Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Just last weekend was Reader Appreciation Day at The Sweet Spot, and what a blast it was! With all the excerpts being posted and my TBR growing by leaps and bounds, I decided to post a little peek at my next release, ADAPTING INSTINCTS, Book 4 in my Instincts series. Since I shared it there, I thought it was only fair to share it here, too :-)
I picked this excerpt from Chapter 1 because I thought it gave a nice little re-introduction to Carl, Egill, and the rest of my vampire crew. Hope everyone enjoys it, and will enjoy the full story when it releases on March 15th at MLR Press!
Blurb:
A
single soft kiss, just a gentle brush of lips…but was it meant as a beginning,
or a good-bye?
Every
day, Carl Anderson wondered if the man…the vampire…who gave him that kiss would
appear in his life again. In that time, he’s worked to come to terms with the
existence of vampires, and the dangers they and their enemies pose. Always
looking over his shoulder for a vampire or hunter stalking behind him, Carl
wishes he could feel safe again, like he did when Egill was at his side.
As
a Viking warrior and member of vampire society’s ruling body, the Tribunal,
Egill Dalgaard is used to being in control of all things. But months ago, he
did something that started to unravel his orderly life. He gave a kiss to a man
who he was drawn to, and now, he hasn't been able to stop thinking about. He
has his reasons for keeping his distance, but when he sees Carl again, all
logical thoughts begin to fade.
When
Carl’s actions inadvertently put Egill’s immortal life in danger, Carl must
decide which path to take; whether to walk deeper into vampire society, or turn
his back on the only man who’s ever made him feel secure.
Excerpt:
Carl
stopped outside the habitat for the spider monkeys. He released the cart’s
handles to place his hands on his hips, fixing Davy with a disapproving look.
“Really? Is that necessary?”
Davy
quit banging the bowl on the mesh and stared up at him with intelligent black
eyes.
Carl
swore the monkey was trying to play innocent. A smile broke over his lips
despite trying to stay stern. It was all Davy needed. The monkey scurried up
the mesh to be at eye level with him, reaching through with his left hand, the
one missing the index finger.
Carl
held a finger toward him, and Davy wrapped his others around it. The warm, soft
leathery feel of Davy’s palm made him grateful he’d been able to save the
monkey’s hand. When Davy and the others came to the zoo, starved and sick from
the poor care they’d received in a backyard zoo—or deathtrap, as he called
it—Davy’s hand was so infected from a baboon biting his finger off, he didn’t
know if he’d be able to save it. But he had, and after months of diligent care,
Davy and his brothers were healthy and sassy.
Carl
patted Davy’s hand with his other. “All right. Now that you’re behaving, I’ll
get you your dinner.”
He
reached in the cart, picking up half a mango. He handed it to Davy, who stuffed
it in his mouth and bounded away.
Carl
stretched to collect more food, pausing as a chill came over him. His sixth
sense tingled with the sensation of being watched. He froze, thinking it was
his mind playing tricks, like it so often did these days. Unable to resist the
urge, he started turning to see behind him.
Strong
arms clamped around him. A hard body pressed against him from behind. Panic
held him in place, his throat too tight to breathe, let alone call out.
Warm
breath washed over his ear as a deep voice whispered, “I vant to suck your
blood.”
All
panic fled before a rush of excitement and happiness. Not even the horrible
fake Romanian accent could disguise that voice. He jabbed an elbow back,
planting it into the ribs of his “attacker.” A hard grunt followed and the arms
holding him dropped away.
Carl
spun around to a laughing Andreas.
Andreas
rubbed his side. “Well I see how much you missed me.”
Carl
flung his arms around him in a crushing hug. “When did you get back?”
Andreas
hugged him tight. “This morning. Now that we’re settled in our new house, we
wanted to come back and collect a few things from here. You know we kind of
left in a hurry.”
Carl
nodded, still not loosening his hold on Andreas.
“And,”
Andreas continued, “I wanted to give you a kick in the ass to get you moving
faster so you can join me at the sanctuary.”
Carl
laughed and leaned back from him. “You might not have to kick too hard. I was
thinking I’d be on a plane at the end of the month.”
“That’s
great!”
“Yeah,
I…” Carl’s voice stopped, his gaze moving over Andreas.
Andreas
still looked very much like himself, but even more attractive, and he hadn’t
thought that was possible. There was a healthy glow to his olive-tinted skin,
his blue-gray eyes seemed even richer in color. His curly, ebony hair shone in
the fading sunlight, and it hit him how much harder Andreas’s body had felt
against him, as if he’d gained extra muscle. Andreas didn’t look much more
bulked up, but he could tell there was definitely a difference in him.
Carl
took a step back to get a better look at him. “Damn. Look at you. You look
incredible.”
Andreas
flashed a glowing smile. “Yeah, it’s amazing how good lots of rest, sex, good
food, sex, the blood of an Ancient vampire, and sex are for you.” He glanced
over his shoulder.
Carl
followed where Andreas was looking and met the silver gaze of Titus Antonius
Calidus, Andreas’s boyfriend. Or eternal partner, as Andreas called Titus now.
His white-gold hair captured the sunlight, and Carl swore the very air around
Titus hummed with confidence and strength.
Next
to Titus stood the beautiful Daniel Valente, who he’d lusted over terribly
after first meeting him. With Daniel’s shoulder length black hair, dark brown
eyes, and delicate features, he thought that lust was very well placed. Daniel
had never given him much more than the time of day, and now was on the arm of
Ryunosuke Kimura, the rock star looking samurai vampire whose beauty made him
feel totally inadequate for even fantasizing about Daniel.
But
at that moment, none of those past emotions touched him, because standing
behind everyone, a head taller than Titus – who was the tallest in the group –
was the man he’d wanted to see and speak to for months.
A
smirk on his lips, Andreas leaned toward Carl. “Egill’s here with us, by the
way.”
His
gaze still locked with Egill’s, Carl said, “I see that.”
Egill
lifted his hand in a wave, his mouth opening to speak, only to have his words
blocked by a cultured English accented voice.
“Monkey
Boy!” Daniel blurted out. “How lovely to see you. You look…well, honestly, you
look like shit.”
Titus
shot a glare at Daniel. “He looks fine.”
Daniel
flipped a hand toward Carl. “You can’t be serious. Look at how pasty and thin
he is.” He looked back to Carl. “And really, darling, those circles under your
eyes. You should invest in some cream, or at the very least, a cucumber.”
Ryunosuke
nodded at Titus. “Daniel’s right. He looks like shit.” His gaze moved to Carl.
“Guilt will do that to a person.”
Carl’s
joy deflated under Ryunosuke’s accusing tone. He felt like tucking himself
behind Andreas and hiding. It seemed while the others had forgiven him for his
role in Andreas’s kidnapping, Ryunosuke hadn’t. And really, Ryu had every right
to hold a grudge. What he’d done was wrong, even if at the time he didn’t know
what else to do.
Egill
knocked Ryunosuke on the arm with the back of his hand. “Give it a rest. It’s
been months and the man did what he had to. We’ve all been there at one time or
another. And you,” he patted Daniel on the back, “not everyone primps like a
peacock.”
Daniel
folded his arms across his chest. “I’m not saying he should primp. Just do a
little something with himself so he doesn’t look so much like his charges here,
because I’m not sure if that’s food or monkey poo in his hair, but either way,
it doesn’t belong.”
Andreas
reached toward Carl’s head, plucking a small piece of papaya from his hair.
“It’s just a piece of fruit.” He grinned at Carl as he spoke to Daniel.
“Sometimes his little simian friends get carried away at mealtimes.”
Boosted
from Andreas’s smile, Carl managed a grin himself. “Hey, it’s better than
getting blood all over you from handling raw meat. But I guess you like that
now.”
“I
can’t deny it. But not animal blood.”
Carl
saw the loving and lustful look Andreas aimed at Titus. He couldn’t stop his
own gaze from going to Egill, and saw that Egill’s was already on him.
Egill
stepped forward and offered his hand to him. “It’s good to see you again. I
hope you’ve been well.”
Carl
placed his hand in Egill’s, only to have Egill cover it with his other so it
was held in both. Egill’s hands, so warm and large, the palms a little rough as
if he worked with them. He wondered what Egill could do to make them so.
On
Egill’s left index finger, he noticed a large gold ring, the band thick with
runes etched into the side. The top of the ring was flat and round, and atop it
was a beautifully carved image of a bear in profile. Carl knew it must be
Egill’s signet ring, and couldn’t help but think how fitting the bear image was
for him.
Carl
looked up from the ring to Egill’s eyes. “It’s good to see you, too. I’ve
been…okay. How about you?”
“I—”
The
moment broke as the clanging resumed.
Carl
snapped his head to the side, glaring at Davy. “Shh, Davy, no.”
All
his words got him were a few high screeches.
He
looked back to Egill with an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry. I better feed
these guys real quick.”
Daniel
interrupted. “Yes, please do, so we can leave. I can’t take the smell much
longer. I feel like it’s attaching to me.”
Ryunosuke
slid his arms around Daniel’s waist, burying his nose in Daniel’s neck. “Don’t
worry. You still smell like lavender and lust.”
Out the corner of his eye, Carl saw
Daniel showing his appreciation to Ryunosuke for his words by delivering a
passionate kiss to him. Once again, as if operating on their own, his eyes
turned to Egill. At the same moment, Egill looked away from them to him. He
glanced to the cart, his back to Egill, and allowed himself a smile. Not that
he could’ve stopped it from the giddy rush going through him.
