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  Owned by the Night

  Scarlett Sanderson

  For centuries, Kyrian has searched for Allegra Augusta. She isn’t just the vampire who made him immortal—she’s his love, his life, his mate. He’ll stop at nothing to find her again, to claim her for his own.

  Allegra won’t stop running. Kyrian is the one man powerful enough to own her, body and soul. If he finds her, she’ll have no choice but to submit, and she’s terrified of losing herself to the primal, shattering pleasure only Kyrian can give.

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing

  www.ellorascave.com

  Owned by the Night

  ISBN 9781419937507

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Owned by the Night Copyright © 2012 Scarlett Sanderson

  Edited by Carrie Jackson

  Cover design by Syneca

  Photography: Shutterstock.com

  Electronic book publication January 2012

  The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book.

  The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume any responsibility for, author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  Owned by the Night

  Scarlett Sanderson

  Dedication

  For you. My inspiration and my rock. Thank you.

  Chapter One

  Present Day

  Allegra Augusta pressed her palms against the glass and let the coolness calm the burning inside her. The floor-length window showcased the ocean view to perfection. In the dusky light, the waves rolled, roiled and crashed against the sand. The ferocity of the tide beating against the shore, the rise and fall of the waves, matched her mood—fiery, determined, ferocious and turbulent.

  He was coming. She felt it in her soul. Her body tingled, came alive in a way it hadn’t for centuries. Her heart slammed against her rib cage, her nipples hardened, her pussy creamed. It had been many mortal years since she’d seen Kyrian O’Byrne. Not a day went by without him invading her thoughts but she’d never allowed herself the luxury of seeking him out.

  Her teeth throbbed and her canines lengthened slightly, reminding her she hadn’t fed. A vampire’s life was a solitary one. Sharing her life with another could be extremely dangerous, as her encounters with Kyrian had proven.

  Allegra recalled the first time she’d laid eyes on the handsome druid. It was a day filled with hope, happiness and the destruction of her freedom…

  * * * * *

  1245

  Allegra swept her gaze over the powerful druid performing the ritual. Wearing nothing but a coarse black robe, he knelt in the circle of stones, hands and face raised to the heavens. Moonlight danced on the elaborate black-and-red tattoos that adorned his slightly golden-colored skin. The air around him crackled, sizzled with power as he chanted into the darkness.

  Allegra’s body tingled. Her nipples peaked, became turgid buds against the heavy velvet of her bodice. Her incisors lengthened. Her mouth watered. Desire tasted hot and rich on the back of her tongue.

  Yes.

  Here was a man worthy of her companionship. She’d been a vampire for over a thousand years, turned by her vampire Master in ancient Rome. She’d had lovers and fed from many humans, males and females, rich and poor. But throughout the centuries she’d never found a companion, one who made her body burn, her soul ache. One powerful enough to match her own abilities.

  Until now.

  Until him.

  She probed his mind and smiled as she hit a solid wall. Unlike other men’s, his mind had strong barriers she couldn’t penetrate.

  How interesting.

  He fascinated her. He was a curiosity she needed to unravel. This was the fifth night in a row she’d watched him. Every evening he’d performed a different ritual, each one requiring more power. She’d stood in the shadows and observed, making sure he was the right man, the right companion, to accompany her on the journey through immortality.

  His displays of power almost bowed her spine. Magical ability was a powerful aphrodisiac and Allegra couldn’t resist the intense need pounding through her veins. It was time to make her presence known.

  She emerged from the shadows and padded silently to the inner circle. She stepped inside and breached his protective barrier. Power crackled, beat at her skin like a thousand tiny butterflies. She drank in the sensations and focused her attention on him.

  She stared at his back, the muscles bunched and tensed, pulling the coarse woolen material taut across his shoulders. She opened her mouth to speak and was cut off when his head snapped in her direction. His sharp blue eyes caught her stare and his perfectly sculpted lips set in a sneer. She smirked.

  “Who dares invade the sanctity of the circle?” His voice held a deep, richly accented timbre.

  Allegra almost purred at the menace dripping from his tone. She admired spunk in her partners. Anger added a rich texture to blood. Aside from that, she enjoyed sparring. It kept her life interesting.

  She circled his body and stopped before him, her gaze fixed on his. “I’ve been watching you, druid. You interest me.”

  A sardonic smile appeared on his sculpted face. “And who are you, wench?” There was no fear in his tone, no anxiety at finding out he’d been watched. His arrogant self-belief was a potent aphrodisiac.

  Reaching out with her fingertips, she brushed them against his cheek. Heat erupted across her skin. Saliva flooded her mouth, her incisors throbbed. She swiped her tongue across her lips and swallowed. His show of power, his burst of dominance, made her eyelids flutter shut. She let out a low, throaty moan. For a vampire, food and sex were usually entwined but she craved his body as much as his blood. Her pussy throbbed with the need to be filled, to be fucked.

  She had to have him.

  “My name is Allegra. Now, druid, tell me yours.”

  “Why should I?”

  Insolence. She loved that in a man.

  “Because I can make you more powerful than you ever dreamed.” She swept a lock of midnight hair from his forehead and gasped as his fingers curled around her wrist.

  He jerked her forward until she almost stumbled. He was powerful. For a human.

  “And why would you do that? What kind of power are you offering, Allegra? One that takes my soul?” He snorted. “I don’t need what you are offering, demon.”

  A smile twitched on the edge of her lips. The disdain in his tone palpable in the air. He thought her a demon? He wouldn’t make a deal with a demon? How noble. He’d been performing the dark arts f
or five nights, rituals forbidden to any good druid. Yet he wouldn’t consider an offer of magic from a vampire. If it hadn’t been so ironic, she would have laughed.

  “Although there are demons and gods and various other things your mind cannot conceive of, druid, I’m no demon. We aren’t evil. We don’t have blessings from hell. We have a soul. We have a beating heart.”

  Freeing herself from his grasp, she swirled her skirts and cloak around her legs, sinking to her knees in front of him. “We are different just like you.”

  She rested her hands on her thighs in a gesture of peace. They sat eye to eye. Their different magics brushed against each other, fighting for dominance—hers the power of the Revenant. The ability to heal quickly, to live eternally, the power of strength and speed unknown to mortals. She could feel his emotions and influence them within the blink of an eye. His magic inherently more mystical, coming from the earth and the oceans. She let her power wash over his body, forced it inside and battered his well-erected barriers.

  A tic beat erratically in his jaw, the only visual sign he’d been disturbed by her power.

  She continued her assault, using all the vampiric tricks her Master had taught her over a thousand years ago. She homed in on his emotions, on his need, on the craving he had for her abilities and her body. Latching on to these emotions, she forced her will onto his, enhanced his need, shot white-hot desire into his mind.

  The sensual heat she had shown him bowed his spine. How beautiful he was—a body of lithe, toned grace. His robe gaped open revealing dusky, caramel skin covered in a light mat of dark hair. But it was his face she couldn’t stop looking at. A strong, masculine jaw, high cheekbones, sculpted lips and dazzling blue eyes. He looked like a Roman god, only more feral.

  “So powerful.” His words were a whisper on the wind, his tone reverent, yet there was an undercurrent of need that made her smile. He coveted her power.

  “Yes, and I can give you something you’ve been craving, druid. Eternal life. Just think what you could achieve with immortality. All the power of the ages is yours for the taking if only you will reach out and touch it.”

  Yes, she could seduce him with the lure of power darker than his own. He would be her immortal companion—strong, powerful, beautiful. He was worthy of the dark gift.

  This time it was he who reached forward and brushed his fingertips across her cheek. Such a tender gesture for one so primal. “And what would I have to give you in return? Riches? My soul?”

  She turned her cheek into his touch. Power burst from his fingertips and her body sizzled with desire. If one touch could be so electric, what would joining with him be like? Her lips brushed his coarse fingers and her tongue darted out to taste the skin. Salty, musky, earthy. Inherently masculine.

  She drank in his stoic features, his furrowed brow and narrowed eyes. His pupils dilated. Although his face wore a stony mask, his sharp intake of breath betrayed his desire.

  “Not your riches, or your soul.” She paused, waited a heartbeat before telling him the one thing she needed to make him hers forever. “I need your blood.”

  He stiffened and spat out, “Revenant.”

  Allegra should have been insulted but she wasn’t. She could smell his desire, taste it on her tongue like the sweetest nectar. He wanted her—her power and her body. His greed for the dark arts would consume him. Although he would be her equal, as an older vampire she could control his thirst for power. She could guide him to become greater than he’d ever imagined and she’d gain a worthy companion.

  “It is a perfectly good offer, druid. One drink of your blood for untold power.”

  She saw the war raging in his eyes. Should he damn his soul and accept her proposition? Vampires were dirty and evil creatures, yet he craved the power that came with being Revenant more than he cared about his soul.

  “We have a deal, vampire.” He lurched forward and gripped her upper arms. His fingertips dug into her skin. “But you will give me the dark gift now. This minute.”

  She shook off his grasp, embraced her strength and pushed him back into the ground. His nostrils flared, anger flashed in his eyes. He rose onto his elbows and shoved her. Allegra didn’t budge. No matter how much force he used, she was stronger. He gasped, his eyes widened. Fear replaced the anger.

  She couldn’t have that. She wanted his desire and love, she wanted him to crave her, need her, not fear her. She wanted his devotion.

  She crawled on her hands and knees, hiked up her skirts and straddled his waist. She clenched her thighs and felt his cock harden against her. Raising her arms above her head, she stretched and loosened the knots in her back. What a glorious night.

  She glanced up at the heavens and smiled. She would be the Master and he the slave.

  She untucked the pins from her hair, let the glossy mane tumble down her back. Dropping forward, she slammed her palms into the earth on either side of the druid’s head.

  “Now, druid, tell me your name.” She nuzzled her face against his neck, inhaling his scent. Blood surged through his veins.

  “Kyrian O’Byrne.”

  “Kyrian.” She rolled his name around her tongue before licking her lips. “Kiss me, Kyrian.”

  His lips touched hers, tentatively at first. They were velvety soft, pillowy against her own. She let him explore the seam of her lips, discover her taste. Power surged between them, sizzled, crackled in the darkness. She drank in the sparks. It fed her need for his blood but it was no substitute for the real thing. She ached to taste the hot saltiness of him on her tongue.

  He groaned. The sound traveled up through her body, down to her clitoris. His cock swelled, pulsed against her thigh. Bearing down, she moved her pelvis against his, mashing her clitoris on his delicious hardness.

  A gasp escaped, she clenched her eyes closed and focused on the friction between her thighs. She gripped his shoulders and rubbed her body against his, shamelessly taking her own pleasure from the young druid.

  “More. Want to fuck you.” His guttural words, spoken through gritted teeth, broke her erotic reverie.

  Opening her eyes, she focused her gaze on the druid.

  Mine.

  Allegra’s predatory instincts flared to life as she rocked back onto her heels and reached into the folds of his druid cloak. She wrapped her fingers around his cock and squeezed. He pulsed, hot and hard against her palm. His eyes rolled back and his eyelids fluttered shut.

  Pumping her hand up and down, she sighed inwardly at his length. What a treat it would be to fuck a man with such a delicious, long cock. This feral druid was hers for the taking. What a revelation.

  She slipped two fingers inside her pussy, readying herself for his penetration.

  Thumbing the tip of his cock, she asked, “What do you want, druid? Do you want your cock inside my wet heat? Do you want me to ride you? Fuck you ‘til you come?”

  His hands flew to her hips, gripped tightly and jerked her body forward. If she’d been human it would have caused her pain, left a mark blushing deep purple on her skin. But she wasn’t human.

  “You know what I want, vampire.”

  Grinning, she gripped the base of his dick and positioned him at her entrance. Slowly, with agonizing patience, she sank onto his rigid length. He filled and stretched her with every inch. Although she’d had many men throughout the centuries, she’d never had one who managed to fill her quite so well.

  Her walls contracted, sucked him in until she was sure he’d cleave her in half. It took all her self-control not to moan at the sheer satisfaction of having his shaft deep inside her.

  When she’d sheathed him to the hilt, his crisp pubic hairs tickling her thighs, she rocked forward. “Now we fuck.”

  Fire flared in his eyes and Allegra’s vampire side wanted to roar with triumph. Her druid would make a perfect pet.

  Thunder crashed around them as she rocked her hips in a frantic rhythm. All that mattered was Kyrian pumping inside her. She wanted him to come, needed him to fill her
with his seed as she took his blood. Moving back and forth, she ground against him, raised her hands to the heavens and threw back her head.

  The rain started to fall. It soaked their skin, cooled their heated bodies. She pulled her hair back into a bunch and held it from her face. She didn’t want any distractions for the moment that was to come.

  “Yes, yes, yes…” He surged into her, hot, hard and powerful.

  He fucked like he cast spells—intense and commanding. But not as commanding as she. She was vampire.

  His fingernails bit into her hips, the muscles in his neck corded with tension as he gritted his teeth. The vein beat wildly in his throat, she could taste his hot, rich, salty blood on her tongue. Her fangs sprouted forth again, demanding she feed. She could not wait any longer.

  She leaned down and her teeth pierced his vein. Blood, powerful and decadent, burst into her mouth, made her taste buds sing. Power licked through her nerve endings, filling her body with immense pleasure. His blood was like a drug.

  As she drew from his vein, she heard him roar. A hot slickness spurted between her thighs as he came on a wave of power and lust. Clenching her legs, she rubbed against him furiously. Her orgasm engulfed her, strong and swift. Her pussy spasmed. The heady mix of blood, sex and power exploded through her system, threatening to drag her into the abyss.

  Retracting her fangs, she kissed the pinpricks on his neck, healing them with her saliva. Her body almost purred with satisfaction. Resting her head in the crook of his neck, Allegra smiled.

  “You promised me.” His voice, scratchy and sated from sex, echoed into the night air.

  She liked his impatience. He’d delivered his end of the bargain by giving her his blood, now it was her turn to fulfill her contract.

  “And I keep my promises.” She bit her wrist, waited as blood oozed from the welts.