NIGHTLORD LOVER by Kathy Kulig

NIGHTLORD LOVER by Kathy Kulig

Warrior vampire Garrick Labar guards the secrets of the Guild. His comrade— vampire and sorcerer Ramon Travere—enforces the uneasy alliance between mortals and immortals. 

When Larissa Devine moves into town, both Garrick and Ramon are mesmerized and enraptured by her. They crave to claim her as their crimson swan and lover. But a new arrival is fair game and if they don’t claim her first, a band of renegades will.

Larissa finds a blistering-hot ménage with her protectors too intoxicating to resist. The immortals can’t deny their sexual attraction for her and sense her blood pulsing hot and furious whenever they are close. Erotic desires thrust her into a world of danger and seduction. 

When the renegade vampires attempt to destroy a hundred years of peace, Larissa is caught in the crossfire. Eternal love and carnal nights can be her future if she survives.

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Excerpt:

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An Excerpt From: NIGHTLORD LOVER

Copyright © KATHY KULIG, 2014

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

The silky French lingerie slid over her skin like creamy chocolate sorbet. It was naughty of her but how could she resist? Larissa Devine smoothed her hands over her breasts, waist and hips, feeling turned-on as she admired the new piece from the collection that just arrived from Paris. Even if she had the funds, no way would she ever purchase a three-hundred-dollar nightgown for herself. For such a price, it should hide all her figure flaws—hips a bit too wide and thighs a little too heavy. The markdown she got as owner of the shop still wasn’t tempting enough. The guys she’d dated in the past wouldn’t be caught dead in a lingerie store buying her a gift like this, never mind one so pricy.

Admiring the other items she’d selected from the French designer, she felt that twirl of excitement in her belly. She knew the exquisite collection would tempt wealthier tourists visiting New Hope during the Christmas rush. The bulk of her sales would come from the average person visiting the historic Pennsylvania town. Silk Fantasies also carried lingerie and fragrances for the more budget minded.

One last glance in the full-length mirror, then off with the pricy garment of seduction and back to setting up shop for opening day. Gently, she lifted the gown to her waist and was about to pull it over her head when she heard the bell from the front door.

“I think you should wear that in your shop. Good advertising. Especially the gentlemen customers,” a man’s voice said from the entrance of her store.

Dropping the hem to fall like a chocolate river of silk at her feet, Larissa gasped and spun around, her arms crossed over her breasts. Her shop wasn’t due to open until tomorrow. The blinds in the shop were down. No one should have seen her inside. “We’re not open, sir. How did you get in? The door was locked.” Her face flushed as she stared at the stranger, young and well-dressed. Black pants and a deep-burgundy shirt, perfectly tailored to show off a body that spent hours in the gym lifting weights, heavy ones by the size of him. He didn’t apologize for walking in on her wearing a nightgown but then again, this was a lingerie shop. He was still smiling at her as his gaze raked over every inch, which irritated her. He was probably shopping for his wife or girlfriend. “I’m sorry. I won’t be open to customers until tomorrow at ten. I’m getting everything ready for opening day.” She smiled, hoping she wouldn’t lose a potential customer.

“Do you always try on all the merchandise?” His eyes held a teasing glint.

She stammered for a moment. “No, no, of course not. I was trying on this one for myself. If you like it, I have others in many sizes. I’d be happy to show you tomorrow if you’d like to pick out something for your wife or girlfriend. I’ll have everything on display then.” She tried to emphasize tomorrow . The guy wasn’t getting the hint and her body was heating up from standing in front of him in an outfit that clung to her every curve like liquid silk.

“I don’t have a wife or a girlfriend, Ms. Devine.”

She frowned. Had she told him her name? No, she was sure she hadn’t. Ignoring the ultra-sexy material caressing her body, she straightened and tilted her head at him. “How did you get in? I know I locked that door. And how do you know my name?”

He laughed in a friendly manner. “I’m sorry, Ms. Devine. I’m not a customer, I’m your landlord.”

“Oh. Mr. Labar, I wasn’t expecting you. Nice to meet you.” She walked up and shook his hand then covered her arms over her breasts. She knew her nipples protruded from the sheer fabric.

“My pleasure. Garrick, please. I stopped in to see how you were doing and if you needed anything.” The side of his mouth twitched. At least he was polite enough to keep his gaze above chest level, now, after he already looked his fill.

Heat rushed to her face. When she had heard his voice on the phone, she had no idea he’d be so young or good-looking. He had to be about her age, early thirties with a slight accent she couldn’t place. His long leather coat reached mid-calf. Stylish and casual, expensive and European was her first impression. Maybe he had just gotten out of work. He hadn’t stopped staring at her since she noticed him. Staring wasn’t the word, piercing her soul was more like it. The air in the shop thickened, time ticked slower and her pulse quickened. The temperature was near freezing outside but she wanted to open the door. “I think I have everything I need, thank you. The apartment upstairs is lovely and spacious. I’m almost settled in.”

“I’m surprised you waited to open your store in the middle of the Christmas shopping season.”

Was he worried she wouldn’t make her rent? “I know. I had to help my mother move the rest of her things to Florida. She moved into a retirement home.”

“I see. I hope she’s well.”

“She’s fine.” Larissa hoped he didn’t hear the snippy tone in her voice. Larissa, her mother and her brother didn’t get along very well.

“I have a helper for you,” he said. “I’ll send her by tomorrow. Her name is Jordan Howell.”

Larissa frowned. “Helper? I don’t need a helper and it’s not in my budget right now to employ someone.”

“She’s a college student needing part-time work.”

“What’s she going to school for?” Larissa remembered her days in college, the long hours and struggle to find employment. While her friends partied, she worked at her parents’ pastry shop every weekend and waitressed during the week. Social and love lives didn’t exist.

He shrugged. “Every semester it’s something new.”

Perpetual student. “I’m sure I can find something for her to do. But I can’t give her many hours.”

“Don’t worry about her salary. It’s taken care of.”

She studied him. “I appreciate the offer but—”

“You’ll like Jordan. She’s a hard worker and trustworthy. Her salary is my responsibility.”

That seemed odd but she wasn’t going to argue. Maybe she could give Jordan some big-sister career advice. Not knowing what your dream job was must be stressful. “I’m sure we’ll get along fine.”

Garrick smiled. “She’ll keep you entertained.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing. A colleague of mine, Ramon, will stop in to check on building maintenance. He’s also been instructed to help you if you need any work or repairs done around the shop. He can be trusted as well. I’ll take care of paying him.”

“Very generous of you, Mr. Labar. I love old buildings. How old is it?”

“Garrick. It was built in 1832 and used to be an apothecary.”

She smiled but felt uneasy and restless at the same time. It had nothing to do with standing half naked in front of her landlord. The man had a natural charisma that made her breathy and achy inside. Most women probably succumbed to his good looks and he probably had a harem. She wouldn’t be one of them.

Putting her arms at her sides, she refused to appear uncomfortable in her current state of undress. “I heard you own a number of the buildings in New Hope and lease them out.” She wondered how someone so young got to own so many buildings? Just her luck that this hunky guy happened to be her landlord and off limits. No way she was going to risk her dream on a hot affair. If it went south so would her lease.

“That’s right. And I ensure my tenants will have successful businesses.”

She laughed. “How can you guarantee that? There’s always risk in a new business.”

He frowned at her without answering.

“It’s a nice town,” she added, changing the subject. “A pleasant change from cow country in upstate New York.”

“Didn’t you like New York State?”

She sighed. “It’s a great place to grow up. Beautiful, peaceful, but nothing ever happens. Here I’m a bus ride from New York City, a short drive to Philadelphia and the shore. And now I have my own shop. Owning my own business is my dream. I have everything I could want.”

“Do you, Larissa? Maybe it’s time to look beyond your dreams. Expect the unexpected. You may be pleasantly surprised. Keep an open mind.”

“I like to keep things simple,” she said. “Now if you don’t mind, I need to change back into my regular clothes and close up.”

“Go change, but let me show you a few places you might not find on your own.”



Garrick never expected his new tenant would be such a beauty. His mouth tightened as his gaze dropped to her small breasts and round hips. The garment showed every curve. She fascinated him. The intensity of her life force and sexuality would be hard to resist. She was perfect for their needs. Once the others sensed her presence, they’d all want to claim her. It was the renegades who worried him. They would take her as a slave. Garrick had to move quickly. Jordan and Ramon could help fend off the others for a time. Larissa was in danger unless she became his crimson swan, and later, marked and bound permanently to him. The problem was, unlike many of his kind, he believed mortals shouldn’t be forced into the Guild. The sensual pleasures of a willing crimson swan rivaled any violent or coerced offering.

“I’m ready.” Back in regular clothes, jeans and a sweater, Larissa buttoned into a gray wool coat that reached below her knees. “Where are we going?”

“An outdoor café and bar for something warm to drink.”

“In this weather?” She laughed as she locked her store.

“They have gas heaters. I want to show you places to avoid at night.” He didn’t want to alarm her but he knew where his kind frequented after dark.

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SOMETHING ABOUT WITCHES by Joey W Hill

SOMETHING ABOUT WITCHES by Joey W. Hill

Arcane Shot Book I

Ruby Night Divine is a gun shop owner. She's also a witch who knows magic can fail. She's experienced it firsthand, with full-blown tragic consequences. Smith and Wesson is a whole hell of a lot more reliable, and nothing's as cathartic as the ability to put a few holes in the things that piss you off. Like Derek Stormwind.

A powerful sorcerer, Derek is determined to get to the bottom of why she pushed him away and ran three years before. He also needs her help. A coven needs training to help them fight a demon and his minions. While Ruby is willing to do it, she's sure it's just a ruse to get back in her heart - and her bed. The thing is, that's where she wants him. Unfortunately, her bed's already made, she's this close to losing her soul, and she fears nothing can save her. Not Derek. Not even Smith and Wesson.

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Chapter One

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. The Macbeth quote fit to a fucking T as Ruby stared through the four-power scope of the 50-caliber military grade sniper rifle and saw 100% trouble coming her way, complete with battered cowboy hat, his own Chris Cagle Chicks Dig It theme song and honest-to-Goddess dragonskin boots. How the hell had Derek Stormwind found her?

Okay, scratch that. She’d always known he’d find her. She’d just nurtured an unrealistic hope that he would be like most men and, once he realized she didn’t want to be found, and that she’d made following her trail a real pain in the ass, he’d sniff out easier prey. But Derek Stormwind was definitely not like most men. Which was why she’d rather be stuck up the backside of one of Artemis’s hunting hounds without a flashlight than face the next few moments.

Putting the rifle down on the counter, she uncapped a mini-sized vodka bottle and dashed the contents into her open Dr. Pepper can, then brought the soda to her lips for a healthy swig. Too healthy. She choked, hacking over the part of it that had apparently gone down the wrong tube. Meanwhile, he was crossing the street, seconds away from putting his hand on the brass doorknob and invading her store. Unless she was mistaken and he was in town for a French manicure from the salon next door.

Hell, she needed an extra moment. Flicking a glance down at her feet, she wheezed out the command. “Theo. Kill.”

The elderly mastiff erupted from behind the counter, a bulldozer of rippling muscle and sheer bulk that would have knocked her off her feet, if she wasn’t practiced at flattening herself against the ammo case behind her to give him take-off room.

As Derek came through the door, the dog was clattering across the floor like an approaching herd of marbles, making menacing and somewhat asthmatic noises similar to low level wheezing thunder. A froth of drool hit the display case, spattering the glass and obscuring the array of handguns there. Ruby stuck the soda back under the counter and pummeled her chest with one decisive fist at the same moment the dog launched his considerable weight onto his hind legs and hit Derek’s chest with both front paws.

“You great big baby.” Derek tried to fend off a tongue that Ruby knew was like a lukewarm and slimy hand towel. “Still a crappy security guard, buddy.”

He should look ridiculous, struggling with the dog, but of course he didn’t. He’d braced all that well-sculpted muscle against canine attack, which just emphasized the fit of his T-shirt over his broad shoulders. The way his thighs and ass flexed in his worn jeans basically screamed sex-in-faded-denim. The hat was low on his brow, hiding the brown hair he kept trimmed short. He’d not yet looked her way, but she knew what kind of impact those eyes had when they turned toward a female.

His handsome, shit-eating grin could disarm a woman at twenty paces. But every time Ruby looked into those dark blue eyes, the country theme segued quite decisively into the Khazad-Dum score from Fellowship of the Rings. She could hear Gandalf standing before the Balrog, thundering like the voice of God.

You shall not pass.

Her gaze dropped. Anyone else would think the scuffed-up dragonskin boots were some kind of alligator skin. He had a healthy reverence and respect for dragonkind, particularly the non-shifters. However, when she’d pressed him for an explanation of those boots, he’d simply said, “I had a disagreement with that one.” She’d caught a dangerous glint in his eye, the honor-bound sorcerer crossed with the gunslinger who’d only be pushed so far. She’d told him he was something between Merlin and Wyatt Earp. It had earned her a flash of that devastating grin.

He was one of the most powerful sorcerers she’d ever known, directly or by reputation. He flew so far under the radar that to most he was a myth, or a scary bedtime story. But she’d had him in her bed, and while the feelings he conjured from her there could be overwhelming, they were far from nightmarish. In fact, the only good dreams she had anymore were about him. Which just pissed her off. If she could have banished him from her mind without banishing other important things, things she couldn’t afford to lose, she would have. That’s what she told herself.

Pull it together, Ruby.

When he finally managed to shove the dog back down to all four feet, which put his gigantic head at the height of Derek’s waist, she had her hip propped against the shelf behind the cash register and was eying them both, hopefully with a faint trace of disgust in her coffee brown eyes. “I’m trading him in for a Chihuahua. The littler they are, the nastier they are.”

“Make sure it’s a female. I hear they’re even meaner.” He glanced up at the marquis. “Arcane Shot. Firearms, shooting range, safety courses and permits? A bit of a change from your previous career at Witches R Us outside Carmel.”

She shrugged. “I got tired of running a craft shop for the Wiccan wannabes, who think granola and hugs will change the world.”

“And this will do a better job of that?” He eyed the sniper rifle under her hand.

“Sometimes magic comes through, sometimes it doesn't. But Smith & Wesson is always ready to come to the game.”

“No argument there. I prefer a sawed-off shotgun myself. A classic. Took me awhile to find you. Your magic's gotten stronger."

And darker. She could tell he thought it, but points for him, he didn’t say it. "Told you I didn’t want to be found.” She tried to modulate the energy around her so it was more candy and flowers, less like the ominous stillness and yellow jaundice of a pre-tornado sky. Of course candy and flowers might make his already uncomfortable scrutiny go to full red alert status.

“So you ran away and decided to run a gun shop because...people suck?”

Her lips twitched. He knew how to pull a smile out of her, but this time she firmly told herself not to give him that advantage. “I didn’t run away, but that last part works. Why are you here, Derek?”

He seemed in no hurry on that score. He eased Theo back to four paws, sauntered up to the counter, giving her a nice eyeful of how the man could walk. Damn him. “I understand you followed Raina out here. She still operating her overpriced escort service with succubi and incubi in sheep’s clothing?”

“Still. It’s doing well here, with the military base nearby. Things were getting a little hot for her back on the West Coast. Soldiers are more adventurous, a little less afraid of danger, so her cover’s safer.” She flashed a humorless smile. “I think she’ll last longer out here.”

“She should change professions.”

“She would, but this one pisses you off. It’s a perk to her.”

“That’s a given.” He gave her his easy smile then. That good ol’ boy expression only enhanced the sexual confidence that made any wise woman wary. “I’m here about a job for you.”

The disappointment twisted inside her like a poisoned athame. She cursed at herself. Cerridwen, Circe and Cassiopeia. Female perversity was the bane of her existence. There was nothing more ridiculous than the fact she’d only wanted one thing more than him not to find her, and that was for him to find her. Now on top of that, she was feeling absurdly insulted that he’d come this far to find her merely for a job.


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