Page 60 of Midnight Enchantment

Sweet,the blood-demon murmured.Sweeter than life itself.

Not wanting to face the world, Lily snuggled deeper under the covers and tried to go back to sleep, but it was no use. Memories of the time she had spent in Varden’s clutches swirled through her mind. She felt again her fear, her terror when he dropped her into the coffin. Groggy from the drug they had given her, her arms and legs unresponsive, she could only lay there, waiting …

He gazed down at her, his eyes blood-red. “Mine,” he said, as he climbed into the coffin, his fingers stroking her face. “All mine. No matter how long it takes, I will plant my seed in you. And you will give me a son!” He frowned when she didn’t blink or respond, then unleashed a string of vile curses as he turned and berated the half-dozen men standing motionless against the wall. “Damn fools! I wanted her to be awake, aware of what’s happening. There’s no fun to be had in violating a woman who doesn’t even know what’s going on! Fools”, he muttered. “You could have killed her.”

Still muttering curses under his breath, he stormed out of the vault and closed the heavy door behind him, leaving her in total darkness, with only the sound of her own labored breathing and the foul scent of old death …

With a cry, Lily threw the covers aside and jumped out of bed. The house was quiet. Where was Ava? And Raedan? He had been here last night. held her while she cried. But of course he was gone now. The sun was up. She wondered how he had survived such a brutal assault, marveled at how quickly he had healed. There had been no sign of his injuries when he came to her.

Drawing her robe around her, she padded into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. “You look like death warmed over,” she muttered to her reflection. And that was how she felt, too. Drained. Weak. Tired, even though she had slept the clock around.

Maybe a cup of black coffee would help, she mused as she headed downstairs to the kitchen. She stopped in the doorway, surprised to see Ava and the same strange man she recalled seeing last night sitting at the table.

“Lily!” Ava started to rise, then sat back down. “Lily, this is my friend, Mason Balfour.”

Lily nodded, wondering just how friendly they were, seeing as how both Ava and Mason were still in their night clothes. Moving to the stove, she poured herself a cup of coffee.

“Come, sit with us, child,” Ava said. “We were up late last night, so I invited Mason to stay over.”

Nodding, Lily pulled a chair from the table and sat down. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Balfour.”

“And you.”

“How are you feeling, Lily?” Ava asked, her expression anxious.

“I’m fine.” It was a lie and they both knew it.

“Can I fix you anything?”

“I’m not hungry.” But, oh, so thirsty. She drank her coffee, then poured herself a tall glass of orange juice and practically inhaled it.

Ava’s eyes narrowed as Lily poured herself a second glass. She heard Raedan’s voice in her mind:He wants more than just a taste.

Raedan had stayed with Lily last night. And suddenly everything was clear. The reason Lily looked so pale. The reason for her thirst.

Raedan had fed the demon Lily’s blood.

Lily frowned as Ava insisted she eat a big breakfast, even though she wasn’t hungry and when breakfast was over, Ava urged her to go lay down on the couch and watch TV for a while, no doubt hoping some insipid television show would take her mind off last night’s horror. As if she would ever forget it!

“All right, Granny, what’s going on?” Lily asked as Ava ushered her toward the sofa.

“Sit down and I’ll tell you.”

Suddenly apprehensive, Lily dropped onto the couch. Clutching a throw pillow to her chest, she waited for an explanation.

Ava blew out a sigh. “I don’t know how to tell you this, except to just say it. When Varden took you, I couldn’t find you and neither could Raedan.”

“But he did find me,” Lily said.

“Only after he made a deal with the demon.”

“A deal?” A cold shiver ran down Lily’s spine. “What kind of deal?”

“The demon said he would find you, but only if Raedan agreed to give him your blood.”

Lily stared at her great-grandmother in disbelief. “How could he make a promise like that? How could you let him?”

“I didn’tlethim, Lily. He agreed to it before he even told me. But, Lily, child, what else were we to do?”

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