Darkest Ecstasy

“Stark Pleasure” in
Yes, Master

 

Darkest Desire

 

Dangerous Master

 

Darkest Fire

 

Decadent Master

 

Wicked Beast

 

Dark Master

 

Real Vamps Don't Drink O-Neg

 

Sex and the Single Ghost

KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
www.kensingtonbooks.com

All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

For David

To my editor, Martin Biro, thank you for being awesome.

I
n general, people complicated things too much. Life was simple. Human beings were simple. They were creatures. In essence, animals. And like every other beast in nature, they were driven by a handful of common motivators. The most powerful: self-preservation.

After decades of searching, living in fear, she had found the way to end the struggle. And she would do something great for all of humanity in the process. Talk about a win-win situation.

Her heart pounding with excitement, she signed the lease on her new apartment. She had a new lease on a home and a new lease on life. At last she was free from fear and frustration. Her life would never be the same.

After shaking the leasing agent's hand, she stepped out into the warm, sunny day. For the first time ever she felt alive, energized, ready to start her new life.

This was just the first step.

A black Mercedes-Benz prowled around the corner and stopped. There they were, her new partners. Her ticket to a new, wonderful life.

Smiling, she entered the car.

 

“Bro, time to man up. You know what you've gotta do.”

Talen Gryffon grunted a response. If he'd actually enunciated the words, his oldest brother, Drako—who'd lately become a hell of a nag—might have tried to kick his ass. Of course, Drako would have failed. As long as he kept the fire thing out of it.

“Yeah. I hear you.” Lying on his back, on the weight bench, a loaded three-hundred-pound barbell in his hands, Talen completed his sixth rep.
Four more to go.

Drako, the nag, stood at his head, ready to spot him if he needed it. He wouldn't. “Any ideas yet?”

Talen lowered the bar to his chest. “No.”

“Want some advice?”

“No.” Chest and arm muscles working, Talen completed rep number seven.

“Fair enough.” Drako watched him finish up the last three repetitions, then helped him place the bar on the stand before stepping to the side. “Look, I know where you're at. I've been there. I promise it's not as bad as you think. Rin and I had our rough times, but I'm happy. Really happy.” He tossed a towel at Talen.

Talen snatched the white terry cloth out of the air and patted his face with it. What Drako, the leader of the Black Gryffons, had said was true. It was obvious he was happy. Now. In the beginning, when Drako had first married Rin . . . not so much. Drako hadn't been any more ready for marriage than he was. Why they had to marry at such a young age, he simply didn't get. There was plenty of time to have kids. Years. Decades. He and his brothers had only recently stepped into their positions as the Black Gryffons. Three brothers. Three guardians of The Secret. They didn't need to think about the next generation so soon. “Yeah, sure. But there's no saying I'll find the same thing you did.”

“Malek's done okay, too.”

“Sure. Okay. Right.”

He didn't want to talk about this. Marriage. Ugh. He didn't want to think about it, either. Drako didn't know, didn't understand. He wasn't ready yet. He needed more time.

What the hell was the hurry, anyway? Both of his brothers' wives were pregnant already. If they were carrying boys, two out of three future Black Gryffons were already on the way. He could wait awhile, at least until they found out what they were having.

“I'm not trying to be an asshole,” Drako said. “You know the deadline is getting close. Father told us we all needed to marry this year. Not to mention, the enemy has almost wiped us out. Twice. They've been on our asses lately.” That part was true. They'd been forced to pack up and leave, take new identities, and start over. It was a hazard of the job.

But there were the powers they'd somehow developed. Drako's fire. Malek's strength. Those would help them, keep them safe. So far, they had.

“Any sign of the Chimera again?” he asked, deciding a change of subject was a great idea. Finished with his workout, he headed for the door.

“No, not yet. But last time was close. I don't think it'll take them long to find us again.”

“Yeah, I know.” Some of the most powerful men in the country belonged to the Chimera. Scientists, politicians. Men with means. And the occasional nut job who was crazy enough to use those means in dangerous ways. The Chimera's one and only goal was to get its hands on The Secret. Talen's job, and the job of his brothers, the Black Gryffons, was to keep them from succeeding.

That job had almost cost them their lives. More than once already. And it would become the duty of their sons someday, when they were too old, too fragile, to continue.

That was why they all needed to marry. To have sons. As many as they could. But finding a wife, the right wife, was going to be hell. Plain and simple. She would not only have to share his life, and the dangers associated with it, but also somehow either satisfy his darkest erotic hungers, or be willing to allow him to satisfy them elsewhere. While both of his brothers had enjoyed some of the same things as he did before they were married—erotic bondage, discipline, among them—they had both made some compromises in the name of love.

He didn't compromise. He wouldn't compromise.

His mood sour, he waved his brother off and stomped into the bathroom to shower. Where the hell would he find the perfect wife? A woman who was strong, and sexy, and brave, but also trusting and submissive. He doubted she existed.

As he rounded the corner, he heard voices in the private dungeon he and his brothers shared. Malek was in there, enjoying a little downtime with Lei, his wife. Malek was happy, too. Well, fucking great for him. They were expecting their first child, as well. Lei's delicate petite form was already softening from the effects of her pregnancy.

A little twinge of jealousy raced through him, but he shoved it aside, just like he had for the last few months.

Lei. Beautiful, delicate Lei.

When Malek had started pursuing Lei, he hadn't realized how strong Talen's feelings for her were. But Talen, on the other hand, quickly saw how strong Malek's were becoming. And so, being the brother he was, Talen stepped out of the way the minute he realized what Malek was thinking.

He'd lost her. To his brother.

For months he'd kept his disappointment to himself. Malek didn't need to know about it. Nobody did.

He pushed on, moving quickly to put the sounds of Lei's moans and whimpers of pleasure out of earshot. It had been hell, living like this, watching Lei and Malek together, witnessing the connection between them strengthen each day. Not so long ago, he'd expected to be the one to help Lei heal from the wounds of her past. He'd expected his to be the strong arms holding her when she was afraid.

Oh hell, he needed to stop fucking thinking about what might have been. Lei was Malek's wife now. End of story. It was time to move on.

It was his duty to move on.

And move on he would.

First step: a shower. Then, a trip to the new club he'd just joined.

Since he couldn't have the woman he wanted, he'd find someone else, someone very different from her. Someone who would make him forget how great she smelled, or how sexy she looked first thing in the morning, when her glossy blue-black hair was mussed, or how creamy and smooth the skin on her back was.

Maybe a blonde. With long legs, big tits. Curvy and soft and tall, instead of lean and petite and delicate. A woman who craved the kinds of things he did, who loved to live on the edge. A woman who was adventurous and fearless.

As he showered, he made a mental checklist of his future wife's traits. They were, in any and every way, exactly opposite to Lei. After he dried off he wrapped the towel around his hips and pulled open the door.

A pair of almond-shaped eyes met his. A small, perfectly shaped mouth formed an
O
of surprise. Then porcelain skin stained pink as a blush tinted her cheeks. “Hello, Talen. Excuse me,” Lei muttered as she scurried down the hallway to the bedroom she shared with Malek.

Talen gritted his teeth as his cock thickened, hardened. His body tightened. His blood simmered.

Would she ever stop affecting him that way? Would he ever be able to look at her and not wish he could throw her onto the nearest horizontal surface and make her his?

His mood even darker than before, he locked himself in his room to dress. Maybe Drako knew more than he thought. Maybe he could sense the growing tension between him and Lei. And maybe that was why he was pressuring him to find his own wife.

Maybe it wasn't too soon after all.

With one purpose in mind, Talen dressed. Black button-down shirt. Black pants. Black socks and shoes.

After making sure he was satisfied with what he saw in the mirror, he headed out to find himself a wife.

 

Tonight, she would celebrate.

She'd done it. The contract was all but signed. Not only had she saved her own ass, but she'd saved the company's, too.

Thank you, God.

Half-walking, half-dancing, Michelle Linsey pranced through the parking structure toward her car. In the distance she heard voices echoing off the concrete walls. The screech of tires and
thump
of car doors slamming. A little chill buzzed up her spine.

Normally, she wouldn't be walking through the structure this late alone. She always tried to time it so she'd be heading out with someone from the office. But tonight she'd had to stay a little late to tie up some loose ends. It was a good problem to have. A great one.

But when she spied a pair of young men walking toward her, her heart jerked against her rib cage. She didn't like the way they were staring at her. She didn't like the way their hoods were shading their faces.

This is Mason, Ohio, not Detroit. When was the last time someone had been jumped in a parking garage here?

They were getting closer. And they were still staring at her. Feeling like she was a mouse about to be pounced on by a pack of alley cats, she hugged her purse to her side and fisted her keys tightly. She stared right back at them, letting them know she'd seen them and wasn't afraid.

What a lie that was.

She felt herself shifting her path to the right to put as much space as possible between herself and the men. She stopped glaring at them as they passed her, dragging in a small sigh of relief.

She was being paranoid.

Of course.

She was swallowing a nervous chuckle as someone behind her grabbed her arm. Her scream of terror trapped in her throat, she whirled around.

“Excuse me,” the man holding her arm said. “But—” He released it, lifting his hand, palm out. “Sorry, miss. Didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?” At her nod, he smiled and asked, “I feel like such a fool for asking, but have you seen a red pickup truck? We forgot where we parked.”

He felt foolish. So did she. She really needed to stop watching those Lifetime movies. Seriously.

After tonight. She couldn't miss
My Husband Is a Serial Killer.
She'd been waiting almost a month for it to air.

But then she would give them up. Yes. Absolutely. Positively.

Maybe.

A girl had to have at least one guilty pleasure in life.