SWORD OF REGRET by H.A. Fowler

SWORD OF REGRET by H. A. Fowler

What if there was an artifact that could rekindle the conscience of a killer?
When a vicious vampire and a ruthless vampire hunter touch just such an artifact in these two dark erotic tales, the relationships between humans and immortals could be changed... forever.

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An Excerpt from: Sword of Regret
Sword of Day

Copyright © 2006 H.A. Fowler

All rights reserved, Freya's Bower.

By reading this excerpt, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are younger than 18 years old, you must exit this site at once.

Before their souls had been opened to the true nature of their former enemies, both she and the hunter had committed heinous crimes against the other. How could she punish this fallen man when she could see herself in his eyes? Feel his sorrow, his self-loathing, as her own? How could she end him when she knew just what terrible lesson he had learned?

"Get up," she snapped, venting some of her frustration and confusion so it wouldn't incinerate her from within.

Armand D'Atellio, king of vampire slayers, remained curled into a fetal ball, hands over his face as if to block the visions of his crimes, weeping like a broken child.

"Why won't you kill me?" he cried, once again hitting her with those gut-wrenching eyes. "I would kill you!"

An ironic smirk touched her lips. "No you wouldn't. Not anymore." She nodded to her guards. "Take him to my bedchamber and leave him there."

* * *

An Excerpt from: Sword of Regret

Sword of Night

Copyright © 2006 H.A. Fowler

All rights reserved, Freya's Bower.

 

Jake never saw her move, and yet, she suddenly had him up against the wall, one tiny hand around his throat, holding him up off the floor with his feet dangling. Spots whirled around the edges of his vision, but he could still see that her face had changed. The sweet roundness that had so drawn him before had shifted to sharp planes and harsh edges. She snarled loudly, flashing more fangs than he thought should be possible in such a tiny, delicious mouth.

He was harder than ever -- an irony that made the civilized man in him cringe a little. What was it they always said about sex and violence? Nataya knew the effect she was having. She crushed her lush little body against him even as she choked out his life. She pressed the side of her face to his, and drew a long, wet line over the edge of his ear with her cool tongue. He shivered more violently than ever, and still not from fear.

"Now do you believe me?" she purred, raising goosebumps over every inch of his body.

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ANGEL EYES, VAMPIRE TEARS by Jason Daniel Kowalczyk

ANGEL EYES, VAMPIRE TEARS - A Blood Companion Book by Jason Daniel Kowalczyk

The 7th volume of the "Blood Companion" series picks up 5 years after "One Vampire's Demons" leaves off. The Shackler, who claims to be Lelio Froste, has created a vampire from a lost, broken-hearted soul, and wants desperately to use him as a pawn. How will Damion fight off this Shackler, and will he be able to in time to save the woman he loves? The only way to find out is to open this tale up and follow it through all its horrifying twists and turns.

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Excerpt from “Angel Eyes, Vampire Tears” By Jason Daniel Kowalczyk

It was almost like I did not have control of my body; I smashed in that door and stepped into the booking area. I heard a female officer speaking into a radio, “some fool in a Halloween mask just took down the door to booking.”

Almost instantly, there was a reply, a male’s voice, “that’s impossible, that door is steel-reinforced.”

“Must be on something,” I heard another officer say.

"Where is she?” I was shocked at the sound of my own voice. An officer came up behind me, I felt his presence before he even touched me and I threw my elbow back. I connected with his face, sadly though, his skull caved in with contact and his lifeless body flew out into the street.

"Where is who?” The voice came from a direction I was not looking, “We have only brought in males tonight.”My soul labeled that officer a liar, I knew that Shelby would not have lied to me, and it did not even occur to me that the human woman that I loved so dearly may have been arrested in another county.

An officer on the other side of the booking desk shot me with a tazer. I saw my reflection in a mirror and actually found myself chuckle when as I saw my eyes seem to glow with the electricity flowing through my frame. I pulled the little hooks out of my chest and slung them back at him, sinking them into his face.

Police officers began to come at me, and I had no thoughts to who might be mothers, fathers or anything of the like. A few I pulled close to me and drained them of some blood by instinct as bullets began to fly past me and through me. They just kept coming; nothing of what they saw was truly registering in their mind. I had torn open the throats of fellow officers in front of their eyes and drank their blood, and yet they kept coming closer to me. I threw some officers so hard that their heads went through the bars of the holding-cells, killing them of course.

A lot of those who were sitting in the holding-cells were cheering me on as if I was to free them. I advanced slowly through the area, dispatching every officer that came near me. I was checking each cell for the woman I love. Nothing was to be found. Under a hale of gunfire, I went to the booking log to see if her name was in the book. She had not been booked into this jail, and as I found this little note of information, I began to hear sirens outside the building. All I could hear in my head was that guy from Night of the Living Dead, but instead of saying Barbara, I was hearing, “They’re coming to get you, Damion.”

I slung the booking log at six officers that were peering in an open door where all the bookies are taken after photographed and fingerprinted and then I bolted through the hole in the wall where I took down the door. There was flashing lights of red and blue lighting up the neighborhood. Police from all the neighboring counties must have come to the aid of these ignorant hicks. I was going to test my new powers and take them on when I saw an officer that was a new recruit, fresh out of the academy. Officer Dodsworth was staring at me down the barrel of a 12-gauge shotgun. I was so happy that my face had changed shape; he did not know that it was I. He stood out among these officers, he did not have the spiked hair or facial hair that most did, and he did not look fresh out of the military.

“Take off your mask and surrender,” officer Dodsworth had no idea that he was looking at something that was no longer human, and was once his friend.

I must have looked as if I was crazy when I took off running. I could hear squealing tires of patrol cars behind me as my speed began to increase from that which would be considered human, and what I was doing. I ran the side roads until I reached Highway 63 and took off like a bat out of hell, literally.

I was moving fast enough that the cruisers behind me were at full speed and barely keeping up. If only I had the power to hear what was being said over the scanners. I bet that almost no one listening could believe what they were hearing, let alone what these officers were seeing as they broadcast their sights.

I could feel bullets tearing through my body, from handguns, sniper rifles, anything they could sling at me were slung. I could feel the rage beginning to subside and desperation to get away took over. The last thing I needed was for my face to change back to normal and have my face all over the news.

As in every chase, there are cars that do not yield to the sirens, so I came along side of a car, not realizing that I was heading straight into a roadblock. I turned my head, I felt compelled to, though I have no idea why. It was just another car, and in the backseat was my beloved Rebecca. The look of fear in her eyes smashed what was left of my heart. I could feel my face change back into the human look, and it appeared to frighten her even more.

I heard a sniper rifle go off from the wooden area just beyond the road. I had not realized that I had left town so quickly. The round went through my right knee, causing me to fall and begin to tumble. I could feel flesh being torn from my body. I could hear her screaming my name, but I knew that I could not go back for her now. There was too high of a chance that one of the bullets that were being fired at me would end up hitting her, and that was something I was not willing to risk.

As I tumbled along the asphalt, I felt my knee heal itself and when my body hit one of the patrol cars in the roadblock, it bounced up and I got enough air to right myself and take off running again. This time I ran into the wooded area where all I needed was to lose them for just a few seconds so that I could go into the ground where I thought that I might be safe from being found. I knew that I had to do so before they brought out the dogs.

I willed myself to pick up more speed to put a larger distance between the law and myself. And once I had at least a 20-second lead, I lay down on the ground and sunk into it. It was many years later that I saw another vampire do the same thing. The vampire sinks into the earth and anything covering the ground will slip back into place, whether it is dead leaves or snow. I knew that it might be weeks before it would be safe to come out of this spot, but I also knew that I would have to risk it and try to get out of here the very next evening.

She saw my face change; she was frightened by what she saw. This was going to be hell trying to explain what the hell I had become.

But she was supposed to have been arrested.

That IS what her mother told Shelby.

Something smells fishy here, and it isn't my ex-wife.

I really don't know how long I stayed in the earth until I was secure in the knowledge that there were no more police dogs roaming in the wooded area where I wanted to come out of the ground. And would you believe that when I came out of the ground, there was someone sitting on a tree stump? How could she have found me, how could she have known?

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WHISPERS OF EVIL by Stacey Kennedy

WHISPERS OF EVIL - The Watchers - Book Two by Stacey Kennedy

Can the whispers of evil be hushed by love, or will it be lost forever…

Nayeli has been locked away, hidden from the world in a mental institution, all due to the whispers of evil which have corrupted her mind. Unbeknownst to her, the voices that have plagued her are a gift given to only one kind - Watchers.

Griffin, her Seeker, is about to break this cage of imprisonment woven around her and give her a new chance at life. But when a demon leaves the confines of Hell to create havoc in Louisiana, will his love for Nayeli free her wounded heart, or will she succumb to the whispers which threaten to steal her soul?

*WARNING: Explicit sex between a timid Watcher and a gorgeous Seeker, and a ceremony that will certainly raise eyebrows!

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Whispers of Evil by Stacey Kennedy
Chapter One

The cold damp air set into Griffin’s bones, or maybe it was the decrepit brown brick building that caused chills to sink into his soul. On the outside, the building needed a complete renovation due to the paint peeling off the posts at the entrance, the foggy glass on the door—withered from time—and the rusted steel bars on the windows. But it wasn’t the building that held his intrigue; it was what lived inside.

His Watcher.

“Tell me again what you’re planning on doing?” Paxtyn asked, tucked in behind a large bush.

Griffin steadied the nerves that shook him and glanced at her. The newest Watcher was indeed a powerful woman and had proven herself with regards to her abilities to converse with the dead. Her assistance led to the banishment of Balan, a Prince of Hell, that he suspected, as did they all, had been sent to Earth as a punishment. The fighting had been intense, but all four of his brothers, who now included the new Seeker, Tate, remained standing.

Paxtyn’s personality matched her spitfire looks, though the curly strawberry blonde locks that cradled her face were almost too soft of a shade for her. Dynamic red would have suited her more. Nonetheless, the woman was simply beautiful with turquoise eyes and feminine features. Knox, his brother, counted himself a very lucky man to have her as his Watcher.

Griffin hoped for the same blessing.

When Paxtyn suggested she come along, Griffin didn’t deny her. Now, he rethought that choice. “As I have told you a hundred times now, I plan on going in there and getting my Watcher.”

Paxtyn looked back to the building, then met Griffin’s eyes again. Confusion filled her face. “And just how are you going to do that? Go knock on the door?”

Knox laughed next to her.

Griffin shot him a look to shut it. Of course, his brother, not blood related, but bonded from a long friendship, continued on as if hadn’t seen the look. His grey eyes beamed with his usual confidence. Griffin scowled, earning a wink from his brother before looking back to the building. “I’m not quite sure what to do. It looks as though security will be tight.”

“You fight demons and you’re worrying about what security might lay behind the door of a mental hospital?” Paxtyn chortled.

Griffin ignored her sassy remark and studied the building. The only way in was through the front door. He suspected, if he pulled hard enough on the bars caging the windows, his enhanced strength would remove them. However, it would be loud. His hope was to get in, rescue his Watcher, and run.

Knox let out a long impatient sigh and ran a hand over his short mocha hair. “Griffin, just knock the damn door down and find her.”

It wasn’t the ideal situation. He didn’t want to frighten her by just barging in, snatching her up and running away with her. But, what choice did he have? He stood, decided he was making the right choice. “Are you waiting here?” he asked Paxtyn.

“No,” she replied.

“Yes,” Knox retorted.

Griffin smiled. The two were at a constant tug-of-war about who should be in control of their relationship. It amused him. The Knox he knew wouldn’t stand for a woman ordering him about, but this small woman seemed to stop him in his tracks. He wondered if such would be the case with him.

He’d had women—lots of women. He took them to bed, but cared for none. Not truly anyway. His interest resided in what sat between their legs, nothing more than that. He wondered at times what love was like, felt like, and wondered now if he’d be a man capable of such an emotion. He doubted it. But he hoped to be proven wrong.

“Well, I’m going in there,” Griffin remarked. “Are you going to join me or argue about it out here?”

Paxtyn snorted at Knox before she walked toward the hospital. “We’re going with you.”

Knox let out a loud frustrated groan. He gave Griffin a knowing look. “Are you sure you want to go in there and get yourself one of those?” He pointed to his Watcher as she strode with purpose toward the hospital.

Griffin laughed and nodded. “Yes, my friend, I do.”

A small smile lifted the corner of Knox’s lips. “Well, then—let’s go get her.” He gave Griffin a hard slap on his back.

Of all, Knox would understand Griffin’s urgency here. He’d only found Paxtyn weeks ago. Plus, the friendship born between them made for a bond that wanted the other to find happiness—one that was only obtained from the bond with his Watcher. Griffin had seen the change in Knox, seen the peace, the happiness that now lived in his brother’s eyes. Of course, Knox made a royal mess with Paxtyn at first, because she was left confused by his intentions. Griffin would not make the same mistake.

Quickly, the two men trotted up to Paxtyn’s side as they neared the front doors. She looked back over her shoulder when she met the door. “So, what’s the plan then?”

Griffin raised his foot and kicked the door in one hard fluid movement. “There is no plan.” When the door broke free of its lock, sirens rang out loud around them as he rushed in.

An unmanned desk sat to his left. To his right, a sitting room lay empty at this time of night. Straight ahead was a cement hall with too many doors to count and a horrible stench of sterilizer.

“Do you feel her?” Knox asked, his tone hurried.

Griffin closed his eyes for moment, moving past the scent that made his stomach turn, and concentrated. Yes, he could feel her here, but she felt weak.

“Griffin!” Paxtyn shouted. “Someone will notice us here, hurry up.”

His eyes snapped open. He kept the weak feeling close to his heart and ran straight ahead. The building, previously dark, now lit up around them. Chances were Paxtyn was right, and any minute security guards would be all around them. Not that he was worried any. A good jab to their face would render them unconscious. Still, it wasn’t his intent to hurt anyone if he could help it. The walls passed by him in a blur as the feeling, the pull he could never explain beyond a yearning, yanked him forward.

Knox and Paxtyn stayed right on his heels. “Where is she?” Knox called out above the sirens.

Good question. Her essence was there, subtle, but there. Not to his left, or his right, but right above him. “Upstairs,” he yelled in return. The end of the hall approached, but a keypad to the left indicated the door was locked. He picked up speed, clenched his jaw in preparation, and a foot away, he launched himself at the door, kicking out with both feet. On contact, the door blasted free from its lock, and with the force of his hit, the window glass shattered, raining down up on him as he landed on the floor.

The pain of the glass sliced into his arms, but did not hinder him. Nothing would stop him now. Behind him, Paxtyn and Knox’s feet crunched against the broken shards. He hurried up the stairs, and his breath drew out in quick pants of urgency.

At the top of the staircase, the pull commanded him to increase his speed. He drew closer. His heart pounded in his ears. Soon, he would hold her.

Right on cue, he heard the thumps of footsteps coming down the stairs above him. Quickly, he looked back to Paxtyn. “You need to hide—now.”

Knox didn’t wait. He picked her up around the waist and opened the door next to him. “Hey, put me down,” she squeaked as he threw her in.”

Griffin steadied himself. Waited. Counted down the footsteps that barrelled toward him. By the different sounds created by their weights, three men were approaching.

Knox slammed the door closed. “Damn woman.” Then, he came up to Griffin’s side, cocking his head. “Three.”

“Three,” Griffin repeated. Suddenly three men appeared on the staircase above them with hands on their revolvers. Griffin’s knives felt like heavy weights against their sheaths resting along his black shorts. But his kind saved humans, not injured them so he needed to subdue these men. They didn’t injure them.

“Stop! Freeze!” one of the men called out.

Knox rolled his eyes and snorted.

Griffin chuckled. “We’re not moving.”

“Stop right there,” another one called out.

Griffin could only shake his head and let out a deep breath. He thought they should at least provide some men worth fighting. The idea of fighting this ridiculous display of three heavyset men with stomachs that insinuated they were with child and sweat beading down their foreheads from the short run, was going to embarrass him.

But still, the weapons they held in their hands were a concern. Even as an immortal, he was susceptible to death. If a bullet entered his heart, he would die just as a human would.

Knox held up his hands in surrender. Griffin followed the move. Bringing the men close was ideal.

“Get your hands up,” the third man demanded.

“They’re up,” Griffin retorted and gave a smug smile. He waited, annoyed that they were keeping him away from his Watcher, but he didn’t make his move until the men had them surrounded.

He glanced sideways at Knox, who gave a smile that said what words couldn’t. He was ready. Looking back to the guards, Griffin drew in a deep breath and levelled the one closest to him with a hard jab to head.

The man dropped like dead weight.

Quickly turning, he repeated the move to the other closest to him before the man had a chance to grab his weapon. After the bang against the man’s jaw vibrated off his arm, he dropped unconscious, and just as he went down, Knox sent the other to join him.

“I’d suspect that isn’t all of them,” Knox said, grabbing onto the door handle. “We must be quick here, Griffin.” The door flew open, and Paxtyn stood in the opening, irate.

She gave him a hard punch to the shoulder. “If you ever man-handle me like that again, I will castrate you.”

Knox frowned. “I needed to—”

Her glare deepened, her eyes narrowing. “You needed to what?”

Knox’s lips tightened into a firm thin line, then he sighed deeply and grumbled. “I apologize.”

“That’s right you do.” Her glare met Griffin’s. “You waiting for something or do you plan on going to get her?”

Griffin snapped out of it. Seeing Paxtyn render Knox into an apologetic fool for protecting her left him a little stunned. Will this be how I act once my Watcher joins me? He just couldn’t imagine it. “Right.” He began to run again. “She’s this way.”

Now focused back on the job at hand, the pull returned inside of him—the feeling strong, but the signal sent from her weak. The need to get to her captured him, but something was off. Her essence felt so tired. His feet pounded against the floor, and the stench of antiseptic filled his nose. He opened his mouth to block the disgusting smell.

Halfway down the hall, the power hit him like a blast of electricity. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked to the right. Here.

Without hesitation, he rushed into the room, and his world stopped. He couldn’t have imagined this. The scene was far more horrific than even his mind was capable of producing. Here lay his Watcher, the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen, her ebony hair pulled up in an elastic, but he suspected once let down, her hair would be long. Her thick lashes coated her closed eyes, and he wondered what color lay under her lids. Her lips—plush and pouty. Her body under the white thin nightgown was frail, pale, and made of bones. If he hadn’t seen her chest rising and falling, she’d appear dead.

“Oh my god,” Paxtyn cried out. “What have they done to her?”

Griffin couldn’t take his eyes off of his Watcher. Her hands bound to her sides were strapped to the bed as were her feet. That hair that he thought so beautiful stuck along her face as if she had been screaming, fighting against her shackles. Bruises marked her wrists and ankles, bloody from where she’d pulled to get away.

If he hadn’t sworn to take an oath to defend humans, he’d kill whoever had done this to her. His breath gasped out, snapping him back to the present. He had to get her out of this prison. Rushing forward, he unclipped the restraints on her arms and legs and swept her up in his arms.

He cradled the dead weight in his arms. Her head fell back, and her arms dangled at her sides. Griffin placed his hand around her head to hold it close to his bare chest. The feel of her near him sent a warmth to his heart he’d never known before. But what had been done to her? Why was she held in this manner? Rage consumed him.

He glanced back to Knox, and by the look on Knox’s face, Griffin assumed his eyes looked deadly. “We must go now, before I forget my vows and make those responsible pay.”

Knox nodded, and his brows drew together in displeasure. “I think I agree with you on that point.”

Without looking back, Griffin kept his Watcher tight in his arms. She may have been mistreated, may have even been forgotten, but from this day forward, he would see that she wouldn’t see another day of unhappiness. She’s mine now, and I will keep her safe.

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BASTIEN: Hidden Breeds 1 by Tianna Xander

BASTIEN - Hidden Breeds: 1 by Tianna Xander

Trying to escape from her personal hell leads Carly to Bastien. Taking on a job as housekeeper, things rapidly are not what they seem around the Bastien's homestead. With wild animals coming in from the woods and her vicious ex-husband circling the front gate, Carly is desperate to find security and a feeling of calm.

Bastien is an alpha wolf and knows her the moment he meets her on the most basic of levels. From scent to curves, Carly draws his attention and holds it when he should be concentrating on pack business.

Just as he's starting to make his move they are separated by secret government lab dedicated to turning soldiers into shifters and Carly ends up in a cage left wondering if he is the one man who think she is worth rescuing.

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Excerpt

Carly sat on the edge of the bed, biting her nails. The butterflies in her stomach had gone wild some time ago. Apparently, they had thought to hell with flitting about lightly, this situation warranted a full out assault on her system.

Resting a hand on her abdomen, Carly took a deep breath. Releasing it slowly, she wondered if she would have the courage to do what she came here to do. She stood and, removing her bathrobe, threw it on the back of the chair by the window and hurried back to the bed. She launched herself onto the sapphire comforter just as she heard Bastien's footsteps in the hall.

Close to hyperventilating, Carly forced her breathing to slow, and drawing a deep breath into her lungs, she released it slowly then struck a seductive pose. "It's past the point of no return, now, you coward. So stop shaking," she said to herself as she watched Bastien's shadow from under the crack in the door.

The door opened slowly. At first, he was looking down at the floor, almost as if he was searching for something. Then he raised his head and their eyes met. He was obviously surprised to see her lying on his bed in nothing but a transparent white teddy. Though the sudden tightness in the front of his khaki slacks told her he was more than happy to see her there.

Carly's face heated as she watched his gaze travel from her face to the dusky tips of her nipples peeking through the white lace undergarment she bought on a whim the third week she'd worked for him.

His scorching gaze burned a trail down her torso to the dark red triangle at the apex of her thighs. She squirmed beneath his heated stare. She reveled in the abandoned way he reached down to fondle himself through his pants. Did he even realize he was doing that?

"What are you waiting for?" she asked, her voice husky.

He swallowed visibly. "I'm afraid you'll disappear if I move."

She raised her brows. "Why?"

"Because you're a vision, baby, a dream, and I'm afraid I'll wake up." He moved his head from side to side, his dark gaze never leaving her body.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said, lowering herself further onto the bed, dropping her voice to a seductive purr. "Unless you want me to leave." Her mouth formed a moue. "Don't you want me?"

He took a step closer, inhaling deeply, as if he loved her scent. "I want you more than anything, baby. You must know, if we do this thing, we will be mated for life. I can't, I won't accept anything less."

Carly brought her legs up. Tucking them beneath her, she pushed forward, crawling toward the foot of the bed. "I'm not going to beg you, Bastien. If you don't want me--"

She shrieked when he moved. One moment he was standing in the doorway, then a fraction of a second later, the door slammed shut and he stood next to the bed, looming over her, very slowly lowering his head.

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LUST BY MOONLIGHT by Desiree Holt

LUST BY MOONLIGHT by Desiree Holt

Night Seeker Series - Book Two

As a shifter Mark Guitron is uniquely equipped to search for the devil beast, El Chupacabra, and stop the horrible killings. Hunting one night by moonlight he spots another wolf whose aura tells him she is also a shifter. When he is visited by an erotic vision of her in human form he knows he must find her and make her his own.

Chloe Hansen is searching for her friend who she's convinced is a victim of the devil beast. When she meets Mark she feels a primal tug that tells her they are meant to be together. As they join forces in the hunt, they soon learn that sex between them feeds a need, rather than slaking it. The multiple orgasms barely satisfy their lust for each other, and as they draw closer to their prey they mate in the fiercest coupling yet.

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By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, it is necessary to exit this site.

An Excerpt From: LUST BY MOONLIGHT

Copyright © DESIREE HOLT, 2010

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Chapter One



“Hey, I’ve only been here for two nights.” Mark chuckled into the sat phone. “Give me a break, okay?”

“Just checking.” Ric Garza’s voice held just a trace of humor. “So how did you find things there? About the same?”

“Nothing ever changes down here,” Mark told him. “Still a lot of ‘coyotes’ bringing illegals across the Rio Grande and the narcotraficantes are still running drugs. Otherwise, what else could be going on in a county that has a total population of less than fourteen thousand?”

“You tell me? You’re the one who lived there all those years.”

Mark sighed. “I know. I just enjoyed the peace and quiet. Don’t get many gangbangers or drive-bys down this way.”

“So, tell me. Any talk in town about the beast? And hint of an appearance?”

“No.” Mark sighed. “But you and I both know that doesn’t mean anything. By the time we hear about it, the first killing has already taken place.”

“You going out again tonight?” Ric wanted to know.

“In just a little while. I’ll let you know if I find anything. Pick up any trace.”

“All right. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

Mark Guitron clicked off and placed the phone on the kitchen counter. Glancing out the window over the sink, he saw that twilight had already morphed into night. Another hour and it would be full dark, time for him to prowl. He busied himself at his laptop while he waited, pulling up again the latest news stories on El Chupacabra and trying to find some hint of the beast’s path of destruction. Finally, by ten o’clock he was ready. Stripping off his clothes and leaving them folded on his bed, he opened the back door, walked onto the tiny porch and willed his body to shift.

As always he felt the bones elongate, the muscles stretch, his nose morph into the classic snout of the wolf. The fine smattering of dark hair on his body thickened and turned into a rich pelt and his canine teeth became biting tools with sharpened points. In seconds he was wolf, lifting his head to scent the air. Quietly he padded down the stairs, inhaled the night air again, and took off across the rocky ground and down into the first of many arroyos.

The moon had just cleared the tops of the trees and hung like a silver ball in the sky. The air was clear tonight, not a hint of a cloud, and stars hung like brilliants around the lunar globe. The loamy soil over its base of natural caliche lay like a carpet on the ground, populated by thorny shrubs that thrived in the arid environment. Zapata County, located in the Balcones Escarpment, was in the area that divided East and West Texas. It nestled along the Mexican border seeking invisibility in the ongoing border drug wars.

Mark had grown up here, in this sparsely populated area, his parents scratching out a living in the natural gas industry, the county’s main economic product. A football scholarship took him through four years at Texas A&M University and a degree in criminal justice. He’d been a decorated deputy in the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office until the call had come from Craig Stafford. He’d been reeling from the death of his closest friend, killed by the Chupacabra, a beast that many refused to acknowledge, that others denigrated, but that all feared.

Now he was back in the area he knew so well, roaming it as the wolf.

The devil beast had gone from Texas to Florida but deep in his belly Mark sensed it was headed back here. To finish things. Finish the cycle.

Its pattern was always three kills before moving on, but in Maverick County it had been held to two because Mark and Jonah had chased it away by zeroing in on another predator. Similar, but not the same. Not only had the autopsy proven that, but there had been more killings.

Mark was the one who had suggested returning to the Texas border area because the devil beast hadn’t completed its pattern there. Three kills, then move on. But it had been interrupted before the third one. Its rage would be great and its bloodlust high. It would want to leave its stamp on that area.

The Night Seekers had all debated whether it would return to Maverick County or move on. Both Mark and Jonah had insisted it wouldn’t go back to the place where it had nearly been killed but would find someplace close by. Zapata County, with its vast stretches of land and sparse population was an ideal spot for the Chupacabra killing ground.

Mark had kept his little house outside the town of Zapata. What the hell, it was all paid for. And so he’d opened it up, laid in some provisions and each night shifted to go hunting. Now in his wolf form he padded along in the moonlight, listening to the calls of the night birds. He used his highly developed sense of smell to search for traces of the Chupacabra, especially any lingering hint of the aroma of turpentine that he and Jonah had found at the killing site in Maverick County, but he only caught the scent of the wild animals.

Still, his plan was to keep searching every night, widening the area each time he went out. In his gut he knew the devil beast would come here to finish his task. Knew it with a certainty. And he would be here, waiting for it.

It was a night just like this one when he’d found the body of his closest friend, Rob Greico. He’d just come off patrol as a Deputy Sheriff and was swinging by Rob’s house for a late beer. Like Mark, Rob lived in a fairly isolated area of the county. He’d driven down the long caliche drive from the two-lane highway, ready to kick back and suck on a brew. All the lights had been on at Rob’s house, but when Mark knocked no one answered. Nor did he find anyone when he walked through the house. The television was blaring but no Rob. Nothing.

Until he reached the barn. What he’d thought was a pile of rags turned out to be Rob’s mutilated body. Mark had walked away from the site and vomited before finally going back to take a closer look. He’d never get the horror of that night out of his mind. Fang marks on his throat. His body drained of blood. His stomach ripped open and his intestines hanging out.

No one should have to die like that. And he’d vowed that moment not to stop until he’d hunted and killed the devil beast.

The problem with hunting El Chupacabra was people were so scared of the legend they wouldn’t acknowledge it. Or else they discounted it as an old wives’ tale. His boss had finally demanded that he take some leave time and right about then Craig Stafford had contacted him about Night Seekers.

He truly hoped this wasn’t going to be a waste of time on his part. The animal—or whatever it was—needed to be caught and killed before it wreaked any more havoc. The most disturbing thought was the indication that someone might be crossbreeding and trying to reproduce this evil hybrid of nature. Whoever that was had to be found and stopped.

Mark paused at the top of a rocky knoll, lifting his snout. A strange scent caught at his nostrils, and he turned his head.

Wolf!

Every muscle in his body went rigid. Wolves were not endemic to Zapata County. Indeed, wolves were all but extinct everywhere in Texas, disappearing slowly over the years. While neighboring states had reintroduced the gray wolf to the wild, Texas still lagged behind. Which was why Mark was always careful when running to do it at night and pick a spot without human habitation.

So where did this other wolf come from? Was it one of the rare red wolves he’d read about inhabiting the area? He didn’t even know if their existence here was a fact, or just a legend like El Chupacabra. And why would it be here, anyway, since its habitat was the marshland between Houston and Beaumont?

Moving rapidly into a small cluster of trees, he shifted and used the thickest tree to conceal himself. Peering around the trunk, he spotted the other wolf still standing in the same place. It turned its head in Mark’s direction and he could have sworn that even at this distance the animal saw him. He held his breath. If it was truly a wolf in the wild, it would smell him and possibly attack.

But the strangest thing happened. The air around the animal shimmered and in seconds where the wolf had stood was a woman whose amazing body was outlined by the moonlight. He could tell she was tall, with long hair of some dark color that streamed down her back, and as she lifted her arms she brought magnificent breasts into relief.

His cock stood immediately at attention, hardening and swelling. He started to move out of his hiding place, then thought better of it. She turned her head in his direction for the briefest of moments, then the air shimmered again and the wolf was back.

He stood unmoving, watching, until the other animal loped of into a stand of trees and disappeared from sight. This was not good. If there was another shifter in the area, Night Seekers really needed to know about it. He’d have to do some real digging to find out about the wolf, and do it without raising any suspicions.

Taking one last look, he turned and trotted off to his house.

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EVEN THE DEVIL NEEDS LOVE by Nadia Aidan

EVEN THE DEVIL NEEDS LOVE by Nadia Aidan

A god, a demon queen, and the devil - Hell just got hotter!

Lilith walked out on her husband, Lucifer, one year ago presumably to shack up with Lucifer's nemesis, Odin, and do good works as a wannabe Valkyrie.

But now she's back - because Lucifer has taken something that doesn't belong to him, something Lilith wants - an honorable soul. So clad in her skintight leathers, Lilith takes a little trip back to Hell to retrieve it.

But she knows by doing this she is playing right into Lucifer's hands, because he never wanted that soul in the first place, he only took it to bring her back. And now that she's back she can finally give him the one thing he wants more than anything else - an heir.

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Copyright © Nadia Aidan, 2010
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Excerpt From: Even the Devil Needs Love


Lucifer’s cock was hard and heavy; the hot little demon beneath him, open and ready for his penetration, her body as sweet and juicy as a ripe peach. He closed his eyes, the fat purple head of his dick pushing inside her warm cunt. He was almost to paradise, seated fully inside her tight sheath, when another hot little demon—no, make that the hottest demon he’d ever known—burst into his bed chambers and ruined what would have been a great night.

“I want that soul back, Lucifer! That was not your soul to take.” She slammed the door behind her, the walls rattling in the wake of her fury.

His cock deflated instantly and he rolled off the cute blonde. With a curt nod he dismissed her, his eyes tinged with longing as he stared after her curvaceous backside. That longing soon gave way to irritation when his intruder planted herself smack dab in front of his face, blocking his view of the perfect apple bottom scurrying out of his chambers.

“Lilith, couldn’t this have waited?” He stood, towering over her, his eyes glowing a scarlet red. “I was just a little busy.”

She stood before him, unimpressed by his mounting fury. Instead, of backing down, as most would have, she closed the distance between them. And he forced himself to bite back a groan when her leather corset, binding what he knew were gorgeous full breasts, brushed the hair-roughened skin of his chest, awakening his arousal. His body always reacted this way when she was near, whenever she touched him. It was as if his cock needed to remind him he’d been a fool to let her get away in the first place.

“That soul you took? The young soldier? That’s my soul, you dumbass. She belongs to Odin, not you.”

“She was an assassin—a killer.”

“She was a soldier—a warrior. She belongs in Valhalla, not in Hell.”

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VISIONQUEST by Laura Tolomei

VISIONQUEST - A GLBT dark shapeshifter erotic by Laura Tolomei

It wasn't till he took me to his bed and made love to me, for the first time - no competition between us, no unspoken challenge, no master-slave, no blood, no death, nothing but intense emotions overwhelming me with the sheer power of his feelings, a sea so deep, a tide so strong I thought I'd drown as he took me face up, raising my legs above his shoulders and plunging deep before preying on my mouth, too, in a never-ending kiss that took my breath, not to mention my resolve, away - that in spite of everything, I gave him what he wanted most, my soul in its entirety, for I knew right there and then I was sealing my destiny forever.

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Excerpt:

But what really blew my mind away were his incredible transformation and the connection he was strengthening every day more. The first time I saw him slowly turn into a majestic black eagle-like bird—his face elongating in a beak, his body sprouting giant claws, then long elegant wings, covered with thick luscious black feathers—it took my breath away, though not as much as when I understood that I, and I alone, had the power to control him. And it thrilled me beyond words, like an excitingly heated wave coursing my entire fiber, to think he had chosen me, out of all the people he could’ve beckoned for this special service, to share his most intimate sphere.

So he soared high above the sky while I tried to follow him on ground, soon losing sight of him until the low, deep and distinctive pitch I was learning to recognize as his essence reverberated in my head like the sound of distant thunder to steer me in the right direction without using any words or forms of verbal communication. Apparently, his beast state didn’t consent any human weakness, least of all the spoken kind, and he had to submit to the same limitations animals did except for what came from the intense sharing I was growing to depend on, both in and out of bed. And while I could simply think my questions or comments in order to receive an answer from him, he relied heavily on imagery, audible signs and sensations to make sure we never lost track of each other, flashing map-like pictures of a place, if not the actual view of it, or clogging my ears with the noise associated to it.

In any case, I didn’t need his words—enough to sense him as a presence in my head regardless of the distance between us or of his appearance, bird or human making no difference in my strong perception of him—for I knew he was trying to teach me more than a silent exchange of information. What he aimed at was for our link to move beyond the physical realm to reach the indefinable sensual one that for the time being was ours only during sex. “Because, little one, our senses won’t betray us…” To prove his point, he had grabbed it and squeezed it. “Like fragile emotions or false words.”

I had no trouble believing him, not after his many lessons were plunging me into a frenzied heat that swept away my doubts, my awareness, my breath, my very life, everything and anything that wasn’t him fading in a hazy background until nothing existed besides him. And it intoxicated my soul and altered my perceptions like living constantly on the edge of a precipice, hovering between a vertical fall without safety nets and a sense of security he was instilling slowly but surely.

That’s how it all came together—the training, the connection, the hunt, the chase, the killings, the incredible transformation and the hottest sex—coalescing into the most unusual relationship I had ever experienced. It wasn’t love, of course, though I felt closer to him than to any loved one. It wasn’t work either, although we had a definite purpose and his determination drove me beyond any feasible boundary. But whatever it was, nothing expressed it better than our bodies’ fatal attraction to one another.

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UNDEAD IN THE CITY by Lynda Hilburn

UNDEAD IN THE CITY by Lynda Hilburn

Musician Tempest Moon knew the world was a rough place. Raised in the inner city of Detroit, the only way she knew to succeed was to be smarter - and tougher - than the next guy. Being a sexy, talented singer/lead guitar player with her own band was her way of being in charge of her destiny. Whether anyone else liked it, or not.

Tempest's band was gigging in yet another downtown dive. The club was almost empty due to the arrival of the worst blizzard the city had seen in a century. With one more set to play before she and the band could escape the smoky lounge, a mystery man walked in. Even dripping wet from the relentless onslaught, Tempest could tell the man was unusual. If only because he was the most gorgeous male specimen she'd ever seen. But he was a little pale.

Malveaux had ducked into the bar to avoid having to kill anymore of the worthless minions set upon him by the local vampire territory boss. Under most circumstances, he'd have enjoyed tracking the idiots, and tearing their hearts out. He'd learned long ago to take pleasure in his work. But Malveaux wasn't dealing with usual circumstances. A sexual obsession, passed to him by his sire and suddenly overwhelming, had changed all the rules of the game. He knew if he didn't find an "offspring" - a female to serve his needs - he'd go mad.

When he laid eyes on the charismatic musician on stage, he knew he'd found his "child." She wouldn't need to know he was an assassin. But she'd find out his deeper secret soon enough when he sank his fangs into the pulsing vein in her neck.

Together they'd take on the human underworld and the undead.

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Excerpt:

A burst of frigid air hit Tempest as the front door opened. Thinking a few more customers might be braving the sudden ice age to show up for the last set, she was disappointed to see only a solitary man step inside. He shook his hair away from his face, sending a shower of melting snow down the walls, and straightened the collar on his coat. The entryway was directly in front of her at the far end of the club, and luckily, there were a lot of overhead lights, so she got a good look at the new arrival. Even with his long, dark hair snow-covered, wet, and plastered against his shoulders, she felt her breath catch – and not from the cold air. He had to be the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. Tall, with light skin and piercing eyes. She appreciated the cut of his leather duster and suspected it was high dollar. What the hell was a fancy number like him doing in a crap hole like this? Maybe he was another one of those mafia jerks. They were always showing up to extort one kind of payment or another.

Hidden in the darkness of the stage, she followed him with her eyes as he strode purposefully to the booth tucked back in the far corner. The bartender, along with every other life form in the smoky room, had gone completely still as the newcomer passed. Pausing next to the booth, the man removed his coat, shaking it to dislodge the melting snow and ice. A smile spread across Tempest’s face as she noted the form-fitting leather pants and muscle-hugging, light-colored t-shirt he wore under the expensive coat. It didn’t take much creativity to imagine how it would feel to run her hands over that muscled expanse, but Tempest had creativity and imagination in abundance. So much, that her body stirred in satisfied anticipation of the unexpected possibility that had just magically offered itself for later that night. She would’ve been happy to bounce on Stan again, but as far as men went, new was always better than familiar. She’d learned that the best thing about her looks was being able to use them to pick up any guy she wanted. Pitiful that males were so easily controlled, but it was just as well, since she so enjoyed being in charge.

She watched the handsome stranger fold himself into the booth, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chaz, the bartender, spring from behind the bar. The previously laid-back – read stoned – fellow practically fell over his own feet in his frantic attempt to reach the leather man. He hovered near the booth, wringing his hands, nodding energetically at whatever the new customer was saying. Chaz finally pointed toward the pay phone near the shelves of liquor and speed-walked in that direction, leaving the man alone.

Tempest realized she’d been holding her breath during Chaz’s strange performance. Of course, she’d only met the bartender that day, so she had no idea what his normal behaviors were. But still, the vibe he gave off around the stud muffin was unusual, almost as if he was afraid or something. She could feel the thrum of his anxiety from her observation post. No surprise, really. Most of the businesses in the inner city were mob controlled. Maybe the eye candy in the booth was high-up on the motherfucker feeding chain. She smirked. A lesser woman might take a pass on rolling around with a member of The Family, but she always enjoyed a challenge. None of the assholes had gotten the upper hand with her yet, and she felt confident she could call the shots with this yummy specimen, too.

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