Free Eternal Temptation by T. A. Grey Page A

scowled.
    “Why?”
    “Because that’s what people do when they get to know each other. They talk about things like family, favorite movies—Terminator series--
and things like that. I’m sure you recall doing that, lykaen.”
    “I have two brothers and a sister.”
    “Are you the eldest?”
    He shook his head. “Vane is. I was born a year after him. Then my brother Rome and Vera is the baby.”
    “Oh my, a sister roaming in a sea of lykaen brothers. Must have been a chore to be her.” A faint smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.
    “Yeah, she did get it pretty rough. Since she was the only girl we made it our duty to let her know that she was a girl at every turn.”
    Cassie rolled her eyes. “Boys.”
    “Yeah, that was a long time ago.” He cleared his throat.
    “Tell me about your parents.”
    “They died in a car accident when we were all young.”
      “The coroner and police said the drunk driver was going at least a hundred and twenty. He hit mom and dad and smashed their car like a pancake, sent them flying off the road. They didn’t stand a chance.” Cassie knew that lykaens were strong but could still die under serious impact. No one was above death.
    “I’m so sorry.”
    He shrugged. “It was a long time ago. Your turn,” he shot a look straight into her. “Tell me about your family.”
    Cassie wanted to crawl under the covers and die. He’d shared though and if she wanted to help him then she had to open up a little about herself too. She thought over her words carefully before speaking.
    “My mother died in childbirth but probably not in the way you’re thinking. She had just given birth to me, the nursemaid was cleaning me up, and then Anton barged in. He was...well the story goes that my mother had an affair with him while mated to my father. She ended things to be with my father but Anton didn’t like that. Apparently, he also was homicidal because he murdered my mom with a knife to the heart just seconds after she pushed me out, and then he murdered the nursemaid. The guards said that when they got there he was just about to kill me too. They got to him first, luckily. I guess.”
    “Where the hell was your father?”
    “He was negotiating a treaty with another vampire clan or something like that. I don’t really remember. No one saw it coming though. He was a wreck after that. I grew up with him for five years before he finally gave up and committed suicide.”
    Cassie couldn’t look at him. She smiled softly even as her heart broke. She’d been the told the stories so many times by the workers around the house. It was like she could remember these things actually happening as if she’d been there. She honestly couldn’t though. She was too young. The only memories she had of her father would good ones and for that, she was thankful.
    Tears blurred her vision so she rolled away from him on the cot.
    “It looks like we’ve both suffered the loss of loved ones.”
    Cassie snorted. “What a way to get to know someone. I should have just asked you your favorite color instead.” She heard the soft, gentle sound of his laughter and the tight vice around her heart eased.
    Of course there was always one thing she’d never understood. One thing that no one had ever been able to explain to her. Why her father had promised to marry her to Daniel when she turned twenty-five.
    She missed her dad so much, and yet he was the cause of her problems right now. A thought hit her. Pulling her lip between her teeth, she nibbled on it. Could she do it? She glanced over at the dark lykaen sitting in front of the flames. For him, she could. Before she had to go, she had to help him. Cassie shoved the nasty thought aside with brutal force. She realized during her conversation with the lykaen just what she had to do.
    The one time he was vulnerable to her was when she pleasured him. At least that was the road she was willing to take, because this whole baring your soul thing was too rough