Michelle M. Pillow's Blog, page 67
July 22, 2013
King of the Unblessed – Just Re-released
July 2013
Hello Readers,
Hope you’re having a wonderful summer. Since I’m busy writing, I’m going to make this newsletter short and sweet. I wanted to tell you all about a re-release that just came out last night.
As always, I love hearing from you, so please feel free to email with questions/comments 
Happy Reading!
Michelle
www.michellepillow.com
Realm Immortal Book One
King of the Unblessed by Michelle M. Pillow
Fantasy Romance
Immortality has a way of changing fate.
The choice is simple: go with him or die.
Merrick, dark elfin King of Valdis, had once been heir to all that was good–happiness and pleasure his domain. Now, trapped as the ruler of mischief, king of necessary evil, he stands on a precipice of choice. On one side, his estranged brother, now ruler of what should have been Merrick’s, and on the other, King Lucien of the Damned. Both would sway him. Damnation is winning.
Lady Juliana of Bellemare is from a human family, protected by the Blessed, coveted by the Damned. Betrothed to an old friend of her father’s, Juliana is resigned to living out her days close to her childhood home, longing for an adventure, never dreaming she’d get what she wished for. When her fiancé is murdered and the children of Bellemare are stolen, Juliana is sent on a quest in a strange realm where appearances are deceiving.
Merrick brings more adventure and passion than any woman could want. Can she withstand the temptations of the Unblessed king? The spell she weaves over him is more than he can resist and, desperate to be the one to rule her, Merrick offers her a choice; either come with him until he tires of her…or die.
Warning: This book contains hot sex, violence, trickster goblins, overly helpful sprights, a king of necessary evil who lives to get his way and a woman who would dare to deny him.
BUY LINKS
All Romance Ebooks
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-kingoftheunblessedrealmimmortal-1247133-143.html
Smashwords
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/339436
Non-US links:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00E3C2L8A
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00E3C2L8A
https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00E3C2L8A
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00E3C2L8A
https://www.amazon.it/dp/B00E3C2L8A
https://www.amazon.es/dp/B00E3C2L8A
https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B00E3C2L8A
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00E3C2L8A
July 17, 2013
Excerpt: Cupid’s Favor by Michelle M Pillow
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Cupid’s Favor by Michelle M Pillow
Naughty Cupid Series Book 3
Paranormal Historical Romance
‘Beware of trolls bearing favors’
When Lord Malak saves him from a sandpit, Cupid is honor bound to settle the lifedebt or risk being called upon later–even if the lycan noble insists he doesn’t want any reward for the deed. Simply breeding the man’s goats isn’t enough to repay such a price. No, for this he needs something more. Knowing the perfect gift to be revenge, Cupid delivers the one thing that seems to aggravate Lord Malak the most–Lady Sophia.
After being kidnapped and drugged by the horrid troll, Cupid, Lady Sophia just wants to go home–to a place where magic doesn’t exist and there’s no chance of being eaten by a dragon. But most of all, she wants to be rid of her escort, Lord Malak. The charming lycan swore to protect her and see her safely home, but it seems fate and a little troll have other plans.
Rating: Contains graphic sexual content, adult language, and violence.
http://ravenhappyhour.com/Cupids_Favo...
EXCERPT
Prologue
Bah! Accursed luck!
Cupid brushed sand off his arms, mumbling to himself. He frowned, not liking what he had to do, but a debt was a debt. His beady, black eyes flashed with an inner fire. He might be many things, but a troll who reneged on a life debt wasn’t one of them.
Lord Malak had pulled him from the quicksand and saved his life. Now Cupid owed him a great favor in return, even if the lycan noble insisted he didn’t want it. If Cupid didn’t give it to him now, he knew that someday Malak could come back to call upon him, and that was something he refused to accept. It was bad enough he’d be forced to help a lycan, but to be in Malak’s debt? No, that would be worse.
So, what to do? No small feat would repay a life debt. He couldn’t simply breed Malak’s goats for this one. He needed something big. He needed something grand.
Love?
Cupid nearly gagged as the thought popped into his head. He hit himself on the ear to get it out. A gooey clump of sand fell out instead. Love? Why in all the realms would he think of love? He hated love! He hated the way people looked while they were in it. The way they talked, acted, swooned.
Bah! Ach!
Cupid hacked, spitting sand on the ground. The grains were everywhere, rubbing into every crease, chaffing his flesh. Worst of all, the sinkhole had cleaned him of his most glorious stench. He hadn’t bathed in decades. It would take him forever to get that smell back.
Damn King Larus for throwing him in and Lord Ilar for letting him! So what if the two were bitter about what he’d done to them? The trolls still teased him about helping Lord Ilar and Lady Rhiannon fall in love, and now he’d be teased for King Larus and Lady Mina as well. Could he really allow another blemish to surface on his name?
Bah! No!
No, love was no way to repay a debt to the lycan who saved his life. Ah, but hate. Now there was a real idea. Hate was much better than love. Hate made your blood boil and your heart race. It made you feel alive and gave you purpose. Aye, hate! He’d just have to watch Lord Malak very closely and figure out whom he hated the most. Then, Cupid would bring that creature before Lord Malak to destroy.
Hate. Cupid rubbed his gnarled, wrinkled hands together. A smile spread over his flat, wide lips. Now this was a good idea. Besides, what better way to squelch his undeserved reputation as a matchmaker?
Chapter One
Lycaon Castle, Realm of Magic, 1407 AD
“Lady Sophia.”
Lady Sophia of Aucester looked at the guard, feeling nauseous. He was very tan with dark hair and eyes, and was smaller of build than some of his brethren. His words were a low growl as he said her name, causing her to shiver in revulsion. All the lycans’ words were a low growl. It was as if they were all just on the brink of attacking.
But, it wasn’t only the way the lycans talked that bothered her. They dressed indecently in draping tunics that fell to the tops of their knees. Like the guard before her in the large square piece of brown material that wrapped the waist and was held over one shoulder with a brooch, leaving his muscular calves, arms and a shoulder bare. On his feet were a pair of short boots with leather cross lacing winding up his legs. Even the lycan women wore a floor length version of the garb. There was no mistaking the fact that they could part from their clothing at a moment’s notice.
Even though the man looked human, Sophia knew he wasn’t. He was a lycan, a man-beast, a nieten. It didn’t matter what word she used, they all meant the same thing–men who shifted into horrible, unholy wolves. They were magical creatures in a magical realm. She hated them, hated the realm of immortals and magic. She just wanted to go home to her human world, where men stayed men and animals were hunted for food.
Sophia couldn’t help being bitter. A horrible little troll named Cupid had kidnapped her and her sister, Mina, and brought her to the realm of all things magical. At first glance this realm wasn’t so different from the human world, from her home in Wessex. The landscape was the same, though the sky was a little too purple and the trees were a little too red.
Sophia looked around Lycaon Castle’s inner courtyard. The castle was a lot different than her dilapidated home. Lycaon was a grand palace, rich and fine. The battlements circled around the bailey, disappearing in the distance. Square turrets were built in intervals along the outer face, standing tall as lookout towers. A stone house encased the gated entrance. The gate was up so people could walk through it freely. If she were in her world, she would’ve killed for a chance to live in such a place. It wasn’t as if she had a lot to go back to. Since her father had been murdered for going against his king, she and her sister had been left to ruin.
The lycan palace might look undaunting, but the people of this realm were another matter altogether. The lycans were beasts. Their castle might be nice, but it couldn’t hide the primitives dwelling within the walls. Every time she saw one of them she shook with fright and if they came too close, she had to suppress tears of desperation and outrage at what had been done to her.
“Tal,” Lady Rhiannon acknowledged the guard when Sophia did not. She blinked, realizing the beast man still stood before her, staring as if he would like nothing more than to devour her whole.
Their hostess, Lady Rhiannon, was human. She’d been enchanted by Cupid and brought to the Magic Realm before Sophia and Mina’s kidnapping. Rhiannon’s enchantment was said to have brought all the lycan men howling to their knees in desire for her. Lucky, or unluckily to Sophia’s thinking, Rhiannon had fallen in love with the very lycan she was meant to punish. Lord Ilar, Commander of the Lycan Guard had mated to Rhiannon and they were now living happily ever after.
Sophia glanced over at the woman. Rhiannon was beautiful, with long curly blonde hair and blue-grey eyes. She looked so…normal. Sophia didn’t know why the woman chose to stay in this world.
Next to Rhiannon was Sophia’s sister. Mina had been brought to the realm the same time Sophia was. Cupid, seeking to avenge himself against the lycan king, had kidnapped them. It was a fact Sophia was still bitter about. When Cupid took Rhiannon, he enchanted the lycans to pursue her. When he took Sophia and her sister, Cupid did the opposite. He struck Larus with a magical love dart and Sophia had fallen hopelessly in love with the king. Mina had been unaffected by the whole affair–unless you counted the fact that she’d had sex with the lycan king and was now lovesick over him.
Sophia wished she would’ve been as lucky as the other two as to have kept her wits about her. But, no. She’d been utterly in love with King Larus, mindless and blind to anything else, until every breath she took was for him. Then, to make matters worse, she was kidnapped by a vampire named Devlin and had fallen in love with him as well, mesmerized by his powerful, magical eyes to do so.
Sophia shivered. Twice she’d been in love, neither time her will or her doing. After the enchantment ended, she was left heartbroken. She swore that there would never be a third time. No man would ever touch her heart again.
All three human women were seated on a bench trying to enjoy the afternoon weather–that was until the lycan guard tried to talk to them. All simple pleasures in the day had fled with his presence.
Both sisters were dressed as Rhiannon, who’d adopted the look of the lycans. The undertunic, meant to protect the women’s delicate human skin, was the only difference to the lycans’ garb. The sleeved undertunics were much like the ones they wore back home, but the long rectangle of the overdress was like the female lycans. It loosely wound around the body, pinning at the shoulder. Though Sophia would never admit to it, the gown was comfortable.
Sighing, Sophia turned to look at her sister. Mina could well have been her twin, though she was a few years older and had locks as black as night instead of her own golden waves. Their faces were nearly identical, down to the shape of their pale blue eyes and the tilt of their noses. They were the same height and the same slender build, and even shared the same fullness of lips that had garnered the interest of many men. The men who’d wanted to marry them before their father had been executed by King Henry now wanted the sisters to be their whores.
Sophia frowned. Was she a fool to long to go back to the human world? It wasn’t like it had been kind to her. Lycan or mortal, all men were the same. Rutting pigs. The only reason she preferred mortals was they didn’t possess the added threat of magic and fangs.
“We’d like to tournament to be Lady Sophia’s lover,” Tal stated, bringing her attention back to him. Sophia gagged, unable to help the natural reflex. Mina instantly put a protective hand on her arm. Rhiannon’s smile faded.
“No,” Sophia croaked, pushing to her feet. The sooner she left Lycaon the better.
“But…?” Tal looked confused. His eyes bore into her and Sophia couldn’t meet them, didn’t want to. He looked at her like all the man-beasts looked at her–like she was a piece of meat ready to be torn apart. Rhiannon had said she could have her pick of any of them for a mate. But Sophia didn’t want the lycan men, didn’t want any man. Tal continued to speak, not taking his greedy eyes off her, “She said she wished to judge for the position. It has been decided. Only those with good teeth will compete.”
Sophia stiffened. They’d heard that? She’d been joking, bitterly spouting off at the mouth to shock Mina who’d slept with the lycan king. Mina was enamored with King Larus. Any fool could see it well enough. The idea that her sister had fornicated with the man just made her sick.
Sophia saw the man eyeing her and tried to remember what exactly she’d said. She was pretty sure it had something to do with choosing a lover like she would a good stallion–good teeth, decent bloodline, a fine gait and superior form. Someone wild and strong, but also someone she could bend to her will. Then, when she controlled them, she’d get herself a new one.
It might have been a joke, but the idea had merit. Men used their bodies all the time in battle and for what? Fortune? Glory? Power? Why should she not use her body to survive? At least then it would be on her own terms. Only, it wouldn’t be with a lycan but a human. None of these man-beasts were going to touch her!
“Come Sophia, let’s go,” Mina said.
Sophia nodded in agreement. As they walked away, Sophia heard Tal say, “Did she not say she wished to pick one out?”
“It’s, ah, flattering they wish to tournament for you,” Mina said when they were alone.
“To be their whore.” Sophia walked toward the stairs that led their shared room. She was fed up with it all, tired of being wanted for her body. Mina moved to follow her. Sophia stopped and held up her hand. She needed time alone to collect herself. “No, Mina, let me be alone for a moment.”
© copyright September 2006, Michelle M Pillow
This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.
July 15, 2013
Excerpt: Dragon Lords 1: The Barbarian Prince by Michelle M Pillow
Dragon Lords 1: The Barbarian Prince by Michelle M. Pillow
This might be my second book published, but it is really the one that had defined my career. It is the start of a multi-book series that keeps growing even nearly 10 years later–Dragon Lords. The series has spun off into many directions including the series: Lords of the Var, Space Lords, Zhang Dynasty, and Galaxy Playmates (all with several books in each installment) and it’s far from done. Dragon Lords 6: The Stubborn Lord releases 2013 in ebook and print.
If you’re new to my work, this series is by far a reader favorite. And, since I love reading things in order, instead of excerpting book 6, I’ll start you off with book 1.
Dragon Lords 1: The Barbarian Prince
Futuristic Romance
Breaking up was never so hard…
Going undercover at Galaxy Brides as one of the prospective mates to these Viking-like barbarians, Morrigan has no intention of getting chosen to stay. But when Ualan of the Draig picks her to be his wife with the aid of his mystically glowing crystal, it is all she can do to say no.
Waking up from a drug-induced night of torturous and unfulfilling pleasures, Morrigan discovers her spaceship has left without her and Ualan is claiming she is his wife. It’s not exactly the story this reporter had in mind. And to make matters worse, Ualan refuses to take no for an answer.
Being cursed by the Gods was never so frustrating…
Prince Ualan is like all others of his race on the male dominated planet of Qurilixen. He is raised to trust the mystic powers around him and when it comes time to marry, he is ready to follow those powers to choose his life mate. When the stubborn, yet achingly beautiful, Morrigan refuses to accept their shared fate and his supreme authority over her, it is all he can do not to break her lovely neck.
Rating: Contains graphic sexual content, adult language, and violence.
Chapter One EXCERPT
Must be 18 years and older to read. If not, please stop reading.
Chapter One
Wanted: Galaxy Brides Corporation seeking 46 fertile, able-bodied Earth females of early childbearing years and A5+ health status for marriage to strong, healthy Qurilixian males at their annual Breeding Festival. Possibility of royal attendance. Must be eager bed-partners, hard workers. Virginity a plus. Apply with A5 health documents, travel papers, and IQ screen to: Galaxy Brides, Phantom Level 6, X Quadrant, Earthbase 5792461.
The idea had been simple. Uncover illegal virgin trading practices by Galaxy Brides. For years it had been rumored that Galaxy Brides used outlawed medic units to restore women’s virginity. Virgins meant more trade with the numerous barbaric, male-populated, humanoid planets eager for fresh, young Earth brides. If the story broke, it would be huge. It was just the sort of thing to make a star reporter’s career. It was just the thing to bring down evil breeding corporations that sold women to the highest bidder.
Morrigan Blake was just such a reporter–or so she thought. However, the medic units where such procedures took place were nearly impossible to find since they looked like any other medic unit. It would take a series of diagnostic tests to reveal the chip sequencing necessary for virginity replacement. She would just have to get the women to talk to her, which hadn’t been easy either. The brides were being compensated well for their participation.
All right, thought Morrigan wryly, as she stared absently at her bare feet in the pedicure basin. Breeding corporations aren’t exactly evil and virginity replacement isn’t illegal in all quadrants.
The small metallic hands of the beauty droid worked frantically at her toes, as another pulled her dark hair into a traditional Qurilixian upsweep. Curls were left to hang down her back in long, thick waves. The droid had used a hair extender to get her normally short locks to grow. The weight was heavy on her neck and hard to get used to.
Morrigan was in the spaceship’s expansive beauty parlor with the rest of the prospective brides getting ready for the official docking later that evening. They had spent the last month being pampered and primped for tonight. Looking down at her legs, Morrigan gave a half smile. If nothing else, the trip had given her a lot of free benefits–permanent hair removal, a body enhancing lift, and time to contemplate the perfect color for her toenails.
Galaxy Red number one or Galaxy Red number two? Okay, she was definitely getting bored.
According to her editor, she was to do a soft, romantic piece on the four Qurilixian Princes and their possible attendance at the festival. It had been sixty years since royalty attended a festival in search of a bride, and women on earth were always eager to devour details of far off royal romances and intrigue.
The last piece she did on the Lophibian royal wedding had boosted newspaper chip sales nearly forty percent and the Lophibian were a slime-dwelling species covered in scales. She had spent four months in the swamplands covered in bluish-green goo. Though the tinting effect it had on her hair had been lovely, Morrigan would not relive that trip for the world.
This was definitely a better assignment. If she could uncover a scandal and interview at least one of the four Princes, she could get two stories from one trip. Not to mention, she would be in for a huge promotion and pay raise. Plus, it did help that the men were rumored to be healthy, virile specimens and would photograph particularly well. Cute men sold chips.
It wouldn’t be easy. There were no known pictures of the men on file and they were notorious for not giving interviews, especially about their private festivals. Oh, if she could pull this off! Maybe then she could get that vacation back to her own apartment she so badly deserved. She wondered if she remembered where exactly her apartment was.
“What about you, Rigan? Have you finished your Qurilixian etiquette uploads?” asked a nearby woman from her beauty seat. Her voice was soft and polite, matching her kind blue eyes. Her light brown hair whirled around her head in a frenzy caused by six robot hands. She was very careful not to move.
Morrigan turned at the sound of her name and gave Nadja a light smile. No one on the ship knew who she really was. They all thought her to be another excited bride in search of virile, warrior males Qurilixen was rumored to produce. To be chosen was an honor, or so the other women claimed. Morrigan’s thoughts, on the other hand, went to a meat market, and they were the prime cut.
“Didn’t you know?” laughed Gena next to Nadja. Her red hair was finished and her beauty droid was placing the customary short veil over the curly auburn locks. “Rigan finished her Qurilixian uploads first. It would seem she is most eager to please her new husband.”
“Or to be pleased by him,” added someone from across the circular room.
Morrigan closed her eyes, ignoring the abrasive women. Honestly, she didn’t understand them. Sure, some of them were nice enough and even seemed intelligent and from a well educated background– like the softly spoken Nadja. But why in the galaxy someone would subject themselves to this trade was beyond her.
Being alone wasn’t so bad. She had no one to answer to, except her boss, Gus. He never bothered her unless she was late with a story. She called her own shots, made her own deals. She never had to bother with a guy looking over her shoulder asking when she would be back from her assignment. Or deal with the jealousy that would inevitably come from a mission like this.
Though, mused Morrigan, forever trying to see all sides of a story though she wasn’t always successful in doing so, it would be nice to have someone to talk to on late nights. Someone to rub my feet when they are sore. Someone to … She smiled. Hey, I’ll just take this beauty droid home with me.
“I wish I could be so ambitious. I’m afraid I didn’t watch a single one of those boring uploads.”
Morrigan couldn’t tell who was talking since her eyes were closed. She hoped the others would think she napped so she didn’t have to join in the nervous banter. She was afraid her excitement would be transparent. She was, after all, close to a big paycheck.
Morrigan had spent most of the first week on the ship’s computer uploading Qurilixen facts into her brain. The rush of information had given her a wicked migraine, but it was well worth it since it freed up the rest of the trip for work. Already she had written, and transmitted, the beginning of her soft romance piece.
For weeks, her head had swum with too many of the planet’s facts. It was on the outer edge of the Y quadrant, inhabited by primitive males similar to Viking clans of Medieval Earth. The Qurilixian worshipped many Gods, favored natural comforts to modern technical conveniences, and actually preferred to cook their own food without the aid of a simulator. They were classified as a warrior class, though they had been peaceful for nearly a century–aside from petty territorial skirmishes that broke out every fifteen or so years between a few of the rival houses.
The information she hadn’t uploaded was mostly concerned with the wedding ceremony itself and a bit about the culture and law. She doubted the wedding was any different from the other formal ceremonies on the planet. Morrigan didn’t plan on getting married while she was there, but hopefully she could see a ceremony and get some pictures. Whatever tidbits she couldn’t pick up along the way, she could upload into her brain on the trip home.
Morrigan smiled wryly to herself. She was definitely going to be one of the ‘unlucky’ losers who got a free trip back. Hadn’t the corporation already warned that not all the brides would be chosen?
“I tried on my gown this afternoon,” said Gena, unintentionally breaking into Morrigan’s thoughts. She pushed up her generous chest beneath the robe. “They are gorgeous, but I think I am going to go get my breasts enhanced again–just a little bigger–and I’m going to have my nipples enlarged. Those Princes won’t be able to resist me. Maybe I’ll marry all four of them, just for fun.”
“How will you know who the Princes are?” asked a blonde from across the room. Morrigan buried her laugh behind her folded hand at the cynical words, recognizing Pia. Now, strangely, this seemed to be a woman who shared her uninterested views on marriage. “I’ve heard that all the men wear disguises. You could end up with a royal guard.”
“Or a gardener,” offered a brunette with a laugh.
“I hear they wear practically nothing at all,” added a woman with flaming red hair and sparkling green eyes the color of emeralds. “Except the mask and some fur.”
“You can’t miss royalty,” Gena said boldly with a kittenish smile of excitement. “You’ll see it in the way they move.”
Morrigan stood as her droid finished. She looked down at her own enhanced breasts showing from the gap in her white robe. They were a size larger than she was used to. It had been part of the company’s complimentary beauty enhancement services for their part in the trip. They were real, just genetically altered for perfection. At first, she didn’t like them. But, as she got used to the weight, she found they actually filled in her clothing quite nicely. She just hoped none of the men back at the office took too much notice.
Their spacecraft was outfitted with the best accommodations and services the star system had to offer. Personal droids were assigned to each passenger, and cooking units in each of their quarters could materialize almost any culinary delight, without straying from the strict mineral diets the corporation had them on. Even the doctor was mechanical.
The only company the women had been allowed the last month of travel had been each other. They were quarantined, to insure nothing unseemly happened, in what was affectionately referred to as the harem. The only communication with the ship’s crew was by video relay. The brides were valuable merchandise. The quarantine had provided for a very anxious, catlike atmosphere between the competing women. Morrigan frowned. She was in apparent need of some company with testosterone.
As the other droids finished, the prospective brides began to slowly make their way back to their personal quarters to dress. Nervous excitement infectiously buzzed through the air as they tried their best to look unconcerned. Ignoring them all, Morrigan slipped her ID card from her pocket and slid it past the laser sensor to open her door.
Once alone, she sighed as she made her way past the array of machines and blinking sensors that illuminated different parts of the room as her presence registered. With a small, absentminded command from Morrigan, music played softly in the background. She retrieved a glass of scotch from the simulator, her customary drink before landing on a new planet. It helped to steady her nerves and to keep her wits about her.
Slowly, she went to an oval window full of sparkling stars. In the distance she could see the reddish-brown surface of the small planet of Qurilixen. Lifting the glass to the orb, she muttered, “Cheers.”
She sighed at the burn as the drink slid down her throat. Then, reaching behind the curl of the window’s metal ledge, Morrigan pulled out a hidden container. She pushed the oval button on top, causing the lid to slide open.
Glancing around to make sure her droid was not in the room, she slid a clear recording disc onto her finger and stuck it into her eye. She blinked several times to get it into place before slipping a ring onto her pinkie finger. The sparkling emerald stone glittered in the mock firelight coming from the ship’s fake fireplace.
The journey was nearly over and no one had said anything about the virginity conspiracy. She hated to admit it, but there just might not be a story at all. The rumors were vague at best. But Morrigan knew from living with the other women for a month, just which ones would be experienced in the way of men. She would just have to wait for the marriages to be complete before seeing who was proclaimed pure. Then she would have her story and, hopefully, she would be able to prove it.
* * * *
The docking door of the ship hid the Qurilixian men from view, but the woman could hear the music and laughter just beyond the hatch. Dusk was setting on the normally sunny planet, marking the beginning of the one dark night of festival. Normally, a soft green haze of light plagued the planet’s surface.
Qurilixen had three suns–two yellow and one blue–and one moon, which made for a peculiarly bright planet. The green leaves of the planet’s foliage were overlarge due to the excessive heat and moisture they received. The trees towered high above the planet’s surface, like overgrown redwoods. Some of their trunks were as large around as the houses back on Earth.
The brides waited, single file, in the corridor leading out of the ship’s port. Their bodies were covered in the fine gauze and silk of the traditional Qurilixian gowns. The slinky material stirred against the skin when they moved, hugging tight over the hips and flaring out around the legs in thin strips. Soft silk shoes encased their feet.
Morrigan looked down over her nearly exposed body and gave a wry smile. Since this was undoubtedly a male planet, men had assuredly designed these outfits. The gowns fell low over the breasts to reveal a generous cleavage. A belt of sorts went across their backs. But, instead of looping in the front, they continued to the sides, holding the wrists low like silken chains, and winding half way up the arm to lock over the elbows. The women couldn’t lift their arms over their heads.
Qurilixian women were rare due to the blue radiation the planet suffered from. Over the generations it had altered the men’s genetics to produce only strong, large male, warrior heirs. Maybe once in a thousand births was a Qurilixian female born. In the old days, they had used portals to snatch brides from their homes, bringing them back to their planet. There were even rumors that their species originated on Earth, but there was no proof.
The fact that they had no women of their own was why the services of corporations like Galaxy Brides were so invaluable to them. In return, the Qurilixian would mine valuable metal that was only found in their caves. The metal was a great power source for long-voyaging starships, all but useless to the Qurilixian who preferred living as simply as possible. They were not known as explorers.
Sensing the line was about to move, Morrigan looked forward and pressed the emerald on her finger two times to take a quick picture of the waiting women for her article. The recorder in her eye blinked black, signifying it was working. Later, she would be able to download the images.
Outside the ship, she could see the soft glow of crackling firelight from a giant bonfire pit. The smell of burning wood mingled with nature’s exotic perfume. The Qurilixian moon overhead was large and bright, the biggest moon she had ever seen standing on a planet’s surface. The bonfire flames lapped at the starry night, sending sparks into the cool air. She could not see into the distance, she noticed, and only got a vague impression of a mountain.
Morrigan stepped forward and the cheers of rowdy men on the festival ground washed over her. Morrigan blushed despite herself, feeling almost naked in her ‘sacrificial’ attire.
The grounds were set up with large pyramid tents. Torches lit dim earthen pathways. Ribbons and banners floated on the breeze in many brilliant colors. Near the back, the married men sat in throne-like chairs with their wives firmly upon their laps. Morrigan was happy to discover that her information so far seemed correct. By their long hair and tunic style clothing, they appeared very much like the Vikings. The married women could be heard laughing as they watched the spectacle of those barbarians too young to participate in this year’s festival shout and pose for the prospective brides.
Morrigan swallowed nervously. Some of the women in front of her modeled before the watching crowd. She had the sudden urge to walk around them in an attempt to avoid the direct stage the docking platform had become. Dealing with slime-dwelling slugs was one thing–but humanoids? And not just any humanoids–strong, virile, women-starved, healthy, male humanoids. At the last minute, she remembered to snap a picture of the married couples and of the campgrounds.
“Oh, my!” exclaimed Gena in a breathless murmur, leaning forward to peer over Morrigan’s shoulder. “Do you see them, Rigan? With men like that, who cares if you marry the gardener?”
Morrigan followed the woman’s eyes, curiously looking down the docking plank to the ground. The bachelors, standing below them, were indeed handsome. Although those behind the men laughed and a few continued to pose their muscles, the true bachelors held perfectly still. Their bronzed bodies were like statues, with only their lungs expanding and contracting to show they lived.
Morrigan wanted to run back inside. Her feet refused to move. That was until Gena gave her an eager shove to get her descending down the plank.
The Qurilixian males were every inch the proud warrior class they were rumored to be, some even seemed to tower nearly seven feet tall in height. Fur loincloths wrapped around their fit waists to leave bare their muscular legs and chests. The fire glistened off their smooth, oiled skin. Golden bands of intricate design clasped around sinewy biceps. From their solid necks hung crystals bound with leather straps.
Morrigan’s heart began to pound, partly in fear and partly in excitement. The sexual tension on the ship had been potent for the last month. Until that moment, Morrigan had been able to resist its lurid pull. But there was something to being at the campground–something erotic in its smell of burning wood and its rustic, yet colorful, sights. Music played, primal and earthy in the background, hypnotic, enticing, gyrating in its rhythms.
Black leather masks covered the men’s faces, hiding them from forehead to upper lip. Their lustful eyes shone bright from the eye slits, like liquid metal, or was it her imagination? Morrigan didn’t know.
Captured by a spell, she suddenly realized she was walking down an aisle made up of hot flesh on each side. They were so tall that the crowd behind them disappeared from view. She glanced to one side and then the other. Her heart continued to pound. Blood rushed inside her ears, deafening her.
Somehow, her feet managed to keep moving, propelling her forward in line. The watching crowd had gotten quiet as the bachelors studied the women, concentrating on them with their serious eyes and harshly pressed lips. Then her heart–and time–stopped. Her breath caught in her throat at meeting a solid blue gaze beneath a mask. The man’s eyes narrowed and a slow, leisurely smile commanded her attention to his lips. The crystal about his neck began to pulse and glow with a white light.
Morrigan felt the cool night breeze caress the tops of her breasts, as real as a hand against her skin. Chills worked their way over her bare throat and face. Her short, blue veil fluttered over her dark locks. Her hand lifted without her commanding it to, as if to reach out. It was held back by the silk shackles of her belt.
Blinking slowly, the man nodded at her in greeting. She turned her head to watch as she passed by him. His smile dropped from his features, replaced by passionate intent and electrifying promises. Morrigan shivered as her heart began to race anew.
As she moved forward through the remaining line of men, she looked around. The others were handsome, but none caught her notice or returned her gaze for very long. And none were as spellbinding as the man with the radiant blue eyes had been. She wondered at the curious feeling in her veins each time she thought of it. She wanted to look back, but her neck refused to turn. He was so like all the others and yet somehow different.
Making her way to a raised platform laden with a gigantic feast, Morrigan forgot all about the emerald on her finger and her newspaper assignment.
BUY LINK
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June 12, 2013
Raven Author: Excerpt: The Enchantress by Mandy M Roth
The Enchantress by Mandy M Roth
Daughter of Darkness 2
Paranormal Dark Fantasy Vampire Romance
When the Siren calls, the men follow. Led by the song of the Enchantress men will do almost anything, including kill the one they love.
When Caleb is called away to track the Enchantress, Gwen is left in the hands of her new best friends, Caradoc and James. Sick, and alone, Gwen finds herself plagued by bizarre dreams involving Pallo and robed monks. The dreams take on a sexual nature, and when Gwen is left mating with Pallo’s vampire side, she finds out things are not always as they appear.
Rating: This story contains mature situations, paranormal elements, graphic violence, gore, strong language, explicit sex, the loss of child, and a women’s love for multiple men. It is not intended for the faint of heart. Author recommends reading The Gwyneth Stevens Series in order of release.
EXCERPT
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Chapter One
I looked at the giant hole in the ground and stood silent. I’m not sure there is a good word to use when you think that someone’s fallen off the deep edge—in an ‘in love’ kind of way. Pointing it out almost seems cruel, especially when you’re who they are in love with.
I couldn’t believe I’d let Caleb talk me into this. We’d been dating for a couple of months now. It felt more like a lifetime, after all, this wasn’t my first go round with him. I had been betrothed to him over two hundred years ago. Yeah, I know, that definitely takes the prize for the world’s longest engagement.
I stood on the edge of the missing earth and peered into the hole. It was huge. You could easily park at least two cars in it. “I thought you said you were making a tiny Koi pond,” I said, looking down at Caleb. He stood in the bottom of the hole holding a yellow-handled shovel, pitching dirt up and over his head. I watched his muscles harden with each movement he made. His back rippled as the sun glistened off his sweat. This was being done strictly for my benefit and I wasn’t about to start complaining. Although, I would have preferred to have those muscles sweaty and taut above me. He could have dug the hole without any physical labor on his part whatsoever.
Caleb and I are both faeries. I don’t mean faeries in the little pixie type with wings that grant wishes way, or follow boys from Nevernever Land way—I mean faeries as in tall, or at least Caleb was tall, slender, longhaired and pale skinned.
If Caleb had really wanted to, he could have used his magikal power to remove the soil from the ground, and be done in a matter of minutes. No, he had insisted on taking the hard way. He’d been digging the darn hole now for the last two weeks. I knew that he wouldn’t dare risk someone seeing him use magik, even though we were in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t think that a deer on the property would notice a little shift in the wind, or care, but Caleb wasn’t one to take chances. He was conservative by nature and it suited him.
Someone had to balance us out.
I got the feeling that standing shoulder deep in a hole, with a shovel in his hand, made Caleb feel as though he had a purpose. His chosen profession was bounty hunter to the supernatural. If any sort of spook, undead, or out of the ordinary criminal was on the loose, Caleb was the man they called. Bounty hunting is extremely dangerous, but pays well. He loved his job and had been forced to cut his hours back to hang around and baby-sit me.
There had been several attempts on my life a little over two months ago. I’d been attacked by two vicious and smelly trolls. One of the nasty varmints managed to sink its ragged, rotted teeth into my shoulder. Apparently, a troll’s bite is venomous, and packs a hell of punch. It would have killed me if Caleb hadn’t shown up when he did. I was still thinking of starting a campaign to get trolls listed as one of the world’s most deadliest creatures, but that would mean exposing humans to the reality of their existence—no thanks.
Caleb had been tracking the trolls into this realm. He was curious as to why they were coming here at all. They weren’t known for leaving their rat infested swamplands often. When he saw them attacking me, he figured it out real quick. They had been sent to kill me. The acting head of the Fae Sorcha, had ordered my death.
Hey, I could be as much of a pain in the butt as the next gal, but wanting me dead seemed a bit extreme. I am biased, I know, but still.
Turns out Sorcha had her reasons. She wanted to kill me before her son and I could meet. She wanted to make sure that he didn’t end up with me. As far as Sorcha knew, I was just a reborn faerie out to trap her son in a loveless marriage.
Yeah, reborn, I know crazy life, huh! It was a huge shocker for me too. It was still a little hard for me to deal with, and I had found out about two months ago. From what they tell me, I had once lived for over a hundred years on this earth, never looking a day over twenty, and now I was back. The only major difference, physically speaking, was that my eyes had been violet before and now they were navy blue. That was close to two hundred years ago. I know this because I was starting to have more and more memories of that life coming back to me. Not all were pleasant.
Being hunted down by Sorcha’s henchmen threw me for a loop, I had no idea that she even existed, let alone had it in for me. Did I forget to mention that Sorcha is Caleb’s mother? Oops! Sorcha hated me from the day I was betrothed to Caleb. That had not happened in this lifetime, it had happened in the last. Hating someone for close to four hundred years was a long time to hold a grudge. I had to hand it to her, she was persistent. I’m sure that bottling up all that hate for so many centuries was not healthy.
I looked down at Caleb, digging in the hole. I couldn’t figure out how I’d been so lucky to get him. He was a vision of beauty, his six foot four frame was well defined, he was thin, but not too thin, his long shiny-blonde hair hung to his waist. It was smooth and straight. I was so envious of his hair. I had to laugh at the fact that my boyfriend had better hair than me. Don’t get me wrong, I’d been blessed all right, but I unfortunately didn’t get to be a blonde bombshell. Genetics dealt me long wavy hair that was black as night.
Yeah, Caleb was beautiful, a little too beautiful. It didn’t matter–every bit of him was man, you can trust me on that. I know this because we had sex the first day we met. No, I don’t normally run around having sex with strangers, but he wasn’t a stranger. We had been together for a hundred years once, so that had to qualify for something.
“Are you going to be doing that all day?” I asked, missing his touch. He’d been consumed with getting the old farmhouse fixed up. It was his new mission. He was one of those people that always needed to be doing something constructive or they’d go mad. I was the complete opposite. I could sit for hours on a rock, observing the wonders that nature had to offer, and never once feel guilty about it.
Caleb glanced up at me. Dirt was smeared on his forehead and cheek. I snickered, and watched him wipe his dirt stained hand across his cheek, effectively blackening out the side of his face. “I’m sorry. I just want to get this filled with cement, before the weather gets too bad. I’m pushing it enough as it is doing it this late in the year. I want you to have this, Gwen. Let me do this for you, then we can sit out here, listen to the water roll over the rocks and maybe,” he wiggled his eyebrows and gave me a half-cocked smile, “we could do a little something else out here as well.”
How could I argue with that? Caleb’s forest green eyes held such love, I wanted to jump down into the hole and kiss him, but getting out would be an issue for me. Standing at only five foot five made it hard to get in and out of there without the aid of a ladder. He was making it seven foot deep, because the Koi needed it deep to survive the harsh winter. I think he did it just to tease me about how short I am.
When Caleb started to help me fix up my farmhouse, we’d bought a bunch of remodeling books and magazines. We sat together, cuddled in our bed flipping through the pages, picking things out that we liked. I had stopped at a picture of an attractive white home, with a large man-made water garden in front of it. I looked at all of the magnificently colored pond lilies and large multi-colored fish. It seemed so peaceful, so serene. The next day I woke to find Caleb missing from the bed. I went searching for him, and found him out behind the house, digging a hole in the ground. He had the magazine opened to the page with the water garden. My heart melted. He was making this for me.
“Well, do you at least want some lunch?” He hadn’t eaten breakfast and it was pushing two o’clock. I didn’t want him getting run down. He had to work this weekend. I hated the idea of Caleb leaving me to head off to wherever it was he went. His job was dangerous, and I worried sick about him the entire time he was gone.
“Gwen, I’m fine sweetie, don’t worry about me. I’m just about done for the day.” He tossed more dirt over his head. I hated this, I knew that he was doing this for me, but I wanted to see him. I wanted to spend time with him before he had to leave.
We’d only been ‘back’ together for two months, but already I felt attached to him. My body ached while he was away from me. I missed his smell—he always smelled so fresh and clean, like the morning air after a rainfall. I had often wondered if they could bottle the smell of him and mass-produce it. Women would dig it—I’m sure.
The wind around us picked up, it sent dried orange and brown leaves scattering about the yard. Caleb didn’t seem to notice, or care about the weather cooling down, he still ran around with no shirt on and a pair of jeans most of the time. It was forever summer to him. I often wondered if he was running a core body temperature that was twenty degree hotter than most. He had that Californian beach-babe thing going and I couldn’t help but love it.
I, on the other hand, had packed my shorts away for the season and pulled out my winter clothes. I was always cold lately. I pulled the sleeves of my Cappuccino colored acrylic sweater down, and over my hands. I had a white knit shirt underneath, but I was still chilly. I coughed a little. Great, I hoped I wasn’t getting a cold. I hadn’t really ever had one before, but I’d seen my friends and coworkers fighting them off. All the phlegm, hacking, and headaches, no thanks I’d pass.
Caleb looked up at me. “Gwen?”
He was always so concerned about me. He was convinced that his mother would never stop trying to sabotage our relationship. I didn’t worry about that too much. I figured my father would look out for us. He was, after all, the King—and no Caleb and I are not related. Sorcha, Caleb’s mother only stepped in to lead in the absence of my father.
Under normal circumstances, Sorcha was just the head sorceress for my father. He took her on for this duty when he saw that she had a young son. Instantly he arranged a marriage between the two of us. I was only days old, and he had only seen me once. Not a good way to start out I know, but things had changed this time around, they were better.
Caleb gave me another questioning look.
“I’m fine. I swallowed some dust or something, really,” I said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. I didn’t want him to feel like he had to stay home with me. Caleb enjoyed his job, and I didn’t want to take that from him. Besides, James and Caradoc were coming up to stay with me for the weekend. It would be great. They’d turned into two of my best friends in a relatively short period of time. They were both vampires, but that didn’t faze me a bit.
I’d slept with their Master, Pallo, about two months ago. Yep, same time I starting seeing Caleb. Walking in and meeting Pallo had changed my life forever. He had been what jogged my memory of my life before. I had been in love with him hundreds of years ago, when he was still human. I’d even left Caleb for him, well not for him, but for another vampire, yeah, I know, I was totally screwed up in the head. What do you expect? I am, after all, the daughter of the King of the Fae, I’m bound to have some hang-ups.
The phone rang, and I headed into the house to grab it. I ran through the kitchen door and almost knocked a can of paint over. It seemed like Caleb was tackling a project in every room of the house. He had taken all of the kitchen cabinet doors off and sanded them down. He was now in the process of putting another coat of white paint on them. I had to admit, they looked great, like they were brand new. I just wished that he’d finish one project before moving on to the next.
I snatched the phone off the wall. “Hello?” I said, a little out of breath.
“Gwen? Are you alright?”
“Ken!” I was happy to hear his voice. Ken was my boss, and my ex-fiancé. There was a time not long ago, when the sound of his voice made me nauseous—that was when I was still operating under the assumption that he had cheated on me. I had gotten over that, now I just missed him. He’d been distancing himself from me. I could hardly blame him. Things in my life were pretty screwed up right now. “Yeah, I’m good. How about you? How are you doing?”
“Good. I’m doing good. I finally got all moved into my new place. It’s nice, I like it,” he said, his voice low. He was keeping his emotions out of this, I could tell. I also noticed how Ken didn’t offer to show me his new place. I knew that his new little sweetie, Beth, had been the realtor who helped him find it. I’d had issues with Beth from the moment he told me about her. She was the realtor who took us house hunting when we were engaged. How convenient for her that Ken’s apartment had been destroyed by hellhounds, and that his fiancée had left him.
“Sounds nice…How is Beth doing?” I hit myself on the forehead. Why in the world did I bring her into this? Ken had every right to be dating other people, but it didn’t lesson the pain any.
I pictured his athletic body wrapped around hers and it made me sick. I could see Beth running her fingers through Ken’s dark blonde hair. Last time I’d seen him he had finally let it grow out from the crew cut he had always worn. It looked good on him. I bet Beth really liked it too.
“Beth’s fine, but that’s not what I called about,” he said, voice flat.
“Well, what did you call about, Ken? It’s obvious you really don’t want to be speaking to me, so what gives?”
“I just needed to call you and let you know, that you don’t need to come back in.” He was getting at something I was sure I wouldn’t like.
“I told you I’d be back in on Monday.” I’d been his personal assistant for two years. I was his right hand-girl. He never did anything without my approval. I knew that my taking personal time, and telecommuting from home had put a burden on him, but everything was still getting done.
“No, Gwen, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
I stood there playing with the phone cord, and my stomach tightened. “Ken, are you letting me go?”
“Yes,” he said, his voice void of any emotion.
My cheeks flushed. I wasn’t hurt. I was pissed. “Well, thanks for having the balls to tell me over the phone instead of in person. I really appreciate hearing it this way. You should have sent me a letter so you wouldn’t have had to speak to me at all. But, I’m probably not worth the price of a stamp, so…” I was furious with him. I didn’t care about the job, that wasn’t it at all, and I didn’t need the money. I’d saved enough over the last few years to get by. I cared about how hard he was pushing me away.
“Gwen, don’t be…”
I cut him off. “What don’t be what? Don’t be mad that someone I care about hates me, or don’t be mad that I still care about you?” I put my hand over my mouth. Did I really just tell him that I still cared for him? What the hell was I thinking? I had Caleb now, and he had Beth.
Ken fell silent on the other end. I didn’t really expect him to say anything, although, a just kidding, you’re not fired would have been nice. I stood there for a second longer then hung up on him. There wasn’t really anything left for me to offer that would be considered polite, so it was better this way.
If you can’t say anything nice…
I walked over to the fridge and took out the pitcher of lemonade. I wanted a glass of wine, but the lemonade would have to do. I set the pitcher on the counter and grabbed two glasses down from the shelf. As I walked back towards the freezer to get ice, the phone rang again. I knew it was Ken calling me back. I didn’t want to talk to him. I’d let the machine get it. I grabbed a handful of ice out of the icebox and dropped it into the glasses. The plunking sound was a nice distraction from the nagging feeling of loss that threatened to consume me.
The phone had just stopped ringing when Caleb walked in the back door. I listened to my voice greeting the caller. It was coming from the answering machine in the hall by the front door. When the machine beeped, I looked up at Caleb. I wanted him to be digging out in his hole again. I didn’t want him in here with me right this minute.
I heard Ken’s voice on the machine. “Gwen, don’t do this. I’m sorry. I’m having a hard time with everything still. I just need some time. You’re not fired, I’m sorry, I just thought… I don’t know what I thought, pick up please…I know you’re there, Gwen? I still have feelings for you, too…Maybe you should take a few more weeks off…I can’t do this right now…I love you too much to watch you with someone…” the machine beeped and stopped recording.
I stared up at Caleb. He stood very still. I’d never really got the expression about hearing a pin drop until that moment. He looked down at me and I could see the anger on his face. “What the hell was that about?”
I tried to avoid eye contact with him. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I didn’t want to lie to him either. “I love you,” was the best I could come up with.
He reached out and took my hand in his. His hand was rough from all of the manual labor he had been doing. It didn’t matter to me that he wasn’t as smooth as he’d once been, I’d take him anyway, so long as he was with me.
“Gwen, don’t do this, please,” he said, his hand tightened around mine. I looked up at his face. The moment I saw his green eyes, I couldn’t help myself; I started to cry.
Prior to finding out about my past, I was normal, well as normal as a faerie living among humans could get. I didn’t have multiple men at one time. I hadn’t even had sex for six months before I met Caleb. Ken had been the last man I’d been with, and we’d been engaged. Since I began to remember bits and snippets of my past I started to have uncontrollable desires, and I didn’t like the new me one bit.
Caleb pulled me close to him. His body was sweaty, but still smelled wonderful. I took a deep breath in and let his scent calm me. I let him hold me tight against his chest. He was warm, and lately I had been cold all the time. I let my head rest against him, and he stroked the back of my head gently.
“Marry me, Gwen, marry me and this will all stop, I promise,” he said gently to me.
I kept my head buried in his chest. How could he be so sure, how could he know that I wouldn’t leave him again for another man? That’s exactly what I’d done to him my last time on this earth. I couldn’t even think about committing to him, then destroying him like that again. I was having a hard enough time liking myself lately, doing that to Caleb would kill me, I was sure of that.
“I can’t,” I said, between sobs. His hands tightened in my hair—he was just this side of pulling it.
“You mean you won’t.” The hurt in his voice was evident. I wanted to comfort him, but I was crying too hard. I wasn’t going to be much good in the consoling department when I was sobbing like a baby. I went to pull away, but Caleb held me tight. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you all upset. I’m sorry.”
“I love you Caleb. I love you so much!” I yearned for reassurance that he wasn’t mad, and that everything would be all right. I couldn’t imagine my life without him. He had become everything to me. I wondered if we’d been this way before, and if so, why did I leave him? I wasn’t sure I’d ever know the answer to that.
He kissed the top of my head. “I love you too, Gwen, I love you too.”
I slid my arms around his back and hugged him tight. He was so warm, so loving, do different from any other man I’d ever had in my life. He bent down and touched my forehead lightly with the back of his hand. “Gwen, you’re ice cold. Are you alright?”
I smiled, and felt the tears starting to dry on my face. It was a little like having one of those facial masks drying on you, only without the luxury of being able to peel it off, and as far as I know any exfoliating qualities. I did my best to wipe my cheeks before pulling Caleb’s face down to mine to kiss his lips. The salt from my tears pressed into both of our mouths. I pushed my tongue in, diving, digging for his. When I found it, it was warm and wrapped itself smoothly around mine.
My body burned to be with him, to have him hold my naked body in his arms. I knew he had to get cleaned up and get ready to go, but that didn’t change the fact that I still wanted to lie with him before he left. I loved him so much, and didn’t want to think about the possibility of the last time we talked ending in a fight. His job was dangerous, and there was always a very real chance that he wouldn’t come home. I’d thought that I’d lost him once and that was more than enough to not want to go through it again.
“Gwen, I’m calling Mark, I can’t go in with you like this.” He walked around me and headed out in the hall to use the phone. Mark was his partner. I’d never actually met him. I’d heard Caleb talk about him a few times, but that was it. I asked about him once, but Caleb just told me that in their line of work, the less people knew about them the better. I wasn’t sure I agreed with that, I mean, he was putting his life in this guy’s hands. Didn’t I have the right to at least meet him? Caleb didn’t seem to agree with me on that one.
I didn’t want Caleb to stay home on account of me. He loved what he did. I could always see a spark in his eye when he returned home after hunting down some crazy creature. He loved to tell me all about his adventures. I usually sat there with an aching pit at the bottom of my stomach every time he went into detail about being in danger, but I kept a smile on my face all the same. Caleb was a thrill seeker, that much was plain to see.
“Caleb!” I called after him. He turned around and looked at me. “Hey, I’m fine, you go. Besides you’ll ruin my weekend movie marathon,” I said, grinning at him.
I knew that James would be stopping at the video store before he and Caradoc came. James and I had taken to watching movies. We’d become our own two man critiquing team. Two fangs out or down. It wasn’t the best rating system, but it worked. Besides, James may be the only person more jaded than me. I couldn’t be sure, but maybe. Last week had been our ode to the eighties. We’d spent the weekend watching teen flicks that dealt with serious issues, like paying your paper carrier on time, turning sixteen, and spending a weekend in detention. It was very stimulating.
Caradoc, one the most serious vamps I’d ever met, refused to sit with us and stare aimlessly at the television screen. He always wondered off into the woods or brought a few books to read. I’m sure that he thought James and I were childish. Even though I’d just turned twenty-five, Caradoc still had me by about three hundred years or so, give or take a little.
James on the other hand was a smidge younger than him. He kept his hair cut short, and bleached it blond. I had to laugh every time I saw him spreading hair gel through it to spike it up. I think, no I know, he owns every black t-shirt ever made, and he rarely incorporates color.
Caleb walked over to me and touched my head with the back of his hand. “Gwen, you’re really cool, what’s going on? You’re still taking your pills, right?”
The pills he was referring to were my birth control pills that a Fae doctor, Dr. Brown had prescribed for me. The word Fae, means elf, faerie, or magikal creature. I had to hunt around for a doctor who specialized in this. Going to a normal doctor would have been too risky. Ordinary everyday people didn’t know that faeries, vampires, and other creatures of the night were real, and it had to stay that way.
I had no idea what was in the pills, but they were the equivalent of taking three normal birth control pills at one time. I had to take them twice a day because I was a Fae and was in the reproductive prime of my life. No one knew how long I would remain fertile, it could be hundreds of years, or it could just be a few weeks. It could end tomorrow and revisit me again in a hundred years. There was no rhyme or reason to it all and it made it hard to prevent unplanned pregnancies.
Caleb and I had agreed not to have a baby right now. I could have already been close to popping one out right now if I didn’t take the pills religiously. We were matches, and in the life of a faerie, you only got a few of those. A match was someone whose essence was complementary to you, thus possibly producing a healthy offspring. My female Fae body would be very selective on whom it would allow to impregnate me. I never actually got a list of prerequisites for the guy to posses, so I wasn’t sure who all fit the bill. I knew that Caleb did. He wanted to marry me and have a family, I knew that, but he also respected me enough to not push it.
“Yeah, I’m still taking the pills, so no, I’m not pregnant,” I said to him. I noticed his eyes staring down at my stomach. He looked disappointed. My gestation rate was a bit more accelerated than a human was, so if I were to become pregnant I would show in a matter of weeks. I felt bad for letting him down, but this was my body, and right now, I did not want to have a baby.
He looked up at me and knew that I’d caught him fixating on my stomach. He smiled slightly. “I was just…”
I finished it for him. “You were just hoping that I had decided to surprise you. Well I didn’t, sorry.” I hated being like this with him. “Look, I’m sorry, but do you really think I want to get pregnant and watch you head out that door hunting some lethal demon, only to never come back through it? Do you think I want to raise a baby by myself? Is that it? God, Caleb, get real, you can’t expect me to do that, you can’t expect me to say, hey let’s do it, gee we’ve only been a couple for two months, but let’s start a family anyways. Oh, then after I have a perfect little version of you I can sit around and spend the rest of my life mourning the man I loved and lost every time I look into his eyes. I’m not cut out to be a mother. I can’t even take care of myself. I’m a mess and you know it!”
My temper was flaring. I had a nasty one and he knew it. He was always saying how much like my father I was. I wouldn’t really know since the man didn’t raise me. I was raised by two wonderfully loving humans, not the King of the Dark Realm. I’d have to take Caleb’s word on issues that involved my father.
Caleb reached out to touch me. I pulled away from him. “Gwen, I didn’t mean that, and if you don’t like what I do, why didn’t you just say something? I’ll stop, I’ll quit right now, if that will make you feel better about us. I’ll do anything you want, you just have to tell me what the hell it is that you want. I’m not like some, I don’t read minds.”
I rolled my eyes, I didn’t want him to do that, I didn’t know what I wanted anymore. I just knew that I didn’t want to fight about this again. “Forget it, I’m fine. Go, you need to get cleaned up.”
He reached out and grabbed me around my waist. Before I could protest, he’d picked me up in his arms. I grinned from ear to ear. He could always make me smile, no matter what. It was a gift that few possessed. He carried me up the stairs and to our bedroom. We had taken over the master bedroom and he was in the middle of tearing down the wallpaper. The walls looked like something had been clawing at them, shreds of paper hung loosely to the floor. I laughed at the state of the room as he tossed me down on the bed gently.
His hands slid up and under my sweater. He traced his fingers over my silk bra lightly. My nipples hardened. He bent down and kissed me, my mouth welcomed his. I loved kissing him, I loved tasting him—I couldn’t get enough of him. His scent was manly, woodsy, rugged. Faeries came by their smell honestly. I tended to smell like a touch of lavender, and Caleb smelled like the fresh morning dew. It could be traced back to the first faeries who were in charge of watching over all things in nature.
Caleb’s fingers slid under my bra strap and caressed my breast. I reached down and started to pull on the button to undo his jeans. I undid it and slid my hand down the front of his pants. I don’t think the man owned a pair of underwear. I asked him about it once, and he joked that he was always ready for me this way. I had to laugh, he was right. I touched him and ran my fingers over his velvety smooth cock. I always loved the fact that he took no time at all to be ready for sex.
“I can’t get enough of you,” I said, trying to take him in my mouth. He pushed me back gently and laughed.
“No, you can’t get enough sex period. It’s the nymph in you. Your Grandmother was a nymph and you seem to have inherited their appetite for sex.”
“Mmm, would that make me a…?”
I stroked his shaft faster and he grabbed my hand, pulling me away from him gently. “Yes, Gwen… that’s exactly what it makes you,” he said, teasing me.
“Then what’s that make you?” I asked, trying to take hold of him again. He shifted slightly and I grabbed him tight.
Caleb lifted my shirt and sweater up, exposing my stomach and chest to him. “That’s easy…a fool for loving you.”
I continued caressing the length of him—feeling him growing in my hand. He was so hot. It felt good against my cold hand. I wanted to pull him out and bring him to me. I wanted to enjoy him before he left for the weekend. He seemed to be thinking the same thing as me.
I pulled my sweater off and lay back. Caleb always liked me to lay back and let him see me. I didn’t bother questioning him about it anymore. I just did it. He traced the mounds of my breasts, and ran the tips of his fingers down my rib cage. I pulled my arms in, trying to avoid being tickled any further. He grabbed my wrists and put his entire body over mine, leaving my hands to be pinned above my head.
Caleb’s hands were twice the size of mine. He had an unfair advantage in the bedroom. I was no match for him physically, and he knew it. He held both my wrists together with just one of his hands, and used his free one to keep tickling my ribs. My body burned for his. I wanted him to take me, to make love to me, and not be gentle, or playful.
“Caleb…”
He nuzzled his face into my neck. I felt the tiniest start of a beard. It still surprised me each time I felt it. He was able to grow one, but it would take a long time. He seemed to think I’d like him with facial hair. Maybe I would.
“What?” he asked, as he licked the side of my neck.
“Please, Caleb!”
“Please, what?”
I couldn’t take it anymore. He was going to make me say it, even if it killed me. I gave in. “I want you inside me.”
He made a small purring noise in my ear. It sent my body into a state of lust for his. I tugged on his earlobe with my teeth and begged him to enter me—to take me and not to be gentle. I wanted it hard, and I wanted it now.
“Say that you’ll marry me, Gwen, and I’ll give you what you want.”
“Caleb.”
“An bpósfaidh tú mé?—will you marry me?” Caleb asked. Hearing him utter those words in Gaelic make my chest tight, and my body ache for him.
His fingers slid down, into my hot channel, and found how very much I wanted him. He held them there and continued to taunt me. He dipped one in, moved it around, caressed me, and then pulled it back quickly, teasing me.
“Marry me, Gwen, and I’ll give you this and so much more for all eternity.”
Could I see myself spending forever with him? Yes, surprisingly enough, I could.
“Yes, Caleb, I’ll marry you.”
He plunged his fingers into me and I cried out. He smeared my juices on his shaft and thrust into me in one fluid movement. I screamed out and bucked against his hips in an attempt to take all of him within me. He strained, trying to keep from hurting me. He knew that his size sometimes made sex uncomfortable for me, but today I didn’t care. No, I wanted all of him in me now. I bit at his chin and he slammed his body into mine.
His mouth came down on mine and we shared a magikal moment together. I felt his power, part of his core, enter me, and mine him. It was the way that faeries sanctified their bond—reaffirmed their commitment to one another. Humans used diamond rings. Faeries used raw power. I had a piece of Caleb now, and he me. When we officially wed, we would surrender our powers over to each other fully, and they would merge forever.
As our powers joined, my orgasm ripped through my body. I contracted around him as he pumped in and out of me. It was his turn to cry out as he emptied his seed into me.
June 5, 2013
Raven Author: Decadence and Sin by Lexie Lashe
Paranormal Shifter Vampire Erotic
Short Story
Thank you past, may I have another?
The vampire Nicolas doesn’t bother learning the names of the women who service his sexual needs and cater to his every whim. They are nothing more than a means to an end for him. His deviant tastes run deeper than they can satisfy and when his old friend, the werewolf William, arrives with a female gift in tow—Nicolas finds his interests piqued. Jules is more than either immortal banked on and she isn’t about to take orders from any man, or vamp or wolf.
Warning: This short story contains kink to the extreme, multiple partners, brief mmf and no romantic thread.
June 4, 2013
Raven Author: Excerpt: Slake by LA Brookes
Paranormal Shifter Gay (MM) Romance
Leo Morgan is a werewolf on the prowl and there is only one man who can slake his burning desires. Jackson may be an unsuspecting human, but this wolf gets more than he bargained for when a night of seduction goes wrong… and oh-so-right.
Rating: Contains graphic sexual content, adult language, and violence.
EXCERPT
Must be 18 years and older to read. If not, please leave the site.
“Evening,” Leo returned, keeping it cool. He noticed the guy’s eyes lingered a little longer than usual on his face before quickly averting Leo knew he was a handsome guy and hid his delight that Jackson noticed as well.
“Nice night for a ride. You bring the motorcycle?” Jackson asked as he waited for the bartender to bring him his change.
Leo thought about offering the man a ride right then and there, but resisted. He’d planned his seduction of Jackson carefully. He would not stray from that plan. “Yeah, only thing I have to drive. Even in the snow, I’m on it.”
“Must be nice,” Jackson answered. Leo heard his breath catch, nervously. “Just to take off and ride whenever you want. If I had the money, that’s what I’d do. Just me, a bike, and the open road.” He cleared his throat, seeming unsure as to why he’d revealed so much. “Well, have a nice night.”
“You, too,” Leo answered. He watched the man make his way to the door before saying to the bartender, “I’ll settle up.”
Leo absently grabbed cash from his pocket and threw the wad onto the bar top. He probably overpaid, but he didn’t care. Money wasn’t really a concern.
The bartender answered, but Leo ignored him as he moved to follow Jackson outside. He looked at the thick muscles of the man’s thighs, imagining the moment he’d be able to peel material from flesh to reveal his prize. A cool breeze hit him as the door opened, but it did little to slow the blood pumping in his veins.
He slowed his step as Jackson walked across the parking lot. The dim light flickered overhead. Leo made his way to his motorcycle, pretending to kick at the tires to check their pressure. The wolf inside him wanted to howl and play.
Soon. Very soon.
May 28, 2013
Raven Author: Trading Teon by Reagan Hawk
The Beast Masters Series
Trading Teon
Reagan Hawk
The Beast Masters Series, Book 1
Garon and Lorne, shapeshifting males of the Ralenium race, are fierce guns for hire in the universe. When a cargo ship transporting women charged with crimes by the Galactic Star Union arrives on their planet, the men make the traders an offer they can’t refuse. Planet Ralen is sorely lacking in women, and the males have an inborn desire to dominate, to tame females and to reproduce. When their inner beasts’ clocks start ticking and the burning need to spread their seed consumes them, they go on the hunt for the perfect female. Too bad both men want the same woman.
Teon, a lady with a place in high society, thought life as she knew it was over when she was wrongfully charged with a crime by her stepmother. A prisoner en route to a barren planet to serve her sentence, she’s presented with an opportunity to start over again on the planet Ralen. The catch is she has to be willing to be claimed by two males. Not just any males mind you, two burning hunks who are ready to fight to the death if need be to share her bed.
Warning
Novella contains graphic language, light BDSM play/themes, extreme alpha male shifters who cannot wait to get a collar on their female to brand her as theirs for life, women willing to submit and scorching hot sex scenes. If you don’t like strong men who take control in the bedroom and sometimes out, or if you’re in the market for long, drawn-out plots, this isn’t the series for you. This novella is hot and dirty and won’t apologize for that fact.
Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction and is not meant to be a how-to book or a manual to the BDSM/fetish lifestyle. It is merely meant to be read and provide a mental escape for your enjoyment. Always practice safe sex and never enter into BDSM play without proper knowledge and understanding of the lifestyle and a trained, trusted practitioner to guide you through it all. Serious injury or death could result from improper BDSM/fetish play. Safe, sane and consensual (SSC) is a must. The Raven Books and its authors, owners and operators are not responsible for any injuries or death that may occur from improper use of techniques or information found within this document.
The Beast Masters Series
Trading Teon
Securing Sara
Rescuing Reya
Capturing Clara
Binding Bree
Chapter One
Garon of Ralen neared the outer quadrant’s guard tower. The path to it was well-worn, unlike some of the other paths on Ralen. Regardless of how used the path was, the forests of Ralen were known to be fast-growing. The huge, deep blue of the leaves of the talium tree were starting to turn yellow on the ends, a sign of the season change coming upon them. Soon the area would see temperature drops. And soon enough the primal heat would be upon many of the men.
Garon reached the tower and ascended the staircase. He entered to check in on the guards stationed there. They’d reported a craft on radar, and since no crafts were scheduled for arrival it had raised a red flag. Ralen wasn’t a planet offworlders dared to arrive at without proper protocol. The Ralen warriors were known to blow things out of the sky first and ask questions later. They were a proud, fierce race. A race known throughout the galaxy.
He leaned over one of the males to survey the screen and grunted as he spotted the shape of the vessel nearing their orbit. Cursed stars. This was the last thing he wanted to deal with today.
Lorne, a seasoned warrior and trusted friend, entered the guard tower. “I heard we have visitors. Any news on who or what they are?”
Garon tapped the screen. “Looks to be a salvage ship.”
“Or traders,” said Lorne, disgust evident.
None of the men were too keen on the salvagers but traders weren’t much higher on the like scale. Both were basically pirates of the skies and tended to deal in goods that were too hot to touch. Since Ralen boasted a planet of fierce warriors, they were often left untouched by the Galactic Guards—free to do as they pleased.
“Sir,” one of the men seated at his station said. “Should I alert the planet-to-air defense team?”
It was on the tip of Garon’s tongue to say yes, but he held back. He glanced to Lorne. “It’s been too many moon cycles since we last had a shipment of women. Think it could be some?”
Lorne worried his jaw and then tipped his head, his long, blond hair falling over one shoulder. “Perhaps. We could allow the vessel to land and see.”
Garon nodded in agreement. He touched the man’s shoulder at the station. “Open the landing platform two.” He looked to Lorne. “It would be wise if an armed team greeted the vessel.”
“Of course,” replied Lorne. “Jaston and his men are on duty now. I’ll send them.”
“Perfect. Tell them we’ll meet them there.”
Garon, Lorne said, using the mind path common to their kind. If women are aboard…
I know. I will see to it any price is paid.
With that Lorne pivoted and left the tower. Garon remained long enough to watch the slow descent of the vessel upon the screen before him. From its sluggish movements and shape he was fast beginning to suspect it was Voxenites, a race of opportunistic bottom feeders who did whatever they had to in order to turn a profit. They’d taken to human trafficking hundreds of years ago and little had been done to stop them. Truth was, planets such as Ralen depended upon them.
Ralenium males far outnumbered females, and nothing the men did lured women willingly to their planet. They were simply too far out on the edges of the quadrants to offer any appeal. They weren’t proud of the fact. It was what it was.
“Sir?” the man at the station asked. “Is it traders? With women?”
There was no mistaking the note of hope in his voice. Galen patted the younger warrior’s shoulder. “Let us hope. Stay and man the station. Should it be traders with women, a summons shall be sent forth.”
The other guards shared a look with the young one. Garon knew hopes would be high and he hated to dash them. The men needed something to look forward to.
He left the tower and made his way down the path in the direction of the landing bays. The outer force field was in the process of retracting. Its opening would be timed perfectly with the vessel’s landing.
While they had technologies, some of the finest in the galaxy, they preferred to do many things the way their ancestors of old did. They did not use any type of craft for surface travel on their planet. They preferred to use their shifted beast forms or that of domesticated animals. It was kinder to their planet.
They’d seen too many planets fall victim to their own advancements to want to see the beauty of Ralen snuffed out.
He spotted Lorne with Jaston and the team of Ralenium men all armed and surrounding the landing pad. They stayed back a safe distance, already knowing what would come next.
There was a flash of red light, and then a popping noise signaling the main control tower was now in control of the vessel’s power and its system. There was no chance the vessel could fire upon them this way and zero chance it could leave without permission.
Lorne motioned to Garon and then pointed to the vessel’s side symbol.
As Garon suspected—Voxenites.
If they came bearing anything other than women, they would find the men ready to hang them by their scaly, webbed feet. None of the Ralenium men thought much of the Voxenites. They were a means to an end. Nothing more.
The ship sputtered to a stop, its engines cutting out with a loud groan. Garon sighed. If the ship refused to start back up, there was no way the traders would be welcome to stay until it was fixed.
Garon moved with a quickened pace in the direction of Jaston and the other on-duty guard team. Jaston nodded and then hurried into the main control center.
If their suspicions proved true and the ship carried women, then it was a joyous day. If not, then the security team needed to be prepared. One never knew what one might encounter this far on the edges of the galaxy. Often the area was looked upon as lawless. Often it was.
Garon left the landing bays and entered the main control center and found Jaston near the monitor booth. The relays from the outer towers were no doubt reaching the main control center. Jaston glanced up and made eye contact with Lorne.
“Does Garon have orders?”
Lorne took a deep breath. “He does. Be prepared with your men and ready to greet our visitors.”
“Of course,” answered Jaston, his expression knowing. He relayed the message to one of the men closest to him and then covered the distance between him and Lorne. Jaston lowered his voice. “Traders with females?”
“Garon thinks perhaps it might be.”
Jaston’s jaw set. He nodded and stepped away.
Lorne knew the warrior would show no signs of hope. He knew Jaston was too seasoned to ever let on to his true feelings. All the men were desperate for more women to arrive. This wasn’t news. It was fact. None would risk getting their hopes up. Not yet.
May 25, 2013
LIKE DIVINITY WARRIORS? Divinity Healers 1: Ariella’s Keeper – Early Amazon Release
LIKE DIVINITY WARRIORS?
Divinity Healers 1: Ariella’s Keeper
Alternate Reality Romance, Part of the Divinity Universe
When his father threatens to take away his research facility’s funding if he doesn’t come home, Dr. Sebastjan Walter has no choice but to do so. This isn’t just a family reunion. It seems his father has arranged a marriage—Sebastjan’s. Seeing his chance to make one last final deal to get his father out of his life, he agrees to marry the off-plane woman. After seeing her, he can’t help but think he’s made the better bargain.
Ariella has been held prisoner by the Medical Supreme since he cured her of a childhood illness. Forced to stay in his home as his ward, she has no choice but to do whatever he wants. When he demands she marry his son, Ariella finds this is one order she might not mind obeying.
But it Early on Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CYKAYWS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00CYKAYWS&linkCode=as2&tag=michellpillow-20
Official Release August 2013
May 23, 2013
Official Release: The Stubborn Lord (Dragon Lords 6) by Michelle M. Pillow
The Stubborn Lord (Dragon Lords 6) by Michelle M. Pillow
Repossessed…
Kendall Haven’s life turns upside down when she’s kidnapped off her fueling dock home by thugs claiming to have the right. Her father, the gambler, used her to cover his losses at the Larceny Casino Ship. Drugged and treated like cargo, she’s sold to the highest bidder—Galaxy Brides Corporation.
Landing on a primitive planet on the far edge of the universe, she has no intention of fulfilling her father’s contract—even if that contract includes marriage to a very handsome, very sexy, very intense barbarian of a man. He might be everything a woman fantasizes about, but he wants a little more than she can give.
Possession…
Lord Alek, Younger Duke of Draig, has not been lucky in finding his life mate. Resigned to a lonely life, he attends the bridal ceremony out of familial duty. Then the impossible happens—Kendall. Nothing goes according to tradition, but he can’t let that dissuade him. She is his only chance at happiness, and no matter how she protests, he’s not going to let her get away.
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The Stubborn Lord Excerpt
He reached for his neck, jerking the crystal that hung there. The leather strap broke. Fingering the stone, he traced over the familiar surface before balling it into his fist. He thought about leaving it on the forest floor, as if his failure would be easier to bear without the constant reminder hanging about his neck. As he debated the decision his fist became warm, then hot. Loosening his grip, he saw the faint glow of light radiating from between his fingers.
The crystal glowed.
Alek couldn’t believe what he was seeing so he merely stared at it. He was in the forest. Alone.
Alone?
He held his breath and let the hard, dark-brown flesh of the dragon work its way from his thighs up his body. A ridge grew from his forehead to create a protective shield over his nose and brow. Fangs extended in his mouth and talons grew from his nail beds. In his dragon form, he moved with greater agility and his senses were enhanced.
Was he alone? Was this the final word of the gods?
The crystal’s light grew. The sign was unmistakable. His bride had to be near. Even as he thought it, he began to feel her inside him. The pull of her drew him before he picked up the sound of her breathing in the forest. Footfalls hit in a steady rhythm for several paces only to grow softer and slower. The beast inside him surged into action. He tracked her as easily as prey.
He found her standing alone in the dark, body pressed tight against a fallen log. Her widened brown eyes darted around the forest in fear. He stopped across the clearing from her. She didn’t see him even though she looked in his direction several times. Alek took advantage of the moment to study her. Blonde hair fell about her shoulders. The ends were tipped with a dark red. She seemed so fragile and scared. A wave of protectiveness surged within him.
“Hayo? I can hear you breathing,” she whispered. “Please show yourself. I can hear you.”
Alek lifted his hand and opened his fist. The soft glow of the crystal alighted on his face. The woman found him instantly. He expected her to feel the same rush of pleasure he did. Instead, she started to scream.
The woman tripped on vines as she tried to get away from him. Her back slid along the tree trunk. He smelled the moss she disturbed in her haste. She kept her eyes on his and her arms outstretched as if that would keep him from attacking. Her feet worked frantically against the ground, pushing her back up the tree while trying to untangle her shoes from the forest floor.
“Please, no, no, no,” she whimpered. “I don’t belong here. Who are you people? You’re supposed to be humanoids. The uploads said you were shaped like humans.”
Alek tried to answer her, but the sound of his native tongue only seemed to terrify her more. He realized he was still shifted. No wonder she was frightened. He’d been so eager to find her that he hadn’t bothered to change back. His people did not make their shifting abilities too widely known, and they hadn’t revealed them to the researcher who’d originally interviewed his people for the uploads she spoke of.
“I don’t understand.” She pressed harder into the wood. “They didn’t have us upload any native-language data. I only speak the star language.”
With little effort, he allowed his body to mold into a form she would be more comfortable with. Flesh replaced the hard shell of his skin. His fangs retracted, as did his talons. When he’d finished the transformation only his golden eyes remained so that he could see her in the darkened forest.
“I am Lord Aleksej, Younger Duke of Draig,” he said in the universal star language, trying to keep the eagerness from his voice. Like shifting and other secrets of his planet, the Draig did not share their language—not that anyone other than the locals wanted to learn it. “How did you come to be in the forest?”
“What are you, Lord Aleksej, Younger Duke of Draig?” she whispered, still pressing tight into the fallen tree.
“You make call me Alek. I am Draig, a dragonshifter. Do not let my appearance before frighten you. I mean you no harm.” He took a careful step closer, lifting the crystal toward her. “I was meant to find you.”
“Galaxy Brides sent you to track me,” she said, as if knowing this to be a truth. “You can tell them you didn’t find me. You can tell them I disappeared. I won’t hurt anyone. I just want to go home. Please, you can understand that, can’t you? I don’t want to go to the ceremony. I just want to find a ride home. Please don’t make me go back.”
The woman wasn’t dressed as a bride, but neither was he dressed fully like a groom. He didn’t wear the mask. They shouldn’t be talking, not like this. There were traditions. Though tradition allowed him to find a mate whenever the crystal glowed, he wasn’t supposed to speak to her on the festival night until she made the symbolic gesture of choosing him.
“Please,” she begged.
May 22, 2013
Raven Author: Excerpt: Daughter of Darkness by Mandy M. Roth
Daughter of Darkness by Mandy M. Roth
Paranormal Dark Fantasy Vampire Romance
Good or Evil? How’s a girl to choose?
Gwyneth Stevens, born of magical descent and raised by humans, fully understands that creatures of the night exist outside of books and movies. When her job leads her to Necro’s Magik World & Supernatural Theme Park, she meets Pallo, an Italian vampire so captivating, so perfect and so familiar. Before she can fully explore her feelings for him, fate steps in, bringing with it a sexy bounty hunter who makes Gwen’s insides tighten and her body burn. Caleb instantly lays claim to her heart.
Torn between her love for two men, Gwen finds herself caught in a triangle shrouded in passion, lust and immortality. In a world where humans live in ignorance and supernaturals are a sub-culture, anything is possible.
EXCERPT
Must be 18 years and older to read. If not, please leave the site.
Prologue
I lay in the field of flowers taking in the glorious scents. Violas were littered around me acting as a warm blanket to shield me from the cool night. The beauty of the shades of glowing purple and yellow pulled me to them. I plucked one up, put it to my lips and took in a deep breath. Their fresh scent soothed me, making me feel at one with the earth.
Small white clouds formed against the sharply contrasting royal blue sky. I traced the edges of one with my fingers. I wanted to reach out, grasp it and cuddle it to my body.
Rolling onto my stomach, I propped my chin up with my arms. My hair got caught under my elbow, and I freed it to relieve the tension on my head. From the corner of my eye I caught the fluttering of a small butterfly. It hovered above me a moment and I put my hand out towards it. Perching lightly upon my wrist, it sat motionless.
The white cottony clouds that I had been so desperate to hold turned gray. Suddenly, the sky grew dark and ominous. A crackle of thunder made the earth beneath me vibrate. Wind circled around me, pulling at the tiny blue sundress I wore.
There was a sharp pain in my wrist. I looked down—a gold snake lay in place of the butterfly. Like two tiny daggers, its fangs were firmly planted into my skin. Most people would flick the thing off, right? Well, I’m not most people. Besides, this wasn’t my first go around with the dream. I’d been having the dream long enough to know what was to come. I braced myself. The ground below me gave way and I found myself spiraling into a bottomless pit. Darkness surrounded me, and I knew better than to bother to scream.
The familiar sound of a woman’s voice whispered to me. “You are the balance. You will bring light to the darkness.”
Chapter One
I pulled up outside of the main gate. The blood red sign that stood high in the air read “Necro’s Magik World & Supernatural Theme Park”. I hated the idea of being here but you do what you have to do to make a living. Prior to working as assistant to the City’s Chief Paranormal Prosecutor, I hadn’t been able to keep a job to save my life. I’d tried a little bit of everything, from being a marketing director to stripping.
Hey, a girl’s got to make a living, right?
My friend Sharon got me the job at the Paranormal Regulators Law Offices. She’d worked with my boss and now ex-fiancé, Ken, enough to pull some strings and get me an in. He hired me as his personal assistant, sight unseen. After a year of working for him, he caught on to the fact that I had some special skills. I wasn’t your ordinary girl next door—hell, I didn’t even qualify as human, though my exact label escaped even me.
Focusing on the task at hand, I took a look around Necro’s Magik World. It had only been open for business six years, but in that short time frame had managed to corner the market on ticket sales for theme parks. Someone had come up with the brilliant idea of having a theme park that revolved around the supernatural. By doing this the area had become a Mecca for the undead and magikal creatures. At the park, demons didn’t have to hide who they were. They were able to live among humans without fear of persecution and mass pandemonium. I’d even seen some of the “employees” walking around downtown one night. No one looked shocked to see a vampire roaming the streets—they just ran up and asked for his autograph.
Teenagers were heavy into imitating the undead, and of course, dead attire was all the rage. I wondered if creatures of the undead ever thought of sending thank-you notes to rock stars that ran around looking like death on stage. The more I thought about Hollywood and rock stars, the more I wondered how many of the images weren’t an act. I knew that there had to be a few celebrities who fell into the category of supernatural, I just didn’t know which ones they were.
Necro’s Magik World was huge, or so I’d been told. While the park spanned over four hundred acres, it wasn’t all developed yet since they’d left room for expansion. They’d picked the location wisely. They were close enough to the city to generate business, but far enough out to remain secluded and away from the watchful eye of others. People were eating up the idea of a supernatural theme park to the point that various spin-offs were popping up all around the world. There were restaurants, clothing stores, and, believe it or not, websites and social networking sites all devoted to helping the living challenged or human alternatives find love and happiness.
A computer literate vampire, funny thought. I still had issues text messaging on my phone and here they were surfing the net.
The park only operated during nighttime for obvious reasons. I didn’t know too many vampires willing to sit out in the sunlight to greet guests. Here’s your ticket, excuse me while I burst into flames.
I still wasn’t sure about the outfit I had chosen. I’d decided on a pair of dark blue flare bottom jeans that made my legs look longer and at five foot five I took all the help I could get. I’d debated on wearing long sleeves or short because of how cool the summer nights could get, and finally settled on a red short-sleeved top. I’d chosen jeans because I always felt most comfortable in them. I’d also been told that red brought out my best features—my eyes and my hair.
I was ticked I hadn’t brought a brush with me. I’d left the house in such a hurry that I hadn’t taken time to blow dry my hair. I fumbled around in my purse until I found a hair tie. Gathering up the front and sides of my hair, I pulled it loosely behind my head. Wrapping the tie around it several times, I did a quick check. Little black wisps fell from it and framed my face. That was just the way I liked it. I’d been thinking of cutting my hair off again. It seemed rather silly because every time I did it, my hair grew back to just above my rear end within two months. My hair liked to be that length and didn’t take kindly to my attempts at doing anything else with it.
Being awakened out of dead sleep by Ken’s phone call did not suit me. I looked like crap. Sure, I was grateful he’d ended the nightmare I was having, but peeved he’d wanted me to go out in the middle of the night to question a master vampire.
I touched my face and decided I didn’t have to fuss with much. I’d been blessed with flawless skin. It was, however, rather pale. I tried tanning beds and hitting the beach every day for a summer, but I couldn’t get myself to burn, let alone tan. I did my best to make up for the lack of color by adding a touch of blush to both cheeks and some lip gloss to my lips. I was so sick of everyone asking if I had collagen implants. I wanted to get a t-shirt printed that read, “Yes, I do see the light of day, and yes the lips are real too”.
Grabbing my purse from the passenger seat, I fumbled through it until I found my eyeliner. I was big on the whole lining of the top lid with black craze. Prior to its recent revival, I’d been seriously out of date with the look, but did it anyway. I loved the way it brought out my eyes, and I was into retro.
Satisfied it was as good as it was going to get, I got out of the car.
When I swung the door shut I thought the car had finally had it. It was an ‘84 Thunderbird and it had seen better days. The roof was dented beyond repair and it had no floor in the back right passenger side. Every time it rained, my seat ended up soaked because the seal on the door was missing. I tried to remember to lay a towel on the seat when I got out, but every now and then I would forget—resulting in a wet butt. My absolute favorite thing about the car was that I had to use my best judgment to find the right gears. When you put the car in park, you were really in reverse and when you put the car in reverse, you went forward. Parking had always been a guess because the spot for it was somewhere above the letters on the dash. The only thing the car had going for it was that it was paid for and it still ran. I was worried about getting my student loans paid off before I bought a new one. I figure I’ll be paying for my loans until I die at this rate, and considering the fact I’m pretty sure I have Fae blood in me that’s funny. Most Fae are immortal creatures of magik. The banks would just love me!
I walked towards one of the ticket booths. It was made to look like a mausoleum. Gray granite rock covered it and mythical creatures were carved into its molding. The boy sitting behind the counter resembled a zombie. The makeup slathered on his face gave him the appearance of rotting flesh and his costume looked as though he had just crawled from the grave—just looking at him made me smile. I assumed they had real zombies working here, but this kid was obviously not one of them.
“Ticket please.”
I tried not to laugh. He sounded so ridiculous. The makeup and wardrobe were one thing—the overdone enunciation of his words was just too much.
“Gwen Stevens. I’m here to speak with Pallo D’Alessandro.” I had to bite my lip to keep from busting out laughing.
He didn’t look amused as he turned to pick up the phone. He hung up and glanced back at me. “Mr. D’Alessandro will see you shortly. Go through the red doors and downstairs. Someone will meet you there.”
Giving him a nod, I headed in the direction he had pointed.
A gigantic limestone building loomed before me. The gray stone exterior formed a sharp contrast to the small, landscaped flowerbeds that lined the walkway leading up to it. They were full of what looked to be lemon verbena and green sage. I thought it odd that someone would grow only herbs in a spot made for flowers. Stone gargoyles stood in the center of each bed. I really didn’t like the idea of being at a place where they prided themselves on scaring the shit out of you, but Ken needed information… bad. I really hated the fact that I was his “girl Friday”.
It only took me a few minutes to reach the red doors. Standing around for a bit, I waited for Sharon or Rick to show. I’d already been at the park for half an hour so I decided to give them another fifteen minutes. Sharon was usually late. She seemed to be on a whole separate time schedule. At the office, we referred to someone who was late as running on “Sharon-time”. Rick, on the other hand, had a military background and was always five minutes early. The fact that he wasn’t here yet should have really bothered me, but it didn’t. I was getting pretty brave in my old age, or pretty stupid, depending on how you looked at it.
My patience level was low considering I’d gotten little sleep due to my-oh-so pleasant dream. The fact I was standing out here in the dead of night waiting for the people who should have been handling this themselves didn’t help much either. I gave up and used my cell phone to try to reach Sharon. I got her voice mail, so I left her a message telling her I was going to go ahead in and I’d talk to her later. I also informed her that if I didn’t call her back in an hour I was probably dead. That was my way of making light of the situation, but my gut told me that there was some truth to the comment.
I glanced up at the red door. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was go into a room full of vamps, but if I didn’t go now I’d lose my nerve. I turned the knob and pulled the door open.
Instantly, I was hit with the smell of dampness. Glancing around, I tried to get the nasty taste of stale air out of my mouth as I got my bearings. I stood at the top of a stairwell, which was lit by several torches sitting in sconces along the wall. The walls were stone and looked like the inside of a castle.
No, make that the entrance to a dungeon.
I wasn’t sure how anyone who owned and operated a multimillion dollar business ended up in a basement, but I trudged onward anyway. When I reached the end of the staircase I found myself in front of a large, heavy, metal door. The medieval theme was getting old, fast.
I knocked and the door opened quickly. A man stood there silently looking at me. His six foot five frame took up most of the doorway. White waves of hair spilled onto his shoulders and large green eyes stared back at me. His face was soft, with baby fine features. The sweet smell of honey filled my head.
I’d heard vampires smelled nice but this was ridiculous. I wanted to lick him just to see if he tasted as good as he smelled but I held back.
Good girl.
He was dressed like he’d just fallen out of the eighties. I half expected him to claim he was the guitarist for one of the big hair bands and not really a vamp at all. He had on black, painted-on leather pants. His white shirt hung loosely from his body and gaped open to the middle of his stomach. Even in the poorly lit stairwell I could see how smooth and pale his skin was. When I glanced back at his face, he was staring at me wide-eyed. He appeared puzzled and a bit surprised. Imagine that—I put a vampire off guard.
“I’m Gwyneth Stevens. Kenneth Harpel sent me down to speak with Mr. D’Alessandro.” I extended my hand to him but he just stared at it.
A few seconds went by in silence. I had the strongest urge to bolt back upstairs and out the door.
“Please come in,” he said, stepping to the side. “We do not get many new visitors here. I apologize for my lack of manners.”
I’d never met an honest to God gentleman before, so it took me a moment to respond. “Thank you. I’m sorry for coming at such a late hour, but Lydia phoned our office requesting I meet with Mr. D’Alessandro tonight.”
His green eyes widened. “Yes, Lydia, umm, come in please. I will get Pallo for you.”
“So, do you have a name or is Def Leppard mega-fan all right by you?” My voice dripped with sarcasm that was coated in a healthy amount of nerves as well.
“I am Caradoc.” He seemed taken aback by my attempt at humor.
“Caradoc, the name doesn’t sound familiar.”
“Should it?” he asked as I walked past him.
“No, I guess not. I just got the feeling I knew you from somewhere.”
Caradoc led me into a room with a large stone fireplace in it. Two red sofas sat across from each other. They were trimmed with beautiful gold leafing that made your eye follow the s-curve of the feet. A massive Serapi rug covered the floor. Cherry end tables flanked each end of the red sofas. Candles sat on them and dripped wax down onto the rich wood. I had half a mind to walk up and put a coaster under them to protect the integrity of the tables. I got the feeling that no one else here cared, so I let it be.
The room had several doors in it. I had no clue where any of them went, so I kept my back near the exit. I didn’t like leaving myself vulnerable, but the room didn’t leave me many options.
“Please have a seat.” Caradoc motioned to one of the couches. “Can I offer you anything to drink?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I was afraid to say yes and get a big glass of blood, and afraid to say no and come off as rude.
He winked at me. I wondered if he was flirting or just had something in his eye. My money was on hair spray—that was of course if he held true to his eighties ensemble. “Would you like a glass of iced tea?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Please make yourself at home.”
I watched him exit out the door to my right and sat with my hands folded on my lap. I turned and stared at the large fireplace. Tiny pixies and faeries were embossed in it. They were all naked and each one wrapped itself around the one below it. Standing in a Master Vampire’s living room alone when he obviously had a thing for naked creatures of magik wasn’t the best idea I’d ever had.
Gulping, I rubbed my palms across my jeans, trying my best to keep the nervous sweat that was building to a minimum.
The place let off a strange vibe, yet, oddly it felt more like home than the apartment I’d been living in for the last two years. I’d been in the place for less than fifteen minutes and I already felt like I could throw my feet up on the sofa and kick back awhile. I resisted the urge.
“Sorry to interrupt you, but Pallo will be with you in a moment.” I didn’t sense anyone in the room with me so I was caught off guard. When I turned around Caradoc was standing behind me. He bowed his head slightly. “Forgive me, I did not mean to startle you.”
“No, you’re fine. I’m sorry.” I felt a little silly with a man bowing in front of me so I put my hand out to him. If Sharon were with me, she would have shot me dead on the spot for being careless and trusting a stranger who also happened to be a vampire. I didn’t feel that he posed any threat to me.
The door to my left opened and a man entered. He looked to be in his early twenties but I knew that if he was a vamp he was more likely to be in the hundreds. His hair was short and blond with pink tips. It appeared as though he used gel to spike it. He wore black from head to toe. He had on a t-shirt, jeans and pair of army boots. He definitely had the James Dean look down pat. When he saw me, he froze in place. Gee, I was having that effect on a lot of people lately. He opened his mouth and stood silent for a second. As fun as it all was, I didn’t want to play the game anymore.
“Mr. D’Alessandro, I came here to speak with you regarding the hellhound homicides.” My ability to be all work and no play came so easy. I expected him to start pouring his heart out about what they knew. What I got instead was his face looking even more shocked.
“Blood and sand! Caradoc, she thinks I’m Pallo. What the hell’s going on here? If anyone should remember him, it’s her,” he said, his voice thick with a British accent as he pointed at me.
Shoot. I thought he had to be the head guy—guess I was wrong. That didn’t happen too often, so I was a bit nervous. I usually just knew things that other people didn’t. It had always proved to be an asset until about thirty seconds ago. Suddenly, it seemed rather useless now.
Caradoc stepped forward. It was clear he didn’t want to touch me and that was just fine by me. “I’m sorry, Ms. Stevens.” He put a lot of emphasis on my name and stared hard at the James Dean-looking vamp.
“This is Jameson. Master Pallo will be with us momentarily.”
Jameson, James Dean? I shrugged and laughed in my head at the irony. Jameson approached me with speed that no human possessed and extended his hand to me.
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Stevens.” With the amount of attention they were giving my name, I was beginning to wonder if they thought it was an alias. Yes, often I run around giving bogus names—geesh. Besides, I would have come up with something more original than Gwen. “Faerie with attitude” had a nice ring to it.
“Nice to meet you too, Jameson,” I said. His hand was cool to the touch. I pulled mine away slowly.
“James. I go by James.” He smiled wide at me and I saw no fangs. I’d never actually met a vampire up close before. I always assumed they walked around with these huge dog-like fangs showing. Guess I was wrong—again.
“Can either of you fine gentlemen tell me where Mr. D’Alessandro is? I’d love to spend another hour being stared at like a circus freak, but a girl’s got to get her beauty sleep you know. So, now that the pleasantries are out of the way, can someone find Mr. D’Alessandro for me?” I turned to face Caradoc. I could sense that between the two, he was higher up on the seniority ladder, but I wasn’t sure by how much.
“He cannot help you find him, but I am sure I can.” The deep exotic voice ran over the room and covered my body. It was familiar to me, soothing, sexy. I turned, expecting to see someone I knew.
A man walked out from behind James. He was around six feet tall and had a head of loose brown curls that hung almost to his shoulders. The guy leaked sexuality. Prior to this meeting, I hadn’t known that was even possible. His face looked as though it was chiseled from stone. His pale skin had only the faintest hint of coloring. He had a strong chin with a small dimple in it, and his lips were full. They looked soft, kissable.
I let my gaze slowly fall down his body. He wore no shirt. His shoulders were broad, and from where I stood it appeared as though tiny freckles covered them. Muscles rippled down his stomach, forming a six pack and forcing my eyes lower. He wore a loose pair of black pants that I wished were invisible. They looked to be pajama bottoms, but I wasn’t sure. I was too busy staring at the way his chest went from being completely bare to the start of tiny black hairs from his navel area down. He wore his waistband extremely low and I was positive he wasn’t wearing any underwear.
I glanced down towards the floor and saw that he was barefoot. I did a quick second look at his body as I retraced my steps back to his beautiful face. The most intense pair of crisp, dark-brown, almost black eyes stared back at me. When I was finished mentally undressing him, I noticed the expression on his face. Gee, what a shocker. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.
“Would you guys please tell me if I have a huge horn sprouting from my forehead?” I was tired and I was sure it was pushing at least three in the morning.
Caradoc spoke first. “No, Ms. Stevens, you’ve not sprouted a horn as of yet. Why do you ask? Is this something we should watch for?” His sincerity made me burst out into laughter. James and the mysterious tall sexy vamp laughed as well.
“Everyone I’ve met so far has stood there staring at me like a deer caught in headlights. What gives? Where is Mr. D’Alessandro?”
“I am Mr. D’Alessandro,” the drop dead gorgeous one said. “Pallo is fine. I am sorry if we’ve upset you, but you remind us of someone we once knew.” He tossed his hair out of his face with his hand and stepped towards me. “My apologies for looking like I just rolled out of bed, but I have been sparring in the gym. I wasn’t expecting any visitors.”
Sparring in the gym? The very thought of it made me drool. Was going weak-kneed and passing out an option? I hoped so, since it was exactly what I felt like doing.
When Ken told me that I was going to meet Mr. D’Alessandro, I pictured a six hundred year old vampire who still spoke like he was in the Old World. Pallo didn’t seem much into using contractions, but his English was perfect, accented slightly, but perfect nonetheless.
“I’d have thought that Lydia would’ve told you I was coming. She phoned and requested that someone be sent down immediately to speak with you. Two others were supposed….” I didn’t finish my last sentence. I wasn’t sure it was wise to spill the beans about being here completely alone with no sign of backup coming. My patience level was growing very thin. The only thing that helped me keep my grip was that I was surrounded by three of the sexiest men I’d ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. Did I also forget to mention the fact that they could probably kill me before I knew what hit me?
Sexy and deadly, just the way I like them.
The room fell silent. Caradoc and James exchanged glances. Pallo was the first to break the silence. “I have not had a chance to speak personally with Lydia in some time now. My apologies. Please stay. I will answer whatever I can Ms…?”
“Ms. Stevens. Thank you.”
“Yes, of course, Gwyneth Stevens. I have seen your name in the Nocturnal Journal recently for your office being involved in the breakup of a Ghoul-fighting ring.” He took a step towards me, “Most impressive indeed, Gwyneth.”
This poster child for the “dead and doable” saying my name made me want to melt, and in some ways I did. I’ve heard that vampires could persuade members of the opposite sex to fall for them with ease. Knowing this should have prepared me for the way I was starting to feel, but it didn’t.
It would be easy to get lost in Pallo’s alluringly dark eyes. I wanted them to be looking down at me, staring at me while his body moved in and out of mine. I wanted to run my fingers through his wavy brown hair, to hold it while he brought my body to its climax. I wanted him now. I had to concentrate on not leaping across the room and straddling him. I pushed the desire down and for the first time felt how strong his pull was. Thankfully, I was stronger.
“Why are you fighting me?” Pallo asked.
“What do you mean?” I thought I’d play the dumb blonde routine for a minute.
“You are trying hard not to come near me, like I mean you harm.”
I guess the dumb blonde routine doesn’t work well, especially when you’re a brunette. “Look, no offense, but you could be a homicidal maniac for all I know. After all, you are a—” I stopped short of saying vampire.
“True. But why would such a lovely young woman come alone to a maniac’s house in the middle of the night?” His smile was so sexy that I had to fight with myself not to jump his bones then and there. Of course, I was willing to settle for a dry hump.
“Okay, you’ve got a good point. I must be crazy to come down here with a room full of vampires anyway, so why even bother with the shenanigans?”
“The ‘shenanigans’ you refer to were merely a test. I do not want any of my staff revealing information to someone not associated with the likes of us.”
I was well beyond the point of feeling the need to be polite. “Well, I’m so happy that I passed your little Club Bloodsuckers initiation test, we can gather around and throw up gang signs later. Right now, I would really like—”
His hand came up suddenly, motioning me to stop. Surprisingly enough, I did. He must have thought my last comment was amusing because he laughed. It was quite possibly the most perfect laugh I’ve ever heard.
“Well I’m so happy to be your entertainment for the evening, thank you, and good-bye!” I headed towards the door. Pallo stepped in my path. Under normal circumstances a vampire standing in front of me would scare the hell out of me. This time it just pissed me off.
He stepped close enough for me to touch. He put his hand out and brushed mine. I flinched a little. Even though I’d mentally psyched myself up for meeting vampires, I couldn’t bring myself to not be scared of what they could do.
I began to pull back, but his touch felt familiar to me. Sensual. Inviting. He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it gently. Warmth flowed over my body. Suddenly, my insides felt like a thousand tiny fingers were moving throughout me, caressing me. Pallo’s hands never left mine, yet I could have sworn that he’d just rubbed my most vulnerable spots. I felt it again, the feel of fingers caressing between my legs. I gasped and my body reacted to him. Damp, and breathless, I felt my hair lift up and I saw his do the same. I yanked my hand back, as if I’d been scorched.
“Nice to meet you too,” he said, grinning at me. He’d planned that!
I smiled back, trying to look nonchalant, as if this sort of thing happened often. “Do you do that to all the ladies?”
He leaned in so close that I thought he would kiss my neck, or worse yet, bite it. I put my hands up and touched his chin. His skin was so smooth. Ken had always had a five o’clock shadow by ten in the morning. This guy was like touching a porcelain doll’s face. His cool breath ran over my neck. I wasn’t sure my legs were going to hold out if he got much closer.
Falling on my ass in front of the sexiest man I’d ever seen was not on my to-do list.
“That is reserved for the beautiful ones. And in my two hundred and seventy-five years on this earth I have only met two worthy of that show,” he whispered, his sweet breath promising of endless passion between the sheets. Moisture pooled between my legs and while the idea of a hunky stranger making me cream myself was a favorite fantasy of mine, I thought it unwise to do so with a vampire.
I gave his chin a little push, and he stepped back.
“Can we just get down to business?” I asked, feigning annoyance, but wanting another hair-raising experience. Who wouldn’t?
“I will get down whenever or wherever you would like, Gwyneth. You have but to ask.”
My heart skipped a beat. I was so mad at myself for letting this two hundred and seventy-five-year-old corpse smooth talk me. But God, he was a good-looking corpse. I moved closer to him, filling the tiny gap between us. Two could play that game. I slid my hand across his chest. I really hoped this plan didn’t backfire. If it did I would probably end up dead—so what the hell. They could write, “She couldn’t beat ‘em, so she caressed ‘em” on my headstone. All would know I died a happy death.
I like to think of myself as being semi-attractive, and if he insisted on playing the Mr. Sexy game, I’d play along and then get the hell out of there. I knew before I touched him that he had two tiny scars under his right nipple. This didn’t surprise me. I figured I could have caught a glimpse of them—he did have his shirt off after all. But I knew how he had gotten them.
“Been avoiding picking fights with sailors I hope? It always ended so nasty for you.” Words came into my head and they fell from my lips. I was used to getting random visions of events in peoples’ lives, but this was different. No vision had come to me. I just knew this to be true. I couldn’t explain it. I pulled my hand away from him quickly, completely freaked out.
He looked a little shocked, then smiled. I was beginning to really like that devilish grin, and was dangerously close to naming it his wet-panties smile.
“Yes Gwyneth. I learned my lesson.”
“A punctured lung will do that to you. It’s a shame that it took that to prove it to you.” I grabbed my mouth. For some reason, in my head, I thought this would solve my problem. I never claimed to be smart—just semi-attractive.
Pallo leaned into me, brushing his lips over the back of my hand. My knees grew weaker. Six months without sex had taken its toll on me. “Yes, one can learn almost any lesson if pain is involved.” His deep voice moved over me, around me, through me, caressing me to my core.
Oh, he was good!
He shrugged and smiled. He definitely knew something I didn’t, and he wasn’t about to let on to what it was. The cocky routine was beyond annoying. I was flirtatious by nature, but this was getting on my nerves. I wanted to ask about the hellhounds and go. I wanted to leave this place and never look back. I wanted to run my hand over his chest again and pray that he decided to flex for me. Hey, cut a girl some slack—it’s not very often that the poster boy for every woman’s deepest sexual desire takes an interest in you. The desire won out. I felt his smooth chest one last time and stepped back.
Pallo reached out and touched my hip. I pushed his hand away lightly, unsure who I trusted less, him or me. He smelled good enough to eat and that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to swallow him up. Problem was, I knew what this guy was, and he would think of me as the main course.
Nevertheless, I wanted to know how it felt to have his body pressing against mine. I could feel his lust for me as well. I knew he was thinking of more than just pressing himself against me. I could see it in the way he smiled at me and in the way he moved. His movements were like ripples in water, so smooth, so sure of where they were going, so full of purpose, so making me horny.
I shook my head and cleared my naughty little schoolgirl thoughts. “I’m sorry, but I really just wanted to get some information in regards to some hellhound related incidents that we’ve had recently.”
That a girl—keep focused on work and not on Pallo’s glorious body.
He smiled, and I could tell that he wanted to pursue this newfound attraction more, but when he spoke, he’d apparently decided against it. “What is it that you want to know?”
I was shocked. He was going to give me some answers. “Well, for starters, do you know where we can find the Keeper of the Hounds? He’s managed to elude us so far.”
I caught James giving Pallo an odd look out of the corner of my eye, but decided to ignore it. Pallo’s head fell back slightly and he began to laugh. The sound of his laugh wrapped around my body and made me tingle in places that I didn’t even know I had. I shuddered and fought to maintain control. “I’m sorry, Pallo, but I really don’t see how people being slaughtered by some crazy guy and his puppy slackies is amusing.”
He glanced at me and grew quiet. “I am sorry. It is just that you seem very confident the Keeper is male. Are we really so destructive that you would automatically assume it was our doing?”
“I’m lost—you mean as a vampire or as a guy?”
“I am referring to men in general, Ms. Stevens.”
“Well, sorry to disappoint, but I really don’t have a low opinion of men. I’m not one of those women who run around all day male-bashing. I think you’re… err… they’re just great. I’m just going off of the information I was given, and sources on the street are saying male, so that’s what I’m sticking with.” My tone was definitely harsher than I had wanted it to be, but I was exhausted and horny—never a good combination.
Pallo appeared very smug and sure of himself. He kept pushing a strand of his curly hair behind his left ear. Never in my life had I thought such a scene would be erotic. It was. “Your informants are wrong and I would be very reluctant to listen to them further.”
As great as that sounded, the reality was that informants were getting harder and harder for the PR Dept. to come by. They were disappearing left and right, never to be heard from again. The few that Ken had left would have to do, simply because there were no others to turn to. I got the sense that Pallo picked up on this, because he motioned for James and spoke to me. “Come here tomorrow at dusk and I will tell you more about the Keeper of the Hounds.”
“Can’t we just do it tonight?” No part of me wanted to come back to this place again. There was some sort of funky sexual vibe that seemed to cling to the air and I was afraid it was catchy.
Pallo smiled and motioned upwards. “I’m afraid Mother Nature’s rising sun will prevent me from going into further detail with you tonight. Please come by tomorrow and I will speak with you then. James will walk you to your car, Ms. Stevens.” With that, he turned and walked out of the room.
Hmm, so much for good-byes. Secretly I was hoping for another handshake. Touching his skin made me feel alive. It was official—I really, really needed to get laid.
