In Too Deep Blog Hop (Review & Excerpt)

Blurb:

Gracie has just finished her freshman year of college in Memphis when she takes a job at a local pizza joint in her home town of McKenzie, Tennessee. She is the epitome of innocence when she meets Noah. Noah is unabashedly handsome, intriguingly reckless and just cocky enough to be sexy. Gracie’s instincts tell her to stay far away from him and based on the stories she hears from her co-workers he leaves broken hearts in his wake. But still, she can’t explain her fascination with him.

Noah puts aside his bad boy ways when what he thought was a summer crush has him unexpectedly falling in love. But soon after Gracie transfers to UT Knoxville to be with Noah, their unexpected love becomes riddled with anger, deceit and humiliation.

Jake, Noah’s former roommate and Gracie’s best friend, can no longer be a bystander. Gracie’s world falls out from beneath her and when she breaks she turns to Jake for strength. As Jake talks her through a decision she’s not yet strong enough to make, together they uncover a truth so ugly neither of them is prepared for its fallout. Will Jake pull her to the surface or is Gracie Jordan finally In Too Deep?

My Review

4.5

((All the emotional aspects make up for Gracie's tendency to make me want to slap her. I know girls like her. Once I may have been similar to her))

Gracie is drowning.

I wondered what it felt like to hold on to someone you knew wouldn't let you go-Gracie

Come on, we've all been there. That moment when you think you have everything under control, that you really can handle everything that's going on regardless of the flashing warning signs going off around you. Still, you try to deny it, to hold on to what you wish was really happening versus what's really going on. It's no different for Gracie in In Too Deep. The title and blurb caught my attention and I knew I had to read it. I loved the cover and everything the photo represents. In Too Deep tore me to pieces and had me struggling to contain my emotions. All three of the characters we're so distinct and broke my heart in different ways. Even though sometimes I wanted to deck Gracie or shake her, I could honestly relate and for me, that took the story to a completely different level. Now, I understand how my best friend felt back then when I was kind of like Gracie.

I love the way Michelle developed all the characters and was able to create such vivid and dynamic relationships with her debut novel. Things didn't just effect Gracie but rather the entire cast was dealing with their own fears, doubt and insecurities weighing them down. Turning the page became almost like an addiction because I had to know what happened next or if anyone was going to feel better. There's so much hope inside the pages that I almost couldn't stand it when I thought maybe there wasn't going to be the ending I had hoped for. Michelle did a great job depicting Gracie and I appreciated that she was a struggling student in her early twenties which helped me connect with Gracie, making her more realistic. The story isn't all hearts and butterflies, it has a raw intensity that takes the reader from hopeless to hopeful. If you're looking for an amazing read that will tug on your heartstrings and make you face or think of things you haven't before, then I'd definitely recommend In Too Deep to you. This isn't for someone looking for a fairy tale or anything equally as sweet. This is a gritty, raw, emotional read that in the end, you'll need a few moments of silence to let everything begin to set in.

Excerpt

My phone buzzed.

Jake: Gracie?

I turned off my phone. The doorbell rang before I even had a chance to feel guilty for not answering. I threw the covers over my head and lay there, eyes wide open. It rang again.Can someone please get the door? I’m too busy feeling sorry for myself to get up.

Ding dong.

I groaned as I pulled myself from under the covers and flung my legs off the edge of my bed. The UPS man was going to get an eyeful because I didn’t even have the energy to pull my sleep pants on. The super huge t-shirt I wore to bed was longer than some skirts I had. I would just have to reach around the opened door, sign something on his little clipboard and throw the package on the hall table before jumping right back into bed. No one was home. I could have slept all day. Stupid delivery guy.

But when I rounded the corner into the foyer, I could see Noah through the side window to the right of the door. My heart slammed its next beat so hard I was sure someone standing in front of me would have seen my ribcage lunge forward.

“What do you want?” I said the words on my side of the window. He didn’t need to hear me, he had to be expecting something like that. He knew I wouldn’t be happy to see him. I was pissed that he was at my door. Flashes of my birthday night coursed through my mind one by one. I winced and squeezed my eyes closed hoping to wring the images from my head.

“Gracie, I know you don’t want to open the door, but I need you to listen to what I have to say.” He was talking louder than he needed to for me to hear him. I was instantly annoyed. I shuddered.

“So talk.” If I kept a locked door between us, I could walk away whenever I’d had enough.

“Can I please come in?”

“No.”

“Okay, I’ll talk through a window if that’s the only way you’ll listen.” He waited a couple seconds like he thought I’d have a change of heart and open the door. When he saw that was not in his cards, he started talking. I leaned my forehead against the cool glass and watched his lips form words that proved introspection, self-awareness and a level of thought so deep I could do nothing but hold my breath and wish he wasn’t doing this to me.

“Gracie. I haven’t had a solid example of how to show love or how to accept it. At least not the depth of love you are willing to give. I don’t know how to reciprocate that without feeling terrified. I never expected to fall so hard for you. I never thought I could love someone so hard it hurt. But I can. I do.

“Gracie. When you look at me and I know you can see all the way into my soul, my first instinct is self-preservation. I instinctively push you away so you won’t climb deeper into me. Your heart is so big, Gracie, it could swallow me whole, and that scares the shit out of me because I shouldn’t be worthy of that kind of love. I don’t deserve you. I guess in a twisted sort of way, I push you away to save you.”

The window steamed from the warm breath escaping between my lips. I remembered the conversation I had with my mom. She said only if it was of their own volition could someone truly make a change. I couldn’t believe what was happening in front of me. A huge part of me didn’t want it to be happening because Noah and I proved to be a disaster. I knew I couldn’t handle one more blow from him. My sanity was already climbing the walls. But, as if they had minds of their own, one hand turned the deadbolt and the other opened the door. Cool air across my thighs reminded me I was still only in a t-shirt. I motioned for Noah to follow me back to my room. I needed to put more clothes on so he didn’t ruin his heart-felt apology by making a move on me. He sat on my bed and I pulled sweats off the hook on the back of my door and slid myself inside them. I sat down next to him. He took my hands in his.

“I am head over heels in love with you, Gracie. I have been since the night you kissed me after the fireworks. I’ve always thought that shock between our lips was a sign that you were the one. I’m terrified of that. If I let myself truly feel the level of love I know we are capable of, then what happens if you leave me? I don’t know how to handle that kind of pain. I am sure I’ve never felt something that severe.”

“Noah, you just described what you have done to me, over and over and over. You have split my heart wide open so many times because, unlike you, I don’t know how to guard my heart. I opened it to you almost two years ago, and I’ve been giving you all I have ever since. I can’t turn it off, I don’t know how. So, when you pierce me with your hateful words, the pain is palpable. It takes me to my knees.” There was no holding back the tears. I didn’t even try to. I was done walking on eggshells. Again.

That’s when he did something I never thought I’d see. He fell into my lap and cried like a baby. I had taken all the pain he had inflicted on me and threw it straight to his heart before he had the chance to get that wall back up.

About the Author

Michelle Kemper Brownlow has been a storyteller her entire life. Her debut was on the high school cheerleading bus granting requests to re-tell her most embarrassing moments for a gaggle of hysterical squadmates.
Earning her Bachelor’s degree from Penn State University in Art Education and then marrying her very own “Jake,” she moved to Binghamton, NY where she taught high school. After having two children she quit work and finished her Master’s degree in Elementary Education at Binghamton University.
The Brownlow family of four moved to Michelle’s hometown of Morgantown, PA while the children were still quite young. A few years after moving, her family grew by one when they welcomed a baby into their home through the gift of adoption. The family still resides in PA, just miles from where that high school cheer bus was parked.
Michelle has been an artist for as long as she can remember, always choosing pencils and crayons over toys and puzzles. As a freelance illustrator, her simple characters play the starring roles in numerous emergent reader books published by Reading Reading Books.
“Writing is my way of making sense of the world. When I give my characters life on the pages I write, it frees up space in my mind to welcome in new stories that are begging to be told,” says Brownlow.

Extras

IN TOO DEEP hit three genre-specific best seller lists on Amazon the day before its release.

IN TOO DEEP’s sequel, ON SOLID GROUND, will be released sometime in December 2013.

Easy tag line: The day he said, “I love you” should have been the day she said, “Goodbye.”

Sapphire Star Publishing: http://www.sapphirestarpublishing.com/michellekemperbrownlow

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My blog: http://michellekemperbrownlow.blogspot.com

Twitter: MK_Brownlow

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Reconnaissance Excerpt, Spotlight and Guest Post

Info on Book 1 -Colonization can be found here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15769793-colonization

Synopsis (Reconnaissance)

Nova Williams has lost her one shot at Lieutenant hood and at love. Lieutenant Crophaven has promoted her rival, Andromeda, all because her lifemate, Sirius, sacrificed their mission to win back Andromeda’s love.

While sneaking out to prove Andromeda is a fake, Nova finds an alien ship hovering over their colony. Lieutenant Crophaven assigns her to a reconnaissance mission, giving her a second chance to redeem herself. Sirius must fly her and a research team to the vessel to decide if they are a threat. Thrown together with the lifemate that betrayed her, she battles with her own jealousy while her team battles for their lives.

Can she forgive Sirius in order to save her team and warn her colony?

Excerpt

A drone, as deep and low as the growl of a primordial beast, resonated in my gut and I yanked my hand away. My heart sped like someone had fired a starter gun to a race, and my chest tightened until I couldn’t breathe.

That blaring blasphemy wasn’t from my ship.

The sound tapered off, leaving me in silence. I stared at the bones, wondering if I’d imagined it, or if I should hide here in the ruins in case the sound came back.

What am I doing? I’m a team expedition leader, for crying out loud!

I pulled myself back together. Everyone else was attending the ceremony on the ship. The thick hull, designed to protect us from deep space, blocked all sounds from the outside world. I was the only one who would have heard it. The only one who could investigate. I thought about going back for help, but every second I delayed, the source of the sound could disappear. Besides, I didn’t want the credit taken away from me. Not this time.

I scrambled to the window and climbed over the ledge, throwing myself down so fast my ankles exploded in pain. Cursing, I hobbled up the embankment of the excavation site. The sound boomed around me, vibrating the crystals underneath my feet. I fell to my knees and covered my ears. It reminded me of warping metal, growling monsters, and screeching alarms all at the same time.

The sound came from the jungle. I pulled myself up the incline and peered over the edge. A dry, fiery breeze blew my hair back, and I looked above the rustling canopy.

My heart stammered then beat into a frenzy. A massive ring of a ship, twice as large as the New Dawn, hovered over the jungle. Spires jutted from the top and the bottom, like a two-sided pin cushion. Blinking reddish lights adorned the ends. The hull was a dull gray shield of impenetrable metal with no sight panels or markings of any kind.

The buzzing sound made my eardrums throb. I pressed my nose up against the crystal ledge and peered over as my whole body shook. The lowest spire, thick as a nuclear reactor, lengthened from the belly of the ship until the tip hovered a meter from the jungle canopy. A trap door opened, and a beam of white light seared a hole in the foliage. The smell of burnt vines choked my throat, and I cowered against the side of the ledge.

I have to warn the ship.

Links-

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17458109-reconnaissance

Inkspell Publishing: http://www.inkspellpublishing.com/1/post/2013/02/cover-reveal-reconnaissance-book-2-of-paradise-reclaimed-by-aubrie-dionne.html

Click read more to see why Aubrie chose the title Reconnaissance and enter the giveaway! 

NJ Cole Spotlight

Midnight Caller

by NJ Cole

Synopsis

Rebecca Summers enjoys pleasing herself with the curtains open. When a mysterious stranger calls to tell her that he is watching, fantasy becomes reality as she begins to perform for him. Following his instructions over the phone while he watches from afar, she finds herself craving more.
Oliver Durant has always been drawn to humans to exert the dominance and control his kind needs to feel alive. While secretly observing her and calling nightly, he can’t seem to get enough of Rebecca, whom he refers to as butterfly. His urges with her are stronger than the need to dominate, as he is driven to possess her in every way.
Both of their worlds are turned upside down when they finally meet and she agrees to enter into a Dominant/submissive relationship with her Midnight Caller.

Excerpt

There I was, nearly twenty-four hours after the mysterious phone call, lying in bed with my favorite toy at my fingertips. I masturbated almost every night. Though I didn't always pleasure myself in the same way or use the same toy, I usually did it in my bed with my curtains wide open. I guess you could say I was a bit of an exhibitionist. I lived on the fourteenth floor of a large apartment building where the western wall was entirely made of glass. Now, I wasn’t crazy. Though I liked to fuck with the curtains wide open, I kept my lights off. I could see out, but no one could see in. It was erotic, yet safe.
The first time it happened was an accident, really. I’d been sitting in the living room reading a romantic novel, and my hand slipped up into my shirt. My fingers lazily played with my nipple, rubbing and gently tugging while I read. I wasn’t sure how long I was like that, but when I looked up, it had grown dark outside and I realized that anyone could see right into my apartment since I had the lights on.
I pulled my hand quickly from my top and glanced around nervously to see if any of the people in the apartment building across the street had seen me. As I scanned the apartments, I saw a man quickly turn and look away. There was an obvious bulge in his sleep pants.
I should have been upset, mortified even, but instead, I felt wetness gather between my legs. I ran to the shower to wash away my shameful response, but ended up pleasuring myself under the scalding water, imagining him jerking off to the sight of me masturbating.
For weeks after that, I’d imagine different guys watching me finger fuck myself while I was in the shower. I imagined being a stripper at a club where men would get aroused by my dancing. Hell, I even imagined being in one of those peep show rooms I had read about, where women have sex and men pay to keep the curtain open. I imagined it all.
Yet imagining wasn’t enough, and though I didn’t have the courage to actually do it, I compromised by masturbating with the curtains open and the lights off. I knew in theory that people couldn’t see me, but I could see them, and that was hot.
I’d been doing it for over a year now, and I loved it each and every time. That guy I’d seen the first time had moved out a while back, but it didn’t matter; it was the idea that someone—a complete stranger—could be watching me that got me off.
As I lay there thinking about all the people in the apartments across the boulevard from mine, I let my hand slip up inside my top. What if the call last night hadn’t been a wrong number? My nipple got hard beneath my fingertips at the mere thought. What if there had been a man actually spying on me? I gave my sensitive skin a gentle tug. What if he was looking at me now? I tugged harder, moaning in pleasure.
It had been over two years since I'd had a boyfriend, and at that time, I had no idea what I liked in bed.
Since then, I'd learned a lot about what I liked from pleasuring myself. One thing that I seemed to love was a bit of pain with my pleasure.
My other hand moved lower and slipped in between my slick folds. I groaned in pleasure. I wasn't surprised that my fingers found my clit slightly swollen, or that within a minute, it was throbbing. Like I said, I knew what I liked, and imagining that man—my midnight caller—watching me was definitely helping.
My fingers picked up the pace, and the gentle rubbing of my clit turned to rapid flicking and finally to rough tugging of the over sensitive bud. I grabbed for my toy and turned it on. Without playing around, I thrust it into my dripping pussy. I began pounding it into myself, causing my back to arch and a light perspiration to cover my skin. I felt my climax start to build, and I slowed my pace to drag it out a bit longer. After a few more torturous minutes, I fell over the edge.
I lay there panting with a cheesy grin on my face, enjoying the post orgasmic high. Lazily, I glanced over at the phone. See, nothing to worry about. Just as the thought popped into my head, the phone began to ring.
I considered not picking it up, but I wasn’t a coward. I took a deep breath, slowly picked up the receiver and brought it to my ear.
"That was beautiful, butterfly."
“Wait, who is this?" I yelled into the phone.
I heard a chuckle and then a click.
"Hello…hello?”
I sat there staring at the phone for a full minute before I moved. My mind, which had been numb, began to race. This was not a wrong number. It was too coincidental. Someone was watching me, or listening to me! I ran to my window and drew the curtain closed. My heart was racing in my chest, and despite the fact that I had always fantasized about someone watching me, now that it seemed like it was happening, I was scared. Yet it thrilled me, too. Much to my surprise, I realized that the wetness between my thighs had increased since my orgasm, not decreased.

**So if you're like me and wishing there was more to the excerpt above or even just another one included, I advise you go go scope out NJ Cole's debut book at the following links! (You know I show Indies all the love)

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Paperback

About NJ Cole

NJ Cole is a witty, mid-western girl with a kinky side. She works by day and writes by night, all while being a mother to her wonderful boys and serving her Sir. Unlike many of today’s authors, she chooses to write in first person, allowing the readers to experience life through the eyes of the unique characters that live in her head. Her love of those characters and respect for their stories come through loud and clear in her writing. With over two million reads of her online work in the past six months, NJ Cole is clearly an up and coming author.

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The Star Release Day Blitz

Date: June 3, 2013

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

There will be a touring in the end of June for The Star as well.

Book Description:

Abbii had been afraid of the dark for four long years. She hated the eerie silence that filled the night.

She would often try to forget by closing her eyes at night, but she would always be met by dreams of Shadows that would attack her, dragging her into the Darkness. Most nights, she would simply lie there with her bedding wrapped tightly around her, staring at the light coming in through her window, hoping that she would drift off into a dreamless sleep.

Ever since that day four years ago, the dark had frightened her; she had thought it would be a curse throughout the whole of her life, but something changed when she met him.

The dark seemed to lose its power and the moon’s light brightened.

Her dreams didn’t stop; nightmares still stole her sleep, but there was always a figure of Light that would save her and allow her to wake.

He said the same thing every night in her dreams. Keep fighting, Abbii.

She thought that he was part of her imagination, someone that she had created to save her, until she met him and was drawn into his bright hazel eyes.

His name was Nate.

Excerpt:

“I have faith in you, Abbii…”

Inhaling a breath, she allowed her fear to subside as she concentrated. She laid her empty hand by the side of Nate’s wound, feeling the warmth of skin spark against her own, and then poured the bottle with no further delay.

Nate’s body tensed and he clenched his hands into fists. No sound left his lips, but it was obvious that the pain was overwhelming. Abbii watched the alcohol mix with his blood, allowing it to grow thin until little blood actually remained. Taking hold of the towel from Nate’s grasp, she wiped his wound to clean the surrounding skin, and then repeated the wash with liquor. She placed the bottle on the floor and then wiped the wound clean for a second time, moving closer to examine it.

Pleased that it had been cleaned, Abbii took hold of the needle and thread, biting off as much as she needed. Threading the needle, she extended her hand, hovering it over Nate’s side. He had grown quiet, but Abbii could see that he was still awake; she could sense that he would lose consciousness soon if his wound was not sealed correctly.

She lowered her hand but stopped as something caught her attention. Ignoring the fact that her hand was shaking, Abbii could see a glisten of light at the tip of each of her fingers. Placing the needle and thread next to Nate, Abbii focused onto her hand, realising that she could sense her powers.

I wonder…

She glanced at the window to see that little light was visible due to the layer of snow which fell from the sky. The lamp at her side was also giving little light, as only its aura was lit and not the actual light itself. Abbii wondered how her powers had appeared without a specific source of energy fuelling them, but it took her only a moment to let the thought pass. Placing her one hand flat against Nate’s skin, so that his wound was between her thumb and index finger, she then moved her opposite directly above Nate’s injury.

“What are you doing?” Nate stirred, trying to see Abbii’s movements.

She ignored him and kept her hand against his skin. “Let me try,” she whispered.

Nate lay back down, proving that he had heard Abbii’s reply. The warmth from his body seemed to increase all of a sudden, but Abbii presumed it was due to the fact that her own skin had increased in temperature, and not Nate’s. As she moved towards his side, the light at her fingertips brightened until her whole hand shone like a star. She watched as the light seemed to fill Nate’s wound, soothing it with small shockwaves of energy.

Her fingertips lay against his skin which brightened her magic further. An image of Nate’s face appeared in her mind as she watched his wound start to heal ever so slightly, but she took no notice of it, and instead focused her concentration. Nate’s skin started to move, regenerating its wounded layers at a steady pace. Abbii started to feel light-headed, but she ignored the feeling and kept her magic bright. The deepest parts of Nate’s injury had been healed, but the top layers of his skin were still torn.

“You can stop now.” Nate tried to sit up, but Abbii would not allow him.

“I can do this,” she whispered.

Giving her no choice this time, Nate pushed himself to sit upright, grabbing hold of Abbii’s glowing hand tightly. As soon as his skin came into contact with her hand, she lost her balance and leaned against his shoulder. She found it hard to catch her breath and fatigue seemed to consume her; it had been a whole day since Abbii had slept.

“Rest, Abbii,” Nate soothed, stroking her hair away from her face.

Mini Excerpt 

He grabbed a broken chair which lay on the floor, using his foot to break off one of its metal legs. Once it was free, he lunged forwards and stabbed the creature’s heart, feeling a strange surge of energy reverberate through the metal. The sensation caused his hand to spasm, but the creature fell to the ground, dead.

Max leaned against his thighs, trying to catch his breath. “What was that?”

Allowing the warmth of his magic to envelop his hand, Nate felt the vibrations from the metal stop. He glanced around the room to see something he had not expected. “It was human.”

Looking up in response to his statement, Max followed his gaze, concentrating on the far wall of the room. The black substance from outside had consumed its whole surface and a body was in the centre, a human body. Though its features had changed slightly, the two men could sense that magic pulsed through the victim’s skin.

 “Is that how they make a Shadow?”

Nate elongated his blink. “No, that’s how they make a Forgotten. A magic user accepts the Darkness and undergoes their transformation.” As he spoke, a strange image formed in his mind. He saw a figure being consumed by the black substance of the Shadows, a young man with powers. Nate felt drawn to him.

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 About the Author

I was born in England in the West Midlands in 1991 where I am still currently living, growing up alongside one younger and three older brothers.

Books and writing was an interest that I began to develop from the first years of secondary school, and on my thirteenth birthday, I began to plan and design the idea to write a fantasy novel. I finished secondary school with high GCSE’s and then went on into further education to study English and all aspects of art and design. After six years of writing, planning and overall editing of the book, it was successfully completed, containing over 82,000 words, and self published in the first week of 2011.

With high expectations in myself, I immediately began to write a second novel in the series, while keeping my art and design a part of the process. The achievement of completing the first novel ‘Purest Light,’ allowed the ideas of the second to flow much easier and it was completed by early 2012. As I was writing the third and final book, New Beginnings, at the same time, the series was finished by its publication in 2013.

Writing is now a part of my everyday and I have started on my newest project, The Star, which is also planned to be the first of three. Only time will tell.

Morgan Jane Featured Author

So today, on this wonderful Tuesday I have a sneak peek at Morgan Jane's upcoming series Sanguis City. You heard me right. There's an entire chapter to read if you keep scrolling!!! I know, it's okay to be excited!

Sanguis City

Book Blurb

Ever wonder what happens after the world ends?

Lilanoir Rue did. A mere by product of the destruction, she never knew what happened before hand either. Banished from the only place she called home, the Human Reservation, she wipes her tears and never looks back.
In a world gone dead, life has never been so good, for some. While others live in chaos, the chosen call Sanguis City home. The rich and powerful found a way to survive The End and to enjoy every minute of it, for eternity. On the brink of a gruesome death from starvation, disease or a hungry mutant, humans flock to sell their blood for peace.
The city of blood, made for and by vampires welcomes Noir, her kind are in high demand. Neither Human nor Vampire, Bleeders take care of the city in the daylight. Draining humans by day and dating Vampires at night leaves Noir little time to think about her past, or much else, until it finds her.
After three years in the city, Noir's life is finally on the right track. But when she falls for her new Professor, an Authentic Vampire, she also falls into a web of nightmares. Unable to escape painful memories, she uncovers more than her own secrets. Some secrets just won't stay dead and others are bound to kill her before finals week.

Excerpt 

**subject to change upon release**

I dated a few bleeders and a few vampires in the last three years. All complete mistakes. They weren't much different than the boys on the human reservation, after they got the prize, it was all down hill from there. Aubrey was the first vampire I didn't have sex with immediately. I thought about the Aubrey I had fell for, he hadn't been cold at all. Being in this city had changed him. I remember seeing him the first day of General Human Studies class. He was new to the University, I heard that he transferred from up North. It was if he scanned the whole class for my eyes and locked on them for the whole lecture. I kept a constant close lipped smile on my face, obedient and listening. The girl next to me smacked her gum and rocked her feet checking her nails but I was being watched. After class I tried to file out of the building in the crowd but I kept hearing my name.

“Noir, hey, isn't that you?” A random student asked me and I turned around to see the new Professor calling my name. I halted, nearly causing a dozen others to trip over me. Embarrassment spread through my face and my cheeks felt hot.

“Noir, is it?” I nodded smiling. “This is a Senior class, and you are a Junior. Can you explain to me how you made it onto my roster?” He was calling me out. I gave myself a mental slap. I had imagined he was attracted to me, he was at least overly friendly during the lecture.

“Keanton, the professor of this class last year gave me a special permission.” I looked down at my feet briefly and back up to his pale blue eyes. He wasn't too much taller than me, but I felt like I needed to look up. “Because he thought I would have something to add,” I shrugged uncomfortably. I knew I already stuck out like a weed in a rosebush. Of course, this new professor would know something was different.

“Meaning?” He prompted as he searched me up and down, pausing at the neck and the hips and back up. I had seen it a thousand times, it meant he was checking me out.

I fought the urge to cover myself, not that I wasn't used to it by now. “Didn't he leave a note or something? We applied for schedules last year, I really don't want to change,” I almost whined.

“That won't be necessary, I am merely curious,” Aubrey said quickly as he urged me to walk along with him toward the doors.

Curiosity, one of a vampires biggest faults, I thought. “I grew up on the reserve with humans. The one in North Carolina, the old Cherokee one,” I explained. “But I don't see why it matters, every Bleeder here in the city grew up around humans too, they're all over the place.”

“Yes, but humans here pay the price, they eat what they are told, work were they are told, you take their blood once a month, a vampire says jump and they say how high,” he spoke over his shoulder as he escorted the final students out of the huge auditorium. The door closed.

“Yes, I know, the humans that raised me didn't take shit from anyone. And they really, really don't want to take orders from vampires,” I said waiting to see his reaction. Some of the vampire Professors didn't want this spoken of at all, they would dismiss me right away and I would get a note in my box saying I need to think before I speak or something.

Aubrey laughed, “I know now why Keanton wanted your company. Meet me in an hour for drinks?” He stepped in close with his hands on his hips and looked around like he didn't have time for this.

My back touched the door. I put my books between my chest and him. “Sure. Where?”

“Dante's just off Main, on Fourth Street. Do you know the place?”

“Yeah, an hour.” Nerves made me, of all people weak, but I found the strength to push the heavy door open and almost stumbled into the night.

What the hell was I thinking? Clair dolled me up in one of her skin tight black dresses, she was two sizes smaller than me. My breasts were spilling out. “I look like a whore,” I told her as I fixed my hair. It was a ginger red and recently layered. I curled it under but one strand kept poking out.

“That's the point, everyone at Dante's looks the part,” she giggled.

I knew and I hated it, the vampires loved a theme. I applied my makeup one shade darker so I wouldn't be turned away. You couldn't go from place to place at night in this town in the same outfit. Dante's, of course, was Hell and I had never been. My mama told me about Hell and the thought of going there to party was not something I fancied. Plus, there was a strict dress code. I hated dressing up unless it was my idea.

“The heels!” Clair reminded me and I stepped in. Clair was bubbly and happy all the time. It gave me a head ache.

“Off to high class Hell,” I said under my breath as I grabbed the small clutch Clair lent me.

“You have to go, Noir, a professor asked you and you said yes. If you didn't want to, you should have said no and switched your schedule,” Clair beamed with the ability to say anything cheerfully.

I took a deep breath, “Of course I am going,” I gave Clair my best effort and smiled.

It was January and cold, I pulled my black trench coat around me tight as I made my way down the street. The bus had taken forever, it was Friday and this part of downtown was packed. I was late. It was Vampire rush hour, or happy hour by the number of bars. Industrial music thumped as I showed the bouncer my hand. I watched it glow as he waved his scanner over it. He was a vampire, probably an ex wrestler because all the Accidents, people turned by the cure, stayed as thin and frail as they were on their death beds, forever. “Take it off, sweetheart,” he demanded and I slipped my coat off and twirled.

Inside Dante's was dark, darker than normal which meant it was a Vampire favorite. My eyes would adjust a little but I almost walked right by him. I shook from a shiver, I wondered what he was doing to me. What was his special vampire trait? We all had something that made us unique but an Authentic like Aubrey would have a power ten times better than mine. I filed away the fact that, as much as I tried, I couldn't get any straight answers about the Real Vampires.

Aubrey stood as I took my seat. He was dressed in a straight cut leather jacket over more black. I looked around at the crowd and was thankful he wasn't wearing spikes and chains. “Noir, is it?” He asked in my ear before I sat opposite of him at a small bistro table. This bar didn't serve food of any kind, even if it was advertised as a take-out place. The flame in the oil candle in the middle of our table danced and illuminated him in a spooky way. Aubrey lit a cigarette. Yes, vampires could smoke, drink and do drugs, even if those things didn't affect them like it affected us.

I smiled without showing my fangs, because showing fangs would be a sure sign I wanted more. Then I spoke loud enough to hear myself over the music, “Yeah, unofficially Lilanoir Rue,” I put out my hand and brought it back. “I know, people don't do that anymore. Germs.”

“And what does a Vampire have to fear from, Germs?” Aubrey shouted back.

“I know, right?” I said casually before I straightened.

Aubrey smiled briefly then his face returned to politely waiting.

“Yes, it is Noir,” I finally gave in.

“Aubrey,” he said reaching for my hand and I gave him an awkward finger shake. It was customary to tell a vampire your name, your official name before starting any private conversation. Weird, but I should have been used to it by now. It essentially meant we were speaking as equals, unlike our words in class. He scooted his seat close to mine. “So Noir, what brought you to Sanguis City?”

I could finally hear him, I didn't have to shout. Maybe that's why he closed the gap? I tried to act natural when his arm went around my back. I expected this was going to be the normal interrogation all the teachers put me through until his thumb brushed my bare shoulder. Something in me shifted and I found myself even more attracted to him. “You first,” I said full of confidence, I could play the game. If I was to give into him and answer, without anything first, I would be treated just like Jef treated poor Savy. A vampire only treated you as well as you demanded.

Aubrey's face had the character I associated with an old Vampire but he didn't look a day over twenty-five. You would never know he was undead, nothing stood out. Pale but no more than your average white man. Imperfect white teeth, no fangs like mine. His would only come out when he needed them too. Neither long, nor short for a guy, his dark hair covered his eyes for a moment when he moved. Aubrey hesitated and drew his eyebrows together, his blue eyes studied me. They were beautiful but wouldn't break me. I didn't waver but waited. He leaned back in his chair and gestured, a waitress appeared. She was a Bleeder dressed as a devil, complete with horns and a tail. “What do you drink?” Aubrey asked me while returning her smile.

“Mascato, please,” I told the barmaid, not him, thinking that wine was a good choice.

“Morgan, on the rocks,” Aubrey told her and suddenly I was craving Rum. “New York isn't what it used to be.”

“Oh,” he had answered my question. “I heard... Zombies.” The elixir that turned humans into Vampires had once sold to the highest bidder until the Authentic Vampires put a stop to it. Now people were producing copy cat drugs trying to become immortal.

Aubrey laughed, “They're not zombies, there is no such thing. These things are way too fast.” I almost choked, I had heard that line before. He laughed again. “Unless you count that drug,” I nodded and laughed a little too, I knew all about that. I shook my head trying to forget.

Aubrey told me that New York has taken the longest to fall and will eventually be built back up like Sanguis City. In the three years I have been here, I learned that the New Vampires had taken over the world. But what else do you expect when the wealthiest, most powerful people could buy immortality, strength, lethality? The Authentic Vampires had opened up Pandora's box giving human scientists a supposedly dormant virus to save them. The vampires had no idea that it was their vampire DNA that humans were really after.

The brunette in red leather strutted back over to sit down our drinks on napkins. Aubrey pressed real money into her bosom. I didn't know anyone still used cash, but he had just come from outside the city. Aubrey immediately held his drink to his nose and sniffed. “Ah, this is why I am here, you can't get a good drink anywhere but here anymore.” He held it up swirling the glass.

“We didn't have much to drink on the reservation, only what we could grow, herbal tea and honey, milk,” I started.

“Real milk, that's something you just can't get anymore.” Aubrey finished his drink as I started sipping my wine. “But what about you, the world is falling apart and you leave one of the most heavily armed, healthiest, purest places?” He shook his head.

“Where else could I have gone,” I pointed at my fangs. “They didn't want me anymore.” I looked away toward the crowd dancing.

“So you never met a vampire until when, when did you leave?” Aubrey rested his chin on his fist truly fascinated.

“When I was Eighteen.” Leaving out the part about Jack, of course and Sander, I had too many secrets. “My mother said it was where I should go. The city the vampires built,” I lied while imagining my mother saying it.

“And your father, did he approve of sending you to the the City of Blood?”

“Dead,” I answered simply. I had no feelings about it one way or the other, he had died from the plague before I was born, like a lot of people.

“And you never saw a vampire until you got here? Amazing.”

I let him answer his own question, then added, “If you don't count the movies. But I have had fangs all my life, it is not like I didn't know Vampires existed.” I lit one of his cigarettes, if you can't beat them and all. Yes, Sanguis City was just like an old movie to me.

“So, you didn't grow up in the dark? It's dark upstate now, real dire conditions.”

I looked around at the neon illuminating the bar at the edges. “No, I am lucky, we had electricity for a few hours every night. Off the grid, of course,” I said a little too proud. My mother had only been invited to the town, pregnant and widowed because she was an Engineer. Then it hit me, a feeling of guilt. Charmed by a handsome man stroking my back, I wasn't being careful. Telling vampires about the reserve was something I did willingly all the time but never the specifics. Life at the reservation was all about survival. We were walled off from the world, by actual wall or by mountain. 56,000 acres of the Qualla Boundary was protected by armed guards, tanks, helicopters, you name it! Even after what happened, I was not about to betray them by giving out too much information.

Before he could ask me another question, I smiled at him showing my fangs. That usually shut Vampires up. Besides I felt comfortable, he was laughing, no one seemed to laugh anymore. No man I had gone out with had ever put his arm around me, like they were just happy to be with me. Aubrey's eyes shifted from my fangs to my cleavage and back to my eyes. He motioned for more drinks and his hand went lower down my back. I arched my back a smidgen in response to his cool touch. I placed my hand on his leg in response and he moved into to me, lightly kissing my lips. It was instant, I wanted him. The moment he locked eyes with me in class, I imagined him kissing me. His cool lips gave way for his forceful tongue to explore my mouth and I melted into his hold. The hand that had been stroking my back moved up to steady my head as he assaulted my mouth. And my hands ran up under his jacket. I could feel his firm body under his cotton tee. Aubrey's other hand went to my hair and placed it behind my ear, his finger ran down my neck and down the curve of my bosom. I literally fought for air, he didn't need to breath but he pulled back. His fangs were out and he looked at my neck longing.

“Not here,” I responded in a whisper. I had never done it in public before, let someone bite me. Yes, Dante's did take out, meaning Aubrey could drink from me at the table. My legs were trembling as he pulled me to stand. He grabbed my coat and purse and quickly but carefully maneuvered us through the crowd.

The cold air hit me and brought me back to reality. Boy, was I easy. I was hot and bothered and he could just be wanting some lunch. “Wait, where are we going?” I stopped just outside the club.

Aubrey's hand was on my elbow. “You said you wanted, privacy.” He motioned toward the street, a black car.

No one drove anymore, only the very well off, or very powerful. No one had access to the gasoline and the solar powered things that passed for cars in this town were rarer than diamonds. We were lucky we had the bus. “You drive?” I asked still astonished.

“How do you think I got here from New York?” He answered as he put me inside. He shut the door to go to the other side. I was suddenly nervous, all the men I had dated had lived at the dorms, except Jack. Here I was getting in a car with my Professor going somewhere so he could bite me, and that was just the beginning of it.

Aubrey got in the car and reached around me to buckle my seat belt. I grabbed the belt from him and clicked it. “I've been in a car before,” I mumbled.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I can even drive stick,” I said seductively, knowing he would get the reference and appreciate the innuendo.

He laughed and I burst out laughing as well. Not one Bleeder would have laughed at that. He grabbed my knee with his hand, “You are rare, Noir, a breath of fresh air.”

We drove further into the city, to the parking garage of a tall tower. Aubrey took my hand and led me to the elevator. “I just moved in,” he said simply as he threw off his jacket onto the couch and I didn't have time to look around before he kissed me again, backing me into his bedroom. My hands found his shoulders and I realized that Aubrey wasn't Jack, a spoiled horny teenager. He wasn't all the others I had dated either, the Bleeders and New Vampires at my dorm. Aubrey was old, ancient for all knew. This was a man, my stomach started to flip.

My nerves, he could hear it in my heartbeat, he pulled back and whispered, “You have done this before?”

I looked around briefly, the walls were bright white and all the furniture silvers and blues.“Can't you tell?” I said coyly, using humor to calm myself as usual. I sat on the bed and slipped off my horrible heels. My feet felt the ice cold floor of stainless steel. I knew he couldn't tell if I was a virgin but I had asked a few vampires in the beginning to their amusement.

Aubrey slipped off his shoes as well. “No, I can tell a lot about you but not that, not this far away at least,” he came closer and knelt in front of me. “How rude of me, would you like something to drink, a tour perhaps?”

I shook my head to answer and to clear all my lingering fears. Aubrey was my Professor, that didn't matter, Clair had told me. His hands ran up my crossed legs to my waist. I touched his face and felt strange. This was getting too intimate, not a casual romp in the hay, at all. Aubrey inhaled, “No, you aren't a virgin, a vampire can dream though.”

Aubrey started kissing my bare legs, there was a lot of them sticking out of this dress. I automatically started petting his hair. His hands inched up my dress and moved my legs open. I was no longer nervous but totally in the moment. I was being worshiped as he kissed higher and higher up my thighs. Suddenly he laid me back, looming over me. I felt his hand enter my panties, his fingers softly exploring my smooth skin. They removed all our hair except for on our head at the hospital every week when we went through decontamination. Aubrey looked down at me incredibly hungry as he slid off my small black thong. His head dipped between my legs and his tongue flicked my sweet spot. I convulsed then tried to relax as he licked me back and forth. I felt little stings as he nicked my skin here and there, tasting my blood as well. I couldn't help but make noises of appreciation, he was very talented. I suppose at one time he would have to be discrete about drinking blood.

He looked almost wild when he leaned over me again, face and fangs glistening. I pushed him over and rolled on top. I sat on top of his very hard lap and wiggled as he caught my hips. He was fully dressed so I started pulling his shirt over his head. He was hard and tone but not bulky. Hairless he wasn't, like my boyfriends that worked at the hospital. Aubrey had enough contrasting hair to develop a five o' clock shadow if he could still grow a beard. A thick ugly scar ran down his middle beside the delicious happy trail into his jeans. I touched the bumpy scar wondering how he got it, then felt the hair so he wouldn't think I noticed. I was slipping my fingertips along the waist of his jeans when he pulled me down on top of him for another kiss. As our tongues danced his hands fumbled with the zipper down the back of my dress and then my strapless bra. He pulled my chest closer to his mouth as he pushed me harder down on his trapped erection. His fangs scraped against my nipple before he pulled me back into a kiss.

Aubrey rolled on top of me. My head spun, my chest fluttered, I ached for him. I had never felt this way about any man, human, Bleeder or Vampire, before. Well, maybe one but I quickly banned him from my mind. Aubrey continued licking my breasts, taking his time. He was taking his time. There had been no penetration yet and it was the best sex I had in a long time.

I started to panic, recalling that all my previous relationships had gone down hill based on the fact we didn't know each other before we had sex. I had promised myself I wouldn't let my passion get the better of me again. To be told by a man that seduces you that your relationship is failing because it is all based on sex is the biggest slap in the face. Especially, when you know that the real problem was that they the man got what they wanted too easy. I looked down at Aubrey's beautiful hair and wrapped my legs around him as he was pressing hard against me. His hand made its way to my wet center and he slipped a finger inside as he breathed on my neck. I had an idea. “Aubrey, bite me now,” I moaned as I moved on his hand. He struck and it hurt, it was a powerful bite unlike the sips I had endured during sex before. Aubrey pressed harder with his hand and began causing me immense pleasure rubbing all the right places as he continued to suck. I stretched my arms out to find his stiff length to stroke. I fumbled with his belt and my fingers wrapped around him pulling and sliding as he drew more blood than I thought I could give. His talented hand was enough to push me to the edge and my body quivered as I a climaxed. Just as suddenly, he jerked, convulsing above me.

Aubrey collapsed beside me and pulled me to rest my head under his neck. He kissed my forehead, “Ah, that was brilliant.”

Speechless, I was still panting and still hurting from the bite. I would heal, quicker than a human anyway but there would definitely be a mark to cover up tomorrow. “Aubrey,” I breathed, then catching my mistake, I opened and shut my mouth. I had almost asked him if he marked me, but I wasn't suppose to know about such things. Instead, I rested my hand on his chest where his heart should have beat but didn't. I would ask Tombs to check for me. “Yes, I enjoyed it too,” I finally said.

“All that and I still have my pants on,” he joked. “They know how to raise Bleeders on that reservation of yours.”

“Bleeders, huh, there was only me,” I said suddenly very sleepy.

“Are you saying you were the only Bleeder there out of 14,000 people?” He sounded oddly astonished.

I barely registered his question, I was half asleep. After a moment of processing and suppressing feelings, I formulated a response. “Yes, the only stinking one, I don't know why they didn't just drown me like a kitten.” I was on the verge of passing out but knew all too well they had tried. “The damn bastards drown kittens all the time.” I wondered what Aubrey would ask me next, I was about to ask him how he knew how many people lived there. But I couldn't, I had fallen asleep.

**Coming July 29, 2013

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About Morgan Jane

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Pioneer Blogger and ex-political wingnut gone fan fiction writer, I am working on my upcoming Paranormal/ Urban Fantasy Series. I love graphic design, painting, knitting, quilting, gardening, cooking, writing, taking beautiful photos but have never taken my creative side seriously until now

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