Tempting The Gorgon: A Gorgon / Vampire Romance

Prologue

“Your usual?” my favorite pink-haired barista asked as I approached the counter of the best (and only) coffee shop in Haven Pass. I gave Lennox an Arch signature smile that had won me invitations to many a bedroom in the past, only for her to roll her eyes at me.

“You know it, little pixie,” I answered, calling her the nickname I gave her on a whim when she first moved to town. She was beautiful, tiny, and had a nasty habit of resorting to rage before any rational thought. Classic pixie behavior as far as I was concerned.

“You’re lucky I like you, big red.” Lennox narrowed her eyes as she hit me with the nickname she thought bothered me. I winked at her, letting her know she couldn’t bother me if she tried. Plus, calling a large red-haired person big red wasn’t exactly revolutionary.

Lennox was staunchly against anyone, particularly males, calling her whatever they felt like, but she tolerated me because of my dazzling smile and impeccable wit.

Or because I never actually tried to hit on her.

Flirting didn’t count. I respected her as a business owner and one of the few humans we had in town. Lennox was a cute little thing, but I knew not to complicate the home front by taking anyone to bed that was involved in the inner workings of the town.

As the Fire Council chair, I knew most of the island’s residents and had relationships all over, but I worked with Lennox more than most since she owned and operated The Witch’s Brew, where most of our entertainment events took place. The open floor plan and plenty of seating were able to house more than other businesses for any number of occasions.

She was important. Lennox was vital to my role as a leader here.

I liked to fuck, and normally she’d be on my rotation if she was okay with a casual thing, but she was Cliona and Guillermo’s best friend.

And a business owner.

And a human.

A.k.a. Lennox was off limits, and my cock would have to survive without her wrapped around it.

I picked up my to-go mug of black coffee with two shots of espresso and one shot of the blood she kept for me and other residents that partook, gave the little pixie a nod in thanks, and began my morning walk toward Guillermo’s office for our alpha support group. I technically didn’t need to attend the meetings anymore, but I found they kept me grounded in a routine. I also liked, and probably needed more than I cared to admit, the support for my baser vampire urges. Despite my nearly two centuries’ worth of age, my father’s vampire side still took hold of me in the worst moments. Also, as the council chair of Haven Pass, it helped to know and build bonds with other alpha types.

I waved to a few residents as I crossed the street. It was a lovely spring day in our little town, and the breeze of crisp, clean mountain air was as good an invitation for the residents to come out in the sunshine as they’d get. The streets were bustling, and I took a moment to appreciate the beauty in the hustle. I thrived when things were progressing and moving forward. I couldn’t thrive in stillness, despite Guillermo working with me on it each week in therapy.

Peaceful. That’s what streets full of residents and constant interaction was to me. Haven Pass, despite being cut off from most of the world in the last several years, was the embodiment of contentment. Which is why I, and so many others, flocked to this island off the coast of the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

ó Cuinn HOMES offered what most of us had only dreamed of.

A place to settle.

A little slice of normalcy in our paranormal world.

I paused in front of the town hall to appreciate the morning. I savored another deep breath of mountain freshness before bringing the fresh-brewed coffee to my lips. I had barely sipped when I felt a hand slap on my back, causing me to choke out the little bit of caffeine I’d managed.

A boisterous laugh sounded before the deep timber only an orc could manage said, “You and that caffeine are a deadly combo, my pale friend.” Grom, Earth Council chair and alpha brother, slapped my back again in good measure, thinking he was probably helping despite him only making the choking worse.

“I don’t mind gagging, but I usually prefer to be in the bedroom and not because of your giant orc hands, you big brute,” I grumbled while brushing off the shoulders of my black, freshly pressed, button-down shirt as if he’d rumpled it.

Grom laughed again, a common occurrence for the jolly green orc. “You vampires and your cleanliness. For males who drink blood for sustenance, you sure are picky. I’ll never get it,” he said before opening the door to the town hall for me.

“Such a gentlemale.” I mock bowed at him holding the door and made to walk forward before crashing into yet another person.

“For fuck’s sake!” The top of my mug somehow dislodged, causing my delicious combo of coffee, espresso, and blood to spill down the front of my shirt. I felt with my tingly little vampire senses that the person who ran into me was still falling. With my speed, I managed to catch the person, feeling their soft skin in my hands as I tried to right them.

Their scent hit me next. A swirling of tart raspberry and smooth vanilla had my tongue out and licking my lips and dragging along one of my fangs. My mouth watered instantly, my teeth panged with the need to bite and drink, and my cock wasn’t immune to the multiple sensations either.

My thoughts were still catching up to whoever ran into me when I realized my hand still held tight on the wrist of whoever I knocked into.

I needed more of their scent.

I needed more of them.

Immediately.

“And who do we have—” I started to ask, ignoring the coffee still soaking into my top when an echo of hisses sounded and two sharp stings hit my forearm, forcing me to let the sweet-scented person go. “What the fuck!” I yelped, jerking back to see the sleeves of my shirt torn with my blood pooling underneath.

“Touch me again, and I will remove your fingers one by one, vlákas,” a feminine voice said near my ear, followed by another round of hissing.

I tore my gaze away from the wounds, feeling the poison trying to take root to no avail, my vampiric immune system coming in handy when I needed it to. Looking up, I saw the source of the stinging and took in the most gorgeous creature with black and gray snakes for hair. She stared back at me, and I was immediately lost in piercing obsidian eyes surrounded by a ring of bright red. A face of devastating beauty stared back. She had full cheeks, big round eyes that were slightly turned up at the edges, and delectable plump lips that looked made for my own fangs to sink into. Her skin was bronzed a deep tan-gold hue, the Mediterranean glow matched up with the Greek word for idiot she tossed at me in her rage.

Fuck, she was beautiful. Perfect.

I perused her further, noting the skintight black leggings and leather jacket she wore that accentuated her ample curves, huge tits, wide waist, and what I’m sure was a perfect thick ass to bring it all together if I could look around her.

She was stunning. Devastating.

My fangs dug into my lower lip, and I inhaled another deep breath of my new favorite tangy raspberry swirl scent.

Ignoring the seething look on her face as if it was my fault her own snakes bit me, I said, “And can I ask who the beautiful creature is that’s assaulting me with poison and threatening me with violence first thing in the morning?”

She jerked back as if my words physically stung her. Her eyes darted back and forth, taking in my appearance, and if she’d bore any look other than disgust on her face, I’d say she was checking me out.

“Don’t mind Arch, Lavinia,” Grom said, holding the door open for her. “He’s the town flirt.”

Coming back into herself, she looked at Grom, offered him a small smile that she hadn’t shown me in the slightest, then turned back to me with a grimace. “Listen here, bloodsucker.” She seethed with rage so wild that she looked beautifully feral. “If you come near me, touch me, or even look at me for too long, I will not hesitate to rip your tiny balls off after I’m done breaking every bone in your body.”

Then, the wicked little thing she was gave me a bigger, albeit more sinister, grin than she’d gifted Grom, as if threatening violence brought her joy. I had no doubt she could follow through on her threats. I was beyond intrigued, but I’d have to play this right. I took a step back, pressing against Grom’s chest, and raised my hands in surrender, showing her my palms.

The female ran her eyes over me once more, pretended to vomit, and then entered the town hall as if she were on a mission.

I watched her deliciously plump ass shift and sway side to side in those sinful leggings as she made her way into the halls and mentally told my dick to settle down because we weren’t going to be able to get near her for a long time if her attitude was anything to consider.

“I never thought I’d see the day.” I heard another deep masculine voice exclaim from a few paces behind. “Did that female ignore your attempt to flirt and tell you to fuck off?”

Dom strode forward with his own coffee in hand. The dragon was the Air Council chair and probably the only other alpha that actually scared me in Haven Pass. He was a fucking dragon shifter after all; they were rare, probably even more rare than the gorgon I’d managed to piss off.

“That was the best thing I’ve ever seen.” Grom shoved me through the door to make our way to Guillermo’s office.

“Give me ten minutes alone with her and I’ll have her on her knees, boys. Watch and learn.”

I’d been wrong in my life, sure, but I had never been quite as wrong as when I claimed to have Vinni on her knees for me in no time.