Free Avador Book 2, Night Shadows by Shirley Martin

woman he ached to possess. In her emerald green dress with gold threads running through it, her gold hoop ear rings and necklace, she had never looked so lovely. He breathed in deeply of her lilac scent, a fragrance that tantalized and lured him, but he fought the ensnarement. Tonight he would do the luring.
    The first few stars glimmered in a sapphire sky, tree branches swaying in the wind. Moonlight sparkled on the rippling river. A perfect night for seduction.
    Thankful he had ridden with the other bandregas to the sacred well recently, he knew his powers were greater than they had ever been, that nothing was impossible this night. Ah, the sacred well, whose waters had revived him, empowered him, given him such mastery so that he could accomplish anything he wanted.
    Throngs of people crowded the fair grounds, hundreds of men, women, and children from all the outlying villages. Lovers strolled hand-in-hand, and fathers carried young children on their shoulders. Vendors hawked souvenirs, statuettes of the Goddess Talmora or ribbons and buttons commemorating the fair. Others sold meat pies, spiced apples, and ale. A myriad of smells carried his way, some of them pleasing but many of them carried a strong, spicy stench that sickened him. All the fair goers were dressed in their brightest colors, hues Stilo could see as vividly as if it were daytime. Voices filled the air, young children yelling in excitement, friends calling to one another, or performers shouting that their acts were about to begin.
    From childhood on, Stilo had learned that he could tolerate the food of mortals, as long as he didn't consume anything too rich or spicy, and as long as he ate a quantity of red meat, an ability garnered from his father's bandrega side. But no human food could compare to the superb, enticing taste of human blood, and here, he recognized his vampire half, the part he'd inherited from his loathsome mother. Thank all the gods and goddesses he never saw that woman anymore; she was gone from his life forever, and where she dwelled now, he didn't know and cared less.
    Music drifted their way from the far end of the meadow, a wooden platform that bordered the Nantosuelta River. From where he stood, Stilo craned his neck and saw a three-piece band on the stage, a guitarist and a fiddler tuning their instruments, a bell-ringer adjusting his bells.
    Angharad clutched his arm, her eyes wide with excitement. "Stilo! It's been so long since I've danced." She pointed in the direction of the music. "Let's go there."
    He inclined his head. "Anything you want." Passion stirred inside him, and he knew what he wanted, to have her under his spell, so that she would desire no one but him.
    With Angharad in tow, Stilo wended his way through the multitudes and headed for the dancing area, past a booth where a juggler entertained the crowd, and a puppet show in the adjoining booth, where dozens of wide-eyed children had gathered with their parents to watch the antics of Etain and Cabell, two whimsical characters popular with the children of Avador.
    They reached the dancing area as the groups began to form, four couples in each set, and Stilo led her to the far end, where three couples waited for another to join them. The men and women were all clad in their holiday apparel, the men in fine linen tunics, the women in cotton frocks with a silk sash around their waists. A loud chord from the guitarist announced the start of the dancing as the musicians played a well-known melody, The Love of Alanna, a slow, plaintive song whose lyrics told of a village maiden who lost her lover, killed in battle. The dancing began as the men and women swayed and dipped, moving from one partner to the next person in their circle, clapping their hands at the completion of the round. Then they stepped in the opposite direction, following the same pattern, their footsteps echoing on the wood.
    Stilo kept his gaze on Angharad with each movement, his every sense focused on