Felicity Heaton's Blog, page 40
October 31, 2013
DARK AND DANGEROUS: Six-in-One Hot Paranormal Romance Books Boxed Set – just 99c / 99p – Excerpt from Seduce by Felicity Heaton
DARK AND DANGEROUS: Six-in-One Hot Paranormal Romances Boxed Set featuring six books by six best-selling authors is out now in ebook and for a limited time only, it’s just $0.99 / 99p!
That’s right, you can get these 6 hot paranormal romance books by Felicity Heaton, Jennifer Ashley, Bonnie Vanak, Caris Roane, Laurie London and Erin Kellison for under a dollar right now.
Find out more about DARK AND DANGEROUS at my website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/darkanddangerous/
Here’s your next excerpt from one of the books in this fantastic boxed set of paranormal romances.
Today, we have another excerpt from me! SEDUCE by Felicity Heaton.
DARK AND DANGEROUS is available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle Stores:
US/International | UK | Canada | Germany | France | Italy | Spain
Other Retailers:
Barnes and Noble Nook | Kobo Books
(Coming soon to Apple iBooks Stores)
SEDUCE by Felicity Heaton
“Sera.” Antoine pushed away from the doorframe and Sera shook her head to silence him.
She knew what he would say. “I trust you, Antoine. You won’t hurt me. I want to do this.”
His pupils dilated, darkening his eyes with the heat of passion that said he wanted to do this too, but not because he wanted proof that she trusted him or that he wouldn’t flip and hurt her. It was the thought of chaining her up that had him reaching out for the restraints, taking them from her, and leading her into his room.
He closed the door behind them and Sera exhaled slowly, trying to expel her rising nerves. She had never allowed anyone to restrain her before, not in her human life and certainly not in her vampire one. Just the thought of being chained, especially by industrial-strength restraints like the ones in Antoine’s hands, handcuffs made for an ancient vampire, had her heart pounding and instincts kicking in. They told her to flee, to end this before it began. It was too dangerous.
She didn’t care.
She had to make herself as vulnerable as she could be in order for Antoine to accept that she trusted him and that they could be together. He needed to know that even when she was defenceless, open to attack and at his mercy, he could keep control and not let things go too far. If she could show him that, he might believe that the bloodlust that silently lay in wait in his genes was something he could master and he didn’t need to fear it.
Sera stripped off the borrowed shirt and set it down on the pile. Her gaze fell on the bundle of silk ties beside them and she lifted a black one, the material soft and sensuous against her fingers. Her heart flipped in her throat and her blood heated. She bit her lip. Mercy, she couldn’t deny the fluttering desire in her belly that said she was already asking Antoine to cuff her, she might as well go all the way and ask him to blindfold her too.
When she turned to face him, the black silk tie dangling over her hand in front of her breasts, Antoine raised a dark eyebrow. He looked as though he was going to refuse the whole affair. Had she pushed too far?
He tossed the restraints onto the crumpled red sheets on his bed and crossed the room in a handful of swift strides. She tensed as he snatched the tie from her fingers and stared at it, and then at her. She couldn’t meet his gaze at first, was too busy watching the way his fingers shook against the tie. He was nervous. That made two of them.
“Turn around,” he husked, voice thick with passion, roughened by desire.
Sera did as ordered, biting her lip the whole time. She tensed again when he stepped up behind her, his hips pressing against her bottom, and lowered his arms on either side of her head. She couldn’t take her eyes off the tie as he brought it towards her. Her heart began to race, adrenaline mingling with the desire in her blood, a dangerous mix that Antoine ignited with a kiss. He worked his mouth along her shoulder towards her neck, teasing her as he secured the tie over her eyes, stealing away one of her senses.
Her instincts kicked in even stronger now, other senses on high alert. She could hear Antoine breathing and although it was shallow and soft, it sounded heavy and rough, filling her ears together with the sound of Snow pacing his room and Lilah’s quiet giggle as Javier mumbled something in Spanish that sounded a lot like a curse.
Each brush of Antoine’s lips over her shoulder drugged her, drove her deeper into her desire. The bare whispers of a kiss were the worst, sending glittering sparks over her skin and her senses into overdrive.
“Come with me,” he murmured into her ear, his breath cool and teasing, melting her bones. She already felt too hot, burning from just the brief kisses. How would she feel when Antoine finally locked those heavy unbreakable cuffs around her wrists and ankles?
He led her to the bed, hands on her hips, guiding her through the darkness. She held her hands out in front of her, afraid of falling or hitting something. She trusted Antoine but she didn’t trust herself. Without her sight to guide her, she feared she would make a fool of herself.
“Use your senses.” Antoine paused with her, pressed a kiss to her shoulder and then lightly bit with blunt teeth.
She groaned. How could he expect her to use her senses on anything other than him when he was doing such things to her? The feel of his strong hands grasping her hips and his lips so close to her throat had every part of her locked onto him.
Sera expanded her senses to the room and her eyes widened behind the mask. Everything came back so clearly, outlined in her mind. Her memory of the room combined with the radar-like senses she had as a vampire gave her a clear image of where she was. She could have danced around the room blindfolded and not hit anything.
“Elizabeth needs to improve your lessons. Maybe I could teach you a few things. Would you like that?” Antoine kissed his way up her throat to her earlobe. He teased it between his blunt teeth. His words evoked images in her mind of him playing the role of teacher while she pretended to be his naughty student. Heavens. Just the thought of acting out such wicked fantasies had her soaked with need and moaning for more.
Sera ground her bottom into his groin.
A sharp stab of pain in her earlobe caused her to flinch.
“Damn.” Antoine was gone in a flash, leaving her alone and disorientated in the middle of the room.
Her senses reached for him and she was surprised to find him in the corner of the room.
“What’s wrong?” She pushed the blindfold up her head and flinched again, the room too bright for her sensitive eyes even though the lights were low.
Red ringed Antoine’s beautiful pale eyes.
Sera touched her earlobe and then stared at the trace of scarlet on her fingertips. Blood. She must have aroused him with her little grind against his crotch and brought his fangs out.
“Come kiss it better.” Sera crooked her finger.
He shook his head and it dawned on her that when he said he was afraid of hurting her, this was what he meant. He didn’t want to draw blood because doing so would push him towards the edge of an abyss, and falling into it meant succumbing to his bloodlust.
“You tasted my blood on the stage.” She frowned, trying to figure out the rules he had set for himself when it came to blood.
“An accident. I shouldn’t have. It was dangerous.”
“You can control it when you only take a little though?”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Yes, but the temptation to draw more, Sera… I wanted to sink my fangs into you when we were together on the stage… I still want to now.”
Sweet, sweet mercy, that sounded delicious. She wanted that too but the pained edge to his eyes said not to ask it of him because he wouldn’t give in to such a request. He was protecting her. Sera couldn’t be angry with him for that. She didn’t want to push him over the edge just to satisfy some personal itch to feel his fangs in her, taking her blood and opening a connection between them. The risk was too great.
The cut on her earlobe had already stopped bleeding thanks to her healing ability.
“What if I bit you?” she said and he groaned low and deeply, a feral hungry sound edged with pain, as though she was both arousing and tormenting him by suggesting such a thing. She wanted to know the boundaries so she couldn’t accidentally cross them. “You’re not the only one who gets an urge to bite when we’re together.”
“Sera,” he groaned her name, hot and husky, sending a flash of fire through her blood. She wanted to hear him say it that way as he kissed every inch of her, as he plunged his hard cock into her body and joined them as one.
“Can I bite you, Antoine?” Sera gathered her courage, overcame her nerves and ventured a step towards him. “I had a little taste too, remember? I want more.”
“Sera.” His eyes darkened, pupils eating up his irises. What remained of the blue gradually turned red and then the black circles of his pupils began to contract and lengthen, turning elliptical. His fangs emerged, pressing against his lips as he spoke. “I do not think I could keep control of my bloodlust if you did.”
“It isn’t bloodlust that makes you want to bite me, Antoine,” she whispered and stepped up to him, tilting her head back to hold his crimson gaze as it bore into her, hungry and intent. “It’s passion… desire. If it were bloodlust, you would want to bite me all the time.”
“I do.” Two dangerous words that came out rough and hard from between his teeth.
“No, you only want to bite me when you think about fucking me.”
He growled and his hands shot to her waist, dragging her into his granite-hard body. His mouth captured hers, rough and dominant, and she melted into him, loving just how possessive and fierce she made him. She pushed her hands up his strong arms, delighting in the contours of his muscles that exuded power and filled her mind with images of him using it on her in bed, and tunnelled her fingers into the shorter hair at the back of his head. He moaned with the first rake of her nails over his scalp and shuddered with the second.
Sera broke the kiss and moved her mouth to his neck before he could capture her lips again. She pressed her tongue into the vein and Antoine clutched her, pulling her hard against him, his fingertips sharp painful points against her hips.
“Don’t,” he whispered and he might have sounded more convincing had his right hand not left her waist and tangled into her blonde hair, pinning her mouth to his throat.
He wanted this as much as she did. There was nothing more sacred to a vampire than blood, and giving it to or taking it from another vampire was one of the most erotic, profound experiences they could have.
Sera’s fangs extended and she gave his neck one more swift lick so he had time to prepare himself and then sank them deep into him.
Antoine growled, the feral noise carrying an intoxicating cocktail of desire, bliss, hunger and danger.
Did you enjoy today’s excerpt?
DARK AND DANGEROUS is available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle Stores:
US/International | UK | Canada | Germany | France | Italy | Spain
Other Retailers:
Barnes and Noble Nook | Kobo Books
(Coming soon to Apple iBooks Stores)
Her Wicked Angel Virtual Book Tour – Character Interview with Veiron and Erin
The Her Wicked Angel Book Tour has been underway for a few weeks now and I’ve decided to bring it to my blog for a special interview with Veiron and Erin, who were the hero and heroine of Her Demonic Angel (Her Angel Romance Series Book 5) and played a role in Her Wicked Angel (Her Angel Romance Series Book 6).
FREE EBOOK: Want to get a free taste of this series? You can download the first book, Her Dark Angel, for free at selected ebook stores (and two other free paranormal romance ebooks too). Find all the links at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/paranormal-romance-ebook-offers.php
Don’t forget to visit the Her Wicked Angel Book Tour page to enter the Grand Giveaway for your chance to win a $50 or $25 Amazon Gift Card!
I’ve brought Veiron and Erin to my famous interview room. It’s rather swanky and a little bit gothic, reflecting my personal tastes. The walls are black and the furniture beside the large white marble fireplace are three red velvet tall backed armchairs with gold carved wooden frames. I have two opposite me, and only one is occupied today.
Veiron laughs as Erin says something to him, his large hands settled on her left hip as he holds her on his lap. She sits side on to him, one arm around his shoulders, and strokes her fingers through his wild dark red hair and looks down into his dark eyes, smiling brightly at her Hell’s angel. Her fingers drop to his chest, caressing the black t-shirt stretched tight over his powerful body. She blends into him, her black dress and leggings merging with his t-shirt and jeans. These two were made for each other and I’m sure they bought their heavy black leather boots at the same store.
Veiron reaches up and brushes her black jaw-length hair back from her face, sweeping his fingers across her cheek at the same time. There’s a smile in her amber eyes as he whispers something to her, and then she nudges his shoulder, pushing him back against the chair, and looks my way.
It’s my chance to start our interview and I seize it.
FELICITY: I have Veiron and Erin here with me today to talk about their book, Her Demonic Angel, and also about their roles in Her Wicked Angel. Firstly, can you tell us a little about yourself?
ERIN: Oh, I don’t know where to begin. I’m an artist and grew up in London, with my sister Amelia, who it turns out is some super bad-ass.
VEIRON: *gives her a sexy grin* You’re pretty bad-ass yourself, Sweetheart.
ERIN: *blushing* Maybe once in a while. But look who’s talking.
VEIRON: *grin widens*
FELICITY: Back to the introductions? I don’t want my eyeballs seared by you two snogging and I know we’re heading that way right now.
ERIN: Sorry. What was I saying? I keep forgetting things at the moment. Ah, that was it. I grew up in London, and was leading a pretty normal life until some big dumb Hell’s angels came and grabbed me and took me down to Hell and the Devil.
VEIRON: Big dumb Hell’s angels? *quirks a dark red eyebrow* I hope you’re not generalising with that one. *she shakes her head* Good. I’ll have it known I’m not dumb… but I am big. *throws her a salacious grin*
FELICITY: Just tell everyone about yourself so we can continue. You were an angel of Heaven once, a very long time ago, and were forced to fall as part of an eternal game between Heaven and Hell.
VEIRON: I was. I’m one of the pawns in their game. Marcus is Heaven’s pawn, and I’m Hell’s. Since all angels were born in Heaven, I always end up back there whenever the game is decided and I die. I get a few nice years as a good guy and then I fall. Nothing I do changes it.
FELICITY: So you’ll fall regardless of what you do? You can be a good guy, a perfect angel, totally dedicated to Heaven and everything that entails, and you’ll still fall?
VEIRON: Correct. I don’t get a choice and I don’t know it’s going to happen to me. All angels are reborn without memory of their previous life. The Devil is a little *bleep* though and whenever I fall and pledge myself to him, he restores all my memories. Did you just censor me?
FELICITY: Yes. Let’s try to keep the foul language to a minimum.
VEIRON: What the *bleep*! You did this to me last time you interviewed me too. You had better not censor me when I’m not swearing like you did then. You made some things sound rude and just plain wrong.
ERIN: *laughing* Don’t get him all growly. I have to put up with him after you’re all gone. I won’t hear the end of it.
FELICITY: Sorry. You both have experience of Hell. That realm features a lot in the latest romance in your series, Her Wicked Angel, as Asmodeus is also from there. What is Hell like?
ERIN: *shudders* I’m getting used to it now, but it’s a horrible place. It’s so grim and everything is black rough rock and boiling lava. It stinks too. I swear, you need about ten showers to get that stink off you when you get out of there!
VEIRON: It is as grim as she says. I spent centuries there and I was always eager to get out into the mortal realm. Most Hell’s angels are the same. We’ve tasted the fresh clean air of the mortal realm, and seen the beauty and it’s probably the closest thing to Heaven we’ll see… and we pine for that when we’re stuck surrounded by the black grim landscape of Hell.
FELICITY: I’m sure you can feel sorry for Asmodeus then as he had never left Hell in all his many millennia of living until the Devil sent him to Paris to retrieve Liora for him.
VEIRON: *nods* Damn right I can. I still can’t believe he’s back there, living in that realm. I can’t believe Liora is happy down there either.
ERIN: Liora is happy to be wherever Asmodeus is and they do sort of have to be there. It’s not like Asmodeus has a choice.
VEIRON: *shrugs* I guess you’re right. I don’t envy them though. Poor bastard can’t even form a contract with Liora to escape his *bleeping* master like I could with Erin.
FELICITY: You weren’t so enamoured with Asmodeus when you first met him, Veiron. Do you feel differently about him now?
VEIRON: *shrugs again* He’s not so bad. I kinda feel for the bloke. I mean, whenever he’s on the island with us all, Apollyon watches him constantly with an air of dark expectation and grimness, as if Asmodeus is just going to flip his lid and kill us all. I don’t think that’s the case. I think seeing the way everyone else reacts to him makes me a little less inclined to be hard on the bloke for being what he was born to be—pretty much evil. I still have an issue with him about what he did to Nevar, but then I also have an issue with Nevar about how he gave himself over to the darkness.
ERIN: Plus, he does help you fish for dinner. *he scowls* Admit it. You like having a buddy a little more like you… sort of an outcast… and he always has your back.
FELICITY: Aww. You have a new best friend!
VEIRON: *growls* He’s clingy.
ERIN: *shakes her head* Don’t listen to him. Asmodeus isn’t clingy… and who was it who got him drinking beers on the rocks during the sunset? Who taught him the lyrics to his favourite songs so they could rock out together at godawful hours in the morning? Who was it who pushed him into sparring sessions that last most of the day when he comes to visit… convincing him to go all out, even though that means we normally end up with half the island looking like a bomb has hit it?
FELICITY: *bites back a laugh*
VEIRON: *glares* Whatever.
ERIN: If anything, I would say that Asmodeus has a new best friend. Veiron has really taken to him. Don’t let him fool you. I think it’s nice though. I’m glad that the others are easing off too and not being so hard on him. When he first came to the island, I couldn’t ignore the similarities between his and Liora’s situation and what I went through with Veiron when we wanted to become part of the group. Everyone wanted to push Veiron away too.
FELICITY: Now you’re pretty much the powerhouse of the group. Let’s talk a little about your romance in Her Demonic Angel now. Can you tell us about what happened to bring you together?
VEIRON: All Hell broke loose in our story. It was pandemonium. The wheels were set in motion far quicker than any of us anticipated and we certainly didn’t expect that Erin would turn out to be a target. When Marcus and Amelia asked me to go to Hell, I knew it was important. They wouldn’t ask me to risk my neck going back down there if it wasn’t. I also knew that Marcus would never allow Amelia to head into Hell. It’s too dangerous for her. If she dies… well, we just have to keep her alive at all costs. I went because I knew the land well and could move around relatively undetected and with only minor problems as long as I stayed away from the Devil. I certainly wasn’t expecting to find such a beautiful and fiery woman as the object of my rescue mission.
ERIN: Aww. Man, I love you. *grins* Well, like he said really. One moment I was in my apartment and the next I was in some horror-movie cell in Hell with only three sides and one heck of a sheer drop into a river of lava. I actually met Asmodeus there for a brief moment… and then Veiron showed up, all smexy and dangerous, like a gorgeous warrior with his big sword. *blushes* Not that sort of sword though. I thought I was losing my mind and I wasn’t sure who to trust, but Veiron was there for me… and we went through so much and I might have lost my mind at one point because I did try to kill the Devil… well, that’s just crazy, right?
FELICITY: A little. But you still have plans to kick his arse?
VEIRON: How come you can say *bleep* and I… hey!
FELICITY: *snickers*
ERIN: *laughs* Oh, seriously, don’t… he’ll be moody about this for days.
VEIRON: Will not.
FELICITY: I won’t argue. I know better than to get into a round of “will not” – “will too” with you. Final question… huge events are in motion that could affect not only Heaven and Hell, but the fate of the mortal realm too. These events have brought together a rather motley crew of angels. What is it like working with them and do you think you can prevail?
VEIRON: I really think we can… but part of me hopes it’s a while before things kick off. *places his hand on Erin’s pregnancy swell* If you know what I mean? *I nod* It’s not going to be easy and there’s a piece of me that feels uneasy about it all. These are dangerous times and there is a lot at stake.
ERIN: *places her hand over his* They are and there is, but we’ll get through this together. We will all have each other’s backs and we won’t let anything bad happen to any of us. We’re a team and that’s the way we’ll fight—together.
FELICITY: Sage words. I’m sure you guys will prevail and pretty much save the world. Thank you for meeting with me today and chatting. Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
ERIN: Only that it was nice to be here and see you again, and that I bet you can’t wait to write Nevar’s story… I’ve heard readers are already impatient in their wait for it.
VEIRON: It was great being here, but can I get Erin home now?
FELICITY: You’re the impatient one. Off you go then. I know you just want to keep her safe. Everyone, you can read Erin and Veiron’s novel, Her Demonic Angel, to learn more about them and their romance and they also show up in the newest novel, Her Wicked Angel.
I hope you enjoyed this interview with Veiron and Erin, and the insight into their romance story, Her Demonic Angel and also Her Wicked Angel, and the Her Angel series.
Be sure to follow this fantastic tour to learn more about the passionate heroes and sassy heroines! You can also find yourself in with a chance to WIN a $50 or $25 Amazon Gift Certificate if you follow the tour. More details, including how to enter and a full list of stops, are available at the Her Wicked Angel Virtual Book Tour page: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/her-wicked-angel-book-tour.php
All of the books so far in the series are available in paperback, and in ebook from Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Barnes and Noble. Excerpts are available for all of the current releases in the series, so you can get a taste of these paranormal romances.
Read more about Her Wicked Angel below, and visit my site for links to all the retailers and a 6 chapter excerpt:
Her Wicked Angel
Felicity Heaton
The King of Demons and the Devil’s right hand man, Asmodeus is a dark angel born of evil and created for destruction. When his master orders him to venture into the mortal world and retrieve a female for him, he seizes the chance to leave Hell for the first time, uncaring of what the Devil has planned for her… until he sets eyes on the most beautiful woman he has ever seen—a female who awakens new feelings within his black heart, unleashing passion so intense that it controls him and desire he cannot resist.
He will not let his wretched master have her. She will belong to him.
Liora is a witch with a bad reputation and an obsession with fighting demons. A mission gone wrong sees her sent to Paris to cool off, but when a dark and deadly warrior with a gaze of golden fire lands in her life, she ends up burning hotter than Hell for the wicked angel. Nothing will stand between her and the immense, forbidding male. Not her cousin. Not Asmodeus’s sworn enemy and twin, Apollyon. And certainly not the Devil.
Caught up in a tempest of danger and soul-searing passion, can they survive against the odds and seize their forever after?
Available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle Stores:
US/International | UK | Canada | Germany | France
Apple iBookstores:
US | UK | Canada | Australia | New Zealand
Other Retailers:
Kobo Books | Barnes and Noble | Sony Reader Store | Smashwords
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Barnes and Noble
Did you enjoy this interview with the hot Hell’s angel, Veiron, and his sassy woman, Erin?
October 30, 2013
DARK AND DANGEROUS: Six-in-One Hot Paranormal Romance Books Boxed Set – just 99c / 99p – Excerpt from Embrace the Dark by Caris Roane
DARK AND DANGEROUS: Six-in-One Hot Paranormal Romances Boxed Set featuring six books by six best-selling authors is out now in ebook and for a limited time only, it’s just $0.99 / 99p!
That’s right, you can get these 6 hot paranormal romance books by Felicity Heaton, Jennifer Ashley, Bonnie Vanak, Caris Roane, Laurie London and Erin Kellison for under a dollar right now.
Find out more about DARK AND DANGEROUS at my website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/darkanddangerous/
Here’s your next excerpt from one of the books in this fantastic boxed set of paranormal romances.
Today, we have another excerpt from EMBRACE THE DARK by Caris Roane.
DARK AND DANGEROUS is available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle Stores:
US/International | UK | Canada | Germany | France | Italy | Spain
Other Retailers:
Barnes and Noble Nook | Kobo Books
(Coming soon to Apple iBooks Stores)
EMBRACE THE DARK by Caris Roane
So what was this she felt, this deep desire for Gerrod and why, when he looked at her with his eyelids heavy, his lips parted, his nostrils flaring, did she want to take his hand, lead him deep into the forest, and beg him to have his way with her? What was this need?
He stepped closer and though he frowned heavily, like his temper was ready to take off the top of his head, he actually touched her, sliding his hand over her arm. Once again, she felt those strange waves emanating from him and her desire increased almost to a painful stage.
What is that? Her mind cried.
But he leaned close now and stared harder, peering into her eyes. What did you say?
She glanced at his lips. They hadn’t moved. Telepathy? No, oh, God no. This couldn’t be happening, wasn’t happening. She knew many in Merhaine could communicate through telepathic frequencies, pathing was what they called it.
Could she?
This couldn’t be happening, couldn’t be true. She stared into his eyes, horrified, yet she had to know the truth. So, once more she aimed her thoughts carefully, I wanted to know what I was feeling from your hand. It felt like waves flowing out of you and into me.
The thought of it, the presence of it, the feel of it beating into her body, brought desire hurtling through her. She planted her hand on his chest. The waves pounded through her now, engulfing her.
He looked so angry and his grip on her arm became painful. This can’t be happening. You can’t feel these waves and you can’t be reaching me telepathically. It’s. Not. Possible.
Gerrod, what are you doing to me? And please, you are hurting my arm. Vampires were strong.
The pressure diminished but his expression hardened. You are speaking to me telepathically and you are experiencing my personal frequency, my realm vibration. No one can do that except when I allow it, but you accessed it freely. And you are…human. This cannot not be happening.
She was struggling to breathe. But his touch, and the flowing waves, had her trapped. She strained toward him, but he kept a grip on her arm, holding her away from him. He squeezed his eyes shut. This is impossible. You can’t be what you seem to be. You can’t be. You’re human. This is unacceptable.
Abigail slid her hand up his chest and reached his mouth. She ran her thumb over his lips.
How inappropriate and thank goodness they were standing at the back of the crowd. In the distance, she could hear another groomsman making a toast. Though it was nighttime, the floodlights lit mostly the band, the bridal table, and the dance floor. This far back, she stood in the shadows.
Time came to a swift stumbling halt.
Abigail looked at Gerrod as if for the first time. She felt a call so deep in her soul, driving her toward him, that to not respond, not to say ‘yes’, felt like a crime for which she would be punished if she didn’t obey. She needed this vampire, craved him. For the first time, her vein began to rise in her throat, because that’s the only way she could describe what she experienced. She needed him to take her blood because that would complete something essential between them, as essential as the nature of a kiss, as critical as the fulfillment of lovemaking.
Yet, she was human and didn’t truly belong in the realm world. She belonged in Flagstaff, the nearest access point to the Merhaine Realm.
The tip of his tongue teased her thumb. You taste of the sweetest herbs. Dear Goddess, please forgive me.
Before she knew what he meant by sending that particular message, he took hold of her arm, swung her in the direction of the forest, and led her twenty yards into the dark, a good distance from the crowd that now applauded. Music began at the same time, a lively folk song made for dancing.
He dragged her behind a tree and hauled her into his arms.
She fell against him, limp, her body in full surrender and not caring that this was so inappropriate and doomed to cause all kinds of problems.
Did you enjoy today’s excerpt?
DARK AND DANGEROUS is available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle Stores:
US/International | UK | Canada | Germany | France | Italy | Spain
Other Retailers:
Barnes and Noble Nook | Kobo Books
(Coming soon to Apple iBooks Stores)
October 29, 2013
DARK AND DANGEROUS: Six-in-One Hot Paranormal Romance Books Boxed Set – just 99c / 99p – Excerpt from Assassin’s Touch by Laurie London
DARK AND DANGEROUS: Six-in-One Hot Paranormal Romances Boxed Set featuring six books by six best-selling authors is out now in ebook and for a limited time only, it’s just $0.99 / 99p!
That’s right, you can get these 6 hot paranormal romance books by Felicity Heaton, Jennifer Ashley, Bonnie Vanak, Caris Roane, Laurie London and Erin Kellison for under a dollar right now.
Find out more about DARK AND DANGEROUS at my website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/darkanddangerous/
Here’s your next excerpt from one of the books in this fantastic boxed set of paranormal romances.
Today, we have an excerpt from ASSASSIN’S TOUCH by Laurie London.
DARK AND DANGEROUS is available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle Stores:
US/International | UK | Canada | Germany | France | Italy | Spain
Other Retailers:
Barnes and Noble Nook | Kobo Books
(Coming soon to Apple iBooks Stores)
ASSASSIN’S TOUCH by Laurie London
“You’d pick sleeping on a cold stone floor to this?” Rickert asked, the criss-crossed swords on his back clanking as he spread his arms wide. “It’s the finest Vengold silk. And the bed is stuffed with river goose down. The best.”
It did look soft, and Neyla was very— No. She would not let herself be charmed like this. “I will not let you suck me into a game with you.”
She stood there with as much dignity as she could muster. If a suit could make a man, being naked under an oversized tunic and wearing big clunky boots definitely did not make a woman. At least, not a confident one. Maybe if she were wearing army fatigues or even jeans and a T-shirt, she wouldn’t be feeling so unsettled. But all she had of herself on this side of the portal was her wits. And right now, they felt pretty thin.
“This is no game,” he countered. “Stop being so stubborn. In the brig, you’d get maybe one pan of water—cold water—every few days in which to wash up. Despite your current appearance, you do seem to value good hygiene.”
She stifled a laugh. Yeah, I suppose that’s true.
His gaze roamed up and down her body. She willed herself to stand taller.
“And depending on whether or not there are other prisoners in the pits, the wash water may be shared among several of you.”
She swallowed nervously. Other prisoners? To hell with sharing bath water. Would they be sharing her? Her resolve was quickly fading.
“You’d honestly prefer that to this?” he asked mockingly. “I can have the house maids bring in warm water and scented oils for a bath.” He removed the cork from one of the tiny bottles on his dressing table and held it to his nose. “Heatherwood is my personal favorite, but there are others you may enjoy more. I can ask Tierney’s daughters for their suggestions.”
God, how her muscles ached. A warm bath would be heavenly. She’d sink up to her neck in lightly scented water, close her eyes and wash away the—
Wait. He wanted her to use his favorite scent? She was suddenly reminded of a former customer who’d tried on a medieval costume she’d made for him. He’d burst from the dressing room and exclaimed, “Bathe her and bring her to me.” His girlfriend and the other couple with them had erupted in laughter. It was funny at the time, but there was nothing funny about Rickert’s implication of the very same thing.
“I will not share a bed with you. Or service you.”
“Service?”
“You know? Sex. Like your stallion servicing the mares at the Guthrie farm in exchange for room and board.”
One corner of his mouth twitched and a devilish gleam sparkled in his eyes. “I do not need to make such elaborate arrangements to bed women. They come willingly or not at all.”
She reluctantly admitted to herself that he was probably telling the truth. He was the most attractive man she’d ever seen and certainly she wasn’t the only female who thought this way. Given what she’d glimpsed of him at the portal crossing, it was obvious the pleasures his body would bring to a woman. Sex for him wasn’t a question. The question was, with whom would he choose to have it? A man like him would have plenty of options.
Did you enjoy today’s excerpt?
DARK AND DANGEROUS is available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle Stores:
US/International | UK | Canada | Germany | France | Italy | Spain
Other Retailers:
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(Coming soon to Apple iBooks Stores)
October 28, 2013
Teaseday – Heart of Darkness – Vampire Romance Novel Excerpt
Today’s tease comes from the book Heart of Darkness, which is one of my stand alone vampire romance novels, and another of my favourite books. Read on for this Tuesday’s tease… where Aleksandr, the vampire hero, returns to the heroine, Elise, after a dangerous battle against a vampire hunter…
When she moved back a step, Aleksandr was looking up at her, his grey eyes brighter now and full of awareness. She smiled at him, wanting to alleviate the strain in his eyes, and resisted her desire to stroke his cheek.
“You will be well with rest.” She looked towards the dark blue pillows. “Come.”
She took hold of his left arm and helped him lie down. His gaze remained on her as she removed his boots and placed them at the foot of his bed. The medical supplies would come soon and she didn’t want Aleksandr conscious when she tended to him. It was better that he slept through it.
Elise swallowed her trembling heart and looked at her wrist.
She had to give Aleksandr the deep healing sleep he needed, and there was only one way of doing it.
It would cross a line though, and would establish something between them that she feared. No one had ever bitten her, so she had never practiced how to block her feelings and memories from those who were taking her blood. She was afraid of what Aleksandr might see. She knew the technique to use to block him and to send him to sleep rather than rousing his lust as sharing her blood with him usually would, but she wasn’t sure whether it would work, and if it did, whether she could hold it long enough.
Elise removed her black coat and uniform jacket, and placed them down on the foot of the bed. She sat beside him, conscious of his gaze on her, and rolled up her white shirtsleeves. She offered her right wrist to him. His eyes widened at it and then he frowned at her.
“Take it,” she whispered, silently begging him to do it soon before she lost her nerve. Allowing him to bite her was dangerous, especially when he needed blood to heal. Even a small amount would weaken her. If she couldn’t stop him from feeding, he could kill her. It was that thrill of dancing with death that had many addicted to sharing blood, and to the drinker it was the dizzying rush of lust. It had never fascinated her as it did so many others, but with Aleksandr, she could see the strange sort of appeal it had. She wanted to feel his fangs in her, even when this was only about healing him and nothing to do with finding pleasure. “You must feed to heal and I will send you into a deep sleep. I will give you the rest you need.”
Elise tensed when Aleksandr’s left hand closed over hers and he drew her arm towards him. It was difficult to focus. She took deep breaths, trying to find some calm amongst the storm raging inside her. If she couldn’t focus her mind, she was liable to let him into it and therefore be unable to send him to sleep. His thumb grazed her wrist and she shivered, her eyelids falling to half-mast. Her breath stuttered on her lips and then she opened her eyes again and forced herself to look at Aleksandr, to see the reason she was doing this. It wasn’t about the thrill or the desire his bite would stir in her. It was about healing him and giving him the rest he needed.
He brought her right wrist to his lips, shut his eyes and licked her skin. Another shiver chased through her and her temperature rose, her heart beating quicker with anticipation. His lips closed over her wrist. She gasped when he eased his fangs deep into her and then removed them.
Eyes wide, Elise stared at him, her lips parted and breathing fast. Heat spread up her arm, suffusing every inch of her body in a sharp tingling pleasure that made her want to moan. She reminded herself to focus and keep her mind on the thought of sleep, and to send that message to him through her blood and block all others. It was difficult, nigh on impossible, when he started to drink from her, a soft suckling that sent wave after wave of warmth rippling through her. Warmth that all settled in her abdomen, heating her through and making her ache for Aleksandr.
She wanted more.
She wanted to feel his fangs in her.
She hadn’t wanted his fleeting bite and this soft reverential drinking. She had wanted him to sink his teeth deep into her body and to drink hard, to bring her close to the edge as she knew only he could, to bring her into his arms and into his body, until they were one.
Elise cleared her throat.
If only she could clear the growing haze of lust from her mind as easily. It clouded her thoughts and the tiny part of her that was still cognitive whispered that Aleksandr would feel it and he would see her innermost thoughts about him. Her secret would be out.
She sharpened her focus again and watched Aleksandr drink from her. He looked peaceful and handsome as he lay with his eyes closed, the dark lengths of his hair criss-crossing his forehead. He cradled her wrist softly in his left hand, barely holding it against his mouth. His tongue was gentle against her, slow sweeps that teased the blood from the marks he had made on her flesh. A shiver tripped through her when he sucked. He did it so carefully, so differently to how she had expected. The way he was being so exceptionally gentle with her warmed her heart and drove the lust from her body, replacing it with another feeling, one she feared more.
Love.
She felt something for him as he drank from her. A deep desire to make him strong again. A desire to save her prince from whatever darkness lived within his heart. A need to bring him back to her.
Elise let him feel that compulsion in her blood—the desire for him to sleep and heal, and grow as strong as he had been when they had last seen each other.
He released her wrist and rested his head on the midnight blue pillows. He breathed slow and deep, his lips bloodied and the tips of his canines showing between them. She fixed her senses on him, monitoring his slowing heartbeat and the surface feelings that she could detect. He sighed, brought her wrist to his lips and kissed it, and then lowered it to his chest.
Elise waited, unable to take her hand away not because he held it but because she didn’t want to. She was enjoying the feel of him holding it close to his heart, resting against his bare chest. She could feel his heart beating, steady now, barely a beat per minute, and sensed his feelings slip beyond her grasp. He was sleeping.
She kept still for a heartbeat longer and then carefully removed her hand from his. The wounds on her wrist were barely noticeable, a neat set of puncture marks that had skilfully avoided damaging anything internal. She licked them, tasting him on her skin. He had bitten her. She still couldn’t quite believe what she had done. As the haze lifted from her mind, the sense of fear returned. He could have seen things in her blood. She hadn’t guarded her thoughts well and hadn’t been strong enough to resist the feelings he had stirred in her.
Elise licked her wrist again, clearing his scent away, fearing that the medical team would smell him on her when they came with the blood and bandages.
When her wrist was clean, she reached over to him and swept her thumb across his lower lip, wiping the blood away. He didn’t stir at her touch. He breathed slowly, lost in a deep sleep.
She hesitated a moment, fearing that she might be wrong and he might wake, and then ran her fingers over his brow and down the right side of his face. She pushed them through his hair, combing the dark strands back for him, neatening his appearance and committing the silky feel of it to memory. He was so handsome even in sleep and much less frightening. She didn’t fear him now, knowing that she could look and touch all she wanted without making him believe that he had won their game.
Her heart fluttered in her throat the whole time she explored his face with her fingers and then moved down to his body, her gaze shifting over his beautifully honed torso. There were pinkish scars on the left side of his chest and down his side, long strokes that cut across his pectoral to his shoulder. She traced her fingers over the dark lines. Had the hunter he sought done this to him? It had frightened her when he’d told Ladislav that the hunter had almost killed him several times. How could a human become strong enough to almost kill Aleksandr? Whenever she was near him, she could sense his strength and power. She had never known a vampire like him. None in her bloodline could compare with him.
Her eyebrows furrowed and she ran her fingers lightly across his chest to the new wounds on his right shoulder and arm. Had it been a silver blade? The wounds were red around the edges and not with blood. They were angry and swollen, one of the signs of silver poisoning. She skimmed her fingers down to his ribs. They would heal themselves without her assistance. Their bodies were incredible at repairing wounds, their cells constantly regenerating at a rate almost ten times that of a human’s. Aleksandr’s arm was testament to that. The bone had been broken but it had already set itself, knitting back together. He must have killed the hunter and taken his blood to give him the strength to begin the healing process. Had it been the hunter he had come here to kill or another one?
Elise’s gaze skipped down to the mark above Aleksandr’s right hip. She traced the fine dark lines of the crescent moon and shield, adorned with flourishes and tiny beautiful roses. All of them wore a mark of their bloodline in a specific place. Aleksandr’s was that of royalty. A mark fit for one so noble and courageous. He would have received it on maturing, just as she had. It had been a proud moment in her life. Had it been that way for him too? Had he ever thought that his life would turn out this way? Probably not. He had probably expected to live the peaceful life of a prince and to take the throne one day, not spend his waking hours risking his humanity to protect his people from the threat of the vampire hunters.
A knock at the door stole her attention away from him.
Elise stood, rolled her white shirtsleeves down and buttoned them to hide the bite mark. She moved quickly through the bedroom and red reception room to the doors and opened them. An older dark-haired woman in a black medical uniform eyed her and then tried to see past her into the room.
“He is sleeping,” Elise said, not wanting the woman to come in and fearing that she would smell her blood on Aleksandr if she did. She held her left hand out to the woman. “I can take care of his wounds. I have been trained in such things.”
The woman looked sceptical and then handed her a black cooler box.
Elise closed the door, hurried back into the large blue bedroom, and placed the box down on the low side table beside Aleksandr’s bed. She opened the lid and her stomach growled at the sight of the steel canister of blood nestled amongst the bandages and other medical supplies. She took it out and put it to one side, behind the box, so she didn’t have to see it. She would have blood later to restore what she had lost, and not from Aleksandr’s supply.
She grabbed the bandages, a wad of cotton wool, and a bottle of clear liquid. The liquid would rid the wound of silver. She hoped it was silver which had caused the irritation around the cuts and not another poison. She didn’t know how to remove or spot toxins. Aleksandr had seemed conscious enough and wasn’t exhibiting any of the signs she knew. His body temperature felt right under her fingers, only a little chilled from being outside.
Before she could tend to him, she had to get the room warmer. She went to the cream marble fireplace opposite the foot of the wooden four-poster bed and threw some kindling onto the empty blackened grate, followed by some of the wood that was stacked beside the stand of brass tools. It took her a few minutes to get the fire going. She had never liked fire. It made her think of the sun and that made her skin crawl.
When the flames were burning brightly in the grate, throwing welcome heat out into the room, she returned to Aleksandr. He hadn’t moved at all. Only the slow rise and fall of his chest told her that he was alive. She took the cotton wool and the liquid and sat beside him on the bed.
Staring at him, Elise realised with dismay that it was too late to save herself. She had fallen in love and there was no going back now. What future was there for her with Aleksandr though?
She sighed and placed her hand against his bruised right cheek.
She was only a game to him.
A trophy to be won.
A victory to be had.
And it broke her heart to know it.
Did you enjoy today’s tease?
Caris Roane is also posting a Teaseday snippet, so be sure to check out her blog and read it! http://carisroane.com/
Heart of Darkness
Felicity Heaton
A vampire prince on a four hundred year old mission to avenge his murdered sister…
Aleksandr Nemov won’t stop until the last of the vampire hunter’s progeny is wiped from the Earth. Each kill has stolen a piece of his humanity, pushing him towards the black abyss all vampires hold within their hearts. Now he is teetering on the edge, close to devolving into a beast, and time is running out as he tracks the last hunter to Prague. There he finds a beautiful woman who could be his one chance for salvation, but is it already too late for him?
A vampire guard who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves…
Elise is dedicated to her duty. It’s the only thing she has left. All that changes when she meets Aleksandr in Prague and her master grants him permission to stay at her bloodline’s mansion. She knows all about Aleksandr but none of it prepares her for how she feels when the legendary prince’s hunt becomes one for her heart. Elise battles him with all of her strength but can she stop herself from falling for the handsome hunter? When he reveals the depth of the corruption in his soul, will she have the strength to face the pain in her past and do whatever it takes to save him?
Available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle | Amazon Kindle UK | Amazon Kindle Germany | Amazon Kindle France | Amazon Kindle Canada
Apple iBookstore USA | Apple iBookstore UK | Apple iBookstore Australia | Apple iBookstore Canada | Apple iBookstore New Zealand
Barnes and Noble | Kobo Books | Sony Reader Store | Smashwords
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Barnes and Noble
Hot Halloween Heroes Giveaway Hop – Win signed paranormal romance paperbacks and Lego Snow figurines!
It’s time for the Hot Halloween Heroes Giveaway Hop hosted by Felicity Heaton and Indie Romance Books. The hop runs from October 29th to November 3rd 2013, and my giveaway is international.
This giveaway hop celebrates the paranormal heroes, whether they’re incubi, vampires and werewolves, angels and demons, gods and goddesses or any number of sexy shifters and other hot paranormal creatures… so no matter your taste, I’m sure you’ll find something hot, dark and deadly to cuddle up with this Halloween.
There will be NINE prizes in total…
PRIZES
3 x Signed paperback of Unleash PLUS Lego Snow Figurine!
3 x Signed paperback of Her Wicked Angel
3 x Signed paperback of Masquerade
HOW TO ENTER
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DARK AND DANGEROUS: Six-in-One Hot Paranormal Romance Books Boxed Set – just 99c / 99p – Excerpt from Seduce by Felicity Heaton
DARK AND DANGEROUS: Six-in-One Hot Paranormal Romances Boxed Set featuring six books by six best-selling authors is out now in ebook and for a limited time only, it’s just $0.99 / 99p!
That’s right, you can get these 6 hot paranormal romance books by Felicity Heaton, Jennifer Ashley, Bonnie Vanak, Caris Roane, Laurie London and Erin Kellison for under a dollar right now.
Find out more about DARK AND DANGEROUS at my website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/darkanddangerous/
Here’s your next excerpt from one of the books in this fantastic boxed set of paranormal romances.
Today, we have another excerpt from me! SEDUCE by Felicity Heaton.
DARK AND DANGEROUS is available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle Stores:
US/International | UK | Canada | Germany | France | Italy | Spain
Other Retailers:
Barnes and Noble Nook | Kobo Books
(Coming soon to Apple iBooks Stores)
SEDUCE by Felicity Heaton
Sera looked up at Antoine the moment she felt the change in him, sensed that the connection that had flared into life between them had been shut down in an instant. She could see it in his eyes too. The past hour with him had revealed something to her that she had never anticipated.
Antoine was a man with deep secrets, a man who didn’t allow anyone to get close to him and who believed he had a good reason for remaining distant and alone. She was a fool for not seeing it before. Elizabeth had warned her about Antoine, but it seemed even her sire didn’t know the man well or she would have mentioned that something terrible had happened to him, something he would never overcome.
Could never overcome.
The scars on his chest were shocking. It took a lot to kill an aristocrat, especially one as old as Antoine, but it looked as though someone had tried to put the limit of his healing ability to the test. Who had done such a terrible thing to him?
It wasn’t only the scars on the outside that made him retain a sense of distance from everyone though. There were others on the inside, emotional scars that were as ragged and horrendous as the ones on his body as far as she could tell.
He was definitely a man with secrets, and he wasn’t willing to share them with anyone.
Sera raised her hand, wanting to touch his face and tell him that whatever pain he had gone through, he could tell her about it. She would listen to him, never judging, only seeking to alleviate the burden on his heart so he no longer felt as though he had to walk through this world alone.
Antoine leaned back and warily eyed her hand, as though she sought to hurt rather than comfort him.
Game over.
She might have managed to make him surrender to his desire, but there was no way she could defeat the demons that held his heart captive. She didn’t want a hollow affair with him. If she couldn’t have all of him, she would rather have nothing at all.
Sera stood, walked to her clothes and slipped into her underwear. Her plan to dress completely before calmly taking her leave became impossible to fulfil when Antoine’s icy gaze slid to her, tracking her every move. She grabbed the rest of her clothes, bundling them up in her arms, and flicked a dark glare his way before striding up the aisle towards one of the rear exits.
She made it halfway to the doors before turning around and storming back down to him.
“I just want to know why you shut me out again? Were you just out to use me or was this really just an audition?” Her voice hitched. It hurt to say that. She laughed bitterly at herself. “Forget it. I was stupid to think that someone like you could ever care about anyone but yourself. I’ve learned my lesson. Goodbye, Antoine.”
Brave words. She congratulated herself on them as she stalked towards the exits, swiftly now despite her trembling legs and the adrenaline pumping through her veins, determined to escape before her nerve failed. It was better this way. Antoine would never give her what she wanted from him, what she needed, so there was no point in torturing herself by trying to win him over.
Sera was close to the doors, could almost taste her freedom, when she looked up to find Antoine blocking the exit ahead of her.
“Move,” she said on a snarl.
He didn’t.
She turned at the end of the rows of red velvet seats, aiming for the other exit further along the back wall of the theatre. Antoine was there again before she could reach it. He had moved faster than she had been able to see. She stopped, a touch of fear in her blood now. She had heard that aristocrats, those of pure vampire blood, were more powerful than elites, and Antoine’s age only added to the strength of his abilities.
He growled and stalked towards her, his eyebrows knitted into a scowl and darkness in his eyes.
No anger hit her senses but she wasn’t going to hang around to ask what he was feeling behind his violent expression or place herself within striking distance.
Sera backed off, keeping pace with him. She bumped into the seats on one side of the aisle that led down into the stalls and threw a glance at the exit doors to her left. Antoine was there again, stopping her mid-lunge, and forcing her down the aisle. She kept her eyes locked on him, her senses zeroed there too, and kept backing away.
Her attempt to flee hit an obstacle a short time later. Namely, the stage.
She pressed back against it, her senses sweeping the theatre, searching for another avenue of escape. The doors to her right and left were out of the question. Antoine would easily reach them before she could. Her strength couldn’t compare with his, so fighting and subduing him wasn’t going to happen either.
The only place that might offer her a chance of escape was the stage. She knew from the shows that there were doors to the left and right of it. They led backstage, which was a danger all in itself. God only knew who was back there, waiting in the wings. She had no desire to run into Victor again, not when she was only wearing her underwear.
“Sera,” Antoine growled and she swallowed.
He shot towards her and she vaulted onto the stage. He slammed chest first into the wooden stage and unleashed a feral and vicious growl. Sera dropped her clothes and went for the heavy red curtain that covered the rear half of the stage, intent on making it to the doors there.
Antoine tackled her just as she reached the velvet curtain, sending them both flying through it to the other side. She rolled painfully, legs tangling with his, and grunted when she hit something hard. One of the couches. Pain shot through her left shoulder and then she was on her back with both of her hands pinned above her head.
His cool breath washed over her face. “Why are you running from me, Sera?”
Why not? The look of cold disdain that had been in his eyes was reason enough as far as she was concerned. The fact that she had brought him to climax and he had shut her out the moment he had found release was another. To top off those two, she added a third.
“You’re scaring me.”
Sera looked up at him, feeling the weight of his body against hers. His open silver shirt draped over her and tickled her bare sides and his trousers were soft against her legs. He released one wrist and trailed his fingers over her cheek, and her eyes rose to meet his. Her fear of seeing the coldness in them melted under the warmth of his expression and the heat of the hunger in his blue eyes.
She didn’t know how to react when he lowered his head and kissed her, hard and dominant, forcing her mouth open with his tongue. It tangled with hers, cool and teasing, luring her into submission. She surrendered willingly, melting beneath him into the scuffed black stage, letting him lead as the kiss turned heated and passionate, a rough clashing of lips and teeth. Before she could think about what she was doing, she was raising her head off the stage, leaning into the kiss, seeking more from him.
Wasn’t she supposed to be angry with him about something?
It popped back into her head.
He was obviously using her. He was never going to give her what she truly craved from him. He would seek shallow satisfaction from her, an emotionless sexual relationship, and she wouldn’t be able to take it. She wasn’t made for that sort of thing. She couldn’t. The attraction she felt for him would blossom into something terrible, something that would end up killing her when he finally tired of her and cast her aside.
Sera slammed her fist into the side of his head, knocking him off her and into the red velvet couch beside them. She was on her feet before he could react, leaving him sitting on the floor.
“You are driving me crazy,” he whispered, his eyes ringed by red and fixed on her. He touched the bloom of crimson on his cheek where she had struck him and smiled grimly. At least it wasn’t a forced smile. It was as real as they came, if not a little frightening. What was he thinking in there? Did she drive him crazy in a good way, or a really bad way?
Was it wise to anger an aristocrat?
Antoine got to his feet, dusted down his black trousers, frowning at them, and then raised his head and looked straight back into her eyes.
At least the red had gone from his irises.
He raked his fingers through his thick dark brown hair. It was hard not to stare at the strip of body on view between the two sides of his open silver-grey shirt as he moved, his muscles flexing in a symphony so beautiful it would melt the hardest of hearts.
“Sera.” He spoke her name on a sigh, a soft exhalation that made it sound like a prayer to God, a plea for salvation.
She would give it to him if he only asked it of her. She would share the burden that weighed him down. He only had to speak to her and let her in. He only had to give up his fight.
Sera stood her ground as he approached, his steps slow and cautious, as though he feared she would either lash out at him or bolt again should he move any faster. She probably would. When he reached her, he brushed his knuckles across her cheek, curled his fingers around the nape of her neck, tangling them in her blonde hair, and lured her in for the softest kiss she had ever experienced.
It only lasted a bare second before he broke away to press his forehead to hers, their noses touching. He breathed hard, his chest brushing hers with each deep inhalation, and his fingers tightened against the nape of her neck, as though that brief kiss had been too much for him. It had been too much for her. The pleasure of it had been overwhelming, consuming, and devastating. Her heart pounded, the beat as fast as the one in her mind. Antoine’s.
“Sera,” he whispered, supplicating her again, and she wished she knew what he wanted when he said her name that way so she could give it to him. He sighed. “I do not want to hurt you.”
That was good. She didn’t want that either. She could definitely go along with that.
He stroked her cheek with his other hand and pressed his forehead harder against hers. His fingers clutched the back of her neck, his emotions taking a turn for the worse on her senses, so they blared in alarm. Danger. That wasn’t good.
“Antoine?” she said, hoping to bring him back from whatever dark place his thoughts had taken him.
He growled. “I do not want to hurt you… but I do not want to end up hurt, either.”
Sera reacted on instinct the second an immense wave of pain crashed over him and into her. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, pressing one hand against his shoulder blade and the other against the back of his head. He was surprisingly compliant, not fighting her as she moved and pulled him closer, so his head settled in the crook of her neck. His other arm snaked around her, fingers pressing in deeply, clutching her to him.
She frowned.
He was trembling.
What terrible scars did his heart bear?
Did you enjoy today’s excerpt?
DARK AND DANGEROUS is available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle Stores:
US/International | UK | Canada | Germany | France | Italy | Spain
Other Retailers:
Barnes and Noble Nook | Kobo Books
(Coming soon to Apple iBooks Stores)
October 27, 2013
Manday Hotties – Sexy Fire Fighter Mancandy
Good Monday Morning! It’s time for the Manday Hotties Hop! I have two sexy fire fighter mancandy pictures for you today…
Which shot is your favourite? I think it’s cruel to ask you to decide between them today… how about we just have them all?
Visit the other blogs in the hop:
DARK AND DANGEROUS: Six-in-One Hot Paranormal Romance Books Boxed Set – just 99c / 99p – Excerpt from Hard Mated by Jennifer Ashley
DARK AND DANGEROUS: Six-in-One Hot Paranormal Romances Boxed Set featuring six books by six best-selling authors is out now in ebook and for a limited time only, it’s just $0.99 / 99p!
That’s right, you can get these 6 hot paranormal romance books by Felicity Heaton, Jennifer Ashley, Bonnie Vanak, Caris Roane, Laurie London and Erin Kellison for under a dollar right now.
Find out more about DARK AND DANGEROUS at my website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/darkanddangerous/
Here’s your next excerpt from one of the books in this fantastic boxed set of paranormal romances.
Today, we have an excerpt from HARD MATED by Jennifer Ashley.
DARK AND DANGEROUS is available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle Stores:
US/International | UK | Canada | Germany | France | Italy | Spain
Other Retailers:
Barnes and Noble Nook | Kobo Books
(Coming soon to Apple iBooks Stores)
HARD MATED by Jennifer Ashley
Hospitals sucked. Myka hated them. Their pale rooms were filled with soft electronic sounds that told you that the person in the hospital bed, the person you loved, was dying. Plus, the overriding scent of antiseptic never could quite mask the mixture of bodily odors and illness.
Broke Myka’s heart to see Jillian in that bed, her body that once had enticed every male in Hill Country wasted, her red hair thin and dry against the white sheets. Her blue eyes were washed out under the fluorescent lights, her skin tinged with gray.
Jillian smiled at Myka over the foot of the bed as Myka led in Spike, which couldn’t be his real name. Spike, tall and Shifter, in jeans and T-shirt, his black hair buzzed into almost nonexistence, tatts of wildcats marking him up and down his arms, gazed down at Jillian in shock and grief.
Grief? Jillian was nothing to Spike, was she? He’d had to dredge her out of his memory when Myka had said her name. Jillian hadn’t mentioned Spike at all until their shocker of a conversation this morning. She’d sent Myka to Shiftertown to find him, and hadn’t that been fun?
Shifters. There was a reason they were Collared and made to live in Shiftertowns. Myka couldn’t understand the women who longed to sleep with them. Too much excitement for this girl, thank you. Training horses gave her all the time she needed with animals, had taught her enough about animals that she didn’t much want to be around ones that could turn human.
Shiftertown had been almost deserted, Spike not at home in the modest bungalow to which Jillian had sent her. Casual conversation with some humans in a little bar outside the perimeter of Shiftertown led Myka to the abandoned hay barn out east of town, and there she’d found the Shifters in all their wild glory at their so-called fight club.
The way Spike had beat the shit out of that bear Shifter was evidence enough of why humans wanted to contain them. They weren’t even supposed to be able to fight like that—the Collars were designed to stop them. If Myka had been a good citizen, she’d report the illicit three-ringed fight club and all the Shifters there betting on their favorites.
But she hadn’t been a good citizen since the day the system had given ten-year-old Myka into the custody of Randall, the stepfather from hell. Randall had been very good at charming judges, social workers, and anyone else who came along. Couldn’t bear to be separated from Myka, he’d said, after Myka’s mother had died, in a hospital room just like Jillian’s. Randall had gotten himself appointed Myka’s legal guardian, and nine long years of hell had ensued, until the day of Randall’s death.
Jillian produced a thin smile as she looked over the foot of the bed at Spike. “You came. Thank you.”
“Yeah.”
That was the first word he’d spoke since he’d followed Myka out of the barn into the cool of the night so she could drive him here. Not What happened? Why is she asking for me? Just stone silence in the cab of her pickup.
Silent, sure, but his presence was weighty. This was a Shifter, for crying out loud, big, tough, able to break tiny young women like Jillian in half with one hand. Yet he stood there looking down at Jillian in the bed as though someone had sledgehammered him between the eyes and he hadn’t remembered to fall down yet.
“I don’t have a lot of time,” Jillian said, her voice a faint whisper. A far cry from the girl who’d balanced on top of a rail fence at the rodeo a year ago, screaming for her favorite bull rider. She’d slept with him too. Men usually took one look at Jillian and became her devoted slaves.
“I have a gift for you,” Jillian said.
She held out her hand, and Spike reached down and took it. He didn’t hold her hand awkwardly—he closed it between his two big ones, as though trying to comfort her.
“What?” he asked, his voice a quiet rumble. Even a Shifter could feel the dampening presence of the hospital room.
“Myka will show you. Myka and my mom. I don’t know what else to do, all right?”
Jillian pressed down on his hand, the movement so weak that Myka saw it only because a tendon moved on Jillian’s wrist.
Spike nodded. What was in his eyes, Myka couldn’t see, because his gaze was fixed on Jillian.
“Myka, go get my mom, okay? I asked her to wait down the hall.”
Myka didn’t want to leave Jillian alone with the Shifter. Jillian let her stare go steely, which she was good at, even while dying. “Myka? Okay?”
Spike turned his head and looked at Myka, and for the first time, Myka got the whole connection of his Shifter gaze. Spike’s eyes were dark brown, his pupils black, windows into nothing.
No, not nothing. An intense something. Myka saw wildness inside him, the beast that had charged a bear four times his size and sunk his teeth into the big animal’s neck. Spike’s throat was singed where his Collar had shocked him, but the shocks hadn’t slowed him down a millisecond. This was an animal who looked for his prey’s weakness and went for it.
Myka did not want to leave him alone in here with Jillian.
But Jillian had hours to live, not days, the cancer taking away the last of what she had been.
Myka made herself turn around and leave, walking rapidly down the corridor to the little room where Jillian’s mom Sharon waited, surrounded by vending machines, a television that blared a news channel, and other tense people who’d come to see their families.
Sharon got rapidly to her feet and followed Myka out. “Damn, I need a cigarette. Jillian kicked me out when you called from the parking lot, but I couldn’t go outside with …” She wriggled her arm, jostling what she was pulling.
“I don’t like this,” Myka said.
“I know. But it’s what Jillian wants, and I think she’s right.”
Myka had to shut up, because they’d entered Jillian’s room again. Spike swung around, inhaling sharply.
His eyes changed to Shifter—brown tinged with gold, the pupils slits—as his gaze riveted on the small boy Sharon gripped by the hand.
At four years old, Jordan had lost his baby chubbiness and was turning into a sturdy, strong-boned lad. He had dark hair brushed with blond and brown, and dark brown eyes framed with black lashes. Until Myka had seen Spike looking at her with the same eyes, she’d doubted Jillian’s claim.
Jillian drew a breath to speak, but Sharon shook her head, seeing it was too much for her. She walked Jordan forward.
“This is your son,” Sharon said, her voice heavy from too many years of smoking. “So says Jillian.”
“He is, Mom,” Jillian’s whisper came.
Jordan stared up at Spike, who filled the room not only with his presence, but with the bulk of him. Though smaller than the bear-man he’d fought, Spike was still big—six and a half feet tall, arms as big as a wrestler’s and covered in tatts that disappeared inside his T-shirt, shaved head on a muscular neck encased by an inch-thick Collar. Jordan’s soft mouth hung open, his small teeth white in the moisture behind his lip.
Spike stared back at Jordan just as hard, the shock mutual.
“Jordan,” Jillian said from the bed. “Do your trick for Mommy.”
Jordan, caught in the spell of Spike’s gaze, remained frozen for another moment. Then he looked away and stripped off his shirt. Almost proudly, he shoved down his pants and underwear and stood without clothes, as unashamed as the Shifters had done at the hay barn.
The little boy lifted his arms over his head, closed his eyes, then gave a little squeak as his body changed shape.
His legs bent and became haunches, his little feet morphed into awkwardly big paws. Jordan’s hands became paws before his arms did, the smooth spotted pelt sliding down to join the one that rose up his chest. His face elongated into a cat’s nose, ears popped up on his head, and his eyes became rounder, fuller, eyelashes and whiskers growing swiftly. The fur that covered him was dark yellow with the broken black bands of a jaguar.
In only a few seconds, Jordan dropped to all fours and let out a tiny wildcat yowl.
The suspicion on Spike’s face turned to amazement then a hungry longing. Before Myka could stop him, he bent down and scooped up the cub between his big hands.
He lifted Jordan to his eye level, staring at the cub, who wriggled and squirmed but not in alarm.
They studied each other, Shifter and cub, the big man’s eyes wide, the cub’s unworried. Jordan opened his mouth and emitted another little growl.
“I named him Jordan,” Jillian said. “He’s yours. Take care of him for me, all right?”
Spike didn’t take his eyes from Jordan. Myka saw the pulse in Spike’s neck, the hard beats pressing under the Collar.
Sharon waited, her fingers playing with the clasp on her cigarette case. Myka waited too, for Spike to deny it, to tell Jillian to prove it, to bail the hell out of there. Men didn’t like suddenly to be told that they were fathers, didn’t want to be held accountable for whatever grew from their sperm.
Spike lifted Jordan higher. Jordan’s paws hung down from Spike’s giant hands, his tail snaking around Spike’s wrist.
“My cub,” Spike said. “My cub.” His voice rose to a deep roar that shook the window across the room. “My cub.”
Did you enjoy today’s excerpt?
DARK AND DANGEROUS is available in e-book from:
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(Coming soon to Apple iBooks Stores)
October 26, 2013
Sensual Sunday – Hot romance novel excerpt from Her Wicked Angel (Her Angel Romance Series Book 6)
Sensual Sunday is brought to you today by Her Wicked Angel, which is the sixth book in my popular Her Angel romance series. Sensual Sunday’s always feature a hot excerpt from one of my paranormal romance books. Read on for this Sunday’s sensual snippet…
Liora reacted to Asmodeus in the same way she reacted to everything. She embraced her impulses and was in his arms before she could reconsider what she was doing or even contemplate how far south of crazy she was about to go. She tiptoed, slid her right hand around the back of his neck and dragged his mouth down to hers. The moment her lips meshed with his, he froze, going stock-still and as stiff as a board.
Either he didn’t want her quite as much as he had just said or the impossible was possible after all and he had never done this before.
“Relax,” she murmured against his lips and was pleasantly surprised when he obeyed her and the rigidness left his shoulders and his neck, and his mouth fused with hers.
She moved her lips across his, gently grazing them and easing him into it, and he began to mimic her. She liked the firmness of his lips and how his hands settled possessively on her hips, drawing her front against the full delicious length of his. She tilted her head back further, not wanting to break the kiss for any reason.
Asmodeus dug the points of his fingers into her back and pulled her closer still, a low growl rumbling in his throat, thrilling her. The strips of armour protecting his hips pressed into her stomach and each ragged breath he drew caused his chest and stomach to heave against hers. She slanted her head and opened her mouth, and flicked her tongue across his lower lip. That earned her another low, huskier growl and he angled his head, fiercely claimed her mouth and ripped a moan from her. The man was a natural.
Liora’s hands slipped to his shoulders and she lost herself in the kiss. It was gentle and soft, and everything she hadn’t expected. It overwhelmed her and she couldn’t help melting into it, letting him take the lead because she liked how this powerful, sexy male kissed her with tender reverence, as if he was afraid of hurting her.
As if he was worshipping her.
She didn’t feel as though she was kissing an evil angel, but Serenity would be the first to remind her of what he was if she ever found out about this, and Apollyon would likely have some harsh words to say about her choice of male.
She couldn’t help herself though.
She couldn’t help her feelings.
She had felt attracted to Asmodeus from the moment she had noticed him back at the Eiffel Tower and had been struggling to resist the urge to kiss his wicked lips ever since.
He was dark, but handsome.
Evil, yet sweet.
Protective.
Passionate too.
She could feel it in him, bubbling beneath the surface, held back by his inexperience.
He was exactly the sort of man she had always felt drawn to but had never been with before.
He tightened his grip on her hips and deepened the kiss, his tongue thrusting past her lips to tangle with hers. His moan was wanton and erotic, full of undiluted hunger and pleasure that echoed within her. She tackled his tongue with her own, taking the lead, pulling another groan from him and joining him this time.
When breathing became a serious issue, she reluctantly pulled back, breaking apart from him. He breathed hard, his swirling golden eyes bright in the darkness and locked on her lips. That hungry look thrilled her. He wanted more and she wanted to give it to him.
Did you enjoy today’s hot little snippet?
Caris Roane is also posting a Sensual Sunday snippet from one of her paranormal romance books, so be sure to check out her blog and read it!
Her Wicked Angel
Felicity Heaton
The King of Demons and the Devil’s right hand man, Asmodeus is a dark angel born of evil and created for destruction. When his master orders him to venture into the mortal world and retrieve a female for him, he seizes the chance to leave Hell for the first time, uncaring of what the Devil has planned for her… until he sets eyes on the most beautiful woman he has ever seen—a female who awakens new feelings within his black heart, unleashing passion so intense that it controls him and desire he cannot resist.
He will not let his wretched master have her. She will belong to him.
Liora is a witch with a bad reputation and an obsession with fighting demons. A mission gone wrong sees her sent to Paris to cool off, but when a dark and deadly warrior with a gaze of golden fire lands in her life, she ends up burning hotter than Hell for the wicked angel. Nothing will stand between her and the immense, forbidding male. Not her cousin. Not Asmodeus’s sworn enemy and twin, Apollyon. And certainly not the Devil.
Caught up in a tempest of danger and soul-searing passion, can they survive against the odds and seize their forever after?
Available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle | Amazon Kindle UK | Amazon Kindle Germany | Amazon Kindle France | Amazon Kindle Spain | Amazon Kindle Italy | Amazon Kindle Canada
Apple iBookstore US | Apple iBookstore UK | Apple iBookstore Australia | Apple iBookstore Canada | Apple iBookstore New Zealand
Barnes and Noble | Kobo Books | Sony Reader Store | Smashwords
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
You can get your hands on the first book in this series, Her Dark Angel, for FREE right now on selected Amazon Kindle, Kobo and Apple iBooks Stores. Find out more at my Paranormal Romance Ebook Offers page.
If you haven’t had a chance to read any of the books in the Her Angel romance series yet, they’re all available at major ebook retailers and in paperback, and you can find the links and samples of the books at my website:
Her Dark Angel (Her Angel Romance Series #1)
Her Fallen Angel (Her Angel Romance Series #2)
Her Warrior Angel (Her Angel Romance Series #3)
Her Guardian Angel (Her Angel Romance Series #4)
Her Demonic Angel (Her Angel Romance Series #5)
Her Wicked Angel (Her Angel Romance Series #6)
