{"id":2037,"date":"2013-04-27T05:00:32","date_gmt":"2013-04-27T05:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/?p=2037"},"modified":"2013-04-24T16:09:54","modified_gmt":"2013-04-24T16:09:54","slug":"snippet-saturday-authors-choice-heart-of-darkness-vampire-romance-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/2013\/04\/27\/snippet-saturday-authors-choice-heart-of-darkness-vampire-romance-book\/","title":{"rendered":"Snippet Saturday – Author’s Choice – Heart of Darkness (Vampire Romance Book)"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s time for Snippet Saturday!<\/strong> Each week has a theme or is author’s choice. This week the theme is Author’s Choice.<\/p>\n

For my snippet this week, I decided to choose a scene from my vampire romance book, Heart of Darkness<\/strong><\/a>, which features one of my favourite heroes, Aleksandr, a vampire prince on a mission of vengeance against hunters.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Aleksandr ran his thumb along her jaw and looked deep into her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Seeing you in danger… I have never felt such fear… and then hearing you say that you desired to hunt, that you would place your mouth on another man and take his blood into you, drove me insane with a need to kill.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Elise was silent. She wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure what she could say.<\/p>\n

Her eyes slowly widened when he undid the buttons of his coat and removed it, dropping it down on the dry ground at their feet, and then unbuttoned his white shirt.<\/p>\n

He bore his throat to her, tilting his chin up, and the sight of it sent hunger crashing through her.<\/p>\n

It was unmarked. She had never noticed it before but now she couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fail to. His pulse beat slowly but strongly, each minute marked by a tick just below the curve of his jaw that enticed her into biting him. She counted five before she found the strength to tear her eyes away and look into his again.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have fed well recently,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he whispered, keeping his chin up. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Take my blood.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Elise wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure how to respond. He was still healing and needed the strength his blood gave him. She couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take it and weaken him. Even though sense told her to refuse him, the larger part of her begged her to taste him, to sink her fangs into his throat and feel the thrill of his blood in her veins.
\n
\nHis look darkened, edging on disappointment.<\/p>\n

He huffed. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You do not trust me or believe what I have told you. I will be open with you, Elise. Blood cannot lie and you will see only the truth in it, starting with this.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

He exposed his right wrist to her. There was a scar on it as though someone had slashed it. What had happened to him? Her eyes searched his.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have only fed one other in all of my years.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He touched his wrist, his thumb sweeping over the long scar, and his look softened. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My sister could not be revived so simply, although I prayed that she could to save my soul from darkness.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

A shiver danced down Elise\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s spine and she stared at Aleksandr\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wrist and the way he was touching it. His words moved her, making her feel honoured by what he was offering her. He had never shared his blood with anyone except his beloved sister. Elise couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t refuse him now. He was offering her more than blood. It was proof of his feelings and his need for her.<\/p>\n

It was everything that she wanted.<\/p>\n

Aleksandr held his hand out to her and she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hesitate. She placed hers into it and took a long slow breath to calm her growing nerves. She wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure what she would see but she would know once and for all whether he was being honest with her.<\/p>\n

Whether he loved her.<\/p>\n

She stepped into his embrace and looked at his throat. The strong beat of his heart lured her gaze to his jugular and she licked her lips, her stomach growling at the thought of tasting him. Would she be able to handle the strength of the blood that flowed in his veins? She hoped that she could and that she would be able to stop herself from taking too much. She had never bitten someone before. There was a chance she would go too far and she hoped that Aleksandr would have the sense to stop her. She wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure how much blood she could take or how honest he was being about his strength and how well fed he was. His injuries would have needed a large amount of blood in order to heal them.<\/p>\n

It didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter. She wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to pass up on what he was offering her. She was going to bite him.<\/p>\n

Elise reached up and stroked the line of his throat, loving the way his eyes slipped shut as though her caress alone was bliss. She had to tiptoe to kiss his neck, her hands clutching his shoulders, his left one harder than his right.<\/p>\n

Aleksandr lowered himself and she slipped her arms around his neck, ran her fingers through the short hair at the back of his head and kissed his throat again. He sighed against hers.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are torturing me, Elise,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he whispered and her canines extended, the sharp points brushing her lips.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fear that made her dance around biting him. It was the thought of losing control. She licked his throat, savouring the taste of his skin and the feel of it, and then eased her fangs into the curve of the left side of his neck.<\/p>\n

He groaned and she shivered, her legs instantly going slack as the first drop of blood touched her tongue. His hands claimed her waist, holding her steady and close against his body, and he backed her into the wall, pinning her there in a way that sent a different kind of hunger spiralling through her.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ready for the bolt of lust that followed the bite and the taste of his blood on her tongue. It was strong and violent, seizing control until she was desperate to slake both her thirst and her desire.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Did you enjoy the snippet?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

More about the book:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Heart of Darkness<\/strong>
\nFelicity Heaton<\/strong><\/p>\n

A vampire prince on a four hundred year old mission to avenge his murdered sister…<\/p>\n

Aleksandr Nemov won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stop until the last of the vampire hunter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s progeny is wiped from the Earth. Each kill has stolen a piece of his humanity, pushing him towards the black abyss all vampires hold within their hearts. Now he is teetering on the edge, close to devolving into a beast, and time is running out as he tracks the last hunter to Prague. There he finds a beautiful woman who could be his one chance for salvation, but is it already too late for him?<\/p>\n

A vampire guard who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves…<\/p>\n

Elise is dedicated to her duty. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the only thing she has left. All that changes when she meets Aleksandr in Prague and her master grants him permission to stay at her bloodline\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mansion. She knows all about Aleksandr but none of it prepares her for how she feels when the legendary prince\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hunt becomes one for her heart. Elise battles him with all of her strength but can she stop herself from falling for the handsome hunter? When he reveals the depth of the corruption in his soul, will she have the strength to face the pain in her past and do whatever it takes to save him?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Available in e-book from:<\/strong>
\nAuthor’s website<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Amazon Kindle<\/strong><\/a> | Amazon Kindle UK<\/strong><\/a> | Amazon Kindle Germany<\/strong><\/a> | Amazon Kindle France<\/strong><\/a> | Amazon Kindle Canada<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Apple iBookstore USA<\/strong><\/a> | Apple iBookstore UK<\/strong><\/a> | Apple iBookstore Australia<\/strong><\/a> | Apple iBookstore Canada<\/strong><\/a> | Apple iBookstore New Zealand<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Barnes and Noble<\/strong><\/a> | Kobo Books<\/strong><\/a> | Sony Reader Store<\/strong><\/a> | Smashwords<\/strong><\/a> | All Romance eBooks<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Available in paperback from:<\/strong>
\nAmazon.com<\/strong><\/a> | Amazon.co.uk<\/strong><\/a> | Barnes and Noble<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Don’t forget to visit the other authors who are participating to read their snippets…
\nCaris Roane<\/a>
\nEliza Gayle<\/a>
\nMcKenna Jeffries<\/a>
\nShiloh Walker<\/a>
\nTaige Crenshaw<\/a>
\nDelilah Devlin<\/a>
\nHelenKay Dimon<\/a>
\nLissa Matthews<\/a>
\nMyla Jackson<\/a>
\n Lauren Dane<\/a>
\nJody Wallace<\/a>
\nLeah Braemel<\/a>
\nMandy M. Roth<\/a>
\nFelicity Heaton<\/a>
\nMari Carr<\/a>
\nSelena Blake<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s time for Snippet Saturday! Each week has a theme or is author’s choice. This week the theme is Author’s Choice. For my snippet this week, I decided to choose a scene from my vampire romance book, Heart of Darkness, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,9,48,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-heart-of-darkness","category-paranormal-romance","category-snippets","category-vampire-romance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2037\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}