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Synopsis
Newly vamped Sarah Dearly wants her normal life back, but fate is fighting against her. She tries to get a regular job and gets staked in the interview, only to be rescued by a masked vampire who calls himself the Red Devil. Then a wallflower-turned-witch curses her, making her a bloodthirsty, sun-allergic nightwalker--the worst vampire there is. As if all that weren't enough, she can't get married because her 600-year-old boyfriend, Thierry, is in a centuries-long marriage of convenience he can't escape. As Sarah's nightwalker tendencies make her more dangerous, even to those she loves, she'll have to counteract that curse, unmask the increasingly intriguing Red Devil, and get a commitment from her man. But if that's what it takes to secure her happiness, Sarah is ready...even if it means embracing her inner vamp to do it.
Release date: March 21, 2009
Publisher: Forever
Print pages: 388
* BingeBooks earns revenue from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate as well as from other retail partners.
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Stakes & Stilettos
Michelle Rowen
Don’t forget to check out these books by Michelle Rowen!
LADY & THE VAMP
“4 Stars! Fans will appreciate the light tone, the smooth and swift narration… and the comedy throughout the third book of
Rowen’s Immortality Bites series.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
“Michelle Rowen has again successfully written a funny and highly entertaining vampire story… I was delighted.”
—ArmchairInterviews.com
“The best of Rowen’s series thus far… promises a few hours of light, entertaining paranormal fun.”
—BookLoons.com
“If you like your romances filled with humor, unique and entertaining characters, and above all else, a little bite, you’re
gonna love Lady & the Vamp.”
—RomRevToday.com
“A cute little romp through the world of the fanged! Rowen’s cheeky humor is sure to please those readers looking for a light
paranormal read.”
—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“Enjoy Lady & the Vamp when you want to escape into a fantasy world for a while.”
—JandysBooks.com
FANGED & FABULOUS
“You can’t put this book down!”
—Charlaine Harris
“4 Stars! Rowen once again presents an exciting, action-packed and… humorous tale.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
“A hoot… Rowen’s character list is awesome, the humor is hilarious… [a] delightful book.”
—MyShelf.com
“Fanged & Fabulous is a hugely fun, light-hearted vampire chick-lit romance and yet it is a surprisingly satisfying read, too. Sharp wit and
classic romance… perfect reading for the summer.”
—LoveVampires.com
“A funny and witty tale… I laughed out loud all through the book. The dialogue by this bestselling author is sarcastic and
hilarious and the characters will leave you waiting impatiently for the next installment.”
—ArmchairInterviews.com
ANGEL WITH ATTITUDE
“4 Stars! Rowen does a delightful job mixing things up with her sassy and sexy characters. She has her own unique spin on
life and the afterlife and good and evil, which makes for downright fun reading.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
“Divinely funny… A subtly provocative paranormal romance that shines a new light on angels and demons and witches, oh my!”
—Heartstrings Reviews
“Fun and fast-moving… Valerie is a wonderful character. Kick off your shoes on a cold winter’s night and relax with this.
You’ll be glad you did.”
—Mythprint
“You have to read this book! It is quirky, funny, and sweet. If you love original and hilarious, you have to pick up Angel with Attitude.”
—FallenAngelReviews.com
BITTEN & SMITTEN
“A terrific vampiric chick-lit tale filled with biting humor.”
—Midwest Book Review
“4 Stars! Fun and clever… this novel is bound to appeal to those who like their romance a little offbeat and definitely humorous.”
—Romantic Times BOOK Reviews Magazine
“A study of contrasts: frothy chick-lit wrapped around a grittier reality and a flip side featuring a modern heroine paired
with a Brontean hero. Let us welcome this fresh voice to the genre.”
—Booklist
Ten weeks ago
She wasn’t wearing any shoes. That was his first impression.
His second impression was that the attractive brunette was completely insane. She had to be if she was approaching him.
He watched warily as she struggled through the narrow opening in the barrier and stared out at the sight before her. She was
now perched alongside him on a support beam of a tall bridge high above a very dark, cold river.
Her eyes, wide with fear, finally landed fully on him.
“Hey!” she called out. The swift wind blew the bottom part of her thin, silky dress up above her knees to show off her long
legs. Her leather coat, more fashionable than adequate as protection against the cool early winter chill, gaped open in the
front.
Don’t come any closer, he thought. She was going to get herself killed climbing out past the safety barrier of the bridge. Dying was his goal that night, but he’d rather not see anyone else suffer the same fate.
“Go away,” he said simply.
She didn’t go away. Instead her gaze moved around erratically. “Holy crap. This is high up, isn’t it?”
A marvelous observation. He eyed her as she shuffled closer to him. Insane. Most definitely insane.
“Help me!”
He frowned. “Help yourself. Can’t you see that I’m trying to kill myself here?”
Quelling any thoughts of empathy, he gazed down at the dark waters of the Don River hundreds of feet below them. Quite honestly,
there could not be a worse time for him to have been interrupted. She was putting herself in extreme danger.
“Help me first and then kill yourself,” the woman suggested.
Who was she? What was she doing there? Did she know who he was? Had she been sent to stop him from ending his already overlong
life?
No. The young woman who’d chosen to climb out onto the bridge in bare feet at the very end of a particularly cold November
hadn’t sought him out. He could see it in her eyes. He could taste her fear. This was merely a coincidence.
A very inconvenient coincidence indeed.
The woman bore unmistakable fang marks on her neck. She’d recently been bitten by a vampire.
There was fresh blood on her throat.
He ignored the dark hunger that swelled within him and the ache of his lengthening fangs. He hadn’t drunk blood in a hundred
years. No need at his age, but the want was still there. Every day. Every hour.
Long shadows appeared behind her as three men approached. His breathing hitched. Were they after him? Had he been followed
to the bridge?
Tonight was to be the end of his long life. The end of a so-called master vampire. Thierry de Bennicoeur, dead after nearly
seven hundred years. Had they followed him to witness his fate?
No, the men’s gazes locked onto the woman instead. A tall blond man—a human—smiled as his eyes flicked to Thierry and then
back to her.
“A friend of yours?” he asked.
“Yes,” the woman said quickly, her troubled gaze moving to Thierry again. “A good friend. And he’s going to kick your ass if you don’t leave me alone.”
Thierry raised an eyebrow. Kick his ass?
The blond man snorted. “That I’d like to see.”
“Vampire hunter,” Thierry said out loud. He had confronted so many hunters in his time that it was obvious to him what the
fair-haired man was, and the wooden stake the hunter held tightly in his grasp was only one clue.
“Who wants to know?” The man’s gaze slid from the woman’s bare feet to her long, lean legs. It was the gaze of a predator,
and not one who wished only death for his victim.
Hunters enjoyed playing with their prey—especially helpless and attractive female fledglings—before killing them.
“Who I am is none of your concern.” Thierry forced his voice to remain impartial. “You are invading my personal space. Kindly
take your business elsewhere.”
And leave the woman in peace or I will kill you.
“We’ve just come to claim this little piece of vampire ass,” the hunter said, “and we’ll be on our way, so you can get back
to whatever it was you were doing.”
The young woman drew closer with shaky steps and grabbed the hem of his coat.
“Don’t let them hurt me,” she implored. “Please.”
He could feel the warmth from her body.
Walk away, Thierry told himself sternly. Leave them. Leave her. You don’t know this woman. Where is her sire? This should be his responsibility.
Now on his hands and knees in an attempt to crawl through the crudely cut opening of the bridge’s fenced barrier, the hunter
grabbed her ankle. To Thierry’s surprise, the woman kicked the hunter directly in his eye.
Good aim. One of the best self-defense targets on the human body—groin or eyes. The hunter screamed and clutched at his face.
The woman scrambled away and almost lost her footing. Thierry reached out and steadied her, pulling her against him.
She looked up at him with surprise. “Thank you. I thought you weren’t going to help me.”
“Reflex,” Thierry said. And it had been. For the most part.
There were two other hunters who began to climb through the barrier. They both had sharp weapons. While Thierry didn’t really
care about his own fate that night, he had now made a stand when it came to the woman’s. Her safety, at least for the next
few minutes, was his only priority.
Unfortunately, there was only one choice of escape.
He looked down. “I suppose we’ll have to jump.”
The woman’s grip tightened at his waist. “Wasn’t that your original plan? And wasn’t your original plan to kill yourself?”
He thought of the stake tucked into the back of his pants with which he had truly planned to kill himself before allowing
his remains to be swept away by the river below.
It would have to wait for another time.
“With my luck the fall tonight won’t kill me,” he said with a sigh. “But you just might.”
He tightened his arms protectively around her and without waiting for another protest, he jumped off the bridge. Her scream
rang loud in his ears.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a beautiful woman cling to him so fiercely. For the briefest of moments it made
him feel alive and wanted—very dangerous feelings for someone like him to have.
However, when they landed, the freezing-cold water managed to douse those feelings and reality quickly set in.
He’d have to get rid of her as soon as possible. There was no other choice. Having a woman like this in his life—so young
and fresh and filled with vitality—could only prove to be a deeply dangerous mistake.
For both of them.
My name is Sarah Dearly. Fledgling vampire and part-time bartender, at your service. Welcome to my highly dysfunctional life.
Two and a half months ago I was bitten and turned into a vampire by my blind date from hell, chased across the city by vampire
hunters, and managed to meet the handsome master vampire of my dreams right before we had to jump off a bridge together to
escape getting killed. And that was all the very first night.
Since then things have been steadily… oh, insane would be a good word. But I’ve managed. Ten weeks as a vampire had changed a whole lot of things in my life, but I was still
me. Still Sarah. Still not anyone to be afraid of in a dark alley. Ten weeks without my biting any necks or magically turning
into a bat. “Evil” is definitely not my middle name.
I’d been damn lucky, all things considered. Although I do think changing into a bat would be a nice gift-with-purchase for
this whole unfortunate vampire deal.
“Sarah, are you ready to meet the man who’ll change your life forever?”
I glanced up from the dirty martini I was shaking and looked across the top of the bar at the grinning redhead. Her name was
Heather, a former waitress at Haven, and her enthusiasm was almost contagious. Almost.
“Change my life forever, huh?” I said. “Is that a promise or a threat?”
“Definitely a promise. New directions, new opportunities. A chance at a fantastic future.”
“If I even get the job.”
“You know me. Of course you’ll get it!”
Okay, I had to admit it. I was a little excited. Especially since Heather had asked me personally to interview with her new
boyfriend that very night. We were meeting at a café just down the street from the club. We weren’t meeting at Haven because
it was vamps-only. It was a rule. Heather’s boyfriend was human, but obviously pro-vampire since he was with her, so it was
all good.
I liked Heather a lot. She was fun and funny and never gave me a hard time when I worked the bar and she waited tables. She’d
quit two weeks ago after she met the man of her dreams, who had started a brand-new merchandising Web site called Vamp International
that was set to launch next month. The job I would be interviewing for dealt with the fashion end of things and it sounded,
from Heather’s description, too good to be true.
Plus, it paid big bucks.
I pulled my tip money out of a small juice glass next to the till. A small juice glass was all I needed. Nobody tipped the
bartender here. Or very rarely. I’d noticed that on the average, vampires were extremely lousy tippers.
Haven was my boyfriend’s nightclub, which catered to the fanged citizens of Toronto, open from 9:00 p.m. until nearly dawn.
Less than a week from now Haven would be transferring over to the new owners. Thierry had recently made the decision to sell
the club, and apparently the new boss wanted to bring in his own servers. A bummer, but not an unexpected one. Luckily, it
would still be a vampire club—one of only two in Toronto at the moment—so it was nice to know there would still be somewhere
to hang out, but I couldn’t count on getting a semiregular paycheck anymore.
Therefore, this job opportunity had seriously come at exactly the right time for me. I was broke.
I felt a warm hand at the small of my back, and I turned away from Heather to see Thierry now standing next to me. I hadn’t
even seen him approach. Master vampires—they were a sneaky lot.
Thierry was, in a word, gorgeous. At first glance, or even second, you’d never guess he was pushing seven hundred years old.
He looked more like he was in his midthirties, and super hot with the whole tall, dark, and fangsome thing going on.
A lot of people were either scared or turned off by his sometimes cold and aloof manner, but I preferred to think of that
as part of his charm. I knew underneath that icy exterior was a man as wonderful on the inside as he was on the outside. But
I was fine with it being my little secret.
“Is everything all right over here?” he asked.
I nodded. “I’m about to take off for my interview.”
“Hi, Thierry,” Heather said, smiling widely at him even though I knew she was one of those who didn’t like him very much.
“Why don’t I wait over here for you, Sarah?” She moved far enough away to give us some privacy.
Thierry moved his gaze to mine. His eyes were a medium gray color, but somehow managed to look metallic, like silver. It was
a bit spooky until you got used to it.
“You don’t need to get another job,” he said.
“Oh, but I do. I definitely need a nice, normal job to help pay the bills.” I fished into the juice glass and pulled out the
penny that was stuck to the very bottom, and then knelt to tuck the money into the front pocket of my purse. “I wanted to
buy a new dress for the reunion, but since I can’t afford it, I’m going to ask Amy if she has something I can borrow.”
My ten-year high-school reunion was in two days. Despite my life being in constant peril in the ten weeks since I’d been turned
into a vampire, things had cooled off enough that I felt I didn’t want to miss it. It was to be my last gasp as a normal person
before I finally, grudgingly, accepted my new life as a vampire. And yes, life as a vampire. Vampires being the walking dead was just another unfortunate rumor, like me being a weapon of mass destruction.
The rumor currently going around was that I was the “Slayer of Slayers.” Sheesh. You kill one vampire hunter in self-defense—an
act that had now grown in legend to twelve hunters and counting that I’d taken down with my well-manicured but lethal hands—and
a girl gets a reputation.
I hated to admit it, but I think that’s one of the reasons Heather’s boyfriend, Josh, had agreed to meet me for an interview
at this crazy hour of the night. He was impressed by my rep. Hey, if it helped to get me a cool new job, I would milk it for
all it was worth.
Thierry frowned at me. “Of course you should have something new to wear. Why didn’t you say anything to me earlier?” He slid
his hand into the front pocket of his black suit jacket, pulled out a money clip, and proceeded to peel off a few bills. “How
much do you need? Will a thousand be sufficient?”
“Uh… yeah, that should just about do it.” My mouth began to water at the sight of the money, but after a moment I forced myself
to hold back the drool. “Wait, no. No, Thierry, please. I don’t want to take any more of your money.”
“What do you mean?”
Ninety percent of my body reached out to that roll of money, but 10 percent was holding me back. That 10 percent was surprisingly
strong. “Look, I feel like I’ve sponged off you for over two months. Now I have this opportunity to interview with Heather’s
boyfriend so I can make my own money. You shouldn’t have to be there with a handout whenever I get sick of what I’m wearing.”
“I don’t mind,” he said.
“Well, I do. I need to find my own way when it comes to this sort of thing.”
God, I was being so mature. It was a little sickening. For my entire life I thought having a rich boyfriend would be the perfect
solution to all of my problems, and don’t get me wrong, it was fantastic. But it also made me feel… dirty. And not in a good
way. It made me feel that by taking his money I was less of a person. Less of a vampire. Whatever.
Ten weeks ago I’d been fired from my full-time, lousy-paying, but regular job as a personal assistant. My funds had dwindled
away to practically nothing. I was down to bartending tips and Thierry’s generosity. A real job was way overdue.
A small smile curled up the side of his mouth. “Are you saying that you don’t want me for my money?”
I smiled back at him. “Oh, I want you. But the money thing is something I need to work out for myself.”
He reclipped the money and slid it back into his pocket. “If you insist.”
I felt a quick pang of regret but stifled it. It was the right decision. I wasn’t a kept woman. And it’s not as though we
were married and half of Thierry’s bucks immediately became mine.
No, the position of “Thierry’s wife” had already been filled by a gorgeous seven-hundred-year-old French vampire named Veronique.
She wasn’t in the country at the moment.
Not that she minded our relationship. In fact, strangely enough, she encouraged it. They’d been married “in name only” now
for over a century. Apparently divorcing somebody you’d been hitched to for six hundred years wasn’t something you could do
by simply hiring a lawyer and signing some paperwork.
Didn’t bother me.
Much.
Okay, it bothered me a lot, but I tried not to dwell.
“Stay close to Heather,” Thierry said. “And promise to return here as soon as this interview is over.”
“I promise.”
It sounded bossy, but he was just being careful. When my reputation first became known I’d had a couple of bodyguards assigned
to guard my body. I now had just one. A big brute of a guy appropriately named Butch. He was also a vampire, which definitely
helped. My last bodyguards had been human. One of them had also tried to kill me, but that was another story.
However, Butch had recently requested a few personal days for unknown reasons, which I would assume were personal. This meant
that I was currently bodyguard-free, so it was vital that I be with somebody trustworthy at all times.
Frankly, it felt as if I was constantly being babysat, but if it kept me breathing I would tolerate it for as long as I had
to. The reputation would fade away and the hunters would move on to something more interesting sooner or later. I hoped it
would be sooner.
Lately things had cooled off considerably on the hunter front. I’d been informed there was some kind of vampire-hunter convention
going on down in Las Vegas right now that the hunters were flocking to like wooden-stake-carrying birds flying south for the
winter.
Remind me to stay away from Vegas at the moment. Only a crazy vamp with a serious death wish would show his or her face down
there with all of those hunters lurking about.
“Then I wish you the very best of luck with your interview.” Thierry leaned over and brushed his lips against mine. Our relationship
had definitely improved lately. Sure, he tended toward the strong silent type, and he did have a bit of a… dark side. To put it extremely mildly.
But kissing me in public was a definite sign that things were better than ever.
After another kiss and a whisper in my ear to be careful, he left the main club area to return to his office to deal with
last-minute paperwork regarding the ownership transfer. Exciting stuff. Yawn.
“Ready?” Heather asked.
I nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
The new bartender had already signed in, so Heather and I left the club and headed the short distance to the café, a little
place called the French Connection. It specialized in overpriced cappuccinos and pastries. Since my vampire stomach couldn’t
handle solid food now that I was on a purely liquid diet, I ordered a coffee. Black.
Heather’s boyfriend, Josh, sat at a small table in the corner. He was cute, somewhere in his twenties, and had dark shaggy
hair and liquid brown eyes. I liked him immediately.
He got up and embraced Heather, kissing her hard on the lips, and then shook my hand very firmly.
“Sarah, it’s such a pleasure to finally get the chance to meet you.” He settled back down into his chair. The café was empty
except for the three of us, and the cashier behind the counter was busy organizing the display of scones and muffins and croissants
into perfect high-caloried lines.
“You, too,” I said. “Heather’s been raving about how great you are. And thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk to you.”
“No, I should be thanking you for agreeing to consider my offer.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small stack
of bills. “Consider this a small sign of my appreciation. It’s a four-hundred-dollar advance on your first paycheck.”
I blinked. Wow, this was getting off to a fantastic start.
“Maybe we should skip the interview and I can start right away,” I joked.
He smiled and glanced at Heather, who squeezed his hand. “I do have some questions. Important ones.”
Would it be rude if I shoved the cash into my pocket right away? Probably. “Shoot. My life is an open book.”
“How long ago, precisely, were you sired as a vampire?”
I frowned. “That’s kind of a strange question for a job interview, isn’t it?”
He shook his head and laughed. “Yeah, I guess it is, sort of.”
Heather laughed, too, and reached across the table to pat my hand reassuringly. “Josh is just trying to get to know you. Besides,
the company does cater to vampire clientele.”
“Oh.” I relaxed a bit. “Well, okay. It was exactly ten weeks ago yesterday.”
“Ten weeks.” He nodded. “And you’ve adjusted well?”
“As well as can be expected, I guess.”
“I think you’ve done very well.”
“I try.” I took a sip of my coffee, cringing a bit at how bitter it tasted. I reached over to grab a few packets of sugar,
tore them open, and stirred them into the dark depths.
“And since you were sired, do you notice having any special abilities now?”
I thought about that. “Well… I’d say that my senses have increased a bit, but nothing too crazy. Like my hearing’s improved.
And I can smell really well. Seeing in the dark is a little clearer. Do you mean things like that?”
He nodded. “That’s helpful. And do you have any prophetic dreams?”
“Prophetic dreams?”
“Dreams that seem to foretell the future.”
“Uh…” I frowned again. “Actually I did have a dream a few weeks ago that sort of told me that trouble was coming. And a few
more that have been rather vivid. Would those count?”
He nodded. “Any other uncanny psychic abilities?”
“I won twenty bucks on the lottery last week.”
“Increased strength?”
“Maybe a little, but I’m not signing up to be a professional wrestler yet.” My frown deepened. “Listen, these questions are
making me a little uncomfortable. What does this have to do with the job?”
“I’m human,” Josh said, “and I’m hiring vampires. I need to know these things. It’s important.”
I glanced at Heather, but she looked completely fixated on Josh and not in the least bit frazzled by his vampire-related interview.
I brushed away my sense of weirdness about the situation and took a sip of my now too-sweet coffee. “Okay, if you say so.”
“So…” Josh continued. “There’s a rumor that you’ve drunk the blood of not one, but two master vampires. Is that true?”
I grimaced. Another rumor. Just what I needed.
Well, there was Thierry, of course. He’d saved me when my original sire was slain by vampire hunters before I’d had the proper
fledgling nutrition to keep me breathing. I got to ingest some of his supercharged vampire blood—apparently the older the
vamp the more potent his blood was. Since master vampires rarely, if ever, shared blood or sired fledglings, this caused my
vampire side-effects—namely losing my reflection and developing my fangs—to happen months if not years before they normally
would have. Becoming a full vampire apparently took time.
And I guess Nicolai was a master vampire, too. Or was, anyhow, until he’d ended up on the wrong side of a wooden stake. As one of the elder vampires in the Ring—the international
vampire council—he’d stopped by Toronto three weeks ago to investigate my Slayer of Slayers reputation. Unfortunately there
was some major bad blood—no pun intended—between him and Thierry. When he found out Thierry and I were involved, the insane
vamp tried to kill me to seek. . .
LADY & THE VAMP
“4 Stars! Fans will appreciate the light tone, the smooth and swift narration… and the comedy throughout the third book of
Rowen’s Immortality Bites series.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
“Michelle Rowen has again successfully written a funny and highly entertaining vampire story… I was delighted.”
—ArmchairInterviews.com
“The best of Rowen’s series thus far… promises a few hours of light, entertaining paranormal fun.”
—BookLoons.com
“If you like your romances filled with humor, unique and entertaining characters, and above all else, a little bite, you’re
gonna love Lady & the Vamp.”
—RomRevToday.com
“A cute little romp through the world of the fanged! Rowen’s cheeky humor is sure to please those readers looking for a light
paranormal read.”
—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“Enjoy Lady & the Vamp when you want to escape into a fantasy world for a while.”
—JandysBooks.com
FANGED & FABULOUS
“You can’t put this book down!”
—Charlaine Harris
“4 Stars! Rowen once again presents an exciting, action-packed and… humorous tale.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
“A hoot… Rowen’s character list is awesome, the humor is hilarious… [a] delightful book.”
—MyShelf.com
“Fanged & Fabulous is a hugely fun, light-hearted vampire chick-lit romance and yet it is a surprisingly satisfying read, too. Sharp wit and
classic romance… perfect reading for the summer.”
—LoveVampires.com
“A funny and witty tale… I laughed out loud all through the book. The dialogue by this bestselling author is sarcastic and
hilarious and the characters will leave you waiting impatiently for the next installment.”
—ArmchairInterviews.com
ANGEL WITH ATTITUDE
“4 Stars! Rowen does a delightful job mixing things up with her sassy and sexy characters. She has her own unique spin on
life and the afterlife and good and evil, which makes for downright fun reading.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
“Divinely funny… A subtly provocative paranormal romance that shines a new light on angels and demons and witches, oh my!”
—Heartstrings Reviews
“Fun and fast-moving… Valerie is a wonderful character. Kick off your shoes on a cold winter’s night and relax with this.
You’ll be glad you did.”
—Mythprint
“You have to read this book! It is quirky, funny, and sweet. If you love original and hilarious, you have to pick up Angel with Attitude.”
—FallenAngelReviews.com
BITTEN & SMITTEN
“A terrific vampiric chick-lit tale filled with biting humor.”
—Midwest Book Review
“4 Stars! Fun and clever… this novel is bound to appeal to those who like their romance a little offbeat and definitely humorous.”
—Romantic Times BOOK Reviews Magazine
“A study of contrasts: frothy chick-lit wrapped around a grittier reality and a flip side featuring a modern heroine paired
with a Brontean hero. Let us welcome this fresh voice to the genre.”
—Booklist
Ten weeks ago
She wasn’t wearing any shoes. That was his first impression.
His second impression was that the attractive brunette was completely insane. She had to be if she was approaching him.
He watched warily as she struggled through the narrow opening in the barrier and stared out at the sight before her. She was
now perched alongside him on a support beam of a tall bridge high above a very dark, cold river.
Her eyes, wide with fear, finally landed fully on him.
“Hey!” she called out. The swift wind blew the bottom part of her thin, silky dress up above her knees to show off her long
legs. Her leather coat, more fashionable than adequate as protection against the cool early winter chill, gaped open in the
front.
Don’t come any closer, he thought. She was going to get herself killed climbing out past the safety barrier of the bridge. Dying was his goal that night, but he’d rather not see anyone else suffer the same fate.
“Go away,” he said simply.
She didn’t go away. Instead her gaze moved around erratically. “Holy crap. This is high up, isn’t it?”
A marvelous observation. He eyed her as she shuffled closer to him. Insane. Most definitely insane.
“Help me!”
He frowned. “Help yourself. Can’t you see that I’m trying to kill myself here?”
Quelling any thoughts of empathy, he gazed down at the dark waters of the Don River hundreds of feet below them. Quite honestly,
there could not be a worse time for him to have been interrupted. She was putting herself in extreme danger.
“Help me first and then kill yourself,” the woman suggested.
Who was she? What was she doing there? Did she know who he was? Had she been sent to stop him from ending his already overlong
life?
No. The young woman who’d chosen to climb out onto the bridge in bare feet at the very end of a particularly cold November
hadn’t sought him out. He could see it in her eyes. He could taste her fear. This was merely a coincidence.
A very inconvenient coincidence indeed.
The woman bore unmistakable fang marks on her neck. She’d recently been bitten by a vampire.
There was fresh blood on her throat.
He ignored the dark hunger that swelled within him and the ache of his lengthening fangs. He hadn’t drunk blood in a hundred
years. No need at his age, but the want was still there. Every day. Every hour.
Long shadows appeared behind her as three men approached. His breathing hitched. Were they after him? Had he been followed
to the bridge?
Tonight was to be the end of his long life. The end of a so-called master vampire. Thierry de Bennicoeur, dead after nearly
seven hundred years. Had they followed him to witness his fate?
No, the men’s gazes locked onto the woman instead. A tall blond man—a human—smiled as his eyes flicked to Thierry and then
back to her.
“A friend of yours?” he asked.
“Yes,” the woman said quickly, her troubled gaze moving to Thierry again. “A good friend. And he’s going to kick your ass if you don’t leave me alone.”
Thierry raised an eyebrow. Kick his ass?
The blond man snorted. “That I’d like to see.”
“Vampire hunter,” Thierry said out loud. He had confronted so many hunters in his time that it was obvious to him what the
fair-haired man was, and the wooden stake the hunter held tightly in his grasp was only one clue.
“Who wants to know?” The man’s gaze slid from the woman’s bare feet to her long, lean legs. It was the gaze of a predator,
and not one who wished only death for his victim.
Hunters enjoyed playing with their prey—especially helpless and attractive female fledglings—before killing them.
“Who I am is none of your concern.” Thierry forced his voice to remain impartial. “You are invading my personal space. Kindly
take your business elsewhere.”
And leave the woman in peace or I will kill you.
“We’ve just come to claim this little piece of vampire ass,” the hunter said, “and we’ll be on our way, so you can get back
to whatever it was you were doing.”
The young woman drew closer with shaky steps and grabbed the hem of his coat.
“Don’t let them hurt me,” she implored. “Please.”
He could feel the warmth from her body.
Walk away, Thierry told himself sternly. Leave them. Leave her. You don’t know this woman. Where is her sire? This should be his responsibility.
Now on his hands and knees in an attempt to crawl through the crudely cut opening of the bridge’s fenced barrier, the hunter
grabbed her ankle. To Thierry’s surprise, the woman kicked the hunter directly in his eye.
Good aim. One of the best self-defense targets on the human body—groin or eyes. The hunter screamed and clutched at his face.
The woman scrambled away and almost lost her footing. Thierry reached out and steadied her, pulling her against him.
She looked up at him with surprise. “Thank you. I thought you weren’t going to help me.”
“Reflex,” Thierry said. And it had been. For the most part.
There were two other hunters who began to climb through the barrier. They both had sharp weapons. While Thierry didn’t really
care about his own fate that night, he had now made a stand when it came to the woman’s. Her safety, at least for the next
few minutes, was his only priority.
Unfortunately, there was only one choice of escape.
He looked down. “I suppose we’ll have to jump.”
The woman’s grip tightened at his waist. “Wasn’t that your original plan? And wasn’t your original plan to kill yourself?”
He thought of the stake tucked into the back of his pants with which he had truly planned to kill himself before allowing
his remains to be swept away by the river below.
It would have to wait for another time.
“With my luck the fall tonight won’t kill me,” he said with a sigh. “But you just might.”
He tightened his arms protectively around her and without waiting for another protest, he jumped off the bridge. Her scream
rang loud in his ears.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a beautiful woman cling to him so fiercely. For the briefest of moments it made
him feel alive and wanted—very dangerous feelings for someone like him to have.
However, when they landed, the freezing-cold water managed to douse those feelings and reality quickly set in.
He’d have to get rid of her as soon as possible. There was no other choice. Having a woman like this in his life—so young
and fresh and filled with vitality—could only prove to be a deeply dangerous mistake.
For both of them.
My name is Sarah Dearly. Fledgling vampire and part-time bartender, at your service. Welcome to my highly dysfunctional life.
Two and a half months ago I was bitten and turned into a vampire by my blind date from hell, chased across the city by vampire
hunters, and managed to meet the handsome master vampire of my dreams right before we had to jump off a bridge together to
escape getting killed. And that was all the very first night.
Since then things have been steadily… oh, insane would be a good word. But I’ve managed. Ten weeks as a vampire had changed a whole lot of things in my life, but I was still
me. Still Sarah. Still not anyone to be afraid of in a dark alley. Ten weeks without my biting any necks or magically turning
into a bat. “Evil” is definitely not my middle name.
I’d been damn lucky, all things considered. Although I do think changing into a bat would be a nice gift-with-purchase for
this whole unfortunate vampire deal.
“Sarah, are you ready to meet the man who’ll change your life forever?”
I glanced up from the dirty martini I was shaking and looked across the top of the bar at the grinning redhead. Her name was
Heather, a former waitress at Haven, and her enthusiasm was almost contagious. Almost.
“Change my life forever, huh?” I said. “Is that a promise or a threat?”
“Definitely a promise. New directions, new opportunities. A chance at a fantastic future.”
“If I even get the job.”
“You know me. Of course you’ll get it!”
Okay, I had to admit it. I was a little excited. Especially since Heather had asked me personally to interview with her new
boyfriend that very night. We were meeting at a café just down the street from the club. We weren’t meeting at Haven because
it was vamps-only. It was a rule. Heather’s boyfriend was human, but obviously pro-vampire since he was with her, so it was
all good.
I liked Heather a lot. She was fun and funny and never gave me a hard time when I worked the bar and she waited tables. She’d
quit two weeks ago after she met the man of her dreams, who had started a brand-new merchandising Web site called Vamp International
that was set to launch next month. The job I would be interviewing for dealt with the fashion end of things and it sounded,
from Heather’s description, too good to be true.
Plus, it paid big bucks.
I pulled my tip money out of a small juice glass next to the till. A small juice glass was all I needed. Nobody tipped the
bartender here. Or very rarely. I’d noticed that on the average, vampires were extremely lousy tippers.
Haven was my boyfriend’s nightclub, which catered to the fanged citizens of Toronto, open from 9:00 p.m. until nearly dawn.
Less than a week from now Haven would be transferring over to the new owners. Thierry had recently made the decision to sell
the club, and apparently the new boss wanted to bring in his own servers. A bummer, but not an unexpected one. Luckily, it
would still be a vampire club—one of only two in Toronto at the moment—so it was nice to know there would still be somewhere
to hang out, but I couldn’t count on getting a semiregular paycheck anymore.
Therefore, this job opportunity had seriously come at exactly the right time for me. I was broke.
I felt a warm hand at the small of my back, and I turned away from Heather to see Thierry now standing next to me. I hadn’t
even seen him approach. Master vampires—they were a sneaky lot.
Thierry was, in a word, gorgeous. At first glance, or even second, you’d never guess he was pushing seven hundred years old.
He looked more like he was in his midthirties, and super hot with the whole tall, dark, and fangsome thing going on.
A lot of people were either scared or turned off by his sometimes cold and aloof manner, but I preferred to think of that
as part of his charm. I knew underneath that icy exterior was a man as wonderful on the inside as he was on the outside. But
I was fine with it being my little secret.
“Is everything all right over here?” he asked.
I nodded. “I’m about to take off for my interview.”
“Hi, Thierry,” Heather said, smiling widely at him even though I knew she was one of those who didn’t like him very much.
“Why don’t I wait over here for you, Sarah?” She moved far enough away to give us some privacy.
Thierry moved his gaze to mine. His eyes were a medium gray color, but somehow managed to look metallic, like silver. It was
a bit spooky until you got used to it.
“You don’t need to get another job,” he said.
“Oh, but I do. I definitely need a nice, normal job to help pay the bills.” I fished into the juice glass and pulled out the
penny that was stuck to the very bottom, and then knelt to tuck the money into the front pocket of my purse. “I wanted to
buy a new dress for the reunion, but since I can’t afford it, I’m going to ask Amy if she has something I can borrow.”
My ten-year high-school reunion was in two days. Despite my life being in constant peril in the ten weeks since I’d been turned
into a vampire, things had cooled off enough that I felt I didn’t want to miss it. It was to be my last gasp as a normal person
before I finally, grudgingly, accepted my new life as a vampire. And yes, life as a vampire. Vampires being the walking dead was just another unfortunate rumor, like me being a weapon of mass destruction.
The rumor currently going around was that I was the “Slayer of Slayers.” Sheesh. You kill one vampire hunter in self-defense—an
act that had now grown in legend to twelve hunters and counting that I’d taken down with my well-manicured but lethal hands—and
a girl gets a reputation.
I hated to admit it, but I think that’s one of the reasons Heather’s boyfriend, Josh, had agreed to meet me for an interview
at this crazy hour of the night. He was impressed by my rep. Hey, if it helped to get me a cool new job, I would milk it for
all it was worth.
Thierry frowned at me. “Of course you should have something new to wear. Why didn’t you say anything to me earlier?” He slid
his hand into the front pocket of his black suit jacket, pulled out a money clip, and proceeded to peel off a few bills. “How
much do you need? Will a thousand be sufficient?”
“Uh… yeah, that should just about do it.” My mouth began to water at the sight of the money, but after a moment I forced myself
to hold back the drool. “Wait, no. No, Thierry, please. I don’t want to take any more of your money.”
“What do you mean?”
Ninety percent of my body reached out to that roll of money, but 10 percent was holding me back. That 10 percent was surprisingly
strong. “Look, I feel like I’ve sponged off you for over two months. Now I have this opportunity to interview with Heather’s
boyfriend so I can make my own money. You shouldn’t have to be there with a handout whenever I get sick of what I’m wearing.”
“I don’t mind,” he said.
“Well, I do. I need to find my own way when it comes to this sort of thing.”
God, I was being so mature. It was a little sickening. For my entire life I thought having a rich boyfriend would be the perfect
solution to all of my problems, and don’t get me wrong, it was fantastic. But it also made me feel… dirty. And not in a good
way. It made me feel that by taking his money I was less of a person. Less of a vampire. Whatever.
Ten weeks ago I’d been fired from my full-time, lousy-paying, but regular job as a personal assistant. My funds had dwindled
away to practically nothing. I was down to bartending tips and Thierry’s generosity. A real job was way overdue.
A small smile curled up the side of his mouth. “Are you saying that you don’t want me for my money?”
I smiled back at him. “Oh, I want you. But the money thing is something I need to work out for myself.”
He reclipped the money and slid it back into his pocket. “If you insist.”
I felt a quick pang of regret but stifled it. It was the right decision. I wasn’t a kept woman. And it’s not as though we
were married and half of Thierry’s bucks immediately became mine.
No, the position of “Thierry’s wife” had already been filled by a gorgeous seven-hundred-year-old French vampire named Veronique.
She wasn’t in the country at the moment.
Not that she minded our relationship. In fact, strangely enough, she encouraged it. They’d been married “in name only” now
for over a century. Apparently divorcing somebody you’d been hitched to for six hundred years wasn’t something you could do
by simply hiring a lawyer and signing some paperwork.
Didn’t bother me.
Much.
Okay, it bothered me a lot, but I tried not to dwell.
“Stay close to Heather,” Thierry said. “And promise to return here as soon as this interview is over.”
“I promise.”
It sounded bossy, but he was just being careful. When my reputation first became known I’d had a couple of bodyguards assigned
to guard my body. I now had just one. A big brute of a guy appropriately named Butch. He was also a vampire, which definitely
helped. My last bodyguards had been human. One of them had also tried to kill me, but that was another story.
However, Butch had recently requested a few personal days for unknown reasons, which I would assume were personal. This meant
that I was currently bodyguard-free, so it was vital that I be with somebody trustworthy at all times.
Frankly, it felt as if I was constantly being babysat, but if it kept me breathing I would tolerate it for as long as I had
to. The reputation would fade away and the hunters would move on to something more interesting sooner or later. I hoped it
would be sooner.
Lately things had cooled off considerably on the hunter front. I’d been informed there was some kind of vampire-hunter convention
going on down in Las Vegas right now that the hunters were flocking to like wooden-stake-carrying birds flying south for the
winter.
Remind me to stay away from Vegas at the moment. Only a crazy vamp with a serious death wish would show his or her face down
there with all of those hunters lurking about.
“Then I wish you the very best of luck with your interview.” Thierry leaned over and brushed his lips against mine. Our relationship
had definitely improved lately. Sure, he tended toward the strong silent type, and he did have a bit of a… dark side. To put it extremely mildly.
But kissing me in public was a definite sign that things were better than ever.
After another kiss and a whisper in my ear to be careful, he left the main club area to return to his office to deal with
last-minute paperwork regarding the ownership transfer. Exciting stuff. Yawn.
“Ready?” Heather asked.
I nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
The new bartender had already signed in, so Heather and I left the club and headed the short distance to the café, a little
place called the French Connection. It specialized in overpriced cappuccinos and pastries. Since my vampire stomach couldn’t
handle solid food now that I was on a purely liquid diet, I ordered a coffee. Black.
Heather’s boyfriend, Josh, sat at a small table in the corner. He was cute, somewhere in his twenties, and had dark shaggy
hair and liquid brown eyes. I liked him immediately.
He got up and embraced Heather, kissing her hard on the lips, and then shook my hand very firmly.
“Sarah, it’s such a pleasure to finally get the chance to meet you.” He settled back down into his chair. The café was empty
except for the three of us, and the cashier behind the counter was busy organizing the display of scones and muffins and croissants
into perfect high-caloried lines.
“You, too,” I said. “Heather’s been raving about how great you are. And thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk to you.”
“No, I should be thanking you for agreeing to consider my offer.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small stack
of bills. “Consider this a small sign of my appreciation. It’s a four-hundred-dollar advance on your first paycheck.”
I blinked. Wow, this was getting off to a fantastic start.
“Maybe we should skip the interview and I can start right away,” I joked.
He smiled and glanced at Heather, who squeezed his hand. “I do have some questions. Important ones.”
Would it be rude if I shoved the cash into my pocket right away? Probably. “Shoot. My life is an open book.”
“How long ago, precisely, were you sired as a vampire?”
I frowned. “That’s kind of a strange question for a job interview, isn’t it?”
He shook his head and laughed. “Yeah, I guess it is, sort of.”
Heather laughed, too, and reached across the table to pat my hand reassuringly. “Josh is just trying to get to know you. Besides,
the company does cater to vampire clientele.”
“Oh.” I relaxed a bit. “Well, okay. It was exactly ten weeks ago yesterday.”
“Ten weeks.” He nodded. “And you’ve adjusted well?”
“As well as can be expected, I guess.”
“I think you’ve done very well.”
“I try.” I took a sip of my coffee, cringing a bit at how bitter it tasted. I reached over to grab a few packets of sugar,
tore them open, and stirred them into the dark depths.
“And since you were sired, do you notice having any special abilities now?”
I thought about that. “Well… I’d say that my senses have increased a bit, but nothing too crazy. Like my hearing’s improved.
And I can smell really well. Seeing in the dark is a little clearer. Do you mean things like that?”
He nodded. “That’s helpful. And do you have any prophetic dreams?”
“Prophetic dreams?”
“Dreams that seem to foretell the future.”
“Uh…” I frowned again. “Actually I did have a dream a few weeks ago that sort of told me that trouble was coming. And a few
more that have been rather vivid. Would those count?”
He nodded. “Any other uncanny psychic abilities?”
“I won twenty bucks on the lottery last week.”
“Increased strength?”
“Maybe a little, but I’m not signing up to be a professional wrestler yet.” My frown deepened. “Listen, these questions are
making me a little uncomfortable. What does this have to do with the job?”
“I’m human,” Josh said, “and I’m hiring vampires. I need to know these things. It’s important.”
I glanced at Heather, but she looked completely fixated on Josh and not in the least bit frazzled by his vampire-related interview.
I brushed away my sense of weirdness about the situation and took a sip of my now too-sweet coffee. “Okay, if you say so.”
“So…” Josh continued. “There’s a rumor that you’ve drunk the blood of not one, but two master vampires. Is that true?”
I grimaced. Another rumor. Just what I needed.
Well, there was Thierry, of course. He’d saved me when my original sire was slain by vampire hunters before I’d had the proper
fledgling nutrition to keep me breathing. I got to ingest some of his supercharged vampire blood—apparently the older the
vamp the more potent his blood was. Since master vampires rarely, if ever, shared blood or sired fledglings, this caused my
vampire side-effects—namely losing my reflection and developing my fangs—to happen months if not years before they normally
would have. Becoming a full vampire apparently took time.
And I guess Nicolai was a master vampire, too. Or was, anyhow, until he’d ended up on the wrong side of a wooden stake. As one of the elder vampires in the Ring—the international
vampire council—he’d stopped by Toronto three weeks ago to investigate my Slayer of Slayers reputation. Unfortunately there
was some major bad blood—no pun intended—between him and Thierry. When he found out Thierry and I were involved, the insane
vamp tried to kill me to seek. . .
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Stakes & Stilettos
Michelle Rowen
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