her gaze scanned the trees then back again, looking past me a couple of times before I stepped forward and offered her a rueful grin for disrupting her fun.“Hi,” I murmured.“Nic!” She ran toward me, and her name on my lips was the sweetest of
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“What?” My voice was muffled against her clothes. “From here? Is it dangerous here?”She shrugged. “Hasn’t been so far.” She took my hand. “Come on, you’re coming up to the house with me. Nicky and Sebastian have to head back.”I glanced over my shoulder, barely able to make Nic out in the gloom. “You’re going back now?”His clothes rustled like he’d shrugged. “I have to. We need to chase down some leads, see what we can find out about Jean.”I sighed softly, but when he spoke again, I knew he’d heard it.“I’ll be back tomorrow. I won’t go a day without seeing you.”“Yes, yes.” Sebastian heaved his own dramatic sigh. “We all suffer.”Before I had further opportunity to say goodbye, Aimée tugged my hand. “The sooner he’s gone, the sooner he’ll be back, so we need to let them leave.”When I glanced behind me, I couldn’t see anything but black, and there was no way to tell if Nic was still watching me or not.I stopped when I first saw the house. It was a quaint little log cabin, and lig
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And maybe if I could help get Dad back, I could go home. I glanced at Nic. He was a good man. I didn’t doubt that any longer. And… I hesitated, unwilling to even think the words that might cement how I felt in case they trapped me by his side, burdening him further. What if I explored my feelings, and I found myself unable to leave him?And maybe I needed to leave him.To save him.That thought hurt. But ever since I’d entered his life, it seemed to have been consumed by violence or by saving me. I couldn’t live like that. Nic couldn’t live like that. How could I expect him to?Innocent people had died when my dad’s exchange for me was demanded. Innocent fucking people. I couldn’t risk anyone else.I touched Nic’s hand briefly and he glanced down at me, his smile quick to take control of his lips as he met my gaze.I couldn’t risk him.The boat jolted gently as we nudged up against a new jetty, this one looking even more dilapidated than the one where we’d found the skiff, the wooden
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Sebastian smothered a chuckle in the back.I whirled as far as the seatbelt would let me and jabbed my finger in his direction. “And you can shut up. From my count, I’m two for two on crazy princes so far—one kidnapped me, and one likes to smell me whenever he gets too close.” I faced the front again, folding my arms and breathing hard, shame already taking the place of my sudden anger.“Leia.” Nic didn’t say anything else. Just my name.But it was enough.I pressed my hand over my mouth to stifle a sob. It was all too much. At least with red bills, I’d known where I stood. Now my world was vampires and more vampires, and everyone wanted to fuck me or kill me, and they’d taken Dad… And… And… I closed my eyes as tears spilled from them, and Nic pulled the car over before unfastening our seatbelts so he could pull me over the center console and hold me to his chest.“Conri isn’t a vampire,” he said gently as he smoothed my hair from my damp cheek. He pressed a kiss to my temple. “He’s a
