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“Why? Why would she do that to her own children?” I couldn’t imagine someone loving her children and deciding to turn them into monsters.
“She wanted to build an empire that would last an eternity. She wanted to keep us with her forever, and for al intents and purposes, she managed to accomplish her mission. At least in terms of life span. But we left home, instead of helping her create the kingdom she desired.
Others took care of that desire—vampires who craved the same sense of power. Over the years, she accrued a kingdom, and her children . . . we eventual y went back to her, but only on our terms.”
“Al of you?”
He paused, then said, “Two of my brothers now hang on her skirts. If we’d stayed together from the beginning, we’d rule the world by now. The rest of us agreed to be her emissaries, to help her rule but not from the heart of the throne. She was angry, but final y agreed. She wanted her rule to be visible, but she had to settle for a more sinister existence, ruling from the shadows, letting the mortals go about their business.”
“You chose to forgo letting people know about you.”
A nod. “We knew that if we al owed her desire to rule logic and reason, a war would be waged against al vampires. The times were not so progressive as they are now. We would be destroyed unless we rampaged across the land and ruled by terror. I’d had enough rampaging while I stil lived. I’d rather not repeat the experience. There are times when conquerors are necessary for the world, but I am no longer a warrior, save for when I must take up arms again. I prefer to strike a balance between ends of the spectrum.”
I gazed at him. Aligning myself with Roman was a smart move in many ways. On the other hand, I’d certainly draw more attention to myself, and some vampires were not going to like it. Wade, in particular. But he was as good as dead if I didn’t do what Roman wanted me to. As angry as he’d made me, I couldn’t just let him die.
And, I had to admit: The thought of Terrance being permanently removed from the picture dangled like a juicy, bloody carrot. He was crazed, dangerous, and I had a personal grudge against the man.
Roman possessed enormous power, and it said something for his nature that he hadn’t used it to terrorize the city. He outclassed Dredge by far, but Dredge had used his power like a hammer.
Roman wore it like a cloak.
I licked my lips. My fangs had descended when he pul ed me onto his lap and they had stayed down. Roman was delicious, and deadly, and al of those wonderful things that made power seductive. In the end, I made my decision based on instinct.
“I’l help you as long as it doesn’t interfere with what my sisters and I are doing. Our work always takes priority.”
I wasn’t about to tel him about the demons, but I had a feeling he already knew. Vampires were cagey, and one as old as Roman didn’t make it this long without holding info over the powerful and influential members of society.
I also knew that, at least Earthside, as vampires aged the territory battles increased. Like lions, only one king could rule over a defined area without a fight breaking out. Which explained why Roman’s brothers and sisters had spread throughout the world, except for the two stil living with Blood Wyne. But with Roman around here, it meant that he’d be the oldest and most powerful in the area.
He inclined his head, his gaze beckoning me. “As you wil , my lady.” He paused. “Do you dance?”
I nodded, thinking about my dream.
He stood and held out his hand. I took it and he pul ed me to my feet. I said nothing as he led me to a door on the left. With a faint smile, Roman drew me through and I gasped as we entered the long chamber that had been in my dream. I wasn’t wearing a fancy dress, but everything else seemed the same.
Roman placed his hands on my shoulders and slowly slid my jacket off, tossing it to the side where it fel against the floor.
With a snap of his fingers, music fil ed the chamber—wild and free. A piercing ululation gave way to thundering drums, and a woman’s sultry voice swept in to enshroud us in its rhythm.
And then we were dancing, spinning and turning, a combination of tango and waltz. Faster we went, our feet barely skimming the ground, and I found myself laughing at the pure joy of movement. Roman’s eyes flashed, sparkling, as he tightened his grip around my waist and his right hand grasped my own. He broke into a smile that reminded me of a triumphant wolf as he whirled me around the room.
As the song faded, he tumbled onto a backless divan, pul ing me down on his lap. I was stil laughing, but as I met his gaze, desire flared, sparking off a hunger in me that I hadn’t felt for a man since I’d been on the back of Smoky, getting hot and heavy with Vanzir.
Vanzir had promised a wild ride, free of fear that I might hurt my partner, but somehow, we’d never fol owed through to the actual act. Rozurial had been a delightful lover, but he was too gentle in spirit, even more gentle than my Nerissa.
With Nerissa, I had passion and love and I never minded holding back, making certain I didn’t lose it and attack her in a fit of blurred hunger and excitement.
But male lovers? I wasn’t looking for emotional attachments. With men, I wanted a no-holds-barred fuckfest where I could let my inner predator out without fear. And Roman smel ed like pure, unadulterated sex.
The music shifted to Gary Numan’s “Strange Charm” and I stopped laughing. I leaned forward, straddling Roman’s legs, and crawled up him as he lay back, our gazes locking.
On my hands and knees, staring down at him, the music was the only sound fil ing the room. And then, before anything else happened, I whispered, “I can’t be anything for you but this. I am in love with the most beautiful woman in the world, and my heart belongs to her, but we have given each other permission to play with the boys.”
He reached up and his fingers traced my face, cupping my chin as he pushed himself to a sitting position so that I was straddling his lap, staring into his face. “I wil never ask you for love.
There is no place in my heart for such emotion. But Menol y, I desire you. I want you and I have enough respect for you not to force the issue. If you choose to grace me with your body, then I wil be a most wil ing and attentive playmate.”
That was al the encouragement I needed. I leaned forward and his lips caught mine, and then we were standing, his hands under my ass, holding me as I wrapped my legs around his waist. I pushed the memory of Dredge out of my thoughts—he was the only other vampire I’d ever fucked, and only because he’d raped and tortured me, so I’d had no choice.
