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Damien
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Damien by Robin Danner
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Yummy! What else is there to say - oh, Yummy, Yummy!! Thanks for sharing Robin
I loved this one...probably one of my faves!
So Robin - is there a book 2 coming soon ~smiles~
Michelle wrote: "So Robin - is there a book 2 coming soon ~smiles~"I would love to re-open the series, Michelle. I've always had a soft spot for it.
When did you write this? I didn't even know it existed till I saw the cover on Rosanna's site.
Oh Heather - You gotta read this one ~smiles~. I'm good with you re-opening the series, Robin, get busy!! I'll beta read for you ~shaking head~ yep, yep, yep!!
Hey Michelle can you hook a girl up? Would you like to refresh the line with a new review? I could totally do that for you...If I had the book....
LOL. Let's see what we can do, Heather. ; )
Excerpt:
“Vampyreologist?” Valencourt repeated the word as if it was distasteful. “What in bloody blazes is a vampyreologist?”
“What I aspire to be,” she informed him. “Mr. Tucker did an extensive study and discovered all vampyres are sterile.”
Valencourt’s lips lifted into a smile. “Ah! Being sterile is not quite the same thing as being unable to have sex, dearest Charisse.”
She hated being uninformed, especially when it came to vampyres. “Oh.”
Valencourt scanned the pamphlet, his amusement becoming more and more apparent. He glanced at her with an undecipherable expression as he handed back the paper. “Tucker is an idiot. His findings are based completely on popular myths and legends.”
“I find him to be quite enlightening.” Charisse smoothed the wrinkled pamphlet almost reverently and placed it back in her reticule. “Mr. Tucker referred to Olen several times. Have you ever heard of this vampyre? He is said to be one of the Originals.”
Valencourt took a moment to answer. “I heard mention of him in Rome, but no physical evidence has been found to support this theory.”
“What of his assassination? Surely you heard rumors of it in Rome?”
Valencourt shook his dark head. “No. Mostly the discussion centered on the bodies found in the park last week.”
Charisse shuddered involuntarily. “Isn’t it disgusting?”
Valencourt did not answer. Instead his eyes were focused on something across the room. She followed his gaze, groaning when she realized her father was studying them from across the room. Her father was entirely too protective, but especially when it came to Valencourt. Since she’d begun a friendship with him last year, her father’s attitude toward him had cooled considerably. Valencourt would be a fine catch, rich, handsome, and titled, but her father worried that he was only toying with her. Charisse did not share her father’s concern. Valencourt’s interest in her, although it did not involve marriage, seemed genuine enough.
She placed a hand on Valencourt’s arm, ignoring the tingles shooting up her fingers. “He does not mean to be so rude.”
When Valencourt glanced down at her, his brown eyes gleamed golden. “He does not trust me.”
“My father doesn’t trust many people,” Charisse said, by way of apology. When she was this close to Valencourt, her wits usually deserted her. Thankfully, this time her mind and tongue remained functional.
“It is a good habit to have,” he replied. His face grew forbidding. “There are many dangerous people in London nowadays.”
She laughed out loud at his talk of gloom and doom. “You sound just like my father!” Her laughter died a quick death when she noticed the approach of Carlotta Youngblood, the reigning beauty of the ton. Unfortunately, the lady’s beauty far outshone her personality. Charisse looked for a place to hide, but short of ducking under Valencourt’s cape she was out of luck.
“Clarissa, darling! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Carlotta called across the crowded ballroom. She rushed forward with outstretched arms, as if she expected Charisse to rush into her embrace. She was to be disappointed if that was the case since Charisse was not moving an inch.
“It’s Charisse, you nincompoop,” Charisse muttered loud enough for Valencourt to hear. He glanced down at her with a twinkle in his eye that made her heart stop beating. Really, the man was too handsome by half. She nudged him in the side and narrowed her eyes. “Oh, do behave! You’re the reason she’s even talking to me.”
“If you didn’t want to talk to her, why didn’t you just say so?” He plucked the glass from her nerveless fingers and dumped it on the table behind them. Before she could make a sound, she found herself whirled toward the dance floor, wrapped in Valencourt’s strong arms.
“Oh my!” Charisse exclaimed. She stumbled and nearly missed a step, but he tightened his grip and swept her into an elegant waltz before she could protest. Not that she was going to do it anyway. She lived for the few precious moments in his arms. He did not dance often, but when he did it was invariably with Charisse. If she’d not already been an outcast with females her own age, Valencourt’s interest in her would have tossed her in the position regardless.
They whirled around the dance floor, keeping a proper distance between them, yet Charisse caught the disapproving looks cast in their direction. No one seemed to understand her relationship with Valencourt. Some said she was his mistress, which was utterly ridiculous. Others said he felt sorry for her, which she lent some credence to. The most outlandish opinion was that she reminded him of his dead wife. Charisse had not known the previous Lady Valencourt, or even what she looked like, but she doubted Valencourt would’ve aligned himself with someone as odd as herself. Charisse knew she was not a beauty, not even remotely, and her oddities far outweighed her good characteristics. In short, Charisse was firmly on the shelf, even though she was only twenty years old.
“You can at least smile when you dance with me,” Valencourt remarked.
She stopped biting her lip, which she’d not even been aware she was doing, and glanced up at him. “Sorry,” she mumbled and proceeded to give him a wide smile. She might not have much going for her, but at least she’d been blessed with a set of even, white teeth. Some people even said when she smiled, she could light up a room. A fanciful notion to be sure, but one Charisse held dear to her heart.
“Much better.” Valencourt’s grin was almost wolfish. Her back began to tingle where his hand rested. As if he sensed her inner thoughts, he pressed closer until mere inches separated them. Her skirts brushed against his legs and she could feel the buttons of his jacket through the thin silk of her gown. A rush of hot need filled her. How could he leave her weak with desire from just one touch?
In an effort to distract herself from the strange feelings coursing through her body, she attempted conversation. “Did you know there is an ancient scroll that is said to list all the secrets of the Vampyre?”
He did not miss a beat. “Is there?”
She watched him carefully for any sign he knew more than he was letting on. He had the disturbing tendency sometimes to act dense. “Mr. Tucker says it is never left unattended. If it were to fall into the wrong hands…”
“All hell would break loose,” Valencourt finished for her.
She sighed enviously. “I wish I could see it.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she was whipped off the dance floor and through the open doors to the terrace. Valencourt loomed in front of her, looking dangerously dark and sexy. “You are not to attempt to find this scroll.”
She hadn’t said she wanted to, but she was curious to know why he appeared so angry. Obviously, he knew about the scroll. Why else would he react as violently as he did? It was time for some playacting. She plopped her hands on her hips and glared back at him. “Since when did you become my father?”
He spun away from her and stalked to the opposite end of the terrace. His cape fluttered around his ankles as he walked, yet the brisk wind did not seem to ruffle his hair. He wrapped his hands around the stone balustrade and spoke to her over his shoulder. “This is a dangerous game you are playing, Charisse. You could get hurt.”
She laughed at his dire prediction. “I can take care of myself.”
He moved so quickly that she must have imagined his speed. He was at her side in an instant, his hands on her shoulders, his dark eyes boring into hers. “They would not hesitate to kill you.” His hands loosened their grip on her shoulders and his fingers moved to her throat. She shivered involuntarily as he stroked the delicate skin there. She tilted her head to one side, silently imploring his touch. He began to lower his head, almost as if he were going to kiss her neck, but suddenly tossed her away. “Go!” he ordered harshly.
She ignored his command. “Are you angry with me?”
He backed away from her, his hands clenched into fists at his side. “No.”
“You are acting like it.” She relentlessly followed his retreat. He could go no further once she had him backed against the balustrade. She put herself right in front of him and put her hands on either side of his trim hips. “I refuse to let you go until you tell me why you are so upset.”
Her head barely came to his shoulders and he outweighed her by nearly two stone. He could easily push her aside, but he chose to ignore that fact. His lips curved into a sensuous smile and she groaned to herself. Only Valencourt would resort to using his sex appeal to charm her out of a bad mood. He relaxed against the balustrade, crossed his arms across his broad chest and gave her an infuriating grin.
“Damn you, Valencourt,” she huffed. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” He gave her a look of mock innocence.
“You know very well what I am talking about.”
“No, I don’t. I’m afraid you are going to have to enlighten me.”
She glared at him and leaned forward until their noses were almost touching. “Stop being a dunce.”
Her words were met with silence. She began to fear she had truly angered him until she glanced at his eyes and saw his attention was on a shadowy figure watching them from across the garden. She felt a chill rush across her skin. The figure almost appeared to be floating in thin air. She opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Valencourt’s harsh exclamation.
“Bloody hell!”
With that startling pronouncement, she suddenly found their positions reversed. Her back was now against the balustrade, with Valencourt’s arms trapping her. Then his hands were moving up her waist and pulling her full length against his body. She was shocked senseless when he closed the distance between them and kissed her.