Beyond The Mask (The Beyond Book 1)

by Hunter, Aubrianna

  When she found herself watching the man, mentally determining the best and fastest way to attack him, Jade panicked.

  She ran, moving as quickly as she could away from the human, searching for a location that would keep her away from people until she had a chance to find Gunny. As she ran, she was assaulted by memories.

  Memories that weren't hers.

  She could feel, taste, smell things that the vampire had obviously done. She'd killed, laughing as she did it. She had attacked and clawed, bit and sucked, not merely using blood as a life necessity, but reveling in the taste, the feel of it sliding down her throat, the power of taking a human life.

  It wasn't just life sustaining, no... it was pleasure.

  When an image flooded her mind, bodies lying around her on an old marble floor, pools of blood, more than she could possibly drink, Jade panicked. Her memory stripped naked, rolling around in the blood and laughing.

  While Jade was repulsed, absolutely hysterical, the vampire was thrilled. Even as tears rolled down her face, Jade felt the fangs throbbing and aching, her feelings and emotions warring with the vampire's instincts.

  Jade stopped, surprised to find she had run back to the cemetery. She hadn't really had any destination in mind, simply escape, but she suddenly realized this was the perfect place to be. There were no living people at a cemetery. She could easily hide here, wait here, away from people and away from temptation, until she managed some sort of control.

  Some innate sense that she didn't bother to question had her moving quickly, staying hidden in the shadows. Before she knew it, she was nearing her own grave. She ducked behind a large headstone, feeling somewhat comforted just by being here. It was safe here. She was safe here.

  Until the memories came. Her mind seemed to be replaying the vampire’s life on a constant loop. It wasn't like watching a movie, more like acting out various scenes, over and over and over. She could feel the emotion, feel the pain of the victims, hear their cries, taste their fear. Where Jade was horrified, the vampire was amused, delighting in every violent act.

  As dawn neared, Jade knew that she would not be able to deny the vampire's instincts. They were too strong... she was too strong. And Jade was weak. The longer she stayed in this body, the stronger those instincts became and the weaker Jade herself felt. If she stayed like this, tomorrow night she would kill. And she would revel in it.

  She really had no alternative. She couldn't even wait for Gunny, she had to act now, while she still had the chance. Before she was completely lost.

  It was better this way. She would be gone, Derek would be safe from her. Gunny would protect him, she knew that. She remembered what Gunny had said about making them stay in the sun. Sun would kill a vampire.

  Did Jade still have enough strength left to keep the vampire in the sun?

  Maybe... maybe not. But she was damn sure going to try.

  She stayed hidden in the shadows as dawn neared. Stayed, holding onto the headstone when the vampire wanted to run for safety. Once the sun was fully up, streaming light into the clearing by her grave, Jade stood. The sunlight burned, making the vampire almost lethargic within the body, giving Jade herself strength. She walked... every step slow and sure into the clearing.

  * * * * *

  Gunny approached the cemetery for the third time in less than a day. Each time before had been lengthy stays, but this time he only intended to check upon the woman’s grave. The sun was well above the horizon now, making his travel safer from those who might wish to harm him. Thankful for that, he slowed his pace slightly and risked less glances over his shoulder.

  Patting the foreign leg lovingly, he thanked it for carrying him so far in a single day. Though the hinge upon it squeaked regularly now, he could not blame the thing for being tired.

  Crossing the threshold between concrete jungle and manicured lawn, he began lumbering between the stone markers and angle statues to his destination. The sun broke over the buildings around him, its warmth a welcome presence in the cold winter air. Soon it would snow. He could feel it.

  Spying movement ahead, he paused hoping he had not been spotted. There before him, standing upon Jade’s grave, was his verification. The good Father had said it was possible, and now it was proven. A soul without a body could indeed inhabit one of the soulless wretches he so detested.

  Watching as she moved from shadow to sun, he watched as her foreign body began to smolder under the heat. Her hair showed the first true signs as it began to wilt before smoking outright and falling away in clumps. Minutes passed and Gunny watched as the body made several attempts to flee, but Jade reined it in, holding it to the task.

  Eventually the skin began to blister and peel as the heat within the body came to an apex and no more did the flesh begin to split and crack then the whole thing went up in flames. He witnessed as Jade writhed within the body, holding on with all she had, determined to see the task through.

  Ambitious little thing, wasn’t she? Gunny smirked. If she kept this up he would be out of a job, not that he would mind. He waited, watching the undead body fall as ash into the wind, expecting Jade to relinquish it at any moment.

  Shaking his head, no such moment came, as Jade went down with the body, holding on until the very end, seeing the job complete.

  Disappointed, Gunny strode up to the small mound of ash.

  “Now that’s not gonna work.”

  The Spanktastic End!

  Or not…

  Squeak.

  Book 2 coming soon!

  Need another of Aubrianna’s snarky yet sexy erotic romances?

  Click Here

  Want to start Jeremy’s Best Selling Dark Paranormal fantasy Series?

  The Blood and Brotherhood Saga

  Want to find another book you are sure to add to your favorites?

  Click here for WEP Fiction

  About the Authors

  Jeremy's Author Bio

  (Written by Aubrianna Hunter)

  Wouldn't it be fun if...

  As a child you're programmed to immediately respond to those words, and the excitement in the voice saying them, with enthusiasm and excitement of your own. That is the only logical explanation for this co-authoring project. In all seriousness, I had spoken to the man precisely one time... for approximately fifteen to twenty minutes. The next morning, I have an email saying 'I have a great idea... call me'. So, what does it say about me that I did call him?

  Jeremy Laszlo is... a little bit crazy, a lot enthusiastic, incredibly creative, highly driven, absurdly focused... Okay, let's be real. He's an insane, sarcastic, ex-marine task master. He doesn't sleep, unless it's to dream up a new story and call some unsuspecting author and drag her in on it before she even has a chance to comprehend what she's just agreed to.

  Conveniently, it seems to be a perfect fit for me! I was raised by an ex-marine drill sergeant (Yes, I am aware that is something of a misnomer as there really are no ex-marines...once a marine always a marine), I am sarcastic in my own right and for the most part I can keep up with his insanity, or rather his drive. This works rather well as it means he cannot push me around when it comes to our books. We seem to be a good fit in many other ways as well, bringing out the best in each other. Whereas I focus mainly on characters, Jeremy is always focused on the story, on the details. The man's mind can create a tale so complex it makes your head spin. Since he can also keep up with my sarcasm, and doesn't mind my occasional outbursts (I'd like to think there is a medical reason, but alas there is not), we seem to be a match made in writer's heaven.

  Writing this series has been a phenomenal experience, due in no small part to my partner in crime. We have had some rather strange discussions, tons of laughter, and somewhere in the middle of chaos a book appeared. I hope you enjoy reading it half as much as I've enjoyed writing it!

  Aubrianna’s Author Bio

  (Written by Jeremy Laszlo)

  It began as a simple phone call that left me with an inspiration that sparked an
idea that lit an inferno in my brain. Though try as I might, sleep completely escaped me the night after I first spoke with Ted (that’s what I call her, and yes I named her after the bear as she sometimes says less than appropriate things). A new story was born to me that night in vivid detail, but it was not mine alone to write. I knew it deep in my gut that Spanky (yes I’ve called her that too) was meant to write this with me. We needed to combine our writing abilities to write something better… No, something more… More than either of us could have created on our own before this experience.

  Aubrianna is a Jedi master of snarky character creation. Though before meeting her I would have never used the word ‘Snarky’, you can blame her for that. She writes with humor and sarcasm to match the best, and can write a sex scene that would make your weird uncle blush. Yes that one. Beyond that she is witty and intelligent and I was amazed to find another writer who can (almost) keep up with my pace. She often joked about me putting my whip away. But seriously, she writes erotica so we all know she likes the whip.

  Though Twinkle Toes and I met only by chance (yes I call her that too….Ok, so I have a thing for nicknames), it felt like a natural partnership almost from day one. We have discussed everything from smurfs in a blender, to under bed restraint systems and I am comfortable in saying you would be fortunate to meet a person as genuine as she is. I cannot recall, in my entire life, ever meeting a person so comfortable with their own reality.

  After one singular conversation she inspired an entire series of books. This experience has been so vastly eye opening to me that I cannot even hazard a guess as to where this might lead our writing adventures in the future. I want to thank her, from the pit of my black soul, for taking my hand on this venture that would frighten lesser women, and thank you all for taking the time to join us on this journey.

  Click here to get to know us on Facebook!