Velvet Haven

you, I would never allow a mortal to be the death of me.”

    The Master stepped silently into the shadowed alcove. In one fluid movement his knees were bent, palms pressed together in a mockery of a prayer, black cloak concealing any identifying features. Like a huge black crow, he sat perched on the stone balustrade, hidden in shadows, watching the humans and immortals gyrating against one another, committing every cardinal sin. Normally the vision was arousing, but it wasn’t the sinning mortals and wayward immortals that turned him on tonight. It was the motley gathering of shape-shifters.
    From the darkness, he watched them struggling with their inner demons. His gaze skipped to each one of them, studying them: the raven, the Shadow Wraith, Selkie, Griffin, and the morose phoenix. Everyone was there, even the gargoyle, hidden well out of anyone’s sight. But he was there nonetheless. And the Fallen Angel. He inhaled deeply. Ah, yes, Suriel was there, too.
    Out of all of them there was one who screamed for the Master’s attention. Closing his eyes, he used his other senses to find his new apprentice. Behind closed lids, the image flared to life.
    Yes, that’s what he wanted. That beautiful Dark Soul he lusted for. The Dark Soul who hadn’t a clue what possibilities lurked inside him. The Master would show him what blackness was there, bubbling just below the surface.
    All that hate. All that pain. The rage . Oh, yes, the Dark Soul was going to be beautiful once he was turned. And it would not take much. The seed was already there, taking root—growing, until the day he, the Master, the Soul Stealer , could come and pluck it, control it.
    The aroma of his new apprentice was intoxicating: a mixture of helplessness, fury, and perhaps a hint of desperation. Inhaling deeply, the Master felt a deep stirring. It was an exhilarating elixir, much more potent than alcohol or sex. An aphrodisiac made for the devil. And it was sweating off the immortal’s body in rivulets.
    So much pain . So beautiful in his emotional prison, waiting until the day the lock was sprung open, freeing him. The hatred he would unleash against his kind—against the world—would be utterly breathtaking.
    He had waited so long to hold such power, to unleash it to do his bidding. But soon the Master would have what he needed to destroy both worlds: Annwyn and the mortal realm.
    He was aroused just thinking about the mayhem and pain they would cause. Every master needed an apprentice, and this one was utterly perfect. Together they would have immense power, and the rituals . . . the black magick rituals would be even more exciting when he had someone to share them with.
    “Hi there.”
    He closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of aroused female, which made his cock throb behind his leather pants. “Hello.” Jumping down from his perch, he reached for the woman, wrapping his hand around her slim waist.
    “Love the jacket,” she said, rubbing her hands along his chest, then down the pocket of his trench coat. “What’s this?” she asked in a coy, sexy voice. She pulled the silver satin cord from his pocket, her eyes rising slowly. From beneath her long eyelashes, he saw her pupils dilate with excitement.
    “What’s your name?” he asked as he cupped her breast in his palm.
    “Trinity,” she answered in a husky breath that immediately had him leaking from the tip of his cock. He hid his smile as he pulled her to him, fitting her lithe body against his. “How appropriate,” he murmured into her ear. “I happen to be looking for a divine threesome.” The Sacred Trine . That was what he was searching for. And he would find it, all three women, right here in Velvet Haven. Perhaps this woman could lead him to them.
    Trinity giggled and wrapped her leg around his calf as she shoved her breast farther into his hand. “Mmm,” she moaned, “sounds like my kind of time.”
    He smiled, trailing the back of his hand down her cheek, angling her head so he could watch the bounding pulse of her carotid. Stupid human . She had no idea what he meant.
    “Did you bring a friend?” she asked, rubbing up against him.
    His gaze flickered to his apprentice. “Not tonight.”
    “Oh.” She pouted, then brightened. “I have some friends.”
    “Have you?” He circled her nipple, which was protruding through her thin top. “I’m searching for a particular threesome.”
    She looked up at him, batting her lashes. “A Trinity?”
    Indeed he was,