Page 3 of Midnight Enchantment

But they shared one thing—the need for sustenance. Leaving the residential area behind, he wandered the dark underbelly of the city in search of prey, even as his thoughts turned to the young woman, Liliana. She was a witch who came from an old family. He had sensed her power the first time their eyes met. But there had been something more. She also carried the blood of Hungarian vampires, though she, herself, was not a vampire. It was an odd mix. His kind and those of Hungarian ancestry avoided each other whenever possible, but he had sensed their presence in the city when he had returned to the Big Easy a few weeks ago.

Raedan found his prey huddled over a half-empty bottle of cheap booze in the dark doorway of one of the less reputable hotels. He would rather have indulged on the blood of the lovely Liliana, but witch blood tended to be bitter. But no doubt better than this, he thought, as he sank his fangs into the drunken man’s throat. Much better. Lifting his head, Raedan turned away. Surely he could find more satisfying prey elsewhere in the city.

Strolling along the dark streets in search of a new victim, his thoughts again turned to the young witch, her body shapely yet slender, her hair the color of ebony, her eyes the dark gray of a dove’s wings. Her scent, alluring and slightly exotic, lingered in his nostrils. Liliana.

One way or another, he intended to see her again.

Claret blew out a sigh as she made her way along the sidewalk toward her lair. Life had been boring these past few months, she mused. The old Elder Knight was dead, though she had no cause to mourn his passing. She had no idea what had happened to the warlock, Jasper. With the Elder Knight’s death, the curse on the warlock would have been broken and Jasper would have regained his humanity. Her best guess was that he, too, was dead, since she had tried to contact him and found only emptiness.

She turned the corner of Bourbon Street and headed toward one of her favorite hunting grounds. There was a new vampire in town, a very old, very powerful vampire. Thus far, they had not crossed paths, but she had caught his scent on several occasions. What was he doing here? Just passing through? Or did he hope to usurp her position and become the new Master of the City? She could think of no other reason for his presence in her territory.

“Over my dead body,” Claret murmured. It was customary for any Transylvanian vampires who entered New Orleans to ask her permission to stay, but it was obvious he had no intention of doing so.

A wave of preternatural power washed over her as she passed the alley behind a seedy hotel. Moving cautiously, she made her way through the darkness, only to come to an abrupt halt when a dark shape turned to face her.

It was the very stranger she had been thinking about. “You!” Claret hissed. “How dare you hunt in my territory without asking my blessing.”

“I dare anything I wish, madam.”

His hair was long and black, his voice low and dark and dangerous. It sent a ripple of fear down her spine as every instinct she possessed warned her to get out of there before it was too late. Instead, she lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. She had held this territory for more than a hundred years and intended to hold it for a hundred more. “Why are you here?”

“Because I wish to be.” He nodded at the inebriated hooker standing motionless in his arms. “If you will excuse me, madam, you are interrupting my dinner.”

“Please be discreet,” Claret said imperiously. “And clean up any mess you make when you’re through.”

His amused laughter followed her out of the alley.

Chapter Three

Lily woke feeling out of sorts, which was highly unusual. But then, she hadn’t gotten a lick of sleep last night. And it was all that detestable vampire’s fault. He’d been arrogant, impertinent. She wasn’t used to being treated that way. Back home in Savaria, she was accorded respect. After all, her grandfather, Andras, was the Master of the Hungarian vampires.

Turning on her side, she stared out the window. Transylvanian vampires weren’t like her brother or her father, who were both able to be awake during the day, consume human food, and procreate. Transylvanian vampires were like the Undead creatures portrayed in horror movies. They slept in coffins by day and preyed on the innocent by night. Unlike her kinfolk, the other vampires often killed their prey.

She wondered where the stranger passed the daylight hours.

What his name was.

If he would be at that same club tonight.

Lily immediately shook the thought away, only to have it recur while she showered, and again while she prepared breakfast. She was mentally going through her wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear, when her great-grandmother entered the kitchen.

“You’re not thinking of doing something stupid, are you?” Ava asked, pulling a chair from the table.

“Of course not,” Lily replied acerbically. “Why would you think that?”

“By the look on your face. And the fact that you’re burning the eggs.”

“Oh!” Grabbing a pot holder, Lily removed the pan from the fire and set it in the sink.

“Maybe I’d better fix breakfast,” Ava muttered, and with a wave of her hand and a few magic words, she conjured two plates of sausage, hash browns, scrambled eggs, and toast, and two cups of coffee.

Lily sank into one of the kitchen chairs and picked up her fork.

Brow furrowed, Ava smeared plum jelly on her toast. She wasn’t ready to handle another romantic entanglement. It hadn’t been that long ago that Lily’s twin brother, Dominic, had fallen head over heels in love with Maddy and, in a remarkably short time, had bedded and wedded her in spite of the numerous obstacles they had faced, not the least of which had been the Knights of the Dark Wood, as well as Quill’s old nemesis, Claret.

Ava frowned. Perhaps she should get in touch with Quill and Callie and let them know their daughter might be headed down a similar path. “Lily? Liliana!”

Lily looked up. “Did you say something?”

---