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But nowwell, oing ho Mike and ht?"

"Oh, yes Hell, yes Bourbon Street in an hour," Sean told hi

He guessed they weren’t off for the night after all

It was in Paris, not long after she first tasted blood, that she met Lucian

And was told the rules

She didn’t knoas happening that first night; she thought she was dreahtmare of the most horrible proportions

She had only recently come to Paris Her father had sent her Naturally, after her affair with Alec and its consequences, there was little to do but send a well-bred heiress to Europe

And since she was a stranger in this beautiful old city, it was natural that she should sleep fitfully, restlessly

And dream

It seemed that the wind swept around her with a tremendous, dark force The earth shook and quaked, the air was a te She felt that she lay still, teeth chattering against the strength of the force, and that she was lifted, lifted by the wind, by the very powers of the night, of darkness She flew, co was still The darkness reht brought the complete blackness slowly to shadow She was do upon so before a hotly blazing fire The flaht

She looked around, confused, disoriented

She was not in her own bedroom, but rather in soe four-postered bed with elaborate carvings and a black satin spread There was a desk, a washstand, a swivel ht and heat, sat a -backed chair

He watched her, hands folded casually in his lap Even though he was seated, she could see that he was a tall ant even, in the way he sat His hair was dark, rich, long to his shoulders In the strange red-gold light that continued to press back the shadows, she made out his features Sharp, severe, handso, for she could see his eyes

Perhaps they should have been brown; that dark, dark brown that was nearly black in a Creole way

But they weren’t brown

They were as red as the flas beneath her, trying very boldly to meet his stare She tried to remind herself, convince herself that it was a dreahtmare, and she had fallen into the pits of despair to co A wicked, pleased, s smile, as if he had seen her eyes, as she had seen his; as if he had seen the fear within the there before hiht upon her strange fur throne Defiant After all, if it was a nightht to defy the devil

He wore a black shirt with stylishly frilled sleeves, open at the throat, skintight black breeches that hugged tightly hs, and shiny black boots cuffed just above his knee

He wore no beard orthe sharp, striking lines of his features, the sensual fullness of his lips as he curled hissmile

He walked toward her, then around her, his s, his eyes, now suddenly as dark as they should have been, assessing her as if she was a surprise gift; a new pet perhaps, or a prize racehorse

"Oh, ! A creation beyond measure I had heard that this was so Alec was infatuated beyond all sense and reason, but Alec is dead, and you are with us--

and you are to have a child! How rich, how droll! You are sent to Paris--your father is a clever man A very clever man You see-- I know all about you And you, my love, do you knoho I am?" he asked her suddenly

His voice was deep, masculine, yet husky as well, al around her It was a whisper that entered into her

"The devil?" she queried in return

His laughter was hearty; he seemed even more pleased