Colin the Conqueror

  Colin the Conqueror

  Book seven of the Raven series

  Rhiannon Neeley

  Published 2005

  ISBN 1-59578-127-7

  Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © 2005, Rhiannon Neeley. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Liquid Silver Books

  http://lsbooks.com

  Email:

  raven@lsbooks.com

  Edited by

  Tracey West

  Cover Art by

  Will Kramer

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  Dedication

  For Carl. I’ll truly miss you.

  Prologue

  Ramsey skirted the ragged person who sat on the sidewalk with his hand out, his eyes closed. Already, Ramsey hated New York. The city was too busy, too loud, too crowded. Ramsey wanted to be back on the water, captain of a fine yacht. That’s what he loved. The feel of the water beneath him, the quiet that came with the night.

  But he couldn’t get back to where he wanted to be by himself. Ramsey had no money, except for the fifty dollars in his pocket that his last conquest had ‘loaned’ him. And … he had no boat. He was also very aware of who exactly was responsible for the fact that he was land-locked.

  The Ravens.

  Ramsey kept walking, moving steadily toward his destination; revenge the most prevalent thing on his mind. That was what he had promised himself when he had escaped from Ravencrest, the nest where the Raven Clan roosted. First revenge, then he’d build his own private harem again. The harem, of course, would gift him with a new yacht. Vampires had money to burn and if Ramsey had his way, he would have a voluptuous fanged beauty for every day of the week by the time he was finished.

  A red glow cast the edge of the sidewalk up ahead, in what looked like a puddle of blood.

  Ramsey quickened his pace.

  As he neared the pool of light, he grinned. This was the place. The one he had sought from the time he arrived here in the city. The one where he could find the vampire called Nicolas.

  Just below the sidewalk level and down an iron stair, the neon sign glowed above the recessed doorway.

  Chained.

  Ramsey took the steps fast and pushed through the heavy black door.

  The beat of the music thumped through him as he stood near the door, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the lighting. A red glow washed over the milling bodies, seeming to pulse with the music. The club was small but crowded. Ramsey was having trouble making out the individual bodies from this distance.

  “Hey—you,” a voice yelled in his ear.

  Ramsey turned toward it.

  A tall, skinny kid with bloodshot eyes stood beside him. “Twenty bucks, you want in.” He held out a hand that was encased in a chain mail glove.

  Ramsey grudgingly dug a twenty out of his pocket and gave it to the weirdo. The kid drew back into the shadows as if he’d never been there.

  Ramsey moved into the club, searching.

  Yes, he thought, there were a lot of them here. He could spot vampires as if they had it tattooed on their forehead. As Ramsey sidled toward the bar, he guessed there were at least six or seven in attendance, scattered throughout the club. He felt their eyes on him as he moved. Ramsey smiled. This place he was going to like.

  He made it to the bar and leaned in, shouting to the bartender, “A draft!”

  The bartender nodded.

  Ramsey fished a five out of his pocket. When the bartender delivered his beer, he held out his hand for the money. Ramsey held the bill out. The bartender tried to take it. Ramsey didn’t let go. Instead, he said loudly, “Nicolas. Where?”

  The bartender shook his head and tugged on the money.

  Ramsey raised an eyebrow and grinned.

  The bartender shifted his eyes to the left—once, twice, three times.

  Ramsey followed the look. In a circular booth, a man sat surveying the shifting bodies on the dance floor. Two women sat with him, one on each side. Ramsey knew right off the bat the delicious looking blond was a vampire but the other, a pretty young redhead, was human. Human, but most definitely under the male vampire’s influence.

  Ramsey let go of the five, picked up his beer and strode through the crowd straight for Nicolas’ booth.

  Nicolas’ eyes locked onto him when he was halfway to the booth. Ramsey watched as he leaned toward the blond, whispering, his eyes never leaving Ramsey. The blond nodded and slid out of the booth. She glanced at Ramsey then moved away.

  Ramsey kept on smiling.

  He arrived at the booth and slid into the spot the blond had just vacated. “I’m Ramsey. We need to talk.” He took a long draught of his beer.

  Nicolas raised an eyebrow, then laughed loudly.

  Ramsey kept the smile on his face but he noticed that Nicolas didn’t bother in the least to hide his deadly looking fangs when he had laughed.

  “What would we have to talk about?” Nicolas asked when he finished laughing. His arm was draped around the redhead, his long fingers stroking her neck along her jugular vein.

  “I have information.” Ramsey watched as the redhead angled her head, lengthening the path of Nicolas’ finger stroke. Ramsey felt a tingle in his balls, watching her seduction.

  “I don’t require any information. I do not know you.” Nicolas’ hand slithered down to the girl’s collarbone. She shuddered, her eyes heavy-lidded and glued to Nicolas’ face.

  Ramsey lifted his beer, tipping it toward the girl. “Nice show.” He leaned toward Nicolas. “Ever hear of the Ravens?”

  Nicolas’ eyes flashed, then immediately dimmed back to dead black.

  “Got your attention, didn’t I?” Ramsey felt someone slide into the booth beside him, blocking his way out. He glanced to his right. It was the blond. He gave her a wink then turned back to Nicolas. “Is there someplace more private where we could talk?”

  Ten minutes later, Ramsey followed Nicolas, the gorgeous blond and the redhead into a plush office. They had traveled through a maze of hallways to get there and the whole time Ramsey had the distinct feeling that they were going down, deep into the ground. The sensation didn’t bother him in the least. Matter of fact, he considered it logical that Nicolas would want to be as deep underground as possible.

  Nicolas sat down behind a massive antique desk. The redhead, still under his spell, stayed close at his side. Ramsey helped himself to one of the large high back armchairs that sat in front of the desk and crossed one leg over his knee. The blond moved to the side of Nicolas that was vacant.

  “So,” Nicolas said, resting his elbows on the desktop and steepled his fingers. “You have information that you think would interest me. What would that be?”

  Ramsey leaned back in the chair. “You’ve heard of the Ravens.”

  Nicolas sat frozen for a beat, then nodded. “Yes. They call themselves the ‘Unkindness’. How appropriate.”

  Ramsey laughed. “I imagine someone of your species would consider them ‘unkind’, since what they love to do more than anything is to destroy your kind.”

  Nicolas smiled evilly. “You are aware of what we are.”

  “Of course.”

  “You do not fear us?” He tilted his head.

  Ramse
y snorted. “I have nothing to fear.”

  In the blink of an eye, Nicolas loomed over him, his hands placed on the arms of Ramsey’s chair, blocking his escape. Ramsey didn’t flinch as Nicolas leaned in until his face was a mere inch from Ramsey’s. “I could destroy you, my friend,” Nicolas said, baring his teeth.

  “But you won’t.” Ramsey looked directly into Nicolas’ coal black eyes.

  “I could turn you into one of us.”

  Ramsey tilted his head. “Nope. Don’t think so. You can’t.”

  “Really?” Nicolas leaned back, putting a bit of space between them. “Why can’t I?”

  “I’m immune to your venom.” Ramsey drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. “Can we get back to business now, or do you still feel the need to try to intimidate me?”

  Ramsey’s sight wavered for a second, then cleared. Nicolas was back in his seat behind the desk. “Patricia, my dear,” he said to the blond vampire, “Please secure the door, would you?”

  Okay, Ramsey thought, he’s locking me in. We’ll just see where this leads.

  After locking the door, the blond returned to Nicolas’ side.

  “Mr. Ramsey, is it?” Nicolas asked, drawing the still human redhead into his lap.

  Ramsey nodded. “Just Ramsey. No mister.”

  “Tell me how you know of the Ravens.” Nicolas shifted in his chair, turning slightly sideways, and positioned the redhead across his lap at an angle. With his long fingers, he caught her chin and lifted it, exposing her slender neck. He glanced at Ramsey. “Go on. Don’t let my actions delay your telling.”

  Ramsey cleared his throat, his eyes following Nicolas’ hand as it stroked the girl’s lovely neck. “The Ravens—I’ve just come from their compound. They were holding me prisoner.”

  “Why is that?” Nicolas ran one finger the whole length of the girl’s collarbone. She sighed under his touch.

  Ramsey felt a tingle in his loins again. The redhead was a lovely morsel and it looked like Nicolas was going to let him watch the rest of her seduction. Ramsey couldn’t wait.

  “They kept me,” he began again, “to study my blood. Like I said, I have a natural immunity to vampire venom.”

  “You’ve been marked then. Bitten.”

  “Many times. The vampires that I was with, four beautiful women, were destroyed by the Ravens.”

  “Four women?” Nicolas glanced at Ramsey as he slid one strap of the girl’s blouse down over her shoulder.

  “We had a yacht that we traveled on. Its name was Bloody Hell.” Ramsey drew in a slow breath. Damn, he was getting hard watching the scene before him. He glanced at the blond vampire, wishing she would come sit with him. Hell, sit on him.

  “I believe I heard of that incident. And they took you where to hold you prisoner?”

  “Ravencrest. Their base.”

  “And it is located where?” Nicolas brushed the girl’s blouse lower, exposing one full breast, tipped with a peach-hued nipple.

  Ramsey swallowed. “It’s—um—it’s located in southern Ohio. In the hills.”

  “How many of them are there?” Nicolas tweaked the redhead’s nipple. She gasped, her head lolling back, her lips parted.

  “There are seven. Seven of them.” Ramsey shifted in his chair.

  Nicolas smiled at Ramsey as he rolled the girl’s nipple between his fingers. “She looks delicious, doesn’t she? So luscious. So … willing.”

  Ramsey uncrossed his legs. His erection was becoming absolutely painful. While on the yacht Bloody Hell, he had four female vampires that kept his sexual appetite satisfied, but since being held captive, he’d only been able to get laid twice. Both of those times were with the woman who had brought him to New York and had given him the money in his pocket. Yeah, she’d been very appreciative of his attention but Ramsey wasn’t used to taking women to bed who were on the other side of fifty. He wanted—needed—some nice, taut body with orifices to match. Like the two in front of him.

  “Ramsey,” Nicolas said, “you will take us to this Ravencrest, but first we must know that you are what you say you are. We must know that you speak the truth. We must give you a test.”

  “What kind of test?” Ramsey’s defenses went up. Nicolas was obviously a smooth operator and Ramsey knew that vampires were like the devil … they spoke with forked tongues. It would not be wise to let his guard down.

  “You must let us feed from you,” Nicolas said, running his tongue over his lips. “We must know if you tell the truth about being immune to our saliva.” Then Nicolas bowed his head and swirled his tongue around the redhead’s peaked nipple. She shuddered and moaned.

  Ramsey almost burst his pants when Nicolas closed his mouth over that pale peach button and began to suck. Ramsey bit back a groan, wishing it were his mouth against the girl’s warm skin.

  Nicolas raised his head and looked at Ramsey, his lips tinged red with the girl’s blood. He had bitten her, suckling from her breast. “A bit sweet,” he said, wiping a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth with a fingertip. “I would wager that you’re blood would be … hmm … spicy.”

  “You can wager all you want, Nicolas, but I’m not into guys sucking my neck.” Ramsey nodded toward the blond vampire. “Now her—she can suck any part of me she wants.”

  “No men, eh? Tsk, tsk. Too bad.” Nicolas shot the blond a look then winked at Ramsey. “We shall see then how you hold up under Patricia’s attentions.”

  Patricia swayed toward him, sliding her dress smoothly from her body.

  Ramsey sucked in his breath. Damn, she was perfect! As the vampire knelt at his feet and started to undo his pants, Nicolas spoke. “Patricia will feed from you three times this night. If what you say is true, we will know in twenty-four hours. If you do not turn, we’ll know that you’ve spoken the truth. Then—you will take us to Ravencrest.”

  Chapter One

  Colin Moore was anxious.

  During the past two weeks, he had spent most of his waking hours helping in the search for the escaped Ramsey.

  And that meant he had little time to spend with Heather.

  Tonight though, he had been freed of his obligation to the Unkindness. John had released him from the search, giving him a much-needed respite from the rigors of tracking the wayward Ramsey through the large expanse of woods that surrounded Ravencrest, their home base.

  Colin slipped on a crisp white shirt and tucked it precisely in the waistband of his tailored black trousers. He had politely asked Rogue, whom he shared this wing of Ravencrest with, to retire to his room early—with his fiancé, Kaitlyn—so that Colin may have their private living room to himself. He smiled, buttoning his sleeves. Not to himself, really. He wanted the privacy so that he could spend some quality time with Heather.

  He glanced at his watch. She would be here any second. She only had to make a journey from the wing that she shared with her sister Ivy and Ivy’s love, Holt Raven. Colin knew she wouldn’t be late.

  He raked his fingers through his hair as he left his bedroom. Entering their private living room, he surveyed the area.

  The couch faced a large window that looked out into the darkening forest. On the low table in front of the couch, Colin had placed a setting of tidbits for them to enjoy while talking about their week. Colin truly enjoyed just sitting and talking with Heather. She had been through quite a lot. Held captive by a Clutch of vampires on a yacht called Bloody Hell, had exposed her to things that most people were not privy to. Colin, Holt and Rogue had arrived on the scene just in time to save Heather from being turned into a vampire herself. They had spirited her, along with Ramsey who had captained the yacht, back here to Ravencrest to repair the damage that had been done to her body.

  Colin himself had taken on the healing of her soul.

  A timid knock sounded at the door.

  Colin rubbed his hands together, nervous and excited. He opened the door to find Heather standing at the entrance to their wing, smiling.

  “Ms. Heather Gre
en, you are a vision,” Colin said, taking her hand. He brought it up to his lips, brushing a kiss across her skin.

  “Colin, sometimes I still don’t know what to think about you,” Heather said in her soft lilting voice.

  “I don’t know what you mean.” He led her into the living room, closing the door. Taking her elbow, he let his eyes roam over her. Her long blond hair flowed in layers down her back, glowing golden silk in the dim lighting of the room. She wore a dress made of a shimmering copper material that hugged her form, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. The color of the dress brought out the matching flecks of copper in her large brown eyes that were rimmed with thick golden lashes. Colin had always thought Heather’s eyes were striking—a deep copper flecked brown in a face that was framed with her golden blond. Odd for such a light complexioned woman to have such dark eyes. Colin had found himself more than once feeling like he was drowning in their depths.

  “What I mean is,” Heather said, moving languidly toward the couch, “that you are such a gentleman. I just don’t see how we could be such good friends.” She sat down on the couch and crossed her legs. The hem of her dress rode up high, dangerously high.

  Colin felt a tightening in his loins, noting that she made no move to bring the hem down to a more respectable level.

  “Are we so different?” Colin asked, sitting down, but leaving enough room between them so that she had her space.

  Heather laughed, the sound like bells. “Are you kidding?” She leaned back, tilting her head. “First—you are twice my age.”

  Colin reached for the bottle of Merlot that sat on the table and poured them each a half glass. “That bothers you. That I’m forty-four.” He handed her a glass.

  She leaned forward to take it, the low cut neckline of her dress shifting, revealing the swell of her breasts. Colin’s mouth watered. He took a sip of Merlot, concentrating on the bite of the warm grape on his tongue.

  “No, silly. Your age definitely does not bother me. My God, look at you—you’re one heck of a hunk.”

  Colin stifled an egotistical grin.

  Heather raised the glass to her lips and tentatively took a sip. Her pert nose twitched. “Here’s another thing, this wine. I don’t understand why you insist that we drink it warm. I like my alcohol cold and icy.”