Alek is cursed. A tiger and lion
mix, he also feels vampyre bloodlust. Finding a mate will require finding
someone to sate that bloodlust and it has become increasingly clear that the
two cats who live beneath his skin are outrageously, unbelievably picky. Then
he meets Viviana, the one woman who ignites a fierce fire in his soul.
Viviana, a vampyre warrior, is
shocked to come face-to-face with the one creature who can turn her cool blood
into a molten river. Her powers stolen, she has to count on the cat for
everything—blood, even her life and when they’re together she becomes a wildcat
in his arms. Viv wants Alek as her own, and no one, not even Alek himself, will
stand in her way.
Excerpt:
The addiction to the prince’s blood pulled at Alek,
shattered his control again and again. It pushed him into the arms of any
available woman just so he could prove his manhood. The weakness would never
allow him to take a mate. He was unwilling to divulge his dark secret—his
desire to take a man, namely the prince. Have him in every way.
Alek had seen mated male cats take sustenance often.
They always went for men and then they’d go home to feed their mates. How did
they deal with it, fight the carnal urges that damn near drew him over the
edge? What made him different? This wasn’t part of the beast’s nature. His
craving came from his blood-lusting relatives. Goddamn vampyres.
“On that thought, I need to feed my mate. Let me say
this. Tres understands my sexual urges and accepts them. You’ll find the right
mate one day and she’ll accept all that you are, Alek.”
“I’d never let her know.”
“Then you’ll never have happiness. If that’s how you
choose to live, so be it. I’ve done all I can.” His friend sniffed loudly,
wrinkling his nose. “And you do smell like a lion today. You need a bath, my
friend.”
“Fuck you.”
Case left him sitting where he’d found him—alone in
a corner.
He decided to leave tomorrow to itself. Tonight, he wanted
to relax. The prince was off somewhere chasing his mate but he’d fed Alek well
before he left.
His cock was full and he’d bed the first female who
showed up ready, willing and able.
Alek sniffed the air while his eyes roamed the room
in search of a candidate to take to one of the back rooms of the voyeur club. A
few couples languished in softly lit booths while jazz quietly wafted from
hidden speakers. He wondered which of them would end up in one of the many
two-way mirrored rooms tonight watching others being pleasured and giving
pleasure.
A familiar scent filled his nostrils.
Law and Dace were here. He’d been told to expect
them. They’d all been summoned to join the prince in his search.
The prince’s brothers spent most of their lives in
Europe and were considered master vamps. They lived totally on blood, ignoring
their beasts completely. They were adept at hiding in plain sight. This close
to home they must not be concerned or he would have never smelled them.
He decided to follow the trail, which led to one of
the back rooms. Hell, he’d surprise them and maybe they could grab something to
eat together. He hadn’t hunted in the vampyre way in a long time. Too long.
The hallway he traveled was empty. Alek stopped in
front of the room housing Law, Dace, a few humans, and an unfamiliar scent of a
full vampyre. Strange. Masking his odor, he vanished to materialize on the
other side of the door.
Before he could move the stranger had him at
knifepoint from behind. The lights were dim but he could see two human couples
lounging sleepily on the sofa. Dace glared from a small bar in the back.
Law was the first to speak. “You’re living
dangerously tonight.”
“We flashed by you and thought we’d stop later and
catch up.” Dace’s low laugh was sinister as he eyed the humans. “We were
grabbing a feed first.”
Alek remained motionless with the knife pressed into
the skin of his throat. A cold trickle of blood slid down his neck as the
stranger used one hand to pat him down as if it were a cheap stickup. When the
hand came around and grabbed his cock, he made his move.
Lightning fast, he reached over his shoulder and grasped
the stranger by his head and flipped him onto the floor. The tip of Alek’s
knife now pierced the other’s neck and drew blood.
“Unless you want what you just had to be your last
meal, I suggest you don’t put your hand on my balls again.”
“Get your ass off me and I’ll be glad to oblige.
Fuck, never mind, your cock feels pretty damn good right where it is.” A
slender body pushed up against him.
The voice stilled him and he inhaled deeply. Alek’s
breath caught in his throat. Truth assaulted his nostrils and he wondered how
the hell he’d missed it. Delicious female scent wafted over him. Shit! A
freaking woman had held him at knifepoint and she smelled full-out vamp. Pulling
his blade back, he released her and stood while she came to her feet with a
lithe move that impressed him. Close to his height, taut muscles twitched with
readiness as her weapon flipped back and forth through nimble fingers.
“What the fuck did you think you were doing?” Alek
asked.
“What in hell were you doing trying to sneak
up on us? You ever hear of knocking? I thought you Kind had a thing about
privacy.” She peered at Law. “Who the hell is this guy?”
“Trust me, Viv, he’s not a cat you want to mess with,
understand? Put the knife away.”
Dace’s snicker filtered through the room.
“Don’t call me Viv, no one here knows me that well.
I’m Viviana. If anyone gives a shit about a last name, too bad.”
The vamp amazed and flustered Alek at the same time.
Her feminine chin jutted toward him. “Who’s Mr.
Got-a-helluva-package?”
Law choked. “That’s Alek.”
“Ahh, your lofty Reign leader. How you doing? Nice cock
you got there.” She motioned to the couples on the sofa. “Help yourself to a
bite.” Viviana laughed in his face when his jaw dropped. “You cats need to stop
being so damn finicky.”
Surprised by her boldness, he snapped his mouth
closed. He’d never met a woman like her in his life. She had the foulest mouth
he’d ever heard, no modesty at all, and she felt like a wet dream about to pop.
Alek’s
dick was hard as a stick of dynamite and it felt ready to blow any damn minute.
Christ! What was up with this female? And what the fuck was up with him?
Her
moonlit blue eyes pierced him before she vanished.
He
wasn’t hungry anymore. Not for food anyway.
Before
he sheathed his knife, he ran the tip of it over his tongue. The vamp’s blood
tingled there, sending another hot stab of desire right to his crotch. The
taste of her called so loudly to him he followed Viviana right through the door.
The last thing he heard was the brothers laughing.
Alek,
pleased by the sight of her tight ass swinging in front of him, blatantly checked out her backside. Platinum-blonde hair hung down her back
in a severe plait. Black leather hugged her lithe body like a second skin and her
long legs ate the hallway up. She was tall and stiletto boots boosted her
height to damn near match his six foot four inches. Oh, he could work her for a
long time. The package she’d fondled earlier was still hard.
His
hands itched to touch walnut brown skin he knew would feel like satin. And her
smell drove him nuts. Damn! Could one drop of blood have… Hell, maybe he
was in heat.
Strictly
a cat man, he couldn’t believe how much the bloodsucker turned him on.
“You’re
a bloodsucker too and no matter what you cats believe, you’re no better than we
are.” She had entered his thoughts!
Alek
jumped at the echoing sound of her voice in the empty hallway.
Concentrate. Keeping her out wouldn’t be
impossible but it required him being more aware if she intended to hang around.
Locking his shields tight, Alek slid his tongue over lips that still held her exotic
taste.
He
did something he wouldn’t normally do out of respect for another’s privacy. Alek
eased past her mental barrier and invaded her mind. It was too easy. Viviana wanted him there. What
he saw had his cock leaking like a faucet. She wanted to handle him, stroke and hold his cock,
guide it inside her.
Hell
yeah, he was willing to be handled by her for a couple hours before sunrise.
Suited
him fine.
She
continued into the main area of the club with him on her heels. He continued to
pick around in her head and found she couldn’t read Law or Dace either. Unaware
of the lion’s pure royal blood pumping through his veins, Viviana made the
mistake of thinking he was just a Kind tiger.
Alek
stopped dead in his tracks. What was he doing?
A
woman like her, a vamp, wouldn’t understand his weakness. His thoughts turned
to his beasts. For some odd reason his lion lay still, quietly purring. His
ever-vigilant tiger stood at peace. Neither animal displayed agitation or cried
out for blood.
His
cock was still hard, and Alek knew there would be no satisfaction with anyone
else tonight. In a fog of anguish, he started to walk again. Viviana’s eyes
followed him from where she sat at the bar. He went straight through the club
and out the door.
How
fucked up his life was.
When
he reached the parking lot, he raised his head and roared into the night, not
caring who heard or saw him.
Pain
too great to hold inside poured from his body into the air. The thunderous
sound battered against tree limbs sending some crashing to the ground.
* * * * *
Viviana
smiled as she made her way down the long hallway. The Reign leader followed her
and his spicy scent filled her nostrils. She liked how he’d felt sprawled on
top of her with his emerald green eyes glittering. If his hair hadn’t been a
dead giveaway she would have known he was tiger from his smell. The Sovereign warriors
had a reputation for being badass and if this one was like the brothers, she
wouldn’t mind knowing him better or getting her hands buried in his rough.
Her
blade burned hot in her hand. Unaware she still held it, Viv stared at a drop
of blood glistening under the soft lights. Sweet Jesus, she wanted to lick it,
taste it, and she did. Her nipples hardened immediately and her vagina clenched,
sending moisture sliding from her core into the seat of her pants. What in
hell was that?
Careful or he’ll smell my desire.
Pushing
at his mind, she caught only a glimpse before banging into a steel wall. Viv
couldn’t get in. The brothers carried strong royal blood in their veins and it
had always caused trouble when she tried to read them. They were direct descendants
of the original beasts turned by her ancestors. This was different. She’d never
felt anything like it.
Alek,
a Siberian tiger, had the same mental print of a lion.
Viv
hadn’t counted on the excitement that fluttered in her stomach. To restrain her
out-of-control body she reminded herself of his nasty thought about her species.
It had pissed her off and she’d berated him for thinking of her as a
bloodsucker. The Kind were no better.
“Goddamn
fur balls.”
Confused
by her emotions, she wanted to fuck with him. Allowing him access to one part
of her mind, she let him have a thought that should keep him swollen and
painfully erect. I wouldn’t mind handling a nice piece of ass like yours
before sunrise.
Viv’s
aroma quickly filled the small space and she knew her scent would snare the
beast in him. The effort to close her mind weakened her tremendously. Stronger
shields would definitely be called for if she planned to hang around him. What
if she wasn’t able to keep him out while they trekked after the prince?
She
continued down the hall and into the bar, taking a seat. Her eyes followed Alek.
Viv
visibly shuddered when he gazed her way, sending an icy chill down her back.
The
cat walked through the room and out the front door.
“Shit.”
She’d looked forward to knowing him better.
“Are
you prepared for what will happen if you cage that tiger?”
Viv
knew very little about Case other than he owned The Looking Glass. His
long, pale blond hair gave away the fact he was a white lion and the scent of fresh
human blood coursing through his body told her something else—this cat was
powerful. Case had no problem with his vampyre side and he had no problem
breaking through her barriers to enter her mind.
“Case,
we don’t know each other well enough for you to screw around in my head. Don’t
do it again.” No sooner had the words left her mouth than the ferocious cry of
a wild beast lanced through the club. The doors and walls were unable to hold
out the sound of pain. Viv’s heart wrenched. Fear pounded through her veins,
matching pace with her cold blood.
“Now
do you understand why I asked?” Case made no pretense as he waved his hand,
stealing the previous seconds of time from the mind of every human in the room.
His
power should have frightened her. Hanging with Law and Dace, Viv was well aware
of the Sovereign Kind who sustained their lives with human blood. They became
strong vampyres and, aided with the senses and abilities of their animal, they
were deadly creatures to be reckoned with.
“Fuck
you.” Viv stood and walked back the way she’d come to collect the brothers. Reaching
their room, she snarled, “Let’s get out of here.”
Growl and roar-it's okay to let the beast out. - J. Hali Steele
