Title: Forbidden Feast (Eternal Dead, #3)
Author: Joelle Sterling
Genre: Horror/ Coming of Age
Tour Organizer: B3 Tours
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Synopsis:
Bestselling author Joelle Sterling concludes her vampire trilogy as a young woman must decide between love and saving her world. In the town of Frombleton, government and law enforcement are run by vampires, and humans can’t get justice—particularly after the sun goes down.
Holland Manning has been studying witchcraft at the elite Stoneham Academy. Having reached the rare pinnacle of Witch of the First Order, Holland is the only human who has the power to thwart the vampires’ heinous designs. She alone can save the town’s residents.
While devising a plan to overthrow the vampire regime, Holland is appalled to discover that another threat to humans has found its way to Frombleton: a growing band of ravenous zombies are prowling the streets, devouring the vampire’s food source and challenging their seat of power. And to Holland’s horror, at the helm of the marauding flesh eaters is the recently returned love of her life, Jonas!
No matter who wins, the human race is doomed unless Holland can make the arduous decision to choose victory over love.
EXCERPT
His
skin was smooth, the color of burnt sienna with a hint of crimson. With his
broad nose, luscious full lips, and strong jawline, Elson Chandler was an
undeniably beautiful man. Coils of kinky-curly hair fanned out against the
pillow as he slept. Bare-chested and wearing black briefs, Elson was lean and
muscular. His athletic body did not require grueling workouts at the gym.
Forever young, Elson’s good looks had been maintained for over three hundred
years.
From
the confines of his satin-lined casket, Elson’s eyes opened at the sound of
footsteps. He smiled faintly. Ismene, his devoted daughter-of-the night, was
approaching with a glass of chilled blood. Her typically soft and graceful
footsteps were uncharacteristically heavy and fast-paced. He listened intently,
scowling as he heard a second set of footfalls that were shuffling and
resistant.
“Let
me go!” a high-pitched female voice cried.
Bracing
himself for trouble, Elson bared his fangs. An instant later, he retracted the
strong, sharp teeth and relaxed as he recalled the request he’d made before
retiring at dawn: No refrigerated blood,
tonight. I’d like to begin the evening with the taste of warm, living blood,
and I expect you to make it happen, Ismene!
Ismene
raised the lid of the solid bronze casket with its gold-plate finish, and Elson
was surprised to see four bloody etchings on her slender arm. Gripping the
sides of the gleaming coffin, he sat upright, and gazed at her questioningly.
“She
scratched me,” Ismene responded, nodding at a squirming teenage girl who gawked
at Elson through tearful eyes. Streaks of dark mascara and eye shadow smudged
her face.
“Why’s
he lying in a casket?” the girl whined. “What’s going on? Are you guys in
like…you know…involved in some kind of vampire cult?”
Elson
and Ismene shared amused smiles.
“I
have to go home; I really have to go,” the girl said, and then attempted to
wrench herself free. But she couldn’t break away from Ismene’s vise-like grip.
“That cop had no right bringing me to this creepy, old place. If I don’t get
home soon, my parents are gonna be pissed. My dad’s a lawyer, and he’ll sue the
entire police department for false arrest!”
“A
lawyer, huh?” Elson repeated thoughtfully. “Interesting. Perhaps I’ll have him
draft some contracts for me. I look forward to meeting your father.” Elson
threw one well-defined thigh and then the other over the side of the coffin and
climbed out of his resting place. “How’d we acquire this delectable creature?”
he asked Ismene.
“One
of the police officers picked her up at the mall; she was apprehended for
shoplifting.”
“Naughty
girl,” Elson remarked with amusement.
The
girl shook her head adamantly. “I didn’t steal anything. I told the cop that
there’d been a mistake. I was trying on headbands in Claire’s. I paid for all my
other stuff…earrings and bracelets, but I forgot about the stupid headband.”
“Wrong
place; wrong time,” Elson commented and then focused on the droplets of blood
that trickled down Ismene’s arm. “What happened?”
“She
attempted to get away, and scratched me,” Ismene said with a nonchalant shrug.
“I’ll
take care of that.” Elson reached out. Without question, Ismene extended her
arm, and Elson licked away the trails of blood.
The
girl cringed. “Oh, gross! Look, there has to be some kind of mistake. I have no
idea why that cop brought me here. But my dad’s gonna be furious; he’s gonna
have that idiot’s badge, and that’s a promise,” she yelled bitterly.
Elson looked up, regarding the
outraged girl with amusement for a moment, and then returned his attention to
Ismene’s injured arm. “Your skin is much too beautiful to be scarred. Lowering
his head, he swiped his tongue along Ismene’s wounds again, licking until the
scratch marks miraculously healed.
The girl’s eyes widened in shock as
she regarded Ismene’s suddenly flawless skin. “I wanna go home.”
“Relax. You’ll be taken home after
I’ve fed,” Elson said casually.
“After you’ve fed! What do you mean?
Oh, geez. Don’t tell me you guys are like…real vampires. I heard rumors at
school, but I didn’t believe—”
“Be quiet,” Ismene snapped and
yanked the girl forward. “Drink Elson; you need your strength. Tonight is the
beginning of your reign and you must be strong and clear minded.”
“No! Wait! Ohmigod, please don’t
bite me,” the girl pleaded, literally jumping up and down with fear. Her voice
rose to a frenzied wail, “I wanna go hooome!”
“Shh. Shh. What’s your name?” Elson
asked quietly.
Refusing to answer, the girl groaned
and shook her head.
Elson penetrated her thoughts and
discovered her name. “Tessa…pretty name,” he said fondly.
“How do you know my name?” she
demanded.
“Lucky guess.” Gently, he grasped
her wrist. “Relax; don’t fight it, Tessa. Okay?” His rich, baritone voice was
soft and seductive.
“No. Don’t,” Tessa cried. “Let me
go. Please. I don’t wanna be turned into a vampire.”
Elson put a finger under her chin
and tilted her head up. “You won’t be turned. You have my word.” Tessa recoiled
from his touch, grimacing as Elson began to run his fingers along the length of
her arm. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the warm blood that pulsed
through her veins. Elson’s fangs pushed through his gums, and a clicking sound
reverberated around the room.
A ragged cry tore from Tessa’s
throat. “Ohigod, ohmigod! This is insane; this can’t be really happening,” she
babbled in terror.
“Be still and be quiet,” Elson
commanded, staring hypnotically into his captive’s eyes.
Tessa’s shoulders slumped in
submission. “Okay,” she agreed, her brown eyes suddenly vacant.
Elson’s gaze wandered down to the
pulse at the crook of her elbow. He brought her arm to his mouth and plunged
his fangs deeply into her flesh. Under Elson’s spell, Tessa’s only reaction was
a sharp intake of breath.
Ismene observed yearningly as Elson
fed on the teenage girl. He drank with great, thirsty gulps, and Ismene
involuntarily licked her lips. Sensing her discomfort, Elson withdrew his fangs
and said, “Come and join me, my dear.”
In an instant, Ismene’s slender body was
pressed into Tessa’s, her fangs deeply embedded in the girl’s neck.
***
At seven-fifty in the evening,
Bradley M. Jones, Esquire was still at his desk, hunched over a yellow legal
pad. Pen in hand, he quibbled over every word of the brief he was preparing.
His staff had gone home hours ago, but Bradley had an important case in the
morning, and he was willing to work through the night if necessary. He didn’t
mind working late. In fact, he preferred the solitude of an empty building. His
thoughts were clearer in the peaceful environment where there were no ringing
phones and no noisy conversations among staff. The ticking of his desk clock
and the patter of raindrops that tapped against the window pane were the only
audible sounds. There was a certain comfort in being inside, cozy and dry, while
the rest of the world dashed around in unpleasant weather.
The annoying buzz of his cell
interrupted the quiet. He glanced at the screen and sneered when he saw his
estranged wife’s name. “What is it, Nicole? Your substantial child support and
alimony check isn’t due for two weeks.”
“Can’t you ever be civil?” Nicole
complained with a long sigh. “I’m calling about Tessa. She hasn’t come home
from school.”
Bradley’s face flushed with sudden
anger. “It’s eight o’clock in the evening, and you’re just noticing that she
isn’t home?”
“She told me she was going to stop
at the mall after school—”
“I’m earning a living—running my
firm and actively practicing law, while you lead a life of leisure. Your single
obligation is to look after our daughter, but apparently you can’t even do
that.”
“I’m a good mother and you know it!’
Nicole was right; she was a decent
enough mother, but Bradley refused to admit it. For all the child support and
alimony that came out of his pocket, she should have been a supermom.
“This isn’t about us, Bradley. I’m worried
sick about Tessa,” she said anxiously. “I called all of her friends, but no one
has seen or heard from her.”
“Maybe she’s hanging out with some
kids outside her normal circle—you know, the kind of kids that snub their noses
at curfew and other rules,” Bradley said weakly. His suggestion sounded
ludicrous to his own ears. Tessa was a good kid. She was responsible and
trustworthy, and she didn’t hang out with losers.
“She’s had the same group of friends
since grade school; she wouldn’t suddenly pick up new friends.”
“Well, where the heck is she?” he
barked, now imagining that his naïve, fifteen-year-old daughter fancied herself
in love with some smooth-talking, pimply-faced boy. A boy who was able to
persuade her to get in his car and take a ride to Marshall’s Peak…or wherever
kids went nowadays to make out. Fury washed over him as he imagined his
daughter’s innocence being stolen in the backseat of a car.
“The mall closed at seven.” Nicole’s
voice cracked. “Do you think we should call the police?”
“Yes, report her missing. I’m
leaving the office now; I’ll be at the house in fifteen minutes.” Bradley
disconnected the call.
He snatched his suit jacket off the
bronze coat rack and grabbed his umbrella. Dangling his key ring, he hurried
out of his office suite and walked swiftly along the corridor. He wanted to be
standing in the driveway with the police at his side when the young punk with
raging hormones, dropped off his daughter. After he finished roughing up the
low-life character, he planned to press charges. A night or two in the slammer
would give the sleazebag a powerful message: Bradley M. Jones, Esquire’s daughter is strictly off limits.
Striding urgently toward the stairs,
he heard something that sounded like gusts of wind coming from the conference
room, and though he was in a rush, the sound emanating from the conference room
was too loud and too persistent to ignore. If a member of his staff had
carelessly left a window open while sneaking a smoke, there was going to be
hell to pay in the morning. Bradley had built his law firm from the ground up
with limited funds and lots of hard work. Allowing a thief easy access to
laptops and other expensive office equipment was unconscionable.
Frowning in displeasure, Bradley
opened the door. His eyes scanned the darkness and sure enough, one of the
windows was open. Blasts of chilly air filled the room. He reached for the light
switch, but froze mid-reach and gasped. A form that was blacker than the
darkness seemed to be suspended from the ceiling.
“What the—?” In a panic, Bradley
flicked on the switch and immediately wished he hadn’t. Defying gravity, a
black-clad human form was grotesquely clinging to the ceiling like an enormous
bat. The tails of its coat whipped and twisted, resembling furled wings. His
heart thundering, Bradley gave a cry of shock as he gawked upward.
Aside from its billowing coattails, the coat-clad creature was as
immobile as a macabre chandelier. Sweet
Jesus! What is that thing? Deciding
he didn’t want to find out, Bradley inched backward, with his umbrella extended
for protection. But when the thing ever so slowly turned, its head, showing the
unnaturally pale face of a man with a leering grin and vicious fangs, Bradley’s
umbrella clattered to the floor as he made a stumbling run for it.
Racing down the corridor with his
heart pounding out of his chest, Bradley heard a heavy thud behind him. The monstrous
being had dropped to the floor. The high ceiling in the conference room made
for a pretty long fall, and he prayed that the beastly intruder had been
critically injured. Or killed! But all hope was instantly dashed when something
grabbed him by the shoulder. He was suddenly lifted from the floor by strong
hands with nails like curved daggers. The nails sank into his flesh…down to the
bone. Overtaken by blinding agony, Bradley shrieked in pain and terror.
Copyright 2013 Joelle
Sterling
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