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There are two other males on the Council. One mortal and one unknown bloodline. I do not know much about them and have never paid them much heed, thus I am leaving them off this record for now.

DIARY ENTRY ~ AS THE FATES COMMAND

Dearest Diary,

Even as I sit here in my night rail, my sleeveless and gloriously low-cut gown of red silk resting next to me on the ottoman, I can feel the path my paramour’s hands took, can taste his smoky-sweet flavor on my tongue. Can imagine what I’d like to do with him next.

The Red Pearl is not a new place for me, as you are well aware. I haunt it regularly, like a crimson ghost with unfinished business. The reason for that is simple: The energy in the place is unparalleled. It is an establishment of vice and pleasure, and at the root of it all…life. People come to the Pearl to live. And that, my dearest and oldest friend, is my goal for each day I am in this realm—as you know. But tonight’s series of events deserves an entry. I believe I may have written about this lover before, but tonight was special. He is special. Everything about what happened is extraordinary.

For a Seer of some power, it is not easy to catch me unawares, yet I found myself surprised more than once this night. First by the appearance of someone I never thought to see in the Red Pearl—a girl in a robin’s egg blue cloak and lace mask—then by a waking vision of the room upstairs and knowledge of exactly what I had to do, not to mention the surprises of the rest of the night, which I cannot wait to capture in great detail on these pages.

The Maiden came into the Pearl tonight, dear one. The Maiden! I knew it was her the minute she walked through the door, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she played cards with a few guards, drank some champagne, and took in the environment like a starving beggar taking in sustenance for the first time in much too long. And as I watched her, I felt myself falling into that misty abyss of vision, where everything seems both surreal and much too real. In brilliant multicolored detail, I saw exactly what I needed to do. And so, when the opportunity arose, I directed sweet Penellaphe upstairs to the door I knew would change her life forever.

Once she was away, I shifted my attention to the reason for the Maiden’s acute distress. A captivating man of some years, sandy hair a halo around his head, sun-weathered skin begging to be touched, and eyes so clear a blue it was like looking into the sea—one you wouldn’t mind drowning in. And then I saw something I had never seen before with him. Something I never thought to see. My second sight flared to life, and I caught the unmistakable aura of a being of unfathomable age. Something I hadn’t seen since I’d crossed paths with none other than Penellaphe’s previous guardian, Leopold. The man was a viktor. But there was also something…more about this mortal. Something utterly unique.

I was so shocked by the discovery that I found myself immediately taking steps toward him. We were known to each other—quite intimately, in fact—but I had no previous designs on spending time with him this eve. Yet what I’d just seen made the lure to go to him almost unbearable. And not just because of his magnetic draw, which he had in spades. It was power. The gifts bestowed upon me by the Fates called to those given to him.

Now that my eyes had been opened, I could only imagine what a night with him would be like. Unfortunately, Sariah still knelt by his side, her hand running up and down his strong and muscular thigh, her adoring gaze taking in the handsome, almost gruff veneer of his visage—one I knew could soften into something akin to art. And I noticed that he rubbed at his temple, likely beginning to suffer from one of the migraines that often plagued him. I wished I could take away his pain.

With a sigh, I decided to leave him to Sariah’s adoring attentions and took my leave, excusing myself up the stairs to the middle of the hall, where a table rested below a dormer window that opened to the roof. The moon shone brightly through the glass, beckoning me like a siren’s song. I flipped the latch and pushed it out, the opening just large enough to permit a person to pass through. Scaling the table and stepping out onto the Red Pearl’s roof, I took in the sights, sounds, and smells of the night, closing my eyes and basking in the wonder for a moment before settling myself on the tiles, situating my red gown around me.

Head back, soaking in the night and ruminating on what I’d just seen, I started when someone pushed aside my long fall of hair and gently kissed my neck. I kept my eyes closed, imbibing the feel of firm lips with just a hint of stubble and the smell of leather and musk. My aura tingled, and I knew exactly who stood behind me. It was as if I’d conjured him with my thoughts.

He nipped my earlobe and then settled himself beside me on the roof. I met his clear blue eyes and smiled. When he returned the expression, such a beautiful look on that brutally handsome face, it made my heart skip a beat. It somehow felt like the greatest gift. Still, I saw some pain in the lines at the corners of his eyes.

I hitched up my skirts and settled myself facing him on his lap, looking into his eyes as I moved to massage his head and temples, scratching my nails across his scalp before kneading the tight muscles of his neck. He dropped his head back, a moan of pleasure escaping that went straight to my core.

Still rubbing the base of his neck with my fingers and his temple with the thumb on one hand, I brought the hand at his nape around and ran my fingertips down his throat, reveling in the way his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly. He raised his head and opened his eyes, his gaze meeting mine. The look in those blue orbs was so intense it took my breath. I saw need there—a desire that matched mine.

His hands firmly on my hips, I undid the ties of his long vest and tunic so I could reach more skin, my fingers tracing and charting and putting to memory every scar. He had a body honed for battle, and the strength I felt in not only his physical presence but also his character had turned me on from the first moment I saw him in the Pearl years ago. With him at my mercy now, thighs tensing, rod thickening, fingers clenching, I felt powerful. And despite his leadership with his men and brutality with his foes, I knew him to be open to submission and oftentimes tender in his dominance.

He slid one hand to better cup my bottom and raised the other to slide beneath the bodice of my gown, his large, calloused hand cupping my breast and making my nipple pebble. My head fell back on a moan, and I pushed myself into his touch, the movement bringing me into more direct contact with his impressive cock between us, clearly on board with whatever happened next.

The jolt of wanton electricity the movement shot through me pulled a gasp from me, making me snap my attention to his face once more. His gaze was on my chest, on the breast he’d freed, and I watched as he licked his lips. A rush of heat flooded me, making me clench with desire. I lifted some on my knees, ignoring the way the roof tiles dug into my skin, and moved to give him better access. He didn’t disappoint.

In the next heartbeat, he had his firm lips and hot mouth pressed to my chest, his talented tongue laving and licking and flicking across my sensitive peak. I felt its twin tighten with jealous need, the friction of it rubbing against the silk of its confines ramping my desire. Both breasts felt heavy—swollen with want. It made me groan, and I both felt and heard Vikter chuckle.

More frustrated than amused, I pulled the halter of my gown over my head and let the crimson material pool at my waist, baring myself fully to him. Then I placed a fingertip under his chin and tipped his head up so his gaze met mine. With an eyebrow raise and a sly smile, I told him without words what I needed. And he didn’t disappoint. He pressed my breasts together, alternating between nipples with long licks and swirls of his tongue and nips of his teeth before kissing away the sting. I was positively drenched from just that attention and found myself panting for more.

I moved back just a bit and smiled at the sound of protest he made—he was most definitely a breast man. His sounds of disapproval didn’t last long as I reached between us and palmed the rigid length of his cock through his breeches. He groaned and raised his hips, seeking more of my touch. I wanted the same, so I didn’t hesitate to undo the fasteners at his waist and delve my hand into the opening.

He throbbed in my palm, silken skin over steely heat. As I pumped my hand up and down his length, I watched the expressions cross his face, relished the way his mouth dropped open to emit short pants of heated breath, each of which caressed my aching nipples and fanned the flames of my desire.

Swirling my thumb over the head of his cock, I spread the liquid there, imagining the pleasure we were both about to experience. When I hitched up my skirts and moved so his crown rested at my pulsing, drenched opening, he lifted his lids and said something to me about the people below and anyone walking by in the hall being able to see. I remember emphatically stating, “Let them. We’ll teach them something,” before placing my hands on his shoulders and impaling myself fully on him.

We both let out shocked puffs of breath at the invasion, which soon turned to groans and moans of pleasure as feelings bombarded us. He stretched me deliciously, his length immediately hitting that spot deep inside me that made me even wetter—and neither of us had even moved yet. He lifted his hands to my breasts once more, fondling and caressing, his eyes focused on his ministrations. Every swipe of his thumbs over my nipples made my core tingle and convulse around him, causing him to involuntarily lift his hips in response, sending him trailing over that hidden treasure deep within.

Before I could even catch up to the sensations, I came around him with a shocked cry, the convulsions so intense it was almost painful. I felt him throb and jump inside me in response as he uttered a rough oath to the gods. And then his hands were on my hips, lifting me and slamming me down on his length, the brutality of the claiming ramping up my desire once again and stealing my breath. As he lifted me, I rotated my hips, swirling myself around his length before he pulled me back to him, the movement coaxing another curse from him and a breathy exclamation from me.

I was ramping up again so fast I hadn’t even had a chance to catch my breath from the first orgasm before another blasted free, drenching us both in my pleasure. He didn’t let up, didn’t let me regather myself as the aftershocks continued, making every nerve ending in my body tingle.

Before I could even track what he was doing, he’d lifted me from him and reclined, pulling me up so I straddled his head instead of his waist. And then his mouth was on me, wrenching a rough cry from me that quickly turned into my oath to the gods as he feasted. He sucked on my nectar, making sounds of appreciation and delight that made me pulse. He swirled his tongue around my swollen clit, following its length like few men knew to do. He delved in deeply and twirled within, the sensations just as good as when he’d been buried in me balls-deep. He nipped at my nether lips, then licked away the sting, making me ache. I needed more. And I told him as much.

With a skill few would possess, he somehow managed to get up and switch our positions, moving me closer to the window. His heat surrounded me despite the chill in the air. I felt him rip off his vest and tunic and then saw it land beside me on the tiles before the skin of his chest touched my back, his heat soothing yet frustrating. He cupped one breast and pushed up the skirts of my gown with his other hand, his fingers slipping through my folds.

Making sure to anchor us both, he deeply plunged two fingers into me. It wrenched another gasp from my throat as he curled his middle digit to stroke that spot deep inside again, then slightly scissored those wicked invaders to stretch me, and swirled his thumb over my clit maddeningly. I felt like I would combust. I literally panted at the sensations, never coming down from what he’d done to me before.

In a daze, I vaguely realized that he’d withdrawn and was pushing me closer to the window. When he placed a gentle hand between my shoulder blades and applied pressure, I realized what he wanted and felt my inner muscles clench at the thought. A smile graced my lips as I leaned over the sill of the dormer window and rested my hands on the table below, wiggling my derriere in invitation.