a Vampire's choice (paperback)

A vampire cursed to be untouchable. 

Happy to be back in Seattle, Shea Bennet wants nothing more than to forget about the enigmatic warlock who saved her from a fate worse than death.

But his topaz eyes haunt her, and his wicked scent makes her crave something she will never be able to have, something more than his blood — his touch.

Though she feels his presence everywhere she goes, she is taken off guard when he suddenly appears to disrupt her hunt. Shea finds the tables have turned, and it is she who is the prey.

A warlock determined to break the curse.

Ever since he released her from his mountain home, Jesse Moss finds he's possessed with the memory of a vampire he feels compelled to protect for reasons he can't explain.

Night after night, he lies wrapped in her scent, her whiskey voice invading his dreams, and for the first time in his solitary life, he feels alone in the dark. Restless and worried, he tracks her to her home and offers her a deal, if she will only agree to spend some time with him. A deal he has no intention of keeping.

Two Weeks Earlier - Current Day

“What are you doing here?” Shea whispered. 

A light breeze lifted the loose tendrils of her hair, and raised chill bumps across her sensitized skin. Or maybe it was the way the dark warlock’s topaz eyes stared all the way through to the deepest secrets of her soul. 

His scent drifted to her on the light breeze. It filled her nostrils, making her upper lip twitch, exposing her fangs before she could stop herself. The taste of his scent made her mouth water and the back of her throat burn with thirst. She ached to pierce the firm skin stretched tight over the strong pulse in his throat until she could taste the dark essence of him. Her blood pounded, keeping beat along with the music coming from inside the renovated building that was now a popular gay club in Seattle’s infamous Capital Hill neighborhood. It was 70’s night, and the place was filling up fast. Soon people would start spilling out to the outdoor patio, but for right now, it was just the two of them.

And Cruthú, of course. His raven.

“Hello, Shea.” Jesse’s low timbre stroked her like a lover’s caress. He looked different somehow, and after a moment, she realized it was his clothing. Instead of the usual black, a burgundy cashmere clung to his muscled torso. Her hand twitched toward it, to feel the soft material stretched across the hard muscle of the arm beneath. But she pulled it back, even though he was nowhere near touching range. His long, lean legs were covered in tailored charcoal slacks, and expensive shoes had replaced the black, heavy-treaded boots she was used to seeing on him. His dark hair was different, too—a bit longer—the wavy ends falling just past his collar. 

He sprawled casually in his chair as she took in his changed appearance, one large hand resting on the small table in front of him, fingers wrapped around a sweating bottle of local beer. It was still full.

A trickle of fear slid down her spine as she watched him trace designs in the condensation with the tip of one finger without taking his eyes from her face. It had only been a few weeks since he’d released her from his mountain prison, but it was obvious he’d been following her. No one could have told him she came to this club, even if he’d had the nerve to ask them. No one else knew. Shea glanced around, ensuring herself they were completely alone, at least for the moment. “What are you doing here?” she repeated, louder this time. 

His fingers stilled on the bottle, but despite his calm demeanor, she knew he was aware of her proximity. Very aware. Yet, while her pulse paused and stuttered as if it tried to relay everything she felt in Morse code, she could hear his beating strong and steady beneath the orchestral sounds of disco. 

“Won’t you sit down?” He nodded at the chair across from him.

Shea hesitated. A quick glance around ensured her they were still the only ones on the patio. She swallowed nervously. He’d never hurt her in any way while she’d been with him, but she still didn’t trust him.

One side of Jesse’s mouth quirked up in a sardonic mask of a smile. “I mean you no harm, Shea. I just want to talk.”

Pulling the chair out from the table, she angled it so her back was to the half wall surrounding the patio and she was facing the door that led inside to the dance floor. As soon as she sat down, the raven hopped along the wall to stand near her and squawked in greeting, picking up a strand of Shea’s long hair and running it through her beak. She reached back and stroked the silky feathers of the bird’s cheek. “Hey, Cruthú.”

“She missed you.” He paused, allowing Shea to absorb the heavier meaning implied with those words before he continued, “I wanted to come and check on you after our phone call. I was concerned. I’m glad to see you are safe and well.”

Shea didn’t know how to respond. “There was no need for you to do that.”

“Of course there was. I had no idea you were in possession of one of the boxes the demons are after, or I would have checked on you sooner.” 

Shea didn’t know how he hadn’t known. He seemed to know everything.

Jesse lowered his eyes to the untouched bottle of beer. He spun the bottle with his fingertips, until it balanced on a tilt. Removing his fingers, it continued to spin for a few seconds by itself.

Shea watched the bottle spin, fascinated, until he grabbed it and stopped the momentum.

When he lifted his gaze again, the intensity within made them glow bright as the sun. “I missed you, as well.” Clearing his throat, he glanced away and went on before she could respond to that surprising statement. “What happened to the box?”

It took her a moment to answer him, unsure if he was friend or foe at this point. “It’s gone.”

His eyes flashed back to her face. One eyebrow lifted. “Gone?”

She nodded, not seeing the harm in telling him what happened in either scenario. “The demons got their hands on Dante’s mate and threatened her life. He gave up the box to save her.” Jesse knew vampires, and therefore, she knew he was well-aware of the weakness they had for their mates. She wasn’t giving any secrets away.

The warlock cocked his head and stared at her. “They didn’t kill her.” 

“No. They tried, but Dante and Laney both survived.”

“Good.” His face was grim. “But the demons got the box anyway.”

“Yes.” Her tone was bleak. During their phone call a few days earlier, Jesse had warned her of the consequences if this were to occur.

“If they’ve found the others, the last clue will lead them to their original blood. It will allow them to reanimate to their true forms.” He gazed past her shoulder, his forehead creasing. “They will destroy this world, you know.”

Shea stopped petting the raven and dropped her hand back into her lap. She waited until his attention once again focused on her. It took a few seconds, and she knew he was seeing a future they could not allow to occur. A future of hell on earth. “Luukas plans to find it before they do.”

“The blood?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t appear reassured. “And how will he do that? When I last spoke with you, you didn’t even know what it was you had until I told you. Does he have any idea where the blood is hidden?”

With a sigh, Shea shook her head. She didn’t bother arguing the point that he could have saved this all from happening if he had just told her about it from the beginning. “No. But finding it first is our only hope.”

“He won’t be able to stop them now, Shea. I can’t stop them. No one can.”

“But you released them—” She slammed her mouth shut with an audible click before she could say anymore. She wanted to ask him why. Why he had done such a thing. What did he hope to gain from it? 

However, she didn’t really need to ask. She knew. He’d helped free them because he was evil, like Leeha. Like the demons.

“Releasing them was easier than sending them back will be. They wanted to be free. They don’t want to go back. It would take more blood and magic than I alone possess to do so.”

The implications of his words began to truly sink in. Fear loosened her bowels and clenched at her heart. “There has to be a way to send them back to hell…to chain them to the altar again. It was done once before, it can be done again.” For if what he said was true, they were all well and truly fucked—humans, animals, and supernatural creatures alike. 

“The first time it was done by a full coven of witches using a lost form of dark magic. Keira is powerful in her own right, but even if I wanted to help, it wouldn’t be enough with only the two of us.”

“What if there were six of you?”

He cocked his head at her. “Six?”

“There are five Moss witches residing with us now. Keira and her sister, Emma, Grace, Ryan, and Laney. Some of them knew of their heritage, some didn’t. Keira is working with them, strengthening their magic and their control. Laney is a Protector.” She stuttered to a halt before she said too much. “With your help—”

“No, Shea. I’m sorry.” 

She would think he was upset about being unable to help her, but for the stubborn set of his jaw.

Shea sat back in her chair and averted her eyes from the enticing male. There was more going on here than he was telling her. 

The silence stretched between them. It would have been deafening if not for the music and the small sounds the raven made as she tried to get Shea to stroke her again. A human couple wandered out into the area, the males heading to the opposite side of the patio to make out in the corner.

Shea ran her hand down Cruthú’s soft feathers one last time, then stood. “I should go.”

Jesse stood also, reaching for her hand across the small tabletop. 

She tensed, pulling it out of his reach with a quiet hiss, flashing her fangs at the male. “Don’t touch me.”

Pain darkened his golden eyes, but he pulled his hand back and held his clenched fist at his side. That tiny glimpse into his soul was gone so fast, Shea wondered if she had imagined it. “I’m sorry. I only wanted to try to convince you to stay a bit longer.”

“I can’t, Jesse. I have to go.” Away from you. His masculine scent permeated her nose, causing the thirst to burn with an intensity that tilted the world around her. She needed to feed, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t drink from him. Instinct told her such intimacy would be devastating for her, and not just because of the physical pain it would cause. “I need to go,” she repeated.

“Let me come with you—”

“No!” She wanted to tell him that she preferred to be alone, wanted to tell him that out of all the males she knew, his company was the one she wanted least, but she couldn’t force herself to form the words. It would be a lie, and she couldn’t bring herself to lie to him. Not with the way he was looking at her, seeing right through to her soul. She lowered her voice. “No. You can’t. If the others saw you here, they would kill you.” 

His expression hardened. “They could try.” 

He wasn’t being cocky. It was the truth. She’d heard about the battle between Jesse and Luukas. Even with Keira’s magic thrown in to help, Luukas was convinced Jesse had only been toying with them. They’d survived for one reason: because Jesse had left the scene and allowed them to leave.

“I need to go. Goodbye, Cruthú.” She paused, the next words catching in her throat for reasons she didn’t want to define. “Goodbye, Jesse.”

Turning away before he could say anything else, she made her way through the burgeoning crowd inside the dark club. A few males bumped into her accidentally as she edged around the dance floor, but Shea’s hisses of pain were drowned out by the thumping beat of the music. 

Once safely outside again, she waved to the bouncer and strolled down the street with a casual swagger until she reached the corner, so as not to raise suspicion. But as Cruthú circled the sky above her, she felt anything but calm. 

An icy chill slithered down her spine. 

The raven’s eyes weren’t the only ones watching her.