{"id":227,"date":"2012-01-03T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-01-03T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/?p=227"},"modified":"2012-01-03T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-01-03T12:00:00","slug":"teaseday-seventh-circle-vampire-romance-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/03\/teaseday-seventh-circle-vampire-romance-book\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaseday – Seventh Circle – vampire romance book"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today my Teaseday post comes from another of my current books on offer, Seventh Circle<\/b><\/a>, a vampire romance book and the seventh book in my popular Vampires Realm romance series<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the moment, I have a fantastic offer on a selection of my ebooks. There are plenty of fantastic reads to choose from, all priced between $0.99 and $2.99 and in a range of lengths between novella and long novels, and a variety of paranormal romance sub-genres including sinful angels, sexy vampires, seductive werewolves, and even a super-hot demon and sassy witch pairing. Offers end 15th January 2012.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the books, including excerpts and reviews, and these great offers at: http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/paranormal-romance-ebook-offers.php<\/b><\/a> <\/p>\n

Seventh Circle<\/b><\/a> is on offer for just $2.99 on Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Sony Reader, Smashwords and other retailers. You can also get Winter’s Kiss<\/b> for just $2.99, and the first three books in the series, the Prophecy Trilogy<\/b>, for only $0.99 each!<\/p>\n

So, here’s a single chapter tease and a link to a downloaded extended excerpt pdf! <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
Seventh Circle<\/b><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

F E Heaton<\/b>
Born with powers similar to a vampire\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, Lilith has spent her life hunting demons for Section Seven. On the same night as she watches a vampire kill her best friend, she is faced with her worst nightmare\u00e2\u20ac\u201da client who is not only attractive but a vampire.<\/p>\n

Lincoln is a powerful pureblood with a problem. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s caught up in a prophecy and has little time left to unravel the mystery of the contract between his lord and the Devil before he dies. When witches foretell that a vampire hunter will save his life, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s prepared to work with his most hated enemy, but he isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t prepared for the forbidden desire he feels when he meets her.<\/p>\n

Their mutual attraction becomes difficult to deny as they work together but when Lincoln reveals the truth about her powers, will Lilith find the strength to embrace a side of herself that she wished didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exist? And when they discover Lilith\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s role in the prophecy, how far will Lincoln go to save her?<\/p>\n

Dark, sensual and fast-paced, Seventh Circle is a story of forbidden love so strong that it will save the world.<\/p>\n

LIMITED\u00c2\u00a0TIME SPECIAL\u00c2\u00a0OFFER: Only $2.99 (normally $3.99) as part of my Winter Warmers deal – offer ends 15th January 2012. Find out more about the offer and where it is available<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

Available in e-book from:<\/b>
Author’s website:<\/b> http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Seventh%20Circle<\/a>
Amazon Kindle:<\/b> http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0035LDO68\/<\/a>
Amazon Kindle UK:<\/b> http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B0035LDO68\/<\/a>
Barnes and Noble:<\/b> http:\/\/search.barnesandnoble.com\/Seventh-Circle\/Felicity-Heaton\/e\/2940000800973\/<\/a>
All Romance eBooks:<\/b> http:\/\/www.allromanceebooks.com\/product-seventhcircle-620973-139.html<\/a>
Sony Reader Store:<\/b> http:\/\/ebookstore.sony.com\/ebook\/f-e-heaton\/seventh-circle\/_\/R-400000000000000249275<\/a>
Kobo Books:<\/b> http:\/\/www.kobobooks.com\/ebook\/Seventh-Circle\/mix-ZGYNJZH8-kmDBm5GV0YlJg\/page1.html<\/a>
Smashwords:<\/b> http:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/7734<\/a>
Amazon Kindle Germany:<\/b> http:\/\/www.amazon.de\/dp\/B0035LDO68\/<\/a>
Amazon Kindle France:<\/b> http:\/\/www.amazon.fr\/dp\/B0035LDO68\/<\/a>
Apple iBookstore USA:<\/b> http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/isbn9781452369952<\/a>
Apple iBookstore UK:<\/b> http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/gb\/book\/isbn9781452369952<\/a>
Apple iBookstore Australia:<\/b> http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/au\/book\/isbn9781452369952<\/a>
Apple iBookstore Canada:<\/b> http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/ca\/book\/isbn9781452369952<\/a><\/p>\n

Available in paperback from:<\/b>
Amazon.com:<\/b> http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1460978579\/<\/a>
Amazon.co.uk:<\/b> http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/1460978579\/<\/a>
Barnes and Noble:<\/b> http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/seventh-circle-f-e-heaton\/1021362622<\/a><\/p>\n

EXCERPT<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n

Lincoln stared at the ceiling. Sleep evaded him, chased away by the thousand screaming heartbeats in his head. He clapped a hand over his eyes, wishing to shut the world out. The blood of every human in the building still called to him.<\/p>\n

None more than Lilith\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s.<\/p>\n

He focused on it as it beckoned him, a strong steady melody in his ears, a siren song. His eyes slipped shut behind his hand and a smile teased his lips as he reached out with sharpened senses and listened to her moving around the small apartment. She was muttering to herself about the heat. It was hot in the building. Everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s blood was rushing close to the surface, their hearts working overtime to cool their bodies down. It only made them more alluring.<\/p>\n

Shifting his focus, he listened to the clanging of metal on metal far below him. Someone was trying to fix the boiler. Its malfunction was obviously the cause of the temporary heat wave.<\/p>\n

Lilith cursed again from the other room, loud enough this time that he would\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve heard it if he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been human.<\/p>\n

Her heart thumped rhythmically, pounding in his blood and telling him to go to her. Neither of them could sleep. Perhaps they could begin researching, although it would probably be unwise to disturb her now. When her superior had told her to share her apartment with him, and that his safety was maximum priority, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d looked as though she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been chewing a wasp. Her superior had been right. She did despise his kind, as did everyone here. Common sense told him to leave before someone got it into their head to attempt to kill him, and not just make idle threats. His heart said that he had to stay. He had to know if she really was the one.<\/p>\n

Sitting up, Lincoln stared at the closed door of his room. On the other side was Lilith. She was moving around the kitchen of the small two bedroom apartment. The modernity of this area of the mansion was a strange contrast to the more in-keeping look of the area he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d first arrived in, with its large rooms filled with antique furniture and old paintings. This wing seemed to act like a dormitory for the hunters. Were all the apartments like Lilith\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s or was hers special? Perhaps hunters shared them. Had she shared this apartment with her dead friend or her sister? His focus shifted back to Lilith as she moved again. He could sense her fatigue. It gave out a call to his instincts, telling him she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be easy prey in her current state. It was hard to ignore such instincts even when he had to.<\/p>\n

It had been near impossible to stop himself from killing those hunters this morning.
<\/a>Lincoln frowned when Lilith stopped dead and sniffed. Her change in emotions was abrupt and would\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been unreadable had he not known her recent history. The death of her friend was upsetting her\u00e2\u20ac\u201da death that he was responsible for. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have bothered him. His kind had to feed, and had to protect themselves. A vampire hunter was the perfect target for sport and a good meal, and it meant there was one less in the world when you were done. Yet it bothered him now. He didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to consider the reason why.<\/p>\n

Getting up, he walked to the door and opened it. Lilith was in the kitchen side of the living room now, busying herself in some vain attempt to pretend he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t here, that he hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t heard her crying, and by the looks of things making tea. He studied her, amused by the way the oversized grey t-shirt swamped her and the loose black jogging bottoms trailed on the floor. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d tied her golden hair back into a high ponytail. The tips of it brushed her neck. He dragged his eyes away from it and raised them to her face. She looked tired, her face drawn and pale.<\/p>\n

He glanced at the coffee table and saw it spread with books. She must have gone out to get them during the short hours of sleep that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d snatched. Now the sun was growing close to setting and its sway over him was less. Soon night would fall and it would be almost impossible to ignore the lure of the cacophony of heartbeats.<\/p>\n

Aware that he was dressed only in his black jeans, he walked with head held high into the kitchen area and leaned against the counter near her.<\/p>\n

Her eyes darted to him and then away again. They didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make it as far as his face. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d only reached his chest. He smiled internally at this small victory over her. Since their meeting this morning, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been a hellion, refusing to work with him and making sure that he knew how much she hated him. She wanted to make things difficult for him and he was more than willing to show her what a pain in the backside he could be to her. Besides, it was interesting to see a human\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, a hunter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no less, reaction to a vampire, especially when they couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t kill them. The temptation to push her to breaking point just to see what she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d do was overwhelming and a wonderful way of alleviating his boredom.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t walk around my place like that or I will lock that door just like I threatened.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d She frowned at him, her eyes managing to make it to his this time.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why not?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He challenged her, leaning back a little and planting his palms against the counter so his muscles tensed. She did a good job of resisting a look. He could see that she was curious.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s…\u00e2\u20ac\u009d She swallowed, pensive and still frowning beautifully.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Distracting?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he suggested with a smirk.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Off putting,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said, deadpan and glaring.<\/p>\n

She moved to the sink and filled the kettle before putting it on. Lincoln watched her, silent and motionless. The way she moved around was entrancing. Strength laced her natural grace. It spoke of it to him, telling him that she believed herself a force to be reckoned with. Maybe she was in human terms.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you be asleep?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I could not sleep.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He moved closer to her, leaning against the tall cupboard next to where she now stood waiting for the kettle to boil.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Vampires have sleepless days?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d There was a playful note in her voice that he hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expected. She seemed surprisingly relaxed around him now. The trace of fear he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d detected in her this morning was gone.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153More often than you think when we are hungry,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he whispered, his eyes caressing her throat.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Never going to happen,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said without even looking at him.<\/p>\n

Her senses were acute if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d detected his intent without having to see it with her own two eyes. There was something different about her. Perhaps she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been modified like some of the other hunters he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d encountered recently. Since the Law Keepers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 report that humans had been playing god, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d met more genetically altered hunters. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d killed every one.<\/p>\n

She filled her mug, removed the tea bag and went to move past him towards the lounge area. Her eyes strayed to his torso again.<\/p>\n

He tensed his muscles for her and she quickly looked away. Either she was a prude, or it was because he was a vampire that she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to look at him. He hoped it was the latter. It would be fun to prove to her just how curious she was about his kind. Her eyes strayed again and he waited to see what she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d do this time. She stood there, gaze furtively taking in his body. A dull ache settled in his chest, followed by another in his gut. Temptation whispered to push her now while he had the chance.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Have you ever been curious? Come now, you must have been curious to know sometimes.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lincoln held her gaze when it darted to meet his. She looked wonderfully innocent and clueless. It didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fool him. She understood what he was saying. He stepped away from the cupboard and towards her. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What we feel like, what it<\/i> feels like.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Never!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d There was such defiance in her voice, such vehement denial. He might have believed it if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d managed to keep better control of herself. Her eyes betrayed her. They strayed to his chest for a split second.<\/p>\n

He grinned, enjoying this game. It was time to up the ante.<\/p>\n

He trailed his fingers across his bare chest.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I know you want to feel it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d His senses locked onto her heart, revelling in the staccato rhythm it had adopted. A rush of adrenaline entered her blood, sending the scent of it into the air through her overheating flesh. She was either embarrassed, or his words held some truth and she wanted to touch him. Another push. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Just reach out and touch. I can see the questions in your eyes, Lilith. Is it cool, hard? Would you feel a heartbeat? Would I feel your touch, feel pain if you scraped your nails down it… feel pleasure?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Her cheeks blazed and her eyes widened. She went to turn away. He was beside her before she could move, his hand tight around her wrist. He couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let her get away when it was just getting interesting.<\/p>\n

Taking the mug from her other hand, he placed it down on the counter away from them, his movements slow so he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t draw her attention away from his eyes. He drew her towards him. Her fingers shook in his. Her breath trembled uneasily, quivering with her racing heart. Her dark eyes fell to his chest and she slowly wet her lips with the bare tip of her soft pink tongue. He stared at her mouth, mesmerised by the motion of her tongue against her lips, and then snapped himself out of it.<\/p>\n

This game was turning dangerous for them both. It didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter. He couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stop now.<\/p>\n

He had to see what would happen.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Surrender to it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he whispered, voice smooth and convincing.<\/p>\n

Her fingertips barely grazed his skin and he was on fire. His eyes half closed as he absorbed the sensation of her warm caress heating his body. He hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expected this. He clawed back a modicum of control, telling himself this was just a game to annoy her, to make her feel weak. It shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make him feel this way.<\/p>\n

Her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated as she stared at her fingers where they traced patterns on his chest. She was lost. He could smell the hint of arousal, the alluring pheromones coming off her.<\/p>\n

He breathed in a voice of temptation, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Imagine what it is like to kiss me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Her gaze burned him, trailing fire over his body as it rose to his mouth. He stared at hers, imagining the silky glide of her lips against his and the brush of her tongue, the warmth of her.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Imagine what it is like to be kissed by me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He smiled to reveal his extended fangs.<\/p>\n

She jerked her hand away and then shoved him hard in the chest. He laughed. She stormed off into her room. A small cream table lamp took the brunt of her anger. It hit the wall not five feet from him and smashed into pieces, raining down on the kitchen counter. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d expected her aim to be more accurate.<\/p>\n

Lincoln forced his teeth to recede and listened to her tramping around her room. What was she doing? Was she looking for something else to throw at him? He didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know why she was angry with him. All he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d done was play a vicious game as she had been. Only his game was different. Instead of being designed to show her how much he hated her kind as hers was, it was designed to show her how curious she was about them and how tempting they were to her.<\/p>\n

She walked back out of the bedroom.<\/p>\n

He froze and stared at her.<\/p>\n

The only trouble was she was becoming tempting herself.<\/p>\n

The rose-coloured camisole hugged her upper body to the point where imagination wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessary. It emphasised her breasts. They swayed as she moved towards him, free of a bra to restrain them. Dark blue jeans were moulded to her legs, revealing their slender shapely form. Her small feet were bare, her toes painted a sultry black.<\/p>\n

She neared him and he raked his eyes back up her. They didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make it to her face. She made sure of that. Her fingers skimmed across her chest, gathering the sheen of sweat there until it beaded against her skin. He swallowed. She stopped close to him, not three feet away. He couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take his eyes off what she was doing. The sensuality of it only heightened his desire for her, his want to take her and her blood for his own. He curled his hands into tight fists of restraint. It didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stop his desire from rising. It was no use. He was captivated. She had turned his game against him and triggered thoughts that he shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be entertaining. What they spoke of was forbidden. It was a sin to want a human.<\/p>\n

He licked his lips and stepped towards her, still mesmerised by the motion of her fingers on her chest. A single drop of moisture slid down over the arc of her breast and into her cleavage. His lips parted in fascination and he looked at her. She smiled, all innocence laced with seduction. This was a cruel game to play with a man.<\/p>\n

Another step.<\/p>\n

She moved before he had time to react, reaching into her back pocket and pulling something out.<\/p>\n

His eyes flicked to it.<\/p>\n

A stake.<\/p>\n

He leapt backwards.<\/p>\n

She didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t attack.<\/p>\n

His own weakness hit him with tremendous force. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d lured him in and had drawn her stake before he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d even known what was happening. If she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been serious about staking him, there was no telling what might have happened, but there was every possibility she would have hit her mark.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Next time you try something, I will be armed, and I will kill you,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said, voice dark and lethal.<\/p>\n

He raised his hands, in control again. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Touch\u00c3\u00a9.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

She slipped the stake into her back pocket and walked towards him. His eyes followed her and he turned as she passed him, unwilling to show her his back. She grabbed the waste bin and pushed all the pieces of the lamp into it.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153And you owe me a new lamp.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Lincoln stared at Lilith\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s back, cocking his head to one side. Just below her neck and between her shoulder blades was a black tattoo. He stepped closer to see it better as she picked up her mug of tea. It was a sun surrounded by pointed rays and inside the circle of it was a crescent moon.<\/p>\n

She turned to face him and sipped her drink. It had to be cold by now.<\/p>\n

His little game would have seen to that.<\/p>\n

In the end, he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure who the victor had been. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d touched him and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d seen in her eyes that she was curious. It didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem to go beyond that. Her scent had only shown a tiny sign of desire. If she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been a vampire, she would have easily noticed the change in his own scent. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d wanted her. Looking at her now, he still wanted her. The moment he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d laid eyes on her, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d admitted to himself that she was attractive for a human. She called to him on some base level where he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t master.<\/p>\n

There was no way he could act on the attraction he felt though. The law was there to prevent such trysts between vampires and humans, unless he intended to kill or turn her. He had to uphold the law regardless of his situation. If he survived this, he would face trial for conspiracy against his bloodline. He didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to add any more sins to his list or he would lessen his chances of making the Law Keepers release him rather than execute him.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Are you even listening to me?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said with such an air of irritation that he realised their game still had her flustered.<\/p>\n

He wondered if she felt as flustered as he did. Did the hunters have laws to prevent such relationships too? He doubted it. Humans seemed a lawless race.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153From the look on your face, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing no.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d She placed her mug down on the counter and glared at him. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think we need a few ground rules, or I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to end up killing you before this assignment is complete.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

He denied his urge to laugh at what she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d said. Laughing at her when she was already angry with him was going to get him nowhere, no matter how ridiculous her idea of being able to kill him was.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What like?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153First, no walking around my apartment naked.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Lincoln looked down at himself. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I fail to see that I am nude. Half nude perhaps, but not nude.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Lilith frowned and narrowed her eyes into a look that might have killed him if he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been close enough. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Second, I need a reason not to lock you in your room during the day.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Other than the fact I could just pull the door off the hinges or kick it down?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Another sour look met his question. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Are you afraid I am going to attempt to kill you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m afraid you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re getting ideas above your station, demon.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

He raised an eyebrow at her tone. Snide and derisive. It sounded familiar. She sounded like he used to.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Speak to me in that way again, and I will show you who is inferior.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d His eyes switched to red for a moment, enough to give her a reminder of just what she was dealing with. There was only one reason he hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t killed her yet, and that was because she might be key to his own survival. If she hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been, he would\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve turned her into a delicious meal the first time she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d insulted him by grabbing him in her superior\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s office.<\/p>\n

She walked past him, evidently choosing to ignore his warning.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I mean it. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re surrounded by humans and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re unlikely to ignore you. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s our calling to kill creatures like you. The treatment the men gave you this morning was just a taster. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s to stop you from killing them next time?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The only thing stopping him from killing them was himself. He realised any other demands she might have were just padding to draw his attention away from how important this one was to her. She was worried about her friends and with good reason. He wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think twice about killing any of them, anyone but her, unless it meant that she would take her services away and leave him vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Could he honestly say what she wanted him to say? If pushed, he would push back. Instinct and years of training made him see her kind as below him, as nothing more than fodder for his species. She was asking something of him that he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know if he could do. He could only try.<\/p>\n

He swallowed his pride and the bitter taste of his thoughts. To promise her this would be to lower himself, and that was something he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t used to. His heart rebelled against the idea.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I will make a pact with you,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said in a clear voice full of conviction even as his instinct told him to kill them all, to revel in their deaths and force her to help him.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Your terms?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d She seemed so confident and calm. There was a sparkle of victory in her eyes.<\/p>\n

She had taken him down, kicked out his legs, bound his hands and forced him to submit to her, and all it had taken was the idea that she would turn her back on him and leave him to face his terrible fate alone.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You will protect me… and in exchange, I will give you my word not to kill any member of this compound.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Those words were easier to say than he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d thought they would be.<\/p>\n

A smile bowed her dusky lips. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Agreed.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

He frowned and watched her moving around the apartment, gathering a black shirt from where it lay draped over the back of the dark brown couch and then checking a crossbow that sat on the coffee table beside the books.<\/p>\n

She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d agreed incredibly quickly. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d thought she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d protest to the idea of having to protect him. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d accepted his terms without a moment\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pause. He only wished he could accept hers so easily. This feeling of weakness and his reliance on a human sickened him. He needed to feel strong again.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where are you going?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said when she put the crossbow down, checked her stake was in her back pocket and then started putting her boots on.<\/p>\n

She looked over at him, dark eyes still sparkling with diamonds and her smile.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153To hunt,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said.<\/p>\n

No wonder she sounded so happy. He stared into the distance as he remembered what it felt like to hunt\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe rush, the thrill, and the beauty of violence. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d always been happy when he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been going out to hunt. A vampire hunter had to feel something similar.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I would be interested to see you hunt.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He moved to block her path to the door.<\/p>\n

Her wide eyes spoke of shock. It soon gave way to something else. She held her head high and looked him over, assessing him. What was going through her mind?<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Get dressed then,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said with a half smile. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll show you just what hunters are made of.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

* * * *<\/p>\n

Lilith\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s muscles screamed in protest as she tried to push herself that bit harder. It was too much to ask of her tiring body. There was no way she could keep running at this pace. It was too fast.<\/p>\n

Lincoln was edging away from her, taking the lead now.<\/p>\n

She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d valiantly kept up with him, wanting to catch the demon before he did for the sake of her pride as a hunter. It was impossible. He was relentless and showed no sign of stopping or slowing.<\/p>\n

The dark clouds above surrendered to the pressure of their load and heavy rain fell, drenching the pavement and road, and turning the grass embankment slippery in an instant. She ran onto the path and pushed on, not wanting to admit that she was beginning to slow down. She could continue. She could keep up with him. It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t about the demon anymore. It was about Lincoln being better than her.<\/p>\n

She hated that.<\/p>\n

Even with her gift and her natural strength, even though she could outrun any hunter in Section Seven, she couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t beat him.<\/p>\n

He had to be tiring now, surely? They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d chased the demon across the city and no one, not even a vampire, could keep running forever.<\/p>\n

Stopping dead, she keeled over and grasped her knees.<\/p>\n

A vampire hunter definitely couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t.<\/p>\n

She breathed hard through burning lungs as her body shut down, shrieking with pain. It was useless. She couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go on.<\/p>\n

He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d won.<\/p>\n

Closing her eyes, she fought to level out her breathing. Her throat was sore and tight, her chest wheezing with each lungful of air she dragged in and exhaled.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The demon is getting away.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lincoln didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sound as though he was mocking her. Her heart said that he was. The matter of fact tone he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d adopted didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hide his underlying thoughts behind those words. He knew he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d won. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d bested her when she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d brought him out on a hunt with her to prove her strength and superior skills.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Let it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she rasped through a sticky throat and dry mouth, dying a little more.<\/p>\n

It took all the energy she had left just to raise her head and look at him.<\/p>\n

He towered above her, black hair slicked by the rain and forming spikes against his forehead. Droplets raced down his cheeks to his chin and fell to his chest. His clothes were soaked, sticking the black t-shirt to his chest and making her think of this evening.<\/p>\n

She couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d touched him. Worse than that, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d wanted to. His words had been so convincing, making the temptation rise in her until she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d no longer wanted to resist it. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d wanted to feel him and know all those things he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d whispered.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I could go on alone,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said and again there wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a trace of malice in his voice.<\/p>\n

He seemed to be enjoying the hunt, and it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem to bother him what he was hunting. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d dispatched a weakling vampire with all the grace, speed and skill she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d wanted to show him. The fight had been short, but not as short as his one against another weakling.<\/p>\n

He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d killed it with one blow.<\/p>\n

It had taken seconds.<\/p>\n

Then the demon had shown up and she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d seen her chance to show him that she was better than him.<\/p>\n

Only he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d beaten her that time too.<\/p>\n

He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d outrun her and he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even look as though he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d broken a sweat. Did vampires sweat? They probably didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t.<\/p>\n

Straightening, she peered into his dark eyes. The light was bad, sickly yellow sodium that did nothing to illuminate his face. She didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see any sign of fatigue though.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you tired?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said and then wondered when she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d fallen onto such easy terms with him. A part of her said to rebel and treat him as she had when she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d first met him. She was too tired to go through with it. Maybe tomorrow she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d give him hell again.<\/p>\n

She hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realised how close he was to her until he shifted slightly. He was barely three feet away. It compounded the strange notion she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d come up with earlier in the night. He was always close to her. Was it his need for protection driving him to stay so near, or something else? His desire for her blood? He hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hidden that back at her apartment. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d bite her if she let him, of that she was sure. This was different though. It was as though he couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t leave her side, as though they were one and the same. She didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like that thought. It made her stomach turn and made conflict ring in her head.<\/p>\n

Her gaze fell to his hand. The angle of their bodies made it close to hers. There was strength in those large hands and long fingers. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d felt it when he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d held her wrist and seen it when he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d killed the weakling.<\/p>\n

Her hand shifted to her pocket where she kept her stake, and she went rigid and alert as a noise broke the silence. Down the road, a man crossed over to the other side. She slumped back into a more relaxed position and lowered her hand. Lincoln moved a step closer and her attention was with him again. He looked thoughtful and then shrugged.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am certain that I will need a good stretch come tomorrow night.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He laughed and she noticed his extended fangs. They glistened in the streetlight, capturing her attention until she was staring at his mouth. Would it hurt?<\/p>\n

That thought shocked her and she backed away a step, distancing herself from him as though that would rid her of the things going around her head.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I know what you are thinking,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.<\/p>\n

Her heart hammered at the idea he might, that any cocky comment he was about to make might actually be true.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You do?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Her voice shook.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They take a while to get used to when talking,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said and relief filled her, swift and calming. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There is a lot of bloodied tongue at first… not that that is a bad thing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The idea of that should have repulsed her. She knew that. For some reason it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sicken her to the extent she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d thought it would. She frowned and rubbed her temples. This was all getting horribly complicated and she was beginning to lose perspective.<\/p>\n

He was a vampire.<\/p>\n

She killed vampires.<\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all there was to it.<\/p>\n

She hated his kind. He used hers as food or for amusement and then food.<\/p>\n

Her heart whispered a reminder that he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just a demon now, not to her. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d somehow made himself almost human. She was beginning to forget what he truly was. He was starting to become something other than an enemy.<\/p>\n

Her eyes fell to his mouth again and the sight of it stirred thoughts she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been trying to repress all night\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhis teeth, his lips, his kiss.<\/p>\n

His fangs receded, shifting back into normal teeth, and he flashed a winsome smile.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The demon?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said in a voice that sounded distant to her ears.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Let it go.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

What was happening to her?<\/p>\n

She was still staring at his mouth when her senses screamed of danger. Her instinct kicked in, her training taking over. Her hand shot to her stake. She turned to face their attacker.<\/p>\n

The man that had crossed the road changed in front of her eyes. In the space of a heartbeat, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d sprouted a curling pair of horns and tattered leathery wings that beat the air. Razor-sharp teeth cut across his widening mouth and scales erupted over his body. The demon unleashed an ear-splitting shriek that had her desperate to cover her ears.<\/p>\n

Another heartbeat and it flew upwards, out of her reach, heading into the darkness.<\/p>\n

It had taken Lincoln with it.<\/p>\n

DOWNLOAD EXTENDED EXCERPT PDF<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Available in e-book from:<\/b>
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<\/p>\n

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Today my Teaseday post comes from another of my current books on offer, Seventh Circle, a vampire romance book and the seventh book in my popular Vampires Realm romance series. At the moment, I have a fantastic offer on a … 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":[9,40,51,8,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-paranormal-romance","category-special-offers","category-teaseday","category-vampire-romance","category-vampires-realm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227","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=227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}