by Jenny Frame
Longing for You
Synopsis
Alexis Villiers's best friend, the Principe of the Debrek clan, is newly bonded to Amelia, and Alexis hasn’t felt so alone for centuries. No longer her leader’s closest confidante, Alexis has to face the ever growing longing she has for the Debrek housekeeper, Katie Brekman.
Katie is enjoying her new role as head housekeeper for the Debreks. All she has to worry about is the moody, bad tempered Alexis. Katie has no idea why Alexis dislikes her so much, or why she has refused to feed from her. Certainly Amelia's theory that Alexis is attracted to Katie couldn't possibly be true. Katie can’t imagine her showing any kind of emotion, let alone attraction.
When Katie is attacked amid a burgeoning vampire-witch war, Alexis is set to go against everything her clan believes in. Forced to face her longing for Katie, she is torn between opening her heart to a human and abandoning her clan when they need her the most.
Praise for Jenny Frame
Wooing the Farmer
“This book, like all of Jenny Frame’s, is just one major swoon.”—Les Rêveur
“The chemistry between the two MCs had us hooked right away. We also absolutely loved the seemingly ditzy femme with an ambition of steel but really a vulnerable girl. The sex scenes are great. Definitely recommended.”—Reviewer@large
“This is the book we Axedale fanatics have been waiting for…Jenny Frame writes the most amazing characters and this whole series is a masterpiece. But where she excels is in writing butch lesbians. Every time I read a Jenny Frame book I think it’s the best ever, but time and again she surprises me. She has surpassed herself with Wooing the Farmer.”—Kitty Kat’s Book Review Blog
Royal Court
“The author creates two very relatable characters…Quincy’s quietude and mental torture are offset by Holly’s openness and lust for life. Holly’s determination and tenacity in trying to reach Quincy are total wish-fulfilment of a person like that. The chemistry and attraction is excellently built.”—Best Lesbian Erotica
“[A] butch/femme romance that packs a punch.”—Les Rêveur
Royal Court “was a fun, light-hearted book with a very endearing romance.”—Leanne Chew, Librarian, Parnell Library (Auckland, NZ)
“There were unbelievably hot sex scenes as I have come to expect and look forward to in Jenny Frame’s books. Passions slowly rise until you feel the characters may burst!…Royal Court is wonderful and I highly recommend it.”—Kitty Kat’s Book Review Blog
Hunger for You
“I loved this book. Paranormal stuff like vampires and werewolves are my go-to sins. This book had literally everything I needed: chemistry between the leads, hot love scenes (phew), drama, angst, romance (oh my, the romance) and strong supporting characters.”—The Reading Doc
Byron and Amelia “are guaranteed to get the reader all hot and bothered. Jenny Frame writes brilliant love scenes in all of her books and makes me believe the characters crave each other.”—Kitty Kat’s Book Review Blog
Charming the Vicar
“Chances are, you’ve never read or become captivated by a romance like Charming the Vicar. While books featuring people of the cloth aren’t unusual, Bridget is no ordinary vicar—a lesbian with a history of kink…Surrounded by mostly supportive villagers, Bridget and Finn balance love and faith in a story that affirms both can exist for anyone, regardless of sexual identity.”—RT Book Reviews
“The sex scenes were some of the sexiest, most intimate and quite frankly, sensual I have read in a while. Jenny Frame had me hooked and I reread a few scenes because I felt like I needed to experience the intense intimacy between Finn and Bridget again. The devotion they showed to one another during these sex scenes but also in the intimate moments was gripping and for lack of a better word, carnal.”—Les Rêveur
“The sexual chemistry between [Finn and Bridge] is unbelievably hot. It is sexy, lustful and with more than a hint of kink. The scenes between them are highly erotic—and not just the sex scenes. The tension is ramped up so well that I felt the characters would explode if they did not get relief!…An excellent book set in the most wonderful village—a place I hope to return to very soon!”—Kitty Kat’s Book Reviews
“This is Frame’s best character work to date. They are layered and flawed and yet relatable…Frame really pushed herself with Charming the Vicar and it totally paid off…I also appreciate that even though she regularly writes butch/femme characters, no two pairings are the same.”—The Lesbian Review
Unexpected
Jenny Frame “has this beautiful way of writing a phenomenally hot scene while incorporating the love and tenderness between the couple.”—Les Rêveur
“If you enjoy contemporary romances, Unexpected is a great choice. The character work is excellent, the plotting and pacing are well done, and it’s a just a sweet, warm read…Definitely pick this book up when you’re looking for your next comfort read, because it’s sure to put a smile on your face by the time you get to that happy ending.”—Curve
“Unexpected by Jenny Frame is a charming butch/femme romance that is perfect for anyone who wants to feel the magic of overcoming adversity and finding true love. I love the way Jenny Frame writes. I have yet to discover an author who writes like her. Her voice is strong and unique and gives a freshness to the lesbian fiction sector.”—The Lesbian Review
Royal Rebel
“Frame’s stories are easy to follow and really engaging. She stands head and shoulders above a number of the romance authors and it’s easy to see why she is quickly making a name for herself in lesfic romance.”—The Lesbian Review
Courting the Countess
“I love Frame’s romances. They are well paced, filled with beautiful character moments and a wonderful set of side characters who ultimately end up winning your heart…I love Jenny Frame’s butch/femme dynamic; she gets it so right for a romance.”—The Lesbian Review
“I loved, loved, loved this book. I didn’t expect to get so involved in the story but I couldn’t help but fall in love with Annie and Harry…The love scenes were beautifully written and very sexy. I found the whole book romantic and ultimately joyful and I had a lump in my throat on more than one occasion. A wonderful book that certainly stirred my emotions.”—Kitty Kat’s Book Reviews
“Courting The Countess has an historical feel in a present day world, a thought provoking tale filled with raw emotions throughout. [Frame] has a magical way of pulling you in, making you feel every emotion her characters experience.”—Lunar Rainbow Reviewz
“I didn’t want to put the book down and I didn’t. Harry and Annie are two amazingly written characters that bring life to the pages as they find love and adventures in Harry’s home. This is a great read, and you will enjoy it immensely if you give it a try!”—Fantastic Book Reviews
A Royal Romance
“A Royal Romance was a guilty pleasure read for me. It was just fun to see the relationship develop between George and Bea, to see George’s life as queen and Bea’s as a commoner. It was also refreshing to see that both of their families were encouraging, even when Bea doubted that things could work between them because of their class differences…A Royal Romance left me wanting a sequel, and romances don’t usually do that to me.”—Leeanna.ME Mostly a Book Blog
Blood of the Pack
“[A] solid entry into the expanding Lesfic urban fantasy/ paranormal romance genre. I look forward to seeing more from the Wolfgang County series.”—Colleen Corgel, Librarian, Queens Public Library
Soul of the Pack
“I enjoy the way Jenny Frame writes. Her characters are perfectly suited to one another, never the same, and the stories are always fun and unique…there is something special about her urban fantasy worlds. She maximi
ses the butch/femme dynamic and creates pack dynamics which work so well with those.”—The Lesbian Review
Heart of the Pack
“A really well written love story that incidentally involves changers as well as humans.”—Inked Rainbow Reads
Longing for You
Brought to you by
eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com
eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.
Please respect the rights of the author and do not file share.
Longing for You
© 2020 By Jenny Frame. All Rights Reserved.
ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-659-9
This Electronic Original Is Published By
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Valley Falls, NY 12185
First Edition: September 2020
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Credits
Editor: Ruth Sternglantz
Production Design: Stacia Seaman
Cover Design by Tammy Seidick
eBook Design by Toni Whitaker
By the Author
A Royal Romance
Courting the Countess
Dapper
Royal Rebel
Unexpected
Charming the Vicar
Royal Court
Wooing the Farmer
Someone to Love
The Duchess and the Dreamer
Wild for You
Hunger for You
Longing for You
Wolfgang County Series
Heart of the Pack
Soul of the Pack
Blood of the Pack
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Rad, Sandy, and all the BSB staff for their tireless hard work. Thanks to Ruth for her guidance, patience, and advice. I’m deeply grateful to have you help me make my books the best that they can be.
Thanks to my family for their support and encouragement.
Finally, thanks to Lou and Barney for putting up with my craziness as I approach every deadline. I’ll love you both forever and always.
To Lou
Always and forever
Chapter One
The sounds of laughter and happiness were making Alexis Villiers more down and depressed by the second. She should be happy. It was her best friend and mentor’s wedding day. Byron Debrek had already been bonded by blood to Amelia Honey, but Byron wanted to honour Amelia’s human side, and so they planned a lavish wedding.
The wedding was taking place at the Gothic and picturesque Debrek Castle in the Highlands of Scotland. Byron invited all of their paranormal allies and friends, including the four heads of the UK and Ireland werewolf packs—the Scottish Wulvers, the Irish Filtiaran, the English Ranwulfs, and the Welsh Blaidds—plus the BoaBhan Sith, all-female vampire-fae beings with whom the Debreks had a long alliance, who used the Debreks’ Scottish residence as their home.
There were also representatives of the fae, the shapeshifters, and the witches, with whom they had a much more fragile alliance. And since Byron’s cousin Victorija, the head of the Dred vampire clan, killed the leader of the French coven, relations between the vampires and witches had become even more strained than usual.
The wedding was the event of the century. Nobody, especially Alexis, ever thought that Byron would become bonded by blood, the vampire equivalent of marriage, but when Amelia Honey came along, everything changed. Alexis stood at the back of the banqueting hall watching the wedding guests dancing with a deep sadness and worry in her heart. She had been feeling it for months now and just couldn’t shake it.
Alexis watched Byron pull Amelia closer as they embarked on their first dance, and the guests gave them a round of applause. Alexis could not share this happiness. She wandered over to the bar area and waited for service. Slaine, who ran The Sanctuary in London, had agreed to run the bar for this evening’s special event.
The Sanctuary was a club where all paranormals could come together and have a drink in peace, no matter what grievances they had outside the door, and was the oldest bar in London. Slaine was part shifter, part fae, and it was the shifter part of her genes that gave her the six-foot-eight height and solid, imposing body. Slaine spotted Alexis and left her staff to handle the orders and made her way over to Alexis.
“What can I get you, Alexis?” Slaine said.
“Whisky, please.”
Slaine grinned. “Try this.” She brought out a bottle with a grey wolf on the front of the label from underneath the bar and poured Alexis a large drink. “Kenrick Wulver gave Byron and Amelia ten cases of this special reserve to mark their wedding day. Byron let us use one case behind the bar. It’s a bit special.”
Alexis took a sip and felt the satisfying burn as it travelled down her throat. It was really good, but she’d expect no less from the Wulver distillery. Kenrick was the new Alpha and not long mated herself. Everyone seemed to be destined for happiness except her. Alexis had lost her chance at love a hundred and seventy years ago, when Victorija killed Anna, the woman she was going to marry.
“It’s good,” Alexis said with little enthusiasm.
“Good? You can’t describe that masterpiece as good, Duca.”
Alexis swirled the amber liquid around her glass. “Really good?”
Slaine sighed. “You sound like you’re at a funeral instead of a wedding.”
“Slaine, the Dreds are turning humans at will to boost their boots on the ground, threatening to expose our world to humans, the witches are baying for blood, and the whole paranormal world is on a knife-edge. No one is taking the threat seriously,” Alexis said.
“Look at everyone dancing and having a good time. Vampires, wolves, shifters, fae, witches, all in the same room, and not killing each other.” Slaine pointed over to the small number of witches sitting together in a corner of the room. “At the moment the witches are baying for vampire blood, but because of this wedding, the British covens have sent representatives here and are enjoying a drink with vampires, who they probably trust as far as they could throw them. That’s an achievement that only love can bring.”
“Love?” Alexis snorted. “Please, love brings pain, not happiness.”
Alexis’s eyes flitted to a young blond woman, dancing not far from the Principe and Principessa—Katie Brekman, the Debrek head housekeeper, who was dancing with a female shifter. She felt her stomach twist with tension.
Katie’s family had worked for the Debreks for generations, and her mother and father had headed up the Debrek household for years. When Katie came back from university to work for Byron, she’d joined the blood rota, as all the humans in the household did.
Alexis remembered every millisecond of her first encounter in the blood room with Katie. Katie offered her neck and Alexis groaned at the first scent of it.
For a vampire, going to feed in the blood room should be like eating a meal for a human—nice, but just a fuel stop to keep their vampire bodies going. Unless you were feeding from a lover. Alexis closed her eyes and she was back there, recalling the memory like a movie in her mind.
Alexis had a long morning and needed to feed badly. She unlocked her phone and opened the Debrek app. The app had been developed under Byron’s leadership and modernized the Debrek way of life and business. She clicked on the icon to summon a blood host—a little like ordering an Uber—and made her way down to the blood room.
When she arrived at the old wooden door, she looked into the eye scanner to gain access. The security scanner released the lock, and she opened the heavy oak door.
She walked in and was s
urprised to see not one of the regular blood hosts, but young Katie Brekman, the daughter of the Debrek housekeeper and butler. Alexis knew that she had returned from university but didn’t know she had started work.
“Duca?” Katie said in surprise. “I…I didn’t know it would be you.”
Alexis looked at the young woman silently. She appeared nervous, and Alexis’s exceptional hearing could make out Katie’s heart hammering in her chest.
Katie wasn’t handling Alexis’s silence very well and started to talk nervously. “This is my first time giving blood—well, I did give blood at university for the Red Cross, but that’s a bit different—”
As she rambled on Alexis sighed internally. A blood virgin. Brilliant, that was just what she needed. Alexis wasn’t like some vampires who liked to stop and chat, pass the time of day with their blood hosts. She didn’t much like to pass the day with anyone. She had clan business to take care of, things to do, and people to organize within the clan.
She was clearly the wrong person to guide Katie through her first time and would just have to tell her so.
