Templar Vampires - Midnight Sun Part 2

Constructed in gray stone, the steeped roof was topped with mean looking spires. A four level square tower jutted out from the far left corner, and at the very top of it were two windows, which gave the impression of watchful eyes staring down on her.

The rest of the many windows were decorated with delicate tracery, behind which thick drapes were drawn tightly shut, preventing her from getting a peek inside the place.

The manor was as magnificent as it was imposing.

Her excitement riding her, she bounded up the steps and fit the key in the lock with bated breath, half expecting to be greeted by a specter. She crossed the threshold without a hint of hesitation.

Given the dark and sinister outside, from what she saw, the interior was inviting and surprisingly modern.

Allie stood in the foyer, to the right was a formal parlor, to the left a dining room. Breathless with excitement at finally being inside the manor, Allie stepped deeper in as if she were walking into holy ground. Locating a light switch on the wall close to the entrance, she flicked it on, bathing the grand oval entrance in a soft glow. Looking up, she gaped at the elaborate painted ceiling depicted an archangel guiding five warriors to Heaven. Gorgeous, the representation of Michael leading the Templars back to G.o.d pulled at her heart.

Sensing nothing supernatural around her, Allie spared a quick glance in the parlor and dinning rooms, amazed at the elegance of them. Black marble and wrought iron were the dominant features, lending both rooms an undeniable sense of wealth and sophistication.

The foyer opened to a long hallway. Following it down, Allie glanced up the darkened staircase to the right. Knowing the Templars' rooms were right above her, her mischievous streak came to the forefront.

She couldn't wait to go snooping around their private lairs. Heading into a large, yet cozy, family room, Allie turned on the floor lamp near the entryway. She blew out a low whistle when she caught sight of the giant plasma television dominating the black lacquer entertainment center.

Noting the wall of windows, she couldn't help but surmise it wasn't the best thing for a house where vampires lived. Nevertheless, the stained gla.s.s portraying scenes of Crusade were stunning. Taking a moment to feel for any ghosts, she felt nothing, not even a slight s.h.i.+ft in the energy or temperature of the room. If she didn't know better she'd swear one of the Templars were still at home.

Raphael a.s.sured her Sebastian was gone for the night and with him and Constantine still at the bar, that left only Lucian. He, she knew, was out looking for the girl who went missing a few nights ago.

Stepping out of the family room, she gave a quick check in the kitchen at the end of the hallway. Nothing was to be felt there either. Barely sparing it a second thought, her mind went to those rooms upstairs.

There was snooping to done and she didn't have all night to do it.

Doing her best to keep herself open to any sensations of ghosts, Allie flipped on the dim overhead and followed the steps to the second floor. Most of the doors where closed, and after giving them a check, she found them to be locked as well.

Her curious nature couldn't resist cracking open the only unlocked door. Her heart leapt into her throat when she was met by the warm glow of candlelight. Holding her breath in antic.i.p.ation, she poked her head in and peeked into the masculine room. From the black furniture to the deep gray comforter on the bed, everything was just so-dark. Heavy black curtains were drawn and tied; Luis Royo works decorated dark brown walls. Everywhere she looked there were medieval themed collectables. Half the stuff looked like it came from the n.o.bel Collection catalogue. The other half could only be from the Franklin Mint.

Without a doubt she knew this was Sebastian's room. If she needed further proof, the back-hanging baldric he always wore was thrown on the bed. The translucent red cross pattee winking in the hilt proclaimed it as a sword of the Knight Templars.

Now, the smart thing to do would be to back her nosey self out and quietly leave whence she came, but it was a fact Allie rarely did the "smart thing".

Bold as you please, Allie pushed the door open all the way. She thought to take a quick peek around then haul a.s.s out of there before Sebastian was the wiser.

That's what shemeant to do, but the huge ruby ring on the dresser caught her attention. Unable to resist herself, she picked it up and saw the inside bore an inscription. It readAd maiorem dei gloriam.

For the glory of G.o.d.

She looked around to make sure she was alone before slipping the ring on her finger. Too big, when she held up her finger to admire it, it slipped off and hit the floor with a dull thud.

As if Fate gave the thing a push, it rolled under the bed. d.a.m.n these old floors with their funky pitches.

Or was it the ghosts working their stuff? Whatever it was, all Allie knew was she had to put the ring back and get out of there before she got caught red-handed where she didn't belong.

Chapter Three.

That was one h.e.l.l of a nice a.s.s.

Sebastian appreciated the nice view of a shapely behind waving in the air. Of course, said backside happened to be attached to the woman he'd been trying to avoid like the plague. He should have known better since Allie Parker was a person not to be sidestepped. She was, in fact, a force of nature. Right then, her storm was cutting a path through his room-or rather under his bed.

With an a.s.s like that he much preferred herin his bed.

Standing in the doorway, hip leaning against the frame and arms folded over his chest, Sebastian raised one brow when Allie let out a string of some of the foulest words he'd ever heard-having existed for close to seven centuries, that was saying something.

Obviously not able to reach what she was searching for under his bed, she cursed some more. He bit back a laugh when she pounded her fist on the floor in frustration.

Oh, this was priceless. It was exactly what Sebastian needed, though he was loath to admit it since it meant Raphael was right. He needed what Rogue called spice.

Allie Parker was nothing if not spicy.

Sebastian could do the gentlemanly thing, quietly back out of the room and wait for the tiny paranormal extraordinaire to finish whatever business she had under his bed. Too bad Sebastian wasn't a gentleman, not by any stretch of the imagination.

True to his nature, Sebastian silently walked up to Allie and gave her rear a good, sound smack.

It took all of his willpower, but Sebastian managed to swallow his laugh when she jumped to her feet shrieking like a demon from h.e.l.l. Spinning around, she faced him down with the gall to look offended.

"How dare you smack my a.s.s!"

He c.o.c.ked a brow at her. "How dare you break into my house?"

The woman didn't have the good grace to look repentant. "I didn't break in. I have the key."

"Just because a certain troublemaker gave you a key, it doesn't give you the right to poke into my room."

She shrugged indifferently. "I didn't know it was your room."

She was lying "Do you always take it upon yourself to invade a person's bedroom?"

"Of course not." Her chin rose a notch and a defiant gleam lit her amazing green eyes. "And again, I didn't 'invade' your room."

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't."

"That's the only way of looking at it."

"Whatever."

Her flippant response made him smile despite his effort not to. Not only was Allie b.a.l.l.sy, she was also stunning. Her deep red hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, which showed off the delicate line of her jaw and her long, elegant neck. The longer he stared at the pulsating column of her throat the more he ached to play out the things his devious mind imagined him doing to her.

A light sprinkling of freckles danced adorably across the bridge of her nose. They were, surprisingly enough for a fair redhead, the only freckles she seemed to have. Her baggy low-rise jeans and white tank top accented her trim, yet curvaceous body. A wide strip of a flat stomach peeked out from between the bottom of her s.h.i.+rt and the waist of her pants. He wanted to trail his tongue along that exposed flesh. His body hardened when he noticed her navel was pierced.

What he found incredibly frustrating was that she didn't have the sense to be scared of him.

"I know you won't kill me."

Sebastian frowned in confusion at her announcement until he realized he'd said that aloud.

"Did Raphael tell you that?"

Her smile wiped the smirk from his face.

"No, Sebastian, a Templar trying to earn redemption wouldn't sacrifice his soul by killing a human."

Sebastian stalked her, forcing her backwards until the wall was at her back. Her breath caught in her throat when he bared his fangs. "You may not have to fear death at my hands, but there are other things I can do that could make your blood run cold."

He sensed the fear in her, yet she stood her ground with a courage he found vastly impressive.

"Fine. You're right. You made your point, now back off."

She shoved at him hard, but he didn't budge.

"What where you looking for under my bed?"

When she didn't answer, he slapped his hands on the door next to her head. He leaned in close enough to see the brilliant gold flecks in her eyes and repeated the question.

This time, she wisely answered him.

"I dropped something and it rolled under the bed."

"Obviously." He slowly backed away and dropped his arms. "Go get it."

She went reluctantly, bending down in way so he wouldn't have another chance to appreciate her lovely posterior. Like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, she tried to hide whatever it was behind her back.

Reaching around her, Sebastian pulled her hand out. They had a brief battle of wills until he finally managed to pry her hand open "Here, take it before you break my fingers."

She dropped the object into his hand. It was his family ring.

Absently, he pushed the ring onto his right ring finger and glared down at her. d.a.m.n it all, why did she have to come here? She should have stayed the h.e.l.l away from him instead of coming here, into his home with that f.u.c.king gardenia scent. He was drowning in it, the aroma playing havoc on his senses.

Constantine was right; Allie filled a person with her spirit. Sebastian hadn't understood what he'd meant until now.

"Were you nicking my ring?"

"Of course not! I never stole a d.a.m.ned thing in my life." She looked genuinely hurt by his accusation. "I was only trying it on. It slipped off and rolled under the bed. I'm sorry."

Her apology cut through him. He knew she wasn't stealing his ring, only wanted to push her to see her get all hot and bothered. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings.

"Then what were you doing poking around my room?"

"Raphael said I could come here and investigate the manor. With you still home, it's no wonder I don't feel anything." Her voice held an accusatory grouch.

Sebastian wished he could say the same. Only it wasn't paranormal activity he felt. It was l.u.s.t and it was d.a.m.n hard to control around her.

"Maybe Randall Manor isn't haunted, Allie. Did you ever think of that?"

She snorted right in his face. "Yeah, right. Good one, Sebastian." She ducked under his arm and gave him a radiant smile. "Anyway, it was nice to see you again."

Allie changed gears so fast it made his head spin. Her enchanting smile not only made him forget about her transgression, it also had him forgetting his conviction to ignore his attraction to her.

His silence killed her smile. "Or not." She replied flippantly. "I hoped we could finally make nice and be friends." She shrugged. "I guess that's not going to happen."

Instead of letting her go and being done with her, he did something completely out of character.

He forced her to stay.

She stopped dead and spun back to face him, obviously surprised, when his hand clamped down on her arm. Before he could think better of it, he leaned down and kissed her right on her pretty mouth.

Taking advantage of her gasp, Sebastian swept his tongue in her mouth, tasting the sweetness. He felt no fear in her, only a desire for him that robbed him of reason.

She inflamed him, making him remember what it was to be alive. Everything about her intoxicated him.

Her spirit and her audacity rivaled any Templar's. Sebastian wrapped an arm around her waist and crushed her against his chest. With his other hand, he pulled her hair free from its confines. The fiery waves spilled over his arm and trailed down her back, settling at her waist.

Cupping the back of her neck, he held her head still as he devoured her mouth in a kiss hot enough to sear them both.

She placed her hands on his cheeks, her tentative touch reaching down into him, to the place where his soul once resided. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been touched as tenderly.

Tearing his mouth away, he cut a path down to her neck and shoulder with his lips, stopping to tease with the sensitive flesh with his tongue and fangs.

b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, her flesh tasted too good for him to resist the temptation to sink his fangs into her and drink from her. Open to him, she was ripe for him to not only take in her blood, but her glorious lifeforce as well, infusing him with her very being.

Traveling down a dangerous path, Sebastian knew he had to end this before he crossed the point of no return. After three hundred years of a self-imposed celibacy, his need for Allie could quickly burn too hot to control. He tightened his hold on her, trailing his tongue down the column of her throat to her collarbone. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, so close to his mouth beckoned him, yet Sebastian didn't dare to pull down her tank top and explore them as he longed to. Pulling away from her, Sebastian almost died all over again when he saw Allie's dreamy expression. She gazed at him with hooded eyes, her cheeks flushed becomingly. No woman ever looked at him in such a way, not in life and certainly not during the relentless centuries of his death, as if no other man but him mattered.

Reality, as it always did, invaded the serenity of a perfect dreamlike moment. The thought Jude Sommers, her self-absorbed and pompous boyfriend, lifted the veil of l.u.s.t.

Suddenly cold again, Sebastian noticed her lips were swollen from the force of his kiss. He also saw the smear of blood on her bottom lip and swore loudly.

Startling her, he grabbed hold of her chin. "Open your mouth."

She slapped at his hand and backed away from him. "Are you nuts? What's wrong with you?"

Not about to be waylaid he advanced on her as she stepped back. "There's blood on your lip."

Touching her bottom lip, she inspected the tiny drop of blood on her finger. The tip of her tongue licked away the blood, which had him biting back a groan. At this point he didn't think his body could get any harder.

"Your fang must have nipped me, that's all. No need to go all apoplectic about it."

The woman was unreal. How could she not mind the fact that, not only was she good and kissed by a vampire, but said vampire hadn't been careful with his body parts and cut her lip. Obviously Allie failed to realize how easily he could have lost control and fed from her.

Given the scars on the right side of her neck, and knowing how close she'd come to death, he doubted she would welcome any more drinking of her blood. Not that he could blame her. From what Constantine and Raphael related to him, Allie was beaten badly before the vamp took a bite out of her. IfConstantine and Raphael hadn't gotten there when they did, she'd be dead.