Blood Red [Chronicles of the Cursed] Read online

  "It all seems to be in order. You do impeccable work, mi Bella. Do you have a pen?"

  She reached out for the pen in front of her, a hot blush creeping up her cheeks from his compliment, and passed it over her shoulder. The moment their fingers touched, images surged unbidden through her mind. Images of Mikael loving her, touching her, caressing her, flowed through her. Where had those erotic thoughts come from?

  "Thank you, Bella."

  Her control slipped as her desire mounted. She'd never wanted a man this desperately in her entire life. She didn't understand it. He was Cerberus Gnosis, the vilest of the vampires. He wasn't even a man, so why did she desire him so? He couldn't use his hypnotic suggestion on her. She was immune, a gift of the Keeper status she'd inherited from her father when he had passed away.

  Six years of working closely with Mikael, being at his beck and call at all hours of the night while running his companies by day, slowly eroded her defenses. Years of trying to fight the insane attraction she felt for him only to find her defenses crumbling after a few weeks without his presence around her. Her father had tried to warn her about Mikael, he'd spent the last six years of his life teaching her everything she'd need to keep herself safe against Mikael's advances. Yet in the end, they both knew it would be her choice to make.

  Mikael's free hand slid from her shoulder up her neck with a soft loving touch. His knuckles gently caressed her cheek, pulling a soft moan from her lips. “One word, Bella, that's all it takes."

  If her voice had been working she would have told him yes in an instant. But she couldn't speak, she could only feel, and she wanted more. She leaned into his touch, rubbing her cheek against his knuckles.

  He growled and leaned in close to her ear. His hard muscled chest brushed up against her back. “Say it, Bella, just say the word. Say Yes!” His hot breath warmed her neck; his fangs lightly brushed her skin as he spoke.

  "Yes.” she hissed on an exhaled breath, her body burning for more of his touch.

  Mikael howled in triumph. The sound caused goose bumps to break out over her entire body. Heat spread between her legs in anticipation of what he would do to her. Cold air suddenly touched her skin where he had just been. He'd stepped away from her and retreated to the door of the study. Disappointment overcame her as she realized his intentions. “No!"

  "The sun rises, mi Bella. We will continue the dance this evening at sunset. Be here in the study when I wake, and I will fulfill all your fantasies."

  "And if I refuse to be your plaything, Mikael? You've been ignoring me for weeks."

  She shivered at the sound of his deep throaty laugh. “Then I will come to you. You've given me your assent, Annabella; you cannot rescind the offer now. You are mine forever. ‘Till tonight, beloved."

  Annabella watched transfixed as he left the room, anger welling up inside her. “How dare he play with me! He was aware of dawn approaching, I'm sure of it.” Fury overrode her common sense. “I'll teach him to treat me like one of his common Caitiffs!"

  Stacking her papers in a pile, she shoved them into her briefcase. She couldn't take anymore, Mikael was driving her insane with desire. “I may as well go to the office and get some work done. No good, la bestia male can rot for all I care at the moment.” Storming from the study she headed out the front door.

  Warm hands enveloped her from behind. Her hand fell away from the door handle as a sharp cry of fear rose in her throat. “Shhh, mi Bella, I just wished to leave you with a parting gift. Seal our bargain with a kiss, if you will."

  Warm lips traveled along her neck, and up behind her ear. She felt his teeth gently nip her skin, never once drawing blood. The sensations overwhelmed her and her body went limp in his arms. Her anger forgotten, she reveled in his touch. “Damn you Mikael..."

  Annabella cursed in frustration and turned in his arms, her mouth searching for his. The desire to feel his lips against hers coursed through her like a tidal wave. She felt the moment Mikael gave in to her demanding kiss; his body shook with the effort of keeping his fangs retracted.

  She pulled away from the kiss gasping for breath. Victory surged through her: she'd made him lose control. Her father had explained this feeling to her. He'd told her it was a once in a lifetime experience that would make all other triumphs pale in comparison, but would be well worth the victory, if she chose that path. She knew what would happen next, or what should happen if Mikael was truthful about what he wished from her.

  His fangs extended, he exposed her neck and leaned in to seal the bargain. Warmth flooded through her as his fangs sank into her flesh. Desire, hot and untamed, raged through her body. He took only a sip and then his tongue gently licked the wounds closed, making her shiver with want for more.

  In that instant, she knew he had her. She would be waiting for him at sunset as he'd ordered. A soft sadness enveloped her for a moment. She had the man of her dreams but at what cost?

  Mikael stepped away, regret shining in his eyes. Regret for what, she vaguely wondered as his body shifted and flowed into his Wolf form before he ran off, leaving her alone by the front door.

  She turned to leave his home and found sunlight shining straight into her eyes. Dawn had risen. Turning, she stared down the hall where he'd just vanished.

  He had risked his life to be with her a moment more. Her heart soared, she'd made the right choice.

  Chapter Three

  Mikael lay in his bedchamber, thoughts of the past assaulting his senses like they always did when he succumbed to the disease. His first kill quickly followed memories of the day he was sired. The day he got his revenge by killing his Sire, for the lies and the betrayal. The day he sired his own first Childe.

  The day he met Nicolai's mother-here his thoughts slowed. That was a good day. She was sweet, gentle and innocent, giving him his first taste of kindness in centuries. He'd often wished he could slow the thoughts, stop them from rushing by so quickly. To give him the chance to examine them closer, but that wasn't how the curse worked. It led you were it thought you needed to go.

  Next to the first time, he saw Nicolai, so small, innocent and pure. Even as a child, the boy never fussed. Flashing to holding him in his arms, as he rocked him to sleep, raising him and watching him grow into a man any parent would be proud to call their own. Never in another thousand years could he find someone as loyal as his Nicolai. Because of Nicolai, his opinion of humans rose several notches and led to the new laws the entire Vampire nation followed.

  Next came the day he met Annabella's great-great grandfather. Never had he met a more stubborn, yet loyal man. He'd saved Mikael's life and Mikael had bestowed on him the title of Keeper as reward, a title passed down through the ages from generation to generation, to the first born of the line. A gift, a magical bond that linked them together, which could only be broken through death of one or the other, once the vows were said before the Antediluvian priest. He remembered how Annabella's father had threatened to kill him when the man realized that she would be next in line as Keeper, if he didn't treat his daughter with the respect she deserved.

  Mikael's lips turned up at the corners with his next memory: seeing the young hellion for the first time at sixteen and becoming instantly smitten. He'd waited five hundred and fifty-eight years for someone who could invoke any feeling within him. He knew instantly that he'd found the one. And, she was bound to him by an age-old pledge that was breakable only by death. A pledge that went deeper because of the bond, he now knew they shared. Not even Nicolai's mother had stirred feelings this deep within him. For that he would wait for her, as long as it took.

  He remembered the impatience that took hold of him when she didn't come to him immediately. No woman had ever been able to resist him for so long in the past. It had taken much longer than he'd expected to win her. The thrill of victory and satisfaction he'd felt when she breathlessly gave in to him ... mind, body and spirit. And now at last, she was finally his!

  As he'd started toward his rooms he'd realized the bar
gain hadn't been sealed. His decision to risk the sun's rays to seal their bargain had not been made lightly, but it had been worth every second of the pain he'd felt when the rays briefly touched his exposed skin. He'd taken her threat to refuse him seriously. Bella never lied.

  Dusk refused to approach this day. The regret that he'd been forced to leave his Bella until sunset still burned raw within him. Once they'd mated, he could bestow upon her the honor of staying by his side while he slept. Then perhaps once he'd gotten her with child, he would offer her immortality, offer to share their lives together forever ... and marriage. He wished his Bella bound to him for eternity. Annabella was raised in the old ways, she would never agree to children without marriage, of that he was more than certain.

  Children.

  That was the one secret he'd never divulged to any of her ancestors. Not many vampires could father children, and none with another vampire. But with a willing human, if she were the one, the other half of his soul it was possible. If she were to pledge to his clan, then she could carry his child.

  It was rare, but it could happen, like it had four hundred years ago. Grisele hadn't survived the childbirth, but their son had. Their son had grown strong and asked to be sired.

  Nicolai did not know the truth of his heritage. Mikael felt it would be safer for him as a child if no-one knew the truth of his parentage. He'd told his house, nothing more than, he did it for Grisele. Nicolai knew his mother had died in childbirth, and that Mikael had taken him in because of his affection for the woman and she'd wished it, but Mikael knew he suspected. Why else would he call him Vater?

  Time trickled by slowly. His mind wandered from memory to memory, always to return to her, to the kiss they'd shared. He still tasted her distinctive flavor on his tongue. Anger at his handicap flooded through him as sleep claimed his mind with a dream of their bodies melded together in ecstasy.

  * * * *

  Annabella caught herself brushing her fingers across her lips. She'd been doing that all day, and the need to be near him coursing through her was driving her insane. It refused to be quieted, and she didn't understand why.

  Picking up the contract he'd signed just that morning brought a soft blush of remembrance to her cheeks. Signore Martinelli's polite cough reminded her that she wasn't alone in the room. From the look on his face he'd clearly seen and understood the blush, which only caused it to deepen.

  "Signorina Micelli, when will I have the honor of meeting Signore De Wohlf?"

  Annabella smiled. Her revenge against Mikael for making her wait had been handed to her on a silver platter. “He is returning this very notte. I could arrange a meeting then?"

  "Si, per favore!"

  Annabella stood and held out her hand to the man. “I will make the arrangements and call you with the time. Buona Sera, Signore Martinelli."

  "Buona Sera, Signorina. Perhaps we could have dinner before the meeting, just you and I?” He kissed the back of her hand suggestively, his eyes never leaving her face.

  Annabella blushed at the heat in his eyes. A vision of Mikael's face, fangs extended in rage, appeared before her. “Signore, I thank you for the kind offer, but it is not possible. Company policy forbids personal relationships with clients. I'm afraid Signore De Wohlf would not approve, and I could lose my position."

  "Ah, I see. Pity, I would have enjoyed the opportunity. Perhaps in the future?"

  "Perhaps, Signore. Anything is possible."

  She walked him out and returned to finish processing the paperwork. Soon she would need to call Mikael and inform him about the meeting she'd scheduled that evening, which she realized would postpone their own ... night.

  Restlessness swept over her. She kept glancing out the window urging the sun to quicken its descent. A look at her calendar showed she had no more appointments that day. The desire to see him too strong to fight, she packed up her briefcase and left the office. She could finish her paperwork just as easily at the Manse as she could in her office.

  Slipping into the Manse, she went directly to the study, where she set up for the meeting with Signore Martinelli. Once finished, she sat at the window seat and watched the sun's progress behind the trees.

  Her mind wandered as she saw the yellow orb slowly sink toward the horizon. She knew almost every inch of this Manse. Her father had brought her here often to familiarize herself with the maze-like corridors in preparation of her future role as Keeper, just like his father had done for him. She'd been in every room here—well, every room but two. She'd never entered Nicolai or Mikael's personal sanctuaries.

  A feeling of defiance washed over her. She wanted to see where Mikael slept, to be there when he rose and not waiting like he'd ordered. She refused to be treated like a servant, not with what was at stake. The memory of his lust-filled order made up her mind. She stole out of the study and threaded her way through the quiet halls, past the years of accumulated antique swords and armor to his bedchamber door.

  Doubt assailed her when she reached his door. Should she do this? Her feet refused to move forward until her heart accepted the truth. She ran her hand lovingly over the door like she'd done a million times before. In the past, she had turned away at this point, too afraid to go through with her desires. Too afraid to give up the only thing she'd desired more than him.

  But not today.

  Steeling herself, she grasped the handle and turned. It swung open without a sound and the light from the hallway revealed a sitting room leading into the bedchamber beyond. She stepped into the room and looked around. The furnishings were all tasteful and looked to be padded for extra comfort. Closing the door behind her, she forced her feet to continue their journey through the room.

  She paused in the bedchamber's open doorway. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight before her. He lay on his bed unmoving and naked, the red silk sheets barely covering his body. He was beautiful to look at and she wanted to touch him. She felt his call then, soft and weak in sleep. She could fight it, that soft call urging her to come to him. He'd left that option open to her and she appreciated him for it.

  That knowledge alone moved her forward. Walking to the bed, she sat on its edge, her fingers gently brushing the hair from his face.

  A fleeting thought rushed through her mind. How long till the sun sets? But she ignored it.

  His scent wrapped around her, luring her forward. She leaned down to gently caress his lip with her own. The moment their lips touched, his eyes snapped open. Teal colored eyed shone into hers, spelling her into place.

  Night had fallen while she made her way through his room. She had nowhere to run.

  Chapter Four

  Mikael thought he was still in the dream state. Bella would never dare be so bold as to enter his private sanctum. Would she?

  He lifted his arms to grab her and flipped her into his bed beneath him. A predatory grin lit his features and his fangs extended. This was no dream. She was here willingly in his bed.

  She reached up and traced a finger down his incisor, causing a shiver of need to course through him. Not a trace of fear showed on her beautiful face; such strength made him burn for her even more.

  "This isn't where you were told to await me, Bella."

  "I am no one's slave to be ordered about, Mikael. If you want me, you take me on my terms. Not yours."

  "Such impudence from my little Keeper.” He stroked his hand over her chest, worshiping her body with his caresses. “I find your defiance both alluring and attractive."

  "That's good to know, Mikael, since Signore Martinelli has requested another meeting with you. I told him you'd be free to see him this evening. Shall I call him with the time?"

  Her mischievous smile brought a frown to his face and Mikael growled menacingly. “Damn you, woman, you were quite aware this evening was ours! How dare you..."

  His eyes narrowed as a thought floated up to the surface of his mind. “He propositioned you!” Possessiveness took over. “He will pay for trying to take what is mine."


  Her hand on his face and the soft words she cooed into his ear snapped him out of his rage. “It's your fault he propositioned me. I was lost in the memory of your kiss, and forgot I wasn't alone. I may have inadvertently given him the wrong signals."

  "It will never happen again, my pet. After this evening you will bear my mark for all to see.” He kept his words low and menacing, a warning to her of what would happen if another ever tried to take her from him.

  He expected defiance, anger at being branded his. What he saw in her face was a fire that matched his own, a desire to make him hers, kindling in him a need to mate, to get her with child and make their union permanent.

  He'd call for the clan's Antediluvian to bless their union, then he'd wed her in a sacred vampiric ceremony of bonding. None would gainsay him once she carried his seed and bore his mark.

  Bella kissed him, her lips eager and insistent. Mikael deepened the kiss, his hand running up her thigh to her hip, bringing with it her sundress. His other hand cupped her face, his fingers tangling in her hair possessively. “Il Mio. Dikos Mou. Illaxma. Mein. La Mienne. Toda la Mina. Mijn. Mine!” It was every language he knew. “Are we understood?"

  "Perfectly."

  Her calm answer teased a smile from his lips. He knew she disliked being referred to as his personal property, but he couldn't resist the taunt—it brought out a fire in her eyes. A fire that promised passion. “Good! Now call Martinelli and tell him to be here in ten minutes. I'll go freshen up for the meeting."

  He left her fuming behind him. He loved the power he now had over her. Annabella was a headstrong, independent woman. He would conquer her, body and soul, on his own terms; nothing else would quench the yearning.

  * * * *

  Annabella watched him prowl into his bathroom. The arrogant bastard! That was twice he'd done that to her.

  Reaching over to the phone she dialed Signore Martinelli's number and gave him Mikael's instruction. The man wasn't happy being ordered about, but he'd waited weeks for this meeting, so he agreed.