Chosen by Fate by Virna Depaul

out what to do then. Cursing beneath his breath, he strode toward the doors leading to the gardens outside.
    He paused. He looked back. He gritted his teeth.
    The vamp had his hands all over Wraith. On her bare skin now—caressing the vulnerable flesh at her throat.
    Like the rest of her kind, Wraith was thought to have been human at one time until she appeared on earth, the living dead with no pulse, and no memory of who or what she was. There were many mysteries surrounding her kind, but one thing was universally known—touching their bare skin caused them pain.
    He knew the vampire’s prolonged touch had to be hurting Wraith like hell, but she took it, peering up at the vamp flirtatiously, a raw, sexual smile on her lips. The vamp’s hand moved, and Caleb saw her cringe—an imperceptible flinch that highlighted the lines of distress near her eyes. Instantly, he thought of the scars on her throat and how they’d gotten there.
    He took a swift look around the room, instinctively searching for his team to help out Wraith. The were, Dex Hunt, hadn’t bothered showing up, and he didn’t know where Lucy was. Mahone had left. Knox and Felicia hadn’t arrived after the ceremony, but he knew Knox didn’t give a damn how rude that might seem. The dharmire had finally won the body, heart, and soul of his human female and would likely have to be dragged away before he left her bed. Although Knox’s parents, Bianca and Jacques Devereaux, were here, they were dancing under the watchful eyes of their guards, with no reason to suspect a wedding guest was being hurt by one of their clan.
    Without hesitating, Caleb moved across the room.
     
    “You know I can make it worth your time, Wraith. I’ve done it before.”
    Wraith shot Colt a practiced smile. “By ‘it,’ you mean making me come?”
    Eyes narrowing, the vamp she hadn’t seen for two years returned her smile with one of his own. “Making a wraith, and particularly you, come isn’t an easy feat, so I wouldn’t speak so dismissively if I were you.” Once more, he rubbed the side of her neck with his thumb, but she barely noticed the sting of pain, let alone felt any pleasure.
    It was as if she were completely dead now, not even able to recall the memory of physical pleasure Colt had once given her. She leaned away from his touch.
    “We did it a few times. It means nothing. Leave it in the past, Colt, where it belongs. Things are different now.” She was clean, for one. Plus, she’d long grown accustomed to doing without a male’s touch.
    Instinctively, her gaze fluttered to Caleb, who was grinning and flirting with an exotic and buxom feline on the dance floor. A feline princess , she’d been told, named Natia. Due to the film over her eyes, she couldn’t tell what color the female’s hair was—it looked like several shades of gray, just like everything else in her life.
    “Yes, I can see they are,” Colt murmured, then tilted his head to Caleb and the feline. “She’s gorgeous, but no match for you, doll.”
    At Colt’s knowing tone, Wraith snapped her gaze back to his. She knew that if it were possible for her to flush, she’d be doing it right now. As it was, she struggled to keep her expression free of guilt. “Look, I don’t know why you’re here or how you knew where to find me, but if Knox finds out, he’ll—”
    Colt chuckled. “He’ll what? He’s heir apparent to the royal vamp throne. It’s his wedding, and he invited the whole clan, Wraith. I’m part of the clan. You being here is raising more questions than my presence. Most of these folks probably have never even seen a wraith.”
    She ground her teeth at his condescending tone. “Does he know what you do?”
    “Just what do I do?”
    She looked at him chidingly. “You might be part of Knox’s clan, but that’s where your similarity ends. Knox is loyal to his family. To his people. To his wife. Your only loyalty is to the highest bidder for whatever you’re peddling