Bloodlines merge, passions surge.
When Akila Massri is approached by a handsome man while shopping
at the supermarket, she expects a standard pickup line. Instead
she gets an engraved invitation to visit a famous billionaire’s
retreat. She also gets an electric charge as she looks into
the soulful eyes of the bearer of the invitation, Jacob Baum.
Too intrigued to refuse, Akila arrives at Valarian Kaspan’s
private tropical island only to be bombarded by several incredible
facts; vampires exist, she is a descendant of Ra, and her bloodline
is critical to the future of mankind. Her dark and deadly host
tells her of a prophecy that claims their union will create
a savior. But as a vampire he is sterile. It is through his
thrall, Jacob that she will be impregnated and their bloodlines
mingle.
As Akila tries to wrap her mind around all this, she’s
also caught in a whirlwind of powerful attraction for two very
complicated men. Will she choose to become the consort of both
the vampire and his thrall? And is she ready to give up her
normal life to possibly save the world?
Reviews
Mrs. Giggles, 80
this story is actually very entertaining in a red-hot guilty
pleasure way as Ms Dee puts together everything very nicely.
Excerpt
Akila glanced at her silent companion, sitting
beside her as if there were only two seats available in this
empty eight-passenger Leer. Jacob looked even sexier today than
she had when she’d first met him. He was wearing a plain
white Oxford button down over another T-shirt. Apparently, the
man liked layers and long sleeves even in this humid Florida
weather.
“How long have you worked for Mr. Kaspan?” She watched
a flicker of emotion chase across his face like a cloud on a
windy day.
“Too long,” he said dryly.
“You don’t like him?”
The corner of his mouth drew up and his eyelids slightly lowered.
“That’s beside the point.”
Oh, so their relationship went beyond employer and employee.
She could sense sex in those bedroom eyes. Gay, then? But no,
she’d definitely caught an appreciative look in his eyes
when he’d examined her and she was rarely wrong about
male interest in her. He must bat for both teams.
“You’re tired of him, but you can’t leave
him,” she guessed.
A quick widening of his eyes told her she’d nailed the
crux of their relationship with one blow.
“Mr. Kaspan is a fair employer. I’m compensated
well for what I do.” He went stiff and formal trying to
backpedal from that admission of “too long”, but
it was too late. Akila had glimpsed an emotion, a disgruntled
impatience he preferred to keep hidden from his boss and possible
lover. This knowledge gave her a little bit of power and she
liked that.
Settling back into the comfortable seat, she took a sip from
the bottled water Jacob had given her. “It’s all
right. Your secret’s safe with me. I know what it’s
like to get that ‘moving on’ feeling but not be
ready to go yet. It happens in both jobs and relationships.”
“You’re very perceptive.”
“Thank you.”
“Sometimes it’s better to keep your perceptions
to yourself.” He turned the full force of his gaze on
her and Akila suddenly felt like a child who’d been prodding
a lion with a stick.
“You really have no idea who or what you’re dealing
with,” he added. “A wise man keeps his mouth shut
and his ears open.”
God, she just couldn’t help herself. She had to poke again.
“But a wise woman ferrets out the truth by asking the
right question.”
She could hear herself being obnoxious, but couldn’t turn
it off. When she was nervous she grew even more smart-assed
than usual. And despite her attempts to appear at ease, she
was pretty damn nervous right now. Her mother used to say her
outspokenness would get her into trouble some day. This might
just be that day.
“Sorry. You’re right, I don’t know anything
about you or your…employer.” Akila tried to patch
things up and even then she couldn’t help the little pause
that gave the word “employer” a whole other meaning.
“But you could tell me something about him. I’d
like to know a little about what I’m walking into.”
Jacob paused a long moment. “There’s really nothing
I’m at liberty to say. Mr. Kaspan will explain everything.”
She could tell it was his final word on the matter so she stopped
poking and looked out the window at the azure sky above and
the sapphire water below. A few seconds later a blob of green
appeared in the water. She’d barely had time to decide
it was an island and not some coral reef beneath the water when
the plane approached a bone-white landing strip. Akila braced
herself as if they were coming in for a crash landing. Here
we go. What in the hell have I gotten myself into?
The plane touched down, light as a feather, and rolled to a
stop.
Jacob rose and ushered her from her seat. “This way, Miss
Massri.”
They descended the steps of the plane and Akila stood for a
moment, absorbing the tropical sun’s heat and the glorious
view that lay before her.
Fantasy Island, indeed. The place was pure paradise. From the
airstrip she could see bleached sand and gently breaking surf
on one side, emerald green foliage laced with showy tropical
blooms on the other.
Jacob carried her bags to a golf cart. They climbed inside and
zipped along a path through the trees. The track climbed upward
in the cool shade and then broke through into a sunny glade.
Gracing the crest of the hill was a huge house with white walls
that shone in the sun. A red, clay-tiled roof made a pretty
contrast to the harsh white.
Akila thought of every action movie she’d ever seen featuring
a drug lord. They always had mansions like this, paid for in
blood. For all she knew, Kaspan dabbled in the drug trade too,
but he had enough legitimate businesses it hardly seemed necessary.
Besides, criminals didn’t usually fund schools, hospitals,
orphanages and programs to build roads in third world countries—all
philanthropies Kaspan was involved in.
“Home, sweet home, eh?” She glanced at Jacob’s
chiseled profile and wondered what he was all about. She couldn’t
imagine such a somber man ever having been a playful child.
Where had he come from and how had he ended up as the lackey
of one of the most powerful men in the world?
She was tired of wondering about things. Patience wasn’t
her strong suit and she’d been pondering a million questions
ever since that day Baum had handed her the invitation. Kaspan
had allowed her little time to consider the offer. The airline
tickets had been for the following week, which was just as well
or she might have talked herself out of this crazy adventure.
Now here she was, getting out of the golf cart and facing a
glossy red door behind a decorative wrought-iron grill. Tendrils
of vines grew in a trellis arching over the walkway and plants
erupted in lush profusion from beds on either side. The path
to the front door meandered invitingly down the tunnel of green.
The house was not at all the Gothic mausoleum she’d half
expected an eccentric recluse to live in. Akila’s fears
were somewhat alleviated by the welcoming atmosphere.
“What a lovely place to live.”
Jacob looked around as though seeing it with fresh eyes. “It
is.”
He held the door for her and she walked from the humid heat
into the refreshing coolness of the foyer. A fan swept lazily
high overhead in the vaulted ceiling and sunlight from a window
illuminated the open space. A plush carpet in deep reds and
earth tones covered most of the tiled floor. Potted trees and
plants brought the outdoors inside.
Akila barely had time to glance at the artwork on the walls
or the exotic artifacts scattered here and there before Jacob
guided her down a corridor.
“I will take you to your room first so you may refresh
yourself before meeting Mr. Kaspan.”
She decided his courtly, almost old-fashioned manner of speech
may have been from learning English as a second language. “Are
you from Germany? I keep catching a trace of an accent.”
“Yes,” he said. “But I’ve lived many
places in the world since then.”
“Mm. I did the European backpacking thing one summer when
I was in college, but money’s always been too tight for
me to travel much.”
This tropical retreat was a dream come true, especially with
icy gray slush still piled alongside the streets back home.
Whatever Kaspan wanted, she would enjoy her time here in this
paradise for as long as it lasted.
Jacob opened a door and Akila stepped into a room that reminded
her of the iridescent inside of an oyster shell. The floor underfoot
was covered with dove gray carpet, but the walls were swathed
in fabric, the colors of which seemed to shimmer and change
as she looked at them. Cool blue, lilac, rose and flashes of
green mingled with gray and white. The same colors were picked
out in abstract designs on the comforter covering the bed. Embedded
in one of the walls was a saltwater tank with fish darting among
colorful corals. Entering the room was like stepping into an
undersea world.
“This is beautiful,” she murmured, turning in a
slow circle to take it all in while Jacob set her suitcase on
the bed.
“I’m glad you like it.” Something about the
pleased way he accepted her compliment made her look at him.
“Did you design this?”
He shrugged. “Master Kaspan gives me free rein on decorating
decisions. It’s my hobby, I suppose you could say.”
Akila studied him. She’d just learned two extremely interesting
things. Jacob possessed an artistic streak at odds with his
rigid manner and he had slipped and referred to Kaspan not as
his boss, but as “master”.
“The bathroom is there.” He indicated a door. “I’ll
give you an hour to rest and then take you to see Mr. Kaspan.”
She’d half hoped the man would be waiting at the door
so she could get this meeting over with. She should’ve
guessed he’d summon her to his throne room.
Jacob turned to leave, then paused and looked back at her. The
blue in the room enhanced the vibrant hue of his eyes and Akila
saw uncertainty there for the first time.
“I would like to say I’m glad you accepted Mr. Kaspan’s
invitation to come here. Even if you don’t choose to go
through with his proposal, it was a pleasure meeting you.”
Abruptly he lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, then
he was out the door before she could say a word.
Akila stared at her hand, feeling the warm, moist pressure of
his lips. Her heart pounded as if he’d dipped her into
a backbend and kissed the hell out of her. What did he mean
by “go through with his proposal”? Now she was more
curious than ever about this mystery. God, she couldn’t
wait another hour to find out.
But, by the time she’d hung a few clothes in the wardrobe,
washed her face, fluffed her short hair, applied a little eyeliner,
watched the mesmerizing fish and examined the decorative artifacts
throughout the room, the hour was over and Jacob was knocking
on her door.
“What’s he like?” she couldn’t help
asking, even though she’d know for herself in another
minute.
Jacob paused for only a second before answering. “Charismatic.
Valarian Kaspan leaves his mark.” A small smile curved
his lips as though at some inside joke.
“I feel like I’m about to meet Oz,” Akila
said as they approached an open archway. Through it she could
see a wall of glass and a stunning view of the ocean.
For once, Jacob understood her reference. “Except Mr.
Kaspan is no fraud. He truly is great and powerful.” His
tone was almost reverent, a far cry from the frustration she’d
sensed earlier. Apparently he was very conflicted about his
feelings for his “master”.
Then there was no more time for talking as Jacob ushered her
into the large, airy room and she beheld her host. Her first
impression was that, despite the generous size of the living
room, the dark-haired man seemed to fill it. He sucked up all
the oxygen and the light. His eyes, trained on her, were midnight
black like his hair and his skin was olive-tone. He was not
overly tall, yet seemed enormous and quite overpowering as he
strode—no, glided—across the floor toward her.
“Ms. Massri, I’m so pleased you accepted my invitation.”
