Carnal Magic: The Wraith Accords, Book 1 Read online

  Isabel sank into a deep curtsey, holding it for several beats before rising. Perhaps she should have waited for an invitation to rise, but she was no subject here, she was an ambassador. Among the Vampire she was of equivalent rank as this prince.

  And she would not let any of them forget it.

  “Prince Cairbe.” She pronouncing it carefully. Ka-bra.

  He bowed, smiling at her all the while. “Lady Isabel. Welcome to Tara.”

  “Thank you, Your Highness.”

  His smile tightened and he took a step toward where she stood, safely in the shadows at the edge the courtyard.

  Up close, he was perfect. His nose was narrow and straight, his eyes the green of spring. His hair sparkled in the light while dark lashes framed his incredible eyes. His lips could have been chiseled from stone they were so well formed. But they were not kissable the way Aed’s were.

  The only flaw in his handsome, symmetrical face was a small beauty mark at the corner of his right eyebrow.

  Desire rippled through her, and Isabel found herself looking him up and down, mentally stripping off the leather shirt and pants he wore. She had no doubt he would be well formed. Her nipples drew into tight peaks, her blood pooled in her sex, making her aware of her pussy in a way she had not been moments before. Each breath seemed to heighten her arousal, as if there were nothing more sensual than the way air slipped over her lips.

  The more she looked the more she wanted him, but it was a strangely emotionless thing. Taking several steps forward, out of the safety of the shadows, she raised a hand toward his face. She needed him, wanted him. She would give anything to touch him, be touched by him. She would shed her dress, bare herself to him.

  There the fantasy stopped. She didn’t crave him the way she’d once craved sweets, or the way she craved Aed. It was a mindless wanting. Almost as if…

  As if her desire for him was born of magic, not lust.

  Isabel pricked her tongue on her fang. The taste of blood, even her own, brought out the monster within her. Bloodlust was strong enough to override most magic. When she looked back at Prince Cairbe, the lust was still there, but it was muted. She dropped her hand.

  Isabel caught the flash of surprise on his face and heard Aed’s armor clanking as if he too were reacting to her actions. Isabel curled her nails into her palm to control her anger. How dare he try to manipulate her?

  “Tsk, tsk, Prince Cairbe.” She kept her tone light but could not stop herself from staring at his neck, imagining sinking her fangs into him. She’d make it hurt. “Are manners so different here in Tara that it’s acceptable for you to use your magic to lure an unwilling woman to your bed?”

  He reacted as if she’d struck him—eyes round with shock, weight on his back leg.

  “Isabel.” Aed’s voice held a hint of panic.

  She braced herself for the prince’s anger, ready and willing to battle. He’d behaved badly and she’d called him on it. If he attacked now, the Vampire would be the wronged party…

  …and free to attack Tara.

  “You surprise me, Lady Isabel.” Cairbe’s voice was tight. “I assure you I meant no harm. There are some things we cannot control.”

  She raised a brow. “I remember feeling like that, when I was very young.”

  His lips twisted, and this time she was sure he’d lash out, but instead he started laughing. The sound was joyous and pure, like the toll of the finest bell. The lights in the trees brightened to a glaring whiteness and Isabel stepped back into the shadows, distrustful of that light.

  “Well met, my lady.” Cairbe’s laughter faded to a smile. “I had not thought to find you so clever.” He raised his hands. “No games, I truly meant no harm.”

  “Nor did I.” Isabel matched his smile. “Had I meant to harm anyone, I think I would not start the fight with you.”

  “You flatter me. I enjoy it.” He turned to Aed. “Best of luck. I do not envy you this guard.”

  The prince snapped his fingers. A woman crawled toward him from a hollow in the roots of one of the trees. Isabel stiffened. The woman was dirty, with smudges on her otherwise pale skin. Her hair was in a long braid that trailed in the dirt. She was naked except for the chains that bound her.

  There was a heavy collar around her neck. It was a crude thing, especially here, because Isabel knew the Tuatha de were capable of creating delicate, intricate metalwork. A thick chain trailed down the woman’s back, passing between the cheeks of her ass and then following a line up the center of her body to reconnect with the heavy collar.

  The tinkling of small bells accompanied each movement. When she was closer Isabel could see the large rings through the woman’s nipples and the lips of her sex, from which dangled little bells. They reminded Isabel of the belled belly chains and anklets she’d worn in her long-ago life in a harem, but those had been meant to entice, to pleasure.

  Beneath the chain, the woman’s skin was red and bloodied. Isabel inhaled, tasting the scent of that blood. It was rich, powerful, and if she had to guess she’d say the woman was Tuatha de Danaan, but there was something off about the scent. It reminded Isabel of the few times she’d tasted the blood of someone who was poisoned, either with disease or actual poison.

  Cairbe reached down and took hold of the braid, jerking the woman forward. Her wrists and ankles were manacled, the chains between them too short to be practical, so she toppled forward onto the tiles. She screamed as she was dragged by her hair.

  “You too,” the prince said, motioning to another tree. A second woman appeared. She too was naked. A high gold collar forced her chin up. A delicate chain led from the front of the collar to rings in her nipples. More chains hung from the peaks of her breasts, circling her back and dropping lower to disappear into her naked sex. The woman kept her eyes down though her chin was forced up. As she turned to follow the prince, Isabel saw welts covering her ass.

  The trio disappeared through an arch opposite where Isabel stood.

  When they were out of sight, Aed rose from his knee. The light in the trees winked out, and Aed touched the torch he held, brightening the glow within the globe.

  “You play a dangerous game, Lady Isabel.” Aed’s tone made Isabel think that he was both horrified and impressed by her interaction with the crown prince.

  “It is no game. The future of both our peoples rides on my time here, and I won’t be insulted.”

  Aed sighed. “I fear you may find many people who think they can speak down to you, despite your position among the Vampire.”

  “Then I will defend myself.”

  “And if that causes offense?”

  She met his gaze and said nothing.

  “Come,” he said. “We don’t want to meet anyone else. Prince Cairbe is the gentlest of them.”

  They went through a different arched doorway than the one the prince had exited.

  “Who were those women?” Isabel asked when they were well out of sight of the courtyard.

  “I did not recognize them, but they were probably Cairbe’s bed partners.”

  “They are servants?”

  “No, they are full Tuath. Possibly from one of the Lower Houses, considering how public he made his ownership.”

  “It’s acceptable that he treat them that way?” Isabel was no stranger to slavery or servitude but had not realized there was a slave class among the Tuatha de Danaan themselves.

  “It is, and it is not.”

  “Would you be so good as to explain?”

  Aed stopped, looked around, put his torch into an empty brace on the wall and then pulled her a few steps down a narrow side hallway. “Among my people, sex is about power.” There were windows at her back, and the moonlight bathed half of Aed’s face. The arousal Cairbe had caused roared to life once again. Isabel wanted to kiss Aed until that grim, serious expression turned to one of passion and
desire.

  She forced herself to focus and nodded.

  “Cairbe is one of our princes and considered one of the finest lovers, and he bears a ball seirce. Because of his position and his magic, females will do anything to be with him. Many choose to give all control over to him for a chance to know him. That may mean he will use their submission to pleasure them, or it may mean he will hurt them. If he wants to make them walk naked through the halls, then he can. If he wishes to bind them and whip them, it is his right as their master.”

  “I am no stranger to pain mixed with pleasure,” Isabel said. A vivid image of Aed naked and chained to her bed popped into her head, quickly followed by one of her chained up awaiting him. It was a nice fantasy, but in reality she could not fathom the idea of willingly giving up control to that level. One did not live long as a vampire if they allowed themselves to be made a slave. She would have to discover what the ball seirce was, and what its powers were. “But one of those women was in true pain. And her blood…she smelled sick, or poisoned.”

  Aed raised his brows. “You could smell that?”

  Isabel smiled. “I know my blood.”

  “Her chains were iron. Iron is to us what sunlight is to you.”

  Isabel hissed, her lips pulled back from her fangs. “Why would she allow that to be done to her?”

  “She had no choice. She is Cairbe’s to do with as he pleases.”

  “Forever?”

  “Until he tires of her, or until the time they arranged that they would stop.”

  Isabel shook her head. “If iron is truly like sunlight she must be in agony. He will kill her.”

  “We are very, very hard to kill.”

  Isabel met his gaze. “So are we.”

  Aed pressed his lips together in a grim line. “I think it’s a blessing that you saw that. You must, no matter what, never agree to sex with one of us. It is too easy for one who doesn’t know the court to be tricked into giving away control. They would hurt you just to see what you could take. They might be able to make it pleasure, but they would hurt you.”

  “I will not. Thank you for warning me.”

  “Perhaps I should not have.”

  “It’s only fair that I know the rules of the game.”

  Aed smiled. “I think it will be a pleasure watching you fence with the court.”

  He motioned for her to return to the main hall.

  “Wait.” She put her hand on his arm. “Does that warning include you?”

  “I am a member of the Fianna. I protect our kings and queens, and when I am not needed I train and study.”

  Isabel examined his face, looking for the meaning hidden in his words.

  “I will say that I have been on both sides of the collar.” He spoke with great deliberation. “And have found it safest not to play at all.”

  “Good.”

  He frowned. “Why good?”

  “Because when we have sex, it won’t be that kind of game.”

  With that, Isabel turned and walked out into the hall, where she waited patiently for Aed to join her. She could feel his surprise—and the heat of his stare—as they continued deeper into the heart of Tara.

  Chapter Three

  Aed wondered what game the vampire was playing. Perhaps it was her nature to pretend desire for any male she met. He knew plenty of women of the court who were like that. Not with him, but with the princes and males of the high houses. His lineage was as noble as any, but he was a warrior and lacked sophistication and polish. It was by choice—he had no desire to play games—but he would never say that, because if he did it would imply insult.

  Isabel threaded her arm through his as they walked. He matched his stride to hers. He needed to be cautious around her. Clearly she planned to use her beauty and sexuality to control him. The fact that he felt easy in her presence was alarming.

  “Tell me, Aed, are you the exception, or is your prince?”

  “My lady?”

  “‘My lady’? Why don’t you call me Isabel as you did a moment ago?”

  He didn’t answer. Isabel pressed closer to his side, and Aed struggled to ignore her scent.

  “Will you answer my first question? Are you the exception?”

  “Exception to what?”

  “You said you do not do the sorts of things your prince does. Which of you is the exception?”

  “I am but a solider.”

  “A warrior.”

  He liked hearing her call him that. “The battles my people face do not require warriors.”

  “And what do they require?”

  “People who can speak without saying anything, who can hide their intentions and pretend feelings they do not have.”

  “Is that what your prince does?”

  “I will not speak ill of him.”

  Isabel laughed. “If I was forbidden from speaking ill of my fellow Vampire, I would have long ago been staked.”

  “Staked? That is how you are killed?”

  “You’re thinking of killing me?”

  Aed stopped and looked down, taking in her dark hair and red, red lips. “I would not like to kill you, but if I must, I will.”

  Isabel touched his cheek, then ran one nail over his lower lip. “And I would kill you, but it would be a waste to end one so handsome and strong.”

  His blood thickened. He hadn’t had a reaction so swift or intense since he was young and untouched. Aed stepped back, not caring that the retreat would reveal how great her impact on him was.

  “I thought you didn’t play these games?” Aed bit out the question, angry with himself as much as her.

  Isabel’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’m not playing a game.”

  “Then why do you touch me and call me handsome?”

  She stepped forward—and Aed retreated a step. Again she came toward him, again he fell back. When his back smacked against the corridor wall with the ring of armor on stone, Aed realized how foolish he must look.

  Isabel’s skirts covered his boots. “Have you even been to the human world?”

  “No.”

  “Have you ever touched a woman who wasn’t Tuath?”

  “No.”

  “Then there’s a secret I must tell you.” Clinging to his shoulders, she rose onto tiptoes. She wasn’t tall enough to reach his ear, so her next words brushed his neck. “In the human world, women—Vampire or human—would beg to pleasure you. Ever since you took off your helmet I’ve wanted you. You’re dangerous and I don’t trust you, but I want to kiss you, to strip off this armor until I can touch your bare flesh.”

  Aed held perfectly still, desperately reminding himself that it was probably a ruse.

  She dropped down onto her heels and took a step back.

  “I want you, and that is not a game. It’s a dangerous mistake.” A slow smile worked its way across Isabel’s face. “I enjoy danger.”

  Aed’s free hand balled into a fist and the torch handle creaked under the pressure of his fingers. “I…desire…you also.” If he were a man of the court, he could have—would have—lied.

  Isabel licked her lips, and he caught a glimpse of her fangs.

  Jerking away from the wall, he started walking. “We should go. Prince Cairbe may not be the only one waiting to catch sight of you.”

  Isabel caught up with him and took his arm. “I do not relish another encounter. Is there a less popular route to our destination?”

  “There is…”

  “But?”

  “You would see places I do not think you were meant to.”

  “I am not a spy. I’m an ambassador.”

  Aed looked sidelong at the vampire. “They are different?”

  Her lips twitched. “You could blindfold me.”

  “For your own sake I would not. The halls of Tara are danger
ous.”

  “Thank you, Aed.” Her words were quiet and sincere.

  “You’re welcome, my lady.” His loyalty was to the High King and Queen, his duty to serve his people. He could not, would not, forget that, even as he felt protective of Isabel.

  “Perhaps I will tell you a secret of the Vampire as payment for anything I might see.”

  “Such a payment should go to one other than me.”

  “But you are the one I wish to tell my secrets to.”

  They reached the end of the long hall. His planned route was to turn left.

  He turned right. “Tell me a secret.”

  “What do you know of the Vampire?”

  “You’re legends among the humans, things to be feared.”

  “Whereas your people were gods.”

  “And we were feared. Once. Long ago.”

  “Vampires have always existed among the humans. In every race and on every continent. As human culture developed, so did Vampire. Our long life enabled us to stay one step ahead of them and keep our existence secret except for stories.

  “The human world now is very different from when I walked in the sun. Duke Drakul feared we would not be able to stay in the shadows.”

  “That is why you signed the Wraith Accords.”

  “Our home on the Plain of Moytura has given us a place to retreat to.”

  “I’ve never been to the Vampire city.”

  “Compared to Tara it is a mud hut.”

  “The plain is…not an elegant place.”

  “I’ve read everything the humans ever wrote about you. The plain is mentioned as a cursed place.”

  Aed didn’t reply.

  “Don’t worry, Aed. We know you insulted us by offering us that land, but we took no offense.”

  “I’m sure the High Queen didn’t mean to insult you…”

  “The High Queen chose it?”

  Aed cursed himself. He shouldn’t have said that. If Isabel didn’t know that then the monarchs must have meant for it to be a secret.

  “I know very little about the High Queen.”

  “I will not speak of her.” Aed bit off the words, but even as the last syllable faded they emerged into the white courtyard.