A Conquest Like No Other

Evernight
Publishing ®

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright©
2015 Emma Anderson

 
ISBN: 978-1-77233-423-4

Cover Artist: Jay
Aheer

Editor: Jessica Ruth

ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or
distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.
 
No part of this book may be used or
reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names,
characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events,
locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

I want to send a huge thank you to my readers. I
was a little scared about starting this series because I wasn't sure how it
would be received. With the encouragement of those around me, I embarked on
this journey and have loved the majority of it so far. Devil and Gabby's story
was easy to write, but ensuring Devil's character was consistently hard
throughout the book was difficult. He definitely is a hard man to like. This
second book was fraught with its own problems, but I got there in the end with
the support of my family, fellow authors and you, my readers. After a small
bout of writer's block Viper and Nikki's story was finally born. I hope you all
enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it.

Happy reading!

A CONQUEST LIKE NO OTHER

The Fall of the Four Horsemen, 2

Emma
Anderson

Copyright
© 2015

Prologue

Welcome
to Sin City. Where the stakes are high and playboys are many. A place where
bets are laid and deals are made. The paranormal world thrive in this
environment, wheeling and dealing, living and loving. The Four Horsemen are no
different. The people of Las Vegas feed their hunger without even trying. They
are known by many names—Death, Conquest, War and Famine—but those close to them
know them as Devil, Viper, Judge, and Chaos. They run their business, Celestial
Desert Paradise Hotel and Casino, the way they live their lives, ruthlessly.
They are unforgiving when wronged and never fail to obtain that which they
desire. Until now. Viper, otherwise known as Conquest, is about to meet the one
thing he needs to conquer beyond anything else, his mate. She will also prove
to be the hardest.

Nikki Greene looked over at her
friend Gabby. The fear that had taken up residence within her soul was mirrored
in her best friend’s eyes. They were currently being held in a foul-smelling,
vacated warehouse by the man who had recently murdered Gabby’s
half brother
, Grant. He wanted something from them. It was
something they couldn’t give him.

Grant had stolen a laptop, not
knowing that it belonged to the accountant of this crime boss. It turned out
that the policemen Grant had then spoken to were on this guy’s payroll. It led
to Grant’s gruesome murder and the danger Nikki and Gabby were now in.

Nikki
was pulled from her thoughts as the guard behind her spoke. “
Boss, does that mean we’re
keeping them?”

“
Yes, these two will do nicely.
They’re going to make me a lot of money.” The man rubbed his chubby hands
together.

“
Before we send them off to the
whorehouse, I want to play with this one,” the guard said, bending to bring
several strands of Nikki’s hair up to his nose.

The man’s intentions were plain
to see, and they scared Nikki beyond everything else. Well, not everything. As
her body began to shake, her mind was transported back to another time. A time
she would love to forget. Three years ago, to be exact.

She had just broken up
permanently with her on-again, off-again boyfriend. Her heart was lighter than
it had been for a while and her mind was comfortable with the decision she had
made. It was time to move past the ambiguous liaison she had with Paul Watson,
as she knew it held no future. She wanted to explore a more mature and
committed relationship. If only Paul had agreed with her assessment.

With Gabby at work, Nikki took
herself off to bed early. She was avoiding her phone by leaving it on the
kitchen bench. It was the only way she had found to gain some semblance of
peace over the last two days since calling it off with Paul. He had been
ringing her every hour. The calls started out with him begging for another
chance and had quickly turned to a more vicious attack on her character. But
not once did she ever believe he was capable of violence. He proved her wrong
that night.

She woke to a shadow standing
over her. In her sleepy state, she had assumed it was Gabby. It quickly became
apparent who it was. Paul had broken into her apartment. But still she didn’t
feel the need to scream. Not even when he yanked the bedcovers off of her. She
didn’t realize what a dangerous situation she was in until it was too late.

The strength she had once admired
in him was used against her as he held her down and cut her pajama shorts and
t-shirt off with a wicked-looking knife—the same one that entered her torso
after she had started to fight his hold. The same one that had done a great
deal of damage to her body as Paul proclaimed her as his. She had been close to
death when Gabby found her, brutally beaten, stabbed and raped. Still she
pulled through, just so she could see that bastard in jail.

She wasn’t so sure she could
survive another attack, she conceded before forcing her mind back to the
present. While she’d been taking her scary trip down memory lane something had
changed. Gabby had tensed even further and her eyes were filled with worry.

Nikki pushed herself deeper into
the chair in the hope it would miraculously make her invisible. It didn’t work.
Instead, her head was forcibly yanked back by her hair and her guard slammed
his mouth hard down upon hers. His lips were unforgiving, punishing her for not
complying with their silent demands. She held her body stiff as his tongue once
again attempted to push past her lips. Only when he stopped trying did she act.

Opening her mouth, she latched
onto his lips, though not the way he wanted. She bit down hard in a desperate
attempt to cause this man some damage. Warm liquid slipped onto her tongue, and
she relished its salty taste. Her victory, while triumphant, was short lived.

“
You fucking bitch, you’ll pay for
that!” the guard yelled, right before pain erupted in the side of her head.

Her chair fell back and her skull
connected with the concrete floor. Nikki was vaguely aware of Gabby screaming
over the pounding in her ears. More dull thuds could be heard as a crash
sounded off in the distance. A blur of color appeared where her guard had once
stood. Her fog-filled brain likened the rainbow-colored figure to her angel of
death coming to claim her soul. She would soon find out that she was not far
wrong.

Chapter
One

The throb in her head pulled her
from her sleepy state. Too scared to open her eyes until she had a little more
information about the predicament she was in, she listened to the sounds around
her. Silence. Though somehow she sensed someone was with her. Inhaling gently
in the hope it wouldn’t be noticed, she quickly came to the conclusion that she
was no longer in the putrid warehouse. Had she and Gabby been moved to the
whorehouse already?

Knowing procrastinating would do
nothing to alter her fate, she opened her eyes. The huge wooden bed she was
lying on took up a large portion of the bedroom. The window that covered the
wall to her right told her that she was still in Las Vegas. If she had to
hazard a guess, she was in one of the many hotels in the area, and high up. She
could see the lights that shone for miles, using their hypnotic dance to lure
unsuspecting visitors to the Strip. Offering them the promise of the adventure
they sought in one of the casinos.

Her gaze moved away from the
gorgeous view and back to her surroundings. A man stood in the bedroom door,
casually leaning against the frame. His messy red hair was pointing in every
direction, suggesting he had just got out of bed. Ink covered every inch of
skin that was showing, even his face. The bright swirling patterns dove under
his stubble and reappeared on his neck. Every color of the rainbow was represented
in his tattoos, emphasized even further by the simple black t-shirt stretched
across his chest. Though he appeared relaxed, her eyes saw something more. The
muscles in his crossed arms tensed the moment her gaze fell upon him, and the
worry in his eyes spoke of his true feelings at that moment. She would use his
concern to gain answers.

“Gabby?” she asked, gingerly
sitting up. She leaned against the head of the bed, trying to appear calm. Her
emotions were anything but and her sore head continued to make itself known.

“She’s with Devil, safe,” came
the man’s response. “Devil’s blood has healed her completely, and the twins are
doing fine.”

“Twins?” she asked, relaxing
slightly now that she knew her friend was safe. And pregnant, by the sounds of
it.

“Yes, Chaos confirmed it. Your
friend is carrying two babies.”

“Where am I?”

“You’re back at the hotel. You’re
safe, Nikki,” the man responded, moving away from the door. “What can you
remember about the occurrences at the warehouse?”

“Not much,” she admitted,
frowning.

Now that she pushed her brain for
answers, she saw snippets, like a trailer for a movie. From the images racing
through her head, she concluded that her tattooed angel had rescued her. The
same man who now stood at the bottom of the bed. She remembered Gabby’s
lifeless body as her mate, Devil, crouched down beside her, forcing his vampire
blood into her mouth. She was vaguely aware of the presence of Judge and
another man she assumed to be Chaos in the warehouse. Though she doubted she
would be able to recognize Chaos if she passed him on the street. Now all she
had to do was remember the fourth man’s name. This man. Finally, it came to
her.

“You’re Viper.”

“Correct,” he said, slightly
bowing his head.

“Thank you for rescuing us,” she
whispered, her eyes suddenly heavy. Forcing them open, she added, “Nice tats.”

“Thank you,” he replied with a
look that suggested he wasn’t sure how he felt about her noticing his painted
skin. “You made a comment about them back at the warehouse.”

“Did I?” she asked, assuming it
was her attention on his tattoos that had him uneasy. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean
to make you uncomfortable.”

Though she conceded that he
wasn’t the only one uncomfortable. Since she had come to, her body had reacted
to this man like none other. It was something she didn’t like. For the last
three years she’d held herself at arm’s length from any member of the male
species. The mere presence of this beautiful man had her heart racing and her
pussy tingling. She needed to get away from him, and quickly.

“Can you please take me home?”
she asked, tossing the covers off and throwing her legs over the side of the
bed. Her body felt stiff and achy while her head throbbed, but she refused to
allow the moan to escape past her lips for fear that Viper would insist on her
remaining under his supervision.

This man’s effect on her overrode
the fear of going home where she knew she would be alone with her thoughts and
memories. Memories of a time best left in the past. Viper posed a danger to her
mind, body and soul. Not to mention her sanity.

Thankfully, he seemed to
physically relax at her question. It meant she wouldn’t have to fight to get
away from him.

“Very well. But you must promise
me that you’ll take it easy for the next twenty-four hours,” Viper said,
offering her a hand up from the bed. “Chaos is our resident doctor, though he
lacks the human qualifications. He is a warlock who has the ability to read and
heal life energies. He took care of that bump on your head, as well as your
concussion, but it will still be tender to touch. He unfortunately couldn’t do
much about the pounding that you’re more than likely feeling right now. Rest,
and promise to ring me if you start to feel unwell. I’ve entered my number into
your mobile. Use it if you need to.”

She nodded her response. The
truth was, she would agree to just about anything to get away from this man. He
had her body wanting to do things that her mind, heart, and fear wouldn’t
allow. The sooner she removed him from her life the better it would be. That’s
what she continued to repeat to herself as he drove her home.

****

Viper wasn’t sure whether to feel
relieved or disappointed that his mate was no longer in his sight. He couldn’t
believe it! He had a mate. A stunning one who feared his very presence. He’d
heard Devil and Judge speak of Nikki, as well as their suspicions of the trauma
she had experienced at the hands of a man. He couldn’t fathom what could have
gone through that man’s head that allowed him to rationalize his behavior. No
matter how many abysmal acts he’d performed in his long life, he had never
lifted a hand in anger against a woman or with the intent to harm one. In his
eyes, they were to be protected and cherished.

Finding Nikki had also provided
him insight to his response to Devil and Judge’s edict that he was to stay away
from her. Even before meeting her, he had grown instantly angry at the very
thought of not being able to bed this woman. He was never denied women, and
unbeknownst to Devil and Judge, they were denying him his mate.

He had gained a name for himself.
He loved women and they loved him. Which brought him back to his confusing
response to Nikki. He wanted her in his life, and the idea of another man being
anywhere near her had his blood boiling. But he wasn’t sure he was ready to
give up his playboy lifestyle, either.

Anger filled him. What game were
the fates playing? He’d previously had a mate and been faithful to her, never
giving her reason to question his commitment. Then they stole her from him. It
had taken him a long time to reconcile his emotions, and now it was his time to
play. Not commit himself to another.

No, he wasn’t going to take this
lying down. And it would seem his intended mate felt the same way if her need
to extricate herself from his presence was anything to go by. He was going to
give the fates the old proverbial finger, and he had every intention of
starting right now.

Decisively he looked at the clock
on his bedside table. The night was young and there was still plenty of
partying to be done. Stripping from his clothes, he headed toward the shower.
He allowed the hard streams of water to ease his aching muscles. If only it
worked on his cock.

The moment his gaze fell upon
Nikki he had become instantly hard. Not even her injuries had deflated his
member. Nor had her dismissal of her obvious attraction toward him. He may not
have the vampire and shifter sense of smell, but he had something better when
it came to reading others’ moods. His
fae
magic
allowed him to see auras. It was how he had identified Nikki as his mate. Where
everyone else’s auras spoke of their emotions with varying colors, no other had
a pure white glow but his mate. It clung to her body like a halo, while her
emotions were like tipped highlights around the edge. The bright red tinge
spoke to him of her desires. Her hazel eyes held panic.

He needed to think of something
else other than his gorgeous, petite brunette mate. Pushing his mind toward the
numbers on the spreadsheet he had been working on that afternoon, he tried to stave
off his oncoming orgasm. It didn’t work. His cock throbbed, desperate for
relief. Nikki had done that to him, causing him to act like an untrained
schoolboy. Still he refused to wrap his hand around his member and finish
himself off. He was in control of his life and body and neither Nikki nor the
fates were going to diminish that. He continued that mantra as he gradually
reduced the heat in the water.

His need to find relief in a
warm, wet pussy had him deserting the shower. Throwing some clothes on, he went
in search of a willing bed partner.