Their bond brought him back for a second chance at life—and love.
Book 2 of Cursed Hearts
Jareth Moreland has waited centuries for his lover to be reincarnated, but his reward isn’t the reunion he expected – it’s murder. He awakes to find his soul has been pulled back centuries into the past, to the very day in 1657 both his lover and his brother died and, in his grief, he became a vampire. Fate, it would seem, has given him a second chance at life.
Fate comes at the hands of Jessica Belstowe, who has always loved him from afar, and whose magic saved him from death at the hands of her own sister hundreds of years in the future. But Jareth seems less than pleased that she has bonded him as her soulmate — her _shelmir_ — in order to protect him from the evil witch Morana. She wonders if she has risked her fragile heart only to have it broken.
A bond with Jessica is not what Jareth would have chosen, but its power will not be denied. He is drawn to her, wants her more than he’s ever wanted any other woman.
And when Morana vows to crush that bond and kill Jessica, he will risk the fires of hell to save her.
~*~*~
Excerpt:
Jessica had just blown out the candle on her nightstand when a soft knock disturbed the silence. With a groan, she tried to sink down into the pillows as if she could hide. Was it Jareth? Concentrating on him, she couldn’t feel their bond through the door. It was not Jareth. Then who could it be? And why did they think to disturb her now?
"Who is it?" she called out.
There was a slight pause before a man’s voice called to her from the other side. "It is I, my lady. Lord Charles."
"Charles?" she said, knitting her brow. "What are you doing here?" Rising from the bed, she donned a robe over her shift and stood by the door. She did not open it.
"I must speak to you. Will you open your door?"
Jessica gasped. "No! I am in naught but my bedclothes."
He sighed. "I must know, Jessica. Do you have feelings for Crichton? Did he trick you into a marriage with him?"
Biting the inside of her lip, Jessica leaned against the door. "He did not trick me," she said softly. It was I who tricked him, she thought. "And yes, I do have feelings…for him."
"I do not believe he cares for you," Charles said. Jessica gasped.
"How dare you speak of him so casually?"
"Please forgive me, my lady," Charles said, his voice muffled. "But he was betrothed to your sister. I doubt there has been time for any true feelings for you to emerge. I fear he wants you only because you are Cassandra’s blood."
A shiver raced down Jessica’s spine at his words. She’d wondered the very same thing. "Charles, I will not have you speaking of my fiancé so. Please apologize."
She could hear him clearing his throat. "I am sorry, my lady," he whispered.
Charles was a good man, Jessica knew, but there was no possible way she could be happy with him, not when every waking moment of her life would be spent thinking of Jareth Moreland due to the bond they shared.
"Thank you," she whispered through the door. With another shiver, she rubbed her arms, recognizing the feeling. "Charles, you must go!"
"But—"
"Jareth is coming."
"How do you know?"
Jessica stomped her foot in frustration. "I just do. Please leave. Now!"
"I will always think fondly of you, my lady," he said a moment before his soft footfalls faded down the hall.
"Now isn’t that comforting?"
Jessica shrieked and spun around, clutching at her chest with both hands. That was Jareth’s voice. He was in the room. Dark shadows moved next to her, and her tingling skin told her it was him. How had he entered her chambers without her knowledge?
"Jareth!" she exclaimed, breathless.
"Yes, it is I, my sweet. Although I must admit I do not know whether I should be insanely jealous that Lord Charles has visited your chambers, or if I should be immensely flattered that you defended me to him."
Before she knew it, Jareth was in front of her, pressing her back against the door. Jessica’s breath came in sharp gasps as she strained to look into his eyes. There was no moon tonight and the room was shrouded in darkness. That didn’t stop her body from responding to him, however.
"You shouldn’t be here," she managed to say past the lump in her throat. "Why are you here?"
Jareth chuckled and her nipples tightened in response. It was as if every nerve ending in her body begged for his touch.
"I am here to seduce you, my sweet. Why else would I be lurking in your room?"
~*~*~
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Woohoo! I love Jareth! (and so do my fans lol) If you get a chance, I hope you enjoy this one!
~~Becka
http://www.RebeccaGoings.com
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