Page 133 of Brushed By Moonlight

“Henrik!” Delphine cried.

She ran over and flung her arms around him, then stepped back to look him over. His tux was askew, and the tie dangled listlessly from his hand. His pocket square was gone, along with one of his cuff links, and his hair was a mess.

“Oh, Henrik!” Poor, oblivious Delphine fussed. “Are you all right?”

The morning breeze carried the scent of blood, sex, and something else.

My nostrils flared, and I blanched.

Bene frowned and whispered, “I’m sure I know that perfume…”

Crap. I did too.

Mina wrinkled her nose and muttered, “‘Good Girl’ by Carolina Herrera.” Then she went perfectly still.

Celeste,my dragon growled.

Delphine went stiff, and her face fell. She backed away from Henrik, all shaky in the knees. “You…you…”

Mina jumped up to support Delphine. With her free hand, she shoved Henrik — hard. “You piece of shit!”

“Good morning to you too,” he muttered, stumbling toward a chair in the shade.

Mina guided Delphine toward the main house.

“Come on, Delphine. He’s not worth it.”

They disappeared into the house, but even then, I could hear Delphine wail.

No one at the table spoke, but the air zinged with angry energy. Me, most of all, which was weird. I hated Celeste. Why did I care if she slept with Henrik?

Because it’s wrong,my dragon grumbled.

Apparently, I was developing a conscience. Maybe Mina really was corrupting me.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Roux finally burst out. “You know what Celeste is.”

Succubus.The word ran through my mind like a curse.

I could only be so angry with Henrik, though, because I’d fallen for the same spell.

Never again,my dragon vowed.Never again.

“You were supposed to keep an eye on her, not fuck her, dammit,” Roux ranted.

Henrik made a face. “I might have underestimated Celeste. Her powers are…rather overwhelming.”

“Overwhelming? You’re a goddamn vampire!” Roux thumped the table, making the silverware jump. Then he sniffed. “Fuck. You drank from her, didn’t you?”

Henrik leveled a cold look at him. “And if I did?”

Roux fumed. “Idiot. Succubus blood…”

Henrik’s eyes drooped as he savored the memory. “Delicious. Distracting. And rather potent, I have to admit.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t wake up with a stake in your heart,” I grumbled.

“Technically, he wouldn’t wake up,” Bene pointed out cheerily.