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First in Series
Category Archives: dark fantasy romance
Eternal Mates Paranormal Romance Series Cover Reveal for the next four books
I have a different sort of cover reveal this time around. I decided that since I’m releasing the next four books in the Eternal Mates paranormal romance series close together in early 2015, that I would reveal all of the covers at once to give you a taste of what is to come in the series!
These novels will all be coming out between January 6th and March 10th next year, and every single of one of them are shape-shifter romances.
If you haven’t had a chance to step into this passionate and action-packed world of dark elves, fae, demons, vampires, shifters and hunters, then you can take the leap with the first book in the series, Kissed by a Dark Prince, which is only 99c / 99p until January 15th as part of my fantastic Winter Warmers special deals. Find all the deals and links to your favourite retailers at: http://www.felicityheaton.com/paranormal-romance-ebook-offers.php
Back to the reveal… here are the covers for the next four books in the series and more about them.
Hunted by a Jaguar (Eternal Mates Romance Series Book 4)
Felicity Heaton
A jaguar shifter with a dark secret, Kyter has spent his entire life running from his demons. When a tragedy takes him back to his pride’s village, he is set on a path of vengeance that will see him collide with the terrible ghosts of his past and a beautiful vision of his future.
Iolanthe deals in finding artefacts for discerning clients, but this time her client is one of the deadliest men in Hell and her mission has the highest stakes imaginable. Failure is not an option when your life is on the line, but things take a dangerous turn when she crosses paths with a handsome and mysterious male on the hunt for the same artefact—a male who declares she is his eternal mate.
Can Iolanthe resist Kyter’s wicked allure and find the artefact before he does? Can Kyter face his demons and win the heart of his fated female? Or will this deadly game of cat and mouse claim both of their lives?
Read a first chapter preview of Hunted by a Jaguar at: http://www.felicityheaton.com/hunted-by-a-jaguar-paranormal-romance-novel.php
Hunted by a Jaguar is due for release in ebook and paperback on January 6th 2015 and will be available from all major online book retailers.
Craved by an Alpha (Eternal Mates Romance Series Book 5)
Felicity Heaton
Having turned his back on his snow leopard pride, Cavanaugh has been counting the days until he’s free of a role he never wanted—one that separated him from his fated female and stands between him and the future he craves with her.
Just days from the night he will finally be free to be with the low-ranking beauty who stole his heart, she walks back into his life and threatens to destroy everything he’s worked towards in the five long years they’ve been apart.
Eloise has travelled across continents searching for the male who was once her best friend and so much more to her, but was now her pride’s true alpha. Desperate to fulfil a promise to her kin to save them from the tyrant he left in charge, she convinces Cavanaugh to return to his pride, but as they journey to Bhutan, doubts bloom and old feelings resurface, tearing her between duty and her deepest desires and impossible dreams.
Will Eloise be able to resist the burning need that Cavanaugh reignites in her and remember her place in the pride? And can Cavanaugh find a way to save his kin and claim the future he craves with the woman he loves?
Discover more about Craved by an Alpha at: http://www.felicityheaton.com/craved-by-an-alpha-paranormal-romance-novel.php
Craved by an Alpha is due for release in ebook and paperback on January 27th 2015 and will be available from all major online book retailers.
Bitten by a Hellcat (Eternal Mates Romance Series Book 6)
Felicity Heaton
The sole remaining member of the most famous shifter hunter family in history, Owen Nightingale is a mercenary and a man with a secret held in his closely guarded heart, but when a beautiful a rare shifter catches his eye and offers him a job, he has the feeling he’ll be the one paying for helping her—with his heart.
Cait is in a spot of trouble with a capital T. A male hellcat has set his sights on claiming her and she’s one kitty who doesn’t want a collar, and who has spent her life avoiding relationship and is intent on remaining free. When she meets a dark, alluring and mysterious hunter, she sees a chance to rid herself of the male, but the price Owen sets and the fierce passion that burns white-hot between them lures her dangerously under his seductive spell.
Can Owen discover the true intent of the male hellcat and stop Cait from falling into his hands? And can Cait retain control as the heat of desire burns between her and Owen, or will a reckless moment seal both of their fates forever?
Discover more about Bitten by a Hellcat at: http://www.felicityheaton.com/bitten-by-a-hellcat-paranormal-romance-novel.php Â
Bitten by a Hellcat is due for release in ebook and paperback on February 17th 2015 and will be available from all major online book retailers.
Taken by a Dragon (Eternal Mates Romance Series Book 7)
Felicity Heaton
Possessed by a need to save a beautiful Amazon warrior from the vision he witnessed, Loke snatched her from the midst of the battle between the Third and Fifth realm of the demons, and carried her to his home deep in the black mountains of Hell to protect her. But as the fierce little female awakens, he finds she’s anything but grateful, and his dragon instincts roar to life to warn she might be more to him than an enemy—she might be his fated female.
Anais remembers meeting a handsome warrior in the heat of battle, a man who was her enemy but who looked at her with eyes that held dark heat and wicked promises. When she wakes to find that same dragon shifter has taken her captive, desire is the last thing on her mind, but escaping him to return to Archangel, the hunter organisation she works for, sounds less than appealing when he reveals the reason he took her—to stop her from dying.
Can Loke protect Anais from the dangers of his realm and how far will he go to save her from the future he keeps witnessing? Can Anais resist the fierce attraction that burns between them as hot as fire and stay true to Archangel or will her heart be taken by the dragon?
Discover more about Taken by a Dragon at: http://www.felicityheaton.com/taken-by-a-dragon-paranormal-romance-novel.php
Taken by a Dragon is due for release in ebook and paperback on March 10th 2015 and will be available from all major online book retailers.
Add all the books to your Goodreads shelf at: https://www.goodreads.com/series/115044-eternal-mates
Join my mailing list to receive notifications when the books are released, PLUS sneak previews of chapters of the books and chances to win signed copies: http://www.felicityheaton.com/newsletter.php
Books in the Eternal Mates paranormal romance series:
Book 1: Kissed by a Dark Prince
Book 2: Claimed by a Demon King
Book 3: Tempted by a Rogue Prince
Book 4: Hunted by a Jaguar – coming in 2015
Book 5: Craved by an Alpha – coming in 2015
Book 6: Bitten by a Hellcat – coming in 2015
Book 7: Taken by a Dragon – coming in 2015
Which is your favourite cover and which book are you looking forward to the most?
Happy New Year – What paranormal romance hotness do I have for you in 2014?
As you can see, the subject of today’s post is all about the paranormal romance hotness I have in store for you in 2014. I’m also going to update those frequently asked questions I get from readers about my series and books so you all know what’s happening. I like to keep you in the loop.
But first, what do you have to look forward to in 2014? All of my release dates are tentative and subject to change. If the muse cooperates and life doesn’t throw curveballs at me, I should be able to stick to these release dates…
Claimed by a Demon King (Eternal Mates #2) – 22nd February 2014
Hunger (Vampires Realm #8) – 10th May 2014
Ares (Guardians of Hades #1) – 26th July 2014
Nevar’s book (Her Angel #7) – 27th September 2014
Vail’s book (Eternal Mates #3) – 29th November 2014
I hope that has elicited a few excited squeals from the crowd. Each of these books will be a full length novel. I will probably kick off 2015 with the second book in the Guardians of Hades series.
Now, as for the questions…
Will Nevar’s book be the final one in the Her Angel series?
No, and yes. It is the final book in this current sweeping arc that is running through the series. I will be writing more stories in the Her Angel world though, and that series will be called Angels of the Apocalypse. I have tentative plans for 4 or 5 novels in that series. It will either be dual-labelled (i.e. Her Angel #8 / Angels of the Apocalypse #1) or just listed as Angels of the Apocalypse. It will still be tagged with the Her Angel label on my blog though.
You can keep up to date with my progress on the series here at my blog by viewing posts with the Her Angel tag: http://www.felicityheaton.com/blog/category/romance-series/her-angel-series/
Will there be more books in the Vampire Erotic Theatre series?
No. The series is complete at six books. However, you will catch up with the members of the Vampirerotique family in some of the Eternal Mates series books. There’s a sneaky cameo in Kissed by a Dark Prince, but you’ll get to visit the theatre in Claimed by a Demon King.
You can keep up to date with my progress on the series here at my blog by viewing posts with the Eternal Mates tag: http://www.felicityheaton.com/blog/category/romance-series/eternal-mates/
When the hell is Hyperion getting his damned book in the Vampires Realm series?
2015! Yes, that’s right. I will write Hyperion’s romance as the next book in the Vampires Realm series after Hunger. I expect to have it ready for release in 2015. After this book comes out, I will probably wrap up the Vampires Realm series to focus on more popular series.
You can keep up to date with my progress on the series here at my blog by viewing posts with the Vampires Realm tag: http://www.felicityheaton.com/blog/category/romance-series/vampires-realm/
Excited about my releases in 2014? Do you have any other questions? Feel free to ask them in the comments and I’ll answer them!
Happy New Year – Looking back at 2013 – Four paranormal romance novels, a USA Today best-seller, and a milestone of 500000 books sold
Happy New Year! I hope that you had a wonderful 2013 and a fantastic start to 2014.
I can’t believe that it’s already another year. Where did 2013 go? It seemed to fly by for me and now I’m sitting here pondering what I did in 2013.
I released four novels, which for me is lower than my normal output but some of those novels were long and hard work! I wrapped up the Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series with Bewitch in January and then Unleash in May. I took a trip to Hell and into the world of Asmodeus in Her Wicked Angel, the sixth book in the Her Angel romance series. And, I returned to the world of the Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series in the first novel in the Eternal Mates romance series, Kissed by a Dark Prince.
I became a USA Today best-seller thanks to my amazing readers and five awesome writers: Caris Roane, Laurie London, Jennifer Ashley, Erin Kellison and Bonnie Vanak. Our sales of the Dark and Dangerous Boxed Set of 6 Hot Paranormal Romance Books were astounding and it was a thrill-ride to say the least. Achieving that USA Today best-seller status was mind-blowing and something I really hope to recreate in 2014.
I also reached a milestone with my books. Around two weeks ago, I realised that I had sold over 500,000 copies of my English language paranormal romance books since January 1st 2011. 500,000 books in three years is wonderful for any author and I am flabbergasted that I managed to hit that milestone so quickly. Again, it’s all thanks to you, my readers. I can’t do this without your support, your kind words, and your voracious appetites for sexy, action-packed paranormal romance books! In top of the 500,000 ebooks sold, I’ve also given away around 500,000 ebooks in my often occuring rampages of giving books away to repay my readers for being so wonderful.
I’m not sure what 2014 has in store for me, but I do know it includes five new releases, and hopefully as many wonderful experiences as I have had this year!
As a thank you, I’m offering eight of my books at a discount right now (starting at $0.99 / 99p) and four for free. You can find all the details and links at: http://www.felicityheaton.com/paranormal-romance-ebook-offers.php
Did you have a fabulous 2013, and what are your plans for 2014?
Posted in 2013 releases, angel romance, Bewitch, dark fantasy romance, Eternal Mates, Her Angel Series, Her Wicked Angel, Kissed by a Dark Prince, paranormal romance, Unleash, Vampire Erotic Theatre, vampire romance, vampires
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Teaseday – Kissed by a Dark Prince (Eternal Mates Romance Series Book 1) – Paranormal Romance Novel Excerpt
Today’s tease is another one from the book Kissed by a Dark Prince, which is the first novel in my new series, Eternal Mates. Read on for this Tuesday’s tease…
Loren padded silently across the dark stone floor to the elegant wardrobes lining the wall of his bedroom, drying his hair at the same time. All eight doors were black wood decorated with a beautiful inlay made of precious stones and shells, depicting dragons and his kind, living in harmony with all the kingdoms. Life had been like that once, thousands of years ago. Now, many of the demon kingdoms wanted him dead, blaming him and his people for his brother’s ruthless attacks on their villages.
Only the first and second demon kingdoms kept the other five from razing his lands and murdering his people. He had signed a peace treaty with them a thousand years ago. The kingdoms didn’t tolerate any individual demon from outside their realm passing through it without permission, let alone an army.
He took a pair of black tight trousers from the stack and slipped them on, fastening them over his hips, and then jammed his bare feet into his black leather riding boots.
His markings flared, a hot shivery feeling that always made him tense. They had done that too often since he had taken blood from the female, unsettling him.
It wasn’t the only anomaly.
He wasn’t healing as quickly as he should have either. It had been two days. His wounds should be gone by now, but they lingered, and he felt weaker than usual. His brother’s attack had been severe, but he had taken blood from the female and had drunk stored blood since returning to his world. He had eaten too, devouring the plates of nourishing vegetables and fruits that Bleu had pressed him to consume even when he hadn’t felt hungry. He should have healed by yesterday.
Perhaps he needed more blood.
Loren raked his fingers through his damp black hair and crossed the expansive bedroom. Daylight flowed in through the tall arched windows lining the wall to his right, where his bed was. Someone had been in while he had been resting and opened the twin arched doors that led onto his balcony. A breeze swept in through them, tousling the sheer blue curtains, carrying the scent of flowers.
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Posted in dark fantasy romance, Eternal Mates, Kissed by a Dark Prince, paranormal romance, Teaseday, vampire romance
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Teaseday – Kissed by a Dark Prince (Eternal Mates Romance Series Book 1) – Paranormal Romance Novel Excerpt
Today’s tease is another one from the book Kissed by a Dark Prince, which is the first novel in my new series, Eternal Mates. Read on for this Tuesday’s tease…
“Specimen appears to have advanced healing ability. Age of blood around the wounds is indicative of a recent injury, but the wounds in question are already closed and beginning to scab over.†Many demon and fae species had heightened healing. He could be any number of them. Olivia carefully pulled his upper lip back and studied his teeth. “No fangs. Canines appear normal.â€
She drew back and something caught her eye. She parted the wild strands of his short black hair and traced the pointed tip of his ear. Was he a demon? They had pointed ears.
Olivia hovered over him, looking down at his handsome bloodstained face. She had never seen a demon as beautiful, mysterious, or deadly as he was.
Deadly.
She could feel it like an aura around him.
He was dangerous.
And waking up.
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Posted in dark fantasy romance, Eternal Mates, Kissed by a Dark Prince, paranormal romance, Teaseday, vampire romance
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Teaseday – Kissed by a Dark Prince (Eternal Mates Romance Series Book 1) – Paranormal Romance Novel Excerpt
Today’s tease comes from the book Kissed by a Dark Prince, which is the first novel in my new series, Eternal Mates. Read on for this Tuesday’s tease…
Olivia had never seen anything like the male specimen on the inspection table in front of her.
Her heart raced. She hadn’t experienced this explosive combination of uncertainty, anticipation and enthusiasm in a long time, ever since her superiors had stripped her of her rank and sent her to this satellite facility in London, taking away her high-level privileges and forcing her to work on studying demon and fae species already extensively researched. It still felt as though they had shoved her out of sight, burying her in the Archangel equivalent of a basement to punish her for her mistake. She had lost all hope of removing the taint it had left on her name in the organisation.
Until now.
The specimen lying right in front of her was her chance to prove herself again, a gift that some higher power had literally dumped on her doorstep.
Blood stained his neck and splashed across his jaw, and pooled at the left corner of his mouth too, luring Olivia’s gaze to firm sensual lips that had her staring blankly, lost in their perfection. She blinked herself out of her trance. Time was of the essence. She needed to get her study underway before her guest woke up or one of the other doctors belonging to the facility barged in and tried to take over.
She shook her hands to steady them, pulled her digital recorder from the pocket of her white coat, and turned it on. She set it on the silver trolley filled with all the equipment she thought she might need to complete her inspection of their unconscious guest.
Olivia tugged on a pair of latex gloves and ran her fingers over the scalpels and tools, and settled on a pair of shears. It had been a long time since she had been able to work on a live specimen and she wanted to start by getting his vitals monitored.
She picked up the shears and cut down the middle of his long black tunic style jacket. Red stained her cream gloves.
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Posted in dark fantasy romance, Eternal Mates, Kissed by a Dark Prince, paranormal romance, Teaseday, vampire romance
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Sensual Sunday – Hot Paranormal Romance Novel excerpt from Kissed by a Dark Prince (Eternal Mates Series Book 1)
Sensual Sunday is brought to you today by Kissed by a Dark Prince, which is the first novel in my new series, Eternal Mates. Sensual Sunday’s always feature a hot excerpt from one of my paranormal romance books. Read on for this Sunday’s sensual snippet…
Loren curled his hips, driving himself into the female’s supple body, tearing another sweet moan from her lips. Her fingers tangled in his black hair and she kissed him, her mouth hot and teasing, her tongue sweeping along his. He took control of the kiss, mastering her mouth and forcing her into submission. Her tongue danced with his, her lips soft and yielding, her taste addictive. He caught the nape of her neck with one hand and held her in place, taking her mouth as he took her body, his kiss as aggressive as his thrusts.
Her feet tightened against his backside, a silent plea for more, and he clutched her hips, dragged her to the edge of the black-rubber-topped table and pumped her harder, thrusting as deep as he could go. She tipped her head back, causing the soft waves of her chestnut hair to spill around her shoulders, a beautifully wanton and wild look in her rich brown eyes. Loren growled and took her harder, driven by a need to claim all of her. He grunted with each thrust, each meeting of their hips, lost in how warm and wet she was, tightly gloving him and driving him crazy with a need for more.
A fine sheen of sweat slicked her flushed cheeks and dappled across her bare breasts, some drops gathering on her beaded nipples.
Another growl escaped him. He wanted to taste those exquisite buds as he took her.
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Posted in dark fantasy romance, Eternal Mates, Kissed by a Dark Prince, paranormal romance, Sensual Sunday, vampire romance
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Ascension excerpt – urban fantasy romance novel
Today sees the release of my new urban fantasy romance novel, Ascension. Ascension is the first story in my new Shadow & Light Trilogy. It’s available now direct from my website in mobi, epub, pdf and html formats, and is also available on Amazon Kindle.
Ascension
Felicity Heaton
A witch on the verge of achieving phenomenal power, Lealandra must turn to her half-breed demon ex-lover Taig for protection from the dark force that is after her and also from her own magic.
With her Counter-Balance dead and her coven against her, Taig’s blood and power is the only thing that can help her control her magic and survive the ascension and gain the strength to defeat her enemy.
Old feelings come flooding back as Taig allows her into his world and Lealandra finds herself fighting not only for survival but to win his broken heart again and heal the pain in their past. Can he forgive her for walking out on him all those years ago and will he ever believe her when she tells him that he’s not a monster but the man that she loves?
ebook price: $3.99
genre: paranormal / urban fantasy romance
length: 91000 words
rating: sultry
released: April 2011
Book 1 in the Shadow and Light Trilogy series
Available in e-book from:
Author’s website: http://www.felicityheaton.com/ebooks.php?title=Ascension
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Excerpt
Taig closed his eyes and released a long low groan of unexpected pleasure as Lealandra’s warm mouth fused with his. Her tongue slid between his lips, a delicious and familiar hot velvet caress that swept across his teeth and drew another hungry moan from him. Without considering the consequences and forgetting his anger, he twisted her long black hair around his fingers and tethered her to him so this breathtaking fantasy wouldn’t end before he wanted, and he wanted it to go on forever.
He tilted his head and pressed harder against her mouth, his tongue brushing hers, delving in deep to taste her. A shiver of desire and need shot through him, and his breathing turned rough as he reacquainted himself with her sweetness and warmth. He hadn’t imagined things turning out this way when she had walked into the bar tonight, but he wasn’t about to push her away now that she was kissing him again, rekindling passion whose embers had burned deep in his heart all the time they had been apart. She moved against him, her lips soft and grazing his, slowing the kiss until he wanted to groan and pull her against him, wanted to thrust his tongue back into her mouth and show her just how ravenous she made him. It coiled tight in his gut, pushing for control, urging him to act on his desire.
All too soon, her lips left his but she remained close. With a soft puff of air into his mouth, she spoke.
“Are they gone?†Her quiet voice trembled along with her body, telling him that the kiss hadn’t only affected him. His heart pounded for more and his blood rushed through his ears, dampening his awareness of their surroundings.
Taig glanced around the dim emptying bar. The two men were gone. He stared into her eyes, refreshing his memory of every fleck of silver against stormy grey. It had been too long since he had seen her, and felt even longer since he had kissed her. A tortuous length of time and an absence he couldn’t easily forgive, even when her kiss made him forget it.
“Not yet,†he whispered the lie against her lips, a split-second before his mouth claimed hers, dominant now that he was ready for the kiss. Desire became a raging inferno within him, burning away the anger that blazed back into life whenever he had a moment to think. This kiss was the only thing that mattered right now.
This time, Lealandra loosed a deep breathy moan. The sound sent his blood rushing ahead of his thoughts. He hardened instantly against his tight black jeans and wrapped his fingers around the nape of her neck, pressing them in and dragging her closer still. The heat of her kiss reawakened lost passion and a need for her that could never die. Six years of separation disappeared in an instant, erased by the fact that she had finally walked back into his life. He wasn’t going to let her go this time. Even if this kiss was only a decoy, it still meant something to them both. He knew it did.
Her fingertips grazed his neck and pushed into the shorter black hair at the back of his head. He groaned internally at the feel of her nails against his scalp, declaring her growing hunger, and furrowed his brow as he brought his hand forward to claim her jaw, holding her in place. He burned at the feel of her soft satin skin beneath his fingers. Her touch was still electric, sending waves of hot sparks dancing along every nerve in his body, bringing his cold flesh to life. Tilting her head back, he thrust his tongue into her mouth and slid his free hand around her waist at the same time, pulling her so close to him that her breasts pushed against his chest with each gasping breath she drew. He eased his hand lower and caressed the patch of bare warm skin between the bottom of her short black strapless corset top and the waist of her long black skirt. Lealandra tensed. Too fast.
The flat of her hand slammed against his chest, forcing him backwards in the curved padded seat of the booth and tearing her from his grasp. Her gelid gaze stopped him dead.
“They’re gone, aren’t they?†Lealandra’s tone was pure venom that matched the ice in her pale grey eyes.
Taig held his hands up, surrendering with a seductive smile that confessed every sin he had been considering. Lealandra wasn’t the kind of witch you lied to. With such strong power flowing in her veins, it was easy for her to read everyone. Everyone but him. His blood saw to that. Her ability to see through him didn’t come from magic. It came from the divine six months they had spent locked tight in each other’s embrace. Six heavenly months he would never forget followed by six hollow years he wished he couldn’t remember.
Lealandra looked around the bar, flicking her straight dark hair over her bare slender shoulders. His black gaze raked over her in the same hungry way it had done when she had first appeared in front of him tonight. She had grown a little thinner in their time apart. Her partner hadn’t been taking care of her. Taig curled his fingers into fists at the thought of another man touching what was his. Anger blazed in his chest, ignited by the idea that the man she had chosen over him hadn’t been looking after her needs. Had the idiot failed to see what she truly craved?
The magic that inhabited her body drained her and made her hungry. She needed to feed often and he wasn’t talking about food. Magic as old and potent as hers demanded the highest price and had the basest needs. If it didn’t get what it wanted, it was hard for Lealandra to retain control. It only proved the point he had tried to hammer home to her when she had been on the verge of leaving him all those years ago and disproved hers.
Taig didn’t give a fuck about the rules of her kind. A witch was no match for a witch, especially not one who needed blood to sustain her.
Demon blood.
The thought that Lealandra had been struggling with her power these six long years stoked his anger into blind fury. Every muscle itched with the desire to find her pathetic excuse for a man and teach him a lesson he would never forget for making her suffer. The kind of lesson that would satisfy Taig’s own deep dark cravings.
“I can’t believe you’d take a cheap shot like that,†Lealandra muttered in his direction, her eyes meeting his. “No. Wait. Actually… I can.â€
With his best sexy smirk, Taig leaned back into the grotty dark brown leather seat and stretched his arms out along the top. He shrugged and held her gaze.
“You kissed me first. I just returned the favour.â€
Her tongue swept over her lips, as though she wanted to kiss him again and was contenting herself with the lingering taste of him. If she wanted him to kiss her, he would. He would kiss her so hard that she would forget that idiot she had left him for and her own name in the process. She would forget everything but the feel of him inside her where he belonged. He would ruin her to everyone but him.
“That’s not the kind of favour I need from you.†Lealandra casually rested her elbow on the back of the leather seat and propped her chin up with her hand. Her head tilted to one side, her dusky kiss-swollen lips curving into a smile. His heart thundered, beating hard with the rush of desire that flooded him.
That smile had made him want her the moment he had laid eyes on her all those years ago. He still wanted her.
He tamped down his desire and got a grip. Her kissing him hadn’t changed a damn thing. Whatever they’d had, it didn’t exist anymore. She had trampled it on her way out of the door and it was going to take a lot more than a kiss to get her into his good book again.
“A favour? Tell me, why should I do you any favours? Last I checked, you were shacked up with another bloke. Why don’t you ask Loverboy to help you out? I’m sure he could do something… unspectacular.†Taig picked up his shot of whisky from the table and necked it. The liquid burned his throat as it slid down, heating him through. Sometimes it was nice to feel something other than cold. Alcohol and hunting were the only things that did that these days. His gaze ran over Lealandra. She used to make him burn hotter than Hell on a summer’s day. She still did, but he wasn’t about to let her see that. “I guess that’s why you’re here. Loverboy just doesn’t cut it when it comes to handling demons. That pair of weaklings would have him inside out and back to front before he could lift a finger to cast whatever impotent half-assed spell he could muster.â€
Taig held her gaze, cool and steady, watching the hurt surfacing in her eyes and feeling like a bastard for it, but on some twisted level, it satisfied him.
He narrowed his eyes and casually placed the glass down. “Well, you’re shit out of luck, Lea. I’m not interested.â€
Her only reaction was to look away from him. She flicked the small silver bells on the ties of her long skirt and her shoulders lifted in a sigh. That was unsatisfactory. He had expected a better response than that. He had wanted her to argue with him about it. Perhaps even fight him. A good fight with her might go some way towards releasing the anger that was burning like acid in his veins, eating away at him and filling his head and heart with acrid memories.
Memories that drove him to kill.
He quirked a dark eyebrow and waited for her to say something. It wasn’t like her. She looked up at him through her eyelashes.
A hint of fear surfaced in her beautiful eyes and rippled across her pale skin in a wave that only he could detect. He sat up, all sense of casual lost now that he had realised that she was frightened and it wasn’t of him. His anger faded. Something was very wrong. Lealandra didn’t do frightened. No witch as powerful as her did, at least not when they had their Counter-Balance, their other half, the one who could temper their magic and help them maintain control of it.
“I’ll pay you… whatever you want… just name your price.†She coughed to clear her throat, as though such a pathetic attempt to cover her turbulent feelings would fool him.
It was there in her body and her power, and he knew her well enough that he could easily read both. She was scared, and he was an idiot for not noticing it the second she had approached him, and the moment those thugs had walked into the joint. They had been out of place and suspicious, and he had sensed their demon blood, and then Lealandra had kissed him and he had lost track of them and her feelings. She had tasted purely of hunger and desire. All sweet with arousal. It had been enough to throw him off her underlying fear.
“You know my price.†Taig’s eyes narrowed on hers, intent and showing her that he was being serious for once. His voice dropped to a low whisper. “I want you, Lea.â€
She swallowed and blinked. Once. Twice. “No deal.â€
When she moved to stand, Taig grabbed her wrist, locking his fingers tightly around it. She looked down at his hand and then into his eyes. Her startled look added to her natural beauty, her eyes round and her rosy lips parted. A blush stained her pale cheeks, deep enough that he noticed it even in the low light of the bar. He wanted her more now than ever and he wasn’t about to let her walk out on him again.
“You knew what I’d ask for so why come to me with your problems if you were going to refuse?â€
Lealandra pried his fingers off her and frowned. “You saw those men. I need a demon hunter. You’re the best I know.â€
Demon hunter. The job title neglected to mention the fact that his father had been one of the most powerful demons to walk the Earth. He stared into Lealandra’s stormy eyes and saw the same calm acceptance that they always showed him. Had his mother looked at his father that way? She had dared to be with him after all. That union had spawned himself—half demon hidden behind the mask of man.
Taig tapped his fingers on the dark table, torn between rejecting her request unless she agreed to his terms and kissing her again. His eyebrows knitted tight together. This wasn’t easy. What they had shared six years ago wasn’t the kind of everyday passion that most people found at the start of a relationship. It had gone beyond that. The dark and hungry craving had consumed them both, had pushed them to the edge and had almost tipped them over it a few times. It had been unbridled passion—the sort that was rare in this world—and it still flooded him whenever he looked at her, whenever her beautiful eyes met his and dared him to make a move. He could deny it all he wanted, pretend that he no longer felt a thing for her, but she still tied him in knots and had him on his knees with only a smile. She licked her lips again, a nervous sweep of her tongue that reminded him that something was wrong.
What could be so bad that she wasn’t asking her precious coven for help and was instead looking him up after six long years?
Was it just the demons that had her scared or was there more to this than she was telling him? Witches and demons got on like a house on fire but usually they kept well clear of each other, sticking to their own world. It was unusual for a demon to go after a witch, but he couldn’t deny that the two kids earlier had been looking for Lealandra.
And now she was asking him for help.
What reason could demons have for going after her?
Taig looked deep into her eyes, focusing on them as he tried to get a hold on her feelings. There was anger in her now, aimed at him, but the fear was still there too. It echoed in the unsteady beat of her heart and danced in the depths of her eyes. She was in trouble, big enough that she had sought him out even when she knew that he would be pissed off at her and that he would demand a high price for services rendered. Either she was desperate or she truly believed that he was her best choice.
Or maybe she just wanted to see him again and this was the perfect excuse for her to waltz back into his life.
Still, his ineffable charm and attractiveness aside, parts of it didn’t make sense. Lealandra was powerful enough to take care of a couple of weak lower demons and her bastard Counter-Balance and dear coven should have been able to protect her if she couldn’t fight them for some reason. Taig had never met them, but the coven was probably strong enough to take on a demon of his strength. Two weaklings would be nothing to them. Like swatting flies.
And why was she here anyway? Alone too. Her Counter-Balance would have a tantrum of galactic proportions if he knew that Lealandra had come to her ex-lover for help.
In fact, none of it made sense.
Taig’s head ached from trying to figure it out. It was just like her to send his mind in ten directions at once. There was only one way to find out what the hell had Lealandra walking back into his life. He never had been backwards about being forwards, after all. It was one of the qualities that Lealandra had liked about him.
“Why do you need me?†Taig sensed the deep spike in her feelings, the rise in her desire that struck him hard and sent a jolt to his groin, reigniting his own hunger.
Her eyes widened and her cheeks coloured.
He hadn’t considered the possibility of a second meaning to his words but now he was. His suspicions had been right. He wasn’t the only one the kiss had affected. He wasn’t the only one who felt this need burning deep within.
His eyes narrowed on hers in both a challenge and a command. He was damned if he was going to let her get away without answering, and damned if he was going to let her walk out on him again.
“Tell me.â€
Available in e-book from:
Author’s website: http://www.felicityheaton.com/ebooks.php?title=Ascension
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Posted in 2011 releases, Ascension, dark fantasy romance, demons, ebooks, new release, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, witches
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