Blood Bound Read online

  Blood Bound

  By

  V. J. Devereaux

  Published by the author as a member of the

  Alexandria Publishing Group

  Kindle Edition

  Originally edited and published by Ellora’s Cave under the title Night Move. All rights released January 27, 2013, extensively rewritten and revised by the author)

  Blood Bound - Copyright - 2013 Valerie Douglas

  Cover art by The Cover Counts

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from author.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Discover other titles by Valerie Douglas

  Fantasy

  The Coming Storm

  A Convocation of Kings

  Not Magic Enough

  Setting Boundaries

  Servant of the Gods

  Romance

  Dirty Politics

  Directors Cut

  Irish Fling

  Lucky Charm

  Picture Perfect

  Nike’s Wings

  The Last Resort

  Dedication

  To Mateo, my friend, although we’ve never met, and the inspiration for Sasha

  Chapter One

  Nicholas walked into the darkened library, scanning the room for his cousin. He found Julian standing in the opened French doors staring out over the vineyards with his shoulder propped against the jamb. Beyond him Nico could see the grapevines on their supports tipped with the last gilded rays of the setting sun, brilliant in comparison to the darkness in the room around them. That warm light illuminated his cousin’s face and form as he stood brooding in the doorway, his dark head bowed a little.

  Looking at him, Nico could almost understand the attraction that some men felt for another man, although that was not his way nor was it Julian’s.

  His cousin was a tall, well-built man with a strong handsome face. As a boy Nico had thought him a giant, at least until he’d grown into his own height. He smiled a little at the memory, but his smile faded as he studied the man who was his cousin and closest friend.

  The truth was that Julian was lonely and had been lonely for a long time. As was Nico.

  Money, they’d found, could isolate one even in a crowd.

  It didn’t help that circumstances had added a new weight to Julian’s shoulders. Nico couldn’t understand such unreasoning hate from those who didn’t know him or them.

  Julian didn’t need to hear about that now, he needed a distraction.

  He owed Julian a great deal, and would have done much to ease his worries. This was a small thing.

  “Julian,” Nico said, and his cousin turned his head a little, his dark liquid eyes meeting Nico’s.

  Giving a seemingly careless shrug, Nico said, “Where’s the harm? And there are advantages. You don’t actually have to talk to them, only look. Who would expect a man like you to use such a pedestrian method to meet someone? Give it a try, it might be fun. If nothing else we’ll kill an hour or two.”

  He grinned at his cousin, who shook his head, but fought a smile of his own. As Nico had hoped.

  Julian rolled his eyes at his cousin fondly. He knew that engaging grin of old. It had gotten the younger man out of trouble many a time. As it likely would now. He sighed, but worked hard at concealing a grin.

  “What do you have to lose?” Nico added reasonably. “If you choose one, at the absolute worst you’ll have a pleasant meal with an attractive woman. Quelle horreur, cousin, what a terrible trial. Given the circumstances she’ll be unlikely to know you for who or what you truly are and so you won’t have to lie, you can simply relax and be yourself.”

  Julian returned the look, and sighed.

  The thought had its appeal, that was certain. It had been a long time since he’d been able to do even that much. The curse of money and the illusion of power.

  Nico gestured and the remote computer mouse in his hand brought the large screen display above the fireplace to life.

  Under normal circumstances Julian used the screen to display the financials of his various clients in a large enough format to see from anywhere in the room, a blessing of modern technology. He liked to pace while he thought.

  Now the screen displayed the familiar logo of one of the more popular internet dating sites.

  Lifting an eyebrow, Julian gave Nico a sardonic look. “Really?”

  Nico shrugged carelessly. “You’ve tried everything else, Julian. To no success.”

  That was true enough.

  Julian had money, a great deal of it, and money changed everything. They’d both attended business occasions, society events and charity balls, but once it was known who Julian was the atmosphere inevitably changed. The lure of his money was simply too great.

  Julian wished, suddenly and fiercely, that he could meet the one woman to whom it wouldn’t matter.

  “You won’t meet someone like this anywhere else,” Nico said.

  Julian straightened a little.

  The image of a lovely woman appeared on the screen, the picture clearly professionally taken.

  Her hair was a rich brown with paler highlights, and tumbled around an attractive face. By the look of her she was around thirty, perhaps a little older. Although younger women could be and were pleasant diversions only a rare few that age bothered to know much of the world around them. That was a necessity in Julian’s world. He needed someone who wouldn’t just grace his arm, but could also stand on her own in a room full of people with influence. She had to have confidence, even in unfamiliar circumstances, and yet he needed something else.

  This woman also didn’t have the polished, practiced expression of indifference that most of the women they met wore like a mask. Or that predatory look he’d seen in the faces of so many in his own circle, a coldness he’d begun to hate.

  He glanced at Nico, who knew him well and whose tastes were almost identical to his own. That wasn’t surprising considering their years together. Whether it was a matter of having been brought up together or simply an affinity they shared, it hardly mattered. They were much alike in many ways, including taste. And appearance. Although there were clear differences between them, many mistook them for brothers, as they were both tall, dark-haired, with strong features.

  The woman on the screen did have a certain appeal. Her features were lovely, but there was something missing, but what it was Julian couldn’t quite put a finger on. There was a softness in that face. He wanted someone w
ith strength, someone who would challenge him.

  He sighed and shook his head. “No.”

  With a shrug, Nico said, “She was only a possibility.”

  He brought up the next one, but one look at her profile had them shaking their heads in astonishment, laughing.

  The next few were attractive but more importantly Julian found he was enjoying this very strange ‘hunt’. He was somewhat amused by what the women said about themselves on some of the profiles, some by their clear intention, and sometimes not. For himself, he liked humor in his women, although so far none of those he’d seen really appealed to him.

  Nico gestured at the screen and clicked the mouse.

  The woman displayed the screen was a horse of a different color altogether.

  Julian went still, transfixed.

  “Well now,” Julian said, as he slowly walked toward the screen.

  Perhaps some would have argued the point, but she was definitely attractive, her features classic, the shape of her eyes lovely. There was something else there, too, something in the look in her eye. Character. A touch of the hunter, a confidence and strength many of those he’d met and those they’d looked at had lacked.

  Smothering a grin, Nico changed pages to display the woman’s profile information.

  He’d done a little searching.

  For a moment Julian went still, looking at the screen, and then he burst out laughing.

  “How unlikely, and yet how perfect.”

  Slowly, letting his grin show, Nico said, “Yes.”

  Julian walked closer, taking in the image on the screen, enraptured.

  “That’s more like it. Much more like it. Her I would very much like to meet.”

  Grinning, Nico folded his arms in satisfaction, keeping his glee to himself. He might be a geek and a nerd, and he might not be the salesman Julian was, but he knew how to make a presentation. He’d deliberately kept this one until last. He knew Julian’s tastes well, since they were a mirror to his own.

  He looked at the chestnut-haired woman on the screen. She stirred him as well.

  Julian turned to look at him. “So, how do we do this?”

  Chapter Two

  The Ambassador Club was a major step up from Rafaela’s usual dates. On-line matchmaking services were so not her, but she was getting desperate. It was becoming difficult to find a decent man these days. Given her surroundings, though, she had higher hopes this time. Unlike her last internet date, she was meeting this one in one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city. She loved the cool elegance of room, the low-key lighting, and the flights of architectural fancy.

  Arching beams soared over her head while glass panels overhead gave a view of the stars and pale sheer drapes framed the view of the lights of the city below. At the center of the room a grand piano was surrounded by a small dance area. As the pianist played, he crooned romantic old standards. She recognized the song Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and smiled.

  She walked into the room confidently, negligently tossing her hair over her shoulder, hoping to hide any indication of uncertainty. This wasn’t her normal environment, although she much preferred it.

  The luxurious surroundings certainly didn’t intimidate her nor did the circumstances. Not really. She hardly cared about money. Although some considered hers a blue-collar job it didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate the finer things in life. While her job wasn’t nearly as glamorous as TV portrayed it, the unpredictable hours made it difficult for her to meet people. As a result, her love life hadn’t been exactly stellar lately and her choices had become a bit limited.

  A place like this begged the question, though – what was a man who could afford this and looked like his profile picture doing using an on-line matchmaking service?

  Internet dating narrowed her options in many ways, except when people lied…and they lied a lot. They posted ten-year-old pictures, took off coke-bottle glasses. How could you start any kind of relationship with a lie, a lie that indicated you didn’t like yourself much? A few extra pounds didn’t mean looking as if you were trying to smuggle a basketball under your shirt.

  Frankly, she was getting tired of it all, but she was lonely and there were days when it would have been nice to have someone to come home to. Someone to play with. She was a normal woman, more or less, with a healthy, if slightly overactive, sex drive. She smiled a little at that thought.

  Still, what was a girl to do? She hadn’t met anyone remotely interesting any other way. It wasn’t as if she met too many eligible men at work.

  The usual assortment of businessmen of various heights and sizes sat around the bar. One or two looked intriguing and were probably married or gay. She wouldn’t mind making a little conversation though if the date didn’t work out. It would be nice to sit and talk to someone about politics, the weather…anything other than her work.

  Rafi was aware of eyes on her, of the men watching her. She wasn’t uncomfortable with it, she was accustomed to it, she had the kind of body that drew stares. But some men forgot there was a woman attached to the body. What was worse, though, was it sometimes seemed as if one man wasn’t enough for her. She was affectionate by nature and that scared more than a few men off.

  She made her way to the bar, sat and ordered a drink as the pianist played As Time Goes By.

  The blatantly romantic song made her smile, thinking of Rick and Elsa from Casablanca. Maybe it was an omen. She hoped so.

  *****

  Heads turned, catching Julian’s attention. He turned as well to watch the woman who entered the bar. Recognition jolted him.

  She was his date.

  He was more than pleased to find there were no unpleasant surprises, she was exactly as advertised. If anything, her picture hadn’t done her justice. A camera couldn’t quite capture her air of wry amusement. While she wasn’t classically beautiful, she was lovely, her eyes pretty, bright, and curious. Those pretty eyes were blue, a little stormy in color, her mouth finely shaped and firm. He liked the curiosity in those eyes. Almost unconsciously she moved in time to the music, hips swaying, a small smile playing on her lips as she walked to the bar. Her eyes sparkled, clearly pleased by the ambiance. He liked that, too. After all, it was his restaurant.

  Her body?

  Julian sighed with pure pleasure. That was very nice, just shy of hourglass, her breasts high and firm, hips rounded but tight, proportional to the rest of her. The dress was marvelous - fluid silk in a color to match those incredible eyes. It moved over her body as she walked, the neckline revealing enough of her breasts to entice without being obvious. Her legs were phenomenal, shapely and well muscled, with a dancer’s taut calves.

  According to her online profile, her tastes were as eclectic as his in everything from music to literature. That was important. He liked well-rounded women. He needed to be able to talk to someone besides Nico about things that mattered – something he found sorely lacking these days. She liked almost everything he liked - most music but not the kinds he loathed – she’d read everything from the classics to fantasy. She admitted to liking romance novels, unlike those who pretended they didn’t. That honesty was refreshing. She seemed fairly open-minded as well. That was also important, he’d experienced too much to be tolerant of those whose minds were closed, plus he dealt with clients of all kinds and preferences.

  Overall, he liked what he saw. Certainly, he couldn’t argue too much that she drew the eyes of so many of the men here. In fact, he felt a certain amount of pride in it. After all, she was here for him.

  Now, if only he liked what was inside the skin, what was behind the eyes. He watched as she leaned an elbow on the bar to wait for the bartender, and went to greet her.

  Catching his movement from the corner of her eye, she turned to watch him as he walked toward her.

  Now that, Rafi thought, is very nice.

  He was tall, around six feet or thereabouts, with a thick head of perfectly cut black hair that gleamed like a raven’s wing beneath the light
s, deep and dark, casting off bluish highlights. It tumbled down almost to his shoulders, nearly unfashionably long, and yet on him it worked. Then there were his eyes, so dark a brown they were almost black, long-lashed and beautiful, yet there was nothing feminine about them or him. Those eyes were intelligent and aware, his gaze confident. With reason. His mouth was a little full, sensual but firm. His features were aristocratic, his cheekbones defined, his nose slightly aquiline.

  But that mouth…had she mentioned she really liked his mouth?

  He was undeniably handsome.

  Then there was his body. She took a breath through lungs that suddenly felt constricted.

  Broad shoulders moved beneath a perfectly tailored jacket. His tie was loosened a little for comfort but was still knotted precisely.

  He moved loosely, easily, and gracefully, with a touch of the predator about him. That was very promising. She thought she caught a hint of muscle beneath his dress shirt. Sex seemed to pour off him, from the light in his eyes to the way he moved. She shivered a little – a touch of anticipation, of excitement. A rush of heat went through her.

  What was hiding underneath that marvelously fitted shirt? she wondered.

  She wouldn’t have minded running her hands over that crisp material to find out. Maybe she’d get the chance.

  He was walking straight toward her.

  He also bore a strong resemblance to the picture of the man on the internet. For once, it looked as if the picture was accurate.

  It seemed he really was her date. She was astonished. Her pulse picked up. She’d hit the jackpot. This promised to be very interesting.

  His eyes studied her curiously and an eyebrow lifted a fraction.

  Suddenly she found she was looking forward to the rest of the evening.