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TAINTED PLEASURES
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TAINTED PLEASURES
TAINTED PLEASURES
By
Alyna Lachlan
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TAINTED PLEASURES
The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet
or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and
punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electron ic editions, and
do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted
materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are
either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or persons, living or
dead, is entirely coincidental.
TAINTED PLEASURES
Copyright (c) 2005 by ALYNA LACHLAN
ISBN: 1-59836-000-0
Cover art and design (c) 2005
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
form without permission, except as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law.
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
For information, you can find us on the web at
www.VenusPress.com
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TAINTED PLEASURES
~One~
The Dark Ages
A time when evil in all its forms walked the land.
Through a darkened upper window, staring out into the night, a pair of glowing,
yellow eyes scanned the front lawn once more. She was near. Elayus was coming to him
at last.
Even though her figure could not yet be seen, Lysander, Lord of Doomore castle,
felt the beat of her heart. It rang with fear and rushed with apprehension, but she came.
What had driven her to his lair? Few crossed his land and those that did, quaked in their
shoes and wet their britches.
It did not matter. Only that she entered his home of her own free will, thus,
giving him complete power over her. A cloud parted and the moon's light passed across
his shadowy appearance in the window before the clouds swallowed the illumination
once again. A gust of air stroked his dark form, and he inhaled the crisp breeze.
"Closer." The word passed across his lips in a caress. His eyes closed for only a
moment as he sought her out with his thoughts.
She will depart from the trees to the left. He waited, holding his breath, his
muscles tightened, everything within him concentrated on that spot, until she slipped
from the woods surrounding the castle.
A rush of air fell in a sigh from the sinister figure before he backed away from the
window to disappear into the dim room beyond.
* * *
Elayus shivered as she approached the dark towers of Doomore. The red eyes of
the winged stone beasts followed her from the pointy eaves and turrets of the ancient
castle. The darkest shadows clung to the gray stone like charred vines, concealing what
evil lay inside. Even the rustling of the leaves chanted her doom in an eerie wail.
Everything within urged her to turn and flee, but she knew she could not. A
greater threat pressured her; the life of her younger sister. Carolyn would die if Elayus
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TAINTED PLEASURES
did not carry out the plan. There was her sick mother to think of as well. Here, she had a
chance to save them both.
The twelve-foot double doors stood black against the gray stone walls, like a
mouth open in mid scream. She hesitated for one breath before climbing the marble
stairs covered with dry leaves. A blast of wind scattered the brittle foliage across her
feet, like rats escaping a larger beast. She reached the door only to come face to face
with glowing red-jeweled eyes set in the twisted features of a gargoyles face. They
seemed to pulse in the moonlight with every beat of her heart, calling her to come closer.
Its iron jaws stood open in a snarl with fangs projected to catch the unwary. Her hand
clutched at her chest, feeling the need to protect her heart.
A shadow passed over the moon, and she felt a scream climb in her throat. She
could not do this. Terror ate a hole though her nerves, leaving them raw and bloody.
She was about to flee when one half of the double doors opened inwardly on well-
oiled hinges. The entrance stood empty.
The wind must have blown it open.
Far within the darkened hall, she spotted a warm glow from some room toward
the back of the castle. She became chilled; a shiver racked her body, a sudden
compulsion to find warmth inside moved her feet forward.
She stood before the threshold, her hands braced against the doorframe, but a hard
gust of wind, like an unseen hand, pushed her forward. Elayus stumbled into the deserted
hall.
As she righted herself, the slamming door caused her to scream and jump. Her
hand flattened over her pounding heart, trying to keep it from leaving her chest.
Trapped.
An eerie whisper of laughter echoed in the air over her head. She ran back to the
door, pulling and twisting the iron handle. A need to escape radiated through her, mixing
with terror, but she found the door locked or too heavy to move. Panic drove her. The
loud, fast, beat of her heart echoed in her ears.
Elayus flattened her back against the door's hard surface. "Who's there?" she
whispered to the shadows, clawing their way from wall to ceiling, but no answer came.
She sensed a presence, yet could see nothing but the beckoning light in a room,
which seemed too far to reach. It held some security from this oppressive darkness.
Grabbing up her skirts, she ran the length of the hall and into the room like the master of
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