Waking the Shadows

The last thing Arielle Thompson needs is romance.

It’s tough enough risking your butt on a day-to-day basis fighting vampires, demons, and mud monsters for the FBI’s Paranormal Investigations Unit. Adding stress over dying and leaving a lover behind? No thanks. Besides, who needs a man when you’ve got a vibrator?

Of course, that hasn’t stopped Arielle from checking out her sexy as sin vampire partner, Jackson. While she knows he’s got the hots for her, neither of them have acted on their impulses.

But when they’re sent to investigate rogue demonic activity in backwater Louisiana, the dam bursts loose and everything heats up…

 

“Ms. Drake shows humor, emotion and great sex and her voice is a pleasure to read.” — Literary Sass.”

“[A]n exciting read … keeps the reader guessing and curious as to what the next page is going to reveal.” — Euro Reviews.

Available now from Freya’s Bower.

 

Excerpts:

 

Seeking Shadows

“Surrender.” Jackson rolled his eyes skyward. “Great idea. What’s next on the agenda, offering ourselves up as sacrifices?”

“Look.” I tried to keep my voice calm, even though I’d rather strangle him. “I don’t know about you, but I want to make it out of this in one piece and alive. Do you really think we could take twenty demons by ourselves?”

He didn’t answer.

“I thought so.” I leaned back against the uncomfortable cot, sighing, casting my eyes at the flickering candle. The demons had dragged us through the marsh, into the shack, and tossed us into a locked room. From the looks of the shack, I wouldn’t have thought there’d be more than a single room. But we were dealing with demons, and illusion’s their specialty.

I stood and stretched. At least I didn’t have to smell the swamp. Grumbling, I tore off my muddy jacket, leaving me in a soaking-wet white tank top. “It’s hot in here.”

Jackson said nothing, but I could see his eyes wandering my body, falling on the wet tank clinging to my skin. I was wearing a bra underneath, but it still left me feeling naked. Despite myself, I blushed, and looked away.

Or I tried to. I kept glancing back at him. I couldn’t help myself. Candlelight played over his bronzed skin, making it appear even darker than it already was. Yeah. A vampire with a tan. On him, it looked natural, not like the screw jobs you get at those grill-me-baby-one-more-time tan shops. Combined with raven-black hair and a prominent nose, he easily passed for Native American.

In other words, drop dead gorgeous. Literally.

 

Waking the Dreamer

I fell into a world of darkness, the only light a faint crimson pulsing from living, breathing walls. Heat ravaged my skin. I wiped my face and found it dry. Hot enough to evaporate my sweat. Lovely.

Good thing you can’t really die in the Dreamworld. Okay, maybe it’s theoretically possible, but I haven’t heard of it happening to anyone. Yet.

Let’s just hope I’m not the one to make history.

A scream pierced the air, breaking my thoughts. We’re not talking a high-pitched girly scream either. More like man-being-tortured-half-to-death. The sound sent chills up my spine in spite of the heat.

Jackson. My face went slack and my tongue dry with fear. I broke into a sprint, racing down a dark tunnel in the direction of the cry. I could barely think. All I could do was act. What if I wasn’t fast enough? What if—

You’re in a dream. Get a grip on yourself. He can’t be hurt here anymore than you can.

Unless he believed it was real and allowed that to affect his physical body. But I wasn’t going to think about that.

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