A Seductive Beauty: Knights of Purgatory Syndicate, #1

By E.M. Shue

One look. One glance. That is all it took for Aidan to claim her. She is innocence and purity rolled into one seductive package. He's the beast that owns the underbelly of Belfast. But he'd make her his, even if it meant destroying himself for her.

 

Fiona can't believe the man that is demanding her attention. Watching her every move. Sure, she's pretty, but she's no beauty. She's content living a quiet life away from the spotlight.

 

When evil threatens to come after Fiona, Aidan will call in all his favors to protect her. Because what is a beast without his beauty.

 

This is the start of a new dark mafia romance series written by award-winning author E.M. Shue.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: E.M. Shue
• Release date: Jul 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393798156

Book preview

Prologue

Ilift my eyes at the clicking sound and look through the barrel of a revolver. As the gun cocks, I watch the chamber rotate, and the next bullet moves up in line. Fear prickles along my skin as I worry my bottom lip. My heart clenches at the thought of never seeing the ones I love again. I’m not sure how I’m going to survive this, but maybe I can keep him distracted until help arrives. Because I know they will come for me.

Please. You don’t have to do this. I look up past the gun and into his eyes. Eyes I’ve known for a while now. To a man I was supposed to marry. All I see is anger and hate.

If I kill you now and take off, he won’t ever find me. I can leave Ireland. He only has power here.

He’ll never stop. He’ll find you, and he will end you after he tortures you. You’ll beg for death, and he’ll continue to hurt you.

Not if he can’t find me, he can’t. His smile is too big. His confidence is faltering.

He has a man you can never hide from. He’ll find you no matter where you go. You can’t hide from cameras; they are everywhere nowadays. Besides, you can’t live without money.

I can. I will. He straightens his back and paces the room. He sounds like he’s trying to convince me along with himself.

But why? Why do you have to kill me? The tears start again.

"To get even with him."

What? My voice rises.

You are his only weakness.

He raises the gun and fires.

Chapter One

Fiona

Almost Ten Months Earlier

---

Isway my hips as I roll out the dough and laminate it for the croissants I’m making. It’s a technique I learned from my French instructor when I went to culinary school in London. The thin layers are tedious, but when they are done correctly, they make for a perfectly flakey croissant. Higher by the Saturdays blares through the single earbud in my ear. I step back and dance around as I mouth the words. In my mind, I’m a good dancer and singer when in reality I suck at both, but I like to dream. It’s all I got. I work, work out, and sleep. Sometimes I go out with my flatmates, but mostly I’m a quiet girl. Some might think my life is boring, but not to me. This is exactly what I’ve always wanted to do. I’m working at a bakery. I have my culinary arts degree, and I’m no longer under the thumb of my family.

My parents didn’t want me to go to culinary arts school. They wanted me to marry for a title or money. It might be the twenty-first century, but in their minds it’s still ancient times and women only exist for status and birthing babies. Don’t get me wrong, I want children. I want to marry and have love, but that isn’t going to happen for me for a while or ever if my life keeps up the way it is.

I let go of the rolling pin and hold up my hands, then I twirl around and catch my boss in my eyeline.

Oops, sorry. I pull the earbud out of my ear and let it hang from its cord down the jacket of my black uniform. I still think it’s weird I’m required to wear a black uniform with all the flour I work around, but it keeps the stains from the dyes I use in the frostings from showing.

You have an emergency call. Mrs. O’Sullivan points at the phone on the wall. I click the line and pick it up. I never get calls at work.

Hello?

Fiona, this is Jean George. Kayla has been in an accident. They took her to Royal Victoria Hospital. We are on our way to the airport now.

Oh my goodness! Okay, I’ll get there and send you an update. I hang up with my blood pounding through my veins.

My cousin Kayla is one of the few family members who associates with me still. She is the reason I went to Le Cordon Bleu. She supported and helped me and gave me a place to stay. My parents disowned me when I was seventeen because I wanted to be a baker. Since Kayla has been here in Belfast, she’s spent a lot of time with me and my flatmates.

I need to go. Mikayla was in an accident. I turn back to Mrs. O’Sullivan, and she nods.

I’ll finish the croissants. She moves over to the workbench I was at.

They only need to be shaped. They are all laminated. These are unfilled ones.

Okay. Call me when you know what your plans are going to be and when you have an update. If you need tomorrow off, let me know so I can call in someone to cover for you.

I will. I race to the employee break room and open my locker. I yank out my street clothes and change into them before I drop my uniform in the bin to go to the cleaners. My white jeans hug my curves and long legs. At five foot three, I’m longer in the legs and short waisted. I slip on my blue velvet boots and then the matching blue cowl-neck sweater over my white tank top I wear under my uniform. I smell like baked goods, but I don’t want to take the time to rush home and take a shower. I need to get to Kayla.

I called you a cab; it’s waiting for you out front, Mrs. O’Sullivan says as I make my way to the front of the bakery.

I climb into the back of the cab and give the driver my destination. I pull the band from my honey-blonde hair, letting it fall down my back. After a while of keeping my thick hair up gives me a headache. I lean back and say a quick prayer that Mikayla is safe and not hurt too bad. I realize I should let the girls know what’s going on too, and I text Moira. She will let the others know.

Me: Kayla was in an accident. I’m on my way to the hospital now. I’ll send you updates. Won’t be home until late probably.

Moira: Keep me posted. I have to work tonight.

Moira has been a friend of mine since we both entered prep school at five. She was in the day program, and I was in the boarding school. Her family would let me come stay with them sometimes when my parents were off traveling. Now, she and I along with three of our friends all share a flat together. It’s only a four-bedroom but Moira and I share a room. Giselle, Brigid, and Arianna have their own rooms. We have a good time and are all very close to each other. But Moira I’m the closest too. She’s been with me for everything that my parents have put me through, and she’s the only one who knows I was disowned.

The cab pulls up in front of the hospital and I see the press already converging around the entrance. My tears start rolling because of my fear of them and because I’m worried about Kayla. I can’t lose her too. Mikayla is the granddaughter of an earl and a cousin to the Queen. She’s famous and followed around because the paparazzi and press want to know everything they can about her. I hate being in the spotlight. Kayla usually protects me from the press, but she’s not here and I have to find out if she’s okay. Time to pull up my knickers and be a big girl.

Ma’am? The driver is looking at me in the mirror. I nod and pay him, then I step out of the cab. I can do this. I swipe at my face and focus on the doors.

Ms. Griffin, aren't you the cousin to Lady Griffin? A reporter shoves a microphone in my face. I jump back in fear as more tears roll down my face. I’m going to have puffy eyes and my mum is going to see this and criticize me. I try to move around the reporter, but she follows me again.

Please. Please no comment. I try again to push by her, but she continues to force the microphone in my face. I step back, needing to get away from her. My skin is starting to crawl, and I feel the panic rising. I don’t want to have a panic attack in front of her or the others. This is about Kayla, not me.

Ms. Griffin, can you give us an update? How do you feel about Lady Griffin risking her life all the time? Is it true that she spends a lot of time with you? Do you know who she's dating? Is she dating Mr. Tiernan? the reporter demands. The press always wants to know about her personal life. Kayla avoids giving them information when she can, and I’m going to stick to that. I know she isn’t seeing Mr. Tiernan because she still has feelings for the man she moved away from. I force myself to stand my ground. The intrusive reporter is a bit taller than me.

No, she's not. I don't know. Please stop asking me questions. Move, please. My voice comes out soft instead of the forceful strength I intended. The reporter smiles, and I see in her eyes that she thinks she’s got me. Again, I try to step around her, but she steps fully in front of me. I take a step back as she advances on me, then another when she doesn’t stop. I sense the curb behind me, but I don’t take my eyes from her.

As I’m about to step off the curb, she’s pushed aside by a man in a suit with dark hair. He wraps himself around me while a taller man with blond hair holds the reporter back. As soon as he has his arm around me, I smell cigars, whiskey, spicy musk, and leather. Shocks of electricity roll through me, and my body instantly comes alive next to him. I lean into him as the feelings of being safe and sheltered settle over me. He guides me into the hospital. My heart rate returning to normal. I don’t normally like people touching me. Once we are through the doors, he turns and watches the blond man yell at the reporter. I want to stay here in his arms.

Safe.

I can’t help myself; I lean into him more and take a big sniff of him. His body shudders and I look up into his baby blue eyes. His dark brows are dropped down as he takes me in. His eyes move over my face and down to my lips.

You’re going to want to make a call, the blond man says as he joins us. The blue-eyed, dark-haired stranger steps back from me but still continues to watch me.

Thank you, I say softly, my voice cracking. I bite my bottom lip and again his eyes move to watch me. He reaches for me but stops and focuses his eyes over my head. I turn and see more cars pulling up outside. I decide to take off and head for the counter before I make myself look dafter.

Mikayla Griffin, I say, and they direct me to the OR floor. I try not to turn to look at the man again until I board the elevator. I look out and see he’s watching me from the spot where I left him. He’s almost six feet tall. His body is built, I could feel it as he held me. His dark brown hair is wavy on top. It feels like his eyes are caressing me as he continues to watch me. Then the doors close and I’m slammed back into reality alone. A chill works through my body.

When the doors open again, I make my way to the waiting room and pace with the others. Lord Percival Wright, Mikayla’s grandfather, arrives not too long after.

Percy. I walk up to him and he pulls me into his arms. No one has been out to give us an update. He holds me for a moment.

I was called before I got out of the auto. She is currently in surgery. The wreck was bad, but because I insisted she wear all that protective equipment, she’s not hurt as bad as she could have been. I saw what that reporter did to you. Are you okay? He gently rubs my arms.

I’ll be fine. Kayla is what matters. We sit down together and hold hands. We are both worried about her because she means so much to us. I don’t know where I would be without her or Percy. They’ve taught me that not everyone in this world is mean. That I can survive the hateful things my parents have said and done to me.

After a while the door to the waiting room opens and in walks the dark-haired man with the blond guy who helped him. They take a seat across the room from us, but the dark-haired man tips his head to Percy in a nod. I lean over to whisper quietly to Percy.

Who is that man?

That is Mr. Tiernan. He owns the racetrack Kayla was injured at.

I sit back and continue to wait for an update. I bite my lip and try not to look up as I feel his eyes on me.

Aidan

---

Iwatch as the doors to the lift close and I can no longer see the beauty that is Fiona Griffin. Lady Griffin, Mikayla, has mentioned her cousin several times when we’ve spoken. My security team would have searched her background, but I never saw the reports. So when I overheard the reporter call her Ms. Griffin and I saw her for the first time, it was like a full force punch to the gut. She’s beautiful beyond her cousin. Mikayla is sexy, but I never thought of her as anything more than a racer for my Ducati team. Fiona, however, with her doe shaped hazel eyes and pillowy soft looking lips is gorgeous. Something about her calls to me and I want to hold and protect her. Things I don’t normally want from a woman. She fit against my body like she was meant to be there. I don’t usually let people get close to me except on my terms. That’s why I have Shane; he keeps people at an arm’s length. As big as he is, most people take one look at him and step back. Although, a lot of people are afraid of me too. But Fiona looked up at me and didn’t show any fear, the same when she looked at Shane.

In my world women are only used as a necessity to take care of needs, but with Fiona I slipped my arm around her and pulled her into me. I cuddled her to me and wanted it to never end. Just watching that reporter go after her gave me the urge to knock her and her camera man away. Fiona smelled like sweet cakes and bread. But not like she would give me a cavity, more like I couldn’t wait to bite into her. My mouth watered to taste her lips and body. Wanting to know if she was sweet everywhere. Her hair that brushed against my hand at her back was soft and reminded me of honey over a glazed pastry. When she looked up at me, I almost leaned down and kissed her lips to see if they are as soft as they look. The urge to suck that fuller bottom lip into my mouth and bite it was almost too much for me to bear. I groan and turn away. I can’t have her. She is too pure for me, and I won’t ever have a woman as my own.

I can’t ever settle down with a woman. They would become a target and would be a weakness I won’t allow. I tune back into what Shane is saying.

Here comes Lady Griffin’s grandfather.

I turn to watch as