{"id":346,"date":"2011-10-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-10-30T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/?p=346"},"modified":"2014-01-04T16:41:43","modified_gmt":"2014-01-04T16:41:43","slug":"vampire-romance-book-love-immortal-extended-excerpt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/2011\/10\/30\/vampire-romance-book-love-immortal-extended-excerpt\/","title":{"rendered":"vampire romance book &#8211; Love Immortal &#8211; extended excerpt"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s time to step away from my vampire romance series books and shine a little light on one that is a stand alone. Love Immortal is an epic vampire romance book that is packed with action, drama, heart-wrenching moments, and love. It has been phenomenally well received by readers and reviewers alike, and has a 4.6 \/ 5 star rating on Amazon from 22 reviews, and a 4.2 \/ 5 star rating on Goodreads from 52 ratings. It has gained 5 star reviews from review sites and a top pick award from Night Owl Reviews.<\/p>\n<p>Tonight I&#8217;m posting the 10 chapter PDF excerpt for you all to download, plus a teaser excerpt to get you started with this vampire romance book!<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Love%20Immortal\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"><img decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/images\/uploads\/picDetailloveimmortal.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Georgia,\"Times New Roman\",serif;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Love%20Immortal\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b>Love Immortal<\/b><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<p><b>Felicity Heaton<\/b><br \/>Rescued from werewolves by the most breathtaking man she&#8217;s ever  seen, Lauren is dragged into the fight of her life and a dark world she  never knew existed. There, she discovers that she&#8217;s the latest  reincarnation of a goddess and must drink the blood of her immortal  protector, Julian, in order to reawaken and continue her three thousand  year old mission to defeat Lycaon, the original werewolf.<\/p>\n<p>With the help of Julian and an organisation of people with supernatural  abilities, Lauren fights for her life, their future and the fate of  mankind against Lycaon and his deadly army, but can she succeed when  Lycaon has killed all of her predecessors?<\/p>\n<p>Can she crack the armour around Julian&#8217;s heart and seize her happily  forever after with him? And can Julian bring himself to trust Lauren  with the fragments of his heart after everything he&#8217;s been through?<\/p>\n<p><a name='more'><\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/long-excerpts\/loveimmortal-heatonF.pdf\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\"><b>\u00c2\u00bb DOWNLOAD EXTENDED EXCERPT PDF<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p>ebook price: $3.99<br \/>paperback price: $12.99<br \/>genre: paranormal vampire romance<br \/>length: 157000 words<br \/>rating: sultry<br \/>released: January 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=Love%20Immortal\">http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Love%20Immortal<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle UK:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/<\/a><br \/><b>Barnes and Noble:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/search.barnesandnoble.com\/Love-Immortal\/Felicity-Heaton\/e\/2940011179648\/\">http:\/\/search.barnesandnoble.com\/Love-Immortal\/Felicity-Heaton\/e\/2940011179648\/<\/a><br \/><b>All Romance eBooks:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.allromanceebooks.com\/product-loveimmortal-613574-139.html\">http:\/\/www.allromanceebooks.com\/product-loveimmortal-613574-139.html<\/a><br \/><b>Sony Reader Store:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/ebookstore.sony.com\/ebook\/felicity-heaton\/love-immortal\/_\/R-400000000000000340123\">http:\/\/ebookstore.sony.com\/ebook\/felicity-heaton\/love-immortal\/_\/R-400000000000000340123<\/a><br \/><b>Kobo Books:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kobobooks.com\/ebook\/Love-Immortal\/book-OyQ9CMW5Jkaf0K_UwfVfGw\/page1.html\">http:\/\/www.kobobooks.com\/ebook\/Love-Immortal\/book-OyQ9CMW5Jkaf0K_UwfVfGw\/page1.html<\/a><br \/><b>Smashwords:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/36609\">http:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/36609<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle Germany:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.de\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.de\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle France:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.fr\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.fr\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Available in paperback from:<\/b><br \/><b>Amazon.com:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1456487884\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1456487884\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon.co.uk:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/1456487884\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/1456487884\/<\/a><br \/><b>Barnes and Noble:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/search.barnesandnoble.com\/Love-Immortal\/Felicity-Heaton\/e\/9781456487881\/\">http:\/\/search.barnesandnoble.com\/Love-Immortal\/Felicity-Heaton\/e\/9781456487881\/<\/a><\/p>\n<div style=\"color: orange; font-family: Georgia,\"Times New Roman\",serif; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b>EXCERPT<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Monsters existed.<\/p>\n<p>Lauren had always suspected it to be true, and now she had all the evidence she needed.<\/p>\n<p>One was standing twenty feet in front of her.<\/p>\n<p>It towered over her, yellow eyes glowing in the dim alley between the  old redbrick houses of her neighbourhood. Tufted black wiry fur covered  it from tail to pointed ears, from the long claws on its colossal  paw-like hands to the thick trunks of its hind legs. Her fevered mind  said that it was only an escaped wolf from London Zoo, but Lauren  couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bring herself to believe it. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d seen the wolves once. This  creature was nothing like them. This was something else.<\/p>\n<p>Its mouth opened to reveal jagged teeth, each the size of her thumb.<\/p>\n<p>Why Grandma, what big teeth you have.<\/p>\n<p>All the better to eat you with.<\/p>\n<p>Icy fingers clutched her heart and Lauren trembled, cold sweat  trickling down her back beneath the skinny-fit brown t-shirt. The mad  rush of her pulse made her dizzy and unexpended adrenaline stole her  strength. Whoever had said that adrenaline made you invincible was a  liar. Her legs were shaking so much that they were close to buckling,  the gym bag on her shoulder was too heavy, and her thick black winter  jacket felt impossibly tight, as though it was squeezing the air from  her lungs.<\/p>\n<p>Instinct told her to run.<\/p>\n<p>If only her feet would cooperate.<\/p>\n<p>Her shoulders slumped when the monster took a step towards her and her  kit bag dropped to the ground. The shinai case slid down her other arm  but she caught it at the last second. The feel of the bamboo sword  through the black canvas bag was reassuring and instilled a strange  sense of calm in her. Lauren tried to remember her kendo training and  everything she had just practiced in class but nothing came to her. She  stared at the monster, still trying to comprehend what was happening.<\/p>\n<p>Instinct changed its mind.<\/p>\n<p>Her other hand automatically reached across and undid the ties on the  shinai bag. Lauren swallowed and kept her movements slow, not wanting to  startle the beast into reacting. The end of the bag flapped open and  she reached inside, locking her right hand tightly around the white  leather hilt of the bamboo sword. She drew it and let the carry-case  fall to the ground.<\/p>\n<p>This was insane.<\/p>\n<p>Her shinai would last five seconds against such a huge creature.<\/p>\n<p>It didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter. Her only chance of escape was to stun it with a  direct hit and run for her life. Her knees wobbled. That was, if she  could run.<\/p>\n<p>Taking deep breaths, Lauren shuffled backwards as the beast advanced  and moved into a fighting stance. She brought her shinai around in front  of her, clutching it so tightly with both hands that her knuckles  turned white.<\/p>\n<p>One breath. Two. Three.<\/p>\n<p>With a loud cry, she launched herself at the creature. It reacted  slowly, glowing yellow eyes widening. Lauren struck it between its ears  and it yelped. The sound brought a smile to her face.<\/p>\n<p>It was a short-lived smile.<\/p>\n<p>The monster lashed out, flinging a heavy paw into her stomach and  sending her flying into the wall of the alley. Her breath left her on  impact and pain blasted through every inch of her. She grunted and fell  onto the hard tarmac. Another huge paw flew at her and she rolled  forwards to avoid being pulverised. She turned at the last moment and  grabbed her shinai, desperate to protect herself. She was too damn young  to die.<\/p>\n<p>A low snarl sent a shudder down her spine and fear stole her breath  away. Lauren scrambled to her feet and backed off, her bamboo sword  trembling in front of her. The moon peeked out from behind a cloud and  lit the world. Her heart stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Holy God, the monster was more frightening in the light than it had  ever been in the darkness. Long strings of saliva rolled down its fangs  and dark fur tufted down its spine, raised like hackles. It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a  wolf, but it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a man either. It was somewhere in between. An  abomination. Something straight out of her dreams.<\/p>\n<p>She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d dreamt of wolves and monsters before, and each time she had ended up fighting for her life.<\/p>\n<p>It lowered its head and snarled again, hunkering down. It was going to attack.<\/p>\n<p>This wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a dream. It was a living nightmare.<\/p>\n<p>Lauren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fight left her and she moved backwards, faster now. Her heart  started at a pace, thumping erratically in her throat. She clutched her  shinai and glanced around. It was only just gone ten at night. Someone  would pass by. Her neighbourhood wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t normally this quiet. Any moment  now, someone would come and help her. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d only left her kendo class  fifteen minutes ago and she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been first out of the door. A couple of  the men in her class lived near her. One of them would come. Someone  would. Anyone? Thirty-four was definitely too young to die. She didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t  want to be killed in the night as her parents had been.<\/p>\n<p>She opened her mouth to call out for help but no sound left her lips.  Her voice had died the moment her eyes had locked with the monster\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s  ones. She saw her death reflected in them, saw how easily it would tear  her to shreds and how she wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to make it out of this alive.  Emptiness settled in her mind, ringing in her ears.<\/p>\n<p>Cold stillness shrouded the world.<\/p>\n<p>The beast leapt.<\/p>\n<p>Her heart leapt too.<\/p>\n<p>Shrieking, Lauren raised the bamboo sword to defend herself and flinched away, screwing her eyes shut. Only sound came to her.<\/p>\n<p>The sing of metal cutting through air, an ear-splitting howl of pain, and then a wet slapping noise.<\/p>\n<p>Silence followed.<\/p>\n<p>Lauren breathed hard, hunched up with her bamboo sword still held in  front of her face. Her rough gulps of air filled the night. When  everything had been quiet for a minute, she realised that something had  happened to the monster and that she wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t dead. She cracked an eye  open.<\/p>\n<p>The first thing she saw made her retch.<\/p>\n<p>Spread across the alley were guts, blood and the two halves of a naked  man. Her stomach rolled in response to the gruesome sight and she took a  step backwards. It hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been a man a moment ago. Her eyes hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been  lying to her even though her mind had. It had been a monster\u00e2\u20ac\u201da wolf  that could stand on its hind legs, over six feet tall, and had tried to  kill her. She looked at her bamboo sword. Splatters of blood covered the  length of it, soaking into the white leather cap at the end. She  couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have killed him with it. It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t possible.<\/p>\n<p>The sound of steel sliding against something made her look up.<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes widened and she dropped her weapon.<\/p>\n<p>A tall man stood opposite her on the other side of the dead person. His  long black coat fitted snugly to his slim frame and the stand up collar  rose so high that it created a funnel that masked the lower half of his  face, held closed by two thick bands of bright gleaming metal across  the front. The wind tousled the finger-length spiked strands of his dark  hair, shifting them across his pale forehead.<\/p>\n<p>Shimmering silver eyes stared at her, pupils wide in the low light.<\/p>\n<p>Her heart thudded in response to the jolt she felt when her eyes met his.<\/p>\n<p>How many times had she looked at someone and not felt anything? Every  day she met the eye of people on the Tube or at work, or even her  opponent in kendo, but she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d never experienced a jolt that shook her to  her core.<\/p>\n<p>Never had she been so aware of making eye contact.<\/p>\n<p>The longer she looked into his eyes, the calmer and warmer she felt,  until she wanted to stare into them for forever. Something about those  eyes, about this man, was so familiar. She was sure that she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know  him, but at the same time, she was certain she did.<\/p>\n<p>He stood unmoving, a sense of resolve about him. Everything suddenly  felt like nothing but a nightmare, a vivid dream that this man had  roused her from. His eyes narrowed. Invisible arms wrapped around her,  holding her as soothing whispered words filled her mind. She was safe  now.<\/p>\n<p>Instinctively, she took a step towards him.<\/p>\n<p>He lowered his head, giving Lauren the impression that he was bowing to her, awaiting a command or perhaps something else.<\/p>\n<p>The man raised his head a fraction, so his eyes met hers again.<\/p>\n<p>She snapped out of her trance when, without any sign of emotion, and  with precise and practiced grace, he slid the long curved katana he held  into the sheath hanging at his waist. The blade was clean but blood  splattered his hands.<\/p>\n<p>Lauren swallowed her heart and the fear that rushed through her again.  Lost in his eyes, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d forgotten what had happened. Everything had  seemed so normal and the monster hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t existed. Now she was back in  reality, standing in an alley with a dead man at her feet and the man  who had killed him opposite her.<\/p>\n<p>His silver eyes flashed in the moonlight.<\/p>\n<p>Another monster?<\/p>\n<p>She made no move to run, or to look away, not when he approached her  and not even when he stopped two feet away, towering over her. She  couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t move. His eyes had mesmerised her again. They melted from  brightest silver to ice blue and she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even try to convince herself  that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d imagined it. They had changed. Ribbons of black hair  caressed his forehead and her fingers itched to brush them away, to  stroke his skin in their place and sweep them from his eyes so she could  see them more clearly. A strange wave of calm washed over her again,  only this time the feeling went deeper. She felt at peace with the  world.<\/p>\n<p>Because no matter what happened, this man would protect her.<\/p>\n<p>He extended his hand to her. Before she could consider what she was doing, she was reaching for him.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We must leave.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d His voice was smooth and sensual, deep and accented in  a way she couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t place but she knew that she liked it because the  sound of it added to her boneless feeling.<\/p>\n<p>Without hesitation or fear, Lauren placed her hand into his. His fingers closed over hers.<\/p>\n<p>A sense of connection filled her.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It is not safe here,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said and, without thinking, she nodded.<\/p>\n<p>His hand left hers and claimed her upper arm. He strode at a pace so  quick that she was almost jogging. Lauren gazed at the back of his head,  catching glimpses of his profile.<\/p>\n<p>It seemed right to go with him. Something inside her said that she knew  him and she knew he would never hurt her. He had saved her from the  monster.<\/p>\n<p>She didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care where they were going. She ran with him, empty and  unable to think clearly. Her mind raced over everything that had  happened, darting back and forth through her encounter with the monster.  The man was right. It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t safe. A monster had attacked her and she  had a feeling that more were coming, some sense of imminent danger that  she couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ignore. She had to run and she had to stay with the  swordsman. Only he could keep her safe.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What was that thing?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said between breaths and tried to look over  her shoulder towards the dead man. The world wobbled so much she  couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t focus.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They are after us.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Her stomach fluttered and she looked at the swordsman. It was worth  asking, even if it would only confirm that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d gone insane.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Who are they?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Her voice trembled enough that she was certain he would know that she was frightened of asking that question.<\/p>\n<p>He stopped and looked at her, his pale blue eyes narrowing with his  frown. Lauren wished she could see the rest of his face, could open the  collar that obscured the lower half of it. She hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realised until now  just how much of what a person was thinking showed in their expression.  His eyes betrayed nothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The monsters?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said and her heart skipped a beat. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I almost lost  you in the alley. I was foolish but I will not allow it to happen again.  We must hurry.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>When he looked past her, she glanced over her shoulder. Two men were  coming down the street. She stepped towards them, convinced that they  were from her kendo class, but the man held on to her arm, stopping her.  She looked at him and then back at the two men. The streetlights  highlighted their faces and she realised that she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know them. The  sense of danger inside her worsened and the voice at the back of her  mind told her to keep running. They were coming for her.<\/p>\n<p>Before she could speak, the swordsman was running with her again. His  grip on her arm was unrelenting, his pace so fast that she struggled not  to trip.<\/p>\n<p>Lauren looked over her shoulder. The men were following them. She  rushed on, her thoughts running at a million miles per hour now. Was she  really safe with the swordsman? She wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t so sure, but he did seem to  be the lesser of two evils. If the two men that were following them were  actually monsters then she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d probably chosen the right side.<\/p>\n<p>A flash of silver eyes crossed her turbulent mind.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps she hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. The swordsman was possibly as much a monster as the  wolf-man had been. She glanced at the man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hand and then at his face.  He had his eyes fixed on the distance, his jetty eyebrows knitted tight.  She had to get away before something happened. The man had said they  were after them, but she couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe that. What reason would they  have to be after her? She hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t done anything in her life to enrage  monsters or make a single enemy. It had been quiet and safe. Now she  felt as though she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d fallen into someone else\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life and she wanted her  own boring one back. She had to get away.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t far to her house now.<\/p>\n<p>The man turned down a side road between two houses, heading towards her  street. He knew where she lived? Sodium lights flickered on the walls  high above. The heavy stomp of boots echoed in her stomach and she  turned as the swordsman stopped. The men had caught up with them. They  came to a halt a short distance away and the swordsman moved to stand in  front of her. Lauren had the terrible feeling she was about to witness a  showdown.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Stay close,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the swordsman said.<\/p>\n<p>He threw his arm out, sending his long coat swirling from the waist  down and revealing his katana. In one swift, graceful move, he drew it  and was in a fighting stance. Lauren backed into the wall, fascinated  but frightened.<\/p>\n<p>A low growl caught her attention. Her knees threatened to give out when  the men tore their t-shirts off and dark fur erupted in waves across  their skin. Their bodies twisted and distorted, limbs elongating as  their noses and chins pushed outwards and became muzzles. Ears sprouted  from the top of their heads and their eyes changed to yellow. They  snarled in unison and she pressed hard into the wall.<\/p>\n<p>It was real.<\/p>\n<p>The swordsman changed position, raising his katana. He looked over his  shoulder at her. His silver eyes gleamed as brightly as his blade in the  streetlight.<\/p>\n<p>Oh God, it was real.<\/p>\n<p>The swordsman disappeared. A loud cry split the silence a moment later.  No, he hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t disappeared. The monsters and the man were both moving so  fast that it was hard for her to keep track of them. They were a blur  in her eyes, shifting violent shapes as they passed her. Turning, she  clung to the wall and watched the fight. She had never seen a man move  with such agility or fight with such astounding grace. Each attack was  beautiful and polished. Each counter by the monsters just as fluid. A  deadly ballet.<\/p>\n<p>A perfect chance.<\/p>\n<p>He couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stop her and the monsters at the same time. They wanted  him, not her. She hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t done anything to upset them. If she just left  quietly, perhaps they would leave her alone. She could go the long way  round to her house, get some things and then leave before the swordsman  could find her. She could go to her friends\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 house and hide until  everything was sane again.<\/p>\n<p>Backing away into the shadows, Lauren breathed slow and shallow, afraid  that even that sound could alert either the man or the monsters to the  fact that she was leaving. Her hands trailed along the brick wall, rough  under her fingertips, a feeling that grounded her and kept her going.  The darkness engulfed her but she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take her eyes away from the  blur of the fight, not until the very last second when her hand finally  ran out of wall.<\/p>\n<p>With a sigh, she turned away and then froze.<\/p>\n<p>Black tufted fur filled her vision. Her gaze rose to take in the  massive bulk of the wolf-like monster and stopped when it reached its  jaw. Sharp teeth greeted her as its jowls peeled back in a snarl.<\/p>\n<p>She began to shake her head.<\/p>\n<p>The monster backhanded her, sending her crashing into the wall. Pain  erupted across her skull as her head hit the pavement and a trembling  sickness passed over her. She pushed herself up on unsteady arms and  looked towards the man where he fought the other monster, keeping it at  the other end of the alley, and then behind her at the one that had hit  her.<\/p>\n<p>It was coming.<\/p>\n<p>Vivid yellow eyes filled the darkness. She couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t look away. The  sound of fighting swam in her ears and then drifted into the distance,  replaced by the noise of heavy feet pounding the tarmac. She threw a  glance back towards the man to see the other monster coming for her. Her  stomach heaved. She had been wrong. The monsters weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t after the man  at all.<\/p>\n<p>Lauren froze right down to the marrow of her bones.<\/p>\n<p>They were after her.<\/p>\n<p>Turning back to face the one nearest her, she screamed when she saw that it was almost on her. Its sharp jaws opened.<\/p>\n<p>Blood exploded up the wall and the monster tumbled to the ground.  Lauren shuffled backwards, away from it, not even thinking about the  other monster that had been coming at her from behind.<\/p>\n<p>Her hand hit a puddle.<\/p>\n<p>Only it hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been raining.<\/p>\n<p>And puddles weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t warm.<\/p>\n<p>Sick to her stomach, she snatched her hand back and retched when she  saw the blood covering it. She frantically wiped it on her jeans, her  heart fluttering against her ribcage. Both men were dead, cleaved  cleanly in two. Her stomach heaved but nothing came up. Bending over,  she grasped the pavement with both hands and tried to be sick again.  Nothing.<\/p>\n<p>The swordsman grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet. The motion jarred her vision and made her headache worsen.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Are you hurt?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said, voice soothing. Lauren looked up at him, instantly lost in his silver eyes.<\/p>\n<p>He frowned when she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t respond and then touched her forehead above  her right eyebrow. It stung and Lauren flinched away. His touch  lightened, becoming so tender that it felt like a lover\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s caress rather  than a simple concerned touch. She stared into his eyes as he inspected  what she presumed was a cut. The pain seemed so distant. Everything did.  His eyes gradually changed from stunning silver to icy blue again and  she found herself wondering why he worried so much about her safety.<\/p>\n<p>And why she felt as though she knew him.<\/p>\n<p>His hand caught her wrist and they were moving again. She almost  tripped when they passed one of the bodies and it began to disintegrate  before her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Stay close,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the swordsman said.<\/p>\n<p>Lauren glanced at him and then down at his hand on her wrist. She  didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that she had much choice. The strength in his grip was  incredible.<\/p>\n<p>Why was he protecting her? What did he want from her? Why were monsters after her?<\/p>\n<p>She had to be insane to be running around London with a man she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t  know and fighting monsters that were after her for some reason.<\/p>\n<p>The man turned down another street. Lauren yanked her hand free and  started back in the opposite direction. This had gone on long enough.  She wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure where she intended to go but she had to get away before  it all got crazier. She didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think it could, but something deep inside  said that it was going to if she kept letting the madman drag her  around.<\/p>\n<p>He grabbed her wrist again.<\/p>\n<p>Lauren tried to tug it free but his grip tightened. When she hit his  hand, he let go and backed away a step. Was he trying to calm her down?<\/p>\n<p>Finding her courage, she avoided looking him in the eye and put her hands on her hips.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m leaving and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d better not try to stop me,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said and it sounded quite convincing to her own ears.<\/p>\n<p>The man stepped back again. His coat fell open to reveal the hilt of his sword.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There is no going back,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They will find you again.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Her head was splitting now that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d stopped moving and threatening a man with a sword suddenly didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem so clever.<\/p>\n<p>She edged backwards.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There is no going back,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he repeated, his tone as calm as a millpond,  instilling a sense of peace in her. He was right. She told herself that  he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. He was wrong and he could do strange things to her with his  voice and his eyes. She had to escape. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you do, you will die.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Lauren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s head snapped up, her eyes locking with his. She wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure  whether he was threatening her or insinuating that the monsters would  kill her.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But my bag,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she whispered, desperate for a reason to get away.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Is there anything in it that could link you to tonight?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said and  she thought for a moment. She touched her jeans pockets and then her  jacket pockets. Her purse, keys and mobile phone were all with her. The  only thing in her bag was her kendo armour.<\/p>\n<p>She shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Forget it then.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d With a move so fast that she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even see it  happen, he snatched her wrist and began walking. She stumbled along  behind him, trying to prise his fingers off her. As a last resort, she  slapped his hand again but this time he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let go. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My duty is to  protect you. We must leave before others come.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Great, now she had her own Terminator and she wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even sure how she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d come to have him. Was she someone important?<\/p>\n<p>Important enough to protect?<\/p>\n<p>The swordsman had fought to defend her. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d killed three monsters for  her sake and she got the feeling that he would kill more if he had to.  Her gaze roamed over the strong line of his shoulders and up the funnel  neck of his coat to his face. His eyes remained fixed on the distance.  She had an overwhelming urge to pull down the collar of his coat so she  could see what he looked like. His eyes were incredible but something  told her that collar hid a face that was more than that.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where are we going?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said, her voice weak.<\/p>\n<p>No answer.<\/p>\n<p>Lauren was about to ask again when the redbrick Victorian houses of her  street came into view. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d never been so glad to see her home with  its bay sash-windows and red door. Memories of her childhood and her  parents came flooding back, filling her with a strange mixture of warmth  and cold, and reminding her that no comforting arms waited for her in  the house, not anymore. Her parents were gone and the pain of losing  them hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t faded in the months since their deaths. At the door, Lauren  fumbled with her keys and then breathed a sigh of relief when she  finally managed to slot the key in and turn it.<\/p>\n<p>The slam of her house door behind her was comforting and she leaned  back against it. The house was quiet and cold, but it still made her  feel safe. She glanced at the man where he stood to her right, looking  around her messy living room. When his gaze came back to meet hers, her  heart began to slow and her breathing came normally. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d saved her and  for some reason she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel threatened by him. She felt safe. A dry  laugh pushed past her lips. She was definitely going crazy.<\/p>\n<p>Or was she?<\/p>\n<p>Everything that had happened seemed so incredible and impossible, yet  she knew that it was real. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back  into the door, sighing on an exhale.<\/p>\n<p>The alley flashed across her closed eyes, the scene playing out again  in the darkness of her mind. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d never seen anything so horrible.<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes shot open when she remembered all the blood. She raised her  hands and stared at the crimson stains, her breathing laboured and  throat dry. Her fingers shook, wavering so much that she couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t focus  on them. If the blood was on her hands. She looked down at her chest.  Black lines criss-crossed her brown t-shirt. Where else had it hit her?  With trembling fingers, she touched her face and felt sick when she  found wet patches.<\/p>\n<p>Lauren raced up the stairs in front of her, following them around the  corner, and ran into the small peach coloured bathroom at the top. She  slammed into the sink and grasped it with both hands.<\/p>\n<p>Her dark brown eyes widened when she saw her reflection in the cabinet mirror.<\/p>\n<p>Red streaks marked her face, matching the colour of her hair.<\/p>\n<p>The monsters flashed before her eyes, followed by the swordsman.<\/p>\n<p>Her gaze fell to her hands and she raised them palm upwards. The blood  had seeped into the cracks of her skin, leaving dark jagged lines. Her  fingers trembled and her stomach twisted. She turned on the tap and  tried scrub the marks away with a nailbrush, rubbing her skin raw. A  tight swirling feeling mounted inside her. The blood wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go away.  Each glance at her hands revealed it was still there, coating them as it  had in the street. It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going away. She wanted it to go away.<\/p>\n<p>She didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want monsters to be real. They weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t real. She clawed at  the blood. It wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come off. A noise from downstairs made her tense  and she stared wide-eyed into the mirror. The man was coming. He was a  murderer. Any feeling of safety he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d given her was just an illusion. It  was her mind playing tricks, just as the monsters had been.<\/p>\n<p>Monsters.<\/p>\n<p>She saw them again, bisected and dead.<\/p>\n<p>Why wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the blood come off?<\/p>\n<p>Lauren locked the bathroom door, yanked the shower curtain aside,  turned the shower on, and stepped under the warm jet. It soaked her  clothes through but the blood on her hands still wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go away. She  sank to the floor and hugged her knees to her chest, burying her face in  them as she sobbed, weak and tired. The water bounced off her back and  trickled over her scalp. It dripped from the ends of her near-shoulder  length red hair and masked her tears as she rocked back and forth.<\/p>\n<p>Was it real or was she going insane?<\/p>\n<p>Why was the swordsman so familiar and why did she want him to come to her, need him close by?<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes widened and she stared at the water running down the plughole.<\/p>\n<p>She had a horrible feeling that he was right.<\/p>\n<p>The monsters were after her.<\/p>\n<p>And only he could protect her.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/long-excerpts\/loveimmortal-heatonF.pdf\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\"><b>\u00c2\u00bb DOWNLOAD EXTENDED EXCERPT PDF<\/b><\/a><\/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=Love%20Immortal\">http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Love%20Immortal<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle UK:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/<\/a><br \/><b>Barnes and Noble:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/search.barnesandnoble.com\/Love-Immortal\/Felicity-Heaton\/e\/2940011179648\/\">http:\/\/search.barnesandnoble.com\/Love-Immortal\/Felicity-Heaton\/e\/2940011179648\/<\/a><br \/><b>All Romance eBooks:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.allromanceebooks.com\/product-loveimmortal-613574-139.html\">http:\/\/www.allromanceebooks.com\/product-loveimmortal-613574-139.html<\/a><br \/><b>Sony Reader Store:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/ebookstore.sony.com\/ebook\/felicity-heaton\/love-immortal\/_\/R-400000000000000340123\">http:\/\/ebookstore.sony.com\/ebook\/felicity-heaton\/love-immortal\/_\/R-400000000000000340123<\/a><br \/><b>Kobo Books:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kobobooks.com\/ebook\/Love-Immortal\/book-OyQ9CMW5Jkaf0K_UwfVfGw\/page1.html\">http:\/\/www.kobobooks.com\/ebook\/Love-Immortal\/book-OyQ9CMW5Jkaf0K_UwfVfGw\/page1.html<\/a><br \/><b>Smashwords:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/36609\">http:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/36609<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle Germany:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.de\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.de\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle France:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.fr\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.fr\/dp\/B004HYHHME\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Available in paperback from:<\/b><br \/><b>Amazon.com:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1456487884\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1456487884\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon.co.uk:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/1456487884\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/1456487884\/<\/a><br \/><b>Barnes and Noble:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/search.barnesandnoble.com\/Love-Immortal\/Felicity-Heaton\/e\/9781456487881\/\">http:\/\/search.barnesandnoble.com\/Love-Immortal\/Felicity-Heaton\/e\/9781456487881\/<\/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>It&#8217;s time to step away from my vampire romance series books and shine a little light on one that is a stand alone. Love Immortal is an epic vampire romance book that is packed with action, drama, heart-wrenching moments, and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/2011\/10\/30\/vampire-romance-book-love-immortal-extended-excerpt\/\">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":[79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-extended-excerpts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346","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=346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}