Eyes the color of coal.
Full lips twisted in a half-smirk.
Strong jaw covered in scruff.
I’m stunned by the rugged beauty of his face.
“Allison, this is my uncle, Draven,” Simon says, bringing me closer to the dark-haired man.
As if he swept the air from my lungs, I suffer for breath as I stare into Draven’s thick-lashed eyes.
Power emanates from the lean muscles of his body as he reaches out his hand, and I place mine in his. It’s cool to the touch, but heat flares in my palm. “Nice to meet you, Allison.” The way my name sounds in his mouth is familiar, like it isn’t the first time he’s said it.
“Hi,” I peep out, trying my best to look anywhere but into the intense eyes that threaten to pull me into their depths. “You seem so familiar.”
His eyes twinkle, and it only makes him more alluring. “I’d like to think you wouldn’t forget me if we had met.”
No, I certainly wouldn’t. He truly is a magnificent man.
Three
Draven
* * *
I would hope she wouldn’t have forgotten me so soon. Having Allison here, having her so close, makes my body ache in a way it hasn’t in centuries.
A man in a dark alley once told me he’d make my life better, but he made it so much worse. A kind of worse you wish you could undo, and Allison can help me do just that.
Simon’s hand at the small of Allison’s back stirs up a feeling inside me I’ve never experienced. It makes me rage at the contact. Mine.
She’s breathtaking—cornflower blue eyes, long blonde hair, and curves too sensual for someone her age.
The hints of currant that pump through her veins keep me on high alert. I stare at her neck, watching the vein pulse beneath her porcelain skin.
“Simon is giving me a tour,” she says.
“Ah, how about I steal you for a few minutes and show you the secret garden?”
“Secret garden?” Her lilting voice makes my body jolt.
“I wasn’t aware of any secret garden, Uncle,” Simon adds.
“Well, that’s why it’s a secret. Only I know about it.” I offer my hand.
She stares tentatively at Simon as if asking permission. Another thing that ticks me off about the two of them. When I sent Simon to America to stalk a prospective girl with the power, I never expected him to date her.
He nods, and she slips her hand in mine. A beguiling flush creeps up her neck. So innocent.
“Simon, you can stay here. I want to take Allison there alone.”
Simon shifts his feet, his eyes bouncing between mine and Allison’s. “Oh, ok. I’ll be here when you get back,” he says to her.
I can feel his protectiveness over her, and it makes me wonder what other claim he’s staked over her. I won’t let my mind wander there for very long, however, because I can never have her. And Simon knows he can’t either.
He knows our kind can’t be with her sexually until her powers manifest.
Together, Allison and I make our way down the brick pathway that leads us to an entrance concealed by tall topiaries in the shape of my least favorite animal… werewolves. Just a little inside joke for me. When I had this garden designed many centuries ago as a gift to my sister, I wanted a private place I could go to get away from the rest of the world.