Seduced in Shadow (11 page)

Ellie rose, knowing he’d hear her the second she did, and she wasn’t disappointed.

Antonin swung around to watch her walk down the steps, his expression wary.

She walked across the room, taking her time, holding his gaze. There wasn’t much furniture and she walked straight to him. When there was only a foot between them, she stopped, tilting her head back to look at him.

He was so gorgeous and she knew, she
knew
, she felt that way because he
was
gorgeous. Not because of some spell he’d cast over her.

“I take it you overheard that conversation?”

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Stephanie Julian

She nodded. “That was your brother?”

“Yeah. My oldest. Cam.”

“You have others?”

“Two more. Rio and Teo. They’re both younger. Because of our, ah, abilities, Rio, Cam and I have trained as security specialists most of our adult lives. We do personal security, information retrieval and gathering.”

“You mean you’re a bodyguard and a spy?”

He shrugged. “Pretty much, yeah.”

When he didn’t elaborate, she decided to ask the twenty-four-thousand-dollar question. “Are you going to tell me what
bassadone
means?”

He drew in a deep breath as if she’d hit him but nodded. “Literally translated, it means woman kisser.”

Her eyes widened. “Oo-kay. And…”

Antonin paced again and that pit in her stomach returned, the one that usually signaled a panic attack. This time, it felt more like dread. She wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

“My parents are full-blooded
linchetti
,” he started, “and occasionally full-bloods produce children with…a few more magical attributes than normal.”

She had no idea where he was going with his. Justin would have. He’d memorized their father’s tales as a kid, made them his life’s passion as an adult.

Maybe if she’d listened a little more intently, she wouldn’t be so behind the curve.

“And that means what? Come on, Antonin. Help me out here. Until yesterday, I didn’t know there were people like Sal and Scarlata in the world. At least I didn’t remember that I knew. I just spoke to my dad, who supposedly died more than ten years ago. Give me a break and just spill it. It can’t be that bad.”

Or could it? Antonin’s grave expression made goose bumps shoot up her arms.

Luckily the dread hadn’t morphed into panic yet.

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Seduced in Shadow

He took a deep breath. “I was born with the
bassadone
spell woven into my genes.

It’s kind of like being born with the sickle cell gene.”

“Are you sick?”

He shook his head. “No.” Then he took another deep breath. “The
bassadone
spell acts like an aphrodisiac. It makes me irresistible to most women. Some are immune.”

He grimaced. “Not many though. It’s not something I can turn off but I didn’t want it.”

Ellie’s eyes narrowed. “So you’re telling me the only reason I want you is because you’re magically irresistible?”

Antonin scowled at her expression of confusion, disbelief and anger. She was going to hammer him for this. Hell, if Ellie wasn’t immune, he would have taken advantage of her and he deserved to be punished but, come on, he’d never asked to be born
bassadone
.

Sure, he admitted to loving it at first. He’d been able to get any woman he’d wanted. Only one or two women had ever turned him down. After a while though, the spell had wreaked havoc on his conscience and his self-esteem. What if no one really wanted him? What if it was all because of the
bassadone
spell?

He’d always been careful and he’d never slept with all the women who’d come on to him. Still, when he did, it’d been like taking candy from a baby.

And now it was coming back to haunt him, because the one woman he’d met in all these years who really held his interest was looking at him as if he were a piece of garbage stuck to the bottom of her shoe.

He watched her shake her head, sigh then throw her hands in the air. “I’m not really sure what to do here,” she said. “Are you really telling me there’s something in your genes that makes women throw themselves at you?”

“I know it must seem weird for someone like you…”

Her eyes narrowed to slits again. “Wait, someone like me? What the hell does that mean?”

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Stephanie Julian

“Someone who wasn’t raised in our world.”

“Oh, so now I’m ignorant?”

Antonin raked his fingers through his hair, ready to pull it out by the roots. This wasn’t going well at all. “No! Damn it, you’re twisting my words.”

Sighing in frustration, he stared at her. She was so beautiful with that haughty look on her face, her arms crossed over her chest and one foot tapping an angry beat on the floor. Which just made him want her even more.

With the exception of his mother, he’d never had an argument with a woman before, magical or not. After a while, the
bassadone
spell lost its potency. When that happened, those relationships always fizzled out. They never went down in flames with a huge blowout.

So did her anger really mean Ellie wasn’t affected by the spell? So far, she’d shown none of the telltale signs women usually exhibited when they were under the spell. The glazed look, the unwillingness to confront him… No, Ellie hadn’t shied away from any confrontation with him, had she? If he made her really angry now, drew some real emotion from her, would that be the final proof that her feelings for him were genuine?

He had to know for sure.

This called for a little experimentation. “You’re not ignorant, Ellie. Just naïve.

There’s a world out there that you know nothing about.”

Antonin had to hide a smile when her mouth parted on an angry gasp. She was pissed at him. And that might be the most wonderful thing he’d ever witnessed.

Her hands slapped onto her hips and the look she gave him blazed fire. “That may be but I will not have you speak to me as if I’m some sort of idiot, because I haven’t—”

He reached out, snagged her around the neck and kissed her with everything he had. He wanted her so badly and he wasn’t going to wait anymore.

She struggled against him and beat at his shoulders. It just made him that much more elated.

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Seduced in Shadow

Ellie was immune to the
bassadone
spell. She
had
to be.

She was going to beat the man over the head with a stick the first chance she got if he didn’t let her go right now.

Okay, maybe not
right
now because, damn, the man could kiss. His lips applied just the right amount of pressure and when he slid his tongue into her mouth and licked at hers, sparks lit low in her body.

Damn him.
She should be pissed—and she was. Her anger curled into a little hot ball in her chest but after a few more seconds of kissing, it just didn’t seem worth it anymore. And she knew that wasn’t because of any spell. She simply wanted him again.

Ellie didn’t push him away. Instead her arms wound around his shoulders, holding him in place. Her mouth opened wider for him. She was already getting wet at the thought she could have him again. Now. Here.

She wrapped her leg around his hip, pressing her mound against the burgeoning ridge in his pants. His groan echoed in her head, stoking her desire. His hand cupped her ass, drawing her nearer so he could grind against her. His other hand laced into her hair, tilting her head at the perfect angle to ravage her mouth.

If this was a spell, it was one she didn’t want to break. Antonin kissed her as if their mouths were made for one another. They fit together perfectly, her soft curves to his hard muscle. The heat of his body warmed her until her blood boiled.

His kisses made her standing knee weak and when he broke away from her mouth to trail his lips along her jaw to her ear, she actually sagged. But he caught her in his arms and held her. She knew he wouldn’t let her fall.

Ellie turned her head to bite his earlobe and he shuddered. She liked that.

“Ellie,” he said on a rough sigh, “come with me.” He eased her away from him with his hands on her shoulders.

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Stephanie Julian

They stared at each other for a few brief seconds until Antonin’s mouth quirked and he released her, only to hold out his hand.

She cocked her head to the side and let him stew for a moment, watching him until she saw the slightest falter in his eyes. Then she slipped her hand into his, the warmth of his skin seeping into hers, making her treacherous heart beat like the bass line of a rap song.

“Where are we going?” she asked, confused. She would have jumped his bones, and he was taking her outside, away from the nice large bed she’d seen in the loft?

“There’s something I want to show you.”

“What?”

Antonin turned to smile at her and heat scorched her entire body. “It’s a surprise. I think you’ll like it.”

“But—”

“Trust me, Ellie.”

He was asking for way more with those three little words than met the eye. She took a breath and nodded. She
did
trust him. His mouth quirked up another of those crooked smiles of his, the ones that filled her with warmth.

They went outside. Antonin headed for the tree line of the surrounding forest. She caught a glimpse of the full moon directly above the rustic cabin, the clear sky filled with stars.

Ellie had often wondered if there were other beings out there looking at Earth and wondering the same thing.

So much mystery in the world. “Will you…tell me more about what you are?

What…I am?”

She felt his gaze on her for a brief second. “You are human. Genetically, we’re all similar. Even your dad and the other deities have a similar genetic makeup. We’re just different in the way our bodies and our minds process energy. The deities are at the top 88

Seduced in Shadow

of the food chain. They have powers you can’t imagine. The
Fata
and other magical species of the world are able to harness the earth’s magic and bend it to our will. Most humans aren’t able to do that.”

Okay, so far that all made some sense. “What about my ability to talk to animals?

That comes from my dad, right?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

“What about you? About the… What did you call it? The
Fata
?”

“The
Fata
and humans are just two branches of the same species. Like humans have different skin colors,
Fata
are different from each other in other ways. Some are
folletti
like Scarlata. There are
linchetti
and
gianes
and
incubi
and many more. But they all have the ability to use some form of magic.”

Ellie shook her head. “I used to dream that magic was real.”

Antonin smiled and she saw magic there. “It is. Let me show you.”

They walked in silence for several minutes. The unusually warm air curled over everything, soaking into her skin. The rich scents of pine sap and new leaves infused the slight breeze blowing in lazy wisps, not even disturbing the branches.

She heard no cars at all, no trains in the distance. No planes flew overhead and no dogs barked. As they continued to walk, she could see nothing but the dark outline of the trees.

Then she caught sight of flickering lights ahead. Fireflies. Did fireflies live in the forest?

“Antonin?”

“Shh,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “They don’t like to be disturbed.”

They continued through the woods along a path only Antonin seemed to see. When they stopped at the edge of a small clearing, the moon directly above them illuminated the scene. Ellie clapped a hand over her mouth to stop her gasp from escaping.

Not fireflies. Tinker Bells.

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Stephanie Julian

Only they weren’t all Bells. There were Beaus in there as well. She knew that because they were naked.

The creatures ranged from six to twelve inches tall and their skin glowed so brightly they seemed to have haloes around them.

Standing behind her, Antonin splayed his hands on her hips and drew her back against him. Then he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “We’re in Chester County in the Hidden Hill woods. This is the only
candelas
enclave in the northeast, maybe in all of the U.S.”

Ellie couldn’t speak. The scene was enchanting. At first glance, the
candelas
appeared to be tiny humans with wings. But as she stared harder, she realized their bodies were shaped more like a butterfly’s, though they had human-shaped arms and legs. Their faces called to mind the anthropomorphized insects of Disney films—

human, but not.

They danced around a massive decaying tree stump in the center of the clearing.

And not just on the ground. They also danced in the air, their tiny wings fluttering gracefully and in perfect sync. She didn’t hear music at first but then, at the very edges of her auditory sense, she made out a hum. A rhythmic hum that turned into a sweet melody.

“Are they singing?” she whispered.

“Yes, but you won’t recognize the language.”

She tore her attention from the fluttering, glittering dancers and glanced back at Antonin, clearly visible in the moonlight. His gaze was on her. “They have their own language?”

He nodded and she turned back to stare at the magical scene. “It’s ancient. No one but the
candelas
understands it any longer.”

“Where do they come from?”

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Seduced in Shadow

“No one’s really sure about this enclave. It predates the arrival of Europeans. The first settlers in this area heard legends about glowing lights in the forest from the indigenous tribes who lived in the area, legends they’d been telling for centuries.

They’re not usually so blatant in front of…”

She waited for him to continue but she knew what he was going to say.
Humans.

Only she wasn’t completely human, was she? She was something…a little bit more. She was the daughter of a freaking Etruscan god. She still didn’t really know what that meant or would mean for the rest of her life. And it wasn’t something she could shout to the world but still… How cool was that?