Trouble In Paradise Read online

  Trouble In Paradise

  Royal Vampire Kingdom

  Ivy Banks

  Copyright © 2019 by Ivy Banks

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. For permission requests, email [email protected]

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events, businesses, companies, institutions, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Sun, sand, secrets and seduction. A vacation worth taking.

  Contents

  Royal Vampire Kingdom Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Also By Ivy Banks

  About the Author

  Royal Vampire Kingdom Prologue

  Many eons ago, the first vampire came into existence when a great warrior named Atticus was given the gift of immortality from an almighty warlock. But with the gift of eternal life came great responsibility. As Atticus developed a thirst for blood, he knew he had to leverage his powers wisely.

  Over time, immortality became lonely, and Atticus embarked on a quest to form his own family. Choosing his “children” based on strength of character, fortitude and the ability to navigate an ever changing world for millennia upon millennia, Atticus created a clan that would be able to rule over all other vampires, creating order and hierarchy among them.

  The Vampire King gave sixteen worthy humans the gift of everlasting life. The chosen soon became the fifteen princes and sole princess of the vampire world. Together they became the Hanover family.

  From these original sixteen individuals, all vampires in the world were created. Though vampires now cover the Earth as rampantly as man and beast, the original Hanover clan remains the most powerful among them.

  This is the love story of Erik Hanover.

  Chapter 1

  “This is a terrible idea,” Lincoln told Pearl again and she sighed, lowering her magazine.

  “Yes, yes, I believe you have mentioned that, darling but it’s done and you must let go of it. I could regale you with things I could’ve done without over the years, but Erik and the others are my brothers and they are sworn to protect me.”

  The argument was becoming stale and old with Lincoln already and he found himself losing his temper at the rhetoric.

  “He tried to kill me, Pearl,” Lincoln exclaimed, and she gave him a scathing look, her cobalt blue eyes flashing with anger.

  “Keep your voice down!” she hissed. “We’re in very cramped quarters in case you’ve forgotten.”

  Lincoln sighed and glanced nervously out the window at the moon reflecting on the ocean below, and then around at the passengers on the private jet en route to the Bahamas.

  Erik Hanover slept peacefully, snoring slightly, although he barely breathed and the two-person cabin crew stood discretely talking amongst themselves in their respective seats near the cockpit door. Lincoln had no way of knowing if they had heard anything but it did not matter. He was annoyed.

  “What if he tries to kill me again, Pearl? He has made it clear that I’m not his favorite person in the world,” Lincoln demanded but in a lower tone. Despite his irritation, he did not wish to upset Pearl. It was not her fault she was caught in the center of whatever demented hold Erik had over her.

  Pearl patted his hand affectionately.

  “He can’t,” she assured Lincoln. “It goes against our code.”

  She says that like it would stop Erik if he ever became enraged. He isn’t exactly rational and thinking in rules of conduct when it comes to her.

  Lincoln once more glanced outside, willing the night to remain cloaked in darkness. Unlike Pearl and Erik, sunlight was unbearable for Lincoln now that he’d turned. There were other differences too; an aversion to garlic and an inability to see his reflection.

  Lincoln was still adjusting to everything, but Pearl had assured him that it would become second nature over time.

  “You must not be so nervous,” Pearl told him. “It won’t be daylight for hours. That is why we traveled this way. You see? Erik cares about your well-being also.”

  Lincoln cast yet another sidelong look at Pearl’s “brother” and stifled a sigh. He got the sense that Erik was hearing every word they spoke.

  There truly is no escaping this man, Lincoln thought with some ruefulness.

  Since becoming a vampire, Lincoln naively believed that their new blood ties would strengthen the bond between them, but he knew that Erik’s possessive nature—when it came to Pearl—could not simply be erased with a blood transfusion.

  It is going to take a hell of a lot more than that to convince Erik Hanover and the others that I am worthy of protecting Pearl all alone. The question is what? What is it going to take to get that guy out of our lives – or at least a healthy distance away?

  “Why did we have to come on this trip?” Lincoln growled again. “Couldn’t you have used work as an excuse or something?”

  Pearl chuckled and squeezed his hand this time, her bones crushing into his and Lincoln knew he was trying her patience.

  “Because, darling, when Erik Hanover wants something, he will stop at nothing to get it.”

  The words chilled Lincoln to his already frigid core.

  There will be no end to this until Erik Hanover is ready to give Pearl up. And if it hasn’t happened yet, it isn’t likely to occur.

  Chapter 2

  “Did you hear that Lincoln Pembroke is staying at the resort?”

  Charlotte turned to look at her co-worker, her brown eyes wide with surprise.

  “The rock star?” she asked and Joy nodded eagerly.

  “Yep. He’s got the Palatial Cottage booked to himself with instructions not to be disturbed during daytime hours at any cost.”

  Charlotte laughed incredulously and turned back to look at the rest of the roster for the week.

  “What a diva,” she muttered, her eyes scrolling through the computer. Her chocolate irises widened further.

  “Oh my, and Erik Hanover is staying here also! What brings the filthy rich here during the strictly filthy rich season?” Charlotte mocked and Joy laughed.

  Charlotte had been the general manager of Great Abaco Resort and Spa for five years, but before that, she had worked in various parts of the exclusive hideaway for the ultra-wealthy.

  She had mixed feelings about the job. She marvelled that she—a girl who had grown up in abject poverty in Puerto Rico—would now be rubbing elbows with so many rich and famous people. But she knew that as nice as they may treat her, they certainly did not consider her an equal.

  Nonetheless, she was always friendly with the guests and they often invited her to socialize or come out with them, which she enjoyed.

  Why not? They’re paying for it, she joked to herself.

  But the job was also stressful, and at times physically and emotionally exhausting.

  Their guests could be very demanding, and expected everything to be perfect.

  The raven-haired beauty could not complain, however, not truly. She was paid a decent salary, got free room and board, and loved swimming in the crystal turquoise waters just outside her door.

  Could I go back to Puerto Rico now? Or even the States? I would be an idiot to give this up.

  Still, there was a longing in Charlotte, a yearning fo
r something she could not identify, as if it was constantly a craving at the tip of her tongue.

  “You need to get laid,” Joy told her once when she had tried to explain her strange yearning and Charlotte had laughed.

  Like everything else on the exclusive island, there was no shortage of sex either. It seemed that men fell in love with her once a week and she entertained them accordingly. There had been fleeting flings, momentary flirtations, even heat infused illusions of love, but when the time came for the guests to leave, so did the feelings…until the next one arrived.

  It is not sex; I am looking for love, Charlotte realized one day. God help me. Is my biological clock ticking?

  Of course, there was no room for any of that silliness. She simply didn’t have time for married life or children. She was much too busy and she liked her job. She truly did.

  “Uh…Char…” Joy whispered. “Incoming.”

  Charlotte glanced up from the phone where she had been trying to contact the kitchen staff and her breath caught slightly in her throat. She slowly replaced the receiver, her heart hammering ferociously in her chest as she took in the vision walking toward her. Striding through the doors was a devastatingly handsome man.

  He was tall – too tall, almost six-foot-five it seemed, with the broad shoulders of a football player and a healthy, bronze glow. His thick chestnut hair stopped just above his white shirt collar – a color that complimented his golden tan wonderfully.

  Slowly, he lowered his sunglasses, looking about with inky eyes, apparently adjusting to the light change. His gaze fell upon Charlotte and he offered her a smile so brilliant, she forgot to breathe.

  “Fuck me; he is better looking in person,” Joy gasped, shaking her head in disbelief that those words could be true, and yet she was right.

  Charlotte and Joy had spent the wee hours of the morning pouring over his ruggedly attractive face online, but those pictures did no justice to the man who stood in the lobby of the hotel.

  Erik Hanover strode toward Charlotte, digging through his breast pocket as he approached.

  “Good morning,” he said pleasantly. “I apologize for such an early arrival but our plane arrived in good time. I’m here to check in.”

  “Yes, Mr. Hanover,” Charlotte breathed, finally finding her voice. Erik’s smile widened and he nodded approvingly. He leaned across the desk to peer at her, and Charlotte felt as if he was looking into her soul.

  “I have only been here once previously, but I do not think I remember you,” he told her, studying her face inquisitively. “It was many years ago and I do not think you are old enough to have worked here then.”

  “No, sir,” she replied, punching into the keyboard to avoid staring into his hypnotic eyes. “We have never met, but I recognize your picture.”

  “Ah,” Erik replied. “I see. That is a relief; I would be very worried about my memory if I had forgotten a woman as stunning as you…”

  He paused and glanced at her brass name-tag.

  “Charlotte.”

  The way he said her name sent shivers through her spine and Charlotte suddenly realized he had not paid any mind to Joy who stood less than two feet away from her.

  If he was a womanizer, he would be an equal opportunity flirt, waiting to see which one of us bit, she thought. Joy was equally as beautiful, with her waist-length platinum hair and aqua eyes. Men found her irresistible, and yet, Erik Hanover continued to stare at Charlotte as if they were alone in the open foyer.

  “I have your cabin ready, sir,” she told him, handing him his key fob with shaky hands. If he noticed, he did not comment but he deliberately placed his entire palm over hers as he removed it from her hand. His touch was remarkably cool, something for which Charlotte was grateful when she suddenly realized she was about ten degrees warmer than usual.

  “I will require another fob, Charlotte,” he told her. “I have someone else staying with me.”

  She nodded quickly and jumped to oblige, returning with the spare.

  “Thank you, Charlotte,” he told her again and the manager wished he would simply sit there all day and say her name over and over.

  “If you need anything, Mr. Hanover, please don’t hesitate to call,” she told him as he backed away from the desk.

  “I need you to call me Erik,” he replied with a wink before pivoting on his heel and disappearing into the pre-dawn dark.

  Joy could not contain herself and bolted around the side of the desk to watch him walk away, her jaw almost on the floor.

  “Unbelievable!” she exclaimed. “Did you see that man? I almost turned into a pillar of salt! He’s so—” Joy cut her sentence short before sighing with a defeated, “Oh…”

  Charlotte glanced up questioningly at her friend who stood scowling by the glass, her arms suddenly folded.

  “Oh what?”

  “He’s here with a woman,” she sighed, turning away dejectedly.

  To Charlotte’s shock, she felt a stab of jealousy and she hurried over to look but as she approached, she only saw the taillights of a red car disappear around a corner toward the beach road.

  “Really?” she demanded. “Who is it?”

  “I couldn’t see. It’s still too dark out. She was blonde though.”

  Charlotte’s mouth formed into a tight line.

  Shame on him for flirting with me when he’s got a girlfriend fifty feet away…and shame on me for falling for it.

  Chapter 3

  “Erik, I don’t want to stay here,” Pearl protested. “I should stay with Lincoln in our cottage.”

  “This is not open for discussion. You already did a very foolish thing in changing him into a vampire when you should have left well enough alone, Pearl. I am trying to protect you!”

  Pearl felt herself bristle.

  “Protect me?” she demanded. “You left my lover naked and dying at the bottom of my stairs. How would that be protecting me? I had no choice but to change him. I love him. I would have had to uproot my life – again, and after finally getting settled. That was not your protection! That was you acting irrationally and impulsively!”

  Erik glowered at her words, whirling to confront her head on instead of simply through the hazy reflection of the glass.

  “This is not open for discussion, Pearl. If Lincoln sleeps the day away, no one will think anything of it, but if you are unseen also, it will raise questions. People will come snooping. They cannot resist good gossip.”

  Pearl gritted her teeth together.

  He is trying my patience, she thought.

  Something had changed in her since bringing Lincoln over. Pearl was not as meek or accepting as she had been, but she was still not strong enough to battle Erik. He was thousands of years older than her.

  One day, when Lincoln has better bearings on his surroundings, we will leave. Until then, I must act the role of the dutiful sister and shut my mouth. I don’t want to burn bridges with him. I just want him to let us live our lives without being so overbearing.

  Pearl wondered if eternity would pass before that happened.

  “This morning we will go to the beach and perhaps go for a sail. You have always liked the water, Pearl. Do not fight with me. This is a vacation.”

  Pearl opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say a word, a knock sounded on the front door.

  “Ah,” Erik announced, smiling. “Champagne!”

  “Champagne? Erik the sun is barely starting to rise!” Pearl protested, folding her arms under her ample breasts.

  He shrugged, his grin broadening.

  “And what better way to start the day,” he laughed, striding toward the door. He flung it open, his smile freezing on his face as he saw a stunning black-haired woman standing with a bottle of Krug Clos D’Ambonnay in her tanned hands.

  “Charlotte!” he cried and something about the way Erik spoke made Pearl perk up with interest. The look on Erik’s face was something she had never seen before; a vivid interest in the woman who stood at the thr
eshold.

  “Hello, Mr. Hanover,” the woman replied coldly, thrusting the bottle into his hands.

  “It’s Erik.” He tried to answer boyishly, but he was not expecting her sudden move.

  Erik fumbled and tried to catch the sparkling wine, but in his apparently nervous haste, the bottle fell with a thud onto the teak floor.

  The trio watched in silence as it harmlessly rolled beneath a small chair without smashing.

  Charlotte looked up in shocked embarrassment.

  “I am so sorry, sir,” she muttered, rushing to retrieve the fallen item, and to Pearl’s absolute delight, Erik did not react angrily.

  He likes her! Pearl realized with genuine excitement. If she were anyone else, he would have lost his temper with her.

  “Please,” he boomed cordially, dropping to his knees to assist her. “No need for apologies. These things happen.”

  Charlotte did not respond, swallowing deeply as her fingers closed in around the champagne and pulled it back.

  Pearl was sure that if Charlotte’s skin was not such a lovely shade of tan, she would have been a humiliated scarlet.

  Again, apologizing, Charlotte placed the bottle on the coffee table and backed out of the room, muttering something incoherent and disappearing before either Erik or she could respond.

  As Pearl watched her retreat, she slowly turned to watch her vampire brother who watched after her with a small smile on his face.

  Oh…could Charlotte be the answer to my and Lincoln’s problem? She wondered hopefully.

  She intended to find out.

  Did you see the way he was looking at you, with his girlfriend right there? I thought she was going to kill us both the way she stared at me.