Fear of Darkness is out!

Buy on:
Kindle
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
iTunes

When vampire victims are left for the human authorities to find, their secret is out, and the King assigns Vahe the mission of tracking down an old enemy of his. However, Vahe will need help, or more accurately, bait. When he locates the killer’s next victim he doesn’t expect to find a brave, beautiful woman willing to assist him in taking out a rogue vampire.

Natalya Woods just wants to avoid her abusive husband and live a normal life, but lately the small town of Haven has been anything but safe. When she’s attacked on the street by the man of her dreams, she finds herself kidnapped and putting her weapon skills to use—only on a creature much more dangerous than her ex. But she’ll have to be careful, her husband is also on the loose, and he’ll do anything to make Nat pay for leaving him.

Will Natalya learn to get over her distrust of men? And when her life is in danger Vahe will choose the laws he’s chosen to enforce or woman whose courage and passion he’s come to crave?

Read the first two chapters

July already

Well, since I'm already getting a few questions I'm going to cut straight to the good stuff of this post. My Cyborg Savior is the first in my new sci-fi series, so there will be more. And Torin's book is next. The plan is to get it out about the same time next year. Earlier if at all humanly possible. Its not written yet, so I make no guarantees. I'm less than 4,000 words into it. 

So, today has been pretty awesome. I actually got two days off in a row from work and I spent all of today in bed reading MacRieve! Who else loved that book and is now impatiently awaiting Munro's book? It came at the right time because I'm seriously lacking in some good paranormal reads lately, and I'm back working on Bad Animals (don't look at me like that. It's taken other people longer to write a book. This isn't the world record) and I needed some serious werewolf inspiration. Boy have I got it!

So back to Bad Animals. This time I'm determined to finish it. I know you've heard that before, but bear with me. I think I might actually manage this time because when I started reading it, every word didn't completely suck to me. Maybe I'm in a super positive place, or maybe the medications I was on for my eye for a while messed up something in my brain. But when I read a part of it, it was actually good! Maybe everyone will finally get to read Laedan's story. People have asked about that too, and I feel like big time slacker author since it hasn't come out yet. But now since I actually have a positive attitude about this book, I don't think I can lose.

My Cyborg Savior is out!

Get your copy now!

Amazon
ARe
iTunes

Blurb: 

The government destroyed Cyborg Operative Galen Marduk's life and continues to ruin others. His people want to liberate cyborgs and the genetically engineered before the government chooses to wipe them out entirely. Galen's mission: kidnap the daughter of a senator and use her as leverage to gain what his Council wants.

 

After her mother's suicide, Jamila Clearborne spiraled down a dark, dangerous hole of drugs, drinking and scandal. A year later, after she broke the hold the tragedy had on her, her father buys her a cyborg slave for her own protection. And Jamila needs all the protection she can get. She's breaking a law, and it's enough to get her killed.

 

However, she's less than grateful when Galen saves her from her plight for his own agenda, and fears even her love for him isn't enough to overcome the obstacle he's placed in their path. But when Jamila's life is on the line, will he obey orders for the safety of his people, or will he do anything to save her?

 
Read chapters one and two.

 

 

Blogging because I just feel like it.

Yep, just because I feel like it. I haven't blogged in a long time, but I'm feeling pretty inspired. I've wanted to start a beauty blog for while now and just put it off. But you know, I've decided I'm just going to add beauty to this blog, because I want to and it needs fresh content anyway. So now it will be a life/writing/beauty/possibly belly dancing blog. Yep, randomly me!

But for today I'll just do a life update....Wow, where to even start. Its been so long since I've blogged. I finished school, and got my esthetician's license. I'm working at ULTA as their esthetician. That's been fun, and I'm enjoying my discount. 25% all day, everyday and I get my salon services for free. And yes, I basically owe them my paycheck. Wouldn't be a beauty junkie if I didn't!

The book I was Fast Drafting(ish) back in August is being released June 24th! My Cyborg Savior is being published through Crimson Romance and I'm super excited to be working with them.

I haven't been writing a lot lately because I'm busy, and well, lets face it. Lazy. But anyone who has read this blog knows that lazy is not a new thing for me. Hoping to get back in the groove soon. Which is going to take a serious push.

Most recently I've been having a problem with my eye. Its not an infection, its inflammation. But that has been very annoying. I've been to the doctor four times (I think its just four...) and I have to go back. I've been on five different medications four it. Three eye drops, one of which is the dilating drop. Even the nurse was surprised I had that one, because that's not usually a take home thing. It burns and makes shit blurry. A joy that makes driving interesting. I'm also on an oral anti-viral and steroid.

I'm trying not to make the mistake of reading the side effects, because I will have those side effects if I do. P-p-p-paranoid anyone?

The Devil's Trap is on sale!

 

Breathless Press
Amazon
ARe
Smashwords
Bookstrand
 
The Devil's Trap is on sale for $1.99 until June 24th! Get it while you can.
 
Regan is the best vampire hunter money can buy. But, when she’s paid to kill one of the most powerful vampires in existence, she doesn’t realize she’s in way over her head. Things go terribly wrong and there is no escape…  
 

Zarek is so powerful he scares other vampires. One little hunter should be no challenge. However, Regan is different, and as soon as he sees her, he will do anything to keep her. But she’s a stubborn woman, who refuses to let someone else control her.

 

When a powerful enemy comes to town, she’s forced to trust Zarek with her life. Who is the larger threat? The man out to destroy humankind? Or the vampire determined to own her heart?
 
Read the first two chapters.

Fear of Darkness is on sale!

Breathless Press
Amazon
ARe
Bookstrand

Fear of Darkness is on sale for $0.99! But it will only be on sale until June  17th, so get your copy now! More buy links coming soon.

(And if you'd like to make me a happier author, you could also leave a review when you're done with the book!)

As a Watcher of the King’s Guard, Vahe Patten hunts rogue vampires, ones who break the only major vampire law. When dead bodies are left for the human authorities to find, their secret is out, and Vahe takes on the mission by seeking out the next victim before the killer does—only to find her blood tasted sweeter than any he’s ever had.

Natalya Woods just wants to avoid her abusive husband and live a normal life, but the small town of Haven has been anything but safe. When she’s attacked in the streets, literally, by the man of her dreams, she finds herself kidnapped and putting her weapon skills to use—surprisingly not on her husband. Attraction and desire throws Natalya and Vahe in a bind as they work together to fight the killer, but will Natalya overcome her distrust of men and allow herself to take the risk to love?

Read the first two chapters.

Doing Sizzling Summer Reads Again!

A Thank You by Megan D. Martin

I have found as a writer that having writing friends/critique partners is imperative to being successful in your writing career. Input of others, especially people you trust is very important. I chose this post for Honoria’s blog because she is my closest author friend. We have actually know each other since second grade and attended high school and (some) college together. 

I began writing my first novel in 2008 and gave up part of the way into it. It wasn’t until I reunited with Honoria at the end of 2009 in a college history class that I actually put my fingers back on the keys and started writing again. The class was not my favorite and having her in there with me was probably the only reason I survived it. She (already had two books published at this point) looked over my work, showed me what I needed to fix and helped me realize that I wasn’t quite as ignorant of writing as I thought I was. She also introduced me to how the world of reading had expanded into these neat things called ‘e-books’. 

I have come a long way since 2008. I recently had my novella Forbidden Angel published and I also have a job as a content editor for Breathless Press. Reading, writing, and editing romance is all I’ve ever wanted to do and I wouldn’t have been able to do that without the help of my wonderful author friend Honoria. 

So, I hope all of you will take today to thank your author friends for all they do for you.  Whether it’s for critiques, blog opportunities, or listening to you complain about things that only other authors would understand (i.e. characters who refuse to do what you want them to and muses’ who hide at the most inopportune times, lol.). Don’t forget them, they are invaluable!

Check out my debut novella— I would have never finished it without the help and encouragement of the wonderful Honoria Ravena.

Buy Link

http://www.breathlesspress.com/index.php?main_page=product_free_shipping_info&cPath=17&products_id=406&zenid=k4q0ectdke0c2oklp8bd0n7a73

Blurb:

When captured by the Nazi's, Sarah finds herself in a concentration camp that not only brings her closer to death...but closer to love.

Sarah Brenner, a young Jewish woman, is terrified when she finds herself in the heat of a railcar bound for a work camp in Nazi Germany. For years she, along with her mother and sister, had hidden from the SS, but no one could hide forever. Her hatred for those who have enslaved them is ever-growing, especially when they arrive and she encounters the shockingly handsome Nazi doctor who can’t seem to keep his eyes—or hands—off her.

Aurel Rothstein is not your everyday concentration camp physician. The endless prisoners and lack of care he's allowed to give have made him numb to the work he so coveted. It isn’t until he comes face to face with a beautiful prisoner that his heart becomes involved with his job—a forbidden and fatal move to any Nazi.

When a vile soldier takes direct interest in Sarah, she will be forced to make a choice that will change her life forever: ignore the pull toward the handsome doctor or give in to the forbidden passion he awakens with only a look. Either way they both risk everything...

About the Author

Megan D. Martin is a content editor at Breathless Press, and loves her job more than a normal person should. She was born and raised in a small Texas town, where she still resides with her delightfully rotten son. She enjoys decorating her home with strange things that do not match, playing her old school Nintendo Entertainment System, and buying fish for her many fish tanks. Forbidden Angel is her debut novella. To learn more about Megan and her writing check her out on these social networking sites:

Blog: http://www.MeganDMartin.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Megan_D_Martin

Kicking and Screaming

I'm going crazy. I just have to do edits. That's all! I'm reading through my book and inputting what I found the first time I went through the hard copy and of course finding new problems and screaming my head off because I'm moving to slowly. *grumble* This makes me grouchy. I think I only have enough love to get me through writing the first draft (and that's only if I go fast) and after that its like pulling teeth. Maybe because in my head I'm done with the book. The only problem is that doesn't mean is publishable. Rewrites required.

*bangs head on the desk* So close, and yet so far! Fifty-nine more pages until it goes to a beta reader... Maybe I should just send what I have done so she can get started.

And...distracted. From this blog post and my writing. Great.

Going to bed now. I'll try again tomorrow.

Fast Draft - Day 1

So I'm doing Fast Draft, which is writing a novel in two weeks. I'm actually taking a whole big course from Candace Havens and Fast Draft is only a tiny part of it. Anyway, its day one. Didn't go that well. The goal is 5,000 words. I fell short by whopping 3,681. I'm going to have to make some changes in my schedule to accomplish this. Like going to bed at a decent hour so I can actually get up before noon.

And, while there are no excuses or complaining allowed in FD, I do have one legitimate problem. One of my fingers is swollen. Banging on the keys to pound out a novel is physically painful, and yeah, novels aren't usually physically painful. Emotional pain, mental pain, both expected. I'm hoping this finger issue is just one hell of a hang nail, and that it will make an actual appearance so I can pull it.

And I know what you're thinking, if this finger is so bad why am I writing a blog post? The finger is up at the moment. I'm basically typing with one and a half hands. Which is fine now, but not when I'm trying to get 5k in two and a half hours or less, its not going to work.

So, I'm thinking about switching to hand written pages instead. Thankfully I'm left handed and the right hand has the affliction. The only problem is I can't keep track of word count that way, and I have no Write or Die to keep focused. It should be interesting. FD might have to wait till next week, when it officially starts. Until then I'll either switch to paper or have some asprin and just get what I can get. Not going to bother to stop working on this project, because I've already jumped the gun on it. I started it like last week or the week before, so I've already got a little chunk done.

Till tomorrow.

First Books and Dyslexia

Elle Fowler (a YouTube beauty guru for those of you who don't watch her videos) talked about her favorite childhood book in a recent post and, well this sparked an idea for a blog post, so I'm just gonna roll with it, cause I don't blog enough.

I didn't read a lot in my early childhood, so almost every book I enjoyed sticks out in my mind. I have dyslexia, so getting me to read was always a struggle. I'm over it now (with the exception of lowercase b's and d's. If they're in a word, okay, but on their own? I really can't tell which is which) but back then I was a very picky reader, and had to be forced to do any reading. I'm kinda really surprised I ever learned how.

As I said, every book sticks out in my mind, and as I look back on them, they all have something in common. They ALL had a paranormal element. I guess that's always been my thing. I know I liked everything paranormal even before I could read. Like Buffy. Which I think started when i was six.

The first books I ever read were scary short stories. I read them over and over again, because they were short, and could hold my attention.

The first Harry Potter book came out when I was in 4th grade...Well I think it did, that's when our teacher started reading it to us anyway. And while I liked the teacher reading it to us, the prospect of reading a book that thick was a little too much for me, so I didn't start reading them until a few years later.

The first books that change my WORLD were the Everworld series by K.A. Applegate. My mom bought it for me to take to camp in 5th grade, because we had to have an hour of rest/reading time a day. Ugh. I dreaded that. They were taking something that was supposed to be fun, and they were putting an hour long torture session in it every day. I could have napped, but I've never been capable of that either. No matter how tired I am. So it was either stare into space for an hour, or read that blasted book. So, grudgingly, I picked up the book. It was the 11th on in the series, so I was more than a little confused. But even with that confusion, the world was absolutely riveting.

As soon as I got home, I begged for the first book in the series. Well, actually, I sincerely doubt I had to beg, considering my mom was probably desperate for me to read something. I finished the whole series before the 12th and final book had even come out. This was the first time I had to drum my fingers, and wait (not so) patiently, for the release of the next book in a series. I hate the way it ended by the way (well...if I remember right. It's been a while).

After that I moved onto the Fingerprints series by Melinda Metz. After that I pretty much read every book with paranormal elements I could get my hands on. Eventually I stumbled into Shattered Mirror by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, which made me a writer, and then a friend's mom loaned me my first romance ever. But those are separate stories for another time. I'm pretty sure I've told everyone about Atwater-Rhodes anyway.

Okay, peoples. I'm done typing. Hope you enjoyed my long pointless post. I guess it kinda does have a point. I guess it tells parents not to give up if your kid is dyslexic. Just keep gun forcing them to read books from different genres, and hopefully they'll stumble into something they can't live without.

Ooh, ooh. I can add a little promo at the end:

Running from an abusive husband, Natalya encounters more than she can handle…especially when she becomes a vampire’s target. Buy Fear of Darkness here.

Strapless Release!

My new short story, Strapless, was released today! Get your copy now!

Strapless
By
Honoria Ravena

Buy it here.

Reviews:

"It held my interest from the first word to the last..." -Violet Harper of The Pagan & The Pen

"If you want to read something very short, something hot, and something fun, then this story is for you." -S. K. Fero of Got Erotic Romance

Blurb:

Suffering from heartache over her broken engagement due to disapproval from her ex-fiance's parents, Nadia has sworn off men. Elisheba, who has been a good friend throughout the break-up has always stood by Nadia—but somehow her friend wants more.

Excerpt:

She blew her bangs out of her face with a frustrated breath and shook her head. "You need to get back out there. Plastic toys are no substitute for human contact."

I grinned. "They’re not plastic."

She rolled her eyes. "You miss my point."

"No, I ignored it. I’m not ready to deal with a man yet."

"Then you should be with a woman."

I choked on my tequila shot. My eyes watered as it burned down my throat.

When I stopped coughing, she asked, "What is so funny?"

"I’m straight. In other words: I heart cock."

It was her turn to choke on her drink. "I’m going to have that put on a T-shirt for you, and I’m going to force you to wear it."

"I don’t swing that way. And I don’t know anyone who does."

Her brown eyes sparkled with mischief. "Occasionally I do." She brushed the back of her soft hand down my cheek. "For you I would. You have soft, expressive eyes, and a body with curves in all the right places."

I could feel the flush creeping into my cheeks. Thomas had never given me such a compliment. A little thrill of excitement curled through my belly. I cleared my throat and sat back in my chair. I wasn’t really surprised that she was bisexual. She was the kind of beauty that made everybody’s head turn. Her laughter would make guys cross the bar to talk to her.

But she was hitting on me? This was new territory. Now how to solve this tactfully so I still had a friend in the morning…

Buy it here.

I Just Never Post Here

Lol, I love how we never post here. I’m going to try and post more often. No guarantees though. I’ve been covered under a mountain of work as I judged the Breathless Press (LINK) Halloween contest. *Sigh of relief* It’s over now, and we’ve got some great stories coming to you in the month of October.

Oh oh! In the August edition of RT Book Reviews, on page 12, is the cover of my book Strapless. Strapless is coming out August 6th, I believe. But I’m so excited to see my over in a magazine. It’s in an add for All Romance eBooks. Too cool. I bought a copy because I just had to, and now I’m sure I’ll show it to anyone who will sit still for five seconds to let me.

I need to set up some promo for Strapless. I hate to promote, and I really do suck at it.

I haven’t accomplished much on the writing front, being all busy with the Halloween contest aka: practicing my procrastinating skills. (Not that I need the practice. I’ve turned procrastinating into a brilliant art form.) You always have time to write at least a hundred words. So…As soon as I finish this blog, I will be off to go write.

One thing I actually have been doing is exercising every day. I started a belly dance blog at my old blogspot address. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out: Snake Charmer

I’ll leave you with this awesome interview from J.R. Ward where she talks a little bit about her writing process and how much she writes per day. I just think she’s great. I’d worship at her feet, but she’d probably just tell me to get my ass off the ground and go write something.

Picking a Pen Name

In honor of my partner in crime picking a pen name I've decided to explain how I came up with mine. Also a lot of people like my pen name, and I'm asked about it a lot.

One of my main concerns was that I wanted it to be pretty. I also wanted it to stick out. I wanted people to think "That's a pretty name." or "How the heck do you pronounce that?" So maybe they'd be more likely to remember it.

While my real name Miranda Elizabeth is a beautiful name, but 'Miranda' is fairly common, as is 'Elizabeth', and so is my last name.

Since I love Gilmore Girls, and love the name Lorelai, I thought about that. Then I saw a lot of pen names that were either the same, or similar so I decided not to use it. I still love the name, and if I have a daughter that will probably be her name, but its just too wide spread for my pen name.

While I wanted it to be unique, I didn't want it to be so far out there that it sounded like something out of science fiction, or a preservative in a Twinkie.

I also wanted my pen name to be mysterious and sexy, without being stripper sounding ( please welcome our guest blogger, Trixie McBimbo), and I needed it to be flexible enough that if I decided to branch out of the romance genre, it would still fit.

I first heard Honoria on M.A.S.H. and I thought it was gorgeous. I'd never heard it anywhere else. Ravena comes from my favorite character in the YA paranormal, Shattered Mirror by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (I'm still in love with Nikolas). This is the novel that inspired me to write when I was twelve. I still re-read it if I have writer's block. So Ravena seemed like a fitting tribute to it.

Now, after all this thought, I still wasn't sure if I wanted a pen name. I mean, wasn't the whole point to see MY name on the cover? But the first time I saw it on the cover of Fear of Darkness I knew it was perfect (which is a damned good thing considering it was already on the cover). I get the same perfect feeling every time I look at one of my covers. I think I've made the right choice.

Biohazard by Honoria Ravena

That's right. I have to releases back to back. Here's an excerpt from today's release: Biohazard.



Title: Biohazard
Author: Honoria Ravena
Heat Rating: Three
Word Count: 8,258
Publisher: Breathless Press
Buy Link

Blurb

Hunted by his people, the shapeshifter, Jayden, sheds his human skin after escaping his execution. 200 years later he’s still on the run. When he’s attacked in the remote woods in Wyoming, the last thing he expects is to be saved by a human woman.

When Maura finds a rough looking group of men hunting a tiger in her forest, she doesn’t hesitate to pull a gun on them and release the animal. What she doesn’t expect is for that frightening cat to change into a gorgeous, surly man with a tortured past.

But when his people threaten her life, will he save her, or leave her to the wolves?

Excerpt:

I jerked awake as a warm cloth slid across my open wounds. I snapped my teeth and snarled at the female cleaning the injury. She jumped, and her wide, frightened eyes shot to mine. I moved to shove her away and found my hands tied to the headboard.

I pulled at my bonds, shaking the bed and ignored the small bubble of panic that rose in my chest at the thought of being trapped. “What have you done, human?”

She stepped back from the bed and pointed a handgun at me. “It’s just a little insurance. I don’t know who, or what you are, and until you convince me that you won’t hurt me you’re staying tied to that bed.”

I sneered at her. “Your ropes can’t hold me.”

I tried to change, and found that I couldn’t. I roared and yanked at the ropes. Dizziness swamped me, and I had to lay my head back down. Whoa.

“You have a fever.”

“No shit, female.” Spec-fuckin’-tacular. I couldn’t change with a fever this severe. Thankfully I wasn’t human. One of their kind would be dead. Eventually my body would fight off the poison, but for now I was helpless.

“Untie me.”

She didn’t move, just stood there with the gun in her hand. “My name is Maura.”

“How is that a response to ‘untie me’?”

She bit her lip. “What’s your name?”

I growled. “I’m called Jayden. Now…Maura untie me”

She shook her head, her golden curls cascading around her shoulders. She pointed the gun at the floor. “No,” she said as she backed toward the door. “You haven’t been very friendly. I don’t trust you yet.”

I took a deep breath and tried not the shout at her. “I’m not going to hurt you. Just let me go, and I’ll leave your home.”

“No.” Her eyes locked on mine and she hesitated a moment. “Besides, you’re hurt. You should at least stay here until you heal.” She turned and fled.

“Female, get back here!”

My command fell flat in the empty room. I sighed and lay back on the bed. I couldn’t afford to be tied up if my ‘buddies’ decided to bust in and kill us.

I started working the knots. Fortunately, she wasn’t good at tying them. Within seconds, the restraints fell away. Rubbing my wrists, I sat up. I’d have to take the woman by surprise or she would shoot me. Any damage she could inflict would heal, but I really didn’t want a gunshot wound. Besides, there was always a chance she would hit the head or the heart and then I’d be worm food.

I followed her scent, and the smell of chicken soup, as I limped down the hallway. My ankle had more than likely been fractured in a few places, but it was already partially healed.

The most pleasant sound filled my sensitive ears. I peered around the corner. The female bustled around the kitchen, singing quietly to herself. She had the voice of an angel.

No, she had the voice of a goddess.

And the looks of one, too. Her blonde curls spilled to her waist. Her body was lusciously curved. The women of my culture were all bone. There was nothing for a man’s hands to grasp. No lush cushion or warmth.

I sucked in a deep breath. Lord, and she smelled incredible. Most women wore too much perfume. She wore none. Hers was the aroma of soap and her unique feminine scent.

My dick started to harden. Great, just what I needed to convince her I meant her no harm. Unfortunately, it wasn’t something I could stop, and given my heightened libido because of the disease I carried, I was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner.

Her taunting frame beckoned as she leaned forward and avocado, tomato, cheese and lettuce out of the fridge. She slapped the cheese into a frying pan and then moved to the cutting board on the counter.

I darted into the kitchen and pushed her against the counter top. She screamed and made a wild grab for the knives in the wood block. Before she could reach a weapon, I had her by the wrists. Bringing them around behind her, I clasped them in one of my hands, then I pulled them up, forcing her upper body onto the counter.

Buy it here.

Fear of Darkness by Honoria Ravena

I've had a lot of people on my blog recently promoting their own books. Today it's time to promote one of my own. Please enjoy this excerpt of Fear of Darkness.



Buy Link

Blurb:

Vahe Patten is a Watcher in the King's guard. The vampire king, that is. As a Watcher, Vahe executes vampires who break the only major vampire law: keep the secret. When Dylan Andrew starts leaving his murder victims for the human authorities to find, something must be done. While in Haven, Vahe enters the dreams of a woman plagued with nightmares of her past. When he sees Dylan flirting with her in a bar, he knows she'll be his next victim.

Natalya Woods just wants to avoid her ex-husband. The small town of Haven, Maine seems perfect until she's attacked in the street by, literally, the man of her dreams.

Excerpt:

"Need a hand, Natalya."

I spun around but before I could even get a word out I was pressed against the wall with a hand over my mouth. I realized I'd forgotten my gun. I hadn't thought to put a different one in my other purse and I should have. This vampire was the least of my problems. Okay, so maybe not the least, a vampire was a big problem, especially if he was the murder, but I did have other people I was worried about. A vampire… It was just unbelievable.

"I'm going to take my hand away and if you scream, I'll snap your neck. Understand?" I nodded. "Good."

He brushed the scarf away from my neck to reveal his marks. He ran his hand lightly over my throat. I flinched when he touched the bite. Even with such a light touch, it was painful.

He leaned his face in toward me, moved his hand, and then he was kissing me. I hesitated before I gave into him. The kiss was full of probing tongues. My tongue brushed his fangs and I broke the kiss.

He moved his mouth to my throat and I stood there dazed for a second before I jerked back. I would have hit my head on the wall but his hand was between the bricks and me. He tangled his hands in my hair. His tongue flicked out across the bite mark and then his mouth clamped down. He sucked hard, making the tiny holes bleed.

I gasped in pain and pushed at his chest. He moaned against my throat and sucked harder. His erection pressed against my stomach. Trembling, he drew back. His eyes were unfocused and his breathing labored. I was glad we were in the middle of the street and not somewhere private. I don't think anything would have kept him from fucking my brains out, and nothing could stop him from draining my blood.

He cleared his throat. "God, your blood is almost addictive." He shook himself. "Come on, I'll help you with all this food. I'm surprised you eat so much. You look so thin."

I narrowed my eyes at him and didn't respond. He picked up the food and carried it easily down the street, expecting me to follow.

I followed him without prompting. I watched my feet as I walked and tried to think of a good way to get away from him.

He didn't struggle to carry the food, but maybe it would take him a few seconds to realize I was gone and chase after me. Maybe a few vital seconds were all I needed. I doubted it.

He stopped abruptly and looked over his shoulder. He arched an eyebrow. "Go ahead. Try running for it. You won't make it three feet."

I had a childish second where I wanted to kick him in the shins and run. Instead, I waited for him to turn and then I took off down the street. I just had to reach a shop that was open, or a bar. I rounded a corner and then skidded to a halt. He stood in front of me, his arms crossed over his chest, one eyebrow arched mockingly.

"You see, last night I was injured and couldn't use my preternatural speed, but after I had a sip from you I found a nice willing donor. I don't feel like messing around. I just want you to come with me."

"If you think I'll go with you willingly, you're nuts. I seem to remember being told not to go with strangers. That the only reason they want to take you somewhere is to kill you. Hell, you're a vampire. I can't even believe I'm saying it. How am I supposed to trust you? And I got farther than three feet."

He tried to suppress a smile at the last part, but didn't quite manage. I hadn't meant it to be funny.

Read chapter one on my website or buy it here.