SELECTED LOVERS by Zenobia Renquist

SELECTED LOVERS by Zenobia Renquist

Caveat Emptor 7.5 - spin-off


Love, like peace, is never easy where two men are concerned.

The war is over, and now it’s time to rebuild. Rhea has been chosen at random to sit on a joint council to help decide future relations between mages, vampires, and humans. Jeremy and Colm are appointed her guards. What should have been a simple escort assignment becomes so much more when a spell meant to kill ignites a passionate encounter with Rhea caught in the middle.

Haunted by her desires and craving another threesome, Rhea knows it can't happen. Jeremy is a mage. Colm is a vampire. The men tolerate each other because they’re under orders to cooperate. Without another spell to force them, they would never agree to sharing Rhea again. She has to choose -- the mage with a satisfying kiss or the vampire with a passionate bite…or maybe the third option she hasn’t yet considered.

Caveat Emptor -- Let the Buyer Beware.

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Selected Lovers (Caveat Emptor 7.5)
Zenobia Renquist
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2013 Zenobia Renquist

This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

Rhea shoved her car door open, grumbling and cursing under her breath. Mondays belonged in the eighth circle of Hell along with the rest of the frauds. It wasn't a real day. It was Hell visited upon Earth in the guise of a real day. That had to be the case because no one should have to endure the amount of shit she had without divine punishment being involved.

A computer crash that ate all her work, missed deadlines that had popped up at the last minute, the wrong presentation for an important client, and to top it all off, being rear-ended while trying to merge in a construction zone. Thankfully the collision had been at a slow speed and hadn't caused any damage. Rhea rubbed at the pinch in her neck that she hoped was stress and not symptomatic of a bigger problem. She'd been too pissed off to get the insurance information of the woman who'd hit her.

All Rhea wanted was a hot bath and alone time. Lots and lots of alone time where she pretended the world outside her bathroom didn't exist. She didn't even have the mental energy to lie to herself about everything being better tomorrow.

Monday -- fraud -- eighth circle of Hell. That was all there was to it. She would be raised up from Hell as soon as she baptized herself with lavender-scented bubbles and a bottle of peach rum. She was still debating whether she would drink the entire bottle or two-thirds of it.

She kicked her car door shut and headed for her apartment. Two steps from the porch she stopped. "Fucking hell!"

A little yellow notice was taped below the peephole. The words "Delinquent Payment Notice" mocked her in giant bold lettering. Delinquent payment her ass. She paid her rent the first day of the month, every month.

She snatched the letter off the door and read it quickly. "What do they mean 'check not received?' I have a fucking receipt." She yanked her phone off her hip and pushed the power button. It was past closing time for the front office. Of course. With the day she'd been having, why would the office still be open?

She would have to call in late tomorrow so she could meet the apartment manager nice and early with receipt in hand so she could clear up this matter. Something told her waiting until after work might mean she would come home to all her stuff on the front lawn.

"Rhea Valern?"

"What?" She barked the question before turning to see who had asked. She didn't care who it was. She'd had enough. No more bad news. If one more person did one more thing to her, she would lose her mind and kill everyone in a one-mile radius, so help her God.

Two men stood behind her. Both were the same height, which was several inches taller than her, and both had an imposing vibe. The man on the left wore mage robes that cloaked his body from his wide shoulders to the ground. His light brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, leaving his chiseled, clean-shaven features free to be gazed upon... and Rhea was gazing. If he was her reward for putting up with her crappy day, she gladly accepted.

The man next to the mage, who wore tight blue jeans and a half-open button-up shirt that showed his sculpted chest, was just as yummy-looking. His blond hair was cropped short and styled into a mussed-up do that looked too purposefully mussed to be anything but intentional. Light-colored stubble graced his cheeks and chin, giving him a rugged look that appealed to her. His shoulders weren't as broad as his friend's, but that didn't make him any less attractive. And then he smiled. His fangs ruined it for her.

A vampire. Not good.

Vampires didn't frequent human-populated areas, not since the docility charms had failed, and the freed vampires had fled back to their own territory after massacring their former masters. A vampire in the company of a mage had to mean bad news -- extremely bad news of which Rhea wanted no part.

The mage said, "Rhea Valern, we have come to --"

"Not interested. I've never bought a vampire before or even stepped into a store where they were sold. I'm not a mage potential. You've got the wrong girl. Go away." She turned back to her door with her key in hand to unlock her door and make a quick escape into her apartment. If the men persisted, she would call the cops. Human cops wouldn't be of much help, but there were a few mages who volunteered to handle situations like this.

"You don't understand."

"And I don't want to. Bye now." She pushed her door open, took one step and then screamed as the floor disappeared beneath her feet. Not just the floor -- the entire inside of her apartment was a void of black nothingness.

Strong arms grabbed her from behind and pulled her back, except the void started pulling her too. She screamed again. The darkness had hold of her purse and was climbing up it like a snake winding around a branch. She couldn't open her hand to drop the strap. The darkness touched her fingers and freezing pain ripped another scream from her lips.

The man holding her yelled, "Stop standing there like a dumbass and do something, mage. This is your people's shit."

"Shut up, vampire. I know my job." The mage mumbled words Rhea didn't catch. It sounded like an incantation. That was good, right? A spell would end this, right?

The void yanked her into the apartment by her arm, causing her vampire savior -- she hoped he was saving her -- to hug her waist tight as he leaned back.

"Strong fuckers. Any time, mage." He huffed against her neck and made grunting noises that said he was straining. A vampire straining? They could juggle small cars with no effort. If he was exerting that much force, Rhea's arm should have been ripped off in the tug-of-war.

Except for where the darkness touched her, she wasn't in pain. Her arm was stretched to the maximum, but it didn't hurt. A slow glow crept over her shoulder and dripped down her arm like water. It touched the darkness and the darkness... screamed? Could darkness scream?

Whatever. It didn't matter. The darkness was letting her go. Rhea jerked on her arm to hurry along the process. The glow surrounded her arm, pushing the darkness back until it released her completely.

She fell back with a yelp, landing on the vampire as they toppled to the ground.

The mage rushed by them and pulled the door shut. He chanted a few more words as he stepped back slowly. The door glowed, and white script in a language Rhea didn't recognize appeared below the peephole.

"There. I've sealed it until someone else can be summoned to close that portal properly." The mage turned to her. "Now may I tell you why we're here?"

Rhea nodded with a hard sigh. The motion pushed her breasts into the hands of the vampire. In all the confusion, she hadn't realized where he was holding her.

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ETERNAL LOVERS by Zenobia Renquist

ETERNAL LOVERS by Zenobia Renquist

Caveat Emptor Book Seven

Three couples caught in a war have only one solution -- peace. Si vis pacem, para bellum.

Darius and Medusa, Lamon and Sicily, Theron and Ryver -- these three couples have struggled to make love work in the middle of the vampire-mage war, but now talk of peace is testing the strength of their relationships. Once simple meeting could mean the end of it all or the start of a new and brighter future together.

Caveat Emptor -- Let the Buyer Beware.

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Lamon didn’t know what Theron was getting at. They should be planning, not comparing notes. “He said there would be a cease-fire until you meet with him.”

“And then after that, he said he knew I would come because he has something that belongs to me.”

“Medusa.”

“Exactly. He’s using her as bait for this trap.”

“At least you believe it to be a trap.”

“I’m not stupid, Lamon. This could be nothing else. By killing the vampire elders, I have shown myself to be the most powerful vampire. If they take me out then our kind will falter and eventually lose the war.”

“All the more reason for you not to go.”

“All the more reason for me to go. He has Medusa. I saved her from one madman. I won’t leave her with another.”

Lamon agreed. “I’m coming with you.”

“No. You’re staying put.”

“Of course. That’s sound. In case you need someone to retrieve you. Who will you take in my stead?”

“I’m taking no one because I’m going alone. And you’re staying put so you can take care of your wife. She needs you now more than me.”

“Bullshit. Theron, you’re talking crazy. You can’t meet the mage king alone. You saw his power. You’d be walking into your own death.”

“I have no intention of dying.”

Sicily snapped, “What about Ryver?”

“And hello to you too, Sicily,” Theron said with dry humor.

“Cut the crap. You’re leaving Ryver alone to go play cops and robbers. What happens if you die? What happens to Ryver? She’s tied to your life.”

“I won’t die, and I think I should be insulted that you both think so little of my powers.”

Sicily sliced her hand across the air in a dismissive gesture. “Where’s Ryver? I want to hear what she has to say about all this. Put her on.”

“Ryver is sleeping.”

“Like hell. There’s no way she would sleep through something this big. What did you do to her? If you hurt her, so help me, I’ll kick your ass. Put her on now.”

Theron’s dark eyes bled to black to match his shoulder-length hair and the square goatee that covered his jaw. He moved closer to the communication spell. Lamon put his arm out to shield Sicily from what he knew was coming but a flick of Theron’s hand sent Lamon careening into the far wall of the cabin, pinned there and helpless.

Sicily squirmed as though trying to get out of someone’s hold, because she was. Theron had probably wrapped a binding spell around her.

Theron said with his voice full of menace, “You are new, Sicily, and have a lot to learn. But you will learn this one lesson quickly. No one commands me. I rule you, not the other way around. Do you understand me?”

Sicily squeaked with pain before nodding quickly. The power that held her released and she slumped forward with several gasping breaths. Lamon also found himself able to move. He was equal parts angry and happy Theron had bound him. If he hadn’t been bound, Lamon would have gone through the communication spell and beaten Theron for daring to harm Sicily.

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DETERMINED LOVER by Zenobia Renquist

DETERMINED LOVER by Zenobia Renquist

Caveat Emptor Book Six

Medusa must decide if dealing with the pain of her past is a fair price for loving the man who would be her future.

Medusa and Darius have escaped with their lives, but to where? The location is an unknown, like their relationship.

After nearly two hundred years apart, Darius is ready to move forward, but Medusa cannot reconcile her present self with the past she purposefully forgot.

Caveat Emptor -- Let the Buyer Beware.

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Caveat Emptor: Determined Lover
Zenobia Renquist
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2012 Zenobia Renquist

This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.


His breath was coming too fast... panting. She could barely feel his heart beating beneath her hand where it rested on his chest. His lean, muscled body was wracked with visible pain. Medusa knew Darius was dying despite his earlier denials.

She wouldn't let that happen. They had been reunited after nearly two centuries apart. Medusa had never thought such a thing possible, but she hadn't known about Darius's immortality. Or perhaps he wasn't immortal when they met. Whatever the case may be, his immortality hadn't come with invulnerability. The spell he'd cast to help them escape death at the hands of his cohorts had stressed his body to the breaking point.

Medusa had to save his life before she could think about reveling in their renewed relationship. Only a few things kept her from acting. First, neither of them had any clothing since they had fled capture after a round of getting re-acquainted sex. Second, Darius's escape spell had landed them on the side of a very high mountain with no path down. Medusa could jump it, but not with Darius in tow. She couldn't use a magical transport spell either. Transporting without knowing where she was or where she wanted to go had its own dangers, but the strain of more magic running through Darius's body might kill him.

That left the cave at their back as shelter against the elements and possible attack. She glanced over her shoulder at the wide opening of the cave. Her vampiric sight, able to pierce any darkness, couldn't make out the back of the cave, which meant it was deep. She couldn't tell if it was inhabited.

Darius wheezed before coughing. His cough had a watery sound and a coppery smell. He had blood in his lungs. She smoothed her hand through his kitten-soft hair in a soothing gesture. The motion calmed her as much as him. She loved petting his hair and watching the light shimmer off the scattered strands of blond and red combined with the brown. She wouldn't lose him.

Medusa didn't have time to worry about what dangers the cave held. She could handle any animal, no matter how big. She needed to get Darius to a safe, secure spot so she could help him recover.

She lifted him against her chest and rushed inside the cave.

"I should be carrying you," Darius whispered. He tried to laugh but it came out as a cough instead.

"You need to shut up and save your strength."

He grunted but didn't try to speak again.

Medusa carried him to the depths of the cave. It went back a fair distance. Good. That meant she would see any intruders long before they saw her. She expected Darius's cohorts any second. There was no way the mages would pass up recapturing an escaped vampire and a mage traitor.

Low growling from an animal stopped Medusa. She placed Darius on the ground behind her, propped against the cave wall, and then faced the oversized lump ahead of her -- the one she had mistaken for a rock a moment ago. It unfolded itself into a very large, very grumpy bear.

"Medusa."

"Quiet. I'll deal with this and then help you." She stayed close to the wall as she paced forward. A quick snap of her metal ring-covered, floor-length dreadlocks near the bear's head would frighten the animal into running from the cave.

She turned her head in a quick jerk while adding a small telekinetic push with her hand so one lock would hit the bear. Except it didn't. Her hair waved forward as though pushed by a breeze and then settled against her side once more. The usual sound of metal links clashing against one another was absent. That was when Medusa remembered her haircut at the time of her capture. The mage holding her had sheared off her hair at the roots and had taken great delight doing it.

The hair grew back in a matter of seconds, resuming its rope-like style as it grew, but the metal links she used to adorn her hair, turning it into twenty lethal chains the use of which she had honed over the last two hundred years, were gone. She had to come up with another method to deal with the bear, who had only grown more agitated with her movements.

She had vampiric speed and strength as well as sight in the inky darkness of the cave, but she didn't want to hurt the bear, only convince him to leave. Maybe a show of power would do it...

She rushed the bear. He smacked her with his paw, and she let the blow knock her to the ground. It was her turn to grunt when he brought his front legs down on her shoulders. The attack might have crushed a mortal, but she hadn't been mortal in a very long time. Sick as the bear was, she could easily have overpowered him, but instead she let him think he was winning.

He went for her neck, ready to rip her throat out, but she grabbed him in a tight hug. His teeth sank into her shoulder as he tried to pull free. She ignored that pain to see her plan through.

The bear had tasted her blood. She knew what that meant for a human -- a mental connection between them, and for the human, longer life, faster healing, and enhanced strength and speed. She only hoped the same held true for other mammals. "Hear me and understand."

The bear stilled. Medusa could smell fear again, but she didn't have time to reassure him. He could understand her. That was all she needed to know.

She loosened her hold. "Let me up."

He released her and jumped back.

She sat up and held her hand out to him. "You didn't hurt me. I did that so you could understand me." She wiggled her fingers at him. "Come here."

He looked at her one way and then the other before stepping forward so she could touch his head.

"Good boy. Good boy. You're a big, beautiful bear, aren't you?" She smiled when the bear grunted. "My friend and I only need shelter. That's all. We didn't mean to disturb you. Can we stay?"

She smiled when he licked her hand.

"Thank you." She gave his head a pat and then turned her attention back to Darius.

His was another heartbeat that didn't sound steady. Unlike the bear, she couldn't feed Darius her blood. Renewed relationship or not, he was still a mage. He might have helped her escape and professed to love her, but that love might not extend to sharing blood with a vampire. Besides, she had something better to share.

She returned to him and knelt at his side. "Darius?"

His odd eyes -- one blue and one brown -- looked at her, but they were unfocused. He tried to speak, but she covered his lips with her finger. She smiled when he kissed her finger.

"You aren't healing. You need power. Take it from me." She placed his hand over her left breast, above her heart.

Darius rasped, "Such beautiful breasts." His fingers twitched as though he would have squeezed the small yet pert mound but he didn't have that much strength.

"Yes, they're lovely. Now take the energy you need."

"Kill you. No." He pulled at his hand, but she held him.

"It won't kill me. I can die one hundred mortal deaths and still be fine. Take my energy, damn it. I won't lose you again. You said you wouldn't die. Have the centuries turned you into a liar?"

Darius sucked in a breath as he closed his eyes.

She thought he was breathing his last until she felt it. His power. He drew on her life force, pulling the energy through her body and into his own. The more he took, the better he got, but the weaker she felt.

The world turned fuzzy and then black. She really hated mortal death. She liked to avoid it at all costs. Only for Darius would she endure it this time.

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FORGOTTEN LOVER by Zenobia Renquist

FORGOTTEN LOVER by Zenobia Renquist

Caveat Emptor Book Five

Captured by mages, Medusa is more upset at her own weakness than the mages' idea of torture. Once free of them, she plans to slaughter them all.

Except, there is one mage who awakens long buried memories of desire from a past best left forgotten. She knows this man to the depths of her soul, but she and Darius are on opposite sides of a war that has raged for centuries.

It's more than her heart at stake if she gives in to her desires.

Caveat Emptor -- Let the Buyer Beware.

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Caveat Emptor: Forgotten Lover
Zenobia Renquist
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2011 Zenobia Renquist

This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.


The charm's magic might be strong, but she'd seen Theron fight it. If his will could overcome it, then so could hers.

"Get away from her!" That command was shouted by another mage who entered the room. The mage threw power at Medusa's captor, tossing the man against the far wall.

Her captor righted himself and lifted a glowing hand at his assailant. "You dare attack me, Darius?"

"Quincy, you are an idiot." Darius gestured to Medusa. "Look at her eyes."

Medusa managed enough control of her body so she glared at them both.

Quincy stared at her in shock. "That cannot be." He shook his head as though that would make everything better. "The charm is active. She should be nothing but a doll."

"She would have killed you the second you touched her. Obviously your magic isn't up to the task of containing her." Darius held up an envelope. "I'm willing to take her off your hands."

"How much?"

"Well over what you would get if you sold her through normal means." He tossed the envelope.

Quincy held out his hand and beckoned, making the envelope zip over to him. He thumbed through the contents. "You think your magic can overcome everything. Your arrogance will get you killed. Have her, then. When she disposes of you, I will laugh at your stupidity and take her back." Quincy left the room.

Darius watched the man go before facing Medusa. He sighed and shook his head. "Come, vampire." He turned and walked away.

Medusa didn't want to follow him. The charm overrode her senses again and made her walk. Rather than waste energy she might need later, she simply allowed the charm to function. Once night fell, she would have more freedom. She would leave this place, killing as many of the mages as she could in the process. Starting with the mage she followed.

This mage was shorter than she was by four inches. That would make him about five foot seven. He was lean, but she didn't mistake that for weakness. The way he moved spoke of a body trained for fighting. A martial art of some sort, possibly. Most mages were soft from depending on their magic for everything, but not this man.

Martial arts training would mean he had speed. Medusa remembered the way he had arced power at Quincy. The spell had moved quickly, not even allowing Quincy enough time to shield. This Darius might not have vampire speed but he would be a formidable opponent if Medusa didn't time her attack properly.

Some primal part of her cautioned her to be wary. The man walked with his back to her, knowing she could fight the power of the charm. That had to mean he didn't fear that she might attack him, because he knew his powers could overcome any attack she launched.

She sensed none of Quincy's stupidity in this man. That was dangerous. Darius stopped at a doorway, opened it, and then stepped back, waving her forward.

She walked to the middle of the room and then faced him. Now what? Would he continue what Quincy had started? If that was his plan, he better do it quickly. She could feel the sun moving across the sky. The man had less than two hours before sunset. She had no qualms about killing him mid-coitus if it meant she would be free.

He closed the door behind him before stripping off his floor-length mage cloak. The thick, black cloth fell to the floor with a soft thud. Darius rolled his shoulders and then his neck as though happy to be free of the burden. He said, "Now then."

Medusa readied herself to endure as he reached toward her. He touched the charm nestled at the base of her neck. A surge of power shot through her body and then he stepped back. "There."

What?

Medusa lifted her hands. Her movements were her own. Her body obeyed her, and she hadn't had to wait for sunset.

She looked at Darius, instantly on guard. "What are you doing? What trick is this?"

"No trick."

"You're the idiot you proclaimed Quincy to be if you think your magic is faster than me."

"Attack me if it pleases you." He backed away from her and sat on his bed, giving her an expectant look.

She didn't trust his open invitation. It was a trick of some kind. He had a magical trap waiting that would damage her as soon as she neared him. "No."

He raised a questioning eyebrow and looked amused. "Really? Such a pity."

"Are you hoping for death, mage? Is that why you brought me here?"

"Death? No. I hope for something else entirely." He stood and walked over to her. "You would have been wasted on Quincy. I make a much better partner."

With a speed that rivaled her own, Darius grabbed her to him and laid his lips on hers. She stared at him, too surprised to pull back or push him away. He ended the kiss and smiled at her. "You are as sweet as I remember."

"What? I don't know you."

"How cruel of you to say you don't remember me. I remember you quite well. You were so shy in those days."

She pushed away from him then. "What are you talking about? What days?"

"When you were human, Medusa." He nodded at her wide-eyed shocked expression.

"My name. How do you know my name?"

"You told it to me."

"You're human," she whispered. "You cannot have known me when I was human. That was back in the eighteen hundreds."

"I am a mage, Medusa. Not only am I a mage, I am a mage lord. Immortality is child's play to me."

She could only stare at him. A distant memory tickled the edges of her mind. A memory from her time as a weak, subservient human who had cowered at the sight of her own shadow. She hated remembering those days. She wasn't that woman any longer.

But this man... His face triggered those memories.

Odd eyes, one blue and one brown, held laughter and mischief in equal parts. His brown hair riddled with streaks of blond and red brushed his neck and the tops of his ears. Not enough to pull into a ponytail but enough for a lover to run her fingers through.

Medusa knew the softness of that hair. It was like petting a cat. Hair so fine should never top a human's head. At the time she had thought he was some wild beast that had taken human form.

She stumbled back a few steps, not believing the direction of her thoughts. It couldn't be. The man she had known in the past was human. The man before her was human too. But he said he possessed immortality. If that fact had been true then as well...

She rasped, "Lord Arundel?"

"The same, sweet Medusa." He bridged the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers once more. "I will remind you of what you have forgotten."

One part of her fought against the memories his kiss invoked while another part reveled in their return.


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CAVEAT EMPTOR: ANGUISHED LOVER by Zenobia Renquist

ANGUISHED LOVER by Zenobia Renquist

Caveat Emptor Book Four

To save their love, Sicily may have to sacrifice her life.

Sicily has volunteered to put herself on the front lines in the vampires' fight against the mages. Lamon has no choice but to go with her to keep her safe.

When the worst happens, Sicily has to find out just what she's willing to sacrifice to save the lives of her lover and her friends.

Caveat Emptor -- Let the Buyer Beware.

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Caveat Emptor: Anguished Lover
Zenobia Renquist
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2011 Zenobia Renquist

This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.


Sicily ran her hand over the tall end table situated next to her front door. She had picked out the three-legged, faux cherry wood piece because it matched her living room set. It had been in her house for the last five years, and yet she felt as though she were touching it for the very first time.

Everything around her felt familiar. At the same time, it all seemed like it didn't belong to her. It was a disconcerting feeling she could only attribute to having been away from home for nearly three months. It felt more like an entire lifetime since so much had happened.

It had all started with Sicily's best friend, Ryver, who had decided to purchase a vampire for home security. The man ended up breaking his bonds of servitude and whisking Ryver away to vampire territory. Meanwhile, those left behind, namely Sicily, thought Ryver had been killed like so many other owners of vampires who had gone rogue.

Fear of Ryver being dead was put to rest when Ryver contacted Sicily asking for help freeing Theron, Ryver's vampire lover, from his magical restraints. That put Sicily in the path of mages who wanted Theron dead and had decided to use Sicily to do it. They put her under a puppet spell that Sicily had yet to break.

A small smile curved Sicily's lips, and she glanced over her shoulder at Lamon, Theron's second-in-command and her lover. Lamon was over six feet of bronze Thai goodness with straight black hair that fell to the middle of his well-defined back. He normally looked stern and imposing, but she had seen that chiseled visage crumble into one of passion.

She and Lamon had spent two glorious weeks trapped in a cabin with only each other as company. A wonderful two weeks filled with explosive sex the likes of which Sicily had never felt before, and she'd had her fair share of lovers.

"Stop it," Lamon whispered against her neck as he circled his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his strong chest.

She said in a low, coy voice, "I'm not doing anything."

He drew his nose up the curve of her neck and then licked her pulse point. "You are thinking naughty thoughts. Your body is radiating the smell of your lust around the house and distracting us from our task."

Sicily peeked around Lamon at the five other people who had come home with her. Vampires from Theron's own personal army. Each of the men ranked amongst the strongest magic users of Theron's people, with Lamon as the most powerful of them all. They had to be. Theron had charged them with the task of capturing the mages who had used Sicily as an unwilling pawn in the plot to destroy Theron in his home.

The five men concentrated on separate points around the house. They were doing something magical that Sicily didn't understand, but which amounted to a capture spell meant to trap the mages when they sensed Sicily's return to her home and came to investigate.

None of the men paid the least bit of attention to Sicily. She shifted her hips side to side, rubbing against the bulge that was pressed against her ass. "The only person I'm distracting is you."

"I'm the only one that matters." Lamon cupped her breasts and rolled his fingers, massaging her D-cups through her shirt.

A tingling ache started in her pussy. "We just got here, and you're already acting like this." She scolded him lightly because she wanted him as much as he wanted her. The dampness of her panties was proof.

"Which way?"

She pointed to the door at the end of the hallway. Her bedroom.

Lamon lifted her against his chest and carried her there in the time it took her to blink. He kicked the door closed before walking her to the bed.

She asked as he laid her down, "What about the others?"

"Ignore them." Lamon knelt over her.

"They'll hear us."

"I don't care. In few moments, neither will you." He made a gesture, and their clothing disappeared. Lamon looked over her body with a hungry gaze.

Sicily smiled up at him as she drew her fingers over one nipple. She asked in a breathy voice, "Not sure where to start?" She shifted so her thigh rubbed against Lamon's hard shaft. "It's always best to start slow with a big meal so you can enjoy it fully until the last bite."

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PROVOKED LOVER by Zenobia Renquist

PROVOKED LOVER - Caveat Emptor Book Three by Zenobia Renquist

After an attack leaves Theron's allies scattered, Sicily finds herself in the care of Lamon, a vampire who looks like he would rather kill her than protect her.

The unlikely pair must become very close -- sexual energy is necessary to disrupt the spell the mages are using to track Sicily.

Emotions become confused as their bodies entwine. Sicily finds herself falling for a man she can't have... or can she?

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Caveat Emptor: Provoked Lover
Zenobia Renquist
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2011 Zenobia Renquist

This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.


Sicily stared at her phone in disbelief, not believing the number displayed on the caller ID.

Ryver.

She hadn't heard from Ryver in over a week. That was a big deal for Sicily because of the reports of vampires breaking free of their docility charms and then massacring their human masters. Ryver had purchased a vampire, despite Sicily's efforts to talk her best friend out of the purchase.

Sicily had never liked the idea of owning a vampire. It was too much like playing with matches while living in a house soaked with gasoline. She didn't care how safe the mages proclaimed the vampires to be once under the control of the docility charm. Some part of Sicily had always felt the charms would fail. Her worst fears had come true, and her first worry had been Ryver, who had staunchly refused to return her vampire. Only the promise of a daily phone call to assure Ryver's continued health had kept Sicily from dragging the vampire back to the mages herself.

Then one day, Ryver didn't call. Sicily could only keep her paranoia at bay twenty-four hours before she was on the phone with the cops. No trace of Ryver could be found, not even foul play. The cops said she had merely left and forgot to call. After a week of Sicily's incessant phone calls, the cops elevated Ryver's case to a missing person. Ryver was a vampire owner, so the cops and mages assumed she was dead and her body stuffed in an unmarked grave between here and the vampire territories.

Sicily refused to believe that. She couldn't believe that. Ryver had to be alive. The fact that her number was appearing on Sicily's cell proved it.

Sicily pushed the talk button. "Ryver?"

"Sissy!"

"Oh, God, Ryver. It's good to hear from you." Sicily felt happy tears spring to her eyes. Ryver was alive. Nothing else mattered except for that.

"I'm sorry, Sissy. I'm sorry. I should have called sooner and let you know I'm safe."

"Safe where? Where are you?"

There was a pause so long that Sicily thought the call had dropped. She pulled the phone from her ear and looked at the call status. It was still connected. "Ryver, are you still there?"

"I'm here. I'm with Theron in vampire territory."

All of Sicily's happy feelings stopped. She asked in a deadpan voice, "What?"

"Don't worry. I'm safe."

If Ryver had been standing in front of her, Sicily would have shaken the woman until some sense fell out. "Ryver, are you crazy? How can you think you're safe?" Sicily didn't mean to yell, but that was the only volume that would come out of her mouth.

"I am. Theron is with me."

"So what?"

"Sissy, there's something I didn't tell you before." Ryver sighed into the phone. "When the charms started failing, Theron's did too."

"I knew it. I knew it." Being right didn't make Sicily feel better. "What did he do to you?"

Again there was a long silence. Ryver made a surprised squeak before Sicily could think the call might have cut off. Sicily couldn't interpret the sound or guess what had caused it. "Ryver?"

"Anyway, I'm safe with Theron. I need your help, though."

"You want me to call the cops?" Sicily already had her hand on her landline phone. She had the detective assigned to Ryver's case on speed dial.

"No. Nothing like that. I need some way to remove Theron's charm."

The urge to shake Ryver returned. Sicily settled on squeezing the phone. "Why in the hell would you want to remove the docility charm? If it's still working, make him bring you home."

Sicily would have said more but the sudden appearance of five robe-clad men in her living room gave her pause. She looked at each of the men in turn. She tried to ask them what they were doing in her house but no sound left her lips. Several attempts ended with similar results.

The men's sudden appearance, and her inability to make any sound to alert Ryver or anyone else of this intrusion, panicked Sicily. She tried to scream. That didn't work, so she stopped after the first few seconds of nothing.

On the phone, Ryver said in a rush, "Sissy, I know this is all weird to you, and you probably don't believe me, but I'm perfectly safe with Theron. I want to set him free. I was hoping you could help. Didn't you say you dated a mage back in college?"

Sicily tried to tell Ryver that she had more pressing problems than Theron and his stupid docility charm. When her mouth still refused to make sound, she tried to end the call. Sicily thought Ryver was crazy for willingly consorting with a vampire -- and Sicily still had doubts about the willing part -- but Sicily wouldn't let the mages get her. Her fingers refused to move, which meant she couldn't push the end button or toss away the phone.

Ryver asked, "Sissy?"

Sicily found her mouth moving of its own accord. "I'm still here. Yes, I dated a mage in college, but I haven't talked to him since we broke up."

Those weren't her words. Sicily couldn't stop the words from being spoken or say more to warn Ryver that Sicily wasn't the one talking.

"Oh."

"I am friends with another mage, however. You're in luck, since he happens to be a vampire sympathizer."

"You never mentioned him before."

"You never mentioned your vampire was loose." Sicily wanted to snort at that flippant response. It was something she would actually say, and might have said if she had control of her mouth.

Ryver gave a dry laugh. "That's true."

"I'll give him a call, ask him about the charm and then call you back. Okay? You're going to stay by the phone, right?"

"Yes. I'll be right here. Thanks, Sissy."

"No problem. Bye." Sicily pushed the end button, again moving against her will.

Obviously the mages surrounding her were the culprits. She glared at the man standing directly in front of her.

He nodded to her and said, "I am Mage Lord Quincy. These other fellows are my associates. Your mention of removing the docility charm alerted us to you."

Sicily had heard rumors that the mages monitored the phones. Now she had proof. If she lived past this encounter, she would blast the Internet with the news.

Quincy said, "Your friend has been led astray by vampiric suggestion. We can help her."

"How?" Sicily gasped in surprise at being able to talk again. "I can talk."

One of the other mages said, "We had to command your voice and body for a short time. It was necessary to keep you from alerting your friend to our presence. The puppet spell is now ended."

Sicily snapped, "You shouldn't have done it at all."

Quincy said, "That is in the past. We plan to help your friend by rescuing her from the vampires." He twirled his hand, making a round jewel appear on his palm, and held it out to her. "This is what your friend requires to remove the docility charm. Once it is removed, it will transport you and your friend back here."

She didn't want to take it. No one had ever accused Sicily of being naÔve or gullible. She didn't believe for a second that these five mages had entered her house without permission, after spying on her conversation, just to help out Ryver and her vampire.

She stepped back while shaking her head. "Not going to happen."

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TRAPPED LOVER by Zenobia Renquist

TRAPPED LOVER by Zenobia Renquist

Caveat Emptor Book 2

Is Ryver up to the challenge of a charmed and deliciously dangerous lover?

Ryver knows she can never go home again. That's fine by her, since she's with Theron, the vampire she loves. Now living in vampire territory, she's learning more about Theron, and not all of it is good. The more she sees, the more she's convinced that the man she fell in love with, the man who can make her body sing with a single touch, might not be the man she thought he was.

Caveat Emptor -- Let the Buyer Beware.

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Caveat Emptor: Trapped Lover
Zenobia Renquist
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2011 Zenobia Renquist

This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.


Ryver could see her reflection in the gleaming marble floor beneath her feet. She usually liked to show off her dimples with a winning smile that made her dark brown eyes sparkle. At the moment, her expression was one of her muted disbelief edged with terror.

Her black, heat-straightened hair fell over her shoulders and acted like a curtain, hiding her from the view of those standing around. That was a good thing because the blood leaving her face made her normally chestnut brown skin look ashen. Even wearing her charcoal, pinstriped blouse with matching calf-length skirt didn't make her feel appropriately dressed enough to be standing in this grand house.

To her knowledge, she had never seen marble flooring before. Not real marble. She'd seen laminate and tile made to look like marble, but not the real thing. No place she shopped could afford to carry such high-end merchandise.

Everything in the mansion -- from the gold-etched archways to the crystal chandeliers dangling high above her head -- looked custom made. Theron hadn't struck her as such an extravagant man. But then what did she really know about him?

It wasn't like they'd done much talking over the past month. He had pretended to be under the spell of a docility charm during the day, obeying her every command and being the perfect helper. At night, he turned into a very attentive and vigorous lover.

Their schedule hadn't left much room for talking or else she might have learned that he was nobility of some kind. She could only guess he was nobility since the twenty or so vampires kneeling at his feet with their heads bowed had called him lord.

She looked around at the circle of vampires surrounding her and Theron. Each had dropped to one knee in greeting once she and Theron arrived. Ryver hadn't been expecting such a reception.

She hadn't been expecting any reception at all. But, what had she expected when she agreed to let Theron whisk her away to vampire territory?

It was stupid and risky. She'd been swept up in the moment and not thinking right. She had to get Theron to take her home. Even if the mages were waiting to arrest her, she could tell them Theron had her under some kind of spell and that's why she had lied to them.

Vampires knew hypnosis, right? She'd heard something to that effect from somewhere. Even if she hadn't, Theron had used some sort of magic to teleport them to his home in a matter of seconds. If he could do that, then surely he could hypnotize people.

It struck her as odd and scary that her convenient excuse sounded genuine.

Could he have hypnotized her into doing what he wanted? It would explain why she had been so reluctant to obey the mandatory recall sent out to all vampire owners and return Theron to the mages. The sex was good, but getting laid wasn't worth her safety.

She looked up at Theron. Since her head only reached his shoulders, that meant tilting her head back. As usual, her gaze went to his goatee first. It was perfectly trimmed into a ninety-degree angled black box around his mouth and chin. Since a vampire's appearance didn't change from the moment they became a vampire, Theron's goatee would always appear perfectly trimmed. Even if it was cut off, it would grow back exactly the same in a matter of seconds.

That also meant he didn't have to work out to keep his lightly tanned, muscled body looking so perfect. With his black hair falling around his shoulders in soft waves, he looked like he should be on the cover of a men's magazine -- fashion or athletics didn't matter, since he could do both with ease.

She was too plain to be standing next to him. She kept herself in a size eight by exercising fanatically and watching her diet. What did a man who looked as good as him want with her?

Theron smiled down at her, showing his fangs in the process. "There's no need to be so scared, Ryver. No one will hurt you."

He cupped the side of her head and brushed his thumb over her cheek. His hand cradled her entire head, reinforcing the height and strength difference between them. And she, like an idiot, had let him bring her into a nest of people who could break her into tiny pieces with one hand and no effort.

She said in a small voice, "I should go back to my place."

"You aren't safe there..."

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CHARMED LOVER by Zenobia Renquist

CHARMED LOVER - Caveat Emptor Book One by Zenobia Renquist

Caveat Emptor - let the buyer beware...

Ryver is one of the many humans who owns a vampire. She purchased Theron for home security. When the magic charms keeping the vampires docile and subservient suddenly start failing, Theron goes from protector to threat. A nationwide, mandatory recall of all vampires is in effect. Ryver is ready to comply, but a night of passion spent in Theron's arms changes her mind.

It's only a matter of time before someone figures out Ryver and Theron's secret. With the threat of mages bearing down on them, Ryver has to decide if she's willing to give up her lover - or her freedom.

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Caveat Emptor: Charmed Lover
Zenobia Renquist
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2011 Zenobia Renquist

This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

Ryver came awake with a startled scream. The man touching her inner thigh moved his hand higher. She struggled against him and tried to get away but he had hold of her ankle.
"Theron!"

"Here."

She froze. In the darkness she could just make out Theron's features on the man attacking her. The glint of something red at Theron's throat caught her eye.

The docility charm was red.

It had failed.

The complete horror of that realization kept her paralyzed.

Theron smiled at her, flashing his fangs in the dim light. "I do believe you asked what I would do to you if I were free. Shall I show you, Ryver?" He used her ankle and pulled her closer to him.

Fear kept her from answering or even trying to escape.

The charm had failed.

Theron was loose.

She should have taken him back. She shouldn't have trusted some stupid green glow over her common sense. She should never have gotten him in the first place.

Theron leaned into her. Only then did she try to move away.

She pushed at Theron's face and kicked her free leg, hoping to hit something sensitive. He still had one of her ankles trapped in his grip, and her body was half pinned beneath his, though he braced most of the weight on his other hand which was planted firmly on the bed next to her waist. Her struggles didn't faze him. Theron chuckled as he continued his descent. His mouth was aimed for her throat.

He planned to bleed her dry.

At least it wouldn't be a painful death.

She hoped.

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