Nightshifters

by Tamelia Tumlin

  Alexandru fisted his hand around the pistol. He shouldn’t let her do it. Allowing Vladmir anywhere near Rana filled him with a river of rage. He didn’t want that monster looking at her much less touching her. And certainly not… He closed his eyes. Jealousy pierced his heart. The thought of Vladmir feeding from her sweet nectar repulsed him. It also renewed his desire to destroy him. From his position behind the tree, he could see Rana walking toward Vladmir. His chin tightened.

  “Rana, my lovely, we meet again.” Vladmir’s lips spread over his fangs. “How’s my son?”

  Rana stopped in midstep. Alexandru held his breath waiting for her response.

  Don’t let him get to you, Rana. Keep your cool.

  Anger boiled his blood at Vladmir’s brazen remark. Alexandru wanted to send Rana telepathic encouragement, but was afraid Vladmir would intercede. It took every ounce of his strength to veil his presence from Vladmir. The veil wouldn’t protect him for long. As a fledgling, he knew the elder vampire would be able to sense him. And that would be deadly. For them both.

  “Not well,” Rana resumed her step. “I thought you should know. He’s very sick.”

  Vladmir kept his eyes on her. “That so?”

  “I thought you might be able to help.”

  To Alexandru’s surprise, Rana kept her voice steady and her emotions at bay.

  “You want my help?”

  “Yes.”

  “And what shall I get in return?”

  Alexandru gritted his teeth. Your demise!

  “What do you want?” he heard Rana ask softly, without emotion.

  Vladmir’s grin widened. “Your blood flowing through my veins.”

  “All right.”

  “All right?” Vladmir’s eyebrows shot up.

  “My son is sick, Vladmir. I’ll do whatever it takes to save him.”

  “I see.” He licked his lip. “So you’d be willing to give yourself to me in exchange for helping our son?”

  “Yes.” Rana stood in front of him now, tilting her head to expose her neck. Pale skin glistened in the moonlight like a star in the night sky. Alexandru could see her knees shaking, but she held her own. His Rana had always been a strong woman. It was one of the qualities he admired in her. Alexandru waited in the shadows. Ready to go in for the kill.

  “This is a pleasure, my lovely.” Vladmir’s eyes glittered. “A pleasure indeed.” He lowered his head, fangs bared, and punctured her neck. She flinched but didn’t move away.

  Alexandru recoiled as if shot. It was too painful to watch. He sniffed. The scent of her blood filled the air. Alexandru salivated. He could almost taste her warm nectar, coppery and sweet, sliding down his throat, heating his veins. Alexandru sucked in a deep breath. He hated that Vladmir took what should rightfully be his. Rana was his woman. She always had been and always would be. And after today no man, mortal or immortal, would ever touch her again. He would make damn sure of it. Somehow. Some way. He would convince her that he was nothing like her father. Alexandru’s nerves stood on end. He wanted to stop it.

  Not yet. Wait for the swoon. That orgasmic moment when her blood rushes through his veins, and he is disoriented. The moment he is the weakest.

  Predatory instincts kicked in. Alexandru paced like a caged animal in the shadows behind the tree. He forced himself to remain in control.

  Not time. Not yet. He waited with the patience of a lion on the prowl. Waited for the exact moment Vladmir had to be taken by surprise.

  Wait.

  The seconds ticked by.

  Wait.

  Now!

  Alexandru materialized beside them. With the cry of a warrior he plunged the wooden stake through Vladmir’s back straight through to his heart. Stunned, the elder vampire reeled his head back and screamed a horrible sound that echoed through the bowels of the French Quarter. Rana jerked away and ran off to the side. Vladmir’s face contorted with rage. He lunged for Alexandru. Both vampires rose, claws and fangs bared, and fought in midair. Snarls and hisses pierced the night. Power against power. Good against evil. Alexandru reached for the pistol. He aimed it toward Vladmir’s chest. The elder vampire howled again and knocked it out of his hand. The gun fell to the ground below them. Rana scrambled for it.

  Alexandru circled his rival in the air then positioned himself behind Vladmir. His gaze caught Rana’s.

  Shoot! Now!

  Rana raised the pistol and aimed it directly toward Vladmir. Her startled eyes held Alexandru’s gaze. Questioning. Alexandru nodded.

  Now!

  The elder vampire howled again then dissipated into thin air. He reappeared behind Alexandru, his eyes flaming like twin fireballs. He lunged toward his fledgling, claws extended and fangs glinting in the moonlight. Alexandru hissed and dodged the elder vampire’s attack. Rana followed the battle with the gun, her finger on the hair trigger. Alexandru’s eyes bored into Rana.

  Now!

  Alexandru disappeared. With shaking hands, Rana aimed and fired. Vladmir fell to the ground in a heap. Rana fired again and again until she emptied the gun. She ran to her backpack — still on the ground behind the cypress tree — and grabbed the bottle of holy water. She returned and poured it over the writhing vampire. Vladmir’s body sizzled then burst into flames. The flesh melted away, leaving a pile of bones behind. Within minutes, the bones disintegrated, and Vladmir’s body vanished into thin air.

  It was over.

  Alexandru reappeared beside Rana as she finished off the bastard. The battle had weakened him and he needed to feed. Needed to renew his strength. His legs shook, and he crumpled to the ground.

  “Alexandru!” Rana rushed to his side and knelt down. “What’s wrong? Did I hit you too?”

  Alexandru moaned.

  Blood. He needed blood.

  Now!

  Rana cradled his head in her lap. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?” She patted his body, checking for injuries. Sharp pain pierced his veins and he collapsed, weakening him more. His body convulsed, jerking left and right.

  “Alexandru!” Rana held him steady.

  He heard the terror in her voice. Was she really worried about him? Or would she just finish him off? Alexandru’s eyes rolled and his lids closed. He was slipping.

  Fast.

  Rana’s hands gripped the sides of his face. She shook him, hard. “Stay with me, darling. Tell me what to do.”

  Alexandru’s eyelids fluttered. He needed her, but he couldn’t ask her to do the unthinkable. He loved her too much for that. His body stilled and his head rolled to the side. He felt Rana jump to her feet. Somewhere in the darkness, he heard her running across the yard. Sadness engulfed him. She had left him.

  Then…

  Something shattered. Glass? Had she hurt herself? He struggled to open his eyes, but his body remained in a catatonic state. He couldn’t move. Seconds later, she returned.

  “Hold on, Alexandru. Don’t leave me.” Rana pressed her wrist against his lips.

  The first drop of blood trickled into his mouth and Alexandru’s body burned with need. His veins reacted like a druggie in withdrawal.

  “Take what you need, darling.” Rana whispered. “I trust you.”

  She trusted him? Alexandru struggled to rise, but his body refused to cooperate. The steady stream of blood filling his mouth tasted sweeter than any he’d ever had. A metallic substance that he needed more than life itself. He swallowed and suckled her wrist. A rush of warmth surged through his veins bringing him pleasure beyond description. He moaned softly and fed until his body regained strength. Then he opened his eyes. His gaze locked with Rana’s. For the first time he didn’t see repulsion in their stormy depths. Instead, her eyes shimmered with the same love he had seen in them before he had been turned. His heart quickened. Did she … Could she?

  “Welcome back.” A curve touched her lips, and she pulled her wrist back.

  “I thought I had lost you.”

  “Would you have cared?”

  “Yes.” Rana’s smile
widened. “Yes, I would have.”

  “Why?” He held up her red-stained wrist. “Why did you do it?”

  “I didn’t want to lose you again, Alexandru. I love you.”

  Hope flared through him. Did she mean it? Or would she hate him again in the morning? “I’m still a vampire.” Alexandru watched her face carefully for any sign of disgust. To his relief, he found none. “That’s never going to change.”

  “I know.” Rana nodded. “I’ve hated my father so long, that I’ve let it cloud my judgment.” She touched his cheek and her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. “You are nothing like him. You never have been. I’m so sorry, Alexandru. I never meant to hurt you. I really do want to be with you. I love you.”

  Alexandru’s heart slammed against his chest. Dare he trust her this time? “What are you saying, Rana?”

  “I still want to marry you. Are you going to deny me my dream wedding?”

  Alexandru grinned. “I could never deny you anything.” He stood and pulled her to her feet. Moonbeams danced off her hair. “I love you, cara. More than anything. But, how can this work? I’ll live forever and you won’t. I can’t bear to lose you again.”

  He shuddered at the thought.

  An impish smile touched her lips. “I have an idea.”

  “Not another,” Alexandru growled softly. “I didn’t care for your last one.”

  “It worked didn’t it?” Rana asked smugly.

  “Barely. What’s this idea of yours this time?”

  She took a deep breath. “You know how much I love my son. And I want him to have a somewhat normal childhood. But after he grows up, I want you to turn me.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Absolutely. It’ll just be a few years. In the meantime, we can work together to rid the city of the evil vamps. Vigilante justice, I call it. I realize now that all vampires aren’t bad. Just like all people aren’t bad.” She grinned and pointed to the smoldering soil beside them. “Besides, I think we make a pretty good team. Don’t you?”

  Alexandru laughed and slipped his arm around her. “That we do. Only this time we are not waiting to get married. The sooner the better, I say.”

  “I agree.” Rana laughed as the music from her cell phone penetrated the night. She unhooked the phone from her belt loop and answered it. Seconds later, she grinned and flipped the top down. “That was Jill. Damien is awake, his fever is gone, and he’s asking for chocolate ice cream.” She hugged Alexandru. “Thank you for saving my son. He’s going to be all right now.”

  “Our son.” Alexandru brushed his lips across her temple. “He’s our son now.”

  “Our son,” Rana agreed softly as he lowered his head. His lips found hers and he kissed her with the promise of eternity.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Tamelia Tumlin has worked with several online publishers, but is now writing exclusively for Steel Magnolia Press. Juggling motherhood, teaching and writing is a challenge, but one she welcomes to pursue her passion.

  Her romance stories range from sweet and sassy to dark and dangerous. Titles include:

  A Time for Healing (Christian Romance)

  Catering to the Italian Playboy (Contemporary Category Romance)

  A Dragon’s Seduction (Paranormal Romance Novella)

  Home Is Where the Heart Is (Contemporary Category Romance)

  Her Royal Protégé (Contemporary Romance Novella)

  Nightshifters (Paranormal Romance Collection)

  These books and more are available to purchase direct (and risk-free) from your favorite outlet(s). See the Steel Magnolia Press website at www.steelmagnoliapress.com.

  Subscribe to Fresh Leaves, the Steel Magnolia Press newsletter, to be notified of new releases and subscriber-only specials: http://eepurl.com/gCgrX.

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  If you enjoyed this work, please leave a review to help other readers decide if it’s a story they too would like to read! A couple of sentences are all you need to write. Thank you!

  A Dragon’s Seduction

  Firefighter and Gatekeeper Brayden St. John guards the Northern portal to Jarithia the same way he fights fires: with honor, bravery and his own set of rules. But when the dragonshifter meets a certain lovely sorceress, he soon learns that rules are meant to be broken. Even his rules.

  Sorceress Callie Gautreaux, owner of Ribbons and Roses Flower Shop, walked away from her powerful family and her Magik years ago. Now, as a malevolent wizard invokes a rogue Chaos dragon to terrorize the streets of New Orleans, she must join forces with her sworn enemy – an ultra-sexy dragonshifter – and face her past in order to save the humans. But can she save her heart from the dragon's charm?

  Catering to the Italian Playboy

  It was humiliating! How could caterer Sophie Westbrook ever face the sexy Italian hotel tycoon again after the way she’d practically thrown herself at him six years earlier…and ended up in his bed? Yet here she was back in his hotel wearing only a G-string and a smile.

  Maximus Rinaldi is not pleased to find a half-naked exotic dancer in the middle of his business meeting…until he discovers she’s the mystery woman he shared one unbelievable night with years ago. Max is determined to win her back into his bed, but Sophie has a secret that might just turn the sexy Italian playboy’s life upside down!

  Find these and other value-priced Steel Magnolia Press ebooks on Amazon at:

  http://smarturl.it/smp