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  Hopefulness flared in his eyes before it was replaced by heat and he pulled her closer into his length. The soft click of his teeth made her hold her breath.

  “That’s all I needed to know, mon coeur. Je t’aime tellement, Noelle, I couldn’t do this otherwise.”

  She smiled up at him. The fear resurfaced momentarily as he lowered his head and his fangs scraped her neck. “Relax, mon amour, this will be over before you know it.”

  The bite that followed sent pure pleasure coursing through her veins. She felt his smile against her neck as sensations shot straight to her clit and she pushed her core into his erection, desperate for release.

  With superhuman speed Henri had them undressed and back in his bedroom. Noelle blinked at the sight of her blood on his lips before his cock slid home and she forgot to inhale as he moved inside her. Stars exploded behind her closed eyelids when the pleasure overwhelmed her once more. She was dimly aware of his whispered, “Je t’aime” against her neck before his fangs sank in again, and her body ceased to belong to her. The force of her climax overwhelmed her as did the copper taste in her mouth before she floated blissfully into darkness.

  ***

  Henri looked round The Blood Bar with a frown. Almost everyone was here by now. He smiled as Hope excitedly bounced around the room. They had caused quite a stir when the three of them arrived together. Noelle looked more beautiful than ever, and while she still had to acclimatize to her newfound strength and speed she was doing well. His cock stirred, recalling the first time they’d made love after he’d turned her. The new bed would be delivered tomorrow and the room needed redecorating, but there were plenty of other rooms they could wreck. He needn’t have worried about her. Noelle’s passionate nature suited her new body and the thought of an eternity with this beautiful woman by his side filled him with anticipation for the future.

  He chuckled seeing Xander give Noelle a wide berth. The mutt had dared to hiss at her when they’d arrived, earning himself a box around the ears from his feisty human, and he’d had to stop Noelle from trying her new fangs out on the shifter.

  “Don’t worry, Henri, I wouldn’t want to get fleas,” had been her reply to his interference. Noelle had winked at Dizzy and whispered, “Even when they’re wrapped up in such a tasty morsel.”

  Xander had growled something about “damn leeches” under his breath, but one look from his human had him rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.

  Where the hell was David? Noelle was worried about Josie. She’d told him so on the ride over. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the man himself appeared in front of him.

  “Took you long enough,” he said, and Noelle relaxed visibly when she saw Josie, who seemed to be followed by a bowing shifter, a panther. Interesting. He registered David’s mumbled, “I’m sorry. We have to talk. Privately.” The urgency in David’s voice alarmed him and Henri nodded his acquiescence. He followed his friend after caressing Noelle’s shoulder ever so slightly.

  “What is it?” Whatever it was, he could do without it. He wanted to stay with Noelle, not chitchat.

  “I don’t know how else to tell you, but straight. Henri…that woman, Noelle. She has a child.”

  “I know,” he replied.

  “No, you don’t understand.” David’s voice was impatient, his whole manner agitated.

  “David, I know.” Henri looked straight into David’s eyes, conveying the truth to him and his friend relaxed marginally.

  “I took Josie to meet her hero, Cleopatra. Her priests had a vision.” David bowed his head.

  “And what do the ancient priests have to say?” Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. Was this what Noah had been keeping from him?

  “They tell of a war between supernatural beings over a vampire hybrid—your child.”

  Merde tout, he knew it. There was no fucking way anyone would take his family away from him. Rage rose at the mere thought, his fangs descended, his hands curled, and his snarl made David step back. Noelle threw him a worried look and he made himself release his hands and smile at her. Now was not the time or the place. Hope had two strong parents now; they would keep her safe. They just had to.

  “I am yours at your will, my friend. I promise to help you until death with this,” David told him sincerely.

  “Merci,” Henri said, truly grateful to his old friend. He knew David meant every word and he forced himself to loosen up more.

  Noelle was talking to Josie and the girls giggled. They ignored the werepanther hovering anxiously around them. It warmed his heart to see Noelle so carefree, if only for this moment in time. Woe to anyone taking that away from her. She had been through enough. They all had. He was going to protect his family or die trying.

  Biography

  Glutton for punishment would be a good description for Doris…at least that’s what she hears on an almost daily basis when people find out that she has a brood of nine children, ranging from adult to baby and lives happily in a far too small house cluttered with children, pets, dust bunnies, and one very understanding and supportive husband. Domestic goddess she is not.

  There is always something better to do after all, like working on the latest manuscript and trying not to scare the locals even more than usual by talking out loud to the voices in her head. Her sexy alpha heroes and sassy heroines tend to be pretty insistent to get their stories told, and you will find Doris burning the midnight oil on a regular basis, which is the only time to get any peace and quiet. Besides, sleep is for wimps. She writes contemporary, and erotic and paranormal romance.

  German born, Doris now resides in the middle of a busy town in Bedfordshire, England, and dreams of a nice, big house by the sea with plenty of space to run kids and dogs and let her imagination soar.

  Website:

  Blog:

  Perfect Timing

  Arya Grey

  Chapter One

  With one last brush stroke across Josie’s eyelid, her wickedly talented coworker had done her very best, and what an occasion for it too! Josie McNair was going to another meet-up with the group of ladies that saved her from impending craziness, living alone with an imagination that continued to spew at her.

  Granted, the girls at WLF—Wicked Ladies of Fiction—wrote erotic romance that could make your toes curl, whereas Josie mostly dealt with the dark creatures of the night or horrifying urban reality. But none of that mattered. They read and supported her stories, no matter how different, and encouraged her to continue. WLF was the best thing that had ever happened to Josie.

  Since the cat-eye flicks across her eyelids were perfect, and her cherry red lipstick that matched her dress was in place, she left work with a bounce in her step despite the ever-present wind and lashing rain. Luckily, Josie had her leopard print umbrella with her, and it sheltered protectively over her forties inspired hair.

  It took her a while to find The Blood Bar, especially considering it was on such a dark street, but the red flashing sign sent her heart leaping through her chest. She barreled through the heavy door and stumbled into a group of men on the other side. Even in her five-inch shoe-boots, she only came to one of the men’s chest. He was impossibly tall, and his eyes were as dark as treacle. Josie pushed herself away and shot him a dirty look. The man growled, low and earthy, and for that minute, the ground seemed like it was shaking.

  “Oy, pal. Who stands right at the fuckin’ door, anyway? I mean, honestly!” she sniped, knowing the Glaswegian in her voice had presented itself, and turned on her heels.

  A few of the girls were already seated at a table with a bottle of wine, so she stepped over to the bar first.

  So much choice! Yet Josie knew what she would order. When the tall, thin boy who barely looked old enough to work, let alone serve alcohol, asked what she wanted she replied, “Bottle of Pinot Grigio, please.”

  A quick exchange and Josie was on her way to the table. Ana shifted over in the red booth seat and smiled up at her. Ana had never been to a group meeting
before and she picked a great time to fly over from Belfast as The Blood Bar was apparently somewhat of an attraction. Her hair was as curly as the picture she’d seen and she seemed nervous.

  “Hey, guys!” Josie said to the three women already there and squeezed in. A chorus of greetings came back at her and she put her arm around Ana as she placed her glass down. “You all right, doll?”

  “Yeah,” she said back. Josie retracted and poured some wine into her glass. It was chilled and smooth, and the first sip felt like the best thing life could offer. Relaxation after a long ten-hour shift.

  She looked over the busy place, scanning for the rest of the group and saw their good friend Noelle at the bar. She was talking to a man with dark hair and pale skin as a young blonde girl watched. Josie stood up and waved her arms. “Noelle, over here!” That saucy wee bitch! She’s already picked up a man.

  When Noelle started her way over, “tall, dark, and handsome” leaned farther against the bar, and in the blink of an eye, a man appeared next to him. They were the exact same towering height, but this new guy had dirty blond hair, cropped relatively short. He had broad shoulders, a sharp jaw, and a long nose. Josie found herself staring absently at this gorgeous man, but where had he come from? It was as if he appeared out of thin air.

  That’s crazy and impossible.

  He turned and looked at her, his eyes sparkled from afar. He smiled, his eyes crinkled, and his white teeth shone. Josie felt her heart quicken, and she returned the favor. Charm oozed out of him in bucket loads as he leaned against the bar nonchalantly, talking to the other man with one foot crossed over the other. He was dressed in tight-fitted pinstripe trousers, a white shirt unbuttoned at his chest, and leather shoes that gleamed even in the dull mood lighting. Noelle’s sudden appearance threw Josie out of her staring contest with the handsome man.

  “Meet Tavvy. She writes, and I thought she could join us,” Noelle said, and nodded at the Barbie lookalike. They all introduced themselves as Noelle slid next to Josie, and she relaxed with the presence of her friend.

  The whole group was there, with the exception of Dizzy and Nico. Dizz had explained she would be late and she looked nothing short of harassed when she finally did show up. But Josie loved to tease her mercilessly because she always gave back as good as she got. After the group greeted Dizzy, Josie couldn’t help herself any longer.

  “Oy, Dafty, late as usual I see,” she teased, and Dizzy shot her a deadly look.

  “Not really. This is my hologram, sweetheart, can’t ya tell?” she asked in her North London accent.

  “Oh, aye, a digital image of our dear friend, Dizzy, who buried herself alive inside a computer.” And just then Dizzy’s phone went off. She pulled it from her bag hurriedly. “See what ah mean?” Josie joked, and Dizzy flashed two fingers at her. Laughter erupted around the table.

  “I did warn you that I might be late,” she said in her defense.

  What a night this is going to be. And without further ado, Josie gulped her wine as if her life depended on it.

  ***

  David Malm had been home—San Francisco, January 21, 3042—for a matter of minutes before his oldest friend Henri showed up at his front door. That was David’s life. Always on the go and never allowed to take a break. Why did he even bother wasting money on a historical house on the outskirts of town and decorating it with Victorian furniture he’d brought forward? He was proud of his possessions, but he never had time to lavish in them.

  David invited the vampire in, knowing its necessity, and offered him a seat at the long dining table made of fine oak.

  “Old friend, we have some business to take care of. Or rather you have to make sure it goes to plan,” he said as he tucked his long, black hair behind his ear. Henri was over two thousand years old, and David had known him his entire thirty-one years of life. Of course, Henri hadn’t mentioned anything supernatural until David was of age. He knew now the importance of their friendship.

  “Jesus, I’ve just got back, Henri. Give me time to pour us both a whiskey, first,” David said, and sighed. He was tired from the travel back from Belfast, 1969. He’d only just managed to escape death at the last minute when a group of shifters, rogue wolves he’d never come across before, attacked him without just cause.

  “Of course. My apologies.” Henri nodded and gave a toothy grin.

  David poured a generous amount of single malt from the tear-shaped bottle into two crystal glasses. “That’s a seventy-year-old single malt from the Isle of Skye, bottled in a hogshead cask,” David said, and sat opposite his friend. “Year and place.” He grunted in exhaustion.

  “2011, The Blood Bar in Edinburgh,” Henri said after swallowing some whiskey and drawing in his breath.

  David groaned. “That hole? Spare me.”

  “A hole it may be, but it’s important you be there.” Henri’s voice was stern, and his teeth ran out further. “You’ll meet me there at eight o’clock at night, standing at the bar, looking at a table of beautiful women.”

  “Why do I get the feeling this is all you’re going to tell me?” David raised an eyebrow and smirked.

  Henri laughed. “Because you are exactly right.”

  So after the drinks were finished and goodbyes were exchanged, David took a much-needed shower, styled his hair, and put on a fresh pair of slacks, a crisp white shirt, and black leather brogues. He admired his reflection in the mirror, brushed a speck of dust from his collar, and sighed before disappearing.

  He was standing next to Henri in a second, who of course looked no different than he had over a thousand years in the future, and was leaning against the dark bar, staring at a large booth in the back of the room. He seemed particularly interested in a woman with auburn curls and a body David would love to taste. Henri heard his thoughts and shot him a killer look. “Just when I was relieved to see you mon ami,” he said.

  “Good evening, friend.” David tapped the bar to get one the bar staff’s attention.

  “And you’re here because…?” Henri returned his gaze to the woman.

  When David turned back from the bar, another woman caught his attention. She was staring at him and she was breathtaking. He could see, even from a few feet away, that her dark hair contrasted with the pale green of her eyes, and that outfit… It left little to the imagination. The dress was strapless and curved low at her cleavage. Her long legs were on show and the impossibly high heels she was wearing had her calf muscles tense. Sweat gathered on David’s brow and in the palms of his hands. He smirked at the beauty before him and she smiled back. “Damn, she’s fucking gorgeous.” He breathed deeply and Henri looked at him from the corner of his eyes.

  “Hmm.” His eyes narrowed as a man stepped in their view of the table and knocked a drink over the woman who had just sat down. She stepped around him and scurried away. David turned to Henri, who swore under his breath and clenched his fists.

  “Who the fuck’s he?” David asked.

  “I don’t know, mon ami, but something isn’t right. There are a lot of supes in here tonight.”

  “You’re telling me,” David said, and looked at the bartender to ask for a double of their best whiskey. A ten-year-old single malt. He wasn’t impressed.

  He pulled his attention to the door where a group of wolf shifters had been. He could smell them a mile away and he knew one of them had to have been Alpha Xander de Rista. But instead, a man with long, blond hair and sea-green eyes looked at the group of women from where the wolves had been. There was something strange about him. He was a supe, David knew that like he knew the sky was blue, but what he was, he didn’t know.

  “What about him?” He lightly elbowed Henri and nodded toward the man. The vampire looked, and his fangs lowered. David placed his drink on the bar and stood defensively, staring at the blond stranger, but allowed a few concerned glances at Henri. “What’s happening?”

  “He’s—”A sudden shriek came from the table where the most beautiful girl David had ever seen was
seated. It was not a frightened noise; it was a sound of pleasure. Every single woman was looking at the creature by the door with heated lust.

  “We need to get them out of here.”

  “Is this why you sent me here?” David asked.

  “I— Never mind, there’s no time. Come on.” Henri ran to the table. David followed, keeping his eyes on the beauty he was going to ravish once he’d saved her.

  Chapter Two

  Josie felt strange. A tingling sensation started inside her thighs and traveled up her spine. She gasped and barely held back the scream of ecstasy that threatened to erupt. She crossed her legs and peered over the back of the booth, just as Noelle and Ana were doing, and saw a tall man with long sandy-blond hair and sea-green eyes just over the edge of the seat. She wanted to ravish him, and she had absolutely no idea why. Every woman in the joint had their eyes set on him, except for Arielle, who just looked confused.

  A firm hand grasped her wrist, and the only thing Josie saw as she was spun from the booth and the world came to a stop around her, were blue-green eyes. Then she was spun into a vortex of wind and colors so bright she had to close her eyes for fear of being blinded. She shrieked at first, but calmed when warm hands spread across her waist and held her tight. She had to try with all of her strength not to throw up the glass of wine she’d too eagerly drank.

  After what felt like an eternity, she finally felt ground beneath her feet. A cool, calm voice with a soft American accent spoke to her. “Are you okay, sugar? You look a little pale.”

  Josie opened her eyes and they met with an almost bare chest. The skin was smooth and a splattering of blond hair lay across it. She pushed back from him and looked up. He was smirking.