Page 15 of Midnight Enchantment

Grabbing her handbag and the keycard, she left the hotel, bound for a small shopping center located a few blocks away.

This was California and bathing suits were plentiful—everything from suits with skirts to the skimpiest bikinis she had ever seen. It took close to forty-five minutes to find a one-piece that she liked. It was black, with red roses twining down one side. She picked out a red cover-up that caught her fancy, as well as a flowered beach towel, a floppy-brimmed white hat, a pair of black sandals, and a pair of sunglasses.

In the dressing room, she slipped the cover-up on over her bathing suit, put on the hat, the sandals, and the sunglasses and then draped the towel over her shoulder. Next, she magicked the clothes and the shoes she had been wearing to her hotel room so she wouldn’t have to carry them, then went up front to pay for her purchases.

Outside again, she strolled along the sidewalk. There were people everywhere—some in bathing suits, some in shorts and tank tops, a few in dresses and three-piece suits, others in jeans and t-shirts. Everyone seemed to have a cell phone in hand and be in a hurry to be somewhere else. She passed a gaggle of laughing teenagers, an old man slumped against the side of a building, a young mother trying to quiet a screaming child.

Crossing the street, she walked along a concrete path, then angled to the right and made her way down to the beach. After a few steps, she pulled off her shoes and walked barefoot in the sand.

Finding a vacant spot, she spread her towel on the sand and sat down, She had never spent much time at the beach. Taking a deep breath, she drew in the salty scent of the ocean, the heavy smell of sea weed, the faint scent of suntan oil. The sun and the sand were warm, though a faint breeze kept it from being too hot. Sea gulls called back and forth as they soared overhead. Way off in the distance, she thought she saw a porpoise, or maybe a seal.

Sitting there with the sun on her face, she realized it was the first time in her life that she had been free. Truly free. There was no one to tell her what she could and couldn’t do, no one to remind her that she was Hungarian royalty, or to remind her to be demure and polite lest she bring shame to the house of Falconer. Free. It was a heady feeling, to know she could come and go as she pleased, say what she really thought, do whatever caught her fancy.

Lying back on the blanket, she threw her arms wide.

Free.

It was near dark when Lily returned to the hotel. She had spent most of the day at the beach. From there, she had gone for a long walk, then out for an early dinner at a seafood restaurant, where she splurged on a lobster dinner.

Riding up in the elevator, she decided to take a long soak in a hot bath, put on her nightgown, order a hot fudge sundae from Room Service, and spend the rest of the evening watching TV.

She came to an abrupt halt when she opened the door to her room and stepped inside, all her senses warning her that she wasn’t alone. Turning, she reached for the light switch, let out a shriek when a hand closed over her shoulder.

“Liliana.”

“Raedan!” Relief whooshed through her as she pivoted to face him. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

“How do you think?” A faint smile tugged at his lips. “I am a vampire. And a demon. He told me where you were.”

“How did he … it … know?”

“I have no idea.”

Heart pounding, she nodded. She told herself there was nothing to be afraid of. Hadn’t she run away so she could see him again? But now that he was here … He loomed over her, a man more powerful than anyone she had ever known. Perhaps she should have listened to Dominic.

“I told you before. I mean you no harm, Liliana. Do you believe me?”

She looked up, her gaze meeting his. His eyes were dark and beautiful, almost hypnotic. “Yes, but … vampire or not, I don’t understand how you found me. We have no blood connection.”

“It is a demon thing. I cannot explain it.”

He was here, she thought. How he had found her didn’t matter. She was only glad that he had.

His gaze moved over her like an invisible caress and everything feminine within her responded. Too fast, she thought, this was happening way too fast.

Slipping past him, she settled on the sofa, her arms folded across her chest. She couldn’t think when he was so close.

He regarded her a moment, then dropped into the adjacent easy chair. “Why did you run away?”

“My brother told my father about you and I knew that my parents would show up to take me home, and I … ” She lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “I don’t want to go.”

“Because of me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” His gaze searched hers. “You should be afraid of me like everyone else. Why are you not?”

“I don’t know.”

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