And...I'm back and ready for another run of the sexy!
How have you all been doing? Are you ready for some trick or treating? I figure tonight's going to be all about the Halloween parties, so in keeping with that theme, I pulled another excerpt from Vespers, the m/m paranormal romance I cowrote with Irene Preston.
It's vampire time!
These paragraphs are from the middle of the story. Thaddeus has been the target of a series of demon attacks, which qualifies as adventure, don't you think? Here we're in Thaddeus's point of view. He woke to find his assistant (and lover) Sarasija in bed with him, and Sara is describing some research he's done...
His sly smile hinted he guessed at the discomfort caused by his body pressed against mine. “First I looked up ways to raise demons, which, what a bunch of crap, you know? Even with Nohea’s access codes, the Church archives are a mess.” He stroked my throat, toying with me, playing.
When his hand encountered the still-healing scars on my chest, he paused. “Damn vampire.” He grimaced as if something had made him angry, though I didn’t understand why. “Anyway,” he continued, “when I got tired of chasing my tail on the monks’ website, I turned to the Bible.”
His tone still held too much humor for me to take him seriously, but I allowed him to continue.
“Do you believe everything in the Bible?” This time, his voice carried more weight.
Because he didn’t appear to be mocking me, and because I enjoyed the rough burn of his hairy thighs against mine, I answered him perhaps more seriously than I otherwise would have. “I believe the Bible holds the truth, in the abstract if nothing else.”
I let him ponder my statement while marshalling a few arguments. “You see, you could argue the natives who inhabited North America occupied a corner of the Garden of Eden, at least until the arrival of those explorers who had eaten from the tree of knowledge, and brought their weapons and their diseases and their ideas.” The sharp intelligence in his gaze undid me. “You see? Truth, but also fable.”
He scooted closer, and I wrapped my arms around him reflexively.
“Thaddeus?” He nuzzled my neck. “Is it a sin to eat shrimp?”
Thaddeus Dupont has had over eighty years to forget...
The vampire spends his nights chanting the Liturgy of the Hours and ruthlessly disciplines those unnatural urges he's vowed never again to indulge. He is at the command of the White Monks, who summon him at will to destroy demons. In return, the monks provide for his sustenance and promise the return of his immortal soul.
Sarasija Mishra's most compelling job qualification might be his type O blood...
The 22-year-old college grad just moved across the country to work for some recluse he can't even find on the internet. Sounds sketchy, but the salary is awesome and he can't afford to be picky. On arrival he discovers a few details his contract neglected to mention, like the alligator-infested swamp, the demon attacks, and the nature of his employer's "special diet". A smart guy would leave, but after one look into Dupont's mesmerizing eyes, Sarasija can't seem to walk away. Too bad his boss expected "Sara" to be a girl.
Falling in love is hard at any age...
The vampire can't fight his hungers forever, especially since Sara's brought him light, laughter and a very masculine heat. After yielding to temptation, Thaddeus must make a choice. Killing demons may save his soul, but keeping the faith will cost him his heart.
(Because you know you need a good vampire story this weekend!)
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Also, in honor of HALLOWEEN, Irene & I are running a giveaway for a $10 gift card! Jump HERE to enter!
Thanks for checking out the post! Here's a public service announcement from the blog hop organizers. Don't forget to stop by all the other participating blogs!!
Readers, please visit us at our new Author Central where we’ll be sharing even more from our authors besides Saturday’s snippets. We’d love to have each and every one of you there as we’re starting new things this month with fun and prizes along the way.
