by W. J. May
“Hmm. You’re missing the white, frilly shirt and billowing, black cape,” I retorted.
He smirked. “My mom told me to stay hip with today’s styles and not to wear the cape, no matter how good it looks on me.”
I laughed. “And you’re also missing the slicked-back hair, fake blood, the white-painted face with dark circles, and, last but not least, the plastic fangs.”
“Plastic fangs would make me talk with a lisp. Mine are all natural.”
I touched his lips. “Wow. I just kissed the most prolific monster in the history of movies and television and lived to tell about it.”
“Hollywood is so confused about us,” he said. “I’m far more layered and complex than they’ll ever know.”
“You don’t have an overwhelming desire to bite me, do you?” I asked with a smile.
“Well…maybe, but not for blood.”
“You can control your bloodlust for me?”
“I’m not saying it’s easy. I feed before work, even though I only need to once a week. My mom has a source who supplies us from a blood bank he works at. Eating every day helps keep me in check. Also, Sam taught me how to keep my urges under control, and Kierra showed me what to do when I feel like I’m going to explode. Mom worked with me a lot to teach me how to be around humans and animals. If I couldn’t keep it under control, I could never work at the zoo.”
“Well, you’re doing a good job fitting in,” I said.
I still didn’t understand how I could crave someone like him, someone who was nothing but trouble. Sure, he was dangerous, wild, and untamed, but I found those qualities intriguing as the unquenchable desire flooding through me whenever I looked at him. My heart beat a million times a minute every time I was around him, but I couldn’t run. Yes, Jesse was a vampire, but I felt safer around him than I’d ever felt with anyone before.
“I didn’t get this way overnight,” he said. “It was…well, a long process.”
I knew he was telling the truth. Life is crazy, I thought, or maybe it’s just fate. All I knew was that I’d been thrown a major curveball, and I had no idea what to expect. Jesse was a puzzle, and I planned to put every piece together until I had the full picture of him. I knew I shouldn’t kiss someone so dangerous, someone with such a dark secret flowing through his veins, but our deliciously wicked kiss played over and over in my head, and I simply couldn’t turn away.
Jesse’s thumb grazed my lips as he stared deeply into my eyes. “There must be something wrong with my eyes,” he softly said.
“What? Why?”
“I-I can’t seem to take them off you.”
I smiled widely. He was my addiction, my drug, and no force on Earth could keep me away. I kissed a vampire…and I liked it, I thought to the tune of that Katy Perry song. A jolt shot down my spine as I gazed into his eyes, still regarding me with that look that told me he couldn’t stop thinking about our kiss either.
The problem was, Jesse was a vampire, while I was a mere human. Not only that, but he wasn’t just a normal vampire, the Dracula sort or one of those baseball-playing, twinkly ones from the movies. No, my vampire was a rare species, a supernatural wonder who could actually walk in the light. When I really thought about that, I was floored.
Will we actually make it? I wondered. Truthfully, I had no idea. I still couldn’t fathom jumping into the world of the paranormal, the darkness of vampire legend. I couldn’t imagine anything more dangerous. Then again, I didn’t care, because I couldn’t imagine anything more intriguing either. I knew the high stakes and the risk, but I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything or anyone.
Yes, I knew he was toxic, but sometimes we can’t control what the heart wants—and mine screamed for Jesse with every beat.
To be continued…
Taylor’s story continues with Book 2: Crash, now available
Amazon link to Crash - Book 2: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HBVTUCK
UK link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00HBVTUCK?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you enjoyed this story, please let others know by adding a review. (Even a line or two would help immensely) This helps others find new authors that they may have never heard of before, but may enjoy. Thank you, I appreciate it so much. Thank you for your support.
Thank you so much for sharing Taylor’s journey. It was a pleasure having you along. I hope you enjoyed the story just as much as I enjoyed writing it.
There’s more to come after Crush!
The Crush Saga Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/4eMF8KXEUc4
Connect with me online!
Chrissy’s
blog: http://chrissypeebles.blogspot.com/
Facebook Fan Page: (I’d love to hear your comments and thoughts!) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=vb.351121651567296&type=2#!/pages/Chrissy-Peebles/351121651567296
***
Books by Chrissy Peebles
***
The Enchanted Castle Series
The Enchanted Castle Series Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/Ysb6uzIdsEk
Enchanted Castle - book 1
My Haunted Fairytale - book 2
Enchanted Dreams - book 3
The Ruby Ring Saga
ORIGINAL BOOK TRAILER: http://youtu.be/n_w-eZwPJbA
CURRENT BOOK TRAILER: http://youtu.be/JJzoHW0xVMI
Eternal Vows - book 1
Eternal Destiny - book 2
Eternal Fire - book 3
Eternal Faith - book 4
Eternal Bloom - book 5
Eternal Flame – book 6
Eternal Conflict – book 7
The Crush Saga
The Crush Saga Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/4eMF8KXEUc4
Crush - book 1
Crash - book 2
Chosen - book 3
Chaos – book 4
Deep Web – book 5
Conflicted – book 6
The Hope Saga
The Hope Saga Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF9UkY0qiSo
Apocalypse - Underwater City - book 1
Rebel Princess - book 2
Rebel Warrior - book 3
Trapped in the Hollow Earth Novelette Series
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/viwT0M8Ms_g
Book 1 - Castaway
Book 2 - Dread
Book 3 - Peril
Book 4 - Outlive
Book 5 - Endure
Book 6 - Persevere
Book 7 - Turbulence
Book 8 - Hope
Book 9 - Termination - The Conclusion
Apocalypse Unleashed Series
Book Trailer for The Zombie Chronicles Series: http://youtu.be/ociUHiL1g70
Val (prequelto the zombie series) Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mp43Ml4hvE
Val - The prequel to The Zombie Chronicles
The Zombie Chronicles - book 1
The Zombie Chronicles - book 2 - Race for the Cure
The Zombie Chronicles - book 3 - Deadly City
The Zombie Chronicles - book 4 - Poisonous Serum
The Zombie Chronicles - book 5 - Undead Nightmare
The Zombie Chronicles - book 6 - Revelation
The Zombie Chronicles - book 7 – Trepidation
The Zombie Chronicles – book 8 - Impact
BLOG:
http://www.chrissypeebles.blogspot.com
Fantasy Romance Series
ORIGINAL BOOK TRAILER: http://youtu.be/n_w-eZwPJbA
CURRENT BOOK TRAILER: http://youtu.be/JJzoHW0xVMI
Eternal Vows link US link: http://amzn.com/B007HPDFBC
Eternal Vows link UK link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007HPD
Never marry a stranger...even if he is a drop-dead gorgeous immortal king.
Never pretend to be a princess.
And most importantly...never slip on an ancient wedding ring you know nothing about.
Sarah Larker returns to a cave where her sister disappeared ten years earlier. She walks through a portal and is mistaken for a runaway princess on the run by a da
ngerous immortal king in medieval times. Her plan is bold as well as daring—become this princess, wed the king, and slip on an ancient wedding ring that will unlock the portal back home. Then find her sister and run as fast as she can out of Dodge. But taking on the identity of Princess Gloria comes along with dangerous consequences; and slipping on the ruby ring comes with an even higher price.
Young Adult, Paranormal Romance Series
BOOK TRAILER: http://youtu.be/Ysb6uzIdsEk
Enchanted Castle US Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LDZG3Y
Enchanted Castle UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008LDZG3Y?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Zoey Sanders attends her senior year of high school at a mysterious, gothic castle in Scotland. As much as she loves meeting her Prince Charming, she begins to wonder if the castle is really haunted.
Zombie Series
BOOK TRAILER: http://youtu.be/ociUHiL1g70
The Zombie Chronicles US Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008R53WBO
The Zombie Chronicles UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008R53WBO?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you like vampires, you might like zombies. If you do, I have a zombie series out in e-book, paperback, and audio. It’s called, THE ZOMBIE CHRONICLES.
*This is a young adult book series. Each chronicle will feature Dean's struggles as he tries to survive in this new world. And thus the name, The Zombie Chronicles. I hope you enjoy this series, and thank you for giving book one a chance.*
Warning: Mild violence. For mature teens or older.
Val was bitten by a zombie and now she’s scheduled for lethal injection. Breaking all the rules, eighteen year old, Dean Walters snags an experimental serum. But it can’t be tested until Val turns into a zombie: something authorities won’t allow. Her execution is scheduled to happen before transformation is complete, giving Dean only hours to break her out.
When their helicopter crashes straight into the heart of Zombie Land, his rescue mission becomes a fight for survival…and giving up on Val is NOT an option.
Prequel to The Zombie Chronicles: VAL
Book Trailer for Val: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mp43Ml4hvE
Val US Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IXY5SI4
Val UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00IXY5SI4?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Book 3
Description:
Blood doesn't just make her who she is...it also makes her what she is.
Like being a sixteen-year-old vampire isn't hard enough, Tessa's throwback human genes make her an outcast among her relatives. But try as she might, she can't get a handle on the vampire lifestyle and all the...blood.
Turning her back on the vamp world, she embraces the human teenage lifestyle--high school, peer pressure and finding a boyfriend. Jared manages to stir something in her blood. He's smart and fun and oh, so cute. But Tessa's dream of a having the perfect boyfriend turns into a nightmare when vampires attack the movie theatre and kidnap her date.
Once again, Tessa finds herself torn between the human world and the vampire one. Will blood own out? Can she make peace with who she is as well as what?
Warning: This book ends with a cliffhanger! Book 2 picks up where this book ends.
VAMPIRE IN DENIAL
Book #1 of Family Blood
Discover other titles by Dale Mayer
Amazon Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidences either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2011 Dale Mayer
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 9780987741134
CHAPTER ONE
Being part vampire played havoc on her love life.
Tessa didn't need her dates for their blood. In fact, she had this thing against young male blood. Horrible tasting stuff.
Not that she'd tell them that. At least not on first meet.
And she rarely got a second. Maybe it was a lack of self-confidence like her girlfriends said. Or maybe she was too shy. It didn't really matter. Her life sucked. She winced. Or maybe she did.
Tessa checked out her black-tipped nails. Maybe she should change the color. Black did go with everything, just not necessarily with the new look she was trying out. The one that might make Jared notice her. She shrugged. Her venture into red nail polish hadn't worked out so well, either. People had actually cringed when they saw her hands, even with her extendable nails retracted.
She studied the long, sharp points. So maybe the red had made them look a little like blood dripped from them.
She sighed and slouched lower on her bed, plumping the pillows under her head. She adored red. And black. But those were vampire colors. And she wasn't doing those anymore.
Her world didn't exactly overflow with potential dates. Not with her family hovering protectively behind her. Even worse, her two older brothers insisted on escorting her to various school parties and events. Shudder. Like how humiliating was that? Snide comments whispered at the last party still whirled through her head.
'What's wrong with her?'
'There has to be some loser out there who'd bring her. God, how pathetic.'
'Her brothers? Again?'
The mad titter of gossiping females always followed. Worse were the worried glances and whispered comments from her well-meaning family, particularly her mother, who trotted out one question almost daily.
'Why can't you be happy with who you are?'
It was hard to be happy when you were a genetic oddity. A primitive. A throwback. A weirdo – not fully one of them.
Why was she part-vampire in a family of vampires? The odd one in her ancient lineage, an anomaly in the genes that showed up every few generations. Yay for her.
"Tessa? Come down here, please," her mother called.
Now what? Her mom never called her down to offer a mother-daughter day out or to give Tessa money for clothes. It was more likely that her mom needed a hand, or wanted Tessa to do chores. What was with her parents, anyway?
"Tessa?"
"I'm here," she called as she walked out of her bedroom. Entering the kitchen, her father, two brothers and Cody slouched at the table, sucking back blood smoothies and coffee. She groaned at the collection of strong dominant males that stared at her.
So what else was new?
Tessa cringed. She didn't have the same thirst for blood as the rest of her family. Different from them, and feeling like she didn't belong, Tess now took every chance she could to be different.
Dead silence greeted her arrival.
"Tessa, what have you done to your hair?" The words exploded from her mother and were echoed by the shocked looks from the rest of her family.
"Oh." Instinctively Tessa touched the top of her head. "I wanted a change."
"A change? That's not a change, that's…that's…" Her mother couldn't find the right word.
"Bizarre?" Seth suggested.
"Cool."
She smiled at David, the youngest of her two brothers. At eighteen he was only a year and a half older than her. They were close. He understood what she was going through, having struggled with his own issues a few years ago. If anyone could relate to her need to be different from her family, he did.
Her mother stood in front of Tessa, her hand touching Tessa's pure white locks. Horror rippled across her mom's features as tears threatened to fall. "Your beautiful hair."
Tessa watched her wa
rily. She hadn't expected this strong reaction. "The hair is still there, Mom. It's just white instead of black, that's all."
"You're a vampire. One of the ancient ones. We're proud of our family’s dark hair."
"No, you're a vampire. I'm only part." Nobody understood how she felt. "You're proud of your dark hair, and I…well, let's just say I was ready for something different."
Seth, her oldest brother, shot her a warning look. She glared back at him.
Over the years her parents had always been understanding as the three of them had grown through their teenage years, especially with her brothers. David sported a punk cut, his hair spiked in every direction and the girls loved it. Then again, girls loved him.
She just wanted a piece of the action. With the guys, of course.
"I like it," Cody said slowly. "It's really hot."
Tessa beamed. Wow, Cody almost never said anything directly to her. And when he did, it was usually to call her down. As David's best friend, he practically lived here – whether she liked it or not. "Thank you. I'm glad someone does."
"Oh, Tessa honey. I wish you'd relax about not having a boyfriend. Don't try to change yourself into something you're not. You'll find someone soon. Someone who will love you for who you are."
Easy for her to say. Her mom was one of the most beautiful vampires in existence. Her centuries-old features were still young and perfect. Her figure – well, Tessa's couldn't even begin to compare.
Sigh.
Seth might be the quietest in the family, the older, and more studious one, but he usually nailed the issue on the head. "And that's the problem, Mom. No guy's going to fall in love with her when she isn't happy with herself. Self-confidence is sexy."
