Hunky heroes and side kicks are a woman’s best friend in a romance novel, right? So, let’s get down to it. Meet Jon ‘Bix’ Bixler and Alaan Serati, Seekers for the Vampire Council of Ethics. They’re on a stakeout and Alaan just doesn’t quite appreciate his partner just now.
So enjoy! Then be sure to visit the rest of the Snippet Saturday authors via the links at the bottom of this post.
Happy Weekend!
TJ
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Note for Readers: Contains explicit content – you must be over eighteen to read this excerpt.
“I can’t believe you didn’t shower first. I smell her all over you,” Alaan quipped.
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Are you serious? I’m getting the hard-on from hell just from her scent on you, Bix. That’s just wrong, you bastard. What kind of friend are you, anyway?”
Bix had teased his best friend since the day he’d sworn off women two years ago. Alaan used to be quite the lady’s vamp, but he’d pretty much cut sex out of his diet altogether. Nobody understood it except Bix. But then Alaan hadn’t bothered to explain it to anyone but Bix.
Being a Seeker was dangerous business, and being the mate of a Seeker could be just as risky. Years ago Alaan had found a mate, only to lose her to the well-aimed blade of a rogue he’d been hunting. Now, as the single son of the Matriarch of Clan Serati, he was one of the most eligible and wealthy bachelors in the western territory. With the number of women who’d claimed to be mated to him, if even half of the stories had been true Alaan would have had his own mega-harem. Plain tired of playing games with the unmated females of the ten clans and their ambitious mamas, he’d cut off every female who wasn’t a relative. Two years of no pussy had the poor devil horny as hell. Bix totally understood how Carin’s spicy scent affected the man. After all, he’d sported his own semi-hard erection since leaving her asleep in the lab an hour ago.
“It’s not my fault you haven’t had a woman in two years, Alaan. You’re a healthy vamp of breeding age, and no sex? That’s just not normal, man,” Bix teased unmercifully, flashing an impish grin, fangs and all.
“Oh, shut up,” Alaan grumbled at Bix’s ribbing while they both tried to rearrange the bulges in their pants. “Damn, this is uncomfortable. Now I can’t even leave my trench in the SUV while I tail Sidheon.”
“That’s for sure. We can’t have your dick waving at every female who crosses your path while you’re trying to work, now can we?” Bix chuckled as Alaan flipped him the one-fingered salute.
He stopped the vehicle around the corner from a little sushi place where Sidheon was reported to eat several times a week. Alaan hopped out and Bix drove away to a good spot for surveillance. He raised a sleek pair of modified, non-reflective, digital binoculars and positioned them on Alaan as he walked down the street. Seconds later their prey passed him by. Sidheon was right on time.
“All right, there’s our man,” Bix whispered into his mouthpiece. “You on him?”
“Right behind him.” Alaan strolled behind Sidheon. His pace was easy and unhurried, with the occasional stop to peer into a window at some overpriced item or another. Dressed in black jeans, a dark gray fine-gauged wool sweater and the black leather trench coat of a Seeker, Alaan looked like an overdressed tourist window-shopping on the boardwalk. To humans, anyway. To the vamps congregating in the warm night air to enjoy the ocean breeze and the last of an orange-tinted sunset, he looked like a prime male vampire. A Seeker with a fat attitude.
“Why am I doing this again?” Alaan whispered sarcastically.
“Because,” Bix replied dryly, “I think the vamp I scented near Carin’s door this morning may have been Sidheon. He could have easily spotted me while I was scouting out the building. He wouldn’t automatically suspect you since there are other Seekers on the boardwalk, that’s why.” Bix smiled at Alaan’s none-too-subtle snort and popped a couple of watermelon Jolly Rancher candies into his mouth.
Following Alaan’s progress from his parking spot down the street, Bix watched his partner stop briefly and clasp hands in respect with two Seekers apparently patrolling the beach. Nodding his thanks when they pointed him to a restaurant that catered to their special needs, Alaan was off again, careful to keep his prey within his sight at all times. After a few uneventful minutes, Alaan walked past his target and stopped at the pre-designated surveillance point. Pretending to study the menu posted on the door, he stepped aside to let Sidheon enter the building.
Alaan’s deep voice came through Bix’s earpiece. “He’s awful pretty looking. You sure Sid’s not a woman?”
“If anyone can tell the difference, it’s you my friend.”
“Kiss my ass, Bix,” Alaan hissed into the small flesh-colored mouthpiece barely visible against the side of his face.
“Sorry, handsome. Ass kissing’s not possible. I’m taken.” Bix chuckled at his partner’s deep growling response. “Keep me posted. Bix out.”
Alaan crossed the street and grabbed a table at a seafood house directly across from Sid. With schooled features and thoughts, he ordered a glass of red wine and a light dinner. Repulsed that Sidheon even breathed the same air he did, what he really wanted was to walk across the street, pound the shit out of the pasty-faced pretty boy, and truss him up for a trip back to V.C.O.E. headquarters for sentencing. There was nothing he hated worse than a rogue, a vampire excommunicated from clan life for betraying his own kind.
Alaan watched the hostess seat Sidheon at an outdoor table facing the street. The skinny, too-pretty traitor sat alone for almost half an hour when suddenly he flashed a predatory grin as his gaze locked on a good-looking woman passing by. A woman with cinnamon skin, a tight, killer body, and endless legs. Dressed for a casual evening, she sported a pair of formfitting, dark green capri pants, low-heeled pumps and a hunter green short-sleeved sweater. Her hair was pulled back into a long, curly ponytail. If she’d been a bit taller and a little more muscular, the woman could have passed for Carinian Derrickson. Definitely not good.
Sidheon looked after the woman as she smiled her thanks at him for what was probably some lame-assed compliment and kept walking. Was that a hint of fang? Was he crazy, letting his incisors slip free in public? It didn’t matter if nobody noticed but Alaan. No vamp, rogue or otherwise, was to bring attention to their kind under any circumstance. Idiot.
“Please, please screw up so I can take you down right now. Screw finding out whatever you’re scheming.”
“I heard that. What the hell’s going on, Alaan?” Bix whispered through their security link.
“I’m watching Sid eyeball a fine-assed sistah who looks a lot like your girl. Five-foot-seven, dark skin, similar facial features, and legs like I don’t know what. Damn, she looks good. Could be a pattern here.”
“Aw, hell. That might be a problem.”
“Exactly what I was thinking. Wait, someone else just showed up. A mousy-looking human male just joined Sid at his table. The guy looks like a subordinate or something. Sending you a digital now,” Alaan said as he raised his vid-phone as if he were making a call.
“Hold on a minute,” Bix whispered. “Okay, I’ve got the digital transmission. Yep, he’s Sidheon’s assistant. Name’s Don or Dan, or something like that. I saw him talking to Carin in her lab while I scoped out the place earlier. Seemed to spend a lot of time either watching her or running back and forth between Sidheon and Carin’s labs, and the quality-control rooms downstairs.”
“Well that didn’t take long,” Alaan muttered. “The mouse is leaving and Sid looks pissed.”
“I see him. You stay on Sidheon. I’ll tail the mouse and catch up with you at the house later.”
“What’s up with dinner?”
“Depends on how long I have to tail Sid’s go-fer. Hopefully, I’ll be having chocolate tonight.” Bix chuckled, as thoughts of Carin continually inserted themselves into his mind. God, the woman was like a drug. He wanted her as much now as he had only hours before. Their marathon loving this evening hadn’t done a thing to slake the urgent need to be with her, to touch her. To bind her to him. He could also use a little bit of blood, but he was pretty sure she wasn’t up for that yet.
“Tell Dr. Carin I said hello, you horny bastard.”
“Smart ass,” Bix gritted out between clenched teeth, striving to get a hold of himself. He couldn’t afford to allow a woman, any woman, to interfere with his concentration while on a mission. Besides, he was still dealing with being far gone over her. Carin was his mate, and yes, he was supposed to be crazy for her. But it didn’t mean an independent prime like himself would immediately adjust to such a strong need for anything other than blood, sex and action. Aw, who the hell was he kidding?
Alaan’s quiet voice interrupted Bix’s brooding. “Sid is on the move. And by the way, there’s a half-pint bag of AB-negative in the cooler under the backseat. You know, just in case the chocolate thing doesn’t work out. Catch up with you later. Serati out.”
“Good luck, partner. Bix out.”
Snippet Saturday Authors
Megan Hart:Read in bed!
Rhian Cahill
Eliza Gayle
Jody Wallace
Mandy M Roth
Lissa Matthews
Leah Braemel
Mari Carr
McKenna Jeffries
Myla Jackson
Taige Crenshaw
Delilah Devlin
HelenKay Dimon
Shiloh Walker
Shelli Stevens
Zoë Archer
Lauren Dane
