The Devil In Disguise (Bad Things #1) Read online

  He was staring at heaven.

  “It’s being with you. I knew something big was missing from my world even when my mind was trapped in that fog. You were missing, Luke. I need you.” She caught his hand in hers and brought his fingers to her lips. Carefully, she pressed a kiss to his hand as he knelt by the bed. “I love you.”

  His whole body tensed. “Say it again.”

  Leo cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah, this scene is getting a little, um, personal. I think I’ll just step outside. There’s a vamp and a panther that I need to speak with anyway so I’ll just be seeing myself out.” His footsteps shuffled toward the door.

  Luke didn’t look at him. There would be time—later—to deal with his brother. To deal with the prophecy of destruction that was foretold for them both.

  There would be time to change fate.

  My fate is changing already. The Lord of the Dark wasn’t supposed to have a soul. He wasn’t supposed to love.

  But he did. He loved completely. Deeply. Eternally.

  “I love you,” Mina said even as the door clicked closed behind Leo.

  Luke stayed on his knees. “I will give my world to you, if you just stay with me. I know you don’t want to be a siren, I know—”

  “Being a siren means I can stay with you.” Her smile came again. “Being a siren means I can have the man who makes me happy. You’re what I want. Together, I know we’ll control my power. I won’t hurt anyone.”

  Because even though she had powers born of darkness, his Mina was still good. She was his soul. His balance.

  “When you swam away from me before,” Luke said, needing her to know this, “I wanted to give you a better life. A life not tied to someone like me—”

  But she shook her head. “The only life I want is with you. How many times do I have to say it? I love you.”

  He was supposed to be unlovable. Without redemption. Without hope. But Mina…

  Mina saw past his monster. She didn’t fear his beast. She was the one woman who didn’t care about the sins around him. She looked deeper.

  And she gave him a reason to be better. “And I love you.” He pitied any fool who ever tried to take her from him again.

  The last man who’d tried was nothing more than ash. Luke knew the tale of exactly what had transpired on that ship would spread. Any enemies he had would know what fate waited for them…If they ever so much as think of hurting her.

  He leaned forward and his lips pressed to hers. A careful, delicate kiss.

  But she put her hand to his chest.

  Instantly, he stopped. “Mina?”

  “I’m covered in blood. Most of it is mine and that just isn’t sexy.”

  He stared at her a moment, frowning, and then…Luke laughed. “You did it again.”

  Her brows rose.

  He stood and hoisted her into his arms.

  “Did what?”

  “Surprised me. Charmed me. I warned you about that.” He pressed another kiss to her lips as he carried her into the bathroom. “When you do that, it just makes me want you more.”

  He turned on the shower. Stripped them both with his magic and soon had her—naked—under the warm stream of water. With tender care, he cleaned her body. He touched her skin so gently.

  And he kept kissing her. Luke tried to show her that he could have restraint. He could hold back.

  “Oh, Luke, I want you.” Her voice was silken with temptation now. “I want you rough, I want you wild, and I want you dark.”

  He stilled.

  Her smile—the one that was purest sin—flashed. And her delectable dimples winked. “What makes you think I’d ever settle for anything less?”

  You’re doing it again, love. Enslaving me.

  But he gave her what they both wanted. He pinned her wrists to the shower wall with one hand, hoisting them high above her head. He lifted her hips with the other, positioned his full and aching cock at the entrance to her body, then Luke drove deep, sinking into her with one fierce thrust and loving the moan that he dragged from her.

  He didn’t go slowly. He wasn’t tender. He was desperate. He was wild. He was frantic for her. Mina wasn’t gone. She wasn’t dead. She wasn’t beyond his reach.

  His Mina was just where he wanted her to be. In his arms. His cock buried deep in her body. Their hearts pounding together in a furious rhythm. She was with him.

  Mine.

  Just as he would always be hers.

  Each hard thrust raked over her clit. He knew she loved that. Her head tipped back and she arched against him. He bent and took her breast into his mouth, laving the nipple and lightly biting her. Her sex squeezed around him, so tight.

  He thrust again. Again.

  She came. He felt the pleasure rip through her as she cried out his name.

  He was with her, tumbling over into that maelstrom of release, surging hard toward his climax. A climax that nearly gutted him with its power.

  His breath heaved out of him as he held her. The water battered down on him and slowly, his head lifted. He stared into Mina’s eyes.

  I’ll have her forever.

  His heartbeat stuttered.

  Mina tilted her head. “Luke, is everything all right?”

  “No.” He swallowed down the lump in his throat. “It’s better.” Truly, his heaven…she was right there. And he would never let her go again.

  He freed her bound hands. The Eye of Hell glinted on her ring finger.

  He pressed a kiss to Mina’s lips as her hands pressed to his chest, and then Luke began to thrust again.

  Epilogue

  Leo walked down to the beach. The island was quite beautiful as the sun set. He could certainly see why Luke had sought refuge at that place. Far away from prying eyes. Quiet, peaceful.

  He hadn’t realized just how much peace had been missing from his life until that moment.

  He heard the crunch of footsteps behind him and Leo squared his shoulders. Time for another battle. Why were there always so many battles to face?

  But when he spun around, he didn’t see a fragile vampire standing there. Rose wasn’t waiting to face him. Instead, the panther shifter was there…and Julian Craig appeared quite pissed. Not particularly surprising, considering the things that had transpired.

  “Her own brother was the one gunning for the paranormals?”

  Leo lifted his chin. “Michael Kinley didn’t take well to Rose’s transformation.”

  Julian surged forward and his hands fisted on the shirt that Leo wore. “I was behind her transformation. I’m the one who begged Luke to bring her back—and making her into a vampire was the only way he could do it.”

  A boat’s motor roared in the distance.

  “It was my fault.” A muscle jerked along Julian’s jaw. “I did this. I hurt her. All I ever do is hurt her.”

  Frowning, Leo looked to the right. He saw Luke’s boat racing through the water. Racing away from the island. “Tell me that Rose isn’t on that boat.”

  “I can’t be near her without causing Rose more pain.”

  Shit. The shifter was trying to be noble. Dark creatures weren’t supposed to play that card. “Very bad mistake, panther.” He rolled back his shoulders. He’d have to go and stop Rose. Or at least, try to stop her. He had a rule about not interfering with free will. He stepped away from Julian, intending to fly off—

  But razor sharp claws sank into his shoulder. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re not hurting her, either. We’ve both done e-fucking-nough to Rose.”

  “On the contrary…” His gaze was still on the boat. “We’d both better haul ass. The danger to Rose isn’t over.”

  Those claws dug deeper. “What?”

  “Michael wasn’t the only one after Rose. On the ship, he clearly said there were others at play. And…” This was going to be the tricky part. The part that just might cause the panther to slice him open. Leo braced for the pain. “I know of one very dangerous man in particular who would love nothing more than to add
Rose to his collection.”

  Julian growled. A deep, inhuman sound. Only fitting, since he wasn’t human.

  Leo turned his head until he was staring into the shifter’s glowing eyes. “I think we need to talk a bit more…” he murmured.

  And then…they did.

  THE END

  ###

  Want to read Julian and Rose’s story? Look for ON THE PROWL available September 13, 2016.

  A Note From the Author

  Thank you so much for taking the time to read THE DEVIL IN DISGUISE. I hope that you enjoyed the story. I had an absolute blast writing Luke’s tale. He was a very fun guy. I love starting a new series, and I think there will be lots of great paranormal characters to explore in the “Bad Things” world.

  If you’d like to stay updated on my releases and sales, please join my newsletter list www.cynthiaeden.com/newsletter/. You can also check out my Facebook page www.facebook.com/cynthiaedenfanpage. I love to post giveaways over at Facebook!

  Again, thank you for reading THE DEVIL IN DISGUISE. Stay tuned for the next book!

  Best,

  Cynthia Eden

  www.cynthiaeden.com

  About The Author

  Award-winning author Cynthia Eden writes dark tales of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, and IndieReader best-seller. Cynthia is also a three-time finalist for the RITA® award. Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over fifty novels and novellas.

  Cynthia is a southern girl who loves horror movies, chocolate, and happy endings. More information about Cynthia and her books may be found at: http://www.cynthiaeden.com or on her Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/cynthiaedenfanpage. Cynthia is also on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cynthiaeden.

  Her Works

  Paranormal Romance

  Bad Things

  The Devil In Disguise (Bad Things, Book 1)

  Blood and Moonlight Series

  Bite The Dust (Blood and Moonlight, Book 1)

  Better Off Undead (Blood and Moonlight, Book 2)

  Bitter Blood (Blood and Moonlight, Book 3)

  Purgatory Series

  The Wolf Within (Purgatory, Book 1)

  Marked By The Vampire (Purgatory, Book 2)

  Charming The Beast (Purgatory, Book 3)

  Deal with the Devil (Purgatory, Book 4)

  The Beasts Inside (Purgatory, Books 1-4)

  Bound (Vampires/Werewolves) Series

  Bound By Blood (Bound Book 1)

  Bound In Darkness (Bound Book 2)

  Bound In Sin (Bound Book 3)

  Bound By The Night (Bound Book 4)

  Forever Bound (Bound Books 1-4)

  Bound in Death (Bound Book 5)

  Night Watch Series

  Eternal Hunter (Night Watch Book 1)

  I’ll Be Slaying You (Night Watch Book 2)

  Eternal Flame (Night Watch Book 3)

  Phoenix Fire Series

  Burn For Me (Phoenix Fire, Book 1)

  Once Bitten, Twice Burned (Phoenix Fire, Book 2)

  Playing With Fire (Phoenix Fire, Book 3)

  The Fallen Series

  Angel of Darkness (The Fallen Book 1)

  Angel Betrayed (The Fallen Book 2)

  Angel In Chains (The Fallen Book 3)

  Avenging Angel (The Fallen Book 4)

  Midnight Trilogy

  Hotter After Midnight (Book One in the Midnight Trilogy)

  Midnight Sins (Book Two in the Midnight Trilogy)

  Midnight’s Master (Book Three in the Midnight Trilogy)

  Paranormal Anthologies

  A Vampire’s Christmas Carol

  Loved By Gods Series

  Bleed For Me

  ImaJinn

  The Vampire’s Kiss

  The Wizard’s Spell

  Other Paranormal

  Immortal Danger

  Never Cry Wolf

  A Bit of Bite

  Dark Nights, Dangerous Men

  Romantic Suspense

  LOST Series

  Broken (LOST, Book 1)

  Twisted (LOST, Book 2)

  Shattered (LOST, Book 3)

  Torn (LOST, Book 4)

  Taken (LOST, Book 5) - Available 11/29/2016

  Dark Obsession Series

  Watch Me (Dark Obsession, Book 1)

  Want Me (Dark Obsession, Book 2)

  Need Me (Dark Obsession, Book 3)

  Beware Of Me (Dark Obsession, Book 4)

  Only For Me (Dark Obsession, Books 1 to 4)

  Mine Series

  Mine To Take (Mine, Book 1)

  Mine To Keep (Mine, Book 2)

  Mine To Hold (Mine, Book 3)

  Mine To Crave (Mine, Book 4)

  Mine To Have (Mine, Book 5)

  Mine To Protect (Mine, Book 6)

  Montlake - For Me Series

  Die For Me (For Me, Book 1)

  Fear For Me (For Me, Book 2)

  Scream For Me (For Me, Book 3)

  Harlequin Intrigue - The Battling McGuire Boys

  Confessions (Battling McGuire Boys...Book 1)

  Secrets (Battling McGuire Boys...Book 2)

  Suspicions (Battling McGuire Boys...Book 3)

  Reckonings (Battling McGuire Boys...Book 4)

  Deceptions (Battling McGuire Boys...Book 5)

  Allegiances (Battling McGuire Boys...Book 6)

  Harlequin Intrigue - Shadow Agents Series

  Alpha One (Shadow Agents, Book 1)

  Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents, Book 2)

  Sharpshooter (Shadow Agents, Book 3)

  Glitter And Gunfire (Shadow Agents, Book 4)

  Undercover Captor (Shadow Agents, Book 5)

  The Girl Next Door (Shadow Agents, Book 6)

  Evidence of Passion (Shadow Agents, Book 7)

  Way of the Shadows (Shadow Agents, Book 8)

  Deadly Series

  Deadly Fear (Book One of the Deadly Series)

  Deadly Heat (Book Two of the Deadly Series)

  Deadly Lies (Book Three of the Deadly Series)

  Contemporary Anthologies

  Wicked Firsts

  Sinful Seconds

  First Taste of Darkness

  Sinful Secrets

  Other Romantic Suspense

  Until Death

  Femme Fatale

  Young Adult Paranormal

  Other Young Adult Paranormal

  The Better To Bite (A Young Adult Paranormal Romance)

  Anthologies

  Contemporary Anthologies

  “All I Want for Christmas” in The Naughty List

  Sinful Seconds

  All He Wants For Christmas

  Paranormal Anthologies

  “New Year’s Bites” in A Red Hot New Year

  “Wicked Ways” in When He Was Bad

  “Spellbound” in Everlasting Bad Boys

  “In the Dark” in Belong to the Night

  Howl For It