closed.
She waited for those lethal fangs to descend, for that bright, piercing agony to paint her world the color of blood. But nothing happened. She opened her eyes. The woman still had her scarlet claw hooked in the choker. Her fangs were still gleaming only inches from Portia’s throat. But her hungry gaze had been transfixed by something else. Something over Portia’s right shoulder.
Portia took advantage of her inattention to twist around in her arms. Although that powerful hand was still splayed over her jaw, the pressure on her throat had eased a fraction.
A man was walking down the street toward them. No, not a man at all, Portia quickly realized, her heart lurching with hope.
Julian came sauntering out of the mist as if he had an eternity to rescue her, his every motion fluid with masculine grace. With the lamplight lovingly caressing the sculpted bones of his face and the wind stirring his dark mane of hair, he looked like some sort of doomed angel cast out of heaven for committing a sin he could not resist. He had never looked as dangerous—or as beautiful—as he did in that moment. Portia sagged against her captor, biting back a sob of relief.
“Hello darling,” he said as he drew abreast of them, his voice low and silky.
Portia opened up her mouth to reply, but before she could, the woman purred, “Hello, my love. You’re just in time to join me for a little snack.”
Seven
Although her mouth continued to hang open, Portia couldn’t have choked out a word if her life had depended on it.
Julian raked a disparaging gaze over her. “ Little indeed. A mouthful that small is hardly worth the bother. If I were you, I’d toss her back in the Thames.”
“I was hoping we could keep her.” Portia shuddered as the woman’s tongue darted out to give her cheek an affectionate lick. “She’s rather charming and I’ve always wanted a kitten.”
Julian’s laughter had a cruel edge she hadnever before heard from his lips. “Why would you wish to keep her, Valentine? So you could drown her in a bucket when toying with her ceases to amuse you?”
Valentine.
It didn’t seem fair to Portia that such a beautiful name would belong to such a cruel creature. But after all, it did rhyme with mean.
“Excuse me,” she rasped, her throat still raw. “I hate to interrupt this touching little reunion but am I to assume—”
“Silence!” Julian hissed.
Portia hated herself for flinching, but the sparkling warmth she had always seen in his eyes whenever he looked at her had vanished, leaving them cold and flat. She pressed her lips tightly together to keep them from trembling, forced to satisfy herself with a defiant glare.
“I always knew you’d come back to me,” Valentine said, the gloating note of triumph in her voice unmistakable.
“Come back to you?” Julian snorted. “You’re the one who’s been following me from one end of the world to the other.”
“Only because I knew you’d come to yoursenses someday and realize that we were destined to be together.”
Portia’s stomach was beginning to roil. It didn’t help to know that she’d had countless fantasies about saying those exact same words to him, preferably while cradled in his arms and gazing deeply into his eyes.
“Then I suppose that day has finally come.” Julian’s contemptuous gaze skirted over her again. “So why don’t you send the kitten scampering on its merry way so we can be alone?”
“Why waste such a succulent little morsel? I thought the two of us could share her to celebrate our new beginning.”
Portia gritted her teeth against a wave of pain as Valentine trailed a blood red nail across the front of her throat, carving a shallow trench.
“No!” Julian barked. She felt a flare of hope but then he scowled, that beautiful mouth of his taking a sulky turn. “I’m not in the mood to share tonight. If I’m going to have her, then I want her all to myself. She can be your gift to me.”
Valentine
She waited for those lethal fangs to descend, for that bright, piercing agony to paint her world the color of blood. But nothing happened. She opened her eyes. The woman still had her scarlet claw hooked in the choker. Her fangs were still gleaming only inches from Portia’s throat. But her hungry gaze had been transfixed by something else. Something over Portia’s right shoulder.
Portia took advantage of her inattention to twist around in her arms. Although that powerful hand was still splayed over her jaw, the pressure on her throat had eased a fraction.
A man was walking down the street toward them. No, not a man at all, Portia quickly realized, her heart lurching with hope.
Julian came sauntering out of the mist as if he had an eternity to rescue her, his every motion fluid with masculine grace. With the lamplight lovingly caressing the sculpted bones of his face and the wind stirring his dark mane of hair, he looked like some sort of doomed angel cast out of heaven for committing a sin he could not resist. He had never looked as dangerous—or as beautiful—as he did in that moment. Portia sagged against her captor, biting back a sob of relief.
“Hello darling,” he said as he drew abreast of them, his voice low and silky.
Portia opened up her mouth to reply, but before she could, the woman purred, “Hello, my love. You’re just in time to join me for a little snack.”
Seven
Although her mouth continued to hang open, Portia couldn’t have choked out a word if her life had depended on it.
Julian raked a disparaging gaze over her. “ Little indeed. A mouthful that small is hardly worth the bother. If I were you, I’d toss her back in the Thames.”
“I was hoping we could keep her.” Portia shuddered as the woman’s tongue darted out to give her cheek an affectionate lick. “She’s rather charming and I’ve always wanted a kitten.”
Julian’s laughter had a cruel edge she hadnever before heard from his lips. “Why would you wish to keep her, Valentine? So you could drown her in a bucket when toying with her ceases to amuse you?”
Valentine.
It didn’t seem fair to Portia that such a beautiful name would belong to such a cruel creature. But after all, it did rhyme with mean.
“Excuse me,” she rasped, her throat still raw. “I hate to interrupt this touching little reunion but am I to assume—”
“Silence!” Julian hissed.
Portia hated herself for flinching, but the sparkling warmth she had always seen in his eyes whenever he looked at her had vanished, leaving them cold and flat. She pressed her lips tightly together to keep them from trembling, forced to satisfy herself with a defiant glare.
“I always knew you’d come back to me,” Valentine said, the gloating note of triumph in her voice unmistakable.
“Come back to you?” Julian snorted. “You’re the one who’s been following me from one end of the world to the other.”
“Only because I knew you’d come to yoursenses someday and realize that we were destined to be together.”
Portia’s stomach was beginning to roil. It didn’t help to know that she’d had countless fantasies about saying those exact same words to him, preferably while cradled in his arms and gazing deeply into his eyes.
“Then I suppose that day has finally come.” Julian’s contemptuous gaze skirted over her again. “So why don’t you send the kitten scampering on its merry way so we can be alone?”
“Why waste such a succulent little morsel? I thought the two of us could share her to celebrate our new beginning.”
Portia gritted her teeth against a wave of pain as Valentine trailed a blood red nail across the front of her throat, carving a shallow trench.
“No!” Julian barked. She felt a flare of hope but then he scowled, that beautiful mouth of his taking a sulky turn. “I’m not in the mood to share tonight. If I’m going to have her, then I want her all to myself. She can be your gift to me.”
Valentine
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