Vampires Romance to Rippers an Anthology of Tasty Stories
Page 21
“And have you always long for your mortal heartthrob?” she asked. “No, I’m sorry, Lucian, she has to die.”
Chapter Seven
Isabon strode over the autumn leaves strewn over the grounds of the cemetery to the prone body lying against the wall. She could hear her heartbeat as she moved closer, could smell her blood. Good, she thought, perhaps I will turn her and then I can use her as an incentive for Lucian.
She bent over and grabbed a handful of JJ’s hair. “Hey, bitch,” she snarled, pulling back on JJ’s head, exposing her neck. “I guess you bit off more than you could chew.”
JJ’s eyes flew open. “Chew this,” she growled, thrusting a stake upwards and through Isabon’s heart.
Disbelief flashed over the vampire’s face just before she disintegrated in a puff of ash. JJ jumped to her feet, retrieving the stake, and turned to face Isabon’s followers. But as she stepped forward to take them on, they all crumbled into dust.
“I guess they’re following after their maker,” she said, walking back over to Lucian.
“You’re alive?” he said, not believing his eyes.
She stopped and examined her fingers. “Yeah, but, dammit, I broke a nail,” she complained.
“How did you…” he began.
“I told you I had a stake strapped to my shin,” she replied. “Didn’t you believe me?”
He pulled her into his arms and just held her to him. “I thought you had died,” he said. “I thought she had killed you and it was all my fault.”
She leaned back and met his eyes. “Why would it have been your fault?” she asked.
“Because I was attracted to you from the first time I saw you walk past Graceland,” he said. “I was obsessed with you. And it made Isabon jealous. I wanted you with a hunger I’ve never experienced before.”
She slipped her arms around his neck. “And is that so unusual?” she asked.
He inhaled raggedly. “Yes, it is,” he said. “This kind of attraction between a vampire and a human is almost unheard of and certainly frowned upon.”
She nodded and met his eyes. “I know,” she said.
“You know?” he asked, confused.
“My mother was a human and my father was a vampire,” she explained with a half-smile on her lips. “It was quite an unusual arrangement.”
“You’re a dhampir?” he asked, his eyes widening. “But… you must have sensed me following you.”
“Yeah, I’ve known about you for a couple weeks,” she confessed. “But I didn’t know whose side you were on. I didn’t know if you were responsible for those missing girls and just wanted to bring me into your harem or if you were really trying to help.”
“You seemed to trust me tonight,” he replied. “Was that just a trick?”
“I wanted to trust you, Lucian,” she said. “But I couldn’t let my guard down until I knew for sure. Thank you for offering to sacrifice yourself to save me.”
She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his mouth.
Still overwhelmed by her admission, he stared at her in astonishment. “But if you’re a dhampir, you’re not vulnerable to the weaknesses of either humans or vampires. And,” he studied her for a moment, met her eyes, and finally grinned broadly. “You’re not susceptible to my thrall.”
She smiled wickedly and seductively bit her lower lip. “You catch on quickly,” she replied, threading her fingers into his hair. “And now that we’ve got this figured out, perhaps we could take up where we left off in the parking lot.”
The End
About the Author
Best-selling author, Terri Reid is the creator of the Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mysteries. An indie author, Reid uploaded her first book “Loose Ends – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery” in August 2010. By the end of 2012, “Loose Ends” had sold over 125,000 copies. She has ten other books in the Mary O’Reilly Series and has enjoyed Best-Seller, Top Rated and Hot New Release status for all of them in the Mystery, Paranormal Romance, Horror, Cozy, or Women Sleuths categories. Her books have been translated into Spanish and Portuguese and are also now also available in print and audio versions.
Reid has been quoted in a number of books about the self-publishing industry including “Let’s Get Digital” by David Gaughran and “Interviews with Indie Authors: Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors” by Claire and Tim Ridgway. She was honored to have some of her works included in A. J. Abbiati’s book “The NORTAV Method for Writers – The Secrets to Constructing Prose Like the Pros.” She has also had the distinct privilege of guest blogging for Joe Konrath.
Reid is from Northwest Illinois, near the town of Freeport, the home of her fictional characters. Her background is in marketing and public relations. She is married, is the mother of seven children and the grandmother of thirteen. Her constant writing companions are Riley, a Bernese Mountain Dog-Golden Retriever mix; Hans, a German Shepard mix; and McDuff, a Siamese cat.
Loose Ends – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book One)
Good Tidings – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book Two)
Never Forgotten – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book Three)
Final Call – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book Four)
Darkness Exposed – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book Five)
Natural Reaction – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book Six)
Secret Hollows – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book Seven)
Broken Promises – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book Eight)
Twisted Paths – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book Nine)
Veiled Passages – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book Ten)
Bumpy Roads – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book Eleven)
The Ghosts Of New Orleans – A Paranormal Research and Containment Division (PRCD) Case File
Website – www.terrireid.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Terri-Reid-author/179591462080204?ref=hl
Acknowledgements
There are so many authors I would like to thank for all the help and encouragement offered to me along the way. Charity Parkerson, Charles E. Butler, Patti Roberts, Dionne Lister, Oleg Medvedkov, Terri Reid, and C.J. Ellisson, without your compassion, wisdom, support, and help I would be light years away from publishing this book.
I would also like to thank Gary Morgan, your knowledge of vampires and movies are superb.
Thank you Beth at Bz Hercules for putting up with all of my neurotic insecurities and doing an awesome job editing the book.
Special thanks to Sherrie Gearheart for taking time out of your busy charity and helping me bring Nicolai and Delano to life. For that gift, the three of us are eternally grateful.
Lastly, to Joseph Napier, thank you for tirelessly putting up with me and my requests to reread the material for the umpteenth time. You always did so willingly and gave great feedback.
Much love,
Scarlette D’Noire
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