Born of Stone

by Missy Jane

  The stronger one looked like a businessman, dressed in a long-sleeved, white, button-up shirt. His tie was askew from their struggle but his slacks were impeccable. Light blond hair fell carelessly over his forehead in a common style among young vamps, though some human men had adopted it as well. He backhanded the vagrant and I thought it was over. Then Mr. Businessman used one hand to grab Mr. Vagrant by his collar while yanking back the oily hair with his other hand. The vagrant hung limply in Businessman’s grip as if unconscious. Mr. Businessman opened his mouth, sunlight sparking off his elongated canines, and struck like a snake at Vagrant’s neck. I gasped and jumped back away from the window, dropping the phone onto the dirty tile floor.

  “Oh shit.” He was definitely a vampire.

  Biting wasn’t necessarily a crime. There were even clubs dedicated to the act. However it had to be consensual. There were very specific laws about that, with strict guidelines about the victim’s state of mind. It was obvious the human hadn’t willingly bared his neck for Mr. Businessman.

  I immediately dropped to my knees. The urge to curl into a ball and hide nearly overwhelmed me. After a couple of deep, calming breaths I found the strength to crawl back to the window and peer cautiously through the glass. The vamp was still sucking down his snack without a care in the world. Bile burned the back of my throat but I fought it down and looked away long enough to find the phone. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely dial the police. I took another calming breath so I could answer the dispatcher’s questions, but soon they had the address and promised a police officer would be on the way.

  “Y-You might want to send an ambulance too,” I warned. “It doesn’t look like he’s letting go of the human and he’s been drinking for at least three full minutes.”

  The bored-sounding dispatcher gave me a half-hearted reassurance that someone would be there soon and disconnected the call. I looked at the phone in disgust.

  Rumor had, it when a vamp drank from a human for the first time it was like an LSD high. Most vamps I knew refrained because their aggressive nature came to the forefront when they weren’t in complete control. For the most part, drugs and alcohol didn’t affect them, but if they drank from a new human every time they could replicate those effects.

  The media always downplayed any crimes related to biting incidents, and many humans remained ignorant. Unfortunately, I’d seen it firsthand. I shuddered at the memories of blood and destruction, firmly pushing them to the back of my mind. There was a reason I only dated humans. The wail of approaching sirens jerked my head up and I looked out the window. The vamp was gone and a foot was barely visible at the mouth of the alley. I squinted in concentration, but a patrol car pulled in in front of the store and effectively blocked my view.

  I stood and went to the door, opening it just as the HPD officers stepped out of their car.

  “That was quick.”

  The driver looked me over as his partner joined him on the sidewalk. They were both tall and well built, one light, one dark. The dark one had been driving and looked a little older. I couldn’t tell if they were human.

  “Good morning, Officers. I’m the one that called in the attack.”

  They gave each other a brief glance before looking back at me, and then the light one stepped forward. He smiled, barely flashing the tips of fangs, and I fought the urge to run back inside.

  “You said it was a biting incident, right?”

  I nodded warily as he removed a pad of paper from his back pocket. The other officer looked around.

  “Yeah, right across the street there.” I pointed to the alley. “They were fighting, which is what got my attention. I doubt that guy gave permission to be bitten after getting his ass kicked.”

  The vamp wrote down a few lines while his partner walked over to the alley. He froze in a dead stop a few feet away from the exposed foot and quickly grabbed his radio. I barely understood his report as it sounded from the vamp’s radio, but he reacted as if he’d been slapped.

  “What the fuck?”

  He turned and ran over to his partner, stopping beside him to stare at the victim on the ground. My curiosity was piqued, but dread held me immobile as I watched their reactions. It took no time for sirens to fill the air, quickly growing louder as trepidation deepened in my chest. I just watched in silence as the minutes slipped by and more patrol cars arrived. I looked around expecting an ambulance to come too. The coroner’s van showed up instead.

  “Oh shit.”

  I finally went back inside the store as the level of activity outside began to escalate. Brett would want to know the store was going to be on the news. He didn’t answer my call, so I left a vague message on his machine then sat on my stool and watched through the window for the next hour. Someone was taking pictures and a couple of men in suits were talking to each other. Uniformed officers littered the sidewalks on both sides of the streets. Most of them were looking through windows as if trying to determine which businesses were still open. No one had come into the store yet, but I knew my reprieve would be short-lived. I’d witnessed a murder without even knowing it and the murderer was a vamp.

  Just my fucking luck.

  It didn’t take long for the cops to remember me. Their nametags identified them as Officer Clark, the vamp, and Officer Santino, a human as far as I could tell. The slight hint of amusement from before was gone, and I had the urge to stick my tongue out at them. Now they were all business and wanted every detail of what I’d seen. I repeated word for word what I’d told the dispatcher when I’d called it in. Clark took notes while Santino tried to drill a hole in me with his stare. I don’t know what they thought I was hiding, but my patience was already wearing thin when someone else walked in.

  The plainclothes cop entered the store as if he owned it, strutting through the door in a graceful glide all vamp men seemed to pull off with ease. He wore a suit that looked rumpled from a long shift, including a matching fedora and dark sunglasses. Most vamps stayed out of the sun as much as possible or covered up like he did. Still, the hat amused me and easily marked him as non-human. I’d moved my stool from behind the counter to a spot farther from the door, but his gaze still found me at once.

  “Clark, Santino, I’ll take it from here.”

  His deep voice sent an involuntary shiver up my spine, not entirely from fear. It annoyed the shit out of me. The street cops shared a look before nodding to the new guy and turning away from me. They didn’t leave, just walked to the door and began a conversation too low for my human ears to pick up. New Cop stepped into my line of sight, blocking the other two and gaining my full attention. He pulled off his glasses and slipped them into an inside jacket pocket before removing his hat. Short, black hair and dark, cocoa-colored eyes were revealed to make the whole picture nearly breathtaking. He was handsome like most vamp men, but there was wariness in his gaze that told me he’d be all business.

  I tried to relax and focus on him, but the bell over the door chimed as Clark and Santino walked out, and fear sprang unbidden through me. It was impossible to never be alone with a vampire. Whether customers or Joe, it happened from time to time. However, I avoided it as much as I could, especially with complete strangers. This vamp might be a cop but I didn’t know him and he was a lot bigger than me. I stood and took a step back, pressing against the counter and creating more space between us.

  He stilled and inhaled slowly before speaking in a low, calming tone. “Hello, ma’am, I’m Detective Gregory Parsons. I have a few questions to ask about the…incident you witnessed a couple of hours ago.”

  I shrugged and leaned back against the counter in feigned indifference. “Yeah? The biting incident.”

  The wariness turned to something else for a heartbeat before he quickly masked it. His jaw tightened the slightest bit and my pulse sped up minutely. He’d hear it as well as smell any fear I couldn’t temper. It didn’t matter. Who the hell wouldn’t be scared of one vamp after witnessing another suck a human dry? He’d kno
w my nonchalant pose for the farce it was, but if he could play along, so could I.

  He cleared his throat and slipped his hands into his pockets. “Yes, ma’am, the biting incident. You witnessed it in its entirety?”

  I worked to look into his eyes without trembling. It had been a few years since I’d seen my last biting incident. I would be having nightmares for months after this.

  “Yes, sir. From start to finish. I told the last two cops everything and they even wrote it down. Do you really need to hear me repeat it?”

  If he felt any sympathy for me he was damned good at hiding it. I wasn’t really a victim, I guess. Nothing had physically happened to me. So what if the scene outside had been too damn close to what had happened in my past? I pushed those memories away again and straightened my spine, determined to get through this as quickly as possible.

  “Yes, I do, Miss…”

  “Stonewell. Zaria Stonewell.”

  His brow wrinkled and his gaze ran over my face as if looking for a familiar feature. I knew I’d never met him before, but he might have already been a cop the last time I’d been through this. I put him in his late twenties, just past my own twenty-five years of age. He shifted his stance, seemingly uncomfortable on his feet. It had probably been a long night for him to still be up at this hour. A glance out the window confirmed the sun was well on its way to high noon. I had an idea of how to avoid any more time alone with him

  There’s no easy cure for a love of epidemic proportions.

  A Breath of Winter

  © 2013 Hailey Edwards

  Araneae Nation, Book 4

  Zuri and her mercenary brothers had a simple mission. Transport a captured harbinger to Erania and collect the bounty. But this job turns out to be anything but easy.

  Their welcome to the northland is nothing short of frigid. A scuffle with border guards and her prisoner’s attempted escape leave Zuri injured—and she and her brothers stuck in quarantine. Worse, the bounty comes with silken strings attached. Strings held by a scientist with a daring, dangerous plan.

  Because Zuri and her prisoner barged in before his fail-safes were in place, Henri had no choice but to lock them all down until he’s sure there’s no risk of spreading plague. He’d planned to study the harbinger, but it’s the mercenary holding the leash who intrigues him the most.

  When Henri’s experiment goes awry, they learn they’ve all been pawns in a plan with one goal: bring the Araneae Nation to its knees. Zuri is forced to make a choice that could sign her death warrant—or sacrifice everyone she loves.

  Warning: This book contains a chair-bound heroine who won’t let anyone—least of all a man—push her around. Expect tea-drinking, net-tossing, and knife-wielding. Should you feel compelled to indulge in a bear ride, please keep your hands on the reins and your feet in the stirrups. Author not responsible for possible maulings.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for A Breath of Winter:

  Six hours, he said. Well, I slept twelve. “You should have waked me instead of letting me sleep the day away.” By the time I joined Henri in the laboratory, all my tasks had been done for me.

  Henri had tended to the third and fourth crates, plucked the next batch of petals, crushed them in oil and resumed his usual position at his regular table, hunched over three tiny glass vials and a syringe, leaving Asher to admit me. Henri was so lost in his work, he didn’t acknowledge my arrival.

  Turning to the male paying attention, I asked Asher, “Why are you here?”

  His gaze skittered toward the open hatch, as if he meant to step through it, so I blocked him.

  “Kaleb and Tau decided to stay with Ghedi to lessen the chance of passing the plague on to you. Fynn joined Malik a few hours ago.” At my growl, he added, “Fynn wants to help out, and he’s well enough. Braden and I are swapping shifts between the stables and bastille until we’re sure those two can handle it.” He smirked. “Wouldn’t want your brothers trying to pet the pretty lady, would we?”

  “Asher?” I curled my finger until he bent down. “Don’t talk about my brothers.” I threw all the force I could muster into punching him in the gut. He gasped, but he was already bent over, so it was hard to judge whether I had made my point.

  I was about to expound when Henri decided that I did, in fact, exist. He straightened slowly with a rusty movement that made him wince.

  “Asher’s on his way out.” Henri left neither of us any doubt he had meant it as an order.

  I rolled aside and let Asher leave with a twinge of regret for my actions.

  I should have led with my other fist.

  “What are you up to this fine afternoon?” I pointed to his desk. “Is that the preventative?”

  He chuckled as he stood. “You can’t help yourself, can you?”

  I watched him pocket the syringe. “Curiosity is a professional failing of mine.”

  “I’ve noticed.” He walked a slow circle around me. “Yet it’s a trait I admire in you.”

  I forced myself to hold still. “What are you doing?”

  A scuffling sound made me think he had knelt. “Checking the chair for signs of wear.”

  “Ah.” My nape prickled under his regard. “Is its condition satisfactory?”

  “It appears to be holding up well,” he said from much too near my ear. “I just need to…” He jostled me while making some adjustment or other. Metal groaned and I jumped at the rapid succession of clicks that raised my seat. After many tense minutes passed, the chair stopped rocking.

  I waited a heartbeat before asking, “Are you finished?”

  He leaned over my shoulder, and his breath fanned my throat. “It depends.”

  My pulse spiked when he toyed with the hairs at my nape. “On?” I turned my head a fraction and caught him as he stared down the front of my gown. Wicked female that I was, I arched my back in what was dangerously close to invitation. “I can see you.”

  “I know,” he said softly. “I think…you might be the only one who does. See me.”

  I nuzzled his cheek. “You mean you’re usually stealthier when staring down females’ shirts?”

  He must have smiled. I felt the scraping of his teeth against my skin, and my sight went blurry.

  “Henri.”

  We jumped apart at the sound of Asher’s voice. He was braced in the doorway, panting. We had been too lost in conversation to hear the hatch open, but I felt the draft from the hall seeping in now.

  “Why aren’t you in bed?” Henri sounded less flustered than I would just now. Yet when he braced on my good shoulder, his thumb caressing my pulse, his hand trembled.

  “Braden said I ought to take a spare room to stay close, but I headed to my room in the stables.” Asher’s shirt was slicked to his body, and his chest pumped while he gasped for air.

  “What happened?” I peered behind him, into the hall.

  “The animals,” he panted. “I blamed the storm. They always get wild when the weather turns.”

  Henri poured Asher a glass of water and put a hand on his shoulder. “Slow down.”

  “On the way to my room, I heard this thumping sound and went to investigate. It was Noir. She was throwing a hissy, ramming her stall door with her shoulder like she was trying to bust it down. Paladin Rhys warned us, said his brother favored the mad sow. I tried calming her, nothing worked.”

  “Noir is temperamental.” Henri told me, “So is Farrow for that matter. It’s in the bloodline.”

  Asher nodded. “I stuffed those herbs you left us for sedating trouble boars into a slab of varanus steak and tossed it to Noir. On my way to bed, I heard the noise again, this time near the exit hatch.”

  “The one we used to enter the stables?” I asked.

  “There’s only one exit hatch,” he snapped.

  Henri cleared his throat.

  Asher scowled at me. “I mean, yes. The noise came from the same hatch I led you through.” His breathing slowed. “I figured it must be one of the guards wanting to pass a mess
age through. After I saw what that thing did to Ghedi, I wasn’t about to open so much as the post slot to receive a letter. I climbed the ladder and used the lookout to see what I was dealing with. A male was banging his fists on the hatch. At first, he seemed all right—frantic—but if more of those things might be out there…”

  Henri became very still. “Did you open the hatch?”

  “No. I didn’t get the chance.” Asher’s knuckles whitened. “Another male joined the first. When I didn’t let them in, they began snarling at one another. They attacked each other. That first one—he tore out the other’s throat and fell on him in the snow.” Asher blinked his wide eyes. “I’ve seen a lot in my time, all Mimetidae have, but nothing as brutal as those two. What are they? Why are they here?”

  “They’re risers—corpses,” Henri said. “As to why they’re here…”

  Our eyes met in the same moment, but I was the one to say, “They’ve come for her.”

  Born of Stone

  Missy Jane

  Within a body strong as stone beats a heart ready for love.

  Gargoyle Masters, Book 1

  For seventy years, Orestes and his twelve gargoyle brothers have done their duty to protect King Kadmos’s realm. There’s only one annoyance in his life—humans.

  He’s content to leave them to their idol worship. Until he notices a small, frail woman serving at his table, doing her best to remain invisible. Something about her calls to him like no human before.

  Astrid is terrified. Not only of the powerful magical creature with inhuman strength, but of the staff overseer’s lash for calling attention to herself. Instead she is whisked away to paradise, bathed, fed, and made love to by Orestes as if she is his reason to live. But she isn’t naïve enough to believe she is anything more than a temporary diversion.