Vampire's Thirst (The Awakening Series) (17 page)

He lifted his head and stared into her eyes. Whatever he saw there made him groan. His mouth crashed onto hers again, lips nibbling, rubbing. The hand at her waist moved lower, shaping her buttock, pulling her closer.

The hard evidence of his desire excited her even further. Moaning softly, she pressed against his erection and skimmed her hands up his chest to hold his head. Silky dark hair slid through her fingers.

His mouth left hers to travel along her jaw then down her neck. When his lips slid to the pulse point in her throat, she stiffened and pushed him away. God in heaven, what had she been thinking, letting him kiss her? Letting him get close enough to bite. But that was the problem, wasn’t it? She
hadn’t
been thinking.

“Kimber—”

“Don’t.” She held up one hand. “Just…don’t.” She was tired and felt like an idiot. Another second and she would’ve let him take her right there against her car. Take her with fangs and cock. She rolled her shoulders and stared at him, feeling like she was a hundred years old. “Anything for your queen, is that it, Duncan?”

He scowled. Apparently he didn’t like her calling him a prostitute. Too bad. She didn’t appreciate him trying to seduce her so she’d acquiesce to his queen’s demands.

“I didn’t kiss you because Maddalene wants you to work for her.” His face lightened and he looked at her mouth. “I kissed you because I wanted to. Because I’ve been wanting to taste you, feel those courtesan lips of yours beneath mine.”

Now who was calling whom a prostitute? “Did you just call me a whore?” She raised her eyebrows. When he appeared to be a bit discomfited and denied her charge, her good humor returned. She was never one to pass up an opportunity to give a vampire a hard time. “I’m certain that ‘courtesan’ is a pretty name for ‘whore’. And if you think I have courtesan lips, then…” She tilted her head to one side and studied him, pointedly waiting for a response.

“I don’t think you’re a whore,” he finally said. His tone was dry and his expression said
touché
as clearly as if he’d verbalized it. “I do, however, think you’re a brat.”

She couldn’t hold back her grin. It felt good to finally get this composed, always in control man as off kilter as he got her. Even if it was only for a couple of seconds. “I’ll see you later,” she said and got into her car. She closed the door and cranked down the window. “You can tell your queen that my answer is still no.”

As she drove away she glanced in her rearview mirror. Duncan was nowhere to be seen. Sneaky bastard. But what else could she expect? He was a vampire, and they were the definition of duplicitous. It was too bad, really. Now that she’d kissed him, she could definitely go back for more. If he weren’t what he was.

For now they’d play this cat and mouse game and she’d see just how long she could hold out against Maddalene Vanderpool’s demands.

Many writers will tell you they began writing stories the moment they learned to wield a pencil. My own first story was written in sixth grade at the behest of my teacher to write a story with this opening phrase:
It was a dark and stormy night.
But even as a child, I didn’t write “kid” stories. I preferred something darker, something that went bump in the night.

As I grew older, I began to read various genres. I especially enjoyed fantasy and science fiction along the lines of J.R.R. Tolkien and Ray Bradbury. I discovered Bram Stoker and Arthur Conan Doyle.

Then I came across romance. Not only could I have fantasy, alien, horror, or mystery, but I could also get a great boy-gets-girl story as well. I was hooked. And along with the passion for reading romance came a passion for writing it as well. After moving to Arizona and working a hectic job for a few years, I joined Romance Writers of America and in 2005 decided to get serious about writing as a career. I was able to take a year off work to focus on my writing. I began with novella-length paranormal stories that I had published with electronic publishers such as Ellora’s Cave, Amber Heat, and Liquid Silver Books (under the pen name Sherrill Quinn).

A few years later I sold a werewolf series (also under the name Sherrill Quinn) to Kensington, and in 2012 my Warriors of the Rift series (written as Cynthia Garner) found its home at the Forever imprint of Grand Central Publishing. Most recently I sold a two-part vampire series to Forever Yours, and I hope there are many more to come!

The Awakening Series

Vampire’s Hunger
(Book 1)

Warriors of the Rift Series

Kiss of the Vampire
(Book 1)

Secret of the Wolf
(Book 2)

Into the Rift
(Book 2.5)

Heart of the Demon
(Book 3)

Half demon, half human, Nix de la Fuente is accepted by neither and mistrusted by both. Determined to prove she’s more human than not, she devotes herself to solving crimes between the world’s mortals and its most unsavory undead. But her latest case brings her face-to-face with the one vampire she could never resist…

Called in to investigate a string of violent murders, Special Agent Tobias Caine isn’t interested in rekindling his relationship with Nix. Yet one look and the vampire knows his need for her is as strong as ever. Once, their all-consuming passion nearly cost Nix her fragile hold on her humanity. Now, as their hunger for one another intensifies, exposing them to an unimaginable danger, it could cost them
both
their lives.

As a werewolf liaison to the Council of Preternaturals, Tori Joseph is used to straddling the world between humans and immortals. She plays by the rules and always delivers justice, no matter the cost. But after a string of increasingly brutal attacks results in humans turning into werewolves, Tori doesn’t reveal her horrifying suspicion: Someone very close to her might be responsible.

Investigating the paranormal violence, no-nonsense detective Dante MacMillan believes Tori is hiding something. His search for the truth draws him into greater danger as he gets closer to the dark realm of the immortals—and to the sexy werewolf who stirs his primal lust. Now with evil closing in around them, Dante must convince Tori to trust him…before her deadly secret destroys them both.

The next opening of the rift is coming—and its consequences will be deadly. A rogue group of human-hating preternaturals is planning an apocalyptic attack, but the Council of Preternaturals may have found the key to saving the world: Keira O’Brien, a fey with a long criminal record, whose empathic abilities once made her the queen of con artists. If she successfully infiltrates the dangerous faction, the sins of her past will be forgiven.

Keira isn’t the only agent working against the rogue prets. Finn Evnissyen, a powerful demon with a dark lineage, is a hired assassin looking for a way out. If he stops the threat, he will finally earn his freedom. As the rift fast approaches, and danger escalates, Finn and Keira must discover if they’re on the same side—or sleeping with the enemy…

In this exclusive ebook short story, Cynthia Garner shares the history of the Warriors of the Rift and introduces Sirina, a fearless female soldier transported from another dimension. The thrilling prequel to
Secret of the Wolf
,
Into the Rift
chronicles Sirina’s heart-pounding journey to escape cataclysmic events that have turned her world upside down.

On the surface, Lila Summers is flawless but a dark past and even darker secrets are threatening to bubble over her perfect façade. She’ll do anything to keep the emptiness inside hidden—which leads her into situations that always end badly. Whenever she hits bottom, there’s only one person who’s there to pull her out: Ethan Gregory. Ethan set the rules a long time ago: he and Lila are just
friends.
Although Ethan can’t deny they have a deeper connection than he’s used to. When Lila falls farther than she ever has before, can Ethan continue to help as a friend? Or is he also getting close to falling…for her?

From
New York Times
bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes three complete novels in one volume at an affordable price.
Lucky in Love, At Last, Forever and a Day
.

Nina Sheridan desperately needs a time-out vacation. With a fiancé who can’t even remember how she takes her coffee, Nina wants some distance to rethink her engagement. Flying halfway around the world from England to a mountain town in Colorado should do the trick. But when she finds a gorgeous man at her rental cabin, Nina’s cold, lonely adventure suddenly heats up. The owner of the house, Holden “Max” Maxwell is surprised by the beautiful woman who turns up at his door. A private man with a broken heart, Max finds himself drawn to the strong-willed woman. Soon it becomes impossible for Nina and Max to deny their growing attraction to one another. Yet even as these two wounded lovebirds think about taking a chance on a relationship, a dangerous secret from Max’s past emerges—and threatens to end their love for good.

Undercover agent Sam Hawkins has devoted his life to protecting king and country. So when he receives orders to assassinate a ruthless traitor, he doesn’t question his mission. But Sam didn’t know his deed had a witness—the beautiful and mysterious betrayer’s wife. Now he has no choice but to take her as his prisoner—one he can neither trust…nor resist. Élise, Lady Dunthorpe, will do anything to escape her powerful captor—including seducing him senseless. She didn’t know of her miserable husband’s crimes, but she has secrets of her own, secrets that threaten everything she holds dear. With his piercing dark eyes and gentle touch, Sam inflames Élise’s deepest desires, but how could she ever trust a man who won’t let her go? Caught between the crown he’s sworn to serve and the woman he’s come to love, Sam will risk his heart—and his very life—to keep her safe.

For most of her life, Lady Talia Hall has been dreaming of the day James Forester will take her in his arms and kiss her with unrestrained passion. Tired of waiting, Talia decides to take drastic measures to make James see her as more than his best friend’s little sister. But her bold plan goes awry when the scoundrel informs her that he is leaving London—and her—for a life of adventure traveling the world. Crushed, Talia throws herself into her reform work and vows never again to let her foolish heart get the better of her. But even halfway across the world, James can’t stop thinking of the beautiful Talia, her bold declaration…or her brazen kiss. And when James learns that Talia’s reform work has thrown her into the path of danger and scandal, nothing can keep him from returning to London. But a broken heart is not easily put back together, and old habits die hard. Talia and James must learn that trusting in true love is the greatest adventure of all…

With only the wedding dress on her back and her honeymoon luggage in the car, Kari Worthington is running away. Determined to put her controlling father, her rigidly structured life, and the uptight groom she left at the altar in her rearview mirror, she escapes to the Texas Hill country…and lands on a tall, dark, and gorgeous winery owner’s doorstep. All she needs is a job and a place to live until she can get back on her feet. So why is she fantasizing about losing herself in his powerful arms? For Marc Cordero, freedom is so close he can taste it. He’s devoted his life to managing the family business and being a single dad. Now with his daughter away at college and his brother taking over the winery, Marc is ready to hop on his Harley for parts unknown—until a runaway bride bursts onto the scene. Free-spirited and tantalizingly sexy, Kari excites him like no other woman has before. But when irresistible passion turns into something more, will Marc give up his future to take a chance on love?

Montana real estate agent Quint McCoy will tell you that the most important thing is location, location, location. It’s a lesson he learns all too well when he goes incommunicado for a four-week fishing trip to Alaska. While he’s away, his mother, Molly, turns his office into the pie shop she has always dreamed of, Big Sky Pie. But that’s not the only surprise in store for him. On her way out of town, Callee McCoy only wants to say a fond farewell to her beloved mother-in-law. But Molly soon persuades Callee to stay and lend a hand at the new shop, even if it means heating up the kitchen with her soon-to-be ex. As Callee and Quint rediscover their recipe for love, they realize that some couples are so sinfully good together that one delectable taste is never enough…