Vampire Cursed (2 page)

He frowned. “You should lie down.  It is possible you are still feeling jet lag from your flight.”

She muttered a word which was crude in any language and pushed her thick mass of hair away from her eyes, shaking off the Duke’s hand.  “I can stand on my own, and I have no intentions of lying back down.”

“Are you always this stubborn?” Though the words held a bite, his lips curved upwardly like he was secretly amused. 

Abby wasn’t even in the vicinity of amused. “You know, you really have some nerve.  Feeding me all that nonsense about knowing me and…and…destiny.  Well,” she waggled a finger in his face for emphasis.  “I don’t know what you thought my coming here would do for you, but I’m not staying. And believe me when I tell you the last thing you’re going to want to see is my article about you and Castle Lehr.”

One eyebrow arched like her threat meant little to him. Abby wanted to punch him, to wipe that smug look of superiority off his face.  “Why leave the one place that could satisfy all your deepest fantasies?”

Her eyes narrowed.  “Fantasies?  Who said anything about fantasies?  I’m leaving, and if you try to stand in my way, there won’t be enough royal blood left in your veins to transfuse a rabbit by the time I get through with you.” She walked to the door.

His low, rumbling chuckle caused the hair on the back of her neck to rise. “You must be a magnificent writer.  Your language is very colorful.”

“Don’t pacify me.”

“And you may call me Nathaniel.”

“I’ll call you a lot worse if you don’t get out of my way.”  She squared her shoulders and tipped her head back to see the shadowy planes of the Duke’s handsome face.  Darkness had fallen, and without benefit of modern lighting, Abby couldn’t see much beyond those shapely lips and masculine chin.  But it was enough to tell that he was still smiling.  And she still wanted to hit him.

“I am afraid I cannot allow that.  You are not well at the present.”

“I’m perfectly fine.  If there’s anything wrong with me, it’s being trapped with a man I barely know who claims I’m his destiny.”

“I see.  Well, perhaps it might be better if you stayed here for the evening.”  The Duke made the suggestion, but the words reflected the command.

“That’s not going to happen.  I came here to write a story, and since that isn’t what you have in mind, I’m not going to waste another minute of my time.”  She took a step forward, swayed and then the Duke’s strong, muscular arms closed around her waist from behind.  “I don’t know what’s come over me.”

His hand cupping her elbow, he escorted her back to the bed.  “You are extremely tired.  You need to rest.”

In spite of her desire to resist him, Abby found herself leaning against his strength.  “Did you drug me?” The thought just occurred to her, but then she remembered she hadn’t drunk anything inside the castle. So why was she feeling this way?

“That certainly is a vivid imagination you have, but no, I did not drug you. What you feel is most likely the effects of the castle. It tends to embrace those who belong here.”

She stopped so suddenly his shoulder bumped against hers.  “What are you talking about? I don’t belong here.” Panicked to the point of hysteria, Abby turned in his arms. She had to get out of this house, away from this man.

The Duke brushed his knuckles down her cheek in an intimate caress.  With the light of the gas lamps, she could see a flare in his eyes, or was it a flame?  And when had the fires ignited inside the globes?  One minute she’d been cursing the darkness, but now, she could see him clearly.  And his eyes were pools of heat, drawing her in. 

Her anger dissipating, she wanted to bask in the warmth, drown in their heated depths.  Magnetism pushed her forward, making her seek his strength.  She needed the feel of his arms around her, the inviting expanse of his shoulder.

Reaching up, she touched his face.  “What are you doing to me?”

“I do only what you want me to do.”

The intimacy of his words made her moan aloud.  She could think of billions of things she’d like him to do, starting with her toes and working his way up.  “I shouldn’t want you to do anything.”  The voice didn’t sound anything like her. The throaty, full tones came from a woman sinking into an abyss of desire with a man she didn’t know.

His hand curled around her neck, drawing her closer and closer until their breaths mingled in the early morning light.  “Would you have me kiss you?”

“Yes,” she breathed, anticipating the sweet succor of his lips.

The kiss came sweetly at first, a gentle gliding of his lips over hers.  Abby moaned again, leaning in until her breasts pushed against his fine linen shirt.  His tongue caressed hers, inviting exploration.  She lost the ability to think, to reason, as her breaths came in short, staccato bursts of air.

“Abigail.  My sweet Abigail.  You’re finally home.”

The words were a slap in the face, a forceful dose of reality. “No!” She pushed against his shoulders, forcing him away.

He didn’t fight her. Instead, his hands fell away, and he took a step back. “Please rest, Abigail.” Without another word, he left her.

Abby fell to her knees beside the bed, her heart hammering a wild rhythm in her chest. What had she gotten herself into, and why was fleeing becoming a distant want?

* * * *

She is here.
  He’d waited for her for centuries, and now she was here.  In his home.  In his life.  Nathaniel moved about the parlor slowly, stealthily, prowling like a large jungle cat.  He knew he’d scared her with his declaration.  She couldn’t know what he knew, but she had to be the one, the woman with the flaming hair and eyes like emeralds.  She would be the one to release him from his torment and allow him to resume a normal life.  The woman to free him.  If only he could convince her to stay.

Allowing her to leave wasn’t an option.  Though she believed herself to be a reporter, he knew better.  She was the one woman who would break the curse and allow him to find love, thereby breaking the witch’s curse.

Nathaniel cursed and slapped his palm against the paneled wall.  He’d waited for centuries for this moment.  He wanted to take his time, to convince Abby to stay on her own, to give her the space she needed to fall in love with him.  But time was in short supply.

If Abigail couldn’t love him, refused to allow herself to listen to her heart, the curse would become permanent, and he would be forced to live eternally as a creature of the dark—a being Abby would never understand and could certainly never love. A loathsome thing trapped inside the walls of a castle he could never leave.

“No.”  The word broke from his throat.  She had to stay.  It had taken every ounce of strength he possessed to compel her to come. He didn’t know if he would be strong enough to bring her back again.

* * * *

Abby dragged her knees closer to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.  What was happening to her? Instead of rushing around the room trying to find something to wear, she sat on the bed wondering about the man who’d left her at her request.

Though he’d come across as overbearing and demanding, she sensed no malice in him. And she’d always been able to trust her instincts which were always eerily accurate.

  Her grandmother had told her she’d been an intuitive child, and over the years, that gift had only gotten stronger. Abby could read people, know almost instantaneously what they wanted out of life, the means they’d take to achieve their goals, and how much evil resided within them.

But it had been tougher to read the Duke. She’d seen desperation in the depths of his eyes and something more—a touch of pain, which made her want to stay, to find out what had caused the it and if she could somehow ease it.  She had no idea why she’d wanted him to kiss her, though.

One second she had been prepared to lambast him, and the next…her face flushed. She’d had few relationships over the past years, preferring to focus on her career. Her last date had been some time last year which was a little pathetic now that she thought about it.

But Nathaniel. He was different. She wanted so much more than just one kiss. Something about him mesmerized her. Took her by surprise and suppressed her will so she’d succumbed to his.

And with just one kiss he’d made her feel alive and sexier than she’d felt in the longest time. 

Shaking her head, Abby dropped her legs to the side of the bed and stood, testing her own strength.  Grateful the dizziness had passed, she padded across the solid flooring toward the door.  With one hand closed around the doorknob, she swung open the hard wood and stepped out into the hallway. 

The corridor was dark and uninviting, but Abby moved with sure steps toward the parlor, instinctively knowing where Nathaniel was.  He’d shocked the hell out of her with his words, and now that she’d had the chance to regroup, she needed answers.

The door to the study was open, and she saw him standing by the gothic window, his back to her.  His broad shoulders obliterated her view of the panes, and she found her eyes traveling down to his muscular backside encased in snug-fitting black pants.  Her mouth watered.

“I’ve been expecting you.”  The Duke’s voice didn’t startle her, and Abby wondered if she’d dropped into some alternate dimension.

“For someone who insists he knows what I want, you’re a little dense. You didn’t think I’d want answers after you dropped that bombshell on me?”

“You were not ready.”

“Why do you get to decide that?” Her voice held censure as well as curiosity.

 “It wasn’t difficult to deduce.” He still hadn’t faced her, and irritation propelled her forward. “I felt your panic. Destiny frightens you.”

“There’s that word again.”

He turned, and his eyes, hot chips of blue, blazed into hers.  “Not talking about it won’t make it go away. “

“Obviously not, but harping on it will make me go away. And will you stop looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you want to kiss me.”  She paused.  “Again.”

Nathaniel moved away from the window, toward her.  With infinite grace, he swept out a hand toward the nearest chair.  “I’ve always heard that asking for seconds was a compliment to the chef.”

Heat raced up her neck and enveloped her face. Good Lord.  Did the man have a manual, something telling him the right thing to say to disarm a woman?  Abby sat, afraid her legs wouldn’t hold her for much longer.  “Why did you welcome me home after we kissed?”

“Because that’s where you are.”

“Your home.  Not mine.”

He nodded slowly.  “I knew you would need time to absorb my words.”

“Isn’t that the truth?”  She blew out a breath. “Will you tell me why you don’t want me to leave?”

His face hardened, and he sat down across from her, dropping his hands between his splayed knees.  “You would not understand.”

“Do you really think keeping me in the dark is going to convince me to stay?”

He inclined his dark head.  “Perhaps not.”  Nathaniel shifted, his muscles bunching beneath his shirt.  His hard features, chiseled from stone, softened momentarily.  “But maybe it would be best to give you some time to adjust.”

Abby sat up straight in the chair, every muscle in her body attuned to his words, every nuance.  “Time to adjust to what?”  She managed to swallow past the lump in her throat but didn’t take her eyes off his face.  She saw no deception there, just blatant honesty.  That scared her more than the thought of a lie.

“Your new life.”

Her heart began a rapid thump inside her chest.  “You mean here?”

Hands folded, he met her stare boldly.  “Yes. Now that you’re here, Abigail, I can’t allow to you leave.”

Abby struggled to breathe as her Irish temper flared.  “You cannot allow.  I see.  Your Grace, are you aware of what year it is?  Are you aware that women can make their own choices now?  I don’t know if you fell asleep and woke in the wrong century, but here, we have freedom to come and go as we please.  We can walk away.” She stood, brushed her hands down the front of the flimsy nightgown she still wore. “Which is exactly what I’m going to do.”

He had approached her again without her knowledge. That thought alone was enough to frighten her into backing against the closest wall.  She wanted to push him away, but his closeness was overpowering, drugging, almost.  Her hands came up to rest against the span of his chest.  The steady beat of his heart should have reassured her.  He was alive, a normal male.  Okay, well, maybe not normal, but he was at least a male, a man who with the sheer magnetism of his presence was attempting to overwhelm her.

Gathering her resolve, Abby began to inch along the wall.  “So if you will excuse me, I’ll just be…”

Nathaniel had moved swiftly, one hand pressed against the door to prevent her escape.  “Abigail, I need you to stay.”

She blinked up at him, and her world tilted slightly.  She couldn’t have mistaken the catch in his voice.  “Tell me why.”

“It is a long story.”

“It would appear I have all night.”

“I am cursed,” he spoke harshly, stepping away from her, his hands dropping to his sides.  He spun around, presenting his back.

Abby bit down on her lower lip and considered his words carefully.  “Cursed how?  You mean like possessed or do you just have bad luck?”