Masters of Seduction: Books 1-4: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set Page 14

  Canaan never took his eyes off his brother. “What did I ever do to make you want to betray me?”

  “You were born first. By two damn days,” Teman said with a sneer. “This all should’ve been mine.”

  “But it isn’t.”

  Teman threw back his head and laughed. “Ah, you’ll soon understand that there are more things coming, brother.”

  Canaan had managed to contain his temper during the entire fight. It’s what had always given him the upper hand in his battles with Teman, whether they were with fists or words.

  “Take him to the Oubliette,” Canaan said and started toward Rayna. He needed to hold her, to know that everything was going to be all right.

  Levi was all smiles as he walked to Canaan. “I knew the plan would work.”

  Asher and one of his men each grasped Teman’s arms. Out of the corner of Canaan’s eye he saw Teman twist away and turn as he raised his arm, a pistol in hand, aimed at Levi.

  “No!” Canaan yelled at the same time Teman fired the gun.

  Canaan watched, helpless, as the silver bullet slammed into Levi’s chest. Levi glanced down before he looked back at Canaan, confusion on his face.

  The rage Canaan had held at bay exploded. He pushed Rayna away from him and charged Teman. He collided with his brother, sending both of them crashing to the floor.

  Canaan started landing punches immediately. It was one thing for Teman to betray him. But Levi was the best of them, the one who wanted to be happy and experience everything.

  It didn’t matter how much Teman tried to fight back. Canaan was past the point of any control. He wanted the pain to stop, needed the hole inside him to be filled with something good and decent instead of betrayal, greed, and dissent.

  Dimly, he heard someone shouting his name, but he couldn’t stop. He had to protect his family, had to protect Rayna. And that meant Teman had to be eliminated.

  “Canaan.”

  He paused, his fist in mid-swing when he heard Rayna’s voice. Then she touched him. He squeezed his eyes closed and fell to the side, his hand over his eyes.

  To his surprise, Rayna wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her head on his shoulder. “It’s over now.”

  That’s when Canaan realized the building was rocking. When his rage got the better of him, he never knew how it would affect the world around him. There were times he did cause earthquakes on purpose, but when he was too out of control to know what he was doing was when the worst could occur. Thankfully, Rayna had stopped him.

  “Levi is being seen to. Asher thinks he’ll make it,” she said as she continued to run her hands over him.

  Canaan couldn’t look at Teman. He knew what his rage could bring. He didn’t need to see it again. “I killed my brother.”

  “You had no choice,” she whispered and placed a kiss on his neck. “Teman gave you no choice. You’re once more Master of the House of Romerac, Canaan. Just where you were always supposed to be.”

  Was it? He wasn’t so sure anymore. All he could think about was the dusty attic and a night of exquisite pleasure he feared he would never feel again.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Canaan looked over the land that had been his family’s to rule for thousands of years. The days of the Succubi were gone, though no one knew what caused all the female sex demons to die.

  The Incubi hadn’t died out, however. In stepped the Nephilim, which allowed the Incubi to continue to procreate. There had been so much upheaval when the last Succubus died, and it had taken hundreds of years for the Incubi to sort things out. Yet they had.

  Now, another upheaval was around the corner. Canaan knew the Sovereign wouldn’t stop now that Teman was dead. The Sovereign didn’t want to give up his throne, and he would do whatever necessary to keep it.

  The real battle had yet to begin. Canaan might have resumed control of his family, but it was a small battle in a coming war.

  The silence was broken by the sound of Asher’s approaching footsteps. Canaan turned from the wall of windows to the now empty room. All evidence of Teman had been erased, from the furniture to the blood.

  “Rayna is getting ready to leave,” Asher said.

  Canaan drew in a deep breath. “I’m in over my head with her.”

  “You’ve had sex with her seven times. It was bound to happen.”

  “Nine.”

  Asher blinked, his body gone completely still. “Nine?”

  “Nine,” Canaan repeated. “I could’ve stopped at seven. I should’ve stopped at seven, but the need to claim her as mine was too strong.”

  “You did it without talking to her? And how the hell didn’t she know?”

  Canaan shrugged, unable to define his emotions during that long, ecstasy-filled night. “I have to convince her to stay.”

  “After you’ve told her repeatedly to leave? Being in the Oubliette must have made you lose your mind, as well as your soul.”

  His soul. He’d forgotten all about that. It was a small price to pay to return home and find someone like Rayna. “Where is Rayna now?”

  “A floor below.”

  So many things were running through Canaan’s mind about how he would tell Rayna that he needed her, that he...cared. He didn’t want to think about just how deeply his feelings went, not now. Not when she could be walking out of his life forever.

  Canaan knew that if he let her walk away, it would mean he would starve since they were now joined. Still, he wouldn’t force her to stay.

  Nor would he give up on her.

  ~ ~ ~

  Rayna folded Asher’s shirt and laid it on the table. She was back in her own clothes, but she no longer felt like herself. There was no reason to remain at Romerac Consolidated, no matter how much she wanted there to be.

  Her mother would love the fact that Rayna had spent so many years running away from the connection to the Incubi, only to fall – hard – for one.

  She turned around and came face to face with Canaan. How did a man grow more good-looking each time she saw him? It was the case with Canaan. She couldn’t get enough of him

  Her lips tingled just thinking about his kisses.

  Her body heated just imagining his hands running over her.

  Her soul stirred just dreaming about a future together.

  Rayna swallowed and tried to look away from his blue-green eyes, but she couldn’t. She was trapped, ensnared. “Say something,” she begged.

  “Don’t go.”

  She couldn’t be more surprised if he said he wanted to return to the Oubliette. “W...what?”

  He took a step toward her then halted. “Look, I know you want away from your family. I can offer you protection here.”

  “Protection?” Wow. Was she ever disappointed. For a moment she had thought he was asking her to stay because he wanted her.

  Rayna ground her teeth together as her heart began to break. She should’ve known better than to fall for an Incubus. They didn’t stay around longer than one night. And they rarely tied themselves to one woman.

  How silly she was for even thinking that she meant anything to him.

  “Yes, protection,” Canaan said. “Your family won’t be able to touch you here. You’ll be able to do what you want.”

  While seeing him every day? Unable to touch him, all the while remembering the beautiful night they had. It would be a special kind of torture she inflicted on herself. No, thank you. The memories would be enough.

  “Thanks for the offer,” she said and swallowed around her breaking heart. “But I think it’s time I leave.”

  She started to walk off when he stepped in front of her. Rayna squeezed her eyes closed for a second before she lifted her gaze to him. A frown marred his forehead while his gaze seemed to search hers for something.

  “I didn’t think I’d ever be able to trust anyone again.” Canaan ran a hand through his hair. “You showed me that I could.”

  If only she had touched him more deeply. She didn’t regret her time w
ith Canaan. She just wished that she had shielded her heart better. It wouldn’t have been easy against someone like him, but she still should have tried.

  She forced a smile she didn’t feel. “I’m glad. Good luck with everything.”

  Rayna once more started around him, and this time he didn’t stop her. Tears gathered in her eyes, tears she hated and refused to shed until she was miles away from Canaan. She didn’t want him to know just how deeply she felt for him.

  “I lied to you,” he said as she reached for the door handle.

  The admission stopped her cold. She dropped her hand and turned to him. “Lied to me about what?”

  “We didn’t have sex seven times.”

  Rayna’s heart began to pound – with excitement and nervousness. “How many times, then? I thought I counted all of them.”

  “It was a long, passion-filled night.”

  “It was.” It was also the best night of her life. She couldn’t believe she was silently hoping it was eight. It would mean they were irrevocably tied together for eternity. She barely knew him, but her body and her heart did. “How many, Canaan?”

  “What if I told you that it would take only once more for us to be bound?”

  Was that hope she saw flash in his eyes? “Are you telling me you...want to be bound to me? It would mean you could only have sex with me. It would mean that I would be the only one who could keep you alive.”

  “You aren’t telling me anything I don’t already know,” he said softly. “I’m asking if you would agree to sleep with me again. It would mean you could be immortal.”

  “I don’t care about immortality,” she said with a shake of her head. “The consequences are far-reaching. You can’t possibly mean you want to be bound to me. You’re an Incubus.”

  “I know precisely what I am.”

  Rayna rubbed her hand on her forehead as confusion muddled her brain. “You have sex with different women almost every night just to stay alive. Why would you give that up to be bound to one woman?”

  “Because I care for you.”

  It took her a moment to realize that he actually spoke the words and they weren’t just a silent wish from her. “Stop,” she said and backed away. “It’s just cruel to say something like that and not mean it.”

  “How do you know I don’t mean it?” Canaan asked as he tracked her. Gone was the ambivalence he’d displayed before. There was a touch of anger in his face now. “Why do you think I lie? Because I’m an Incubus, and we can’t possibly tell the truth?”

  “No, of course not.” She had hurt him. It hadn’t been her intention, but she had to protect herself.

  “Am I so bad? Is it because of what you’ve seen me do this night?”

  “No. No,” she said louder to emphasize how wrong he was. “You tried to let your brother live. Teman made his own choices. You were acting in defense of your family.”

  Rayna leaned against the door and sighed as they stared at each other. She couldn’t imagine returning home after being tortured for five centuries. Canaan was a natural-born leader, a man who would continuously put others before himself.

  She had always shied away from Incubi, but not because she didn’t like sex. She was beginning to think it was because she had been waiting for Canaan to find her.

  For too many years she had run away from her family, herself, and her true feelings. It was time to stop running and face everything head on, regardless of the outcome.

  It was time to put everything on the table.

  “Yes,” she said into the silence.

  His brow furrowed deeply. “Yes, what?”

  “Yes, I would be with you again. Whether it was the eighth or the eight hundredth. I would always walk into your arms. I did that first night because of the way you made me feel. I continued to turn to you that night because I couldn’t deny you. I don’t care about immortality. All I care about...” She paused to lick her lips and gather her courage. “Is you. I know it’s foolish to fall in love with an Incubus, but you can’t stop the heart.”

  In the next second, Canaan stood before her, his body pressing hers against the door. “Did you just say you loved me?”

  “Yes,” she admitted, amazed at how free she felt after telling him. No matter what happened next, she had spoken true.

  “Say it again.”

  Rayna smiled and reached up to cup his cheek. “I love you, Canaan Romerac.”

  The smile on his face was beautiful to behold. “And I love you, Rayna Averell. I don’t care that I’m an Incubus and you’re a Nephilim. All that matters is our love. Stay. For me. For us.”

  “Gladly,” she said and threw her arms around him.

  Every window on the floor shattered, followed immediately by the light bulbs. A strange glow suddenly filled the room. Rayna could only watch as it drew closer and closer to them.

  Canaan shoved her behind him and faced it. The glow zoomed directly at Canaan before it went through him. Rayna screamed as Canaan jerked, his arms spread wide as the glow consumed him.

  As quickly as it came, it vanished. Canaan fell to his hands and knees with his head bent. Rayna knelt beside him and ran her hands over him, feeling for injuries.

  “Canaan? Canaan, are you all right?” she asked worriedly.

  He lifted his head up at her and smiled. “It appears my soul has returned.”

  “What?” Would the strangeness of this day never end? “I don’t understand.”

  “Me either, but I’m not questioning it.” He gathered her against him and held her tight.

  Rayna returned his embrace. Who knew how a drop-dead gorgeous Incubus would change her life? “You’re going to have to replace more windows.”

  “I’ll replace every damn one of them if it means I get you,” he said as he pulled back to look at her.

  “You have me for as long as you want me.”

  “Then that’s for eternity.”

  “Not until you make love to me one more time.” Canaan looked away, causing Rayna to scowl. “What are you keeping from me?”

  He smoothed her hair away from her face. “Sweet Rayna, we’ve been bound since our first night together.”

  She started laughing, because she wasn’t surprised. No wonder she had fallen for him so quickly. It was also why she kept finding reasons to stay.

  She was still laughing when Asher came running into the room. He slid to a stop when he saw them.

  “Do I even want to know what happened?” he asked them.

  Canaan got to his feet and held out his hand for her. “Rayna is staying. She loves me,” he said with a wide grin.

  “And Canaan got his soul back,” Rayna said as Canaan pulled her up. “That’s what blew out the windows.”

  Asher chuckled and kicked at the broken glass that littered the floor. “I’m happy for you both.”

  “I want to celebrate my return and Rayna.”

  Rayna entwined her fingers with Canaan’s. “Before or after you confront the Sovereign?”

  “Before,” Canaan said.

  Asher held the door open for them both. “I’ll get the festivities started. How does tomorrow night sound?”

  “Wonderful,” Rayna and Canaan said in unison.

  Asher closed the door behind them and followed as he said, “There’s someone I think you should consider joining forces with, Canaan. The two of you could make quite the showdown against the Sovereign.”

  “Who?” Canaan asked.

  “Devil Gravori. He’s still the Master of House Gravori, and could be a good ally.”

  Rayna watched as Canaan nodded. There was much planning that would need to come, and she would be a part of it. There was no way she would lose Canaan after just finding him. Even if she had to kill the Sovereign herself.

  Asher, the upcoming war, and the world were forgotten as Canaan pulled her into a room and shut the door as he began kissing her.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author DONNA GRANT h
as been praised for her "totally addictive" and "unique and sensual" stories. She's the author of more than twenty novels spanning multiple genres of romance.

  Her latest acclaimed series, Dark Warriors, features a thrilling combination of Druids, primeval gods, and immortal Highlanders who are dark, dangerous, and irresistible.

  She lives with her husband, two children, a dog, and three cats in Texas. Visit Donna at www.DonnaGrant.com.

  SHAMELESS

  House of Vipera

  Laura Wright

  CHAPTER ONE

  Fire licked at Rosamund’s ankles. Wet, rough, fire that moved tantalizingly up her calves to her knees, then slowed as it settled between her thighs. A groan of desire escaped her throat. But she did nothing to try and quell it.

  She needed this.

  Him.

  Like one needed air and water.

  “Rosamund, wake up…”

  The words were a distant whisper. Unwelcome. Irritating. She pushed them away and focused on the man before her. He was poised over her sex now, spreading her thighs wide with his long, thick fingers, his insistent palms. Though her eyes were closed, she could see him. Fierce, hungry, his smile invitingly wicked.

  “Is she ill?” It was another voice now, once again female and worried.

  “No, no,” came the first voice, her tone threaded with false concern. “She is still sleeping. Poor, sweet Rosamund. Perhaps she is dreaming of what she can never have.”

  The man’s smile morphed into something sexually sinister, and Rosamund’s insides went instantly liquid.

  “Don’t be cruel, Eva,” said the second female.

  “It is not cruel to speak the truth,” the first female returned, her voice slightly muffled.

  “If she would just allow us to see to her. Bathe her. Rub her skin with salts and oils. Do her hair. Dress her. Perhaps one of the males would notice her.”