Stolen
Innocence:
Dueling with the Devil Book 3
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: VPG Publishing and Promotions, LLC
Publication Date: 10/4/13
They say ignorance is
bliss, but when it comes to love and mating, Charity Lovell wished someone had
schooled her on the ins and outs. She fell hard when she saw the beautiful face
of the fair-haired demon as he lay broken in Lucifer’s dungeon. Her body ached
for him. Her heart cried for him. This had to be her mate, right? Who else
could make her trade her soul to the Devil to save someone she didn’t know?
Someone should’ve told her love wasn’t quite as straight forward as that.
Damon lived an uncomplicated
life, even as the alpha of the Lake Charles pack and the son of Lucifer. He
should’ve taken a mate years ago, but held on to the hope of love. Only one
female came close to making him believe he still had a chance for happiness.
Yet, her heart belonged to someone else. Once again, the feeling is back,
stronger than ever. And again, his female has pledged herself to another. Damn
demons were ruining his love life. This time Damon plans to fight for what was
his and win his rightful mate.
Author Bio:
Although Vivi Dumas grew up an Army brat, she calls
Louisiana home, but have endured the hot summers and cold winters of Maryland
for the last 16 years. She is a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s University with an
MBA in Finance and Marketing. Her analytical side has honed a career in the
financial industry for almost twenty years. To balance her logical, numerical
day job, she unleashes her creativity in her writing.
Vivi pens multicultural paranormal romance,
mixing the two genres she loves. Her steamy paranormal romances indulge in
worlds inhabited by demons, werewolves, vampires, and other supernatural
beings. She has published works with Decadent Publishing, Ravenous Romance, and
Breathless Press.
Excerpt:
Damballa eyed
Lucifer suspiciously as the angel dusted off a boulder and gracefully lowered
himself on the hard, burnt-orange surface. "What bring you to the slums of
Purgatory?"
"Not many people still think of me as an angel.
You're showing your age, Damballa." Lucifer's smile gleamed in bright
contrast to his ebony skin.
"You shouldn't pry in other's minds without
their permission. Does age matter when you're no longer amongst the
living?"
"Valid point."
"Again, why are you here?" Damballa
demanded.
Lucifer inhaled a deep breath and sighed as he
released it. His face displayed an Oscar winning expression of disappointment.
"Everyone's so impatient these days. All that television and those video
games. Do you get those down here?"
Crossing his arms across his chest, Damballa stared
at Lucifer without a response.
"I guess you want to know why I'm here."
Lucifer laughed at Damballa's grunt of frustration. "I need your
help."
Damballa narrowed his eyes, tightening his arms in
their locked position, closing himself off even more. "How can a lowly
human priest banished to Purgatory help the Prince of Hell?"
"When you put it like that, it make me second
guess my visit. But then again we both know the greatest Vodou priest who's
ever walked the Earth isn't exactly a lowly human. Didn't your followers even
deem you a god?"
"You know I was stripped of my title and those
followers turned on me with vengeance."
"Some don't appreciate those who think outside
of the box. I, on the other hand, appreciate innovation, especially when it
goes as far to the dark side as you delved."
Damballa strolled over to the hollowed out cavern
wall filled with books, pretending to study its contents. His hand trembled as
he removed a book of spells from a shelf. Sorrow lingered in his heart when he
thought of his demise. The darkness took everything he loved away from him and
landed him in this fiery stone prison. Love was an unstable drug. No one could
predict its side effects. For him, they were lethal.
"Regret and self-pity only lead one down the
road to condemnation. They're useless in seeking redemption. I know what you
want. And I can get it for you." Temptation slithered amongst Lucifer's
words.
A chuckle tickled Damballa's throat. "There is
nothing on Earth for me. I've glanced at the world a few times and they've
turned it into a shithole. I'm not looking to go back to a place I no longer
recognize."
Pushing himself off his seat, Lucifer appeared beside
Damballa. "You underestimate me. I mean I know what you really long
for."
Damballa faced the Prince. He raised a brow in
question. "What is it you think that I want?"
"I can give her back to you. And I'll throw in a
bonus."
"No. She has ascended," Damballa spat.
Lucifer barked a laugh. "There's no ascension
for those who trade their soul to the Devil."
"What do you mean? She made a deal with
you?"
"Yep. I helped her people. She was really pissed
at what you did. In exchange, I have her soul until I decide what I want to do
with it."
Grabbing Lucifer by the shoulders, Damballa shook the
Devil. "You're lying. She would never...she wouldn't give herself to
you."
Lucifer shoved Damballa's hands off his shoulders.
"Your little lady was willing to offer herself to the highest bidder.
Isn't that why you killed her in the first place?"
Damballa struggled to keep from striking Lucifer.
"You're not crazy. You know I could incinerate
you right here. She wanted a life for her family. One not involving running
around as wolves for the rest of their lives. A little blood signature on some
parchment and we had a deal. I must admit the new E-sign makes brokering deals
much easier." Lucifer cracked a slow grin and chuckled to himself.
"Anyway, I have her soul and the world got werewolves. Maybe not a full
recovery, but a good compromise. Seemed like a fair trade at the time. Now, I'm
offering to return her back to you. Slightly used needless to say, but who
cares when it's the love of your life." The jagged edges of Lucifer's
teeth showed when he smiled fully.
Damballa's heart and head raced with anticipation.
"And what do I have to do to get her back?"
"Just a little magic."
"What kind?"
"I need to manifest on Earth," Lucifer
answered casually as he picked imaginary dirt from under his finger nails.
Damballa choked at Lucifer's words. "Do you know
how much dark magic that requires? I don't even know if I can harness enough
energy to jump start the process. That requires a blood sacrifice."
"Okay. Let me know what you need and I'll order
it." With those last words, Lucifer disappeared.
A shiver whispered down Damballa's spine. No matter
what dark magic he practiced in the past or how badly he wanted Ariella back,
unleashing Lucifer on Earth was a terrifying thought.
* * *
The female crouched in a ball in the corner of the
cell, hugging her long legs tight to her chest. Her ankle-length, brown skirt
billowed around her on the twin-sized bed. Her honey-colored hair hung in a
thick braid, dangling over her shoulder, glistening like spun gold in the dim
light. Every now and again, Charity found the woman staring at her with
haunting green eyes threaded with ribbons of amber, giving them an iridescent
quality. For three days they had sat in this godforsaken hole without a word.
Charity debated on speaking to her. Usually talking was a no brainer, a natural
affliction she wielded like a weapon. But the odd symbols and murmured chants
freaked her out. She was in enough trouble without pissing off some crazy
witch. Especially one trapped in Lucifer's dungeon.
The clamor of keys caught Charity's attention. A
burly demon balanced two trays in one hand as he unlocked the cell door. He
pushed the heavy titanium bars open, clipping the edge of the top tray against
the doorframe. In slow motion, the plate toppled to the floor. Charity watched
the slop they considered food splash in a multicolored mess on the ground and
sighed in both frustration and relief.
"Looks like one of you will not be dining
tonight," The guard laughed.
The girl in the corner stayed silent, glancing longingly
at the destroyed food. The demon haphazardly dropped the other tray on the edge
of Charity's bed. She flashed him her famous f-you smile before he slammed the
cell door shut. Charity remained in her spot and listened to the click-clack of
his boots echo down the hall. When the sound disappeared, she stood and picked
up the gruel left on her bed. As fowl as the food looked and smelled, it was
the first nourishment they had brought in three days.
Charity walked cautiously over to the stranger in the
corner. "Hi. You look like you need this more than I do." Piercing
emerald eyes met Charity's gaze. A familiar sadness glowed behind the
brilliance of the girl's stare. "Can I sit?"
The female unwound her long body and dangled her legs
over the side of the tiny bed. As she sat up and light shone upon her face,
Charity gasped at the female's overwhelming beauty. Handing the girl the tray,
Charity lowered to the edge of the mattress, close to the foot of the bed. Her
cellmate shoveled the food into her mouth with her hands, filling her cheeks
like a chipmunk. How long had it been since she ate?
"Wow. You were hungry. How long had it been
since they fed you?" Charity had been here three days and this was the
first sign of food she had witnessed.
The girl choked down the stuff in her mouth with a
look of embarrassment. "Seven days," she announced through the food
left in her mouth.
"Seriously?"
The girl nodded affirmation.
Charity pressed her lips in a thin line. Heat rose
from her stomach, spreading throughout her body and flushing her face.
"They're not going to fucking starve me to death. Lucifer said nothing
about starving to death." I really got to think through shit before I act
on it. That boy better be worth it. He was fine as hell.
The girl stopped eating, tilted her head to the side
and studied Charity. Swallowing the mystery meat she was chewing, the female
asked, "You look familiar. Who's your people?"
"I'm with the New Orleans pack. My name is
Charity Lovell. What's yours?" The girl choked on something. Charity
thumped her back as she coughed up a piece of bread. "You okay?"
The female nodded in affirmation even though her face
remained red. "Yes. It's been a long time since I met someone from the New
Orleans pack."
"Oh. You know someone from the pack? Who?"
"I doubt anyone I know would still be
earthbound."
Charity raised a brow. "And what did you say
your name was?"
"I didn't, but it's Ariella Lovell."
It was Charity's turn to freak out. Her throat
tightened and her head swam. How did she end up in a cell with her
great-great-great-grandmother who died in the seventeen hundreds?
"You can't be. She died a long time ago."
"Darling, you're in Hell. Why are you shocked to
run into someone who no longer walks among the living?"
Sweat moistened the palms of Charity's hands. She
fought the urge to touch her to see if she was real. She had heard of Ariella's
beauty. Listened to the stories about how the pack came to be, but she assumed
most of it to be folklore, stories the elders told to keep them in check. But
they hadn't exaggerated about her allure.
"How did you end up here?" Charity asked.
Ariella laughed harshly, without humor. "Bad
choices. I guess I can ask you the same."
"A guy." Charity folded her legs under her
and shrugged.
Amusement lit Ariella's face as she smiled.
"That's the same as bad choices. I'm glad Lucifer held his end of my deal.
Tell me about my pack. I've worried so much through the years that the Devil
would renege on his promise. Does the curse still run through the females in the
family?"
* * *
"I didn't fucking ask her to serve herself up
for me," Laurent barked at the massive wolf sitting across from him.
"I was passed the fuck out. Haven't even spoken two words to her."
Damon jumped out of his seat, catching the lunging
wolf midair. "I think we all need to calm down."
A feral growl escaped Ty, the Alpha of the New
Orleans pack. He shoved Damon away from him. "This is your fault
Boudreaux. You came to us for help. We trusted you. And you vouched for
them." The wolf jerked his thumb towards Laurent and his friends.
Laurent's sister, Bell, stood with her hand on her
hip, blue eyes ablaze. "That chick was off. She went all Twilight-Wolf on
us. Like she imprinted on Laurent. I told everyone something was wrong with
her."
"We don't imprint!" a pretty she-wolf
growled from the back of the room.
Bell inhaled
to begin another rant, but her brother cut her off.
"Bell, sit down and be quiet," Laurent
grumbled. Bell muttered something under her breath. "You're not helping.
Sit!" Laurent snapped.
Stepping in the middle of the eclectic crowd of
supernaturals, Damon ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat.
"This is no one's fault. Charity is an adult. She made a choice, albeit
stupid, but one she made on her own. She believes Laurent is her mate. When we
rescued him from Lucifer's dungeon, she definitely had some kind of attraction
to him. Wouldn't leave his side. We can't change any of that now. We have to
work together to figure out how to get her back."
"Why the hell would Lucifer trade Laurent's life
for hers?" Tact wasn't Bell's strong suit. This time her fiancé, Xavier,
nudged her lightly, swinging the ice-blue glare in his direction. "What?
It's a valid question."
The five members of the New Orleans pack looked at
Ty, waiting for his response. Them and their damn secrets. Damon shook his
head.
"She's one of the few members left of our
original lineage. Charity's family is the reason there are werewolves. The
females of her line are cursed with the inability to shift until they find their
mates. It keeps their other powers dormant until they find the one they
love." Ty spoke in hushed tones as if Lucifer himself eavesdropped on
their conversation.
The whole room remained silent, allowing the gravity
of the revelation to settle. Damon paced the length of the purple flowered
sofa. The small living room became more constricting. Jacque, a shifter demon
and Xavier's brother, rose from his chair. He strolled over to Damon and Ty.
"How did her family start a species?"
Jacque questioned.
Ty rubbed the back of his neck. "Her
great-great-great-grandmother was promised to Damballa, but she gave herself to
another. As punishment, Damballa cursed us to turn to wolves. He was so enraged
he killed Ariella and then offed himself. It's told Ariella brokered a deal
with Lucifer before she ascended to allow us to maintain our human form except
on the full moon. Later we learned to adapt and shift when we needed. Afraid
that one of the Lovell females would eventually be able to reverse the curse or
become too powerful, Lucifer bound their powers until the found a mate, which
only a few did. It's like one of those fucked up Lifetime movies."
"What kind of powers do Charity's people
have?" Laurent asked.
Ty shrugged. "We don't really know. None of them
has ever used them to my knowledge. That's why it's dormant until they mate. If
or when they find the one they belong with, they focus on their partners and
not their powers. Only one has left the Ward and might have accessed her
powers. We've asked Red to come here today."
"Who names their child Red? Is that like Apple
or North?" Bell stopped laughing when Laurent shot her a menacing glare.
"It's a nickname cause she loves the color red.
Her real name's Simone," one of the females of the New Orleans pack
corrected, rolling her eyes at Bell.
"Someone talking bout me?" A fine, leggy
female in a painted-on red dress walked into the small room followed by two
equally hot females. Red's thick mahogany tresses fell around her face in long
spirals. She crossed the room to Ty and kissed both his cheeks. The other two
women repeated the gesture. "Look like y'all started the party without us.
What's all the commanding my presence about?"
Ty hesitated before answering. "It's about
Charity."
The short honey-toned female crossed her arms.
"What the fuck she do now?"
"Jade, don't start," Red chastised before
turning back to the Alpha. "What she do, Ty?"
Ty laughed nervously. "It's bad this time. She
done turned herself over to Lucifer."
"What the fuck, Ty? You're supposed to keep an
eye on her and call us when she gets out of hand," The female in the
wife-beater and ball cap fussed. Even with the boyish clothes, she couldn't
hide her pretty features.
"Look, that girl's a handful. Dani, you know for
yourself. How many times you had to go find her outside of our territory?"
Ty aged as the conversation continued. Lines cut deeper in his face from worry
and stress.
Damon interrupted to get the conversation back on
tract. "Hi, ladies. We were trying to figure out why Charity would be important
to Lucifer. Ty seem to think the females in your family has some powers that
might attract Luc's attention, but not sure what kind. Do you have any
idea?"
Red scanned the faces in the room with a deliberative
expression. She met the gaze of the two females who arrived with her. The one
they called Dani nodded in encouragement. "We've not spoken of our powers
to anyone outside our family. It has brought nothing but unhappiness to the
women who have used it."
Jade spoke up. "But you know that's why he wants
Charity." Red released a breath she
was holding and plopped into an armchair, covering her face with her hands.
"How bad can it be? It's a freaking power. We
all have them," Bell interjected.
Red lifted her head, her pretty face lined with
worry. "We're necromancers."
The room went dead silent.
