The Vampires Of Livix Twin Pack (Volumes #2 & #3)

by Smith, J Gordon

  I opened the bag I brought with me. I reached in and sprinkled the shredded remnants of my wedding bouquet. The dried flowers and leaves from that day floated along the surface, swirling then straightening, into a line that wove along the center of the river. Sharp tips of lily petals twirling like iron spikes through my heart as the memories flooded my emotions. Each tragic piece dripping from my fingers like broken butterfly wings bringing memories of the wedding, my family, and Garin. I wiped away my tears and carefully retrieved the little stainless steel tinderbox from my pocket. Removing the top, I poured the ashes from Garin’s finger onto the water, the fine powder floating in a hairline ribbon with my tears that stretched away to meet the flowers touching the farthest bend in the river.

  I set the little reed raft onto the water and arranged the last of the dried flowers with the remaining silk from Garin’s wedding suit. On top of the silk I placed the vampire fangs. I let the little craft float away on the river like a pair of heroic Viking kings adrift upon a longboat pyre. Weeping filled my face with tears that hissed into the river as my mind raced back through our short time together. Could I ever go on? As the craft floated away I pulled out a little envelop made with some antique century-old crinkly paper watermarked with an ornate floral design. Inside the envelope, Garin tucked a fragile piece of paper carefully folded into the shape of a heart. He wrote the letter the day before our wedding and gave it to my sister to give me afterward. I left it sitting untouched on my window sill as if a death raven guarded it. I decided I could be brave enough to read it at my little ceremony as I said a final goodbye to Garin.

  Anna, I have looked forward to this day for my whole life, even though I never knew you would be the one to seize my heart. You cannot appreciate the life in you the way a vampire can see it. And while I am saddened that you have decided to stay human, I respect your courage and strength, and support your decision. It’s your life and I am glad you have chosen to share it with me. I am looking forward to our wedding but I am excited that I will be marrying my True Love, Forever. Garin.

  I reread the note repeatedly. The tears bubbling out of my eyes in torrents ruining the careful writing Garin made with an authentic fountain pen as old as the delicate paper he wrote it on. I slowly refolded the letter and slipped it into the envelope. I crushed it in my fingers as I fell uncontrolled to my knees in the water among the reeds. My head buried in my hands and tears. The letter swirling away, lost upon the water. My body shaking. How could he be gone? I could not think. The core of my being, my soul, ripped from my body in tatters streaming down the river.

  -:- -:- -:-

  A figure strode through the wilderness. Under the shadowy trees. Through thickets, stepping over rocks, and brushing across groves of vibrant green ferns. The walk became faster until it broke into a run and then a sprint. Like a wolf on the chase following the vagaries of a true scent, the figure touched the thick timber trunks in frenzied pursuit. He leaped over fallen logs and ridges of rock, hurtling forward. Then he saw his quarry at the edge of the river.

  She wept among the reeds and could not see his rapidly approaching shadow. The brush released his form as he sprang across the water landing beside her. He held out his hand for her.

  Her fingers came away from her eyes, looking up to this figure cast in shadow by the sun at his back. She stood, disbelief gripping her face, taking his hand in hers.

  “I love you Mrs. Ramsburgh,” his voice choked.

  -:- -:- -:-

  “Oh, Garin!” My arms wrapped around his neck and crushed his lips to mine. The world spun for how infinitely long – I did not care. When I finally became conscious of the forest I released him and asked, “But I did not find you except for a pair of fangs and your jacket lining –”

  “My mother’s fangs, I carried them with me since I found them in the woodland cabin. I thought she should be present at my wedding and kept them in my suit. I feared I truly lost you when I could find no trace of you after, not knowing how many days it took me to heal where I fell from the explosion into the dead furrow on the far side of the fence row. I worried you died in the blast or fell into the fire trying to save me. I thought many things, dark things, as if I could not go on without you. But I found your sister and your mother and they told me you came here to mourn me.”

  Joy flushed through my entire being. I kissed him hard. We fell against the reeds on the shore, passion overcoming our sorrow and fears. Oh! How the depths of my being missed Garin.

  We lay in serenity as husband and wife. My body flushed in fulfilled transcendence next to his. His arm lay out on the reeds and I saw a few stray marks of ink left from the drawing I did the night of our first meeting. Our first kiss. When I knew less of this man and this brutal life than I have lived since. My mind filled in the missing details of the fighting Anime girl with her skirt flared from rapid movement as she and the handsome man at her back slung swords against the closing circle of evil. The circle had entirely washed away and barely the silhouettes of the heroes remained. Soon the heroes would fade, not needed now that the world was safe.

  In time my eyes lifted to his, “I have news for you.”

  “What kind of news?”

  I pushed his hand down to my belly and said with my best Victorian Festival vocabulary for the occasion, “My good sir, I am with child.” A wide giddy grin spread across my face.

  His head snapped back, “How? Vampires cannot have children. They are made not born.”

  “Then it must be your human baby as I have only been with you, sir.”

  His thoughts visibly wrapped around the news, “A family!”

  We would face many challenges going into our uncertain future yet we would solve them together in our new partnership.

  I hugged him tight, I knew our True Love would prevail and endure, Forever.

  -:- The End -:-

  -:- Back Material -:-

  A Personal Note from the Author

  Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this novel then please visit the book on-line and leave a review to encourage others to take a chance with the characters in this Epic tale. Tell a friend too! I am an independent author and rely exclusively on word of mouth and favorable reviews – and your kind words mean a lot to me!

  I blog about my writing projects at http://jgordonsmith.com and can also be found at Goodreads.com (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6427753.J_Gordon_Smith) I hope you stop by and say ‘hello’. You’ll learn what stories are being created as well as my progress in publishing, reviewing cover concepts, and other bits of work I do. I sometimes pose questions for readers that influence the story direction including characters, names, plots, beginnings, endings, and other features that get worked into the stories. I hope to see you there!

  Copyright

  BEHOLD THE BURNING NIGHT

  ONE NIGHT BURNS

  THE NIGHT DISCOVERED

  BEHOLD THIS NIGHT

  MENACE ME WITH DEATH

  ARAVANT IN THE HIGHLANDS

  Copyright © 2012 by J Gordon Smith

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.

  Published globally by J Gordon Smith with Ayton & Greene Publishing Company

  Official Author Website: http://jgordonsmith.com/

  Cover Art & Book Design: J Gordon Smith

  [Reference file #: VampiresOfLivix_123_BeholdTheBurningNight_121218e]

  This is a work of fiction and intended for entertainment. The stories may contain excessive violence or sexual situations that may not be suitable for some readers. All characters, names, places, incidents, and situations appearing in this work are imaginary or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, businesses, companies, or persons, living, dead, undead, mythical, or magical is purely and entirely coincidental.

  The Vampires Of Livix Novels

  1 -:- One Night Burns

  2 -:-
The Night Discovered

  3 -:- Behold This Night

  Official Author Web blog: J Gordon Smith

  One Night Burns

  The front door exploded free of its hinges. Glass and wood shrapnel shattered across the room bouncing from furniture and walls. Garin tucked me protectively behind his body as across the broken threshold strode three snarling vampires. We recognized their master –

  Once Patent Attorney Anna Arkena meets the handsome and intriguing vampire Garin Ramsburgh, a bold Investment Analyst at Draydon Financial, she quickly learns how her life in the small mid-western town of Livix will change.

  The Vampires of Livix cringe as these two become close – mixing with vampires always ends badly. But the problems escalate in fifty ways as outside interests pressure Garin’s wealthy family to sell their successful military parts business amid faked financial losses while international terrorist and militia groups push their own agendas with deadly effectiveness.

  Who is behind it all? What do they want? Is this a spark of a greater fire to come? Can Anna and Garin achieve happiness before the fall of twilight? Will Anna survive the vampires and find her shades of True Love?

  Find out in One Night Burns, Volume 1 of the Vampires Of Livix trilogy.

  The Night Discovered

  “We have your girl for a trade.”

  “– Trade for what?”

  “We will call you later with the specifics. Make sure you contact Garin Ramsburgh. You will need his help in meeting our demands.”

  The phone went silent.

  Patent Attorney Anna Arkena and the handsome vampire Garin Ramsburgh believe they have finally freed themselves of the vampires intent on destroying them. Garin hopes they can continue their relationship unhindered. But like an approaching twilight, Anna has become unsure about her life with a vampire – even one so intriguing as Garin.

  However, she has little chance to consider her decision. The vampire investigator Branoc seeks their help in solving a mystery of fifty or more random vampire deaths with strange links to Garin’s family business. Soon the shades part and the terrorists and the militia groups become the least of their worries. Friends turn into treacherous enemies. Love is rejected and new love is discovered.

  What happens between Anna and Garin? Has the spark escaped and started an unstoppable blaze? How can an ordinary man complicate her relationships with vampires? Can she ever trust the vampires again? Will True Love prevail?

  Find out in The Night Discovered, Volume 2 of the Vampires Of Livix trilogy.

  Behold This Night

  The assassin grinned wickedly before me as she curtsied, her sword to the side and parallel to the abrasive concrete. Rising easily, she exploded into a wrenching vampire onslaught striking against my feeble sword that I clung to for protection. She expertly beat my weapon from side to side as she strode against me. I fell back. She struck my fainting sword again. Then again. Then she said, “The girl is yours, Jaina.”

  “Danke,” came a voice from behind me, along with the whip of a sword blade through the air. I spun away – my thoughts racing: how could I survive them?

  Patent Attorney Anna Arkena and the vampire Garin Ramsburgh strive to stop the fiery face of evil charging unleashed through the twilight city of Livix. Unexpected community leaders and pillars of economic growth are suspiciously involved.

  Anna’s complicated relationships between the handsome human Brett and the gorgeous vampire Garin are troubling her in fifty ways or more and it could shake not only her own approaching destiny but the uncertain future of Livix and humanity. Will Anna’s love survive the inevitable showdown with the shades of converging evils? Will she bravely choose her path in love and life and succeed? Or will she be one of the many crushed in the catastrophe – food for the vampires?

  Find out in Behold This Night, Volume 3 of the Vampires Of Livix trilogy.

  About the Author

  J Gordon Smith has always had a secret indulgence in reading Vampire stories from the classics like Dracula and Carmilla to more modern interpretations such as Interview With The Vampire and Those Who Hunt The Night while having fun reading the Twilight series. He hopes you find entertainment in his modified Vampires of Livix universe and the characters that struggle and flourish within it.

  Principle outline for the plot of this novel and the series was completed in February 2012. Writing commenced soon after and completed by September 2012. Writing and editing was completed using Ubuntu.com Linux (10.04 & 12.04) operating system and the LibreOffice.org productivity suite (3.5). Cover artwork was created with the Gnu Image Manipulation Program, Gimp.org (2.6).

  J Gordon Smith resides in a suburb outside of Detroit, Michigan and runs a successful Engineering and General Business Consulting firm, Velocity Motive LLC, supporting both local and global corporations involved with producing cars and trucks that you probably own and drive every day.

  Other Books Written by J Gordon Smith

  The Gemstone Series

  Book I: The Diamond Coronal

  Book II: The Black Jewel

  Book III: The Fire Gem

  Book IV: The Blue Crystal

  Book V: The Crimson Furl

  These are traditional Epic Swords & Sorcery stories filled with Heroes and Heroines, swords, dragons, and other monsters and magic. The first four books can be read in any order as the events occur along the parallel paths of each main character. Book five occurs at the end of the first four books and it takes all the main characters and all of their growing powers and abilities to save the land from the ancient evil overtaking it in The Crimson Furl.

  The Diamond Coronal – Book I of the Gemstone Series

  “No!” Maurius cried hoarsely as Dorran’s body crumpled to the bloody ground. The lieutenant spun in the crunching gravel path and, with a grin of triumph, he ran toward Maurius – intent upon another kill –

  The wizard Maurius seeks a mysterious staff named the Gnarled Burner, blamed for the demise of the inquisitive Snowy Elves a thousand years ago. What begins as a leisurely academic quest into the snow and ice covered Northern Mountains quickly turns into a sprint through the arctic cold to find the staff before it falls into evil hands. Can Maurius avoid the Rubied Assassins that attack him wherever he goes? Will he prevail against creatures nearly forgotten in myth that eerily haunt him behind every stone and hill? What ancient evil awoke bringing war to the land with the vengeance of old dragons?And what dangerous Destiny lurks in the Diamond he carries, has always carried, yet does not know from where it came?

  Find out in The Diamond Coronal, Book I of the Gemstone Series

  The Black Jewel – Book II of the Gemstone Series

  Sylanna’s jaw scraped against the rough plastered wall, “You cannot be one of the guardsmen.”

  “And how did you guess that? Was it my curt accent or my fashionable attire?” His sweaty arm clamped tighter, grinding into her belly, while his other hand held a long dagger against her throat. Sylanna’s mind scattered. She had not even heard him approach!

  The talented thief Sylanna flees to a remote monastery after she is attacked by the Rubied Assassins. But she learns the quiet monastery is anything but silent; pious monks plot against each other, executions and murder are brushed aside, ancient secrets are buried deep under the fortified structure, while the studious leaders supply the brewing War. Will Sylanna survive the monastery and its suspicious monks? Will she escape the Rubied Assassins or will they surprise her behind the monastery’s thick walls and wide moat? Who can be a friend and who is secretly an enemy? Even the Black Jewel, a comforting talisman she has carried since childhood, clutches a dangerous Destiny that unwinds as the menace approaches. Can she stop the evil?

  Find out in The Black Jewel, Book II of the Gemstone Series

  The Fire Gem - Book III of the Gemstone Series

  Koren stood and slowly turned in the smoky dust from the shattered throne, her swords still ringing from their violence. She growled behind eyes flaming with ba
ttlefield ferocity, “We will have no more sitting – We Go To WAR!”

  Victory in the violent Kelvin Arena sowed envy and filled the tribal leaders with contempt against the savage warrior Koren. While scarcely believing a human could best the fearsome eight armed kelvin gladiators, they grudgingly gave her blades uneasy respect.

  But now strange enemies wielding ancient magic murder whole villages of the mighty kelvin without a breath of resistance. Koren urgently seeks salvation from the magic with the ancient Sword of Aleron – a broken blade scattered across the dangerous Swamps of Kal at the end of the last Great War – and it must be forged anew in the fires that made it. Attacked by nightmarish creatures and pursued by relentless teams of Rubied Assassins can Koren save the kelvin from slaughter? Will treasonous kelvin leaders betray her when confronted by old emotions, ancient enemies, and a War now unearthed? Can she forge the chaotic tribes into a single force to repel the impending menace? And what are the disturbing visions seething within her Fire Gem – an ancient Destiny she cannot escape?