Free Binded (The SHIELD Series) by H.B. Jenkins Page A

creature, with long luminous red locks, and a tall thin body, racked with lean muscle. She was known for her promiscuous nature, something James found as one of her faults. He was a man of honour, of his word, even if he was the most powerful vampire in existence. Opposites attracted, and in this case, it was truer than ever.
    The driver pulled up and she paid him generously, money never an objection to her. She was a day early, having caught a standby flight from South Africa, where she was a prima donna for 3 months in Johannesburg.  So no one expected her when she pushed open the door.
    “Hello?” she called, lugging in her suitcase.
    “Carmen?” James, dressed impeccably in an expensive suit, as always, came thumping down the stairs. A sort of weather beaten handsome, he had always taken her breath away, and this was no objection. “My darling, you’re early. You should have called, I would have retrieved you.”
    “I know,” she shrugged. “But perhaps you were somewhere laying down the law or ripping off heads.”
    “I was, I’ve just come home to change,” he opened his arms and she moved in for a hug, a wonderful and tight hug that never failed to disappoint. She felt his muscles relax as the feeling of being human seeped into him, and he let out a happy sigh. Addict until the end Carmen thought, with a smirk.
    There was, of course, one way to block a Shield’s powers. A Shield, usually forced to do so under pain of death as a slave, could bind themselves to a vampire, therefore making them resistant to other Shields, other magic, and even themselves when within touching distance.  It only worked once, however, and Carmen’s binding was saved for  Donovan, her best friend, and her patron, who had saved her from a world of foster care hell. When the time came for her natural death, for she enjoyed life, she would bind herself to Donovan, and he would turn her into a vampire, the only way a Shield could be turned. And what a vampire she planned to be, truly a creature of the night, and not always following the rules. That in itself was another subject of discourse between her and James, another reason why they couldn’t have an epic love affair. As king, as soon as she broke the rules, he would have to enforce the law. Carmen knew, in her heart, that James would likely tear out her throat one day, but they didn’t speak of it.
    “I do believe this is the longest we will have been together, since Poland,” he said, into her neck, and she smiled, pulling back, but not releasing her touch. The weight of the crown that he often carried was disappearing as they spoke.
    “Well, it’s the longest I’ll spend with your brothers,” she replied. James had three brothers, three vampire princes, all so different in their own right. They were often in their own corners of the world, living their own lives, or laying down the law that James set. She had met them all often enough. Now, however, under a rare coincidence, everyone was home for the most potent month of the year in the Hell mouth, November. November was the month when all super natural creatures seemed to be the strongest, starting with a full moon on the 1 st and on the 29 th , twice in one month.
    There was Phil, the regent, who actually disliked being a vampire and was forever looking for ways to die, which was impossible, as an Elder. There was Nathaniel, the sensitive artist and yet the most evil of the four, luring and killing without a moment’s notice. And finally, Cooper, the youngest Prince, and the most up to date on modern trends. Cooper liked video games, loud music, clubbing and ripping heads off. If Carmen was looking for a good night out, it would be Cooper she took.
    Speak of the devil she thought, as more footsteps were heard in the hall, and around came Cooper, a huge grin on his face. Carmen released James as Cooper flung himself on her.
    “Thank God, I was starting to go out of my mind with boredom,” he declared, picking