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House of Shadows
Enchantment in Crimson
~ Book One ~

A Dark Adventure of
Dangerous Enchantments

***

- Three -
Copper Kiss

Rowan's heels clicked as she trotted down the alley that snaked between buildings behind the club. The whistling late autumn wind was sharp and cold, biting right through her light coat. The alley itself was dark and narrow but short and led straight to the brightly lit main street. A growing urgency was skittering with warning along her senses. Rowan's waist-length copper mane and flared coat sailed behind her as she hurried. She had learned long ago to listen to her warnings.

Her satchel tucked over her shoulder, Rowan stepped from the dank alley then walked briskly across the city street. Luckily traffic was light so she didn't have to dodge cars. She stepped up on the sidewalk that ran by the small, fenced churchyard diagonally across from the club. Her booted heels clicked sharply on the cement as she strode quickly along the fence surrounding the church graveyard headed for the parking lot behind it and her car.

Something big exploded behind her with a loud roar and the crash of glass. The ground shook under her feet and a hot wind shoved at her back pushing her forward. Car alarms screeched from all over the place and sirens suddenly wailed in the streets around her.

She whirled to look and winced. The Goth club was in flames. I guess I'll have to find a new club to work in. Rowan smiled sourly. Looks like the vampire took out the sorcerer, forcibly releasing the demon. Vampire one point, sorcerer; still at nothing. She turned around to continue on to her car.

The vampire stepped out of a pool of deep shadow, tall, elegant and slightly singed but still heartbreakingly handsome in his long and somewhat tattered, coat. His long hair, loosened from its neat tail, spread over his shoulders in a soft cloak of darkness. He turned and stared straight at her.

Piss and firewater... Rowan shouldered her bag, pinned a smile on her lips and moved to walk around him. Very deliberately, he stepped into her path, blocking her. She'd have to walk into traffic to get around him.

Stay calm. Don't panic. She stopped and raised a brow at him. "Can I help you?" He was a lot taller than she had originally thought. The top of her head was barely even with his shoulder.

"Do you normally take on demons?" His voice was deep and rich with a slightly clipped, German accent.

Rowan shrugged nonchalantly and looked pointedly past him. "No, not normally. If you'll excuse me?"

"How did you know what it was? Hell, what I really want to know is how you knew what to do about it?"

She shrugged. "Just one of the hazards of being a fortune-teller. The rest of it sort of comes with the territory." Rowan snuck a quick peek at his face. He was frowning. Gods, he's cute up close. She swallowed as she felt her heart rate kick up a notch. No wonder Jennifer kicked up a fuss when I made her go home.

"I see…" He gave her a lop-sided smile. "Well, thank you for releasing me. You saved my life."

Rowan turned her head and pinned him with an angry stare. "I didn't do it to save you, I did it to keep everyone else from dying. The demon intended to suck you dry then use your power to slaughter everyone else."

He blinked. "You know what I am."

"Yes." Rowan smiled coldly. You blood-sucking, parasite… "I figured that if I released you from his spell that a fight between you two would be scary enough to clear the bar of innocent people."

"It was you that sent Jennifer home early." His look was accusatory.

"Of course I sent her home," Rowan snapped. "Once I saw what was in her cards, what else was I supposed to do? Let her get killed?"

"Look, I don't kill them." He crossed his arms defensively across his broad chest. "I'm the one that usually calls the ambulance after…"

Is that guilt I'm sensing? Rowan frowned then jabbed a finger at him. "It was you that put a few of my other friends in the hospital for blood loss and shock." She narrowed her eyes. "Two of them are in the psych ward for extreme paranoia." She raised a sarcastic brow. "For some reason, they think that the shadows are going to get them."

He winced. "Sometimes the hypnotic trance doesn't take completely."

"Oops? Your bad?" she said with venom.

"Hey, take it easy." He frowned. "I haven't killed anyone." He gave her a slight smirk. "Well, until tonight, but that sorcerer had it coming…"

"You just drink them dry enough to put them in the hospital instead?" Rowan rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's so much better."

He rolled his eyes then made another face. "Lately I haven't found much value in what I have been drinking. The quality of their essence, spirit, soul, whatever, is so poor, that it takes a lot of blood to get anything out of it, though I have gotten a few interesting buzzes." He gave her a lopsided smile then shrugged as she continued to stare angrily at him.

Rowan raised a sarcastic brow. "I feel so bad for you," she said in complete deadpan. "Can't you drink from animals instead of people?"

"Hell no, that stuff's nasty." He made a sour face.

"Not at all?" She tilted her head in curiosity. "Blood is blood… "

He shook his head and sighed. "Not exactly. I can drink from animals to keep from dropping dead, but there is literally nothing in it for me. Animals don't have the quintessence or vitality that humans have." He made a face. "That humans are supposed to have, anyway."

"If you were truly grateful for your life, you would find another town to hunt in."

He smiled and nodded. "Very well then. I'll hunt in another town."

Her eyes opened wide. "Just like that?"

"Sure." He nodded again. "However, I only have four hours to be settled for the daylight hours. "

"Then you'd better hurry."

"I intend to." He raised a brow and gave her a tight smile. "But, I need to feed before I can leave." He took a casual step toward her. "However, you chased off my original quarry."

Rowan took a startled, half step back then jabbed a finger at him. "Hey, I saved your undead ass from that demon!"

"Which is why I agreed to hunt elsewhere." He shrugged and casually stepped closer. "After tonight." His smile grew sharp and pointed.

Rowan took a step back. "Didn't you snack on the sorcerer?"

He made a face. "Hell no, it would have been like drinking pure sewage." He took another casual step toward her. "And I'm starved."

Rowan started backing away in alarm. He followed her with long slow strides. "You are so, not feeding on me." His approaching steps were unnervingly silent.

"Stop me." His eyes kindled and blazed like coals. "If you can."

Shit! She turned to bolt. Faster than she could see he reached out and captured her upper arm. She was jerked to a halt and whirled to face him. She twisted to break his grip but his hand was wrapped around her arm like steel.

"Don't try to fight, you'll only bruise yourself." His voice was soft but firm. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Then let go…" She twisted to swing the large bag in her hand but his other hand closed on the strap and jerked it. The bag dropped to the ground.

"Look at me," he said softly.

Rowan averted her eyes from his glowing orbs. "I need," she whispered under her breath and wracked her brain. The Powers That Be were usually very swift in answer to her needs, but she had to ask out loud before they would deliver. For some strange reason, that was how her magic worked.

"It'll be better for you if you let me put you under hypnosis." His voice was deep and soothing as he reeled her in by her sleeve.

Better for me? Rowan looked everywhere but at his face. I'll just bet. He was incredible strong. Her heels skidded unpleasantly on the cement walk. He released her sleeve then captured her wrist with a motion that only took a spilt second. He pressed her hand over his heart.

He's warm? She felt a thump under her palm. He has a heartbeat? Rowan thought in surprise.

"I can make it very pleasurable for you." The Germanic lilt to his words shimmered down her spine with the shadowy brush of dark velvet.

"No, thank you." Jeeze, his voice is turning me on. She bit her lip. What the hell do I need? What will hold off a vampire? Oh, wait…

"I need a holy item or a religious symbol." Rowan barely breathed the words then felt a pinch at her neck. A religious symbol... She pulled her silver chain from under her coat. Her pentacle popped out and blazed like a miniature sun.

"Shit," he hissed. He flinched back from the light but didn't release her wrist. He growled as he held up a hand to block the small blaze of light from his eyes. "Something that small isn't going to do you much good, but it is pissing me off. Get rid of it."

Wait a minute, I'm a high priestess; technically my whole body is sacred. Rowan pressed her free hand over her heart and lifted her eyes to the vampire. "My Lady," she whispered. There was a curious tingling and warm sensation in her blood. She watched the veins in her captured hand suddenly ignite with a tracery of blue-white light that brightened until light blazed from her hand. Whoa, cool. I didn't know I could do this!

"Shit, that hurts!" He released her and lunged away.

Light blazed from under her coat enough to seemingly reverse shadows like a photograph negative. Wow, this feels good, really good. She smiled as she picked up her bag. The parking lot was just beyond the graveyard and he was standing in her path. Rowan took a step toward him and it was his turn to back away. Her coat and long hair floated out behind her in a soft wind of light. She took another step and then another.

"What the Hell is that?" The light from her face and limbs was bright enough that he cast a shadow as he backed away from her.

"I guess I forgot to tell you." She felt like she was walking on air, she could barely feel the ground. "I'm a practicing witch. That makes me clergy." Of a sort... Rowan's thoughts were getting decidedly light and floaty. She couldn't stop smiling. Oops, can't keep this up long or I won't be able to drive. She laughed softly. No really officer, I'm high on my religion.

Frustration marked the vampire's face as he was driven back by her radiance. "Damn it!" The vampire turned and fled, his long coat flying out like wings. With incredible speed, he was gone from sight.

"Thank you my Lady," she whispered to her deity. The light faded from her skin. Well, that is a handy trick to have. Fortuneteller three points, creatures of darkness, still at zero...

She took a step and almost stumbled. Her body felt heavy and off balance, like she had just climbed out of a swimming pool. Uh oh… I'm probably gon'na have to pay big for this magical expenditure… Placing her feet carefully, she continued past the graveyard to the parking lot. Slowly the feeling of heaviness wore off but exhaustion quickly took its place.

The broad, well-lit parking lot was empty of cars except for hers. Rowan unlocked her back door of her black Saturn, and then dropped her satchel on the floorboard. She closed the back door and the pentacle blazed to sudden life. Alarmed, she whirled around.

Rowan gasped as she was shoved hard against the side of her car. Her chain was grabbed and yanked painfully from her neck. Her pentacle went spinning off into the darkness like a shooting star.

The vampire's eyes gleamed Hell-yellow bright from only inches away. "You're not glowing anymore." A hand cupped under her chin, roughly tilting her head back and exposing her throat.

"Lady," she choked out and brought her hands up. Light blazed from her palms. Her arms bloomed with spreading light until her entire body was suffused and glowing, illuminated like a photo negative, spilling light the way everyone else cast shadow.

"Ow, shit. " He spat releasing her. "Damn it, that hurts." He lunged away from her with an incredible leap.

Rowan bared her teeth in a feral grin. "Get it through your thick, undead skull; I'm not on the menu." She coughed and rubbed at her throat. I'm going to have a bruise, I think.

"I've never met anyone who could hold off a vampire." He circled her just outside the blaze of light. "What the Hell are you?"

Rowan shrugged. "I told you, I'm a witch."

He sneered. "I've met witches before and they couldn't do anything like that." He waved his hand at her pulsing glow.

"I think it has to do with faith." Rowan tucked her hands under her arms. It was cold and she was not dressed for standing around in it. Her radiance felt good but far from warm.

"Faith?" He gave her a disgusted look. "I've taken priests and they've never done anything like that either."

"Don't know what to tell you." She frowned as she worked to keep her thoughts focused. The radiance was making her light-headed, only this time it was stronger. She could feel her thoughts trying to drift away. "So, are you ready to give up on me, now? It's cold and I want to go home."

"Do you have a card?"

Rowan blinked at him. "What?" Her mind was definitely starting to drift. Shit, I'm going to have to sit here until I can think straight enough to drive.

"Can I contact you?"

She frowned. "What for?"

"I run across weird shit, like that sorcerer, every now and again. I can use a good source of accurate occult information." He shrugged. "Everyone at the club said that your readings were very reliable and that you knew your arcane shit." He raised a sarcastic brow. "Apparently, they're right."

"You were asking about me?" Rowan couldn't tell if she was offended or flattered.

"Sure." His smile was slow and utterly sexy. "Technically you were my first choice, but I couldn't get anywhere near you. You always had too many people around you."

Rowan made a tart face. "Just what I always wanted to be, first on the menu."

He frowned. "I like redheads, especially one's that look as good as you do in a corset." He was staring at her chest, and then he smiled.

Rowan felt her sex-drive sit up and take notice. Brain to libido: I don't care how cute he is; he's a vampire. Get over it.

"Seriously, will you let me contact you?" He took a step closer to the car. "You're the only fully functional witch I've ever met."

"Will you swear not to attack me again?"

He grinned. "Sure."

"Good." Rowan smiled right back. "I want you to spill some blood then swear on it that you'll never seek to harm me."

"What?" he looked at her, dumbfounded.

"Do it." Rowan raised a brow. "Spill your own blood and I'll believe you."

"Fuck," he said softly.

"If you're going to get to the next town, you are running out of time." Rowan smiled and shrugged. "I'm perfectly okay with not giving a vampire my contact information, so if you want it, you'd better hurry up and make up your mind."

"Bitch," he said softly then raised his hand to his mouth. He nipped a finger then held up his hand. In the glow of her light the red of his blood was very vivid as it slid down his palm. "What do you want me to swear?"

"That you will never seek to harm me." Rowan could feel her mind expanding within her skull. She was having a hard time concentrating. Hell, I'm running out of time too. I have to stop radiating light real soon.

"I so swear." He raised a brow. "Will that do?"

"Say the words." A flicker of motion caught her eye. She could see movement in the graveyard behind the fence that bordered the parking lot. Ghosts. I'm looking at ghosts. There's more to this radiance than I thought.

She heard him growl and her eyes jerked back to his face. The blood was running down his upraised wrist.

"Say it," she repeated.

"I swear never to seek to harm you," he bit out then closed his hand in a fist. "There."

"Accepted." Her light winked out. She rocked on her feet and fell against the side of the car with exhaustion. Her eyes fluttered closed and she felt herself hit the nice, comfortable ground.

***

Rowan opened her eyes to find herself cradled in the vampire's arms as he knelt on the tarmac. She blinked up at him. I don't feel like I've been bitten… She could feel the cool brush of death and the subtle wrongness that marked him as a predator and a vampire, but she felt perfectly safe in his embrace.

"You passed out." His eyes were a normal, hazel brown as he frowned down at her. "What happened?"

"I can't hold the radiance for very long. It takes a lot out of me." Rowan suddenly grinned. "It makes me light-headed."

He gave her a disgusted look. "Bad pun." He shook his head then casually stood straight up with her in his arms.

Wow, he's incredibly strong. He lifted me like I was a doll.

Suddenly, his mouth fell open. "Wait a minute, you mean that you would have eventually passed out?"

She shrugged and bit her lip. "Looks that way."

"Damn it, I can't believe I swore on my blood when all I had to do was wait..." Gently he let her down on her feet and looked at her with a frown. "You know, you don't even smell the same."

Her brows shot up. "I don't?"

He shook his head. "You no longer smell like food." He released her.

Rowan blinked as she grabbed the side of her car for balance. It worked! Hot shit!

He leaned back against the side of her car with his arms crossed. "I don't believe this." He looked over at herwith annoyance. "Damn it, you actually put a spell on me!"

Rowan couldn't stop smiling as she dug for her car keys. "Hey, for the record, you spilled your own blood, so you put that spell on yourself." With shaking hands, she unlocked her car door. "I'm sure there are lot's of other people you can bite."

"Right. What ever," he said in complete disgust. "I'm still bound by a fucking, blood oath."

She ducked to sit in her driver's seat then leaned over to dig in her Arte bag. Clumsily, she got back out of the car to thrust a small rectangle of paper into his cool palm. "Here's my card. You can email or call me."

"Great," he said without enthusiasm then eyed her with speculation.

"What?"

With inhuman speed he grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed his lips to hers. Startled, her mouth opened and his tongue surged in. He doesn't taste dead.

He turned his head angling his mouth to cover hers then thoroughly and expertly kissed her with long slow swipes of his tongue.

Without thought, she kissed him back. He tasted of darkness and shadows but it was surprisingly warm and wet. Rowan let out a small sound as her body clenched in voracious carnal response. Her hands fisted in his coat and her eyes fluttered closed as she explored his mouth, her tongue moving against his. He's a very good kisser. She felt a small sharp prick as she jabbed herself on one of his teeth. The taste of sweet copper bloomed. Uh, oh.

His arms slid around her, pulling her tightly against him. She felt herself lifted from her feet. He felt strong and almost warm as he sucked at the small burning wound on her tongue.

He broke the kiss and stared at her from barely an inch away. "Damn, I haven't fed this well in years." His eyes were pools of fire surrounded by thin rings of beaten copper. A tiny smear of blood escaped the corner of his mouth. He chased after it with his tongue.

"It was only a scratch. You barely had any." Rowan frowned. I don't feel like part of my soul has been sucked out, or even dented.

"Apparently your quintessence is super charged, I only needed a little." He grinned, showing the sharp points of his teeth. " I won't need to feed again for a few days."

Rowan blinked. "What the hell was that kiss for anyway?"

"I swore not to harm you." He grinned. "I never said I wouldn't seduce you."

"What?" Her mouth fell open.

"I have a few hours before I have to go." He let her slide down his body then pressed her back against the car.

She could feel the firm strength of his body against hers. His hips swiveled against hers with a slow suggestive roll. She could feel the rigid length of him, letting her know, in no uncertain terms, that he was more than interested in something other than food.

"I'll make it good, I promise." He licked his reddened lips and smiled.

"Oh no, we will so, not go there..." She shoved against his chest. It did as much good as shoving against a rooted tree trunk. "Not with you!"

"Why not?" His smile drained away and his lip curled back, baring an over-long incisor. "I can practically taste how much you want me," he said with complete conviction.

Rowan winced. Mother of us all, he's right. I want him so bad I'm shaking with it. She took a deep breath and it was a mistake. His scent was redolent of leather and sandalwood soap. He smelled warm and very masculine. Moisture pooled in low, hidden places. "Let me go. Please," she said very softly.

"Damn it…" He abruptly released her and turned away with both hands curled into fists up in the air.

The night was suddenly a lot colder. I don't believe he actually let me go… Her knees were rubber. She was forced to put a hand against her car to stand.

He turned toward her and was suddenly standing only inches away. Startled, she backed hard into her car door.

"Admit it, witch, you want me as much as I want you."

Rowan blushed fiercely. Well, he is a vampire… If the legends had any truth in them, there was probably no way she could hide her body's physical reactions from his sharper senses. "Yeah, I feel the lust," she grudgingly admitted. "But that doesn't mean I am going to sleep with you."

"Why the Hell, not?" He planted his fists on his hips and towered over her, glaring angrily.

Rowan swallowed. "Because I will absolutely not, have anything to do with something that preys on humans."

He frowned. "I'm not 'a something', I'm a man."

"Okay, you're a man. You still prey on human beings," she ground out.

"So, I'm a predator, what of it?"

Rowan looked at him in surprise. "You see nothing wrong with this?"

"It's not as if I kill them." His brow furrowed. "Look, there's a lot worse than me running around."

"Really?" Rowan cocked a brow up at him as she tucked her chilled hands into her armpits. "You're the only true vampire I've encountered so far, and you admit to preying on people."

"Aren't you forgetting the sorcerer?" He tilted his head to the side sarcastically. "You know, the one that blew up the club? That was a lot nastier than I've ever thought of being."

"Really?" she said dryly.

"Really." He curled his lip. "Just so you know, that was the kind that ate people, preferably while still kicking and screaming, I've run into them before."

"Yeah, you're right…" She nodded. "That was nastier than you."

"Oh, gee thanks… I think." He turned to face the empty parking lot and leaned back heavily against the car next to her.

She turned her head and frowned up at him. "I've still never run across anything like either of you before."

"Well, then count yourself lucky." He looked over at the graveyard at the far end of the parking lot. "I run into shit like that pretty regular."

"In that case, you're probably drawing them, so you definitely don't need to be in my town. I am not a strong enough witch to deal with things like that on a regular basis."

"Drawing them?" He turned his head to look at her. "How do you figure that?"

Rowan shrugged, "I don't know. Like unto like, maybe?"

You," he jabbed a finger at her. "Are a snide little bitch."

"Does this mean you'll leave me alone now?"

He rolled onto his side and leaned an elbow on the roof of her car. "How's about a good-bye kiss?" He smiled.

Rowan's heart lurched in her chest in reaction to his smile and her eyes focused on his lips. She swallowed hard and jerked her eyes from his mouth. "Don't you ever give up?"

"Only if I'm forced to." He straightened up. "Are you absolutely sure that you don't want to… Uh, spend some quality time?"

Rowan pressed the fingers of one hand to her temples and pointed toward the graveyard with the other. "You need to go."

"Oh, all right." He sighed dramatically.

Rowan looked at him in surprise. He's actually leaving?

He flashed her a tight smile. "See you later." Between one moment and the next, he was gone.

"I certainly hope not," Rowan said softly as she jerked open her car door. She hurriedly slid behind the wheel and locked the door with trembling fingers. That was a really close call… Rowan couldn't tell if she was shaking in reaction to her encounter with a blood-sucking vampire, the magical drain from the radiance she had been forced to pour forth, or the vampire's toe-curling kisses.

"Gods, I need a cigarette…" She reached over and dug out one of her slender black clove cigarettes and lit it with unsteady hands. Let's be honest here, that was the best, damned kiss I ever had. She cringed at her pun. Even if I did nick my tongue… She froze where she sat. Oh, Goddess, he drank my blood. I hope that didn't give him any kind of hold on me...

It was over ten minutes before she was able to stop shaking enough to drive out of the parking lot.

*****

Rowan awoke on the edge of dawn burning with fever and frustrated carnal hunger. She could feel moisture on her inner thighs. She brushed her hand across her breasts. Her nipples were swollen and tight. I should have expected this…

Fortune-telling usually sharpened her sexual appetites but the blatant use of magic to break the sorcerer's hold on the vampire then the radiance she had generated to protect herself had only aggravated her need for sexual release. With the bar going up in flames and then dealing with the vampire, I didn't have a chance to pick up a guy to take to bed and take care of this.

Sex and magic, the story of her life... One was joined to the other in a never-ending circle-dance. The rush of sexual heat awakened her full magical power with her first mismanaged fumble in the backseat of a boy's beat-up car. Power blazed forth with his premature ejaculation and the world opened. Color had burst forth in the pit of night; the colors of thought, emotion and life itself.

In that instant, when her magic first uncurled, warm and alive within her, she discovered her would-be lover's greed for status amongst his teen-aged peers. She saw and tasted his self-interested thoughts of burying himself between the thighs of a pretty untouched girl, a known virgin, and his intent to brag of the event that very night. He did not care for her; he only cared to make his own reputation as stud.

Indignant and humiliated, she called him to task for his intent. She also succeeded in terrifying him with her willingness to report to every girl in school of his inability to take her virginity because of his lack of control.

He had driven her home, furious with indignation and fear.

She had gone to school the next day, head held high and waited to hear what traveled on the high-school grapevine. She was pleased to hear nothing of the boy's conquest of her virginity, however revenge remained his. For the first time, the word: Witch was used in connection to her name. Virginity remained hers, into college. No one in school would go anywhere near a Witch.

She squeezed her thighs together to relieve the sensual ache, knowing that it wasn't going to help. She bit her lip and her fingers found the tender bud hidden in her feminine folds. Her fingers danced on her slippery flesh. Her body tightened and climax burned quickly. She sighed in repletion but tension still shimmered through her body, signaling that she was still far from satisfied.

Damn, this is probably going to take a while.

She had learned the hard way that true Magic demanded sex in return, or more precisely orgasm, to replenish. But orgasm, encouraged by her own hands, was not enough to feed the hungry beast that was her power. This lesson was learned with her triumphant conquest of the dormitory ghost in her first year of college.

The rush of ravenous sensual hunger caught her off guard. Panting with need, she had stumbled back toward her lonely bed only to encounter a professor walking the halls. She had stopped in a corner to dip her hands into her panties for a moment of relief when he saw her. The professor took swift advantage of the situation. And so her virginity was finally lost, with her skirt up around her waist, her panties around one ankle, against the dormitory wall with his hand muffling her moans. She wore the bite bruises on her breasts for a full week.

Then the other problem became manifest.

The professor, it seemed, was only able to gain an erection in her company. It took two whole weeks of careful avoidance for his pursuit to end. Her only consolation was that he had not been one of her instructors, so her grades had not suffered.

She had tried controlling her sexual appetite by not doing true magic, but there was always another ghost to dispel, another spell to break, an accident to prevent, another person in need of her skills as a fortune-teller… She had no idea how these people even found her. She didn't have a sign on her door, but the calls still came and usually in the middle of the night.

"A friend of a friend said you could help me," was how the calls began. "Help me," was the whip that drove her. Her magic was fueled by sex but her abilities were triggered by need. She had tried refusing and discovered that her powers left her completely until she responded to their summons - their need.

She had refused once, and once had been enough. Utter magical blindness, the inability to feel the life coursing around her or sense what anyone's intentions were at a glance was a terrifying experience. She learned her lesson and didn't ever want to repeat it.

Because of her magic, the need for a lover was unavoidable. However, tonight there was no one but herself.

She rolled over onto her stomach, coming up on her knees. One hand fisted in the pillows, she strove to give her body what it wanted. Her fingers danced while the memory of the vampire's kiss and his strong body holding hers, burned in her mind. She panted and groaned then shuddered hard with yet another climax and collapsed among her blankets.

The hunger still raged.

"Damn it," she whimpered into her pillows. "I should have taken the vampire up on his offer."

 

V^^^V

Chapter One: Auspix

Chapter Two: Fortuneteller

Chapter Three: Copper Kiss

Chapter Four: Correspondence

House of Shadows
Enchantment in Crimson
~ Book One ~

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