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  LUSTY CHARMS: INVICTUS

  An Ellora’s Cave publication written by

  LANI AAMES

  Warning:

  The following material contains strong sexual content meant for mature readers. LUSTY CHARMS: INVICTUS has been rated NC17, erotic, by three individual reviewers. We strongly suggest storing this electronic file in a place where young readers not meant to view this ebook are unlikely to happen upon it. That said, enjoy…

  Chapter One

  Invictus Cross stopped short when he reached his desk. The small box, wrapped in shimmering pearlescent white paper and tied with a big silver bow, stood out like a beacon of hope in the dark, dank, desolate dungeon that was his domain.

  Black eyes narrowing beneath a fall of shaggy black hair, Invictus scowled as he circled the desk and watched the package. It didn't move or make a sound or otherwise reveal its contents. There was no indication of where it had come from or who had sent it. His name was scripted across the top and only a woman could have mastered the fanciful calligraphy with its graceful sweeps and flourishes.

  Invictus halted on the far side of the desk, and it was as if ice water trickled down his spine. No, it couldn't be from her…DeMonica Dark, witch turned warlock. The fear he'd known at her hands and thought he'd vanquished now returned with a vengeance. He broke into a cold sweat.

  Nostrils flaring in determination, his dominant hand leapt out, the first two fingers flicking outward. The package exploded in a shower of sparks then briefly burst into flame before disintegrating into ash. Invictus closed his eyes and willed the fear away. He would not let her, or even the memory of her, threaten his sanity again.

  Never again.

  Slinging one side of the voluminous black cape over his other shoulder, he wiped the cold beads from his pale brow and stiffened his back. His life had not followed the path he'd planned, but sometimes life took unexpected detours, dark forces overriding one's personal destiny. Yet, as in the poem with which he shared a name, he had escaped bloody but unbowed. He would never allow the darkness to entrap him again, even if it meant he remained alone the rest of his natural life. Loneliness was no more than he deserved.

  Invictus stared at the pile of ash. DeMonica had once resided at Strange Castle, but when she turned to the Darkside with the intention of becoming the most powerful witch of all, the castle had been moved to another dimension. Only a few now knew its exact location and how to permeate the magickal protective wards.

  On the other hand, if the package had come from DeMonica, he had just destroyed the evidence that she knew where the castle was hidden and how to breach the wards. He would have to inform the curator of Strange Castle as soon as possible—or as soon as he had a drink.

  Opening the top drawer of his desk, Invictus withdrew a flask that often bolstered his courage. More often than not, he thought dryly while unscrewing the cap, especially when the nights were too long and he wandered through the many chambers of the dungeon thinking of…

  He put the flask to his lips with a shaking hand and tossed back a long draught. Not DeMonica. Although she had been the first person to cross his mind when he saw the package, he hardly thought of her anymore.

  No, Serena Blackstone filled his mind more than he should allow. The sexy librarian had been hired to catalog the numerous texts stored at the castle over the past two centuries. She was a mundane, a person without magick, and she shouldn't be here or know of the castle's existence at all. But the curator of Strange Castle brought in every stray that crossed her path.

  Including him.

  With a grim smile, he capped the flask. Celeste Quicksilver had taken him in when everyone else warned against it, even when Celeste herself harbored misgivings about the decision she had made. He swore she wouldn't regret it, but he understood her doubt. No one could be completely trusted, but he had every intention of fulfilling his promise to Celeste. She had offered him the position of castle alchemist, and he accepted after recovering from DeMonica's torture and his excruciating escape. The rest of the staff called him "Dungeon Master" because he only left the security of the dungeon to take his meals.

  He resisted the temptation to venture outside the dungeon more often and seek Serena's presence. He was quite taken with her lustrous blue-black hair and long, shapely legs. He watched her sometimes when she wasn't aware of it, his breath quickening with every movement of her body. His cock rose to the occasion, straining toward her, bulging to uncomfortable proportions. But no matter how attracted he was to her, he kept his distance. She had tried to engage him in conversation, but he cut her off and escaped before his cock could override his brain and he found himself in a situation he couldn't control. He'd never associated with mundanes before, their lack of magick a mystery to him and a trial to his patience. Besides, Serena deserved better than him. He returned her bewitching smiles with dark scowls and ran.

  He replaced the flask in the drawer. At the same moment, a high-pitched whine erupted near his ear and a bright flash darted right, then left, then all about his head. He swatted at the blur that moved as quickly as a shooting star until he lost his balance and landed hard in his chair.

  The thing held steady a mere inch from his nose and only for a moment, but it was long enough for him to get a good look at it. A clear glass globe, no wider than his thumbnail, filled with sparkles and twinkles and brightness—all equally out of place in the dungeon and his life. A Summoning Globe, indestructible by ordinary magickal means. And that explained why it had survived his simple conflagration spell.

  Could DeMonica have the nerve as well as the means to send him a Summoning Globe? Would she have wrapped it so prettily in white and silver? He didn't think so. The more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed that it had come from her. If she could travel across dimensions and breach the wards, wouldn't she and her minions storm the castle themselves?

  But if not her, then who? Celeste would have no need to summon him with such a device. Any time she needed him, she contacted him by crystal ball, the castle's means of intercommunications, and he always answered promptly. He owed Celeste more than he could ever repay. He glanced over at the black sphere balanced on a pewter stand, but it remained dark. Anyone else in the castle would have used the crystal ball as well.

  The globe caught in his long, shaggy hair, and he batted it away only for it to return a second later. Invictus sighed heavily and frowned. The globe would continue to flit and whine without mercy until he followed it to wherever in hell it was supposed to lead him.

  If it came from DeMonica, it might very well lead him back to hell.

  He snapped the drawer shut and stood up.

  "Lead the way," he growled.

  The globe left him at last, hovering near the door to ensure he came along. Invictus strode after it and followed closely behind.

  Chapter Two

  Now that the time was at hand, Serena Blackstone wasn't sure it had been a good idea. Drawn to the intriguing and reclusive Invictus Cross from the moment she first saw him, she had envisioned this night since her arrival at Strange Castle.

  Serena could only hope he felt the same.

  She clutched her robe to her as she paced the spacious sitting room of her private quarters. The robe as well as the Summoning Globe had been birthday presents from her friend, Celeste Quicksilver. She and Cele
ste had been friends forever, and Serena had always known Celeste was different because she had been able to do the most amazing things when they were children. Celeste had confided long ago that she wasn't supposed to tell mundanes that she was a witch, but how could she not tell her best friend!

  When Strange Castle needed a librarian, Celeste decided a mundane would be better suited to the task. The castle had become a repository of knowledge gleaned from practical use, passed down from generation to generation and finally recorded. Since Serena already knew about the magickal world and had worked as a librarian, she was a natural for the job of cataloguing the numerous books, grimoires, scrolls, and scraps of parchment. A non-magickal person wouldn't be tempted by the more dangerous spells and incantations found within some of the texts. The previous librarian, a witch, had uncovered information to help her turn to the Darkside and become enormously powerful…and dangerous.

  Serena loved her new job and living at Strange Castle. She enjoyed meeting the magickal folk, those who passed through and those who came to stay. She had only been here a few months, but she already felt like it was home. And how else could she live in a real castle? Granted, it was a strange castle in a strange place. Celeste had told her they were in another dimension without electricity or modern conveniences. Serena didn't completely understand it all, but she looked on it as an adventure.

  Then there was Invictus Cross.

  A quiver of expectation passed through her. Serena was surprised how quickly and thoroughly the thought of him aroused her. She closed her eyes and felt desire curl and tighten between her thighs with a rush of heat and moisture. A little moan escaped her lips and she forced her eyes wide open. Even if he had no interest in a long-term relationship, she hoped he would be agreeable to a one night stand. She couldn't bear the thought of another lonely night without him. Perhaps a taste of him would be enough…

  Serena sighed, nervously running her hands through her hair. She usually saw him in the dining hall during meals. She had tried to talk to him, but he would cut her short and flee her presence. She would smile and speak to him on the rare occasions she passed him in one of the torch lit halls, but he barely acknowledged her with a tilt of his head. Then he would be gone, his black cape billowing out behind him.

  Good sense should tell her that he wanted nothing to do with her. Even Celeste said he didn't like mundanes and had protested Serena's appointment as librarian. He was never really rude to her, but she could sense his eagerness to leave her presence. Serena didn't think he disliked mundanes so much as he didn't quite know what to make of them. Wishful thinking, perhaps, but Serena always had good instincts about people, even magickal folk. She trusted her instincts over good sense.

  Serena rubbed the silk material of the robe between her fingers. Although Celeste didn't know it, she had told Serena what she wanted to know.

  "The globe and the robe will come in handy soon," Celeste had explained between bites of birthday cake. "You'll meet the right man soon…or maybe you have already. Scrying is my best talent, but my crystal ball was a little unclear on the timing. Maybe you haven't met him yet or one of you is resistant to the idea. Either way, the Summoning Globe will bring him to you and the Revealing Robe will show you if he is your one true love."

  Celeste had explained the globe would work on anyone, but the robe had been enchanted to appear transparent only to the man destined to fall in love with her.

  "Not just lust, Serena. Otherwise, ninety-nine percent of all males would see you naked. No, it's more than desire or infatuation. To your one true love, it will seem as if you are wearing no more than starlight and moonbeams."

  How would Invictus Cross see her?

  She had been tempted to wear the robe into the dining hall one evening, to shock him into some kind of reaction, but she didn't have the nerve. What if Invictus saw nothing but the silky midnight blue fabric that she saw? Worse, what if the robe was transparent for someone else, someone she didn't desire at all? If it was someone she found bland or repulsive, she didn't want to know!

  Serena decided wearing the robe for him and seeing his reaction was best done in private. That way, no one else would witness her humiliation if it didn't work out the way she hoped. She would always be attracted to him no matter the outcome. An enchanted robe, even if it did reveal he was not her one true love, couldn't change how she felt about him.

  He was cold, brooding, and distant, but Serena felt it was his defense against anyone getting too close. She also sensed a darkness around him, and she didn't have to be magickal to see how it had seared his soul, reflecting sorrowfully in his haunted black eyes.

  She knew herself well enough to know that she was falling in love with him.

  Serena was a little uncomfortable with what she was doing, but she had the feeling if she waited for Invictus Cross to make the first move, she would wait forever. And the reality was that she barely knew him. She wanted to know if he would return her feelings if given a chance. She had spent too many nights alone dreaming of the darkly handsome Dungeon Master of Strange Castle. She had to know if he could ever feel the same toward her before she lost her heart to him for good.

  The enchanted robe would tell her the truth tonight.

  Chapter Three

  Invictus eyed the door where the tiny globe flitted back and forth. He had no idea whose room this was. The North Tower of the castle was reserved for the women's quarters, and he'd never been here before despite rumors to the contrary. Even when DeMonica resided here as the castle librarian, before becoming a Darksider, Invictus had never visited her in her chambers. Back then he had been arrogant enough to demand she come to him. And now—well, he was still arrogant enough to make demands. If he had ever chosen to seduce a witch, he would have done so in the dungeon where all the appropriate accoutrements were within easy reach.

  Celeste's apartment was probably here, as was Phoenicia Pheather's, the magickal nurse practitioner, and Serena Blackstone's. They were the only three females in permanent residence at present. He couldn't recall if anyone else was staying at the castle temporarily. People came and went on a regular basis, and it was difficult for him to keep up because he rarely took notice of those around him…except for Serena, of course.

  Invictus noticed every move she made and every breath she took. He had seen how she flicked her long, black hair over her shoulder when she was nervous and ran the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip then caught it between her teeth when she was concentrating. And the way she ate fresh strawberries, dipping them in cream then taking a bite with her eyes closed, drove him wild. He'd had to leave the table on more than one occasion when they'd been served fresh fruit.

  Serena Blackstone is a mundane, he'd told himself over and over. She had no magickal powers at all. He truly did not believe any mundane should be at the castle, especially now with DeMonica on the loose, her dark powers increasing. Her plans included destroying the sanctity of the castle and everyone within. Mundanes couldn't protect themselves. They were like sheep at the mercy of the wolf.

  Invictus had protested Serena's hiring and was intent upon her firing, even if he had to go over Celeste's head to Amadeus Strange, who owned the castle. Then he'd seen Serena and he couldn't bring himself to eradicate the sheer joy she exhibited at being here, even though he knew she would be safer in the end. Besides, he enjoyed looking at her. That's all, just looking. He wouldn't touch her—he couldn't touch her.

  He preferred women experienced enough to accept his peculiar pleasures, and he wasn't certain Serena could fill the requirement. There was an innocence about her that overwhelmed him. Not that he thought she was untouched, but he saw something in her eyes that said she still expected to conquer the world. He remembered that look. He'd had it long ago, before he met DeMonica and learned the hard way that to conquer the world meant losing your soul to the Darkside.

  The globe darted around his head again and he dodged it. Damnation, but he would have to face whoever sent it or it would
annoy him the rest of his life!

  Invictus inhaled deeply. If DeMonica had lured him here, he would have to be ready for her. He rapped sharply on the solid wood door. He hadn't noticed, but it stood ajar and opened with the force of his knock. He pushed the door wider and took one step into the sitting room.

  Like most of the castle, the room was furnished and decorated in a splendid Victorian style. The era had held the last vestiges of elegance and grace not found in the modern world, and the magickal community stubbornly clung to it. Also, the décor fully meshed with the pre-industrial culture of this dimension, so there were few questions from the locals who were hired to maintain the castle. They had their own brand of magick as well and weren't shocked by anything that occurred in their presence.

  The dark, heavy furniture was counter-balanced by the flowers and frills of the upholstery, curtains, and lace doilies. While he could appreciate the décor and liked the figure he cut with his black cape, he much preferred his own spartan quarters in the dungeon and wearing nothing more elaborate than jeans and sweatshirt.

  "I am here," he snapped loudly to the globe and the person who had sent it.

  Silence was his answer.

  No one attacked, so perhaps this had nothing to do with DeMonica after all. Did he dare go farther into the room? What if DeMonica wanted him well within reach before she showed herself?

  Invictus glanced around the large room to ensure no one was hiding. An oil lamp was lit but turned low, its illumination unable to reach the shadowy corners.

  The globe was gone for the moment, but if he left without speaking to the one who'd sent it, it would assault him as soon as he stepped into the hall.

  "Hello? Is anyone here?" he called out impatiently. "I only came because of the globe. As you well know, it will not leave me alone until I have seen and spoken with you. If you don't show yourself, I'll have to—"