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eBook Category: Erotica/Erotic Romance/Romance
eBook Description: Locked away. Hidden. Caged. Starved and driven to the brink of madness, Ivan Harker is the prisoner of a madman. It is in the dark of his prison that he learns patience and feeds his need for revenge. Gabrielle Murray dreaded returning to her deceased stepfather's mansion, yet there she must stay until the estate is settled. Wandering the vaults beneath the estate, she hears a man call for help. Pushing aside the stone door of an ancient crypt, she thought to save a life, not lose her own. Bloodlust and hunger drives Ivan to attack. Reluctant gratitude and remorse cause him to do the unthinkable--share his immortal blood. If she lives--he'll be back.

eBook Publisher: Atlantic Bridge/Liquid Silver Books, Published: 2008
Fictionwise Release Date: February 2009

46 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: eReader (PDB) [114 KB] , ePub (EPUB) [131 KB] , Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [87 KB] , Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [673 KB] , Palm Doc (PDB) [97 KB] , Microsoft Reader (LIT) [133 KB] , Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [150 KB] , hiebook (KML) [242 KB] , Sony Reader (LRF) [157 KB] , iSilo (PDB) [81 KB] , Mobipocket (PRC) [100 KB] , Kindle Compatible (MOBI) [147 KB] , OEBFF Format (IMP) [145 KB]
Words: 31063
Reading time: 88-124 min.
Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format:  Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED
ISBN: ISBN 9781595785015

Chapter One

Traveling was not everyone's cup of tea. Some people spent their entire lives never traveling more than a hundred miles from home, while others traveled as far as their bank accounts and personal lives let them. Gabrielle Murray fell into the former category, at best taking the occasional weekend trip. Yet, here she was driving down a lone deserted road, in the middle of a lonely, deserted countryside. A foreign countryside she had hoped never to see again.

Damn she hated making this trip. It ranked right up there with a trip to the gynecologist or to the dentist to have a tooth pulled. Visits to either doctor resulted in a woman being poked, prodded, and gaped open for inspection. But while a trip to the doctor's office was short and relatively pain free, this trip was far more painful than anything ever done in an office, and took far longer too.

It wasn't the country--this part of Eastern Europe was beautiful. The landscape was breathtaking. The mountains, the forest--all of it seemingly untouched, unspoiled by the twenty-first century. Majestic, snow-capped mountains loomed over quaint villages. The vibrant green hills, lush fields, and thick forest were picture-perfect. She expected a hobbit to jump out any moment. The purity of the countryside appealed to her. It was something she rarely saw in the city. Concrete and pavement, with the occasional ornamental tree, was the backdrop of her everyday life. To be surrounded by all of this was overwhelming, awe-inspiring.

Making a snap decision, she pulled over onto the shoulder of the road. She might as well have one peaceful moment. Once she got to the estate, fun time would be over. Getting out of the car, she walked over to where the dense forest opened up to reveal the mountains beyond. It was too beautiful for words. The sun was setting and the sky was a montage of jewel-toned colors. She stood there, soaking up the peacefulness, the beauty around her. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. The air was sweet and fresh. People spent hundreds of dollars on air fresheners trying to capture the elusive scent of clean air. With her eyes closed, she became aware of the noise around her. There was a slight hum of insects, another rarity. Slowly the sound built, until in its own way it was as loud as the traffic in a city. Or maybe she was so accustomed to traffic she no longer heard it while the unfamiliarity of the insect chorus caused the sound to swell unnaturally loud.

There was a snapping sound off to her left, and silence reigned. Some long forgotten instinct had her freezing. Opening her eyes, she glanced around. It was growing dark quickly. Already the trees were cast in shadows. As the sun set, the air was growing cooler, damper. Hugging herself, she shivered, the shiver not entirely due to the temperature. She felt uneasy. The road was dark, the forest around her even darker. The woods were becoming more and more menacing. Alone, anything could happen. Her heartbeat picked up in the elemental fear all humans felt when alone in the dark. Uneasiness prickled along her spine. She suddenly remembered every werewolf and vampyre movie she had ever seen. In her mind's eye, she saw monsters lurking in the shadows watching her.

Snap out of it, Gabby! What do you think is going to happen? She was scaring the crap out of herself. There is no such thing as vampyres and werewolves. Even as she comforted herself with that thought, Gabrielle hurriedly returned to the car.

She couldn't put it off any longer, she needed to get to the mansion. But she wouldn't be staying long. Just long enough to handle the legal issues surrounding her inheritance, and to figure out what to do with the estate. More than likely she would put it on the market. What am I going to do with a castle? She had no family and no ties of friendship to keep her here. She couldn't think of anything lonelier than to roam about the place completely alone.

Starting the car, Gabrielle pulled back onto the road. It wasn't much farther to the house. Hopefully she'd make it before it was completely dark.

Less than five minutes later, she rounded a curve and the house came into view. The first sight of the house gave Gabrielle the creeps and chills raced across her skin, raising the hair on her arms and the back of her neck.

The sun was offering its last dying rays and had turned the sky red. The windows reflected the fading light and glowed an uncanny crimson. The shadows around the house had elongated with the approach of the night. The front doors were lost in shadow, completely obliterating them from sight. In their place was a gaping black hole.

Tightening her hands on the wheel, she slowly pulled up to the front and cut off the engine. She sat there a minute and stared, a sick feeling of dread and fear in the pit of her stomach.

This place had never been a home, never been a place of comfort. Instead it had been hell, for both Gabrielle and her mother, Mary. Roderick had never beaten them. Physical abuse had not been his style. No, he had favored mental and emotional battery. Remarks that cut to the bone, or false warmth and kindness to lure his victim into lowering her guard, followed by a vicious verbal attack. Gabrielle forced the painful memories back and got out of the car, leaving the keys and her luggage behind. Her stepfather had employed an army of servants. His lawyer had assured her that though most had been let go, a skeleton crew was still employed and would remain so until she came to close the place. They would see to the car and her bags.

With no light to guide her way, the granite steps leading up to the huge wooden doors were dark and difficult to see. Gabrielle watched her step to keep from tripping. A fall from the stone steps could cause a serious injury, and if a person fell wrong, death. With her luck, if she fell, it'd be her neck that broke.

Reaching the landing, she stepped around the huge brown stain that covered a large portion of the granite floor. It was a habit, a habit begun the day she and her mother arrived. Roderick had warned them to step around it. Rolling their eyes, they had indulged him. But it hadn't taken long to notice two things. First, no one stepped on that spot. Not the servants, not Roderick's business partners and lawyers. No one. Secondly, the stain couldn't be removed. Mary had tried again and again to clean the stain. No amount of cleaner, bleach or scrubbing would dim that spot of brown. She didn't know what the stain was, but it wasn't coming up.

Standing at the entrance, Gabrielle frowned in puzzlement. The doors were faded and cracked. With the tip of her nail, she flicked the peeling paint. She scanned the entrance and noticed a small fissure at the base of the wall beside the door. It worked its way up the side past where she could see. What in the world was going on? The house was in sad condition. Wow. Ole Roddy must be rolling in his grave. This place had been his pride and joy. He'd been almost fanatical about it at times. She couldn't imagine how or why he would have let it go this way.

Tarnished brass knockers were set in the middle of each door. Gargoyles, mouths gaping open in a horrible grimace, glared at her. The door knockers were fiendish, spooky things that did not welcome visitors. Rather, they dared the unsuspecting to reach into their mouths for the brass ring; their silent message: knock if you dare. The door opened suddenly, unexpectedly, and Gabrielle started with fright and took a step back.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting that." She gasped breathlessly, her heart racing.

The butler stood before her, old, gray-haired, his posture ramrod straight. His eyes were cold and lifeless, the expression in them one of disdain. She had no idea what his name was. She'd never heard anyone address him by name. So she'd given him a name: Lurch. She just never said it out loud.

They stood there facing one another. She half expected him to say, "You rang?" Or give a deep suffering grumble. Not surprisingly, he did neither. Instead he stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter, and Gabrielle stepped across the threshold.

The foyer was huge, the marble floor covered by a Persian rug. A few pieces of furniture were arranged artfully about the area and a tapestry hung from one wall. There was nothing warm or welcoming about the entranceway. It was as cold and impersonal as its owner had been. Opposite the double entrance doors, there was a huge marble staircase that led up to the second and third floors.

The door swung shut behind her, and Gabrielle jumped at the sudden noise. Damn. She was as jumpy as a cat. The butler led her across the great foyer, their steps muffled by the carpet. Stopping at the doors to the library, he opened them for her. Silently he motioned for Gabrielle to enter and then snapped the doors shut behind her.

Gabrielle stood there a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light. A man stood front of the fireplace, a fireplace large enough to fit several people. A fire roared there, and lit up the area around it while casting the rest of the room into shadow. With his back to the fire she couldn't see his face, couldn't read his expression.

"You missed dinner. I hope you ate earlier. The servants are dismissed for the night." The voice was devoid of emotion. Neither welcome nor hostility was reflected. No greetings. No condolences for her loss. Roderick Harker's lawyer was as cold blooded and unfeeling as he had been.

"I ate in Brasov. I knew I wouldn't make it in time." It was a lie. She hadn't eaten since leaving the States many hours ago. It didn't matter. The thought of staying here had her stomach in knots and she wasn't particularly hungry anyway.

"Well, come on in. We might as well get this over with tonight." Impatiently motioning her further into the room, he sat on one of the wingback chairs placed in front of the fireplace.

She reluctantly crossed the room to sit down across from the cold fish. Somehow, in this part of Europe, rife with vampyre legends, she couldn't quite call him a bloodsucking lawyer.

Barely waiting until she was seated, he began reading the documents. Her stepfather had not named a beneficiary. Since he had been the last of his line and Mary had no family other than her daughter, Gabrielle stood to inherit everything. The lawyer had said this with a sour look upon his face, his lips turned down in disapproval. No doubt he thought her unworthy of the place. Well, too bad. At that moment she half decided to keep it. She and her mother had surely suffered enough to earn it. She signed all the necessary documents and that was that. The lawyer packed up his briefcase and excused himself. In a lofty tone he informed her that since she had failed to show before dark, of course he would be staying the night. He would leave in the morning.