Kiss of Midnight_ A Midnight Breed Novel - Lara Adrian [150]
She was a Breedmate.
And with her blood now pulsing within him, Dante had just completed one half of a solemn bond.
By vampire law, she was his.
Irrevocably.
Eternally.
The very last thing he wanted or needed.
In his mind, Dante roared, but all he heard was a low, wordless growl. He blinked dully, reaching out for the woman, missing her by an easy foot. His arm dropped like it was weighted down with irons. His eyelids were too heavy to lift more than a fraction. He moaned, watching his erstwhile savior’s features blur before his eyes.
She glared down at him, her voice edged with defiant fury.
“Sleep tight, you psychotic son of a bitch!”
KISS OF CRIMSON
A Dell Book / June 2007
Published by Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2007 by Lara Adrian
Cover photo © Marcus Luconi/Getty Images
* * *
Dell is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
* * *
www.bantamdell.com
eISBN: 978-0-440-33694-5
v3.0
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Excerpt from Midnight Awakening
About the Author
Also by Lara Adrian
For Cappy and Sue Pratt,
my traveling PR team and favorite cheerleaders.
Thank you for all the love, support,
and the countless good times.
I believe I hear the Caribbean calling again….
Acknowledgments
With many thanks to everyone at Bantam Dell for helping me bring the world of the Midnight Breed to the page and into my readers’ hands, most especially: Shauna Summers, Kristin Doyle, Nita Taublib, Kathleen Baldonado, Theresa Zoro, Anna Crowe, the fantastic art department, and the wonderful sales and subrights teams. I’m so pleased to be working with you all.
With continuing gratitude to my agent, Karen Solem, and to my publicist, Patricia Rouse, for always looking out for me and keeping me on track.
And with deepest appreciation and total adoration to my husband—my secret weapon—for all the killer ideas I happily take credit for, and for cheerfully (maybe that’s too strong a word) picking up the slack around home when I am deep into one of my books (which is pretty much always). I couldn’t do it without you, HB!
CHAPTER One
Dante smoothed his thumb over sweet female flesh, lingering at the carotid, where the human’s pulse throbbed the strongest. His own pulse quickened too, responding to the rush of blood flowing beneath the surface of delicate white skin. Dante leaned his dark head in and kissed that tender spot, letting his tongue play over the fluttering race of the female’s heartbeat.
“Tell me,” he murmured against the warm skin, his voice a low growl amid the heaving beat of the club’s music, “are you a good witch or a bad witch?”
The female squirmed in his lap, her fishnet-clad legs straddling him, black lace-up bustier pushing her breasts up under his chin like a buffet. She twirled her finger in her bright fuchsia wig, then let it trail