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Love After Dark features nine bestselling authors who create worlds and love within them. Not only will you find love between the pages but new content relating to their fabulous series! This bundle will include Brina Courtney, Ella James, Quinn Loftis, A.O Peart, Alivia Anders, HeatherHildenbrand, Julia Crane, Melissa Pearl and Beth Shelby.
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Excerpts from Stories
in Love After Dark
1.Reveal by Brina Courtney
Lastly there was the firefighter. He was hot, no pun intended. But when my mom found out he was in a
firefighter calendar called Hold the Hose, she stopped taking his calls. I, on the other hand, purchased the calendar
immediately. Mr. October is still hiding
under my mattress. Yum, yum.
Sometimes I miss my dad and I know my mom does too. Some nights I sit on one of the Adirondack
chairs on the wraparound porch with my coffee and look at the stars. When she joins me, I know we’re both thinking
the same thing, where is he?
My dad disappeared when I was six. Chad was just a toddler at the time so he
doesn’t remember anything. To be honest,
I don’t remember much either, just my dad not coming home from work one summer
night. I remember it was summer because
I had been swimming all day, without floaties, and Mom said I could wait up to
tell Dad about it. That’s the night I
started talking to ghosts and I have ever since.
2. Here by Ella James
Until
the rock. I’d felt…like someone else. Something
else, because I wasn’t anyone.
Somewhere else, but not any place I could understand.
And
whoever or whatever I had been, I knew Milo. Not only did I know her… I had
some kind of weird… thing for her.
Even
now standing in the grass by her house, I could feel the power of the memory.
And I could almost remember something else. A cold purpose, lurking somewhere
behind it.
3. Elfin by Quinn Loftis
Lorsan stood
and began to pace. “We need to move things forward. If Tamsin is dealing with
your human,”
“—Chosen,”
Trik growled. “My Chosen.”
Lorsan waved
him off. “Yes, yes, your Chosen, then. If he is dealing with that little issue,
then he
won’t have
had to time to move forward with the land purchase, which means that we should
have
time to
contact Leon and tell him to get it done.”
Leon was the
human realtor that the dark elves had hired to help them find the land. Trik
didn’t
care for the
sleazy little man, but it wasn’t up to him who Lorsan employed.
“I’ll go see
him.” Trik stood to go.
“What are
you going to do about your Chosen?” Lorsan asked.
“You aren’t
going to tell me what to do?” Trik raised his eyebrows at his King.
“Would you
obey me?”
Trik’s face
spread into a callous smile. “Not when it comes to her.”
Lorsan
rolled his eyes. “Not when it comes to anything is what you really mean. Do
what you
must, but at
some point you will have to tell her who and what you are. Will she be able to
handle it,
I wonder?”
Trik shook
his head with a low chuckle, “I’m the assassin and spy for the Dark Elf King. I
kill
without
remorse. I live for myself and my own pleasure. I come from a dark people with
dark hearts.
What do you
think?”
4. Illumine by Alivia Anders
The nerves returned once more, and I shifted in my shoes,
uncomfortable. “You do know what you’re doing, right?”
“Of course,” he said, sounding assured. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I’ve never seen anything like this. What if we accidentally
open up a portal to Hell, or summon a demon, or curse me with boils for life?”
Chase laughed. “Relax. I read about this in a book I picked
up from a little Wiccan shop outside the city. You won’t come out with boils on
your face.” He came to a stop near the end of the circle, leaving a small patch
free of salt. He set the bag down and stepped into the circle with me. Gently
he took one of my hands, and I watched as he pressed a kiss to the palm.
“You’re going to be just fine.”
“We’re going to be just fine,” I corrected him, smiling
nervously. “After all, this is happening to both of us, right?”
He nodded, rubbing my palm with his thumb in slow, lazy
circles. “More or less, yes.”
I started to ask what he meant when I felt the pain pulse in
my palm. Immediately I yanked my hand back from his and cried out. “What the
hell, Chase?” I looked at my hand, stunned to see a bubble of blood that began
to run along my wrist like a ribbon. It was then I noticed the small, silver
dagger in Chase’s hand, the blade tip coated in blood. My blood.
My head began to spin, and I swayed in my spot. Chase backed
away with remarkable speed, and by the time I found focus, the circle had been
closed in completely.
“Chase,” I said, hearing the weakness in my voice. “You’re
scaring me.”
His eyes had turned to the small bowl of water in front of
the circle, where he dipped the blade tip into until the water turned a light
shade of pink. “Sorry, love. I should have said it might hurt a little bit.” He
glanced up at me as he crouched before the water dish, and in the candlelight
he looked possessed. “You know what they say. The best things in life come with
a little pain.”
“Who the hell said that?” I challenged back, shaking. I
started to move toward the edge of the circle, keeping pressure on my hand. The
blood had started to run over my fingers, the sticky liquid nauseating. “This
is sick, you know that? I’m not doing this, I take it back. I don’t want to
bond with you.”
A figure stepped out from the shadow, all glitter and
beauty. Her voice was charming, even when she was cruel. “I wouldn’t do that if
I were you.”
“Cassie?” I practically cried. “Oh my gosh, Cassie, go get
the hotel staff, call for the police! Chase is out of his mind over here—” I
paused, repeating her words in my head. “Wait, wouldn’t do what?”
Her eyes flickered to Chase, and she crossed the room to
him, cupping his face lovingly. “I’m sorry it took me so long. You really hurt
me, you know.”
“I always hurt you,” he said, practically sneering. “You get
too sensitive when we linger around mortals. I like you better when you take my
heat and fire it back at my heart like you used to.”
“Funny. Last time I did that, you whined that you’d find
another Necromancer to keep your sagging excuse for a body alive.” She pinched
his cheek, tsking. “How’s that working out for you, darling?”
Chase pushed her aside and muttered something under his
breath, and Cassie cracked a dark grin. Her eyes turned back to me as she
folded her arms across her chest. “Don’t take this personally, Essallie. We’ve
been sacrificing people for decades. It comes with the deal we made forever
ago.” She stepped closer to the edge of the circle, and I inched closer. “I’d
chalk it up to bad luck. Normally, we’d just pluck some drunken idiot off the
street or from a homeless shelter. But once Chase found out what you were—”
“Cassandra,” he said warningly. “You are forbidden from
telling her.”
She sneered back at him. “I know, I know. Always the
party-pooper.” Cassie flicked her eyes back to me, smug. “Let’s just say, your
blood is worth all the riches in the world.”
They continued to bicker back and forth, lighting candles
and pulling out various small bags from different corners of the room. I didn’t
know what to think at this point. My ex-boyfriend and best friend had to be
insane. They thought magic was real? That they had to sacrifice someone? I
thought back to Cassie’s words about picking up drunks from bars, and started
to wonder if the men she had taken to her place after our nights out ever made
it back home. They were mad, absolutely out of their minds. And I wasn’t going
to stick around for them to kill me in their insanity.
I spotted the dagger at the edge of the circle and moved for
it, reaching out to grab the hilt. As soon as my skin hit the edge of the
circle, the salt lining it erupted into a wall of fire, striking my skin. I
screamed and fell back onto the ground, cradling my burnt arm against my chest.
What the hell was going on?
5. Dirty Blood by Heather Hildenbrand
I felt the air in the car begin to change as I stared back at
him. It felt warm and thick, like a
humid,
post-rain summer day. And even though we were already touching, palm to palm, I
suddenly had
an intense desire to be closer to him, pressed to him. My muscles ached with it
and I had to restrain myself from scooting across the seat, and wrapping my
arms around his shoulders, and burying my face in his neck.
The image wouldn’t remove itself from my mind and I finally
had to wrench my gaze from his to keep from acting on the impulse. I was
breathing heavier, partly because of the thickness in the air and partly from
wanting to touch him. I wondered if he was affected, too, but I couldn’t look
at him again or I wouldn’t be able to stop myself.
His hand slid free from mine, and he started the car and
busied himself with checking the rearview and easing us out of the lot. I
pressed the button for the window, letting in a gust of cold air. For once, I
didn’t curse the cold, and was relieved when I felt the tension melt away.
When we were on the road, Wes cleared his throat. “Well, that
was …”
I lifted my head from where I’d been leaning closer to the
open window and looked over at him. He was running a hand through his hair,
still searching for a word to describe what had
happened. He’d
noticed it, too. “Different,” I finished.
He sent me a half smile. “Yeah. Definitely that.”
6. Anna by Julia Crane
Tommy folded
the canvas bag and placed it on a chair at the table. “So, how have you been?
I’ve been counting the days ‘til I’d see you again.”
“You have?”
Anna asked, surprised. “You could have called or texted you know,” she blurted,
and then regretted it the moment the words flew out of her mouth. Didn’t she
learn anything from the movie How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days?
“I was such
an idiot; I lost my phone and wasn’t able to get my contacts back.” He smiled
sheepishly.
He lost his
phone? That sounded like something that would happen to her. “Well, I’m glad
you
remembered
how to get here.”
“Actually,
Rourk remembered. I think he has some kind of freaky photographic memory. I
swear he never forgets anything.” Tommy opened the lettuce and washed it in the
sink, and then turned to grab the chopping board that was hanging on the wall.
“I’ll have
to remember to thank him.” Anna felt heat rise to her cheeks. “I wasn’t sure I
would ever see you again.”
Tommy
glanced over his shoulder, and his clear blue eyes met hers. His gaze was
serious. “Anna, I would have found you if I had to knock on every door in
Seattle.”
7. Forged By Greed by A.O. Pert
“Prince Jatred!” The Winter Goddess’s voice sounded angry.
She marched fast
toward him. A deep frown settled between her brows.
Watching her, the wolf lowered his head between his shoulder
blades, his tail
between his hind legs. A quiet growl rumbled in the back of
his throat. Freezing gusts
whipped at her hair and clothes. The Goddess’s long black
dress trailed behind her, loose
sleeves flapping in the wind. Her nails were painted black
and matched the series of
complex black tattoos covering her face. She appeared as the
Celtic goddess Morrigan.
“You know why you’re here.” Crystal’s voice reverberated in
the wolf’s head.
Her lips were pressed together.
He didn’t answer but kept his eyes on her. The Goddess stood
in front of him,
glowering, her hands on her hips. Her body stretched and
grew until she was over ten feet
tall, muscular and commanding. The wolf crouched down,
baring his teeth.
“You are going to leave her today!” The Goddess’s voice
boomed in the air. It
echoed several times, bouncing off the mountains. Her face
contorted in anger. She
waved her hand, and a wave of freezing air hit him like a
tornado. He tumbled
uncontrollably, clawing at the snow. Crystal moved her hand
again, and Jatred stopped
rolling. He tried to stand up but he felt too dizzy. His
body ached as if it was bruised all
over.
“Prince Jatred,” the Goddess hissed. Her eyes were furious.
Jatred got up and stood, panting, his legs wobbly. He took an unsure step
forward,
testing the ground. A low snarl escaped him, his ears flat.
“No,” he said with his mind, growling louder.
Crystal flicked her wrist once more, and the wolf flew back
several feet, as if hit
by a truck going at full-speed. He yelped and fell, sliding
in the snow on his side.
Gasping, Jatred snapped his eyes open and bared his teeth.
He growled and wrinkled his
muzzle. The Goddess walked up to him. She stopped and folded
her arms over her chest.
“Stop resisting. I don’t really want to hurt you.”
“We have a different understanding of the word ‘hurt’,” he
wheezed with his
mind.
“You will obey me
this time, my Prince. Don’t make me summon you here again
to remind you of your duty. Or it will be more than physical
pain that I will inflict on
you. Think of those you love that are my Shifters.” The
Goddess’s voice was calm, barely
above a whisper. “Now go back to the Human World.”
Crystal stretched her arms, palms flat over Jatred.
Shimmering dust rained from
her hands down to his fur. The pain in his body subsided,
and calmness enveloped him.
He squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to shift into
his human form, before she let
him return to the Human World.
8. Golden Blood by Melissa Pearl
Harrison is running
from some school bullies and crashes straight into Gemma. They decide
to hide out in a
clothing store change room.
Gemma’s eyes rose to meet his.
“What?”
He kept his smile in place. “I’ve always wondered what it’d
be like to talk to you.”
“Is that a line?”
“No,” he chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.
Her eyes went stormy and she bit her lip. Flustered, she
pushed him away and jumped
down. She
collected her bag and reached for the lock. “I gotta go.”
“No wait.” He grabbed her hand and
froze. His skin was on fire. Looking down at his
fingers, he
felt the warm licks of flame curl up each digit and spread over his hand.
Gemma’s eyes were huge as she jerked
away and rubbed her thumb over her fingertips.
“What was that?”
She shook her head with a frown and backed away from him,
crashing into the door.
With
fumbling fingers she undid the lock and burst out, weaving around the clothing
racks
and shooting
out the door.
Harrison leaned against the frame to watch her. He curled his
fingers into a fist then
flexed them
straight. The warm lick of flame was rapidly cooling. His disappointment
surprised
him.
9. Set In Stone by Anna Cruise
Noel pressed
me against the wall and covered my mouth with his hand to silence me. He leaned
closer and, for one panicked moment, I thought he might kiss me. But his mouth
whispered past my lips, scenting the air with evergreen and peppermint, past my
cheek until it rested just above my ear.
"Don't."
His breath tickled my ear, sending shivers to the tips of my toes. "I'm
telling you the truth. I can't tell you anything yet." He straightened
slightly and uncovered my mouth.
"I'm
scared." I hated myself for admitting it. Especially to him.
Noel leaned
in once again but this time his hands cradled my face, his blue eyes troubled.
He studied me for a long time. "I know you are." Regret flavored his
voice. "But don't be." His lips did brush my ear this time before
moving softly to my cheek, leaving a trail of soft, stinging kisses. "I'll
protect you. I'll keep you safe. I promise."
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