in turn, earned him their undivided loyalty. My man merely perceived it as him taking good care of his guns so that they didn’t break in the middle of a shootout. Although he believed it and that, in some ways it was certainly true, I also knew that a loving, caring side of him lurked beneath his cynical exterior.
In the years that followed, the services of the Squad were requested to assist with neighboring cities and states. Zain even ended up supervising the recruiting process for some of their local Squads. But most of his time was devoted patrolling the streets of Cordell during the Mist to help prevent domestic tragedies such as the one that had almost cost me my life, stop foolish teenagers or gullible cultists from committing mass suicide in Mist Pacts, and protecting vulnerable Wishes from getting devoured during their cross over. The rest of the month, they assisted local police forces or federal agents in the manhunts against the most vicious criminals or illegal Mist battle arenas pitting humans versus Beasts.
As for me, I was happy. I had a job I loved, which allowed me to make a positive difference in the lives of men and women who selflessly put themselves on the line to protect others. I had an insanely sexy man who was entirely devoted to me. Even after all this time, mind-blowing sex with him still had me speaking in tongues.
The semi dark cloud in my perfect blue sky stemmed from Zain claiming he didn’t want to have children. I was still on the fence myself as to whether or not I wanted any. If I insisted, he would cave in. And judging by the way he looked after his Squad, I didn’t doubt for a minute he would be a great father to our children. My man didn’t mess around when it came to what was his. But we still had plenty of years left to make a decision on that front. For now, I was more than happy to settle on practicing baby-making.
We watched the Mist rise through our living room window. In a couple of hours, Zain would have to go to work. Until then, every single inch of his drool-worthy body was mine. Clad in his Squad uniform so that he’d be ready to head out at the drop of a dime, he closed the shutters, and picked me up in his arms.
I wrapped my arms around his neck while he carried me like a bride to our bedroom.
“Are you prepared to be sacrificed to the vampire?” Zain asked in a delightfully menacing voice.
“I will not go down so easily. Tell that fiend I have learned quite a few tricks to escape monsters,” I replied with defiance, my excitement rising as he climbed the stairs to the second floor.
“That’s okay. He loves to hunt. Nothing excites him more than feasting on prey after a good chase.”
Zain entered the bedroom and carefully lay me down on the bed before stretching his tall frame next to me.
I no sooner closed my eyes than the falling sensation swept me away. Moments later, I gently landed in the middle of a dark forest with leafless, tortured trees, bending this way and that as far as the eye could see. The moon provided the only source of light in the darkness of night. The shiver that ran through me wasn’t due to me wearing nothing but a diaphanous, white negligee.
A howling sound in the distance startled me. I spun around, my bare feet slightly sinking in the strange, padded surface of the forest’s ground. Three hundred meters away, the dark silhouette of a giant bat flew down from the midnight sky and landed on its feet. It shifted into a human form, with red eyes glowing. His mouth stretched in an evil grin, baring a frightening pair of fangs that glistened in the moonlight.
My stomach fluttered, my nipples hardened, and moisture pooled between my thighs at the sight of my most beloved predator.
“Run away, little girl,” the vampire mind-spoke to me in a voice promising a world of pleasure and pain.
Without a word, I turned around and ran.
THE END.
Did you enjoy a romance with a sexy Nightmare? Want to read more about hot, badass, alphas “not of this world” that turn into marshmallows when they meet the one?
Then you will want to read my Veredian Chronicles series where one courageous girl escaping slavery sets in motion a series of events that will change the fate of her people and that of an entire galaxy.
The Veredian Chronicles is the perfect read for fans of Nalini Singh and M.K. Eidem, pursuing their tradition of strong heroines, treacherous political intrigues, and the twists and turns you didn't see coming.
And because a picture speaks a thousand words, check out my cool book trailers!
Escaping Fate Trailer
Legion Trailer
Unfrozen Trailer
ALSO BY REGINE ABEL
THE VEREDIAN CHRONICLES
Escaping Fate
Blind Fate
Raising Amalia
Twist of Fate
Hands of Fate
BRAXIANS
Anton’s Grace
Ravik’s Mercy
Krygor’s Hope
XIAN WARRIORS
Doom
Legion
Raven
Bane
Chaos
Varnog
THE MIST
The Mistwalker
The Nightmare
VALOS OF SONHADRA
Unfrozen
Iced
THE SHADOW REALMS
Dark Swan
OTHER
Bluebeard’s Curse
Alien Awakening
Heart of Stone
The Hunchback
About Regine
USA Today bestselling author Regine Abel is a fantasy, paranormal and sci-fi junky. Anything with a bit of magic, a touch of the unusual, and a lot of romance will have her jumping for joy. She loves creating hot alien warriors and no-nonsense, kick-ass heroines that evolve in fantastic new worlds while embarking on action-packed adventures filled with mystery and the twists you never saw coming.
Before devoting herself as a full-time writer, Regine had surrendered to her other passions: music and video games! After a decade working as a Sound Engineer in movie dubbing and live concerts, Regine became a professional Game Designer and Creative Director, a career that has led her from her home in Canada to the US and various countries in Europe and Asia.
Website
Regine’s Rebels Reader Group
Newsletter
Goodreads
Bookbub
Amazon