Chains of Cronus - Chapter Twenty-Four
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Twenty-Three
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please read it as such. Thank you.)
“Do you think they have sex?” Clara asked.
“Shh.” Fanny wore her librarian face. “That’s rude.”
“Whatever.” Clara skipped down the gazebo steps to stand in front of one of the Fera guards.
“Clara, don’t!” Fanny warned. The thought of looking underneath the hood of their robes scared the crap out of her. Their bodyguards were almost always with them, and,
according to Gaul, could always hear them, no matter the distance. That was all he would tell them. The Fera wore elaborately, embroidered robes dyed a vibrant red. They reminded her of Cardinal
robes, but there was nothing priestly about the men who wore them. Though they’d never seen their faces, or heard their voices, their shape under the robes told them they were large, and lethal, and
not to be trifled with. Everyone, except Butcher and Gaul, stayed out of their way and avoided them.
“He won’t hurt me.” Clara said to the tallest Fera, the one they referred to ...
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Twenty-Three
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Twenty-Three
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please read it as such. Thank you.)
“I dared not hope you would receive me so graciously.” Frederic bowed.
“Don’t,” Butcher said, too forcefully. He calmed his thoughts and sat in the wing-backed chair beside the fire. “Please,” he gestured to the opposite chair, “sit with me.” It
was unnatural for a sire to bow to his child. It was unnatural for a child to feel almost nothing towards the one who made them.
“Stephen, thank you for handling this, you may leave us now.”
Stephen bowed to both and backed through the entryway, closing the door behind him.
“I thought perhaps my last night was upon me when I saw him waiting for me at your shores.”
“I would not kill you.”
“You should. I’ve failed you. I know that.” Frederic clutched and unclutched his hands. “The tears of the poppy have stripped me bare. The
dreams, the oblivion of nothingness, are a sad life to lead.”
Butcher didn’t want to ...
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Twenty-Two
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Twenty-Two
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please read it as such. Thank you.)
“You aren’t concentrating.” Clara chided Fanny as she easily moved from one Tai Chi position to the next.
“I’m a librarian.” Fanny whined. “My body wasn’t made to move this way.”
“You ain’t in Arkansas anymore, baby.” Clara laughed.
“There’s something wrong with you.” Fanny couldn’t help but laugh too. They were warming up for their daily self-defense class with Gaul.
Clara, always graceful, uncharacteristically plopped down onto the matt in front of Fanny. “We have a while before Gaul gets here and there’s something I want to talk with
you about.”
It was rare for Clara to be serious. “Okay.” Fanny was thankful to take a break.
“I know you had sex with the King.” Clara held up hand. “Just wait until I’m done, okay?”
Fanny nodded.
“I ...
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Twenty-One
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Twenty-One
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please read it as such. Thank you.)
Butcher listened to all the conversations around him; they were in the
great room of Crayton Hall appeasing the press, better known as the vultures. This would be the first and last time they’d set foot in his beloved home. He watched each group clustered together, the
journalists, the news crews, the Lincolns, his royal guards, the Fera fanned out behind his women - Fanny and Clara - and, of course, his grandsire, Gaius hidden from view.
To calm himself he listened to Fanny and Clara. He was saddened that Fanny had avoided him since their night together. He'd tried to speak with her, but she'd been unwilling
to talk, and he didn't want to press her until she was ready.
“Stop pulling,” Clara slapped Fanny’s hand away from the neckline of her dress. “It’s should hang that way. It’s a Halston.”
“Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
“Fanny, you’re such a philistine. He was a fucking awesome designer of the seventies; Studio 54, Andy ...
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Twenty
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Twenty
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please read it as such. Thank you.)
“I expected you sooner.” Roy shut the front door behind Butcher. He bowed low and only rose when Butcher indicated for him to
do so.
“You know why I’m here.” Butcher walked past Roy and into the parlor, tossed a leather sac onto the velvet sofa, and stood in front of the fireplace. “Humility has a
torturer’s temperament; it’s a pity she didn’t live in times more conducive to her nature. Her hatred of the Djinn…is something to behold.”
Butcher pulled a leather chair up next to the fire and sat down. It didn’t matter that it was summer; vampire body temperature maintained itself no matter the heat or
the cold. “Go ahead,” he motioned for Roy to open the sac.
Roy stared at the object. “I don’t need to see it to know what it implies.”
“Open it!” Butcher roared, regained his composure, and continued. “It’s the least you could do.”
Roy’s hand shook slightly as he untied the leather strings.
“Take it out,” Butcher ordered.
<< MORE >>
HUGE BOOK GIVEAWAYS
Momma Says Read is giving away a ton load of books.If you can't find a book you want in this list, well, then you just don't like to read. Follow this link to enter:
http://mommasaysread.com/mommas-big-launch-giveaway-blitz/
Here is a link for my book, just in case you're interested.
http://mommasaysread.com/win-a-copy-the-last-keepers-daughter-by-rebecca-trogner/
Good Luck!
... << MORE >>
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Nineteen
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Nineteen
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please read it as such. Thank you.)
Fanny was not a vengeful person, even though she’d been treated differently all her life and not just by other children, but also adults. Who had always been leery of her, watchful, apprehensive and uncomfortable when she was near their children. What had she done? What could she do? Why was it this way? The questions had been endless and she’d examined and reexamined herself, constantly trying to find the key to being normal. The one refuge she’d had was her Aunt Stella. It was beyond Fanny’s comprehension why anyone would want to hurt such a good woman.
“We will be deviating from the flight plan,” the Captain’s calm voice explained. “A slight detour around to the south to
avoid some storms and then we’ll be hugging the coastline. We should arrive into Charleston approximately thirty minutes from our original ETA.”
Fanny took a deep breath. “Gaul,” she said, “tell the Captain we need to land on Vena Island.”
He didn’t say a word, just looked at her.
“Clara’s alive," Fanny explained. "I know it. I can find her.”
“The island is crawling with federal agents looking for survivors. You will go ...
The Grave Winner - Cover Art Reveal
Linsdey Loucks new book The Grave Winner (Young Adult Paranormal Romance) is set for release on May
15th!
A Bit about the Book:
Leigh Baxton is terrified her mom will come back from the dead — just like the prom queen did.
While the town goes beehive over the news, Leigh bikes to the local cemetery and buries some of her mom’s things in her grave to keep her there. When the hot and mysterious caretaker warns her not to give gifts to the dead, Leigh cranks up her punk music and keeps digging.
She should have listened.
Two dead sorceresses evicted the prom queen from her grave to bury someone who offered certain gifts. Bury them alive, that is, then resurrect them to create a trio of undead powerful enough to free the darkest sorceress ever from her prison inside the earth.
With help from the caretaker and the dead prom queen, Leigh must find out what’s so special about the gifts she gave, and why the sorceresses are stalking her and her little sister. If she doesn’t, she’ll either lose another loved one or have to give the ultimate gift to the dead – herself.
About the Talented Ms. Loucks:
Lindsey R. Loucks works as a school librarian in rural ...
Speak of the Devil by Shawna Romkey
Shawna is an author to watch and read now before she gets on the New York Times bestseller list. I'm
sure she will be there soon! I was lucky enough to read Speak of the Devil and found it engaging, interesting, and highly entertaining. It's a book for all ages. Perfect to take along on spring break
or tuck into the beach bag for your summer vacation. (Oh, and I really love his biceps!!)
Here is a little about Speak of the Devil.
What happens when falling in love and falling from grace collide?
After dying in a car accident with her two best friends, Lily miraculously awakens to grief and guilt. She escapes to her dad’s to come to terms with the event and meets some people at her new
school who seem all too eager to help her heal. Sliding deeper into sorrow and trying to fight her feelings for two of them, she finds out who…what they really are and that they are falling too.
Can she find the strength to move on from the past, reconcile her feelings for Luc, find a way to stop a divine war with fallen angels, and still pass the eleventh grade?
And about Shawna Romkey
Shawna grew up in around farms in the heart of Missouri but went to the University of Kansas, was raised in the US but now lives on the ocean in Nova ...
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Eighteen
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Eighteen
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please read it as such. Thank you.)
“Mr. Daemon.”
Butcher shielded Fanny with his body. Who grabbed at his shoulders, trying to pull him back to her.
“There’s been an explosion,” Gaul said from the doorway.
Butcher didn’t need Gaul to explain the particulars. He’d gleaned everything from the man’s expression. Gaul would never interrupt such a private, intimate moment unless it
was deadly serious. Butcher nodded and waited until he heard the latch of the front door click shut until he moved away from the warmth of Fanny’s body.
Superstition is not respected in this time. It’s called ignorance and tossed off as the fragility of a weak-minded individual, but when Butcher was human young, sitting beside the fire, listening to the old tales, there was respect for instinctual knowledge. The knowledge of things that could not be explained or put into any form that would convey their strength to another, the feeling of something you knew was right, of which direction to take, or not. This sense was with him now.
He realized it had always been there, lurking, waiting for him to recognize it, ever since the moment ...
Congratulations to my Blog Tour Winner!
Congratulations to Joy for winning the Amazon gift card!
My Bewitching Blog Tour was wonderful. I have to thank the amazing Roxanne Rhoads for coordinating and making this the best tour ever!
Thank you to everyone that tweeted and commented and gave me encouragement throughout my tour!
... << MORE >>
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Seventeen
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Seventeen
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a
fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please read it as such. Thank you.)
Butcher left a note, scripted in block print, on the pillow. He wrote that over the years he’d buried enough iron on the island to
make it safe from anyone that might harm her. She knew what he meant, and, if that were not enough, that there were failsafe security measures and spells to make it impossible for someone he had not
authorized to walk on the soil. She wondered what those measures were. Lastly, he wrote for her to enjoy the day and that he would see her this evening.
It felt strange to be free of the darkness, to stand in the morning light as it filtered through the trees and dappled her skin. Fanny felt almost guilty enjoying this simple pleasure. It made her yearn for the old routines of her life, working in the library, taking lunch outside in the park, and sitting with Aunt Stella in the old kitchen. She turned and looked back at Butcher’s cabin. Was it only a few weeks ago that she’d been bored with her life, hated the confines, and the depressing yearly announcements of marriages and births from her high school peers. Change, that’s what she'd begged for, and now, well, now she wanted everything as it was. Aunt Stella said the reason Meadow’s stayed in Walnut Ridge so long was because ...
<< MORE >>The Awakening, 2011 - My New Favorite Movie
The Awakening, starring Rebecca Hall and Dominic West
Since it's Wednesday Random Wackiness day I thought I'd tell you about a movie I recently watched. I loved every
second of The Awakening and can’t help but tell all my movie lovers to go right now and watch this film.
I’m a fan of old fashioned ghost stories and this is a great example of the genre. You have Florence Cathcart, a young woman who lost her fiancé in World War I, and copes
with her loss by debunking the spiritualists who sprang up to help the families of the lost. I’m sure there were some family members who benefited from the spiritualists and some that did not, though
Florence sees no benefit from duping the grieving families and infiltrates a séance and exposes their tricks. Since this happens at the very beginning of the film, you don’t realize until a few beats
after the exposure, when she is walking home, that a part of her wanted the séance to be real.
Robert Mallory, a veteran who you learn has emotional and physical scars from his time in his trenches, knocks on her door. He tells her about a remote boys school where he teaches and that there has been a recent death of one of the students. Now the other boys are afraid and seeing a ghost. Robert asks Florence to come with him and investigate.
She does, of course, not able to resist something so tempting and is greeted at the schools steps by Maud Hill, ...
<< MORE >>Chains of Cronus - Chapter Sixteen
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Sixteen
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please
read it as such. Thank you.)
Butcher held back as the room emptied until he was alone with Fanny and Gaul.
“What’s going on?” Fanny stood on her tiptoes and whispered.
“I doubt you’d care for the queen’s entertainments. There is a place I’d like to show you before we leave the island.” He bent down and cupped her beautiful face in his hands
and kissed her soft lips. “I know you have questions. We can talk there in private.”
He led the way out of the castle and down a path so overgrown as to be imperceptible to anyone who did not know it was there. Eventually the footing became too precarious for
Fanny and he cradled her in his arms and walked across the hands-width, wide natural bridge which connected one sheer cliff to another.
“Don’t look down,” he whispered in her ear.
Butcher placed her just inside the cave entrance and waved his hand. Sparks flashed from his fingers illuminating a line of torches place along the cave walls. Gaul
had unsheathed ...
Why I Love the Vamps!
I wrote a guest blog post for Crazy Four Books and I thought it would be nice to repost here. If you get a chance go visit Crazy Four Books, it's a very nice site.
In my debut novel, The Last Keeper’s Daughter, there are vampires with key roles. While I don’t believe that this defines my book as only about the vamps it does put it into the category of mostly for women. I’ve never understood why men don’t enjoy a good vampire story as much as women, but it seems that while we swoon the menfolk just roll their eyes at us. So I got to thinking about why I love vampires as much as I do.
The Big O. It has to be said that there is usually really good sex involved whenever a vampire is in a story. There are some books that don’t follow that pattern, but I prefer a sexy vampire over a gnawing, raging one any day. What woman wouldn’t like the thought of a man who can satisfy all their desires, endlessly?
The Foreplay. There is something erotic about all that nibbling around our necks, wrists, and thighs – let your imagination fly ladies – that is highly attractive. A vampire has all the time in the world, literally, to explore and adore our bodies. What woman wouldn’t like that?
The Beefcake
<< MORE >>Death Lies Between Us By Jody Kessler
I'm thrilled to have Jody Kessler's new release, Death Lies Between Us, here today. She has written a lovely book that I hope you will check out.
Blurb:
Saving the life of someone you love should not be the worst thing you have ever done, unless you are an Angel of Death.
Disgruntled with his position in the afterlife and conflicted by his feelings toward his new client, Nathaniel Evans forgoes the rules and saves nineteen year old Juliana Crowson from being hopelessly stuck in Forge Creek. This alters Juliana’s destiny and she finds herself in a series of near death accidents.
In the mountains of Colorado, Nathaniel comforts Juliana as she struggles to understand her paranormal abilities while coping with her brother’s drug addiction. When an ill-tempered Native American Shaman teaches her the difference between ghosts and place memories, she decides she wants nothing to do with the supernatural world. Too bad she doesn’t know that Nathaniel is part of it.
Will fate bring these two together, or has Nathaniel made the biggest mistake of his afterlife?
About the Author:
...
Wednesday Random Wackiness
Everyone who pops into my blog knows I'm a writer, but as with all of you I have a bunch of other things I like to do. So I thought hump day would be the perfect day — since nothing exciting happens on Wednesday — to toss out what I'm interested in now.
On Saturday I found myself with an empty house, a gnawing worry about how my book is selling, a bagful of chips, and the remote to myself. I decided to see what Netflicks had to offer. I'm not sure why this show popped up in my suggestion loop, but it did and I am eternally grateful....well, grateful for a week.
Annika Bengtzon: Crime Reporter
From the producers of the Millennium Trilogy and Wallander comes a series of new Scandinavian crime films based on Liza Marklund's worldwide best-selling novels. I was hooked with the first utterance of "puss" which I now know means kiss in Swedish. I really digged the whole swedish language thing actually. I know some are put off by the subtitles but I love hearing a different language and sorting out what word means what. Yes, I know, I'm a bit of a goober about things like that.
I haven’t read Ms. Marklund’s books, but I have them on my list.
<< MORE >>Chains of Cronus - Chapter Fifteen
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Fifteen
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please
read it as such. Thank you.)
The crowd moved aside for them. Fanny watched as some averted their eyes while others blatantly ogled. A few
photographers had Press badges around their necks. Would their picture be in the paper?
The queen easily transformed herself with each person she spoke to, giving them the image that suited their personality best, charming them into believing she just a
beautiful young woman.
Butcher veered off to the right as the queen and Gaius proceeded through the group of guests. He pulled an ottoman sized
cushion up to an ornate chair. Gaul walked around Fanny and positioned himself at the back of the chair.
“Sit here,” Butcher sat in the chair and patted the cushion. “The queen will address them soon.”
The guests slowly moved to take seats. There was a slightly raised area on the floor with two chairs and a cushion. Clara was sitting on the cushion, looking bored and
beautiful, like a sullen runway model. Gaius sat in the slightly higher chair with his three guards fanned out behind him. The attendees looked ...
Now In Paperback - The Last Keeper's Daughter
Can't believe it, but I'm now available in paperback as well as ebook.
Absolutely Amazing!
Here are the Links
Ebook - Amazon
Paperback - Amazon
... << MORE >>
Blog Tour & Giveaway for The Last Keeper's Daughter
In Celebration of the release of The Last Keeper's Daughter I'm giving away a $100 Giftcard from Amazon. My blog tour begins today and will run through March 18. Visit
my Events Page for all the details.
If you would like to purchase my book, it is available for sale on Amazon. Click my book image above to visit my Amazon page.
... << MORE >>
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Fourteen
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Fourteen
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please
read it as such. Thank you.)
Queen Anna-Maria never missed an opportunity to flaunt her wealth and power. Butcher had not known the queen as long as
Gaius, but he knew her well enough, and expected tonight to be lavishly decadent. He lightly squeezed Fanny’s small hand to reassure her as they proceeded back into the queen’s lair.
Syler was waiting for them beside the pool. Butcher watched as Fanny’s eyes roamed over the lit magnolia blossoms floating in the water and the tiny white lights interwoven in the tree branches which twinkled against the dark giving the garden area a fantastical look.
“Council member Gaius,” Syler bowed low. “We are honored by your presence.”
“So honored that the queen could not be bothered to greet me.” Gauis’ voice was glacial cold.
Syler remained bowed. “State matters have unfortunately delayed her presence here.”
“I’m sure,” Gaius and his guards walked past Syler. “Shall we get on ...
What's Love Got To Do With It?
It took a long time, longer than I wanted, to meet my husband. During the years I waited for him, I thought I fell in
love a few times only to be crushed by romantic disappointment. We have all experienced the trials of love, the powerful pull one feels towards another, the loss, the first blush of lust and
love, and if you are very luck the enduring love that comes through the years.This is my homage to my husband who I love with all my heart.
To My Dear and Loving Husband, by Anne Bradstreet
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee.
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompetence.
Thy love is such I can no way repay.
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so persever
That when we live no more, we may live ever.
...
Release of The Last Keeper's Daughter
After months of waiting, The Last Keeper's Daughter is available for sale on Amazon.
Born into old money, Lily Ayres lives at Waverly, her family’s estate situated at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Paris, Virginia. She is a strange, small,
almost mute, young woman who has no idea that her father has given her to the Vampire King Krieger. Walter Ayres is the King’s Keeper and part of a secret society of historians who unearth, preserve,
and attempt to understand relics of long forgotten civilizations.
Lily has never felt comfortable in the human world, but after she suspiciously falls down a flight of stone steps, and is healed and claimed by Krieger, she realizes there is another world. In this Other Realm she feels a sense of belonging, and begins to untwine the mysterious event which left her mentally and psychologically damaged. When Walter disappears in England, Lily works with human and supernatural beings to uncover his whereabouts. With each new discovery, she is pulled deeper into the vortex of magic, intrigue, and dark desires that permeates the supernatural world. The revelations revealed ...
<< MORE >>Year of the Snake
When Wendy Russo asked me to participate in the Year of the Snake Blog Hop I was intrigued. The snake represents a deep, sensual philosopher, one who is graceful, mystical and dark all at the same time. The snake is a creature that can reinvent itself, change its skin, and become anew. In mythology, they are sharp, aware, cunning, yet capable of vanity and viciousness.
In my book, The Last Keeper’s Daughter, I think Krieger best represents these qualities. He is vampire, turned roughly two thousand years ago. In the below excerpt he reveals his feelings for Lily Ayres. As snakes are wont to do, he has deceived himself into thinking Lily meant less to him than she does. He realizes his mistake, and must change (renew) his tactic, and thus uses his darkness to seduce.
“Do you want me, Lily?”
“I don’t know what I want.” It was the honest truth.
“I could force you.” He held up his hand. “I could bend your body to my will with one finger.”
She wasn’t afraid that he’d hurt her. “That’s not what you want.”
<< MORE >>
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Thirteen
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Thirteen
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please
read it as such. Thank you.)
Butcher rested, just barely. Humility, his beloved and only child, had come and gone. The inevitable changes would be
difficult for her. He’d reassured and explained that their relationship would not be affected, though she would have to adjust the most to Fanny’s new status. Butcher had never intended this for
Fanny, and yet here he was planning out her future. Until the day her last breathe passed through her lips, he would be completely responsible for her.
Gaius, his sire and master, was far more interested in Fanny than he thought necessary. Minutes after the sun had retired for the day; Gaius walked into his villa and placed
a small package on the desk.
“You look like shit.” Gaius said.
Butcher ran his hand through Humility’s handwork, his newly shorn hair. “Paperwork.”
Gaius stared towards the bedroom. “The queen has asked for a private meeting to discuss our unusual situation. She would like all parties to attend.”
“I expected as much.” It took control for Butcher to remain seated. “What time?”
<< MORE >>
1st Anniversary Contest - A Stiff Kiss by Avery Olive
Avery Olive's wonderful book, A Stiff Kiss, has been out a year and to celebrate this event Avery is having an anniversary contest.
Click on the badge above and find out about the wonderful prizes you could win.
A Stiff Kiss
Who knew kissing a corpse would change everything?
Death always hits Xylia Morana too close to home, but she likes it that way. She hangs out with the terminally ill, attends random funerals, and every so often, when the weather is right, she sleeps in open graves.
But after Landon Phoenix, the high school hottie, dies in Xylia's hands, she sneaks into the morgue to say goodbye. How could she know stealing a kiss from his corpse would wake him up?
With Landon returned to the living and suddenly interested in Xylia, life has new meaning. But what Xylia doesn't realize is that by kissing Landon back to life, she's thrown Life and Death off balance. The underworld demands a body, and it might just have to be Xylia's this time.
About Avery Olive:Avery Olive is Canadian. She is married, and when she’s not helping raise her very energetic and inquisitive son, she can be found working on ...
<< MORE >>Chains of Cronus - Chapter Twelve
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Twelve
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please read it as such. Thank you.)
“Don’t ask me to share.” Butcher stretched out his long legs, almost touching the coffee table
which lay between them.
Gaius stood and began pacing about the room, running his hand over various pieces of furniture
and artwork. “I would not.” He tilted his head back, shuddered, and vibrated for a few seconds. “It’s unlike anything I’ve experienced.” Snapping his head down, he looked squarely into Butcher’s
eyes. “And that’s saying a lot.”
For the first time in Butcher’s existence, he was unsure of Gaius’s motives. The only nervous
gesture he allowed himself was to cross one ankle over the other. Gaius had requested a small taste of Fanny’s blood. Given the circumstances, he acceded, and dripped less than a tablespoon into a
glass. She never woke, and he healed the wound.
“Our energy is powerful, yes, but modulated.” Gaius stopped, tilted his head to the side
towards the bedroom. “I feel her energy.”
“She ...
Cover Reveal - Speak of the Devil By Shawna Romkey
I'm thrilled to have the cover for Shawna Romkey's upcoming new book, Speak of the Devil.
Speak Of The Devil
What happens when falling in love and falling from grace collide?
After dying in a car accident with her two best friends, Lily miraculously awakens to grief and guilt. She escapes to her dad’s to come to terms with the event and meets some people at her new school who seem all too eager to help her heal. Sliding deeper into sorrow and trying to fight her feelings for two of them, she finds out who…what they really are and that they are falling too.
Can she find the strength to move on from the past, reconcile her feelings for Luc, find a way to stop a divine war with fallen angels, and still pass the eleventh grade?
About Shawna:
Shawna grew up in around farms in the heart of Missouri but went to the University of Kansas, was raised in the US but now lives on the ocean in Nova ...
<< MORE >>Year of the Snake Blog Hop
The incredibly talented Wendy Russo has organized a Year of the Snake Blog Hop! Read below to see how to participate. Really, it would be silly not to.
On February 10, 2013, we say goodbye to the dragon and welcome the snake, a symbol of wisdom and cunning, but also delusion and deception.
This hop is open to writers…published or not…and here is your assignment.
Find within your work a passage that embodies the spirit of the snake as defined above. You are encouraged to include a giveaway, but it’s not required. Snakes would find you foolish, but I won’t.
To participate, leave a comment on Wendy's Blog. To be whisked away to Wendy's blog, click the badge above or HERE.Once there, swipe the badge, post it on your blog and link it to this post. Spread the word on
your various social media channels.
... << MORE >>
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Eleven
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Eleven
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please
read it as such. Thank you.)
Fanny was talking in her sleep, she called out his name but Butcher was
unable to tell if she called to him for help or called his name out of fear. He encased her with his body and quieted her back to sleep, rubbing his head against her shoulder like a large cat.
Waiting until she was sleeping peacefully, he slipped out of bed and opened up the daytime shutters to look out at the moon. Stepping through the doors, he dove into the warm waters of the pool and
glided through the water, letting his mind drift.
Vampires were often thought to have no feelings, but the opposite was true. A lifetime of loss and regret could weigh one down until they sought the solace of the sun. Butcher was past his years of regret, he’d thought. Almost everyone was a child in his eyes after living so long, and Fanny seemed even more so. With each exchange of their blood the chain of protectiveness and need wove tighter around him. He needed her to want him, to open herself to him, ...
<< MORE >>I've Been Nominated!
I’ve been nominated for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award by Jody Kessler! Jody is the author of Death Lies Between Us to be released from Crescent Moon Press in March 2013. Thanks, Jody!
The rules for this award are as follows:
~Display the award logo on your blog.
~Link back to the person who nominated you.
~State 7 things about yourself.
~Nominate 15 bloggers for this award and link to them.
~Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award’s requirements.
Seven things about me:
I'm a writer, wife, stepmom to the best stepson in the world, and an analyst
My first novel,The Last Keeper's Daughter, is due to be released February 15!
I love to read, but never have the time to read as much as I'd like
I have a rescue dog named Giblet
I used to ride horses until I figured out I'm mortal
I love cheesecake, coffee, and chocolate
I secretly read the celebrity magazines while at the grocery. Shhh don't tell anyone.
My 15 Very Inspiring Blogger nominations are:
- Aaron Ritchey
- Toni De Palma
- Danielle DeVor
- SinClair MacAnnan
- Katie O'Sullivan
- Louann Carroll
- Lindsey Loucks
- Wendy S. Russo
- Heather ...
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Ten
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Ten
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please read it as such. Thank you.)
Fanny was thankful for the cape which covered her from head to toe. If she could have disappeared completely that would have been even better. When Butcher had talked about a queen, she hadn’t known he’d meant the Queen Vampiress. That’s what the press called her. She was always in the tabloids.
The elevator doors opened too soon. She wasn’t ready. She’d never be ready, she thought. Butcher placed his hand at her elbow guiding her out of the elevator. They walked
down a long hallway, their footfalls echoing around them, towards a tall and narrow green door. Syler opened the door. Fanny slowed her step. I can’t do this. Butcher pressed his hand to the
small of her back and urged her forward and threw the threshold. Behind her the door closed with the soft quiet thud of finality.
“You have not escaped me yet.” Syler leaned in and whispered into her ear before going to stand beside the queen.
The room smelled of fresh paint, the walls were a pristine and stark ...
Upcoming Release by Toni De Palma
The Devil's Triangle
When 17 year old Cooper dies in an attempt to burn down his school, he finds himself in the afterlife. Lucy, the Devil's
sister who has crossed party lines, decides to give Cooper another shot at heaven. The deal? Cooper returns to Earth and has to find a girl named Grace. The rest is up to him.
While Cooper figures out his mission, he's thrown into the life he's always wanted. Great parents, a spot on the Varsity football team and a real future are all within reach. But what he really
wants is Grace, a feisty girl with an abusive boyfriend who can pound Cooper into pulp if he doesn't watch out.
While Lucy plays demonic-puppeteer, clues to an unknown past between Cooper and Grace start to unravel. Cooper discovers that what's keeping him and Grace apart is far more sinister than anything
this bad boy could have ever imagined.
About the Author:
Toni De Palma was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a child she spent many summers in Ischia, the Italian island where her father was brought up. Her first middle grade novel, Under ...
Cover Reveal - The Last Keeper's Daughter
I have a cover and I think it is fabulous! I'm equal parts excited and terrified by the upcoming
release of The Last Keeper's Daugher in February 2013. Thank you to my wonderful publisher, Crescent Moon
Press for such a great cover. As of now the release date is February 15th.
Born into old money, Lily Ayres lives at Waverly, her family’s estate situated at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Paris, Virginia. She is a strange, small, almost mute, young woman who has no idea that her father has given her to the Vampire King Krieger. Walter Ayres is the King’s Keeper and part of a secret society of historians who unearth, preserve, and attempt to understand relics of long forgotten civilizations.
Lily has never felt comfortable in the human world, but after she suspiciously falls down a flight of stone steps, and is healed and claimed by Krieger, she realizes there is another world. In this Other Realm she feels a sense of belonging, and begins to untwine the mysterious event which left her mentally and psychologically damaged. When Walter disappears in England, Lily works with human and supernatural beings to uncover his whereabouts. With each new discovery, she is pulled deeper into the vortex of magic, intrigue, and dark desires that permeates the supernatural world. The revelations revealed unfold a ...
<< MORE >>Chains of Cronus - Chapter Nine
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Nine
( * Author's note: Chains of Cronus is intended for adults, 18 years and
older. It is a fantasy, paranormal romance story. Please read it as such. Thank you.)
Two black Suburbans with heavily tinted windows waited for them in the driveway. Butcher lifted Fanny into his arms and carried her to the second one, placing her in the back
seat and sliding in next to her with his sword on his knees.
“Mr. Daemon.” A large vampire said from the passenger’s seat.
Butcher nodded and placed his hand on Fanny’s knee. No other words were exchanged; vampires unlike humans did not feel the need for useless talk. What was there to say?
They knew why he was being brought to court, and they knew he probably had no desire to see the queen. Butcher looked out the window and let his mind drift until they reached their destination and he
carried Fanny up the private jet steps and carefully placed her onto a large captain’s chair.
The cabin door was closed by a young stewardess. “We will be landing on Vena Island shortly. Is there anything I can get for you?” she asked with a smile.
...
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Eight
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Eight
Butcher’s nostrils flared, his arms tightened around the prey, and his fangs snapped down hard.
He pierced the skin and tasted — Fanny. His eyes opened wide as he looked down at her, still asleep and wrapped in his arms. Her blood scent was sweeter now that they’d exchanged blood again and he
breathed in deeply, savoring the scent. He rolled onto his back and threw his hands over his head to stare at the ceiling. Anything to distract himself from the siren call of her body. The movement
woke her and she turned on her side to look at him. Fanny’s blue eyes were always beautiful but now they were the color of sapphires sparkling in the light. His vampire blood was interacting with her
dormant supernatural genes. A human would consider her strikingly beautiful, but a vampire would instantly recognize her otherness.
“I feel strange.” She said in a whisper. “My body feels tingly.”
“It’s my blood.” He said with pride.
She hesitantly reached out her hand and touched his face, running her fingers over the scar. “I feel you,” she placed her hand on her chest. “Here.”
“As I,” he ...
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Seven
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Seven
Cain and Abel Lincoln turned onto the dirt driveway. “Are you sure this is it?” Cain asked.
“Yes.” Abel shot back annoyed at his brother. “Look, see, there’s the security team.” The Butcher had called them and explained about the attack.
Abel stopped as one of the security guards motioned for him to roll down the window. “We’re part of the investigation. Cain and Abel Lincoln.”
“Yea, we were told. Go on up to the house.” The guard said waving them on.
“The Butcher’s not taking any chances.” Cain said.
“Did you see that girl he was with? Whew, I bet he wants to keep that happy. You know, I thought she was nice. Wonder what her story is?” Abel always had an eye for the
ladies.
“I think you better focus on the case.” Cain shook his head.
After two knocks they heard footsteps and Stella Meadows opened up the front door looking relatively spry for someone that had just been ...
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Six
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Six
“Fanny,” Butcher said, but received no response.
She’d fallen asleep on the drive back from Blood Lode. He walked around and opened her door. His hand reached out to brush an errand lock of hair off her face. Why do I
feel such care for you? Mentally, he shook himself and carefully lifted her out of the car and walked into his home.
Stephen was waiting for him, “Mr. Daemon,” he bowed.
“Instructions will be left for you. We are retiring for the day.”
“Of course, good rest.” Stephen turned and went to finish his duties.
Butcher secured his bed chamber for the day and placed Fanny on the bed while he ran a bath. He slid down into the hot water and leaned back. This would probably be his last
peaceful moment until they had returned from the queen.
Fanny stirred; he felt her presence in the doorway. “Join me.”
“Stella said to talk with you now before I go to sleep.” She walked into the bathroom, avoided ...
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Five
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Five
The Blood Lode patrons could be heard filing in for the evening. The first show started in less
than forty-five minutes. Butcher looked at the twins. He found it inconceivable that they were sent by the queen. He’d heard of them, of course, enforcers were always a concern before the vampires
were discovered by humans. Now, instead of killing supernaturals, they handled nonhuman cases for law enforcement, and worked as liaisons for both sides.
“I’ve been ordered to allow you into my territory.” Butcher said, as he looked down at the thinner of the two. They were fraternal twins
but still held a striking resemblance to each other.
“Cain, I’m Cain, and this is Abel.” Cain affectionately nudged his brother with a sharp elbow. “Our mother had an odd sense of humor when it came to choosing
names.”
“Question the human now. The ambulance is waiting to take her to the hospital.” Butcher watched Fanny’s reaction to them.
She gave Butcher a glance then turned to the brothers. “I’m Fanny Meadows, pleased to meet you.” She stuck out her hand to the one called Abel first.
Abel’s lip turned up in a half smile. ...
Cronus in Chains - Chapter Four
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Four
Stella Meadows was up late reading one of her stories. That was what she called the
romance novels she liked to read. They were her guilty pleasure, especially when the story involved pirates and a maiden in distress. Though she was at a crucial point in the seduction of Emma – a
princess pretending to be a stowaway – she found her eyes too heavy to stay awake.
She got up slowly; her arthritic knee was acting up again, and opened up the screen door. “Tom-Tom, come on boy.” She called looking out at the woods which backed up to the yard and felt a familiar pang. She had no idea why she felt this way when looking at the woods, but it always caused her to feel sad. “Oh you’re getting silly in your old age,” she chided herself.
A sudden movement captured her attention and she pulled the thin nightgown tighter around her body. “Tom-Tom,” she called with more urgency. The movement turned out to be a
man standing at the edge of the yard. He seemed to be indecisive, for a moment she thought he would turn and walk away, but then, his decision made; he strode towards the back door in long, easy
strides.
...
Chains of Cronus - Chapter Three
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Three
Butcher took a moment to admire Fanny’s face resting against the red sheets before he went downstairs. It reminded him of a Vermeer painting of another young woman whose beautiful face shined against a darkened background as if she was trying to peer into her future.
When there was an urgent matter which required his attention, Stephen would activate a light directly above the bedroom’s double doors. Tonight that light was lit.
Stephen stood at the bottom of the stairs. “Good Evening.”
“What is the crisis?” Butcher could not keep the irritation out of his voice.
“Syler awaits your call.” Stephen’s tone conveyed his contempt for the queen’s henchman. “How is the Miss?”
“She’s asleep.” Butcher walked into his study, dreading what he expected to be a summons to the royal court. “Is everything ready?”
“Yes,” Stephen smiled. “I hope the Miss is pleased.”
Butcher wasn’t so sure about that, but he knew that Stephen had done his best. “Leave me now.”
He used the landline phone. The call was answered immediately by Syler’s assistant.
“What took you so long?” Syler asked when he got on the line.
He ignored the question. “How is the queen?”
“She is very disappointed. My queen,” Syler ... << MORE >>
Chains of Cronus - Chapter 2
Chains of Cronus
Chapter Two
Butcher awoke and instantly reached through the vampire bond he shared with his child, Humility, and felt her still sleeping. He let his mind drift while he inhaled Fanny’s
scent. The tiny tendril of their newly formed bond was like feathers brushing against his skin. The bond, like her, vibrated with life and warmth. He decided that waking up next to her was
pleasurable and made a mental note to tell Stephen the guest room would not be needed.
Soon Fanny would wake and this brief moment of peace would be lost to her fear and anxiety. Disengaging from her, he slipped out of bed and took a hot shower. While the water
washed over him, he felt her stir and allowed her time to remember where she was, and what had taken place the night before.
Without toweling off, Butcher went to her. Fanny was flushed and her scent moved through the air like a wedding veil caught in the wind. Her embarrassment and fear mingle
together, her flush turned into a blush, and she turned from him. This human was very peculiar; women did not turn away from his form.
“How have you stayed a maiden so long?” He cocked his head to the side, waiting, anticipating her reply.
“None of your —”
“Manners, Miss Meadows. Haven’t I been a gracious host?”
“Manners,” Fanny forgot her embarrassment and turned back to face him. “I see, so it’s good manners to kidnap someone?” ...
Chains of Cronus - Chapter 1
____________________________________________________________
Chains of Cronus
Chapter One
“This is the one.” Humility rolled the body off her shoulders onto a steel table.
Butcher’s ice-blue eyes scanned over the unconscious figure. He walked around her, evaluating her. “Why does the queen want you?” He asked, trailing a finger over the cold surface. “She’s injured.” Butcher leveled his gaze at Humility, who shrugged her shoulders.
“The queen’s men mugged her,” her tone was bored.
“Do the enforcers have what they need?” She nodded. “Then go, take care of business; I’ll be occupied the rest of the night.” Humility bowed and left.
The enforcers were part of a supernatural task force created to work in conjunction with the human police. Cain Lincoln was an enforcer who, secretly, Butcher had helped solve a few cases, and on occasion the enforcer had returned the favor. Cain had informed him of a situation of a particular delicate nature. The queen had sent a poacher into his territory for the woman who now lay unconscious on his table.
“She’s not human.” Cain had said on the phone. “Roy Crow is the poacher.”
Butcher knew Roy to be a careful, thoughtful vampire.
“It’s a set up.” He remembered Cain saying. “We got there right before the police. Two vampires attacked her. We got one, a hired rogue on our watch list. The other one got away, didn’t get a good enough look at him. Roy wasn’t there. Do you want her?” Cain had asked.
Butcher was angry and quick to answer. “Yes, Humility is on her way.”
If the enforcers had let the police handle the situation, the victim would have made a statement that vampires attacked her. He didn’t need that type of publicity in his territory. He also knew that she would have given a statement and, at another time, been taken again, this time for good, which would have implicated his territory yet again. Sloppy, very sloppy.
Fanny, the woman on the table, moaned and attempted to move, she was on the border of consciousness. She’d put up a fight against the vampires and was repaid for her bravery – stupidity – with broken bones and internal bleeding. He ran through the various options in his mind. He could order Humility to give her blood, or call the Doctor, but until he had Miss Meadows secured, he didn’t want to alert the queen of her whereabouts. No there was only one option now.
He extended his thick fangs and bit into his wrist. Gently he ran his hand underneath her neck and placed the bleeding wound to her mouth. It only took a few drops of his blood for him to feel the tenuous connection between them forming. Now, he not only heard her heart beating, but felt it through the blood they shared. Her eyelids fluttered. She was weak, but would recover quickly without any lasting damage. He stayed in the shadows, watching her, as she came to.
“Where am I?” she asked.
He realized she was talking to herself, since she did not know there was anyone else in the room. Vampires, at times, could be like cats in the way they liked to toy with their prey. “Blood Lode,” he said.
Her fear ripped through his system, exciting him. Taking two steps, he broached the line between dark and light, and waited while her eyes focused.
Fanny looked around, perhaps thinking she was still in the alleyway where she’d been attacked. “Just take it. I don’t care. Take it,” she said with fear and anger. Rising up on her elbows, she blinked. “Why am I here?” she asked.
“Why does the queen want you?”
“The queen, what queen? Who are you?” She was struggling now, trying to get off the table, but was still too weak. “I’m here for the East Coast Librarian Conference.” She said it like that should mean something to him.
He wasn’t really listening to her words; he was inhaling the luscious scent of her blood and tasting the adrenalin that flooded the room. Was this why the queen wanted her?
“Help! Please help!” Fanny screamed.
No one could hear her, but the sound of her voice was distracting and shrill. He smiled, tilted his head back, and showed her his fangs.
Fanny swallowed hard, trying to control her fear. “I’m an acquaintance of Mr. Crow, okay, you can call him to come and get me.”
He slanted his head to the side, amazed that she would say something so ludicrous. She thought Roy was her friend. He laughed and walked closer to the table, catching her gaze, he noticed how lovely her eyes were, a warm blue, like the waters of the Caribbean.
“I am Butcher,” he said. “Why were you with those two vampires?”
“I wasn’t.” He raised his eyebrow. “I was to meet Mr. Crow there. Maybe I got the address wrong. They attacked me. They wanted my purse.” Bedraggled as she was, Fanny straightened her shoulders and glared at him.
Her courage pleased him. She cringed as he leaned in closer, but quickly recovered. He pushed harder, placed his hand on her arm, and exerted more power into his gaze. The pull he’d felt earlier erupted into a spreading warmth throughout his blood. He jerked his hand away from her arm and the feeling lessened. It confused him.
“Listen here,” she scooted back, away from him. “You let me go right now or my Aunt will have the police on your ass so fast.”
He hadn’t been told about the aunt. “This relation you speak of, she believes that you have won a free promotional trip to Cancun, funded by the librarian conference you attended. So, let’s not waste my time.” He let this sink in while he texted Stephen to locate and contact her aunt immediately.
“Did you know the men who attacked you?” He’d moved up to her neck with his lips a mere breath from her skin.
“No.” Fanny slapped him hard against the face.
“You know what I am?” he asked, angered but not willing to show it.
“Yes.” She spit the word out. “I wished I’d listened to the rumors about vampires. What happened to coexisting peacefully?”
He doubted the queen would appreciate her spirit. “What did these vampires say to you?”
Speech had thankfully escaped her while she thought over his question. “Nothing. I stabbed one.” Fanny lifted her chin, proud. Her hand snapped to her chest. She looked down. “I lost it.”
“What?”
“A necklace my mother left me.” Her bravery evaporated as a tear ran down her cheek, creating a thin clean line down her grime covered face.
He texted one of his subjects to look for any jewelry left at the scene.
“I remember hearing one telling the other vampire to stop beating me, that she wouldn’t be pleased if I died.” Fanny used her hand to wipe away the tears.
“Now let’s start again.” He collected himself and proceeded. “The queen wants you. Roy was dispatched to retrieve you. Why?”
“No,” her eyes wide. “No, Roy would never have done this.”
Butcher wondered if Roy had tranced her. “Are you owned?”
“What?”
“You don’t know anything, do you?”
“No,” she sputtered, “I mean yes, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
“You’re a librarian from Arkansas.” He spoke out loud working through the puzzle in his mind. Maybe this was nothing more than the queen’s desire for a new bedmate. “You are a lover of women then?”
Vehemently shaking her head, she bit down on her lip, enough that a small drop of blood slid down her chin. Too quick for her to react, his hand went around her neck, pinning her, as he licked the tasty drop. Savoring the taste, he cocked his head to the side, unable to detect her blood type. Again, the warm sensation swept through his veins. His mind swam back through the centuries. Could she be a witch, an enchantress, a sorceress? To make a vampire as old as he, feel the spark of mortality inside him, was rare indeed.
“Just let me go. I promise I won’t say anything. Okay? Look obviously there has been some misunderstanding. You saved me, right? I thought I was going to die and then I was here. And, well, I’m not one of those groupies; you know the ones who like to follow vampires. Not that I have anything against you.” She shook her head. “We just don’t have any in Walnut Ridge. Maybe you’re afraid the police won’t understand what happened, but I’ll explain to them that my purse was stolen and not mention you.”
Butcher placed her purse on the table next to her.
“See, now there’s no reason for me to even go to the police. Just show me the door and I’ll make my way back to the hotel.”
He stepped back from her. “Can you walk?”
Fanny slowly slid from the table, testing her limbs. He liked that she wasn’t cowering, or pleading, as most humans would be.
“If I were to release you, the queen would take you again.”
“You’re crazy.” She leaned her back against the table for support and slid further away from him. “Look, I’ll just walk up those stairs and get out of your hair.” He kept staring at her. “Just call Roy, okay, he’ll come and get me. I won’t say anything, nothing, okay. Just let me go home?”
There was no reasoning with her right now. “Fanny Meadows, from hence forth, I am your home, and your Master, and your family. I claim you.”
Butcher watched the torrent of emotions play out across her face. Her hands grabbed hold of the edge of the table, her eyes lost focus, and she went limp at the knees and fainted. He cradled her head before it hit the concrete, and lifted her up into his arms.
“Humans.” He sighed and carried her up the steps, turned off the lights, and checked the security cameras. Setting the alarm code, he locked up, and walked over to his car, placing Fanny in the passenger seat. He snapped her seatbelt into placed and slipped behind the wheel. He rolled down the windows and enjoyed the feel of the moist Carolina air caressing his skin. No amount of time, or trappings of civilization, could erase the warrior within him. Shaking his head, he inhaled deeply, savoring the smell of the night air.
As he sat through an infuriatingly long traffic light, he looked over at Fanny. The queen would not be pleased with Roy’s failure, not pleased at all. Butcher relished the thought of what the queen would do to Roy. Would the queen offer Butcher a handsome reward if he handed Fanny over? Perhaps, but then what would be the fun in that.
He turned onto Ashley River Road and into the long driveway which led to his home, Crayton Hall. His guards bowed low as the car passed. He owned one of the oldest private homes in North America. It was built in the mid-1700s in the Georgian-Palladian style of architecture and laid next to the Ashley River looking as if the subsequent centuries had never occurred. He had other residences throughout his territory, but this was his true home. The old stables had been converted into a garage; he drove the Audi inside just as the sky started to glimmer with the rising sun.
“Fanny,” he said, slightly tapping her shoulder.
She jolted awake, looking around quickly, trying to figure out where she was. Pressing her back against the side panel of the car, she looked up at him. He knew she was putting together the pieces of their earlier conversation. Maybe she thought it had been a dream. He smiled at her, he liked knowing her emotions.
“Come.” He was accustomed to obedience without question.
She snorted. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“I don’t have time for this. Come.”
He dispassionately watched as she rummaged through her purse, eventually pulling out her mobile. Before she could dial he snatched it from her.
“I’m not going in there with you. I’m getting the hell out—”
He crushed the mobile in his hand; the mangled pieces flittered down to the concrete floor. She flinched, but didn’t budge. “Do you need my help to exit the vehicle?” he asked. Taking his time, he walked towards her, rolling his shoulders to relieve tense muscles. The movement was not lost on her, she started to shake violently.
“Don’t touch me.”
“As you wish,” he backed up a step. “Follow me.” He held the door open for her while she warily looked around the hallway, taking in the laundry room, and closet. Slipping off his shoes, he looked her up and down. “Off.”
She hesitated, thought better of it, and unlaced her Nikes. They walked down the hallway and entered into a large kitchen with palatial ceilings and windows tall and wide enough for him to walk through.
“You should eat something.”
“Is that an order?” Fanny was a fighter. Her jaw was clinched tight.
“Are you hungry or not?”
“No, I’m not hungry. What the hell is wrong with you? I want to go home. This is kidnapping.” She narrowed her eyes. “What do you want with me?”
“I want you because the queen wants you.”
She glared at him like a housecat determined to hold its ground against a mountain lion.
“Your choice then, no food for now.” Lowering, placing hands on knees, he looked her in the eyes. “I didn’t snatch you from Charon’s ferry to let you starve.” Standing up, he smiled. “Off to bed then.”
“No!” she screamed, backed up, turned, and ran towards the garage.
“Enough.” His roar echoed throughout the house. His home was already locked down for the day; there was no escape for her. Another time, he might have enjoyed watching her run from door-to-door. Moving swiftly, he stood in front of her, blocking her way to the garage.
“You,” Fanny sputtered, “I won’t sleep with you.”
Shaking his head with the realization of what she was thinking; he closed his eyes, maybe he should send an email to the queen. Dealing with this woman, no matter how exquisite she smelled, would be tiresome for him. “We will discuss all your concerns tomorrow. Now, we will rest.” He gave her his most stern look. “Only rest.”
She lunged to his right. Had she heard nothing of what he spoke? He quickly tossed her over his shoulder and carried her through the house, up the wide staircase, and to his bedroom. She started kicking him and pummeling his back. Smack. His hand connected squarely but benignly on her backside. “Behave.”
Striding into his suite, he tossed her onto the bed. The shutters had automatically activated and the windows were now closed for the day. When the sun surrendered to the night, the shutters would open. He punched in the secure code, too fast for her to follow and walked over to sit down on the bed.
“I mean you no harm. This is necessary only for a short time, and then you will be free to go back home.” Not waiting for her response, he walked into the bathroom, and turned on the shower. Pulling off his shirt and jeans, he went back to see her sitting on the bed with her knees under her chin. She crab walked away from him and clutched the bed post. How could she still be frightened? He’d given his word that she would not be harmed.
He pointed towards the bathroom, “Go shower, you smell.”
Fanny looked over her ruined clothes from the fight with the thugs; her dried blood clung to her knees and elbows where they had pulled her along the asphalt. She surprisingly obeyed. He heard her lock the door and sat down on the edge of the bed to wait. He sensed her mood, and did not need to know her thoughts to realize that she was thinking of ways to harm him. Finally, she appeared in the doorway with one of his oversized towels wrapped around her small body.
“I need something to wear,” she said.
He could respect that. “My closet is over there. Pick out whatever suits you.” Walking into the bathroom, warm and saturated with her scent, he stepped into the shower. Vampires do not sweat, but they are, in general, incredibly fastidious about their hygiene. Because all of their senses are heightened, especially their sense of smell, they prefer not be touched, though they do enjoy the comfort of a warm human.
When he returned to his bedroom, she was curled into a tight ball on the chaise lounge. “You will sleep here,” he pointed to the large, four post bed.
She shook her head. “I’m fine here.”
It took two steps and a low growl for her to realize he would not accept her disobedience. Quickly, she ran across the distance and slipped under the covers, hugging the bed linens tight around her chin, and staring up at him.
He turned off the lights and sank down into the luxurious comfort of the bed. There was a plan hatching inside Fanny’s mind so he closed his eyes and waited. The older a vampire the more awake they can be during the day. If Butcher chose, he could stay awake all day, but it would cost him, much like a human without rest. Another fact, which the vampires kept secret, was that they can defend themselves even in sleep. The movies depicting vampires being killed in their coffins during the day was a piece of lore which they chose not to disavow.
Sooner than he expected, the pinpoint edge of scissors touched the flesh of his chest. Now he knew what the little minx had been doing in the bathroom. He remained completely motionless, allowing the blade to penetrate an inch, before he encircled her small hand with his steely grip. She was terrified, but he was exhilarated. How disappointing if she hadn’t tried to escape. With her hand still in his grasp, he guided and pressed the blade down into his flesh.
“I won’t have you staining these sheets.” He laughed and guided her mouth to the seeping gash. “Clean the wound,” he ordered. She clinched her teeth shut. “I can stay in this position all day,” he warned. “Can you?” She resisted, but eventually realized there was no choice. Her warm tongue against his torn flesh caused him to shudder. Reluctantly, he released her. “Don’t ever try that again or I will punish you.”
Tears flowed down her face. “This isn’t happening to me. Let me go home.”
Butcher heard her pleas, but was mesmerized by the pulsating vein of her neck. It was instinct to take blood after giving of it. He pinned her hands above her head, pressing his need against her. Mindful of her delicate skin, he slipped his fangs into her flesh just enough for the blood to flow freely into his mouth. The earlier drop was only a weak foreshadowing of what he ingested now. Never had he tasted anything as sweet. He pulled away and looked down at her, she was disheveled and submissive, and her aroma was awakening the hunter inside him. He moved his leg in between hers and his hand roamed down her body to tug at the ends of the shirt.
“No, please,” she whispered.
Stopping in mid motion, he reined in his desires. “Beware, little one, beware,” he whispered into her ear before rolling off, wrapping around her, and slipping into sleep.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright
Rebecca G. Trogner
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<< MORE >>Tips for Character Names
Name Your Characters
As a writer you feel connected to your characters, they are your mental creation. When I don’t write for a few days, I can almost feel them getting antsy, waiting for me to propel them forward again. Everyone is different, but for me, that’s the way it feels; which brings me to the subject of naming those beloved characters. In general, I find it difficult to pick out names. I’ll sit and stare at the screen while the cursor blinks at me while I wrack my brain for just the right name. Here are some tips that help me.
What’s The Time Period?
Names, like everything else, go in and out of fashion. There are a couple of interesting sites I like to look at when I have a character from a certain era.
For Victorian Era (1840s – 1890s) G.M. Atwater has compiled a great list of both male and female names. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~poindexterfamily/OldNames.html
For the 1600s’s, I love the Mayflower family names website. My favorite name is Oceanus Hopkins. He was born on the Mayflower, amazing. http://www.mayflowerfamilies.com/mayflower/mayflower_passenger_list.htm
What’s the Character’s Personality?
Sometimes it can be quite funny to name a character Chastity who is anything but chaste, but, in general, it’s best to stick to names that personify the character.
Some names evoke kindness: Sam, Harry, Joseph, Faith, Alice, Emma
Manly names: Magnus, Power, Sargent
Feminine names: Cherie, Abigail, Adele
If you have a particular name in mind, run a search and see who else has had that name. Cleo reminds readers of Cleopatra. Alexander is a kingly name.
Other Resources
Believe it or not, the phonebook still has its uses. I love to thumb through and see the unusual name combinations. It can also trigger a lot of writer inspiration.
Graveyards, especially older ones, have a ton of unique names. On a couple of occasion new characters have sprung from a tombstone inscription.
Research your own family tree for ancestor names.
Baby naming websites offer a wealth of information about origins of names and meanings.
If nothing suits you, don’t despair. It’s easy to get hung up on one thing and let everything else circle the drain. For the time being, give them any name and revisit it later. Remain vigilant when watching movies, reading newspapers or blogs, reading other books, or maybe the waiter/waitress name when you go out to eat.
The most important thing is to keep writing and making your characters as vivid and tangible as possible.
