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
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
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…
Excerpt:
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:
Tour-Wide Giveaway:
20 downloads from iBooks (iTunes) US Only
![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000035_00016]](http://www.promotionalbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/All-for-Hope-Olivia.jpg)
