Melissa MacNeal - Beyond Redemption

I had to smile: I was the love child of an Earl and the girl who fell head over heels for him-and then fell into the fountain of eternal youth. Much better than believing I'd been an inconvenience to some loveless couple.

P. S. Your father nicknamed me after the color of my- A pounding on the door brought me out of my trance. "Moore! Open up!" a familiar male voice demanded. "We's got somethin' important to talk about."

I wanted to stay still and let Furmeister go on his way, except I heard others out there with him. I stuffed the bank books and Pink's letter into my desk drawer before I opened the door.

Not surprising that Nat Dammet stood beside the deputy, hugging himself against the cold, but Father Dominic was the last man I expected to see with that nefarious pair.

"Let me light the lamps. I-dozed off at my desk," I fibbed as the trio entered. "Quite a day we've had, laying the magistrate to rest. The end of an era for Redemption."

The men looked at each other as though I'd said something astoundingly prophetic. "Matter of fact," Dammet began, "we've come to discuss that very subject with you, Counselor. Since we are the county seat, where court cases from outlying areas are tried, it behooves us-"

"We's thinkin' you'd wanna be the next judge." Virgil shivered beneath his overcoat, as though spitting out this suggestion had taken all his nerve.

I wondered if he and Nat were trying to keep me quiet about their unconventional sex play, or about the way Harry Legg met his Maker. That idea didn't make much sense with the priest standing here, however-and it was he who articulated further.

"You see," said Father Dominic, adjusting his steel-rim spectacles, "we all realize you are eminently qualified for the position. Your living here makes it a convenient choice, of course, but we also see this as an opportunity for progress, after so many years with an…older magistrate."

"Yeah, an' who knows what sorta old coot the State might appoint?" Virgil chimed in again. "Whadaya say, Alex? You're the man for us, if ya wants the job!"

"I-well, this is totally unexpected!" This proposition would mean a promotion-an opportunity to foster change and a more progressive atmosphere-for the right man. Which presented a problem I couldn't exactly discuss with them.

I smiled as I firmly shook their hands. "I'm honored to receive this invitation," I replied. "May I give you my decision in a day or so? This isn't an offer to be taken lightly, considering my other professional obligations."

Their faces fell, for which I was grateful. I'd never considered myself noteworthy-except that I was the only lawyer living here. How gratifying, to learn these men wanted me to serve in a more responsible capacity.

As I showed them to the door, however, my mind whirled with the complications that sitting on Redemption's bench would pose. This little burg was NOT ready for a female magistrate! Nor was I inclined to forego my true identity for the next several years…what a constant effort, to maintain myself as a male, once I was on display in the courthouse. And to accept the job without admitting my gender would make me an impostor of the highest kind.

And-considering the eight little bank books I'd just opened-I could live like a proverbial queen without ever working another day in my life! What a liberating thought!

I grabbed my coat, needing to clear my head with a walk-vowing I would NOT venture near the mortuary. I'd learned who my parents were only moments ago, and had come into a considerable fortune without lifting a finger, so I had a lot of mental sorting out to do.

The moon beamed serenely in the night sky, casting the common homes and surroundings in an ethereal, magical light. A cold wind clicked in the icy trees, and my steps fell into a quick, purposeful rhythm. Perhaps I should've refused the magistrate's position immediately-sent those three men on their way before they could ask any questions. But that would only postpone the inevitable revelations about a past that had vanished like a vampire. And if they found out I was a woman, I'd be out on my ass in a heartbeat.

I'd raise enough eyebrows cashing in my inheritance-or just a part of it-because even the decorous Miss Pritchard couldn't keep my secret if I bankrupted the bank! Everyone would be happy I'd discovered my parents, and that they'd left me a fortune like the kind in fairy tales. But if they learned my mother was a vampire- This thought stopped me in my tracks. Even though Evangelica Halliburton had become Miss Pink after my birth, I couldn't discuss the orphanage that no longer sat on the hillside, nor the creatures who'd played a part in Redemption's everyday life for years. Those who feared vampires would have me constantly looking over my shoulder-and those who didn't believe in such creatures would get me committed. Even if Miss Pink had erased the memories of those Gypsies and that fateful evening with Judge Legg, the deputy and Dammet would rescind their offer if they had an inkling I was related to that femme fatale…

I found myself on the other side of town, in sight of the Redemption Cemetery. By the light of that full, pale moon the tombstones glowed and the ice-coated trees seemed to whisper my name in the wind. While I was determined to steer clear of the mortuary, I sensed an entirely different force drawing me through the iron gates of the graveyard.

I told myself there was nothing to fear: no one else would be visiting at this late hour. The people here were dead! Resting in peace! Yet my pulse raced in a way that was anything but peaceful. I really, really didn't want to be walking here, yet my legs took me of their own accord.

An unexpected movement made me cry out. From the shadow of an ancient oak stepped a mysterious man, clad in a silk top hat and a cape that draped alluringly around his athletic form.

"Alexandrea! I've been waiting, my dear."

Whose voice was that? I couldn't utter a sound-much less turn around and run! In the eerie light, I couldn't be sure he had form and substance. He emanated an oddly Continental air…seemed dangerous yet downright dashing. Was it the ghost of my father, the Earl of Lustingworth? Come to introduce himself, now that I knew the truth?

He extended his arm with a sleek male grace befitting a panther. His white gloves glowed in the rising mist, and his gold-headed walking stick tapped out a haunting song as he slowly walked my way.

He was nearly upon me, and still I couldn't speak-couldn't move, except to step backwards. He knew me as Alexandrea, rather than Alex Moore, so I dropped all pretense at being a male able to defend myself. His hat angle hid his face: I could see only his chiseled lips and chin…and a smile that would beguile me if I stared long enough.

When he raised his arms-did he wish to kiss me or kill me?-that fascinating cape flared open. Its flame-red lining glimmered like coals of the Devil's own fire and I cried out, caught up in an imagination fueled by the vampires who'd raised me. My scream bounced between the trees. I beheld his bottomless black eyes-and then there was silence- And I lost myself in a kiss that stole my very soul. Beneath that seductive cape, the air felt almost tropical-or was it a blast from hell?-but with this man's lips locked over mine, and his muscled body holding me against a tree, I could only whimper and face my fate.

My God, this man could kiss! His tongue danced with mine, and his hands had found their way beneath my clothing. As my trousers slithered down, I sank deeper into his spell. What a fantasy, to relinquish control to an oh-so-perfect stranger…to feel the need in those gloved hands as they cupped my breasts. After the day I'd had, I deserved to be ravished by some otherworldly lover!

He held me to the tree with that magical mouth, running a hand over my feverish body while he unfastened his pants. His belt buckle clinked. I glanced beneath his fire-lined cape to behold a stunning body-and the most prodigious cock I'd ever seen.