Teaser Tuesday: Caressed by a Crimson Moon
(Rulers of Darkness #3)
Description:
Consumed by madness and tormented by dark memories of blood and death,
Hadrian Lucretius, King of the Validus Clan, has returned after living
in self-imposed exile for nearly three hundred and fifty years.
To maintain peace with the vampires, Eva Maldonado is offered as a
sacrifice to the crazed vampire king by her father, the alpha of the
Silveria Shifter Pack. Hadrian’s reputation is both legendary and
lethal; he is ruthless, bloodthirsty, lusty, and soulless. When Eva
arrives at the ancient fortress high in the Carpathian Mountains, she is
shocked to find a ravaged man with dark burning eyes filled with
loneliness and dangerous desire.
Would she be his lover…or his prey? His savior…or his victim? Would
Hadrian lure her into madness or would their perilous passion be their
redemption?
~ The hall was lined with wood paneling decorated by sharply detailed paintings. Each featured a portrait of a man and was accompanied by a gold placard with his name. These were the kings of the Validus Clan. The name of the last painting read Hadrian Lucretius, but the image had been savagely shredded. Stepping closer, Eva reached up, trying to place the pieces back together, wanting to get a look at the vampire.
A cool hand clamped over her mouth, stifling her scream as she was hauled back. Eva fought for freedom, twisting around, she jabbed her elbow in her attacker’s side then kicked back, connecting with his shin. He growled in response and spun her about, trapping her with his body. His hands slammed into the wall, cracking the wood, on either side of her head.
“Little girls should not wander alone in the dark.”
She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. His voice, it was dark, threatening—pure sex. He leaned his head down, his lips brushed her ear and, God help her, she shivered. Whether it was from fear or something entirely sexual, she did not know. Confusion, terror, and desire fought for control of her brain, as she remained pinned between the large, solid male and the wall.
“Bad things prowl in the dark,” he whispered against her ear and Eva’s knees went weak. His words were heavily accented, his voice deep. It echoed with evil and was laced with lust. “Bad things, like me.”
Eva tried to speak, knowing she should demand he release her, or scream, but nothing came. One of his hands dropped from the wall to encircle her wrist, the pad of his thumb gently brushed over her erratically beating pulse.
“Your scent,” he said, his voice rough, the sound sending waves of need crashing over her.
His fingers lightly traced up her arm to cup her nape, tickling her sensitive flesh. Eva’s breathing grew shallow as her body began to burn. Desire?
Yes. Oh, god, yes.
The menacing male drew closer, his second hand dropping to her shoulder, pressing her firmly against the wall. Danger, it radiated from him, yet desire flickered in his cold, black eyes. Instinct took hold of her. Eva wrapped her arms around his waist. Her hands pressed flat against his lower back, urging him closer. She arched her back trying in vain to close the space between them. “Sweet…warm vanilla.” His cool breath caressed the tender flesh of her throat, sending chills all the way down to her toes.
Was he going to bite her? ~
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