Callum (28 page)

The quiet bookworm of the bunch, Angus has always thought everything out before acting. So, it’s understandable that the clan asks him to approach Irishwoman Maggie O’Conner to help them retrieve the next jewel. His well-organized life is completely turned upside down when he contacts the streetwise woman, who is even more cynical than his cousin Fletcher. But he senses a soft center in the hard woman, and is helpless to resist seducing her.

Maggie didn’t ever want to go back to her former life. Not many people know she was The Cat, a jewel thief known for her rooftop escapes. She worked to turn her life around, but her past has come back to haunt her and she needs money--fast. When Angus Lennon appears, it seems like a miracle of fate. An easy heist, in and out, no big deal. But things go wrong from the start. The thugs from her past are hot on her tail, almost ruining her job. Still, even gun-toting goons don’t scare her as much as Angus Lennon. Her attraction to him threatens to consume her and ruin the plans she has for the future.

But danger comes not only from the authorities and her dangerous past, but the from the present McWalton laird who will do anything to stop the Lennons from succeeding.

Melissa Schroeder invites you into the world of By Blood. Among the glittering Victorian ton lives a world of vampires, filled with borns and mades, and a man bent on destroying their world as they know it.

A man with a secret.

Nicodemus Blackburn has seen the best and worst of mankind. Five hundred years of dealing with them teaches the vampire to be very wary of the creatures. Unfortunately, alarming events leave him no choice but to enter the world of the ton to hunt a villain. He must find a rogue vampire, one who is making his own army of bloodthirsty vampires. Searching for the villain is not the worst of his troubles. That can be laid at the feet of bluestocking Lady Cordelia Collingsworth.

A woman on a mission.

Cordelia has always been an outcast, even in her own family. She has forged her way in the world with her ability to write, and Nico Blackburn is the focus of her next article. Before she can obtain any information about the mysterious man, she is pulled headlong into a scandal that leaves her with no choice but to marry Nico—a man with dangerous secrets.

A passion that consumes them both.

Thrust into a world she knows nothing of, Cordelia finds herself falling in love with a man who claims to be a vampire. As their passion grows, so does the danger around them and Nico will have to call on all of his powers to protect the one thing he has realized he cannot live without: his opinionated, infuriating, and thoroughly delectable wife.

Enjoy the following unedited excerpt:

He walked to the door but it blew open, bringing Lady Cordelia with it. His body responded immediately. The normally perfectly coiffed curls that dangled over her ears were in disarray. A look of irritation marred her usually smooth features. She slammed the door shut behind her and then leaned against it much the same way that Gray had. Clearly, she did not notice him in the room.

“Stupid man.” She locked the door behind her and then patted down her hair. “He is becoming a real trial.”

“I hope you are not referring to me,” Nico said.

She started and then looked in the shadowed corner where he stood.

“Mr. Blackburn?”

He cursed himself the moment he realized she could not see in the darkness. If he had stayed quiet she would not have seen him. She had not mated yet, so she possessed only human abilities.

“It is I. I take from your comments that you did not follow me here.”

She sniffed. “Of course not. I am trying to avoid that idiot Hurst. Why on earth he has decided to bother me now is beyond me.”

Bloody hell. Hurst’s constant pursuit could herald the coming of his blood lust. If the viscount touched her, he’d likely sink into madness. Something would have to be done—tonight.

“Come, now, Lady Cordelia. You could easily attract his lordship’s attention for any number of reasons.”

She mumbled something under her breath that sounded like “not bloody likely.”

At least she understood there was danger. Unfortunately, it did not help his protective instincts. The need to shelter her, keep her safe, coursed through his blood, along with a healthy dose of lust. He did not speak for fear of revealing the depth of his need.

Silence loomed several moments, then without any warning she flashed him a brilliant smile. He blinked as he watched her approach, amazed at the change in her expression. And wary. No woman could be trusted, especially a Carrier. Those with the ability to birth vampires were frighteningly clever—they had to be to survive. He knew without a doubt, Lady Cordelia was working something out in her brain that would only bring about disaster for them both.

“Mr. Blackburn?” She stopped in front of him, her scent wrapping around him, tempting him. It was a mixture of musky woman and innocence that had his incisors threatening to descend. The woman was too bloody tempting for her own good. No wonder Hurst had been after her.

“Yes?” he asked, surprised that he hadn’t started panting. Or done something far more aggressive. Even now as she gazed up at him as if she worshipped him. He reacted, his lust in full bloom. He wanted—ached—to throw her across the desk and strip her naked. Nico knew it was primal; it had nothing to do with the woman.

But he’d never had such a strong reaction to a Carrier.

“I wondered…” She pulled her bottom lip through her teeth, and he inwardly groaned. The woman was going to undo him with her innocent gestures. He curled his fingers into the palm of his hands.

“Lady Cordelia, what do you need?”

She blinked and hesitated. He did not blame her. Even he could hear how his voice had deepened, roughened. The earlier altercation still thrummed through his blood. Maybe she would flee the room, and he would be free of her long enough to ease his desires elsewhere.

He should have known better.

She raised her chin, and said, “Can you explain a bit more about your shipping business?”

“W-what?” He could not concentrate on her words, but rather watched the way her lips moved in the slant of moonlight that illuminated her face.

Cordelia cocked her head to the side. “Are you unwell?”

He shook his head, his attention still on her mouth. Her tongue flicked out over the fuller bottom lip as she took a step closer. Bloody hell, he craved to taste her, to feel her mouth move beneath his. He wanted to feel her flesh beneath his and he wanted to sink his teeth into her neck. With every bit of his control, he pulled his mind away from the image of her wearing nothing but the moonlight.

He needed her to go, far away. He made one last attempt.

“Lady Cordelia, I think you should leave.” He bit out each word, the lust he felt dripping from each syllable. Unfortunately, the woman apparently was oblivious.

She stepped even closer, determination stamped all over her face. Passion darkened her eyes. She was magnificent.

“I will not be deflected again.”

Good God, the woman smelled of heaven. He could imagine rolling with her on a bed, the scent of her surrounding him, the tangy taste of her on his tongue. His incisors descended, primed for feeding. He did not even try to stop it. He knew it impossible.

Without another thought, he grabbed her. She gasped, the sound erotic in the darkened library. He had the satisfaction of seeing her eyes widen as he dipped his head.

“Mr. Blackburn, whatever do you think you are doing?”

“Shutting you up.”

Then he bent his head and took possession of her mouth.

Coming this summer in both digital and print.