Page 32 of Midnight Enchantment

“What are you afraid of?” Dominic asked. “The vampire’s gone. Lily doesn’t hate you for breaking things up. Seems like the problem solved itself.”

“I’m missing something,” Ava said. “I can feel it. She doesn’t look or act like a girl who’s broken-hearted.”

“Maybe she wasn’t as crazy about him as you thought.”

“I can’t shake the feeling that they’re still seeing each other. But I know she hasn’t left the house on the sly because I’d feel it if she broke the wards I set.”

“It seems obvious to me that he’s been coming there,” Dominic said.

Ava frowned. Was that possible? And why hadn’t she thought of it? “Why don’t you and Maddy come to dinner tomorrow night? Maybe you’ll sense something I’m missing.”

“Sure. What time?”

“Around six-thirty?”

“We’ll be there.”

After disconnecting the call, Ava sat back, her brow furrowed. Was it possible the vampire-demon had found a way into the house without her knowing it? The mere idea sent a chill down her spine. If that was true, if Raedan had breached her wards without a trace, he was even more powerful than she had feared.

In her room, with Raedan’s arms around her, Lily frowned as he related the details of Ava’s conversation with Dominic. She felt a little guilty about his eavesdropping on what should have been a private call, but after hearing what had been said, her guilt dissolved with the realization that Ava was still determined to keep her and Raedan apart. What right did her great-grandmother have to make decisions for her? Ava had been married twice that Lily knew of, once to a member of the Knights of the Dark Wood. If her great-grandmother could wed a Knight, a man who had sworn an oath to destroy Hungarian vampires, where did she get off warning Lily away from the man she loved? At least Raedan wasn’t out to destroy Lily’s family.

“I should have known she’d get suspicious when I didn’t stay angry,” Lily muttered irritably. “But it’s hard to pretend to be mad when I’m so happy.” How could she be anything else, she wondered, when Raedan came to her room every night? When they spent hours in each other’s arms exchanging kisses that grew increasingly deeper and more intimate as they got to know each other better. He told her of exotic places he had visited, of life in centuries past, of famous men and women he had known in the course of his long existence. He had dined with the kings and queens of England, ridden to hounds with noblemen, fought duels, and done a hundred other things she had only read about. She loved hearing about his past even though it sometimes made her jealous. She had never really done anything memorable or remarkable, never met anyone famous. Of course, he had been born in far more colorful and romantic times than she had, and he had hundreds of years of existence and experience behind him.

Reading her thoughts, Raedan tightened his arms around her. “I count it a blessing that you were not born in my time,” he said, “because you would not be here now, and I never would have met you.” He nuzzled her neck, his breath warm against her skin. “I have waited for you my whole life.”

“That’s sweet of you to say.”

“I mean it, love. I knew from the first night that I saw you that you were what I had been waiting for, searching for, these past centuries. I have never believed in one man for one woman, or that people were made for each other, but I believe it now.” Cupping her face in his hands, he brushed a kiss across her lips.

Lily looked up at him, stunned by his declaration. Before she could think of anything to say, he was kissing her again, his tongue a flame dancing against her own. She shivered with delight as he rained heated kisses along the side of her neck. The ecstasy thrumming through her ended abruptly when his fangs grazed her skin.

With a curse, he released her, his jaw rigid. “Forgive me.”

She stared at him, speechless. Like Hungarian vampires, the eyes of Transylvanian vampires took on a faint, red glow when the hunger was upon them. But Raedan’s eyes had gone black and Lily knew she was seeing the blood-demon for the first time.

Raedan rose effortlessly to his feet, hands clenched tightly at his sides. He had fed well before coming here and still he craved her blood, every warm, sweet, red drop.

The demon within him laughed.

“Raedan … ”

“Good night.”

“Will I see you tomorrow?”

“I cannot say.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Liliana,” he said, his voice raw. “I must go before it is too late.”

And he was gone.

Lily fell back on the bed, tears burning her eyes. She was in danger every night she spent in his arms. How much longer could he fight the demon inside him, resist his innate nature to feed? Would he be able to take just a taste? Or would one taste tempt him beyond his power to resist? The wrong choice could leave her dead, or changed for life. She had thought she understood him, but she now realized she had been sorely mistaken. He wasn’t just a vampire with a need for blood, he was possessed by a demon with a lust to take it all. How much longer could the vampire keep the demon at bay?

She desperately needed someone to talk to, but there was no one she could trust.

Raedan stormed through the night, his hatred for what he was like a stake in his heart. He had been a fool to think he could continue to fight the demon and win. Every hour he spent with Liliana made his desire for her blood and the demon’s relentless hunger to taste her, grow stronger. How much longer could he fight the creature?

How much longer could he fight his own hellish thirst?

Liliana didn’t try to fight the tears that poured down her cheeks. She had a terrible feeling she might have seen the last of Raedan. She didn’t doubt his affection for her. She knew he had left so abruptly because he was afraid of hurting her. And because of his concern for her safety, she might never see him again.

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