This is actually more of a lost and found love ;D And though it’s almost Springtime here, I just can’t resist a hot winter romance where the hero is determined to create his own second chance, to do whatever it takes to make up for being an idiot in the past, and convince the woman of his heart that he will take good care of her…this time around.
Blurb: Melaniece is looking forward to spending a nice quiet holiday at her vacation home up in the mountains. Expecting to enjoy ripping open gifts with her family, she’s surprised when they spring the ultimate present on her: Michael Bannon. What the hell is he doing here? Could it have anything to do with the strange vampire dreams she’s been having lately? Nah, because there’s no such thing as vampires, right?
Michael is determined not to blow a second chance with the woman he should have loved years ago, even if it means revealing his true nature. Is a good guy willing to be very bad to get what he wants? Hell, yes…including drive Melaniece out of her mind. Over and over again.
EXCERPT from GIFT WRAP:OPTIONAL
By TJ Michaels
Copyright 2006 Ellora’s Cave All Right Reserved
Melaniece Matthews muttered to herself, carefully navigating the icy winding road leading up to the high country.
“Man, what a weird dream. Michael, a vampire?” The same strange dream plagued her at least twice a week for the past six months. They’d started immediately after she’d returned from a short trip home to California. It had been so good to see her friends and family after being away for eight years. And beyond lovely to see Michael Bannon again—the man she’d always loved. And, sigh, the man who’d seen her as just a great friend. Instead of marrying her, he’d hooked up with someone else, a woman named Janna. The end result? Six years of hell on earth for him. And now he haunted her in her sleep.
While Melaniece could admit she’d thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with him after so many years, she sure as hell wasn’t going to admit he’d been on her mind ever since. Her dream crept around the edges of her mind. “What if he is a vampire?” she smirked to herself, a sarcastically evil grin plastered across her lips. “That would explain why he ripped my heart out by marrying Janna. There’d certainly been plenty of blood to go around.”
Peering through the cold, clear windshield, Melaniece grimaced as her thoughts turned to her favorite holiday. Instead of the usual elation about Christmas, she was assailed with a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite nail down. There was the thrill of spending time with her children after a whole year of separation, chased by a longing for intimate companionship so acute she found herself on the verge of tears. Then, right there at the back of her mind was an elusive sense of naughty anticipation. But for what? A good lay? Not likely. She had no prospects and no interest in hunting for any. Michael’s handsome face popped into her head complete with fangs and a roguish grin, just like in her dream. Damn, she could practically feel the gorgeous, redheaded hunk making love with her as his incisors rasped over her skin. Yep, right there on the big sheepskin rug in front of the fireplace. Perfect spot.
“Hah, right!” she laughed with an unmistakable snort and waved the image away. But her breathing quickened in spite of a refusal to acknowledge the fine-assed man with fangs dancing around in her head. Give it a minute and her pulse would return to normal, right? Woo, she needed to turn off the heat. In spite of the freezing cold, the car was hot as hell. After a quick glance down at the console, she rolled her eyes up to the roof of the car. The damned heat wasn’t even turned on!
“Good grief, I’m hopeless,” she quietly grumbled. And it was all her dream man’s fault. Key word—dream. First off, she’d long given up hope in that quarter. Second, there was no such thing as vampires. So Michael was single again. Big deal. They’d had a great time reuniting in California six months ago. Who cared? None of it meant he wanted her now any more than he had eight years before.
With the car packed full of wrapped packages and luggage, Melaniece focused on the upcoming holiday. A glimpse at the pile of boxes in the backseat brought a small smile as she reminded herself this was a season to give generously to those you loved…and those who loved you back. And boy was she prepared to do just that.
Her children had spent the past year in an exchange program teaching English in Japan. It was amazingly expensive to live on the exotic little island. With most of their meager salaries going toward rent, groceries and train fare, the two had gone without some conveniences. When they returned to Minato-ku, a suburb of Tokyo, they’d sure as hell take lots of top-of-the-line goodies with them. Nothing but the best for her kids.
Christmas Day was fast approaching. She looked into the rearview mirror and spoke sharply to the woman reflected in the narrow glass.
“Okay you,” she said to herself. “No more goofy dreams, no more wasting time mooning over someone you can’t have and no more vampire nonsense. It’s Christmas and you’re gonna accept whatever Santa decides to give you. Got it?”
Got it. She popped a classic holiday CD into the player and hummed along with “Santa Baby”. With genuine laughter, Melaniece let Nat King Cole chase away her blues as she headed up the highway to her vacation home to meet her family. Up there among the snow-capped peaks, the long-toothed boogeyman was not allowed, no matter how yummy he looked in her sleep, damn it.
Enjoy all the other Snippet Saturday excerpts by clicking through to the links below. Happy Saturday!
This week’s theme is near and dear to my heart in regard to something I don’t get to do nearly enough of – SHOP!
While they aren’t actually at a store or mall, here are two of my favorite characters talking about one of their favorite passtimes…and how much trouble they get into while doing it – shopping, that is ;D
Enjoy! And don’t forget to click through to the other Snippet Saturday authors listed at the bottom of this post.
Tameth’s head swiveled around and followed Carin’s line of sight. Exceptional vision revealed the slightest movement of a shadow along the tree-lined path near the fence across the way. That path led to a grotto that couldn’t quite be seen from here, and on the other side of the thick stand of trees was a locked gate that was supposed to be guarded twenty-four seven.
“What the hell is she doing? Kenoe’s gonna kill her.”
“Yeah? Well who does she remind you of, Tam?”
Tameth rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but answer honestly…sort of.
“She does not remind me of either of us.” Tameth replied blandly.
“Riiiight,” Carin drawled. “What about that little excursion to Sausalito after we got back from the London mission?”
“You can’t count that,” Tameth huffed. “We are both Serati females and can do as we please. I was not even on duty and had no need to report in. Besides, I was well prepared to look after both of us.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t have permission to take Stealth One. Which you, uh, sort of failed to mention at the time.”
“Oh shut up. You got a nice pair of designer pumps out of that shopping spree, didn’t you?”
“Sure did. And Bix on my ass. Hell, I was almost looking forward to him getting sent off on a mission somewhere just so I could go take a pee by myself!”
“Drama queen.”
“Me! And who complained after Alaan actually gave her a spanking then revoked her pilot’s license for three months?”
“Nobody I know,” Tameth lied boldly. Carin laughed out loud, then clamped her lips shut. She didn’t want to bring any unnecessary attention to them right now. Considering they’d gotten into plenty of trouble together by wiggling out from under Seeker radar, the last thing they needed was anyone running off to find their husbands.
The shadow eased closer to the grotto entrance then darted out of sight into the trees.
“Come on, we’d better save her ass before Kenoe turns it another color, like blazing red.” Carin wrapped her fingers around Tameth’s upper arm and tugged, almost surprised when Tameth didn’t put up a fuss.
Tameth shrugged. “What can I say? I like her. She’s good for Kenoe.”
“Yeah, but I have a feeling she won’t be good for his nerves.”
*****
Shinju knew she was being followed. At first she didn’t really care, actually eager to engage someone, anyone, just to work off some steam. But when her mind recalled exactly who, or rather what, was embroiled in her current life’s situation, she could have strangled herself. Max had been playing both sides of the fence with the vampires—friends with Clan Li on one hand, and doing deals with a human, rogue-associated, vamp drug dealer on the other. And the odds that the person tailing her was a little old Japanese lady in need of directions to the nearest fish market were slim to none.
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Why in the world hadn’t she stayed at the hospital where it was at least assured that the vamps walking the halls were good guys? But nooooo, she just had to go walk it off, had to get away from everyone so she could think about things. When would she learn that getting away from everyone was exactly what she needed to stop doing? She had Kenoe now, along with all of his family and friends who’d already accepted her into the fold.
Oh well. Nothing to be done for it.
What she really needed right now was a weapon. Again, her mind shot back to the medical facility. Why? Because she happened to have a six-foot, muscle-packed, white-haired, katana-toting, deadly weapon that loved everything about her. A weapon who would give and do anything for her—Kenoe Hatsept. And where was he? Waiting for her to return to her brother’s hospital suite ready to give the doctors a decision about the blood transfusion. Not to mention the fact that she was supposed to be getting herself sated on hot coffee and perhaps a baker’s dozen of brownies.
Shinju held back the urge to slap herself in the head, then without looking back she took off at a dead run and ducked around the next corner into an alley. Chest heaving more from the burst of adrenaline than the short sprint, Shinju was faced with the possibility of her own mortality. If these were rogue vampires stalking her, without a full bond with Kenoe and the advantage of sharing his blood, she would be no match for them. Stronger and faster, they’d gut her in no time.
God, she didn’t want to die. All she’d needed was some time to get used to the whole vampire boyfriend thing. After spending a bit of that with Kenoe and company, Shinju wanted nothing more than to bond with him and get on with their no-doubt exciting lives. But here she was all alone in an alley about to face God-knows-what. Was she too far for him to hear her if she called? Only one way to find out.
Her right foot lashed out at the first pursuer to speed around the corner as she yelled for Kenoe with all her psychically non-talented might.
I just got home from a business trip and I’m too loopy to take a stab at a blurb, so let’s just get right into it, shall we? :D Oh, and don’t forget to visit the other Snippet authors! All their links are at the bottom of this post. Enjoy ;D
Note for Readers: You must be over eighteen to read this excerpt.
Snippet from Shards of Ecstasy
Book 2 in the Hearts of Fire series
Well, lookee here. A water elemental.
Asmodeus almost laughed out loud at his good fortune. So, did the human male who’d sucked De’alla Isaacs to a blistering orgasm on her balcony have any idea who or what she was? Doubted it. There’d been no indication of anything more than a single bout of passing sex. And what a perfectly delicious sight De’alla had made, all flushed and trembling from the tongue-lashing she’d received. Asmodeus had been hard-pressed to remain at a distance and watch the Chosen, his Chosen, throw her head back and hold in a scream that surely would have sent the local gulls scrambling for flight.
Good thing his sexy little water worker had shooed the human out of her house shortly after, because if the male proved to be an obstacle Asmodeus would plow through him in a heartbeat. In fact, to get to De’alla, he would singe the Chosen’s pet male to a crisp without breaking stride.
Any elemental was a rare prize, but a water elemental was especially coveted. And this one carried a piece of the Hearts of Fire on top of all that? Hell, Asmodeus had hit the mother lode. Yee-fuckin’-haw!
And now, tonight, on a deserted stretch of beach tucked into a small bit of a cove, the Chosen worked out with her ability. She practiced pulling water from the very air around her, forming small marbles of water with ease. Then she erected a thin wall of water a short distance away and used the water marbles to punch holes in it. The energy and concentration it took to work with the elements was considerable. It also spoke of someone directly descended from the Ancients.
Most he’d run across were distantly related, had little to no skill with manipulating nature and were selected because of their destiny even if they’d had no Atlantean blood whatsoever. But this elemental was more than Chosen. She was an Atlantean, no matter how far removed. That would explain the entity he’d sensed around her, all Atlanteans had a protector, a guide that carried the essence of nature itself, so to speak.
And she was strong, this one. But Asmodeus sensed an inherent weakness, a weakness that could only be shored up by her joining with her true mate—that was something he’d learned in his last encounter with a Chosen. He wondered if De’alla had met him yet. And if so had she sprung the news of her destiny on the poor sap? Did he believe her or think she was crazy? Crazy would definitely serve Asmodeus’ purposes better.
Hmmm, could that singer guy who’d feasted between her legs be De’alla Isaacs’ mate? She hadn’t acted like it. And there’d certainly been no output of blistering crystal power when the man had gone down on her like there’d been when Dee’s sister had made love to her mate.
Asmodeus’ temper spiked. “Shit, why don’t I know more about this Chosen business?” He’d been alive for as long as time was time yet those fucking Atlanteans had managed to keep these damn sisters a secret for thousands of years. The Hearts of Fire, oh he knew about that all right. That’s what had set him on this journey in the first place. It was the one thing that contained enough life energy to give him a flesh and blood body that held the power of a demon. Yet the details of getting his hands on that little jewel had eluded him until a mere three hundred years ago. Unfortunately for an immortal time had no relevance…and that three centuries had been spent looking for eight human females who hadn’t been born until barely forty years ago, goddammit.
And Asmodeus didn’t even want to think about the fact that the eight women he thought he needed turned out to be four women and their destined mates.
His encounter with Dee’s sister, Memory, hadn’t gone the way he’d planned. Actually he hadn’t truly planned anything, just figured the woman was a human he could walk in and simply overpower. It had been more than a surprise to encounter such raw power when he’d attempted to relieve Memory of her crystal. Then her fucking mate came to help her and the two of them together had been more than he expected. He still didn’t consider any Chosen to be more powerful than himself, but this time he would at least do a bit of surveillance.
Just then, De’alla sat down in the sand and lifted her head to the sky. Suddenly all was entirely too quiet. It was already still due to the fact that it was three in the morning and nobody was around, but this was an uncommon still. Suddenly the sky opened directly over De’alla and her body was covered completely by a singular deluge. The roar of the water was as loud as crashing waves in the midst of a storm.
Her body should have been smashed, torn to pieces by the force of the water. Instead, De’alla opened a small “door” in the middle of her personal waterfall and walked out of it, leaving it to rip up the sand in her wake. Then she just left. Walked away.
With a twinkle in her eye that even Asmodeus could see in this light with this failing human body, De’alla gave a flick of her wrist and the waterfall plummeted to the sand and rolled back out into the Sound with the next retreating wave.
“Impressive.”
After that, all that was left was the faint crunch, crunch, crunch of her tennis shoes as she left the beach and headed toward home across the street.
Yes, he would have to move soon. Even with this display of power he’d be strong enough to take her in another night or two. Then the Piece of Eight would be his, along with De’alla Isaacs. After all, what kind of demon would he be if he didn’t have a bit of sport with her before he took her essence into himself?
A razor-sharp maw blinked into view then disappeared again beneath the illusion of sparkling white perfectly straight teeth as Asmodeus considered all the ways he would make this little water baby beg. Beg to be fucked. Beg to come. Then beg to die.
I think this subject is one we’ve all dealt with at one time or another – whether we were the dumper or the dumpee. Well, in this snippet nobody is sure who dumped who…
Enjoy this snippet from Primed to Pounce by…well, me ;D
Delaine took the long way to the restaurant then drove on
by. She just couldn’t face Justin today. She’d left a message asking him to
meet her here, but after that conversation with Pam there really wasn’t
anything else to say. He’d obviously moved on. If Justin wanted Pam, fine, he
could have her. But what started raggedy would end up raggedy. And those two
raggedy mogillas deserved each other.
Her heart was in a million pieces, but she refused to feel
the hurt anymore. Instead, she focused on her anger and let it consume her
until she shook with rage. Bastard! And Pam? She couldn’t believe Pam would
steal her man like that. She’d sat up in that girl’s chair at the salon and
told her all of her and Justin’s business, so it’s not like the woman didn’t
know Delaine was serious about him. For someone she’d known since their
children were in preschool to stab her in the back like this was beyond
painful. Oh lord, what was she going to do?
*Suta, you are not using wisdom. This man is not like the
puny Gary person.*
‘But he slept with my best friend, Sapa! Hell, at least Gary
slept with someone I didn’t know.’ She slammed her hand down on the steering
wheel then looked down, expecting to see blood on her shirt from her breaking
heart.
*Your reasoning abilities are unsurpassed. Use them now.
All is not as it appears, Suta. Trust me.*
‘I do trust you, Sapa. I just don’t trust anyone else,’ she
replied sadly as a lone tear made its way down her cheek.
Fifteen minutes after she was supposed to meet him, his cell
phone number popped up on the caller id. She pressed the ignore button, turned
the phone off and threw it in the passenger seat. Heartsick but determined not
to cry over a man ever again, she dashed the tears away and instead did
something she hadn’t done in all the years she’d worked with Aegis. She called
in sick.
She flew home, stuffed a weekend bag with clothes, books and
nothing related to work, jumped back in her Jag and headed for Nantahala Gorge.
A nice quiet cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains was just what she needed.
* * * * *
Justin hadn’t called Delaine since she’d gone mental on him
at finding out he was D.E.A. But it was only to give her time to cool off. He’d
been totally surprised to get her message asking him to meet her for breakfast.
He’d dialed her cell several times, but it just rang and
rang. Now it was going straight to voice mail. This didn’t make any sense. The
woman had called him and left a message saying she wanted to see him then
didn’t show up? He drove over to her house and rang the bell. At first he
thought she just wasn’t answering the door, but after walking all the way
around the house, noting the closed blinds on every window, he peeked through
the small glass on the door that led into the garage from the side of the
house. Her car was gone. Damn, she wasn’t home.
His shoulders tensed and he felt the beginnings of a nasty
headache creep up the back of his neck. Flipping open his cell, he dialed her
again. Where the hell was his damned woman? Had something happened that made it
impossible for her to meet him? What if she’d run into trouble related to her
case? What if she was casing Astin and got caught? And why the hell wasn’t she
answering her phone?!
He drove toward home, his chest tight with one part anger
for the way she’d arbitrarily dismissed him and one part worry at not knowing
if she was all right. It wasn’t unheard of for someone to die in their
particular line of work. Tired of leaving the stubborn woman messages, he
finally called Derrick.
“Hey, Derrick. What’s up?”
“The usual. Chasing bad guys and doing favors for you.”
“Then everything is normal, isn’t it?” Justin said glibly.
“What the hell’s wrong with you, Jus?” Derrick asked with a
bit of a grin in his voice.
“I need to know where Delaine is. She’s not answering her
cell phone, she’s not at home and I haven’t seen her since we fell out a few
days ago. She called me in the middle of the night and asked me to meet her for
breakfast then she didn’t show up. She’s got the goods on Baker. I need to know
she’s safe.”
“And what if she’s safe but avoiding you?”
Justin took a deep breath and his head conjured an image of
Derrick, his mouth drawn tight with disapproval. The man had a way of making
him feel like the little brother right after the big brother said, “I’m gonna
tell dad on you”. He steeled himself and got ready for the I-told-you-so.
“Delaine found out I was D.E.A. And not from me.”
“Man, didn’t I tell you to talk to her? I told you sistahs
don’t play that junk,” Derrick said, managing to sound stern and sorry for
Justin at the same time.
But there wasn’t anything he could do about it now, except
try to patch things up with the woman he knew he had to be with at all costs.
Whatever it took. He wasn’t even shocked anymore at how strong his feelings
were for Delaine. He knew he had to find her.
“Look, Derrick, you were right, okay. But right now, I need
to know my woman is all right.”
“Let me work on it. I’ll call you back in half an hour.”
“Thanks, man.”
“No problem. By the way, Spencer spoke to her boss, which is
probably why she called last night. You two are supposed to close this case out
together. If you can get her to speak to you ever again, that is.”
Be sure and click through to the rest of our Snippet Saturday authors. It’ll be worth your while, I’m sure ;D
Eight individuals, Chosen by birth, gifted with unique abilities and united by fate.
They were told incredible tales of an ancient race, predestined mates and shards of a crystal octagon—the Heart of Fire. Innocuous apart, the crystals gain strength in pairs. Join all eight and unleash infinite power. Enough to defeat an immortal enemy, Asmodeus, a prince of hell. A tricky demon capable of twisting sexual desires into dark perversions.
I really enjoy Snippet Saturday! Each week there’s a different theme and this week’s subject had me putting on my thinking cap. Why? Because none of my heroes or heroines have pets. They have spirit guides, which is an all together different kind of animal – pets require attention, love, food, etc. Spirit guides just might kick your azz if you get out of line, hero or not ;D
I picked a snippet from one of my favorite paranormal stories, Primed to Pounce. I think it’s my favorite because it was my debut, the first book ever published in my 3 1/2 year writing career,
It’s the story of an undercover drug agent who is starting a new life after a bitter and nasty divorce. In this scene she is about to meet a man that turns out to be two things she doesn’t expect – a rival agent who is after the same bad guy, and according to her spirit guide, her mate. After you’re all done, be sure to click through to the links of all the other Snippet Saturday authors to see what they have in store for you.
Another favorite book of mine is Jaguar’s Rule. It was nominated for a CAPA award and later published by Pocket Books. Ever wonder what a jaguar sounds like? Well, I’ve got an answer for you. Choose from the several selections on the player below, close your eyes and imagine yourself in the jungles of Belize in the middle of the night…
Primed to Pounce
by TJ Michaels
Copyright 2006, All Right Reserved
Published by Ellora’s Cave
“Here I am eating a delicious dinner in a swanky, first-class mingling establishment, and I’m sitting here talking to myself,” Delaine grumbled under her breath, hacking her asparagus into itty bitty pieces with her steak knife.
*But you are not speaking with yourself. You are speaking, or rather arguing, with me,* Sapa whispered sarcastically into her head.
‘I am NOT going over there to talk to that man!’ Delaine growled back along their bond, stabbing her knife into a steak fillet so tender she could have cut it with a fork. The lioness was trying to get her to talk to the gorgeous redhead eyeballing her from across the room. But the cat was clearly crazy.
*You know you want to meet him, Suta.*
‘Who the hell cares whether I want to or not? There’s no way I’m making a fool of myself. I did that for eighteen years, and I am SO done,’ Delaine fumed at her spirit guide.
*Pride versus opportunity, Suta Winyan. Choose one. He’s interested. And quite tasty looking.*
‘Puh-lease! A man as fine as that, interested in me? Riiiiiight.’ It was times like this Delaine wished her spirit guide would go on vacation or something, but no such luck. The attractive man had caught the big cat’s eye.
*A possible mate, yes?*
‘NO!’ Delaine wailed in her head.
More than confident at her job, Delaine just wasn’t that bold when it came to trying to develop a love life. She’d been with the same man since her nineteenth birthday. At thirty-seven, she had no clue how to play dating games, and there was no way between here and hell she was putting herself out there with a total stranger. Besides, if the father of her children didn’t want her, then who would?
*You admit the puny Gary person you were married to was right?* the lioness asked on a sly purr.
Delaine bit the inside of her cheek to keep her mouth from falling open. What an ah-ha moment. Sapa was right. What the hell was she thinking, allowing that bastard Gary to make her feel unworthy and unwanted? She’d been more than good enough for him. He was the first man she’d ever dated, ever made love to, and unfortunately, settled for. But she would never settle for a mealy-mouthed, untrustworthy, spineless, selfish asshole again.
Mr. Handsome-As-Sin with the piercing eyes didn’t look like he fell into the mealy- mouthed category. He was stunning. He must be intelligent or he wouldn’t be in this group. She would never know if he fit the rest of the bill if she didn’t take a chance.
‘Okay, Sapa, let’s do this,’ she said, and took a deep breath as Sapa appeared behind her eyes, ready to give any aid Delaine might need.
Delaine squared her shoulders and pushed to her feet. The butterflies in her stomach grew kite-sized wings the moment she locked eyes with him. He didn’t look away. If anything, he stared harder. The man had no shame. The expression in his eyes was primal, like he had an unsatisfied craving for something. So that’s what lust looks like? Her knees felt peculiarly weak, but she kept right on walking.
She told herself to relax, painting on a calm facade. He stood and waited for her as she made her way over to his table. Lord, he was so tall and powerfully built. Forcing her eyes not to widen like a startled owl’s, she took in the length of his legs. He had to be at least six-foot-five to her five-foot-seven inches. His gray fine-gauged sweater accentuated the width of his shoulders. A pair of jet-black, tailored trousers showed off a trim waist, flat stomach and super long legs.
Sapa purred in her head as Delaine entertained thoughts of sliding her hands over the well-developed deltoids and thick biceps that bulged through the material of his sweater. His wavy, dark red hair was tastefully cut, with the sides and back cut shorter to fade into a neat line at the nape of his neck. His eyes were the most vivid, breathtaking blue. Like perfectly cut Caribbean Sea gemstones. Jeweled topaz blue. Damn, she’d always been a sucker for blue stones.
Of all the books I’ve written, CARINIAN’S SEEKER, VAMPIRE COUNCIL OF ETHICS BK 1, is definitely one of my favorites. In this scene Carin, our heroine (who is a pretty tough cookie) is about to play her part in capturing a bad guy vamp. How? By allowing her husband to rescue her, of course.
Enjoy this excerpt from Carinian’s Seeker, 2007 CAPA Award Nominee.
Excerpt from Carinian’s Seeker
Published 2007 by Samhain Publishing
All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2006
Note for Readers: You must be over eighteen to read this excerpt.
“Look, you tell Aleth I said he can take this outfit and stuff it up his ass.” She made to toss him out when the sickly man’s raspy words brought her up short.
“I—He said. Well, D-Dr. Sidheon said if you, if you refused…he would p-personally re-tie your hands and feet and…and,” Chase stuttered.
“And what,” she asked hotly.
“F-Feed you by hand.”
“What the hell does feeding me by hand have to do with these clothes?” she screeched, her temper as hot as San Diego in July.
“He said you would be, um, be naked, ma’am.” If she didn’t know better, both she and Chase blushed but the man remained so deathly pale she couldn’t tell. Carin snatched the leather outfit from the man’s hands, shoved him out the door and slammed it shut.
In exactly one hour, she walked into a large dining room, escorted by a very uncomfortable Chase who saw her in and ducked out as fast as his shuffling skinny legs could carry him. The room was shaped like a large rectangle and reminded her more of a conservatory than a dining room. The lengths of both sides of the room were all glass with skylights and beveled glass making up most of the ceiling as well as an entire wall looking out to the darkened beach. Comfy-looking couches and chairs surrounded a man-sized fireplace. Huge pillows done in burgundy and black brocade took up the rear of the room. The place would be lovely if Sidheon weren’t in it.
The scent of roast pork and fresh bread assailed her senses as she sat at the head of the table. Sidheon smiled at her from the other end with a pouting Natasha at his side. Her steps faltered but a second later she snapped her backbone into place and shook off her fear and surprise. Besides, her two known enemies weren’t the cause of her discomfort. It was…the others. The dining table seated twenty-two, and every seat was occupied by both male and female vampires who all looked like they’d rather eat her than the spread Sid had laid before them.
Keeping her mind quiet, Carin concentrated on the sumptuous spread and stuffed herself with honey-baked turkey, rosemary bread stuffing, fresh asparagus in some kind of butter sauce and hot yeast rolls. The meal was finished off with baked caramel apples and, for Carin, a cup of steaming hot black coffee. The vamps indulged in blood-laced champagne.
She sat back in her L.A. ‘Ho costume, pushed back her chair just a bit, crossed her booted feet and put them up on the table. Sipping the strong brew, she was more than aware the short leather skirt gave Sidheon an eyeful of almost the whole length of her bare legs. So, he’d thought to tie her up and hand feed her if she misbehaved? Nasty bastard. Only her promise to do as Bix asked made her tamp down her anger and put on a sweet-as-apple-pie face.
Several other pale and unhealthy-looking folks cleared the dishes. She thanked a particularly skinny female for a refill of her coffee. Her wan, weak smile made Carin wince. The girl looked like a strong northerly wind would blow her away. Carin looked closer at the wait staff and immediately knew the truth. Chase wasn’t the only ill vampire here. Every one of these frail-looking so-called servants were vampires.
What the hell had happened to them? Why did every vampire around the table look healthy while all the staff looked sick? Fuming, Carin slammed her cup down, ignoring the hot coffee sloshing onto her skirt and tablecloth. She shot to her feet with her hands fisted on her hips, glared at Sidheon down the long length of the table and roared.
“Aleth, what the hell is going on? What have you done to these vamps?”
“Oh, not much, my dear. Why don’t you take a closer look, good doctor?”
With a flick of his wrist, the same young woman who’d smiled so happily at Carin’s compliment now approached her with trepidation, dropped to her knees and cowered on the floor.
“There, there, I’m not going to hurt you. I promise,” Carin crooned to the female as she took her seat once more. As the girl relaxed, Carin gently touched the cool skin of her face and neck, and then quickly examined her teeth and the whites of her eyes.
Sucking her breath in on a sigh, Carin couldn’t keep the heartfelt sadness out of her voice. She was so sorry for this female it was all she could do to keep the tears in check.
“Aleth, how could you do this? You’ve altered them. This girl’s skin feels like tissue paper. There’s no way a vampire female should be this frail and weak.” Carin looked down at the miserable face and whispered for her ears only. “I’m sorry. We’ll fix it, okay? I promise. Now go on before you get in trouble.”
As the girl scampered away, Sidheon rose, tugged Natasha out of her seat next to him and stalked around the table towards Carin. With one arm around his consort, he leaned lazily against the table, much too close for comfort. Carin’s eyes never left his.
On an exasperated sigh, she asked, “Aleth, what do you want with me?”
A lone finger snaked out to wrap around a loose strand of her hair. “You know, Carin,” he said, his voice smooth as silk, “I’d hoped to woo you, perhaps even make you my mate. I’ve always been fond of you. Your beauty, and of course, your genius.”
Natasha flinched as if Sidheon’s words physically cut her. With fury in her eyes, she yanked away from him but remained by his side.
Sidheon grabbed Natasha by the hair, yanked her back against his body and pressed his groin flush against her butt. A hand slipped under the traitor’s blouse while he conversed with Carin as if they were all out for an afternoon stroll. Ewww, now this was just nasty, and not in a good way.
She wanted nothing more than to storm out, but remained in her seat instead, reminding herself that she’d promised to keep Sidheon in that damned dining room as long as possible. Carin picked up her coffee again and tried to ignore the mad scientist and his even madder Liaison. But boy was he making it hard.
Carin gulped a fortifying swallow of the strong brew and said, “You’ve always been fond of me, Aleth? Really? You could have fooled me, especially when you tried to gut me in front of my own house.”
“Just a misunderstanding really. I was quite relieved when I heard you’d taken a sabbatical from Idac.” He tweaked Natasha’s nipples through her bra and the female vamp gasped and moaned desperately as if someone were cutting off her air supply. Yet Sidheon’s gaze remained glued on Carin. “Before my partner here confirmed anything, I knew no one but V.C.O.E. could have pulled off something like that on such short notice, and only if you were alive.”
“But why try to take me out at all?”
“Because, my sweet Carinian,” he purred into Natasha’s ear, “I knew you were at least aware, if not sure, of what I was doing. I couldn’t risk allowing the V.C.O.E. to get to you.”
“Yeah, this is all good and fine, but you still haven’t answered my question. Why hold me here? I’m no threat to you, even if I did know what you were up to. And where the hell is here anyway?” She tried to block out the sound of Natasha’s ragged moans as Sidheon played with her breasts and slid his hands up under the front of her barely there skirt.
“Well, since nobody knows where you are, I see no reason not to tell you. You’re in a quaint little manor on a beach in Northern California. And while you’re here, you’re going to tell me exactly what you think of my research.”
He wanted to talk about his research? Shit. Not good. It got worse when he explained his plans for V.C.O.E. The bastard planned to use his biological weapon to blackmail the Council. If they refused to make him the leader of a rogue vampire state he would use the serum he’d developed. And since it only affected those with pure, unaltered vampire DNA, he could put it into a main water or food supply and no one would be affected except his kind. Every vamp in the area would be toast, literally, in a matter of hours.
“Let me get this straight. You want every vampire declared a rogue by the Council to be placed under your guidance so you can create a rogue state and live happily ever after?” Carin couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The man was definitely crazy. What made him think he could control a whole horde of lunatics with fangs? She was amazed at what she was hearing and forgot to put her psychic shields in place. Watching Natasha writhe and moan against Sidheon as he kneaded her breasts like bread dough wasn’t making it any easier.
She screwed up her face in disgust. Sidheon chuckled and flicked one of Natasha’s nipples into a hard, stabbing point.
“But you’re right,” Sidheon continued, “the Elders would want to know how I planned to control them. The same way I’ll control the Council. Cross me, and they die. Give me what I want or they die. Finance my projects, or they die. Simple, yes? As for you, I don’t actually need you. I do, however, want you.”
Carin’s skin crawled when Natasha’s blouse slid down her arms to the floor, a black lacy bra following close behind. Carin felt her lip curl as she watched the woman raise her arms behind her, wrap them around Sidheon’s neck and pant like a dog in heat. All the other vampires seated around the table pushed back their chairs and headed for the comfortable love seats and mounds of pillows in front of the huge fireplace. Watching Sid and Natasha make out must have given them ideas of their own. Soon the whole room was full of moans, groans and all-out lust.
“You don’t need me, Aleth, and judging by the handful of tits you’re juggling, you don’t want me either. I want to go home. Right now.”
“Now, now, my sweet Carinian. You aren’t in a position to make any demands, except one.”
“And what’s that?” she sneered, swinging her feet off the table and pushing out of her chair to glare at him.
“You can demand me to fuck you. I’ll definitely comply. In the meantime,” Sidheon growled into Natasha’s ear, his attention still on Carin, “I’ll just have to amuse myself with…other things.”
He turned sideways and pushed Natasha to her knees. She didn’t hesitate in unbuckling the rogue’s belt, undoing his trousers and sliding them to his ankles. A pair of forest green boxers followed and Carin saw more of Sidheon than she’d ever hoped to in her lifetime. She might have been impressed with the size and weight of his cock if he hadn’t been a repulsive bastard. And Natasha was gobbling the man up as if her daily protein intake was in Sidheon’s cock.
Every couch and pillow in front of the roaring fire was filled with writhing vampire bodies, the male and females paired off. A few were in threes, and all of them naked.
Sidheon grabbed a handful of Natasha’s hair and snatched her up off her knees, hiked her skirt up and bent her forward over the table.
Carin almost gagged when he pushed into the woman’s willing body and hissed about how tight the fit was. Eyes closed, she tried to block out Natasha’s groans and moans. But when the woman began screaming bloody murder, Carin’s eyes snapped open. Her dark brown eyes clashed with Sidheon’s azure blue ones. The man hungrily watched her while he fucked Natasha into such a screaming orgasm the woman clawed at the fine finish of the table.
Gross. Carin stilled, concentrated to keep a shield in place, then reached frantically across the bond calling Bix’s name in her head as loud and strong as she could.
“Easy, sweetheart. Easy. I’m almost there.”
She stiffened as Bix’s thoughts rushed through her brain. She closed her eyes and sent him a mental picture of what she was seeing. “Take it easy? Are you shitting me? There’s a damned vampire orgy going on and you want me to be easy? Damned man. Why, I ought to…”
“Carin, move it.”
“Fine, already,” she hissed, easing towards the door. She grabbed her stomach like she was going to throw up and ran for it.
Just as she reached the dining-room entrance, every pane of the wall of glass was blown inward. In swarmed a score of pissed off Seekers and Iudex judges with one thing on their minds. Kicking some Sidheon ass.
In the Twelfth Night anthology, I have a story called Three’s a Charm. Enjoy! Reminder: The entire anthology will be available in one big book (that’s all 12 stories) on January 6th.
Click the book cover below to download your free copy in .pdf format (this is an erotic romance story, be warned, ‘TIS HOT!)
Enjoy this snippet from HATSEPT HEAT, Vampire Council of Ethics Book 3
Copyright 2009, TJ Michaels
Available in Print and eBook
(don’t forget to visit the other Snippet Saturday authors. You’ll find links to their snippets at the bottom of this excerpt. Merry Christmas!)
The scene Kenoe rushed in on would have been somewhat satisfying if Shinju hadn’t been covered in blood, both hers and her attackers’. The air was full of the scent of rogue, rotten to the core and unmistakably rancid. The smell mixed with Slade’s and all three women’s.
Slade was injured and crawling with the last of his strength to get to and cover Shinju’s body with his own. Bowie knife still drawn, Carin was trying to push Slade back enough to examine Shinju. Tameth stood guard at the alley entrance.
With an aggravated tap on his earpiece Kenoe called in the cavalry.
“Hatsept here. Clean up, fast. Sending GPS coordinates. One Seeker injured. Four rogues down.” Not just the two Slade originally reported as tailing her. Squashing his rage, he spoke through gritted teeth and reported, “And one human also down. Dr. Carin is already on the scene.”
Thank God.
Shinju lay flat on her back twitching weirdly. A strange yellow foam bubbled up out of her mouth and dribbled down her chin.
Two steps had him at her side.
“Is it okay to move her? Anything broken, severed? How can I help? What can I do?”
“Kenoe,” Carin snapped. “Get hold of yourself. Her vital signs are weakening, but none of her injuries are life threatening. Something else is going on here.”
Easing Shinju off the cold, hard pavement and carefully into his arms, Kenoe saw Carin was right, as usual. A quick inventory revealed no serious wounds at all. A few cuts and scrapes along her arms and legs, a cut under her eye and a goose egg over her brow. One injury, a deep sluggishly bleeding slash from her left ear down to her collarbone made it appear the dogs had aimed to kill but simply missed by sheer luck.
None of it explained the woman’s deep level of unconsciousness or the frothing liquid pouring past her lips. What the hell had they done to her?
Slade filled in some of the blanks. “They were waiting for her.”
Kenoe looked up and briefly met the gaze of his fellow Seeker. Slade had managed to push himself up against the wall to sit up. His eyes were bright, unclouded. And pissed off.
“I followed them around the corner expecting two bad guys. Instead there were five. One got away. Outnumbered, the women were already kicking ass and holding their own pretty good. Even without a weapon, Shinju was in the thick of it. Next thing I know she screams like you wouldn’t believe. I turned in time to see one of them stick her in the neck with something. She fell to the ground and started flopping around. I was running to her. That’s when one of the bastards got me in the back.”
“So how are they down if you were already out of the fight?” Kenoe wondered aloud. But he never took his eyes off the now convulsing body of his woman, her skin so unusually pale, clammy and blood slick. Where the hell was the clean-up crew, damn it?
“I said one of ’em got me in the back. Never said I was down,” Slade grunted with a wry, tight smile as he sat up a bit straighter, one hand holding his ribs. “I sliced ’em, then I hit the pavement.” Slade’s chuckle became a hack, then he spat a wad of mucous-laden blood off to the side.
Tameth strode over, reached down to help Slade up then turned to a sulking Kenoe. God, he never sulked. This was new. Couldn’t look past the fact that his best friend thankfully had been there for Shin when he hadn’t.
“Come on, Key. The ambulance is here.”
Tameth paused and cocked her head sideways. The fat braid down her back was mussed as it flopped from side to side.
“Kenoe, I know that look. This is not your fault.”
Easing to his feet, he moved to one of the unmarked ambulances that had just backed into the alley. Trying not to jostle Shinju’s battered little body, he kept his eyes front and his gait smooth.
“Thanks for being in the right place at the right time, Tam. I should have been with her.”
“But it would have been worse if you hadn’t put Slade on her. You knew she was going to sneak off. I’d fault you if you knew it, but did nothing about it.”
“I knew she would pull something. It’s in her nature to work things out on her own. But I should have been the one tailing her. It’s my responsibility.”
“Yes, but it was her choice.” Tameth said gently, firmly.
Carin had already climbed into the ambulance and was busily, and rather loudly, batting away the hands of the attendants.
“Damn it, I’m not the one who’s hurt. Stop groping me already!”
But her hair was plastered against the side of her face with a clotting bloody gash, and more of the red stuff was sprayed down the front of her shirt.
The hands kept reaching for her.
“Shinju is the one who needs your attention. Now quit it or I’ll put something in your food to give you a flaming poo!” Then she looked up and locked eyes with Kenoe. Confusion, concern, it was all there in her expressive eyes as she motioned for him to move faster.
Before he handed his lovely mate over to the ambulance techs, he cut Tameth a glance and said, “What a fucking mess, Tam. First Max and Sasuke, and now Shinju. I mean, what are the odds that my woman and her only family in all of Japan would be laid up in the hospital at the same time because of the same shit?”
A low, miserable groan from behind them caught Tameth’s attention. But Slade was there first. The vamps they’d knocked out all had been cut in one place or another. They were now semi-conscious and barfing like dogs. Good. All hail Dr. Carin’s barfinator serum smeared on the edge of their blades. A nondescript van pulled into the alley just as the ambulances pulled away.
Bix and Alaan jumped out, followed by Alex and several more Clan Li Iudex Judges. Yep, interrogation was going to be fun.
“Look, you tell Aleth I said he can take this outfit and stuff it up his ass.” She made to toss him out when the sickly man’s raspy words brought her up short.
