Who can stop a master vampire from expanding his territory? Only one woman - with a rare, invisible power and hate for his kind deep in her blood.
Nothing counts but the mission. Nothing is relevant but getting the job done.
Calista is a gelder. The ancient, invisible power is in her blood, her heart, her soul. Instinctively drawn to vampires, she always does what she is born to do. She gelds. No feelings, no emotions, only deeds. She hates their race. She can't wait to get rid of them all. But something is about to change.
Although gelding vampires has been fun sometimes, it can also prove dangerous and scary when faced with a master vampire: a master who has become a legend.
His name is Gabriel.
General Release Date: 12th March 2012
Sunset was drawing too close for stalling.
Standing before the cemetery gates, Calista only had two options. She could walk all the way around the so-called resting place-but she wouldn’t get home on time-or she could cut across it and reach safety in a matter of minutes. Encumbered with her shopping bags, she might already have no choice.
Pushing the gate with her shoulder, she got a move on. Focusing on the other side of the cemetery, she kept to the main path, staying off the grass and the headstones. Halfway across the holy ground, she knew she was going to make it. With the last rays of light casting shadows around her, she only had a short distance to cover. Relief creeping over her, she pressed on, tightening her grip on the shopping bags and intently watching the gates.
Calista fell head over heels almost without making a sound, her purchases flying away, her extended hands breaking her fall. A little stunned, she took deep breaths, expecting pain. When none came, she tried to sit up, but was hindered by something pulling at her ankle. Rolling and shifting, she edged closer to the grass and managed to sit.
Her left foot was caught in a loop, the line secured around the nearest headstone. Although it looked like some kind of metal, it wasn’t biting her skin. Not yet. She tugged at it and felt the noose tightening, realising at once she wouldn’t be able to get out of it this way. She attempted to untie the knot, but it was too tight. Maybe she could cut it with a knife, but hell, she was no MacGyver and she didn’t carry blades in her pockets.
Oh God, oh God, this can not be happening. Not now. Not a thousand feet from the safety of her house. Not when she had practically made it.
She glanced up and fear threatened to pin her down. The sun was gone. A gust of wind slapped her face and shadows whished about, engaged in a nocturnal, graceful dance—the ballet of the dead. Refusing to admit defeat, Calista grabbed the line with both hands and pulled it as hard as she could.
"Hey, looks like I got myself a nice titbit."
The voice came from behind her, but she didn’t turn her head. No point. She already knew what kind of creature had crept out of the night. Trapped like a frightened rabbit, there was nothing she could do but bide her time. That was, if he gave her time.
"Please, don’t hurt me!" she whimpered.
"Why would I do that? First, let’s have a look at you, sweetie," he said, kneeling in front of her, lifting her chin up. "Oh my, aren’t you a treat for sore eyes!"
He was good-looking for a vampire, with shoulder-length blond hair framing clear, blue eyes in a thin face. Although he was trying to hold a conversation, his gaze was sort of feverish and his fangs were out. He was hungry. If she didn’t keep him on safe ground she would end up dead very shortly.
"Who’s out there?" Calista asked in a panicked voice, pretending to notice something, craning her neck towards the biggest tombstone in the cemetery.
The vampire turned around, looking for whatever he thought she had spotted. "I don’t see anything, sweetie, but just in case"—he produced a long knife and used it to cut the thin wire—"I’d better take you home."
Grabbing her arm, he pulled her along, heading for the darkest shadows. Although scared, she didn’t resist. She had a job to do. They soon rounded the crematorium, going past the building to the edge of the cemetery. Holding on to her, the vampire bent down and opened a trapdoor in the ground. Once he had switched the lights on, he pushed her forward. She nearly tumbled down the steep stairs, and gripped his arm to catch her balance while he shut the door and locked it.
"Welcome home, precious."
To Calista, the vampire’s ‘home sweet home’ looked like a crypt-cold marble, cold tiles, cold interior. She had been in crypts a few times in the past and this one was no different.
"Make yourself comfortable," he teased, pushing her towards a long marble table, "I’m starting to feel quite peckish."
She desperately needed to buy time. If she wanted to save her life, she had to make him believe she was merely a young woman, scared out of her wits. She slowly backed towards the edge of the table, looking lost and helpless. She figured vampires got their kicks out of human helplessness.
"Please," she begged, "don’t hurt me."
Welcome to Chris Lange's fantasy world where she lives most of the time. She loves alpha males, badass bikers, sensitive men, hot vampires, angels, demons, cowboys, cops, ghosts, knights and kings.
She's a dreamer and a storyteller. She writes about love, love, love, and sometimes she leaves her characters' bedroom door open.
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