"No," she denied with a shake of her head. "It was a gift."

"Ah. From an admirer?"

"Actually it came from a gypsy."

"A gift from a gypsy." His fingers brushed over the amulet and Jocelyn gave a small jerk at the tiny p.r.i.c.kles that seemed to come from the warm metal. "Is it blessed?"

Feeling rather foolish, she gave a lift of one shoulder. "If you believe in such things."

He held her gaze for a moment. "Oh, I believe, as should you. Such a blessing can be a powerful force against evil."

There was something in his tone, some dark quality that made Jocelyn feel a shadow fall over her. "Evil?"

His features became stark, the golden eyes darkened with some inner thought.

"It exists, make no mistake about that, my dove," he warned in husky tones. "And it is closer than you ever dreamed possible."

She shuddered at the words. "What on earth do you mean?"

"You must take great care. A shadow moves through London."

Jocelyn briefly thought of poor Molly and the note that had been left in her dead hand. A p.r.i.c.k of dread touched deep in her heart.

"Are you attempting to frighten me?"

Easily able to sense her rising anxiety, Mr. Valin allowed his distracting smile to return.

"No, I only offer a warning. Keep the amulet close to you and give it to no one. It might very well save your life."

Jocelyn stilled at his soft words. It seemed impossible that he would echo almost precisely the same warning as the old woman.

"That is what the gypsy told me. Do you know something of this amulet?" she demanded in suspicion.

"Perhaps." His voice lowered and his accent was more noticeable as his fingers stroked over her skin. "But at the moment I am more interested in my prize."

Jocelyn was w.ell aware that he was deliberately attempting to distract her. Unfortunately he was succeeding all too well. She could think of nothing beyond the delicious feel of his touch.

"Mr. Valin..."

"Let me see," he teased softly. "We have ruled out money and trinkets. What do you have left to offer?"

"Nothing."

The golden eyes abruptly flared with undisguised desire. "Do not be so certain. There is always this ..."

His words trailed away as he slowly lowered his head. Jocelyn knew beyond a doubt he was going to kiss her. Just as she knew that he was giving her ample opportunity to halt him if she so desired. But even as her hands lifted to press against his chest, her lips were parting in an undeniable invitation.

She wanted him to kiss her, she dizzily acknowledged. Despite all logic. Despite all the warnings clamoring in the back of her mind. Despite all the betrayal she had endured. She wanted to know the feel of his mouth against her own.

Keeping her gaze entangled with his own, he continued downward, at last touching her lips in a tender kiss. Jocelyn's breath caught at the soft caress. It was enchanting. Astonishing. Magical. With gentle care he explored her mouth, urging her to soften against the welcome hardness of his large form.

Warm, sweet pleasure flooded through her, making her knees weak and her head spin. How easy it would be to lose herself in such delicious sensations.

Far too easy.

With a gasp she pulled back to regard him with a guarded unease. "No. Please, do not."

The golden eyes smoldered beneath his lowered lashes. "Do my kisses offend you?"

Offend her? They nearly set her on fire with longing, she reluctantly acknowledged.

"It is not proper," she rasped.

"That was not what I asked. Do you dislike my touch?" he persisted.

"I... I wish to go to my chambers."

"Answer me, Jocelyn." He put a finger beneath her chin, forcing her to meet his relentless gaze. "The truth."

"I do not want to feel this," she whispered.

His lips twitched with rueful humor. "I, on the other hand, could not be more delighted."

Without warning he swooped down to brush a kiss over her forehead. "Now run along to your chambers, my dove. We will begin our game again tomorrow."

Jocelyn did not hesitate.

The moment he shifted aside she was swiftly crossing the room and rushing out the door. It was not until she was safely in her chambers that she at last took a deep breath.

Dear heavens. She had been right. Mr. Valin was dangerous. Perhaps the most dangerous gentleman she had ever encountered.

Lucien watched Jocelyn's hurried departure with a rueful smile. He had not wished to allow her to escape so easily. He had not wanted to allow her to escape at all. Not when he had felt her shiver with longing beneath his touch.

In the silken night his long-denied pa.s.sions shimmered with incandescent heat. Even now he could still smell the warm scent of her skin and feel the satin of her lips. A tremor raced through him.

Miss Jocelyn Kingly was proving a temptation that he was finding more and more difficult to resist. Only the memory of the stark loneliness in those beautiful eyes kept him from charging down the hall and carrying her off to his cramped garret.

She needed a friend and a savior, he sternly reminded himself. Her danger was all too real.

Not only from Amadeus and his henchmen, but also from the brittle wounds that she harbored deep within.

He sucked in a deep breath.

A friend and savior. His pa.s.sions would have to wait.

Lucien moved across the room to pour himself a gla.s.s of the brandy he had brought from the hotel. He allowed the fiery spirit to slowly slide down his throat as he appreciated the smoky flavor. Perhaps not as satisfying as pa.s.sions of the flesh, but certainly worthy of enjoyment, he attempted to console himself.

He polished off the last of the brandy as he aimlessly strolled back toward the chessboard.

His smile returned as he recalled Jocelyn's astonishment at having been bested. Tomorrow he would challenge her to a game of cribbage, he decided with a flare of antic.i.p.ation.

And for his prize ... well, another kiss was certainly tempting, but so was the thought of nuzzling that slender neck or tasting the inner skin of her arm.

His fingers tightly clenched the gla.s.s. The dangerous heat once again threatened to rise.

Lucien closed his eyes with a faint sigh. He possessed an unsettling premonition that this restless ache was destined to haunt him for many nights to come.

Deciding that another brandy was definitely in order, Lucien moved back toward the sideboard. Lost in his thoughts, he was unprepared when the peaceful silence was shockingly pierced by a sudden scream. Pausing only long enough to slip the dagger from beneath his coat, he was charging from the room and sweeping up the stairs in a blur of movement.

The upper corridor was shrouded in shadows, but his vampire sight made it easy to detect Jocelyn backing from the open door of her chamber, her hand pressed to her mouth.

He charged forward, reaching her side in a mere beat of a heart.

"Jocelyn, what is it?" he demanded, his gaze swiftly ensuring that she had not been injured.

Wide-eyed, she turned to face him, not seeming to notice he had managed to reach her side far more swiftly than humanly possible.

"In my room," she breathed in unsteady tones. "I saw someone creeping beside the bed."

"Remain here," he commanded, not hesitating as he stepped forward.

He was brought to an abrupt halt as she reached out to firmly grasp his arm.

"No. We should call for the Watch," she said, her expression one of concern.

He could not halt a faint smile. Although he did not sense the presence of Amadeus in the house, he was quite certain that it must be one of his In-scrolled servants. A poor human beneath such a powerful spell would be a dangerous foe. They would fight without concern for their own welfare and to the death if necessary. Far too dangerous for the Watch.

"There is no time, my dove," he said softly.

Her eyes darkened even as her fingers clutched into his arm. "But he might be dangerous."

"Not nearly dangerous as I."

"Mr. Valin..." Her words trailed away as she gazed into the grim determination etched onto his countenance. Clearly she sensed that he was not to be swayed.

"Believe in me, Jocelyn," he said, covering her hand with his own. "I shall not fail you."

Their gazes met for a silent moment in the shadows, and then she gave a small nod of his head. Lucien felt his heart swell at her ready faith in him.

"Stay here," he commanded yet again, turning to swiftly move across the corridor and into the dim room.

Scanning the small chamber, he located the shadowed form crouched beside the bed. He kept the dagger held low as he silently slipped over the rough wooden boards. Even without his heightened senses he would have been able to locate the miserable servant. Locked in the spell of Inscrollment, the man was slowly rotting from the inside. The smell was nearly overwhelming as Lucien neared.

Perhaps sensing he was no longer alone, the servant awkwardly turned to confront the approaching vampire. His eyes were blank and his lips slack as he faced certain death without fear.

"The woman," he spat out in slurred tones. "Pretty necklace. Pretty necklace."

Lucien discovered himself hesitating. What could Amadeus be thinking? Even if the mindless servant managed to force the Medallion from Jocelyn, it would be powerless. Nefri had bound the artifact to the maiden, and it must be given freely. To steal it would forsake all he had hoped to gain.

"The woman." The man moved forward, suddenly revealing the short but deadly sword he clutched in his hand. "Necklace."

Lucien carefully backed out of reach of the sword. He was an Immortal, but that did not mean he could not be injured, or even knocked unconscious, leaving Jocelyn at the mercy of this soulless man.

"Be gone with you," he ordered in stern tones. "You shall not be allowed to have the woman."

"Pretty necklace," he rasped, moving relentlessly forward. Realizing that he had no choice but to rid the house of the dangerous intruder, Lucien backed toward the center of the room, where he would have more s.p.a.ce to maneuver. Thankfully the man eagerly followed his path, not realizing his danger. Keeping his gaze upon the sword, Lucien feinted with his dagger, leaving himself seemingly open to attack. As expected, the intruder lunged forward for the kill, unprepared for Lucien to swiftly vault to one side and come at him from behind.

Locking his powerful arms about the man, Lucien heaved him off his feet. Then, ignoring the muted struggles and offensive smell, he carried him toward the open window and tossed him through. There was a dull thud as the man hit the ground below. Astonishingly, however, he was swiftly upon his feet and scrambling toward the nearby alley.

Lucien was preparing to slip out and follow the servant back to Amadeus, when he heard Jocelyn suddenly cry out.

"Lucien."

As he hesitated, he felt an unexpected pain bite deep into his shoulder.

Cursing his foolish inattention, he spun around to discover yet another servant standing with the sword that had been dropped.

Blast himself for a fool. He had been so intent upon the intruder, he had not suspected that another hovered out of sight. A near-catastrophic a.s.sumption. His lack of wits could easily have allowed Jocelyn to be harmed. The mere thought sent an icy chill through his blood.

Ignoring the blood he could feel flowing from his wound, he clutched the dagger and waited for the servant to attack. It took only a moment as the man gave a mindless growl and heedlessly charged forward.

It was a simple matter for Lucien to dip low as the villain reached him, grasping the fool by the legs and neatly tossing him through the window.

On this occasion he managed to keep his wits about him, and rather than watching the servant plunge to the ground, he maintained a close guard on the room.

Against a far wall he could see the frightened form of Jocelyn, but there were no other shadows in the cramped chamber. Slipping toward the bed, he carefully ensured that there was no one hidden beneath and then moved to search the narrow armoire.

At last convinced that they were indeed alone, he slipped the dagger beneath his jacket and heaved a rueful sigh.

"They are gone."

As if some spell had been broken, Jocelyn gave a low cry and abruptly charged forward.

"Oh, Mr. Valin ... Lucien ... are you harmed?"

He grimaced as he carefully kept his injured shoulder turned away. This maiden was certain to question how he was capable of receiving a deep sword wound and healing within a few hours.

"Only a trifling scratch, and only because of my own foolishness," he a.s.sured her wryly. "I was so intent upon impressing you with my skill that I blundered into forgetting there might be a second villain. Thank goodness he was as inept as his partner."

His light words were greeted by a lingering frown of concern. "You are certain you are not in need of a doctor?"

"Absolutely certain."

"At least it must be cleaned," she persisted.

Although pleased by her obvious concern, Lucien realized he needed a distraction. He could not allow her to examine the wound. Already the bleeding had halted and the flesh was beginning to weave a smooth bond.

"I will tend to it later." Firmly he moved to gaze out the open window, not at all surprised to discover that the second villain had disappeared as well. The Inscrolled slaves would be indifferent to any injury, no matter how grievous, in an effort to return to their master. His attention moved to the iron pipe that ran close to the window from the gutters above. That no doubt explained how the intruders managed to enter the house undetected.