She was created to tempt…and enchant.
Sabrina Lark is a muse who has the ability to inspire any man…to do absolutely anything. Unfortunately for Sabrina, the latest human to fall under her spell has turned out to have one very dark side. Now he’s obsessed with her, and she’s realized—too late—that she just inspired a serial killer. She truly has the worst luck in the world.
Desperate, Sabrina makes a deal with the devil in order to get some serious paranormal protection. Her protection comes in the oh-so-sexy form of Adam Cross, a man who is able to resist her magic…because Adam really is made of stone.
He’s a real beast on the outside…
Cursed centuries before, Adam is a gargoyle. Fierce, strong, and absolutely unstoppable, he is the guard who is placed at Sabrina’s side. He’s supposed to protect her from every danger…he is not supposed to find himself falling under the seductive Sabrina’s spell. But even a man with a heart of stone can find himself pushed too far…
Sabrina thinks she may have found the perfect lover, but Adam’s past is about to come back and bite them both…and he may not be the man she can trust, after all. If she can’t find a way to touch the man inside the beast, if she can’t make his stone heart burn for her, then they’ll be lost.
Excerpt
He swept through the open balcony doors and felt the brush of the wind against his face. He expected to see Sabrina standing on the balcony. It wasn’t as if she had anywhere to go. Unlike him, she didn’t have the luxury of possessing her own wings. But when he stepped outside, she wasn’t in front of him. It took him two seconds too long to realize that he’d just walked into her trap. He spun around, but she’d already lunged at him. She’d been hiding right next to the balcony door, pushing her body flat against the bricks there. In a breath, she had a wickedly sharp knife pressed to his throat. Instantly, Adam stilled. After all, wasn’t that the reaction normal man would have to that situation?
“Who in hell are you?” Sabrina demanded. She was tall in her heels, but she still tipped back her head to stare into his eyes. “What are you doing in a ballroom full of humans?”
Very slowly, he lifted his hands. Adam wanted to show he wasn’t armed. He’d brought no weapons with him to the charity ball. It wasn’t as if he needed weapons. “I think you’re confused.” Adam kept his voice soft and calm, or as soft and calm as he could manage. His gaze swept over her face.
What a fucking fabulous face it was. A perfect oval, with those wide, unforgettable eyes. Her nose was small and straight. Her cheekbones almost ridiculously high. And her mouth… Talk about the stuff of the darkest fantasies. Red. Full. Too tempting.
“I’m not confused.” Anger tightened each word. “You think I don’t know a predator when I see one?” Her left hand fisted around the front of his tux. Then she yanked him toward the nearby wall, making sure they were away from any prying eyes. Not that there was anyone out there to watch them. All of the rich humans were inside getting drunk. Only he and Sabrina were outside.
Adam offered her a weak smile. “Predator?” He lifted one brow. “I hardly think so. You took one look at me, and you went running. I just followed you to make certain you were okay.”
The tip of the blade pressed his throat. “Bullshit,” she whispered the word like a caress. “You aura is the darkest one I’ve ever seen. Trust me on this, I’ve seen plenty of dark ones.”
Adam blinked at her even as he kept his hands raised. “Aura?” he repeated. “You want to run that by me again?”
Her delicate jaw hardened. “Yes, aura. Yours hangs around you like a dark shadow of death.”
Adam didn’t know much about auras, but her description of his? Yeah, that seemed pretty spot on with his life. Not that he would tell her that particular truth. “You got me all wrong, lady.”
“I have enough shit going on in my life right now. I cannot deal with you, too. Go look for inspiration somewhere else.” She drew in a shuddering breath. “If you don’t, you’ll be sorry.”
Adam had to admit, the muse was impressing him. And he wasn’t one who was easily impressed. But she was doing it. Impressing him and turning him on. Sure, most men wouldn’t like it if a woman put a knife to their throats. He wasn’t most men. Technically, he was far beyond being just a man. So he offered her a small smile, then said, “You’re the muse I was told about.”
Sabrina cast a quick, nervous glance toward the open balcony doors. “Keep your voice down.”
Adam laughed. “And maybe you should keep your knife out of sight.”
It was interesting to note, Sabrina hadn’t broken the surface of his skin. Not yet, anyway. She was being very careful with her knife.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
Instead of answering, he asked, “Can you really inspire a man to do anything you want?”
For an instant, she bit down on her plump, lower lip. Then Sabrina gave a quick, negative shake of her head. “That isn’t the way it works. I don’t know what you’ve been led to believe, but that’s just wrong.”
Adam wasn’t so sure it was wrong. “Try it,” he dared. “See if you can control me.”
At his words, Sabrina gave a quick gasp. She yanked the knife away from his throat. “I want you to stay away from me. Do you understand? Far, far away. You carry a darkness… I can’t handle you now. I won’t handle you.” As he watched, she tucked the knife back into a sheath that was strapped to her thigh. Hmmm. So that was why she had such a long slit in her dress. The slit gave her easy access to her weapon.
Clever muse.
Sabrina turned away from him. She’d obviously drawn him onto the balcony that they could have a one-on-one chat. Only the chat hadn’t worked out so well. And now she was trying to ditch him…again.
His hand flew out and curved around her shoulder. In a blink, he’d pinned her between his body and the brick wall. Adam leaned in close to Sabrina. If any humans walked onto the balcony, they would just assume he and Sabrina were two lovers making out in the dark. The humans would be wrong. But what else was new?
His right hand slid down to her thigh. Her skin felt like silk beneath his touch. His fingers moved lightly over that silk.
“What are you doing?” Sabrina asked, her voice little more than a whisper.
He pulled the knife from the sheath and held it easily in his hand. “I’m making sure you don’t get the urge to slice my throat again.”
REVIEW:
I love Cynthia Eden's paranormal romances. You can always count on her for unusual paranormal beings, a sexy love story, and of course a happy ever after. This book had a muse and a gargoyle and the usual cast of characters from this series. I honestly don't think I've ever read a story with a muse. Gargoyles yes muse no. It was intriguing the way she inspires folks. And her inspiration usually backfires on her. That is where the serial killer comes in. I was so glad she found Adam and that he was immune to her powers because hello gargoyle. Adam has issues of his own and the serial killer clues into one his problems and capitalizes on it. But it all works out in the end.
I love that Luke is playing match maker and even Leo gets in on the act. I was gifted this book by the author in exchange for consideration of a review and I loved it. Absolutely loved it. I give it 5 stars and if you click below you can buy your own copy and if you've not read this series why not? If you love paranormal romance series with a great group of characters and unusual paranormal beings this is for you.
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