Page 1 of Eternal Kiss

Chapter One

Lukas

The highball glassshattered in my hand. I stared at the shards mixed with blood and bourbon. Blood was my life’s essence, and mine was dripping onto the Persian rug under my desk chair. I, Lukas Benoit, was one of the deadliest beings in the southeast, but somehow, I had failed my progeny. Douglas Caan was not only my made child but also my best friend. Hell, other than my brothers, he was my only friend, but that was by my own design. Trust didn’t come easy to my kind, and he was the only one I offered mine. The fact that he and I had been more than boss and employee was a secret no one should have known unless he had slipped. There was no reason for his death other than to hurt me. I was still reeling from his murder and would be for a long time.

Where Lucifer had his demons, who mostly remained in the underworld, Lillith created a different type of being. Ones who could roam the earth without being summoned. As an Ancient, I could create my own kind, though I chose not to do so often. There were plenty of vampires who had been made, and corralling the bastards was a full-time job. Jealousy as well as greed for power, money, and territory was rampant. I had it all in spades, everything except jealousy. To the made vamps in my territory, I was the boss and had been since I took thesoutheast from a weak bastard named Constantine more than three hundred years ago.

I did not take kindly to failure, and when it was my own? Unacceptable. I failed Doug, and that was the wakeup call I needed. I had become lax, but no more.

Two brisk knocks rapped on my door before my assistant entered my office. “Hey, Boss. A Daniel Field— What happened?” Arabella rushed to my side, but I waved her off.

I dropped the glass fragments not embedded in my palm onto the rug, then stood and moved to the bathroom, shoving my hand under cold water. “Finish what you were going to tell me.”

“Daniel Fielding, an attorney, left a message for you regarding The Limelight.”

I glanced over my shoulder, narrowing my eyes. Anyone else would shrink at my anger, but Arabella had been with me for almost forty years. She was used to my snarls and sharp tongue. “What about it?” On paper, Doug had purchased the club from me, but in truth, I had gifted The Limelight, New Orleans’ premier jazz club, to him. Even though he had owned the joint, he spent most nights playing saxophone until the early morning hours, garnering a huge following.

“Mr. Fielding contacted Mr. Caan’s next of kin, requesting her presence for the reading of the will.”

I turned off the water and began extracting glass from my palm before the skin had a chance to heal around it. Doug’s next of kin was a daughter he’d left behind when I turned him. He disappeared from her life, so it would be interesting to see how she handled the news that she now owned The Limelight as well as his house in the Garden District and a shit-ton of money. Not the billions I had acquired but enough that she was set for life.

“Did he say when he expects her?” I rinsed my hand again. While drying it, I turned to Arabella, waiting for an answer.

“She’s already in town. Their appointment is tomorrow morning. He was calling to see if you could meet her at the club this afternoon. He left her contact information in the message.”

“Very well. Call Dinah and ask her to meet me there at two.”

It was Arabella’s turn to frown. “You know her name?”

Fuck. I needed to get my shit together. It wasn’t like me to slip up, even in front of my assistant. Especially in front of her. I had made the mistake of fucking her many years ago, and even though I made it clear it was a one-time deal, she often hinted at us being something more. I’d never considered taking a queen. Even if I had, it wouldn’t be her. Maybe it was time to get a new assistant.

“Of course I know her name,” I hissed. “I learn everything about a person before I turn them, or have you forgotten?”

Arabella inclined her head. “My apologies, Boss. I’ll call Miss Caan now.” Stopping at the door, she pointed to the rug. “Would you like me to take care of that?”

“No. I’ll handle it. I have calls to make, so do not disturb me again.” I wouldn’t allow anyone to have access to my blood, even if it was a few drops, especially in a city where magic was practiced on the regular. Once Arabella closed the door behind her, I moved my chair and pulled the rug away from my desk, rolling it up. One benefit of being wealthy was owning numerous businesses around the city, one of which was a funeral parlor equipped with a crematory in the basement. It came in handy for burning rugs containing my blood or humans who needed to disappear. My office was housed on the top floor of a specially-designed building where vamps lived in apartments on the floors beneath. Although I used a secret exit only I knew about, I glamoured myself. None of my coven knew I was an Ancient, nor that I could compel them as well as I could a human. It was why Arabella didn’t question how I was able to meet Dinah during the day.

Since I had a couple of hours before meeting with Dinah, I made the funeral parlor my first stop. I used my key and entered the basement where I burned the rug myself. Once that task was completed, I drove to the Quarter and parked at one of the many houses I owned. Then I strolled the busy sidewalks, stopping for a cup of chicory coffee. Unlike a made vamp, I could eat and drink human food. I could walk in the daylight. I couldn’t be killed by a stake, wooden or otherwise. A bullet to the heart did nothing more than piss me off because it ruined the bespoke suit I wore like armor. There was only one way to permanently end an Ancient, and that was to take my head. The only ones alive, or undead, who knew this were other Ancients unless said Ancients had shared, which would be beyond foolish. We didn’t live forever if we couldn’t keep our mouths shut, and I knew my brothers well. They were as tight-lipped as I was.

I could create vampires, but I couldn’t bestow them with my gifts. It’s why Doug was dead. Permanently. Per his wishes, I had gathered his ashes that now resided in a gilded urn engraved with a saxophone. He had been killed with a wooden stake made from a baobab tree, which was ironic considering it was referred to as the tree of life. That was another reason I was pissed. Where the fuck would a local vamp get the sacred wood? My mind had been in turmoil ever since I found Doug’s ashes amid the clothes he'd worn that night. It was one reason I walked the streets of my city glamoured. I visited every haunt of my coven. I eavesdropped on whispered conversations. I followed at night as they hunted their next meal. Eight days later, and I was no closer to finding the killer.

As I neared the club, I moved out of the way of pedestrians. Humans could be rude if you stopped for no apparently good reason. Little did they know I could end them with a word. Some days, I was tempted. I wanted to get a look at Doug’s daughter before introducing myself. Another of his wishes wasthat if anything happened to him, all his assets went to her. Lillith knew I didn’t need the club or his house or his money, but handing it all over to the child he hadn’t seen in over twenty years was going to be a pain in my ass. Back when I gifted The Limelight to Doug, I needed something to fill my time, so I acted as manager, changing my name and appearance every decade or so. Another of Doug’s wishes was for me to remain in that capacity if Dinah decided to keep the club instead of selling it. I would do anything for him, so I agreed.

I approached wearing the glamour of Luke Bennett, manager. Yes, it was close to my true name, but reinventing myself was also a pain in the ass. My tailor-made suit appeared as one off-the-rack. My perfectly styled hair was now messy, and my sharp facial features were somewhat rounded and mundane. A woman stood at the door, reading the sign that stated we were closed until further notice, and I devoured her from head to toe.

There was no waythiswas Doug’s daughter. Lillith wouldn’t be so cruel.

“Dinah?”

She turned at her name. The creature in front of me was a fucking goddess. Long dark hair. Curves for days. Full lips. Bedroom eyes. In other words, my kryptonite. If I could dress her in a Victorian gown, I would bury my face between her full breasts and…Damn you, Lillith. I’d known about Dinah Caan, the young daughter Doug left behind in Tennessee, but I hadn’t been aware of how alluring she would be all grown up. Let’s just say this was not going to end well for one of us.

“I’m Luke Bennett,” I introduced myself and held out my hand. Dinah placed her palm against mine. Instead of a quick shake, she held on as her eyes roamed down my body. I was used to the attention, even glamoured, but coming from her it was akin to being kissed by the sun on a cold day. I had never wanted a queen. Until now.

Her skin flushed when she noticed my smirk, and Dinah removed her hand from mine.Pity.“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Luke.”

“My deepest condolences. Doug was a good man.” I shoved my hands in my pants pockets to keep from grabbing her and sinking my fangs into her neck.

Her countenance changed from flirty to serious. “Doug was a stranger to me. He left when I was six, and I haven’t seen him since. You obviously knew a different Doug Caan than I did.”

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