Felicity Heaton's Blog, page 115
August 1, 2011
Manday hottie
It's Manday! I missed last week because I was having computer troubles and was busy doing some spring cleaning on my office, throwing out old junk to make room for more junk. You know how it goes.
Here's a sexy Manday picture to give you a sweet treat to start another week!
Yummo!
Here's a sexy Manday picture to give you a sweet treat to start another week!
Yummo!
July 30, 2011
Her Guardian Angel - Angel Romance Novel out now!
It's the release day for
HER GUARDIAN ANGEL
today!
Her Guardian Angel
is the fourth book in my Her Angel romance series, and the first novel as the previous three stories were novellas. Don't worry if you haven't read the first three stories (
HER DARK ANGEL
,
HER FALLEN ANGEL
and
HER WARRIOR ANGEL
) as you can read this one out of order with them.
You'll even get to meet the heroes and heroines from the first three novellas as they feature heavily in Her Guardian Angel !
Her Guardian Angel is available now in e-book formats from my website and from Amazon Kindle Stores. It will shortly be available from Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo and Apple iBookstore too, as well as in paperback.
Here's the blurb and an excerpt from Her Guardian Angel (Her Angel Romance Series #4)
Her Guardian Angel
Felicity Heaton
A simple mission becomes a fight for survival in this fantastic instalment in the Her Angel series.
A guardian angel dedicated to his duty, Marcus will do whatever Heaven asks of him, but even his loyalty has its limits. When his superior orders him to gain Amelia's trust through seduction, Marcus starts to question his mission and his feelings for the beautiful woman he has watched over since her birth.
Amelia has gone from one bad relationship to another, so when a gorgeous guy moves in next door looking like Mr Right, she hopes he doesn't turn out to be another black knight in disguise. But there's more to Marcus than meets the eye, and when he rescues her from three demonic men, Amelia is thrust into his nightmarish world—a world where God and the Devil exist, and only one angel can save her from death—Marcus, the angel she's falling in love with.
On the run from demonic angels and the Devil himself, aided by Marcus's angel friends and their amazing women, fighting for survival against the odds, Marcus and Amelia discover a love that will last forever.
A love so strong it will shake Heaven and Hell.
ebook price: $3.99
genre: paranormal angel romance
length: 110000 words
rating: sultry
released: July 2011
Book 4 in the Her Angel series
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Excerpt
Marcus stretched his left arm out above his head on the pillows of his double bed, buried the fingers of his right hand into his overlong black hair and stared into the inky dark of his bedroom. The open window to his left allowed pale light to filter in from the street far below but it barely cut through the gloom and it wasn't the reason he had lifted the sash around midnight. The stifling summer's day had given way to a humid night that showed no sign of cooling down before dawn broke and heralded the next unbearably hot day. A light breeze washed in through the open window, refreshing him as it caressed the left side of his bare body. The heat wasn't the only thing robbing him of sleep.
The banging came again, more persistent this time, and Marcus clenched his teeth to contain his growing irritation, his focus wholly on the hall outside his apartment. The man had been attacking the door of his neighbour for almost twenty minutes now, rousing Marcus from sleep and throwing him straight into a bad mood that had gradually deteriorated into a desire to beat some sense into the mortal.
He drew in a long breath, held it a moment in a vain attempt to regain control of his temper, and then exhaled slowly. The man hurled another string of impotent threats at his neighbour's door and Marcus's anger spiked right back up. His silver-blue eyes slid towards the digital clock on his bedside table. The display mocked him with the ungodly hour this man had chosen to air his bitter disappointment to not only the female but the entire apartment block. Three in the morning.
Because of the humidity that showed no sign of abating and had made it impossible to get comfortable, Marcus had only been asleep for a scant few hours. He hated waking early, especially when he was stuck in the hell known as the mortal realm.
The man banged again, rattling the wall with a tremor that reached Marcus. He was no threat to the woman because she wasn't foolish enough to answer her door, but it grated on Marcus's nerves nonetheless.
His temper frayed when the man shouted foul accusations at her.
All of them false.
Marcus had known Amelia all of her life, although she had only known him this past month. He had watched over her and she was a pure soul with terrible luck when it came to men, and the man knocking down her door didn't deserve her.
Unable to bear another second and sensing Amelia's increasing fear through the wall that joined their apartments, Marcus rose from the bed and slung on a pair of dark grey jogging bottoms. He walked through his unlit apartment with ease, not bothering with the lights as he could easily map a safe path around the furniture without seeing it, and unlocked his front door. He yanked it open and stepped out into the dull cream hallway on the other side, his gaze immediately fixing on the mortal that was daring to break his sleep and threaten Amelia.
The dark haired man looked at him.
Marcus coolly stared back.
"What's your problem, mate?" The man's fingers curled into fists at his sides. Marcus noted everything about him in under a second.
He was drunk. He was itching for a fight. And he was a fool who thought this sort of abuse would win Amelia back. On the surface, the man wanted to upset her and hurt her, but Marcus could see beyond the façade to the pale hope in this man's heart that Amelia would be his again.
That was something Marcus would never allow.
"You." Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbed sleep from his eyes, and then leaned back against the doorjamb, folding his arms across his bare chest and crossing his legs at his ankles.
The man regarded him for a moment and then turned back to Amelia's door.
"I think you should leave now." Marcus stepped forwards, bringing the man's attention back to him so he wouldn't bang on the door again and cause Amelia's fear to increase. "Before things get out of hand."
The man smiled, amusement touching his dark brown eyes. "What you gonna do about it? She's my girlfriend… not yours. Piss off back inside and get your nose out of my bloody business before I break it."
Marcus sighed. He had warned the man. He had done everything by the book. His patience wearing thin, he looked the man over again, taking in his dark jeans and the loose t-shirt that covered a physique half his own and the way his fists shook as he shouted at Amelia's door. Without resorting to violence, Marcus wasn't sure how to convince the man to leave. He could compel him, but using his powers on such a base creature was beneath him and would do nothing to teach the man a lesson in manners towards women.
The man banged on the door again before Marcus could stop him, hard enough this time that the white painted wood creaked under the attack, and he heard Amelia gasp.
"That is it." Marcus took another step forwards and the man swung at him. Marcus dodged his fist, clamped his left hand down on the man's wrist, and twisted his arm behind his back. The man bent forwards to stop his shoulder from popping out of its socket, facing away from Marcus, and grunted in pain. Marcus glared at the back of his head. "I said to leave."
The man struggled in his grip but stilled when Amelia's apartment door eased open a few inches and she peered around it. Marcus stared at her, frowning at the tears that streaked her flushed cheeks and the fear in her grey eyes, and tightened his grip on the man's arm until he let out another deeply satisfying grunt.
"What do you want?" she whispered, voice hoarse and trembling.
It wasn't like Amelia to look afraid of anything. Marcus had seen her fight it out face-to-face with her exes without showing a trace of fear but this one had rattled her. Weariness shone in her grey eyes, lending them a cold edge he hadn't seen before. Her gaze tracked up Marcus's arm, lingering a moment on his bare torso, and then reached his face.
"I'm sorry if he woke you." Her gentle tone dissolved some of his anger.
Marcus loosened his grip on the man's wrist but held on to him. "It's not a problem. I couldn't stand by and do nothing."
The man twisted enough to look back at Marcus over his shoulder and then turned his head towards Amelia.
"Oh, I see how it is. Dump me and then move on to the next bloke, right? You've probably been fucking him from the moment he moved in. Well, I'm sure Mr Muscle is a great catch…" The man wrenched free of Marcus's grip and stumbled forwards a few steps before righting himself. "But I'm gonna have to fuck up that pretty face of his."
Marcus reacted on instinct and launched his left fist at the man to counter his attack. The moment he did, he felt the strength drain from his arm and pushed harder. He had been holding back to avoid seriously injuring the mortal but now that Heaven had stripped him of his immortal strength he needed to do the opposite and give it everything he had.
He leaned back to avoid the man's punch while still pushing forwards with his own and slammed his fist hard into the man's jaw, cracking his head to one side and sending him crashing into the cream wall. The man bounced off it, hit the dark banister opposite and then collapsed into an ungainly heap on the wooden floor of the hallway.
"Shit." Pain shot along every bone in Marcus's hand and up his arm to his elbow. It had actually hurt.
The man groaned and dragged himself to his feet and Amelia hesitated in the doorway of her apartment, looking as though she couldn't decide whether to assist him or keep back. Marcus shook his hand and waited for something to happen. Instead of the instant punishment he had expected, there was only silence as the man stared hard at both him and Amelia, and then stumbled down the stairs to the next floor.
Marcus still waited.
Part of him couldn't believe that he had struck a mortal and the rest couldn't believe that he wasn't being punished.
Heaven had limited his power the moment he had subconsciously decided to hit the man, leaving him with only the strength of a mortal and therefore open to attack himself. The punch had hurt him. Perhaps that was punishment enough. Perhaps all of this was punishment for his misdeeds.
Marcus sagged against the wall and blew out a sigh, clutching his injured hand to his chest, convinced that Heaven would call him in to reprimand him soon enough. He had committed an act of violence against what could be considered an innocent human. Marcus couldn't think of the man that way. He was vile and cruel, seeking to scare Amelia and hurt her. Marcus had only done his duty by protecting her.
He opened his eyes and looked across at her where she stood at the banister peering down into the stairwell, her hands clutching the wooden railing.
His gaze drifted down over her shoulder-length straight dark hair to the plum-coloured slip that only emphasised her sensual curves, to the lean lengths of her legs. She was so soft and pure. Delicate yet strong of heart. Her fear was gone now, leaving behind the confident woman he was used to seeing in her.
She looked across at him and his eyes dropped to her bare feet. He frowned at the tattoo on her left ankle. A cherub? The plump winged babe sat just above her ankle bone, staring back at him. He smiled. Is that what she thought his kind looked like? The image humans had of angels couldn't have been more wrong. It amused him, stealing away his pain and pushing it to the back of his mind.
His strength returned and the pain dulled further, leaving only a gentle throbbing and bruised knuckles behind as a reminder of what he had done.
"I really am sorry about that." Amelia's soft voice stole into his thoughts and he glanced up at her. She crossed the hall to him and peered at his left hand. "You should put some ice on that."
Marcus studied his red knuckles. Is that what humans did in this sort of situation? In his world, they had angels with the ability to heal others. Such an angel could easily fix this issue for him. Even if he couldn't find one, the red marks would be gone in less than a day, his body's superior healing ability quickly erasing them.
"Would you like to come in for some coffee or a drink? It's the least I can do as payment for being my hero."
Marcus stared at her. Coffee was payment for being a hero? He hadn't indulged in such drugs in a long time and while he knew about the sexually stimulating effects that caffeine had on his kind, he had no interest in drinking coffee with Amelia. If he did that, he wasn't sure what would happen between them, but it would certainly be embarrassing for him.
"No, thank you," he said and when she looked as though she needed a reason for his refusal, he added, "It will keep me awake."
She still didn't seem satisfied. She shifted foot to foot, her gaze darting down to her hands in front of her, and then looked right into his eyes again.
"How about I ice those knuckles instead then?"
Marcus glanced into her low-lit apartment and then back at her, and caught the fear in her eyes as she looked down at the stairwell. She was afraid that the man would return and begin harassing her again. He would accept her offer but not because he needed her to assist him with his healing. He would go with her because he could see that the man had won and had shaken her up, and that she was asking him to stay with her a while because she was scared.
It was his duty to protect her. Tonight, that duty could extend to guarding her a little more closely than usual. Once she had settled and was comfortable with the idea of being alone again, he would take his leave.
He nodded when her attention returned to him.
Amelia led the way into the apartment, leaving him to muse what he had done tonight and his duty.
She deserved better.
A better life.
That was the reason he was here—to keep her safe and watch over her. To protect her from the creeps and from something else.
To give her that better life.
He was sure of it.
Marcus followed her towards the kitchen, noting that the layout of her apartment differed slightly to his as he passed through the pale square lounge. There were no windows in it, just like his one, because the bedroom and bathroom lined the exterior wall opposite him. Their positions in the apartment were reversed in his. He stared through the open door of the room to the right. Her bedroom was next to his and the head of her bed rested against his wall. She slept so close to him, yet he couldn't feel her when he was in bed, couldn't sense her on the other side. At such proximity, he should have been able to even when her signature was dulled by her sleeping. His gaze fell to rest on the long cream couch angled towards the television set to his right in the corner of the lounge. A pillow occupied one arm of the sofa and a scrunched up dark blue blanket sat at the other end.
Did she sleep on the couch?
He looked through into the bedroom again, frowning at the smooth covers on the double bed.
Was that why he couldn't feel her when he was in his bedroom?
Back when he had been watching over her from Heaven, she had always slept in her bed. Had something happened recently to change that? If it had, it must have occurred in the past month when he had been in the mortal realm. When he was here, he couldn't watch over her as he had in Heaven, able to view her through buildings using the power granted to the angels of his division. He had to physically see her.
Amelia came back out of the room to his left. He dragged his gaze away from the bedroom and the bathroom next to it, and finished crossing the room to the open double doors that led into the kitchen. Her small kitchen was brighter than his, the cupboards a pale type of wood, with stainless steel appliances.
Some former owner of his apartment had deemed it stylish to have a dark kitchen. Marcus deemed it impractical. It was a nightmare to keep clean so he had given up feeding himself shortly after moving in and had resorted to eating take away food, instant meals or eating out.
Marcus leaned against the kitchen counter, his hand throbbing. It had been a while since he had felt physical pain. He couldn't remember the last time it had hurt to punch something.
He couldn't remember the last time he had fought someone.
Amelia placed a red and white chequered tea-towel down on the side and emptied out several trays of ice cubes into it. She gathered the ends and twisted the bulk of the cloth around to keep the ice in, and then came over to him. He started when she took hold of his hand, gently slipping her fingers under it so they brushed his palm, and raised it. Heat travelled up his arm and it had nothing to do with pain this time.
She rested the ice pack on his knuckles and he didn't feel the cold at all. He stared at their joined hands, urgently trying to decipher how she had warmed him with only a light touch and alarmed by the hard beat of his heart against his chest. She looked up into his eyes, her grey ones full of warmth again, softening her delicate features and holding his attention.
"Thank you." She glanced away again, her gaze briefly dropping to their hands and the ice pack, and then met his eyes. His pain faded in an instant, driven away by the heat of her touch and her concerned expression, and he marvelled at the effect she had on him. It wasn't real. It couldn't be. She was his duty and that was all she could ever be. Once he had fulfilled his mission, he would finally request his transfer and would never see her again. Her thumb brushed his and fire shimmered over his skin. "I really am sorry that he woke you and that you had to hit him."
"I said it was nothing." Marcus hadn't needed to hit the man. He could have compelled him to stop but he had reacted on instinct, and for some reason that instinct had been to punch him. He could think of a million situations with mortals when he had been in danger and had compelled them. Why not this time?
Had Amelia's presence as a witness deterred him?
Or was she the reason he had struck the man?
He had been consumed by anger, enraged by what the man had said about himself and Amelia, driven to violence by a handful of words.
He was Amelia's protector. Her guardian.
He was not her lover.
Her fingertips grazed his palm as she removed the ice pack and inspected his left hand. A shiver tripped up his arm and down his spine, and his shoulder blades itched. He took his hand away from her and rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve the tension building there.
His wings wanted out.
"How are they feeling?"
Marcus's head snapped up, his eyes immediately locking on Amelia. His wings? She nodded towards his knuckles and relief swept through him.
"Fine," he said absently and breathed slowly to steady his racing heart.
There was no way she could know about his wings but, for a moment, it had felt as though she had been reading his mind. It had been a while since his wings had wanted to come out. After five centuries of living with them sealed away, he had grown used to them not being there. It had been strange becoming accustomed to them again when the binding curse had started to lose effect over thirty years ago. Most of the time, he was content to physically put them away as he was now. It took concentration to maintain their disappearance but it used less energy than hiding them from human eyes with a glamour, and it was far easier to move around in the mortal realm without worrying about accidentally knocking things over with them.
"Are you alright?" Amelia ducked towards him, interrupting his view of his knuckles and replacing it with an altogether more pleasant one of her face and her cleavage.
Marcus stared at her plump full breasts, his pulse picking up again, and then averted his eyes. Women had no shame. It was little wonder his master had decided that they should not serve him. They were wily, manipulative, a distraction, and considered by most as the source of all sin.
"Fine," Marcus repeated and took the ice pack from her, ramming it onto the back of his hand when all he wanted to do was stick it down his jogging bottoms to bring his libido under control.
His fellow warriors had warned him about women, especially ones as beautiful as Amelia, and he wholeheartedly believed every word that they said. Women were dangerous. He would not falter though. Amelia was his mission and his allegiance was to his master, his loyalty to his duty, and nothing would change that.
Once this irksome mission had ended, he would return to Heaven and request his transferral as originally planned, and would join the ranks of the soldiers who protected the realm of Heaven from intruders and wars. He would defend that which he believed in. Not this mortal world, but his world.
He had never physically guarded a human before but was certain that his assignment to act as her next door neighbour was a sign that his mission was progressing and soon he would be free of it.
He couldn't wait to return home.
"How are you feeling?" Marcus took the ice pack away from his hand and set it down in the stainless steel sink beside him.
Amelia shrugged. "Better, I guess."
She didn't look better. The weary edge was back in her eyes, draining them of warmth, and he found himself desiring to comfort her.
"He won't come back." His words had the desired effect and she brightened for a brief moment and then it faded again.
"You don't know that." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I do pick them."
Marcus turned and ran his hand under the cold water, letting it wash away the trace of blood on his knuckles. When he reached for the tap to shut it off again, he felt Amelia's eyes on his bare back, boring into his shoulders, and lingered a moment. Would she mention the marks he had revealed by carelessly turning his back on her?
"It won't be long before I drive you away too."
Those words, softly spoken, caused him to look over his shoulder at her, a frown drawing his dark eyebrows tightly together. She dropped her gaze and then met his with resolution that didn't surprise him. This was the Amelia he had come to know these past three decades. Strong, able to face anything head on, unflinching.
"What makes you say that?" Marcus turned back to face her, aware now that he was bare from the waist up and was probably only encouraging any attraction she might feel towards him. He should have put on a t-shirt before leaving his apartment but he'd had one thing on his mind—getting the irritating bastard in the hallway to shut up so he could sleep.
Or was it purely so he could sleep?
He stared at Amelia, taking in the way her cheeks coloured as he did so and how she couldn't hold his gaze.
He had thought only of protecting her.
Defending her.
"The last bloke who lived alone next door to me left only a couple of months after moving in."
Marcus knew for a fact that the man had been forcibly evicted due to a minor error in payments caused by Heaven's intervention but had later won money on the lottery that had allowed him to place a down payment on the house of his dreams. The young man had been the easiest target to remove in order to place Marcus close to Amelia. The old lady who lived in the apartment on the other side of Amelia was frail and had lived in the building for over twenty years and relied on those around her to assist her. She also slept heavily, meaning that Amelia's ex-boyfriends didn't wake her when they came to knock down her door. Marcus would have had a contender in the guardian stakes if the young man had remained living next to her and they had moved the old lady.
"You do live alone, don't you?" There was a tremble to that question.
Marcus nodded without thinking and then considered the implications of his answer when Amelia's grey eyes warmed again. A loaded question. She had cleverly used it to discern his availability.
He briefly considered making up a girlfriend in order to obliterate any attraction she might feel towards him so he could continue his mission in peace but couldn't get the words out when he looked into her eyes again.
The space between them shrank until it felt as though she was barely inches from him. Her soft breathing filled his ears, drawing his attention down to the sensual bow of her dusky pink lips. The tip of her tongue swept across them, leaving moisture in its wake, luring him in.
How long had it been since he had kissed a woman?
Not in this lifetime, that was for sure.
Marcus dragged his eyes away from her, shutting down his emotions at the same time. Amelia was a mission. He couldn't allow things to become complicated. Not when he wasn't even sure why he had to protect her.
He couldn't get involved with her.
He had to maintain his distance.
No matter how impossible that seemed now.
No matter how much he wanted her.
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005EUJIG8/
You'll even get to meet the heroes and heroines from the first three novellas as they feature heavily in Her Guardian Angel !
Her Guardian Angel is available now in e-book formats from my website and from Amazon Kindle Stores. It will shortly be available from Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo and Apple iBookstore too, as well as in paperback.
Here's the blurb and an excerpt from Her Guardian Angel (Her Angel Romance Series #4)
Her Guardian Angel
Felicity HeatonA simple mission becomes a fight for survival in this fantastic instalment in the Her Angel series.
A guardian angel dedicated to his duty, Marcus will do whatever Heaven asks of him, but even his loyalty has its limits. When his superior orders him to gain Amelia's trust through seduction, Marcus starts to question his mission and his feelings for the beautiful woman he has watched over since her birth.
Amelia has gone from one bad relationship to another, so when a gorgeous guy moves in next door looking like Mr Right, she hopes he doesn't turn out to be another black knight in disguise. But there's more to Marcus than meets the eye, and when he rescues her from three demonic men, Amelia is thrust into his nightmarish world—a world where God and the Devil exist, and only one angel can save her from death—Marcus, the angel she's falling in love with.
On the run from demonic angels and the Devil himself, aided by Marcus's angel friends and their amazing women, fighting for survival against the odds, Marcus and Amelia discover a love that will last forever.
A love so strong it will shake Heaven and Hell.
ebook price: $3.99
genre: paranormal angel romance
length: 110000 words
rating: sultry
released: July 2011
Book 4 in the Her Angel series
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Excerpt
Marcus stretched his left arm out above his head on the pillows of his double bed, buried the fingers of his right hand into his overlong black hair and stared into the inky dark of his bedroom. The open window to his left allowed pale light to filter in from the street far below but it barely cut through the gloom and it wasn't the reason he had lifted the sash around midnight. The stifling summer's day had given way to a humid night that showed no sign of cooling down before dawn broke and heralded the next unbearably hot day. A light breeze washed in through the open window, refreshing him as it caressed the left side of his bare body. The heat wasn't the only thing robbing him of sleep.
The banging came again, more persistent this time, and Marcus clenched his teeth to contain his growing irritation, his focus wholly on the hall outside his apartment. The man had been attacking the door of his neighbour for almost twenty minutes now, rousing Marcus from sleep and throwing him straight into a bad mood that had gradually deteriorated into a desire to beat some sense into the mortal.
He drew in a long breath, held it a moment in a vain attempt to regain control of his temper, and then exhaled slowly. The man hurled another string of impotent threats at his neighbour's door and Marcus's anger spiked right back up. His silver-blue eyes slid towards the digital clock on his bedside table. The display mocked him with the ungodly hour this man had chosen to air his bitter disappointment to not only the female but the entire apartment block. Three in the morning.
Because of the humidity that showed no sign of abating and had made it impossible to get comfortable, Marcus had only been asleep for a scant few hours. He hated waking early, especially when he was stuck in the hell known as the mortal realm.
The man banged again, rattling the wall with a tremor that reached Marcus. He was no threat to the woman because she wasn't foolish enough to answer her door, but it grated on Marcus's nerves nonetheless.
His temper frayed when the man shouted foul accusations at her.
All of them false.
Marcus had known Amelia all of her life, although she had only known him this past month. He had watched over her and she was a pure soul with terrible luck when it came to men, and the man knocking down her door didn't deserve her.
Unable to bear another second and sensing Amelia's increasing fear through the wall that joined their apartments, Marcus rose from the bed and slung on a pair of dark grey jogging bottoms. He walked through his unlit apartment with ease, not bothering with the lights as he could easily map a safe path around the furniture without seeing it, and unlocked his front door. He yanked it open and stepped out into the dull cream hallway on the other side, his gaze immediately fixing on the mortal that was daring to break his sleep and threaten Amelia.
The dark haired man looked at him.
Marcus coolly stared back.
"What's your problem, mate?" The man's fingers curled into fists at his sides. Marcus noted everything about him in under a second.
He was drunk. He was itching for a fight. And he was a fool who thought this sort of abuse would win Amelia back. On the surface, the man wanted to upset her and hurt her, but Marcus could see beyond the façade to the pale hope in this man's heart that Amelia would be his again.
That was something Marcus would never allow.
"You." Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbed sleep from his eyes, and then leaned back against the doorjamb, folding his arms across his bare chest and crossing his legs at his ankles.
The man regarded him for a moment and then turned back to Amelia's door.
"I think you should leave now." Marcus stepped forwards, bringing the man's attention back to him so he wouldn't bang on the door again and cause Amelia's fear to increase. "Before things get out of hand."
The man smiled, amusement touching his dark brown eyes. "What you gonna do about it? She's my girlfriend… not yours. Piss off back inside and get your nose out of my bloody business before I break it."
Marcus sighed. He had warned the man. He had done everything by the book. His patience wearing thin, he looked the man over again, taking in his dark jeans and the loose t-shirt that covered a physique half his own and the way his fists shook as he shouted at Amelia's door. Without resorting to violence, Marcus wasn't sure how to convince the man to leave. He could compel him, but using his powers on such a base creature was beneath him and would do nothing to teach the man a lesson in manners towards women.
The man banged on the door again before Marcus could stop him, hard enough this time that the white painted wood creaked under the attack, and he heard Amelia gasp.
"That is it." Marcus took another step forwards and the man swung at him. Marcus dodged his fist, clamped his left hand down on the man's wrist, and twisted his arm behind his back. The man bent forwards to stop his shoulder from popping out of its socket, facing away from Marcus, and grunted in pain. Marcus glared at the back of his head. "I said to leave."
The man struggled in his grip but stilled when Amelia's apartment door eased open a few inches and she peered around it. Marcus stared at her, frowning at the tears that streaked her flushed cheeks and the fear in her grey eyes, and tightened his grip on the man's arm until he let out another deeply satisfying grunt.
"What do you want?" she whispered, voice hoarse and trembling.
It wasn't like Amelia to look afraid of anything. Marcus had seen her fight it out face-to-face with her exes without showing a trace of fear but this one had rattled her. Weariness shone in her grey eyes, lending them a cold edge he hadn't seen before. Her gaze tracked up Marcus's arm, lingering a moment on his bare torso, and then reached his face.
"I'm sorry if he woke you." Her gentle tone dissolved some of his anger.
Marcus loosened his grip on the man's wrist but held on to him. "It's not a problem. I couldn't stand by and do nothing."
The man twisted enough to look back at Marcus over his shoulder and then turned his head towards Amelia.
"Oh, I see how it is. Dump me and then move on to the next bloke, right? You've probably been fucking him from the moment he moved in. Well, I'm sure Mr Muscle is a great catch…" The man wrenched free of Marcus's grip and stumbled forwards a few steps before righting himself. "But I'm gonna have to fuck up that pretty face of his."
Marcus reacted on instinct and launched his left fist at the man to counter his attack. The moment he did, he felt the strength drain from his arm and pushed harder. He had been holding back to avoid seriously injuring the mortal but now that Heaven had stripped him of his immortal strength he needed to do the opposite and give it everything he had.
He leaned back to avoid the man's punch while still pushing forwards with his own and slammed his fist hard into the man's jaw, cracking his head to one side and sending him crashing into the cream wall. The man bounced off it, hit the dark banister opposite and then collapsed into an ungainly heap on the wooden floor of the hallway.
"Shit." Pain shot along every bone in Marcus's hand and up his arm to his elbow. It had actually hurt.
The man groaned and dragged himself to his feet and Amelia hesitated in the doorway of her apartment, looking as though she couldn't decide whether to assist him or keep back. Marcus shook his hand and waited for something to happen. Instead of the instant punishment he had expected, there was only silence as the man stared hard at both him and Amelia, and then stumbled down the stairs to the next floor.
Marcus still waited.
Part of him couldn't believe that he had struck a mortal and the rest couldn't believe that he wasn't being punished.
Heaven had limited his power the moment he had subconsciously decided to hit the man, leaving him with only the strength of a mortal and therefore open to attack himself. The punch had hurt him. Perhaps that was punishment enough. Perhaps all of this was punishment for his misdeeds.
Marcus sagged against the wall and blew out a sigh, clutching his injured hand to his chest, convinced that Heaven would call him in to reprimand him soon enough. He had committed an act of violence against what could be considered an innocent human. Marcus couldn't think of the man that way. He was vile and cruel, seeking to scare Amelia and hurt her. Marcus had only done his duty by protecting her.
He opened his eyes and looked across at her where she stood at the banister peering down into the stairwell, her hands clutching the wooden railing.
His gaze drifted down over her shoulder-length straight dark hair to the plum-coloured slip that only emphasised her sensual curves, to the lean lengths of her legs. She was so soft and pure. Delicate yet strong of heart. Her fear was gone now, leaving behind the confident woman he was used to seeing in her.
She looked across at him and his eyes dropped to her bare feet. He frowned at the tattoo on her left ankle. A cherub? The plump winged babe sat just above her ankle bone, staring back at him. He smiled. Is that what she thought his kind looked like? The image humans had of angels couldn't have been more wrong. It amused him, stealing away his pain and pushing it to the back of his mind.
His strength returned and the pain dulled further, leaving only a gentle throbbing and bruised knuckles behind as a reminder of what he had done.
"I really am sorry about that." Amelia's soft voice stole into his thoughts and he glanced up at her. She crossed the hall to him and peered at his left hand. "You should put some ice on that."
Marcus studied his red knuckles. Is that what humans did in this sort of situation? In his world, they had angels with the ability to heal others. Such an angel could easily fix this issue for him. Even if he couldn't find one, the red marks would be gone in less than a day, his body's superior healing ability quickly erasing them.
"Would you like to come in for some coffee or a drink? It's the least I can do as payment for being my hero."
Marcus stared at her. Coffee was payment for being a hero? He hadn't indulged in such drugs in a long time and while he knew about the sexually stimulating effects that caffeine had on his kind, he had no interest in drinking coffee with Amelia. If he did that, he wasn't sure what would happen between them, but it would certainly be embarrassing for him.
"No, thank you," he said and when she looked as though she needed a reason for his refusal, he added, "It will keep me awake."
She still didn't seem satisfied. She shifted foot to foot, her gaze darting down to her hands in front of her, and then looked right into his eyes again.
"How about I ice those knuckles instead then?"
Marcus glanced into her low-lit apartment and then back at her, and caught the fear in her eyes as she looked down at the stairwell. She was afraid that the man would return and begin harassing her again. He would accept her offer but not because he needed her to assist him with his healing. He would go with her because he could see that the man had won and had shaken her up, and that she was asking him to stay with her a while because she was scared.
It was his duty to protect her. Tonight, that duty could extend to guarding her a little more closely than usual. Once she had settled and was comfortable with the idea of being alone again, he would take his leave.
He nodded when her attention returned to him.
Amelia led the way into the apartment, leaving him to muse what he had done tonight and his duty.
She deserved better.
A better life.
That was the reason he was here—to keep her safe and watch over her. To protect her from the creeps and from something else.
To give her that better life.
He was sure of it.
Marcus followed her towards the kitchen, noting that the layout of her apartment differed slightly to his as he passed through the pale square lounge. There were no windows in it, just like his one, because the bedroom and bathroom lined the exterior wall opposite him. Their positions in the apartment were reversed in his. He stared through the open door of the room to the right. Her bedroom was next to his and the head of her bed rested against his wall. She slept so close to him, yet he couldn't feel her when he was in bed, couldn't sense her on the other side. At such proximity, he should have been able to even when her signature was dulled by her sleeping. His gaze fell to rest on the long cream couch angled towards the television set to his right in the corner of the lounge. A pillow occupied one arm of the sofa and a scrunched up dark blue blanket sat at the other end.
Did she sleep on the couch?
He looked through into the bedroom again, frowning at the smooth covers on the double bed.
Was that why he couldn't feel her when he was in his bedroom?
Back when he had been watching over her from Heaven, she had always slept in her bed. Had something happened recently to change that? If it had, it must have occurred in the past month when he had been in the mortal realm. When he was here, he couldn't watch over her as he had in Heaven, able to view her through buildings using the power granted to the angels of his division. He had to physically see her.
Amelia came back out of the room to his left. He dragged his gaze away from the bedroom and the bathroom next to it, and finished crossing the room to the open double doors that led into the kitchen. Her small kitchen was brighter than his, the cupboards a pale type of wood, with stainless steel appliances.
Some former owner of his apartment had deemed it stylish to have a dark kitchen. Marcus deemed it impractical. It was a nightmare to keep clean so he had given up feeding himself shortly after moving in and had resorted to eating take away food, instant meals or eating out.
Marcus leaned against the kitchen counter, his hand throbbing. It had been a while since he had felt physical pain. He couldn't remember the last time it had hurt to punch something.
He couldn't remember the last time he had fought someone.
Amelia placed a red and white chequered tea-towel down on the side and emptied out several trays of ice cubes into it. She gathered the ends and twisted the bulk of the cloth around to keep the ice in, and then came over to him. He started when she took hold of his hand, gently slipping her fingers under it so they brushed his palm, and raised it. Heat travelled up his arm and it had nothing to do with pain this time.
She rested the ice pack on his knuckles and he didn't feel the cold at all. He stared at their joined hands, urgently trying to decipher how she had warmed him with only a light touch and alarmed by the hard beat of his heart against his chest. She looked up into his eyes, her grey ones full of warmth again, softening her delicate features and holding his attention.
"Thank you." She glanced away again, her gaze briefly dropping to their hands and the ice pack, and then met his eyes. His pain faded in an instant, driven away by the heat of her touch and her concerned expression, and he marvelled at the effect she had on him. It wasn't real. It couldn't be. She was his duty and that was all she could ever be. Once he had fulfilled his mission, he would finally request his transfer and would never see her again. Her thumb brushed his and fire shimmered over his skin. "I really am sorry that he woke you and that you had to hit him."
"I said it was nothing." Marcus hadn't needed to hit the man. He could have compelled him to stop but he had reacted on instinct, and for some reason that instinct had been to punch him. He could think of a million situations with mortals when he had been in danger and had compelled them. Why not this time?
Had Amelia's presence as a witness deterred him?
Or was she the reason he had struck the man?
He had been consumed by anger, enraged by what the man had said about himself and Amelia, driven to violence by a handful of words.
He was Amelia's protector. Her guardian.
He was not her lover.
Her fingertips grazed his palm as she removed the ice pack and inspected his left hand. A shiver tripped up his arm and down his spine, and his shoulder blades itched. He took his hand away from her and rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve the tension building there.
His wings wanted out.
"How are they feeling?"
Marcus's head snapped up, his eyes immediately locking on Amelia. His wings? She nodded towards his knuckles and relief swept through him.
"Fine," he said absently and breathed slowly to steady his racing heart.
There was no way she could know about his wings but, for a moment, it had felt as though she had been reading his mind. It had been a while since his wings had wanted to come out. After five centuries of living with them sealed away, he had grown used to them not being there. It had been strange becoming accustomed to them again when the binding curse had started to lose effect over thirty years ago. Most of the time, he was content to physically put them away as he was now. It took concentration to maintain their disappearance but it used less energy than hiding them from human eyes with a glamour, and it was far easier to move around in the mortal realm without worrying about accidentally knocking things over with them.
"Are you alright?" Amelia ducked towards him, interrupting his view of his knuckles and replacing it with an altogether more pleasant one of her face and her cleavage.
Marcus stared at her plump full breasts, his pulse picking up again, and then averted his eyes. Women had no shame. It was little wonder his master had decided that they should not serve him. They were wily, manipulative, a distraction, and considered by most as the source of all sin.
"Fine," Marcus repeated and took the ice pack from her, ramming it onto the back of his hand when all he wanted to do was stick it down his jogging bottoms to bring his libido under control.
His fellow warriors had warned him about women, especially ones as beautiful as Amelia, and he wholeheartedly believed every word that they said. Women were dangerous. He would not falter though. Amelia was his mission and his allegiance was to his master, his loyalty to his duty, and nothing would change that.
Once this irksome mission had ended, he would return to Heaven and request his transferral as originally planned, and would join the ranks of the soldiers who protected the realm of Heaven from intruders and wars. He would defend that which he believed in. Not this mortal world, but his world.
He had never physically guarded a human before but was certain that his assignment to act as her next door neighbour was a sign that his mission was progressing and soon he would be free of it.
He couldn't wait to return home.
"How are you feeling?" Marcus took the ice pack away from his hand and set it down in the stainless steel sink beside him.
Amelia shrugged. "Better, I guess."
She didn't look better. The weary edge was back in her eyes, draining them of warmth, and he found himself desiring to comfort her.
"He won't come back." His words had the desired effect and she brightened for a brief moment and then it faded again.
"You don't know that." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I do pick them."
Marcus turned and ran his hand under the cold water, letting it wash away the trace of blood on his knuckles. When he reached for the tap to shut it off again, he felt Amelia's eyes on his bare back, boring into his shoulders, and lingered a moment. Would she mention the marks he had revealed by carelessly turning his back on her?
"It won't be long before I drive you away too."
Those words, softly spoken, caused him to look over his shoulder at her, a frown drawing his dark eyebrows tightly together. She dropped her gaze and then met his with resolution that didn't surprise him. This was the Amelia he had come to know these past three decades. Strong, able to face anything head on, unflinching.
"What makes you say that?" Marcus turned back to face her, aware now that he was bare from the waist up and was probably only encouraging any attraction she might feel towards him. He should have put on a t-shirt before leaving his apartment but he'd had one thing on his mind—getting the irritating bastard in the hallway to shut up so he could sleep.
Or was it purely so he could sleep?
He stared at Amelia, taking in the way her cheeks coloured as he did so and how she couldn't hold his gaze.
He had thought only of protecting her.
Defending her.
"The last bloke who lived alone next door to me left only a couple of months after moving in."
Marcus knew for a fact that the man had been forcibly evicted due to a minor error in payments caused by Heaven's intervention but had later won money on the lottery that had allowed him to place a down payment on the house of his dreams. The young man had been the easiest target to remove in order to place Marcus close to Amelia. The old lady who lived in the apartment on the other side of Amelia was frail and had lived in the building for over twenty years and relied on those around her to assist her. She also slept heavily, meaning that Amelia's ex-boyfriends didn't wake her when they came to knock down her door. Marcus would have had a contender in the guardian stakes if the young man had remained living next to her and they had moved the old lady.
"You do live alone, don't you?" There was a tremble to that question.
Marcus nodded without thinking and then considered the implications of his answer when Amelia's grey eyes warmed again. A loaded question. She had cleverly used it to discern his availability.
He briefly considered making up a girlfriend in order to obliterate any attraction she might feel towards him so he could continue his mission in peace but couldn't get the words out when he looked into her eyes again.
The space between them shrank until it felt as though she was barely inches from him. Her soft breathing filled his ears, drawing his attention down to the sensual bow of her dusky pink lips. The tip of her tongue swept across them, leaving moisture in its wake, luring him in.
How long had it been since he had kissed a woman?
Not in this lifetime, that was for sure.
Marcus dragged his eyes away from her, shutting down his emotions at the same time. Amelia was a mission. He couldn't allow things to become complicated. Not when he wasn't even sure why he had to protect her.
He couldn't get involved with her.
He had to maintain his distance.
No matter how impossible that seemed now.
No matter how much he wanted her.
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005EUJIG8/
July 14, 2011
Urban Fantasy Romance Book - special offer
There's still time to save yourself some money and get ASCENSION, my fantastic urban fantasy romance book and the first novel in my Shadow & Light Trilogy, for just $2.99 rather than the usual price of $3.99! The summer deal on this book ends this Saturday, 16th July.
AscensionFelicity Heaton
A witch on the verge of achieving phenomenal power, Lealandra must turn to her half-breed demon ex-lover Taig for protection from the dark force that is after her and also from her own magic.
With her Counter-Balance dead and her coven against her, Taig's blood and power is the only thing that can help her control her magic and survive the ascension and gain the strength to defeat her enemy.
Old feelings come flooding back as Taig allows her into his world and Lealandra finds herself fighting not only for survival but to win his broken heart again and heal the pain in their past. Can he forgive her for walking out on him all those years ago and will he ever believe her when she tells him that he's not a monster but the man that she loves?
OFFER PRICE: $2.99
genre: paranormal / urban fantasy romance
length: 91000 words
Book 1 in the Shadow and Light Trilogy series
read an excerpt: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Ascension
Get it for $2.99 at:
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Get it for $2.99 at Smashwords (use coupone code SY48R at checkout)
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/54728
It also seems that Amazon have an offer on my vampire romance novel, FORBIDDEN BLOOD, and you can get it for $2.99 / £1.99 at the moment. So why not stock up your Amazon Kindle for summer with these two great novels for less than $6?
Forbidden BloodFelicity Heaton
In a dark world where vampires exist and where Source Blood, a rare human blood type, can bestow godlike powers upon them, the vampire Venators of the Sovereignty fight to protect the humans by banishing those who drink it to the endless dark.
Exiled from his family and with only his duty to sustain him, Kearn has been on the trail of an elusive Source Blood abuser for three years. When he saves a beautiful human female from the vampire's grasp, it turns out she's the lead he's been waiting for. Amber is a Source Blood and the perfect bait, but for who?
As they race to catch the vampire and survive the cruel games he plays, Amber is pulled deeper into Kearn's world and discovers the painful secrets he hides behind his handsome but emotionless exterior—hurt that she has the power to heal if she is brave enough.
Forbidden Blood is book one in the Vampire Venators series and a dark, sensual tale of betrayal, revenge and a love that knows no bounds.
OFFER PRICE: $2.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 126000 words
Book 1 in the Vampire Venators series
Read an excerpt: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Forbidden%20Blood
Get it for $2.99 / £1.99 at:
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Happy reading!
AscensionFelicity HeatonA witch on the verge of achieving phenomenal power, Lealandra must turn to her half-breed demon ex-lover Taig for protection from the dark force that is after her and also from her own magic.
With her Counter-Balance dead and her coven against her, Taig's blood and power is the only thing that can help her control her magic and survive the ascension and gain the strength to defeat her enemy.
Old feelings come flooding back as Taig allows her into his world and Lealandra finds herself fighting not only for survival but to win his broken heart again and heal the pain in their past. Can he forgive her for walking out on him all those years ago and will he ever believe her when she tells him that he's not a monster but the man that she loves?
OFFER PRICE: $2.99
genre: paranormal / urban fantasy romance
length: 91000 words
Book 1 in the Shadow and Light Trilogy series
read an excerpt: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Ascension
Get it for $2.99 at:
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Get it for $2.99 at Smashwords (use coupone code SY48R at checkout)
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/54728
It also seems that Amazon have an offer on my vampire romance novel, FORBIDDEN BLOOD, and you can get it for $2.99 / £1.99 at the moment. So why not stock up your Amazon Kindle for summer with these two great novels for less than $6?
Forbidden BloodFelicity HeatonIn a dark world where vampires exist and where Source Blood, a rare human blood type, can bestow godlike powers upon them, the vampire Venators of the Sovereignty fight to protect the humans by banishing those who drink it to the endless dark.
Exiled from his family and with only his duty to sustain him, Kearn has been on the trail of an elusive Source Blood abuser for three years. When he saves a beautiful human female from the vampire's grasp, it turns out she's the lead he's been waiting for. Amber is a Source Blood and the perfect bait, but for who?
As they race to catch the vampire and survive the cruel games he plays, Amber is pulled deeper into Kearn's world and discovers the painful secrets he hides behind his handsome but emotionless exterior—hurt that she has the power to heal if she is brave enough.
Forbidden Blood is book one in the Vampire Venators series and a dark, sensual tale of betrayal, revenge and a love that knows no bounds.
OFFER PRICE: $2.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 126000 words
Book 1 in the Vampire Venators series
Read an excerpt: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Forbidden%20Blood
Get it for $2.99 / £1.99 at:
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Happy reading!
July 12, 2011
Teaseday - Her Warrior Angel - Angel Romance Book
Today I'm posting a Teaseday excerpt for
Her Warrior Angel
.
Her Warrior Angel
is the third book in the
Her Angel
romance series, and is a sensual romance novella full of passion and action. You can get
Her Warrior Angel
in both e-book and paperback (as part of an anthology with the other two
Her Angel
series novellas)
On to the tease...
Her Warrior Angel
Felicity Heaton
Einar is one of Heaven's best hunters and he's on a mission to uncover why an angel was working with demons. When he finds the first demon fighting a beautiful woman named Taylor, he intervenes and saves her life. Taylor has spent her whole life protecting London from the lowest demons and she's not about to let an angel waltz into her city and take over her job, and she's certainly not about to fall in love with him, even if he is gorgeous. The reason why she can't is simple—she's half demon.
There is no love in this world more forbidden than that between an angel and a demon.
Sense tells Taylor to get out before she gets her heart broken, but she winds up convincing Einar to partner with her instead. Einar is certain that working with Taylor is a bad idea, and not only because he can't focus when he's around her, but he can't let her go. The mission leads them deep into the city's underworld, where old flames burn Taylor while new flames of passion and fear of the consequences consume them, and the threat of Einar's demons hangs over them both.
Can a love so forbidden ever have a happy ending or are they destined to break each other's hearts?
ALL OF THE STORIES IN THE HER ANGEL SERIES STAND ALONE, JOINED BY CHARACTER AND WORLD ONLY, AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER.
ebook price: $2.99
paperback price: $9.99
genre: paranormal angel romance
length: 36000 words
rating: sultry
released: November 2010
Book 3 in the Her Angel series
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Warrior%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004CFAS06/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004CFAS06/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004CFAS06/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Warrior-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011180330/
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/her-warrior-angel-her-angel-romance-series/_/R-400000000000000322708
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456489836/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489836/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456489830/
EXCERPTShe was heading for trouble.
Einar watched the raven-haired woman walking straight towards a male coming the opposite way through the quiet moonlit park. He beat his wings, keeping his position high above them in the cool air.
The woman appeared and disappeared as she passed under the intermittent streetlamps that lined the paths through the park. The lights weren't strong enough to cut through the darkness, leaving the area as a black hole in a sea of glittering golden and white pinpricks. London stretched out as far as he could see in all directions. The yellow halo over the city drowned out the stars and made the shadowy shapes of the buildings visible to him.
Einar swooped lower in the night, wanting to get a closer look at the two people and needing to be near in case he was right and the man wasn't a man at all. If the demon showed any sign of attacking the woman, he would intervene. Until that happened, he would watch. It wasn't his place to interfere in things. He was here to hunt, not protect.
The steady rush of wind over him chilled his skin. Summer was on its way out and autumn was encroaching as surely as the night. The days were growing short and he still hadn't found his demons. Heaven's Court were becoming restless with the desire to know why a commander of theirs called Amaer had sided with three demons, assisting them in the disposal of over one hundred human bodies, and had incriminated a fellow angel, setting him up to take the fall.
The angel, an intervention specialist and mediator called Lukas, had fought back though and had proven his innocence. Amaer was dead. Now Einar's only lead were the demons.
The woman neared the man. Einar's hand went to the hilt of the blade hanging from his waist. The vambrace protecting his forearm was cold against the strip of stomach exposed between his rich brown and gold breastplate and his dark loincloth. He would soon have to resort to wearing winter armour.
A noise from below caught his attention. The woman was under attack. Einar dived towards her and then halted in mid-air barely a few metres above them when the woman drew a short silver blade from beneath the back of her black jacket and started to fight.
She was breathtaking.
Einar could only stare at her as she fought the male demon, still in his human skin. Her movements were fluid, made only more graceful by her tall slender form and the tight clothes she wore. She swung her leg around, kicking the man in the head. The moment her foot touched the floor, she brought it back again, catching the man unawares and unguarded.
She attacked then, putting the demon on the back foot and keeping him off balance with lunges and swipes of the short blade. It gleamed brightly under the moonlight, flashes of white and silver lines marking its deadly path.
Einar beat his wings to keep steady, mesmerised by the woman and her ability to fight. He had never thought a female could have such skill. He had only ever met females that needed tending to and protecting. This one was different. She could handle a weapon with ease, and with skill almost matching his own, and she radiated confidence and strength. She could take care of herself and he couldn't bring himself to intervene in her fight, even when his instincts were screaming at him to go down and assist her.
The male demon snarled and shifted his shoulders. Black ragged scaly wings erupted from his back, tearing through his dark shirt, and his hands became talons. Einar's eyes narrowed.
The history recorded in the pool in Hell had revealed the type of demon that had committed the sin of killing the innocent humans.
This man was one of their breed.
Einar's dark gaze flickered to the woman. She didn't even hesitate at the sight of the man's wings and claws. She continued her attack. If anything, she was putting more effort into it now that the demon had revealed himself.
She wasn't a stranger to this sort of creature.
The demon screamed and launched himself at the woman, still half in his human guise. The woman blocked each swipe of his talons with her short sword but the demon was forcing her backwards, putting her off balance this time. She rallied, kicking the demon in the shin and then going for the chest. The demon caught her ankle and turned, hurling her along the pavement. She tumbled, losing her weapon, and stopped a few metres away from the demon. Her long dark hair covered her face as she struggled to get to her feet.
Cold fury curled through Einar's veins, tightening his muscles. He flexed his fingers around the hilt of his sword and gripped it tightly.
He had seen enough.
The demon ran at the woman.
"Get out of my damn way, you big oaf," the woman said just as the demon charged them.
Einar turned, confused about whether she was speaking to him. She crouched, tugged the right leg of her dark jeans up, revealing her black leather boot, and the next thing Einar knew, she had a knife in her hand and was running past him. Resilient, resourceful, but foolish.
Unless she wanted to get herself killed.
The demon lashed out, slamming the back of his right hand into the side of her head and sending her skidding across the dewy grass. She landed in a heap and didn't move.
Grasping his sword, Einar beat his tawny wings and shot towards the demon. He didn't have time to react. Einar's sword was through his gut before he could even turn towards him, and Einar twisted it, his eyes locked with the demon's ones.
"Tell me where the others are hiding," Einar said and the flicker of fear in the demon's eyes told him everything he needed to know. He was right. This demon was one of them. "Tell me, and you will live. Do not tell me, and I will banish you to Hell to face your master instead."
The man's eyes widened and he shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak and there was a strange rush of cold from below Einar's feet. A column of darkness swept up and around them, engulfing both him and the demon. Intense heat and a vivid golden glow lit the ground beneath them. The column expanded rapidly and flung Einar backwards. He tumbled head over heels in the air and then stretched his wings out and flapped, righting himself and stopping his descent. He swept back down towards the demon but he was too late. There was a flash and the demon was gone, leaving nothing but a charred circle on the floor and the sickening stench of brimstone hanging in the cool night air.
A dark curse rolled off Einar's tongue. He landed gently, sheathed his sword, and walked to the burnt patch of path. Crouching, he touched the warm ashes and then sighed. Had someone done this to stop him from talking? It wasn't the Devil. He took no interest in such affairs and Einar's threat had been just that—a threat. The Devil wouldn't do anything if Einar banished a demon to Hell to face the consequences. If anything, he would probably congratulate the demon for doing something to annoy Heaven and the angels.
A groan from the darkness snapped Einar out of his thoughts.
The woman.
She was trying to push herself up off the grass but was having difficulty. Her long dark hair hung in messy strands, obscuring her face. She mumbled black things to herself. The smell of blood was stronger now. The woman touched her arm, flinched, and then collapsed. Einar rushed over to her and knelt at her side. He swept the lengths of hair from her face. She was pale, the moonlight turning her skin milky. Dark patches of blood marred it near her jaw and across her chest above the low line of her black top. There were three long gashes in the right arm of her leather biker jacket. The demon. He must have caught her with his claws.
Einar slid his arm under her back and carefully lifted it off the wet grass, supporting her. She moaned and writhed against him, and then stilled. He stared down at her pale beauty, captivated by it as much as he had been by her fighting. Perhaps he had been mistaken.
Perhaps he was the one heading for trouble.
He touched the blood on her cheek and frowned.
What was trouble's name?
Was it as beautiful as her looks and the way she fought?
She moaned and then lurched towards him and tackled him to the ground, pinning his wings awkwardly beneath him. He grimaced and tried to get her off him but she pressed her full bodyweight down onto his stomach, groin and chest.
"Who the hell are you?" Her dark eyes were wild, watching him without fear but with anger. She wet her luscious full lips and frowned. Her left hand slid off his damp breastplate and he instinctively caught her to stop her from falling. She shoved his hand away and fixed him with a deadly glare. "Get off me. Bloody angels. Always interfering."
She wavered a moment later and clenched her jaw.
Her eyes slipped shut and then shot open again.
"It is the toxin," Einar said in a quiet voice, not wanting to enrage her. He rested his hands beside his head on the damp grass, trying to show her that he didn't intend to hurt her, and smiled. "I can fix that for you."
She glanced down at her right shoulder and then pressed a knife against his throat. It trembled, touching his Adam's apple, and she blinked several times, as though trying to clear her head. How long did she have? Demon toxins worked fast.
"I don't need your help." She pushed off him and stumbled across the grass in the empty moonlit park, muttering to herself about her sword.
Einar stood, stretched his wings and flapped them to get his feathers back into place. She was no stranger to angels either judging by the way that she was speaking. He frowned down at his wet backside and legs, and then cocked his head to one side and watched her. Regardless of what she said, she did need his help. The most virulent demon toxin only took a few minutes to work its way into blood and only another hour on top of that to spread through the body and kill the host. It was difficult to get rid of and he was certain she knew that. What did she plan to do? Human drugs had little effect on such poison. It would take another demon to remove it. Was she in league with them? He hadn't wanted to believe such a thing when he had first seen her, but he couldn't deny that it was a possibility.
She stooped to pick up her sword and collapsed into a heap.
Einar was beside her in an instant. He collected her blade, jamming it into his sword belt, and then lifted her into his arms. He didn't care what she had done before tonight, he wasn't going to let her go and seek the aid of demons now that he was here.
He froze.
Was he protecting her?
Why?
His gaze traversed her delicate face.
He was definitely heading for trouble.
It was forbidden for him to have any sort of feeling for her.
He stared at her a moment longer, torn between leaving her to find her own way of clearing the poison from her blood and taking her with him to his place and removing it for her. The hunter in him said to leave her. She wasn't worth anything and would only cause him trouble.
The man in him said to save her.
Einar closed his eyes, cradled her to his chest, and took flight.
He couldn't leave her to fend for herself. It didn't matter that Heaven forbid him to intervene in such matters or to feel anything for her. His heart whispered to help her and he would do just that. He would rid her body of the poison and restore her strength. If anyone asked him why he had done such a thing, he would lie and say that he had done it for information.
Not because he was drawn to her.
She woke during the flight to his hotel. He kept his gaze on the rooftops of London, charting his course and checking it for any sign of trouble. The sky was his tonight, shared only with the constant circling planes above him as they waited to land at one of the busy airports. They were too high to bother to him. He couldn't fly at that altitude when carrying mortal cargo. The air was too cold and too thin for such a fragile creature.
He glanced down at her, meeting her dark eyes. They shone with something between confusion and anger.
"How are you feeling?" Einar fixed his gaze ahead again, sensing that if he continued to stare at her, she was likely to start fighting him.
"I'd feel a lot better if you put me down." She pushed his chest so quickly that he almost lost his grip on her. A moment later, she was clutching the edges of his deep brown breastplate and curled up against him, fear pounding in her veins so strongly that he could sense it as though it was his own. "Christ Almighty, we're flying."
He smiled.
It touched his lips before he could even think to contain it.
She had made him smile.
Not a forced one as he generally managed, but a real smile.
He tightened his grip on her knees and her ribs, and swooped lower with her, so she wouldn't be afraid. He levelled off just above the rooftops and narrowed his eyes on the spot in the distance where the hotel was located.
"Keep going, Romeo, all the way down." She tugged at his breastplate, as though she could control his descent by doing such a thing and force him to land.
"I do not think so." Einar glanced at her again. "You are particularly resilient to demon toxin but you are in no fit state to be left alone. I will tend to you once we are somewhere safe."
"There's nowhere safe in this city," she mumbled and then, as they flew over a higher building, she twisted out of his arms.
Einar went after her. She turned and twirled in the air like a cat finding its footing during a fall, and landed soundly on her feet on the roof of the building. Stupid woman. She made it ten steps before collapsing.
"Shit." She got to her feet and tried to run again, this time reaching the edge of the roof and balancing there, staring down into the street below.
"Where do you intend to run to?" He landed behind her and caught her arm, afraid that she would fall. She turned to look at him with wide eyes that spoke of fear, her lips parted and teasing him with temptation. Desire tugged at his gut. He pulled her back into his arms, lifted her again and cradled her close to his chest. He stared at her mouth, almost willing to give in, and then forced his gaze up to meet hers. "You are in no fit state to run."
"I felt better." She frowned, looked herself over, and then met his eyes again. "And then I felt terrible."
He smiled for a second time. "It is my presence that staves off the toxin. The moment you were away from my touch, the infection returned. I do not intend to harm you... whoever you are."
She swallowed, blinked, and then looped her arms around his neck and smiled saucily. "You don't get my name that easily, Romeo."
Einar looked down at her arms and shivered when she tangled her fingers in the short threads of his ponytail. Her fingertips grazed his neck, sending another wave of tingles trickling down his spine. Her breath washed his face as she leaned in close, pulling herself up and pressing her cheek to his. Her lips grazed his ear and he was lost, empty inside, unable to focus on anything but the feel of her against him and the anticipation of hearing her speak.
"You've got to tell a girl your name first," she whispered into his ear. Was it the toxin making her act so strangely, or was she always like this with men, so forward and teasing? "It's considered polite."
He closed his eyes, swallowed to ease his dry throat, and resisted his desire to clutch her to him, to hold her where she was so he could feel her body against his a moment longer.
"Einar." He breathed his name on a sigh, unable to find his voice for some reason. What was she doing to him? Was she temptation sent by the Devil to test him?
"Mmm, that's a strong name for a strong boy." She ran her hands down his biceps and they trembled under her soft touch. He shook when she cupped his cheeks, sending warmth racing through every inch of him, and drew back to look into his eyes. She smiled. "Now... put me the hell down!"
She head-butted him and he stumbled backwards, losing his grip on her. Before he could grab her, she had leapt to the next building and was running again. Einar touched his forehead and frowned. Why was she running from him? Was she afraid that he was going to harm her? He had no intention of hurting her. He only wanted to help.
He stretched his wings and flew after her, keeping his distance this time. She would falter soon enough. He hadn't lied to her. It was only his touch and presence that slowed the effects of the poison on her body. He gave her a minute before she collapsed again and became compliant once more.
She didn't even last that long. Before she was halfway across the rooftop, she tripped and fell flat on her face. She didn't get back up. She lay there on the damp black tar roof, breathing hard.
Einar landed close beside her and she grabbed his ankle and looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, threads of her long hair cutting across her cheek.
She said something he couldn't make out. He crouched close to her and her hand touched his bare knee.
"Maybe I'll take you up on that offer." Her words were so quiet that he barely heard her. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Not feeling myself today."
Einar carefully lifted her back into his arms. She lay there, lax against him, breathing softly and slowly. He could feel her fatigue. She had only made things worse by trying to escape. Exerting herself had quickened the process of spreading the poison through her body. She shivered and moaned.
"Taylor."
He frowned.
Her eyes fluttered open, their dark depths capturing his attention and holding it. She almost smiled.
"My name... it's Taylor." She closed her eyes and leaned her cheek against his shoulder and bicep.
Einar held her close to him and looked at her. Taylor.
A strong but beautiful name for a strong beautiful woman.
He took flight with her again, heading for the hotel and pondering this strange twist of fate that had brought her into his life. She was turning his world, distorting its axis, and he was sure of only one thing.
He was heading for trouble.
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Warrior%20Angel
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On to the tease...
Her Warrior Angel
Felicity Heaton
Einar is one of Heaven's best hunters and he's on a mission to uncover why an angel was working with demons. When he finds the first demon fighting a beautiful woman named Taylor, he intervenes and saves her life. Taylor has spent her whole life protecting London from the lowest demons and she's not about to let an angel waltz into her city and take over her job, and she's certainly not about to fall in love with him, even if he is gorgeous. The reason why she can't is simple—she's half demon.
There is no love in this world more forbidden than that between an angel and a demon.
Sense tells Taylor to get out before she gets her heart broken, but she winds up convincing Einar to partner with her instead. Einar is certain that working with Taylor is a bad idea, and not only because he can't focus when he's around her, but he can't let her go. The mission leads them deep into the city's underworld, where old flames burn Taylor while new flames of passion and fear of the consequences consume them, and the threat of Einar's demons hangs over them both.
Can a love so forbidden ever have a happy ending or are they destined to break each other's hearts?
ALL OF THE STORIES IN THE HER ANGEL SERIES STAND ALONE, JOINED BY CHARACTER AND WORLD ONLY, AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER.
ebook price: $2.99
paperback price: $9.99
genre: paranormal angel romance
length: 36000 words
rating: sultry
released: November 2010
Book 3 in the Her Angel series
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Warrior%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004CFAS06/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004CFAS06/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004CFAS06/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Warrior-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011180330/
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Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456489836/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489836/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456489830/
EXCERPTShe was heading for trouble.
Einar watched the raven-haired woman walking straight towards a male coming the opposite way through the quiet moonlit park. He beat his wings, keeping his position high above them in the cool air.
The woman appeared and disappeared as she passed under the intermittent streetlamps that lined the paths through the park. The lights weren't strong enough to cut through the darkness, leaving the area as a black hole in a sea of glittering golden and white pinpricks. London stretched out as far as he could see in all directions. The yellow halo over the city drowned out the stars and made the shadowy shapes of the buildings visible to him.
Einar swooped lower in the night, wanting to get a closer look at the two people and needing to be near in case he was right and the man wasn't a man at all. If the demon showed any sign of attacking the woman, he would intervene. Until that happened, he would watch. It wasn't his place to interfere in things. He was here to hunt, not protect.
The steady rush of wind over him chilled his skin. Summer was on its way out and autumn was encroaching as surely as the night. The days were growing short and he still hadn't found his demons. Heaven's Court were becoming restless with the desire to know why a commander of theirs called Amaer had sided with three demons, assisting them in the disposal of over one hundred human bodies, and had incriminated a fellow angel, setting him up to take the fall.
The angel, an intervention specialist and mediator called Lukas, had fought back though and had proven his innocence. Amaer was dead. Now Einar's only lead were the demons.
The woman neared the man. Einar's hand went to the hilt of the blade hanging from his waist. The vambrace protecting his forearm was cold against the strip of stomach exposed between his rich brown and gold breastplate and his dark loincloth. He would soon have to resort to wearing winter armour.
A noise from below caught his attention. The woman was under attack. Einar dived towards her and then halted in mid-air barely a few metres above them when the woman drew a short silver blade from beneath the back of her black jacket and started to fight.
She was breathtaking.
Einar could only stare at her as she fought the male demon, still in his human skin. Her movements were fluid, made only more graceful by her tall slender form and the tight clothes she wore. She swung her leg around, kicking the man in the head. The moment her foot touched the floor, she brought it back again, catching the man unawares and unguarded.
She attacked then, putting the demon on the back foot and keeping him off balance with lunges and swipes of the short blade. It gleamed brightly under the moonlight, flashes of white and silver lines marking its deadly path.
Einar beat his wings to keep steady, mesmerised by the woman and her ability to fight. He had never thought a female could have such skill. He had only ever met females that needed tending to and protecting. This one was different. She could handle a weapon with ease, and with skill almost matching his own, and she radiated confidence and strength. She could take care of herself and he couldn't bring himself to intervene in her fight, even when his instincts were screaming at him to go down and assist her.
The male demon snarled and shifted his shoulders. Black ragged scaly wings erupted from his back, tearing through his dark shirt, and his hands became talons. Einar's eyes narrowed.
The history recorded in the pool in Hell had revealed the type of demon that had committed the sin of killing the innocent humans.
This man was one of their breed.
Einar's dark gaze flickered to the woman. She didn't even hesitate at the sight of the man's wings and claws. She continued her attack. If anything, she was putting more effort into it now that the demon had revealed himself.
She wasn't a stranger to this sort of creature.
The demon screamed and launched himself at the woman, still half in his human guise. The woman blocked each swipe of his talons with her short sword but the demon was forcing her backwards, putting her off balance this time. She rallied, kicking the demon in the shin and then going for the chest. The demon caught her ankle and turned, hurling her along the pavement. She tumbled, losing her weapon, and stopped a few metres away from the demon. Her long dark hair covered her face as she struggled to get to her feet.
Cold fury curled through Einar's veins, tightening his muscles. He flexed his fingers around the hilt of his sword and gripped it tightly.
He had seen enough.
The demon ran at the woman.
"Get out of my damn way, you big oaf," the woman said just as the demon charged them.
Einar turned, confused about whether she was speaking to him. She crouched, tugged the right leg of her dark jeans up, revealing her black leather boot, and the next thing Einar knew, she had a knife in her hand and was running past him. Resilient, resourceful, but foolish.
Unless she wanted to get herself killed.
The demon lashed out, slamming the back of his right hand into the side of her head and sending her skidding across the dewy grass. She landed in a heap and didn't move.
Grasping his sword, Einar beat his tawny wings and shot towards the demon. He didn't have time to react. Einar's sword was through his gut before he could even turn towards him, and Einar twisted it, his eyes locked with the demon's ones.
"Tell me where the others are hiding," Einar said and the flicker of fear in the demon's eyes told him everything he needed to know. He was right. This demon was one of them. "Tell me, and you will live. Do not tell me, and I will banish you to Hell to face your master instead."
The man's eyes widened and he shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak and there was a strange rush of cold from below Einar's feet. A column of darkness swept up and around them, engulfing both him and the demon. Intense heat and a vivid golden glow lit the ground beneath them. The column expanded rapidly and flung Einar backwards. He tumbled head over heels in the air and then stretched his wings out and flapped, righting himself and stopping his descent. He swept back down towards the demon but he was too late. There was a flash and the demon was gone, leaving nothing but a charred circle on the floor and the sickening stench of brimstone hanging in the cool night air.
A dark curse rolled off Einar's tongue. He landed gently, sheathed his sword, and walked to the burnt patch of path. Crouching, he touched the warm ashes and then sighed. Had someone done this to stop him from talking? It wasn't the Devil. He took no interest in such affairs and Einar's threat had been just that—a threat. The Devil wouldn't do anything if Einar banished a demon to Hell to face the consequences. If anything, he would probably congratulate the demon for doing something to annoy Heaven and the angels.
A groan from the darkness snapped Einar out of his thoughts.
The woman.
She was trying to push herself up off the grass but was having difficulty. Her long dark hair hung in messy strands, obscuring her face. She mumbled black things to herself. The smell of blood was stronger now. The woman touched her arm, flinched, and then collapsed. Einar rushed over to her and knelt at her side. He swept the lengths of hair from her face. She was pale, the moonlight turning her skin milky. Dark patches of blood marred it near her jaw and across her chest above the low line of her black top. There were three long gashes in the right arm of her leather biker jacket. The demon. He must have caught her with his claws.
Einar slid his arm under her back and carefully lifted it off the wet grass, supporting her. She moaned and writhed against him, and then stilled. He stared down at her pale beauty, captivated by it as much as he had been by her fighting. Perhaps he had been mistaken.
Perhaps he was the one heading for trouble.
He touched the blood on her cheek and frowned.
What was trouble's name?
Was it as beautiful as her looks and the way she fought?
She moaned and then lurched towards him and tackled him to the ground, pinning his wings awkwardly beneath him. He grimaced and tried to get her off him but she pressed her full bodyweight down onto his stomach, groin and chest.
"Who the hell are you?" Her dark eyes were wild, watching him without fear but with anger. She wet her luscious full lips and frowned. Her left hand slid off his damp breastplate and he instinctively caught her to stop her from falling. She shoved his hand away and fixed him with a deadly glare. "Get off me. Bloody angels. Always interfering."
She wavered a moment later and clenched her jaw.
Her eyes slipped shut and then shot open again.
"It is the toxin," Einar said in a quiet voice, not wanting to enrage her. He rested his hands beside his head on the damp grass, trying to show her that he didn't intend to hurt her, and smiled. "I can fix that for you."
She glanced down at her right shoulder and then pressed a knife against his throat. It trembled, touching his Adam's apple, and she blinked several times, as though trying to clear her head. How long did she have? Demon toxins worked fast.
"I don't need your help." She pushed off him and stumbled across the grass in the empty moonlit park, muttering to herself about her sword.
Einar stood, stretched his wings and flapped them to get his feathers back into place. She was no stranger to angels either judging by the way that she was speaking. He frowned down at his wet backside and legs, and then cocked his head to one side and watched her. Regardless of what she said, she did need his help. The most virulent demon toxin only took a few minutes to work its way into blood and only another hour on top of that to spread through the body and kill the host. It was difficult to get rid of and he was certain she knew that. What did she plan to do? Human drugs had little effect on such poison. It would take another demon to remove it. Was she in league with them? He hadn't wanted to believe such a thing when he had first seen her, but he couldn't deny that it was a possibility.
She stooped to pick up her sword and collapsed into a heap.
Einar was beside her in an instant. He collected her blade, jamming it into his sword belt, and then lifted her into his arms. He didn't care what she had done before tonight, he wasn't going to let her go and seek the aid of demons now that he was here.
He froze.
Was he protecting her?
Why?
His gaze traversed her delicate face.
He was definitely heading for trouble.
It was forbidden for him to have any sort of feeling for her.
He stared at her a moment longer, torn between leaving her to find her own way of clearing the poison from her blood and taking her with him to his place and removing it for her. The hunter in him said to leave her. She wasn't worth anything and would only cause him trouble.
The man in him said to save her.
Einar closed his eyes, cradled her to his chest, and took flight.
He couldn't leave her to fend for herself. It didn't matter that Heaven forbid him to intervene in such matters or to feel anything for her. His heart whispered to help her and he would do just that. He would rid her body of the poison and restore her strength. If anyone asked him why he had done such a thing, he would lie and say that he had done it for information.
Not because he was drawn to her.
She woke during the flight to his hotel. He kept his gaze on the rooftops of London, charting his course and checking it for any sign of trouble. The sky was his tonight, shared only with the constant circling planes above him as they waited to land at one of the busy airports. They were too high to bother to him. He couldn't fly at that altitude when carrying mortal cargo. The air was too cold and too thin for such a fragile creature.
He glanced down at her, meeting her dark eyes. They shone with something between confusion and anger.
"How are you feeling?" Einar fixed his gaze ahead again, sensing that if he continued to stare at her, she was likely to start fighting him.
"I'd feel a lot better if you put me down." She pushed his chest so quickly that he almost lost his grip on her. A moment later, she was clutching the edges of his deep brown breastplate and curled up against him, fear pounding in her veins so strongly that he could sense it as though it was his own. "Christ Almighty, we're flying."
He smiled.
It touched his lips before he could even think to contain it.
She had made him smile.
Not a forced one as he generally managed, but a real smile.
He tightened his grip on her knees and her ribs, and swooped lower with her, so she wouldn't be afraid. He levelled off just above the rooftops and narrowed his eyes on the spot in the distance where the hotel was located.
"Keep going, Romeo, all the way down." She tugged at his breastplate, as though she could control his descent by doing such a thing and force him to land.
"I do not think so." Einar glanced at her again. "You are particularly resilient to demon toxin but you are in no fit state to be left alone. I will tend to you once we are somewhere safe."
"There's nowhere safe in this city," she mumbled and then, as they flew over a higher building, she twisted out of his arms.
Einar went after her. She turned and twirled in the air like a cat finding its footing during a fall, and landed soundly on her feet on the roof of the building. Stupid woman. She made it ten steps before collapsing.
"Shit." She got to her feet and tried to run again, this time reaching the edge of the roof and balancing there, staring down into the street below.
"Where do you intend to run to?" He landed behind her and caught her arm, afraid that she would fall. She turned to look at him with wide eyes that spoke of fear, her lips parted and teasing him with temptation. Desire tugged at his gut. He pulled her back into his arms, lifted her again and cradled her close to his chest. He stared at her mouth, almost willing to give in, and then forced his gaze up to meet hers. "You are in no fit state to run."
"I felt better." She frowned, looked herself over, and then met his eyes again. "And then I felt terrible."
He smiled for a second time. "It is my presence that staves off the toxin. The moment you were away from my touch, the infection returned. I do not intend to harm you... whoever you are."
She swallowed, blinked, and then looped her arms around his neck and smiled saucily. "You don't get my name that easily, Romeo."
Einar looked down at her arms and shivered when she tangled her fingers in the short threads of his ponytail. Her fingertips grazed his neck, sending another wave of tingles trickling down his spine. Her breath washed his face as she leaned in close, pulling herself up and pressing her cheek to his. Her lips grazed his ear and he was lost, empty inside, unable to focus on anything but the feel of her against him and the anticipation of hearing her speak.
"You've got to tell a girl your name first," she whispered into his ear. Was it the toxin making her act so strangely, or was she always like this with men, so forward and teasing? "It's considered polite."
He closed his eyes, swallowed to ease his dry throat, and resisted his desire to clutch her to him, to hold her where she was so he could feel her body against his a moment longer.
"Einar." He breathed his name on a sigh, unable to find his voice for some reason. What was she doing to him? Was she temptation sent by the Devil to test him?
"Mmm, that's a strong name for a strong boy." She ran her hands down his biceps and they trembled under her soft touch. He shook when she cupped his cheeks, sending warmth racing through every inch of him, and drew back to look into his eyes. She smiled. "Now... put me the hell down!"
She head-butted him and he stumbled backwards, losing his grip on her. Before he could grab her, she had leapt to the next building and was running again. Einar touched his forehead and frowned. Why was she running from him? Was she afraid that he was going to harm her? He had no intention of hurting her. He only wanted to help.
He stretched his wings and flew after her, keeping his distance this time. She would falter soon enough. He hadn't lied to her. It was only his touch and presence that slowed the effects of the poison on her body. He gave her a minute before she collapsed again and became compliant once more.
She didn't even last that long. Before she was halfway across the rooftop, she tripped and fell flat on her face. She didn't get back up. She lay there on the damp black tar roof, breathing hard.
Einar landed close beside her and she grabbed his ankle and looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, threads of her long hair cutting across her cheek.
She said something he couldn't make out. He crouched close to her and her hand touched his bare knee.
"Maybe I'll take you up on that offer." Her words were so quiet that he barely heard her. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Not feeling myself today."
Einar carefully lifted her back into his arms. She lay there, lax against him, breathing softly and slowly. He could feel her fatigue. She had only made things worse by trying to escape. Exerting herself had quickened the process of spreading the poison through her body. She shivered and moaned.
"Taylor."
He frowned.
Her eyes fluttered open, their dark depths capturing his attention and holding it. She almost smiled.
"My name... it's Taylor." She closed her eyes and leaned her cheek against his shoulder and bicep.
Einar held her close to him and looked at her. Taylor.
A strong but beautiful name for a strong beautiful woman.
He took flight with her again, heading for the hotel and pondering this strange twist of fate that had brought her into his life. She was turning his world, distorting its axis, and he was sure of only one thing.
He was heading for trouble.
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Warrior%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004CFAS06/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004CFAS06/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004CFAS06/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Warrior-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011180330/
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/her-warrior-angel-her-angel-romance-series/_/R-400000000000000322708
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456489836/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489836/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456489830/
Enjoyed this tease?
Manday hottie
It's a bit of a belated Manday post today as I was so busy yesterday that I didn't have time to post him. I know, there's no excuse. A Monday should always feature a Manday hottie!
To make up for my tardiness, I'm posting a picture of my favourite male model that features two shots of his royal hunkiness...
Click the picture to make him bigger - ooer!
You like?
To make up for my tardiness, I'm posting a picture of my favourite male model that features two shots of his royal hunkiness...
Click the picture to make him bigger - ooer!
You like?
It's a bit of a belated Manday post today as I was so bus...
It's a bit of a belated Manday post today as I was so busy yesterday that I didn't have time to post him. I know, there's no excuse. A Monday should always feature a Manday hottie!
To make up for my tardiness, I'm posting a picture of my favourite male model that features two shots of his royal hunkiness...
Click the picture to make him bigger - ooer!
You like?
To make up for my tardiness, I'm posting a picture of my favourite male model that features two shots of his royal hunkiness...
Click the picture to make him bigger - ooer!
You like?
July 10, 2011
Love Immortal - character interview with Lauren
As part of my Paranormal Pandemonium 2011 Blog Tour, I'll be interviewing some characters and doing some posts on my own blog too, Indie Paranormal Romance Books. Today, I caught up with the ever-lovely Lauren from my epic vampire romance book, Love Immortal.
Lauren, for those not familiar with her, is the beautiful, warm and brave redheaded heroine who discovers in Love Immortal that she's the latest reincarnation of a demi-goddess when she's saved from werewolves by Julian. Julian is her sexy, mysterious and immortal Arcadian, who is responsible for giving his blood to her to awaken her latent powers. Together, they team up with Ghost, a demon-hunting organisation, and take on Lycaon, the vicious original werewolf who was cursed by Zeus for tricking him into eating human flesh. Along with Julian, Lauren is also the ancestor of what we think of as vampires.
FH: I have Lauren here with me today to talk about her book, Love Immortal. Firstly, can you tell us a little about yourself?
Lauren: Wow, where to start? I was your regular thirty-something before the night that I met Julian. All I expected out of life was growing up, getting married, doing something with my career and maybe having kids. I certainly never expected that I would wind up facing down a werewolf(!) on my way home one night and having someone like Julian rescue me. *looks dreamy* That man knows how to make an impact on a girl's heart. I was so shell-shocked that I just went along with everything at first… then out of the blue someone is telling me that I'm a reincarnated goddess and I'm about to reawaken those powers through death. Talk about a slap in the face. I really wasn't sure how to react to that one. Death at thirty-five definitely hadn't been on my agenda. I was just lucky that I had Julian there to help me through it all, and that I had the guys at Ghost to support me. I couldn't have coped without them.
FH: Can you tell us about what happened in your story?
Lauren: Sure. One minute I'm normal and the next I'm a goddess. *laughs but there's nerves in it* I really still can't get over that one. Julian was amazing. He was so supportive and kind to me. I know he's my protector, but I really felt he was helping me out of more than just duty. He did everything he could to make me feel better about what was happening to me, and explained everything so well so I would understand. I had so many questions and so many fears, but he handled them all and he gave me his strength too. He did everything for me. He endured so much for me. I can't thank him enough for what he went through so he could be there during my awakening. I can't thank the members of Ghost enough either. They all lent me their strength and without them I wouldn't have survived Lycaon's attacks.
FH: In Love Immortal, you meet Julian, who is your immortal protector and reminiscent of a vampire. How did you meet and how did you feel about them initially?
Lauren: Julian saved my butt from werewolves and just thinking about the way he dropped into my life, sword in hand, devastatingly mysterious and sexy, sends a shiver through me. It was difficult to come to terms with the suspicions I had about him and, after those were confirmed, what he was. I mean, it's not every day that you realise that vampires and werewolves exist, and that you're about to become a vampire too. He'll get a mood on if I mention the V word around him, but I still feel that we're vampires more than anything else. I know we're different to Morgan and his kin, but we drink blood and we're immortal.
FH: Your relationship with Julian was complicated by the fact that he is your protector and also everything he's been through in his past. Was it difficult to crack his armour and the barriers around his heart?
Lauren: It took a lot to get through to him, but I wasn't going to give up on him. Julian is so gorgeous, and such a beautiful soul, and I fell so hard for him. When I realised what he had been through, my feelings for him grew until I couldn't contain them. He frustrated me so much with the way he acted but I know it was all because of the way he had been treated, and that I could win his heart if I just persevered and proved I wasn't going to hurt him too. Talking about this makes me want to go and find him, and give him a hug. I know I lashed out at him sometimes but I think that might have actually worked in my favour as it gave us both a reason to speak to each other about the things we felt, and in Julian's case, the things he had been through. I think having to fight for him has only made me love him more.
FH: You're so mushy over him. *smiles* You're a reincarnated goddess. That must have come as a shock to you. Was it hard for you to accept your fate and your role?
Lauren: Was it ever. I don't think it was helped by the fact that I only had a short time to come to terms with it before my awakening happened. It wasn't Julian's fault that he was late in finding me. I can't hold that against him because he endured so much in order to be there for me during my awakening. I don't think I could have suffered what he did. I would have taken the easy way out. Julian helped me accept what was happening to me, and I honestly went through with it so I could win his heart and his love. Sounds corny, but it's true. I did it for him. I wasn't going to give up on him, or on life. If the only way to continue living was doing so as an immortal goddess, then I was going to go through with it so I could get what I wanted—a life with Julian.
FH: How has life been since the events that happened and brought you together?
Lauren: We've been busy. Duke keeps us constantly on the go and I've been training hard to improve my skills. Julian is a fantastic instructor, although sometimes it's hard to concentrate and I end up tackling him to the ground so I can kiss him. He gets miffed when I do that, but I make it worth his while to shut up and submit. *smiles* I think we'll be going on a new mission as soon as I'm ready. Morgan won't shut up about his werewolf infestation in Paris. I know that Julian doesn't want to go back to that city, or see Morgan ever again, but I did promise to help him out. I'll have to keep my guard up around Morgan and make sure that he doesn't try anything, because I'm sure that it will be the end of the vampire if he does. Julian won't stand for it. He'll kill Morgan if he tries anything.
FH: Describe yourself in one word?
Lauren: Warm. Julian would say that about me and I think I know myself well enough to agree with him now. I tend to put others first and friendships mean a lot to me, and I'll do all in my power to make people happy. I guess that makes me warm.
FH: Thank you for meeting with me today and chatting. Is there anything else that you'd like to add?
Lauren: Julian mentioned that people have been asking for more of our story. I think I'd like that, but I know you're busy with all your other stories. A sequel might be nice though. *smiles* You know you want to spend time around Julian again. The man is a god!
Here's a little information about Love Immortal and the places it's available:
Love Immortal
Felicity Heaton
Rescued from werewolves by the most breathtaking man she's ever seen, Lauren is dragged into the fight of her life and a dark world she never knew existed. There, she discovers that she's the latest reincarnation of a goddess and must drink the blood of her immortal protector, Julian, in order to reawaken and continue her three thousand year old mission to defeat Lycaon, the original werewolf.
With the help of Julian and an organisation of people with supernatural abilities, Lauren fights for her life, their future and the fate of mankind against Lycaon and his deadly army, but can she succeed when Lycaon has killed all of her predecessors?
Can she crack the armour around Julian's heart and seize her happily forever after with him? And can Julian bring himself to trust Lauren with the fragments of his heart after everything he's been through?
ebook price: $3.99
paperback price: $12.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 157000 words
rating: sultry
released: January 2011
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Love%20Immortal
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HYHHME/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004HYHHME/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004HYHHME/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Love-Immortal/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011179648/
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Love-Immortal/book-OyQ9CMW5Jkaf0K_UwfVfGw/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/love-immortal/_/R-400000000000000340123
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456487884/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456487884/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Love-Immortal/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456487881/
Lauren, for those not familiar with her, is the beautiful, warm and brave redheaded heroine who discovers in Love Immortal that she's the latest reincarnation of a demi-goddess when she's saved from werewolves by Julian. Julian is her sexy, mysterious and immortal Arcadian, who is responsible for giving his blood to her to awaken her latent powers. Together, they team up with Ghost, a demon-hunting organisation, and take on Lycaon, the vicious original werewolf who was cursed by Zeus for tricking him into eating human flesh. Along with Julian, Lauren is also the ancestor of what we think of as vampires.
FH: I have Lauren here with me today to talk about her book, Love Immortal. Firstly, can you tell us a little about yourself?
Lauren: Wow, where to start? I was your regular thirty-something before the night that I met Julian. All I expected out of life was growing up, getting married, doing something with my career and maybe having kids. I certainly never expected that I would wind up facing down a werewolf(!) on my way home one night and having someone like Julian rescue me. *looks dreamy* That man knows how to make an impact on a girl's heart. I was so shell-shocked that I just went along with everything at first… then out of the blue someone is telling me that I'm a reincarnated goddess and I'm about to reawaken those powers through death. Talk about a slap in the face. I really wasn't sure how to react to that one. Death at thirty-five definitely hadn't been on my agenda. I was just lucky that I had Julian there to help me through it all, and that I had the guys at Ghost to support me. I couldn't have coped without them.
FH: Can you tell us about what happened in your story?
Lauren: Sure. One minute I'm normal and the next I'm a goddess. *laughs but there's nerves in it* I really still can't get over that one. Julian was amazing. He was so supportive and kind to me. I know he's my protector, but I really felt he was helping me out of more than just duty. He did everything he could to make me feel better about what was happening to me, and explained everything so well so I would understand. I had so many questions and so many fears, but he handled them all and he gave me his strength too. He did everything for me. He endured so much for me. I can't thank him enough for what he went through so he could be there during my awakening. I can't thank the members of Ghost enough either. They all lent me their strength and without them I wouldn't have survived Lycaon's attacks.
FH: In Love Immortal, you meet Julian, who is your immortal protector and reminiscent of a vampire. How did you meet and how did you feel about them initially?
Lauren: Julian saved my butt from werewolves and just thinking about the way he dropped into my life, sword in hand, devastatingly mysterious and sexy, sends a shiver through me. It was difficult to come to terms with the suspicions I had about him and, after those were confirmed, what he was. I mean, it's not every day that you realise that vampires and werewolves exist, and that you're about to become a vampire too. He'll get a mood on if I mention the V word around him, but I still feel that we're vampires more than anything else. I know we're different to Morgan and his kin, but we drink blood and we're immortal.
FH: Your relationship with Julian was complicated by the fact that he is your protector and also everything he's been through in his past. Was it difficult to crack his armour and the barriers around his heart?
Lauren: It took a lot to get through to him, but I wasn't going to give up on him. Julian is so gorgeous, and such a beautiful soul, and I fell so hard for him. When I realised what he had been through, my feelings for him grew until I couldn't contain them. He frustrated me so much with the way he acted but I know it was all because of the way he had been treated, and that I could win his heart if I just persevered and proved I wasn't going to hurt him too. Talking about this makes me want to go and find him, and give him a hug. I know I lashed out at him sometimes but I think that might have actually worked in my favour as it gave us both a reason to speak to each other about the things we felt, and in Julian's case, the things he had been through. I think having to fight for him has only made me love him more.
FH: You're so mushy over him. *smiles* You're a reincarnated goddess. That must have come as a shock to you. Was it hard for you to accept your fate and your role?
Lauren: Was it ever. I don't think it was helped by the fact that I only had a short time to come to terms with it before my awakening happened. It wasn't Julian's fault that he was late in finding me. I can't hold that against him because he endured so much in order to be there for me during my awakening. I don't think I could have suffered what he did. I would have taken the easy way out. Julian helped me accept what was happening to me, and I honestly went through with it so I could win his heart and his love. Sounds corny, but it's true. I did it for him. I wasn't going to give up on him, or on life. If the only way to continue living was doing so as an immortal goddess, then I was going to go through with it so I could get what I wanted—a life with Julian.
FH: How has life been since the events that happened and brought you together?
Lauren: We've been busy. Duke keeps us constantly on the go and I've been training hard to improve my skills. Julian is a fantastic instructor, although sometimes it's hard to concentrate and I end up tackling him to the ground so I can kiss him. He gets miffed when I do that, but I make it worth his while to shut up and submit. *smiles* I think we'll be going on a new mission as soon as I'm ready. Morgan won't shut up about his werewolf infestation in Paris. I know that Julian doesn't want to go back to that city, or see Morgan ever again, but I did promise to help him out. I'll have to keep my guard up around Morgan and make sure that he doesn't try anything, because I'm sure that it will be the end of the vampire if he does. Julian won't stand for it. He'll kill Morgan if he tries anything.
FH: Describe yourself in one word?
Lauren: Warm. Julian would say that about me and I think I know myself well enough to agree with him now. I tend to put others first and friendships mean a lot to me, and I'll do all in my power to make people happy. I guess that makes me warm.
FH: Thank you for meeting with me today and chatting. Is there anything else that you'd like to add?
Lauren: Julian mentioned that people have been asking for more of our story. I think I'd like that, but I know you're busy with all your other stories. A sequel might be nice though. *smiles* You know you want to spend time around Julian again. The man is a god!
Here's a little information about Love Immortal and the places it's available:
Love Immortal
Felicity HeatonRescued from werewolves by the most breathtaking man she's ever seen, Lauren is dragged into the fight of her life and a dark world she never knew existed. There, she discovers that she's the latest reincarnation of a goddess and must drink the blood of her immortal protector, Julian, in order to reawaken and continue her three thousand year old mission to defeat Lycaon, the original werewolf.
With the help of Julian and an organisation of people with supernatural abilities, Lauren fights for her life, their future and the fate of mankind against Lycaon and his deadly army, but can she succeed when Lycaon has killed all of her predecessors?
Can she crack the armour around Julian's heart and seize her happily forever after with him? And can Julian bring himself to trust Lauren with the fragments of his heart after everything he's been through?
ebook price: $3.99
paperback price: $12.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 157000 words
rating: sultry
released: January 2011
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Love%20Immortal
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HYHHME/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004HYHHME/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004HYHHME/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Love-Immortal/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011179648/
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Love-Immortal/book-OyQ9CMW5Jkaf0K_UwfVfGw/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/love-immortal/_/R-400000000000000340123
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456487884/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456487884/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Love-Immortal/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456487881/
July 9, 2011
Vampire Venators Romance Series on Tour
I've been busy since the release of
Forbidden Blood
, the first novel in my new Vampire Venators romance series, touring blogs and chatting about both the book and the series.
So far, I've talked about writing Forbidden Blood over at Demon Lover's Books and More, have shared an exclusive excerpt (one of my favourite scenes) over at Bookin' It Reviews, have interviewed the vampire hero Kearn for Fangtastic Books, and been interviewed myself over at Romancing the Darkside.
More recently, I've visited Fade Into Fantasy to talk about the Vampire Venators series , and have appeared on Book of Secrets chatting about the locations I chose for the series and Forbidden Blood . I've also been to The Enchanted Book to share a little information about the shape-shifter species involved in the Vampire Venators series - that includes the werewolves, therianthropes and the cat-shifters - and I've spoken about the cover of Forbidden Blood at We Write Romance. I have also been over to Night Owl Reviews and spoken about the Sovereignty and their role in the Vampire Venators series , with the added bonus of a giveaway.
I have another full week of appearances next week, so make sure you join me as I tour and talk about Forbidden Blood and the Vampire Venators series.
Forbidden Blood is now available at Sony Reader Store in e-book too, and is also available in paperback from Amazon.com!
Forbidden Blood
Felicity Heaton
In a dark world where vampires exist and where Source Blood, a rare human blood type, can bestow godlike powers upon them, the vampire Venators of the Sovereignty fight to protect the humans by banishing those who drink it to the endless dark.
Exiled from his family and with only his duty to sustain him, Kearn has been on the trail of an elusive Source Blood abuser for three years. When he saves a beautiful human female from the vampire's grasp, it turns out she's the lead he's been waiting for. Amber is a Source Blood and the perfect bait, but for who?
As they race to catch the vampire and survive the cruel games he plays, Amber is pulled deeper into Kearn's world and discovers the painful secrets he hides behind his handsome but emotionless exterior—hurt that she has the power to heal if she is brave enough.
Forbidden Blood is book one in the Vampire Venators series and a dark, sensual tale of betrayal, revenge and a love that knows no bounds.
ebook price: $3.99
paperback price: $10.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 126000 words
rating: sultry
released: June 2011
Book 1 in the Vampire Venators series
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Forbidden%20Blood
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Barnes and Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forbidden-blood-felicity-heaton/1103572024
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Forbidden-Blood-Vampire-Venators-Romance/book-mWkS9umUmkmp2XI4cX_woA/page1.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/66030
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/forbidden-blood/_/R-400000000000000406450
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1461132193/
So far, I've talked about writing Forbidden Blood over at Demon Lover's Books and More, have shared an exclusive excerpt (one of my favourite scenes) over at Bookin' It Reviews, have interviewed the vampire hero Kearn for Fangtastic Books, and been interviewed myself over at Romancing the Darkside.
More recently, I've visited Fade Into Fantasy to talk about the Vampire Venators series , and have appeared on Book of Secrets chatting about the locations I chose for the series and Forbidden Blood . I've also been to The Enchanted Book to share a little information about the shape-shifter species involved in the Vampire Venators series - that includes the werewolves, therianthropes and the cat-shifters - and I've spoken about the cover of Forbidden Blood at We Write Romance. I have also been over to Night Owl Reviews and spoken about the Sovereignty and their role in the Vampire Venators series , with the added bonus of a giveaway.
I have another full week of appearances next week, so make sure you join me as I tour and talk about Forbidden Blood and the Vampire Venators series.
Forbidden Blood is now available at Sony Reader Store in e-book too, and is also available in paperback from Amazon.com!
Forbidden Blood
Felicity HeatonIn a dark world where vampires exist and where Source Blood, a rare human blood type, can bestow godlike powers upon them, the vampire Venators of the Sovereignty fight to protect the humans by banishing those who drink it to the endless dark.
Exiled from his family and with only his duty to sustain him, Kearn has been on the trail of an elusive Source Blood abuser for three years. When he saves a beautiful human female from the vampire's grasp, it turns out she's the lead he's been waiting for. Amber is a Source Blood and the perfect bait, but for who?
As they race to catch the vampire and survive the cruel games he plays, Amber is pulled deeper into Kearn's world and discovers the painful secrets he hides behind his handsome but emotionless exterior—hurt that she has the power to heal if she is brave enough.
Forbidden Blood is book one in the Vampire Venators series and a dark, sensual tale of betrayal, revenge and a love that knows no bounds.
ebook price: $3.99
paperback price: $10.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 126000 words
rating: sultry
released: June 2011
Book 1 in the Vampire Venators series
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Forbidden%20Blood
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Barnes and Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forbidden-blood-felicity-heaton/1103572024
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Forbidden-Blood-Vampire-Venators-Romance/book-mWkS9umUmkmp2XI4cX_woA/page1.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/66030
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/forbidden-blood/_/R-400000000000000406450
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1461132193/
July 7, 2011
Review: Midnight Rising by Lara Adrian
This is the final review for the books I've read recently, and yes, I've saved my favourite of the three for last. I adore Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series of vampire romance books. She writes a lot like I do, with a similar type of hero and story lines. I guess that's why I love to read her books so much.
So here's my candid review of this paranormal vampire romance book by Lara Adrian.
Midnight Rising
Lara Adrian
In a world of shadows and dark, consuming hungers, desire is the deadliest weapon...
For journalist Dylan Alexander, it began with the discovery of a hidden tomb, thrusting her into the center of a gathering storm of violence and secrets. But nothing is as dangerous as the scarred, lethally seductive man who rises from the shadows to draw her into his world of dark desire and endless night.
Fueled by pain and rage over a shattering betrayal, the warrior Rio has pledged his life to the war against the Rogues. He will let nothing stand in his way, least of all a mortal woman with the power to expose the entire vampire race. For an ancient evil has been awakened, and a stunning darkness is on the rise. Suddenly Dylan is powerless to resist Rio's touch, even as she uncovers a shocking link to her own past. And now she must choose: Leave Rio's midnight realm, or risk it all for the man who has shown her true passion and the infinite pleasures of the heart.
REVIEW
Ever since I started reading the Midnight Breed series by Lara Adrian, I've been waiting for Rio to find another woman to love, someone kind and compassionate to heal the hurt he still feels from being betrayed by the last woman he loved and chose to share his life with. I couldn't wait to start this book, which is number four in the series, and I couldn't put it down once I did start reading it. I was reading this whilst on holiday and kept sneaking in a few pages here and there whenever my husband was out of the room, and before you knew it, I had finished it.
Rio and Dylan's story is as dark and beautiful as they come. He's a man who has lost everything and is on the verge of killing himself to end his hollow and painful existence when Dylan comes crashing into his life, leaving him with one major mess to clean up. Dylan takes photographs of something very personal to the breed, aka vampires—a stasis chamber for one of the ancients, the forebears of today's vampire. Dylan doesn't know what she's gotten herself into but she soon finds out when Rio tracks her down and she finds herself face to face with one hell of a lethal, dangerous, and downright sexy vampire intent on erasing what she saw.
The push and pull between Dylan and Rio is electric, especially after he discovers the crescent-moon-and-teardrop birthmark on her that marks her as a breed female. What they share is so passionate and consuming, but it's made so much more beautiful by the fact that Rio is so scarred, both physically and deeply emotionally, and as the story progresses it's clear that Dylan has the power to heal him with her love. Here's a hero who needs someone to love him, to break down his barriers and make him accept their feelings and the fact that they're choosing to be with him, that they want to be his regardless of how he feels about himself. I loved the way things progressed between these two, and the fight they both put up. Dylan takes no prisoners and she doesn't back down when Rio gets a mood on and tries to push her away. She's strong, brave enough to handle someone as dangerous as Rio and soothe the beast within him, and she really gives him a reason to live. It's not just her love that heals him though, but her ability. It gives him a chance to forgive and forget, and that really helped round off Rio's story for me.
The threat to the breed is rising too. These guys go from fighting one evil bastard to the next, and the master plan is slowly being revealed. I'm not normally one for a story arc that covers so many books, but I feel with the MB series that each book is treated individually, and that the central focus is the romance between the hero and heroine, and the story surrounding how they ended up together rather than the overall arc that ties the books into a series.
I'm also not one for hopping into the heads of protagonists other than the hero and heroine, but I didn't skip the parts where we ended up in the antagonist's head as I often do with other books. Lara Adrian doesn't draw things out in another person's POV and gets us swiftly back to the hero or heroine once vital information has been given to us. The writing is awesome, and flows smoothly, and I found it easy to picture locations and the world of the breed warriors. I really love the way Ms Adrian words things and tells a story.
If you want tall, dark and sexy, and have a thing for tortured heroes like I do (heck, anyone who has read my books knows that I do!), then you'll love this book. I really couldn't put it down. It's always a good sign when a book has me sneaking in even just a page when my DH is in the bathroom! I can't wait to read the next book in the Midnight Breed series, Veil of Midnight. I highly recommend this series to fans of J R Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood as it doesn't taper off like the BDB series did for me. Midnight Breed keeps delivering wonderful book after wonderful book, and I'll keep devouring them right to the end.
Read reviews of Midnight Rising by Lara Adrian on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7600370-midnight-rising
So here's my candid review of this paranormal vampire romance book by Lara Adrian.
Midnight RisingLara Adrian
In a world of shadows and dark, consuming hungers, desire is the deadliest weapon...
For journalist Dylan Alexander, it began with the discovery of a hidden tomb, thrusting her into the center of a gathering storm of violence and secrets. But nothing is as dangerous as the scarred, lethally seductive man who rises from the shadows to draw her into his world of dark desire and endless night.
Fueled by pain and rage over a shattering betrayal, the warrior Rio has pledged his life to the war against the Rogues. He will let nothing stand in his way, least of all a mortal woman with the power to expose the entire vampire race. For an ancient evil has been awakened, and a stunning darkness is on the rise. Suddenly Dylan is powerless to resist Rio's touch, even as she uncovers a shocking link to her own past. And now she must choose: Leave Rio's midnight realm, or risk it all for the man who has shown her true passion and the infinite pleasures of the heart.
REVIEW
Ever since I started reading the Midnight Breed series by Lara Adrian, I've been waiting for Rio to find another woman to love, someone kind and compassionate to heal the hurt he still feels from being betrayed by the last woman he loved and chose to share his life with. I couldn't wait to start this book, which is number four in the series, and I couldn't put it down once I did start reading it. I was reading this whilst on holiday and kept sneaking in a few pages here and there whenever my husband was out of the room, and before you knew it, I had finished it.
Rio and Dylan's story is as dark and beautiful as they come. He's a man who has lost everything and is on the verge of killing himself to end his hollow and painful existence when Dylan comes crashing into his life, leaving him with one major mess to clean up. Dylan takes photographs of something very personal to the breed, aka vampires—a stasis chamber for one of the ancients, the forebears of today's vampire. Dylan doesn't know what she's gotten herself into but she soon finds out when Rio tracks her down and she finds herself face to face with one hell of a lethal, dangerous, and downright sexy vampire intent on erasing what she saw.
The push and pull between Dylan and Rio is electric, especially after he discovers the crescent-moon-and-teardrop birthmark on her that marks her as a breed female. What they share is so passionate and consuming, but it's made so much more beautiful by the fact that Rio is so scarred, both physically and deeply emotionally, and as the story progresses it's clear that Dylan has the power to heal him with her love. Here's a hero who needs someone to love him, to break down his barriers and make him accept their feelings and the fact that they're choosing to be with him, that they want to be his regardless of how he feels about himself. I loved the way things progressed between these two, and the fight they both put up. Dylan takes no prisoners and she doesn't back down when Rio gets a mood on and tries to push her away. She's strong, brave enough to handle someone as dangerous as Rio and soothe the beast within him, and she really gives him a reason to live. It's not just her love that heals him though, but her ability. It gives him a chance to forgive and forget, and that really helped round off Rio's story for me.
The threat to the breed is rising too. These guys go from fighting one evil bastard to the next, and the master plan is slowly being revealed. I'm not normally one for a story arc that covers so many books, but I feel with the MB series that each book is treated individually, and that the central focus is the romance between the hero and heroine, and the story surrounding how they ended up together rather than the overall arc that ties the books into a series.
I'm also not one for hopping into the heads of protagonists other than the hero and heroine, but I didn't skip the parts where we ended up in the antagonist's head as I often do with other books. Lara Adrian doesn't draw things out in another person's POV and gets us swiftly back to the hero or heroine once vital information has been given to us. The writing is awesome, and flows smoothly, and I found it easy to picture locations and the world of the breed warriors. I really love the way Ms Adrian words things and tells a story.
If you want tall, dark and sexy, and have a thing for tortured heroes like I do (heck, anyone who has read my books knows that I do!), then you'll love this book. I really couldn't put it down. It's always a good sign when a book has me sneaking in even just a page when my DH is in the bathroom! I can't wait to read the next book in the Midnight Breed series, Veil of Midnight. I highly recommend this series to fans of J R Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood as it doesn't taper off like the BDB series did for me. Midnight Breed keeps delivering wonderful book after wonderful book, and I'll keep devouring them right to the end.
Read reviews of Midnight Rising by Lara Adrian on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7600370-midnight-rising
July 5, 2011
Teaseday - Forbidden Blood - Vampire Romance Book
Today's Teaseday is brought to you by
Forbidden Blood
.
Forbidden Blood
is the first book in the
Vampire Venators
romance series, and is a long novel full of passion, action, betrayal and revenge.
Here's the tease...
Forbidden Blood
Felicity Heaton
In a dark world where vampires exist and where Source Blood, a rare human blood type, can bestow godlike powers upon them, the vampire Venators of the Sovereignty fight to protect the humans by banishing those who drink it to the endless dark.
Exiled from his family and with only his duty to sustain him, Kearn has been on the trail of an elusive Source Blood abuser for three years. When he saves a beautiful human female from the vampire's grasp, it turns out she's the lead he's been waiting for. Amber is a Source Blood and the perfect bait, but for who?
As they race to catch the vampire and survive the cruel games he plays, Amber is pulled deeper into Kearn's world and discovers the painful secrets he hides behind his handsome but emotionless exterior—hurt that she has the power to heal if she is brave enough.
Forbidden Blood is book one in the Vampire Venators series and a dark, sensual tale of betrayal, revenge and a love that knows no bounds.
ebook price: $3.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 126000 words
rating: sultry
released: June 2011
Book 1 in the Vampire Venators series
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Forbidden%20Blood
EXCERPTKearn stopped putting on his shoe the moment the wave of anger washed through the apartment. Amber wasn't happy about something. He couldn't think what it would be. He had seen humans enjoying coffee and sweet things, and the woman at the boutique had assured him the clothes would suit her.
He looked at the door, shrugged it off, and finished putting on his leather shoe. He picked up his jacket, considered bringing it with him to the club, and then thought the better of it. He didn't want to look too formal.
The door to his bedroom swung open with force and Amber came out.
Kearn only meant to glance at her but it became a stare when he saw her. A strange gut wrenching jolt rocked him, and it wasn't just his desire for her blood this time.
She looked incredible.
He couldn't help himself. His gaze started at her feet, roaming up the length of the black leather knee-high heeled boots, over the sheer tights that barely hid her slender thighs, to the short black layered skirt that wouldn't have a chance at covering her backside if she bent over, and finally to the black leather corset. Her cleavage, pushed up and on display, was temptation in its most alluring form, but he forced his eyes to keep moving upwards. She stepped towards him and placed her hands on her hips.
Soft waves of brown hair caressed her shoulders.
A thick black velvet choker with a silver cross on it ringed her neck. The cross didn't bother him, or any of his kind, but he couldn't stop staring at it and the sublime curve of her throat. He resisted his desire to lick his lips and swallowed to wet his dry throat. It burned and he fought the terrible hunger that had been rising since he had awoken this afternoon. Her blood was weaker within him now, but his thirst wasn't abating as he had expected. It gnawed at him, making his insides twist and spasm, and he placed his hand on his stomach. He couldn't take it. His fangs extended behind his closed lips and his mouth watered. He kept his feet planted to the wooden floor, refusing to give in to the urge to cross the room, drag her soft body flush against his, and sink his fangs hard into her throat. The battle raged inside him and her blood spoke of her growing confusion over his silence and staring. It took every ounce of his will to force his fangs away but he managed it and clawed back control.
When his gaze finally found her face, another jolt hit him, this time in his chest and worrying.
She was beautiful.
The make-up the lady in the boutique had recommended when he had described her enhanced her natural beauty until he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. The dark brown around her hazel eyes turned them pale and mysterious, and the red lipstick tempted him to take hold of her and kiss her until she was moaning for more. Begging him to bite her.
Kearn ripped his eyes away and fixed them on the window, shaking off his desire. She was bait. That was all. This was business. His gaze crept back to her.
Amber held her arms out and glared at him. It didn't suit her.
Neither did the rage emanating from her.
"I look like a slut!"
Kearn couldn't resist the excuse to peruse her again. She looked more attractive than he had imagined she would. A perfect lure for his hunt.
"I think you look good." It wasn't a lie or at all difficult for him to say, not even when she was human.
She blushed and cast her gaze at the floor. Her teeth teased her red lips, nibbling in a way that increased the dry burning feeling in his throat.
He instinctively took a step towards her and her eyes met his, her pupils wide and dark. She had looked at him like that when he had come out of the shower. Her scent said that she wasn't here purely for protection. She was attracted to him. He looked at the windows. She shouldn't be. There was a whisper in her blood sometimes that said she knew what he was. Why hadn't she confronted him about it yet? Was she going to keep pretending that he was human?
Was it such a terrible thing that he was a vampire?
Was it such a terrible thing that she was human? She was stunning, a perfect rose in form and fragrance, and the hunger inside him wasn't all about her blood. He could deny it all he wanted, could lie to convince himself that she was human and therefore beneath him, but every fibre of his body was burning for her touch.
He took another step towards her and then got the better of himself. This was business.
"I need you to fit in tonight and women at the club often wear such clothing. It is important that the man can find you and that you attract attention," he said.
She huffed. "Do the women also wrap themselves around poles?"
His eyebrow rose. Compared to her conservative black suit, he supposed it was somewhat revealing, but he couldn't allow her to go into the club looking out of place. She needed to look as though she wanted some action, and she needed flesh on show for the vampires to smell her.
He took a discreet breath of her scent. His fangs itched and hunger tightened his stomach again. Drinking her blood had been more than a mistake. He'd had two blood packs this evening and they had done nothing to quench his growing thirst for her.
"It is not that sort of club." He pointed towards the door, eager to escape the confines of his apartment and breathe the fresh night air. "Shall we go?"
Amber was almost past him when she stopped and her gaze flicked warily to his chest.
"No gun?"
Her nerves rose, speaking to him and increasing his hunger. Nothing made a vampire thirsty like fear.
"I will not need it."
"But if that man comes—"
"I can handle him without it."
She still hesitated. Her fingers went to the bandage on her hand and she picked at it again.
"How? Doesn't the gun have special bullets?"
Kearn laughed. It had been so long since he had laughed that it sounded strange and alien to his ears. Confusion replaced the fear in Amber's eyes.
"No," he said. "The bullets are normal."
"But they kill vampires…" She trailed off when he raised his hand.
"The bullets only slow vampires down." He held his right hand out to her. The silver marks on his arm began to shine pale blue as the power activated, starting at his fingertips and slowly creeping up his arm in a cold wave that whispered dark hungry things to him. The glow lit her face, reflecting in her eyes. This was more than she needed to know, but he needed her to see it so she could no longer deny his difference to her. Not human. A beast who thirsted for her blood and had dreamt of her all day. "This kills vampires."
He closed his fist when the power urged him to feed it and the marks deactivated, leaving his vision dampened and his arm aching.
"Now, are you coming?" He walked to the door and opened it for her.
She nodded and walked past him, not waiting for him to lock the door. She walked down the hall, giving him an enticing rear view of her. Her hips swayed with each step. He raked his eyes over her, frowning when he reached her boots and their tall heels. His gut tightened again, warm hunger sparking into life and mingling with his need for blood. Lust. He was familiar enough with the feeling to recognise it when it was throwing his mind into disarray. It wouldn't do. He couldn't be distracted tonight.
Amber was bait.
Beautiful bait.
Amber stopped by his white car in the large concrete garage.
In a ridiculous moment of unrestraint, Kearn opened the passenger door for her. His reward was a wide smile and a hint of colour on her pale cheeks. He closed the door when she was in and wished the soft click had signalled the shutting down of his emotions as he had planned, but they wouldn't go back into place. He slowly rounded the car, aware of her eyes on him, fighting his feelings the whole time. Kyran was right but a human didn't belong in his world.
Kearn got into the car and closed the door. This time his emotions did die with the click and he started the car.
He drove out of the garage and pulled onto the road. The sun was setting. By the time they had reached the club, it would be dark enough for Lesser Nobles to come out. Nobles were strong against the sun and would be out by now, but they wouldn't make an appearance at the club until nearer midnight.
Kearn managed to keep his thoughts off Amber and on work until they were half-way to the club and she moved in the seat beside him. His gaze jumped to her thighs and her bandaged hand where it rested in her lap. His throat turned dry again and he rubbed it, trying to alleviate the burn of thirst.
The collar of his black shirt felt too tight so he undid it but it didn't relieve him at all. The air in the Audi was suffocating and hot. Amber sent the temperature up another notch when she turned her hands over and he saw the blood on the bandage. The smell of it filled his senses.
Kearn opened the window and breathed in the night, using the scent to remind himself that what he was considering with Amber wasn't an option. He was a vampire. A Venator. Even if he never wanted to be one, he had to carry out his duty. Amber was only a means to an end. He would kill the vampire, part ways with her and never see her again. It was safest that way.
He didn't want her to fear him.
If she knew about him and the things he did, she would feel the same way as everyone else. She would hate him.
He pulled the car to a halt down the road from the club and got out. Amber followed, and he locked the car, crossed the quiet street with her, and walked straight towards the club. They were almost there when Amber stopped. He turned and looked back at her.
"Is something wrong?" he said.
She was staring at the building ahead of them, her eyes wide and red lips parted. "I've been here before."
Every muscle tightened in response to that and a desire to step towards her, to remain close to her, bolted through him. The thought that she had been here before, where so many vampires hunted each night, disturbed him as much as it clearly disturbed her.
"How many times?" he said and her wide hazel eyes shifted to him.
"I don't know... five or six... vampires come here?" Her blood relayed the feelings behind the tremor in her voice. Fear. Disbelief.
He nodded. He hadn't come to the club in years but Kyran kept him posted on the things that happened there. Vampires were regular patrons. Had Amber flirted with the men here? How many times had she come close to leaving with one? He searched her eyes for the answer, a burning need to know setting his blood aflame. A darker urge followed in its wake, compelling him to take her back to his place and keep her away from all of his kind. He wouldn't let another vampire touch what was his.
Kearn pushed that desire away. Amber didn't belong to him. He had no claim on her. Yet he couldn't contain his dark hunger to protect her.
"I will not allow any of them to harm you, Amber." He meant every word. If any of them touched her, he would use his power to break them from the inside out before they could defend against him.
She nodded, the nervous edge back in her eyes, and looked towards the club.
Kearn led the way, remaining close to her now, aware of his surroundings and what awaited them in the building. It would be quiet at first, but Kyran had told him how it was normally full to capacity every night, and how many of the crowd were vampires. If he felt he was losing control of the situation, or Amber was in danger, he would get her out of the club and back to his apartment. He would find another way to lure the man out of hiding.
The two large men on the door stepped aside to let them pass. He pushed the door open and turned to Amber.
"Just as we planned. Go to the bar and order a drink with the money I gave you. Wait there until either I or the vampire comes for you."
She nodded and walked past him. His gaze followed her through the low-lit black walled room. She sat on a stool further along the bar.
The music in the club was quiet but later it would be pounding so loud he would have a headache for a day. He never enjoyed coming out in company, not anymore, and he especially hated this place. The vampires who came here were usually younger Lesser Nobles and Nobles looking for a quick snack or some amusement. The humans didn't realise the danger they walked amongst. To them it was just another nightclub. He glanced at Amber, still unable to believe that she had been to this wretched place, had come close to the less refined of his kind before, and then pushed his gaze onwards. He scanned the gathered people. The crowd was light, a few humans mingling with some Lesser Nobles or grouped together in the square booths around the large black dance floor.
The only Noble in the club right now was him.
The sandy-haired well-dressed man behind the bar gave him a nod. Kearn didn't grace him with one in return. The man was a Commoner, the rank of vampire far below Lesser Noble. Nothing more than a peasant. He had worked here in all the times that Kearn had visited and was the only vampire on the staff. Kearn had often wondered if the man owned the club. The Commoner walked down the length of the black glass-topped bar towards Amber. Kearn kept a close eye on the man. There was a momentary spark of red in his eyes as he took her drink order, his gaze darted down to her bandaged hand as she gave him the money, and then he moved away. Wise decision. Kearn didn't want to have to start the evening by killing someone. The Commoner stopped at the till near Kearn and looked right into his eyes. Kearn's switched briefly to red and he glared at the man, letting him sense his intent and making it clear that Amber belonged to him. The Commoner acknowledged him with a bow of his head and then made Amber's drink.
She smiled at the man as he gave it to her, distracting Kearn from his dark thoughts. She did look beautiful tonight. Perhaps he should have told her that just to see her reaction. He could imagine the deep crimson blush that would have stained her cheeks and it stirred his blood.
Perhaps he should concentrate on his work.
Kearn sat several stools away from Amber. They were the only two at the bar but that soon changed.
The minutes ticked by and each one brought more people into the club. Another Noble showed up, a tall dark-haired man with three human women draped all over him. Lord Montagu. The man's dark eyes narrowed on Kearn in contempt and then he was walking down the steps at the end of the bar area to the dance floor. Kearn shook off the irritation of such a weak-blooded man looking down on him and watched the rest of his entourage enter. All unranked Montagu men and women. The most interesting was a doe-eyed woman who watched the lord like a hawk. She was human and going through the transition judging by the scent of her blood. She had probably thought that Lord Montagu would change his ways once she had let him bite her and her dark fairytale would be complete. Humans were so gullible.
Kearn looked along the length of the bar at Amber.
Would she ever consent to becoming a vampire?
It was a ridiculous thought that he immediately shoved aside but it crept back into his head and he found himself musing it. Pondering how sweet Amber's throat would taste under his lips as he sunk his fangs into it reignited his ardour for her, fanning it back into life until it blazed through him, hotter than the surface of the sun and equally as fierce. The deep unrelenting thirst for her constantly flowed in his blood, pleading to be sated, even though he knew it was impossible.
If Amber were a vampire, she would sense his intent as he stared at her, and would know his dark pounding lust for her. If he turned her, she wouldn't become a weak vampire as other humans did, fit only to serve his pureblood kind. She would become the most beautiful creature on this planet, surpassing even pureblood vampires. Her power would be devastating, everything he had at his command and more, amplified by the gene in her blood. She would be as vampires had been many millennia ago. She would be a goddess.
His goddess.
He had never changed a human and had never wanted to before now.
While others treated it as nothing more than a thrilling moment, uncaring of the consequences or how the human felt, Kearn treated it with the respect that such a beautiful thing deserved. That he could give a human, Amber, the gift of immortality and the powers of his species was incredible.
But it was something he couldn't do, no matter how much he thought about it and how enticing it sounded in his mind. Had he been his old self, had he not become a Venator and not walked the path of solitude, despised by his kind, he would have thought differently. He would have been able to give Amber the life as a vampire that she deserved. If he bit her now and turned her, they would only have each other. She would find herself hated by not only humankind but by the vampires too. He couldn't ask her to tread the same path as him and bear the loneliness. Only he deserved to live such a life.
Amber deserved so much more.
People lined the bar between them. She ordered another drink and fiddled with the cocktail stirrer when it arrived. A man approached her. Human. She smiled politely and waved him away. Kearn focused, wanting to hear what she was telling him, but he couldn't make it out over the noise of the music. It was louder now and using his heightened senses hurt his head.
A few minutes later, another man approached her. Human again. She excused herself and then looked around the busy club.
Someone bumped against him and Kearn growled. He hated crowds almost as much as he hated this place. How many more people were they going to let in? He could barely see Amber now through the sea of black and red clad men and women, and he needed to keep an eye on her. He leaned forwards to catch a glimpse of her.
Her eyes settled on him and she blinked slowly, a hint of a smile touching the corners of her sensual red lips. He cast his gaze downwards at the bar and touched his throat again. It ached. He wrapped his hand around it and clasped it tightly. He needed a drink but blood wouldn't satisfy his thirst. He needed Amber.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She was flicking the cocktail stirrer back and forth across her half empty glass.
If she didn't stop looking so bored, she would never catch the vampire for him.
She smiled at him again, her painted lips luring him in until his field of focus zeroed in on her. She was supposed to be attracting the other vampires in the club, not him, but he couldn't take his eyes off her, and the more he stared, the hungrier he became.
He rubbed his throat again, wishing he could get something here to quench his thirst as easily as the humans could. The Commoner that had been behind the bar earlier was gone, replaced by two human males and one female. There was no chance of getting blood now.
"You should go speak to her."
Kearn frowned at the male bartender.
He nodded towards Amber. "Go speak to her. You're clearly interested. I've not seen her here before but she looks a little lonely… like you."
Kearn's expression darkened. He looked lonely? The bartender was probably putting things together from the evidence in front of him, a man sitting alone in a bar staring at a beautiful woman, but the conclusion he had drawn was too close to the mark. He was always alone but he had grown used to it and it was better than being around company who didn't want you there.
"I am too old for her." Kearn waved the man away.
The man didn't leave. He leaned across the bar and smiled consolingly.
"Listen." He crooked a finger, signalling for Kearn to come closer. Kearn didn't. The man smelt sweaty and he had no desire to interact so closely with a human. A voice at the back of his mind said he would interact this closely with Amber given the chance. He would sink his fangs deep into her neck and drink his fill of her to slake the thirst in his heart for a connection to someone. Kearn ignored it. "You don't look a day over thirty five and she's no younger than twenty five. There's an unwritten rule with men. Halve your age and add seven. That's the youngest you can go for."
Kearn calculated it in his head. Half of his age plus seven? He smiled. Unless Amber was really one hundred and eighty seven, he was too old for her.
Another group of vampires entered. More Nobles. This time they were higher ranking. The Marquess Montagu and Marquess Pendragon sneered at him as they passed. Kearn looked over towards Amber and held his throat again when it itched. He swallowed but it didn't relieve the ache.
The smell of everyone in the club wasn't even drowning out her scent. It was a good thing because he needed the vampires to smell her blood so it would lure them into speaking to her but it constantly pushed at his restraint. Since tasting her, he hadn't stopped desiring her. His lust for her blood was strong, so much so that he had dreamed of her and nothing else. She had been in his embrace, bare breasts against his chest and her arms around him, holding him close as he kissed and licked her throat. He had drunk from her, sinking his fangs deep into her neck and marking her as eternally his. He knew that was what he had been doing. He hadn't intended to kill her. He had wanted to make her a vampire like him. He had wanted to keep her.
Which was insane.
But her blood had tasted so good even in his dreams.
Kearn struggled for control as the memory of it assaulted him, sending an echo of the buzz he had felt through his body and fogging his mind. Something deep within him cried out for more, for another taste, another fix.
The club started to heat up as people moved and the smell of her blood grew stronger. It was a divine smell—sweet and fragrant. The voice at the back of his mind whispered that it could be his, just as it had been in his dreams.
He touched his neck again, pulled at the collar of his shirt when it felt as though it was strangling him, and frowned. He couldn't remember a time when he had felt so hungry.
"Are you okay?" Amber's voice startled him. "You don't look so good."
His eyes leapt to hers and then fell to her neck. His temperature increased the moment his gaze landed on the black choker wrapped around it. Her blood was delicious. She was delicious. His throat ached at the sight of hers, his hunger rising. He tightened his hold on his neck and tried to get a grip on himself. It wasn't just her blood doing this to him. It couldn't be. There was something deeper at work.
He forced his eyes up, until they met her wide ones. She stepped closer and her scent grew stronger, overwhelming him. He stood and took a step back, trying to distance himself and keep control.
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Forbidden%20Blood
Enjoyed this tease?
Here's the tease...
Forbidden Blood
Felicity Heaton
In a dark world where vampires exist and where Source Blood, a rare human blood type, can bestow godlike powers upon them, the vampire Venators of the Sovereignty fight to protect the humans by banishing those who drink it to the endless dark.
Exiled from his family and with only his duty to sustain him, Kearn has been on the trail of an elusive Source Blood abuser for three years. When he saves a beautiful human female from the vampire's grasp, it turns out she's the lead he's been waiting for. Amber is a Source Blood and the perfect bait, but for who?
As they race to catch the vampire and survive the cruel games he plays, Amber is pulled deeper into Kearn's world and discovers the painful secrets he hides behind his handsome but emotionless exterior—hurt that she has the power to heal if she is brave enough.
Forbidden Blood is book one in the Vampire Venators series and a dark, sensual tale of betrayal, revenge and a love that knows no bounds.
ebook price: $3.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 126000 words
rating: sultry
released: June 2011
Book 1 in the Vampire Venators series
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Forbidden%20Blood
EXCERPTKearn stopped putting on his shoe the moment the wave of anger washed through the apartment. Amber wasn't happy about something. He couldn't think what it would be. He had seen humans enjoying coffee and sweet things, and the woman at the boutique had assured him the clothes would suit her.
He looked at the door, shrugged it off, and finished putting on his leather shoe. He picked up his jacket, considered bringing it with him to the club, and then thought the better of it. He didn't want to look too formal.
The door to his bedroom swung open with force and Amber came out.
Kearn only meant to glance at her but it became a stare when he saw her. A strange gut wrenching jolt rocked him, and it wasn't just his desire for her blood this time.
She looked incredible.
He couldn't help himself. His gaze started at her feet, roaming up the length of the black leather knee-high heeled boots, over the sheer tights that barely hid her slender thighs, to the short black layered skirt that wouldn't have a chance at covering her backside if she bent over, and finally to the black leather corset. Her cleavage, pushed up and on display, was temptation in its most alluring form, but he forced his eyes to keep moving upwards. She stepped towards him and placed her hands on her hips.
Soft waves of brown hair caressed her shoulders.
A thick black velvet choker with a silver cross on it ringed her neck. The cross didn't bother him, or any of his kind, but he couldn't stop staring at it and the sublime curve of her throat. He resisted his desire to lick his lips and swallowed to wet his dry throat. It burned and he fought the terrible hunger that had been rising since he had awoken this afternoon. Her blood was weaker within him now, but his thirst wasn't abating as he had expected. It gnawed at him, making his insides twist and spasm, and he placed his hand on his stomach. He couldn't take it. His fangs extended behind his closed lips and his mouth watered. He kept his feet planted to the wooden floor, refusing to give in to the urge to cross the room, drag her soft body flush against his, and sink his fangs hard into her throat. The battle raged inside him and her blood spoke of her growing confusion over his silence and staring. It took every ounce of his will to force his fangs away but he managed it and clawed back control.
When his gaze finally found her face, another jolt hit him, this time in his chest and worrying.
She was beautiful.
The make-up the lady in the boutique had recommended when he had described her enhanced her natural beauty until he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. The dark brown around her hazel eyes turned them pale and mysterious, and the red lipstick tempted him to take hold of her and kiss her until she was moaning for more. Begging him to bite her.
Kearn ripped his eyes away and fixed them on the window, shaking off his desire. She was bait. That was all. This was business. His gaze crept back to her.
Amber held her arms out and glared at him. It didn't suit her.
Neither did the rage emanating from her.
"I look like a slut!"
Kearn couldn't resist the excuse to peruse her again. She looked more attractive than he had imagined she would. A perfect lure for his hunt.
"I think you look good." It wasn't a lie or at all difficult for him to say, not even when she was human.
She blushed and cast her gaze at the floor. Her teeth teased her red lips, nibbling in a way that increased the dry burning feeling in his throat.
He instinctively took a step towards her and her eyes met his, her pupils wide and dark. She had looked at him like that when he had come out of the shower. Her scent said that she wasn't here purely for protection. She was attracted to him. He looked at the windows. She shouldn't be. There was a whisper in her blood sometimes that said she knew what he was. Why hadn't she confronted him about it yet? Was she going to keep pretending that he was human?
Was it such a terrible thing that he was a vampire?
Was it such a terrible thing that she was human? She was stunning, a perfect rose in form and fragrance, and the hunger inside him wasn't all about her blood. He could deny it all he wanted, could lie to convince himself that she was human and therefore beneath him, but every fibre of his body was burning for her touch.
He took another step towards her and then got the better of himself. This was business.
"I need you to fit in tonight and women at the club often wear such clothing. It is important that the man can find you and that you attract attention," he said.
She huffed. "Do the women also wrap themselves around poles?"
His eyebrow rose. Compared to her conservative black suit, he supposed it was somewhat revealing, but he couldn't allow her to go into the club looking out of place. She needed to look as though she wanted some action, and she needed flesh on show for the vampires to smell her.
He took a discreet breath of her scent. His fangs itched and hunger tightened his stomach again. Drinking her blood had been more than a mistake. He'd had two blood packs this evening and they had done nothing to quench his growing thirst for her.
"It is not that sort of club." He pointed towards the door, eager to escape the confines of his apartment and breathe the fresh night air. "Shall we go?"
Amber was almost past him when she stopped and her gaze flicked warily to his chest.
"No gun?"
Her nerves rose, speaking to him and increasing his hunger. Nothing made a vampire thirsty like fear.
"I will not need it."
"But if that man comes—"
"I can handle him without it."
She still hesitated. Her fingers went to the bandage on her hand and she picked at it again.
"How? Doesn't the gun have special bullets?"
Kearn laughed. It had been so long since he had laughed that it sounded strange and alien to his ears. Confusion replaced the fear in Amber's eyes.
"No," he said. "The bullets are normal."
"But they kill vampires…" She trailed off when he raised his hand.
"The bullets only slow vampires down." He held his right hand out to her. The silver marks on his arm began to shine pale blue as the power activated, starting at his fingertips and slowly creeping up his arm in a cold wave that whispered dark hungry things to him. The glow lit her face, reflecting in her eyes. This was more than she needed to know, but he needed her to see it so she could no longer deny his difference to her. Not human. A beast who thirsted for her blood and had dreamt of her all day. "This kills vampires."
He closed his fist when the power urged him to feed it and the marks deactivated, leaving his vision dampened and his arm aching.
"Now, are you coming?" He walked to the door and opened it for her.
She nodded and walked past him, not waiting for him to lock the door. She walked down the hall, giving him an enticing rear view of her. Her hips swayed with each step. He raked his eyes over her, frowning when he reached her boots and their tall heels. His gut tightened again, warm hunger sparking into life and mingling with his need for blood. Lust. He was familiar enough with the feeling to recognise it when it was throwing his mind into disarray. It wouldn't do. He couldn't be distracted tonight.
Amber was bait.
Beautiful bait.
Amber stopped by his white car in the large concrete garage.
In a ridiculous moment of unrestraint, Kearn opened the passenger door for her. His reward was a wide smile and a hint of colour on her pale cheeks. He closed the door when she was in and wished the soft click had signalled the shutting down of his emotions as he had planned, but they wouldn't go back into place. He slowly rounded the car, aware of her eyes on him, fighting his feelings the whole time. Kyran was right but a human didn't belong in his world.
Kearn got into the car and closed the door. This time his emotions did die with the click and he started the car.
He drove out of the garage and pulled onto the road. The sun was setting. By the time they had reached the club, it would be dark enough for Lesser Nobles to come out. Nobles were strong against the sun and would be out by now, but they wouldn't make an appearance at the club until nearer midnight.
Kearn managed to keep his thoughts off Amber and on work until they were half-way to the club and she moved in the seat beside him. His gaze jumped to her thighs and her bandaged hand where it rested in her lap. His throat turned dry again and he rubbed it, trying to alleviate the burn of thirst.
The collar of his black shirt felt too tight so he undid it but it didn't relieve him at all. The air in the Audi was suffocating and hot. Amber sent the temperature up another notch when she turned her hands over and he saw the blood on the bandage. The smell of it filled his senses.
Kearn opened the window and breathed in the night, using the scent to remind himself that what he was considering with Amber wasn't an option. He was a vampire. A Venator. Even if he never wanted to be one, he had to carry out his duty. Amber was only a means to an end. He would kill the vampire, part ways with her and never see her again. It was safest that way.
He didn't want her to fear him.
If she knew about him and the things he did, she would feel the same way as everyone else. She would hate him.
He pulled the car to a halt down the road from the club and got out. Amber followed, and he locked the car, crossed the quiet street with her, and walked straight towards the club. They were almost there when Amber stopped. He turned and looked back at her.
"Is something wrong?" he said.
She was staring at the building ahead of them, her eyes wide and red lips parted. "I've been here before."
Every muscle tightened in response to that and a desire to step towards her, to remain close to her, bolted through him. The thought that she had been here before, where so many vampires hunted each night, disturbed him as much as it clearly disturbed her.
"How many times?" he said and her wide hazel eyes shifted to him.
"I don't know... five or six... vampires come here?" Her blood relayed the feelings behind the tremor in her voice. Fear. Disbelief.
He nodded. He hadn't come to the club in years but Kyran kept him posted on the things that happened there. Vampires were regular patrons. Had Amber flirted with the men here? How many times had she come close to leaving with one? He searched her eyes for the answer, a burning need to know setting his blood aflame. A darker urge followed in its wake, compelling him to take her back to his place and keep her away from all of his kind. He wouldn't let another vampire touch what was his.
Kearn pushed that desire away. Amber didn't belong to him. He had no claim on her. Yet he couldn't contain his dark hunger to protect her.
"I will not allow any of them to harm you, Amber." He meant every word. If any of them touched her, he would use his power to break them from the inside out before they could defend against him.
She nodded, the nervous edge back in her eyes, and looked towards the club.
Kearn led the way, remaining close to her now, aware of his surroundings and what awaited them in the building. It would be quiet at first, but Kyran had told him how it was normally full to capacity every night, and how many of the crowd were vampires. If he felt he was losing control of the situation, or Amber was in danger, he would get her out of the club and back to his apartment. He would find another way to lure the man out of hiding.
The two large men on the door stepped aside to let them pass. He pushed the door open and turned to Amber.
"Just as we planned. Go to the bar and order a drink with the money I gave you. Wait there until either I or the vampire comes for you."
She nodded and walked past him. His gaze followed her through the low-lit black walled room. She sat on a stool further along the bar.
The music in the club was quiet but later it would be pounding so loud he would have a headache for a day. He never enjoyed coming out in company, not anymore, and he especially hated this place. The vampires who came here were usually younger Lesser Nobles and Nobles looking for a quick snack or some amusement. The humans didn't realise the danger they walked amongst. To them it was just another nightclub. He glanced at Amber, still unable to believe that she had been to this wretched place, had come close to the less refined of his kind before, and then pushed his gaze onwards. He scanned the gathered people. The crowd was light, a few humans mingling with some Lesser Nobles or grouped together in the square booths around the large black dance floor.
The only Noble in the club right now was him.
The sandy-haired well-dressed man behind the bar gave him a nod. Kearn didn't grace him with one in return. The man was a Commoner, the rank of vampire far below Lesser Noble. Nothing more than a peasant. He had worked here in all the times that Kearn had visited and was the only vampire on the staff. Kearn had often wondered if the man owned the club. The Commoner walked down the length of the black glass-topped bar towards Amber. Kearn kept a close eye on the man. There was a momentary spark of red in his eyes as he took her drink order, his gaze darted down to her bandaged hand as she gave him the money, and then he moved away. Wise decision. Kearn didn't want to have to start the evening by killing someone. The Commoner stopped at the till near Kearn and looked right into his eyes. Kearn's switched briefly to red and he glared at the man, letting him sense his intent and making it clear that Amber belonged to him. The Commoner acknowledged him with a bow of his head and then made Amber's drink.
She smiled at the man as he gave it to her, distracting Kearn from his dark thoughts. She did look beautiful tonight. Perhaps he should have told her that just to see her reaction. He could imagine the deep crimson blush that would have stained her cheeks and it stirred his blood.
Perhaps he should concentrate on his work.
Kearn sat several stools away from Amber. They were the only two at the bar but that soon changed.
The minutes ticked by and each one brought more people into the club. Another Noble showed up, a tall dark-haired man with three human women draped all over him. Lord Montagu. The man's dark eyes narrowed on Kearn in contempt and then he was walking down the steps at the end of the bar area to the dance floor. Kearn shook off the irritation of such a weak-blooded man looking down on him and watched the rest of his entourage enter. All unranked Montagu men and women. The most interesting was a doe-eyed woman who watched the lord like a hawk. She was human and going through the transition judging by the scent of her blood. She had probably thought that Lord Montagu would change his ways once she had let him bite her and her dark fairytale would be complete. Humans were so gullible.
Kearn looked along the length of the bar at Amber.
Would she ever consent to becoming a vampire?
It was a ridiculous thought that he immediately shoved aside but it crept back into his head and he found himself musing it. Pondering how sweet Amber's throat would taste under his lips as he sunk his fangs into it reignited his ardour for her, fanning it back into life until it blazed through him, hotter than the surface of the sun and equally as fierce. The deep unrelenting thirst for her constantly flowed in his blood, pleading to be sated, even though he knew it was impossible.
If Amber were a vampire, she would sense his intent as he stared at her, and would know his dark pounding lust for her. If he turned her, she wouldn't become a weak vampire as other humans did, fit only to serve his pureblood kind. She would become the most beautiful creature on this planet, surpassing even pureblood vampires. Her power would be devastating, everything he had at his command and more, amplified by the gene in her blood. She would be as vampires had been many millennia ago. She would be a goddess.
His goddess.
He had never changed a human and had never wanted to before now.
While others treated it as nothing more than a thrilling moment, uncaring of the consequences or how the human felt, Kearn treated it with the respect that such a beautiful thing deserved. That he could give a human, Amber, the gift of immortality and the powers of his species was incredible.
But it was something he couldn't do, no matter how much he thought about it and how enticing it sounded in his mind. Had he been his old self, had he not become a Venator and not walked the path of solitude, despised by his kind, he would have thought differently. He would have been able to give Amber the life as a vampire that she deserved. If he bit her now and turned her, they would only have each other. She would find herself hated by not only humankind but by the vampires too. He couldn't ask her to tread the same path as him and bear the loneliness. Only he deserved to live such a life.
Amber deserved so much more.
People lined the bar between them. She ordered another drink and fiddled with the cocktail stirrer when it arrived. A man approached her. Human. She smiled politely and waved him away. Kearn focused, wanting to hear what she was telling him, but he couldn't make it out over the noise of the music. It was louder now and using his heightened senses hurt his head.
A few minutes later, another man approached her. Human again. She excused herself and then looked around the busy club.
Someone bumped against him and Kearn growled. He hated crowds almost as much as he hated this place. How many more people were they going to let in? He could barely see Amber now through the sea of black and red clad men and women, and he needed to keep an eye on her. He leaned forwards to catch a glimpse of her.
Her eyes settled on him and she blinked slowly, a hint of a smile touching the corners of her sensual red lips. He cast his gaze downwards at the bar and touched his throat again. It ached. He wrapped his hand around it and clasped it tightly. He needed a drink but blood wouldn't satisfy his thirst. He needed Amber.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She was flicking the cocktail stirrer back and forth across her half empty glass.
If she didn't stop looking so bored, she would never catch the vampire for him.
She smiled at him again, her painted lips luring him in until his field of focus zeroed in on her. She was supposed to be attracting the other vampires in the club, not him, but he couldn't take his eyes off her, and the more he stared, the hungrier he became.
He rubbed his throat again, wishing he could get something here to quench his thirst as easily as the humans could. The Commoner that had been behind the bar earlier was gone, replaced by two human males and one female. There was no chance of getting blood now.
"You should go speak to her."
Kearn frowned at the male bartender.
He nodded towards Amber. "Go speak to her. You're clearly interested. I've not seen her here before but she looks a little lonely… like you."
Kearn's expression darkened. He looked lonely? The bartender was probably putting things together from the evidence in front of him, a man sitting alone in a bar staring at a beautiful woman, but the conclusion he had drawn was too close to the mark. He was always alone but he had grown used to it and it was better than being around company who didn't want you there.
"I am too old for her." Kearn waved the man away.
The man didn't leave. He leaned across the bar and smiled consolingly.
"Listen." He crooked a finger, signalling for Kearn to come closer. Kearn didn't. The man smelt sweaty and he had no desire to interact so closely with a human. A voice at the back of his mind said he would interact this closely with Amber given the chance. He would sink his fangs deep into her neck and drink his fill of her to slake the thirst in his heart for a connection to someone. Kearn ignored it. "You don't look a day over thirty five and she's no younger than twenty five. There's an unwritten rule with men. Halve your age and add seven. That's the youngest you can go for."
Kearn calculated it in his head. Half of his age plus seven? He smiled. Unless Amber was really one hundred and eighty seven, he was too old for her.
Another group of vampires entered. More Nobles. This time they were higher ranking. The Marquess Montagu and Marquess Pendragon sneered at him as they passed. Kearn looked over towards Amber and held his throat again when it itched. He swallowed but it didn't relieve the ache.
The smell of everyone in the club wasn't even drowning out her scent. It was a good thing because he needed the vampires to smell her blood so it would lure them into speaking to her but it constantly pushed at his restraint. Since tasting her, he hadn't stopped desiring her. His lust for her blood was strong, so much so that he had dreamed of her and nothing else. She had been in his embrace, bare breasts against his chest and her arms around him, holding him close as he kissed and licked her throat. He had drunk from her, sinking his fangs deep into her neck and marking her as eternally his. He knew that was what he had been doing. He hadn't intended to kill her. He had wanted to make her a vampire like him. He had wanted to keep her.
Which was insane.
But her blood had tasted so good even in his dreams.
Kearn struggled for control as the memory of it assaulted him, sending an echo of the buzz he had felt through his body and fogging his mind. Something deep within him cried out for more, for another taste, another fix.
The club started to heat up as people moved and the smell of her blood grew stronger. It was a divine smell—sweet and fragrant. The voice at the back of his mind whispered that it could be his, just as it had been in his dreams.
He touched his neck again, pulled at the collar of his shirt when it felt as though it was strangling him, and frowned. He couldn't remember a time when he had felt so hungry.
"Are you okay?" Amber's voice startled him. "You don't look so good."
His eyes leapt to hers and then fell to her neck. His temperature increased the moment his gaze landed on the black choker wrapped around it. Her blood was delicious. She was delicious. His throat ached at the sight of hers, his hunger rising. He tightened his hold on his neck and tried to get a grip on himself. It wasn't just her blood doing this to him. It couldn't be. There was something deeper at work.
He forced his eyes up, until they met her wide ones. She stepped closer and her scent grew stronger, overwhelming him. He stood and took a step back, trying to distance himself and keep control.
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Forbidden%20Blood
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