Xavier: Vampires in Europe (Vampires in America Book 14)
Page 36
It had been the bastard’s first loss, but not his last. Nicodemus was far more powerful and drew strength from the love of his people, and above all, from the four warriors whom he’d called from the corners of the earth to fight by his side. Good against evil, light against dark. And they’d come, and they’d stood with him.
Until today, when Sotiris, in a last desperate stroke of evil, had stolen them somehow. Cast them into the sands of time and space, trapped in stone forever. Unless Nicodemus could find them, free them.
He swore that he would. That he would not rest—
A woman’s scream soared over the battlefield, and he raised his head to listen. Had she been calling his name? Who would do that? What woman—
“Fuck!” Vaulting onto his horse, he raced not across the battlefield, but behind his own lines, past bloodstained tents where his medics toiled, trying to save the life and livelihood of those they could. Making heartbreaking judgments when faced with men and women who were too far gone to save. Medics and wounded alike watched with tired eyes when he rode past, his own gaze on the white peaks of his estate, where he’d left her behind, thinking her safer there than on the battlefield.
But he’d been a fool. What challenge was there for Sotiris in destroying one woman, when he’d disposed of four great warriors with a single blow?
Nicodemus slid from the horse’s back as it loped through the gate, running on his own feet now, too agitated to call down a spell that would let him reach her faster, to open a portal and appear by her side in an instant. He climbed the stairs three a time, shoving past staff and courtiers alike. He had no time for them or their endless questions, he had to get to her, to . . .
“Antonia!” The door slammed against the wall as he screamed her name. But he knew. He knew. He was too late. She was gone, just as his brothers were gone. Everyone he’d ever loved . . . gone in the blink of an eye.
He’d won the war, the final victory over Sotiris. But he’d lost . . . everything.
To be continued . . .
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Acknowledgements
I’m so fortunate to be able to write my stories, to sell them to a publisher, and have wonderful readers who make all the rest possible. But if I’m going to list my good fortunes, then chief among them must be working with my editor, Brenda Chin. She somehow gets inside my head, knows what I meant to write, and drags it into the eerie light of the computer, so that I can put it on the screen and create a story that others want to read and enjoy.
My sincere thanks also to my publisher, Debra Dixon at ImaJinn/ BelleBooks, for her endless patience while I fought for creativity during a pandemic lockdown. I’m an introvert, but even I was going a little crazy . . . although some would say I didn’t have far to go. I also want to thank everyone else at ImaJinn/Belle for their kindness and support in getting my books out on time and looking beautiful.
On a personal note, I want to thank my dear friend and fellow writer Angela Addams for late night/early morning conversations that kept me going when the book just kept getting longer. It’s hard to believe that only a year ago, we were walking the streets of Toronto, without a care in the world. Thank you also to Julie Fine who beta read the longest sex scene in the history of sex scenes. Damn vampires and their stamina. Last, but never least, thank you to my very talented friend and contractor, Ori Sakal, who volunteered to be the evil villain in this book, even though he’s the very opposite of evil in this or any other world.
And finally, as always, to my family who made sure to stay in touch and deliver safe, lockdown hugs while I wrote this. Because everyone needs a hug once in a while. Love you all. Don’t know what I’d do without you.
About the Author
D. B. REYNOLDS arrived in sunny Southern California at an early age, having made the trek across the country from the Midwest in a station wagon with her parents, her many siblings and the family dog. And while she has many (okay, some) fond memories of Midwestern farm life, she quickly discovered that L.A. was her kind of town and grew up happily sunning on the beaches of the South Bay.
D. B. holds graduate degrees in international relations and history from UCLA (go Bruins!) and was headed for a career in academia, but in a moment of clarity she left behind the politics of the hallowed halls for the better paying politics of Hollywood, where she worked as a sound editor for several years, receiving two Emmy nominations, an MPSE Golden Reel and multiple MPSE nominations for her work in television sound.
Book One of her Vampires in America series, RAPHAEL, launched her career as a writer in 2009, while JABRIL, Vampires in America Book Two, was awarded the RT Reviewers Choice Award for Best Paranormal Romance (Small Press) in 2010. ADEN, Vampires in America Book Seven, was her first release under the new ImaJinn imprint at Belle Books, Inc.
D. B. currently lives in a flammable canyon near the Malibu coast. When she’s not writing her own books, she can usually be found reading someone else’s. You can visit D. B. at her website www.dbreynolds.com for information on her latest books, contests and giveaways.