Feral Fate: She might fall for him if she doesn't beat him first and He might just let her just because he's into that kind of kink

            How does an ER doctor fit a near seven foot tall, arrogant, totally hot-but that is beside the point, ruthless, feral, egotistical, and wolfish male into her already complicated and VERY busy life?

                If you happen to know the answer, Dr. Khloe Wahpeton would like to know.


                   Khloe comes from a large family but she's determined to make her own life doing what she is passionate about: being a doctor; a healer. She's also a shifter which makes the night shift a bit sketchy but she balances it out, or did until one night when a member of Shiloh Red Cloud's clan comes waltzing into HER hospital like he owns the place and catches onto her scent. Yeah, apparently the scent of antiseptic, hand sanitizer, and latex are HIS thing. What is a woman to do?





                     Cinjin has been on his own since he was young and puts the BAD in BAD ASS which he's pretty proud of. One of his crowning achievements is making grown men piss themselves. Up until Khloe, he had few needs and as long as they left in the morning without getting all clingy and there is left over pizza somewhere in his kitchen, Cinjin is a pretty happy wolf. Who says that good deeds have no rewards? Really he wouldn't have thought of that but the night when he happen to scent a pretty little she-wolf, he was totally into the whole reward thing. At least he thought it would be that easy. Sure he's rough around the edges but what's not to love, right? Apparently the lady doc who happens to be a she-wolf and who just so happens to not be part of his clan and pack, has a list of reasons. SHE doesn't quite know it yet but he's not one to give up such a sweet challenge so easily. Most females found him charming. Okay that is pretty much a lie right there because most females found their way to his bed and then found their way to the door. However, this lady doc calls to his inner wolf and that is something he can't ignore or wants to but damn if she isn't making it hard. What's a guy to do?

                         In this short story, the elder of the Wahpeton clan, whom is featured in the full length novel, Cursed Awakening, tells the story of Khloe Wahpeton and the near feral warrior named Cinjin. Cinjin is everything that Khloe doesn't need in her life but she's everything he wants. When a woman is found nearly beaten to death and brought into her ER, Khloe is put front in center of Cinjin. Cinjin, who fears nothing or no one and who is used to getting his own way has to convince his fated mate, who happens to be a stubborn and uptight ER doctor that he's the one for her. However can his wild ways be tamed or will Khloe end up strangling him? Read the story in XoXo Publishing's latest installment of Lost to the Night Vol.2. Along with Feral Fate, four other authors have put together four great paranormal romance stories guaranteed to thrill you, chill you, and take you one hell of a ride!

 

 

Get It Today!

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-losttothenight2-1216154-348.html

 

http://www.amazon.com

 

http://www.bookstrand.com

 

 

 



Being Thankful

 

 

 

 

 

              I want to say "Thank-You" to every person out there that has believed in me, bought my books, took the time to like and share my page, comment on my blog and crazy posts, who have given me their advice and took the time to read when they had a hundred other things to do, and I want to thank everyone who has weathered each and every storm right there with me and held that picture of Jack Sparrow high to keep me inspired when the inspiration was low. Each of you mean more to me than you know!

 

                So, what's all this mushy stuff about?

 

 

 

            I promise each of you that I am not sick or retiring from writing anytime soon. The Grim Reaper is keeping his distance and yes, I am fully aware that it is too early for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I was on Facebook today or it might have been yesterday to be more accurate, and I was reading a posting by one of my favorite authors when I came across a critique from a woman who was going to cease being a fan of this writer because the author had addressed why he or she could not basically write every story the fans wanted them to. As an author, I know how important it is to create the story that is in your head first. It is great when fans truly fall in love with your characters-even your characters who are nothing but supporting or bit characters. I hope to one day have that with my fan base. (Yes ANGIE, I KNOW YOU ARE AWAITING DASH'S STORY-I'M WORKING ON IT BUT THE DANG CAJUN KEEPS PUTTING ME OFF. THIS WEEK HE WAS TOO BUSY WATCHING WWE'S RAW) Anyhow this woman felt as if this author cared nothing about the fans and how much each dime mattered and how fans go to great lengths. Now I want to stop right there seeing as I am still a HUUUGE fan of many authors and I will say that this particular author goes all out for the fans! I went to a book signing and this author who had been traveling in a huge tour bus many miles over night just to get to my state, came in and took her time. She left no one fan-which by the way there were well over one hundred people-the bookstore was almost over capacity and that is not counting the ones that stood outside just to be able to catch a glimpse and get their books signed, with a question unanswered. This author and the one traveling with her met with everyone well into the night after the store had officially closed signing books, taking pictures, and speaking to fans. Some fans had heart breaking stories and this author hugged them as if they were old friends. To me that is just going above and beyond a book signing. I hope to have one of those too, a book signing.

 

 

           After reading her tirade and telling this person in the nicest way that I could to get over herself that no author can just put books out like an assembly line. I mean, would we have ever discovered that starry night had someone told Van Gogh to paint the sky from their point of view? Would we have ever fell in love with Chopin's Nocturnes or Van Halen had they just composed or wrote what the masses told them to write? Fans, you are so important but come along for the journey and I promise you that you won't be disappointed! Let's take that adventure wherever it leads together and I promise that we'll make all the interesting pit stops and thrill rides along the way. I also realized something else, I have never truly thanked any of you for purchasing and reading any of my books and stories. I want to do that now.  I thank each of you! I want to thank all my readers all the way up to my publisher, XoXo Publishing (Penny, Gina, Ana, Shannon,  and crew). I also want to thank my fellow authors especially those like Denyse Bridger who have been mentors in one way or another and to Kayden Mcleod who renewed my faith in cover art. Had it not been for her, Cursed Awakening would have probably just had a black cover with red lettering. Thank you all so very much and I hope that my readers and fans will keep on reading my books and stories! You all rock!

 

 





The Trouble With Nanny Author Resource Pages and Why both you the Reader and the Author Should BEWARE

Being both a reader and an author, I like to go to websites that not only will help me to see what authors to look up but how I can help promote my own work as well as weigh in on topics with other authors. I love to go to sites like Author's Den, The Blood Bank, Coffee Time Romance, The Brass Spectacle, Manic Readers, Good Reads, and Writer's Beware. I have sadly come across what I call the "Nanny Author Resource Pages". The format is very much like Writer's Beware but the bad thing is that these places have become places for people who are disgruntled with their publishers, their self publishing companies, and gossip pools where they can say slanderous things about authors they just do not like without any real supporting facts to their statements other than they don't like them. I won't be like Sam I Am and tell you to just try them, to just try them and like them because you will see, oh dear reader you will see that those Green Eyed Monsters are not something you will ever like.

I won't mention any names but I joined this page in the hopes of gleaning the knowledge of others and hoped to give something back. It looked harmless until I saw a certain publisher that I knew for a fact was a legit and honest publishing house being slammed. Now before I go any further I want to impress upon you that if you are an author and if you have a literary agent(yeah if you have one that is a legit agent and is working their butts off for you-that's like having a chunk of gold in your arsenal and you'd be crap out of your mind to toss that away just because you're not at the level of success YOU believe you should be) or publisher, heck or even a good promotions company you've hired-do not blame them if your book is not already a New York Time's Best Seller. If you spit in the faces of these honorable people then you are only causing more problems for yourself and less chances at success. Just like any employer; you do not want a bad reputation of having emotional outbursts and going to these Nanny Author Resource forums and slandering them because they will NOT take you on even if you've written the next best thing since Harry Potter. All that hard work will be for naught. Even small publishing houses have great resources that can provide important stepping stones and if you blow your chances there-you might as well forget it. Seriously, think about that.  You never know WHO is looking at these forums or who is keeping an eye on their clients when you register for these Nanny sites. I call them nanny sites because what is the first thing a child does when it feels he or she has been done wrong? They run to their parents or nannies crying. Still aren't too clear on what I'm talking about?  I'll give you an example.

Joe Doe had spent months writing his novel. When it was finished he pondered where to submit it to and after trying various big name publishers, he landed a small press. Now, this press took a huge chance on Joe Doe's book because they had hoped it would appeal to a certain audience and had anticipated that Joe would work with them to make edits that would make the story pop. When Joe refused, the publisher still hoped that there would be success with Joe's book and decided to help how they could but Joe had already cut them off at the knees. When he wasn't selling as many copies, he blamed the publisher and began making slanderous remarks and went to one of these Nanny Sites to rant and rave to any one who would listen. People already members who like this sort of drama, jumped on his story like a pack of hungry sharks. Before anyone knew it-this small publisher was being listed as a scam publishing agency-and here's the kicker-not one of them had read or even purchased a copy of Joe's book. It could have been nothing but blank pages and yet they were all ready to burn this poor publisher to the ground.

The moral of Joe Doe's story: "Don't cut your publisher or agent's knees off. If they tell you to revise-suck it up and revise. Take their edits and advice to heart because if you're not making money-neither are they."

So what exactly is the responsibilities of a publisher, you might ask? Well unlike a literary agent, they are going to publish your book. They will hold you too a very clear and concise contract that is fair for both you and them. They are going to give you to their team who will help fine tune your manuscript, the cover artist will work with you on a design for your book, and they are going to take all the publishing costs upon themselves for a more than fair commission off your book sales. Again, they want to make money and the only way to do that is for you to make money. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT PROMOTIONS AND ALL THE WORK FALLS ON THEM. YOU THE AUTHOR ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR PROMOTIONS. I am lucky, I have a publisher who offers great resources but in the end, it is up to ME to promote my books. Since all my books so far have been EBooks, it is up to me to write blogs, to saturate the social networks with my book and how to buy it, go on blog tours which also help to promote, and if I can-hire promotion firms like Sensuous Promotions. It also helps to network with other authors. The publisher is not going to blog for me, network for me, or hire promotion firms for me. They won't do it for you-unless you're some one like JK Rowling, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Stephen King, Nora Roberts, etc., and if you're reading this-you're probably not at that level of success either. What a publisher will also do for you-or they should will assign an ISBN number or something like it. Those cost money by the way, and they will try to get your book on as many mass market lists as they can. Again I stress, PROMOTIONS ARE UP TO YOU.

I'm straying from my topic. I do that from time to time. Nanny Author Resource Pages are detrimental to readers as well because before one even checks out an author or their book (which again might be the book that defines life), they have been spoiled by all the negativity. I mean had I heard that Stephen King, one of my favorite authors, was published through some scam press and his work was crap on a page, maybe I wouldn't have ever taken a chance on him. Who knows. We live in a time when every dollar and cent count and no one wants to throw their precious book money or entertainment funds on crap, do we? No! So, what I recommend is if you go to an author resource page or something like Good Reads, look at the thread titles. If you see basically Jerry Springer gone wild-DO NOT PASS GO! THEY'RE NOT GIVING YOU THE FREE PARKING OR $200 BUCKS ANYHOW FOR PASSING. Look for sites that may have some unfavorable opinions but those opposing opinions are based on something other than....."SO and So just took my masterpiece and spat upon it!" or "This author, I don't like him/her so don't ever buy their books because I heard they really are nasty critters!" Those are not constructive opinions and any reputable author resource page will not tolerate derogatory or hate speech. I may not like E. L James, and while I think she plagiarized her overly hyped trilogy; I'm going to be constructive about it rather than degrade her like we're still kids in the school yard. I'm definitely not going to bash anyone who disagrees with that. I mean that's what makes us civilized human beings right? That we can disagree yet still do it with dignity, poise, and still be civil at the end of the debate?

So in conclusion-stay away from Nanny Cry Baby Author Resource pages and sites. If you want civilized and informative reviews, books, authors, and publishing information and such-go to legit sites. I write paranormal romance, so most of the ones I go to are ones that follow my genre but Good Reads is kind of a fail safe since they represent all genres of reading. Writer's Beware is a great resource as well when researching publishers but BEWARE of their forums. I am not going to discuss in any great length but they link to a place called The Water Cooler and that is a Jerry Springer even in itself. It used to be a very tight run ship-but now it's just who can tattle on who without the benefit of fact. If you belong there-then fine, good for you but do not use my blog for your venomous spew if that is your intentions. I and others like me, have had a lot of bad experiences. There have been so many that not even my faithful annual NaNoWriMo's will recommend that page. I will say there are still some good people that still go there-why I  don't know but they stay mostly to the threads where they feel safe but even they know that the Cooler has went down hill.  So the word for today class is "EDUCATE". Educate yourself as a reader and an author.

Peace!



Predator Editors; and I'm not talking about the Aliens who kick some ass

Have you ever been conned into something-even though you're an intelligent being and could probably quote Oscar Wilde or give a dissertation on the genetic structure of an Asian gnat and how it compares to the modernization of world economics? P.T. Barnum said it best, "There's a sucker born every minute" and in the writing game, it's no different. There are predator editors/publishers out there to take your hard earned work and do some serious damage to your wallet. It is hard to know, I'll grant you that dear reader, it is hard to know who is legit and who isn't.

  

I know when I spent months upon months on my first novel, like everyone else I dreamed about how well it would be received and seeing my book on a shelf at book stores (Yes, Virginia, book stores exist) and doing book signings. Like so many, I've witnessed the instant success of authors like J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyers, Dan Brown, and countless others. It is not impossible-but like the lottery, know that it may not happen as quickly to you as it did them. Be ready for rejections. Most well known authors like Sherrilyn Kenyon, Stephen King, Robin Cook, and even Dr. Seuss, went through countless rejections before getting their first books published. For all us Indie writers, it is a long road. Be ready to be in it for the long haul on barefoot. These predator editors/publishers are called Vanity Presses. I'll say it again, V-A-N-I-TY PRESSES. Why are they called vanity presses? The answer is simple: they only care about themselves not YOU.

             

Vanity Presses will present this carefully crafted offer that sounds too good to be true. They usually have a great looking website and showcase authors who have had hoards of success. Publish America-the one I was taken advantage of, even claimed that one of their authors had their book made into a movie. Twenty-four hours after I sent my manuscript, they had accepted it and sent me a contract. READ ANY AND EVERY CONTRACT CAREFULLY-READ IT MANY TIMES OVER-IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND IT OR THERE IS JUST TOO MUCH SMALL PRINT-THEN THIS IS YOUR FIRST RED FLAG. Usually Vanity Press contracts will be vague, wordy, offer commission on only a certain amount of books-but will not reveal the conditions to which they will pay for. Publish America will not mail you a check until you've gotten at least $500 in sales-but only on books YOU don't buy or books that have been returned or books they deem as "for advertisement purposes only". They will not go over price points. I wrote a book that was under 500 words, paper back, and Publish America sells it for anywhere between $39.95 to 29.99. Contracts through these presses are extensively long. My contract with Publish America is for 7 years. If I want out of my contract I have to pay almost $300 dollars. These presses do not want you to buy out your contract even if your book is not selling or has not sold one copy. I asked for a complete statement of exactly how many copies I had sold and they told me that they do not have such records. They only send statements per quarter. To this date, I have only seen two statements and I signed with them in 2010. A legit publisher will only want to contract a few years at a time for a book. A legit publisher will have a contract that is clear, concise, and to the point. Legit publishing companies no matter how big or small WANT you to make money and sell books because that is the only way THEY make money or recoup on their investment in publishing your book. Know your publisher! 

             

Another trick these so called publishers use is that they will send you endless promotions on how to better get your book out there if you buy so many copies of your own book or pay some sort of charge. A legit publisher when you submit your manuscript and they accept it will go through it with a fine toothed comb before even publishing it. They will then format it for either E-Book or book format with a cover that has been approved by yourself and the publisher. Most vanity presses will charge or want to charge for E-Book formats, translations, and to "put your book out in the book market". Go to any book store and look on the back or in the front cover and see how many of these Vanity Presses actually have books listed with a store's merchandise. Chances are you will never find a book published by Publish America, Children's Literacy Agency, The Abacus Literacy Agency, The New York Literacy Agency, and countless others. Their business model is NOT to get you out into the mass markets but to simply get the money from you-the author. They feed you more and more promises, packages, and "opportunities" for X amount of dollars. How can they do it and it not be illegal? That is the question, isn't it. Most of these scam publishers find loop holes in the law and squeak through or they simply change names. Talk about a pyramid scheme, right? Again, while promotion is not the ultimate responsibility of the publisher-they are going to get your book anywhere and everywhere they possibly can and they're not going to ask you for a dime.

When I signed with Publish America, the first offer I got was if I paid $199, my book would be showcased at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany. I almost sent that money-I was dying to do anything to get my book out there, yet there was a nagging inner voice that told me to do some homework. I was glad that I did because after much online research AND six international calls to Germany (which I took only three years of basic French-and not all Germans understand English) I found that Publish America was not even listed as a sponsor nor did they even have a booth. This was only the first of "offers" to different book events. What I found that they do-they simply have someone to stand out and identify themselves as Publish America and they are considered as being "part of the event". It's kind of like when you go to sporting events and you have people that stand outside selling tickets or something with a team's logo-it doesn't make them part of the team or even an employee of the event but it notes that their presence was there. Now there are some that buy into these offers and show up. They get a small little space and probably sell a few books. Keep in mind these books are bought by the author and very seldom do these authors recoup their investment. Many times they don't even break even. Publishers like Publish America are NOT going to send books to these events UNLESS the author(s) have not bought them at full or at a small discount including shipping first and none of these books are going to be considered "royalty eligible". 

I could go on and on about these blights on writers and the publishing world but I think you get the picture. At least, I hope you are getting the picture. Being a victim of one of these vanity press predators is no fun and it can gut you as an author, but don't lose hope or faith. DO NOT LOSE YOUR PASSION FOR WRITING! Keep on writing because all it takes is for one legit publisher to publish your book to get your foot in the door. Make sure you edit your manuscript and when you submit to publishing companies, FOLLOW THEIR SUBMISSION GUIDELINES TO THE LETTER! Publishers will not even give you a second thought or even put you in their slush pile if you have not went by their guidelines. Those guidelines are there for a reason. It's often been said, "Less is more" and in the publishing game, that is true. Don't make the mistake of sending more than what those guidelines ask for. Most legit publishers do not need for you to write them your life's story or for you to send them more of your manuscript than they ask for. In truth, most publishers only will read just a few sentences to the first few pages. If you can't hook them in that amount-they're not going to keep reading. Remember, most legit publishers are getting submissions by the hundreds every day of writers just like you who want to get that golden ticket. Remember, it took Thomas Edison over 10,000 tries before he got the light bulb right and he said, "I have not failed. I found 10,000 ways that won't work."  So while you make go through countless rejections-do not give up. Keep writing, keep dreaming, and keep working hard.

VANITY PRESS PREDATORS/SCAM PUBLISHERS TO WATCH OUT FOR AND SPREAD THE WORD ON

American Book Publishing, ABP

Desert Rose Literacy Agency

The Novel Literacy Agency

Publish America LLC

Oak Tree Press

Johnson-Warren Agency

Poetry.com/International Library of Poetry

The Robins Agency

University Press of the South

The Writers Literacy Agency aka The Children's Literacy Agency aka WL Poetry Agency

Global Book Agency

Publish On Demand

For more information please click HERE





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Villains: Move Over Dudley Do-Right, The Boys Are Back in Town

Every fictional story that has practically ever been told, has a hero and a villain. Villains are what keep us rooting for the hero-because we ultimately want good to triumph over evil. Villains are also what keeps us looking around the room every time we hear the slightest noise hoping that the shadow in the corner is just a shadow or that the tapping noise outside is just the wind or a branch and not the boogie man.

One of the most frequent questions I get is "Where do your villains come from?" If I looked at every story I have ever written that had a villain in them, I would have to say that they come from what scares me. When I wrote my first book, Renegade Night, I channeled Patrick Bateman, because I wanted Warren Langford to be psychotic. I wanted him to get pleasure out of causing pain yet unlike Jigsaw in the Saw film franchise, I didn't want him to be trying to right a wrong. Warren Langford is his own evil entity; his mind has degenerated so far that the evil has consumed him. To me, that is one of my phobias is being at the mercy of someone with no conscience and someone with no empathy; someone that is infinitely evil. When I wrote Cursed Awakening, I had two villains. I created a beast but I had to have another and I decided to make the real evil-human. I blend my fears with the story I'm creating. Some people draw on past experiences such as bullies they had as children or childhood phobias. When I write a villain, I want to give people that weird and creepy feeling that makes them want to look over their shoulder just to make sure there's no one or anything lurking in the dark watching them through a few panes of glass. I grew up in the 80s, and Stephen King were some of the first horror novels I read and so a lot of my phobias were ones he created. So yes, when you read my books, I want my bad guys, gals, and "others" to scare the tar out of you.

Does a book need a villain? No, I guess not. I have read stories where there was no villain but struggles with one's own environment, strife with another character, and where a character is trying to overcome something which brings in a whole set of other dynamics to the story. Charles Dickens was a truly great writer of just these kinds of stories. His stories had Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, Man vs. The World. He took raw human life and gave their story life. Pip with his endless quest to better himself, to gain the love of the ever elusive Stella, poverty, personal struggles with right and wrong, and extreme imagery that causes the reader to feel as if they are on the dirtier parts of London escaping an Ex-Convict or in a decrepit mansion entertaining a woman who needs a nut house rather than being allowed to wallow in her own grief over a lost love. Charlotte Bronte was another writer that told stories with a true to life grit to them. Characters that had to overcome such adversity and go through so much. Some even ended up a tragedy. Classic English literature are full of authors like Dickens and Bronte.

So writers, whether your villain is spectral, fanged or furry and clawed, undead, alien, mutant, or even eight-legged, give your villains life and let them not only go to the dark side-let them run the place for awhile.

When you think of a villain, what comes to your mind? Leave a comment and let me know. Tell me what scares the living daylights out of you.

Lost To The Night Vol. 2: We're Baaack!

Long, well not that long ago, 5 authors

 created 5 tales of spellbinding paranormal romance.

At long last, just released from XoXo Publishing,

the long awaited sequel to Lost to the Night Vol. 1

Lost To The Night: Vol.2

That's right folks, the second installment of the series. Once again five authors have been summoned to write five captivating, enchanting, chilling, and sensual stories. New to the line-up of amazing authors is Susan Van Nort and Trent Kinsey. Both Susan and Trent have lent their talents to ensure that the second installment of the Lost To The Night Anthology series leaves readers begging for more. Susan VanNort delivers on her ghostly tale of new love yet a love that poses some pretty steep obstacles with A Ghostly Story. Trent Kinsey has not only came up with a ghost story that will make a reader think twice about turning the light off; but also takes you through the Twilight Zone and then base jumps off that cliff with his story, Ghosts of the Storm.

Kayden Mcleod, not only is a highly gifted graphic arts designer but she is a very talented author as well. Deep Water Legends is thrusting the reader back into Kayden's vampire world where only the strong survive and two unlikely beings are thrust together in the midst.  

     

Back again to add to her Prince of Shadows is author Brigit Aine, who takes us back to where the story ended with Keri and Draken as they forge through their new found love yet trying to save two worlds.

Last time in Lost To The Night: Vol 1, I introduced the very seductive Dante Notte, who could melt butter in a freezer with one glance not to mention what it was doing to all the young women in his classroom except for one. In this installment, I'm leaving my vampires in between their satin sheets and I've written the story of Cinjin and Khloe Wahpeton. Khloe Wahpeton and Cinjin are both characters that are already mated in my book, Cursed Awakening, but I thought I would write about how Khloe managed to tame one of the most feral warriors and probably the biggest smart ass ego-centered male on the planet.

BE SURE TO GET YOUR E-BOOK COPY OF

LOST TO THE NIGHT: VOL.2

Buy it HERE:

Bookstrand

ARe All Romance eBooks 

 Amazon

Be sure to check out the authors of the Lost To The Night Series

Trent Kinsey

http://trentkinsey.com/

Sue Van Nort

https://www.facebook.com/sue.vannort

Kayden Mcleod

http://www.kaydenmcleod.com/

Brigit Aine

http://brigitsjournals.blogspot.com/ 


Denyse Bridger

Lost to the Night Vol. 1

http://denysebridger.com/



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Become Entranced Into the Erotic World of The Blood Courtesan. Exclusive Sneak Peek!

Welcome to my blog all those on the Caliente Blog Hop sponsored by Four Seduced Muses

Excerpt from The Blood Courtesan

Warning:This isn't A Cinderella Story

            Lia stood under the pulsing lights and music of the underground club that had been made out of the catacombs of the old church that Raph had drug her to. Surrounding her were other vampires, demons, and mortals that were literally dying for their affections. She loathed blood clubs but Raphael had promised her that this wasn’t what she thought it was. The bartender was a behemoth of a man dressed like in full steam punk fashion that was serving not only alcohol but blood as well. No doubt it was laced with all sorts of endorphins and aphrodisiacs. Lia had no desire for any of that. She scanned the room for Raph, but he was probably wrapped up in one of the enclaves with a few pretty humans or other sensual delights. Damn him for just up and leaving her. When she thought the night couldn’t get any worse, a familiar sensation caught her; Darius. What the hell was he doing here? She turned and right there standing not more than a few feet from her stood her sire and once upon a time, her mate. He was wearing a pair of black low rise jeans that accentuated his already too perfect male physique and the tight black t-shirt only made him more delectable. She shook her head and resolved herself that she was not going to go down that road…again.

          Darius watched her as Lia scowled at him from a distance. She stood at the bar wearing a tight black dress that was cut so low in the back that it left nothing to the imagination of that firmly rounded ass of hers. Her dark hair hung down in a shining sheath of silk and he had to resist the urge to drool. He felt his dick harden as she finished her drink. Darius remembered those plump lips all too well and what that mouth of hers was capable of.  Just before he could approach her, a human male walked up to her and Darius watched as she smiled at the man. She actually just smiled at the man and even touched his hand. Lia was playing with fire, and before Darius could catch himself he had grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to where most of the clientele were dancing.

            Lia was stunned at first and then angry the next. She tried to pull away from him but couldn’t. Darius held onto her and pulled her body flush with his. He began to dance and grind against her. Lia tried to ignore how good his body felt against her and how he affected her. She tried to push all the memories of how well she knew his body; intimately. The beat of the music changed to a more sensual and erotic one and for a brief few moments she was lost as she began to mimic Darius’s movements. Darius lowered his head and claimed her lips. He fought past those soft and sensual lips that were a perfect Cupid’s bow, and began kissing her deeply mingling his tongue with hers. The moment Lia felt what sense she had left start to disappear she shoved Darius away from her and ran. She pushed through the throngs of dancers and didn’t even stop to try and find Raph; the traitor. Onward she ran and hurried down corridor after corridor until she realized she was lost.

            Darius followed her until she stopped inside a darkened corridor. There was only cool silence since this is where priests had been buried long ago. When she turned around to face him he pressed her against the wall, caging her with hi strength. His eyes lit the darkness.

         “You’re not running from me anymore Evangelia!” he growled before dipping his head to kiss her.

          His kiss was one of possession and claiming. She felt it as sure as if she’d feel a lightning bolt if she ever dared to touch one. He moved from her mouth to her neck; his lips dancing over her skin. Lia almost cried out when his hand dropped lower claiming her breast with a sensual kneading. He could scent her arousal and the beast within him demanded he take what was his. Lia surrendered to it as his hand moved lower and hiked up her mini dress. She wasn’t wearing any panties and Darius almost wanted to smile as he began to caress her plump pussy. He knew exactly how to make her cum; how to make her scream. Lia knew this was all a bad idea but when he lowered himself and put one of her legs on his shoulder and began to lathe at her core, she could only moan and hiss with exhilaration. Darius parted her pussy and sucked and nipped at her clit while using two of his fingers from his other hand to stick into her tight and wet passage. He moved them slowly and rhythmically in and out; shallow and then deep while he suckled her. When her orgasm hit she screamed from it. Her body trembled and ached for more and that is when her brain kicked in.

          “Stop! Stop Darius!” she screamed and tried to push at him.

        Darius stopped immediately but stayed close to her. “You want this, and I want to give you want you want.”

         Lia fought the tears. She was not going to break down and cry in front of him. She shook her head.

          “We can’t. I-I don’t want this. You have to leave! You have to let me go!” her words cut him to the very soul.

          Darius wanted to roar. He couldn’t let her go! She was his mate and somehow he had to make up for lost time. Just as he was about to convince her, Raphael showed up.

          “Lia? Are you alright?” Raphael asked as he assessed the situation between Lia and Darius.

The tension was so thick it was suffocating. However Raphael’s first duty was towards Lia. She had not been his fledgling nor was she his lover, but she was his family; something he’d never called anyone. Raphael peeled off his vintage blue opticals and tucked them neatly into his vest pocket and assessed the situation. It would really burn his ass if he had to ruin his brand new Jarvis frock coat not to mention he hated to get brain matter on his Italian leather boots.

          Lia was trembling with fury and out of fear. She had let herself down; already so quick to jump right back into the role of Courtesan. Raphael simply held out his hand to her and eagerly took it. He let her pass by him and whispered something in her ear and waited till she was out of earshot. Raphael looked up at Darius who was seething, and who could blame the guy? Surely not Raphael but again, Lia had to come first but Darius was her sire and her fate was tied to his. That one single fact Raphael could not dismiss nor ignore.

       Raphael nodded and held his silver topped cane up to Darius, “It’s lady’s choice, and she’s made hers.”

         Darius gritted his teeth. His fangs bit into the inside of his lower lip, “For now,” then he looked towards the opening knowing she was just around the corner listening, “For now Evangelia, but we have much to discuss.”

        Raphael gave him a curt nod and a smile and walked outside the corridor. Lia grabbed onto him as if he were a lifeline, but then again that was what she thought he was;  her lifeline to safety and sanity.

      Darius watched as they left with his hands fisted at his sides. For now he’d give her a little reprieve. He wasn’t going to let Raphael, no matter how ancient he was, take from him what was rightfully his. Evangelia was his and there wasn’t a force above or below who was going to keep her from him.

        

Behind The Scenes

       I hope you enjoyed reading just a taste of The Blood Courtesan. I found myself totally enamored with the roles of Courtesans. Just about every culture has some sort of history with women who served men of power in the bedroom. From the Middle East to Africa, harems were kept by wealthy men and Sultans. However, in contrast to the beautiful women who were basically sex slaves to their masters’ whims, Courtesans and Geishas were educated in more than just how to please a man in bed. Venetian Courtesans were educated in a time when women were not. They were taught to read, write, play musical instruments or sing, dance, and all other forms of entertainment. The same can be said for Geishas who are given the honor of being chosen as young girls to serve. For the most part, Courtesans were usually women who had no prospects due to their family’s station or those whom were without dowry. Women usually with no prospects of a good marriage usually had the choice of joining the convent or becoming a Courtesan. Courtesans of Venice were renowned and were beautiful as well as quite intelligent. One of the most famous was Victoria De Franco and it was her story that inspired The Blood Courtesan. Look for The Blood Courtesan later this year and be prepared to be go on an erotic and mysterious journey with Lia, Darius, and Raphael.

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