{"id":270,"date":"2011-12-07T09:54:00","date_gmt":"2011-12-07T09:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/?p=270"},"modified":"2011-12-07T09:54:00","modified_gmt":"2011-12-07T09:54:00","slug":"heart-of-darkness-vampire-romance-book-trailer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/2011\/12\/07\/heart-of-darkness-vampire-romance-book-trailer\/","title":{"rendered":"Heart of Darkness &#8211; Vampire Romance Book Trailer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>So, I&#8217;ve been meaning to put together a book trailer for my vampire romance novel, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Heart of Darkness<\/b><\/a>, for a while now and on Monday I finally decided to sit down and give it a go. This is only the second book trailer that I have made, both of them have been for my vampire romance books and the first was for Prophecy: Child of Light, which I might remake now that I&#8217;ve changed the covers.<\/p>\n<p>I had previously spent forever tracking down the perfect music for the book trailer, and gathering a good selection of samples to play with, so at least I had done what I consider to be the hard part. It took me the best part of a day to put together the book trailer, and almost the same again to get it converted into a format for YouTube that didn&#8217;t end up with the video out of sync with the music, looking fuzzy or cutting off in weird places. At least I know exactly what to do with that side of things now. If you&#8217;re curious about what I used to make it, it was Flash CS3. I&#8217;ve done courses in Flash for work, so it was the natural choice for me.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the book trailer for my vampire romance novel, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Heart of Darkness<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dDApvystJZI?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a little more about the book and where it&#8217;s available, including an excerpt.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"><img decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/images\/uploads\/picDetailheartofdarkness.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b style=\"font-family: Georgia,\"Times New Roman\",serif;\">Heart of Darkness<\/b><\/span><\/a><br \/><b>Felicity Heaton<\/b><br \/>A vampire prince on a four hundred year old mission to avenge his murdered sister&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>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<p>A vampire guard who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>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>ebook price: $3.99<br \/>paperback price: $9.99<br \/>genre: paranormal vampire romance<br \/>length: 130000 words<br \/>rating: sultry<br \/>released: October 2011<\/p>\n<p><b>Available in e-book from:<\/b><br \/><b>Author&#8217;s website:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness\">http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle UK:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/<\/a><br \/><b>Barnes and Noble:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/heart-of-darkness-felicity-heaton\/1106991833\">http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/heart-of-darkness-felicity-heaton\/1106991833<\/a><br \/><b>All Romance eBooks:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.allromanceebooks.com\/product-heartofdarkness-620972-139.html\">http:\/\/www.allromanceebooks.com\/product-heartofdarkness-620972-139.html<\/a><br \/><b>Sony Reader Store:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/ebookstore.sony.com\/ebook\/felicity-heaton\/heart-of-darkness\/_\/R-400000000000000534302\">http:\/\/ebookstore.sony.com\/ebook\/felicity-heaton\/heart-of-darkness\/_\/R-400000000000000534302<\/a><br \/><b>Smashwords:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/97624\">https:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/97624<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle Germany:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.de\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.de\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle France:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.fr\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.fr\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/<\/a><br \/><b>Apple iBookstore USA:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/isbn9781466173286\">http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/isbn9781466173286<\/a><br \/><b>Apple iBookstore UK:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/gb\/book\/isbn9781466173286\">http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/gb\/book\/isbn9781466173286<\/a><br \/><b>Apple iBookstore Australia:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/au\/book\/isbn9781466173286\">http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/au\/book\/isbn9781466173286<\/a><br \/><b>Apple iBookstore Canada:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/ca\/book\/isbn9781466173286\">http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/ca\/book\/isbn9781466173286<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Available in paperback from:<\/b><br \/><b>Amazon.com:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1466452897\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1466452897\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Excerpt<\/b><br \/>It had been an easy kill.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr Nemov stood over the body of the vampire hunter, their blood  splattered across his black shirt and saturating the leather and metal  vambraces that protected his forearms. It coated his fingers and the  curved dagger they gripped, and the sweet scent of it heavily tainted  the crisp night air. Strong moonlight caressed his back, throwing his  shadow out long in front of him, across the hunter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s corpse.<\/p>\n<p>A female.<\/p>\n<p>She hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been strong enough to fight his kind. Too young and inexperienced to best him. It had been foolish of her to try.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr raised his hand and swallowed at the sight of the blood glistening on his fingers. It tempted him to taste it.<\/p>\n<p>He dragged his eyes away and settled them back on the female laying on  the grass of the small public space, her blood warming the frozen earth.  He hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fought a woman in a long time and hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expected to find a  hunter so soon after arriving in Prague.<\/p>\n<p>The fountain nearby bubbled regardless of the frigid temperature,  defiant of the frost that caused the grass around it to glitter.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr glanced at his bloodied hands again and then closed his eyes  against the temptation. He took no thrill in the hunt. Yet he found no  calm in its aftermath. There was only the threat of unending darkness  that beat within his chest and encroached upon his soul. It bled into  his eyes. He could feel the jagged points of black that speared the red.  He had too much blood on his hands but he couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give up now, not  when he was so close to attaining his vengeance.<\/p>\n<p>With great effort, Aleksandr sheathed his dagger against his left hip and wiped the blood away.<\/p>\n<p>The smell of it still permeated the air, taunting and filling him with  the dark urge to feast on the hunter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s remains. He refused to obey the  voice within that commanded him. His kind had fought hard against it and  no Nemov had turned to the darkness. They were stronger than that, and  he would die before it happened to him.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 what are you doing here?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d A light female voice shattered the darkness within him.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She stood with  the fountain at her back, the cascade of water providing wings that  completed the vision of beauty. Moonlight bathed her skin, turning her  round eyes dark and her hair as black as the uniform she wore.<\/p>\n<p>An angel.<\/p>\n<p>The red bled from his eyes, returning his irises to grey, and he  straightened to his full height, desiring to look his best even when he  looked his worst.<\/p>\n<p>She brought her right hand up to reveal the blade clutched tightly in  her fingers, held backwards with the blunt edge tucked against her  forearm, ready to slash at him if he made a wrong move.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ask you twice.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Her strength surprised him.<\/p>\n<p>Such a beautiful creature.<\/p>\n<p>Before Aleksandr could find his voice, she was gone. He turned, blocked  her attack with the metal covering his left vambrace around his  forearm, and attempted to disarm her. She dodged his counter-attack with  ease and came around behind him. He spun and blocked her again, and  this time managed to get a hand on her before she leapt backwards, out  of his reach, and bared her fangs.<\/p>\n<p>His heart beat harder.<br \/><a name='more'><\/a>She attacked again, her cry piercing the silent wintry night, and  brought her blade down hard. It was difficult to block it. She was  strong and skilled for a female. He strafed left and right to avoid her  knife, trying to find an opening that he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really want to take. She  was fascinating. Beautiful and deadly. Everything a vampire should be,  yet there was something more to her. She turned and brought her leg  around in a swift kick. The heel of her black knee-high boot smashed  into the side of his head, sending him down.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr rolled onto his feet and blocked her again. Why couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t he  bring himself to fight her? He could barely bring himself to defend.<\/p>\n<p>Her red eyes narrowed on him and she growled, exposing her extended  canines again. His cheek throbbed where she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d caught him. He would bear a  bruise there before the hour had passed. She lunged at him and he  barely avoided her blade. If he survived the fight that was. He ducked  when she swung at him and swept his leg around to take hers out. She  jumped it and rewarded his effort with another hard kick to the head,  sending his brain spinning out of control. The darkness threatened to  return, goading him into attacking. He didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to. He would not  attack another vampire, especially not a female.<\/p>\n<p>Definitely not her.<\/p>\n<p>She huffed as though disappointed. Was it because he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fighting or  wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t falling? Aleksandr kept his arms in front of him, blocking her  swift attacks with his vambraces, and staring at her face the whole  time. Fascination wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the right word for what she did to him.<\/p>\n<p>The warmth he felt, the intense attraction, the abject desire to look  into her eyes forever, even when they only promised him a slow death. It  was more than fascination.<\/p>\n<p>He wanted her.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I do not wish to fight you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Aleksandr leapt backwards, away from her, and raised his hands.<\/p>\n<p>Her grip on her blade tightened and she attacked.<\/p>\n<p>He left himself open to see what she would do. Her clothing was  formal\u00e2\u20ac\u201da black military-style jacket that only reached her waist and  tight black trousers coupled with polished riding boots. She looked like  a guard. If she were, she surely wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t kill him.<\/p>\n<p>If she weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t, he was making a terrible mistake.<\/p>\n<p>The moment she neared him, she sheathed the blade, threw herself  forwards so her hands pressed into the dirt, twisted and launched  herself at him feet first. Had he wanted to defend himself, it would  have been impossible. The speed at which she locked her knees around his  neck, sending him falling backwards with her momentum, and slammed him  into the icy earth knocked the breath from him.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr stared at her where she perched on his chest, straddling it  with his arms trapped in the crook of her knees and her blade against  his throat.<\/p>\n<p>He laid beneath her, sprawled out, his back aching and freezing.<\/p>\n<p>Utterly in love.<\/p>\n<p>She leaned forwards. A single strand of her dark hair had fallen out of  the tight bun at the back of her head and grazed her cheek. Her soft  breath against his face carried the enticing scent of her blood. Her  eyes went from darkness to a lighter colour that the moon stole from  him. Beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr swallowed, causing the knife to grate his Adam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s apple  through his thick beard. He wished that he had cleaned up now before  coming to Prague. She wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exactly catching him at his best.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You will answer for entering my bloodline\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s territory.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d She pressed the blade harder against his throat. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m taking you in.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153No need to be rough.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Aleksandr smiled slowly. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Unless you like it that way, of course.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>She was off him in an instant, her weapon still held at the ready.<\/p>\n<p>Clearly, she wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t into the rough stuff like so many of his kind. With  the thrill of hunting denied them, they had to find excitement  elsewhere. Dancing with death through sharing blood was the most  intoxicating thing a vampire could do without risking their humanity and  many of them did it often. He had never been into that sort of thing.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr sat up, grazed his fingers over the silvery scars on his  wrist, a reminder of why he was tracking and killing vampire hunters,  risking his humanity, and then got to his feet.<\/p>\n<p>The female backed off a step, but remained close enough that she could  easily attack him if he tried to leave. He didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to, but if he  did, she wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be able to stop him. A woman was no match for him.<\/p>\n<p>First a female hunter and then a female guard. Prague was a modern  progressive city, or the world was changing faster than he realised. He  had noticed it for a few years now and had been struggling to adjust  ever since. He hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expected the change to happen within vampire  society too. The males had always been the ones to take care of the  females. His gaze settled on her. Now there were females capable of  taking care of themselves. It was both disturbing and intriguing.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr went to move but she was in front of him before he could take a step.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Can I at least gather my belongings?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He motioned towards the coat and bag that waited near the fountain.<\/p>\n<p>She looked at them and her gaze tracked back and settled on the corpse.  Her pupils narrowed and then she frowned. Had she only just noticed  that he had killed someone? She sniffed and then looked at him, her pale  eyes falling to his shirt and then his hands, carefully taking all of  him in. He liked the assessing edge to her gaze, and the way it lingered  on his body a moment before coming up to meet his. She stared into his  eyes, long enough that he felt as though she was renewing the spell she  had cast on him, and then nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I desire an audience with your master.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Aleksandr crossed her path and  picked up his long heavy black coat. Her gaze remained on him, intent  and focused.<\/p>\n<p>He put his coat on, picked up his black bag and slung it over his  shoulder. When he turned to face her, she was looking at the dead hunter  again. The way she stared at it, studying it closely, made it clear  that she hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seen a fresh kill in a long time.<\/p>\n<p>Or she hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seen anything quite like the butchery that had happened tonight.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr clenched his fists and reined in the dark hunger that the  memory evoked. He was in control now, not his instincts. The hunt would  continue until he had avenged her and had rid the world of her  murderer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s progeny.<\/p>\n<p>He would not surrender until then.<\/p>\n<p>For four centuries, he had tracked and killed them, his anger still  fresh in his heart, the pain of losing her still raw. He would not  surrender until he had killed the last of the hunter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s line and  protected his people.<\/p>\n<p>The woman stepped forwards and his attention was back with her. The  second his gaze locked with hers, the darkness inside him receded,  washed away by the light in her eyes and her beauty. He had thought of  nothing but the hunt for four hundred years, had closed himself off to  society and focused on his duty, but the woman before him stole his  attention away from it so easily. It drifted to the back of his mind  with the darkness, unknown to him in this moment while her eyes held  his. She wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t afraid of him. She had fought him without fear, and with  strength and skill that he had never expected to find in a female. She  enthralled him.<\/p>\n<p>Looking into her eyes, Aleksandr realised something dreadful. He was  too close to the edge. The feelings she evoked in him were ones he had  long forgotten existed. It was strange to feel warmed inside by  happiness to have met her, desire to make her belong to him, and hunger  for the feel of her bare body against his. He had not felt such positive  emotions in decades.<\/p>\n<p>He was losing himself.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Follow me,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the woman said and he did, using her as a distraction from his dark thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>She was young. He placed her at barely over two hundred years old, her  appearance somewhat of a human in their mid-twenties. She was at least  six inches shorter than him, and slender. Her strength had surprised him  because of those facts alone. Young females were often weak and needed  protection. She had strong blood in her veins.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr ran a hand over his matted long dark hair and then rubbed the  several months\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 worth of beard on his face. What did he look like? He  felt like a mess now, both inside and out. She had definitely caught him  at his worst. If he had looked as he had back in his days at court, he  was sure she would be looking at him differently.<\/p>\n<p>He was sure that she would recognise him for who he was.<\/p>\n<p>She walked swiftly ahead of him, not once looking back to check if he  was still there. She had mastered her senses then. He could feel them  fixed on him. How strong were they? He had honed his to perfection  through years of training and hunting, but he hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sensed her  approach. He had been too lost in the darkness.<\/p>\n<p>His gaze slid down to her small backside and the way it moved as she walked mesmerised him.<\/p>\n<p>He hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really wanted to meet her master, but saying that he did seemed like the easiest way of remaining near to her.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr lost track of how long they had been walking. He looked up  when he sensed the presence of more vampires. Black wrought iron gates  punctuated an endless grey stone wall ahead. Beyond them stood the  extensive bleak fa\u00c3\u00a7ade of a mansion. Light emanated from many of the  rectangular windows marking the three storeys, at least on the left  side. On the right, they were mostly dark hollows. Two male guards at  the gate saluted the woman and then eyed him with suspicion as he passed  through.<\/p>\n<p>Who was his escort? She was strong, spirited, and these men ranked  lower. If she weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t dressed as a guard, Aleksandr would have placed  her as a lady of the bloodline. A female guard. He still couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite  comprehend it.<\/p>\n<p>He followed her up the gravel drive to the house, walking on the left  side of the wide expanse of frosty grass that stretched into the  distance in both directions. It was a habit of his to mask his  footfalls. It had saved his life more than once. The long grey stone  front of the mansion was imposing and cold even in the moonlight. The  size of it told Aleksandr that this bloodline held the power in the  city, or they were the only one resident.<\/p>\n<p>They crossed the large parking area in front of the house, passing a  fleet of identical black Mercedes-Benz limousines. This bloodline was  definitely doing well for itself. Judging by the fact that the woman had  been in the city whilst wearing her uniform, it had to be masquerading  as a military school of some sort. Many bloodlines bought privacy from  the local government by donating large sums of money and setting up such  a front. The humans never questioned them. It had been the easiest way  to keep their species secret for many centuries. At least some things  hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t changed since he had left society.<\/p>\n<p>The moment she entered the house, Aleksandr\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attention was back with  her. She hurriedly smoothed her warm chestnut hair back into the tight  knot, fixing her appearance. In his opinion, she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to fix it  at all. The slight wanton edge her messy hair gave her was alluring to  say the least. His gaze drifted to her throat and he frowned when he  spotted her bloodline\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mark on the back of her neck. It was an  elaborate black ink crest with a stag incorporated into the design.<\/p>\n<p>\u00c4\u0152ern\u00c3\u00bd.<\/p>\n<p>They passed another pair of male guards and Aleksandr glanced at the  back of their necks. The mark was visible above the collar of their  short black jackets. A strong bloodline.<\/p>\n<p>He had forgotten who ruled Prague. Perhaps they would be able to help  him after all and his coming to their master would prove beneficial in  more than one way.<\/p>\n<p>His grey eyes slid back to the woman. She looked over her shoulder at  him, her aquamarine eyes briefly fixing on his before she turned away  again.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr quickened his pace and fell into step beside her. She glanced  at him again and then looked forwards. His gaze remained on her as they  walked along the elegant gallery at the front of the house, heading  towards the lit area he had seen on the left of the building. She had  soft features\u00e2\u20ac\u201dyouthful and graceful. Her oval face, pale skin, and rosy  lips set his heart racing again, quick enough that it almost matched a  human heart rate. A flicker of a frown wrinkled her brow and her eyes  darted to him and then away. He steadied his heart, aware that she could  hear the effect she had on him. Her heart was beating at a restful  pace, a soothing patter in his mind.<\/p>\n<p>She moved ahead, entering a large red drawing room. The vampires  relaxing in it were powerful but none of them were stronger than he was.  He carried on without glancing in any of their directions, following  his temptress. She turned right in the room, heading towards a guarded  set of dark wooden doors. When she reached them, she faced him, her  expression stern.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wait here,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said and the guards stationed on either side of the doors opened them for her.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr lowered his black holdall from his shoulder. The two  dark-haired male guards eyed him. He smiled but it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t relieve the  tension. It only made it worse. The one on his left cast a glance over  him and Aleksandr was thankful that his long coat hid his dagger from  view. The female\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s voice drifted through the open doors to him and he  looked at her. She stood in the middle of a dark green room, the back of  a gilt-framed green velvet couch in front of her. A male spoke to her  in Czech, his voice a lazy drawl.<\/p>\n<p>Tired of waiting, Aleksandr walked into the room, his knee-high boots  heavy on the polished wooden floor. The woman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s blade was at his throat  again in the space of a breath. Aleksandr halted and looked at the man  her body had shielded from view.<\/p>\n<p>He was young to be leading a bloodline, only in his late twenties in  terms of appearance, meaning he was little more than four hundred. He  would have been born around the time that Aleksandr had begun his hunt.<\/p>\n<p>The man leaned back into the green couch opposite the one near to  Aleksandr and the woman and crossed his long black-clad legs. He smiled  without any trace of charm or meaning and preened his short sandy hair  back.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This man desires an audience with you, Master,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the woman said and  Aleksandr glanced down into her clear blue eyes. She looked away,  towards the leader of her bloodline.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Then allow him to introduce himself so I may know with whom I speak,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the master said in English.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr was familiar with both English and Czech. He had understood  everything the master had said to the woman. He wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t interested in  guests and wanted him gone. His opinion would change once he knew who  Aleksandr was. It always did.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gaze met the guard\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s again, holding it for long minutes.  Whenever he set eyes on her, he was struck by her beauty as though it  was the first time he had witnessed it. He willingly accepted her blade  against his throat because it meant she was near him. Soon she would be  this close to him without a weapon. He was sure of it. He would ask for  sanctuary and the master would grant it. It would give him time to clean  up his appearance and then he would start a new hunt. One for this  woman.<\/p>\n<p>His gaze slid across to the master and locked with his hazel one,  silently showing the younger vampire that he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the most powerful in  the room by a long shot.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am Aleksandr Nemov,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said in a calm measured tone.<\/p>\n<p>The female\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shock rippled through the knife at his throat, which was gone an instant later. She stepped back.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You will not mind me requesting proof of that claim,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the master said.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr smiled behind his beard. It was to be expected. He had been  absent from society so long that many probably thought him dead.<\/p>\n<p>With a flourish, he unsheathed and presented his bloodstained dagger.  The curved silver blade caught the warm light of the fireplace to the  left of the couches. That same light made the gold handle shine  brightly. Only a Nemov carried such a weapon, and it had been given to  him at birth, inscribed with his name so those who died by it knew who  had taken their life. When the man nodded, he sheathed the blade and  took hold of his black shirt above his right hip. He pulled it free of  his trousers and revealed the mark he bore there on his pale skin.<\/p>\n<p>The mark of royalty.<\/p>\n<p>The woman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes widened, fixed on the crescent moon on the shield of his bloodline.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr lowered his shirt and she slowly raised her eyes to his. She  blinked, fumbled with her own knife, and then looked away. The shy  sparkle in her blue eyes added to her beauty and his desire for her,  momentarily stealing his attention away from the other occupant in the  room.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You will stay a while with my bloodline. It would do us great honour.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The master stood and crossed the room to Aleksandr.<\/p>\n<p>The woman stepped to one side, her eyes still downcast.<\/p>\n<p>The master grinned and held his hand out. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am Ladislav \u00c4\u0152ern\u00c3\u00bd, and I  welcome you to my home. I hope you will be able to enjoy our hospitality  for a long time.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr shook his hand. Ladislav was young but wise enough to see a  way to gain more power when it was standing in front of him. Being  favourable to a royal would grant him more leeway with the law and more  privileges in court. It was a shame then that Aleksandr had long since  surrendered such authority. No matter how many times he reminded society  that he was no longer royalty, it still insisted on treating him that  way. In this sort of situation, he usually reminded them that he had  given up his title, but this time he couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bring himself to mention  it. He wanted to remain here and pursue the woman, and for that reason  alone, he would tolerate Ladislav\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mistake.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We will hold a ball tonight to celebrate,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ladislav said, his English thickly accented.<\/p>\n<p>This man was no fool. He would serve Aleksandr well. His gaze slid back  to the woman. Her eyes were on him again but darted away when his met  them. How well would she serve him?<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Then I will need to freshen up.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Aleksandr removed his hand from Ladislav\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grip.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Any room in the guest wing you desire, and I will arrange whatever you  need.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ladislav motioned to the woman. Her expression blackened for a  moment, as though escorting a guest was beneath her, and then she  saluted.<\/p>\n<p>Aleksandr picked up his bag and smiled at the woman. She answered it  with a frown and then walked out of the room. His smile widened and his  gaze raked over her.<\/p>\n<p>She was going to be an interesting hunt.<\/p>\n<p>But he would be the victor.<\/p>\n<p><b>Available in e-book from:<\/b><br \/><b>Author&#8217;s website:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness\">http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle UK:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/<\/a><br \/><b>Barnes and Noble:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/heart-of-darkness-felicity-heaton\/1106991833\">http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/heart-of-darkness-felicity-heaton\/1106991833<\/a><br \/><b>All Romance eBooks:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.allromanceebooks.com\/product-heartofdarkness-620972-139.html\">http:\/\/www.allromanceebooks.com\/product-heartofdarkness-620972-139.html<\/a><br \/><b>Sony Reader Store:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/ebookstore.sony.com\/ebook\/felicity-heaton\/heart-of-darkness\/_\/R-400000000000000534302\">http:\/\/ebookstore.sony.com\/ebook\/felicity-heaton\/heart-of-darkness\/_\/R-400000000000000534302<\/a><br \/><b>Smashwords:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/97624\">https:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/97624<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle Germany:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.de\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.de\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle France:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.fr\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.fr\/dp\/B005WK6E58\/<\/a><br \/><b>Apple iBookstore USA:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/isbn9781466173286\">http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/isbn9781466173286<\/a><br \/><b>Apple iBookstore UK:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/gb\/book\/isbn9781466173286\">http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/gb\/book\/isbn9781466173286<\/a><br \/><b>Apple iBookstore Australia:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/au\/book\/isbn9781466173286\">http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/au\/book\/isbn9781466173286<\/a><br \/><b>Apple iBookstore Canada:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/ca\/book\/isbn9781466173286\">http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/ca\/book\/isbn9781466173286<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Available in paperback from:<\/b><br \/><b>Amazon.com:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1466452897\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1466452897\/<\/a><\/p>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" height=\"97\" src=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/images\/signature.gif\" style=\"background: none; border: 0px; padding: 0;\" width=\"225\" \/><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So, I&#8217;ve been meaning to put together a book trailer for my vampire romance novel, Heart of Darkness, for a while now and on Monday I finally decided to sit down and give it a go. This is only the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/2011\/12\/07\/heart-of-darkness-vampire-romance-book-trailer\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/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":[55,9,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-heart-of-darkness","category-paranormal-romance","category-vampire-romance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270","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=270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}