The inspectors had stopped by to tell them that, miraculously, Edith Greenbriar was going to live, and she wanted to see them.
“And don’t bother telling me you did nothing to deserve gratitude,” Birmingham had said. “Miss Greenbriar considers her life extremely valuable. You should be thanked for saving it.”
She and Andre had agreed to go by the hospital.
But they were also heading out.
“Back to the U.S.A. for Halloween, eh?” Adair asked.
“No!” they told him in unison, and Cheyenne laughed and explained. “Costa del Sol. Vacation!”
“Ah, lovely,” Birmingham said.
The men had agreed to take a minute for a cup of tea and a few sandwiches before moving on. There was still paperwork to be done, a press conference to be held, and convincing the public that a vampire had not been roaming around Highgate.
“Well, like, you know, don’t you? There’s far more than one English accent,” Eric teased in a funny tone, perfectly mimicking a valley girl accent.
“And yet we all say ‘vampire’ just about the same way,” Emily noted. “When chasing one and not fooling around, anyway.” She shivered. “I can’t believe it’s really over.”
“It’s really over,” Birmingham told her. “And please forgive us. But we did follow whatever leads we could find.”
“You’re forgiven. I got to see my cousin and meet Eric!”
“Such a loss…all those women. Did Brighton and Bower really go so crazy because they had their feelings hurt somewhere along the line?” Eric asked.
“Clark Brighton? I think he truly is a narcissistic psychopath with no sense of empathy whatsoever. A man who enjoyed what he did just to see if he could do it. He fell in with Mark Bower—who was bitter. Sheila was, sadly, the final straw for him. The men met and discovered they were a lethal pair. As to the whole of it, we’ll be sorting it out for a long time. I mean, we still don’t know why they chose you as their scapegoats. Why they tried to set you up. But we have some time to get to the bottom of everything. I seriously doubt that either of them will ever see the outside of a prison again,” Birmingham assured.
“We’re getting commendations,” Adair said. “They belong to you two, as well.”
Andre shook his head. “We followed your leads. And, hey, an alliance is always best, right?”
Birmingham laughed. “Ah, bloody hell, I guess we do best now when we get along with the colonials, right, Michael?”
“Yes. And we thank you,” he said.
“We thank you,” Cheyenne assured him. “Oh, and for the tour, too.”
“I guess if all else fails, I could be a guide,” Birmingham said with a grin. “Glad you enjoyed it.”
He stood, and Michael Adair stood with him. The two headed out.
When they were gone, Emily asked anxiously, “Are you leaving right away? One more dinner would be lovely, and I’m sure the flights in the morning—”
“We’re having dinner here, Emily,” Andre said, interrupting her. “But,” he added, looking at Cheyenne, “we have to go out for just a few minutes this morning. We’ll pop by the hospital quickly after, then come back for dinner and the night. We’ll take off in the morning.”
“Lovely!” Emily said.
Cheyenne thought she knew where Andre wanted to go, and she was right.
They paid their fee and wandered into Highgate Cemetery, just strolling along, admiring the beauty of the foliage and the tombs.
“I hope we see her,” Cheyenne said.
“We will,” Andre said with assurance.
And they did.
They were alone on the trail when they spotted her, Lady Elizabeth Miller, heading their way, a smile on her face.
“I wish I could hug you!” Cheyenne told her.
“I shall try to hug you!” the ghost said.
Cheyenne saw her move and felt a cool breeze as the ghost stepped up to her, trying for a warm embrace. It was a little chilly, in truth, but…
“How was that?” Elizabeth asked.
“Lovely. The best ever. You saved my life,” Cheyenne said.
“Ah, well, you saved that poor Edith. I only pointed out a possible weapon and saw Mark Bower heading for the tomb later. Andre would have found the entrance eventually, with or without me—”
“I don’t know how a banker got a gun in England, but he had one—and it was aimed right at my heart. Andre told me you were there just in time,” Cheyenne said.
“You were,” Andre agreed.
“So, I did save a life!” Elizabeth said happily. “I saved a life!”
“Two lives.”
Cheyenne noted then that Elizabeth wasn’t alone haunting the cemetery.
When she looked back to a rise where a multitude of crooked headstones came down from a mausoleum, she saw several shadowy forms in all manner of dress, spanning many decades.
“I think your friends want to congratulate you,” Andre said. He waved to the small crowd of spirits, blowing a kiss.
She headed up the hill.
Andre smiled at Cheyenne. She grinned in return and took his proffered hand.
Together, they walked out of Highgate.
Envisioning the Costa del Sol beaches.
* * * *
Also from 1001 Dark Nights and Heather Graham, discover The Dead Heat of Summer, Haunted Be the Holidays, Hallow Be The Haunt, Crimson Twilight, When Irish Eyes Are Haunting, All Hallows Eve, and Blood on the Bayou.
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THE BISHOP by Skye Warren
A Tanglewood Novella
TAKEN WITH YOU by Carrie Ann Ryan
A Fractured Connections Novella
DRAGON LOST by Donna Grant
A Dark Kings Novella
SEXY LOVE by Carly Phillips
A Sexy Series Novella
PROVOKE by Rachel Van Dyken
A Seaside Pictures Novella
RAFE by Sawyer Bennett
An Arizona Vengeance Novella
THE NAUGHTY PRINCESS by Claire Contreras
A Sexy Royals Novella
THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT by Darynda Jones
A Charley Davidson Novella
CHARMED by Lexi Blake
A Masters and Mercenaries Novella
SACRIFICE OF DARKNESS by Alexandra Ivy
A Guardians of Eternity Novella
THE QUEEN by Jen Armentrout
A Wicked Novella
BEGIN AGAIN by Jennifer Probst
A Stay Novella
VIXEN by Rebecca Zanetti
A Dark Protectors/Rebels Novella
SLASH by Laurelin Paige
A Slay Series Novella
THE DEAD HEAT OF SUMMER by Heather Graham
A Krewe of Hunters Novella
WILD FIRE by Kristen Ashley
A Chaos Novella
MORE THAN PROTECT YOU by Shayla Black
A More Than Words Novella
LOVE SONG by Kylie Scott
A Stage Dive Novella
CHERISH ME by J. Kenner
A Stark Ever After Novella
SHINE WITH ME by Kristen Proby
A With Me in Seattle Novella
From Blue Box Press
TEASE ME by J. Kenner
A Stark International Novel
Discover More Heather Graham
The Dead Heat of Summer: A Krewe of Hunters Novella
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Casey Nicholson has always had what her grandmother calls ‘The Touch.’
It runs in her family.
But even so, she isn’t prepared for the ghost in the old Nola graveyard who comes to her shedding tears that
she can almost touch. She knows she’d been the victim of a malicious murder and fears now for her infant daughter and her sister, left to care for the baby.
The ghost is Lena Marceau, the tragic young woman who had married into the fabulously wealthy Marceau family of New Orleans. Her husband had died tragically and mysteriously just the year before and Lena is convinced that they were murdered by someone with an agenda, most likely to take over Marceau Industries, an architectural and engineering company dating back to French rule in the city.
Casey isn’t at all sure how she can help Lena. She isn’t an investigator or with any form of law enforcement. She has an art shop and reads tarot cards and tea leaves on Jackson Square and in her little shop.
But when she receives a visit from a tall, dark—and very handsome—stranger, she realizes that she’s being drawn into a deadly game where she must discover the truth or lose her own life in the trying.
Ryder McKinley, Special Agent with the Krewe of Hunters, has his own strange connection to the case. In New Orleans to solve the murder and protect the child, he has arrived at Casey’s shop on the hunt for the ghost of his murdered cousin. He fears the fact that Casey’s involvement puts her in danger, yet she’s already knee-deep in deadly waters. There’s nothing to do but follow the leads, lest all their souls fall prey to a vicious and very human evil.
* * * *
Haunted Be the Holidays: A Krewe of Hunters Novella
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When you're looking for the victim of a mysterious murder in a theater, there is nothing like calling on a dead diva for help! Krewe members must find the victim if they're to discover the identity of a murderer at large, one more than willing to kill the performers when he doesn't like the show.
It’s Halloween at the Global Tower Theatre, a fantastic and historic theater owned by Adam Harrison and run by spouses of Krewe members. During a special performance, a strange actor makes an appearance in the middle of the show, warning of dire events if his murder is not solved before another holiday rolls around.
Dakota McCoy and Brodie McFadden dive into the mystery. Both have a. special talent for dealing with ghosts, but this one is proving elusive. With the help of Brodie’s diva mother and his ever-patient father—who were killed together when a stage chandelier fell upon them—Dakota and Brodie set out to solve the case.
If they can't solve the murder quickly, there will be no Thanksgiving for the Krewe...
* * * *
Hallow Be the Haunt: A Krewe of Hunters Novella
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Years ago, Jake Mallory fell in love all over again with Ashley Donegal—while he and the Krewe were investigating a murder that replicated a horrible Civil War death at her family’s Donegal Plantation.
Now, Ashley and Jake are back—planning for their wedding, which will take place the following month at Donegal Plantation, her beautiful old antebellum home.
But Halloween is approaching and Ashley is haunted by a ghost warning her of deaths about to come in the city of New Orleans, deaths caused by the same murderer who stole the life of the beautiful ghost haunting her dreams night after night.
At first, Jake is afraid that returning home has simply awakened some of the fear of the past…
But as Ashley's nightmares continue, a body count begins to accrue in the city…
And it’s suddenly a race to stop a killer before Hallow’s Eve comes to a crashing end, with dozens more lives at stake, not to mention heart, soul, and life for Jake and Ashley themselves.
* * * *
Crimson Twilight: A Krewe of Hunters Novella
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It's a happy time for Sloan Trent and Jane Everett. What could be happier than the event of their wedding? Their Krewe friends will all be there and the event will take place in a medieval castle transported brick by brick to the New England coast. Everyone is festive and thrilled... until the priest turns up dead just hours before the nuptials. Jane and Sloan must find the truth behind the man and the murder--the secrets of the living and the dead--before they find themselves bound for eternity--not in wedded bliss but in the darkness of an historical wrong and their own brutal deaths.
* * * *
When Irish Eyes Are Haunting: A Krewe of Hunters Novella
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Devin Lyle and Craig Rockwell are back, this time to a haunted castle in Ireland where a banshee may have gone wild—or maybe there's a much more rational explanation—one that involves a disgruntled heir, murder, and mayhem, all with that sexy light touch Heather Graham has turned into her trademark style.
* * * *
All Hallows Eve: A Krewe of Hunters Novella
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Salem was a place near and dear to Jenny Duffy and Samuel Hall -- it was where they'd met on a strange and sinister case. They never dreamed that they'd be called back. That history could repeat itself in a most macabre and terrifying fashion. But, then again, it was Salem at Halloween. Seasoned Krewe members, they still find themselves facing the unspeakable horrors in a desperate race to save each other-and perhaps even their very souls.
* * * *
Blood on the Bayou: A Cafferty & Quinn Novella
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It's winter and a chill has settled over the area near New Orleans, finding a stream of blood, a tourist follows it to a dead man, face down in the bayou.
The man has been done in by a vicious beating, so violent that his skull has been crushed in.
It's barely a day before a second victim is found... once again so badly thrashed that the water runs red. The city becomes riddled with fear.
An old family friend comes to Danni Cafferty, telling her that he's terrified, he's certain that he's received a message from the Blood Bayou killer--It's your turn to pay, blood on the bayou.
Cafferty and Quinn quickly become involved, and--as they all begin to realize that a gruesome local history is being repeated--they find themselves in a fight to save not just a friend, but, perhaps, their very own lives.
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