"C'mon, Lys. You always tell me your secrets. I never spill them to Marius."

Elysia winced at the mention of their older brother. The last thing she needed was for Marius to find out about the flowers. Not that Colin would tell. She always confided in him and he always kept it to himself. If not for Colin, she probably would have died of stress years ago. She had difficulty keeping her emotions bottled up inside her. This time, what bothered her was something Marius would want to know... and exploit. And since it was something intensely personal, Elysia didn't want Marius to have even the tiniest inkling.

"Lock the door," she muttered grimly, turning the small cream-colored envelope over in her hands. She recognized the florist. They were the best in the county. "I can't have Marius walk in on this conversation." Colin shot out of his chair with lightning fast reflexes that were a blur to human eyes.

Fortunately, Elysia was no more human than Colin. In the blink of an eye, he returned to his chair, his mouth quirked in a grin that showed off the white points of his fangs. He must really be excited to hear her gossip if his fangs were out.

"So where were you last night?" he asked. "Is it related to the flowers?"

Elysia nodded. "I went to the Undertaker's Ball."

Colin's dark blue eyes widened. "You're s.h.i.tting me. You really went to that thing?"

She sighed and ran a hand through her long honey blonde hair. "Yes. Marius bugged me about it for a solid week. I agreed to go just to get him off my back. I don't know why he couldn't have sent you. I'm sure you would have enjoyed it much more than me. You like dressing up on Halloween."

Colin laughed. "Of course, I do. I find it ironic to dress as Dracula or Nosferatu on Halloween.

Last night, I did Nosferatu. I was scarier than Max Schreck, but that skull cap thing itched. And I had trouble getting the makeup off."

Elysia c.o.c.ked an eyebrow up as her brother ruffled his dark blonde curls. She noticed tiny little bits of latex and glue in his hairline along with faint smudges of grey white makeup. "You've still got some on your face. Go upstairs and use that stuff Callie has in the prep room," she said.

"That will take it off."

Colin nodded absently, his envious eyes on her coffee cup. "Yeah, I planned on it, but I had to stop here first to find out where you disappeared to last night. It's not like you to miss my Halloween party." He shook his head. "I can't believe you went to the Undertaker's Ball. For one, it's an industry thing. You don't like industry events. For another, I can't believe you caved in to Marius. You never do."

"I know. I know. Believe me; I hadn't intended to give in." Elysia sat back in her chair, placing her hands flat on the leather blotter on her desk. She stared at her long fingers for a moment, their plain unadorned expanse, short oval nails, uncolored, unexciting... except that last night they had been excited... in a frenzy of touching...

She jerked her mind away from those thoughts and looked up, meeting her brother's eyes.

"Declan Antaeus was there." She said the words casually and watched her brother's eyes widen.

"Really?" Colin sat forward a little. "Did he talk to you about business? Marius said he's been angling for a meeting for six months."

"We didn't talk about work much," she mumbled, thinking they hadn't talked much at all.

"So what did you go as?"

Elysia rolled her eyes. "Elvira. I know, I know. Predictable and boring, but you should have seen Declan. He was worse."

Colin began to laugh. "Oh, no. He didn't. Tell me he didn't."

Elysia nodded. "He did. It was an obvious choice for a man of his height, but still, coming as the Grim Reaper was totally predictable and dull." She smiled at her brother as she recalled Declan stalking through the crowds dressed in the long black robe. "He was the only Reaper too."

Colin snorted derisively. "Of course. Everyone else had more creative costumes, didn't they?" "Yes. He and I were probably the most boring costumes there, barring Alfred in a white sheet," she told him with a reminiscent smile.

"You're kidding. Alfred Stone wore a white sheet?" Colin's eyes danced with laughter at the thought of the head of the Funeral Director's Guild dressed as a ghost in a plain white sheet.

"He did. And he had that same shiny black suit on underneath. You know, the one you call his undertaker's suit."

The two of them laughed at the old-fashioned way of dressing that Alfred Stone of Stone Mortuary Services had cultivated. Alfred was a techie. He loved all things technology based, but when it came to clothes, he always looked like an undertaker from 1900. Elysia usually loved talking to Alfred because she was the computer geek at Granville Cemetery and they had a lot in common. However, she didn't like industry events. At least, not since she'd been rather spectacularly dumped by Alfred's brother Austin at the Darkworld's annual Funeral Director's convention three years ago. That experience taught her that the immortal world was just as hungry for gossip as the human world. Their hunger meant no one ever forgot the most humiliating and painful moment of her life.

Colin let out a sigh, his eyes meeting Elysia's. "So the tulips are from Declan Antaeus?"

"I think so." She opened the card that lay on her desk.

You are so much more beautiful than these flowers, but the texture of their petals reminded me of your skin. Dinner tonight? You and me and that gorgeous skin of yours...

I'll call you.

Declan Elysia sucked in a shaky breath. The man definitely had a way with words. Her heart pounded so hard that she wondered if Colin could hear it.

He stared at her with an arrested expression. "Holy s.h.i.t, Lys. Don't tell me you slept with Declan Antaeus!" he said in a low, astonished voice.

Her lips tightened in annoyance. "Okay, I won't."

Colin flopped back in his chair, his expression concerned. "What possessed you to do such a thing?"

"Oh, I dunno, Colin. Hormones?" she quipped, her words just a touch angry. Her irritation grew. Colin acted as if she'd done something completely out of character. Declan Antaeus wasn't the first man she'd had a one night stand with, and he probably wouldn't be the last either.

Although, as far as Colin knew, he was the first man she'd been with since Austin had dumped her three years before. Maybe that was what had Colin's briefs in a bunch. Luckily, the two other quick encounters she'd had in the last year hadn't been with anyone her brothers knew. "Declan is a good looking man," she admitted with a nonchalant shrug.

"He's a freaking shifter, Lys. A dragon. Not one of us." Colin's words were exasperated.

She gave him a sour look from her violet eyes. "I never realized what a prejudiced sn.o.b you are," she said stiffly, still wondering where her brother's weird att.i.tude came from. She'd never noticed that he disliked dragons before. Colin ran a hand through his hair, ruffling the golden curls. "I'm not! I swear I'm not. It's just that Marius has this f.u.c.ked up notion that the reason Declan wants to meet with him is that Antaeus International intends to suck us up."

Elysia's eyes widened in surprise. Antaeus International was a huge conglomerate. They bought all of the little mom and pop mortuary and cemetery operations they could get their hands on. Afterward, they turned them all into highly profitable cremation based ventures.

Granville Cemetery was very old and catered to the elite in the vampire world. They offered cremation, but vampires tended to not go that route. There was something about being reduced to a pile of ash that vamps didn't care for. They were influenced by too many cheesy movies about the undead, Elysia thought wryly.

"So Marius thinks AI is after us?" she asked aloud.

Colin nodded. "He said the only reason Declan would want a meeting is because AI wants to buy us out."

Her brother frowned ferociously. Obviously, Colin didn't favor the idea of being bought out.

She didn't either, but unlike Colin, who rarely stuck his head into anything related to financials, she knew that the company's fiscal strength would withstand any buyout attempt by AI. However, she now wondered if Declan's plans for Granville Cemetery had fueled his easy acquiescence to her come on last night. She bit her lip.

Colin, seeing her expression and knowing her better than anyone, leaned forward and grabbed her hand. "I'm sure that's not why he slept with you, Lys," he said gently. "Every man in the Funeral Director's Guild, married or single or gay, wants to f.u.c.k you."

Elysia smiled. Colin exaggerated, but not by much unfortunately. It was one of the reasons Marius dealt with industry stuff instead of her, even though finance was her area. The fact that men didn't take her business ac.u.men seriously had always been annoying in the past. For some reason, last night at the Undertaker's Ball, she just hadn't cared. She'd wanted to find someone who could take away the ache in her gut and Declan Antaeus fit the bill perfectly. Now, however, she had to figure out what to do about him. Obviously, he wanted to continue on from where they'd left off, but Elysia just wanted to forget it happened.

"It's hard to fake a hard on," she joked. "I'm pretty sure he wasn't thinking about mergers last night."

Colin let go of her hand and sat back, looking at the tulips. "Did you go to his place?"

Elysia made a face. "Yeah, after the first time."

Her brother's eyes registered shock. "Don't tell me you f.u.c.ked him in the cemetery, Lys.

That's just... just..."

"Too Halloween-ish even for you?" Elysia's expression turned wry.

"Well, yeah." Colin let out a deep sigh. "I know you don't listen to my advice very often, but Lys, have you thought about what you're getting into here? Declan Antaeus isn't the kind of guy you just have fun with."

"No worries, Colin. I'm not seeing him again."

Now, Colin gazed at her stupefied. "You're completely off your rocker, Elysia. You want a one nighter, but you pick up the man least likely to be interested in one? On top of that, the man is interested in buying us out. He's ruthless, dear sister, with a reputation for always getting what he wants. And you've now stepped right into his cross hairs. This is not going to go well."

Elysia bit back a sigh. She had a bad feeling that Colin was right. She glanced down at the card again and suppressed a shiver. She looked up into Colin's worried midnight blue eyes. She loved him to death, but she needed to think without the distraction of his questions and concerns. She pushed the vase of tulips toward him.

"Put that in the small visitation room," she ordered.

"That old vamp is in there. The one with no family." Colin's voice sounded puzzled.

"Exactly. No one sent any flowers. He pre-paid for his visitation and service and no one's come. Put the flowers in there. It won't look so sad then," she explained.

Her brother got up and picked up the vase. "You're making a big mistake with Declan Antaeus," he warned her as he strode to the door.

"You have no idea what I'm going to do, Colin."

Colin snorted in disgust. "Doesn't matter what you do. It's all a mistake. There is no winning with a man like him. Mark my words."

After Colin left, Elysia spun around in her chair, to gaze out the window at the expanse of green gra.s.s marked with upright tombstones. She didn't want to replay the night before, but after her conversation with Colin it was inevitable...

To read more, purchase Shifting Winds now at Pink Petal Books...

http://www.pinkpetalbooks.com/index.php?/Lex-Valentine/Shifting-Winds-by-Lex- Valentine.html

And the next book in the series...

Tales of the Darkworld Book 2: Hot Water By Lex Valentine Available Now from Pink Petal Books http://www.pinkpetalbooks.com/index.php?/Lex-Valentine/Hot-Water-by-Lex- Valentine.html

Chapter One.

Eden walked into Carpe Noctem wearing a short black dress and thigh high boots. The outfit, along with her long s.h.a.ggy 'scene' haircut, made her seem nearly as young as the crowd that filled the trendy vampire themed nightclub. In truth, as an immortal, she looked younger than her actual years, appearing to be in her late twenties. Her tight, s.e.xually provocative clothing had been chosen to aid the illusion of youth.

Trolling was tough business. Eden knew this from experience. With throngs of beautiful young things packing the clubs, finding someone to f.u.c.k could be a major undertaking if you didn't do something to set yourself above all the other immortals. Everyone wanted to get laid and available partners could be in short supply, especially when it came to vanilla s.e.x. Despite what her older brother Sean thought, she figured her luck would hold better in the vampire bar than the ones she usually frequented. The cheesy vampire paraphernalia, the coffins, stakes and bats couldn't disguise the club's sophistication or fun factor. A sea of people, mostly humans dressed as vampires and true immortal Acerbian vampires, filled the club. Proving Sean wrong when he said the "Queen of Kink" would never go to Carpe Noctem, would give her immense satisfaction.

Ignoring the snarl that begged to get out whenever she thought of her elder brother, Eden turned toward the neon lit bar. She needed a drink before she contemplated the choice of partners offered by the club's patrons. As she elbowed herself a s.p.a.ce at the end, her nose twitched. The scent of vanilla filled her senses, and her dragon suddenly itched to break free. Holy s.h.i.t. Who the h.e.l.l would walk into a social meat market smelling so innocent?

The smell came from her right. She wriggled in the tight quarters, trying to turn. Based on the sweet scent, she expected to see a woman. Instead, she found a tall man with midnight blue eyes smiling down at her.

"You just go right on trying to move," he quipped. "I'm enjoying it tremendously."

Eden's eyes narrowed. Every time she moved, her body rubbed up against his. Her hip dug into his groin and she could feel a slight telltale swelling there. Despite the fact that the man smelled all girly like a sugar cookie, the bulge held promise. She sniffed again. Sweet smelling.

Smiling easily. No display of arrogance. A mellow and amused expression, eyes dancing with humor. Beta. He had to be. Her dragon stretched inside her, urging her to take him.

"Oh, really?" She raised one brow and wriggled against him again. The size of the ridge against her hip increased. Oh, yeah. He just might work out after all, she thought as she realized his more than adequate proportions weren't fully erect yet.

He nodded, his dark blue eyes gleaming as they raked over her from the top of her raven head to the tips of her designer boots. "Of course, we'd both enjoy it a lot more naked in my bed,"

he told her candidly.

Eden's pupils elongated as Blue Eyes roused her dragon. The scent of vanilla intensified.

"You don't believe in wasting time, I see." She turned, deliberately rubbing against him, breast to chest. In her boots, she almost matched his height.

He quirked a dark blond brow at her. "And you do? You can't tell me that the dragon in you isn't clawing to get at my c.o.c.k."

Eden began to smile. He might not be a dragon, but he obviously knew them intimately.

Good. One less thing she'd have to train him on. "You're a bold young thing, aren't you?"

He laughed. "I'm not as young as you think." His smile revealed vampire fangs. She pondered the fangs for a moment. People often pretended to be vampires at Carpe Noctem. He could well be one of the wannabes. After all, she'd never met a vampire who smelt of vanilla before. Usually, the real ones smelled of blood. He didn't smell like a human either though. That vanilla scent masked his true nature and it annoyed her a little.

He shifted his hips against her and the hard ridge of his c.o.c.k b.u.mped against her belly. Her dragon poked her with its claws. Her thong grew damp as she rubbed against his erection. She finally decided he must be a real immortal, an Acerbian vampire.

"I just have a feeling I'm older than you. Indulge me," she said. "I like being a cougar." She reached down and boldly stroked the front of his jeans.

His engaging smile widened. "I'll be teacher's pet, I promise," he joked.

Her eyes narrowed. "Not a bad game. Have you been bad today? Do you need a spanking?"

As the words fell from her lips, she could have kicked herself. Tonight was supposed to be about vanilla s.e.x, not toys or fetishes. However, the blond man just shrugged. "I'd rather just f.u.c.k you. All that other c.r.a.p isn't necessary for me. As you can tell, I'm pretty much good to go."

His eyes gleamed preternaturally, answering her earlier questions about his status as an immortal. One hand cupped the side of her face, the long elegant fingers sliding into her dark hair. Angling his head toward hers, he dropped a quick kiss on her lips. An electric tingle went through Eden's body and her dragon came rushing to the surface of her skin.

When he deepened the kiss, parting her lips with his tongue, she sighed into his mouth. His free hand slid over her hip and curved over her taut b.u.t.tock. She rubbed herself against him again as that sugar cookie scent grew stronger. Lifting her arms, she draped them over his broad shoulders, feeling the hard muscle and bone beneath his silk shirt. He sucked on her tongue and heat pooled deliciously between her thighs. G.o.ds, he was hot!

"You know, at your ages, you should really get a room," a snarky voice spoke behind Eden.

The blond man lifted his head, his expression tinged with annoyance that only lasted a moment. Recognition bloomed in the midnight blue depths of his eyes and his lips twitched into a smile.

"Hey, I know you. You're..."

"Karl with a K... that elf with the internet gossip show... yeah, yeah," the elf said with a sarcastic laugh. "Everyone knows me, kid. Especially here."