Vampire's Companion (16 page)

But the deadly, raging hunger of a newborn wasn’t there.

He became aware of the sun rising behind drawn curtains.

“The Masada,” he whispered. Even a lowly slave,
former slave
, knew that myth.

Terach released him, trusting him, treating him as an equal.

Images flowed into this mind, the truth Terach hadn’t been able to share the night before, the reason for the enforced sleep.

“I’m sorry,” Israel said, of his own lack of trust and his anger.

“I remember what it was like to be another’s slave. When we return to Vegas, we’ll need to present ourselves to Gian and Brann. But given what I saw in your memories, I don’t fear an execution.”

Terach’s fingers captured a nipple bar, a tug sending a flash of pleasure to Israel’s dick. Additional pressure on it drew him up and forward.

“Feed,” Terach said, offering his neck.

Israel’s fangs slid in. He moaned when Cia pressed her naked body against his back, her hand capturing his cock, and Terach’s, holding them pressed together, her touch and acceptance as essential to him as the blood coating his tongue and sliding down his throat.

He fed deeply, but it wasn’t enough. He needed more. Her. Them.

Shall we risk the sun?
Terach asked, sending an image of their making love with its rays caressing them.

They left the bed, Terach tugging the comforter off and carrying it outside, the two of them halting at the first strike of unfiltered light.

Cia laughed and pulled the bedding from Terach’s grasp. She spread it on the grass, and the sight of her sitting naked in its center had them hurrying toward her.

They took up positions on either side of her. Terach cupped her breast, pressed kisses to her shoulder.

Israel cupped her mound, his need intensifying at finding her swollen and wet. He touched his fangs to her neck.

She tilted her head back, whispered in husky tones, “I’ve come to crave this.”

Terach’s fangs descended to graze her shoulder. “It’s yours for eternity if you want it.”

“I do.”

Israel pierced her throat.
As do I.

Thank you!

Thanks for reading Vampire’s Companion. I hope you enjoyed it!

Reviews and ratings are more important now than ever. They help other readers find books. I’d appreciate it if you’d take a moment to review and rate Vampire’s Companion.

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Vampire’s Companion is set in the world of The Angelini. I don’t include it as part of the series only because Cia, Israel and Terach aren’t Angelini hunters, but the Angelini books in order are
Skye’s Trail
,
Syndelle’s Possession
, and
Mystic’s Run
. I hope you enjoy them all! I’ve included blurbs between this Thank You and an excerpt from Inked Magic.

Some of my other works are…

Inked Magic: A ménage set in modern-day San Francisco where a changeling tattoo artist has come to the attention of two very compelling men, the son of a mob boss and an Elven lord.

Ghostland series: Set in a post-apocalyptic world where supernatural beings no longer hide their existence, and where angels and Djinn are heading for the ultimate battle over who will control Earth.

Supernatural Bonds series: Witches, Weres, faeries, elves, dragons, Drui and demons, there’s something for everyone as each heroine meets her perfect hero—or heroes.

Fallon Mates series: To avoid extinction, there’s only one hope for the winged inhabitants of the planet Belizair. Come to Earth and claim the perfect, genetically-matched mate, the catch—it has to be done in pairs, a feather-winged Amato must share a lover with a suede, bat-winged Vesti.

Crime Tells: Where mystery, family, and finding love while working as private investigators come together in a contemporary world.

And there are more, stand-alone stories. Information on them can be found at:
http://www.jorystrong.com
.

Other Angelini World Stories

Skye’s Trail
(The Angelini, 1)

For Skye Delano, the hunt and the kill are sometimes inexorably tied together.

Her origins shrouded behind an impenetrable wall of mental pain, Skye has survived and evolved into a tracker, a hunter who metes out justice to those who prey on the helpless. Alone but not lonely, she’s been content with her life. But now her body is changing and there’s an underlying craving that’s left her restless. She needs to take a mate—or rather, two mates…

Detective Rico Santana wants and needs Skye—for himself, and to track a couple of kids who have gone missing.

In all the centuries that Giovanni Banderali has been alive, he’s never desired any woman enough to bind her to him as a companion. That changed the moment he saw Skye. She’s a threat to the fledgling vampires he’s searching for, but nothing will stop him from claiming her—not even the Angelini blood that flows through her veins.

Adversaries, natural enemies—dangerous allies—the bond that links them is stronger than lust, more powerful than love. When an Angelini chooses a mate, no man can resist.

Syndelle’s Possession
(The Angelini, 2)

Syndelle Coronado. For Brann O’Ciardha, she is a prize beyond measure, a vampire myth made reality. He knows there will be those who will want to kill her when they learn of the old magic carried within her. But the moment Brann tastes Syndelle’s blood and feels her hidden power as his companion Rafael mates with her, he resolves to claim her, to possess her. He’s waited centuries to find a female such as Syndelle, and he won’t let her escape him. She will be his for all time, bound to him and Rafael by her own nature and the laws that govern both vampire and Angelini alike.

While Rafael is the human mate Syndelle has always dreamed of, Brann is the vampire bogeyman of her nightmares. There’s no denying the Angelini magic that has chosen them as her mates, and once claimed, they will crave her as desperately as she will crave them. But Syndelle intends to have more from Rafe and Brann than just their lust, she wants their love, and she intends to be viewed as their equal.

Mystic’s Run
(The Angelini 3)

Mystic Renaldi might have been born to guard the border between the human and supernatural worlds, but in her mind she will never measure up to the other Renaldi Angelini. She can dance, mix drinks, play hostess, manage the music and even sing along with a band, all the things necessary for a good party — but not what’s required of a hunter.

When she slips away from the Howl for an adventure in Las Vegas, little does she know she’s stepping into her Angelini destiny. Her first hunt awaits, along with three alpha males who are ready to convince her she’s the equal of any Renaldi female.

For Roman, Mystic is the mate who’ll appease the gryphon he was before becoming vampire. For Hawk, she’s the mate who'll gain him a pack of his own. For Christian, a lone wolf, she’s the mate he never dreamed possible. But once she’s theirs, she becomes so much more than they imagined. Nothing’s left to chance when an Angelini takes a mate. And everything is claimed — body, heart and soul.

Excerpt from Inked Magic

Fog turned the cemetery into shades of black and gray. It lay on those gathered around the grave, a wet, heavy shroud muting the sounds of grieving as the priest spoke his final words and mourners moved toward the immediate family.

Cathal didn’t cross to offer his condolences though his mother did, resplendent in designer black and tasteful jewelry. He remained in place even as his father and uncle departed without a word.

They glided through the fog like a pair of ravens, black coats shiny with moisture. Harbingers of death, he thought, knowing that scattered among the mourners were police as well as FBI and ATF agents.

He lingered, trying to recall the dead girl’s face, to dredge up personal memories of Caitlyn, something beyond the smiling photographs present in the funeral home. He failed. All that came to him were thoughts of his cousin, Brianna, and with it, guilt over how seldom their lives intersected.

In the span of a year Brianna had lost her mother and brother.

And now this.

Drugs and gang rape and the death of a friend.

Insanity and murder, if not by intention, then by end result.

He should have made more time for her. He should have . . .

With an acknowledgment of failure, he left the gravesite, returning to the long line of automobiles parked against the curb, transport back to everyday life.

Two heavily muscled men emerged from the gloom as his father and uncle neared identical dark-windowed Mercedes. The men opened back doors, then stood, waiting at attention like the soldiers they were.

Words passed between the brothers. Icy intensity rather than heated argument, accompanied by a glance in his direction before his uncle climbed into a car and was driven away.

A sense of foreboding settled around him but he didn’t slow his footsteps or refuse when his father indicated with a wave that he was to get into the back of the remaining Mercedes. He surrendered his cell phone, a precaution against being listened in on by the authorities, then got into the car.

The doors closed, walling off sound and the possibility of being overheard. His father’s eyes locked onto his. “The animals responsible for this can’t go unpunished.”

Despite knowing his father’s idea of justice involved a shot to the back of the head and an unmarked grave, he said, “I agree.”

“Good.”

The tension left his father. “Good,” he repeated. “A source passed on a name at the funeral. There’s an artist who can help us identify the guilty parties. But there’s a complication.”

The sense of foreboding deepened. “What complication?”

“She
might
be related to a cop. The guy who passed on the name didn’t know whether it was true or not. All he could say for sure was that she’s got a freaky way with victims.”

“So call in a favor. Have a case file opened. There’s enough about what happened to Brianna and Caitlyn to force an investigation. Let the police make arrangements with the artist. Let them handle it officially and prosecute the guilty parties.”

His father tilted his head toward the empty parking place in front of the Mercedes. “This is personal business. Something your uncle and I need to take care of ourselves. The sooner the better. If you were around more—and I’m not saying you should be, I understand your reasons and I respect your decision—then you’d know Denis isn’t thinking straight. First losing Margo then Brian. Now this.

“He’s hurting. And a man in that much pain is capable of striking out, damn the consequences. That’s why I’m asking you to run interference here, to minimize the collateral damage by approaching this woman. Pull the right strings to get her to visit Brianna and come up with pictures of the responsible parties.

“Maybe it’ll be simple. Cash for services rendered. Maybe she wants to be a rock star and you can make it happen for her. Maybe she’s lonely and you can convince her between the sheets. Show her a little love so she’ll
want
to help out here and be willing to keep quiet about it afterwards. If you set your mind to it, you can get it done.”

“And if I don’t? If I can’t?”

His father shrugged. “Then my conscience is clear. I’ve tried to do the right thing, walk the line as much as I can given the situation. But I’m not going to stand between Denis and the animals responsible for drugging and raping his baby girl. I’m not going to turn my back on family. Justice will be served on behalf of those two girls, regardless of whether you involve yourself in this matter or not.”

Cathal curled his hand into a fist and fought the urge to answer the verbal jab. He looked beyond his father, at the mourners moving through the fog, leaving Caitlyn to be lowered into her grave.

After a lifetime of keeping his distance, of staying clear of his father and uncle’s business, he wondered if he was about to take the first step on a slippery slope that ended in prison or violent death for most of those who took it.

“How much time do I have to convince her?”

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Sue-Ellen Gower and Jennifer Kiziah for helping me make this the best story it could be!

About the Author

Jory Strong has been writing since childhood and has never outgrown being a daydreamer. When she’s not hunched over her computer, lost in the muse and conjuring up new heroes and heroines, she can usually be found reading, riding horses, or walking dogs.

Her stories have won numerous awards, as well as been national best sellers. She lives in California with her husband and a menagerie of pets.

She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website at
http://www.jorystrong.com
or contact her at
[email protected]
.

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Vampire’s Companion

Copyright © 2013 by Valerie Christenson

Edited by Sue Ellen Gower

Cover by Croco Designs

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

Excerpt of Inked Magic copyright © 2012 by Valerie Christenson