Blessed Be Read online

  BLESSED BE

  An Ellora’s Cave Publication, January 2005

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

  1337 Commerce Drive, #13

  Stow, OH 44224

  ISBN MS Reader (LIT) ISBN # 1-4199-0057-9

  Other available formats (no ISBNs are assigned):

  Adobe (PDF), Rocketbook (RB), Mobipocket (PRC) & HTML

  BLESSED BE © 2005 ASHLEY LADD

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. They are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Edited by Briana St. James.

  Cover art by Syneca.

  Warning:

  The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. Blessed Be has been rated S-ensuous by a minimum of three independent reviewers.

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).

  S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

  E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature.

  X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

  Blessed Be

  Ashley Ladd

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  GI Joe: Lanard Toys, Ltd.

  Purina: Ralston Purina Co.

  Chapter One

  Quivering with shameless lust, Chloe Leitman moaned in ecstasy when her fiancé Luke Delaney swirled his tongue around her burgeoning nipple. Cradling his head, she held him close, yearning to be one with him forever.

  “Fuck me.” The ground tilted dizzily when his hand cupped her mons, and his thumb massaged her clit. Her climax built swiftly, spiraling dangerously out of control but she wanted to come with him, their souls as entwined as their bodies.

  Luke lifted his head fractionally, his champagne-colored eyes glowing silver in the moonlight. “Patience, my eager one. We’ll be joined again.” He captured her nipple once more, pulling it deeply into his mouth, nibbling on her, sending tingles through her and driving her to the brink of insanity.

  A double entendre resonated in his words, puzzling her and drawing a frown. Weren’t they joined now? Didn’t they belong to each other heart and soul?

  Eager as accused, she ran her fingers down his well-muscled back, tracing the contours of his tight, straining buttocks as he rose above her preparing for penetration. “How can I be patient when the prize is so decadently luscious?” she purred, wrapping her fingers around the feverish girth of his velvety cock. Her breath ragged, her patience dissipating rapidly, she tugged it gently toward her, lifting her hips off the bed.

  Luke’s eyes danced merrily with a hint of mischief that she found particularly endearing. He chuckled and the depth of his voice reverberated through her, caressing her spine. He filled her with a hunger so deep it was almost one of starvation. “Prize, huh?”

  “Grand prize.” She moaned when the tip of his cock teased her, fueling her pure, unadulterated lust. So when was he going to award the trophy?

  Murmuring against her heated flesh, his voice was a seductive whisper. “I don’t want to disappoint my lady.” He thrust his cock deep into her, making her gasp with the force of his passion.

  Smothering a scream of intense pleasure, she arched against him, her heart bursting with powerful emotions. “Never.” No one else had ever, could ever, make her feel so precious, so adored, or so passionately wanton. Her heart sang joyously, and she danced with him in the most ancient of rhythms.

  “You’re incredible, my love.” Luke buried his face into her cleavage, biting her nipple erotically, drawing blood.

  Pure ecstasy undulated through her as he drank deeply, touching her very soul. Blissful waves of rapture surged through her, igniting exquisite flames deep in her core. “Oh, yes.”

  Branding her his, he held her tightly against him, thrusting into her uninhibitedly. Their souls mingled, entwining for more than just this one coupling, but for eternity. Magnificent, almost unbearable pleasure buffeted her body. Shuddering, her climax was but a breath away.

  Oh God, it hurts so good.

  Shooting stars exploded inside her, and she clung to him, never wanting to leave his arms. “Don’t leave me again,” she pleaded, nestling deeper into his embrace, nuzzling his heated chest.

  Still buried deep inside her, his cock flexed deliciously, stroking her very essence. “You couldn’t get away if you tried.”

  Her senses enthralled, she wondered why would she want to try? He was everything she desired, everything she needed.

  Eager to run her fingers through the riot of blond curls she loved so much, Chloe tugged the stocking cap off Luke’s head. Sated and happy, but curious, her brows pinched together. “Why do you wear the hat all the time now?”

  Luke pulled the cap back on. “Because.”

  Like that provided an answer…

  Since when had Luke ever been easy? Still lusty, she smoothed a curl at the base of his neck between her fingers. “I love your hair.”

  “I love you.” He licked the wound he’d left on her breast, closing it reverently with his saliva.

  “You’ve become such an exciting beast,” she purred, writhing against him. The muscles in her stomach clenched, her moisture flowed and she rubbed her pussy against him wantonly.

  With a raw hunger that stole the last vestiges of her breath, his gaze smoldered down into her eyes. “You have no idea, my love.”

  A rush of warmth and moisture filling her, she spread her palms across his firm buttocks, pulling him deeper into her.

  And then, without warning, he blinked away, leaving her cold, bereft, and mystified.

  Moaning, she rolled over into a hard, warm body and snuggled against it, basking in the glow of his love. Ah, so there he was. Nothing to worry about. “There you are. I thought you left me.”

  A clammy arm snaked around her waist and moist lips caressed her neck. “Would that I leave you without bidding you goodbye, my dear?”

  Gerald. Startled fully awake, she bolted up in bed, the covers pooling around her waist. Wintry, harsh reality flooded back to her in a torrent of heartache. Luke hadn’t been here. Her Luke had been dead and buried for seven long years. She’d had another erotic dream.

  Disappointed, her heart sore all over again, she swallowed a sigh. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she squeezed her eyes shut against the blinding morning light of reality streaming through the eastern facing window. During this final month before her wedding to Gerald, the dreams plagued her almost nightly. Were they a sign? Perhaps she wasn’t ready to devote her life to anyone. Or maybe she just wasn’t ready to marry Gerald.

  Or perhaps she wasn’t ready to let go of Luke…

  She swore vehemently. Seven years was more than long enough to get on with her life. She wanted a family. She craved love. No matter how sweet and lovely, no matter how sunshiny, dreams couldn’t carry her
through a lifetime of forlorn daytimes.

  Gerald stretched and sat up beside her, trailing gentle fingers across her cheek. “Another nightmare?”

  “Yeah.” She nodded and swung her legs over her side of the mattress, letting her feet sink into the plush carpet. Best to let her fiancé believe they were nightmares. How would he react if he discovered she still longed for her departed fiancé? That she wished it was Luke here in bed with her and not himself?

  Furious with herself that she couldn’t shake the dreams or Luke from her heart, she plodded to the shower to sluice the night’s cobwebs from her brain, and then paused. “You need to wash off first?”

  Gerald came up behind her and caught her in his arms, dragging her back against his naked body. His voice a husky growl, he nuzzled her neck. “We could shower together. You sponge my back…”

  Nothing sounded less appealing, and she had to hide her grimace. “Oh, look at the time! You’re going to be late. I’d better make your breakfast.” Without a backward glance, she pulled away from his arms and made a dash for the kitchen to start his favorite carb-free meal of bacon and eggs.

  Several moments later, Gerald scraped a chair up to the table and scowled at her. “Have you given any more consideration to joining my practice? We rarely see each other with our opposite shifts.”

  Annoyance flickered through her, and she did her best to bite it back and reply calmly. Sitting across from her fiancé at the table, she stabbed a forkful of grapefruit. “I already gave you my answer. I like my practice. I prefer evening hours. I don’t want to leave my patients in the lurch.”

  Gerald slammed his fist on the table, making his plate jump and slide dangerously near the edge. “Intolerable! What about abandoning me? I should be your first priority now and I only get to see you on weekends unless I visit you on your dinner hour at that reprehensible dump you refer to as an office. How do you expect to run a marriage that way? Raise our children?”

  Chloe’s stomach lurched at the whine and insult in his voice and she laid her fork on the plate with as much poise as she could muster while pushing away a monstrous headache. She was tired of the same old litany and couldn’t wait for him to leave for work to get some peace. “My patients are very important. Do you know how few practices are open evenings or how difficult it is for working people to take time off their jobs for medical appointments?”

  “You can drop the nobility act. You like your daytime hours free to play in the sun. That’s no way to run a marriage.” He wadded up his napkin and threw it on the table as he shoved his chair so fast it toppled backwards with a thunderous crash.

  Wincing, she abandoned her food, no longer hungry. “I thought you understood…”

  Gerald rounded on her, fury glittering in his steely gray eyes. “What is to comprehend? Employers are required by law to permit their employees to take time to seek medical care. A couple hours off their jobs isn’t going to harm them. Besides, you’re only in general practice. There’s far more money and prestige if you were to join me. Your priorities are frightfully skewed.”

  Prestige and priorities were the kickers. Severe bitterness welled inside her. “You’re just worried that a wife in a modest general practice, in a poor part of town, will hurt your reputation.” She dumped her plate in the sink, her food untouched, her stomach sour. “Perhaps what you need is a different fiancée, one whose values mirror your own.”

  “Values?” Seething, his face purple, Gerald stomped across the room and towered over her menacingly.

  Furious and not about to back down, she faced off against him, clenching her fists at her side. “Isn’t that what you really mean? You want me to become a cold and calculating money-grubbing clone of you?”

  “I’m about to walk out that door. You’ll be sorry after I’ve departed.”

  Snorting, she lifted her chin and thrust out her tingling breasts. “Don’t let it hit you on the way out.” On second thought, she hoped it did.

  “Mumsy saw your true nature. And to think I championed you.” He flipped his hair out of his eyes and leveled a superior look at her.

  He hadn’t stood up very tall for her if all his mother’s snide remarks were anything to judge by. Chloe didn’t measure up. She didn’t come from a patrician, blue-blooded family. She hadn’t attended an Ivy League school. She didn’t have the impeccable manners of their social set. According to Gerald’s mother, it was amazing she didn’t crawl on all fours and scratch her butt in public. She was well rid of the sniveling bastard. Good riddance!

  His nostrils flaring, he held out his hand, palm up. “I would appreciate it if you return my ring.”

  Immense relief flooding her, she wrenched the forsaken piece of meaningless metal off her finger and dropped it into his palm, the gaudy diamond glittering colder than ice. She was glad to be rid of the shackling nuisance. “I’ll be out of your house within the hour.” She’d have to sleep at her practice until she could find her own place, but the nastiest dump would be far superior to this ivory prison.

  Bristling, Gerald thrust his thumb at the door. “It’s my residence. I’ll have your belongings sent to you. Just provide me the address.”

  She glanced down at her flimsy pajamas and bare feet. He expected her to leave like this? Without even a bra? “Just let me change and I’ll be out of your hair.”

  “Make haste. You’ve made me tardy for my first appointment as it is.”

  The absurd desire to bow to his highness assailed her, but she quelled it and lifted her chin high. “By all means, don’t let me keep you.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down his long, flaring nose at her, looking every bit the royal sentry. “I’ll wait. I’ll need your keys.”

  Ah, he was standing guard so she didn’t steal the family sterling. She flew up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and changed double-quick. Like she wanted a memento of him or his haughty family. After flinging her necessary clothing and personal effects into her carryall, she passed him without a word and dropped the key on the floor with a clang.

  “Mark my words, you’ll regret your hasty decision,” Gerald called after her. “You’ll never find a better match.”

  How could she have ever thought she could live with such a pompous ass? That she could rebuild her life on such a flimsy foundation?

  Because he didn’t remind her of Luke. He was as opposite from her former fiancé as night was to day.

  She ground the gears on her little stick shift and burned rubber out of the detested driveway. Cranking down her window, she yelled at the red-faced moron, “I’ll be back for my things with the police!”

  A car swerved around her, honking furiously, almost hitting her. “Look before you back out next time, lady! You’re going to kill somebody!”

  She waved her apologies to the other driver and then glared at Gerald feeling sorry for his patients.

  * * * * *

  Luke Delaney hissed at the beautiful but haughty vampire that dared yank him out of the astral plane. “What call did you have to bring me back so abruptly? It had better be good.” Rounding on the foolish one, his fangs broke through his gums.

  “You were with her again.” Anika slashed talon-like fingernails at his face, her eyes glowing red.

  “What business is that of yours? You’re not my queen nor my wife.” Annoyed to hell and back, Luke didn’t flinch, standing tall and proud, staring at the vampire bitch. Although she could be exquisitely, exotically beautiful with her cloud of midnight black hair, she had lost all trace of beauty with her face pinched and paled in anger.

  “You are promised to me!” Anika paced before him.

  “You’re delusional.” He was tired of hearing her declarations of undying love and devotion. They rang more clearly of obsession and dementia. He narrowed his eyes at the woman. “Even if you had any say over me, I would need to acquire my sustenance.”

  Recoiling, Anika hissed, looking more beast than human. “Not with the same wanton bitch nightly.
You’re infatuated with her.”

  “I repeat, it is no business of yours.” Perhaps he was obsessed with Chloe Leitman. His love for his fiancée hadn’t died with his earthly soul. If anything, his desire to be with her had increased a hundredfold. Her blood was a fever in his veins and he only had a taste for her. She was his sustenance in every way of consequence.

  “I told you, Delaney. Do not dare mock me or there will be hell to pay.” Anika thrust her very impressive, heaving breasts forward.

  It was easy to see how an Alp vampire had been attracted to her. His incisors already bared, his stomach growled. But it was purely hunger, nothing sexual, gnawing at him. They suckled breasts, the more buxom, the better.

  Snorting, Luke looked about the dark manor derisively, its overwhelming opulence failing to impress him. It reeked of death and doom. “And this isn’t hell?” The only time he wasn’t imprisoned in purgatory was when he held Chloe in his arms, when he drank of her blood and her soul.

  “I rue the day I made you.”

  “You and me both, darlin’,” he drawled, remembering that fateful night when he’d taken his duty too far and sacrificed everything dear to him.

  “This is far from finished, Delaney. You are too smug and you will be brought down.”

  “I can take care of myself.” And if not, it would be a relief to be released from this hellish half-life. Being undead was not the party the movies made it out to be.

  “But can your human bitch take care of herself?” Anika bared her fangs and hissed viciously. “We’ll just see about that!” With a grandiose flourish accompanied by insane laughter, Anika winked out of the room, followed by her sadistic minions.

  “Damn it to hell, Anika! If you harm her, I’ll hunt you down and make you pay!” He shook his fist in the air and swore vehemently under his breath, fear as he hadn’t experienced since his dying breath twisting his heart.