DeLeina, Maya - Veil of Seduction [Ambrose Heights Vampires 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)
Authors: Maya DeLeina
Ambrose Heights Vampires 2
Veil of Seduction
A newborn vampire. A powerful leader. An inconsolable woman. The shaping of their eternity all lies within the eyes.
Steffan Matthews is the devastatingly handsome vampire leader of Ambrose Heights. He cultivates social order and invents concoctions that allow vampires to feel human once again.
But Steffan also has a devouring obsession that brings him to his knees. Her name is Anya. Steffan sets out to claim Anya, a mortal ripe for the taking, as his mate. But the blackness in the eyes of his newborn should’ve served as a warning. Anya is off-limits according to the vampire creed.
It will take the strength of the kinship, the purity of love, a hint of magic, and a subterranean guardian to shield Steffan against the wrath of Ryan Evans, protect him from the fate of the Nemesis, and bridge a passage to his rightful destiny.
Genre:
Contemporary, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves
Length:
140,011 words
VEIL OF SEDUCTION
Ambrose Heights Vampires 2
Maya DeLeina
EROTIC ROMANCE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance
VEIL OF SEDUCTION
Copyright © 2012 by Maya DeLeina
E-book ISBN: 1-61926-292-4
First E-book Publication: January 2012
Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of
Veil of Seduction
by Maya DeLeina from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Maya DeLeina’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. DeLeina’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
DEDICATION
People come into your life and make you laugh, learn, love, and grow. For me, I’ve met wonderful people who did exactly this and so much more.
Suzanne—your support goes beyond any scale of appreciation. Your talent and creative passions are endless and fascinating. But most of all, your friendship is a gift as valuable as life itself.
Lee, Tanya, Regina, Kim, and Beth—you are the vision-makers, making all that you touch with your artistic magic shine. Thank you for your friendship and lending your gifts to my projects.
Dawn and Geralyn—thank you for being my “go-to” critics with each book I write. Your friendship and ability to polish my stories are priceless.
Adam—your humility, creative light, and humor are spellbinding. Stacy—you are the epitome of beauty, perfection, and inner strength that every woman strives for. You both personified what I thought only existed in fairy tales. Thank you for your charm and our blossoming friendships.
Natalie—much can be said for overdue e-mail responses. Cheers to a great relationship.
To my editor—thank you for all that didn’t make it into the book.
Dad, Chris, Jen, Mike, Mark, Big L, and Lady—your love and support is comforting and what keeps me grounded.
Mom—your praise is better than a five-star review. Thank you for all that you have done for me, taught me, and instilled in me to get me where I am today. I love you.
And finally, to M.J.—home is where you are. Dorothy had it right—there’s no place like it.
VEIL OF SEDUCTION
Ambrose
Heights
Vampires 2
MAYA DELEINA
Copyright © 2012
Prologue
The evening marked the first snowfall of the season.
Ryan stepped out into the cold night air and reached deep into the pockets of his long wool coat. He wiggled his fingers against the smooth satin lining, his senses soaking in the opulence that surrounded him.
Every detail of the five-star resort was exquisite.
His gaze traveled the length of the porte cochere, then drifted upward on the ornate ceiling. The Italian Renaissance architecture boasted ornamental moldings finished in shades of gold, black, and cobalt blue. It was striking against the white marble archways that lined the entry.
He remained fixated on the lavishness until a sweet voice breached his trance.
“Sir? I am so sorry. I forgot to have you select your fortune before you left the restaurant.”
She was slightly winded but polished and expressive in her footing. Her arms outstretched toward Ryan, displaying an elegant glass bowl filled with little silver and gold foil packages. She wore a white, button-down shirt, a delicate sheen laced in the fabric. The top two buttons had been left undone, revealing her cleavage to eager eyes. The shirt tucked into a black pencil skirt that accentuated her curves. An ankle bracelet adorned one bare leg and complimented her peep-toe, black heels.
She stood shaking, inadequately attired for the frigid temperature of the evening.
Ryan looked at her curiously. “You work at the restaurant? I don’t remember seeing you.”
“Well, I definitely saw you.”
“And you ran out after me, in this cold, all because of a fortune cookie?”
She flashed the flirtiest smile. “I could never live with myself knowing I deprived you of your chosen enlightenment to fulfill your destiny, sir.”
Like a wildfire, Ryan felt his smile spread from ear to ear.
A spark flashed in her eyes.
In that moment, Ryan realized their immediate attraction to one another.
Ryan scanned her from head to toe. He estimated she was at least a decade younger than him. Delicious images danced in his head as he mentally undressed her within seconds. He fished his nestled hands out from the warmth of his coat pockets and reached for a shimmering package in the glass bowl.
“Well then, when you put it that way, how can I refuse?” Ryan selected a package with his left hand while his right shrewdly retrieved a business card from his inner chest pocket.
“Hopefully, you will not make the same mistake and deprive me of anything else in the future,” Ryan uttered slyly as he handed her his card.
Her eyes widened as she examined his card. She smiled at the personal information carefully penned on the back. Her lustful gaze fixed on Ryan as she bit her lower lip and evaluated his physique. She leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “I assure you, I never make the same mistake twice.”
She pulled back, noting the smug-laced grin that was etched on Ryan’s face. Giving him one last assessment, she parted with a flirty wink. “I’ll be seeing you…Mr. Ryan Evans.”
Ryan watched as the young woman retreated back into the lobby. He took in a deep breath, absorbing her musky perfume that suspended in the air. Instantly, his naughty imagination unleashed once again. With her pinned securely beneath him, she writhed under his control. Her perky breasts bounced with a raw intensity to the demands of his thrusts. Her lustful moans rang deliciously in his ear. She huffed and panted, begging him to fuck her harder and faster like an animal.
Ryan pulled himself from the wicked fantasy and refocused on his surroundings. Resigning effortlessly, he sighed.
Taking another lover was no longer a question of if, but when.
Once she disappeared from his sight, he tore open the elegant foil packaging, and retrieved the fortune cookie. One half of the crescent was dipped in dark chocolate and finished with a dusting of edible gold flakes. He broke open the cookie and fished out the small piece of paper hidden inside.
Those who have love and happiness, have wealth beyond measure
“Mr. Evans, your car has arrived,” interrupted the valet as Ryan read the fortune’s message.
Ryan popped the broken cookie pieces into his mouth, tipped the valet, and slipped into the warmth of the vehicle. He buckled his seat belt and made the necessary mirror adjustments, glancing once more at the fortune. A chuckle escaped him as he edited the fortune, discarding it out the window.
“Those with wealth beyond measure can
buy
love and happiness.”
* * * *
From the refuge of the lobby, the young woman peered out of the window, watching Ryan as he got into his vehicle. The lights of the porte cochere beamed off of the highly polished Mercedes SUV. She caught a glimpse of the vanity plate just before Ryan drove off into the darkness.
MNEM8KR.
“Money maker,” she said to herself, “I gotcha!”