Kiss of Temptation: The Kavanaugh Foundation, Book 3 Read online

  Colette’s words echoed in her mind. “Of course, Morwen. Nothing is more important than the mission. Not even my own life.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Why don’t you tell me about your relationship with Colette? She mentioned you were all too comfortable abandoning her when it came to saving yourself.”

  Morwen stammered for words on the other end, and a pride surged through Daniela. She’d finally stood up to the Head Witch and rendered her speechless. As far as she knew, no one had ever dared do such a thing.

  “Listen, Morwen. You gave me a job to do, and I’ll do it. But when I get back to New York, I may need to reconsider my future with the Foundation.” There. She’d said it. No more being bullied. She ended the conversation by turning her phone off, tossing it on the bed and heading into the shower. Hopefully, by the time she got out, Luc would remember where he’d hidden the staff.

  Luc stared at the faded scrawl in front of him, easily deciphering the encrypted message he’d written over sixty years ago. The headpiece was in Copenhagen. He knew that. Why did he drag Daniela here when he could’ve taken her directly to it? Why was he making every excuse to string her along and tempt fate?

  Because you don’t want to let her go, his mind answered. From the moment he first tasted her lips, she had revived more than just his heart. She’d revived his soul and reminded him of what it felt to truly desire something.

  His mind filed through over six centuries of memories, but nothing rivaled the intense storm brewing inside him now. The lust, the hunger, the possessive pull he felt whenever he held her in his arms. Not even a cold shower calmed him. The lurch in his chest cruelly reminded him of how she’d taunted him with regaining his humanity. He would have been more than ready to give her the location and leave her, but once he’d tasted her blood, he realized he never wanted to be without her.

  His mouth watered. No, I can’t give in to this. I won’t. I refuse to become that kind of sinner. But the sugary sweetness that hung on the tip of his tongue overpowered his mind. His vision turned red. He’d end this torment now.

  He rose from his chair, his fangs piercing his bottom lip. The bitterness of his own blood did little to quench his thirst. She was the lamb meant to be sacrificed, and after he drained her dry, he’d answer for his sins.

  A stab of repulsion rocked him, and he gripped the edge of his desk to steady himself. Mon Dieu, what have I become? He now understood how the image of Bathsheba bathing lured King David onto the path of sin. From the moment he saw Daniela, she’d tempted more than Satan himself could.

  Maybe that’s why they burned witches in the past. Just by their very nature, they led men along the devil’s highway.

  The image of her burning flesh awakened a new sensation in him, making his nostrils sting from the scent of sulfur and charred meat. In his mind, he saw a gray cloud of ash descend around him. Daniela’s sobs echoed in his ears. He held her close, wanting to shield her from the destruction around them, wishing he could silence her screams.

  As quickly as the image hit him, it vanished. He shook his head a few times, trying to erase the sensations from his memory. What the hell was that?

  “Luc.” Daniela’s voice jerked him back to the present, and he rubbed the vision from his eyes before she appeared in the doorway of his study. A worried frown marred the fullness of her lips. “Are you still ill? Maybe I should call your neighbor back to come take a look at you.”

  “No!” He didn’t mean to shout the word, but it stopped her dead in her tracks. “I’ll be fine. I just need…” He ran his hand over his face. What did he need? A few minutes ago, he was ready to drain every drop of her essence. Now his soul shuddered from an image he couldn’t explain.

  She picked up the journal and flipped through the yellowed pages. “This looks ancient.”

  He snatched it from her and tucked it into his pocket. “It’s none of your business. All you need to know is that the next stop is Copenhagen.”

  “And that’s where the staff is?”

  When he drew in a breath to calm his temper, the sweet scent of her blood teased his nose. He took a step toward her, fighting to stay in control when every fiber of his being was telling him to give in to temptation. Only his mind rebelled.

  Her breath quickened. Even from a few feet away, he knew the pace of the pulsations in her neck that perfectly matched the beats of her heart. The beats that mimicked the low thumps in his own chest. What was she doing to him?

  “When do we leave?” She licked her lips and he bit back a groan, wishing he could be the one licking them, gently biting them to draw out the nectar that flowed through her veins.

  He had to tear his gaze away from her before he gave in to the monster rising up within him. His voice cracked when he replied, “Tonight.”

  “Are you certain you’re not ill, Luc?” She brushed the hair away from his face and trailed her fingers along his cheek. “You’ve been acting strange since the train station. I’m worried about you.”

  The last four words hit him like a punch in the gut, shocking him from his self-absorbed world of misery. Ever since he’d been changed, only one person who knew what he was had ever shown concern for him. Morwen. The mournful note in Daniela’s voice was different from her boss’s, though. It sounded like it came straight from her heart.

  Despair shot up from his gut and filled his limbs with lead. He couldn’t destroy her. “I just need some time alone.”

  She backed away, her face falling. “Of course. I should have expected that.”

  Luc didn’t pick up on the pain in her words until she was halfway up the stairs. He rushed out of the library. “What do you mean by that?”

  She paused on the staircase. “Nothing. I mean, most men react this way when they witness my powers. I’m used to that by now.”

  “Daniela, it’s not that.”

  “You don’t have to make excuses, Luc,” she said, followed by a fake laugh. “I mean, I am a witch. Most people are bothered by that.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Then why are you pushing me away?” Her fingers curled around the banister and turned white.

  With her eyes flashing in anger and her cheeks blooming with color, she was more tempting than he could’ve imagined. He needed to have her—all of her—before he ripped the banister out of the wall. He was gambling out of pure desperation, but part of him wondered if he could enjoy her without crossing the line, without tasting her blood again.

  Luc rushed up the stairs after her, never breaking his stride as he tossed her over his shoulder and carried her into his bed. Even with the blackout curtains drawn to shield him from the sunlight, he could see her lush lips parted in surprise, the rise and fall of her chest as she tried to catch her breath.

  “Luc, what are you—”

  He silenced her with a kiss. His desperation ebbed as she yielded to him, opening her mouth to let him indulge in the berry-sweet recesses.

  She tugged at this clothes, and he broke the kiss long enough to pull his sweater over his head and allow her to do the same. The movement of her hair fanned the scent of her blood his way. Even under the floral mask of her shampoo, he could still detect it. Warm, spicy vanilla. His fangs elongated and he forced himself to draw in a steadying breath before he pierced the delicate skin of her neck.

  Her fingers wrestled with the button of his trousers. “Please don’t kiss me like that and then stop.”

  But he needed to stop. He needed to regain control of himself before he drained her dry. He stared down at her, the desire written on her face as clearly as the letters in a book. What had he done to deserve such surrender from her? He was a monster, an abomination, a creature that could snap her in half while he slurped up the crimson nectar that filled her veins.

  She grew still under him and caught his cheeks between her hands. “What is it?”

  “I don’t want to hurt you, Daniela, but I’m so worried I will. You have no idea how much I hung
er for you.”

  She pressed her fingers into the knotted muscles of his shoulders, massaging the tension away as they crawled down his back. “You don’t have to adhere to your vows of celibacy anymore. For the moment, I’m yours. Yours completely,” she whispered before pressing her lips to his.

  The tenderness of her kiss set his mind reeling. Could she feel something more for him than pure lust?

  “Do I need to be on top?” The corner of her mouth rose into a half grin.

  “No.” His voice sounded raw and hoarse, like he’d gone days without water. He wanted her for more than just this moment. He envisioned an eternity with her. But could he force that on her?

  “Then make love to me once more before we have to leave.”

  Her plea was so timid, so genuine, as if she knew this was the last time they would lie in each other’s arms. By tomorrow, she’d have the headpiece for the Staff of Octavius. That should be enough to appease Morwen, and Daniela would return to the Kavanaugh Foundation. And it is probably for the best, he admitted with bitterness poisoning his thoughts.

  He brushed his lips over the hollow of her throat. Her pulse quickened and she arched her head back.

  I need to stop before I go too far. But the curving lines of her body awakened a new hunger inside him, one that made him forget about the taste of her blood. His mouth traveled lower to the soft globes of her breasts. In a matter of seconds, he unfastened her bra and pulled one of the taut, exposed nipples between his lips.

  “Luc,” she moaned, threading her fingers through his hair.

  The sound of her voice so heavy with desire spurred him on. His cock strained against his zipper, throbbing in time with the circling motion of his tongue. The harder he sucked on her breasts, the louder her moans grew. He caught one of her nipples between his teeth.

  And then the unthinkable happened. His fangs, not yet retracted from before, grazed her skin, producing a shallow red line of blood. His tongue tingled as he lapped it up, savoring the precious drop and reviving the primal hunger he’d been battling for so long.

  He pierced the skin at the top of her breast, and she jerked still under him. She tightened her grip on his hair and drew in a shaky breath.

  Luc froze, all the pleasure draining from him in that tense second. Then she released him in a shudder that shook his very soul. What would she do to him now that he’d bitten her? He had crossed the line and he deserved her wrath.

  But instead of unleashing her anger upon him, she said, “Please, Luc, don’t stop. More.”

  Her hips rose and fell like the ocean waves in a storm, leaving him torn between wanting to soothe the ache in his cock and continue to taste her blood. His tongue circled her areola to remove any remaining blood from her skin, and her frenzy abated. A whimper rose from her throat. He chuckled. “Don’t pout yet, ma bella strega. I’m just getting started.”

  The soft, spicy scent of her desire grew stronger as he travelled lower along her body. By the time he’d yanked her pants off, it nearly overwhelmed him. He needed to sample it, to compare it to the sweetness of her blood and the saltiness of her skin. His tongue delved into her sex, licking away the cream that already flowed down her thighs.

  Her breath caught and released in a series of jagged exhalations. “Yes, that.”

  The thumping in his chest quickened, and for the first time in centuries, he felt truly alive. What kind of spell had she cast to make him forget all the rules he’d so carefully encased himself in?

  But when he lifted his gaze, she seemed to be the one under a spell. Her eyelids hung half-closed, and she was chanting his name in an ancient incantation while he teased the tiny nub inside her sex, pushing her ever closer to the brink of ecstasy. She was completely under his control now. He could drain her dry in a matter of seconds and she would welcome her death with open arms.

  And despite his initial recoil, he continued to enthrall her, to watch her body undulate in pleasure and know he was the cause of it. He had discovered another taste of sweetness that had nothing to do with her blood, and he intended to relish it.

  His heart beat so hard, he feared he would burst free from his chest by the time she climaxed. Her thick cream coated his tongue, but he licked and nibbled her sensitive areas until her body went limp under him.

  “Ti amo, ti amo,” she whispered over and over again as she combed her fingers through his hair.

  Luc froze. She loved him? Surely, this was still part of the enthrallment, a hallucination caused by his power over her. How could anyone love him?

  He pulled away, ignoring the deepening ache in his cock until she returned from her trancelike state. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him. “I hope you aren’t finished.”

  “No, I’m not.” Her words called to him like a siren’s song. He feared it would end in his destruction, but it would be worth it for the few precious moments of paradise in her arms. He almost ripped off his trousers in his eagerness to get inside her. His cock plunged into the slick, tight walls of her sex in one swift stroke.

  A sigh broke free from her lips, and she wrapped her legs around his waist to hold him inside her. “Yes, this is what I needed. You and me, joined like this. It’s heavenly.”

  Yes, joined together, moving as one. Luc couldn’t think of a better description of Heaven. He had no idea where he ended and she began. Every thrust sent shivers through his body. The tip of his cock practically burned from the exquisite friction, but he couldn’t find his release. He now needed something else. Something he dare not take.

  “Daniela, ma chérie, I want—I need—” He couldn’t say the words. The fear of revealing what he was and losing her tightened around his throat. His fangs grew longer. The pounding of his pulse in his temples threatened to make his head explode. But he refused to drink from her.

  “Please, Luc, take me.” She arched her head back, her eyes closed, and pulled his lips to her neck. “I’m yours.”

  The last of his restraint crumbled and he tapped into a river of pure ambrosia.

  He had always heard that a witch’s blood was more potent, more powerful than a mere human’s, but he’d never believed it until now. From the first gulp, his soul seemed to spiral forward into an unconscious realm he’d never visited before. Streams of light, like the headlights of cars racing down the Autobahn on a rainy night, sped past his vision. Daniela twitched under him, the walls of her sex clamping tightly around his cock and milking the come that flowed forth with each wave of the orgasm rocking his body, but he barely paid attention to it. His consciousness turned and focused on the disjointed memories flashing through his mind.

  A small girl with curly brown hair. The cruel taunts of the other children. The decaying church up the street that promised sanctuary. The bruising sting of a rock colliding with her head. The heat of rage that flowed through her body. The explosion of flames from her fingers and the looks of horror on her assailants’ faces.

  The fire faded and another image replaced it. The little girl sat huddled in a cage, tears streaming from her dark green eyes. The smell of the charred church filled the air. A chorus of angry voices rumbled around her. Witch. Child of Satan. Demon-possessed. The cold splash of holy water from a black-clad priest made her cry out, further inciting the crowd around her.

  The number thinned as night fell, and a lone figure approached her. A woman whose red hair shone in the moonlight like a crown of glittering rubies. Morwen. She smiled at the girl and held out her hand.

  Luc pulled away in horror. He had intruded upon Daniela’s memories while feeding on her, invading the secrets of her past and resurrecting things she probably wanted to forget.

  She trembled under him, her eyes clamped so tightly that tears glistened in the corners. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she refused to release him when he moved.

  He glanced down at the two tiny wounds on the side of her neck and disgust consumed his heart. He had given in to temptation. “I’m so sorry, Daniela,” he murmured and wrappe
d his arms around her. “I never meant to hurt you.”

  Her eyes opened and her lips parted. “Hurt me?”

  “Yes, you’re in pain. I can see it.”

  She laughed and pulled him back to her. Her lips covered his, coaxing him deeper into her kiss. The tension dissolved from his muscles, making them smooth and pliant under her fingers. When she ended the kiss, she looked up at him with a smile. “There was no pain, Luc. Only pleasure. Such intense pleasure. It was like…” She hesitated and gave him a sheepish grin as if her thoughts suddenly embarrassed her.

  He glanced down at her neck again, relieved to see the blood had already dried. Did she realize what he’d done? “Pleasure?”

  Daniela rolled him off of her and cuddled next to him. “Yes, pleasure,” she purred. She tilted her face up to him. “Didn’t you enjoy it?”

  The steady hum of delight that vibrated through his body with each beat of his heart testified to how much he enjoyed making love to her. But something had changed from the moment her blood filled his mouth. Morwen had warned him not to taste it. Now he knew why. He’d formed an unbreakable bond with her, one that had him considering the unthinkable. He didn’t even want to let death part them. He wanted an eternity with her and nothing less.

  “Yes, ma chérie, I enjoyed you more than you can possibly imagine.” He tightened his arms around her, determined never to let her go.

  Chapter Seven

  Daniela walked into a frescoed room and halted. Luc knelt in the middle of the room, held still by two men while a third one leveled a sword on his neck. “What’s going on here?”

  “Nothing for you to worry about, daughter,” a man in a red toga replied. “Leave before you have to witness how we deal with traitors.”

  “Traitors?” She ran toward Luc, draping her arm over the back of his neck and blocking the blade. She tilted his chin up so he met her gaze. “What have you done?”

  He hung his head to the side and looked away. Pain stretched his features, distorting them from the carefree lines of the man she knew. The man she’d fallen in love with. How could he be a traitor?