New Release
by
J. Annas Walker
The Jewel of Darkness
Blurb:
Brandon
Thorpe and Sabrina Rivers-Thorpe have enjoyed six months of wedded bliss, but
Sabrina’s been keeping a secret. Her transformation into a vampire created a
magical disturbance in the Underworld. Now, Death is coming for what’s his.
But is
Death the only thing stalking Sabrina? Brandon and Hadrian, Sabrina’s father,
bring in Delilah, a demon, to act as detective and magical keeper. But
Sabrina’s bloodlines are unique, and magic responds to her in unpredictable
ways. Has Brandon’s efforts to keep her safe just made her a bigger, more
valuable target? Is she even a vampire at all?
To
what depths will Sabrina have to go to satisfy Death’s demands? Can she do it
using her own powers? Can Brandon find a way to keep the Underworld from
claiming Sabrina for its own? Can they even survive, if he doesn’t? What if
Death isn’t the only one looking to do her harm? In the darkness, can a single
jewel save them all?
STORY EXCERPT
Sabrina turned
her face up to the hot spray. It felt good to push the water through her long,
black hair. When finished, she gave the knobs a firm twist and reached out for
the towel. The soft pile of fluffy fabric drank up the droplets as she stepped
out of the shower. She used it as a wrap, tucking the edge in at the front to
hold it up over her breasts. A second towel found its way around her head,
twisted about her hair.
She padded over
to the sink. Steam fogged the mirror over the marble vanity, allowing her to
see an outline but no details. She started to wipe the surface clear but
thought better of it. Instead she grabbed her toothbrush and the paste.
A quick dip
through the trickle of water left on in the sink wet the brush enough to use.
The mint-flavored gel foamed quickly. Sabrina made sure to carefully work the
bristles around her fangs.
She pulled the
towel from her hair and dropped it on the floor. Tilting her head to the side,
she placed her lips under the faucet to pull water into her mouth. She rinsed
out the paste twice and turned off the tap.
Before she
could stand up, a hand reached through the mirror, grabbing a fistful of her
hair. Sabrina screamed and braced herself against the sink. The hand tried to
drag her through the rippling, silvered surface of the mirror.
A low voice
growled, “You will be mine.”
“No! Brandon,
help me!” Sabrina screamed.
Two strong
hands squeezed her shoulders and shook her hard. That was not right. He needed
to pull her to safety, not shake her up and down.
“Sabrina!
Sabrina, wake up! Come on honey, wake up,” he said.
Brandon’s voice
broke through her terror. She opened her eyes to see the serious look he wore.
Tears slid down the sides of her face. She glanced around the room to make sure
of her surroundings.
“It was just a
dream. You’re safe at home and with me,” he cooed gently.
He rolled to
one side and took her with him, cuddling her like a frightened child. Kissing
her forehead, he took an edge of the sheet and wiped away her tears. Strong
arms encircled her like a cage, pressing the side of her head to his chest.
Sabrina
listened for a heartbeat, but only silence filled the space. She sniffed back a
sob and closed her eyes. Inhaling deeply, she took in his honey-amber scent and
relaxed. The fear subsided as she found comfort in her husband’s embrace.
A knock on the
door interrupted the peace Brandon brought her. From the weight of the rap, she
knew it was her father. He joined them for breakfast most evenings. Tonight, he
came early.
“Is everything
okay? Those had better be screams of pleasure I heard,” Hadrian said through
the closed door. There was a hint of jest to his tone, but Sabrina felt certain
there was also a thinly veiled threat.
Before he chose
to become a vampire, Hadrian ruled the known world as a Roman emperor. For him,
old habits did not die hard. They never died at all.
“Yes, sir,”
Brandon called back. He nuzzled Sabrina’s cheek and kissed her again. “Do you
want to tell me about it?”
“It was so
real. My scalp is still prickling from where the hand had my hair,” she
replied.
“What were you
doing this time?”
“Brushing my
teeth. I leaned in to rinse, and someone grabbed me. I didn’t see anything but
a wrist. The mirror steamed up. I screamed for you, and then, I woke up,” she
answered, fighting back more tears.
She pulled
herself free and sat up. In the dresser’s mirror, she saw pink streaks on her
face. Her hair tumbled around her, covering her naked breasts.
Sabrina asked,
“Will it ever end?” She spoke more to her mirror self but said the thought
aloud.
Brandon sat up
with her, placing one arm around her. The other hand rested on her nearest
shoulder. He rested his forehead against the side of her head.
“You’ve been
through a lot. It’s only been six months. Give it some time,” he whispered.
“Time,” she
said. “I have plenty of that now, don’t I?”
She pushed him
back on the bed and straddled him. His bare flesh felt good between her thighs.
Lifting her arms to stretch, she brushed her hair back from her body, revealing
her breasts. The feel of the thick, blue-black curls brushing her nipples
caused them to tighten.
Brandon
grinned, flashing his fangs. “Oh, if your father wasn’t waiting, what wouldn’t
I like to do to you right now?” He traced his fingers along the tops of her
thighs to her waist. Palming her hips, he pressed her against his hardening
dick.
Sabrina
giggled.
Hadrian’s
gruff, impatient voice called back through the closed door, “Well, he is
waiting, and he doesn’t want to know the answer to that question.”
Sabrina covered
her mouth with both hands to suppress another giggle. If it had been possible,
she might have blushed. She only met her father six months ago. Although
married, she still became embarrassed at the thought of his hearing her and
Brandon.
Brandon pulled
her hands free. “Don’t hide those beautiful fangs. We’re at home and can do
anything we want to with each other. There’s nothing shameful in a man wanting
his wife.”
“You’re right,
but I suppose we should get dressed. Let’s go eat,” she agreed.
She bounded out
of bed, scooping up her robe off the floor as she did. She glanced back to find
Brandon leaned against the headboard. Staring for a moment, she took in the
sight and thought how lucky she was to have him.
His dark brown
eyes looked at her appraisingly. A wide smile spread across his face. The tip
of his tongue toyed with his fang points. Thickly corded arms folded behind his
head made him seem casual and laid-back. Broad shoulders and a sculpted chest
tapered down to washboard abs and a narrow waist. A sheet of white silk hid
everything else.
Her nipples hardened into
peaks just seeing him, knowing he belonged to her. She bit at her bottom lip
and dropped the robe. She wanted to climb back onto the bed and stay there with
him for the rest of the night.
ADULT EXCERPT
Brandon stared
down at her. A range of expression flicked across his face. Anger, desire,
curiosity, need, pain, and joy mingled to create a stern face fighting to
maintain self-control.
The primal
instinct cried out to be taken. She ran her hands up her body and over her
breasts. Giving her nipples a light roll between her thumb and forefinger, she
arched her back and gave a soft groan. Allowing her hands to drift back down,
she rubbed across her flat stomach and back up to her breasts.
“Please,” she
whispered. Inside the whisper screamed. The scream reverberated throughout her
body. She thought she might be torn apart by passion.
Brandon’s mixed
emotions seemed to dissipate with her plea. Lust filled his eyes. He stripped
off the white tee and dropped to his knees beside the bed.
The power
within pulsed through her, sending a surge of need. She parted her thighs,
inviting him between them. A trickle of nectar dripped out as she did. The
scent of adrenaline and sex perfumed the air. Cupping her breast again, she
closed her eyes.
“Please,
Brandon, put your hands on my body. Touch me. Taste me. Finger me. Fuck me. I
don’t care what you do, as long as you do it now,” Sabrina begged.
Without
warning, Brandon plunged forward. His wet tongue ran the length of her slit,
lapping the cream from her soft folds. He sucked and rolled her clit under his
tongue. Fangs pressed hard against the surrounding flesh. If he broke the skin,
she paid no attention.
The primal
power roared with triumph in her head like a lioness. Uninhibited and unforced,
it showed Sabrina what lay buried deep in her soul, a goddess who held both
light and dark magic. She craved his worship, his sex.
This man
worshiped her body. His love for her laid bare and raw in her thoughts. There
was nothing he would not do for her, nothing too precious to give. At a
command, his life force was hers for the taking. With the knowledge came a
heady high.
Brandon’s aura
became visible for a brief moment. Shades of purple and black flecked with gray
burned bright. The more she desired him, the more the shades tried to shift to
red and flecked with copper. The colors shifted, fluctuated, and faded from her
sight. For whatever reason, she lost the ability to see his aura.
She enjoyed his
licking and sucking of her soft flesh. The flick of his tongue along her pussy
brought her close to the edge of an orgasm. He slipped a finger into her slick
tunnel and applied pressure in just the right spot. A flood of juices flowed,
until she could hear him slurping to keep up. Grabbing her breasts and pinching
her nipples, she nearly cried out as he fingered her off.
Brandon pulled
back, gasping. He unbuttoned his pants and pushed them past his hips. He gripped
his stiff cock and gave it a few strokes. Pulling her to the edge of the bed,
he placed the tip of his cock against her opening. Then, he paused. His
expression shifted from wild abandon to determined and collected.
“If you want
it, you’re going to have to ask for it,” he told her. He looked down on her
with a smoldering heat. His jaw worked like it did when he fought to maintain
his self-control.
The obvious
internal struggle made her want him more. “Give it to me,” she whispered. It
was as loud as she could manage. The lioness in her head growled and paced to
be satisfied.
His aura
flickered back into her view. She noticed his aura shifted back to the shades
of purple and black. The coppery flecks and red evaporated. Whatever magical
influence she possessed waned. The lioness quieted down as it did. Unhappy, the
primal power waited, but it left Sabrina desperate for Brandon.
“You can do
better than that,” he said, teasing her pussy with the mushroom-shaped head and
pulling it back out.
She cleared her
throat, slowed her breathing, and tried again. “Please, be inside me,” she
pleaded. She meant every syllable. The lioness needed more than fingers and
tongues provided. She needed sex.
