A waltz of sorts comes on, and I feel embarrassed to admit that I have no idea how to dance properly. Julian laughs. “Very few people today would, Marina. It’s not exactly common anymore. I’ll show you.” He takes my hand, positioning me where I need to be. Leading me gracefully around the dance floor, he spins me about and makes it look easy. With him, I feel like I can do anything.
He brings me closer to him, kissing me on the side of my neck. “I can’t wait to get you out of here,” he groans.
I agree. There’s nothing I want more than to be alone with him.
A commotion toward the front of the room has the music screeching to a halt and Julian and I turning to see what’s going on. All the joy of moments ago rushes out of me in an instant. Shannon.
I gasp. Marcellus has her beside him, collared and . . . leashed.
“Shannon,” I yell, but Julian holds me back.
Her head doesn’t even turn in my direction. Her eyes remain fixated on something in the corner, dazed and docile.
“Marina, calm down. Let me handle this.”
“Julian. Help her,” I beg.
“Stay here,” he says, holding me in place and then stalking toward the scene playing out in front of me.
At that moment, Stacey comes walking through the door. When she sees Marcellus, she pales. Even from this distance I can see her body convulse in fear.
He grabs Stacey by the arm, dragging her toward the door, with Shannon in tow.
“Take your hands off of her.” Julian’s voice bellows through the room.
My feet move in their direction until a hand grabs my arm from behind.
“Marina, you have to leave.” Law is by my side, trying to direct me to a side door. “It’s not safe for you.”
“No. Stop,” I say, trying desperately to get out of his clutches. “I have to help them.”
“You can’t. Let Julian handle him. You have to go. Now.”
Law tries and fails to remove me, as I fight to stay put. I won’t leave Shannon and Stacey.
“I’ve come to retrieve my property. Surely, you’ll allow me my rights, Julian,” Marcellus sneers. “Perhaps we can barter. One for the other?”
He wouldn’t. There is no way he’d allow that monster to take Stacey. Not after everything we’ve shared. Everything I mean to him. He’ll protect her.
“You can’t have either of them,” Julian says in a murderous tone, motioning between my friends.
“Oh no, you misunderstand, brother. I want her,” he says pointing to me.
I jerk back, not understanding what he could possibly want with me and not giving a shit. He won’t touch me. I’ll die first.
Julian grabs Marcellus by the collar and throws him against the wall. He hits it with a smack, plaster crashing. Nobody moves. All the partygoers still, watching the fight in front of them play out.
Julian stalks toward Marcellus’s body, heaped on the floor, when Marcellus springs to his feet, teeth bared. Julian steps backward, acting as a barrier between me and Marcellus. Seeing that he won’t get to me, Marcellus moves toward Stacey.
In slow motion I watch as he grabs Stacey, dragging her body across the room while she fights, screaming and clawing, trying to escape his grasp. Help her, I command myself, but my limbs don’t react. My body is motionless.
“Please. Please,” Stacey screams at the top of her lungs, desperate, savage. “Kill me,” she begs in Julian’s direction.
Julian moves swiftly to intersect them, but Marcellus sees him coming. Taking her head in his hands, Marcellus breaks her neck. Stacey’s body goes limp, falling to the floor.
“No!” I scream, shaking with the vibration from the sheer force of my words.
I clutch my stomach, bile threatening to spill over. Falling to my knees with a guttural cry, I know that there is nothing I can do for my friend. Broken sobs rack my body. I’m so wrapped up in my grief that I don’t see the throngs of vampires piling into the room until Law grabs my arm.
“Get up, Marina,” Law screams. “You’ve got to get up.”
My eyes rise to find Julian, and that’s when I see them. Julian’s being held by two beefy men with glowing red eyes. The party guests are being brutally drained of blood. Cries and screams of terror echo off the walls in a cacophony of horror.
Julian’s mouth is moving as he yells in my direction. Two strong arms pull me to my feet. Bash.
“Get her out of here, Bash,” Law commands.
Bash yanks me off my feet, carrying me toward the hall. I thrash, trying to get loose. My eyes meet Julian’s. Go. He wants me out of here.
“He’ll be safe, Marina. But you won’t. We’ve got to move.”
“I can’t leave Shannon,” I scream.
“He’ll save her, but he can’t if you’re still here. We have to go, now.”
I don’t fight. I’ve lost the will, not trusting that Julian will be safe. Who are the vampires that have him? Are they the Council? Are they just Marcellus’s lackeys?
We get to the hallway and Bash sets me on my feet, moving me quickly down a hallway. A raucous noise behind us has Bash spinning on his feet. Another vampire with glowing red eyes lurches forward toward us. Bash pushes me behind him.
“Run, Marina. I’ll hold him off.”
I stand frozen in place until he screams, “Go.”
Without a second thought, I’m running blindly down a hall I’m not familiar with, in a house I know nothing about. I can try to hide, but I’m human. They’ll smell me, no matter where I am. My arms pump riotously, pushing me forward as fast as I can go. I come to a break in the hall. Left or right?
I’m just about to take my chances on left when someone calls my name from the right hallway. I spin on my heels and catch a glimpse of someone turning a corner. I hesitate for a moment wondering if it’s a good idea for me to follow some unknown person, but they knew my name.
I take off running after the being, coming around the corner just in time to see yellow fabric from a dress swish around yet another corner. The place is a labyrinth, and the further I go, the more unease I feel. I need to get out of here. I need to find the nearest exit and take my chances getting back to Julian’s land.
Instead of continuing to follow this unknown person, I turn the opposite way and head toward what I think is the back of the place. At this point, anywhere other than back where I started is the best choice.
I come to a set of massive double doors and swing them open to find they lead outside. I sigh in relief, finally outside of those walls where death and chaos reign behind me. I take off running toward the woods, but someone grabs me from behind, smothering my cries with a hand over my mouth. Two things happen at once. One, I realize the delicate hand clasping my mouth belongs to a woman, and two, I recognize the scent. It’s one I’d never forget. Not in a million years.
Spinning around, I gasp. “You.”
“Hello, Marina.”
Maggie.
Marina and Julian’s story concludes in
Blood That Reigns
Coming December 24, 2020. Preorder now!
Blood That Reigns
(Blood Legends Duet #2)
Vampires. Murderers. Lies
I thought being kidnapped and auctioned off as a blood slave would be the worst of my problems.
It was only the beginning.
Thrust into a world that humans would deem fantasy, I soon learned that all things are possible.
Vampires are real.
Now, I'm at the center of a brewing war between those that want to protect humanity and those who threaten to end life as we know it.
I'll do whatever it takes to change our fate. Even lay down my life. But will that be enough?
Blood That Reigns is the conclusion of Julian and Marina's story. Coming December 24th!
Acknowledgments
This book took a village to come to fruition, and I'll forever be grateful to every person in mine. I'll inevitably forget someone, but all who helped in this pro
cess know I love them!
First, thank you to my incredible editor, Liz, for all of your advice along the way. This story wouldn't be what it is without your insight!
Huge thanks to one of my best girls, Mary, who read BTB early and offered incredible feedback. I appreciate you and our friendship. Meeting you has brought so much joy to my life! Love ya, lady!
To Tracey, for always believing in me. For your willingness to jump in to proofread BTB and help create a cover that is beyond perfect! You are one badass woman, and I'm proud to call you my friend! Thank you will never be enough!
To Beth, Julie, Tia, Dee, and Graceley, thank you all for offering your support throughout this process. You ladies are my people! And I appreciate the nudges to publish, late-night questions answered, and the knowledge that all of you possess of this industry. You’re all rockstars!
To Sharon, you know how much I love you! You’ve been my bestie in this world from practically day one. I’ll never forget your help in finally getting me to publish. Love you!
To Andrea and Jill for letting me use your names and for being my ride or dies since high school. So much of my writing stems from our early years. I cherish your friendship and all the memories we’ve made throughout the years.
To Jackie, you make me laugh more than anyone. Having you in my corner means everything. You’ve come to be such an incredible friend and I can’t tell you how much I needed a Jackie in my life. You’re the best!
To Heather, thanks for all the laughs and fun times! Getting to know you all has been a highlight. I have no doubt there will be many more nights of Fireball and dancing. xo
To Amy, your friendship means the world to me. From day one you’ve supported me through all my adventures (many boneheaded and pointless, but still you love me). You’re my favorite! Thank you for always being there. You’ll never know how much our friendship means to me.
To my family, who have always been my biggest fans. ZAG, I do this for you. Always.
Last but not least, to you, the readers, thank you for taking a chance on a debut author. You're all the best!
About the Author
Melissa Winters' debut novel, Blood That Binds, has been in the making for over a decade. She finally mustered up the courage to push publish, and now she's sitting back and biting her nails—which is one of her many bad habits. Writing and coffee keep her sane, but have also contributed to her being nocturnal! All things paranormal and witchy excite her, and recently, a series of fallen angels have sat on her shoulder, coaxing her to write them onto the pages!
Keep up to date with my new releases and sales here!
To read excerpts of all my work head to Book+Main.
Blood That Binds: A Vampire Romance (Blood Legends Duet) Page 27