Even love can die without trust.
Angel’s brother, Isaac, has returned home, and the pair begins to make slow and awkward attempts back to each other. Learning how to be a brother to a grown man instead of a parental figure has Angel adjusting his behaviors and habits, and Isaac still remains a mystery. Was it merely entering adulthood that turned Isaac away from an overprotective Angel, or does Isaac carry a secret that will keep them from finally being a real family?
Daniel Macavoy, Angel’s new apprentice, is torn between his bond with Angel and the grasping machinations of his father. Dealing with a traumatized apprentice with dangerous holes in his magical education, saving Daniel may be harder than Angel first thought—especially since the biggest problem is not revenge, but guilt.
The one shining beacon in his life is Simeon, Elder vampire of Boston’s only Bloodclan. Four hundred years old and sexy as sin, Simeon is warrior and sage, patient and cunning. The strength Angel draws from Simeon’s devotion and the newborn mate-bond between them is steadfast and true…and the fount of death magic that animates the undead lord places Angel in the midst of a power struggle for control over himself, his lover, and his family.
Through it all, Angel is beleaguered by the unwanted attention of a troll-hybrid, the adventures of a dragon in the city, and a serial killer has decided to hunt the back alleys and midnight streets of Boston.
Excerpt:
While the Salvatores and Macavoys
had spent a few hundred years sharing Boston, very rarely did the twain ever
meet. The Salvatores claimed Beacon Hill, Back Bay, South Boston, west to
Brookline, east to the Cape, and all the way south to the Rhode Island border
and the ferries to the islands. The Macavoys claimed the area north of the
Charles River, all of Cambridge and Somerville, north to Medford. The river
separated them, and for almost two-thirds of Angel’s life, the river was the
line they never crossed, unless they wanted blood spilled and spells tearing
apart city streets and families.
The limo, this one with blackout
windows, two vampire guards in the front and one on the rear with them, crossed
the Charles and headed northwest into Cambridge. Angel instinctively tensed
when he saw the signs for MIT, and the limo cruised along, the suspension
taking the rough winter roads and tight corners with smooth ease. Macavoy Court
was ten minutes past the campus, and Angel pressed himself back against the leather
seat, vibrating. Eroch purred and chirped, winding himself around Angel’s neck
and nibbling on his skin, trying to calm him. Simeon was sitting to his left,
and a big hand landed on his thigh, squeezing.
Angel gave Isaac a searching
glance, but his little brother appeared unperturbed, his eyes curiously
scanning the dark side streets and elegant old homes they passed. For Isaac,
this wasn’t a trip into enemy territory—this was a rescue mission, in a town
he’d always had the run off once he grew up. If Angel had attempted to enter
Cambridge when he was eighteen, his father would have beaten the magic out of
him and grounded his ass for a decade. When Isaac was eighteen and running
around town, the Wars were long over and the Town safe—well, as safe as a Salvatore
could ever be in this city. It once took Angel the better part of three years
to even think about crossing the territorial borders, even with the Macavoys in
prison or dead, and the other allied clans decimated by police raids and exile.
If one was to be truly technical,
the Salvatores won the Blood Wars, but with only a pair of free or surviving
people on each side, it wasn’t much to celebrate.
It was an hour and half ‘til
dawn, but as long as they got this handled quickly, Simeon should be fine, and
if not, the limo had treated glass. Simeon and their vampire escort should be
safe from the sun.
As long as they weren’t ambushed
by a troll hybrid and a fae lord. Angel doubted it—the fae lord and his minion
had a hunting party after them, and would need to go to ground before they were
caught, if they hadn’t been already. Simeon took down Stone by himself, so the
half-dozen vamps after the duo should have an even easier time of it. While
Angel wanted to know how the fae got the drop on his lover, he would wait until
he reclaimed his wayward apprentice and they were safely back home. All of
them.
“How are you feeling?” Angel
murmured to Simeon as the limo took one of the last turns before arriving at
Macavoy Court. Less than a block now, and he tensed.
Simeon lifted his hand from
Angel’s leg and gripped the back of his neck, squeezing, chasing away the
tension and nerves. He sighed quietly, trying to let go of his anxiety. He
wasn’t afraid—this was just one place he never, ever, in his whole life wanted
to be, much less go there purposely. He thought he could handle it fine from
the safety of his own kitchen, but now he was learning how wrong he’d been.
“I am well, mo ghra, healed and restored,” Simeon answered, leaning down and
pressing a firm kiss to his temple. Angel peered back up at Simeon, looking for
signs of weariness or strain, but the strong jawline and chiseled cheekbones,
combined with his devastating emerald eyes and the charming slant of his lips
made Angel humph grudgingly, but he could agree Simeon looked perfectly well.
“We still need to talk about what
happened,” Angel stated, and Simeon gave him a small half-smile.
“We shall, I promise,” Simeon
agreed, and Angel had to content himself with waiting until after the dealt
with Daniel and his father.
“Any plans?” Isaac grumped from
the forward side seat, squinting as he tried to see past the dark window tint
and the shadows outside.
“Get Daniel and go home,” Angel
said, and Simeon snorted softly in amusement.
“That’s it? Get Daniel?” Isaac
asked, incredulous. “No master plan? Just walk up and knock, then?”
“Yup,” Angel replied, and despite
the situation he smiled when Isaac gaped at him in dismayed shock.
“I thought Dad taught you all
these combat maneuvers and battle plans and stuff,” Isaac grumped, scowling.
“Combat maneuvers and battle
plans?” Angel chuckled, shaking his head. “He taught me how to survive, and how
to keep others alive. Nothing more fancy than that.”
“Any suggestions on how not to
die, then?” Isaac snarked back, and Angel got the first real glimpse of the
Isaac from the last few years.
“Sure. Never make the first move
unless it’s to save a life. Shields up, and watch your back. Never fails.”
It failed all the time, actually,
but handing over fear and doubt before a conflict was the fastest way to lose.
He’d never tell Isaac how many times he saw friends and family members die in
conflict during the Wars. That was one part of their history he was never going
to share. The Wars were over.
Isaac opened his mouth but shut it
with a snap and a frown after a moment, brows making a dark slash across his
brow. Angel could see his brother battling with questions he surely wanted to
ask, but the limo coming to a stop on the street outside the main gates of
Macavoy Court made them turn and look.
Once a grand Georgian mansion,
the seat of the Macavoy clan was in disrepair and falling apart. The tall,
wrought iron gates were open, and the wide stone courtyard was strewn with
debris and trash. The front of the mansion was dark, though just off to the
right, a dim red glow came through partially open curtains. Someone was home.
“Isaac, keep your shield ready to
go, and don’t hesitate to tap the veil. Don’t do anything aggressive unless
we’re met with violence. If Leicester or his servants give us any trouble, I
will handle it. You’re to get Daniel out and into the limo. Our vampire
friends,” Angel said, nodding to the soldiers who still sat quietly in the limo
with them, “won’t be able to enter the premises without invitation. Simeon, too,
but if anything goes to hell I will do my best to get it outside the building
where you can help.”
Isaac was nodding, and Simeon
gave Angel a slow, single nod in agreement. “Okay, let’s go knock on the door.”
Simeon held him back from exiting
the limo first, but he didn’t mind as Simeon would be stuck out in the
courtyard without an invitation while Angel and Isaac went in after Daniel.
Angel wasn’t taking no for an answer—his apprentice was inside, and after
learning about Leicester’s abuse, Angel would be damned before he let Daniel
spend another hour under his father’s roof. Angel was fiercely pleased he
wasn’t restricted to needing an invitation—as long as the mansion wasn’t warded
he could get in.
The wind cut through his sweater,
and Eroch chirped in dismay from under his collar. Angel tugged the fabric up
higher and drew in an even breath, calming himself before opening his mind and
inner sight to the building in front of him.
“No wards,” Angel murmured in
surprise. Maybe they weren’t expected? Didn’t Leicester expect a visit from
Angel once his apprentice was stolen? Rescuing Daniel was a certainty that
Angel never disputed—but maybe not for everyone else?
“I don’t see any spells or
shields up, either,” Isaac volunteered, and Angel agreed.
“I have no trust this is as
innocent as it looks,” Angel said, and Simeon nodded, his sharp senses
presumably searching the wide courtyard for dangers.
“I smell Daniel, an older
practitioner, and another human male, indeterminate age,” Simeon supplied after
a few deep inhalations. “I can smell blood, though it is faint.”
“Daniel’s?” Angel asked,
breathing through his fear and anger.
“Perhaps, but the scent markers
are dulled by distance and the wind,” Simeon said, shaking his head, auburn
hair catching the light from the few street lamps. “I can hear three heartbeats
though, so the boy is alive.”
“Perfect, let’s get him back.
Don’t let anyone in or out except us. I don’t want company at a bad time.”
“I will be waiting for you here,
my love,” Simeon answered with a quick grin. Angel gave Simeon one last look
before walking across the courtyard to the front door, Isaac at his shoulder.
Amazon Buy links:
Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01HVJZEM6
Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01HVJZEM6
Hhhmmm. Three things? OK.
1. I am absolutely beyond terrified of spiders. I will set myself on fire to escape a spider. Or the house. Or someone else. I’m that cared of them. Large bugs make me very unhappy. I keep a bottle of industrial grade bug killer spray in my room at all times. Just in case.
2. I lived in a haunted house for 8 years in Indiana. I know what you’re thinking, ‘There’s no such things as ghosts!’ Well, tell that to the ghost in that house, maybe it’ll listen. Nothing says you’re living in a haunted house quite like having something grab your toes while you’re sleeping, force you to wake up, see the darned thing, then scream your head off. We turned on the lights and it was gone….door never opened, so where did it go? Saw it several times until I did a really doofy confrontational thing where I threatened to exorcise the house. Minor things after that but I never saw it directly after that day.
3. I went to school for veterinarian medicine and a major in genetics specializing in animal conservationism. I never made it all the way I came up against my great nemesis, mathematics. I sailed through everything EXCEPT the actual math classes. I had to give up and rethink my career goals. So I ended up working for TSA /Homeland Security for ten years before I took the plunge into fulltime author.
How do you come up with a title?
A. I usually have the title before I have the book. I think with 4 of my books I knew what it was going to be called long before I wrote ‘The End.’ The rest of them came to me about 50% of the way through writing them. Usually the title has to do with the main character directly, or the main plotline of the book. No esoteric titles with me. My Bred For Love series is rather on point, as well as Saving Silas and Wolves of Black Pine.
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/391d73bd37/
Bonus short story at the end, called "The Necromancer's Birthday Surprise.". Written for Crystal's Many Reviewers Birthday Celebration, March 2016.
Name three things that would
surprise your fans to know about you.
Hhhmmm. Three things? OK.
1. I am absolutely beyond terrified of spiders. I will set myself on fire to escape a spider. Or the house. Or someone else. I’m that cared of them. Large bugs make me very unhappy. I keep a bottle of industrial grade bug killer spray in my room at all times. Just in case.
2. I lived in a haunted house for 8 years in Indiana. I know what you’re thinking, ‘There’s no such things as ghosts!’ Well, tell that to the ghost in that house, maybe it’ll listen. Nothing says you’re living in a haunted house quite like having something grab your toes while you’re sleeping, force you to wake up, see the darned thing, then scream your head off. We turned on the lights and it was gone….door never opened, so where did it go? Saw it several times until I did a really doofy confrontational thing where I threatened to exorcise the house. Minor things after that but I never saw it directly after that day.
3. I went to school for veterinarian medicine and a major in genetics specializing in animal conservationism. I never made it all the way I came up against my great nemesis, mathematics. I sailed through everything EXCEPT the actual math classes. I had to give up and rethink my career goals. So I ended up working for TSA /Homeland Security for ten years before I took the plunge into fulltime author.
A lot of your writing contains
nonhumanelements. What draws you to that?
A. It’s pure escapism. I enjoy the nonhuman elements because they represent to me the things I wish I could change about myself or other people. A new way to handle situations, problems, on frontations. Nothing makes me happier than magic. I struggle with writing contemporary novels for just this reason I have to play by the “rules” to solve problems, and I hate that.
A. It’s pure escapism. I enjoy the nonhuman elements because they represent to me the things I wish I could change about myself or other people. A new way to handle situations, problems, on frontations. Nothing makes me happier than magic. I struggle with writing contemporary novels for just this reason I have to play by the “rules” to solve problems, and I hate that.
How do you come up with a title?
A. I usually have the title before I have the book. I think with 4 of my books I knew what it was going to be called long before I wrote ‘The End.’ The rest of them came to me about 50% of the way through writing them. Usually the title has to do with the main character directly, or the main plotline of the book. No esoteric titles with me. My Bred For Love series is rather on point, as well as Saving Silas and Wolves of Black Pine.
Where
do you get your best ideas?
A. I daydream. I used to daydream in school a lot. I was in some really advanced classes and even then I was really bored, especially in my AP English classes. So I’d occupy myself with creating stories in my head. This is actually now how I formulate and create my books. I daydream them into a fairly cohesive whole, and write the scenes out as I crafted them in my head, Everything else I write by the seat of my pants. Some of my favorite stories occur when I can’t find what I want to read. What I need doesn’t exist yet so I create it.
A. I daydream. I used to daydream in school a lot. I was in some really advanced classes and even then I was really bored, especially in my AP English classes. So I’d occupy myself with creating stories in my head. This is actually now how I formulate and create my books. I daydream them into a fairly cohesive whole, and write the scenes out as I crafted them in my head, Everything else I write by the seat of my pants. Some of my favorite stories occur when I can’t find what I want to read. What I need doesn’t exist yet so I create it.
Is
there anything you’d like to tell? Maybe something in the works you would like
to
promotion?
Feel free!
A. My recent release The Necromancer’s Dilemma just dropped on July 1st. My next book out will be Bred For Love IV: A Sovereign Vow, the last book in the Bred For Love series. I’m planning on August 2016 for that book.
A. My recent release The Necromancer’s Dilemma just dropped on July 1st. My next book out will be Bred For Love IV: A Sovereign Vow, the last book in the Bred For Love series. I’m planning on August 2016 for that book.
Social media links:
Author Bio:
SJ Himes is the
semi-accomplished author of the series, “How Not to Succeed.” Her accolades range from “My
eyes, my eyes!!”, to “Why did you do that?”, and the often cited, “Dear GAWD STAHP.”
She’s recently
retired from her decade long career of teaching government employees how to milk hamsters
instead of doing their actual jobs, and has frequently been seen at the scene
of many a Red Tape
Disaster. Not helping in any way, of course. That’s not what one does for Uncle Sam.
SJ delights in
taking short walks to the fridge, where she opens it, stares forlornly and without purpose, and then
shuts the door with a sigh. She is often the type to wander into a room, forget why she was going
in there to begin with, and then leave, only to remember once she’s gone. Her other pastimes
include snarky comments and bewildering non sequitors, and her puns inspire animals into early
migrations. Having more books than friends, she likes it that way, as friends require paying
attention and that dreaded skill called listening.
Her latest release,
“My Betta Friend: The Life of Falcor”, is a semiautobiographical novel set in Medieval
Times—the event restaurant, not the era—and focuses on the woes of owning a
fish instead of a cat. Downside: no snuggling. Good side: no litter box. Here's
the fun part: What's true and what's not? *wink*
I'm actually a self-employed writer who stresses out about the silliest things,
like whether or not I got my dog the best kind of snack and the fact my kindle
battery tends to die when I'm at the best part in a book. I love writing
paranormal and fantasy, and my occasional forays into contemporary romances are
alternating between stressful and enlightening. I write mainly gay romance and
erotica, and a recent release, The Necromancer's Dance, was my very first urban
fantasy. Its sequel just released, The Necromancer’s Dilemma, on July 1st
through Amazon. If you're feeling brave, I also write under my pen name of
Revella Hawthorne, and write fanfiction on Fanfiction.net as Revella, for a
certain British consulting detective and his army doctor. My mpreg series Bred
For Love is out now.
See my
Author Page for Revella Hawthorne for upcoming releases in the Bred For Love
Series.
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/391d73bd37/
The Necromancer's Dilemma
72,000 words. Mature content. Violence, sex, gore. Contains mature content and extreme snark. Bonus short story at the end, called "The Necromancer's Birthday Surprise.". Written for Crystal's Many Reviewers Birthday Celebration, March 2016.
