The Lost Centurion (The Immortals Book 1) (26 page)

“No, I was too worried about you.” She tilted her head for him to keep caressing her hair. “You’re here now.”

“Where is the bed?”

“I forgot there’s no light in this room.” She laughed and stood. “Follow me.”

Without breaking contact, they walked a few steps to the right, then Diana pulled him down to the bed and on top of her. She locked her legs around him. “I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as you.” Shivering and shaking, she caressed his back and nuzzled his neck.

“Little thing?” He sought her mouth and gently parted her lips for a taste of her.

She moaned and pressed him to her. “Yes?”

“You must feed.” He smiled against her mouth when she moaned even louder. “You can’t stop shaking.”

“Two different hungers are at war.” She sighed against his throat and he arched it for her.

Her fangs punctured the skin where his throat met his collarbone and they moaned at the same time. In the whirlwind of sensations that followed her first draw, he found she had managed to lower both his pants and hers. His hands roamed up and down her body, pulling her shirt aside only to find a bra. He circled her torso, looking for the clasp, his fingers fumbling with need. The little sounds she was making while suckling from him made him groan.

“Sorry.” He brought his hands back on the front and tore the bra away, then cupped her breasts. She moved against him while he played with her nipples, and she bit him harder, sending them both in a renewed frenzy.

She stopped feeding long enough to say, “Please.”

He entered her at the same time she plunged her fangs so deep in his throat, bright light exploded behind his eyelids. Pain and pleasure mixed, and Marcus lost himself in her as their movements became more and more frantic. The whole world disappeared for a long while.

Later, a sleepy Diana trailed small kisses all over his body. “I love you.”

“I love you.” He brushed the inside of her wrist and was rewarded by her shivers.

“Marcus…”

His fingers followed the line of her arm up to her shoulder, then down toward her breast, where he started teasing her nipple. “Hmm?”

She hid her face on his chest. “We are married.”

A few heartbeats passed before Marcus realized what she had just said, but she had already moved away from him. He blindly reached out and found her curled up at the other side of the bed. “Can we turn on a light, please?”

He heard her sniffle and move on the bed. A moment later, the soft light of a small night lamp illuminated her face. She was trying hard not to cry, and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms, but when he moved closer to her, she backed away until she reached the headboard.

“I know you would’ve never married me like this, but Alexander had to come up with a plan and told the Council I was your betrothed before I was turned without my consent, and Claudius had kidnapped me the night of our wedding. I don’t know your laws, but it seems that, as your wife, Claudius’s nest has no power over me. Then you were dying and I gave you my blood, and you weren’t getting any better, then Claudius appealed to the Council and swore nothing Alexander had said was true, and that they had to give me back to him. But Alexander had already thought ahead and he married us in
articulo mortis
because he argued that you would’ve wanted at least to leave me well cared for. He said he could sign the wedding contract in your stead because you gave him permission several years ago to attend to his estate should anything happen to you, and he said this was the case. I should’ve told him no. I didn’t care if I was going to end up with Claudius again. Without you, nothing would’ve mattered in any case. But I wanted to be your wife if only for a moment.” She finally paused to breathe, then added, “And you might want kids and I can’t…”

Marcus smiled at her outburst. “Is that everything or is there more I should know?” Meanwhile, he couldn’t stop looking at her in wonder. Diana had blossomed into her full potential. Her oval face was framed by a halo of chestnut tresses and her eyes were a deep, shiny green. Her tiny frame had filled and her skin was healthy and unmarked by the scars of her past. She was as beautiful as her soul.

“That’s everything.” She lowered her head and hugged her knees, her hair cascading around her like a curtain.

“Would you look at me for a moment?” He reached for her and brushed her arm.

She shook her head and sobbed.

“Diana…?” He moved closer to her.

She hugged herself even more tightly.

“Little thing?” He gently pried her hands away from her knees, then put a finger under her chin and raised her face. “Look at me. There’s something I must tell you.” He lowered his lips to hers. “It’s important.”

She slightly nodded and he smiled against her trembling mouth.

“I love you. I want to spend the rest of eternity with you.” He opened her mouth for a kiss that started chaste. “Would you marry me forever?”

She pushed her hands against his chest and leaned away from him, her eyes wide and her lips already swollen.

“Please?” His hands caressed her back in long circles. “Will you be my wife? Please?” He blew warm air against her ear.

She shivered and nodded.

“It’s a yes?” He lapped at the lobe of her ear.

“Yes.” She snuggled against him.

He hugged her and kissed her forehead, then the point of her nose. “Since I missed the ceremony already, do you mind if we start the honeymoon right away?”

She laughed. “I think that is a great idea.”

“Good, because I booked the Blue Grotto for our wedding night.” Marcus kissed her senseless, his hands resuming the exploration of her body. “You drive me insane, little thing.” He pushed her down, and the sight of her left him breathless. “Gods, but you’re gorgeous inside and out.” The ache he had always felt deep in his heart had transformed into something beautiful. He was finally whole. “You were worth the wait. Two thousand years of it. And about having kids—”

She looked at him, her eyes on the verge of crying. “Yes?”

He brushed her eyelids. “We’ll adopt one. Or two. Or ten.”

She chuckled. “Ten?”

“I love when you laugh.” He smiled, then left a trail of light kisses all over her body, and took his time to make her scream his name several times more.

Eventually, they found their way out of the house, but it happened several nights later.

Dear Reader, if you liked this book, please consider writing a review. As an indie author, I rely solely on word of mouth to promote my stories. Just a few words from you will ensure my work is discovered by other readers.

Thank you very much,

Monica

Available now, the second title in The Immortals series: The Immortal Greek

Alexander Drako: handsome, famous, rich, and on the cover of every tabloid in Europe. He has done it all and seen it all. Born a Greek in the times of the Roman Empire, he was chosen by a capricious goddess as one of her immortal followers. With his surfer good looks and a playboy disposition, Alexander has been living the life every man dreams of, at least for the last two thousand years.
Tall, elegant, and unapproachable, Ravenna Del Sarto is the perfect example of a modern career woman. An enforcer for the Immortal Council, she brings the bad guys of the paranormal world to justice. She doesn’t have time for fun and has zero tolerance for playboys.
During the highly anticipated End of Summer party, a young immortal commits suicide by jumping from Alexander’s balcony and Ravenna is called to investigate the death. Alexander quickly learns that not only Ravenna’s walls are impenetrable to his easy smile, but she is also bringing him up on charges.
Will she detain him?
Or will his legendary charms help him out of this one?

As anyone who has lived in Rome can tell you, La Cittá Eterna, the eternal city, sticks to your skin and doesn’t let you forget its cobblestoned streets, its chaos, its ancient ruins disseminated everywhere, its vibrant lights, its smog-ridden aroma, its colors. In any book I wrote up until now, Rome was always present. Maybe it was subtle, like in The Ginecean Chronicles. Maybe it was part of the scenery, like in Gaia and Elios. Finally, I decided I wanted Rome and its ancient history to be a character in a series. Last Christmas, after having published three books at once, I took a break and immersed myself in researching anything Roman. Although The Immortals is set in modern days, it is impossible to talk about Rome without mentioning its ancient origins. I had so much fun studying about Romans’ daily life, I even tried to recreate a recipe or two. On my blog, I documented my experience with baking libum, a bread soaked in honey, which was an unexpected success, although I was the only one who ate it. I spent hours researching for details that eventually took only a few sentences out of the whole story, but, in my opinion, it was time well spent.

Thanks to my father, my sister, and my kids for their support.

Thanks to all my friends who painstakingly looked for that perfect image for Marcus. I saw true dedication at work.

A particular thanks goes to Claudia, who is my most loyal beta reader. Diana must thank her for her hair.

My gratitude goes to my editor, Amy. Publishing a book wouldn't be such a great experience without her.

Finally, thanks to Roberto who is everything to me.

Persons of Interest

I
wrote the book and created the cover with the help of Roberto Ruggeri

Amy Eye
edited it

Roberto Ruggeri
formatted it

You, the reader, hopefully had a good time reading it

Monica La Porta is an Italian who landed in Seattle several years ago. Despite popular feelings about the Northwest weather, she finds the mist and the rain the perfect conditions to write. Being a strong advocate of universal acceptance and against violence in any form and shape, she is also glad to have landed precisely in Washington State. She is the author of The Ginecean Chronicles, a dystopian/science fiction series set on the planet Ginecea where women rule over a race of enslaved men and heterosexual love is considered a sin. She has published the first four books in the series, The Priest, Pax in the Land of Women, Prince at War, and Marie’s Journey. She just released two new NA paranormal romances, Gaia, and Elios. She also wrote and illustrated a children’s book about the power of imagination, The Prince’s Day Out. Her published short, Linda of the Night, is a fairytale love story celebrating inner beauty. The Lost Centurion, the first title in The Immortals, a paranormal saga set in modern Rome, has just come out. Stop by her blog to read about her miniatures, sculptures, paintings, and her beloved beagle, Nero. Sometimes, she also posts about her writing.

Monica La Porta’s blog:
www.monicalaporta.com

The Ginecean Chronicles Facebook page:
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https://www.facebook.com/ThePrincesDayOut

Goodreads Author page:
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Twitter:
https://twitter.com/momilp

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Coming soon, the third title in The Immortals series: The Broken Angel

Once an angel of life, Samuel is stranded on Earth, his black wings broken and his heart in pieces. Fallen and betrayed by his lover, Samuel has nothing to look forward to. His tedious job at the Immortal Council drains all of his energies. When in the mortal world, he must hide his true form, appearing as a cripple to humans. The only place where he feels at home is Alexander Drako’s gym where he meets Martina...

The Lost Centurion – Book One of The Immortals

Marcus has sworn to avenge his wife's death—even if it takes an eternity to hunt down the vampire who murdered her. Once a Roman Centurion, Marcus is now immortal and, for the past two thousand years, impervious to human emotions. Until the night he rescues Diana… Diana knew nothing of the paranormal world until her transformation into a vampling, a newborn vampire entirely reliant for survival upon the distant and seemingly emotionless Centurion, who found her in the throes of changing. Her protector turned her without her consent, but at his untimely death, she becomes the distant and cold immortal’s responsibility. The entire vampire community is determined to kill Marcus as he protects one of their own. While Marcus and Diana travel the Italian countryside, being chased by their enemies, Marcus must choose between avenging his dead wife or saving Diana from the same vampire who ruined his life. Will the power of love win over his desire for revenge? Bewitched by the Amalfi moon, he soon discovers life might still surprise him.