STORY EXCERPT

The great kingdom of Neverlight Hall was the most powerful of the lands. The Espelimbergos’ dynasty ruled for over three thousand years. Although they were human, they had shifter servants to see to their safety and warlocks to cast spells, keeping the kingdom safe from anyone who wished them harm.

But not all was well in the kingdom. Queen Serentene Espelimbergo wanted children. But she did not want her husband to plant his seed in her womb. Serentene scoffed at the idea of having sons who were weak with nothing more than human blood. She wanted her offspring to be strong like shifters, powerful like warlocks, and have the cunning intelligence of a demon.

After seeking out Nenya, the greatest warlock to ever walk the lands, Serentene struck a bargain with him. She agreed to kill the king in exchange for a powerful potion that would give the sons she bore all the otherworldly qualities she felt was their right to have. Nenya agreed to her bargain. But what the queen did not know was that the warlock hated humans with every breath that he took.

He was so hate filled and jaded that he created the spell with a dark heart, adding things that were wholly evil. Handing it over, Nenya told Serentene that her end of the bargain was to be met when her sons turned of age.

She agreed.

After chanting the spell that Nenya had given her, she sought out the one man whose reputation spoke of great power and unparalleled strength. Serentene used her breathtaking beauty to seduce Panahasi into sleeping with her—not once, but twice.

King Marsian Espelimbergo was filled with joy when his queen gave birth to their first son, Christian. He was thrilled once again when a few years later she bore him twins—Rhysdan and Ceridian.

The vampire race was born.

But what Marsian did not know was that the sons were not of his loins. He raised them as his own, teaching them to be great men. On the eve of Christian’s eighteenth birthday, Nenya visited Serentene. He demanded his payment, but by then, Serentene had softened, her sons showing her the greatest gift of all, love. She refused to kill her husband. Serentene knew that she had been selfish when using the spell so many years ago. Over the years she realized just how much Marsian adored her and she had fallen in love with her king.

Enraged that she had failed to keep her end of the bargain, Nenya gathered the other warlocks, starting a war in which the king and queen were killed. Before his own death, Nenya cast one last spell. He wanted the sons to suffer for their mother's betrayal. Choosing the darkest spell he possessed, Nenya sliced his very own daughter’s throat, creating a curse for the sons of Serentene Espelimbergo.

He began to chant, reciting the spell as the shifters and Espelimbergo sons stormed his castle. Nenya had enough time to curse just one. He chose the vampire who had slept with his beloved daughter, Victoria.

Ceridian.

As he was overtaken, Nenya poured Victoria’s blood into the cauldron, sealing the vampire’s fate for all eternity. Since the abomination loved blood so much and had soiled his daughter, Nenya cursed Ceridian with a craving of the flesh.

The keeper of the underworld sought out Ceridian, telling him what Nenya had done. He also told Ceridian that if he revealed this knowledge, that the curse would intensify tenfold. The spell forced Ceridian to consume flesh, making him the most feared vampire in all existence.

The war lasted three hundred years, decimating the paranormal population. In that time, Ceridian’s hunger for the flesh had grown so greatly that Christian had to put his brother into a deep sleep. But Rhysdan loved Ceridian so deeply that he did not want him to be alone. He agreed to be put to sleep next to his twin. Christian swore to Rhysdan that he would awaken the twins when he found a solution to Ceridian’s adversity.

But a solution was never found.

Years turned into decades that turned into centuries. Two thousand years had passed, and now in a time of technology where the inhabitants of earth were tapping away on their smartphones or busy driving in rush hour traffic, the mysteries of days long ago weren’t even a fleeting thought.

No one remembered the battle between the otherworldly creatures and warlocks. Most had forgotten the folklore, setting aside the legends for a latte or the latest gadget. Those who did remember thought the war only a myth to scare their young into behaving. A handful remained who were there, witnessing firsthand the evil that had plagued the lands. Just a few recalled the carnage left behind.

Warlocks all but vanished from the lands, killed by vampires and shifters to stop them from casting ancient and wicked spells.

Neverlight Hall still stood, although now in ruins. The years had not been kind to the castle that had once been the most majestic place to live. But there was still one who walked the lonely halls, living in the shadows to stop himself from eating his way through the scourge of society.

Chained to his curse, Ceridian Giordano Espelimbergo was more dead than alive, enduring an existence he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy.

ADULT EXCERPT

He shuddered at Virgil’s words, unsure if his mate knew what he was doing to Ceri. The slow burn inside of him was growing hotter at the little nips and licks. Grazing a hand over Virgil’s head, Ceri watched as the vampire licked around his nipple, sucked it into his mouth, and then bit down gently. His skin hummed with the pleasurable sensations.

Suddenly Ceri felt Christian just outside the door. That wasn’t something he should normally be able to do, but he could feel the hesitation stopping Christian from barging in.

He is safe. Ceri pushed the thought into Christian’s mind. No harm will come to him.

Christian nodded, but assigned Harley to stay right outside the door, telling the man that if he heard anything distressful, to get Virgil out by any means necessary.

Ceri sucked in his breath as Virgil reached out to him, the tips of his fingers tenderly grazing Ceri’s jaw. Heat spread out from that bare contact, flooding Ceri’s neck as he splayed his hand along the sensitive skin below Virgil’s ear and around to his nape.

Virgil twisted against him and Ceri knew the man needed his touch, for Ceri to fuck him, to relieve the yearning pit of exquisite need throbbing inside his mate. His mate was like a flame of sensual teasing that was stealing Ceri’s very breath.

“Patience.” He denied Virgil what he wanted, making his mate whimper. “Not yet, innocent one. But soon. Real soon.”

Virgil watched with darkened eyes as Ceri moved from him, going to his knees then laying his mate down on pillows that were beneath his mate’s shoulders and head. The man looked up at him, his eyes glittering with arousal, making a low growl rumble in Ceri’s chest just to see such a captivating sight.

“You know what I want,” he told Virgil, his voice rough, his cock aiming for his mate’s lips. Virgil trembled, his eyes betraying his eagerness to give Ceri what he wanted. Virgil licked his lips slowly then allowed Ceri’s cock to push slowly between them.

“Beautiful,” he growled, feeling Virgil’s hand going to his own cock, his fingers pulling at his erection. God, he wanted to do that for Virgil. Wanted to pull at that pretty cock. Watch his flesh darken, harden further.

His mate’s mouth was sucking firmly, his tongue rimming the flared head, fingers massaging taut balls with firm strokes. Virgil’s mouth was a sucking, licking demon of pleasure as he lapped at the pre-cum spilling from Ceri’s cock, suckled his sensitive head and caused a deep groan of need to echo in Ceri’s chest. He could feel his fangs lengthening as spikes of desire shot higher and higher inside of him. It drove him to push a little further, to show Virgil what intimacy was all about.

His mate’s hands gripped Ceri’s cock as he moaned around his flesh, licking him, suckling at him as he fucked Virgil’s mouth, his cock tightening, throbbing. He pushed his cock to the back of Virgil’s throat, waiting for his mate’s reflexive swallow to squeeze the sensitive tip before retreating and fucking into him again. His hands clenched around the strands of hair he held captive, holding his mate in place, watching his glistening mouth take him with each stroke. He couldn’t stand it. His body was alive for a change, his cock so sensitive, so desperate for release he felt as if he was burning from the inside out.

His hips arched, his cock pressing to Virgil’s throat as he felt his release wash over him. Lightning shot through his scrotum, up his spine, arching his body as the first pulse of his seed shot into his mate’s mouth.

“Take it all,” he whispered breathlessly as he felt Virgil swallow, felt his tongue dance over the exploding tip as he shot into his mouth again.

And still he was hard.

With an animal grunt of lust, he came down on Virgil, positioning his pelvis between the man’s thighs and yanking the man toward him by his hips. He moved his hand around Virgil’s bottom and slid down to lightly rub at the tightness of his mate’s entrance, sending the scent of the man’s desire flaring into the air. Ceri used the spittle from his mouth to ease his fingers inside his mate.

The sounds Virgil made fed the hunger but they also fed the protectiveness. He let his mate catch his breath before taking his lips in another kiss, but this time he gentled himself. This time, he used his tongue to tangle with Virgil’s.

His mate’s hands gripped frantically at his shoulders, but he had no intention of rushing this. He intended for the waves of pleasure to lap at the man before consuming him, before turning his mate into passion and heat, surrender and demand.

Ceri groaned deep in his throat, a harsh, wordless snarl as he slid two more fingers into Virgil’s body without warning. Ceristarted to move in a steady rhythm, making sure to nail Virgil’s gland as often as he could.

“Ceri!” It was a scream. Virgil’s hands fell to the sheets, clutching wildly as he rode the pleasure, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as his neck muscles strained, showing Ceri that beautiful pulsing vein that he didn’t dare go near. His mouth watered for just one small taste, but Ceri tore his eyes away. Even though he had taken a double dose of the potion, he wasn’t going to tempt fate.

“Shh,” he gentled, stopping to give his mate a little tenderness. He kissed his brow, his eyelids, his cheeks, and finally his lips. Indulgent, slow, undemanding. Until his mate’s breathing was calmer and those obsidian eyes were no longer wild. Then he started moving his fingers again. He pulled all the way back out and then pushed back in, fucking Virgil with his fingers for a few more strokes before pulling his hand completely free.

Ceri leaned down, sucking at his mate’s hole, wetting it with enough saliva to lubricate the man. It wasn’t as good as the salve he had used the first time they had been together, but it would have to do.

Rearing back, Ceri groaned his mate’s name, his hand touching damp hair, the other holding Virgil’s hip as he pushed inside, groaning as Virgil's body enveloped him in its tight, wet heat. Inch by inch Virgil’s flesh gave. Inch by inch the coil of heat that had exploded through his body just moments before began to mount again. Gritting his teeth, Ceri eased back, growling at the incredible pleasure from the friction of Virgil’s flesh against his.