Madam Alana
“I don’t understand. Why are my eyes blank?” I frowned while I took in the nuance of my
hollowed cheeks and the pinch of my brow as though my imaginary self was pained.
“They are not blank. They are empty.” His response was soft, alluding to a much deeper
meaning.
“And why am I holding my heart?” My voice trembled along with my bottom lip. My nose
itched and I felt the tip tingling with the telltale signal that tears would surely follow.
“You aren’t holding it, cheri. Your subconscious is offering it unceremoniously.”
My gaze snapped to the image and then back to his soulful one. “Why would I do that?” I
whispered, fearful of his answer.
“Because you don’t know its value. That’s why your eyes are empty. You know not what
you give of yourself. Soon you will understand your worth, and that image will change. I will help
you see the importance of gifting such a piece of you. A piece I intend to own and hold most
dear.”
My nose started to run, and I wiped it with the back of my hand. “I don’t understand. You
speak in velvet-coated riddles. It confuses me.”
He stared mutely at me for a full minute, the air between us palpable as though it lived and
breathed, gliding along every surface of exposed skin to tease and taunt.
“And one day, when you have let your guard down and offered your heart and soul for my
safe keeping, you will understand.”
“And if I don’t?” I challenged, not intending to ever give anyone my heart. Not the real me.
“You will.” He stared back, looking stoic and calm.
“But if I don’t? What happens then?” My voice rose, a hint of frustration clear in my
response.
His shoulders fell and he tilted his head as though resigned. “Then we will both be sad,
because we will have lost what could have been the greatest love of all time.”

Take the Bride
She studied him through lowered lashes, knowing that they hadn’t yet had the much-needed
conversation about their past. Given that she wasn’t ready to go home and face the
ramifications of a canceled wedding, they had time before they dug that deep.
But they were here together now. “You’re crazy,” she muttered.
He grinned. “Can’t say I haven’t thought the same thing myself after yesterday. But in that
moment, I couldn’t stand by and lose you forever.” He rose to his feet, picked up the tray, and
put it back on the table, returning to her side of the bed and sitting down beside her.
He grasped her hand, holding her palm in his. “I always considered you mine, even after I let
you go. I just didn’t let myself go there again.”

The Marriage Arrangement
“I don’t need to trust anyone but myself.”
Those shrewd, dark eyes glinted with intention. She leaned across the table, startling him
when she clasped his hand. Her skin was warm and rough and comforting, the touch of a
mother, nurturing and strong at the same time. “Ah, but that is a trap. We all need someone to
trust.” She paused and squinted, looking deeper into his eyes. “You have many ghosts you are
fighting, no?”
Shock kept him silent for a moment. He tried to force a laugh, but his voice got stuck. A
strange foreboding rose up from inside him, urging him to tell her the truth. “Yes,” he finally said.
“But I’ve got them under control.”
Her gaze ripped and shredded the lies away. “You and Cat seem to have a connection.”
“Yes,” he said again.
She nodded, her fingers squeezing his hard. “Then you will need to fight for her,” she said.
“Do not be afraid to love. Sometimes it’s the only thing that keeps the ghosts away. Capisce?”

Silent Bite
Oliver’s hands roamed her body, his fingers caressing her just like his tongue did. Warmth and
desire filled her, rushing through her body like a flashflood. Her entire body tingled pleasantly,
and the place between her legs hummed, yearning for a touch. His touch. His kiss. She’d never
believed that love could be like this: all consuming, passionate, while at the same time
comforting and safe. Yet she felt safe, safe with a vampire, the very creature she had once
feared. Oliver had made her forget all her fears and shown her that even a vampire could love.
She felt his love now. It burned brightly and steadily. With every touch and every kiss, she
felt it. And tonight, after the ceremony, she would feel it in his bite. His loving bite, how lovingly
and silently, he would make her his forever. How he would bestow immortality on her without
robbing her of her humanity. How he would make himself vulnerable because once they blood-
bonded, Oliver could only feed off her. His body would reject all other blood. In fact, it would
make him violently ill if he ever drank blood other than hers.
For a vampire to bond himself to a human required ultimate trust. She felt that trust between
them.