Ancient Blood: Immaculate
by Kate Hill
Purchase Link (paperback):Ellora’s Cave
Purchase Link (ebook): Ellora’s Cave
Blurb:
Flashbacks that hint of an evil beyond belief have driven Mara to study supernatural legends. Only when she meets Adam Lindsay, an incredibly sexy vampire battling demons of his own, does she realize that her worst fears are real. The joining of human and vampire conjures sweet love and breathtaking passion. Unfortunately their carnal pleasures might just prove deadly to one of them.
Note: Immaculate was previously published from RFI West. It has been revised and expanded.
The following excerpt from IMMACULATE is for readers 18 and over.
Hands bruised her flesh. Nails tore her skin and hair. Foul breath hissed in her face. Pain exploded in her neck. Each savage thrust of teeth kept time with brutal thrusting lower, in that place she’d been saving for a man she’d never met but only dreamed of
“Miss, are you all right?” Gentle hands shook Mara’s shoulder. Snapping awake, she grasped the librarian’s wrists and stopped just short of striking the woman in the face.
“God, I’m sorry,” Mara breathed, releasing her terrified captive.
The librarian rubbed her wrists as she backed away. “We’re closing, miss, and I’ll ask you not to come back again.”
“I’m sorry about grabbing you,” Mara spoke with genuine regret. “I–I was attacked about a year ago, and I get horrible dreams.”
Mara rarely spoke of the rape that had left her scarred both physically and emotionally. The terrible attack had nearly killed her. In spite of visits with counselors and psychiatrists, she was still unable to remember the details, only the pain. Though Mara avoided discussing it, she felt she owed the librarian some explanation. Guilty feelings aside, this particular Spanish library contained the most complete selection on books about her obsession.
“All right. I suppose I shouldn’t have shaken you, anyway. You’d fallen asleep and were very disturbed, but it better not happen again.”
“Yes. Thank you.” Mara drew a trembling breath and pressed her hands to her temples as the librarian left the study room for the front desk.
As she stood, Mara knocked several leather-bound volumes onto the carpet. “Damn. I’m so clumsy.”
She stooped to gather the books when a large hand picked up an especially heavy volume by her toe. Startled, she jumped.
She glanced at the man beside her. He had broad shoulders, a strong neck, and a face that compelled Mara to stare. Though not handsome, his features were endearing. He was smooth-shaven, his cheekbones high and broad. His straight nose was slightly snubbed and his lower lip full. Before her attack she might have called his mouth kissable, but of late, romance was the last thing on her mind. Her heartbeat fluttered when she looked into his eyes. Fringed with thick lashes, they were the darkest blue she’d ever seen.
“Let me help you.” His deep voice resounded in the empty room. Like her, he was American.
“Thank you. I fell asleep and I guess I’m still not with it.”
He glanced at the books. “Whispers of the Damned. The Book of Eternal Curses. Death Kisses. Just a little bit of light reading? No wonder you have nightmares.”
She quickly gathered the books into a pile. As they stood, she noticed he was tall enough to be intimidating. “I have strange tastes. Thanks for your help.”
“You forgot one.” He caught up to her. “Lords of the Moon.”
Mara stared at him. “You can read that?”
“It’s an odd dialect, but not quite lost.”
“At first I thought it was Latin. Not that my Latin’s great. I should have paid more attention in class.”
“It is Latin. A form of it, anyway.”
“Could you–” Mara shook her head.
“Could I what?”
“Nothing. There’s no time. The library is closing. I just really wish I knew what was in that book. These others are all the same. Just a lot of folklore.”
His lips curved in the slightest smile. “Of course it’s folklore. You don’t really believe in vampires and werewolves, do you?”
“Of course not. I’m just interested in–true crime. You know, psychos who think they’re vampires and werewolves. Lycanthropy and such.” She nodded to the pile of books in her hands. “You can just toss it on top. I have to take these to the desk. They don’t let anyone check them out. I guess they’re rare.”
He took the books from her and brushed through the glass doors to the desk.
Mara trotted to keep pace with his long stride. “Listen, sir, you really don’t have to–”
“Adam.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I’ll be here around six tomorrow to translate for you.”
Mara paused beside him at the desk. Her hands trembled and her heart pounded. What a fool she must sound like.
“You really don’t have to do that.”
“You want to know what’s in the book?”
“Yes, but I hope you don’t think this is some kind of crazy come-on.”
Those dark blue eyes fixed on hers. Heat rose in her face. What had made her say that?
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He walked down the marble steps to the exit door. One hand on the glass, he turned. “And that’s not a crazy come-on, either.”
Mara watched as he disappeared into the dark streets of Seville. She turned to the librarian and asked, “Would you hold these for me until tomorrow?”
Outside, Mara’s shoes tapped on the rain-slicked sidewalk. She’d been in Spain for nearly a month. Before, she’d been in London and Romania. Romania. She laughed aloud at her silliness. She thought it would be the place to learn about vampires and demons. All the Count Dracula crap.
For the longest time, she thought her attacker had been an average maniac, but over the past year, strange flashes had come to her in dreams. Flashes of teeth. Blood. Powerful thoughts that invaded her mind just as the son of a bitch had invaded her body. Maybe part of her didn’t want to believe another human had done such horrible things to her. She knew attacks happened, but to other people, not to her. She never thought she’d be a statistic. Maybe, in her mind, she wanted to believe something unexplainable, something supernatural, had attacked her because the reality was just too painful.
Shivering, she buried her hands in her jacket pockets. Her mind spun with phrases chanted in a language she couldn’t grasp.
She shook her head. Better not to think about it.
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