Michael’s Soul Mate
A Sexy BBW Vampire Romance by Lorelei Moone.
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Some vampires have trouble figuring out how they want to spend eternity, but playboy Michael Odell isn’t one of them. He knows exactly what he wants: fine wines and beautiful women fuel his passion and he’s made it his mission to sample as many of either as he can. Fate has other ideas. One night, on his way home, Michael discovers a woman lying face-down in an alley, who is losing the fight to live. There’s only one way of saving her: The Ritual. Little does Michael know that this little act of mercy is going to change his life forever and before long he finds himself falling for the curvy stranger.
Anna doesn’t remember how she ended up discarded at death’s door in a dark alley, only that she woke up there. She doesn’t even know her last name. After coming face-to-face with her gorgeous rescuer, she passes out again and finds herself in a lavish mansion with a new lease on eternal life.
Who - or more importantly, what - is she now? And the people who tried to kill her - why were they after her? Anna is determined to figure it all out for herself. But before her questions are answered, she has to learn that even in this new immortal existence, it’s good to have friends - and perhaps a lover - by your side.
This story is intended for adult audiences only.
This is Book 2 in the Vampires of London series of standalone vampire romances. You can read this series out of order, but if you would like to read Book 1 first, check out Alexander’s Blood Bride on Amazon.
Did you know that Lorelei Moone mostly writes about Bear Shifters? Check out her Scottish Werebears series for hot Scottish alpha male bear shifters and their true, curvy mates. Books out (to be read in this order) include: An Unexpected Affair, A Dangerous Business, A Forbidden Love, Sugar & Spice: A Scottish Werebear Xmas, A New Beginning, A Painful Dilemma and A Second Chance.
© 2016 Lorelei Moone
Published by eXplicitTales
Cover Design by WriteHit.com
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Table of Contents
Michael’s Soul Mate
Story
About the Author
Chapter One
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Michael checked his watch and scanned the room. Little groups of people stood scattered around the tastefully lit hotel lobby, drinks in hand. Some were making small talk, others had paired up to dance toward the other end of the establishment, beyond the bar. Some had even left, no doubt to take their celebrations upstairs to one of the many vacant rooms.
Unusually, he hadn’t felt the need to participate in the goings on. Dawn was still many hours away, but something compelled him to call it a night already. Frankly, he had even begun to feel a bit bored.
It was a regular Friday night in early December. The party had been fine, though Michael hadn’t appreciated the gaudy decorations everyone seemed so fond of around this time of year. The people in attendance had been fine, too. Nothing particularly exciting, but he couldn’t find fault with any of it either.
Still, something was off; he hadn’t been able to feel comfortable. A growing feeling of unease filled his chest and he could not ignore it any longer. What exactly had sparked his restlessness, he wasn’t sure.
Michael said his goodbyes, nodding at the odd acquaintance among the crowd of strangers, then made his way toward the exit.
“Aw, won’t you stay a little longer?” A leggy blonde, who he had chatted to a little earlier, intercepted Michael on his way out. Her eyes were big, almost pleading as she spoke, her movements slightly uncoordinated.
Ordinarily, he might have considered her request, even if she was a bit too intoxicated for his liking. He liked his intimate partners to be alert, otherwise there was no joy in it for him. Still, she was beautiful, well dressed. Exactly his usual type.
But tonight, he just wasn’t interested.
“I really must be off. I have some work—”
“You work Saturdays?” The woman cocked her head to the side and started twirling a lock of her hair around her index finger.
Michael paused. He wasn’t used to being questioned on the validity of his excuses. Luckily, vampires had ways of dealing with that sort of thing.
“I’m afraid so,” he spoke, while staring into the woman’s eyes. The change came over him easily. He was still young in vampire terms, but his mental abilities were well developed.
The woman’s demeanor changed almost instantly. The uncertainty in her eyes vanished. She became still and was now completely captivated until he released her from his influence.
“Okay.” She sounded monotone, like she wasn’t aware that she had responded out loud.
“Why don’t you stay a little longer? The night is still young. Enjoy yourself,” Michael suggested.
The woman blinked once, then continued to stare into his eyes.
“Go on,” he urged. That was when he broke eye contact, consciously severing their connection.
She blinked again, then turned around and headed straight for the bar counter without turning back even once. Michael made his escape before anyone else could stop him.
He buttoned up his woolen overcoat as he stepped outside. It was a starless night; the dense cloud cover had made sure of that. There was a certain electricity in the air, which to him suggested it might be about to start snowing.
Michael took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Yes, something was definitely coming. Could that be what had made him feel off for most of the night?
The frosty air surrounding the bar he’d just left seemed heavy with a great many aromas. Things that humans might never notice; for example, the scent of what remained of the fallen autumn leaves from that one tree down the street.
Michael turned to face the opposite direction. Chinatown was at least a mile away, but he could smell the restaurants from here.
He was tempted to stretch his legs a little and sprint home as fast as only a vampire could, but the roads were still too busy. He couldn’t risk someone watching him as he seemingly disappeared into thin air. The Council didn’t take kindly to vampires exposing themselves to humans at the best of times. Ever since the big showdown between Michael’s friend and mentor Alexander and Council leader Julius, they’d been under extra scrutiny. Julius would jump at the chance to punish Michael for supporting Alexander.
Things had really changed a lot in a short period of time, and not entirely for the better.
Michael opened his eyes again, resigned to the fact that he would either have to hail a cab or walk home at an excruciatingly slow, much more human-like pace.
He started to walk roughly in the direction of Hyde Park. If he found a quiet spot, he might still indulge himself in a little fun. As he crossed the busy street ahead, his nose caught a whiff of something unexpected, something metallic.
Blood.
His instincts took over. He turned on his heel and sped up a
little as he followed the smell. A low whimper urged him to speed up even further, but he couldn’t risk going any faster if he didn’t want to make a spectacle of himself.
There was a dark passageway in between two large office buildings. He made his way through and found himself in a quiet courtyard, which housed a number of large garbage bins. A woman’s foot peeked out from in between them. No human would have been able to see it in the dark, but Michael could.
Her breaths were labored and becoming shallower, and her heartbeat was slowing. Michael pushed one of the bins aside and kneeled beside the woman, who lay face-down on the ground.
It was obvious to him now; she was barely clinging on to life. He carefully turned her onto her back. Her lips had a purple tinge and her skin looked dry and unusually pale for a human.
The two dark marks on her neck spoke volumes.
She’d been drained.
For but a split second, her eyelids fluttered open. She seemed to see him and opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came. Then she slipped back into unconsciousness.
Michael tensed up. He ought to leave, pretend he never found her. The last thing he needed was for someone to find him here, standing over a dying woman who had clearly been attacked by one of his own. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave.
How pretty she was, how fragile, as she clung to her last shred of humanity.
Why had she ended up like this? Killing was against the rules. And discarding a drained body out in public where it could so easily be discovered? That was sacrilege.
His mind raced. Too many questions, not enough answers.
Michael gazed down at her face; the slightly parted lips, despite their unnatural color, still looked full and luxurious. As did the rest of her, actually. She made a beautiful corpse. Such a waste. This woman would have been a sight to behold before someone had decided to take her life for themselves.
He ran the back of his index finger along the side of her face. She twitched slightly, seemingly in reaction to his touch, causing him to pull away again.
No, he would not leave her, discarded among these bins of office refuse. This wasn’t the end she deserved.
Michael closed his eyes and tried to focus. Her heartbeat had become irregular, as though her body was giving up the fight. If he didn’t hurry, there wouldn’t be any life left to save.
Before he fully realized what he was doing, Michael nicked a vein in his wrist and pressed the newly created wound against her lips.
“Drink,” he whispered.
She was too far out of it, so he couldn’t compel her to listen, but that wouldn’t stop him.
Then, he picked up one of her arms and brought it to his own lips. He waited for what felt like forever. Was she too far gone already?
“Drink or you’ll die!” he urged again, fully aware she likely couldn’t even hear him.
Still, as more and more of his blood trickled out of the gash in his wrist, there was a subtle change in her. Her heartbeat seemed to strengthen. Her breaths became more controlled.
And then, out of nowhere, her free hand jerked up to grab his wrist and press it tightly against her mouth. Finally, she drank in deep gulps as her body tried to recover what it had lost.
That was his cue.
He bit into the wrist he’d been holding already and allowed himself the smallest of tastes. That completed the cycle. The Ritual was done.
She became still again and let go of his arm, her hand flopping down onto her stomach. Her eyes had remained shut throughout; she probably hadn’t even realized what had just happened.
He’d barely realized it too; he’d been acting purely on instinct. Now, as he stood up and inspected the smeared blood on his wrist, it hit him. He’d performed the Ritual. He’d created another vampire—tried to, anyway.
That was something he’d vowed he’d never take as lightly as his own maker had.
She wasn’t out of the woods yet; in fact, he wouldn’t know if she’d even survive the change until the following night, but for some strange reason, he’d jumped in and impulsively made the biggest decision of his immortal life so far.
Things would never be the same again.
Michael sank into one of the leather armchairs in the library and rested his head in his hands.
Neither Alexander, Michael’s friend and mentor, nor his human consort, Cat, had said a word when he reached home carrying an unconscious half-turned human in his arms. Their expressions had spoken volumes. Now that she was safely tucked away in one of the bedrooms upstairs, Michael braced himself for the lecture he was about to hear.
“You brought a fledgling into this house. This house which you share with a human! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Alexander leaned forward and balled his fists. Cat walked up behind Alexander’s chair and rested her hand on his shoulder.
“I couldn’t very well leave her there to die in the street!” Michael was sorry for the situation he’d put everyone in, but what else could he have done?
Alexander shook his head. “You realize she’s going to wake up thirsty. And Catherine…” He reached up and placed his hand on top of Cat’s. “She’s a Blood Bride. You know what that means. Her presence can be too much to resist for a grown vampire. A newborn won’t be able to help themselves!”
Alexander was right, of course. It had taken a good while for Michael to learn to control his urges after Cat had first moved into the house. And he had been turned decades ago.
“Michael has a point too, you know,” Cat spoke softly.
Michael looked up in surprise. He hadn’t expected Cat to take his side. After all, she was the one who had the most to lose if things escalated.
“You’re new to this. You’ve never been around a newly made vampire before. They can’t control themselves at the best of times!” Alexander argued.
“As you said, I’m a Blood Bride. Even ancient vampires seem to have a hard time controlling themselves once they catch a whiff of me.” Cat shrugged and winked at Michael.
“It’s dangerous. He’s brought danger into our house!” Alexander gestured in Michael’s direction.
“He couldn’t just leave her to die, though.”
The couple shared a look.
Michael shook his head as he thought back to the scene in the alley. How he had first discovered the woman.
“What was I supposed to do?” Michael asked.
Alexander’s eyes were on him again. He pressed his lips together, clearly still displeased with Michael’s actions, but he didn’t respond. Perhaps he didn’t have any answers either.
“You’ll have to teach her everything I taught you,” Alexander said finally.
Michael nodded. “I know.”
“Catherine’s safety depends on it.”
Cat smiled subtly at Michael. At least she was on his side.
Michael had been skeptical when Alexander had first taken Cat as his consort. Especially since the leader of the Vampire Council himself, Julius, had wanted her for himself. Michael hadn’t understood Alexander’s reasoning for taking a risk so big. Of course, he’d sided with Alexander anyway; loyalty was important to him and he owed Alexander his life.
Now, when it was time for Alexander to support Michael’s choice, it seemed that Cat’s influence was the one thing tipping things in his favor. How ironic.
“I will make sure she doesn’t harm anyone, especially Cat.”
Cat nodded at Michael as she squeezed Alexander’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine. You worry too much,” she said.
“I hope so.”
“I promise I’ll not let anything happen to her,” Michael said. Although his promise was aimed at Cat, it was equally true for the mystery woman that lay in one of the bedrooms upstairs. He’d brought her here—helpless, like a wounded animal. He was responsible.
Alexander’s words had affected him deeply. Should he have left her behind? No, that would have been utterly wrong. For the woman, as well as for the safety of their own kind. What
if she’d been discovered there? What if human authorities had figured out who—or what—had killed her?
Michael didn’t have a choice, and if necessary, he could justify himself to anyone. But that didn’t mean that this would be easy. He tensed up at the prospect of what was to come.
Michael’s own initiation into immortality had been difficult, at least until Alexander had taken him under his wing. He owed it to his woman to make her turning as easy as possible. But there was no way of predicting how she’d take it.
This little argument among friends was nothing in comparison to what might yet occur.
Chapter Two
She was sore when she woke up. Her muscles seemed tight to the point of being cramped, as though she had gone to the gym the day before. Not that she recalled ever going to a gym. Her thoughts were fuzzy, like she’d woken up in the middle of an intense dream, the details of which eluded her.
She opened her eyes and blinked a few times while waiting for her eyes to adjust. The room was dark, but she could still see her surroundings clearly.
The four-poster bed didn’t look familiar, and neither did the decorative rosette in the center of the ceiling.
Where am I?
She winced as she lifted her upper body and rested on her elbows. Every inch of her felt like she was covered in bruises. Worst of all was her head. The shooting pain behind her eyes caused her vision to blur slightly with each heartbeat. Still, she was overwhelmed by all that she saw.
Beautiful period furniture, luxurious paintings, heavy embroidered drapes. Despite the lack of direct light, she could see the carved frame of the painting across the room in exquisite detail. She wasn’t wearing glasses, was she? Surely, she should have felt the weight of them on the bridge of her nose. There was nothing there, though she felt compelled to confirm the same by touch.
She was certain that this wasn’t her room.
She gently lowered herself down against the fluffy pillows again and closed her eyes. What did her room actually look like? Those details were much fuzzier than the sharp reality that surrounded her.
If this isn’t my room, then how did I get here?
Michael's Soul Mate: A Steamy BBW Vampire Romance (Vampires of London Book 2) Page 1