Beginnings (Nightwalkers)
Page 3
Her laptop bag was slung over her shoulder, the khaki material covered in buttons. She was fumbling in her purse for her keys, her nails painted black and their edges chipping. They were short, showing she was a habitual nail biter. In her ears were earbuds, one of Armageddon’s songs blaring, Caleb’s angry voice screaming out the lyrics.
She found the key and opened the door. She turned on the lights and flipped over the closed sign. She scanned the perfectly organized bookshelves, nothing out of place here. She went to the front desk and dropped her bags on the floor.
She opened the register, then gazed outside. People were strolling down the well-kept sidewalks, checking out the small shops on the strip. There was a clothing store, a thrift store, a hardware store and then there was this place. Harmon and Brown. The local bookstore.
She went to the back and grabbed a bagel out of the fridge. She then went back to the register and hopped up on the high stool. In her ear was one headphone, the other taken out so she could hear everything else going on in the store.
She took a few bites from her breakfast then grabbed her laptop and worked on her new book. About an hour later, her grandfather came in. She chatted with him a bit, but when he went to the back to do paperwork, she turned back to her writing. She was now at the part where Lord Drake was looking for his love at the masked ball.
Ashleigh wrote,
She was now in a ballroom, the sound of lively music playing. Ribbons of white and blue snaked around the ceiling, diamonds dripping from the large chandelier in the center of the room.
She could feel happiness fill her chest. The light, intoxicating feeling of love making her feel light on her feet. She felt as if she were floating, her gait smooth. She had just fed and everything felt intense. Every smell. Every movement. Every beat of her heart. Ingesting blood made her feel like a god.
She was dressed in a fine gown, layers of heavy, blue fabric weighing her down. She wore a tall, white wig, perfect ringlets falling down her shoulders. In her loose hand, she held the stick of a mask. The mask was silver, molded from metal into a fancy wire design and fitted with sparkling diamonds.
She was searching the thick, masked crowd for someone, her mind moving at an alarming speed. Her mouth tasted of blood, her tongue making a swipe across her lips to clean them.
“I have found you.”
A voice made her turn around sharply. Her eyes settled on the mask that covered his face. “My prince.” Her lips formed a tender smile as she extended her hand. “It was my turn to win.”
“Forgive me, my love.” He took her hand and spoke in a dramatic, soft tone, “For I could not stand another minute without you by my side.”
“I missed you as well.” Her eyes went to her hand as he kissed it. On her finger was a grand diamond, an extravagant trinket from her love. “Will you dance with me?”
“I would stop time to make a dance with you last forever.” He waved his hand, the crowd now standing unmoving. The music changed, a slow waltz beginning to play.
She giggled, covering her mouth politely as she gushed. “How I love you, my dearest Drake.”
“As I, you.” He took her in his arms and they began to dance. They appeared to be floating, every movement fluid and perfect.
But their dance was soon interrupted. The doors flew open, a barrage of soldiers entering the room. Lady Sasson turned to Lord Drake, a wicked grin on her face. “Catch me a playmate, my love.” A single finger trailed down his well-tailored suit, a seductive tone to her words.
“I will catch you an army of playmates.” Waving his hands, he halted the men mid-motion.
“An army? How you spoil me.”
Lord Drake flew from her side, and retrieved one of the men. Breaking the spell he had cast over him, Lord Drake held the now struggling man in his arms.
“I will not let you ravage my colony!” The man spat at the ground, some of the spray hitting Lady Sasson’s gown.
Springing forward, Lady Sasson plunged a small sword into his stomach. Ripping upward, she slashed him. With a wicked grin, she studied the terror on the young soldier’s face.
“Beg….” She cooed. Removing the knife, she brought it to her mouth. Her tongue peeked out and licked at the thick blood that soiled the blade.
“Monster….” the man choked out the words. Lord Drake dropped him and the man fell to his knees. The soldier held his hand over his wound, blood spilling onto the floor.
“That’s not begging.” She made a sour face then turned to Lord Drake. “I find no amusement in this one.” She waved her bloodied hand, sticking her nose in the air. “Find me another.”
“As you wish.” Lord Drake bowed to her, his stance that of a king.
Henry looked at Ashleigh, a customer coming toward her. But Ashleigh didn’t see them. Henry came up to the desk and slammed the lid of the laptop down, Ashleigh pulling her fingers out before they were caught in it. He whispered to her, “Put that away and put those…” He pointed to a cart of books near her. “Away.” She nodded and did as he said.
****
Ashleigh was at the book store, this time of day quite dead. Her grandfather was at his computer, ordering some new titles.
“So, what should I order?” Henry beamed as he glanced at his granddaughter, then at the screen. He smiled at her as he typed.
Victoria Allure
Ashleigh laughed and playfully slapped his arm. “Gramps. Gran said she’d never allow you to sell my books here.”
“It’s my store and my little girl is a published author at Castle. That’s big.” He clicked on Kiss of the Moon.
“Thanks, Gramps.” This made his granddaughter smile, Ashleigh holding onto his arm and resting her head on his shoulder.
“I’m putting up a big display.” He chuckled as he motioned across from them.
“But what if no one buys them?” She gazed at him lovingly then watched him type the number twenty in the order box.
“I don’t care. Then I can look at them and it’ll remind me of how wonderful my beautiful, and talented, little girl is.”
“Awww…..” Blushing red, she watched him push the order button. A sold out message appeared on the screen. They both looked confused. “Sold out?”
“Let’s try another retailer.” He then went to another site.
Ashleigh pulled out her laptop and was helping in the search. She typed Kiss of the Moon into a search engine. Her eyes widened when she saw the first of the search results. It was the number ten book in horror in the country. Putting a hand over her mouth, Ashleigh couldn’t speak.
“Wow….” Her grandfather looked dumbfounded.
“I’m a best seller!” Ashleigh pointed to the screen. She then laughed and hugged her grandfather tight. When she let go, she grabbed her phone, took a shot of the screen, then immediately started texting Natalie.
He read the commentary at the bottom of the list, “Kiss of the Moon is a bite of pure sin with the aftertaste of throbbing erotica. Vampires have never been more raw and real.”
Ashleigh quickly clicked on another result. She squealed when she saw a new webpage dedicated to her book. “I have a fan club already!”
“Yeah….” He frowned slightly when he saw the very dark passage from Kiss of the Moon that was displayed on the header. He then glanced at the number of members. It was in the double digits. Her series already had a cult following.
“I can’t wait to see where Nightwalkers goes after this.” Ashleigh’s eyes lit up as she scrolled through the page. “It’s going to be more famous than any vampire book ever.”
“And what about you?”
“I don’t want fame.” She sent him a giant grin. “I want my stories to shine. And besides….” She turned back to her laptop. “If Nightwalkers is taking off like this, everyone’s going to be following me too. I’d rather stay a secret. Like Dr. Nevel from the Chickadee series.”
“He’s a children’s writer, Ashleigh.” Gramps laughed. “And people knew who he was
.”
“Well….” She sent him a wicked grin. “I’m going to remain a mystery. Bask in Victoria’s fame and still live the life of the quiet neighbor next door.”
She then started speaking with quick hand motions, great passion in her voice, “The one with the huge secret. Who is the mysterious, sexy…” Her last word ignited a small glare from her grandfather, but it only made her laugh. “Victoria Allure? It’ll be fun. They’ll write about me in the papers and have reporters and stuff trying to uncover the mystery of my real identity. And here I’ll be, a small town girl who—”
“Is completely full of herself.” Gramps laughed, but his tone was playful.
She grabbed a candy bar from the stand and pealed back the wrapper. She dodged the annoyed look from her grandfather, who often scolded her for stealing the merchandise. “Then I’ll marry Caleb Mason and live in his huge mansion in Kingston.”
“Who’s this Mason fellow?” His eyes narrowed on her briefly before he turned back to his computer and searched for the other titles he wanted to order.
“Only the hottest, most amazing rock star in the world.”
“Rock star?” He let out a huff. He watched her surf the net looking for more info on her book. He smiled at her happiness, a proud look on his aging face.
**THE END**
Like the intro? Then check out the rest of the Nightwalkers series!
For more information on the series and to read experts from the other Nightwalker books, visit hnsieverding.com or secretcravingspublishing.com.
Find H.N. Sieverding on:
Official Website: hnsieverding.com
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Twitter: @hnsieverding
Books by H.N. Sieverding
Initiation (Christian’s Kisses Book 1)
Seed of the Master (Christian’s Kisses Book 2)
Secret Scarlet
The Bloodlust Prince
Blood Kisses (Nightwalkers Book 1)
Forever Black (Nightwalkers Book 2)
Blood War (Nightwalkers Book 3)
Check Mate
Black Kat
The Doll Shoppe Murders
Forever Mine
The Last Hero