Lust

Deadly Sins: Lust Lacey Savage All rights reserved.

Copyright ©2006 Lacey Savage

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ISBN (10) 1-59596-408-8

ISBN (13) 978-1-59596-408-3

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This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

The Agrippa Legend The great spell books of Hell… No one knows how many there were in Hell, but each dealt with a particular type of spell casting, all of it fiendish, of course. Some legends use any combination of magical numbers: Three? Seven? Eleven? Stolen from Hell in antiquity, some were lost to time. Others became the property of ordinary men, the curse of their families, for an Agrippa attaches itself to a family bloodline, and only the complete death of that bloodline allows the Agrippa to find a new “host” family. Agrippas have been known to suddenly appear to some poor soul who never knew that somewhere in their bloodline there was an illegitimate member of an Agrippa family. The book cannot be given away, or sold. It will always return, and be very, very angry with you. Each Agrippa is six feet tall, and nearly as broad. It is bound with leather straps and many iron locks, as well as magical enchantments of great complexity that are deadly to any but a family member. The thing stinks of the sulphurous fumes of Hell, and many other odors best left undescribed. To keep an Agrippa in your home from literally tearing the place apart, it must be hung from a twisted beam by iron chains, for any intruder within its awareness, even a welcomed guest in the home, is fodder for its deadly appetites. You can imagine a frightened bride, led up the stairs to be introduced, so she won’t be eaten or destroyed later. The temptation of family members to use the Agrippa is huge. To even open the book brings instantaneous wealth and power, but at a huge cost. Your beloved great aunt will die, leaving you her huge fortune (at the expense of angry legitimate heirs, who will know you opened the book), a crooked election will leave you mayor even if you haven’t the skills or inclination to enter politics, or other “good fortune” that carries a heavy penalty. Opening the book is also opening your soul and mind to evil. It etches well-worn paths in your brain, and whispers insidious evil plans to gain you more, more, more.

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Only the most pure and the strongest dare to be Guardians of a book, without fear of falling into the temptations of using the book. This task was assigned in ancient times to only those individuals deemed by the family as most worthy and least likely to succumb to the evil within and its temptations. Not only is the family honor at stake, but the very souls of those living in the same house with it. Often the Guardians deliberately doom themselves to a life of isolation and loneliness rather than risk anyone else. The family provides for their every need, as long as they stay in their “prison” home. (Somewhere in time, invariably, someone opened the damned book and made the family wealthy and powerful.) Only when the incumbent Guardian is near death does the family gather to choose the new Guardian, rather than let the Agrippa choose. It would choose the one most likely to use its powers, of course. Most Agrippa families are desperate to cover up their ancestors’ sins and evil that led to their wealth and power. They, more than most, know the whole family is in mortal peril if that book is used, for human courts can be merciless with those who break human laws. Many would prefer to pretend the Agrippa never existed, but once in their lifetime, they know they must choose the Guardian and pray it is not them or their child. One family member must be sacrificed, so that all the rest may live in peace. Could you make that ugly choice, dooming the most good, kind, and strong member of your family to isolation and loneliness? What if you were chosen? Or worse, what would you do if you were the last of the family? Could you give up everything for an inheritance from Hell itself?

Chapter One Molly Di Maldo was going insane. Worse yet, there wasn’t a thing she could do about it. She writhed on the ancient stone, the uneven rock that spanned the length of the chamber digging into her back with every convulsive shudder of her overheated body. Her hand moved of its own accord, her fingers feverishly rubbing her throbbing pussy through the thick material of her paint-stained overalls. Lust had seized her in its demonic grip as it had done so often these past two weeks: suddenly, thoroughly, mercilessly. She’d been so good at controlling her base urges for the past ten years. She’d even begun to believe that self-appointing herself as Guardian of the Agrippa had been a wise move. Now she knew better. The Agrippa was in control. It burrowed its way into her mind quietly, unconditionally; a wild beast that could devour and destroy. Molly’s gut tightened. The animalistic feeling gnawed at her, clenching her muscles, drenching her skin with sweat. Her nipples beaded, tiny points that rubbed against her shirt as she arched her back. A scream broke free from her throat. She needed to come, craved the relief like she craved air flowing through her lungs. Only orgasm could stop the constant pressure clenching her muscles, driving her thoughts, urging her on. That, or opening the book. But unlocking the Agrippa’s magical and natural bonds had dire consequences. Its evil powers would consume everything in its path, including Molly herself. She couldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t let that happen.

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From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of her painting, now lying on the floor. The blue glow of the television screen illuminated the chiseled chest of a faceless man. Red paint had splashed over the edges of the white canvas, but hadn’t stained his tanned flesh. Molly’s gaze flickered from the half-finished painting to the TV, where two men eagerly vied for a taste of a woman’s dripping wet cunt. The actress moaned and spread her legs wider, while the men’s tongues flicked over her bare skin. She shuddered at the touch and Molly trembled with her, a groan torn from her dry lips. She didn’t remember turning the DVD player on. Had she touched the power button in her eagerness for release, or was this just another one of the Agrippa’s cruel games? Her cunt throbbed as her fingers worked at her clit. The sensitive nub pounded, ached beneath her merciless rubbing motion. She couldn’t focus, couldn’t think straight. It may have taken her seconds to move from the painting to the floor, minutes, or even hours. Entire chunks of her memory were missing and when she prodded, a sinister laugh met her efforts, making her shrink back from the cruel, demonic cackle. Molly sunk her teeth into her lower lip. The stinging pain dragged her dark thoughts back to the television screen. This was her favorite movie, one she must have watched at least a dozen times over the past two weeks. The orgy scenes were her favorite. Women fondling men, men fucking men, women pleasuring each other. Unlike most of the other movies she owned, in this one the actors looked like they were enjoying themselves. Molly squirmed out of her overalls and kicked them away. She laid her palm flat on her swollen labia, shuddering as her blood sang with anticipation. The much needed release was moments away, so close she could feel it in every sensitive nerve ending. The Agrippa whispered in her mind, words of unbelievable passion, of never-ending bliss. She tried to shut out the temptation by focusing on the images swimming across her field of vision. Porn and erotic literature were the only outlets she’d found; the only distractions stronger than the demon book’s pull. For now.

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Molly tried not to think of what would happen when even those lustful pleasures were no longer enough. She watched as one man’s tongue snaked out and disappeared between the actress’s plump nether lips, closing his eyes as his mouth clamped against her hairless mound. The other man, a tall wrestler-type with chiseled muscles and tattoos decorating his arms and chest, had moved up to the woman’s chest. A rose-brown nipple disappeared between his lips and he sucked eagerly, almost desperately, at the full breast, as though devouring a ripe fruit. Molly licked her lips, parted her labia with one hand as she slipped two fingers inside her sopping cunt. It wasn’t enough. She needed more. Something thicker, fuller. Her favorite vibrator would do the job. The purple monster filled her to capacity, but the toy chest lay a flight of stairs down and she couldn’t stop her rush to orgasm for even a moment. To do so could well mean the end of her free will, of her ability to resist the Agrippa’s temptation. When lust hit, she often had to make do with what she had. Here in her studio, paintbrushes were the only option, and they were much too thin for what she craved. The men on-screen switched position, the massive one eagerly sweeping his long tongue along the actress’s slit. Molly closed her eyes and clenched her jaw. Images danced across the inside of her eyelids, but this time she was the woman relishing the pleasure being lavished on her. She could feel the mouth that worked at the wet flesh between her thighs, the hungry tongue eager to give her pleasure, to make her come. A shudder ran through her. The Agrippa’s voice grew louder, urging her on, feeding her lust. She plunged another finger alongside the first two, driving them into her tight channel in a fevered rush of rapid thrusts. She pinched a nipple hard enough to drive a shaft of pain into her flesh. The ache zipped down her skin, lighting a fire through her body. When it reached her clit, it exploded into a mass of sensation, flooding her body from her toes to the tips of her ears with overwhelming release. Molly screamed as her pussy twitched and her belly tightened with the onslaught of orgasm. At last she fell back, spent. The Agrippa’s voice dimmed and

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disappeared. She could sense its disappointment; its need to control her thwarted only momentarily. It would return. The demon had boundless patience, while Molly’s own self-control had already begun to crack. Soon, it would shatter completely. The Agrippa would get everything it wanted, everything it so desperately craved. Clenching her fists at her sides, she listened to the moans, groans and slurping sounds coming from the television set. The noise of passion soothed her overwrought nerves, calmed her delirious thoughts. She didn’t know how long she lay there. Minutes, hours, it didn’t matter. She’d survived one more vicious attack by the Agrippa, but she knew she couldn’t keep the overwhelming lust at bay much longer. The onslaught of arousal came more frequently now, with an intensity she hadn’t experienced in the past. Was the Agrippa capable of doing this to her repeatedly, again and again and again? If so, she knew she couldn’t resist. She’d give in, just like her great-great-great-grandmother. She’d bring shame to her family all over again. People still whispered the Di Maldo name with a sneer. Though once revered, now the surname only brought to mind thoughts of the popular Di Maldo chain of brothels that had been strung along European cities for a hundred years. Forty years ago, the brothels had been turned into bed-and-breakfasts when Molly’s grandmother decided she wasn’t going to continue running the family business, but even now they still attracted horny young couples and honeymooners. Sex, sex, sex. That’s what Molly’s family was known for. That’s what it would always be known for, if she didn’t keep a closer handle on her own simmering passion.

*** “Molly? Are you here?” She must have dozed, because her brother’s voice woke her with a start.

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“Just a minute, Chris!” She fumbled for her clothes in the dark, the comforting glow of the TV screen having reverted to inky black. Had she turned it off? She couldn’t remember. Sighing, she pulled on her overalls. Entire periods of time kept disappearing, leaving her more unnerved than ever. What if she was so far gone that she opened the book during one of these blackout periods? What if she already had, and couldn’t remember? An icy chill sliced through her. No! She’d feel it if she had. The stench of sulfur and the depths of Hell would permeate the entire castle, stinging her eyes and clogging her throat. She’d instinctively know it if the Agrippa were free. For now, the demon remained chained to the beams in the basement, secured in its everlasting prison. That thought eased some of the worry gnawing at her. She fumbled her way to the door and steadied her breathing before yanking on the knob. She blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the faint flicker of candlelight, the golden glow sending stabs of pain into her darkness-accustomed eyes. Chris grinned, blue eyes sparkling. “It’s the first of the month, baby sister. Hope you’re hungry.” He gestured to five large boxes stacked on top of each other at the end of the narrow corridor. “Starved,” she admitted. “I ran out of frozen food about a week ago, and I’ve been living on canned beans and corn ever since.” She walked to the stack of boxes and opened the lid of the topmost one. A stack of porn magazines and at least ten DVDs lay on top of more canned beans. She picked up a magazine and flipped through it, then threw it back in the box. “How old are these?” Chris chuckled. “You already have every issue of Buff, Hunk-a-licious and Size Matters published in the last ten years. I had to go back even further than that.”

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“That would explain the mullets.” She shuddered at the thought of the old eighties’ hairstyle. “I hear they’re coming back in style,” he teased. “Some fads are dead for a reason. Mullets need to remain in the history books, along with crimped hair and parachute pants.” “Oh, come on, admit it. You thought MC Hammer was hot.” She allowed herself a small smile as she turned back and took the candelabrum from her brother. Together, they walked into the small room that served as her kitchen. Since moving here a decade earlier, she hadn’t bothered to decorate. At first it felt temporary, as though she was only passing through. Later, as the weeks turned into months, and the months into years, she simply hadn’t had the energy for the pointless chore. Deep cracks ran through the stone walls and floor, but Molly’s family had made sure she had the latest state-of-the-art appliances at her disposal. It was a kind thought, she had to admit, even though she rarely used them. Her monthly care packages were filled with precooked food, and aside from the microwave, she didn’t have need of much else. Placing the candelabrum on a small wooden table, she turned to face her brother. “It’s good to see you.” Chris came once a month to refill her food supply. Like every other Agrippa Guardian before her, Molly had chosen to live alone. It was much easier this way. She didn’t have to worry about another person witnessing her inability to cope with the fierce bouts of lust that hit unexpectedly, or subject anyone else to living like a hermit in a stone tower, going months without seeing daylight. Besides, this responsibility was hers alone. The ancient castle had been in the Di Maldo family for generations. Situated on the outskirts of Monaco, it had officially been empty for a hundred years. Or so the locals believed. The family’s official stance was that the castle was in ruin, and therefore unsafe to enter and off-limits to visitors and locals alike. That alone deterred most

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curious tourists from trying to sneak in. The braver souls who actually made it past the front door met with Molly’s wrath, and quickly witnessed the power of illusion granted to her by the Agrippa. That is, when she wasn’t in the grip of mind-altering lust. She took precautions, living in the rooms situated in the stone tower that coiled around the left side of the castle, away from any windows through which she could be spotted. She never used electricity, except to run the microwave, the TV, and on occasion, the coffee maker, preferring instead to rely on the soft glow of candles. When she’d first come to live here, she’d allowed herself five minutes of natural daylight each morning. She’d stare past the copse of trees and the weed-filled garden encasing the base of her tower, and she’d gaze at the smooth pink line of the horizon, watching dawn break, trying to see past her closed-in world and into the wonders that lay outside the Agrippa’s influence. Except there was no place on earth the Agrippa wouldn’t find the Di Maldos. It was their curse, their responsibility through the ages, until the end of eternity. These days, loneliness shadowed Molly’s every move, her every decision. But not regret. Never regret. Chris’s tight hug jerked Molly back to the present. She returned the embrace, losing herself in the comfort of his strong, familiar hold. When she stepped away, he held her at arm’s length and peered into her eyes. “It’s good to see you too, baby sister, but you don’t look so good.” She licked her dry lips and nodded. “I haven’t been sleeping well.” Frown lines appeared over the bridge of Chris’s prominent, Roman nose, a Di Maldo male family trait. “Insomnia again? Should I have brought more pills?” Molly shook her head. “It’s not that. Something’s wrong. The Agrippa’s been even more insistent than usual of late.” “It goes through stages, you know that. At times it lies dormant. Other times…”

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He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to. Molly had spent hours trying to explain what it felt like when the Agrippa drove her to the brink of madness, yet she knew it was useless. Her brother couldn’t possibly understand. No one could. Even now, thinking about the earlier lust-induced frenzy leading to her crashing orgasm made her grimace. She remembered the overwhelming sense of urgency that buzzed through her. The pulse of her twitching pussy begging for release. The turmoil of her soul as she fought with the Agrippa for control over her own body. Her muscles ached at the memory. “Not this time, Chris. This is more than simple temptation. It’s sudden, violent need. It’s desperate, like…” She paused, struggling to find the right words and make him understand. “It’s like drowning, and gasping for air all the while knowing that no matter how hard you fight, you’re still going to die.” Chris pulled her back into the comfort of his strong arms. Molly let herself sag against him, inhaling his scent. He always smelled of the outdoors, of pine needles and blue skies, of nature she hadn’t touched in a decade. Tears burned behind her eyes, and she swallowed hard. Fisting her hands in his shirt, she remained silent for a long time. When she finally spoke, her voice was muffled against his chest. “You have to tell the family. Warn them about what’s happening to me. Tell them they have to find another Guardian.” “Shhh…” He smoothed his hand over her hair, rocking back and forth on his heels as though she were a small child who’d had a bad dream. “You’re overreacting.” Molly bit the inside of her cheek. She wanted to rail at him, to scream and bang her fists against his chest until he understood, until he felt her desperation running through his veins, clawing at his belly. Instead, she closed her eyes and took another deep breath, willing her heartbeat to calm. She knew they’d never choose another Guardian. The collective sigh of relief that had traveled through the entire assembled family when Molly had volunteered to be the Agrippa’s new Guardian still rang in her ears.

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No one had wanted the job. When Molly’s uncle, the previous Guardian, was diagnosed with a brain tumor and given only months to live, no one in the family had volunteered to take his place. They wouldn’t even take turns guarding the demon. Some, she knew, didn’t trust themselves around the temptation. Opening the book could bring more bliss than they’d ever imagined, but it would come with a price too high to pay. Others simply didn’t want to condemn themselves to a life of loneliness and empty isolation, an existence they regarded as little better than death. She’d made it so easy on all of them. There were few tears shed as she packed her things and moved into the castle. There would be many more if she ever decided to give it up, to hand over her responsibility to someone else whether the family liked it or not. “I brought you new toys, too,” Chris whispered in her ear. “They’re supposed to be the best at getting the job done.” Defying her every effort to contain her trembling lust, Molly’s body throbbed at his comment, her blood warming at the mere suggestion of another orgasm. She sighed in disgust and broke away from her brother’s embrace. “That’s great. More plastic, porn, and stroke mags. Just what the demon book ordered.”

Chapter Two Jared Roberts crossed his fingers as he hopped over the tall windowsill and landed quietly on the stone floor of the ancient Di Maldo castle, then flexed his hand, feeling foolish. He didn’t consider himself particularly superstitious, though he supposed that given his line of work, a little superstition couldn’t hurt. He blinked rapidly, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark shadows before flicking on his flashlight. Although he’d been repeatedly assured by everyone from his editor to the guy selling newspapers in front of his hotel that the castle had been abandoned for centuries, he wanted to be certain he was alone. The Di Maldo family’s reach had waned over the last century, but they were still a force to be reckoned with and wouldn’t take kindly to a trespasser; even one with press credentials. Perhaps especially not one with press credentials. He flicked his wrist and watched the white light dance over the interior of the room. The area was immense, much larger than he’d expected. He hadn’t been able to orient himself properly in the dark and had assumed he’d climb through the window and into one of the kitchens just off the great hall. Instead, he now stood in the heart of the castle, a large structure with a domed ceiling his flashlight beam couldn’t quite illuminate. This was the place where the Di Maldo lords and ladies must have danced, eaten and frolicked hundreds of years ago. It would have brimmed with life and laughter as servants scuttled about and the Di Maldo matriarch trained her girls in the fine arts of giving pleasure and gaining secrets in return. Now, the place looked decrepit and smelled worse. He took a few steps forward and wrinkled his nose. Dust motes danced in the beam of light and something crawled

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across the floor. Fascinated, Jared leaned in to get a better look, his free hand already grabbing for the camera suspended around his neck. A fat cockroach scampered over the tip of his running shoe. Releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, he let the camera slip out of his grasp to dangle on the cord around his neck. The 35mm camera with black and white film was the only piece of equipment he’d allowed himself to bring tonight. He wanted to scope out the place and get a feel for it before he went any further. In the five years he’d been traveling the world as a paranormal investigator and journalist, he’d known more than his share of disappointments. Who am I kidding? Disappointments? Jared snorted, the sound echoing hollowly in the ancient room. More like complete and utter failures. Five years, and not one piece of real paranormal activity to show for it. Not a shadow of a ghost, not a twinkling of telekinetic energy, not even a high amount of unexplained electromagnetic discharge he could blame on a restless spirit. Nothing but dust, shadows, and frauds. Like him. If the Di Maldo castle really brimmed with as much paranormal activity as rumors held, he’d return to his hotel for the rest of his stuff before he came back again the next night. But chances of that were slim. Like so many times before, he knew he’d take a cursory look and find nothing at all unusual. Afterward, he’d labor over his article for a week trying to come up with new ways to make his lies sound authentic. He was so certain he wouldn’t find a thing, he hadn’t even bothered to shower or rest after his twelve-hour flight. Exhaustion slid around the recesses of his mind, sleep taunting him with wispy tendrils. He yawned and shook his head to clear it. This wouldn’t take long. It never did. Aiming his flashlight straight ahead, he passed through the hall and stepped into an alcove housing a small staircase. The stairs, like the walls of the castle, were made of

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dark stone that muffled his footsteps. He’d descended no more than a dozen steps before the smell assaulted him. He sucked in a sharp breath and grimaced at the foul odor. It smelled of blood, urine and rotten flesh mixed with something far worse. The stench clogged his throat, made his eyes water. He blinked hard and gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to retrace his steps. Something had obviously died in the far recesses of the castle. An animal or a slew of rodents, most likely, but perhaps something even more intriguing had met its demise down there. Something human. If its spirit still lingered, that would be the place to detect the change in atmosphere and possibly find proof of paranormal activity. He moved forward slowly, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. The fourth step knocked the breath out of his lungs. The odor intensified, threatening to gag him, but it was more than that. Something pushed against his chest, shoving him back, hard. “What the fuck?” Swinging his flashlight wildly, Jared tried to pinpoint the person who’d stopped him. It had to have been a person. He’d felt a hand clutch his jacket, and the shove was too forceful to have simply imagined it. But no one stood in the middle of the narrow staircase, and silence, eerie and encompassing, stretched throughout the castle. A chill crept up his spine and he shuddered. He was exhausted. His imagination played tricks on him, conjuring dangers from nothing at all. That had to be it. Tugging on his jacket, he made a second attempt to move forward, only to find himself looking up at the ceiling, gasping for breath, the stone steps digging into his back. He hadn’t even felt the hand this time. He’d simply fallen, as though having met with the force of an invisible brick wall. Heart pumping, Jared stumbled to his feet. Wrapping his hands around the camera, Jared took a few snapshots of the empty staircase. If anything paranormal lurked in the shadows, he’d be able to see it on film when he developed it.

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He gritted his teeth, bracing himself for a third attempt. At the last moment, he decided against it. Some much needed sleep would do him good. He’d return tomorrow, after nightfall, with all his paranormal detection equipment in tow. If there was anything at all to find here, he’d spend every moment until his deadline looking for it. The staircase wound up and around in a spiral formation, as though following the curve of a tower. As he climbed past the ground floor and onto the second level, Jared tried to form a mental map in his mind and compare it to the one he’d tucked into his carry-on luggage. He remembered a stone tower facing east, not too far from where he’d slipped inside. When he’d first looked at the map, it had struck him as odd that no windows had been carved into the rock. The structure had made him think of a prison rather than living quarters, and the further he climbed, the more perplexed he grew by the architecture of the tower. To banish the faint sensation of claustrophobia pressing against his chest, Jared took a deep breath. The air up here smelled fresher, even welcoming. He caught a whiff of lilac and something chemical, like furniture polish or hydrogen peroxide. Gripping the flashlight tightly, he stepped out into the main hall of the second floor. Dark doors stood like silent sentinels on either side of him. He ran his beam over them in turn, but nothing paranormally interesting struck him about the place. He’d have a cursory look, of course, but he wasn’t into antiques or history lessons. Unlike tourists, who could spend days in a place like this just marveling at the stonework, Jared was here for the unexplained and the otherworldly, nothing else. A bright flicker at the end of the hall caught his attention, making his heart race. Without thinking, Jared flicked off his flashlight. Darkness engulfed him. His senses flared. Hyperaware of every creak of the floorboards beneath his feet, every breath of wind whistling through the slabs of stone, Jared waited, and listened. Nothing. As always.

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Sighing, Jared turned the flashlight back on and made his way to the nearest room. It was small and windowless, shaped as a half-circle. It was also empty of items, people, and ghosts alike. He swung the wooden door closed behind him. The resounding clang rang loudly in the dark, startling him. Swearing low under his breath, Jared slid silently from one room to the next, finding more of the same. Nothing. Dust abounded, and in a few rooms he came across rotten tapestries and a rusty suit of armor, but little else. At the end of the corridor, he opened another door and stepped into a smaller hallway, this one round, with doors leading in three different directions. He found the first one locked, which made him pause. Why would anyone lock a room in an abandoned castle that by all accounts held absolutely nothing of value? If the myriad of “Keep Out” and “No Trespassing” signs planted throughout the serene garden surrounding the castle didn’t keep onlookers away, the sheer vast emptiness of the place would have done the job. He tried the next door, pleased when this one swung inward with nothing more than a faint wooden protest. The flashlight beam played over the stone walls. Unlike the other rooms he’d explored, this one wasn’t empty. A long stack of boxes lined the entire length of one wall. Curiosity flaring, Jared gripped the flashlight in his teeth and pointed the beam at the top of the nearest box. A quick glance inside made his jaw drop. The flashlight clattered to the floor, rolling noisily on the textured rock. Another stream of obscenities later, Jared had the beam pointing inside the box. Carefully, he rummaged through the contents. Porn magazines lay on top, three issues deep. Busty Babes, Men of Steel, Nymphos ‘R’ Us, Buff. Whoever owned these wasn’t picky. Beneath them, DVDs, tapes and erotic novels took up another large chunk of space. He pulled a book out at random. A Dame a Dozen, by Betty Bonk.

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He threw the well-worn paperback back in the box and his fingers grazed something smooth, long and rubbery. He felt along its length, noting the life-like veins before yanking his hand away. Jared rubbed the bridge of his nose to keep a pounding headache at bay. It figured. He had to be the only highly-paid, respected paranormal investigator who had never found anything even remotely unexplainable. To make matters worse, his esteemed skills had led him straight to some pervert’s stash of well-hidden porn. That would explain all the sightings people constantly talked about. Nonsense about a woman seen at the windows of the castle, looking sad and lonely. What a load of bull. The only thing people were seeing here was some teenage kid who snuck up to the second floor when he couldn’t jerk off properly under his mother’s watchful eye. The basement still merited further investigation, but the rest of the castle was a total wash. As usual. By the time he closed the door behind him and returned to the circular hall, Jared was already planning this week’s column. He’d even found the perfect title: Ghosts in Lust. That title alone should garner him a slew of fan letters, even if he’d never win the Nobel Prize for literature. Chuckling to himself, he headed for the staircase when a wave of longing crashed through him, bringing with it emotions he’d thought long buried. Anger and sadness, despair and hopelessness. He turned his head to stare at the locked door. Distorted images played upon the wooden surface and he squinted, trying to make them out. A man and a woman gyrated together, the intimate act unmistakable. The silhouettes shifted and thrust against each other, and Jared could almost hear the sounds of passion echoing through the empty hall. A shudder passed through him and he lifted a hand to rub helplessly at his eyes. When he opened them, the images were gone. Instead, an angel stood where the door had been. “Chris? Is that you? Did you forget something?”

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The woman, looking as ethereal as any ghost Jared had ever imagined, stood naked in the doorway, rubbing her eyes as he’d done moments before. Did she think him an apparition in her eternal resting place? Upon a second glance, he realized his first thought of her had been more accurate. She was definitely more angel than ghost, except unclothed, she looked like something straight out of one of his teenage fantasies. She’d wedged herself in a corner of the doorway, right in the path of his flashlight beam. Her pale skin stood out in brilliant contrast to the dark shadows of the room behind her. Her long, black eyelashes cast shadows over her cheeks as she blinked sleepily, revealing brilliant blue eyes. A mass of tousled brown hair framed her face. Her full lips, slightly parted, glistened in the bright light. She looked breathtaking, beautiful and serene. His gaze traveled lower to settle on her full breasts and pointy nipples, and lower still, past her flat belly and curved hips, straight to the mass of dark curls at the apex of her thighs. Wetness glistened there, slick and inviting, dewy beads against the dark backdrop of pubic hair. Jared’s dick swelled into hardness, aching to be touched. He swallowed hard, unable to tear his gaze away, while blood thrummed through his groin, sending a pool of heat down to his belly. “Chris?” she asked again, louder this time. She narrowed her eyes and squinted through the light he shone in her face. Jared gritted his teeth as every obscenity he knew flickered through his mind in a frenzy of confusion. Faced with a real apparition, years of training disappeared in the blink of an eye. He couldn’t remember what he was supposed to be doing, distracted by the thrumming ache in his balls. His rod twitched, throbbed almost painfully against the tight constraints of his briefs. He grimaced. His body had always been two steps ahead of his brain. “I’m not --” he began, but he was too late. The ghost had obviously noticed he wasn’t who she thought he was.

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Deadly Sins: Lust

- 21 -

Her mouth opened as though to speak, but instead of words, a shrill cry resonated through the hall. A moment later, the beautiful nymph was gone. In her place stood an old hag, shriveled and hunched over. Her jaw hung open, revealing a mouthful of rotten teeth. A mass of white hair stood out wildly around her head. When she lunged for him, she did so with razor-sharp talons, driving for his throat. Jared had a quick flash of wrinkled skin and saggy breasts. The grotesque, unexpected vision threw him off, making his raging hard-on wilt. With the ache in his balls momentarily gone, logical thought returned. A second later, letting out a satisfied whoop, Jared grabbed the camera dangling around his neck and started snapping pictures.

“What are you doing?” Molly shrieked when she realized the stranger wasn’t in the least bit scared of her haggard appearance. “Stop that this instant!” She barely recognized her own voice, funneled through the illusion provided by the Agrippa. The man didn’t answer. In fact, he paid no attention to her words at all. He circled her as she attempted to maul him, ducking out of the way slightly when her sharp nails came too close to his face. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she would if he left her no choice. The aggravating constant click of the camera and the blinding flash grated on her last nerve. She wanted him out of the castle -- out of her home -- immediately. Lunging for him, she managed to hook a sharp talon around a belt loop. It tore in her hand. “Get out!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “Leave this place and never return!” Okay, so maybe that last line was a little over the top, she thought as she charged him again only to have him sidestep her at the last moment. She didn’t care. Fear and rage ran through her blood. She had to get him out. Now.

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Deadly Sins: Lust

- 22 -

No such luck. The man lowered his camera for only an instant, but the flashlight he’d dropped to the floor moments earlier clearly illuminated his enthusiastic grin. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning, and she, spectral appearance and all, seemed to be the prized gift. Nerves strung tight, Molly gritted her teeth as a stab of arousal shot through her pussy and a jolt of awareness flooded her core. There was a man in her castle. A man. Her nipples tightened into stiff peaks and she bit back a moan. The Agrippa whispered seductively in her ear. She could hear every murmured promise, every soft word vowing pleasure unlike any she’d ever known. The flash clicked again, flooding the room with light. She caught another brief glimpse of the stranger’s full lips, his dark eyes, the hint of stubble covering his square jaw. He was in dire need of a haircut, she realized through the fog of sensual perception threatening to envelop her. His wavy brown hair stuck out haphazardly from under his hat. She blinked, trying to make sense of the hat. She remembered seeing a movie, once, in which the main character wore a hat just like this one. Beige, with a large brim. Indiana Jones. She bit her lip to keep from smiling, fearing it might ruin whatever slight chance she still had to scare him away from the castle for good. So, it seemed she had a bona fide adventurer on her hands. What had begun as a nightmare was becoming more promising by the moment. The next snap of the camera brought a stream of lust rushing to her pussy, the intense wave buckling her knees. It drummed low in her belly, sending fiery signals to every pressure point in her body. If she didn’t get away from this man soon, she’d tear off his clothes and fuck him senseless, whether he wanted it or not. Control. She was losing control. This wasn’t the way she wanted to fuck. Not today, not ever again.

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Deadly Sins: Lust

- 23 -

She backed away as quickly as her feet would carry her. Not into her room -he’d find her there. Instead, she turned and ran for the circular staircase at the opposite end of the hall, even as the whispered promise of orgasm rang in her ears. Her clit throbbed, pulsing with barely contained desire. Behind her, she heard the man’s voice. He called out to her, begging her not to leave. She clenched her jaw against the onslaught of arousal, knowing she had no choice. Fucking this stranger while in the grip of mind-altering lust would likely mean she’d hurt him, or worse. The memory of Alex’s body, bruised all over after their first time together, made her lip curl. Cum still drying on his spent cock, Molly’s first boyfriend had dumped her quicker than she could try to explain, his eyes wide with barely contained fear. She’d ravaged him, hurting him as she fought to get more of his cock. It hadn’t been enough. That moment, she’d realized that nothing would ever be enough for her fierce appetites. She’d run home that night and immediately announced her decision to take over for her dying uncle as the new Guardian of the Agrippa. She knew first-hand what it meant to be seized by uncontrollable lust, to ruin any chance at a relationship with someone you loved because sex -- real, honest, romantic sex -- would never satisfy. Her mission now, and for the rest of her life, was to ensure the Agrippa never terrorized another member of her family with its demonic sexual demands. Turning a corner, she returned to the present with a jolt. The stranger should have been the one leaving. He was the one who didn’t belong. But it was Molly who ran up the stairs to the third floor, making her way past the row of rooms that had once served as entertainment chambers for her ancestors’ most important clients. From the instant Molly had set eyes on the Di Maldo castle, she’d felt at home, though she couldn’t explain why. Now she knew. She’d felt a kinship to the spirits of the women who’d lived their lives to pleasure others. She longed for that kind of pleasure, for that purpose, and knew it wasn’t just

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the Agrippa planting thoughts in her mind. If she hadn’t volunteered to be its Guardian, would the book have chosen her anyway? Had it chosen her? The thought was too horrible to contemplate. Guardians were supposed to be pure of heart so they could resist the temptation the demon offered. Molly knew she was far from pure, and even farther from innocent. She staggered as another rush of heat flooded her pussy with cream. Moisture dripped down her thighs, slick against her skin. After stumbling inside the last room and bolting the door behind her, she gripped the edge of the windowsill and threw her head back, letting the orgasm wash over her. The rock was cold, its rough texture biting into her flesh as she rubbed her breasts against the edge of the window, groaning at the pleasure-pain running through her body. She yearned for real hands on her body, not just the Agrippa’s temptation inducing the onslaught of constant lust. It had been much too long since anyone had touched her intimately, licked her cunt, nibbled on her needy nipples. Years? No, over a decade. It was my choice. She repeated the words like a mantra as she collapsed to the floor, the last remnants of her frenzied release sending another shudder through her exhausted body. Her muscles spasmed and ached from the constant use. Her cunt throbbed painfully. Molly was rarely gentle with her body when the lust took over, intent only on achieving the much needed release. Leaning her head against the wall, she closed her eyes and listened. No sounds came from the floor below. The stranger hadn’t followed her. Good. She was wearied and worn, physically and emotionally spent. That’s why she hadn’t heard the man as he trespassed into her home until it was almost too late. Vigilance had never before been a problem. She preferred to sleep during the day so she

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could remain watchful at night and greet uninvited guests at the door before they had a chance to allow their curiosity to get the better of them. This time, though, she hadn’t known she had a visitor until she heard a noise coming from the room she used as a storage area. And by that point, the man had already become much too comfortable in the castle. With trembling hands, she trailed her fingertips over her skin to splay them against her belly. She resisted the urge to touch her slick pussy, even as the need began to claw at her insides again. She wondered what the stranger was doing. Was he gone? He had to be. Only a lunatic would stick around after what he’d witnessed. As soon as she ran, he had to have come to his senses and realized that trespassing in an ancient, run-down castle was incredibly dangerous. Especially when there were apparitions around. His face came unbidden to her mind, complete with the eager grin she’d seen for only a moment. Indiana. She smiled at the thought of that silly hat. She yearned to run her lips along the hard line of his jaw, slide her hands inside his jacket and rub her palms down the soft shirt encasing his muscles. Her pussy sent an answering pulse and Molly moaned softly, fighting to keep the despair at bay. She wasn’t going to let her overactive imagination run away with her. Loneliness and isolation was her lot in life, her purpose until the day she died. She had to guard the Agrippa, to make sure no one ever learned of its existence or its true ability. Most of all, she had to keep the threat away from her family. The book wanted to be opened by a Di Maldo. It needed an eager soul to prey upon. And with every passing moment, Molly knew she was becoming more and more susceptible to its influence. Tomorrow, she’d call Chris and make him understand. The family had to choose a new Guardian.

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Deadly Sins: Lust

- 26 -

Molly could no longer trust herself. Her control was dwindling away into nothingness with every flicker of arousal. More and more often, lust instantly flooded every inch of her until she feared there would be nothing left of her body but a quivering mass of hungry, needy flesh. She couldn’t even properly guard the castle anymore, even with the illusion granted by the Agrippa. She almost smiled at the memory of the man snapping picture after picture. They wouldn’t turn out, regardless of the film he used. The illusion was powerful, imbuing her appearance with enough electromagnetic energy to ensure the film would remain blank. Yawning, Molly stretched her arms over her head. Tomorrow, when Indiana had the film developed, he was in for a major surprise. With any luck, perhaps he’d believe she was only a figment of his imagination. Unable to resist any longer, Molly trailed the tip of her finger through the slick folds of her pussy. She licked the wetness off, tasting the tangy musk on her skin. Desperate times call for desperate measures. If her adventurer did come back, she’d be ready for him.

Chapter Three Jared came awake slowly, blinking against the deep shadows enveloping him like a blanket. He groped the floor around him and breathed a sigh of relief when his fingers brushed the cool plastic of the flashlight. He’d fallen asleep going through the mysterious boxes, and couldn’t be sure how long he’d been out. A damp chill penetrated his skin. No shred of sunlight pierced the gloom, but that didn’t necessarily mean the sun wasn’t out there -- somewhere. He shivered and shone the light over his wristwatch. 6:45. He hoped that meant it was morning. He’d arrived at the castle a little after midnight, and he figured he’d spent at least a couple of hours flipping through porn magazines before unintentionally dozing off. His muscles protested as he rose, flexing his cramped legs. Last night’s apparition had been exactly what he’d been searching for, but it wasn’t enough. A mystery lay here, shrouded in the ancient air encased by the solid walls. And the solution lay in these boxes and in the cellar. He could feel it. Every time he came near the stacks of erotic material, his skin rippled with want, his body hyperaware of his surroundings. Of her. The ghost who’d appeared to him last night had been on his mind since she turned and ran from him. He hadn’t tried to follow her. If she was as restless as she appeared, she’d be back tonight. Who was she? Had she been young and beautiful, or old and wrinkled? How had she died? Questions swam through his mind as images of the stunning apparition flashed behind his eyelids. Her short, dark hair had been sleep-mussed, curling wildly around her face. She’d blinked at him curiously, as though he’d actually awoken her.

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Deadly Sins: Lust

- 28 -

Was that how it had happened? Had she died in her sleep? More curious than ever, he returned to searching through the boxes. He pulled out a stack of novels and propped the flashlight up on a box he’d flipped over, wondering if he should hurry. If he’d misjudged the time and it was almost seven in the evening, it would be dark soon. The ghost could appear at any moment and he intended to go back for the rest of his equipment before nightfall. He flipped open a well-worn paperback whose cover depicted two naked lovers locked in a passionate embrace. Something had been scrawled in untidy script on the front page. He raised the book to the light and read the words aloud. “To my baby sister. Use it well. Chris.” Frowning, Jared placed the book back in the box and picked up another. The cover showed a young woman smiling coyly at the camera, wearing nothing but a pair of white lacy briefs. A different scribble appeared on the first page of this one. “I saw this in a store and thought of you. Love always, Mum.” Mum? This was getting stranger by the second. Jared ran a hand over his jaw, feeling the stubble dig into his flesh. His stomach rumbled. He needed food, a shave and a shower, but all that could wait. Apprehension ran down his spine at the thought of walking away now, almost as though the boxes might disappear if he turned his back on them. The halogen beam flickered for a moment, then died out completely. “Figures,” Jared murmured, reaching into his pocket, thankful he’d thought to bring along a spare set of batteries. The warm yellow glow casting a pool of light on the ancient floor in the hallway caught his eye before he could wrap his fingers around the small batteries. His heart quickened its pace and he forced himself to remain still, knowing he was no longer alone. Maybe whoever was here would walk right past this room and hopefully, right out the front door. He gritted his teeth, cursing his luck. The place had been abandoned

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for centuries. What were the odds of two curious visitors entering the dilapidated building at the same time? The circle of light grew larger as it approached. Jared held his breath, his fingernails digging into his palm. “I thought I might find you here.” The silky voice startled him, made him drop the flashlight he was holding. “Ah. So that’s the sound that woke me.” Last night’s angel stood in the doorway, fully clothed in jeans and a dark sweatshirt. A pang of regret rushed straight to Jared’s groin. He remembered the way she’d looked, naked and aroused, only hours before. She was pale, paler than anyone he’d ever seen, but her features looked solid, not ghostly or ethereal. She’d brushed her hair, but a few stray curls still escaped the pins she’d used to tame the short mane into place. In her right hand, she held an oldfashioned candelabrum. In her left, she balanced a cardboard box of microwaved frozen food. “You’re not a ghost at all, are you?” His voice came out harsh and accusing, and he thought he saw her flinch, but couldn’t be sure. A dark cloud crossed her eyes, a hint of regret. “Some think I am.” Jared shook his head. “How is this possible? I saw you last night. You were naked.” Her full pink lips curled up into a genuine smile, the first one he’d seen from her. “You remember that, huh?” Jared licked his lips. His dick twitched at the memory, hardening almost instantly. “How could I forget?” “You woke me up,” she said by way of explanation. It wasn’t much of one. “Why are you here?” “My name is Molly Di Maldo. This is my castle.” She took a few steps inside the room, casting a glance at the mess of books, DVDs and sex toys he hadn’t had a chance

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to properly inspect yet. Her grin broadened. “I could ask why you’re here, though it looks to me you’ve come to have a good time.” He chose not to dignify that with an answer. “If you’re not an apparition, fine. Explain what I saw last night.” “You must be hungry. Here.” She offered him the cardboard box. “No need,” he said, brushing his dusty hands against his pants. “I’m leaving.” “Don’t be silly. This stuff’s no good after it’s been reheated.” She handed him the meal, and this time he took it. “Hell,” she continued, a small smile tugging at her full lips, “it’s no good now, but it’s all I have.” Jared’s stomach churned in protest at the plastic scent of microwavable meat. “I guess I should thank you.” Her grin broadened, relaxing the tight sadness that shadowed her pale skin. “You’re very lucky, you know. The Di Maldo family hasn’t entertained here for a century.” “Is that what you’re doing? Entertaining?” She tilted her head, the smile fading. “Not exactly.” Jared decided not to press her. There were more important issues to discuss. “You didn’t answer my previous question,” he said, balancing the food in one hand and digging in with a plastic fork she’d thoughtfully provided. Molly blinked demurely. “Which was?” Jared snorted through a bite of rubbery chicken. “You know exactly what I mean. Last night, you… changed. A hag appeared in your place.” Firelight danced in her blue eyes as she fixed him with a piercing stare. “I didn’t see anything.” Frustration settled low in his belly. She was close enough to touch. Her scent enveloped him, sweet and feminine and distinctly old-fashioned, making him wonder if he’d stepped through a portal into another time.

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Deadly Sins: Lust

- 31 -

Was that what had happened? Had he gone back in time to meet the real woman behind the ghost he’d seen the night before? He grimaced at his own foolishness. Time-travelers didn’t bring microwavable meals with them. He grabbed for the camera around his neck, reassuring himself it was still there. The film would tell him all he needed to know. “I’m sorry to have bothered you,” he said stiffly, fighting the disappointment that had settled like lead in his heart. Like so many times before, he’d walk away empty-handed. He was relatively sure the woman wouldn’t press charges. If she did, he’d walk away with a giant bill he could barely afford to pay. He placed the empty carton on the floor and was almost at the threshold to the hallway before Molly spoke again. Her throaty voice stopped him in mid-stride. “Wait a minute. I have something to show you.” Anticipation gunned through his bloodstream as he turned to face her. “I’m listening.” Her gaze had taken on a haunted, far away look. Her breath came shallowly now and the tip of her pink tongue swept between her lips. A nervous gesture? Or something more? Jared couldn’t tell. “You’re right,” she said. “There are ghosts here, but I’m not one of them.” “Ghosts,” he repeated, trying not to get his hopes up. “Yes, though not in the way you think of them. More like spirits.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Apparitions.” “Like the hag I saw last night.” “Yes.” She bit her lip, drawing his gaze to her mouth. “And no.” “I see…” he said, even though he didn’t. A thought struck. “The cellar.” She blanched, her alabaster skin turning even whiter as the blood drained from her face. “You’re obviously here for the unexplained, and I’ll show you all I can,” Molly promised. “First, though, I need your help.”

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Deadly Sins: Lust

- 32 -

Knowing he should probably return to his hotel room, but excited at the promise of a real paranormal encounter, Jared stepped back into the room. His gaze fell back to the boxes. “Are you moving in?” He was only half-joking, but Molly’s lips didn’t as much as curve upward. She set the candelabrum on the overturned box, testing its weight. When it held, she frowned and grasped her lower lip between her teeth. She wouldn’t meet his eyes. As though debating the wisdom of her action, she took a deep breath, grabbed a hold of the hem of her sweatshirt and pulled the garment over her head with a single movement. Her breasts sprung free, the tempting alabaster mounds making Jared’s cock swell even further in the confines of his pants. She looked up and their gazes locked. The air around them practically crackled with sexual tension. “Fuck me, Indiana,” she murmured.

Jared rubbed his face with one hand and blinked rapidly, as though trying to dispel a vision. “I couldn’t possibly have heard that right.” Molly’s heart beat crazily. What was she doing? Propositioning a stranger? Had she lost her mind entirely? The Agrippa’s lustful temptation jolted through her bloodstream, making her clit ache. Desire hovered just within reach, and she knew it wouldn’t take long before it overwhelmed her completely. This man, with his serious dark eyes and luscious full lips, could well be her last chance to preserve her sanity. “I want you to fuck me,” she repeated, slower this time, as though understanding her had been the problem. It hadn’t, of course. She could only imagine how stunned he must be. She would have felt the same way in his place. Hell, she’d have run out of the castle and never looked back.

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Deadly Sins: Lust

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Jared shook his head. A soft brown curl escaped the confines of his silly hat, curling around his temple. She crossed the distance between them and tucked it behind his ear. “Why?” She heard the raw need in his voice and felt some of her apprehension melt away. He wanted her. That would make things much easier. Dipping her head slightly, she ran the tip of her tongue over the hollow at the base of his throat and heard his sharp intake of breath. Trailing kisses along the side of his neck, she paused and grabbed his earlobe between her teeth, tugging gently. “I can’t tell you,” she whispered in the shell of his ear. “You wouldn’t believe me even if I could.” He swallowed hard, but didn’t back away at her cryptic words. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. His erection dug into her stomach, as did his metal belt buckle. She’d caught sight of it earlier. It was wide, shaped to resemble an eagle or some other bird, and now the creature’s wings scraped the sensitive skin just above her belly button. “Try me,” he murmured, grazing her temple with his lips. “Trust me,” she countered. His chuckle held no humor. Beneath his expert touch, her body trembled as he brushed his palms up and down her bare back. “I don’t see any reason to. For all I know, this is how you treat all trespassers. You get them into bed, and you later slam them with a sexual harassment suit as well as an unlawful entry complaint.” Molly shifted against him, rubbing her clit against the material of her pants. She needed to get out of these clothes, to feel his cock entering her hungry, needy pussy. She didn’t have time to convince him of her intentions. “You don’t believe that, Indiana.” She pulled away, unzipped her pants and tugged them over her hips. She hadn’t bothered with panties. She never did.

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Deadly Sins: Lust

- 34 -

His eyes widened at the sight of her, standing naked before him. Wetness glistened on his slightly parted lips, and his gaze raked her skin as though he wanted to devour her whole. “Why Indiana?” he asked. His voice came out on a gasp. The question dispelled some of the tension in the room and Molly allowed herself a small laugh when pointing at his hat. “I saw the movie when I was younger. I thought Harrison Ford was a total hunk.” “He never did anything for me,” he said, returning her grin. “And it’s Jared, by the way, though you can call me Indy if you like the hat that much.” A giggle broke free from her throat before she could stop it. The sound bounced off the stone walls, vibrating eerily in the quiet castle. She clasped a hand over her mouth. When was the last time she’d actually laughed in this place? The sound still echoed oddly in her ears. What was it about this man that drove her to such idiotic behavior? Not good, Molly. Not good. She took a deep breath and released it on a sigh. The Agrippa’s constant temptation still pounded against her skin, but it felt muted somehow, distant. Before she could contemplate either the change in atmosphere or the change in her behavior any further, she picked up the candelabrum and gestured toward the hall, then grabbed Jared’s hand. He didn’t protest when she led him out of the room. They walked the few steps to the adjoining chamber and entered through the massive wooden door she’d left unlocked the night before. Her gaze swept the room critically. She never had guests in here, not even her brother. This was her private sanctuary; the room where she painted, slept, and spent the majority of her time. Paintings hung over the walls, most of them hers. They all depicted the same image: a faceless man, his chiseled chest, flat abs and thick, blue-veined cock the prominent center-pieces in each painting. She’d sketched him in different poses:

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standing, sitting, kneeling, bending over; and each time, she’d known her imagination had conjured up the same man. Yet she’d never been able to see his face. She hoped some day he might reveal himself to her. She longed to finish the paintings. Nestled against the gentle curve of one wall lay a mound of pillows and the mattress that served as her small, disheveled bed. A large bookcase filled with erotic paperbacks and a small TV stood against the opposite wall, while a low table took up most of the center of the room. Chris had offered to bring in new furniture, wallpaper, and anything else she might need to make this place feel more hospitable, but she’d always turned him down. This wasn’t a home. It was a prison. Jared’s footsteps were almost silent on the ancient floor, but she felt him come up behind her and didn’t start when he wrapped his arms against her waist. “You really live here?” he asked, his voice low, almost reverent. She nodded, swallowing dryly. There was no point in trying to explain. Instead, she turned in his arms and pressed her lips against his, tired of talking, tired of thinking, needing only to feel before need took over and her humanity dissipated on a tide of lust. Her fingers roamed over the planes of his shoulders and down his chest. They skimmed the length of his flat abs and dipped beneath the waistband of his tan pants. He opened his mouth to her and she invaded the welcome moistness instantly, forcing her tongue between his lips. For a moment, she thought he was willing to give up control, to let her lead the way in this odd, sensual dance they found themselves in, but she was wrong. He pushed her up against one bare section of the wall, pressing his body roughly against hers. Trapped between the stone and a block of muscle, Molly groaned. The sound disappeared inside his mouth. Their tongues dueled for domination, but he won, slipping between her lips.

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The taste of him tore through her. Molly’s blood ran hot in her veins. The sensation was familiar, and yet new and completely foreign all at once. She couldn’t describe it, but the lust rippling through her bloodstream felt genuine, intensely personal. The demon wasn’t driving her. She and Jared were in control of their actions, and the knowledge was freeing, but not comforting. She broke away, panting. “Help me,” she whispered, intensely aroused and completely afraid. She didn’t know what she was doing. She’d never had sex without the harsh lust driving her. “Get out of those clothes. Now.” For a moment, Jared only stared at her, the depths of his eyes an unreadable whirling pool. Then he stepped back and began to unbutton his shirt, revealing a broad chest with a light dusting of hair and washboard abs. Another sigh escaped her lips as desire thrummed through her pussy. His pants followed, forming a mass of fabric at his feet. He stepped out of them, and a pair of cotton briefs, to stand naked before her. His lean muscles rippled in the firelight, his bare, taut body calling out to her on a primal, instinctual level. And his cock -- Oh, Goddess! -- his cock was magnificent. She’d felt his thick erection throbbing against her, but even that couldn’t have prepared her for the sight of the thick, long shaft straining out and upward from among a mass of dark curls. Blue veins snaked along the fine skin. She yearned to feel its potent warmth, to taste, kiss and suck at the velvety head until she wrung every drop of moisture out from the erect shaft. Gasping, Molly struggled to catch her breath. Her gaze flickered from the man standing before her to the unfinished paintings, mirror images of each other. Her heart thumped against her ribcage. Her mystery man had a face. She closed her eyes, willing her heartbeat to slow. The disturbing realization that she’d been painting this man for a decade patched a gaping, invisible hole that had lived inside her heart.

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Taking a deep breath, Molly forced herself to snap out of her reverie. She’d deal with that knowledge later. Right now, she needed nothing more than to feel him stretch her inner walls to capacity. She moved to stand before the bed, which consisted of no more than the mattress and a low frame that lifted it a couple of inches above the stone floor. The silk pillows provided a warm barrier between her body and the icy rock. “Please don’t make me wait any longer.” She hated the pleading edge that entered her voice, but she couldn’t help herself. Her nipples stiffened, begging to be touched. Wetness trickled down her thigh and through it all, heat coiled in her belly, pounding, pulsing, throbbing, aching. Jared’s hands cupped her breasts and her knees weakened. He caught her and held her up before her limbs gave out altogether at the onslaught of pleasure rushing through her veins. “You’re sure you want to do this?” Jared asked, huskily. She almost smiled at the tenderness, the thoughtfulness in his voice. She reached out to touch him, stroking her hand along the length of his shaft. “I’m sure.” He dipped his head and captured a nipple between his teeth, tugging on the hardened bud gently. Molly arched her back, offering herself to him, letting him know he could take as much as he wanted. He lapped at the stiff peak and blew a small breath over the wet spot, sending a shiver down her spine. Her breasts had always been sensitive. Jared’s continued licking, nibbling, tweaking, and caressing proved to be a kind of delicious torture all on its own. He pressed her globes together so he could quickly move from one to another without giving her time to recoup from the onslaught of sensation. She moaned, writhing beneath him. When he finally released her, it was only so that his fingers could roam down her belly until he could cup her pussy in his palm. He had strong, large, warm hands. Experienced hands. “You’re so wet.” His voice held a hint of marvel at her response. “I didn’t realize…”

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She let the rest of the sentence drift into the room, without asking what he meant. She didn’t want to know. Whatever it was, Molly was certain it couldn’t have been complimentary. I didn’t realize you were such a slut weren’t the words she wanted to hear out of his mouth, whether or not the statement held even a hint of truth. He used his thumbs to spread her labia apart, slicking his fingers with the wetness that seeped from her channel. At last, he slipped two fingers inside her eager channel. She felt the intrusion as no more than a sensual tease. She needed more. Craved more. Though he thrust in and out of her with fevered, frenzied motions, his fingers weren’t enough. After ten years of longing for a flesh-and-blood man who could satisfy the constant want clawing at her soul, fingers would never be enough. Will even a cock ever be enough to drive away the lust? Molly didn’t know. She shuddered slightly at the dark thought, swallowing down the despair that threatened to rise to the back of her throat. She was going to enjoy this. If fucking Jared would bring her even a week of peace, it was worth it. She only prayed the Agrippa didn’t take over while she was in the throes of passion. Jared wasn’t prepared for the hell she could unleash. Her clit pulsed, begged for attention. As though reading her mind, Jared skimmed a thumb over it and circled the hard nub gently. Molly shivered, feeling sweat break over her forehead. “I need you,” she cried, her voice startlingly loud in the quiet confines of the small room. He kissed her lips, tenderly this time, then pushed her down on the bed. “Wait.” She started to protest, but noticed he’d only gone as far as his crumpled pants. He dug into a pocket and pulled out a wallet, flipped through it until he found what he was looking for and held it up triumphantly. A condom. This time she allowed herself to smile at his thoughtfulness, grateful one of them still had enough sense left to know that no matter how good it felt, playing with fire could still get you burned.

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Molly lay on her back and spread her legs, unable to keep her fingers from playing in the damp thatch while she waited for Jared to join her. He did, at long last, and she clung to him, guiding him between her parted knees, knowing there was no going back. I need this. Goddess, please let this man give me the strength I need to combat the demon’s temptation. All thoughts of the Agrippa flew from her mind as Jared’s cock pressed against her channel. The tip of his shaft pushed past her defenses to enter her soaked cunt, and she dug her fingernails into his back, wrapping her legs around his waist as she bucked upward to meet his thrust. She stared up at him, her breath wrung from her lips on a startled moan. His cock felt divine, better than she remembered Alex’s shaft ever feeling. Jared’s hair glinted a deep reddish hue in the firelight, his eyes drank her in, and the lines around his mouth tightened with barely held-back lust. Ten years as the Agrippa’s Guardian ensured Molly recognized lust when she saw it, but real lust was something more. It was beautiful. He was beautiful. Her thoughts raced, spun out of control as she slid her hands down his back to grab his ass. Her body met his thrust for thrust. He whispered her name fervently, desperately, and she joined him, murmuring his. Their voices blended and carried through the room and out into the hall in an ever-increasing crescendo until they were both screaming, crying out for one another. His cock moved in and out of her and she reached out, finding his lips and pulling him into a violent kiss as she bucked upward and impaled herself, repeatedly, on his shaft. Tightening her legs around his waist, she rocked with the rhythm of their thrusts. She tasted blood, though whether his or hers, she didn’t know. Didn’t care.

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Tangled in each other’s limbs, so incredibly close, Molly’s clit brushed against Jared’s groin with every wild thrust, sending a jolt of heat through her body. He crushed her in his arms when their tongues met, and he licked hers frantically. Emotions poured through her body, so intense she couldn’t make sense of them all. In the back of her mind, she recognized the feeling, the connection to another human being pure sex couldn’t provide. This was more. One emotion in particular ran deep through her veins, bathing her in sweat. Flesh slid on flesh. The knowledge of the depth of what they were sharing both excited and frightened Molly to death. Still, she refused to name it. She couldn’t. Lost in a world of pure sensation, Molly’s orgasm crashed over her like a rush of wildfire, burning, flaring, searing. Yet inside, she broke into a thousand pieces. Even as her release set off Jared’s, Molly knew the truth: she’d never experience this again. He’d leave, and she’d return to her sex-crazed existence with no hope of ever enjoying mutual pleasure with a man again. She heard the groan breaking free from Jared’s throat, felt his cock jerk and spasm as his seed blasted and coated the condom in which he’d sheathed his cock. An insane stab of jealousy pierced her heart. She wanted his cum inside her, needed to feel him coat her channel in his lust. Proof that at one time, she’d really had an intimate connection with a man. And yet, even that simple need had been denied her.

Chapter Four For the second time in only a few hours, Jared came awake slowly and spent the next minute trying to make sense of his surroundings. He registered his nakedness, the mattress he lay on, and the warm body pressed up against him from behind. Molly. Images of their heated lovemaking came crashing back in rapid succession, hardening his cock and making his balls ache. What had gotten into him? Sure, it had been months since he’d last gotten laid, but now he found himself hornier than he’d been in years. The last time he remembered feeling like this was in high school, discovering the joys of real sex with his first girlfriend. Her tight, eager cunt had felt much better than his hand ever had, and he delighted in spending hours fucking her every way they could come up with. But that had been over twelve years ago. He’d matured since then, and he liked to think his cock no longer ruled his brain. Yet the last day had been a blur of constant desire. Molly’s eagerness to fuck had taken him by surprise at first, but he’d quickly realized her utter lack of inhibition wasn’t an act. She wanted him, and she had no qualms about showing him just how much. As Jared idly palmed his cock, Molly stirred behind him, her soft curves pressing into his back. Her arm was wrapped around his middle, holding him close. He smiled at the intimacy, the welcome coziness of the unexpected encounter. Slowly, he shifted and turned to face her. Orange candlelight flickered over her skin, flashing in her blue eyes when she opened them. Her scent, feminine and sensual, enveloped him, and her smile sent a wave of longing straight to his heart. He closed his eyes for a moment, lost in the smell and feel of her.

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Damn. What was happening to him? “Good morning, I think,” he whispered, brushing his lips across her forehead. Molly snuggled deeper into his chest, her warm breath caressing his throat. “I wasn’t sure you’d still be here. I barely slept at all, afraid you’d vanish while I had my eyes closed.” She chuckled, the sound muffled by his skin. “Stupid, huh?” Jared trailed his fingertips down her spine. “Not stupid, no. Damn flattering though. I can’t remember the last time a woman cared so much whether I stayed or left after we made love.” “Made love,” she repeated, as though trying the words on her tongue for the first time. “I like the sound of that.” The way her voice trembled slightly as she spoke made something clench deep in his stomach. His instincts kicked into high gear, every ounce of protectiveness he possessed flaring to life. Molly Di Maldo might put on a good show, but she was vulnerable, and lonely. “Tell me if I’ve got this straight,” he said after a short pause. “You live here alone. On purpose.” She nodded, the top of her head brushing against his chin as she slid down lower and draped a bare leg over his thigh. His cock jolted as arousal skimmed down his stomach to pulse into his groin. “Why?” She blew out a sigh. “It’s a long story. Let’s just say that fame and fortune shouldn’t just materialize out of thin air. If it does, well, there’s something unnatural about that kind of luck. My family didn’t see it that way, at least not at first. But over the centuries, we’ve learned. We’ve had to. The price was too high to pay.” “That’s pretty cryptic.” Molly’s throaty laugh warmed his skin. “We’re that kind of family.” “So what you’re telling me, in your roundabout way, is that you can’t leave this place. Am I right?”

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He heard her swallow hard and wished he could see her eyes. There was so much to her story she wasn’t telling him. “In a way. I could leave, but if I do, it’ll mean I’ve failed them all. My inability to control my…” she paused, as though searching for the right words, “…base instincts, my deepest, most personal urges, will have doomed my entire family.” Jared’s pulse quickened. Everything Molly had told him was beginning to make a weird kind of sense. Something tugged at his memory, something he knew he should remember. He’d read an article a few years ago about ancient bloodlines and the curses that had been associated with them. Was that what this was about? Had Molly and her family been cursed? “How did you come to --” She silenced him by pressing a finger to his lips. “I can’t answer any more questions. I’ve probably already said too much. I promised to show you what you saw last night, and I will. Later. Right now, I could use a few more hours of uninterrupted rest.” She hesitated, slid her hand from his mouth and splayed her fingers on his chest. His heart thrummed against his ribcage, and he was certain she could feel the frantic beat pounding beneath her palm. “Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?” she asked at last. Jared tightened his hold on Molly and pulled her closer to him. Right now, he wasn’t sure he could deny her anything she asked. What little she’d told him, and the way her voice had quivered slightly as she spoke of her family and their ancient curse, had touched a part of him he didn’t think could be stirred. “Of course.” His fingertips skimmed the length of her spine. He cupped her ass and drew her up against his erection, falling back on the one emotion he could understand. “But I can’t promise you’ll get much rest.” Her chuckle resonated through his body. “Tell me, Indiana… Have you always been such a naughty boy, or is this a new development?” A growl broke free from Jared’s throat, a mixture of laughter and deep arousal he couldn’t properly articulate. Everything about Molly got to him, from the way she

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teased him with that easy seductive innocence that set his groin on fire, to the vulnerable quiver in her voice when she spoke of her family. Kneading her ass in his palms, he flipped her so she lay trapped on her back, caught beneath his body, and tried to gather his thoughts. She wriggled against him, her smooth skin and full curves tempting him further. The anticipation of renewed ecstasy raged through his already stiff cock. “I’ve looked up a skirt or two in my day,” he murmured hoarsely as he dragged his mouth down the column of her throat. “But you definitely bring out the best in me.” Sighing, Molly ruffled her fingers through his hair as he continued his exploration of her body. “Mmm… I’d hoped you’d say that. I’d be very disappointed if you did this with every girl you met in an ancient castle.” In the flickering candlelight, he could make out the deep pink flush that tinted her skin. Dusky nipples pebbled beneath his fingertips and seemed to elongate further as he nipped one between his teeth. She arched her back, spreading her legs wide to welcome him in the inviting heat emanating from between her thighs. Arousal, thick and unmistakable, wafted up to tickle his nostrils. The pungent aroma made his mouth water. Reluctantly releasing her nipple, he dipped lower, past her ribcage and slender waist, pausing only to slip his tongue in the hollow of her belly button before halting just above her clit. Staring intently at the wonders that lay at the apex of her thighs, he spread her labia open with one hand. Cream coated her full, pink lips, the moisture glistening on the black curls and matting them to her skin. He’d never wanted to taste a woman’s cunt so badly in his entire life. “I’m going to lick your pussy,” he told her, his fingertip trailing a path down her slit he intended to follow with his tongue. “I want your cum in my mouth, on my tongue, down my throat. Don’t hold back, baby.” She shuddered, and the sound that broke free from her throat might have been a sob. “Yes… Oh, please, Jared, yes.”

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God, how he loved his name on her lips. He wanted to hear it again and again as he made her come in every possible way. He lowered his head until his mouth brushed her dewy folds. Still holding her labia open with his right hand, he used his left to thrust two fingers inside her tight, hot channel. She gasped at the unexpected intrusion, her inner muscles clenching around him as he flicked the tip of his tongue over her clit. “Oh!” Her cry rang out, echoing off the thick walls. “What are you doing to me?” He couldn’t have answered, even if he’d wanted to. Molly pressed her thighs hard around his head as she crossed her smooth, long legs and trapped him close to her cunt. The smell of her arousal assaulted him from every angle, wrapping him in its intoxicating, musky perfume. His head spun from the nearness of her cunt, from the way her hips arched upward to meet every thrust of his fingers, every lap of his tongue. He sucked her labia into his mouth, drawing the fleshy skin deep. She rewarded him with another moan, this one breathless and high-pitched. Her muscles clenched tightly as she writhed beneath him, her lower body melded into his embrace. He flicked his tongue over her clit, heard the hiss escape her lips and licked harder, faster, with an intensity he hadn’t known himself capable of. She was close; he could feel it in every pulse of her shuddering cunt against his mouth. Circling her clit, he lavished all his attention on the hard little nub while his fingers delved deep inside her pussy. He added a third finger and drew her hard nub into his mouth, sucking deeply, and then she fell apart around him. Although he’d expected it, the power of her climax stunned him. Her cries of pleasure turned into a full-fledged scream. Her thighs became a vice that held him trapped against her mound while her orgasm sent wave after wave of cream to flood his fingers. Releasing her clit, he slid down and cupped his mouth around the juices escaping her opening. He sucked deeply, swallowing every drop he could wring from her exquisite, quivering pussy. At last, Molly’s body ceased trembling and she fell back, her chest rising and falling with the force of her breaths. Jared climbed up to lie beside her, his throbbing

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cock protesting its still unsatisfied state. He ignored the raging hard-on and drew Molly into his arms. He’d wanted this to be about her, not him. Molly had been alone too long, isolated from everything that could bring her pleasure. Well, not anymore. While he was around, she was going to learn what it felt like to be wanted, needed. Loved. That last thought sent his pulse racing. As though hearing the incessant rhythm threatening to make his heart leap out of his chest, Molly pressed her lips to his chest. “Thank you,” she whispered. The tender kiss and the unguarded emotion in her voice made a lump form in his throat. The rush of unexpected tenderness startled him, as did the realization that he held her roughly to him, like he never wanted to let her go. And he didn’t. Not tonight; perhaps not ever. “Sleep,” he murmured against her hair, trying not to dwell on what that revelation meant for him, for his future. “I’ll be here.”

*** Jared awoke to the sound of thunder rumbling outside the castle, distant and foreboding. Memories of the past few hours crashed through his mind in rapid succession, each more intimate than the last. With the remembered images came the closeness he and Molly had shared, and on its heels the startling realization that if he didn’t leave here as soon as possible, he’d be as trapped as Molly. Even now, hearing her rhythmic breathing beside him, he craved her touch, her kiss, the sound of her voice. The fierce realization scared him to death. He knew he couldn’t simply walk out and abandon her to this fate, to a lifetime of isolation in a castle even time had forgotten. Yet if he stayed for another night, he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to leave again. Slipping out from under Molly’s outstretched arm, he rose to his feet.

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A faint orange glow from the nearly burned-out candles lit the far end of the room. Beyond the door, the hallway lay in shadows and deep, penetrating darkness. How long had it been since he’d seen sunlight? Jared sighed. Perhaps a better question was how long had it been since Molly had seen sunlight? Shaking his head to dislodge the uncomfortable thought, he grabbed the candelabrum and made his way into the hall, resolving to ask her more about her stay here later. She hadn’t told him everything about her situation. He knew her exile from the rest of the world was self-imposed, but he still didn’t understand why. Was she hiding out from someone? Perhaps an old lover or a husband? That thought didn’t sit well with him. He turned right and tried the last door. It opened easily, and he found himself in what he assumed was Molly’s bathroom. Like the other rooms, this one also had no windows. An old-fashioned cast iron tub with double-slipper feet stood in the center of the round chamber. To one side was an equally antique-looking toilet. Despite their design, the appliances shone, and Jared guessed they were relatively new. The style must have been for decoration only. He placed the candelabrum on the floor. One of the candles sputtered and died out completely, plunging the room in deeper shadows. Thankful he still had enough light to make out the toilet and the tub, Jared relieved himself, stepped into the tub and turned on the faucet. He held his breath as the pipes rattled and let out a sharp yelp when an icy stream slammed his back from above. Swearing, he looked up at the showerhead he hadn’t noticed earlier. Leaning over, he adjusted the taps until he stood beneath a steady jet of warm water. Mist rose around him as his cramped muscles began to relax. He closed his eyes and adjusted the temperature again, hoping perhaps a cooler stream might dull the questions flittering through his mind and the constant craving thrumming through his groin.

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No such luck. Two minutes later, he gave up trying to puzzle out Molly’s mystery. He’d had no better luck taming the uncanny bout of lust flowing through his system. Molly was at the heart of the strange desire urging him to go back to her room, to enter her before she even figured out he was on top of her. He yearned to fuck her until she screamed, just as he had earlier. Perhaps that sensual act alone could dislodge the uncomfortable knowledge that he was falling for her. Which was completely absurd, of course. He’d only just met her, and he knew next to nothing about her. But oh, how he’d loved hearing his name on her lips, knowing she was as hungry for him as he was for her. Remembering the way she’d arched upward to receive his cock, Jared stroked his throbbing shaft with one hand and cupped his sac with the other, squeezing gently. Water pounded his shoulders and gushed down his chest as he jerked his palm over the length of his dick with well-practiced wrist-flicks in smooth, fast motions. He craved her cunt wrapped around him while her legs held him close, tight, unable to pull out. “Here. Let me do that.” Jared blinked his eyes open at the sound of Molly’s voice. He hadn’t heard her come in. He watched as she stepped into the tub in front of him, an impish smile on her full, pink lips. “I woke up lonely. You promised to stay, but the bed was empty when I opened my eyes. Damn shame, too. My body missed you.” She spoke softly, seductively, as she scraped a long fingernail over his chest. Jared drew in a breath as her hand continued lower to graze his cock. “I didn’t want to wake you.” It was only half a lie. He knew she’d needed to rest, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he’d hoped perhaps to find the courage to leave the castle before she awoke. “You should have.”

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Molly dropped to her knees in front of him as his legs quivered with anticipation. Her short hair was damp now, and he ran his hands through it, slicking it back. She looked up and gave him another heart-stopping smile. “Do you like having your cock sucked, Jared?” Oh, to hell with questions, mysteries, and apparitions! His shaft twitched in her palm as she grasped it lightly in her hand. He nodded furiously. “Do you know a man who doesn’t?” She shrugged and licked her bottom lip. Her tongue was so close to his dick, he could almost feel its ghostly swipe, yet only the shower’s jet and her nimble fingers caressed his rod. “Let’s find out how much.” She placed a slow, tender kiss on the tip of his cock, then grinned up at him again. “I want to suck the cum from your beautiful balls.” As though to demonstrate, she cupped his sac in her palm. Jared gritted his teeth, afraid he’d spill his load before she even as much as touched his cock with her tongue. “Don’t let me stop you,” he gasped out, tangling his fingers in her hair. She chuckled, the sound sending a swift vibration through his groin to blend with the pool of heat already swirling there. He closed his eyes and counted backward from ten to keep from coming. It worked, though not for long. As soon as he felt the urgent pressure of Molly’s lips wrapped around his swollen rod, Jared lost control. He spilled his cum down her mouth and she drank it in eagerly, moaning around his dick. Mist swirled around them, dancing in the shadows and the pale flickering candlelight. Jared had trouble concentrating on anything but the feel of Molly’s tongue as she cleaned off any last traces of his cum from his softening cock, but he started when Molly cried out. He pulled back harshly and she released his dick with a loud pop. “Oh, God,” Molly cried, digging her fingernails into Jared’s thighs as she fought to hold on.

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Confused, Jared glanced around him and almost missed the man beneath Molly. His mouth was obviously clamped hard around her pussy, and from the glazed, hungry look in her eyes, he was an expert at oral pleasure. Molly squirmed as the man’s head bobbed up and down, his tongue flicking in and out of her slick folds. Jared was too stunned even to speak. Where had this guy come from? Had he been there all along? Molly moaned, her eyelids drifting closed as blood rushed to her cheeks, tinting her face with a rosy glow. She ran her nails down Jared’s thigh and spread her legs wider, allowing the man beneath her greater access to her sex. “Oh yes… Yes!” Her hoarse, desperate cry sent a jolt to Jared’s cock. Jealousy burned a hot path through his bloodstream. Normally, he didn’t mind sharing his lovers. He’d had a foursome with an old girlfriend and another couple they met while vacationing in Hawaii. This time, though, he found he didn’t like the thought of anyone but him touching Molly. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his hammering heart. It was just the afterglow of orgasm talking. He tried to tell himself again that he didn’t even know this woman. Why would he care who she chose to fuck? She was obviously eager for any kind of erotic encounter, judging by the way she’d boldly come on to him earlier. It shouldn’t surprise him he wasn’t the only one she used when she needed to get off. But it did surprise him. And it hurt like a son of a bitch. He hadn’t pegged her as a one-night stand kind of girl, though obviously that had been a foolish assumption with no basis in reality. In the few hours he’d known her, though, he’d come to realize she was an exceptionally private woman, with deeprooted secrets that both saddened and pained her. He just couldn’t understand where sex fit into all this. Where he fit into all this. Anger swished through his body along with another baffling wave of arousal. It felt as though there were other forces than his own lust at work; a stream of energy tugging on his cock, jerking it awake. He clenched his jaw and tried to resist, to no avail.

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Desire built throughout every inch of his body, growing more heated with every shuddering moan wrought from Molly’s lips. Molly trembled and gasped, her tongue licking erratic lines up and down Jared’s shaft as her body wriggled and trembled with pleasure. Without a doubt, Jared knew she was in the throes of release. Her breasts shook with the force of her orgasm, her nipples tightly beaded pebbles Jared yearned to suck. He settled for reaching down and pinching one between thumb and forefinger. At last, the newcomer stood up and smiled, brushing the back of his hand over his mouth. Jared could only stare, rage and envy coiling in his gut. He knew instantly, inexplicably, that whatever else this man might be, he wasn’t human. Golden-skinned, with dark brown hair and laser-green eyes, the stranger looked like he’d stepped out from the pages of a magazine. He stood naked at the far edge of the long tub, where the jet’s reach wasn’t able to touch his perfect flesh. His skin shone in the firelight, giving him an almost ethereal glow. “One of the apparitions you mentioned?” Jared’s voice echoed hollowly in the room. Molly stumbled to her feet and turned to follow his gaze. When she spotted the newcomer, her eyes rounded in horror. She groaned and grabbed on to Jared’s arm to steady herself. Despite his earlier displeasure, Jared wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. Her heart thudded hard in tandem with his. Her whole body shook; a trembling mass of sexy curves and body heat that drove him to distraction when he most needed his wits about him. “Dear Goddess,” Molly whispered almost reverently. Her voice hitched an octave higher, as though she struggled to hold back a sob. “An incubus.” Molly laid her hand against Jared’s chest, letting his strength vibrate through her. The surge of heat coiling through her belly spread to pulse at the apex of her thighs. She risked another look up at the incubus, and knew instantly that had been a mistake.

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“My name is Elijah.” His voice was velvety and smooth, and he smiled as he spoke, a slow, seductive grin that promised hours of pleasure with nothing more than a flash of perfect white teeth. “Elijah,” she repeated dumbly. “The book sent you.” His perfect features smoothed into an even brighter smile. It looked forced rather than genuine, but it still managed to imbue his face with confidence and oozing sexuality. Dread washed through Molly instantly, even as she rubbed her thighs together to keep the pounding, needy ache at bay. Water streamed over her hair and down her back. Behind her, Jared stood still, as unmoving as the stone walls. Elijah held out a hand. “Come to me. Let me show you what the Agrippa can do for you.” A wave of longing swept through Molly’s body, starting at the tips of her toes and flowing through her veins, leaving her confused and oddly elated. The thrumming, vicious ache of lust was gone. In its place was a serene feeling of contentment. The everpresent arousal had remained, but instead of a violent force, it was now strangely calming, even welcoming. She nodded and returned his smile with a serene one of her own. “As you wish.” Jared tightened his grasp around her. “No,” he murmured in her ear. “This isn’t right.” Molly frowned. Desire swept a path straight to her pussy and a moan escaped her throat. Elijah’s cock, not as thick as Jared’s but long and stunningly erect, beckoned to her. She licked her lips through a daze of promised euphoria, needing to feel its weight on her tongue. She moved forward, jerking out of Jared’s grasp. Jared said something important. She knew it as instinctively as she knew how to breathe, but she couldn’t remember why it should matter. The words drifted around her before she could make sense of them, and she reached for Elijah’s outstretched hand. Before she could make contact, a pair of silver handcuffs appeared in his palm. She met his gaze, and the incubus inclined his head slightly in Jared’s direction, lifting

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his hand up higher, inviting her to take them. When her fingers wrapped around the cool metal, a jolt of pleasure shot straight to her cunt. Her inner walls clenched in anticipation and she cried out, her knees buckling beneath her. Jared was behind her in an instant, helping her up. Her ass rubbed up the length of his cock as she straightened, and she wiggled against it. His surprised gasp echoed through the small room, bouncing oddly off the thick rock walls. She turned and trailed her empty hand over his chest and down his stomach, feeling his slick muscles ripple slightly at her touch. A contented sigh escaped her lips. This is what a man should feel like. Eager to be pleased, not just to please me. She shook her head at the irrational thought as cream dripped from her pussy. Why would she think of such a thing when her body clearly cried out for any bit of pleasure either man would offer? Mist shrouded her body, clouded her mind. She blinked hard and looked up into Jared’s concerned dark gaze. “Are you all right?” Jared asked, his breath touching her cheek. Her smile was shaky, but she managed to nod. “You don’t look --” The rest of his words were clipped off by the clang of metal snapping around his wrist. With one sudden move she hadn’t thought herself capable of Molly lifted his arm, twisted his wrist, and attached the second cuff to the showerhead above. Water dripped over both of them as Jared pulled at his restraint, metal rattling against metal while he tugged harshly on the sleek bonds. “What’s going on, Molly?” He didn’t sound angry, just utterly confused. Molly’s heart skipped a beat. Her pussy pulsed again; her clit throbbed almost painfully. She hitched a breath and turned back to the incubus. “Good girl.” Elijah reached out and smoothed back a strand of damp hair that had fallen into her eyes. “I’ve got you.” He lifted her up and she wound her arms around his neck. Once again the throbbing, painful need disappeared, leaving in its wake the content afterglow Molly

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had only been able to achieve after a complete and satisfying orgasm. Blood roared in her ears, chasing the lust away. “Thank you,” she murmured. Elijah’s body was pure, perfect steel, all corded muscles and sinewy strength. Nothing shifted or moved as she rubbed against it, not even his massive cock as it nudged the side of her hip. She didn’t affect him in the least, she realized, feeling another irrational pang of sadness grip her heart. Why it should matter, she couldn’t say. She only knew it did. She felt Jared’s gaze burn into her back, heard her name on his lips. The renewed flood of achy desire stopped her from turning around.

Chapter Five The stairway was full of the smell of demon. The heady, cloying odors of sulfur and brimstone, charred flesh and decay, rippled through the darkness. It surrounded Molly in layers of gagging stench, enveloping her as she tightened her grip on Elijah’s shoulders while he carried her down into the depths of the cellar. “You feel well enough to stand?” he asked when they finally stopped. She guessed they’d reached the bottom, though the inky blackness surrounding her made it difficult to see anything other than Elijah’s blazing green eyes. She nodded, then wriggled out of his grasp. The chill of wet rock shot up her bare feet, sending an icy pang through her clenched muscles. The cold did little to relieve the heated rush of lust once again spreading through her veins. Her nipples tightened and she fought back the urge to pinch them roughly between thumb and forefinger, to use the pain to alleviate some of the rampant, wanton need pouring through her body. “Good,” Elijah murmured, grabbing her hand. “Very good.” He led her down a long hall and they walked in silence, their footfalls resonating softly against the ancient stone floor. A faint blue pulsing light thrummed in the distance, growing brighter at their approach. Molly shivered involuntarily, though her body glistened with sweat. “We shouldn’t be here,” she whispered even as she tightened her grip on Elijah’s hand. The incubus didn’t slow his pace, or acknowledge her words. Molly could make out the shape of a large door, easily twice her height and at least as wide across. The sense of discomfort increased. Pressure built behind her eyes, as though there was something she should remember, but couldn’t. She tugged at the strands of memory

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flittering through her mind, concentrated on crafting coherent thoughts out of halfremembered images. She recalled casting the safeguards surrounding the door with her grandmother, many years ago, but didn’t know why they were important. A clear sound echoed down the hall, like a chime or the soft clang of a bell. The blue protective safeguards woven into the fabric of space surrounding the massive steel door shifted madly at Molly’s approach, then parted obediently to let her through. Elijah slid his hand out of hers and wrapped a strong arm around her waist, pulling her to his side. She sighed and melted against him, all thoughts of discomfort and vague terror gnawing at her heart forgotten. The incubus pushed the heavy door open with one hand, as though it weighed no more than a child’s toy. They stepped over the threshold and into a large room. The light from the protective shields cast an icy-blue tint over the interior of the chamber. Moisture dripped down the stone walls and the damp air stank of sulphurous fumes. Molly gasped at the strength of the noxious smell, coughing as her lungs attempted to block the toxic mixture from entering her body. As her eyes adjusted, she spotted it. The Agrippa. She’d only seen it once, ten years ago, when she came to live at the castle. It looked much the same as she remembered, though she vaguely recalled being frightened and distraught in its presence the last time she’d seen it. Now she only felt intrigued and curious. She stepped closer and ran her fingertips over the iron chains holding the book together. It was six feet tall and nearly as broad, bound with leather straps and many iron locks as well as magical enchantments similar to those used on the door. The enchantments recognized her as a Di Maldo. They shimmered and twisted, the faint bluish glow turning first green, then yellow. She didn’t know what the shifting colors meant, but she wasn’t concerned. From the corner of her eye, she saw Elijah grin broadly. He stepped behind her and closed his hand around the back of her neck, kneading her tense muscles.

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His touch felt like the most potent aphrodisiac. It set her belly on fire, sent heat traveling between her legs. Her pussy pulsed and throbbed, making the undulating rainbow around the book resonate in brilliant waves of color. She heard herself whimper, the sound bouncing off the stone walls throughout the room. “You are going to fuck me, aren’t you?” The raw need in her voice echoed back at her, made her grit her teeth even as desire poured forth in waves. She reached out and stroked Elijah’s hard shaft, caressed the mushroom head. A muscle twitched in his smooth cheek. “You can have anything you want. The Agrippa has summoned me for you. I’m yours for as long as you live.” She frowned. “Do you want to be mine?” The even golden tones of Elijah’s skin deepened into what looked like a grimace. The gesture smoothed over his features as quickly as it appeared, making Molly question whether she’d really seen it. “That makes no difference. The Agrippa’s will is my own. I am here to pleasure you, to guide you and instruct you.” She smiled, oddly comforted. “That sounds like heaven.” The incubus’s green eyes glowed, turning almost incandescent. His lips thinned into a firm line. “Make no mistake about it. The Agrippa is a demon, wrought forth from the deepest reaches of Hell. Your life will be more pleasurable than you’ve ever dreamed, but Heaven will have nothing to do with it.” Molly pursed her lips and trailed the tip of a fingernail over Elijah’s heavy sac. He didn’t flinch, or smile, or shudder. Not as Jared had. Jared. An ache settled behind her breastbone, heavy and perturbing. She’d watched him from the doorway to her small bathroom as he’d stroked his cock in the antique tub, water pouring down his chiseled muscles. He’d mouthed her name, though no sound had come out. She’d seen just how much he’d wanted her. She could still feel his need for her in each cell of her body, echoing through every trembling, raw, feral emotion she possessed. His touch had awoken something she’d

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thought lost to her forever. The promise of true love, of fulfillment, of mutual pleasure rather than simple release. She’d thought fucking him would relieve the constant ache, Molly realized as a flash of clarity spun through her mind. She’d been wrong. She’d opened the path for the Agrippa’s final conquest, for his ability to take over her very soul with his tempting minion and his promises of everlasting pleasure. Elijah tilted her chin up with his fingertips until she was forced to stare into his eyes. She suppressed a shudder, but the turmoil she saw there still made her take a step back. “Whatever you’re thinking,” he whispered, though his voice seemed impossibly loud, “stop it.” He raised a hand and sent a spinning vortex of color -- a vibrant magenta, red and sapphire swirl -- fanning through the air. She glanced down as the magical mass shaped itself into a cylindrical object and shot toward her ever-aroused pussy. She trembled as she spread her legs, welcoming the physical embodiment of sexual pleasure into her traitorous body. Her eyelids drifted closed and her hand shot out to steady herself. Closing her fingers around a heavy iron lock, she felt the demon book sigh in contented pleasure, and heard herself follow suit.

*** Jared stood in the middle of the now ice-cold stream, his teeth clenched tightly, his fingers working at the showerhead’s adjustable arm. His eyes stung and he could no longer feel his feet. The candles had burned out long ago, leaving him standing in pitch darkness, which only made the job of freeing himself that much harder. He couldn’t even reach the tap to turn off the constant freezing spray. He stretched again, felt his fingertips nudge the tap, but could do no more. Jared squeezed his eyelids shut, going over everything he knew of incubi as he returned his attention to the friction ring clamped tightly around the metal rod holding the showerhead in place.

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Over the years, he’d accumulated a large library of books on every paranormal subject imaginable, from ghosts to telepathy and everything in between. He’d often referred to the Encyclopedia of Demonology that he kept within easy reach, just in case he needed to double-check a quick fact before the next column was due. One of his most popular articles for the paper had been a piece he’d written on demons as the real cause of sexual addiction. His theory had been that people didn’t just wake up one morning with a raging, permanent hard-on. Spirits were to blame, as well as demons, incubi, and succubae. You could tell a sexual addict possessed by one of these beings, Jared had theorized, by their glazed eyes, their parted lips, their constant need to touch and be touched. His fingers froze on the rod. Molly. Why hadn’t he been able to see it earlier? She’d exhibited every sign of sexual demonic possession, from the tips of her pointy nipples right down to her permanently soaked cunt. He’d been so consumed by the idea that she was simply horny for him, he’d refused to see the evidence that had been there all along. Jared swore and yanked on the showerhead, finally releasing the ring. It clattered on the tub and came to rest with a loud metal clang at his feet. Pulling the handcuffs away from the rod, he rubbed at his sore wrist and bent down to turn off the water. Rivulets of moisture ran down his back to pool on the stone floor. He made his way by touch out of the room and into the storage area with the cardboard boxes, where he’d left his flashlight. After some fervent searching and another stream of obscenities, his fingers finally closed around the batteries he’d dropped when Molly had appeared, and a few minutes later he had a strong beam to guide him. He didn’t stop to put on clothes, knowing that the incubus and Molly wouldn’t have either. Instinctively, he knew just where they were headed. Tightening his grip on the flashlight, Jared descended the circular staircase. The scent of death assaulted him, burned his eyes and nose, settled in the back of his throat.

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He fought the urge to gag and pressed on, but the odor grew more potent with every step until his knees buckled and he pressed a hand against the stone wall to steady himself. His stomach roiled in protest. Bracing himself against the worsening scent and the barrier he knew had to be near, he continued to follow the spiral path laid out before him. Nothing impeded his descent. No hand, no invisible wall, no paranormal force. He quickened his footsteps until he spied a faint blue glow in the distance that told him he was exactly where he needed to be. He clicked off the flashlight and threw it on the ground, breaking into a run toward the pale illumination bordering the clear outline of a doorway. “Molly!” The cry broke free from his throat before he could stop it. Magic, potent and compelling, burned through him as he stepped into the room. The sting of mystic energy overlapped the ache that gripped his heart at the sight of Molly. Slightly bent over, she held on to thick iron chains, both hands working at the knots twisted in the metal. They’d been magically formed, that much was clear, and as he watched, they began to untangle in her hands. Behind her, the incubus worked a finger in and out of her pussy as she writhed against his hand, fingers dancing over the thick chain. “Molly, stop!” She heard him this time and paused for a brief moment, tossing a vaguely annoyed look over her shoulder. Thin streams of water slid down her face, still trickling from her damp hair. Elijah threw an equally dispassionate glance in Jared’s direction. “You’re too late, human,” he said, his finger never stopping its intrusion. Molly shuddered at each thrust. Fear gripped Jared’s heart. The air in the room was hot and damp, like the burning heat encasing the fringes of Hell’s fire pits. A book, gigantic and savagelooking, hung suspended from beams set in the ceiling. Moisture dripped down the

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walls and fell to the floor, the sound of water drops splashing into pools of liquid resonating through the room. Agrippa. The Encyclopedia of Demonology had an entire chapter dedicated to the beasts. Legend called them demon spawns, creatures that held sway over a family whose roots ran deep and wreaked havoc through them. They’d been born of humanity’s sins: pride, envy, gluttony, anger, greed, sloth and lust. It didn’t take a genius to figure out which sin this Agrippa ruled over. “You can’t open that, Molly,” Jared said, taking a step forward. Elijah’s lips peeled back from his teeth, revealing a mouth that wasn’t quite human. Fangs glistened instead of canines, and Jared paused in mid-step, his gaze locked on to Molly’s. “You can hear me, can’t you?” he said softly. He had one chance to get to her, and he knew it. Failure meant the destruction of the entire Di Maldo line, and through them, perhaps more devastation than Jared could even contemplate. “I know you can. I see the recognition in your eyes. I know you remember what we shared.” Elijah’s laugh was no more than a harsh bark. “You fucked. Big deal. A few minutes more and I’ll get my turn, too. You think she cares about your cock?” Anger swept through Jared’s veins and he clenched his fists at his sides. Leaping on the incubus wouldn’t accomplish a thing. As he’d already demonstrated, the creature wasn’t human. Jared had no way of knowing just how different he really was. He wished he’d spent time learning more about incubi. Did the Agrippa have the power to endow him with superhuman strength? The ability to shape shift or traverse distances in the blink of an eye? He had no idea. “I understand now,” Jared said, fighting to keep his voice even. “I know why you live here. I was so surprised when I found out you were alone. I hadn’t realized…” He blew out a deep breath before continuing. “I didn’t know how critical it was for you to be here. To guard the cellar. To make sure no one opened the book.”

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Molly paused, her teeth digging into her bottom lip as her long, dark eyelashes fluttered, sending shadows dancing across her cheeks. Did she understand how important she was? Jared edged another inch forward. If he could somehow wrestle her away from those chains, he might have a chance to stop her before the incubus convinced her to undo any more of the book’s magical bindings. Even as he watched, another chain fell undone to clatter to the stone floor. “Don’t do this, Molly,” Jared said, holding out a hand to her. “Don’t let your family suffer because you couldn’t resist a demon’s temptation. Come to me. I can give you what you need. Love. Understanding. Mutual pleasure.” He paused, surprised to realize he meant every word, then continued, “The incubus can’t give you any of those things. You know that, don’t you?” Elijah’s emerald eyes sparkled. He withdrew his hand from between Molly’s slick folds and drew himself up to his full height. “You’ve gone too far, human. You were amusing at first, but now you’ve grown tiresome. Leave this place. Or die.” “Leave him alone.” Molly’s voice. Sensual, soft, determined. Relief swept down Jared’s spine. Their gazes met, held. He knew she’d heard him. “He gives himself more credit than he deserves. The sex wasn’t that good,” she continued, turning to Elijah, blue eyes glowing with wild abandon. Jared’s hopes fell. He now recognized the heat of lust when he saw it. A long fingernail grazed the incubus’s stiff cock. Molly licked her lips, smiled seductively, and leaned forward, her mouth parted to receive the incubus’s kiss. With a predatory grin, he complied, meeting her halfway, their tongues sweeping over each other’s lips in a mating dance that sent a pang of jealousy to Jared’s heart and a swift, sudden longing to his groin. His dick responded to the sight despite his fury, his disappointment. “Oh, fuck,” Jared began. A metallic snap rang through the room. Molly moved quicker than he’d thought possible.

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She shifted, her full, feminine curves disappearing in the blink of an eye. The hag’s shriveled husk of a body stood where just a mere second ago, Molly had been. Her eyes, white and unseeing, stared at Elijah even as her hands moved swiftly to swing one thick metal chain over the incubus’s head and draw him to her. Frantically squirming against the feel of the magical metal biting into his flesh, the incubus screamed, a loud, inhuman cry that broke through the chamber and echoed off the ancient walls. His hands fisted in the hag’s hair, yanking until she yelped along with him. Not stopping to consider what he was doing, Jared rushed in, his fist leading the way. It found its target with a crunch of snapping bones and cartilage. Elijah’s jaw flew sideways and the hag ducked out from under his arm in the split-second it took for him to release his grip. She ran around him, tightening the chain until Elijah’s body lay flattened against the book. The scream shifted to a sob, then a whimper as the incubus’s perfect golden body began to dissolve. “I release you,” Molly whispered. “Get away from here; away from the Agrippa’s influence. Go.” Mist rose and twisted as the book thrashed in its bonds, its low shrill blending with Elijah’s lingering moan to fill the small room. Jared unclenched his teeth and his gaze locked on to Molly, who looked like herself again. She waved her palms over the surface of the book and the chains came together, clanging as they wrapped around the Agrippa’s leather bonds. She chanted softly under her breath. The stream of melodic words in a language long forgotten, liquid and undulating, washed over Jared. Her voice drifted through him, jolting his cock with sensual awareness. This time, he knew demons had nothing to do with the way he felt. When she’d finished chanting and the bindings were once again complete, the faint glow surrounding the book intensified. A golden stream of sparks showered down on Molly, tinting her brown hair a brilliant yellow hue.

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She laughed then, a delighted, silvery sound that erased all remnants of the incubus’s screams. When she turned and spotted him, her laugh died on her lips. She bit her lip, looking uncertain. “You did good, Molly,” Jared said, opening his arms in invitation. “Real good.” She crossed the distance between them and pressed herself against his chest. Her warm body molded to his, he tightened his hold and closed his eyes. “I beat him with his own illusion.” She chuckled, the sound vibrating against his chest and dying on her lips as her voice took on a serious note. “It was really close there for a minute, wasn’t it?” He kissed the top of her head as his palms slid down her spine to settle against the curve of her buttocks. “Only for a minute,” he agreed. “And what’s a minute in the course of eternity?” She lifted her face to stare up at him. Her brilliant blue eyes sparkled with intensity. “And what would you know about eternity?” “Nothing,” Jared admitted. “But I’m willing to learn. With you.” Molly took his hand and led him from the room. The shifting pulse of light snapped audibly behind them. “What makes you think I’ll let you stay?” Jared shrugged. “My column has millions of readers world-wide. You wouldn’t want them all descending on the most haunted castle in Europe, would you?” She laughed, the sound sending a shiver of arousal through him, and squeezed his hand. “Blackmail, is it? I might have to set the hag on you, teach you a thing or two about dealing with women.” “Indiana Jones would never let a thing like an illusion stand in his way.” They’d reached the base of the stairs. Jared stopped and pulled Molly to him. The magical light of the enchanted barrier didn’t reach this far, and he couldn’t make out her face, but he knew she was smiling. “There are going to be some changes around here,” he said, his lips barely brushing hers.

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Molly gave an exaggerated sigh. “Here we go. I knew there had to be a catch. Like what?” “Daylight, for one. There has to be daylight.” “That’s it?” “And no more strolling naked through the castle when uninvited guests show up, okay?” She chuckled, swept her tongue over his bottom lip. Jared trembled at the heat her touch ignited in his blood. He picked her up and shoved her back against the wall. Her legs wrapped obediently around him as the tip of his cock slid back and forth against the slippery juices coating her slit, found the entrance to her channel and plunged into the tight, inviting depths. “As you wish, Indy,” she murmured against his mouth. “But you have to do something for me in return, too.” He thrust into her and she rewarded him with a low moan. Her head lolled to the side of his neck, where he felt the nip of her teeth grazing his ear. “What’s that?” he asked. Molly trailed kisses along the side of his neck, down his shoulder blade and back up to his ear. “Keep the hat,” she whispered.

Read about the other books in the Deadly Sins Series from Changeling Press!

Deadly Sins: Avarice by Reneé George “…when thy strength is broken, beware of greed.” -- Confucius Xiao Sun is the newest Guardian for the Agrippa of the Xia Dynasty -- a living heir of Emperor Yu the Great. His only task is to keep the malevolent book from ever being opened. His life is one of solitude, with the exception of his teacher, Chu, and the constant whispering of the Agrippa. His problems of loneliness and unquenched desire appear to have a solution in the form of an American man, Hogan Ryan, an antiquities dealer, who, by accident, has appeared at Sun’s home. Hogan is tall, blond, and blue-eyed, with a gorgeous body, and so much more. Despite Chu’s warnings, Sun welcomes Hogan to his house, but the American isn’t alone in his arrival. Is Hogan who he really claims to be? Will Sun keep to his duty or fail his family by falling to greed? Between the Agrippa, the demon, and Hogan, the seduction of Sun has begun. And will the cost of that seduction be too high?

Deadly Sins: Envy by Kira Stone Oliver St. John is following a dangerous path which he hopes will lead him to one of the demonic Agrippa books. His investigation has brought him as far as Brazil, but no one will speak of the man rumored to guard the deadly tome. Raphael Georges Pedro Martinez is investigating a rival, someone who could wrest the ancient, possessed Agrippa known as Envy from his control. Instead of an

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enemy, he finds an educated man who makes him feel as though love was created just for the two of them to share. Both men have secrets they hide from the other. Will their love be strong enough to survive the lies, or will the Agrippa’s power drive them mad with ENVY?

Deadly Sins: Anger by Lexxie Couper Ira McKenzie is a troubled man. He has spent his life struggling with the undeniable anger that scorches through his veins. And the irrational feeling he is someone else, someone more than an Australian graphic artist. Someone rich. Someone powerful. Someone to fear. But in the arms of Beatrice ‘Rickie’ Sullivan, Ira finally feels like he has found his place in the world. At last he is at peace. Rickie Sullivan is every man’s fantasy. Twenty-four years old. A swimsuit model. Beautiful in every aspect. Drop dead gorgeous, she exudes a sensuality none can deny. Or ignore. But Rickie is more than just a stunning face and body. She’s intelligent, kind and gentle. And madly in love with Ira. Life just can’t get any better. Until Shahla enters Ira’s world. Who is the mysterious redhead only he can see? What does she have to do with the strange book suddenly appearing in his attic? A book that radiates death and sin? How can she make him hornier than he’s ever been in his life with just a look, and at the same time turn his anger into bloody, murderous rage? And, more frighteningly, why can’t he resist her?

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Deadly Sins: Sloth by Eve Vaughn How could two sisters be so different? Two gorgeous women. Two totally opposite points of view. Billie Cartwright’s always paid her own way, never willing to rely on her family’s wealth. She’s determined to prove her own worth. Her sister Felicity is always after whatever she can get with her good looks and charm -- and she’s not above bending the rules. Billie’s spent most of her life getting her shiftless sister out of scrapes. But this time, Felicity has gone too far. When the sisters discover they’ve inherited an aging mansion from a mysterious aunt, Felicity’s more than happy to take whatever she can get. Billie’s more than a little skeptical -- till she meets Grant Jorgensen, the trustee of their great-aunt’s will. Grant and Billie bump heads, but the instant attraction between the two is explosive. Billie’s head is filled with wet dreams for the sexy lawyer. The two meet again for one steamy night of passion, only to realize once will never be enough. Then Felicity’s accused of murder, and Billie discovers the forbidden secrets of the Agrippa. She’s ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for her sister, but nothing and no one will stop Grant from claiming his woman!

Deadly Sins: Gluttony by Belinda Richmond and Elizabeth Jewell With the inheritance of an Agrippa from his uncle, Alec Roth discovers an incredible zeal for the best that life has to offer. Under its influence, he became a wellknown gourmet chef, living a life of indulgence and gluttony of every imaginable kind. But after a near-fatal heart attack, Alec has held firm against the book and its attendant demon, Beelzebub, determined to rebuild his life on his own terms.

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Then he meets Lillian. Beautiful and intelligent, her very presence sets him on fire, makes him want. But Lillian is more than she seems, and the power of the book, and Alec’s own desires, may be more than he can resist.

Deadly Sins: Pride by Lena Austin “Pride, Envy, Avarice -- these are the sparks have set on fire the hearts of all men.” -- Dante Alighieri Who guards the Guardian of the demonic book, The Agrippa of Pride? Ex-con man Ian Hershey thought he was in the art dealer business for the money, the fame, and especially the glamour of the New York art world. That is, until Ian’s connection to his most mysterious client and cyber-buddy Dan Roman lands Ian in the hospital, beaten and tortured for Dan’s whereabouts. Ian runs to Dan’s home in the Rockies, hoping to save his friend. As Guardian of the Agrippa of Pride, Dan has resigned himself to the life of a recluse. The Internet provides him with all the human contact he needs. That is, until Ian shows up on his doorstep just ahead of the Russian Mafia. They know who Dan is and what he guards, and they want to use both for the power inherent in the demonic book. The demon housed in the book, Grip, has manipulated the situation, and the Russians are just one step in his plan for world chaos. Just the kind of thing Grip loves. Ian has a plan to stop Grip, but only if he can get the demon to cooperate, and get Dan to swallow his pride. Everybody loves a sinner. Especially a demon.

Lacey Savage Lacey Savage began her love affair with romance at an early age. In high school, she checked out steamy romance novels from the public library and would often be found reading them in the middle of class. Lacey still reads more than she cares to admit, and probably more than her husband would like, considering how many books she keeps bringing into the house. Her favorite genres have always been erotica, romance, fantasy, science fiction and mystery, so she tries to incorporate a little of each into her writing. She initially majored in marketing, then went back to school to major in English literature. After earning her degrees, she decided to turn her efforts to her true passion: writing. A hopeless romantic, Lacey loves writing about the intimate, sensual side of relationships. She currently resides in Ottawa, Canada, with her loving husband and their mischievous cat. You can learn more about Lacey by visiting her website

at

http://www.laceysavage.com,

[email protected].

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