The Vampire Next Door

by Natalie Vivien

  The screen now shows a montage of the magazine covers that have featured Lare since her famous speech, including Science Today.

  “My cover girl.” I kiss her again.

  “...and Dr. Valeria Máille is making good on her promise,” says the reporter. “After finding inspiration from an unlikely source—a book by an ancient Roman alchemist by the name of Maximinus—Dr. Máille has been able to create a blood substitute. Within a year or two, after the initial trials have been run, Valmax—named after the Roman alchemist and the scientist herself—will be available to the public, will even be available in grocery stores, effectively normalizing human/vampire interactions, so that—and I quote the doctor here—'groups like SANG will become a thing of the misguided past.'”

  I grab the remote control and flick off the TV, melting against Lare's shoulder. “You may have saved the world with that potion of yours, Dr. Máille,” I whisper into her ear, brushing a kiss against the pulse of her neck.

  But Lare shakes her head, holding me close. “I could've never done it without my book sleuth extraordinaire.”

  “Hmm.” I pillow my head against her chest and think for a moment, heart fluttering within my ribs. “Do you remember what you said about never being able to turn down a dare?”

  Lare nods, casting a glance down at me with a soft smile.

  I stand up, then, and in one smooth motion, I'm straddling her, knees on either side of her thighs. I twine my fingers in her red curls as my robe spills open.

  Neighbors be damned.

  “Well, I dare you to—”

  But I don't get any further, because Lare claims my mouth in a kiss of mythic proportions. When we finally break away, I feel dizzy, lightheaded, and I watch as Lare's beautiful mouth slides into a satisfied smile. “You dare me to love you forever?” she asks me quietly, her head tilted to one side. She leans forward now, pressing her mouth against my heart. “I accept, ma belle.”

  I breathe out, eyelids fluttering as Lare's tender kisses trail to my breasts... “Okay, deal,” I laugh lightly.

  Lare works a line of gentle kisses over my chest. “Je t'aime...” she murmurs against me.

  “I love you,” I tell her fiercely. And then again, “I love you.”

  I'll never be able to speak those words to her enough. Loving Lare is the truest thing I know.

  “So, Courtney, what do you want to do today?” Lare considers me as I arch over her, as I bring my head down towards hers.

  “Oh, I don't know. I can think of a couple of things I'd like to do...”

  Laughing, vampire teeth bared, Lare glides her hands over my shoulders, pushing back my robe.

  “But I'm going to start with you,” I grin at her.

  And I kiss her, and every day, I know, we will begin the rest of our lives together in just this way: sweetly, softly, with a kiss.

  The End

  More from Natalie Vivien:

  Heart-Shaped Box – Can a chance meeting lead to lasting love? A heartwarming, romantic novella.

  The Ghost of a Chance – What if a new woman walked into your life while you were still haunted by the woman you'd lost? A poignant, passionate novel about love, loss and letting go.

  French Lessons – Would you have the courage to restart your life—and give love a chance—in a completely foreign country? A novel full of romance and mystery, set in the provincial French countryside.

  Drawn to You – Could you learn to love—and trust—again after suffering a painful betryal? A novel about two women who, after the course of one eventful week, realize they were meant to be together.

  Love Stories – Escape for an hour or two in the tender, passionate pages of Love Stories. In her first collection of lesbian romantic short stories, Natalie Vivien offers nine romantic tales of love found and broken hearts mended. Each story features a woman who finds herself altered—and empowered—by love.

  The Thousand Mile Love Story – Would you take a thousand mile road trip with your best friends...and the ex who broke your heart? A novel about two women who fall in love all over again, and the funny mishaps a thousand mile road trip can bring.

  For the Love of Indiana – It all started with one crazy, disaster-prone dog... A funny, romantic novel about a very bad dog, and the two women he brings together!

  Falling for Hope: The Hope Stories Collection – A sweet, romantic series of stories about a group of women who go camping, and the two women who fall in love.

  More from Bridget Essex:

  Don’t Say Goodbye – Maxine “Max” Hallwell has spent her entire life making the safe, responsible decisions. When her best friend, Jo, introduces her to her new girlfriend Fiona, a stunning, charismatic cake decorator, Max realizes that making safe decisions might have cost her the woman of her dreams...A heartwarming, poignant romance.

  A Wolf for Valentine's Day – Trish Dalton has put her wild, adventurous days behind her. But when she's gifted a weekend stay at a remote lodge in the Rockies, she finds she may have one more adventure left in her. A light-hearted, steamy romance, perfect to read any time of year.

  A Knight to Remember – A librarian, a warrior woman, and a love story that's out of this world. Holly has a very ordinary life until one night, during a mysterious, powerful storm, the woman of her dreams appears in her backyard...wielding a sword.

  Forever and a Knight – A warrior woman, a DJ from Boston, and a love story that's out of this world. Josie Beckett doesn't believe in anything she can't explain, until one night, doing laundry in her basement, she falls through a portal into another world...and on top of a gorgeous woman, wielding a sword.

  - A Wolf for the Holidays – Mandy’s not having a great December. Her lackluster girlfriend has given her a massive dog--who looks a lot more like a wolf than a dog--as a gift. But all problems seem minor when she wakes up to a gorgeous, naked woman stealing jeans out of her dresser...a woman who swears she’s a werewolf. A warm, holiday romance!

  - Wolf Town – Amy moves to the strange little New England village, Wolf Town--but she finds more than a fresh start when she begins to fall in love with the daughter of the Wolf Town patriarch...who also just happens to be a werewolf.

  - The Sullivan Vampires – A beautiful, romantic series that follows the clan of Sullivan vampires and the women who love them. Advance praise has hailed this hallmark series as “Twilight for women who love women” and “a lesbian romance that takes vampires seriously! Two thumbs up!”

  - Big, Bad Wolf – During a terrible snowstorm, Megan thinks she sees a wolf. But when beautiful, hungry-eyed Kara comes into Megan’s life, she brings more danger than a pack of wolves.

  - The Protector – Elizabeth Grayson doesn’t want a bodyguard, but when her life is put in danger, her father hires mysterious Layne O’Connell to keep her safe. And Elizabeth is beginning to fall for the woman who was charged with keeping her alive.

  - Dark Angel – Cassandra Griman was in the wrong place at the wrong time when her life is saved by an angel. But first impressions aren’t everything, and the captivating woman who saved her life is no angel. Can love save the soul of a vampire?

  These and more are available now.

  Sign up to be notified when Natalie and Bridget release anything new!

  Authors' Note

  A funny thing happened on one of the very last days that we were editing The Vampire Next Door for publication.

  We almost died.

  We were coming home from a small trip to the craft store. You know those trips—a quick little car ride to pick up a tiny, inconsequential thing while you're thinking about it, just to get yourself out of the house. We'd both been working so hard on The Vampire Next Door that we really did want to get out of the house, and we needed a small thing from the craft store...so we figured: why not go?

  We were driving home, driving through a green light, when a driver ran the red, hitting us in the side. He came so fast, out of nowhere, and we were propelled instantly into oncoming traffic. We ricocheted
off of oncoming traffic, spinning several times until all was still. The front of the car was smashed in, the airbags were deployed, and the sides of the car were so smashed, we couldn't open the doors to get out.

  A lot of things happen when you're in a car accident so severe that the car has to be swept off of the road in pieces. For one, your life really does flash in front of your eyes. For another, the most important things in your life become even more evident than they already were.

  The only thing that either of us could think of was the other. The only thing we could say was “I love you” and “it's okay,” and “baby” as we called out to each other in the spinning maelstrom of the accident.

  The police couldn't believe that we were able to walk out of the car. And we did, sustaining minor injuries.

  We were alive.

  Writing The Vampire Next Door together was an exhilarating, amazing ride from start to finish. Ever since we'd gotten together, well over a decade ago now, we talked about writing a book together. We're lifelong writers, and have written so many books, but we'd just never gotten around to writing one together, as much as we wanted to.

  In those bleak, dark moments during the accident, when we didn't know whether we would live or die, all we could do was call out to one another, hold each other's hand and hope that things were going to be all right.

  When we were finally out of the wreck, when we could finally hold each other, kiss each other, embrace one another and make certain the other was okay...one of the first things we said was: “at least we'd written that book together.” We were so glad, in those moments, that something we'd wanted to do for our whole lives was the thing we'd accomplished.

  We loved writing this story together. And we're incredibly grateful to be alive. One of the most important things we took away from the accident was to never, ever put off that thing you really want to do. We each got to write a book with our favorite author. That's pretty spectacular. We're so glad we made the time to do it, that we had such an amazing ride writing together along the way.

  We're so grateful that you've read The Vampire Next Door. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed writing it together.

  We're lucky to be alive. But then, every day, for every single one of us, is a gift. Thank you for taking some small time out of your own life to enjoy our story.

  About the Authors

  Natalie Vivien and Bridget Essex write love stories, because they live a love story that inspires them every day. Together for over a decade, married for over eight years, they are madly and passionately in love, and build a good, cozy life together with several fur babies who get away with murder because they're so adorable.

  Natalie and Bridget founded Rose and Star Press in 2014, a publisher of lesbian romance and fiction of distinction. Lesbian romance is their life's work, and they hope very much that you enjoyed The Vampire Next Door, the first book that they wrote together.

  Learn more about Natalie at http://natalievivien.wordpress.com or send her an email at miss.natalie.vivien@gmail.com. Learn more about Bridget at http://bridgetessex.wordpress.com or email her at bridgetessexauthor@gmail.com.

  Learn more about Rose and Star Press, publishers of lesbian romance and fiction of distinction, at http:///www.LesbianRomance.org