I had the brief sensation of falling before I jolted awake.

I lay there watching the TV cast flickering colors on the cream-colored wall. I kicked my legs across the sheets, looking for a cool spot so I could settle back into slumber. I assumed that the unfamiliar house had woken me, or maybe a particularly loud clap of thunder from the storm that raged outside.

I was house-sitting for my sister while she and her husband surprised their twins with a trip to Disney World. I never slept well in new places, and my sister seemed to be having some sort of wildlife infestation. I’d heard skittering in the walls and something that sounded a lot bigger than rodents in the attic.

I refused to go up there to check. My sister would be back in five days, and they could deal with whatever was living up there. That was above my pay grade.

But when I heard another knock at the door, I realized that none of those things had woken me.

I groped along my phone’s woven charging cord until I pulled it onto the bed. The screen lit up.

2 a.m.

Someone better be dying.

Another demanding bang on the door.

My heart started to race. My sister lived pretty far out in the country. There wasn’t a neighbor within shouting distance. Who the hell would be out here at this time?

I rolled out of bed and grabbed the pistol my brother-in-law had left on the dresser for me. The weight of the gun settled in my hand as I flipped the safety and put my finger on the trigger guard.

I made it to the front door just as the pounding started again, so fierce I thought the door might fall in.

“Go away, or I’m calling the fucking cops!” I shouted at the door.

There was a second’s hesitation before a deep male voice shouted back, “I live down the road.”

I narrowed my eyes. How far was “down the road”? The closest neighbor was Mrs. Johansen. Her husband had died last spring, and she only had one unmarried daughter. But I didn’t want to waste time listening to him shout explanations through the door.

“Unless your head is on fire, I don’t care who you are at two in the morning.”

There was a skittering sound above me, and if I hadn’t been hearing it all weekend, I would have overreacted and thought he had some sort of accomplice. As it was, I jumped out of my skin, and my finger slid from the guard to the trigger before I remembered my sister had a furry intruder.

I eased my finger back to the guard.

“Can I come in for a second and use your phone?” he shouted.

“Who doesn’t have their phone on them?” Maybe I was being a bitch. It might be perfectly reasonable that he’d accidentally left it home, or at a bar. But I was a woman alone in a house, in the middle of the night. I wasn’t about to open that door without a damned good reason.

“Look, I know how it sounds, but my car broke down and my phone is dead. It’s raining cats and dogs out here.” A rumble of thunder rolled through the ground, enough that I could feel it. “And I’m a little worried I’m about to become a crispy critter.”

I hesitated. I didn’t want him to get hurt or be forced to stand in the shelter of my porch all night.

“Could I maybe just borrow your phone? You could pass it through the chained door?”

I mulled it over. That seemed reasonable. There was a loud banging overhead that made me jump again. I glared at the ceiling. Okay, that couldn’t wait for my sister to come home. I was going to have to call an exterminator or animal control first thing in the morning.

“Okay, I can do that.”

I twisted the locks but when I turned the knob and pulled, nothing happened. I yanked again but it didn’t budge.

“Damn it.”

I placed the gun on the little table where my sister tossed the mail so I could grapple with the stubborn door.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Give me a second. The door is stuck.” It must have swelled with the moisture. My sister hadn’t mentioned it was a problem, but I’d dealt with my fair share of sticky doors.

“Invite me in!”

“I’m trying to open it. Just give me a second.”

I finally decided I’d have to lean my full weight into pulling it open. I’d never had so much trouble with a door. It was almost like it was being held shut. By someone a lot stronger than me.

“No, Tara, say ‘come in’ and I’ll break the damned door down.”

There was a crash in the kitchen, and the door finally sprang loose. Just after I’d decided that opening it was a mistake…

I peered out through the crack maintained by the chain I now thought was too delicate for my liking. “How the fuck do you know my name? Who are you?”

My sister’s offer to house sit had come at a good time. I had a recent ex who’d come unglued when I’d broken off our engagement. He’d been the one screwing Shannon from Marketing on my kitchen counter, but somehow I was the bad guy?

I’d dumped all his shit on the lawn and changed the locks the next time he went to work. He said he’d make me pay for that. That he knew people. Now I was wondering if this was his “people”.

He was a massive man. He towered over me as he wedged himself into the crack in the doorway, keeping me from shutting it on him.

Though, I was all of five two. Almost everyone was taller than me. The difference in our heights was almost comical.

He looked rough around the edges. His stubble-covered square jaw looked like it could take a punch. His ominous black brows were lowered over intense dark eyes as he glared down at me. As I was about to slam the door in his face, his hand shot through to grip my wrist. “Invite me in.”

My last clear thought was “like hell”, but then a strange lightheadedness left me feeling like I was floating. Sinking into the soothing depths of his eyes. His command seemed to echo in my head and I couldn’t stop my mouth from forming the words.

“Come in.”

He burst through the door, breaking the chain, shattering whatever kind of spell he’d woven over me.

I screamed and backed away until I hit the end of the couch. “What the hell are you doing?”

I lunged for the table with the gun, but he wrapped his arms around me and hauled me off my feet with all the effort of someone picking up a doll.

“We have to get out of here!” He shouted as he hauled me toward the door, but before he could reach it, it slammed shut with enough force to rattle the windows. We both froze, breathing hard in the sudden quiet. Somehow, the door banging shut had cut off all the sounds of the storm outside.

No thunder. No rain against the windows. Silence.

A little heat before the holidays 🔥

Nick Winters startles his assistant into a coffee spill — and then makes the “helping” worse.

I tugged the handkerchief out of my suit pocket and filled it from the ice machine. Before I could think better of it, I turned and pressed it to her chest.

Her gaze jumped to mine. Her eyes were a warm brown—nearly gold in color. Amber. That was it.

Her hand captured mine, clearly ready to take the ice. “Thank you.”

I wouldn’t give up my hold on her yet. I slid the ice up to her collarbone and back down, noticing how her pulse picked up—that fine blue vein at the base of her neck flickering slightly.

I hadn’t fed today. A mistake if I was going to be around someone so biteable.

Her blood would be a powerful thing.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She smiled, but it was tight. “Startled, not scared. You snuck up behind me.”

I grinned and arched a brow. Not like I could deny it. “My specialty.”

The ice had soaked through my handkerchief, and water was beading on her skin, soaking her blouse more.

Her nipples were tight little peaks. Cold? Or excited to have my hands on her. One thing I was sure of was she wasn’t wearing a bra. Which had probably been fine before her impromptu wet t-shirt contest, but now I was getting a show.

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Book Club!

A vampire ruler.

A psychic who sees too much.

Will their love survive the intensity of the night?

A powerful vampire master, I rule my domain with strength and honor, always obeying the laws of the underworld.

Until I find the sister of our enemy, lying in a deadly pool of her own blood.

Despite her psychic powers and newfound immortality, Angel has been taught to despise all vampires, even the purebloods.

It will not be easy for my new protégé, nor for me to abstain, when my dark souled heart wants her for my own.

Angel must choose…

Stand with the rogue shifters, the syndicate, witches, and monsters who will do anything to drive us through with a stake and bury our ashes in the ground.

Or, become my queen in a world she was taught to hate.

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Love from the shadows,

Miranda Thorn

*Spice Warning

Natalya

A tongue thrust between my lips and wicked hands roamed my body. I slid my hands slowly down his spine. I gripped his ass. Oh, nice butt. His firm muscles bunched before he pulled back.

“Vahe?” I lay there shocked.

He frowned down at me. “How do you know my name?”

I pushed him back so I could sit up. “Your painting.”

He smiled faintly. …

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I will probably not bring a craft because I’m not very crafty (though I do want to start learning something crafty) but I can bring a book to read, an iPad to write on, and maybe a journal.

I don’t know if I’ll spend the night because the friend I’m going with said no one is really spending the night, and I’m like “but… OVERNIGHT?” So I might be coming home… all alone… in the dark. #bringingthedrama

I grabbed my overnight bag from the trunk when a chill went down my spine. I resisted the urge to glance around the parking lot and tried to keep my breathing even. I didn’t want whomever was watching to know I was on to them.

The question was, what the hell was it? Ax murderer, vampire, or something else? The deadly version of rock-paper-scissors.

I hustled to the hotel room and unlocked the door, but as I went to close it, I took the peak I was itching to take. I found exactly what I expected to find; not a damned thing.

When I locked the door, I noticed there was no security bolt or chain and cursed. In a hotel, any number of people could have keys to your room. I always kept the chain in place and checked the closet before going to sleep. It wasn’t a cure-all, but it made me sleep better at night.

I dug one of the potions Kori had made for me out of my bag. If a vampire fed from you after you drank it, it would incapacitate them, but it wasn’t exactly pleasant for you either. She’d dialed back its lethality. The first few batches had melted vampires from the inside out, and taking it would probably have killed me.

What were the odds that what I’d felt in the parking lot was nothing? I could very well be paranoid. I had a vampire tracking me, and I’d just come from a fresh murder scene. What if the culprit had followed me from there?

Taking this potion would only give me an edge over a vampire if he bit me. If it wasn’t Jasper, or he just decided to slit my throat while I slept and be done with me… But vampires usually liked to get a free meal if they were going to kill someone.

I popped the cork off the potion bottle. I would regret this if whatever was stalking me wasn’t a vampire, but catching Jasper was why I’d stopped.

It was time to make a stand and settle this before we reached Nashville, and he was within killing distance of my sister. I downed it in one noxious gulp and immediately went into a coughing fit. It burned like ghost pepper vodka. My eyes watered as I sucked in a breath, and that made the burning worse.

Everything in the room seemed blurry and overly bright. I lay back on the bed as the dizziness overwhelmed me. I should have at least gotten ready for bed. Would he think that was suspicious?

My priority hadn’t been to look like a snack in any sense of the word, but I didn’t want this to feel like a trap, either. After a few attempts, I was able to toe off my shoes. That was all I managed before I passed out.

I didn’t think I was out long before I heard the door creak open, spilling a sliver of moonlight into the darkened room. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make out who had come through the door. A man, that much I could tell—a big bastard judging by his silhouette.

Everything was dreamlike. The potion I’d taken was like that. But something… an awareness zipped through my nerves. If this wasn’t Jasper, I’d eat this slightly stained bedspread.

I tried to sit up but found my muscles didn’t respond.

“Yeah, I’ve got you locked down. I’d hate for you to do something stupid.” His rich, deep voice rumbled through the room, even in a hushed tone. “You been drinking? Your mind was easy to slip into tonight.”

Shit, mind control. That was a downside to the potion I wish I’d known. But the only other person I knew who’d taken it had her own natural psychic defenses. All I had was hard-won discipline and lots of practice to keep a vampire out of my head.

He didn’t turn on the light. Of course, he could see perfectly. I was the one with the disadvantage there. He loomed over me like something out of a sleep paralysis nightmare—the monster you could barely make out in the corner.

It sent a chill through me, and I had to say something to break the tension—anything to get him to speak to me again. “You’re incredibly creepy right now. I had a stalker in high school that freaked me out less.”

He snorted. “You’re going to crack jokes when I’ve come to kill you?”

I should have been terrified, but his voice relaxed me a bit. He wasn’t some nightmare. He was flesh and blood. I could damage him if I could wrestle back my control. But the heat in his voice made me shiver. Like it was more a sensual threat than a threat to my life.

“You sure you’ve come to kill me?”

He stood there in silence for a second. I couldn’t see his face, but I could feel the weight of his stare.

“No, I’m not here to kill you. It’s too late for that.”

My hand twitched on the bed as I struggled to move. I no longer found that sensual tone comforting. My heart rate spiked in alarm. I’d forgotten he could do a lot more than kill me.

“Wow, I didn’t expect you to admit to something like that.”

His chuckle rolled down my spine like a caress. “I can’t explain it. I should have killed you at the party before that, really, but I wanted to play with you first. And somehow, we ended up here.”

“Because you’re a stalker.”

“You’re a killer, so we’re even.”

I bristled at that and wished I could hit him. I hunted his kind because they killed humans. I was saving lives.

“You’re the killer.” Brilliant comeback, Astrid.

He shrugged, not debating the accusation. I felt a little vindicated. He had killed. He’d earned whatever I did to him.

“I’ve done what I had to do. I’m sure you can relate.”

He approached the bed, and I could see more of his features. He was as handsome as I remembered. There was something about the darkness that seemed to accentuate the hard angles of his face. Some dark allure. Probably something to do with being a vampire. Deadly predators were the most beautiful.

“How long have you been watching me, Jasper?” I needed to know. It would slowly drive me crazy. “Have you been in my house?”

The corner of his mouth kicked up. “Almost every night. I’ve been in your bed, and you never woke.”

“What?” The question came out squeaky and alarmed. It was enough to slip his control for the second required for me to sit up. How? There was witch warding, alarms, locks, and a house full of hunters. I was never going to sleep again.

He shrugged. “Everyone has their talents. Breaking into places was a skill of mine even before I was a vampire. I’ve almost been caught a few times.”

“Why did you never, I don’t know, rip my heart out?”

“A very good question.” He reached a hand toward me, and I flinched, closing my eyes, but he just brushed a lock of hair off my throat. His thumb caressed my lips, warm fingers skimming my jaw. My eyes flew open when the hand skimmed down my throat, likely feeling the rapid beat of my pulse under the thin skin.

“I meant to kill you that first night. It would have been so easy. Once Kori left, you were all alone in that house. A rarity, I discovered later. Usually, you’re surrounded by other hunters, but not that night.”

He scowled. “I hate vampire hunters. The main reason is obvious. But when I was human, they held me captive—tortured me for days. I didn’t know my brother was a vampire, but that didn’t matter to them. He was my family, and so I was guilty. By the time Alaric got to me, he had to turn me, or I would have died. But when I came to kill you, you looked almost sad.”

I swallowed hard. I wasn’t sure which night he spoke of. He was right; vampire hunters usually stayed in the house, but they were away often enough. Hunters were always busy. I’d never tell them, but I hated when they left.

I’d grown up in a large family. Six children, including me. It was hard to remember how annoying it had been. Brothers who were rotten little shits and put frogs in my shoes. Sisters who stole clothes and bathroom time.

Life had been loud and bustling.

When everyone was dead, and only me and my youngest sister remained, it was quiet. Too damned still. And then she’d gone to college.

The silence had nearly driven me crazy. Kori stayed with me when she was in town because she’d do anything to avoid her mother, but I needed more.

I’d started offering vampire hunters a place to crash, and suddenly, the house was full again. It wasn’t the same, but it was better than the echoing quiet.

But apparently not much safer.

“There were many times I meant to kill you, and yet I never could, and I wondered…”

Wondered what? I wanted to ask him to finish his sentence, but I also didn’t want to draw his focus. The longer he talked, the longer I could scheme to gain control of my body.

He shook his head, and his gaze lost that thoughtful look, refocusing on me. Shit.

“That night I saw you at my brother’s party, I made a decision about you. You’ll likely find yourself bound to a vampire at one point or another, or worse. I decided that vampire would be me.”

The bed dipped under his weight, his arms wrapped around me, pulling me into his chest. I wanted to be terrified, but part of me felt I belonged right here. I still jumped when his lips brushed my throat. I knew it didn’t hurt, which made it all the more terrifying. He could drain me to death, and I’d never protest.

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Kidnapped as a child by the werewolves, Rosamund still bears the scars. She hides from reality, dreaming of a fiancé she’s yet to meet and a happily ever after.

But one fine evening, her stepfather welcomes a werewolf into the great hall and announces the beast will accompany her on her journey to meet her husband… as her bodyguard.

Now Rosamund is forced into close proximity with one of the creatures who once tormented her. A dark fae werewolf. The stuff of nightmares.

Valerian is every bit a nightmare. Even muzzled and collared, he’s dangerous. A snarling beast, barely contained.

So why does he allow her to hold his leash? Why does he take his bodyguard role so seriously? And why, why can’t she look away from his golden eyes?

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Love from the shadows,

Miranda Thorn

Okay, so Wanted by the Vampire is on hiatus until I figure out what the frick happens next.

However, I was prepared for this.

So, this week I pulled something from the vault.

Fear of Darkness is a book I first published way back in 2009 under a different pen name. It’s been unavailable for years, which means there’s a pretty good chance you’ve never read i…

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Then we had our meeting on Saturday, and even though there were only three of us we managed to talk from 1pm to after 5pm. We covered a lot of topics, most of them NOT writing related.

A busy weekend is kind of fun and energizing, but I’m looking forward to chilling this weekend. Though I might still go to the cafe to write a bit. I’m undecided.

The only thing keeping me from falling asleep was how dang hot it was. I’d parked under a tree with the windows down, which kept me from literally roasting in my car or getting a weird one-armed tan from sitting in the light, but there was no escaping a summer in Georgia.

I tried to blow my bangs out of my face, but the sweaty golden strands were stuck to me. Gross. Of all the crap I had in my car, a hair tie was nowhere to be found. They were one of those things you knew you had, but they seemed to fall into a void between realms whenever you went looking for one.

Stakeouts were not my thing. I was impatient in general and not covert. Two hours ago, a wasp had flown into my car, and I’d jumped out screaming. Stinging, flying bugs weren’t my thing either.

My cover was blown if anyone in the bar had been paying attention. And my reputation as a badass, vampire-killing witch was toast.

The narrow, dilapidated door I had my eye on opened. You wouldn’t think there was a vampire bar hidden here. The magic cloaking it made it look like the entrance to an abandoned space in the building. Out of place among the cheery doorways to the other shops and restaurants.

The vampire I wanted to kill stepped out into the open, slipping his sunglasses over what I knew to be bewitching blue eyes. Alaric. He wasn’t sensitive enough to sunlight to be stuck inside.

I’d always assumed the ability to tolerate the sun had something to do with power, and that probably did help, but it seemed to be an individual thing. Like whether or not a human burned or tanned. Except more painful and immediate.

I’d been parked outside The Devil’s Trap for the whole night. Ever since I’d done a spell for my best friend Pagan to reassemble a burned-up letter. It was supposed to incriminate the best friend of King Octavian for treason. The vampire king.

I’d helped vampires. Go figure. Mom would be so proud. Or homicidal.

The blond vampire slipped into the alley next to the bar. He was built like a Viking. Tall, broad. Possibly used to swinging swords longer than I was tall. I didn’t know his history. Maybe he had been a Viking. No matter what he’d been, he wouldn’t be an easy opponent to kill.

I slid out of the car and into the sweaty weather to stalk him. He’d be hot if he weren’t an evil, walking corpse.

Do you even believe that anymore?

I growled. Now wasn’t the time to be having a crisis of faith. I’d been raised to believe that vampires were demons with no soul walking the Earth, and I would keep believing it.

Pagan still seemed alright. She’d become a vampire recently, and instead of killing her, I’d helped her and the one that had turned her. Nyx. A vampire so lethal and old that witches didn’t dare hunt him. Pagan had dared, and look how that had ended.

I was kicking myself for helping them. I killed vampires. I didn’t help them with pet projects.

Pagan had tried to feed on me, so clearly, everything wasn’t alright. Only Nyx’s quick action had kept her from draining me dry.

You could have killed her, but you chose not to. You still see her as your best friend. Hell, the ancient bastard that turned her didn’t seem half bad himself.

Ugh! No matter what I believed, the vampire I was stalking knew my sister, and I intended to put a stop to whatever was going on between them.

Grace had sworn it was nothing, but she couldn’t know him. It would get her killed. Either he would kill her at some point, or our mother would.

I hastily cast a cloaking spell over myself before I stepped into the alley. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do if he didn’t know he was being hunted.

“How long are you going to stalk me, witch? Am I supposed to be the monster in this story? Because you’re creepy.”

I stood, stupid, in the mouth of the alley. Crap. So much for the element of surprise. How had he spotted me? Usually, vampires I hunted didn’t know someone was tracking them until it was too late—a testament to my skill and, if I’m being honest, their arrogance. I pressed myself against a wall before I crouched and crept behind the dumpster. Gross. That smell would linger.

“Unless you want to be lunch, I suggest you get back in your car and drive away.”

A chilly blast of wind swept through the space. Could that be his magic? Sometimes, the bloodsuckers were impressive. And the wind carried a dark, foreboding sense that made me want to turn tail. I probably would have if I’d been human and not a witch.

“You can’t hide from me. I can feel you…taste you. The reek of garbage doesn’t hide your scent from me. I also spotted you across the street earlier. That fight with the bee was funny. When I tell everyone I know, I don’t think you’ll ever live it down.”

I resisted the urge to growl at him and give away my location. His voice had been closer. Coming toward me. Shit.

I drew my knife, and he chuckled at the small sound of metal clearing a sheath. “Most hunters would realize they’ve been beaten and back off.”

“Would you ever let them back off?”

He was silent for a bit. “I’ll make an exception for you, Kori. My brother is ridiculously in love with your sister, and I think slaughtering her family would create more problems than it would fix.”

His brother? In love? I scowled. I’d been aware that Gracie knew Alaric. She’d been shocked to see him at Nyx’s bar before we’d done the spell, and that little secret had slipped out. But she was dating his brother? This was worse than I thought. Gracie, what were you thinking?

I didn’t consider his offer to walk away. There was no way. They knew my sister. They were a threat to her in so many ways. Now I had to kill him and this mysterious brother. Who would be pissed and know I’m coming for him. And if they were in love (ugh, I threw up in my mouth a little), I might even get push-back from her. She’d made a mess.

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Heather is now six months pregnant and finds her mate a bit overprotective. She can’t help it if she glows when she is frustrated. Things get a little more complicated when she is called home because of Ialog. He released information, making it look like she was being mistreated by the Vespians. How is she going to hide her pregnancy? She left Earth sterile.

Storm isn’t happy about her leaving the safety of Vespia but wants to show that Heather is happy and safe under his care. He knows Ialog and is worried the man is going to try to take his mate from him again. His fears become very real when Ialog kidnaps her. Now he has to find a way to bring her home.

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Love from the shadows,

Miranda Thorn

The fever took him two hours after I’d tended his wounds. I’d fallen asleep next to him and came to sweating. But the heat wasn’t what had woken me. Full body spasms wracked him, shaking the bed. Muscles clenched in his jaw as he ground his teeth.

“Shit.” I threw back the covers and went to get a cool wash cloth for his head. When I applied it to his bro…

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Now you might say to wash it, but I have to hand wash it, and I’d only been in the dress for two hours. I don’t consider it dirty. I was just going to hang it up, but now I have this stain. So I went in search of one of the Tide sticks I know I have. I found one, and started to apply it and the most NOXIOUS smell came out of that thing. Like ear cheese, but like “maybe you should see a doctor” levels of funk.

So I had to wash the dress anyway because of the smell. And from now on I will give my Tide sticks a sniff test.

Have you ever had the “fix” make the problem worse?

"I was really hoping to get into your pants before you wondered if I knew you were a vampire hunter."

My smile dropped, and I tried to keep the surprise off my face. Great, my terrible gut feeling had been justified. Guess I wouldn’t be getting the jump on him.

“Are you scared yet?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and sank into the chair in front of his desk. “How did you know?”

“I knew as soon as you stepped through the doors of the bar. You’re too powerful not to be sensed. Besides, even in that outfit, you don’t fit in here. It’s the way you carry yourself, and the fact that you aren’t strung out. Then you asked to see me alone. Though I’d be interested in hearing the story of that bite.” He smirked. “Did you like it?”

“The vampire that did it is dead.”

“Ah, then he was no good.” He braced his elbows on the desk and whispered, “I’m very good.”

“I’m not here to play with you.”

His dark chuckle did things to me that I’m ashamed to admit to. “Oh, that’s exactly why you’re here, but go on.”

“I have some questions you can help me with.”

He shook his head. “What can I do for you then?”

“I want to know where the man who killed my parents is. My informant tells me you know. He also says you helped kill them.”

He rolled his eyes. “Well, shit, be vaguer. I know a lot of killers, and I’ve killed a lot of people.”

Rage flooded my veins in a hot rush. That was as good as confirmation to me. This was an evil bastard. Even if he had nothing to do with my parents’ death, the world would be a better place without him.

He waited for a full minute for me to ask him more questions while I seethed in my chair. Then he crossed his arms over his broad chest, a mocking smirk curling his lips. “So, were you too chicken shit to face me in front of other supernatural beings?”

I glared at him. How dare he imply that I was a coward? “Yes. If I did manage to kill you, I wouldn’t make it out the door. I’m good, but I’m not good enough to fend off fifty or more preternatural creatures. Also, with the questions I’ve got? Kind of hard to talk in the bar.”

“Well, I’m warning you now, you won’t win. I’ve gone up against better than you, honey. And my employees won’t interfere. I’ve told them that if someone manages to kill me, then they’re cunning enough to deserve life. As for the customers challenging you?” He gave a harsh bark of laughter. “Half of them would like to see me dead anyway. They’re waiting for their opportunity. It will be good to have another demonstration of why they shouldn’t try.”

He must have been a real bastard for that many people to want him dead. I couldn’t say I was surprised. “Wow, so when I kill you, I can skip out of here?”

His laugh was a rich, lovely sound, like really good cheesecake. “You won’t kill me. Where are your weapons anyway?”

He scanned my body. “That outfit doesn’t leave many places to hide a blade. Not that I don’t appreciate the view.”

I patted my bag to make sure the leech hadn’t managed to steal my knives. Vampires made the best pickpockets because of their unnatural speed. Yep, the blades were still there. “I have my knives in my purse. It’s not the best place for them, but, like you said, acceptable clothing here doesn’t leave many places to hide a weapon.”

His mocking laughter filled the tiny office. “You’re cute.” His good humor left as quickly as it appeared. The effect was eerie. Like erasing a whiteboard. “You’ll need more than a little knife to kill me. Hasn’t anyone told you that you have to sever my head?”

I clenched my fists. No vampire had mocked me in a long time. “This isn’t my first time, baby.”

His gaze darkened as it roamed my body again. “I hope not. I can be a little rough.”

I was really going to enjoy killing this sarcastic fuck. “A knife to the heart has got to hurt though, and while you’re stunned by that, I can cut off your head. The knives I have really aren’t that small. Wanna see?”

He leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on the desk. “All in good time, honey.”

His hands came to rest on his stomach. “A vicious and bloody death. I figured you wouldn’t want to get your hands that dirty. Pretty manicure, by the way. Your nails are a very practical length.”

I smiled sweetly and pulled the knives from my purse. It was time to end the pleasantries. “You really shouldn’t be concerned with my nails at the moment.”

“I’m just imagining them digging into my back, sugar.”

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Kyle gave up on being a werewolf until he was hanging out with friends at his favorite gaming shop and met Destiny. Destiny showed him that his fate wasn’t to remain human much longer.

After his first turn, he becomes absolutely obsessed with Destiny realizing that she might be his fated mate.

But fate has a wicked sense of humor. Just as their bond deepens, Destiny makes a promise that tests the limits of love and loyalty: she agrees to be a surrogate for their closest friends. Between moonlit transformations, tangled hearts, and the magic that binds them, Kyle and Destiny must learn that finding your mate is only the beginning—keeping them is far more powerful than fate.

Available in KU

FREE for a limited time!

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Love from the shadows,

Miranda Thorn

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Trying to get a man built like a Viking anywhere when he was barely walking under his own power was a struggle. We limped and stumbled from tree to tree while he tried to keep the bulk of his weight off of me.

He was failing.

Every few steps his knees would give a warning dip, and I’d brace, expecting him to take us both down into the mud. He never quite …

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Over the weekend I was looking for my inventory to see if I can get my books into a local bookstore, and I decided to get out a box of books I DEFINITELY don’t have room for and I’m so excited because I found one I’ve been wanted to reread for years!

But now I’m faced with a conundrum. There are also a bunch of books I haven’t thought about in years. So for the sake of my sanity, should I get rid of those books (heresy!)? And I also feel like I need to reread them all to make SURE I don’t want them anymore. But reread that many books would take A WHILE.

So what are your thoughts on getting rid of books?

If you haven’t read Kiss of the Vampire, you probably have it on your device. You got it for signing up to this newsletter. If not click here to get it.

Something sharp dug into my back, and I twisted away with a whimper. A large, warm hand landed on my bare thigh, and I froze. I was naked except for my underwear.

“Easy, witch. I need to dig this iron out of your back if you want to set me on fire with your powers or whatever you have up your witchy sleeve.”

Iron. That’s why I couldn’t call on my magic when those idiots tried to kidnap me. Unease snaked through my belly. This hadn’t been your average kidnapping then. They knew I was a witch, and they knew a lot about us if they knew iron would cut off my powers.

“I don’t seem to have any sleeves,” I muttered darkly. “Why don’t I have any clothes on, vampire?”

He rubbed his palm over my thigh like he was soothing an animal. Only I wasn’t comforted by the contact. Never mind the shiver that ran up my back and the goosebumps that broke out along my arms.

“I repeat; your back is peppered with iron. Blood was everywhere. I had to make sure you weren’t more injured than I suspected, and I needed access to dig everything out. Be thankful I left your underwear.”

He ran a finger under the elastic that met my thigh. “As cute as these little strawberries are, I think there are a few pieces of shrapnel I have to dig out of your pert little ass. They might have to come off.”

I gasped, and my face burned. Of all the underwear I had in my collection, I wouldn’t have chosen the white, cotton, strawberry-printed ones to be what a sexy guy saw. Even if he was a bloodsucker.

Screw the annoyingly cute panties, I needed to regroup. He hadn’t killed me, and he could have. Hell, he could have just left me passed out in the parking lot to become someone else’s problem.

“Why am I tied up?” That was the most disconcerting part. Even more so than being nearly naked under his hands. I tugged at the ropes experimentally, but there was no give.

“I thought you might come to and take a swing at me. I wanted to save my handsome face.”

“Untie me. Now,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Hold still.” Was his only response as he went back to digging in my back.

“A normal person would have taken me to the hospital.”

He snorted. “Neither one of us is normal. I’m not exactly one to panic at the sight of blood. I looked at your injuries and determined they weren’t dangerous enough to take you to a doctor. How do you explain witch healing speed to hospital staff anyway?”

I trembled under his grip as I felt a trickle of blood spill down my side. Would he fall on me like some crazed beast? I was defenseless, tied down like this. My feet were bound, too. I pulled at the tie that held me to the bed, unable to help myself.

“Be still,” he growled. “I’ll do more damage if you’re not careful.”

“How can you treat my back without wanting to feed from me?”

He hummed absently, focused on his task. “I’m over seven hundred years old. It would take months of starvation before I’d lose control enough to kill you. You’re in no danger now. I’m well-fed. Ted met with a very unfortunate end.”

“So, there have been demon omens all over the country, and witch hunters just happened to come out of hiding to attack the wrong girl? The same girl who happens to be spying on me while I’m looking into demonic activity? I don’t buy it.”

“If anyone is in league with demons, it’s you, vampire. I saw the book you were holding before you attacked me.”

He laughed, but it was more an affronted burst of air. “Attacked you? You were dying for me to kiss you, and when I did, you jumped on me.”

My face burned because he was right. I’d wrapped my arms around his neck. I hadn’t even realized he’d released my knife hand until the kiss had ended.

“And then what?” Why was he helping me? He knew my family hunted his kind. He knew leaving me alive was a threat to him.

“And then you convince me you haven’t been summoning demons.”

I ground my teeth. “I haven’t been. I’m a business major taking a full summer semester with finals coming up. I don’t have time to sleep, let alone fool with any demons. And I’m not stupid enough to dabble in that, anyway. They’re hard to control and tend to go on murderous rampages. Starting with the summoner. You notice how I’m still alive, right?”

“Very,” he rumbled.

I flushed at the note in his voice. That dark, male tone told me he liked having me naked in his bed. Wouldn’t mind keeping me there…

I didn’t mind as much as I thought I would, either.

Down girl.

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Bookclub!

I came to Black Forest Ridge for a chef’s job, not a mate. Quinn Bane looked at me like he already knew my name before I said it, then decided I was his before I’d even unpacked. He said mine like it wasn’t up for debate. Rude. Kind of working.

Half this town doesn’t think a hybrid-shifter belongs here, full stop. They called me weak once. That was their first mistake. I’m about to make it a very expensive one.

Somebody already tried to run me off, and Quinn won’t tell me who. He just keeps showing up wherever I am, uninvited and unbothered, like that answers the question.

He wants to claim me. Mark me. Make it permanent, loudly, in front of a town that doesn’t get a vote.

I keep telling myself I could still leave. I just can’t figure out why I haven’t.

I didn’t believe in wolf-shifters until I met one who won’t let me walk away. Now I’m not sure I want to.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮‘𝐥𝐥 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞:
💞 Fated Mates

😤 Grumpy/Sunshine

🐺 Hidden Shifter Identity

🆕 Fish-Out-of-Water / Stranger in a New World

🔨 Blacksmith Alpha

😈 Instant “Mine” — Possessive Hero

🏘️ Hidden Supernatural Small Town

⚖️ Hybrid Prejudice / Outsider Fighting for Acceptance

🥊 Trial by Combat

🛡️ Protective Alpha

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family / Pack Acceptance

🌕 Public Full-Moon Mating Ceremony

💍 Marriage Proposal / HEA Wedding

🐾 Looming Threat — Feral Shifter Stalking the Heroine

Get it here!

Get it here!

Love from the shadows,

Miranda Thorn

Chapter 11

“You hit her too hard, damn it. If you’ve injured her, I’m going to beat your ass..”

I heard a mumbled apology before something rancid was waved under my nose and I snapped back to consciousness to jerk away. My nostrils burned and my eyes watered as I blinked to clear them.

My temple throbbed from the hit I’d taken and my situation had gotten w…

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I was drawn in by her ads because she talks about learning twelve skills in twelve months, and I love to play with new things. She’s not trying to become an expert in all of them. She’s just having fun, trying things out, and seeing what she actually likes.

I don’t know what hobby I’m doing for August, but in July I started reading Wuthering Heights because I want to be someone who reads literature, but I’m… not. I’m a romance novel snob to the point where I almost won’t read anything else.

Unfortunately, I’m nowhere near done. Audible says I have 10h 26m left. But, surprisingly, I am enjoying it.

So what are your favorite hobbies? What should I spend August doing?

A warm hand caught mine, pulling me into the shadows between hedges. I stumbled against his chest, giggling. God, the champagne had turned me into a giggler. Mortifying.

His stomach muscles contracted under my palms as I steadied myself. Even through his evening wear, I felt coiled strength that seemed at odds with his pampered nobility.

“You made me trip, sir.”

He grinned. “Again, it got you into my arms. Can’t say I’m sorry.”

I stepped back but his hands stayed on me. “Why did you bring me out here?”

“Have you never had a lover’s rendezvous?”

“We’re not lovers.”

He leaned close, breath warming my ear. “Not yet. Haven’t you even snuck around with your cold fiancé?”

I shook my head. Vyktor had barely touched me. He kept a respectable, gentlemanly distance. Exactly as expected. Most of the time, I suspected he despised me. This marriage would be advantageous for him as much as my father. Vyktor might be a noble, but his family was broke, and lower ranking than mine. It’s why he’d become a military commander. He needed money and hungered for more power.

“I won’t kiss you.”

His grin widened. “Are you so innocent you think I’ll be satisfied with a kiss?”

Heat flooded my cheeks. My brother had said enough that I wasn’t completely ignorant, but not enough to understand exactly what he meant.

“We won’t be doing any of that. You know I’d pay for such an indiscretion.”

He circled behind me. I resisted turning to track him. His breath brushed my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

“Do you even know what I want? Shame you won’t give it. You’ll never know passion with your husband.”

I glared as he came back into view. “Maybe we’ll fall in love eventually.”

Even champagne-drunk, I knew how stupid that sounded.

His smile vanished. Raw rage flashed in his eyes. Then it was gone.

“I know Vyktor’s type. Men like him collect beautiful things. They don’t cherish them. You have too much spirit for him. He’ll break you.”

What spirit? I’d been a dutiful daughter my whole life. Tobias was the rebellious one. At least until the past year or so.

“Oh, Maddy, if you knew what was out there, you’d beg me to take you away.”

The words were too bold for a stranger, too familiar. Tobias had once said the same thing, but from this man’s lips...

He pulled me against him so fast I gasped. Before I could protest, his mouth was on mine.

Soft. Warm. His tongue slipped past my lips and I tasted coffee and danger. This wasn’t Vyktor’s cold pecks or Laedan’s shocking claim. This was slow, drugging, like he had all night to taste me and intended to savor every second.

My hands tangled in his hair without my permission and the kiss changed, becoming more demanding. His palms skimmed down my back, cupping my backside. I moaned into his mouth.

He walked me backward until bark pressed against my spine. His hands gathered my skirts, drawing them up my legs. Cool air hit my calves.

I tore my mouth away. “We should stop.”

My voice came out breathy, unconvincing even to me. If we were caught... Father would kill me. And this man knew it, knew the danger he was putting me in.

“Come away with me, Maddy.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Run. Away. With. Me.” He stressed each word.

I shoved him back. “I don’t even know you! And you’re reckless with my safety. You don’t know me either!”

He smiled, trying to recapture the spell. But it was broken. “I’d keep you safe. Call it love at first sight. First kiss.”

The best kiss I’d ever had. Passionate, not cold and obligatory. More lingering than Laedan’s angry claim. I’d gotten to sink into this one, to taste...

Coffee. Exactly like Laedan’s kiss had tasted.

I pressed my hand to his chest as he leaned in again. The pieces clicked together. The familiar eyes. The slipping accent. The barely controlled power. The way he didn’t quite fit the noble role.

“Laedan?”

His jaw clenched. His grip tightened like he expected me to run.

I planned to. But before I could Vyktor’s voice cut through the garden, calling my name.

Laedan’s head whipped toward the sound, tension coiling through him.

I’d never been more torn. I should call for help. Laedan had lured me out here. He had to have more on his mind than seduction. If even half the stories about him were true, I was in grave danger. But being caught with him like this, skirts hiked up, lips swollen from his kiss...

“Damn that man.” Laedan pressed another quick kiss to my frozen lips. “I’ll be seeing you soon, darlin’.”

He vanished in a blur of inhuman speed.

Soon. The word echoed in my head as my heart hammered against my ribs.

He kept that promise.

Keep reading!

You can also read all my books on Substack when you subscribe.

She’s a not-so-normal low-ranking shifter.

He’s the heir to the Lycan throne.

Together, they could change the entire werewolf world; apart, they could start a deadly, bloody war.

Shifter River Whitetail always knew she was different. Unable to shift or connect with her wolf and always passed over by males, her world turns upside down after a traumatic encounter with a rogue Alpha Lycan who tries to claim her against her will. It turns out she’s actually an Omega – a secret kept from her by her parents. Four years later, just as she’s preparing for her first big art show, fate intervenes again. Prince Ares, heir to the Lycan throne, is convinced River is his Fated mate- and so is River’s wolf. But River, wary of her past, isn’t keen on falling into his arms or his mating plans – no matter how hot he is or how much money he has.

Ares wants River. Needs River. Craves River. And he is used to taking what he wants when he wants. But not this time. This time, he must use patience and self-control if he’s going to win the heart of his mate - two traits he’s never possessed. As Ares pursues the reluctant River, using every trick in his arsenal to win her heart, dangers from her past resurface. The rogue Alpha who claimed her years ago still believes River is his and will stop at nothing to reclaim her.

As if this isn’t enough, Ares and the rogue aren’t the only ones out there who feel River was meant to be theirs. An Omega is rare and coveted, and soon, the race to claim her becomes a treacherous path of love, power, and self-discovery. And the crown of the whole Werewolf world depends on her choice.

Get it here!

Get it here!

Love from the shadows,

Miranda Thorn

I found the mirror easily on Gavin’s alter, right where I’d picked it up the first time. Luckily, all the pictures of me had disappeared, so it had less of a serial killer vibe. One thing that bothered me… if this mirror was as important to Gavin’s control as Theron said it was, why didn’t he try and hide it?

Then again, I clearly remember breaking the d…

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I can’t get any pictures because they’re on the trail cam. You’ll have to settle for my old baby pictures of my indoor cats.

Do you have pets? Send me your cutest baby picture!

We were on the outskirts of some little town when there was a loud bang. The car swayed before he righted it with a curse. The steady thump of a blown tire rumbled through the vehicle.

“Damn it.” He turned into an overgrown, abandoned parking lot and brought us to a stop.

He hit a button, and the trunk popped open. “Stay here.”

I grumbled as he closed the door and rounded the car. “Where the hell would I go?”

My hands were numb now from the uncomfortable position I’d been stuck in. Even if I could pick the lock, I’d have trouble achieving it.

There was rustling behind me as he dug through the trunk and more muted cursing. The whole vehicle bounced when he finally slammed it shut. He came to the passenger door and hauled me out.

“We’re stopping?”

“No choice. There’s no spare. It’s a damned company car, and I’m going to find the last person that signed it out and lay into them.”

I giggled, and then it became full-blown, bent-over laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s ‘a company car’. It’s so mundane. So ridiculously normal.”

He bit his lip to hold in his smirk, not that it worked. His gaze grew heated, and when he stepped into me, I stopped laughing. I was intensely aware of the heat of his body. The closeness of him.

He captured my mouth in a gentle, teasing kiss. The slow, sensual kind that I wanted to last all night.

When he pulled away, I wished my hands were free so I could pull him back, which reminded me that my hands were cuffed. Which pissed me off a little.

He seemed to realize I was now annoyed with him, and his mischievous grin made my knees a little weak, but he sobered when I glanced around.

“Nothing will be open for hours yet.” He jerked his chin at something behind me. “We’ll need to get a room and wait for the cursed ball of fire in the sky.”

I glanced around and spotted the motel across the street.

“I’ll place a call. Some of the King’s men can meet us here.”

My pulse fluttered with nerves.

“Stop worrying. I can taste it.”

“Creepy. And I can’t exactly turn off my fear that I’m about to be surrounded by vampires. The enemy, if you’ll remember where I come from.”

“No one will hurt you.”

I scowled at him. “You’ll have to forgive me for not believing you.”

He grasped my shoulder and spun me around. His hands encircled my wrists, and he hesitated.

“I’m going to release you because this looks suspicious, but I want you to understand something; if you try to run, I’ll catch you. There’s no place in this county you can hide, and you won’t get that far.”

His breath brushed my cheek as he propped his chin on my shoulder. “If you try to signal anyone, I can easily compel them to forget. Or kill them if they happen to be strong enough to resist my mind. Do we understand each other?”

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You can also read all my books on Substack when you subscribe.

A cursed wolf. A marked sacrifice. A fate neither can escape.

Harper was never meant for greatness. In a world of magic, she has none—no power, no purpose—at least, not one of her own. Her parents molded her for a singular fate: a marriage built on status, not love. But Harper dreams of more, of a world that does not define her by what she lacks.

Aurora was once a legend, a name spoken in awe and terror—the Alpha of the Duskfang Pack, a force of nature wrapped in flesh and fury. But power breeds defiance, and defiance breeds punishment. Now, she is nothing but a guardian in the shadows, bound to a curse that stains the very land she prowls.

What begins as a mistake turns into something far more dangerous. Harper’s presence stirs a hunger Aurora thought long dead. But Harper is not safe in her arms, and Aurora is not safe in hers.

Their desire may be the key to breaking the curse… or the thing that destroys them both.

Get it free!

Available in KU!

Get it here!

Get it FREE!

Love from the shadows,

Miranda Thorn

Dizziness blurred my vision and I closed my eyes when my stomach swooped. The only thing keeping me stable was Gavin’s grip on my arm. When the room settled and I opened my eyes, we were in his bedroom.

I swallowed and wiped my sweating palm on my skirt.

I shouldn’t be nervous. I’d known what my bargain meant. We’d done this before. But I wasn’t sure how …

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But I’ve actually written a few books based on writing prompts. I’ve mentioned before that enjoy doing writing prompts before I get into the actual writing. It warms me up on something not as important as the regular book, and sometimes they turn out so well I keep going.

The book featured in today’s newsletter was from one of those prompts. I believe the prompt was something like “Your boss asks you to stay after a meeting.”

And Winter Bloodlust is what came out!

Beat the heat!

“I grew up in an orphanage.” Kind of, anyway, but it was the only way to explain my life to him. “I just always wanted a Christmas with a log cabin, fire, and family. Eggnog, not champagne.”

I giggled, speaking of champagne; it was already going to my head. “Pajamas, not incredibly uncomfortable heels.” I sobered and looked away. “It’s a pointless dream though. I can never have that. There’s no family to have it with.”

Hell, there were barely any friends to have it with. The Institute stoked bitter rivalries between the students whenever they could. Most were mortal enemies. I’d had two friends, but I rarely got to see them since I’d washed out of the vampire hunter program.

He cupped my elbow. “I know how you feel.”

I stepped closer to him. He was warm and solid. Whatever soap he used smelled like evergreen trees. “You do?”

“Hmm. Whenever a holiday passes that I would have spent with my parents, I miss them.”

I tried to resist the tug in my gut. The kind that made me feel for him. I had no family to miss, but he had. And even after nearly two thousand years, the wounds left behind still burned.

He smiled and wrapped his arms around my waist, brushing my bare back as he slid a hand under the bow. “Next Christmas we’ll do it up right—no stuffy party. I’m only here because Octavian wanted to discuss business. I’m very glad you agreed, or it would be a very dull weekend for me, but I feel like I’ve ruined your holiday. I’ll have to make it up to you.”

“Next Christmas, huh? A little ahead of yourself, aren’t you?” My voice was teasing, but bile rose in my throat and I swallowed thickly. If I did my job he’d be dead long before next Christmas. And I’d be back in my old life. Alone.

He brushed his warm lips across my jaw, the spicy hint of whiskey on his breath. “Wishful thinking, my darling. I could have you all to myself. Though, I’d still insist on uncomfortable heels. Lingerie, not pajamas.”

A little shiver raced down my spine, and I clenched my thighs at the sudden rush of heat I felt for him. I turned my face until he lifted his lips from the path they were burning down my throat. He stared at me, barely a breath separating us.

“I suppose I could make that compromise.” I flushed at my submission to his demands. Why would I go and agree to a thing like that?

Before I could pull away he took my mouth in an erotic, probing kiss that made my toes curl. The kind more suited to a bedroom than a ballroom.

Keep reading!

One scorching glance across a dusty gas station ignited a bond neither could outrun.

Jax Reyes, Silverton’s bar owner, deadly pack warrior with a quick sarcastic grin, never imagined his fated mate would be the enemy’s fiercest blade.

But the moment silver eyes locked with Jax’s black eyes, the Ridge itself hummed in approval, silver threads pulling tight.

Rhea Darkwood, lethal lead warrior of the rival Blackthorn Hallow Pack, lives by the old ways: pure bloodlines, sealed veils, no human mates, no hybrid abominations.

As daughter of Alpha Lucian, Rhea’s sworn to protect the eastern slopes of the Ridge and the dark secret her pack has guarded for generations; the cursed cavern draining the packs strength.

She wants nothing to do with the too-charming wolf whose pack she blames for tearing the mountain’s veils and inviting chaos.

Yet the Ridge has chosen.

Subtle protective tingles and insistent nudges force Rhea and Jax into an uneasy alliance as veil tears spread, shadow wolves rise, and the hybrid children’s unique gifts hold the key to an ancient guardian bond long broken.

Fated mates from warring sides of the veil could heal the divide… or let the bond tear them, and everything they love, apart.

Available in KU!

Get it here!

Read it for FREE!

Read it for FREE!

Love from the shadows,

Miranda Thorn

P.S. If you’re curious about what other book came from a prompt, it was Kiss of the Vampire, which you should have laying about in your e-reader. If you want to know how the prompt “Write a story about a character who was never going to get their own story” turns into a Romeo and Juliet vampire hunter tale (except with a happy ending), find Kiss of the Vampire on your e-reader or download it here.

Is this what my life had become? I was spending another evening in Gavin’s court. Except this time he wasn’t speaking to me. Only brooding next to me on his throne. He hadn’t even kept me in his lap, like he couldn’t stand my presence anymore.

He was surly with everyone who approached him, and after several death threats the court had decided today was n…

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All I wanted was a few comfortable, but fashionable tops, and now I have to buy a bunch of tank tops to go under them. Also, layers? Not amazing in 100 degree heat. I’m thinking of just letting my bra show.

Anyway…

I’ve been releasing my next book Wanted by the Vampire one chapter at a time in the paid section of this newsletter. Here’s a sneak peak!

When the hero is being a dick

He was before me in a burst of speed, arms blocking any chance of escape. “Now, that’s not how a good girl begs.”

I glared at him. “How do you want me then?”

He looked so smug I wanted to punch him in his handsome, cruel face, but I’d pay for it.

“To begin with, call me Sire. I rule you now, and you’ll call me nothing else.”

“Yes, Sire,” I gritted out through clenched teeth. “What else?”

A pile of delicate gold chains appeared in his hands, along with a thicker gold band, studded with diamonds and rubies. A collar.

He let the chains trickle from his hands to land at my feet, but kept the collar. “I want you to put those on. One on each ankle, and one on each wrist. Please,” he said with a smirk.

I scowled down at them, not sure what his game was. They didn’t look like they’d hold anyone. Then again... he was a sorcerer.

I glared at him before crouching to fasten the chains to my ankles and wrists. I gave one an experimental tug, testing how much force it would take to break it without being obvious. It held. I cursed under my breath.

“Were you under the impression you’d be able to break them?” His voice rumbled above me.

He seized the back of my neck and jerked me toward him, slipping the collar onto my throat. I heard the dooming click over my harsh breathing as it locked.

“I blame you for many things. Checking your bonds doesn’t even make the top ten.”

Get caught up here!

𝐏𝐍𝐑 𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 & 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛’𝐬 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄!

Psycho by CJ Pinard

Blurb
Not completely psychotic, but keep pushing him…

Wolf shifter Sheppard Madden came from nothing. Following horrific events that left him with the nickname Psycho, he formed the Bayou Wolves MC after fleeing Minnesota. There in the Crescent City, he finds a pack of likeminded wolves and humans who are loyal to him and follow his lead without question. To all outward appearances, Psycho and his men are just another club doing charity events and everything else legal. But this club has much darker things happening behind the scenes.

The Wolves get a call from another MC that they have a victim needing protection. Psycho and his men go get her, but she’s not what they were expecting. With defiance in her purple-blue eyes, all Nera Kennedy wants is to go home after surviving an ordeal she’d rather forget. Psycho has convinced her to stay within the protective confines of the Bayou Wolves’ compound, but will she continue to be shielded from the bastards who took her, or will the Wolves not be enough to protect her?

Psycho is book 1 in the Bayou Wolves MC series and is for readers 18 and older. Please check the trigger warning on the second page.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞:
✔Shifter romance
✔Touch her and die
✔He falls first
✔Werewolf Motorcycle Club
✔Steamy PNR

𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞→
https://thefictionalheroeslibrary.com/book-clubs-by-trope/pnr-villains-heroes/

Love from the shadows,

Miranda Thorn

P.S. Did you miss last week’s email? I was interviewed on a podcast. Check it out here!

There was an irritating rapid fire tapping going on in the room. I groaned, and rolled over, snuggling into the cozy bed. I pulled the heavy comforter over my head, but it didn’t drown out the noise.

I sat up to see where it was coming from. Gavin sat at a huge wooden desk under the glow of triple monitors, rat-tat-tatting away on a keyboard. None of tha…

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He was handsome — light hair, eyes I suspected would be blue. In the dim lighting of the room, it was hard to tell. And he looked suspiciously like the man next to Grace.

A brother.

There were supposed to be three of them.

Now, this man was more my speed. A couple of days of beard growth. Ripped jeans. Black t-shirt. An effortless sexy, and he knew it, and there was a compelling intensity about him. Something that made him seem out of place at a party like this.

I would guess they weren’t his idea of a good time, either.

He smiled and tucked a strand of my straight brown hair behind my ear. His warm palm brushed my face. He smelled fantastic. Oak-y, masculine. Like a good whiskey. I swayed toward him, almost like he had his own gravity.

My plan for the night shifted. I’d found my target. Or rather, he’d found me. If he hadn’t been related to Kori’s new brother-in-law, I would have found an impolite way to get rid of him and stayed focused on getting her out alive, but now that I had his attention, the best thing I could do was keep it.

I’d have him so busy he wouldn’t realize anything was wrong until Kori’s job was done.

Yeah, let’s keep him ‘busy.’

I struggled to keep my expression pleasant as the inappropriate and unwanted thought crossed my mind. I wouldn’t be keeping him occupied like that. I’d probably have to kill him. He was here to feed, and hell if I’d let him rip into me.

I set my cup down. I’d emptied it anyway after I’d slipped my strength potion in. I had two hours to kill him and get home before the potion wore off and I passed out cold.

Wrapping my hand around his, I pulled him out of the room, careful to keep my back to where I’d seen Grace sitting. “Dance with me.”

He grinned at me, and it didn’t reach his eyes. He wasn’t here to dance. He was here for blood. Well, he’d have to play my game before he could try for it.

He hadn’t struck me as the dancing type, but he didn’t argue, and when we started to move, he was flawless. I couldn’t keep the true smile from my face. Finding a guy who knew how to dance was like finding a gold nugget in a dingy gas station parking lot.

I got in close to grind on him, and he put his hands on the skin left bare from where my tank top had ridden up. A sizzle of awareness traveled up my spine, and heat curled low in my belly as he ran his palm across it, fingertips skimming below the waistband of my jeans. Just enough to tease me.

I mentally cursed myself. I didn’t want to be aware of him. Aroused by him and every liquid move he made. He was a killer. He’d rip my throat out if he knew what I was.

I turned, and his warm lips brushed mine. Once. Twice. Damn that spark. I wrapped my arms around his neck and opened for him. His silken tongue tangled with mine in an intimate mimicry of what we were doing on the dance floor.

When he lifted his head, the “wow” popped out of my mouth before I could stop it.

Heat swept over my face. How mortifying. Like I was some high school girl with her first crush. His knowing smile made me a little weak in the knees, and I rose on my toes to kiss him again, but he pulled away.

He grasped my hand and tugged me into a hallway leading to a darkened part of the house. Good, we needed privacy.

No.

I needed privacy.

To kill him.

And I’d keep my head on straight.

He threw open a door, leading me out into the night, and I took a deep breath of magic-free air. For a dizzying second, it seemed to make the effects worse.

I giggled breathlessly when he spun me and pressed me against the wall. Giggling? Oh boy. I couldn’t hold my witchy smoke.

“Let me make you come, Astrid,” he whispered in my ear before sucking on the lobe.

I tried to glue my thoughts back together, but he kept rocking against me, making me shudder. “But — I don’t even know your name.”

That’s your objection? The panicking, rational side of me finally decided to speak up.

“Jasper. I guess I’d better tell you if I want you to scream it.”

Wait. But how had he known my name?

Before I could push him away, a sharp pain pierced my throat. His bite! Oh God.

But the pain faded as quickly as it had come, and a wave of sexual heat boiled up my spine. Impossible to resist. I’d been bitten before, a hazard in my line of work, but it was nothing like this.

He shoved himself away from me abruptly, and I crumpled to the ground, landing on my hip and elbow, barely able to hold myself up. I was dizzy and lightheaded. Everything had a fuzzy, dream-like edge.

He knelt in front of me, and I cringed away from him. “You made a mistake coming here tonight, Astrid.”

Didn’t I know it.

Keep reading!

I lie for a living.
She bound me in a spell that catches every lie.
And God help me, I can’t stop wanting her.

Iris Vale says murder in a cold case the world called suicide. And she’s right.

My job makes truth disappear.
She finds it where no one else can.
Fierce. Brilliant. Daughter of a mage tradition that wants to erase me on sight.

A killer hunts mages who don’t know what they are, forcing their magic awake and watching it consume them.
She’s the forensic mage who can stop him.
I’m sent to shut her down.

Instead, we invoke an oath that burns when either of us hides from the other.
So we leave the truest words unsaid because speaking burns.
Every silence between us says more than the words we swallow.
Every time I want her and won’t say it, I pay for it in fire.

She can’t be lied to.
I’m nothing but the lies I’ve buried.
Innocents are dying. And the only way to stop the killer is to let Iris see who I really am.

Get it here!

Available in KU!

Get it here!

Available in KU!

Love from the shadows,

Miranda Thorn

P.S. I’ve been posting chapters of Wanted by the Vampire in the members only section of my Substack and chapter 7 comes out on Monday! If you’ve read Hunted and you’re dying to know what happens to Charlie, you can get caught up by subscribing here.

P.S. All my books are available behind the paywall. See everything you can read here.