Blood Ties
An Excerpt from S.L. Baron's newest release
Thad started as Annelie tossed the newspaper onto his
chest. She stood in front of him, arms crossed over her breasts, as he reclined
on the sofa in Kali’s Cabaret’s office. “You’re in one of the photos.”
He grabbed the paper, examining the part she had folded
to the beat of the music below. “Well, fuck me dead. There I am.” His shoulders
lifted. “Least I shaved for it.”
“Seriously? That’s all you can say?” Her eyes
roamed over his face as she shook her head. “Do you know how much danger that
puts us in? One of those agents could’ve recognized you from before! Idiot.”
Thad sat up, putting the paper on the table beside him,
and released a slow breath. Annelie made it clear every day that she didn’t
like how he did things, not that he had wanted to be there. The thought of his
former lover feeding from children still turned his stomach. Kali was at
least honest with me about herself when she hired me. But, since none of
the Children of the Night volunteered to help with the upcoming intervention,
Shreya had convinced him to join Annelie in Las Vegas. Couldn’ say no ta an
Original, could ya, Thaddy? Not like ya ever say no ta Kali, either.
“Lemme get this straigh’. Ya think that—” he pointed to
the paper “—is gonna expose vampires ta the world? Not, say, Lucian’s face on
the back a his books, Livia an’ her well-known theatre company—”
“Just… stop.
Listen, I know you didn’t want to be here and I didn’t want…” Annelie stiffened
as she looked up at the doorway behind Thad.
Thad followed her eyes and rose to his feet beside her, a
wave of abhorrence rolling over him from Annelie’s
direction. Only one immortal can cause that reaction.
He studied the vampire before him, Annelie’s estranged
sire. The Ancient stood quietly just inside the doorway, his perfectly tailored
pinstripe suit giving him the air of a business executive. Jet lashes framed
his amber eyes; the soft light of the room cast a warm glow on his smooth,
shaved head. An aura of dangerous power and sensuality radiated around him. Fancies
himself somethin’. Then again, wasn’ he a pharaoh?
“Hello, Annelie.” The vampire’s gaze slid over her
schoolgirl outfit, then met her face, his lips rising into a cocksure smile. “It’s
been a long time.”
“Centuries. I liked it that way, Pepi,” she replied,
covering her bare midriff with her arms. “Why are you here?”
Pepi tilted his head to the side, pouting. “Hmm, not the
warmest greeting I’ve ever had, but I expected nothing less really. From you.” He
cleared his throat. “Nunzia and her Pet saw your Mo Cheann Beag on the
television. An airport in Madrid.”
“An’ ya were worried about ma photo in the paper,” Thad
breathed, rolling his eyes.
Pepi turned, looking at Thad as if he were an insect,
before returning his attention to Annelie. “Does Kali know what she’s doing?
And with a child vampire. I knew you liked to feed on the young ones—getting
back at the world for the cruel loss of your own family, I imagine that’s how
you justified it—but siring one? That’s different now.”
“Bridget has Kali’s blessing.” Annelie’s voice wavered.
Her eyes avoided Pepi’s. “As for the child, I’d never… Shreya and Ajit have
joined her cause. They—”
“Shreya and Ajit?” Pepi’s face lit up. “The mythic
children! How long has it been since they surfaced? Four thousand years now?
They must love you.”
She closed her eyes, pressing her fingers to them. “Why
did you come here?”
Pepi smirked, clearly pleased about the discomfort he
caused the other vampire. “We—my coven, I suppose you’d call it—were curious.
Nunzia, especially, thought it might be an enjoyable endeavor if it involved
tormenting terrorists or some such activity.” His lips pursed. “Plus, I thought
it might be nice to visit my first fledgling. You know how special you are to
me.”
“Yes, I have always felt so special,” Annelie
snapped, glaring at him. “When you held me down, forced immortality on me when
all I wanted to do was die. Special, my exact thought… You didn’t even have the
courtesy to heal my scars before siring me.”
“After all these millennia, that’s still the thanks I
get.” With lightning speed, Pepi was beside her, stroking her back. “You
deserved better than crucifixion, nailed to a wooden cross, rotting along the
roadside for all of Rome to see. The scars are there to remind you of your
mortal life, for you to appreciate the gift I gave you.”
Thad watched as Annelie wilted under her sire’s touch.
The mix of terror and revulsion in her topaz eyes made his chest tighten. And,
before his brain registered what his body was doing, his fist met Pepi’s face,
making the Ancient stumble backward.
Annelie inhaled a startled breath, covering her mouth.
Pepi cradled his nose as it healed and then shook blood
from his fingers. An instant later, he slammed Thad against the wall. “How dare
you lay your hands on me?” Rage burned in his eyes as he lifted the weaker
vampire by the throat. “Do you know who I am? Pepi II Neferkare. I was the
longest reigning pharaoh of Egypt, deputy of the gods on this earth during that
time, last great pharaoh of the Old Kingdom. And you are… who? Who are you to
touch me?” He banged Thad’s head against the wall hard enough to dent the
plaster.
Thad wheezed, the breath that had been knocked out of him
returning as the bass from the music below vibrated through his body like a
heartbeat. “Thaddeus P. Boyd. Kali’s personal assistant.” A grin turned the
corners of his mouth up as a tremor went through Pepi. “Ya know Kali well, don’cha?”
The Ancient’s grip eased. “Didn’ she run ya down in the middle a the night ta
sire ya?”
Pepi bared his fangs, a low hiss escaping him as his face
moved for Thad’s neck.
“Get off of him,” Annelie commanded, her voice steady as
she walked closer. “You know Kali won’t be happy if you hurt him.”
Pepi slowly released Thad, letting him slide to the
floor, then turned to her, running a hand over his head.
“Go. If you want to help in Bridget’s crusade, I can’t
stop you. Take Nunzia, your little coven—” she spat the word “—and find
her and Ajit. They’re in Egypt. You’ll feel right at home, I’m sure.”
“Indeed.” The ancient vampire straightened his
double-breasted jacket. “I had hoped this meeting would be more pleasant,
Annelie.” He turned and left without another word.
Thad rubbed the back of his head as Annelie knelt beside
him. “Thinks highly of himself, doesn’ he?”
“He could’ve killed you.”
“Yeah, well… coulda. I was more scared when I thought
Livia was gonna destroy me for makin’ out with her daughter.”
“Idiot.” Amusement laced the word.
A corner of his mouth quirked up. “I’m startin’ ta think
that’s a term of endearment from ya.”
Annelie’s face softened as she shook her head at him. She
gently tilted his chin up, the tips of her fangs peeking out from her parted
lips.
Thad raised an eyebrow at her. She’d been adamant about
not sharing her blood with him during their two years together. “Ya never… an’ I
don’ think after…” His gaze shifted from hers.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me. I haven’t truly
forgiven myself, but I’ve come to terms with who I was and what I did.” Annelie
bit her bottom lip. “Despite what I did and how it disgusts you, you stood up
to Pepi, risked your life. Let me do this.” She nuzzled his neck, then slid her
teeth through his skin before he could protest.
“Shit,” he breathed, a jolt of pleasure mixing with the
pain. His fingers wove themselves into her hair, his teeth tingling at the
thought of tasting her blood. Her hand glided up to the back of his head and
eased his mouth down to her throat, inviting him to drink. Without another
sound, he bit down. Dark chocolate and red wine flooded his mouth, healing his
bruised body as it spread through him.
*This excerpt is from S.L. Baron's brand new release 'Blood Ties'. Baron is an awesome writer, and I highly recommend her work. Please, help me in making her book launch a huge success and go grab a copy: here. While you're at it, pick up 'Vanilla Blood', the first book featuring her awesome vampire characters. Great books from a great author!
