A Guardian's Loving Caress (Enigma, Maine) Read online

  Lucian slowed his steps, but didn’t stop moving. One side of his mouth lifted in the parody of a smile. It had been a long time, maybe even centuries, since someone had thought to issue an order to him face to face. “Take it easy,” he answered. “I saw you walking and thought I’d stop to see if you needed any help.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest and leaned his hip against the side of the car. “What are you doing out here in the dark all alone anyway?”

  Jessica didn’t answer the question. No way was he going to turn the tables and make this about her. Besides she really wasn’t afraid of things that went bump in the night. They really couldn’t be too much worse than drug cartels, and cold-blooded murderers. “Forget about me. What are you doing out here other than trying to run me down,” Jessica was quick to retort. “You were going way too fast!” She snapped her mouth shut. What was she doing? She didn’t need to earn the attention or ire of someone who might remember her if somebody came to Enigma asking questions. She edged further away from the man while trying not to be obvious about it.

  He continued to come closer and his position relative to the light shifted. Now instead of standing in the shadows, he was illuminated by the headlights of his car. Jessica sucked in a breath. The stranger wasn’t classically handsome, but she still felt like she’d been struck by lightning. His face was made of stark angles that gave him a harsh and ruthless look, but he still managed to tug at her heartstrings. His hair and eyes were blacker than the night that surrounded them, one without a moon or stars to brighten it.

  “And you shouldn’t be walking around at night on a deserted drive.” He had the urge to scare some common sense into her. “The night hides a lot that you know nothing about.”

  Jessica felt the subtle threat behind the words and took another step to the side. Instead of landing on solid ground, her foot found the edge of a pothole and settled half in and half out. Her ankle turned and she lost her balance. Jessica’s arms flailed in the empty air and she knew she was going down. Instead of being welcomed by the cold hard ground, she was surrounded by strong arms and pressed against a chiseled chest of lean muscle and warm body heat.

  “Oh!” He must have been standing a lot closer than she’d thought. No one moved that fast, did they? She snuggled closer into the warmth that her body craved. She should have been afraid, instead she felt content. She was good for about five seconds then she remembered her predicament. It was dangerous to be this close to someone she knew nothing about.

  She struggled to break his hold. “Let go,” she demanded. She squirmed, but the man’s embrace only tightened. To her surprise instead of being afraid, her nipples pebbled into hard peaks and heat stirred inside her feminine core. The physical attraction was as sudden as it was sharp. It assailed all her senses and created an ache deep inside.

  “If I do that while you’re thrashing around like a mad woman, you’re going to fall and hurt yourself,” he warned. When the bundle in his arm only fought harder, Lucian groaned. The skin of her abdomen was silky smooth. It rubbed against his arms and was enticing indeed. He didn’t think he’d ever felt anything so soft and inviting. If this was a trap it was a genius one. He was only seconds away from being fully ensnared.

  Fighting to get out of his hold wasn’t getting her anywhere. Jessica went slack. As soon as her muscles relaxed, the arms that had been wrapped around her tighter than a rubber band suddenly loosened. She slid down his body until her feet landed on solid ground. Jessica slowly backed away. She really needed to put some space between her and this very disturbing man.

  “My name is Lucian.” He crossed his arms, “and who might you be?”

  Jessica’s instincts were more and more certain that this was not the hit man trying to track her down. That didn’t mean they could become cozy and familiar with each other however. She didn’t want to leave behind anyone who might be able to answer questions about her if someone came snooping around. Most importantly she didn’t want to endanger anyone by putting them in the sights of a killer. She shivered at the thought of more innocent blood being spilt.

  “My name’s not important.” She turned to walk away, but the stranger put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

  “Where are you running off to in such a hurry?” Maybe she’d answer that question.

  Jessica swept her hand down her body and then gave him a pointed look. “I’m going to the Halloween party. Where else would I be going dressed like this?”

  Lucian’s eyes narrowed slightly. He’d never seen this woman before, in fact knew nothing about her. Her presence here tonight reeked of suspicion. “It’s by invite only,” he pointed out.

  Jessica shrugged. “I have an invitation. I don’t know where it came from, but I’ve got one.”

  Lucian did not like the sound of that. Something was definitely not right. He shut down everything but his enhanced senses. That’s when he finally caught the fine stench of fear that simmered just below the surface. This woman was scared of something. He didn’t know if she was afraid of him or something else, but he was going to find out. She had an indistinct glow around her too, like a witch, but much fainter. It was just one more thing for Lucian to ponder about this woman.

  “May I see your invitation please,” Lucian requested. Normally he would just take, but he wanted to play nice, at least until he knew what exactly he was dealing with here. The woman intrigued him. He didn’t want to send her running and screaming into the night.

  Jessica stood with her feet spread apart and her hands propped on her hips. This man was unbelievable. “What are you, security?”

  Lucian arched a brow. “For this party? No.” However some would call him the supreme being of protection, enforcement, and justice. Of course they weren’t the ones he had hunted. They didn’t say anything, because they were dead. It was no coincidence that he was the longest living cat shifter in the world. And he still had seven of his nine lives left. He was revered, an anomaly, even amongst his own kind.

  He gave his head a hard shake. He needed to focus on what was happening here. “You’re not getting any closer to your destination until I’ve seen that invitation.”

  Jessica huffed. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She was just trying to have a good time for once. She pulled the invitation out of the small orange pumpkin purse that had come with the costume and thrust it at the man. “Happy now,” she demanded to know.

  Lucian took the thin piece of vellum and scrutinized it thoroughly. It looked exactly like the one he’d received. The invitation he had planned to ignore, until he’d gotten that call from Brianna requesting, no begging, for his attendance. “Okay, so you have an invitation.” Now it was time for him to get more information. “Where did it come from?”

  Jessica snatched back the invitation in question and stuffed it in her purse. “Someone slid it under my room door. I thought maybe everyone at the inn was invited.” She’d explained herself, and now she was done. “Well I’d like to say it’s been nice, but why bother with a lie.” She started walking up the drive again.

  “Wait,” Lucian demanded in his most commanding voice. He was pleased to see the lady halt in her tracks. Good to know he wasn’t losing his touch. “This drive is at least another two miles long.”

  Jessica groaned. Two miles, she’d never make it. “The cab driver dumped me out at the start of the driveway.” She found herself confessing. “It was really strange actually. He seemed agitated and refused to go any further. I didn’t think the house would be this far off the main road or I would have just gone back to the inn.” Her shoulders slumped, so much for that night out on the town.

  A fleeting second of panic followed by staggering loneliness poured from the woman. Those feelings tugged at Lucian’s heart. The one he thought had turned to stone a long time ago. You didn’t see all the evil he’d seen over the centuries and execute so many villains without losing something. Up until that moment, Lucian had been sure it was his heart.

  Alessandro Russo, the
host of this party, and the strongest vampire on the east coast had probably guarded his home with a strong compulsion to keep curious humans away. Why he wondered hadn’t it worked on this woman? “I’m here and we’re both going to the same place. I would be remiss not to offer you a ride.” He gallantly bowed at the waist and then offered her an arm.

  Jessica hesitated for only a fraction of a second. Her instincts and that fabled sixth sense had never let her down. And it was practically purring in this man’s presence. It might not be the best idea for her to get in a stranger’s car, but everything told her she could trust this stranger. She still didn’t need to get too friendly she reminded herself. She wouldn’t want to put him in danger.

  She wrapped her arm around his and allowed him to lead her to the passenger side of the low-slung sports car. “Thank you. You don’t know how much I really need this night.” Jessica realized that she’d said too much and snapped her lips together. He’d gotten her back up at first, but the longer she spent in his presence the more comfortable she became. She’d have to watch herself.

  Lucian’s curiosity increased another notch. Not only was the woman beguiling, she was an enticing mystery that begged to be solved. He cautioned himself to rein in his interest before he pounced. After all, curiosity had indeed killed many a cat. And he planned to keep the rest of his lives intact for as long as possible.

  Lost in thought, both were silent until Russo’s castle came into sight. Jessica gasped. “Wow, is that for real? I’ve never seen anything like it ever. Well, except for maybe in a magazine.”

  Jessica took in the large and intimidating castle with its stone walls and turrets. “It’s amazing! What a perfect place for a Halloween party!”

  Lucian stopped the car and handed his keys to the valet, who was actually a wolf shifter from the Gannon pack. The Gannon’s owned the best security company in the state of Maine, maybe even the country. They handled the safety measures for most paranormal get-togethers. He stared at the man who quickly lowered his eyes, definitely not an alpha then, Lucian thought. “Where’s your boss? I need a word with him right away,” Lucian demanded in a voice laced with power.

  The shifter could feel the power coming off the guardian and took an involuntary step back. “Sir, Mitch and Scarlet are here as guests tonight. Justin is in charge. I will let him know you are here right away, Mr. Petrakos.”

  Mitch Gannon was the alpha and head of the local pack of wolf shifters. He’d recently mated and married Scarlet Valentine. Scarlet was very close friends with three of the local witches. They had bonded while teaching Scarlet how to protect herself from a vile piece of humanity who had been stalking her. One of those witches was married to the vampire hosting this party, Alessandro Russo. So it made sense that Scarlet would be there with her besotted wolf in tow.

  “Let Justin know I’m here and that I need to see him immediately.” Lucian’s tone of voice and clipped precision of words left no room for doubt. The valet started talking into his earpiece. Lucian nodded and turned away from the man. He looked at his little hitchhiker and stopped dead in his tracks. She was utterly fixated on Russo’s castle. Her eyes were open wide in wonder and her mouth formed a little O of surprise. She was turning in a very slow circle taking in everything around her.

  Jessica hadn’t really been paying attention to Lucian and the valet. All her attention was focused on the architectural marvel in front of her. She felt a wave of sadness wash over her. It fought with the elation she felt at the opportunity to view such an extraordinary building. She had no idea anything like this existed in the United States. She’d just finished her Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Texas and started her first job when her world was turned completely upside down.

  “Magnificent, isn’t it?”

  “Definitely,” she agreed. “I wish I was going to be here long enough to study it.” Jessica bit her lip. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She couldn’t go around giving out clues about her past. There could not be that many redheaded, female architects on the run.

  Lucian knew she hadn’t meant to give away that little piece of information about herself. He pretended to ignore it. He didn’t want to make her any more nervous than she already appeared to be. “So you’re just passing through Enigma?”

  “Maybe, I don’t know yet.” No harm in that little tidbit of information she decided. And it was the truth. She didn’t know what she was going to do.

  They walked through the open double doors. Jessica stopped and turned in another slow circle. Her eyes widened as she took in every detail she could see. This place was a masterpiece. How come it had never been featured in any of the architectural magazines she used to read?

  The house was decked out for the party too. There was a thin mist drifting around the large open space that added to the ambiance. Most of the light came from pillar candles placed in large five armed candelabras strategically placed throughout the castle. Gossamer webs were artfully hung and spread around various corners and walkways. She really felt like she was standing inside a medieval castle filled with ghosts and goblins.

  Lucian watched his companion’s interest grow and then bloom into something much deeper, excitement and wonder. His little redhead was definitely entranced by this castle. If he didn’t know any better, he might think she’d waggled an invitation just to get a look at the building. But that would be impossible. Alessandro Russo went to great lengths to keep its existence a secret. It would never do for the location of a vampire’s lair to be known by general outsiders.

  He was reluctant to disturb her intent perusal. And he wanted a little time to study her. He silently watched and took in every expressive feature of her lovely face. The intriguing mystery woman was so lost in thought she didn’t even notice Justin Gannon when he stalked up to Lucian.

  Justin the tall and deadly second of the local wolf shifter pack strolled up to Lucian and gave him a firm handshake. “I heard you were here and wanted to speak with me.”

  Lucian jerked his head to the side to motion the second in command of the pack away from the woman. Justin gave her a quick appraisal. Lucian’s inner cat arched its back. The cat shifter actually hissed at the wolf. Justin gave him a smug smile. Lucian narrowed his eyes and walked over to a deserted spot by the wall. He made sure the mysterious guest was still in his sights.

  As soon as they were out of earshot Lucian took over. “Don’t ogle my guest. This cat has some very sharp claws, as you well know.”

  Justin had seen the head guardian in action. He was a killing machine when the need arose. All the guardians were experts in several forms of hand-to-hand combat and martial arts. Their agility, grace, strength, and magic from the Egyptian gods made them practically unbeatable in battle. “You summoned me, Lucian. What do you need?”

  “I found her walking up the driveway.” He motioned toward the woman. Both men seemed to be having trouble keeping their eyes off of her. Distinctive red hair framed a heart-shaped face that made her look like a pixie, a very sexy pixie. Lucian could picture that chin tilted upward in determined defiance. The thought of her being hard to handle should have been a deterrent, but it was actually more of a turn on. It made his already overheated body burn hotter.

  A toned but curvy body was showcased in the thinnest silk. The slinky material clung to her curves and hugged her body. Lucian’s inner cat wanted to get naked and rub his body all over hers. Then he wanted to join their bodies and bury himself deep inside her moist heat. His cat wanted to stake a claim too. A well-placed love bite on her neck would take care of that. Lucian reined in the cat that sometimes worked on instinct alone. He needed to find out who this woman was and why she was in Enigma, most specifically why she was at this party.

  The lady had fire in her blood. He could feel the attraction of the flame from where he was standing. No doubt Justin could too. Wolf boy was practically drooling. Lucian felt the need to warn him off. “The only interest you need to be taking in her is professional. Otherwi
se she is completely off limits to you.”

  Justin arched a brow. “You know Alessandro and Mitch don’t want interlopers at this party. I can’t believe you just waltzed in here with her.”

  “She is in possession of an invitation. She claims someone slid it under her door at the inn. If you have the invitation can you figure out where it came from?” He glanced back at the redhead. There was something familiar about her. And not being able to figure it out was really bugging him.

  “There’s a printed number on the back of the invitation that can only be seen with a UV light. And keep that to yourself. Until now only Alessandro, Mitch, and I were in possession of that piece of security information. Get me the invitation and I can tell you where it came from.”

  “Stay here,” Lucian ordered before walking away. He didn’t do jealous, but he really did not want the single and attractive wolf shifter sniffing anywhere near the redhead. His hackles rose at just the thought. The cat had already declared she was his.

  Jessica edged closer to the wall and lost herself in thought. She absorbed every inch of the very intricate design. She visibly started when a large but gentle hand settled on her shoulder. She whirled around and came face to face with Lucian. “Hi Luc, whoever crafted your friend’s home is a real artist. This place is amazing.”

  Luc? No one in the long history of his life had ever dared to shorten his name, not even Brianna. He found he quite liked the shortened version of his name as long as it was coming from her lips. He shook his head. He was not the emotional type. He couldn’t afford to be distracted either. Protection was the name of the game. The lives of many paranormal beings, some of them friends, could be in danger. He had to focus.

  “Justin needs your invitation. It’s just a formality,” he reassured her when she looked like she might argue. The lie rolled easily off of his tongue. Her presence could be perceived as a threat until he and Justin figured out why she was there. It was his responsibility to stop threats anyway he could.