Dalakis Passion 2 - Lucian's Delight Read online

  An Ellora's Cave Romantica Publication

  www.ellorascave.com

  Lucian's Delight

  ISBN # 1-4199-0286-5

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  Lucian's Delight Copyright© 2005 N.J. Walters

  Edited by: Pamela Cohen.

  Cover art by Syneca.

  Electronic book Publication: September 2005

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written

  permission from the publisher, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-

  3502.

  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 authors' imagination and used fictitiously.

  Warning:

  The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. Lucian's Delight has

  been rated E­rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers.

  Ellora's Cave Publishing offers three levels of RomanticaTM reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-

  rotic), and X (X-treme).

  S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

  E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall

  word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find

  objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated

  titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as

  "fucking", "cock", "pussy", and such within their work of literature.

  X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles,

  stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

  * * *

  DALAKIS PASSION:

  LUCIAN'S DELIGHT

  N.J. Walters

  * * *

  Dedication

  To my husband who shares my love of vampire lore and all things gothic. Thank

  you for your support and input and for caring as much about the Dalakis family as I do.

  Thanks, as always, to my editor, Pamela Cohen, who continually supports my

  writing and my ideas.

  And to the many readers who have fallen in love with the Dalakis brothers, thank

  you for taking these remarkable men into your hearts.

  * * *

  Lucian's Delight

  Chapter One

  Run!

  The thought exploded in her brain like a blinding flash of light.

  Run!

  She was frozen in place like a deer caught in the headlights, not knowing what to

  do, where to turn. Then suddenly, she was in full flight, racing through the darkness,

  fleeing for her life. Her heart was pounding so loud it drowned out the footsteps behind

  her, but she knew her pursuers were there. Unknown monsters chased her, wanting to

  run her to ground for the sheer pleasure of doing so.

  Muscles straining, lungs burning, she redoubled her efforts, racing on through the

  dark, lamp-lit night searching for a place to hide. Looking for a sanctuary.

  Up ahead, she could barely discern the outline of a wrought iron fence and she

  sprinted towards it. The swift tapping of shoes on the pavement behind her spurred her

  to go faster. She risked a glance over her shoulder, but couldn't see anyone behind her.

  But she knew they were there. They always were.

  The tall, solid bars of the old iron structure came into view and for a moment she

  panicked. Where was the gate? Tears slipped from her eyes, a combination of the

  whipping wind stinging them and her rising level of frustration and fear. Dashing the

  tears away with the back of her hand, she kept running while her eyes frantically

  scanned for any opening in the fence.

  There had to be a gate. There just had to be. The scattered, dim streetlights did little

  to cut through the dark gloom of the night. Just then the clouds above parted enough to

  allow a small sliver of moonlight to shine down. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

  When she finally saw the rusty old gate that hung partially open, leaning

  precariously on hinges, she wanted to shout with relief but she could barely gulp in a

  breath.

  Skidding to a stop, she gripped the iron bars and tugged slightly. Stuck. The stupid

  thing was jammed. Despair threatened to overwhelm her and she leaned on the gate for

  support as she eyed the opening. Sucking in her breath, she began to squeeze herself

  through the small space, ignoring the discomfort as her breasts were compressed

  against her chest. It was tight and for a moment she thought she might not fit.

  Clamping her lips together, she swallowed hard and made herself focus. Angling

  her body, she pushed herself, ignoring the pain as a piece of metal gashed her back.

  Then she was through, stumbling when she finally popped out on the other side, falling

  towards the ground.

  Rocks and dirt scraped the palms of her hands as she kept herself from sprawling

  facedown onto the ground. Pushing away from the hard-packed earth, she ignored the

  pain and kept running. She had to find a place to hide somewhere that they wouldn't

  find her. It was only when she started searching her surroundings that she realized

  where she was.

  Tall majestic statues rose high against the blackness of the sky. They were probably

  beautiful in the light of the day, but in the darkness of the night they took on a

  threatening aura. White, crumbling stone littered the path as row after row of family

  tombs lay in front of her. A cemetery. She was in one of the older, dilapidated cemeteries

  that littered the city.

  Metal grated against metal. She could hear the sound of several men swearing as

  they wrenched the gate fully open. There was no time left. She pitched herself into the

  unknown, slipping as quietly as she could among the tombs.

  Perhaps there was safety among the dead.

  Crouching behind a large graying mausoleum, she held herself still, quieted her

  breath and tried to hear over the pounding of her heart. They were out there

  somewhere and they were hunting for her.

  She could sense their perverted pleasure permeating the air. They were feeding off

  her fear, anticipating what they would do to her before they killed her. She shuddered

  and her stomach rolled at the thought of being raped by these three men before she

  died. And she would die. They would not let her live.

  Anger flooded her body, pushing away the chains of fear. She would outsmart

  them or she would go down fighting. There was no way she would go easy, like some

  lamb to the slaughter. She was a Deveraux and Deverauxes were fighters and survivors.

  She couldn't hear them now, but she knew that they were out there. Looking.

  Searching. They would not give up the hunt easily. But if she could slip out while they

  were searching the cemetery for her, she had a chance. They didn't know who she was,

  so if she eluded
them this night, she was free.

  Taking a deep breath, she calmed her body and her mind, and began to move.

  Stealthily, she slipped behind the stone mausoleums. Slowly and steadily she crept,

  stopping to listen every few steps. The gate was in view once again. This time it was

  wide open, and there was no one in sight.

  Freedom was only steps away. She exploded like the shot out of a gun. One second

  she was still, the next she was almost at the iron gate.

  Almost there.

  She could taste success. Her hands reached out in front of her as if she could grasp

  her freedom and hold it--

  Flying.

  Suddenly, she was airborne, her body weightless as it flew through the air. There

  was no time to brace herself as she crashed down against the stone and dirt. Her head

  bounced off the hard ground and the breath was knocked out of her body. She lay

  there, dazed, hurt and confused.

  He loomed over her, his body blocking what little light there was. His laughter

  echoed through the graveyard, low and sinister.

  She dug her heels into the dirt, scrabbling backwards to escape him, but he reached

  down and grabbed her foot. Pulling hard, he yanked her towards him. "I've got her!"

  he yelled as he dropped to his knees and shoved her legs wide open.

  She wanted to scream, but her throat had closed up with fear and the only sound

  she could make was more like the low moan of a wounded animal. Letting go of her

  legs his hands moved roughly up her body as he tore her blouse open and shoved her

  bra out of the way. She forced herself to ignore what he was doing to her. Because she

  wasn't fighting him, he would think that she was paralyzed with fear. Defeated.

  Detaching herself from what he was doing to her body, she curled her hands into

  fists and struck hard and fast. Her arm shot straight towards his throat, her aim perfect.

  The weight left her body as he toppled off her, gasping for breath. Rolling to her side,

  she tried to drag herself to her feet.

  But it was too late.

  Flesh met flesh as the back of a man's hand cracked across her face and she tasted

  blood in her mouth. Falling back into the dirt she knew that this time there was no way

  out. She could hear them all swearing and arguing in the background, but she no longer

  cared. Deep in her mind, she cried out for help and was shocked when she got an

  answer.

  "Who are you?" a calm, soothing male voice inquired.

  "Delight Deveraux," she replied immediately. It never occurred to her not to

  answer the voice. As it washed over her, some of the pain receded, and she wanted

  desperately to hear it again.

  There was silence for a long moment and despair filled her. Somehow the loss of his

  voice was worse than what was happening to her physical body. Delight could feel the

  men stripping off her shirt and squeezing her breasts, bruising and brutal as they

  mauled her. But it was almost as if that was happening to someone else. She was

  focused entirely on the voice in her head, trying to bring it back.

  Her head fell to one side and she opened her eyes. A lone flowerpot sat in front of

  the tomb across from her. Their lovely blossoms were barely visible and looked black in

  the dark, yet they comforted her as she prepared to die.

  "I am coming." The voice flooded her entire body with strength.

  She heard the rasp of a zipper as one of her assailants knelt between her knees and

  shoved her thighs wide open. Acting on instinct, she drew back her leg and kicked him

  in the chest, knocking him backwards with her unexpected assault.

  "Bitch," he swore as his fist came towards her. She closed her eyes and braced

  herself for the pain.

  It never came.

  Screams rent the night. High-pitched, terrified and male.

  Rolling to her side and curling her body for protection, Delight squinted into the

  darkness but couldn't see anything. The sounds stopped abruptly. The silence was more

  frightening than the screams.

  The darkness parted like a curtain and he was suddenly there in front of her. His

  eyes blazed like fire and pure menace radiated from every pore of his body. She glanced

  away, shaken by the intensity in his gaze.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the still body of one of her attackers. His

  sightless eyes were wide open, staring up at the night sky. Blood flowed from a wide

  slash in his neck and soaked into the ground around his head.

  "Don't look at them." His softly spoken command made her flinch. This man was

  lethal in a way her assailants could never be. He was power. He was judgment and

  death.

  Yet, his hands were gentle as he turned her onto her back. She could feel him

  touching her, soothing her aching flesh. It took her a moment to realize that he was

  dressing her, covering her naked body with her clothes. The reality of her ordeal began

  to sink in and she began to shake. The dark stranger sat down on the ground next to her

  and lifted her into his lap as easily as one would a child.

  Biting her lip, she tried to hold back the tears that threatened. But then he stroked

  her bruised cheek with his fingers. Ever so softly, his lips grazed her wound. She was

  lost.

  Huge sobs welled up inside her and spilled out of her mouth, their tortured sounds

  too loud in the quiet of the cemetery. Her entire body shook as she released her fear and

  pain.

  Strong arms wrapped around her as he pulled her tighter into his embrace. Heat

  radiated from his massive body and she snuggled close to him, needing his warmth and

  comfort. He said nothing, but his chest rumbled as he made low comforting sounds.

  Safe.

  He made her feel safe in a world gone mad. She owed him her life. She had called

  and he had come. Time had no meaning as she poured out her tears. When she was

  finally spent, she sniffed and scrubbed her hands over her face before finally raising it

  to look at her savior.

  The moon came from behind the clouds, illuminating his face. Long black hair fell

  over his shoulders in a silky curtain, framing a face that was harsh, yet beautiful in its

  own way. His cheekbones were chiseled, his forehead high, and his lips thin. But it was

  his eyes that captured her. A brilliant emerald green, they were hard and cold as he

  looked out over the night, but the moment he sensed her gaze on him, they changed.

  Heat radiated from their depths as he raised his fingers to her face and carefully

  brushed away the remains of her tears.

  Something about this man called to her on a very deep physical and emotional

  level. Delight knew that she was still shaken after her ordeal and that the last thing she

  should want was a man's hands on her body. But her body wasn't listening to her. It

  was totally illogical, but this stranger made her feel protected, cherished, and wanted.

  Slowly, he lowered his head. His lips were gentle as they covered hers. He tasted

  and nibbled every inch of her lips as if he had all the time in the world.

  It was she who needed more. It was crazy, but she wanted him. His touch and

  caress would wipe out the stain of the men who had hurt her and make her feel whole

  again.

  Her lips parted on a sigh as she raised her head towards him, offering him more.

&n
bsp; Delight could feel his smile against her mouth just before his tongue slipped inside.

  Sighing, she opened her mouth to him.

  His tongue tasted her, mapping out every contour and finding every crevice.

  Delight lay in his arms, surrendering to the bliss. Cradling the back of her head with his

  hand, he held her securely as he kissed her. She leaned easily into his strength, trusting

  him to support her.

  The muscles of his chest rippled under his shirt as she skimmed her hand over his

  torso. Continuing upward, she slid her hand behind his neck and urged him closer.

  When her tongue stroked his, he moaned deep in his chest, and she shivered as the

  sound vibrated throughout her entire body. Their tongues tangled slowly, a dance of

  seduction meant to entice and not to frighten.

  Delight could feel his erection growing as it pushed against her leg. She should

  have been afraid, even disgusted after what had just happened to her. Instead, she felt

  an answering arousal well up deep within her. Her panties dampened as her body

  softened in preparation for receiving him. The inner muscles of her sex clenched as if

  begging for his cock. Her breasts swelled and her nipples tightened to aching points.

  Never had she been aroused so quickly or thoroughly in her life.

  He coaxed her tongue into his mouth and then he sucked on it, drawing it deeper to

  him. Delight was immediately addicted to the slightly coppery taste and began to

  explore his mouth. He angled her face so that he could deepen the kiss. Her entire body

  was humming as she gave a little sound of encouragement.

  His large hand cupped her breast, covering the soft mound completely. Squeezing

  gently, he moved his palm over the tip in a slow, easy circle. Delight tipped back her

  head and moaned. The moment her lips lost contact with his, he peppered her forehead,

  eyelids, cheeks, nose and chin with gentle, seductive kisses.

  When his hand moved towards her other breast, she moaned again, this time in

  anticipation of the pleasure. She squirmed, trying to get closer to him, rubbing her thigh