Inferno Read online

  “Who’s we?” Heath demanded.

  “Surely you’ve heard of the company I’ve been keeping lately?” Dante reached for his cell phone and flipped it opened. “If you permit, I’ll call my friend. If you are indeed poisoned, he may be able to help you.”

  “Duncan, right? I heard he was back.” Heath rested against the cushions, looking paler than he had before. “Been meaning to look him up and say hello.”

  “You’ll get your chance. I’m calling him.” Dante dialed the number.

  Heath waved one hand negligently in his direction. “Call him. I don’t think the fey bastard could hurt anything, and most likely he can help. I feel terrible.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Megan whispered before she thought better of it. She’d drawn their attention back to her. Dante was on the phone so he could only watch as Dean eyed her.

  “Who was your target, little one? Surely not me. I doubt you had any idea I would single you out in such a way. Did you intend this deadly surprise for Dante?”

  “No! I didn’t know. I swear!” Her mind raced, trying to think when or how she could’ve been exposed to something that would be so poisonous to their kind. It was nothing she’d done on purpose.

  Heath leaned forward, pinning her to her seat with his mesmerizing gaze. She could feel the Glamour he tried to inflict upon her, but it wasn’t taking fully. Not like it had during their dance when she’d been too close to him to take advantage of her natural immunity. A few feet, it seemed, made all the difference in the world.

  Dante flipped the phone shut. “He’s on his way to your home. I assume that’s where we’re headed, right?”

  Heath nodded briefly as he gave up trying to cloud her mind. She felt the removal of his energy as a weight lifting off her shoulders.

  Within moments they arrived in front of a gorgeous old brownstone. The property had to be worth several million, but Megan didn’t have time to fully appreciate its grandeur as she was whisked up the stairs and inside in record time. Dante had one hand on her arm as if he was afraid she might try to take off running at any minute. She was tempted to do just that, but she couldn’t leave Heath like that. Whatever was wrong with the man, she’d been the catalyst, and she owed him.

  She felt terrible as she watched him deteriorate in front of her eyes. The limo driver had to help him inside and down a flight of hidden stairs to a large master suite below ground. The driver’s face was grim as Heath instructed him to go upstairs and await the arrival of Duncan.

  As Heath collapsed on the giant bed, the driver cornered Dante and Megan by the door.

  “If he comes to further harm, you two will not leave this place alive. Am I clear?”

  “I hear you, Hugh.” Dante stood up to the other vampire but accepted his words with good grace. “There’s little we can do for him without Duncan’s help. Bring him directly here the minute he arrives.”

  Hugh sent a menacing, measuring look Dante’s way before heading upstairs.

  Megan spared a quick glance at Dante’s grim face before turning her attention to Heath. The man was in bad shape, growing paler by the minute as he labored to breathe. He chucked his tie across the room, his suit coat following after.

  Megan took the initiative and collected the items of clothing, folding them neatly before placing them on a silk upholstered settee along the one side of the grand room. Dante went to Heath after pouring a large glass of deep red wine. She knew wine had healing properties for their kind, but the vintage seemed to have little effect on him. Although he didn’t seem to get worse after he had the wine, he wasn’t getting any better either.

  Duncan arrived moments later with Hugh as escort. He went straight to Heath, casting his hands out over the man on the bed even before saying hello. A glow of magic entered the room, and Megan bit back her surprise as she got her first real glimpse of Duncan’s full potential. His entire being was suffused with a magical aura so strong, it almost hurt to look directly at him.

  “How does it look, Duncan, my old friend?” Heath asked with a faint smile as he leaned against the headboard.

  “Not good, I’m afraid. This is deep magic, tied to Megan’s blood, as I feared.” He drew back his power somewhat, turning to her. “Do you like what you have wrought?”

  Chapter Five

  “No! I didn’t do this.” She stepped backward, away from the accusation in Duncan’s tragic blue eyes, but Dante was behind her, blocking her way. She felt his strong body caging her from behind as her mind raced. “I mean… I didn’t know. I’d never do anything like this on purpose.”

  Duncan regarded her steadily for a long moment, finally nodding. “I believe you. The real question is, how far are you willing to go to reverse what was wrought with your blood?”

  She thought fast. She didn’t want Heath to die. If he did, she’d most likely follow. She also didn’t want him to die for more than selfish reasons. Despite being born half-were, she was basically a peaceful person. She couldn’t hurt a fly unless she was in shifted form and then she only followed the instincts of the wolf. She never reveled in her alter-ego’s hunts or rare kills.

  But this was something else altogether. Though she hadn’t known anything about the poison in her blood, this felt like cold-blooded murder. She didn’t think she could live with that kind of thing on her conscience. She’d do anything in her power to help Heath survive.

  “I don’t want him to die. I’ll do whatever I must to reverse this.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that.” Duncan stepped closer to her. “Yet I fear you’ll balk when you understand what is required.”

  Her blood went cold. “Do I have to die to save him?”

  “No, lass.” Duncan was quick to reassure her but his eyes were grave, feeding her fears. “Their kind feeds off blood, sex and psychic energy. Your blood is poisoned, but your heart is not. The combination of your sexual energy combined with your pure heart may counteract the magic that was somehow siphoned into your blood.”

  “You want me to have sex with him?” She couldn’t be sure in the tumult, but she thought she heard Dante growl behind her.

  “With him and with me. Together, your good intent and the energy produced in climax, enhanced with my magic, might be enough to give him the strength to overcome your tainted blood.”

  “Both of you? At the same time?” She couldn’t wrap her head around the idea, though if she were being honest, she’d admit it wasn’t an altogether abhorrent notion. Both men were handsome and very attractive. She didn’t love either one of them, but she had warm feelings for Duncan and her attitude toward Heath was complicated by intense guilt over what he was suffering because of her blood.

  She wanted to help him and even though she wasn’t a promiscuous woman and had never had two men in her bed at one time, she would do what was necessary to save Heath’s life. She owed him that much at least. She was were, and even though she hadn’t grown up in a pack, she was no stranger to sex, as all children of the Earth were.

  “What do you say, Megan?”

  “I…I don’t know what to say. I don’t want him to die because of me.” She looked at Heath’s handsome face, devoid of color as he struggled to breathe. “I’ll do whatever you ask.”

  “Good.” Duncan was brisk as he took her hand and led her to the bed.

  “Awkward, is it not, my dear?” Heath sat up as Duncan guided her to sit next to him on the giant bed. Dante prowled in a corner, his eyes flashing. And then there was the silent Hugh, watching like a bodyguard from near the door. Heath put his hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention back to him. “I would have this be quite different if circumstances allowed, but believe this…” He leaned in to nuzzle her ear and spoke in a low voice only she could hear. “I took one look at you in the ballroom tonight and was struck speechless. You are beautiful, my little werewolf, and the most mysterious woman I have ever met. I wanted you the moment I saw you.”

  What woman wouldn’t go gooey to have a real, live British nobleman
whisper such things in her ear? Megan wasn’t immune to the charming rogue’s wiles, even depleted as he was. He didn’t have to seduce her, and she didn’t think he could have forced her by clouding her mind. The truth was, she found Sir Heathclif Dean compelling in a very basic way. While she wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination, like any were, she had a healthy sex drive and not as many inhibitions as most mortals.

  She’d had satisfying romps with a few select human men since she’d reached adulthood, but she doubted any of her lovers had ever pushed her to her full potential. These bloodletters though were another story. Ever since she’d first seen Dante, she’d been wondering how far an immortal could take her. Just being around Dante and Duncan had her primed.

  She was attracted to the goodness and power in Duncan. She’d heard that fey were close to irresistible. Of course having never met one before, she hadn’t known just how big a punch they packed both magically and sexually. Since meeting Duncan, she’d been drawn to him and even aside from that fey attraction of his, she liked him as a person. He was the voice of reason when Dante’s temper flared. She liked the way the two friends interacted and how they balanced each other.

  If she had to do this—and she was pretty darn sure her life depended on it—she was glad Duncan would be part of it. He would watch over her. She sensed his deep sense of honor and knew he would protect her should something go awry.

  She breathed deep, gathering her courage. “It’s all right.” She blinked at Heath. “I can do this.”

  He stroked her hair away from her face. “I wish I could cloud your mind to make it easier, but you’re strangely resistant.”

  “I’m glad you can’t. I like to take responsibility for my actions, both the good and the bad. Somehow I did this to you, and I will fix it.”

  “It’s better this way, in any case.” Duncan sat behind her on the bed, boxing her in between their two hard male bodies. His hands spanned her waist, caressing lightly through the fine silk of her ball gown. “Intent counts for a lot when trying to nullify magic like this. You need to focus on your desire for Heath to be well and free of the taint. And you need to enjoy this, lass.” Duncan’s mouth nuzzled her shoulder, left bare by the low neckline of the soft gown. “Sexual pleasure is like ambrosia to their kind. It powers them even more than blood in certain cases.”

  Megan believed him. She felt the tingle of magic trailing after Duncan’s touch like little bubbles of champagne bursting against her skin at her back. In front, Heath wasted no time in licking his way down her neck into her exposed cleavage. Duncan undid the tiny buttons at the back of her dress, and Heath assisted in tugging it downward to expose her breasts.

  Megan gasped as Heath’s fangs trailed down her chest, leaving little marks, though he was careful not to draw blood. She watched him, her temperature rising as he exposed one of her nipples, laving downward until he could latch onto it with his tongue.

  Across the room, Dante made a rumbling, growly sound that only carried to her ears because of her sensitive were hearing. She doubted the other vampires in the room had picked up on it, but her eyes were drawn to Dante’s. His eyes glowed with barely suppressed fire. It looked almost like a mixture of passion and rage. He was really mad and his jealous expression lifted her arousal another notch.

  “After this, you are mine,” he whispered, just barely audible to her heightened senses. Her gut clenched as the top of her ball gown was pushed to her waist, and Duncan began working on the tiny buttons that held the fluffy crinolines and skirt.

  She held Dante’s gaze as Heath and Duncan made her body sing. She felt each touch as if it came from Dante and the idea that he watched over her joining with two of his friends made her hot. The kink factor was off the charts. She’d always enjoyed something a little different and chose her few human lovers for their creativity and willingness to experiment since she needed a more earthy experience to get off than a purely human woman.

  This was beyond anything she’d ever done or even imagined. She’d never been with more than one man at a time and never had anyone watch. Both were things she hadn’t thought of experimenting with but discovered a liking for—at least in this situation.

  Dante’s presence made this nightmare situation palatable and though she could see he was eaten with jealousy, he was turned on too. His cock tented the front of his dress pants and as she watched, he stripped off his tie and jacket, throwing them on a nearby chair. The first few buttons of his shirt were next and then his cuffs. He rolled them up, the muscles of his forearms making her mouth water as Heath sucked strongly on her breast, then shifted his attention to the other one while Duncan divested her of the skirt and threw her ball gown and the froth of underclothes to the foot of the bed. All she wore was the white lace thong Dante had supplied for under her lovely gown.

  She’d blushed when she’d seen the scandalous bit of underwear, knowing he’d picked it out for her to wear. There was no bra. The dress didn’t allow for one. All night her nipples had been pressing against the soft silk, rasping as she moved, in a perpetual state of arousal.

  It had all been leading to this, she realized. Though when the night started, she thought she would have been in Dante’s bed, behind closed doors with no witnesses. All in all, things had become much more complicated than she’d expected. She was relieved Dante hadn’t bitten her. She’d have felt awful if she’d poisoned him. It was bad enough Heath had succumbed.

  He was a handsome man, and she’d felt something when he bit her. He was strong, powerful and extraordinarily attractive, but Dante was…more. Just more of everything. More appealing, more devastating, more dangerous to her.

  Still, it was no hardship to be near Heath. He was a gorgeous man with lots of sex appeal. A woman would have to be dead not to notice him.

  Having Dante here in the room, saying things only she could hear added to her excitement. And the generous touches Duncan spiked with little zings of his magic nearly made her swoon. He was bespelling her. She was almost sure of it. It was different from the vampire mojo that took away all independent thought. This was more like a coaxing of her natural response, a heightening of her already sharp senses. He was making this easier for her, and she could have kissed him for the extra effort. In fact, she wanted to kiss him. Desperately.

  She tried to turn in their arms and after a moment of struggle, they allowed it. She faced Duncan, staring into his eyes, unable to find the words to voice the thoughts in her mind but he understood. She could see it in his gaze as it softened. He leaned in and kissed her brow.

  “You’re a beauty, little wolf. I want this to be good for you.”

  “It is.” She sighed as she lifted upward to claim his mouth with hers. She poured all her thanks and attraction into the kiss, hoping to give a little back of the pleasure he was working so hard to give her. She knew he had expended magical energy on her, and no mage did that without some effort on his part. He didn’t have to. She’d agreed to do whatever they needed her to do, but Duncan was giving her a little extra whammy that pushed her beyond mere cooperation into the realm of truly devastating enjoyment.

  She learned the flavor of him, and it was as magical as the man himself. Duncan was fast becoming a dear friend, someone she could trust with her body, if not her heart. She felt tender toward him, especially for the way he cared about everyone in his realm of friends, which oddly enough seemed to include her. It wasn’t a truly romantic sort of love. It was the love of a friend. A friend with some heavy duty benefits at the moment, of course.

  She squirmed in his arms as he broke the kiss. Heath’s hands were beneath the elastic of her thong, pushing downward. His lips were at her neck, too close to the place he’d bitten her on the dance floor.

  “No nibbling, my friend,” Duncan reminded the vampire with a teasing but firm tone. “That’s what got us into this mess, and you don’t need a double dose of poison tonight.”

  Megan pulled back to look between the two men. Heath looked stronger
but his eyes were…scary. She couldn’t think of another word for the look on his face. Hunger and desperation mixed in his expression in a frightening way. Duncan’s lips firmed as he seemed to recognize the fine edge of desperation on the Master’s face.

  “Hugh,” Duncan called without looking away from Heath’s face. “Can you give him a vein while we conclude this?” he asked the silent vampire who came to stand beside them.

  Hugh nodded, and Megan could see the fire in his eyes though he clearly did all he could to control it. She was glad he could rein in his instincts. She had more than she could handle between taking Duncan’s direction, fending off Heath’s desire to bite and Dante’s furious whispers and molten gaze.

  The room was too crowded. She would have been even more self-conscious if not for Duncan’s magic affecting her senses.

  “I hate to rush things, darling.” Duncan winked at her. “But this is important. I want you to think about Heath. I want you to focus on your desire that he will be free of the taint, healthy and whole. Think good thoughts, lass.” He leaned in to kiss her briefly, refiring senses that hadn’t yet settled. Her skin was ultra sensitive to the four masculine hands roaming over her at will. Her thong slid down her legs and Heath’s hands settled between her thighs, one in front, one in back.

  He wasted no time, sliding his front hand into the slick wetness that waited for him, coaxing her legs apart where she sat on the edge of the bed. He teased her clit, sliding his middle finger up into her. She gasped as Duncan’s mouth settled on her breast. His touch was gentler than the vampire’s had been, more solicitous, and she realized in an instant that he was the choreographer of this entire scene.

  Heath was half out of his mind with the magical poison mucking up his system. Duncan was the one who knew how such things worked, and he was the only one who would be able to actually see when the poison dissipated. He was their guide in this foray into the forbidden, as well as a participant. She trusted her safety and her pleasure to him.