Purebreds and Power
Chapter 1

Han’s fingertip drifted across the smooth, silky surface. He appreciated the texture, but he felt nothing else.

Her bosom quickened with his touch and she uttered a small, needy moan.

“Master…” she whispered. Twirling his tie with her fingers as her pelvis rocked in his lap, she searched for the most desired position.

Across the room, a heavy-set man kept his gaze averted. “Han, the council has been discussing—”

“I am aware.”

“Your father will want—”

“I am aware.”

“You will need to choose—”

“I am aware!” Han trailed the edge of his clipped nails across the suppliant’s shoulder, pushing her long, white-blond hair behind her back. The gyrations of her hips increased, and she bit down on her lower lip and sighed. The tip of his sharp nose skirted the length of her neck, and Han closed his eyes before muttering. “Release, now.”

A sweet cry of exhilaration covered the grunt of pain as Han’s fangs punctured his lunch’s jugular, and he drank.

He preferred to dine casually, but open court sessions always dampened his plans.

“My liege, we need to—”

A loud growl shook the room and silenced the man immediately. Frozen in place, the minister swallowed hard as he watched a small drop of blood slide from the corner of Han’s mouth.

After a torturous silence, Han finally pulled away and tilted his head back so it rested on the back of his ornate, ceremonial seat. Full for the moment, Han pushed the nearly naked, limp body off his lap and snapped his fingers. He plucked the kerchief from his left breast pocket and dabbed his lips. “Satisfactory.”

A tall, lean man, fully dressed and pressed to perfection, appeared at the corner of the room.

“James, red room.”

“Yes, Sir.”

James picked up a small bell from the side table and jiggled it. Two large quarter keepers appeared, and one scooped up the unconscious woman from the floor, never making eye contact with Han. James waved his hand overhead, and the group exited without further sound.

A tall, lanky woman entered the room. Her red sheath dress hugged her curves, and the clack of her stilettos had the minister turning in her direction.

The woman stepped onto the raised dais and placed her slender hand on Han’s shoulder.

“Lord Chamberlain,” she turned to the minister. “I apologize for the interruption, but wolves have been spotted near the wall. They have not attempted to breach, but I thought you should be aware.”

Han sat up straighter. “Is she among them?”

“That is unclear, Master.” Sera bowed her head.

“Filthy beasts,” Chamberlain mumbled. “Thank you, Sera, dear. I will take care of it. By your leave, my liege.”

Han nodded.

“Did you enjoy your lunch, Han?”

Han only stared.

Sera clasped her hands behind her back. “I apologize for my manners, Master. I just wish to meet your needs.”

“While my father may have requested your siring, do not forget your place, Sera.”

“I would never! Lord Chamberlain has been gracious. He changed me, and I will forever be indebted to him.”

“Noted.”

“If you need anything—”

“I have James. Dismissed.”

The final clack of the heavy wooden door blanketed the throne room in utter silence. Han dropped his face into his hands.

Two days had drifted by without any results. Perhaps the unexpected visitors near his border would bring the news he craved.

For the first in his life, Jun Inhan Kang had regrets. As a being with considerable power, he had never wanted for anything, and no one dared fault him. Vampires owned the night. And as other species attempted to secure their place in the food chain, Han reaped the rewards.

Born from purebred vampire parents, Han didn’t want his father’s name as his only legacy. Han had not accumulated his power all at once: His current position had been cultivated through collecting and trading antiquities.

But none of it mattered after that fateful evening.

A slight scent had called him to the woods—pulled him from a visiting counselor. Han abandoned the man in his garden, much to the lord’s surprise.

The scent led to a lost human.

With a quick scan of the area, excitement fluttered through his veins. A momentary folly promised distraction from monotonous days. Han had only indulged in public consumption in his youth. His position now required more decorum.

For hundreds of years, Han had existed. Merely existed. For those same hundred years, women and the occasional man eagerly offered themselves to Han for his pleasure--and the possibility of their pleasure as well. When Han’s fangs sank into flesh at that exquisite moment, he could push emotions into his prey--fear, desire, satisfaction. The choice was his alone.

The predictability had become rather tedious and boring for the vampire lord.

He had stood before the young woman, and her gaze drifted along his broad shoulders, strong arms, and taut waist. His naughty smirk brought a twinkle to her eyes.

He would not compel her. He didn’t need to.

“Take me as you please,” she pulled open her shirt and dropped her shorts.

As expected.

Her begging, combined with the amazing scent of sex--and a light lavender--fueling the air, sent an unexpected shiver down Han’s spine. His groin responded, and he growled.

The woman stood bare in front of him. He could sense her irregular heartbeat and see the unsteady rise and fall of her chest. Han imagined the hormones coursing through her body--her fear and arousal dancing side by side.

Ah, the taste.

With one thought, Han controlled the encounter--a push towards death or delicious indulgence.

With a knowing look in her eyes, the human grabbed Han’s tie and began to unbutton his shirt. He pushed her hands away. She traced her fingers down the silk of his jacket with one hand as she rolled her already peaked nipple with the other. He didn’t move, fixated on her face. She offered her body willingly, as many humans did. She traced her finger along his belt buckle, then across the tender leather, and smiled.

Greedy little being.

When she uncovered him, Han jutted his pelvis upward and tilted his head back as she dragged her hand back and forth across his eager skin. Together, they moved backward until she leaned against a tree and laid her leg on his hip.

As their bodies joined, her erotic scream melded with his primal grunt. Han buried his face into her neck, expecting the lavender scent. He didn’t replace it there but plundered still.

The snap of a twig pulled Han from his lust-filled trance, and he whispered into the human’s ear. “Finish!”

Her wanton moan echoed through the forest, and Han bit down into her neck, pulling out to finish himself with his handkerchief. With supernatural speed, he re-dressed.

Lavender surrounded him now, mixing with the iron scent from the human’s blood. Han pulled his fangs from the breathless woman’s neck and didn’t move further. Han held her in place for a moment before lowering her to the ground.

Several figures gathered on the edge of the forest, and Han immediately knew his unwelcome proximity to the werewolf border would not go unnoticed.

With slow, steady movements, the human dressed. “Don’t go.” Her hooded eyelids masked her eyes.

Han bent down, cupped her chin, and fixated his gaze on hers. Her pupils opened wide open as Han spoke. “You will not remember this. You will only recall a pleasant walk in the woods.”

The human blinked with effort and then nodded.

Han stood, rolled his shoulders, straightened his tie, and adjusted his jacket. He smiled at the voyeurs, able to overhear their whispered conversation.

“He has no heartbeat!”

“Doesn’t have a natural scent either!”

Han allowed his eyes to change blood-red as he pivoted and fixated on the powerful aura of a pair standing toward the back. Seeing their clasped hands, he growled.

Noticing Han’s shift, the men crouched in an attacking position but could not hide the goosebumps on their flesh.

Stepping back from the unconscious human, Han drew a line with the toe of his well-polished wingtips--daring the Alpha werewolf to move across the border.

“Back to the pack house. Leave,” the Alpha did not take his eyes off Han.

One of the guards raised an eyebrow at the demand.

“Now, I said.”

The guards retreated, not turning their backs until a significant distance had been placed between them.

Only the woman, still clasping the Alpha’s hand, remained facing Han’s dark silhouette.

Sweat trickled down the woman’s back, and Han tilted his head back, pushing his nose into the air. Then he spun around and faced the pair fully. The woman gasped; a slight shudder passed over her, and her chocolate brown eyes met Han’s ruby-red ones.

Han smirked as his eyes traced every curve of the woman’s lithe form. He shifted slightly, adjusting his pants. The woman’s eyes dilated, and her shoulders drooped. Letting go of the Alpha, her hands dropped to her sides. She didn’t look away. Her cheeks flushed.

The Alpha still stood ready to pounce at the slightest provocation. When the Alpha placed a hand out in front of the frozen woman, Han snarled, rolled his shoulders, and sneered.

“Don’t move, Lilly. I’ll protect you,” the Alpha whispered. “Stand behind me.”

“I’ll stand next to you or nowhere at all, sweetheart,” the woman shook her head.

Han laughed audibly. Looking back at the enticing woman, he nodded politely in her direction.

Then he disappeared.