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Sleeping Beauty and the Demon
The Cursed Princes
Book 4
Marina Myles
Genre: Historical/paranormal romance
Publisher: eKensington
Date of Publication: August 7, 2014
ISBN: 9781601832818
ASIN:B00IUPCLWW
Word Count: 75,000
Book Description:
Sleight Of Hand
Dragomir Starkov poses as an illusionist, a showman performing tricks, his Romanian accent and dark good looks all just a part of the drama. That’s how Rose Carlisle first sees him. She’s a respectable girl—she wouldn’t accept witchy birthday gifts from a demon.
But the hustle and bustle of 1912 New York City offers plenty of ways to slip around the strict old rules of propriety. A good thing, too, because once Rose meets Drago, she no longer cares about being respectable.
But the only illusion in Drago’s act is that his magic is smoke and mirrors. Every word of power he speaks is as real as Rose before him, in thrall to his lust and adoration. Drago knows about Rose’s curse, that she will die on her next birthday.
But the shadowy threat that stalks her hasn’t won her yet. If she can trust him, perhaps he can save her too…
Available at Amazon BN Kobo iTunes Google Play Books
CHAPTER
ONE
New York City
1912
A
torrential downpour bounced off the sloping roof of the Sunshine Theater.
Inside the auditorium, an eager audience sat riveted by Dragomir Starkov’s
onstage presence.
Dressed
in black, he moved with confidence. With his hair slicked back from a widow’s
peak and his eyes drawing the crowd into his mirage, he spoke in a heavy,
Romanian accent. “Ladies and gentlemen, I will now attempt something few
magicians dare. I will bring a creature back to life.”
Turning
to the rear of the stage, he hid his hands from view. When he faced the
audience again, he presented the body of what appeared to be a dead kitten. The
small animal hung limply across his open palm. Murmuring a low chant, he waved
it from one side of the stage to the other.
Then, with a flick of his white-gloved fingers, he urged the kitten back
to life.
The
small cat sat up erect and blinked in astonishment. As it let out a satisfied
“meow,” it sprang to the floor.
The
audience clapped wildly. In turn, Drago stepped forward. That’s when he spotted
the woman he had willed to come to tonight’s show.
With
an abundance of flaxen hair that swayed from a ponytail like wheat in a summer
breeze, and a flawless complexion that glowed against the stage’s low-lying
gaslights, the young woman’s beauty imprisoned Drago like a padlock. In the
sparkle of her violet eyes he saw something amazing—a unique essence of
goodness that compelled him as he often compelled
others.
She’s even more beautiful than she
was in my vision.
The
girl flashed him a smile—and when it illuminated his world of darkness like a
bright spotlight, the need to protect and possess her rose within him. But it
didn’t matter how he felt. He was here to banish a cruel curse cast upon her
when she was a baby. And if he wanted to weave his unique spell around her, he
needed to hypnotize her now.
A
hush fell over the theater. Clasping his hands behind his back, Drago paced the
stage like a caged animal. “For my next trick, I need a female volunteer from
the audience.”
Numerous
hands went up. He ignored them. Once he unlaced his dark cape, he threw it into
the wings. “I need a very special
participant for this mystifying trick.”
Pressing
his forefinger to his temple, he pretended to use his powers of telepathy. Just
then, the beautiful blond girl left her seat, accompanied by her dark-haired
friend. They scurried to the theater’s center aisle, apparently adverse to the
thought of being called on to volunteer.
“You
there!” Drago thundered.
The duo froze in their tracks and wheeled
around.
Pulling
on her thick, blond ponytail, Rose—her name popped into Drago’s head
suddenly—blushed.
“You,
my dear.” He galloped halfway down the staircase at the side of the stage and
extended his hand.
“Go
on, Rose!” her friend encouraged. Drago was right about her name.
Rose
smoothed her gingham dress. She joined him on the shadowed staircase, then took
his hand. As Drago grasped it, an alarming chill raced up his spine. And when
her pink lips spread into another shy smile, he found himself completely
enchanted.
Leading
her to center stage he said, “Please tell the audience your name, Miss.”
“It’s
Rose Carlisle.”
“Have
we ever met before, Rose?”
“No.”
“If
you don’t mind, I’d like to tell the spectators how old you are.”
“I
don’t know how you could guess that, but very well,” she replied in a sweet,
clear voice.
He
cleared his throat. “Today is your birthday, and you are twenty years old.” The
number surfaced in his mind as surely as he knew his own birthday.
Rose’s jaw dropped open. She nodded
vigorously. “How did you know?” Her friend, who had returned to her seat in the
front row, mirrored her stunned expression.
Drago
felt his affinity for the doe-eyed beauty grow. Yet he urged himself to be
careful—and to make her feel as comfortable with him as possible.
“It
doesn’t take a magician to see that you’ve attended this show without your
parents’ permission,” he said. “Is that right, Miss Carlisle?”
The
crowd chuckled lightly at the joke. Rose looked stunned. “I haven’t seen my
parents since I was a baby. But my adoptive parents don’t know I’m here.”
“I
see,” Drago remarked lightheartedly. But when he saw Rose clutching her hands
together nervously, he sensed her pain ran deep.
“Have
you ever been a magician’s assistant?”
“No,”
Rose replied. “In fact, this is my first magic show.”
“We’ll
have to make it one you’ll never forget.”
When
he reached for her small, velvet hand, it trembled inside his at the
suggestion.
“Promise
me you won’t be anxious,” he said. “I would never allow harm to come to you.”
She
slid a glance his way—and they locked eyes for what felt like an eternity.
“I’ll try not to be nervous,” she finally
promised. “What do I have to do?”
“Absolutely nothing. Just close your lovely
eyes and remain in one spot.”
Rose did as she was told. Drago took the
opportunity to study her high cheekbones, dainty mouth, and hourglass figure.
Though she was tall, her demeanor lent her a fragile air. She seemed to him a
delicate, porcelain doll which could be broken easily if handled improperly.
Frowning, he tried to concentrate on
performing his illusion. While Rose kept her eyes closed, he massaged the air
in front of him with his fingertips. As he murmured something inaudible, he
willed Rose’s feet to rise slowly off the ground.
It
appeared as if someone was pulling her legs out from under her. Eventually, her
torso, limbs, and head reached a plane parallel to the stage and she was
levitating in space.
The
crowd gasped as Drago reached for a large silver hoop. He proceeded to pass the
circle back and forth over Rose’s stiff body. When he twisted and turned it in
every direction, the audience gasped. The trick, which had been performed only
one time before, proved it had the power to intrigue.
“Are
you doing all right, Rose?” Drago asked in a gentle voice.
She
nodded. Her ponytail swung toward the wooden floor.
“Excellent.” Drago passed the silver
hoop to his brunette assistant, Katherine. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have a confession to make. The
second half of this trick is new even to me. However, it’s something I feel
bold enough to try with Miss Carlisle’s help.”
Drago’s
assistant cast him an angry look. He continued on anyway. “Katherine, would
you hand me that red silk drape?” he
asked.
Clearly
irritated, Katherine moved to the tiny prop table in the corner. Once she
passed a large cloth to Drago, he unfolded it and draped it over the length of
Rose’s levitating body.
“Ladies
and gentlemen,” he said in a low tone. “Making a woman levitate in midair is
one thing. But what if I made her …disappear?”
He
whipped off the red drape and exposed nothing but air. Men in pinstriped suits
leapt to their feet and women touched their hats in astonishment.
When
the audience’s enthusiastic clapping subsided, Drago removed his gloves. “Now
I’ll make our lovely Rose reappear. Just… like… that.”
Snapping his fingers loudly, he moved to a
cabinet in the middle of the stage. He opened the cabinet’s door with an
exaggerated gesture and there stood a pale-faced Rose. Grinning, Drago took her
hand and helped her out. Together they walked to the front of the stage and
were greeted with thunderous applause.
As
he took one step away from Rose, Drago bowed to her as well. Her cheeks
regained their color—and she looked at him as if he were the most wonderful man
in the world.
Although leaving her was the last thing he
desired to do, he had no choice. Drago
came closer to her and pressed something into her hand. Then he mouthed the
haunting words, “Wear this and come back to me.”
Rose’s hand closed around the item
the handsome magician had placed in her palm. The curtain closed with a
dramatic whoosh—and as she stumbled
up the aisle, she unfurled her hand and stared at the object. It was a
beautiful amulet that bore a silver chain and mysterious Egyptian engravings.
About the Author:
Marina Myles’s love of books began as soon as she read her first fairy tale. During her college days, she received degrees in English Literature and Communications—and enjoyed the unique experience of being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.
Now that she lives under the sunny skies of Arizona, she hasn’t left her glamorous life behind completely. After all, she gets to divide her time between her loving family, her loyal Maltese, and worlds filled with fiery—but not easily attained—love affairs.
Visit her at www.marinamyles.com
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