Undefeated

by HELEN HARDT

  A raspy scream gurgled from her throat.

  “You brought it on yourself. No strength is without weakness, my queen!”

  Another roar…

  More sunlight…

  “No! No! Not like— Aaauuuggghhh!”

  Her skin melted on her face as if made of wax. Her screams turned to choking gasps as flames engulfed her.

  Though tempted to look away, I watched. Watched without emotion as the self-styled vampire queen turned to ash.

  When the last ember flickered out, I inhaled.

  “Vampyr omega,” I said softly.

  Not the end of vampires, and not the end of humanity.

  The end of her.

  Epilogue

  Dante

  “I can’t understand how none of us felt it,” Erin said, snuggling into my shoulder after some marathon lovemaking and feeding. “It should have felt like an earthquake. You must have glamoured the whole city into not feeling it.”

  “I have no idea,” I said. “Not a clue. I’m just glad she’s toast. Literally.”

  No truer words. I’d escaped quickly before the underground compound caved in, jumping over the still-unconscious Claiborne vampires. Good riddance. River and I had worked to have it backfilled as soon as I returned, my father and River glamouring anyone who witnessed the opening in the ground. That had taken some effort, but we were pretty sure we’d hit everyone.

  I hadn’t tried to use my strange powers since then. I wasn’t sure I could.

  “Seems all those vampire myths had true origins after all,” Erin said. “Especially the one about the sun.”

  I nodded. I was glad it was over. My sister was healing from her miscarriage. Jay hadn’t left her side.

  “Patty and her baby are doing well,” Erin said. “They’re home now.”

  “The baby won’t require blood for a year,” I said. “We’ll have to tell Patty before then.”

  “I know.” She sighed. “We’ll figure something out. But for now, River took care of everyone involved. No one remembers anything. And Logan is getting the help he needs.”

  I bore no ill will toward Logan, and even River and my uncle were cutting him some slack. We were all just glad it was over.

  Except that it wasn’t.

  We’d gotten rid of Dr. Bonneville and her plan to force the prophecy in the Vampyre Texts to life, but the issue of vampire breeding was still paramount.

  Dr. Bonneville wasn’t the only person interested in that endeavor.

  Levi Gaston, another renowned vampire supremacist, had been, and the vampire council had secrets—secrets that Gaston’s ghost hadn’t wanted Bill divulging to us. The Texts were still filled with the unknown. Plus, another secret existed, if Bonneville had been telling the truth—a family secret.

  I meant to uncover all of it. River and I had talked, and now I had to tell Erin what was coming next.

  “Baby, this isn’t over.”

  “I know. We’re just beginning. We’ll be together forever now.”

  I smiled. “We will. Once bonded, never broken.” I kissed her forehead. “If the prophecy is true, our blood bond saved me. You saved me. But that’s not what I mean.”

  “Oh?” She lifted her head.

  “River and I have been talking. We’re going after the council.”

  Also Available from Helen Hardt

  Keep reading for an excerpt!

  Excerpt from Misadventures with a Rock Star

  Why was I here again?

  I stifled a yawn. Watching a couple of women do each other while others undressed, clamoring for a minute of the band’s attention, wasn’t my idea of a good time. The two women were gorgeous, of course, with tight bodies and big boobs. The contrasts in their skin and hair color made their show even more exotic. They were interesting to watch, but they didn’t do much for me sexually. Maybe if I weren’t so exhausted. I’d pulled the morning and noon shifts, and my legs were aching.

  Even so, I was glad Susie had dragged me to the concert, if only to see and hear Jett Draconis live. His deep bass-baritone was rich enough to fill an opera house but had just enough of a rasp to make him the ultimate rock vocalist. And when he slid into falsetto and then back down to bass notes? Panty-melting. No other words could describe the effect. Watching him had mesmerized me. He lived his music as he sang and played, not as if it were coming from his mouth but emanating from his entire body and soul. The man had been born to perform.

  A true artist.

  Which only made me feel like more of a loser.

  Jett Draconis was my age, had hit the LA scene around the same time I had, and he’d made it big in no time. Me? I was still a struggling screenwriter working a dead-end job waiting tables at a local diner where B-list actors and directors hung out. Not only was I not an A-lister, I wasn’t even serving them. When I couldn’t sell a movie to second-rate producer Rod Hanson? I hadn’t yet said the words out loud, but the time had come to give up.

  “What are you doing hanging out here all by yourself?”

  Susie’s words knocked me out of my barrage of self-pity. For a minute anyway.

  “Just bored. Can we leave soon?”

  “Are you kidding me? The party’s just getting started.” She pointed to the two women on the floor. “That’s Janet and Lindy. Works every time. They always go home with someone in the band.”

  “Only proves that men are pigs.”

  Susie didn’t appear to be listening. Her gaze was glued on Zane, the keyboardist, whose gaze was in turn glued on the two women cavorting in the middle of the floor. She turned to me. “Let’s make out.”

  I squinted at her, as if that might help my ears struggling in the loud din. I couldn’t possibly have heard her correctly. “What?”

  “You and me. Kiss me.” She planted a peck right on my mouth.

  I stepped away from her. “Are you kidding me?”

  “It works. Look around. All the girls do it.”

  “I’m not a girl. I’m a thirty-year-old woman.”

  “Don’t you think I’m hot?” she asked.

  “Seriously? Of course you are.” Indeed, Susie looked great with her dark hair flowing down to her ass and her form-fitting leopard-print tank and leggings. “So is Angelina Jolie, but I sure as heck don’t want to make out with her. I don’t swing that way.” Well, for Angelina Jolie I might. Or Lupita Nyong’o. But that was it.

  “Neither do I—at least not long-term. But it’ll get us closer to the band.”

  “Is this what you do at all the after-parties you go to?”

  She giggled. “Sometimes. But only if there’s someone as hot as you to make out with. I have my standards.”

  Maybe I should have been flattered. But no way was I swapping spit with my friend to get some guy’s attention. They were still just men, after all. Even the gorgeous and velvet-voiced Jett Draconis, who seemed to be watching the floor show.

  Susie inched toward me again. I turned my head just in time so her lips and tongue swept across my cheek.

  “Sorry, girl. If you want to make out, I’m sure there’s someone here who will take you up on your offer. Not me, though. It would be too…weird.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, it would be a little odd. I mean, we live together and all. But I hate that you’re just standing here against the wall not having any fun. And I’m not ready to go home yet.”

  I sighed. This was Susie’s scene, and she enjoyed it. She had come to LA for the rockers and was happy to work as a receptionist at a talent agency as long as she made enough money to keep her wardrobe in shape and made enough contacts to get into all the after-parties she wanted. That was the extent of her aspirations. She was living her dream, and she’d no doubt continue to live it until her looks gave out…which wouldn’t happen for a while with all the Botox and plastic surgery available in LA. She was a good soul, but right now her ambition was lacking.

  “Tell you what,” I said. “Have fun. Do your thing. I’ll catch an Uber home.”

&nbs
p; She frowned. “I wanted to show you a good time. I’m sorry I suggested making out. I get a little crazy at these things.”

  I chuckled. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Please stay. I’ll introduce you to some people.”

  “Any producers or directors here?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. Mostly the band and their agents, and of course the sound and tech guys who like to try to get it on with the groupies. I doubt any film people are here.”

  “Then there isn’t anyone I need to meet, but thanks for offering.” I pulled my phone out of my clutch to check the time. It was nearing midnight, and this party was only getting started.

  “Sure I can’t convince you to stay?” Susie asked.

  “Afraid not.” I pulled up the Uber app and ordered a ride. “But have a great time, okay? And stay safe, please.”

  “I always do.” She gave me a quick hug and then lunged toward a group of girls, most of them still dressed, thank God.

  I scanned the large room. Susie and her new gaggle of friends were laughing and drinking cocktails. A couple girls were slobbering over the drummer’s dick. The two beautiful women putting on the sex show had abandoned the floor, and the one with dark skin was draped between the legs of Zane Michaels, who was, believe it or not, even prettier than she was. The other sat on Jett Draconis’s lap.

  Zane Michaels was gorgeous, but Jett Draconis? He made his keyboardist look average in comparison. I couldn’t help staring. His hair was the color of strong coffee, and he wore it long, the walnut waves hitting below his shoulders. His eyes shone a soft hazel green. His face boasted high cheekbones and a perfectly formed nose, and those lips… The most amazing lips I’d ever seen on a man—full and flawless. I’d gawked at photos of him in magazines, not believing it was possible for a man to be quite so perfect-looking—beautiful and rugged handsome at the same time.

  Not that I could see any of this at the moment, with the blonde on top of him blocking most of my view.

  I looked down at my phone once more. My driver was still fifteen minutes away. Crap.

  Then I looked up.

  Straight into the piercing eyes of Jett Draconis.

  * * *

  Continue reading Misadventures with a Rock Star…

  Message from Helen Hardt

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading Undefeated. If you want to find out about my current backlist and future releases, please like my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HelenHardt and join my mailing list: http://helenhardt.com/signup/. I often do giveaways. If you’re a fan and would like to join my street team to help spread the word about my books, you can do so here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hardtandsoul/. I regularly do awesome giveaways for my street team members.

  If you enjoyed the story, please take the time to leave a review on a site like Amazon or Goodreads. I welcome all feedback.

  I wish you all the best!

  Helen

  Also By Helen Hardt

  Blood Bond Saga:

  Unchained: Volume One

  Unhinged: Volume Two

  Undaunted: Volume Three

  Unmasked: Volume Four

  Undefeated: Volume Five

  * * *

  The Steel Brothers Saga:

  Craving

  Obsession

  Possession

  Melt

  Burn

  Surrender

  Shattered

  Twisted

  Unraveled

  Breathless (June 25, 2019)

  Ravenous (October 29, 2019)

  Insatiable (January 28, 2020)

  * * *

  Misadventures:

  Misadventures of a Good Wife (with Meredith Wild)

  Misadventures with a Rock Star

  * * *

  The Temptation Saga:

  Tempting Dusty

  Teasing Annie

  Taking Catie

  Taming Angelina

  Treasuring Amber

  Trusting Sydney

  Tantalizing Maria

  * * *

  The Sex and the Season Series:

  Lily and the Duke

  Rose in Bloom

  Lady Alexandra’s Lover

  Sophie’s Voice

  * * *

  Daughters of the Prairie:

  The Outlaw’s Angel

  Lessons of the Heart

  Song of the Raven

  * * *

  The Cougar Chronicles:

  The Cowboy and the Cougar

  Calendar Boy

  * * *

  Collections:

  Destination Desire

  Her Two Lovers

  * * *

  Non-Fiction:

  got style?

  Acknowledgments

  Completing a saga is bittersweet for me. I’ll miss Dante and Erin, but I’m knee deep into writing Marjorie Steel’s story to continue the Steel Brothers Saga, and I’m excited about new projects to come.

  Special thanks to the following individuals who helped make this saga happen:

  Karen Aguilera, Brian Archer, Jennifer Becker, Haley Byrd, Alma Chapa, Jessica Clements, Jeanne De Vita, Carol Ann Doveatt, Linda Pantlin Dunn, Yvonne Ellis, Martha Frantz, Debbie Gilbert, Amy Grishman, David Grishman, Lia Fairchild, Theresa Finn, Rebecca Jacobs, Tina Jaworski, Jesse Kench, John Lane, Haidée La Pointe, Robyn Lee, Michele Lehman, Jonathan Mac, Amber Maxwell, Dean McConnell, Eric McConnell, Grant McConnell, Dave McInerney, Michele Hamner Moore, Toni Paul, Angel Payne, Lauren Rowe, Krystin Sanchez, Chrissie Saunders, Scott Saunders, J.S. Scott, Wendy Shatwell, Celina Summers, Angela Tyler, Kurt Vachon, Kathy West, and Meredith Wild.

  You all rock!

  Thank you most of all to everyone who read and loved Dante and Erin. You are why I write.

  About Helen Hardt

  #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Helen Hardt’s passion for the written word began with the books her mother read to her at bedtime. She wrote her first story at age six and hasn’t stopped since. In addition to being an award-winning author of contemporary and historical romance and erotica, she’s a mother, an attorney, a black belt in Taekwondo, a grammar geek, an appreciator of fine red wine, and a lover of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. She writes from her home in Colorado, where she lives with her family. Helen loves to hear from readers.

  For more information, please follow Helen Hardt at:

  HelenHardt.com