Free Seduced by the Beast by Jaide Fox Page A

crossed.  She glanced over her shoulder at the dark, could see
nothing, but knew the vampire was closing fast now that their destination was
known.
                A howl erupted
from the sky behind them, like the earth gasping for breath as a cyclone of
wind gathered.  Raphael’s hackles rose at the sound, her own responding as her
blood froze.  A black shape swept past her peripheral, swooping down from the
air.  They passed inside, inches before it touched them.  The massive gates
slammed shut just as they cleared.  The creature dared not come inside.
                Swan breathed a
shaky sigh of relief and dismounted.  She stood with Raphael at her back as he
changed into human form and dressed.  The gatemasters nodded their welcome but,
strangely, no one approached.  The courtyard teemed with people, curious to see
their arrival but hanging back.
                “Why do they not
give greeting,” she whispered to Raphael as he came beside her.
                “There is no
need.  I come here often and am considered friend.  Come, we shall pay visit to
the lord of Ravenel.”
                He led her toward
the main entrance, the two great doors opening at their approach.  The crowd
parted for their passage, some bowing respectfully.  As Swan walked past, they
sniffed the air behind her, as though a succulent piece of meat had just been
dangled before them.  Her heart jumped in her throat at the gleaming looks. 
She tore her gaze away, keeping them straight on Raphael’s back as she kept
close to him, not wondering a minute at her trust in him to protect her.
                Would she always
be considered food in this land?  There was no greater reminder that she could
not stay--ever.
                The doors shut
behind them at their passing, cutting off the greedy, hungry stares.  The great
hall stretched wide and cavernous, their footsteps echoing before them.  The
ceiling expanded above into utter dark, supported by immense columns, its
blackness relieved only by a skylight cut into the rock above, raining faint
moonlight on them.  Basins of flame flickered golden near walls carved and
painted with legends of old, of battles between the lizzars and the leopards.
                “Raphael!” a deep
voice bellowed across the hall.  Swan peered over Raphael’s shoulder to see a
blond giant of a man striding toward them.  In the next moment, he was before
them, clapping Raphael on the shoulder jovially.
                “Welcome, my
friend.  Long has it been since you’ve visited us.  I wonder that you’d not
forgotten the way.”
                “I am glad to be
back,” Raphael said, returning the friendly greeting.
                The blond man
glanced away from Raphael, noticing her for the first time.  He looked her over
from head to foot.  “Who is this lovely creature?  I’ve never known you to
travel with a companion.”
                Raphael stepped
aside and presented her.  “This is Lady Swan of Avonleigh.  She is under my
protection.  My lady, our host is Lord Blasien of Ravenel.”
                Swan curtsied to
Lord Blasien’s bow.  “Thank you for your hospitality, my lord.”
                “She is tired,
and I wish to speak with you alone.”
                Raphael missed
the glare she directed at his back, but Lord Blasien saw, and his eyes
alighted.  He chuckled and summoned a servant.  “I will have her taken to your
room.  My ladywife will see to her.”
     
    * * * *
     
                Blasien waited
until Swan was escorted out by an elder retainer before clapping Raphael on the
back.  Grinning broadly, he said, “You told me once it would never happen, my
friend.  Love turns us all into liars.  Who is she, truly?”
                They moved up the
dais and sat on the ancient carved rock, neglecting