Felicity Heaton's Blog, page 67

Snippet Saturday – Author’s Choice – Bewitch

I’ve joined the fantastic Snippet Saturday run by Lauren Dane and it’s my first week this week. Each week has a theme or is author’s choice. This week is author’s choice and it took me a while to decide what I should take a snippet from to post. I decided on Bewitch, which is the fifth book in my Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series and will be out in January 2013.

Here’s your snippet this Saturday!

Oh, and if you haven’t read Enslave, you might get a bit of a spoiler about Payne in this excerpt. Sorry!

 

It seemed she wasn’t satisfied with his aloof air and refusal to place her at risk by touching her. She tiptoed and touched the cut on his cheek.

Payne felt that same intense gut-tugging jolt as he had the first time they had made skin contact.

Warmth crept outwards from where she touched, turning him hazy, drugging him with how good it felt. His very nature said to go with the flow because the flow felt divine. The little witch could give him what he needed. Not just the method of freeing Chica from her bond. She could give him bliss.

He could feed on both her energy and her blood.

His incubus side and his vampire one purred at the prospect.

His cut stung and he could almost feel his flesh knitting back together. Magic.

“Witch,” he growled, a low warning that he didn’t like her meddling with his body.

She didn’t heed it but she did eventually withdraw her hand. She smiled up at him. “Sort of.”

“Sort of?” He frowned at her. How could you be sort of a witch?

“I don’t have much power yet. I’m still learning.” Her sweet voice was a melody in his ear, curling around him, petting him and feeding his desire.

She stepped back, distancing herself. His eyes must have changed again, swirling blue and gold. Payne lifted his hand and grazed the backs of his fingers across her soft cheek, his breath shuddering in his chest over how exquisite she felt. He wanted her.

She knocked his hand away. “Don’t turn on the charm. I don’t like it.”

That brought Payne back to earth with a bump. “You can tell when I’m using my ability?”

She nodded and moved back another step. “I don’t like it. It feels as though I’m seeing myself do things, feel things, that aren’t really anything to do with me.”

Strange. Was it a witch thing? He hadn’t heard that immune females could sense an incubus attempting to use his ability on her. It had to be a witch thing.

“Normally people can’t tell it isn’t their natural feelings.” His gaze tracked her across the room.

“I’m not normal now, am I?” She stared into the fire and sighed at her melting hairbrush. At least the flames had died down. Her heartbeat was level again too and he couldn’t feel any anger in her.

She looked back over her shoulder at him, her eyes locking with his, their dazzling silver depths enchanting him once more. Her lips parted and her pupils dilated. Desire. He could get drunk on the way she felt whenever she looked at him. How would she feel if he took things further?

“I don’t like it,” she said in a breathless voice. “I don’t know why you feel the need to use it… so stop it.”

Payne smiled. “I’m not right now.”

Her eyes widened and she blinked. “You aren’t?”

He shook his head. “Whatever you’re feeling, it’s one hundred percent yours, and I’m flattered.”

She turned her nose up at him. “Get over yourself.”

His smile widened into a grin when her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks turned rosy.

 

Did you enjoy the snippet? Bewitch will be out in January, but if you haven’t had a chance to read any of the books in the Vampire Erotic Theatre 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:

Covet (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #1)

Crave (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #2)

Seduce (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #3)

Enslave (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #4)

 

Don’t forget to visit the other authors who are participating to read their snippets…

Lissa Matthews

Rhian Cahill

Leah Braemel

Myla Jackson

Caris Roane

Jody Wallace

McKenna Jeffries

Taige Crenshaw

HelenKay Dimon

Shiloh Walker

Delilah Devlin

Eliza Gayle

Lauren Dane

Felicity Heaton

Shelli Stevens

Did you know Snow in my Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series has a tattoo? No? See it here.

I came to realise when working today that not once have I mentioned in any of the Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series books so far that Snow has a tattoo. It makes sense considering the location of the tattoo, and considering the fact that he has been seen in only a small towel at one stage in the series, that’s saying something!

So, I set to work today on a mission to reveal just what Snow’s tattoo looks like and he kindly agreed on waking tonight that I could photograph it and reproduce the design for you all, so you can see it. It’s a very significant tattoo with several meaningful aspects to the design, but while I know the meaning behind all of them, he isn’t quite in the sharing mood and won’t let me divulge them to everyone. I did ask but he gave me a flat out “no” in response. He’s always grumpy when I wake him up, even when I tell him it’s because of something for you guys and give him your love.

Without further ado, on with the show!

 

Because it’s difficult to see the design well when it’s on his oh-so-gorgeous body… here’s a graphical representation of his tattoo…

 

 

Now, raise your hands if you want to lick his tattoo…

I was considering getting some temporary tattoos made up of the design and sending them out to readers… would you wear it if you received one?

 

 

Paranormal romance books on my to be written list

I’m back from my holiday and slowly getting back into the swing of things in the lead up to Christmas. My schedule is more insane than ever and I’m still in that relaxed holiday mood, and it just isn’t helping. I was looking at my schedule for 2013, trying to figure out what I need to write in that year for release in 2013 and also in 2014. A quick look at my folder on my computer that is crammed with notes on stories turned up something that I know might keep a few of you happy, or at least my die-hard readers.

It seems that I still have a ridiculous number of books to write. I’m talking about books that I have notes written down for and are definites as of this moment. Some of them have been definites for a few years now, but I haven’t managed to get the time to write them as new series crop up or older series demand my attention. But, at the moment, I have over 42 definite books on my to be written list. Yes. 42 books! And most of them are going to be novels too. Considering that I tend to release 4-6 books a year if they’re not novels, and around 4 books a year if they are novels, then it looks as though I have enough books to keep me writing for the next decade.

Oh, but that’s if I only write the books I already have ideas for. I’m constantly getting new ideas for books. To prove this, I’m sure I wrote a post a few years back or mentioned it somewhere that I had around 40 books to write. Since then, I’ve probably written 10 books… and I still have 42 books to write. I swear that this is just going to continue until I’m too old to write. It’s a passion and one I find very difficult to deny, and I’m fortunate that I don’t have to deny it at the moment. I can indulge this passion for writing and keep turning out the books. I think I need to find a quicker method though, such as employing a good editor to help me with my workload and other assistants so I can focus on writing more, and less on marketing and promotion. It’s always really difficult as a writer because we want to spend 90% of our time writing, and that’s impossible without the aid of an assistant or a miracle.

I probably spend just 50% of my time either writing or editing, and the rest is spent working on my websites, promoting, marketing, answering emails, etc. In fact, I think I get less writing time now than I did when I was working full time as a web developer too. I’m bogged down in the social media, blogging, promoting, touring, marketing and other stuff that just seems to eat up so much of my time. This post is degenerating into one about a completely different subject so I’ll get it back on track.

I’m sure many of you are curious about the books in my to be written pile. They’re all paranormal romance books, and I will happily divulge that they fall into the following groups…

1 x Vampire Erotic Theatre series (Unleash)
8 x Vampires Realm series (inc. Hunger, Forever After, Blood Moon, Midnight, and other stories)
2 x Her Angel series (inc. Asmodeus’s novel)
6 x Guardians of Hades series (I have written the first book, so these are the remaining 6)
3 x Bonded by Blood series (Kaden’s story, and two others)
2 x Vampire Venators series
3 x Shadow & Light Trilogy stories (two novels, and a novella)
4 x S.E.E.D series
6 x EM series
7 x Stand Alone Stories

42 books in total. I would say that around 39 of them are novel length (90,000 words plus) and 3 of them are novellas (under 50,000 words) so I definitely have my work cut out for me!

If you have any questions about the books I’m going to write then please feel free to leave a comment and I’ll answer it. I’m sure there’s bound to be a few questions about the books on that list above.

 

Manday Hotties – Monday Mancandy Madness with five hotties as a special holiday treat!

 

It’s time for the Manday Hotties Hop again!

I’m just back from my holiday and it’s time to look back at the year with my favourite mancandy of 2012 over the next few weeks… I have some delicious treats in store for you this holiday season!

 

 

 

 

 

Which shot is your favourite? I feel the need to go for #5 as I have a weakness for Josh Kloss, but I’d definitely join #2 for a dip!

 

Visit the other blogs in the hop:

 

Sensual Saturday – Hot excerpt from Her Demonic Angel (Her Angel Romance Series Book 5)

 

Sensual Saturday is brought to you today by Her Demonic Angel, which is the fifth book in my popular Her Angel romance series. Sensual Saturday’s always feature a hot excerpt from one of my paranormal romance books. Read on for this Saturday’s sensual snippet…

Erin looked into his dark eyes for long seconds, and then whispered, “Can I see your eyes again?”

He didn’t hesitate this time. His irises changed, glowing like embers in the low light.

“They’re amazing.” She stared at all the threads of gold in the crimson, making them her sole focus so she could push away the creeping fear about what Veiron had called her power and the things she had witnessed. “They’re like fire… can I see your wings too?”

Veiron nodded. He slipped his arm out from beneath her and she sat up with him. He moved to kneel in front of her, unbuttoned his black shirt, and peeled it off. His body distracted her, all delicious hard muscle and masculine strength that she wanted to run her hands over and kiss. Erin dragged her gaze away from it, back to his eyes. His wings slowly appeared, growing out of his back, the crimson feathers shining in the light. He stretched them, flapped once, and then brought them to rest. The longer feathers brushed the mattress on his right side and the floor to his left.

Erin held the covers around her with one hand and reached out with her other. She ran her hand down the soft feathers of his left wing, following the curve. Veiron closed his eyes and sighed.

“Does that feel good?” she whispered, shaky and nervous. It looked as though it did. She’d had a few lovers in her time but they had all been human. Veiron was an angel, whether he was in service of the Devil or not. She wasn’t sure what angels liked or what sort of things would give him pleasure. If he could feel such a thing. The blissful look on his face said that he could and the woman on the floor below, his ex-lover, had told her that Veiron was a fantastic lover, and a very protective male. That had left Erin feeling a little ill. She didn’t like the thought of Taylor with Veiron, or the thought of trying to best that woman. If Veiron had left Taylor, how was she supposed to find a way to convince him to stay with her?

“I haven’t been touched like this in a long time,” he murmured and swallowed when she flattened her palm and stroked the layers of his feathers.

“Since Taylor?” She hated that thought.

Veiron’s red eyes flicked open. He shook his head. “Before her. She never touched me like this. I don’t think anyone has ever touched me the way that you do.”

Erin swallowed, suddenly aware that the only thing that stood between them was a thin duvet. Her pulse raced and blood heated. She kept stroking his crimson feathers, feeling their softness and warmth, savouring the way her touch had Veiron struggling to breathe. His chest heaved, muscles straining, and his eyes burned into her, hot with desire, pupils dilated and reflecting the hunger that she felt within her.

She shook, afraid of where this was leading but unable to bring herself to stop. Veiron was so handsome and strong, so masculine and powerful, immense, and she had felt drawn to him from the moment they had met. Taylor was right about him, but the woman didn’t know the depth of his feelings and warmth. Erin knew. When this man loved, he gave all of himself, and would do all in his power to protect the one he cherished.

Erin wanted to be that one for him.

She wanted to be the one who held him and gave him strength, and made him feel it was all right to let down his guard with her because she would never hurt him. She would cherish him, would do all in her power to protect him, just as he would her.

He reached out to her and she inhaled sharply as he caught her arm. He moved it aside and the covers fell away to reveal her bare breasts. Erin closed her eyes and swallowed when his hot hands moulded over her breasts and he groaned.

“I want you,” he husked and she moaned, nodded, shivered right down to her soul.

“I want you too.” She barely finished her sentence before his mouth swooped on hers and he had her pinned to the bed beneath him, kissing the breath from her.

Did you enjoy today’s hot little snippet?

 

Caris Roane is also posting a Sensual Saturday snippet from one of her paranormal romance books, so be sure to check out her blog and read it! http://carisroane.com/?p=2952

 

Her Demonic Angel

Felicity Heaton

A demonic angel with a heart of ice, Veiron walks a dark path with vengeance on his mind. Nothing will sway him from his mission to destroy his master… until he risks his life to enter Hell once more to save a mortal female. The fiery beauty makes him burn with hungers he must battle and needs he cannot deny, tempting him to surrender body and soul to her.

Erin is convinced her refusal to do the Devil’s bidding will see her die in a terrifying realm straight out of her nightmares. The last thing she expects is the lethally sensual warrior who breaks into her cell and awakens the darkest desires of her heart and a fierce longing to know the heat of his caress.

Pulled into an incredible world where war is set to ignite and darkness is on the rise, Erin races with Veiron to escape the Devil’s legions in a journey fraught with danger and filled with passion that flares white-hot.

When Erin is faced with a life-shattering realisation and an extraordinary destiny, will their love give them the strength to battle both Heaven and Hell or will they be parted forever?

Available in e-book from:

Author’s website

Amazon Kindle | Amazon Kindle UK | Amazon Kindle Germany | Amazon Kindle France

Apple iBookstore US | Apple iBookstore UK | Apple iBookstore Australia | Apple iBookstore Canada

Barnes and Noble | Kobo Books | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

 

Available in paperback from:

Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

 

WIP Wednesday – Bewitch (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series Book 5) with sneak peek excerpt!

 

I’ve been working hard on getting Bewitch, the fifth book in my extremely popular Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series, ready for release in the New Year. I had wanted to get the book out sooner, but I don’t think it’s going to be possible at all. I’m now aiming to get the book ready for advance reviewers to receive copies by mid-December. I think that’s totally reasonable considering that I’m reading the book over a few times while I’m on long plane journeys during my vacation right now.

I left the book in very good shape after the second draft and I’m really happy with how it has turned out, even though it’s longer than Seduce, so I’ll have to change the cover since it still says novella! It’s a short novel now, over 60,000 words in total. I had figured out at a very early stage when writing the first draft that the book was not going to come in around 40,000 words like most of the books in the series. There was just too much happening in this one because of the fae underworld setting and Payne’s mission to help Andreu and Varya.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that everyone else will like how Bewitch has turned out, but it will come with a warning. It does contain some light BDSM (mostly Payne being bound and taking the odd bit of whipping) and I know it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but Payne is a very dark horse with a very dark past. I promise there’s sweet stuff to balance out the spicy and wicked, and lighter moments to balance out the darkness.

Here’s a sneak peek at the book to keep you all excited about the next story in the series. I know most of you are probably eager for Snow’s book, Unleash. Don’t panic. I will be writing it when I get back from my vacation so hopefully I’ll have the first draft of the book done before I take a break over Christmas.

Bewitch – Sneak Peek

The witch got to her feet, grabbed a length of thin silver rope that had fallen from one of the baskets, and brandished it like a whip.

She lashed out at the males, cracking the end of the rope across their chests and legs. The males reacted then, each making vain attempts to close the distance between them. Even teleportation spells didn’t help them. She struck them before they could fully disappear, stopping them.

Payne stared. The sight of her with the makeshift whip, dominating the more powerful males with it, was arousing to say the least. He knew his eyes were glowing blue and gold, and he knew he should get his hungers under control before they took him over and made him do something he might regret, but by god almighty he wanted the little witch.

One of the males managed to reach her and caught the hand that held the rope. The others looked ready to pile in. It was going to get out of hand.

Payne felt a strange urge to protect her.

He leaped into the fray, barrelling into the man who had captured her and taking him down. He slammed a right hook into his cheek, felt bone give and then crack under the force of the blow. The man bellowed in pain and he struck him again, breaking his jaw. The enticing scent of blood filled the air and Payne growled. His hunger rose.

The female was back in action, hurling vicious magical attacks at the other two males, shrieking at them in the fae tongue. When he had made a vague effort to learn the language, Payne had followed the tradition of all language students and started with the swear words. She cursed better than any of those clichés. Sailors, soldiers and troopers had nothing on this woman.

One of the males grabbed Payne from behind, hauling him off the other witch. He snarled, quickly turned and caught the man with a hard right uppercut and then a left hook as the man dropped him. He kept dealing blows, driving the man away from the female.

A bolt of something blue shot past Payne and sent the male he had been fighting flying through the air. The man smacked into the side of one of the buildings, rolled awkwardly down the emerald green canopy and landed hard on the cobbled street.

The other man fled, helping one of the injured. The fourth man hobbled past Payne and he growled at him, allowing his eyes to blaze red and fangs to lengthen enough that the man got the hint.

The four males looked back past him, to the female. They said something in fae. Payne caught a few words as his fangs receded and his eyes changed back to grey, enough to know they intended to tell on her to their coven. Had she done something wrong?

Payne turned to face her.

She stood in the middle of the narrow street, her silver eyes dark with determination, her breathing as rapid as her heartbeat. Payne took a step towards her and she lashed out at him with the rope. He easily caught the end of it before it could strike him.

Payne stared at her. She struggled with the rope, trying to pull it free of his grip, her pretty face twisting in anger and her eyes bright with it too. Hay stuck out of her long chestnut hair in places, the tousled waves resembling more of a bush than the beautiful glossy locks they had been before her tumble in the baskets and beating with a broom. She looked like a wild animal, feral and vicious.

Payne wanted to tame her.

He held her attention. The sparks of silver in her striking eyes brightened. He took a step towards her, gathering the rope at the same time, keeping it taut between them. She raised her other hand and a golden orb glowed close to her palm. She didn’t want to let him near her. He got the message and ignored it too. He kept moving towards her, steady steps, his eyes constantly locked on hers. He could see she didn’t want to lower that magic or let him close to her, even as he worked to change it. He hated to use his natural talents on anyone but she was going to get herself killed if he didn’t get her off the street soon. Those males would come back with more like them.

She blinked slowly. Payne lost focus as her long dark lashes shuttered her incredible eyes, stealing them from view. The distraction cost him. She smiled and yanked the rope. It slipped from his grasp and she lashed out with it, catching him hard across the cheek. He didn’t flinch, didn’t take his eyes off her. The smell of his blood mixed with the scents in the air.

Payne kept slowly advancing, his eyes on hers, keeping them riveted on him. She wanted to give up her fight. She wanted him. He sent that feeling to her, filling her mind with thoughts of them together, trying to convince her to lower her guard.

She drew her arm back to strike again.

Payne teleported just as she let loose with the rope and appeared right in front of her. He caught her wrists, his eyes still on hers. She stared up at him, her sensual rosy lips parted in shock and her eyes dark with desire that swirled into him through the point where they touched, feeding his hunger. Her breathing quickened to short soft pants. He had never heard anything so erotic and alluring. He wanted to hear her panting like that into his ear as he thrust into her welcoming wet heat.

“I won’t hurt you,” he whispered and her pupils dilated. “Give in to me.”

 

Did you enjoy that sneak peek at Bewitch?

Teaseday – Exclusive excerpt from Seduce (Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series book 3)

 

Today’s tease comes from the book Seduce, which is the third book in my very popular Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series.

Here’s some scene setting. Sera, a young turned elite vampire, has been fantasising about the dark, handsome owner of Vampirerotique ever since she first set eyes on him, but Antoine has never looked at her once in all the times she has attended the performances at the erotic theatre. She’s determined to change that. When her sire, an ex-performer at the theatre, tells her a sure fire way to get Antoine alone, she jumps at the chance. The trouble is, things have changed since Elizabeth joined the theatre eighty years ago and the interview process now involves a lot more than just a few questions with Callum followed by meeting Antoine to sign a contract. It involves an audition, and due to Callum having a prior engagement, Sera must perform in front of Antoine…

She could do this. She would take it slow and pretend that Victor was Antoine, and come up with a new plan while she was at it. If luck was with her, she could conceive something before things went too far. Just how far was he expecting things to go?

Before she could ask, Victor’s hands were under her arms and she was on the stage. Her knees almost gave out when he released her and she wobbled.

Antoine sighed again and raised the stakes with a pinch of the bridge of his elegant straight nose.

“Not wise to keep the boss waiting,” Victor whispered into her ear, his cool breath tickling her neck, and she shivered.

He pressed the full length of his body against her back and her eyes widened as the hard bulge in the front of his black jeans pushed against her bottom. Heavens. She swallowed. Trembled. This was not happening. Antoine couldn’t possibly expect her to perform with this man. She had seen him on stage, witnessed the sort of debauchery he did with women, and the size of his thing. He would break her.

What alternative was there? Either she performed or she ran like a chicken and lost her chance. Antoine would never look at her again. Hell, she would never be able to look at him again. She had said that she would do whatever it took to make him belong to her and she couldn’t back down now that another challenge had presented itself.

She had come here to seduce Antoine.

Seduce him she would.

Fear crawled through her, obliterating her momentary resolve and confidence.

She wasn’t ready for this. He was going to laugh at her.

Antoine cast a critical eye over her and then waved towards Victor. She yelped when he settled his hands on her waist and nuzzled her neck.

“Come on, sweetness, play with daddy.”

Gross. It was hard to resist the urge to elbow him in the stomach and kick him in the shin.

“Your fifteen minutes just became ten, Sera. Am I wasting my time here?” Antoine said and she shook her head. She could do this.

She broke away from Victor and turned to face him. He was handsome but she wasn’t attracted to him. How was she supposed to do anything with a man she didn’t desire?

“I am very busy, Sera. Start.”

She jumped at the word and wished Antoine would stop using her name. Whenever he rolled it off his tongue in his exotic mixed accent, fire flashed through her body, heating her blood, and she wanted to close her eyes and do wicked things.

Maybe she needed him to say it more. Maybe if he kept saying it, she would find the courage to do what was necessary.

Ten minutes.

Even that sounded like a lifetime.

Her gaze flicked over Victor. He was already topless and the large bulge in his tight jeans confirmed that he was already hard. Where was she supposed to start?

Removing his jeans seemed like a good place.

She stalked over to him, doing her best to look sultry and alluring despite the fact that her jeans and t-shirt combo wasn’t the sexiest outfit in the world. Victor didn’t seem to care about her casual attire. His eyes were on the prize already, locked on her breasts. She raised her hand, drifting it upwards over her chest, luring his eyes to her face. Much better. She didn’t like his eyes on her body.

Her gaze locked with his. Victor smirked at her, so obviously assured in his charms and looks. She wanted to roll her eyes and tell him that he wasn’t her type, that when she looked at him, she was really imagining Antoine. She ran her fingers over the ridges of his torso, his skin cool beneath them, and tilted her head back and held his dark gaze as she undid his belt.

Sera stepped back and tugged it hard, pulling it through the loops of his black jeans in one fast motion. Too fast. The flamboyant rise of her arm as the end came free caused the belt to whip across Victor’s chest, leaving a red streak on his skin.

He growled at her.

She curled up on instinct and leapt backwards, dropping the belt.

Antoine looked thoroughly unimpressed when she risked a glance in his direction.

She tried to claw things back by doing a sexy little shuffle across the stage, her mind racing to remember the moves that Elizabeth had shown her and all the things she had witnessed in this theatre.

On this very stage.

A stage she was now performing on even though she had promised herself it would never come to this.

Sera tackled Victor’s jeans, popping the buttons while clumsily kissing the whip mark across his chest. She gasped when the final button gave and his rigid cock sprang free, already eager for her. Her heart bolted into action again, galloping so quickly that she felt dizzy.

She looked at anything but his erection, battling her nerves and panic again. It was just sex. Sex on a stage. Sex on a stage in front of a man whom she really desired and whose opinion of her was probably rapidly sinking into seeing her as just another whore for his theatre.

What the hell was she thinking?

Sera squeaked when Victor pulled her blue baby-doll t-shirt over her head, catching her blonde hair and yanking it at the same time, and exposed her torso to the chilly air of the theatre.

Antoine sighed and stood.

It was over.

He was going to tell her thanks but no thanks and kick her out for wasting his time.

“Leave,” he said and she grabbed her t-shirt off Victor and went to put it on. “Not you.”

Sera froze, clutching the top to her chest. Victor casually buttoned his jeans, shot her a smile, and then dropped down off the black stage. He sauntered towards the doors at the edge of the theatre, opened them and disappeared from view. Sera remained paused on the stage, waiting for Antoine to throw her out.

“I am not looking for solo acts, but clearly this is your first time on stage. Do you feel you can perform now?”

Sera didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t kicking her out? She swallowed and faced him. He was serious. He had made Victor leave so she would feel more comfortable, and she did. Being on stage in front of him still felt wrong, but the thought of performing for him alone had a strange appeal. If she had ever wanted a chance to seduce him, they didn’t come more perfect than this. She could do this. She could tease him with a slow reveal of her body to his eyes only, and from there it would only be a small step to other more wicked things. She was sure that once she was nude and bared for him that the feel of his gaze on her would give her the confidence to take things further and really perform.

And she was sure that performance would give her the chance to crack the armour around his heart.

What had looked like it was going to end in disaster was now looking as though it was a chance at victory.

A chance that she wouldn’t squander.

Sera nodded and dropped her t-shirt onto the scuffed black wooden boards.

Antoine’s gaze flickered down to her bra-clad breasts and then he sat back in his red velvet chair in the middle of the front row and stretched his long legs out.

His eyes held hers, cool blue and beautiful, fixed on her with such intensity that her cheeks heated with a blush.

He waved his hand.

“Perform for me then.”

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/?p=2962

 

Seduce

Felicity Heaton

Bloodlust runs in his veins, a dark master waiting for the day it will reign over him. Now a woman with a pure soul and wicked intentions has him in her sights and is determined to crack the ice around his heart, and she might save or damn him.

Antoine stands apart from the world around him, a dangerous and broken soul who must maintain rigid control at all times or risk his dark addiction finally seizing hold of him. The shadows of his past haunt him and he sees his bleak future each night when his brother wakes screaming, his blood addiction turning him savage. He cannot allow himself to feel, but when Sera walks into Vampirerotique, the erotic theatre he runs with three other vampires, to audition, she awakens dangerous desires in him—hungers that could spell the end of both of them.

Sera has wanted Antoine since the night she first saw the gorgeous aristocrat vampire. She can’t ignore the deep carnal hunger he stirs in her or the ache to know the heat of his touch. With the help of her sire, an ex-performer at Vampirerotique, she sets in motion a game of seduction, one designed to thaw the ice in Antoine’s veins and make him burn for her.

When Sera discovers the shocking truth about his past and the darkness that lurks within him, will she be strong enough to seize his heart with both hands and win him forever or will she lose him to the ghosts that still haunt him?

Available in e-book from:

Author’s website | Amazon Kindle | Amazon Kindle UK | Amazon Kindle Germany | Amazon Kindle France

Apple iBookstore US | Apple iBookstore UK | Apple iBookstore Australia | Apple iBookstore Canada

Barnes and Noble | Kobo Books | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

 

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Manday Hotties – Super sexy mancandy fix for your Monday morning blues!

 

It’s time for the Manday Hotties Hop again!

I’m still in New Zealand, but you guys are never far from my heart so here’s some more shots of my hunk du jour, Adam Cowie, and I’ll be switching to someone new next week… just to mix things up a little.

How about some sexy reclining mancandy today?

 

 

Which shot is your favourite? I have to go with #2 today!

 

Visit the other blogs in the hop:

 

Sensual Saturday – Hot excerpt from Enslave (Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series book 4)

 

Sensual Saturday is brought to you today by Enslave, which is the fourth book in my popular Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series. Sensual Saturday’s always feature a hot excerpt from one of my paranormal romance books. Read on for this Saturday’s sensual snippet…

“I know you’re in here, so you might as well just show yourself, whatever you are. You understand, Chica?” Her vampire’s sexy voice rumbled through her, making her shivery and hazy, and his words took a few seconds to register.

She did understand. He wanted her out in the open and visible to him so he could go ahead and take her into custody for the one he had called Antoine.

She wouldn’t let him take her in, refused to let anyone capture and enslave her, but she did want to see him again, and with Snow gone to fetch the bastard and the one she suspected was this man’s brother, she only had a limited window in which to do that, get her taste, and get out.

Varya stepped out from behind the wall.

The vampire stood in the middle of the double-height black-walled room, his deep blue eyes scanning the area around him. He was searching for her still. She let her glamour slip just enough that she would grow stronger on his acute senses but not enough that he would see her.

His gaze shot straight to her.

Interesting.

He had found a way to pinpoint her. Is that what he had been doing when he had stared at her for those long minutes after she had made herself invisible in the private box? Putting her to memory and training his senses to make them accustomed to her so she couldn’t hide from him.

Devious son of a bitch.

His aura darkened even as his eyes brightened, his pupils enlarging to show a trace of desire.

“Reveal yourself.” Those words rolled off his tongue in a sultry bass voice created by the gods for setting women’s hearts aflame.

His aura showed no sign of the conceit that the male performer backstage had worn. This vampire was far more handsome, worthy of a little male pride in his aura, but it remained black and unreadable.

Varya lifted her glamour and shimmered into being just two metres in front of him. Out of arm’s reach. If he tried to lunge for her, she would disappear in a flash. She wasn’t sure where in the theatre she would end up, but any place was better than locked in the grasp of a man who wanted to hand her over to his master.

His pupils widened, edging further into the deep sea blue of his irises, and his nostrils flared.

“What are you?” he said and exhaled a soft curse when their eyes met.

That same blood-heating jolt she had felt on first locking gazes with him rocked her again and she had to take a step backwards to steady herself. Her hunger came upon her so swiftly that it almost knocked her flat on her backside and it must have shown in her eyes because the vampire changed. His irises burned as red as the flames of Hell and his pupils narrowed and stretched, becoming cat-like.

He snarled, sensual lips peeling back off enormous fangs.

A flicker of red punctured the black of his aura.

Passion?

Varya stood her ground, legs trembling and belly heating with desire in the face of the explosive combination of his anger and arousal. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t read his aura or what it meant, and she didn’t care.

She wanted a taste.

Before he could launch an attack on her, she teleported herself right into the danger zone, not settling for even a few inches between them. Her body pressed into the delicious hard contours of his and she looped her arms around his neck, buried her fingers into his thick brown hair and dragged his mouth down to hers.

A white-hot bolt struck her right down to her soul and she gasped.

He echoed it and grabbed her waist hard, pulling her roughly against him as his mouth claimed hers.

Varya’s head spun. She had died and gone to Heaven, a place beyond the reach of all fae. This man was her Heaven.

His mouth mastered hers, forcing her into submission, tongue plundering and leaving her breathless, until she felt as though he was the one feeding on the energy that crackled between them, not her. Her hands slipped to his strong shoulders, feeling the hard muscles beneath his soft black clothing, and she frowned, the taste of him so divine that she didn’t want to give him up. There was no reason this man should be forbidden. Gods. Every one of her clan should be searching for their own shadowed male.

She could live forever on the taste of him.

He turned and shot across the room with her, slamming her violently against the wall, his body delicious steel against hers as he pinned her. Varya leapt up and wrapped her legs around his waist, hooking her feet together and dragging him closer to her, until not a single molecule of air existed between their bodies. He snarled into her mouth and ran his hands up her calves, past her over-knee stockings, and teasingly light along the underside of her thighs. His palms grazed her buttocks beneath her skirt, sending a hot shiver bolting over her skin, and then he clutched her backside, squeezing it as he kissed her. The feel of his strong hands palming her bottom, fingertips pressing in so hard she was sure he would bruise her, increased the inferno raging out of control inside her. She let slip a moan of pure pleasure, unable to hold it in. This man had been made for her. The way he dominated her, his passion and roughness, not to mention how damned hot he looked, everything about him called to her, excited her, and she was powerless to resist.

Varya melted into him and turned up the heat at the same time, matching his ferocity stroke for stroke as her tongue duelled with his and she raked her nails over his scalp. He snarled into her mouth, a hungry feral sound that sent another shiver of pleasure skating over her skin, and rocked his hips into hers. Oh my. Her heart fluttered and heat pooled in her panties. The feel of the hard hot length pressing divinely against the apex of her thighs had her writhing in his arms, mimicking his rocking and meeting him grind for thrust. He groaned and tightened his grip on her, holding her hips immobile, and pressed his hard cock against her. His breathing came out in rough ragged gasps between kisses. Not just his breathing. She panted too, breathless, but she couldn’t stop. Did he feel as desperate as she did, as though this kiss was as vital as air? No. More vital. She felt as though she would die if he stopped. It was intoxicating, drugging, addicting, and incredible. Lost in the fathomless depths of the passion that blazed between them, pleasure so consuming that she swore she had never experienced anything like it before, Varya couldn’t stop herself from stealing some of his intense energy through their kiss.

He turned with a snarl and shoved her off him so viciously that she flew across the expansive room, smacked into the wall near the staircase and crashed to her backside on the floor.

Shock rushed through her, cold, fierce and startling.

What the hell? No man could withstand her kiss. He should be putty in her hands, hands that wanted to touch every delicious inch of him, not standing there pinning her with a thunderous look that warned if she came near him again he would forget what his master had ordered and would kill her instead.

Varya stared at him in silence, her chest heaving in time with his, struggling to catch her breath and make sense of what had just happened. The vampire’s red eyes and black aura gave nothing away, concealing whatever he was feeling as he glared at her, his hands fisted at his sides.

Were they fisted because he wanted to strike her?

Or because he was resisting touching her again?

Did you enjoy today’s hot sexy snippet?

 

Caris Roane is also posting a Sensual Saturday snippet from one of her paranormal romance books, so be sure to check out her blog and read it! http://carisroane.com/?p=2949

 

Enslave

Felicity Heaton

His determination to succeed in business has left no room in his life for love. Now, a beautiful and deadly succubus has teleported into his dark, decadent world and is in danger of enslaving his heart.

Andreu’s future entails opening an erotic theatre like Vampirerotique, gaining wealth, women and power, not shackling himself to a single female, but he cannot deny the dangerously seductive succubus who stirs his anger and passion, and tempts him like no other—he will have her.

The moment their eyes meet, Varya knows she cannot have the exotic dark vampire who sets her pulse racing. His shadowed aura marks him as forbidden, but the hungers he awakens in her are too intense to resist—she must have a taste.

When an erotically-charged kiss ignites their soul-searing passion and reveals something dangerous about Andreu, will Varya leave forever or will she dare to risk all in pursuit of something she thought was beyond her reach?

Available in e-book from:

Author’s website

Amazon Kindle | Amazon Kindle UK | Amazon Kindle Germany | Amazon Kindle France

Apple iBookstore US | Apple iBookstore UK | Apple iBookstore Australia | Apple iBookstore Canada

Barnes and Noble | Kobo Books | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

 

Heart of Darkness – My vampire romance book is a finalist at the EPIC Ebook Awards 2013!

I’m really excited to announce that my stand alone vampire romance novel, Heart of Darkness, has been chosen as a finalist in the Paranormal Romance category at the EPIC Ebook Awards 2013! I’m totally thrilled about this as I have a soft spot for Heart of Darkness and the rakish yet damaged hero Aleksandr. I won’t know until next year whether the book has won the category, but I’m just excited that it was selected as a finalist.

If you haven’t read the book yet, then here’s a little excerpt from it and the blurb so you can see what it’s all about… you can also download an extended excerpt from the book in PDF format: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/long-excerpts/heartofdarkness-heatonF.pdf

 

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:

Author’s website | Amazon Kindle | Amazon Kindle UK | Amazon Kindle Germany | Amazon Kindle France

Apple iBookstore USA | Apple iBookstore UK | Apple iBookstore Australia | Apple iBookstore Canada

Barnes and Noble | Kobo Books | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

 

Available in paperback from:

Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Barnes and Noble

Heart of Darkness – Excerpt

It had been an easy kill.

Aleksandr Nemov stood over the body of the vampire hunter, their blood splattered across his black shirt and saturating the leather and metal vambraces that protected his forearms. It coated his fingers and the curved dagger they gripped, and the sweet scent of it heavily tainted the crisp night air. Strong moonlight caressed his back, throwing his shadow out long in front of him, across the hunter’s corpse.

A female.

She hadn’t been strong enough to fight his kind. Too young and inexperienced to best him. It had been foolish of her to try.

Aleksandr raised his hand and swallowed at the sight of the blood glistening on his fingers. It tempted him to taste it.

He dragged his eyes away and settled them back on the female laying on the grass of the small public space, her blood warming the frozen earth. He hadn’t fought a woman in a long time and hadn’t expected to find a hunter so soon after arriving in Prague.

The fountain nearby bubbled regardless of the frigid temperature, defiant of the frost that caused the grass around it to glitter.

Aleksandr glanced at his bloodied hands again and then closed his eyes against the temptation. He took no thrill in the hunt. Yet he found no calm in its aftermath. There was only the threat of unending darkness that beat within his chest and encroached upon his soul. It bled into his eyes. He could feel the jagged points of black that speared the red. He had too much blood on his hands but he couldn’t give up now, not when he was so close to attaining his vengeance.

With great effort, Aleksandr sheathed his dagger against his left hip and wiped the blood away.

The smell of it still permeated the air, taunting and filling him with the dark urge to feast on the hunter’s remains. He refused to obey the voice within that commanded him. His kind had fought hard against it and no Nemov had turned to the darkness. They were stronger than that, and he would die before it happened to him.

“You… what are you doing here?” A light female voice shattered the darkness within him.

Aleksandr glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She stood with the fountain at her back, the cascade of water providing wings that completed the vision of beauty. Moonlight bathed her skin, turning her round eyes dark and her hair as black as the uniform she wore.

An angel.

The red bled from his eyes, returning his irises to grey, and he straightened to his full height, desiring to look his best even when he looked his worst.

She brought her right hand up to reveal the blade clutched tightly in her fingers, held backwards with the blunt edge tucked against her forearm, ready to slash at him if he made a wrong move.

“I won’t ask you twice.” Her strength surprised him.

Such a beautiful creature.

Before Aleksandr could find his voice, she was gone. He turned, blocked her attack with the metal covering his left vambrace around his forearm, and attempted to disarm her. She dodged his counter-attack with ease and came around behind him. He spun and blocked her again, and this time managed to get a hand on her before she leapt backwards, out of his reach, and bared her fangs.

His heart beat harder.

She attacked again, her cry piercing the silent wintry night, and brought her blade down hard. It was difficult to block it. She was strong and skilled for a female. He strafed left and right to avoid her knife, trying to find an opening that he didn’t really want to take. She was fascinating. Beautiful and deadly. Everything a vampire should be, yet there was something more to her. She turned and brought her leg around in a swift kick. The heel of her black knee-high boot smashed into the side of his head, sending him down.

Aleksandr rolled onto his feet and blocked her again. Why couldn’t he bring himself to fight her? He could barely bring himself to defend.

Her red eyes narrowed on him and she growled, exposing her extended canines again. His cheek throbbed where she’d caught him. He would bear a bruise there before the hour had passed. She lunged at him and he barely avoided her blade. If he survived the fight that was. He ducked when she swung at him and swept his leg around to take hers out. She jumped it and rewarded his effort with another hard kick to the head, sending his brain spinning out of control. The darkness threatened to return, goading him into attacking. He didn’t want to. He would not attack another vampire, especially not a female.

Definitely not her.

She huffed as though disappointed. Was it because he wasn’t fighting or wasn’t falling? Aleksandr kept his arms in front of him, blocking her swift attacks with his vambraces, and staring at her face the whole time. Fascination wasn’t the right word for what she did to him.

The warmth he felt, the intense attraction, the abject desire to look into her eyes forever, even when they only promised him a slow death. It was more than fascination.

He wanted her.

“I do not wish to fight you.” Aleksandr leapt backwards, away from her, and raised his hands.

Her grip on her blade tightened and she attacked.

He left himself open to see what she would do. Her clothing was formal—a black military-style jacket that only reached her waist and tight black trousers coupled with polished riding boots. She looked like a guard. If she were, she surely wouldn’t kill him.

If she weren’t, he was making a terrible mistake.

The moment she neared him, she sheathed the blade, threw herself forwards so her hands pressed into the dirt, twisted and launched herself at him feet first. Had he wanted to defend himself, it would have been impossible. The speed at which she locked her knees around his neck, sending him falling backwards with her momentum, and slammed him into the icy earth knocked the breath from him.

Aleksandr stared at her where she perched on his chest, straddling it with his arms trapped in the crook of her knees and her blade against his throat.

He laid beneath her, sprawled out, his back aching and freezing.

Utterly in love.

She leaned forwards. A single strand of her dark hair had fallen out of the tight bun at the back of her head and grazed her cheek. Her soft breath against his face carried the enticing scent of her blood. Her eyes went from darkness to a lighter colour that the moon stole from him. Beautiful.

Aleksandr swallowed, causing the knife to grate his Adam’s apple through his thick beard. He wished that he had cleaned up now before coming to Prague. She wasn’t exactly catching him at his best.

“You will answer for entering my bloodline’s territory.” She pressed the blade harder against his throat. “I’m taking you in.”

“No need to be rough.” Aleksandr smiled slowly. “Unless you like it that way, of course.”

She was off him in an instant, her weapon still held at the ready.

Clearly, she wasn’t into the rough stuff like so many of his kind. With the thrill of hunting denied them, they had to find excitement elsewhere. Dancing with death through sharing blood was the most intoxicating thing a vampire could do without risking their humanity and many of them did it often. He had never been into that sort of thing.

Aleksandr sat up, grazed his fingers over the silvery scars on his wrist, a reminder of why he was tracking and killing vampire hunters, risking his humanity, and then got to his feet.

The female backed off a step, but remained close enough that she could easily attack him if he tried to leave. He didn’t want to, but if he did, she wouldn’t be able to stop him. A woman was no match for him.

First a female hunter and then a female guard. Prague was a modern progressive city, or the world was changing faster than he realised. He had noticed it for a few years now and had been struggling to adjust ever since. He hadn’t expected the change to happen within vampire society too. The males had always been the ones to take care of the females. His gaze settled on her. Now there were females capable of taking care of themselves. It was both disturbing and intriguing.

Aleksandr went to move but she was in front of him before he could take a step.

“Can I at least gather my belongings?” He motioned towards the coat and bag that waited near the fountain.

She looked at them and her gaze tracked back and settled on the corpse. Her pupils narrowed and then she frowned. Had she only just noticed that he had killed someone? She sniffed and then looked at him, her pale eyes falling to his shirt and then his hands, carefully taking all of him in. He liked the assessing edge to her gaze, and the way it lingered on his body a moment before coming up to meet his. She stared into his eyes, long enough that he felt as though she was renewing the spell she had cast on him, and then nodded.

“I desire an audience with your master.” Aleksandr crossed her path and picked up his long heavy black coat. Her gaze remained on him, intent and focused.

He put his coat on, picked up his black bag and slung it over his shoulder. When he turned to face her, she was looking at the dead hunter again. The way she stared at it, studying it closely, made it clear that she hadn’t seen a fresh kill in a long time.

Or she hadn’t seen anything quite like the butchery that had happened tonight.

Aleksandr clenched his fists and reined in the dark hunger that the memory evoked. He was in control now, not his instincts. The hunt would continue until he had avenged her and had rid the world of her murderer’s progeny.

He would not surrender until then.

For four centuries, he had tracked and killed them, his anger still fresh in his heart, the pain of losing her still raw. He would not surrender until he had killed the last of the hunter’s line and protected his people.

The woman stepped forwards and his attention was back with her. The second his gaze locked with hers, the darkness inside him receded, washed away by the light in her eyes and her beauty. He had thought of nothing but the hunt for four hundred years, had closed himself off to society and focused on his duty, but the woman before him stole his attention away from it so easily. It drifted to the back of his mind with the darkness, unknown to him in this moment while her eyes held his. She wasn’t afraid of him. She had fought him without fear, and with strength and skill that he had never expected to find in a female. She enthralled him.

Looking into her eyes, Aleksandr realised something dreadful. He was too close to the edge. The feelings she evoked in him were ones he had long forgotten existed. It was strange to feel warmed inside by happiness to have met her, desire to make her belong to him, and hunger for the feel of her bare body against his. He had not felt such positive emotions in decades.

He was losing himself.

“Follow me,” the woman said and he did, using her as a distraction from his dark thoughts.

She was young. He placed her at barely over two hundred years old, her appearance somewhat of a human in their mid-twenties. She was at least six inches shorter than him, and slender. Her strength had surprised him because of those facts alone. Young females were often weak and needed protection. She had strong blood in her veins.

Aleksandr ran a hand over his matted long dark hair and then rubbed the several months’ worth of beard on his face. What did he look like? He felt like a mess now, both inside and out. She had definitely caught him at his worst. If he had looked as he had back in his days at court, he was sure she would be looking at him differently.

He was sure that she would recognise him for who he was.

She walked swiftly ahead of him, not once looking back to check if he was still there. She had mastered her senses then. He could feel them fixed on him. How strong were they? He had honed his to perfection through years of training and hunting, but he hadn’t sensed her approach. He had been too lost in the darkness.

His gaze slid down to her small backside and the way it moved as she walked mesmerised him.

He hadn’t really wanted to meet her master, but saying that he did seemed like the easiest way of remaining near to her.

Aleksandr lost track of how long they had been walking. He looked up when he sensed the presence of more vampires. Black wrought iron gates punctuated an endless grey stone wall ahead. Beyond them stood the extensive bleak façade of a mansion. Light emanated from many of the rectangular windows marking the three storeys, at least on the left side. On the right, they were mostly dark hollows. Two male guards at the gate saluted the woman and then eyed him with suspicion as he passed through.

Who was his escort? She was strong, spirited, and these men ranked lower. If she weren’t dressed as a guard, Aleksandr would have placed her as a lady of the bloodline. A female guard. He still couldn’t quite comprehend it.

He followed her up the gravel drive to the house, walking on the left side of the wide expanse of frosty grass that stretched into the distance in both directions. It was a habit of his to mask his footfalls. It had saved his life more than once. The long grey stone front of the mansion was imposing and cold even in the moonlight. The size of it told Aleksandr that this bloodline held the power in the city, or they were the only one resident.

They crossed the large parking area in front of the house, passing a fleet of identical black Mercedes-Benz limousines. This bloodline was definitely doing well for itself. Judging by the fact that the woman had been in the city whilst wearing her uniform, it had to be masquerading as a military school of some sort. Many bloodlines bought privacy from the local government by donating large sums of money and setting up such a front. The humans never questioned them. It had been the easiest way to keep their species secret for many centuries. At least some things hadn’t changed since he had left society.

The moment she entered the house, Aleksandr’s attention was back with her. She hurriedly smoothed her warm chestnut hair back into the tight knot, fixing her appearance. In his opinion, she didn’t need to fix it at all. The slight wanton edge her messy hair gave her was alluring to say the least. His gaze drifted to her throat and he frowned when he spotted her bloodline’s mark on the back of her neck. It was an elaborate black ink crest with a stag incorporated into the design.

Černý.

They passed another pair of male guards and Aleksandr glanced at the back of their necks. The mark was visible above the collar of their short black jackets. A strong bloodline.

He had forgotten who ruled Prague. Perhaps they would be able to help him after all and his coming to their master would prove beneficial in more than one way.

His grey eyes slid back to the woman. She looked over her shoulder at him, her aquamarine eyes briefly fixing on his before she turned away again.

Aleksandr quickened his pace and fell into step beside her. She glanced at him again and then looked forwards. His gaze remained on her as they walked along the elegant gallery at the front of the house, heading towards the lit area he had seen on the left of the building. She had soft features—youthful and graceful. Her oval face, pale skin, and rosy lips set his heart racing again, quick enough that it almost matched a human heart rate. A flicker of a frown wrinkled her brow and her eyes darted to him and then away. He steadied his heart, aware that she could hear the effect she had on him. Her heart was beating at a restful pace, a soothing patter in his mind.

She moved ahead, entering a large red drawing room. The vampires relaxing in it were powerful but none of them were stronger than he was. He carried on without glancing in any of their directions, following his temptress. She turned right in the room, heading towards a guarded set of dark wooden doors. When she reached them, she faced him, her expression stern.

“Wait here,” she said and the guards stationed on either side of the doors opened them for her.

Aleksandr lowered his black holdall from his shoulder. The two dark-haired male guards eyed him. He smiled but it didn’t relieve the tension. It only made it worse. The one on his left cast a glance over him and Aleksandr was thankful that his long coat hid his dagger from view. The female’s voice drifted through the open doors to him and he looked at her. She stood in the middle of a dark green room, the back of a gilt-framed green velvet couch in front of her. A male spoke to her in Czech, his voice a lazy drawl.

Tired of waiting, Aleksandr walked into the room, his knee-high boots heavy on the polished wooden floor. The woman’s blade was at his throat again in the space of a breath. Aleksandr halted and looked at the man her body had shielded from view.

He was young to be leading a bloodline, only in his late twenties in terms of appearance, meaning he was little more than four hundred. He would have been born around the time that Aleksandr had begun his hunt.

The man leaned back into the green couch opposite the one near to Aleksandr and the woman and crossed his long black-clad legs. He smiled without any trace of charm or meaning and preened his short sandy hair back.

“This man desires an audience with you, Master,” the woman said and Aleksandr glanced down into her clear blue eyes. She looked away, towards the leader of her bloodline.

“Then allow him to introduce himself so I may know with whom I speak,” the master said in English.

Aleksandr was familiar with both English and Czech. He had understood everything the master had said to the woman. He wasn’t interested in guests and wanted him gone. His opinion would change once he knew who Aleksandr was. It always did.

Aleksandr’s gaze met the guard’s again, holding it for long minutes. Whenever he set eyes on her, he was struck by her beauty as though it was the first time he had witnessed it. He willingly accepted her blade against his throat because it meant she was near him. Soon she would be this close to him without a weapon. He was sure of it. He would ask for sanctuary and the master would grant it. It would give him time to clean up his appearance and then he would start a new hunt. One for this woman.

His gaze slid across to the master and locked with his hazel one, silently showing the younger vampire that he wasn’t the most powerful in the room by a long shot.

“I am Aleksandr Nemov,” he said in a calm measured tone.

The female’s shock rippled through the knife at his throat, which was gone an instant later. She stepped back.

“You will not mind me requesting proof of that claim,” the master said.

Aleksandr smiled behind his beard. It was to be expected. He had been absent from society so long that many probably thought him dead.

With a flourish, he unsheathed and presented his bloodstained dagger. The curved silver blade caught the warm light of the fireplace to the left of the couches. That same light made the gold handle shine brightly. Only a Nemov carried such a weapon, and it had been given to him at birth, inscribed with his name so those who died by it knew who had taken their life. When the man nodded, he sheathed the blade and took hold of his black shirt above his right hip. He pulled it free of his trousers and revealed the mark he bore there on his pale skin.

The mark of royalty.

The woman’s eyes widened, fixed on the crescent moon on the shield of his bloodline.

Aleksandr lowered his shirt and she slowly raised her eyes to his. She blinked, fumbled with her own knife, and then looked away. The shy sparkle in her blue eyes added to her beauty and his desire for her, momentarily stealing his attention away from the other occupant in the room.

“You will stay a while with my bloodline. It would do us great honour.” The master stood and crossed the room to Aleksandr.

The woman stepped to one side, her eyes still downcast.

The master grinned and held his hand out. “I am Ladislav Černý, and I welcome you to my home. I hope you will be able to enjoy our hospitality for a long time.”

Aleksandr shook his hand. Ladislav was young but wise enough to see a way to gain more power when it was standing in front of him. Being favourable to a royal would grant him more leeway with the law and more privileges in court. It was a shame then that Aleksandr had long since surrendered such authority. No matter how many times he reminded society that he was no longer royalty, it still insisted on treating him that way. In this sort of situation, he usually reminded them that he had given up his title, but this time he couldn’t bring himself to mention it. He wanted to remain here and pursue the woman, and for that reason alone, he would tolerate Ladislav’s mistake.

“We will hold a ball tonight to celebrate,” Ladislav said, his English thickly accented.

This man was no fool. He would serve Aleksandr well. His gaze slid back to the woman. Her eyes were on him again but darted away when his met them. How well would she serve him?

“Then I will need to freshen up.” Aleksandr removed his hand from Ladislav’s grip.

“Any room in the guest wing you desire, and I will arrange whatever you need.” Ladislav motioned to the woman. Her expression blackened for a moment, as though escorting a guest was beneath her, and then she saluted.

Aleksandr picked up his bag and smiled at the woman. She answered it with a frown and then walked out of the room. His smile widened and his gaze raked over her.

She was going to be an interesting hunt.

But he would be the victor.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the excerpt and fingers crossed that it wins! I would be over the moon if that happened.