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  “Okay, then. I won’t stab you.”

  “Thank you.” Basil hoped he sounded appreciative but the suspicious glance she gave him said he lacked the proper degree of humility. Her stomach rumbled, reminding the vampire that although he could subsist on blood, his human mate wasn’t so lucky.

  “Come, go take a shower and get dressed and I’ll go get you some food.”

  She gave him a relieved smile, whether it was because she wanted a shower or just his absence, he wasn’t sure. Scanning her mind, he was surprised to see she’d learned to block some of her thoughts. The transformation was beginning.

  “Sounds good.”

  Before his appreciative gaze she slid out of bed and headed for the attached bathroom.

  Smiling, he quickly dressed and went to get his mate some food.

  Chapter Five

  She needed an exit strategy.

  Cora scrubbed her skin almost raw as she thought over how she was going to get out of this mess. It didn’t take a genius to figure out Basil was planning on keeping her. She didn’t know if she was ready to be kept.

  Still dripping from her shower, she wrapped her body in a towel and grabbed her purse. Pulling out her cell phone she called the one woman she always turned to when she was having a crisis. Her Aunt Karen always knew what to do in bad situations.

  “Hello, Cora, dear.” Her aunt’s voice calmed the panic building in Cora’s chest since she’d woken up next to the vampire king.

  “Auntie, I have a problem.”

  “Spill it and I’ll see what I can see.” The second reason to call her aunt was that she had limited premonition abilities and might be able to get a vision about Cora’s future.

  In one breathless rush of confession she told her aunt everything. Her aunt made encouraging noises until she got to the end, then there was silence.

  More silence.

  Cora strained her ears to hear any possible noise from the other side. She checked the phone display—yep, still connected. She didn’t want to interrupt her aunt if she was having a vision but…

  “Cora, get out of there now!” Aunt Karen screamed.

  “I’m wearing a towel.”

  “Get out now!”

  Shit!

  Despite only wearing a towel Cora grabbed her purse and headed for the door. She could get whatever she needed later. Never in her life had she ignored her aunt’s warning.

  Just as she was about to reach it, the door slammed open.

  Deva stood in the doorway, her eyes wild. “I will kill you, little slut.”

  Cora dropped her purse and ran for the balcony hoping there was a place to reach another room or floor or something. A hand grabbed her hair, yanking her back. With a scream of rage Deva slammed Cora to the ground. The air left Cora’s lungs in a quick whoosh as black dots filled her vision.

  “I’m going to cut you open and wallow in your blood,” Deva said, her voice filled with satisfaction.

  “Basil will come and kill you.”

  “Maybe, but I can come back. The same can’t be said for you, stupid human.”

  Cora wished she was strong enough to punch the bitch in the face but her head hurt and her arms felt like noodles from clutching Basil so tightly. Somehow she found the strength to shove Deva off her.

  The surprised look on the vampire’s face was worth the effort.

  “No! He changed you!”

  What?

  “I’m not going to let you be the next vampire queen. He’s mine!”

  Cora scrambled to her feet. She was certain it wasn’t a dignified movement with her towel gaping open, but if she stayed on the ground she knew her seconds would be numbered.

  She barely dodged a blow to her face but Deva’s hand landed on her shoulder where a loud crunching noise accompanied a shitload of pain. “Damn.” Something had definitely broken. Her arm lost most of its feeling and the little she could feel told her nothing good about its condition.

  “Bitch!” Melinda’s scream ran through the air. Cora turned her head to see her cousin swooping into the room with the same sword she’d stabbed Deva with before.

  Instinct had Cora dropping to the ground as Melinda’s sword whooshed through the air. Deva’s head landed on the ground beside her. Bile rose in Cora’s throat—she swallowed it down but her stomach threatened to return it.

  “She’s dead now. You’ll be okay.” Melinda wrapped an arm around Cora, giving an awkward one-armed hug. “Let’s get you dressed. You can rest in my room.”

  Minutes later she was sitting on her cousin’s bed drinking warm tea. “How did you know she was there?”

  “Mother texted me.”

  Cora laughed. “I’m surprised you read it.”

  Melinda shrugged. “I read it before I realised who it was from.”

  “You’re going to have to invite her to your wedding now. She helped save the life of your wedding planner.”

  “I was going to invite her anyway. I just wanted her to sweat it out a little more. Besides, it’s not like I have tons of family.”

  “Why are we having this big wedding if you don’t have people you want to invite?”

  Melinda smiled. “The wedding isn’t for me, it’s for you.”

  “Me!” Cora squeaked.

  “Mom’s not the only one with the sight. I had a dream you married the vampire king and the only way to get you here was to get you to plan the wedding. I didn’t think you’d almost get yourself killed, though.”

  “I don’t know if I’m ready to get married,” Cora protested. “I’ve only known the man for a few days.”

  “Trust me, you’ll marry him.”

  “Yeah.” Cora nudged her cousin. “How many kids are we going to have?”

  “Six.”

  “Six!” Cora’s hand shook so much she almost spilled her tea. She quickly set it on the table beside the bed.

  Melinda gave her a wicked smile. “Gotcha!”

  “Bitch.”

  Laughing, her cousin stood up. “I’ve got to get that mess cleaned up. Try and get some rest. From your state of undress I’d say you already had an eventful morning before Deva.”

  Memories of her bout of love play with the king made her cheeks burn.

  As she sat on the bed, the aches and pains from her fight with Deva made themselves known. Her shoulder especially hurt. If it got any worse she was going to have to go see the doctor.

  Just as her eyes started to close, the door slammed open. Cora sat upright in bed, blinking.

  “I just heard what happened. I got waylaid in the kitchen by a few of my people asking questions about you. Melinda told me everything. I’ve not protected you well. In the future you will have a guard at your door.”

  “Um, about that future.”

  Basil’s eyes widened as he looked at her firm expression. “What?”

  “I think we should take things slow. Build up to the wedding and six kids.”

  “Six kids?” Instead of the stark terror she expected on his face he looked disturbingly delighted. “I had only hoped for one or two.”

  “Keep that hope alive,” Cora cut in brutally. “I was kidding.”

  Damn, the disappointment on his face almost made her feel bad.

  “I don’t think having six children is outside of our abilities,” he said coaxingly, “but we can start with one and see how it goes.”

  Cora held up her hand, palm out. “I haven’t even agreed to one. Didn’t you promise me food?”

  “Damn, I forgot it in the kitchen when I heard what happened.”

  Alexis appeared in the doorway holding a tray. “Looking for this?”

  “Thank you.” Basil walked over to take the food. “I was in trouble for forgetting it.”

  “I figured as much. I heard human women get cranky when they don’t eat,” Alexis offered as a bit of wisdom.

  “I also heard they get cranky when referred to when they are sitting right here.”

  Alexis gave her a wide smile. “Sorry, s
ister.”

  Cora rolled her eyes. “I am not your sister. I’m more like a cousin-in-law which barely even counts as a relative.”

  “I hate to argue with a lady, but Melinda considers you her sister, and the brother of my soul all but considers you his wife and since you’ve planned your wedding, you might as well give in.”

  With that sage advice, Alexis left.

  “I could really get to hate him,” Cora said towards the receding back.

  Basil closed the door behind his brother and turned to face her. He walked over and set the tray down. “Am I such a bad guy?”

  For the first time since she’d met him, Cora looked at the vampire king as a potential husband. As a man he was the requisite tall, dark and handsome with a big dose of sexy thrown in. He also really appeared to care about her feelings, not to mention he was the king of the whole damn vampire race. Maybe Melinda was right. Her standards were a little too high.

  “I’m a bad bet,” she confessed to the puzzled vampire. “I’m cranky, easily annoyed and I like to have my way.”

  Basil sat on the bed beside her. “You’re strong-willed, decisive and know what you want. Not bad traits in a vampire queen.”

  “Would I need to convert to vampirism?”

  Basil laughed. “We’re not a church and not until you have our six kids. Vampires can’t have children, that’s why they take human mates and later convert them.”

  “What if you decide I’m not worth all the trouble once you have your kids?” she asked, stating her biggest fear. What if she gave him everything, then he tossed her aside like yesterday’s news.

  The vampire took her face between his big hands. “Vampires mate for life. I found you, I claimed you, I’m going to keep you. There is nothing you can say or do that will change that.”

  A knot of anxiety she hadn’t realised had built in her chest unfurled. “Okay.”

  “Okay? Okay what?”

  “I’ll be your mate.”

  Basil let out a shout, lifted her off the bed and spun her around. With a happy smile he dropped her back on the bed. Surprisingly her injuries didn’t hurt any more. Maybe she’d just pulled the muscle after all.

  “For a brooding king you sure smile a lot.”

  “Hmm, maybe you can help me work on that.”

  Cora nodded. “We could call it Brooding One-oh-one and I can give you pointers.”

  “I’d like that, my love.”

  There was a moment of silence before Cora gave in and asked, “Am I really your love?”

  Basil nodded. “Vampires know their mate within minutes of mating. I met, mated and fell in love with you within a week, Cora. No one can ever part us.”

  She looked at him hesitantly. “I don’t know if I’m ready to declare undying love quite yet.”

  Basil smiled. “That’s all right. I know you love me. I just need to work on getting you to admit it to yourself.”

  “Sounds like a project.”

  A long hot kiss broke off her words. When he finally lifted his mouth, Basil said, “I look forward to our many projects together.”

  Smiling, Cora grabbed Basil by the shirt and pulled him down onto the bed beside her.

  “I thought you were hungry,” he teased.

  “I think I need to work up more of an appetite,” she said against his lips.

  “Sounds like a fabulous plan.”

  Pleased with her future husband, Cora even let him take the lead in removing all their clothing.

  “Now I believe you said something about bondage.” Basil gave her a sexy smile before reaching into the side table drawer and pulling out a pair of handcuffs made from soft leather.

  Cora snatched them out of his hand. “You’d really let me tie you up?”

  The glow in Basil’s eyes told her his answer before he even spoke. “I’d let you do anything you’d like to me.”

  “Lie down.” Cora wiggled out from beneath her husband.

  The vampire’s mouth quirked up on one side. “Does giving you cuffs make you think you’re in charge of this relationship?”

  Cora laughed. “Honey, I’ve always been in charge. Women always are—we just don’t usually tell the man. But since you can read my mind, it’s pointless to hide the truth.”

  Basil laughed and docilely let Cora cuff him to the headboard. “You do know I can turn into a bird and escape the cuffs.”

  “Yeah, but if you do, I’ll tattle and tell Melinda…and she’ll tell everyone in the house that the big bad vampire king can’t handle his wife.”

  The vampire didn’t look overly concerned as he watched her with laughing green eyes. “I guess I’d better lie here and take it like a man, then.”

  Cora nodded. “You’re a brave, brave man.”

  “Now that I’m at your mercy, whatever are you going to do with me?”

  Cora traced Basil’s body with her eyes before doing the same thing with her hands. Her fingers barely grazed his skin as she moved in random patterns across his body.

  “Touch me!” he demanded.

  “Shush, I’m in charge, remember?” Cora admonished him.

  Basil growled and the tips of his fangs appeared.

  Damn, that was sexy.

  Cora shook her head, trying not to get distracted. Her goal was to drive him insane. If she let him tease her with his sexiness, she’d never get to be in charge again.

  “I’ll let you be in charge any time you want, wife. Now climb on top and show me who’s in charge.”

  Cora laughed. “Yeah, that’ll teach you.”

  Leaning forward, she captured his mouth in a kiss. “Mmm.” The heat from their lips connecting travelled down her body and settled between her thighs. Damn, she’d hoped to draw this out, but she needed him. Her nipples hardened as she unconsciously rubbed herself across his body.

  His hard length became even harder as she felt the rod beneath her. Letting out a soft sound, she spread her thighs and wiggled until she’d coated his cock with her wetness.

  With a roar, Basil snapped the cuffs, flipped her over and slid inside her soaking hole. Cora gasped as he cupped her ass and lifted her at the perfect angle.

  “Y—you cheated,” she gasped. It was difficult to find the proper level of indignation while moaning but she thought she did pretty well. “Oh, right there.”

  Basil gave a warm chuckle. “I know where to go, my sweet. I can feel your pleasure.”

  Cora locked her ankles around his sweat-slick back and clenched her inner muscles.

  “You vixen.” Basil groaned. “We are going to have so much fun together.”

  Cora arched her neck, giving access to the vampire. “Bite me.” This was her chance to live out her favourite paranormal fantasy—the one she’d always read about in books.

  “Of course. After all, you are in charge.”

  Basil pegged her G-spot, using an unfair advantage to get her to forget to be bossy. Hell, she wasn’t even positive she still knew her name. “D—don’t forget it.”

  “Never, my dear, never.” Basil plunged his teeth into her neck at the same moment he pushed into her body, accessing parts she was almost positive had never been reached before.

  “Oh!” She knew there was a snappy comeback begging to be made but it completely escaped her at that moment. As Basil sucked her blood, his emotions swept through her like wildfire. Her entire body gripped him as she convulsed with pleasure.

  Cora lost all sense of time and space…as well as the feeling in her fingers from gripping him so hard. Her body became boneless and it barely registered when Basil came then removed both fangs and cock from her body.

  Basil wrapped his long arms around her. “Did I break you?”

  “Uh, huh. But I’m still going to tell my cousin you couldn’t take my teasing.”

  “Go ahead. It’ll just make the others more jealous of my mate. After all, if you can make a vampire king lose control, no one else has a chance.”

  Cora gave a tired chuckle. “Mmm, there is th
at.”

  “Go to sleep, my dear. Tomorrow we can decide what to name the baby.”

  “Remind me to kill you tomorrow. Tonight I’m too tired to look for a stake. I’m not ready to have a baby.”

  Basil kissed her on the cheek. “No one is ever ready to have a baby, my love. Some are just fooled into thinking they are.”

  “Ah. Am I having a boy or a girl?” She should be angry—or distraught or…something—but with her body still boneless and her libido satisfied, she didn’t have the energy to push her husband off the bed. That didn’t stop her from mentally sending the idea his way.

  “Not nice. I don’t know what we’re having, but it will be adorable because it will be part of you.”

  “Hmmm. I’m still going to stake you in the morning, you sweet talker. Don’t forget to remind me.”

  Basil cuddled her closer. “Of course, my dear. I’ll put it on your to-do list.”

  “Good plan.”

  Her husband’s soft laughter made her smile. Cora decided she might be in love with him after all.

  “Of course you are, darling. I am the king.”

  “So you keep telling me.”

  She never heard his response as she released her worries for the future and let sleep take her away.

  Coming Soon from Total-E-Bound Publishing:

  Temporary Position

  Scarlett Parrish

  31st October 2011

  Excerpt

  Chapter One

  Three months ago I attended a staff dinner dance too far from home to make for a comfortable, quick drive back. Besides which, I wanted to have a drink, so I opted to book a hotel room for the night. That way I could taxi back and fall into bed within minutes of leaving my work colleagues if I fancied.

  I hadn’t had too much to drink—only a few glasses of wine, and white, at that. Even one glass of red was enough to send me loopy. I’d thought I was playing it safe. Cue a casual conversation with Sebastian, a suggestion that, as he and Tyler were carpooling, they could drive me back to wherever I was staying…

  Before I knew it, I was in a car with the two best-looking Pearson’s employees in the region, desperately chanting to myself, Don’t say anything stupid, Jess. Don’t say anything stupid.