Chapter One
The air was filled with the sounds of laughter and the wheezing music of the calliope as it played mechanically above the noise of the crowd. "Talkers" on game row hawked their games of chance to the "Towners", who meandered up and down the midway. The screams of those riding the Zipper battled with those who had braved the Octopus. In the background, the loud whirring of machinery could be heard as the Ferris wheel turned lazily in the late afternoon sun.
The warm September breeze sent the sweet smell of cotton candy wafting through the fairgrounds. Along with the slightly burnt smell of popcorn, it was an odor that spelled out CARNIVAL in big bold letters.
The whole town had waited for this one special day. The last hurrah before school started and the weather changed. People had come out to play and eat and take their chances on one of the games. Coins disappeared as young men sought to win that oversized teddy bear their girlfriends just had to have.
Aithne walked slowly through the crowd, enjoying the afternoon and the freedom she would never again take for granted. Inhaling deeply, she knew her senses were still highly attuned, even though she'd been freed as her brother's familiar three months earlier. She suspected that allowing her brother to feed from her for over a century had given her not only temporary immortality, but it had done something permanent to her perceptions. She could still feel and do things a normal human couldn't.
Smiling, she thought about her brother. She'd just gotten off the phone with Aidan. He called her several times a week, his protective instincts still strong. Even though he was madly in love with Dawn, the woman who had taken Aithne's place, they were family and had been together a very long time. That type of bond never went away.
He hadn't wanted her to go on this adventure, but he wouldn't stand in her way. Aithne had given up so much for him, his conscience wouldn't allow it. But he fretted, thus the phone calls.
She'd been pleased to hear her brother was going on a journey, too. Dawn had a showing of her sculptures in New York at the end of the month, and she'd finally convinced Aidan to come along with her. With proper precautions, no one would ever know he was a vampire.
Tears threatened as memories surfaced of her brother and his mate. They were so happy together. They had almost lost each other when Dawn found out the truth about Aidan, but the fates were not to be denied. She very quickly realized he was her soulmate ... her twin-flame, as she'd been told in a tarot card reading. Dawn had come back to him just in time to prevent the vampire from wasting away from grief and hunger.
Their love was so strong, so beautiful, Aithne knew she too must find her twin-flame. She'd been so lonely for such a long time the thought of finally discovering the man who would truly complete her made her shiver in anticipation.
That shiver became a reality, and her neck prickled. Turning, Aithne found herself staring into a pair of brooding amber eyes. She stiffened. He was doing it again.
Ever since Milcham Phoenix, the owner of Flight of the Phoenix Carnivals, had returned from his trip, she'd caught him gazing intently at her more times than she could count. She'd been hired by his assistant while he was gone, and she had the feeling Mr. Phoenix wasn't too happy about having a gypsy fortune teller on the payroll.
The fact she never told anyone anything but the truth didn't seem to matter. He watched her as if he was waiting for her to make a mistake, and then he'd pounce. It was creepy. And the fact he was one of the handsomest men she had ever seen just made it more frustrating.
Tall, at least six-foot-four, he was long and lean and hard. He always wore tight-fitting jeans, and some sort of muscle shirt that left very little to the imagination. Broad shoulders, muscled chest and arms, and a trim waist made her want to drool every time she looked at him. His legs were as muscled as the rest of him and when he walked away ... poetry in motion. His butt was the finest she'd come across in her long lifetime.
Even better was his face. He was gorgeous. There was no other word for him. He had longish blond hair that was always in need of a brushing. It framed a tanned face with high, sculpted cheekbones and a square, masculine jaw. His strong nose pointed to sensuous lips and a chin that looked as if it lived with a five o'clock shadow all day long.
Then there were his eyes. Aithne shivered again. They were large and slightly tilted, giving him an exotic look. The color of newly minted coins in the sunlight and surrounded by long eyelashes, he was a dream to gaze upon.
Until he looked at her. Then it was all she could do not to turn tail and make a run for the nearby hills.
But she refused to do that. She loved it here, enjoying the excitement of the traveling carnival. Her life with Aidan had been for the most part sedentary. The only time they moved was when the neighbors became suspicious they didn't age. She'd be damned if she'd let this man chase her away without good reason.
He'd been back with the carnival for over a week and still hadn't said a word to her. All he'd done was stare. It was frustrating. She laughed to herself. If she had been a real gypsy, she'd curse him or something. That would show him.
Glaring back at him, she lifted her chin in defiance, turned and continued down the midway. If he didn't want to talk to her ... fine. But she wasn't going to stick around so he could stare holes in her, either.
Milcham Phoenix cursed under his breath. She would dare stare at him with such arrogance? She was nothing but a charlatan. A witch, who pretended to know the future. He'd been furious when Rufus, his assistant, called and said he'd hired her. This type of act wasn't allowed in any of his carnivals. But one look at the woman who called herself simply Aithne, and he knew why his man had done it. She was stunning.
Tall and slender, she was the very picture of feminine beauty. Milcham figured she would fit perfectly under his chin, and her ripe body begged to be touched. Her ebony hair flowed over her shoulders and down her back to below her waist. Its silky curls danced in the breeze, tempting him to take one and wrap it around his finger.
She had the face of an angel. He'd seen the like of it carved on cameos, delicate and fine. Her tiny nose and full, rose-colored lips, sat in a heart-shaped face with soft, creamy skin. Eyes the color of emeralds surrounded by lashes dipped in ink completed the masterpiece.
He gritted his teeth as she walked away. He could hear the tinkling of the tiny silver bells she always wore at her wrists and around the crown of her head. His gaze went to her swaying figure. She dressed in long, colorful silk skirts that molded against her body in the wind.
Milcham's cock hardened and he swore again. The last thing he needed was to be tempted by a witch. He had just less than a month before he had to leave this place for good and head back to his walled city.
And he would be doing so alone.
He turned away from the luscious figure in silk, grief again filling his soul. He'd been so sure he'd find her. The one female to complete him. Milcham had hunted for hundreds of years, in all the countries of the world. In the last four centuries, he narrowed the search down to the human species, but even that hadn't helped. She was still nowhere to be found.
Granted, his time in the world hadn't been completely lonely. He'd found and wooed many women, learning the human art of lovemaking easily. But none of them carried the spark. The telltale knowledge she was the other half of his soul. He'd loved them and then left them, always moving on to search for the one woman he needed to make his life complete.
Unable to help himself, he glanced over his shoulder at Aithne. She was talking to one of the clowns, laughing gaily at something he'd said. She put her hand on the clown's striped shirt and leaned up to whisper in his ear.
Milcham clenched his fists as the unfamiliar emotion of jealousy ran through him. He didn't understand it, but he didn't want her touching anyone.
Anyone ... but him.
Cursing again, he whirled around and stomped off towards his office. He'd stood by long enough. Tonight he would talk to the witch and get her out of his life, once and for all.
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A perfect love sought through the centuries--an ancient evil sworn to prevent it at all costs. Don't series, Book 2 Aithne has spent her life living for her brother. Now that he's found his twin flame, she's free from her duty as his familiar. She plans to relish every moment--and search for a soulmate of her own who will match the longing that burns in her heart. For now, a traveling carnival looks like the perfect vehicle to find the adventure she craves. Starting with the carnival's handsome and enigmatic owner. Milcham Phoenix hides a secret behind the carnival's dazzling distractions. As the only creature in Paradise who didn't fall into sin, he is unique?and lonely. For centuries he has searched for the one woman whose beauty, spirit and passion tempt him to open his heart. No one has come close--until Aithne. The fire within them burns out of control. But before they have the courage to share their true feelings with each other, evil attacks, and painful secrets are exposed. Truth is the one thing that will overcome an ancient enemy?and the one thing their love may not survive. Warning: This book contains explicit language, amazing sex toys and public foreplay and experimentation. Side effects include: curiosity, intense sexual arousal, dizzying emotions and never looking at a carnival ride the same way again!
