by M. L. Guida
“Delicious cream,” he said. He probed deeper inside her with his tongue while his finger rubbed her clit.
She arched into a taut bow, her body quivering as an orgasm gripped her, robbing her of breath, of will. She tried to dig her fingers into the quilt, but she thought she’d fly off the bed. Not knowing what else to do, she flung her hands over her head and clutched the bedposts. Each merciless thrust of his tongue broke down the nightmares of the past, burying them behind her and replacing them with sweet pleasure that she’d ever known. She wanted to feel him inside her, was tired of being afraid. Crying out into the candlelight, she shuddered and writhed. “Now, take me.”
“All right, tigress.”
As Jayden swapped the hotness of his mouth with the driving force of his flesh, Eleanor climaxed before the first thrust was even consummated. By the second, she brought her hands down from the bedpost to claw wildly at his shoulders, then dug her fingernails into his rocking hips, wanting him to fill her with endless ecstasy. Her body accommodated his size, stretching and clutching his flesh. She forgot how to inhale, for there was only endless pleasure, intense and unquenchable, grand quivering extractions that seemed to go on for eternity, never relenting in heat or ferocity.
Jayden drew on all the skills he possessed, wanting to crush Eleanor’s demons, for her not to fear coupling. He lifted her hips to change the angle of penetration and plunge deeper inside her, wanting to bring her more pleasure. As he put his hand on the other side of her head, he watched the emotions of flicker in her violet eyes—disbelief to hunger. Another orgasm gripped her, and she thrashed her head back and forth on the pillow, her dark hair contrasting with the whiteness. He pinned her there, quaking and witless, as long as he possibly could before his own pleasure broke in powerful, crashing, torrents.
The sheer force of his release plunged him deeper into her heat. Her legs intertwined around him like a vine, tightening and squeezing his hips. He jerked his head back, spilling himself into each impatient roll of her hips, until he was spent. A final, puffing shudder left him thoroughly depleted, and he sagged into her arms, lying there panting, too stunned to move.
He kissed her bare shoulder. “You’re magnificent.”
“So, were you, but knowing you, you already knew that.”
He laughed. “You’re getting to know me better.” His laughter died down. “Have you ever seen a ghost before?”
“No, your brother was my first. We Irish have a saying loved ones only appear if there was a special bond.”
Special bond? He’d definitely had one with Jacob. But his father? Not so much. He did want to see his father, make amends like he’d done with Jacob.
Eleanor sighed.
He pushed a lock of hair off her luscious Venus De Milo shoulder. “Did you ever see your family?”
“No. But I didn’t want to.”
“Why?”
“Because of my shame.”
“You’ve nothing to be ashamed of.”
She nodded. “I know. But I’m still not ready.” She kissed him and whispered into his ear, “I want to hear it.”
He shuddered and lifted his head. “You want to hear it?” He frowned until he looked down into those desperate eyes, then flashed her a smile. “Is that an order?”
“No, more of a plea.”
He kissed her, wanting to show her how much he wanted her, loved her. He trailed kisses down her throat to her ear and decided to tease her with an old Partridge family hit that popped into his mind. “I think I love you.”
She sighed and ran her hand down his back. “You think?”
He laughed and kissed her pouting lips. “No,” he said. His voice was somber. “I know I love you. You’re my life, and the only woman who completes me.”
Her eyes brimmed with tears. “And you, my fallen Christmas star, have vanquished all my terrors. I want you with me always.”
“Try getting rid of me,” he said. “Tonight, instead of sugar plums, I’ll give you dreams of dirty dancing.”
“Make me glow,” she said. And as the next heat of passion gripped him, Jayden conjured up all of his power to fulfill her Christmas wish.
Dear Reader
I’m delighted you decided to ride, A Vampire’s Fallen Christmas Star. I've always had a crush on rock and roll stars. I hate to admit it, but I'm still stuck in the 1980’s and 1990’s music. AVFCS is the second book in the Vampires on Holiday series. Once again, this book is set in Frisco, Colorado, my favorite Colorado mountain town.
I plan to write and release Michael's story in 2015. This will be another novella and yes, it will be set in Frisco again.
I love to hear from readers. I am on all the social media sites, (Facebook, twitter@ml_mlguida and GoodReads.) I respond to emails, Facebook posts and tweets, so don't hesitate to contact me. If you'd like to contact me on my website http://mlguida.com/contact/ or you can follow me on my blog http://www.mlguida.com/blog/
Book loaning and reviews are ways that readers can help authors get the word out about books they love, so don't hesitate to spread the word about books they love, so don't hesitate to spread the word about A Vampire’s Fallen Christmas Star. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.
I have an excerpt of A Vampire’s Christmas Wish, the first book in the Vampires on Holiday series if you’ve have not read the first book.
If you’d like to receive a new email release, please sign up at http://www.mlguida.com/
Other Books by M.L. Guida
If you enjoyed A Vampire's Fallen Christmas Star, the first book in the series is A Vampire's Christmas Wish. This is Janus' story. Master vampire, Janus Morano, has searched for centuries to find his lost soul mate. When he finally discovers his true love on Christmas Eve in Hawaii, she doesn’t know him, doesn’t remember her previous life, and doesn’t want him. Janus must get her to remember him and their love, but nothing comes easy with Deirdre Hahn.
Deirdre is drawn to the mysterious dark stranger, but she came to Hawaii with Brandon Delaney, to heal their broken relationship. Brandon has promised to never beat her again, bending over backwards to be Prince Charming. But the promise is broken.
Deirdre escapes Brandon’s clutches and her only hope is the mysterious dark stranger. Janus vows to help her but soon she discovers his dark secret. He’s a vampire…a vampire searching for her.
Now Deirdre is caught between two desperate men. Not sure who to trust. In order to save her future she must accept her past and when her Hawaiian vacation falls apart and she’s kidnapped, she must learn to trust Janus or die on Christmas.
I have a new series with Kensington/Lyrical called the Underworld. The first book is Dark Promise. Love can unlock the secret to saving two worlds.
As the Golden Aspen Tree withers, darkness consumes the Dragon Demons of the Underworld, turning them feral. Prince Eric Wyvern must keep his darkness at bay and woo the silver-haired human tainted with angel blood whose touch is prophesied to save the Golden Tree and restore light to the Underworld.
Cassandra Wright, a gifted psychic, has dreamed of Eric her whole life. When her dream lover joins her on a ski vacation, he plunges her into a nightmare. Imprisoned in a dying world filled with abuse and torture, she must become the Demon Prince’s mate or remain trapped forever. If she fails to fulfill the prophecy, the darkness will spread to her world. But how can she give herself to this dark and frightening version of the man of her dreams?
Eric will give Cassandra the world, if only he can make her see past the darkness to the man he really is, and help him save it first.
I have another series called Angels of Death with Passion in Print.
Betrayal, Angels of Death is the first book in the series. Scythe tracks his demon brother to Serenity House, a drug and alcohol treatment center. His brother wants to destroy the director, Heather Bowen, but Scythe is shocked to discover she is his angel-mate and now, he must not only save his brother’s soul, but stop him from killing the woman he loves
.
The second in the series is a novella, Sinful Delight. Poison has two hours to fulfill orders received from the Archangel Michael: Locate and retrieve the dark Evil Board and capture the woman has been using it to grant wishes. She is determined to succeed. Ringmaster is on a search of his own. He is pleasantly surprised to discover not only the Spell Board he has been tasked to find, but also the fledgling Angel of Death he has yearned to sample. When he learns Poison wants the same woman and board, the persuasive demon makes her a tempting offer – sleep with him and have both.
The third in the series is Punishment, Angels of Death. A demon's revenge comes at a terrible cost to the woman he loves.
Blade Angel, a fallen demon, must repent or be human forever. He defies an archangel and ends up in the hospital badly burned where he meets a gifted healer, Abigail Malcolm. She heals his hands, and soon discovers she is his angel-mate. But he has a dark secret.
Abigail wants to save her drug addicted brother, but the powers of hell want his soul. And the only way she can save him is to trust the demon responsible for her sister's death. He claims she is his true love.
To defeat evil, they must learn to trust and forgive each other.
I also have an historical paranormal romance series called Legends of the Soaring Phoenix. The first book is called, A Pirate’s Curse. Like a dark angel, Captain Kane O'Brien rescues Hannah Knight and her father from drowning after vampire pirates murder their crew and sink their ship. Struggling to control and hide her telekinetic powers, Hannah discovers the honorable and bold captain possesses his own secrets.
Every full moon, Kane turns into a vampire. Finding out Hannah not to be the cabin boy she resembles, but a beautiful, luscious woman, tempts all his appetites. Desperate to be free of his curse, Kane considers handing Hannah over to a demon. But after Hannah uses her power to save his ship from his immortal enemy, Kane can no longer deny his attraction and vows to protect Hannah with his life.
To find true love, they must combine their powers to defeat evil vampires, thwart Hannah's misogynist fiancé and escape a crafty demon.
The second book is A Pirate’s Revenge. Cursed by a demon, William O’Brien changes into a dragon with mystical powers he can’t control. In dragon form he becomes a ravenous beast with the power to destroy the crew of the Soaring Phoenix. He’s forced to make a decision: leave the ship or face killing the crew.
But before he can go, he discovers a new menace hunts him. The God of the Underworld has released a female demon, more deadly and evil than before, with orders to capture William and combine his powers with a male witch in order to destroy the crew of the Soaring Phoenix.
Mariah Fey, a talented witch, wants only to save her brother from the bowels of the evil pirate ship, the Fiery Damsel. If William will trust her, she can teach him how to harvest his gifts, control his abilities and together their true love can defeat their enemies.
I also write a paranormal young adult series, Dare to Heal, under the name, J.L. Bowen, published through Featherweight Press. These are not romance stories, but the stories of young adults coming to age and learning how to be resilient.
Healer is the first book. Fourteen year old Armond Costa’s two questions – No matter the abuse, why can I heal in three days and no else in my family can? What am I? – are finally answered. But now he must figure out who is telling the truth – his cruel aunt and uncle or the mysterious Golden Demons.
Ryker’s Revenge is the second book in the series. Gunnar, the Healer of the Dark Demons, wants to escape from his sadist father, the King of the Dark Demons, and return to the Golden Demons, but his father brands him with a dragon tattoo designed to kill Golden Demons. The choice to stay away from his friends is taken from his hands when they launch a rescue operation to save him, only to have one of their own injured by the dragon on his chest while another is captured by his father. Can Gunnar trust his sister, their father's lapdog, and the dragon on his chest to help save his friends and keep him free?
Copy Right
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
A Vampire's Fallen Christmas Star: © 2014 by M.L. Guida
Cover design © Viola Estrella (Estrella Cover Art)
All rights reserved. Where such permission is sufficient, the author grants the right to strip any DRM which may be applied to this work.
Issued 2014
Prologue
London, Christmas Eve, 1863
Christmas wreaths hung on the walls and garland with red bows were strung long from decoration to decoration. Two pine trees adorned with gold and silver ball ornaments had dozens of presents gathered at their trunks. An orchestra played George Frederic Handel’s Messiah and couples swirled on the dance floor. Janus Morano leaned against the wall and sipped his red wine, trying not to break the crystal stem. Being a captain of His Majesty’s Army, Janus hadn’t been able to refuse his sworn enemy Major Martin Lear’s invitation without creating suspicion.
Lear, a known rake, waltzed with Janus’s true love, Delores Helm. When Lear twirled her, her tight fitting red gown flew up and revealed her delicate ankles. Crescents of her bosom peeked above the pearls trimming the heart-shaped neckline. Lear stole glances down the front of her dress. Delores laughed and smiled at something Lear said. Janus gripped the stem too tight, cracking it. His fangs elongating, he wanted to fly across the room and rip off Lear’s flesh. But taking deep breaths, he forced his anger back and drained the wine. He slammed the glass onto a tray held by a passing waiter. The waiter staggered. He dropped the tray and glass shattered onto the floor. Two of Lear’s men raised their eyebrows and then spoke in hushed whispers.
Damn.
Janus snagged another glass of red wine. Vampire killers would be at the ball, except he didn’t know who the hell they were. If he lost it, he’d put both he and Delores at risk.
Stay calm.
The waltz ended and Janus hurried across the room. He’d had to get Delores away from Lear, before he lost control. He bowed. “May I have this dance?” His voice strained with the words.
Delores stiffened and frowned.
Lear gave him a dismissing look as if he were a grunt in his battalion rather than giving him the respect of an officer. Bloody bastard. “Anything wrong, Miss Helm?”
“No, ’tis fine, Major,” she said.
The orchestra began to play another waltz. “Delores,” Janus urged, calling upon his vampire power to compel her.
She raised her eyebrow and he gave up. Ah hell, why could he never control her?
She offered her small hand. Janus clasped it and whirled her out onto the floor before she changed her mind.
“Trying to make me bend to your will again?”
“I’m just trying to make you safe. There are—”
“Hunters?”
He leaned his forehead to hers. “I don’t know. I haven’t fully developed my mind reading abilities and with all the music and you dancing, I can’t concentrate.”
She cupped his cheek, her hand warm. “You’re jealous.”
He tightened his grip around her slender waist. “Yes, damn it.”
“You’ve nothing to worry about, Captain. I know what Lear is.”
He glared over her head at his opponent. “A lecherous rake.”
“Perhaps, but you’re behaving like an overgrown ogre.”
Her sweet scent of roses set his blood on fire. He wanted her beneath him like she’d been last night, arching her hips as he had thrust his flesh between her long legs. Her brown hair was pulled into a loose bun and soft ringlets caressed her tantalizing neck. “’Tis Christmas, I thought we could leave early—”
“Why?” She narrowed her blue eyes and they flashed red. “The ball has just begun.”
He whispered into her ear. “You must control yourself. Your v
ampire eyes are showing.”
She jerked her head away. “Stop.” She glared at him, her eyes were the bluest of the ocean. “’Tis because of your jealousy.”
“Delores—”
The music ended and Major Lear bowed and held out his hand. “May I?”
“Why of course, Major.” She rested her hand on Janus’s arm. “Could you fetch me some refreshment? I’m parched.”
Janus wanted to argue, but Lear was the host and a fellow officer. Giving her a tight nod, he left to get her some damn punch. How could he get through this ball?
Each time the music ended, Janus traded waltzes with Lear. The man never stopped putting his hand on Delores’s lower back, peering down her gown or leaning too close to her. Rage pumped through Janus’s veins, and he had to keep his hands in his pockets to keep from strangling Lear. The clock chimed at twelve o’clock when Delores finally agreed to leave.
In the carriage, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the window. Christmas garland wrapped around the lamp post and smoke swirled out of chimneys. The carriage swayed and the horses clomped on the snowy streets. The silence nearly drove him mad, but he knew better to press her when her chin was tilted and her eyes were blazing. He’d only make things worse.
The carriage stopped and before the footman or Janus could move, Delores threw open the door and marched up to their flat. He shook his head and followed her inside. He pulled off his leather gloves and slammed them on an end table. “You must not be fooled by his charms. He’s a bastard.”
She stood in front of the fireplace and gripped the mantel. “He’s a major in His Majesty’s Army and was our host. I merely was trying to help your career, Captain.”