Wicked Night by Caris Roane Page A

ended in an incessant worthless battle. He had seen it a thousand times over his two centuries of living, his parents the prime example.
    He rose from his throne and extended his hand to her. “Come with me and we will settle the matter of the amulet between us. In my private quarters.”
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    “As you wish, master.” Thea moved forward and stared at Gabriel’s long white fingers and manicured, buffed nails. He was a powerful vampire who attended to his appearance.
    She tried to ignore what she could see was his fully aroused state. The snug black leather of his pants left little to the imagination. The crown of his cock strained against his waistband and she was sure that if he had not been wearing a shirt, she could have seen the tip of him.
    His pursuit of her had been relentless and it was just her luck that the vampire was treacherously handsome. His skin was a beautiful ivory color, his sharp cheekbones angled over the strong planes of his face, his lips full and sensual. His raven black hair hung almost to his waist in soft curls, so strange for a man, yet erotic at the same time. His eyes, when he wasn’t lost in his blood-hunger, were the most elegant green, like emeralds in water.
    She supposed it was part of his vampire attraction that his eyes would be as exquisite as they were, but she swore she could look at them for hours. In his eyes, his soul shimmered, something the fae part of her felt and also part of her attraction to him. He was not wholly evil as he liked to pretend.
    Yet her casual involvement with Gabriel was by no means simple. She had once seen him save a troll child from galloping horses. He had flown through the air and swept up the child in his arms just before the calamity would have mangled every small bone.
    The incident had shaped her willingness to spend time with him and which had ultimately led her to permit him last night’s suckling.
    She hadn’t been with a man since the evil Mage vampires killed her husband five years ago. She had loved him and had given him several children, all grown. But her home was empty now and for a long time she’d wanted her life to change. Still quite young by long-lived standards, she needed a man to warm her bed.
    She placed her hand within his, the weight of the act weakening her knees. When he sighed, she shifted her gaze to his eyes, his beautiful green eyes glittering with desire.
    His voice was low as he said, “I have longed for this moment, cherie , a thousand fold since first seeing you. And I still have the taste of your breasts in my mouth from last night.”
    Her cheeks warmed. He had so much power over her, more than he imagined. She had resisted his seductions with every breath of her body, but she had craved him terribly.
    Now she was here.
    “You are charming when you blush.”
    He guided her to the dark arched hallway behind his throne, a passage that led to his private chambers. “I must tell you one important thing, cherie . The healing amulet is not here. I gave it to Master Eligio of Fealconshire for one of his supplicants.” The vampires of the Great North Shires were numerous and powerful and lived in large communities or tribes, each run by a master vampire. Gabriel continued, “We will go to Eligio a little later to retrieve it. And I vow that before dawn crests the hills, your mother will have the amulet.”
    Thea nodded, relief allowing her to draw a deep breath. “Thank you, Gabriel.”
    He squeezed her arm. “I had thought to win you in a very different way, but I am glad you came to me.” Once out of sight of his audience room, he pulled her into his arms. “Thea, cherie, I have waited so long…” He slanted his lips over hers.
    Thea surrendered, melting against him. All the pent up frustrations of holding back for two long years released in a wave of desire so strong that Gabriel pulled back, panting. “Thea. Mon dieu .”
    He then picked her up to carry her in his arms and before she knew what he