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AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

Hi everyone!

It's late because I was away, but I've selected the winner of my blog competition and have posted a new competition for you all to take part in.

Just comment with your name and your reply to the question, and you could win the ebook of your choice from my stories!

This time I'm asking you what your favourite thing about the season is, and whether you have anything you do to get you in the festive mood!

Just read and reply to this post:
http://felicityheaton.blogspot.com/2009/12/competition-winner-new-christmas.html

Felicity

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AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

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AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

Hi everyone...

I'm starting up a monthly competition where you can win ebooks. To enter, just read the topical post on my blog (either my blogger or myspace is fine) and reply with your thoughts. You don't even have to leave your email address. The competition is open all month, so in mid-November, I'll select some winners and post their names, and then give you the email address to contact me at. That way, I get spammed and you don't. (Don't feel bad, I'm used to spam).

This month is an easy one. It's all about vampire romance!

http://felicityheaton.blogspot.com/2009/10/is-vampire-romance-dead-i-say-no.html

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.viewcustom&friendId=116928518&blogId=514712598&swapped=true

Entries count in either place, so read and post at your preferred site.

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AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

So, who's up for a good old natter this weekend?

I'm thinking about something fun like competitions, games and getting some excerpts from the heroines and heroes of my stories... and I'll try to rope some of the other Alinar Publishing authors into coming along too and having fun with us.

Anyone up for it? I happily accept requests for excerpts - whether it's from my current releases or future ones!

I'm also happy to quiz my heroes and heroines if you're dying to ask them a question. I might even make that one of the competitions.

Check out my website to see what books I've written...
http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk

First Competition:
For those of you who've read my stories, I have a special competition in mind that you can start entering now:

Which out of my stories had your favourite first kiss?

Email me at felicity_heaton@... with the subject line: Fave First Kiss, and give me the name of the book and why you liked it, and you will be entered into the draw for a chance to win the complete Daughters of Lyra series!

I'll be chatting on the Alinar Publishing groups. If you're not a member, toddle over and sign up. I will be posting excerpts on my main group as well though.

I might get a few discounts together too, and other goodies if I can think of them.

So, anyone fancy a natter?

Happy reading everyone!

Felicity Heaton
   - x - x - x -

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AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

Hi all...

My featured stories for July are:

Winter's Kiss
http://www.alinarpublishing.com/books.php?title=Winter%27s%20Kiss

Seventh Circle
http://www.alinarpublishing.com/books.php?title=Seventh%20Circle

Prophecy: Child of Light
http://www.alinarpublishing.com/books.php?title=Prophecy:%20Child%20of%20Light%20[book%201]

Prophecy: Caelestis & Aurorea
http://www.alinarpublishing.com/books.php?title=Prophecy:%20Caelestis%20and%20Aurorea%20[book%202]

Prophecy: Dark Moon Rising
http://www.alinarpublishing.com/books.php?title=Prophecy:%20Dark%20Moon%20Rising%20[book%203]

All of these books are discounted by 20% in July so get them while they're hot!

Love,

Felicity x

p.s. Are we all excited about the upcoming Daughters of Lyra release??? I'll get an excerpt posted soon!

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AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

Just a quick reminder that FW are offering a great discount at the moment...

What a perfect time to buy my new books - like Daughters of Lyra: Heart of an Emperor or Winter's Kiss!

Fictionwise are offering 25% OFF so head on over and check out my stories... I don't know when this discount ends so hurry!

Felicity Heaton stories (includes Sons of Lyra series, Daughters of Lyra series, In Heat series)
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/a20996/Felicity-Heaton/?si=0

F E Heaton stories (includes Vampires Realm stories)
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/a24715/F-E-Heaton/?si=0

In other wonderful news... Daughters of Lyra: Heart of an Emperor, my latest sci-fi romance, is number 8 in romance and Winter's Kiss, vampire/werewolf romance, has made it up to number 10 in romance!!!

Daughters of Lyra: Heart of an Emperor
Princess Sophia, one of the beautiful and strong daughters of Lyra, has had it with the never-ending row of suitors that her father, King Sebastian Lyra I, has lined up for her. When the latest suitor turns out to be the emperor of Varka, a species known for their lack of emotions, nocturnal lifestyle and bloodlust, Sophia wants little to do with him. But when she greets the emperor and his two attendants, Sophia realises that a Varkan makes her heart beat like no other man before him and might...
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b88327/Heart-of-an-Emperor-/Felicity-Heaton/?si=0
 
Winter's Kiss
The tales of the mansion near Nika's remote Russian village say that its lord drinks blood to live and that the guards are dead men walking, but that doesn't stop Nika from falling for one of them--a man who seemingly hasn't changed in twenty years, a man she wishes would be hers. One snowy spring night, her world and his collide when she is attacked by wolves and he rides in on a black horse to rescue her. But her knight in shining armour is far from saintly. He is a vampire, and she is becoming a werewolf...
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b89498/Winters-Kiss-/F-E-Heaton/?si=0

Happy reading!!!

Felicity x

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AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

I'm so happy to say that Daughters of Lyra: Heart of an Emperor is clinging to a top ten romance spot on Fictionwise for yet another week. It's currently number 9 in romance, and is also number 13 in the overall best sellers list.

Winter's Kiss is also storming up the charts and is now number 15 in romance and number 24 in the overall best sellers after its first week!!!!

Check out the stories if you haven't already...

Daughters of Lyra: Heart of an Emperor
Princess Sophia, one of the beautiful and strong daughters of Lyra, has had it with the never-ending row of suitors that her father, King Sebastian Lyra I, has lined up for her. When the latest suitor turns out to be the emperor of Varka, a species known for their lack of emotions, nocturnal lifestyle and bloodlust, Sophia wants little to do with him. But when she greets the emperor and his two attendants, Sophia realises that a Varkan makes her heart beat like no other man before him and might...
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b88327/Heart-of-an-Emperor-/Felicity-Heaton/?si=0

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AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

hi all...

It's the final day of Winter's Kiss having a 15% discount at Fictionwise.com. If you haven't bought your copy yet, be sure to take advantage of the discount and buy it before the new books go up today!

Winter's Kiss
The tales of the mansion near Nika's remote Russian village say that its lord drinks blood to live and that the guards are dead men walking, but that doesn't stop Nika from falling for one of them--a man who seemingly hasn't changed in twenty years, a man she wishes would be hers. One snowy spring night, her world and his collide when she is attacked by wolves and he rides in on a black horse to rescue her. But her knight in shining armour is far from saintly. He is a vampire, and she is becoming a werewolf, and love between such species is forbidden--the penalty death.

Winter is a commander of the Validus, the most powerful vampire bloodline in Europe. Faithful to his family and his lord since his turning one thousand years ago, he follows the law to the letter and places duty above all else, but his resolve is about to be tested in the most painful way and his world shaken beyond salvation. The girl he watched grow into a woman, a woman who has stolen his heart, is now a werewolf and his dream of making her his has been shattered. Only vengeance can be his now or the Law Keepers will hunt him down and kill both him and Nika.

But Winter's plan to take Nika home to her family only leads to her witnessing the destruction of her village and the death of her father at the hands of the werewolf trying to claim her, and Winter finds that he can't leave her. His heart demands that he protects Nika from the werewolf, Willem, by killing him and that he finds her a new home, somewhere she will be safe without him, for he must even protect her from himself. But Nika tempts him more than he can bear and it isn't long before he finds himself treading the knife's edge between upholding the law and succumbing to desire.

Nika does everything in her power to convince Winter to stay with her, to go against the laws and risk death, but in the end will she have done enough? When they reach the last bastion of the werewolves, will Winter leave her with her kin? Will the nights they spend together change his heart and his mind, or will she spend eternity dreaming of Winter's kiss?

THE VAMPIRES REALM STORIES ALL STAND ALONE AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER. THEY ARE LINKED ONLY BY THE WORLD IN WHICH THEY ARE SET. IF YOU ENJOY THIS STORY, BE SURE TO READ THE OTHERS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS DARK AND PASSIONATE WORLD.

Buy now for only $4.24!
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b89498/Winters-Kiss-/F-E-Heaton/?si=0

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AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

Good morning to all the people US-side, good afternoon to everyone UK-side, and good evening to everyone Japan-side!

I'm so excited that Winter's Kiss is now available at Alinar Publishing. It's been out for almost a week now at Fictionwise and is romping up the charts. If you've read any of my Vampires Realm series, or any of my paranormals, then you'll be sure to love this novel! Here's the blurb and official excerpt to give you all a taste of the story...

Winter's Kiss
The tales of the mansion near Nika’s remote Russian village say that its lord drinks blood to live and that the guards are dead men walking, but that doesn’t stop Nika from falling for one of them—a man who seemingly hasn’t changed in twenty years, a man she wishes would be hers. One snowy spring night, her world and his collide when she is attacked by wolves and he rides in on a black horse to rescue her. But her knight in shining armour is far from saintly. He is a vampire, and she is becoming a werewolf, and love between such species is forbidden—the penalty death.

Winter is a commander of the Validus, the most powerful vampire bloodline in Europe. Faithful to his family and his lord since his turning one thousand years ago, he follows the law to the letter and places duty above all else, but his resolve is about to be tested in the most painful way and his world shaken beyond salvation. The girl he watched grow into a woman, a woman who has stolen his heart, is now a werewolf and his dream of making her his has been shattered. Only vengeance can be his now or the Law Keepers will hunt him down and kill both him and Nika.

But Winter’s plan to take Nika home to her family only leads to her witnessing the destruction of her village and the death of her father at the hands of the werewolf trying to claim her, and Winter finds that he can’t leave her. His heart demands that he protects Nika from the werewolf, Willem, by killing him and that he finds her a new home, somewhere she will be safe without him, for he must even protect her from himself. But Nika tempts him more than he can bear and it isn’t long before he finds himself treading the knife’s edge between upholding the law and succumbing to desire.

Nika does everything in her power to convince Winter to stay with her, to go against the laws and risk death, but in the end will she have done enough? When they reach the last bastion of the werewolves, will Winter leave her with her kin? Will the nights they spend together change his heart and his mind, or will she spend eternity dreaming of Winter’s kiss?

THE VAMPIRES REALM STORIES ALL STAND ALONE AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER. THEY ARE LINKED ONLY BY THE WORLD IN WHICH THEY ARE SET. IF YOU ENJOY THIS STORY, BE SURE TO READ THE OTHERS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS DARK AND PASSIONATE WORLD.

Buy now and save 15% at Fictionwise.com
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b89498/Winters-Kiss-/F-E-Heaton/?si=0

Or Buy now at Alinar Publishing
http://www.alinarpublishing.com/books.php?title=Winter%27s%20Kiss



EXCERPT
A scream rent the still night air.

Winter raised his head. The brush in his right hand paused against his horse’s sleek black flank. He frowned, calculating the distance from where he stood in the stable courtyard to the person who had shrieked. The human female voice could carry for miles on nights as calm as tonight. If she screamed again, he would be able to pinpoint her location to within one hundred metres.

A Watchman of the Validus bloodline, Winter had spent years honing his skills in tracking, hunting and killing to the highest echelon of perfection. They gave him the ability to ascertain that whoever the victim was, she was over three miles away.

He returned to his work, lovingly stroking the huge beast’s glossy coat and murmuring soothing words to him. It had been too long since he’d had the chance to ride. The rotation of duties within the household and Hyperion’s plan to spread their empire wider across Europe had left him with longer shifts at the gate. It was an honour to protect his lord, but long nights spent braced against the freezing winds that scathed the landscape in this part of Russia were tiring and left him little time before dawn to ride. His eyes closed. Honour wasn’t the only good thing to come of standing guard from sunset to sunrise.

He saw her more often.

An image of her flashed across Winter’s mind. Pale blonde hair hanging in waves down her back. Sparkling green eyes that glittered under the moonlight. A cherub’s rosy lips that promised sweet kisses and an imp’s smile that spoke of mischief. That image had branded itself on his mind the first night he had seen her as an adult. Every night that she passed and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, she burned her face a little deeper into his heart.

His horse kicked impatiently at the floor, scratching the scattered hay away from the dirt and leaving a long groove.

Winter patted Midnight tenderly on the neck and placed the brush down. Gathering the large black saddle, he positioned it on the horse’s high back and let his thoughts wander while he buckled the straps.

They instantly roamed back to her. Many years had passed since Winter had first seen her. She had been a little girl then. Now she had become a beautiful woman. Perhaps soon she would find the courage to speak to him for longer. She had stopped a few times, always singling him out even though his black armour covered him from head to toe, leaving only the section across his eyes exposed. She had spoken to him tonight, asking him why he wore armour and guarded the mansion. He hadn’t answered her. He had no place talking to humans when he was on duty.

There had been a beautiful lack of fear about her. Not even the sight of the naginata that he and the other Watchman held bothered her. Perhaps one day he could turn her. He cursed under his breath and tightened the last strap on the saddle. Those were not thoughts that he should be entertaining. His loyalty was to his lord and his bloodline first and foremost. He had a debt to repay. Once he felt as though he was worthy of asking his lord for permission to court the girl, he would, but until then he had a duty to do.

And that duty came first.

No matter what his feelings for her were.

A ride would clear his head.

A wolf howl sliced through the night.

Winter tensed and instinctively brushed his long heavy black cloak aside and reached for the sword hanging at his side. His fingers closed around the hilt as he calculated the distance to the howl.

Three miles.

Was the wolf after the woman?

Another scream shattered the returning silence. This time, it was a word.

“Niet!”

Winter’s eyes shot wide, an emotion rushing into his heart that he hadn’t felt in long years. Fear. The girl. He would know her voice anywhere.

With the preternatural speed and grace of his kind, Winter mounted the horse and bolted straight for the stable entrance. Midnight thundered forward, hooves pounding the dirt in a sure confident gallop. The gates barely had time to open as they approached. Winter tucked into the horse, bringing his feet up behind him along with the stirrups. The half-open wrought iron gates brushed his knees as they raced through, almost knocking the guards over.

Someone shouted something abusive in his direction.

He didn’t have time to slow down. The moment they had turned onto the road, he urged Midnight on, lowering his feet again but leaning forwards against its neck. It stretched forwards too, mimicking his move and galloping harder as though it had sensed his desperation.

The bottom of Winter’s chest armour dug into his hips as he rode. His long cloak streamed out behind him. The light flurry of snow became bitter darts of ice that cut into his eyes, forcing him to squint. He changed, his eyes turning purple to reveal his bloodline as his senses sharpened. The thundering hooves of his horse were the only sound in an otherwise still world. Winter snapped the reins. Midnight snorted and galloped faster, heading directly for the woods with no sign of slowing.

Winter willed the woman to make another noise, or the wolves to break their silence. He needed to get a fix on their location but it wasn’t only that driving him to beg the woman to shout or scream. He needed to know that she was still alive.

He hunkered down against his horse’s neck when they entered the thick forest of pines. Snow exploded from the branches as they crashed through them, heedless of the pain it caused them both. His armour would protect him from the whip-like branches of the trees, and his horse, Midnight, would go wherever he bid him to, regardless of whether it hurt.

A branch hit Winter directly across the black leather and metal mask covering his nose and mouth. It smacked the armour against his nose and forced a flinch from him as pain shot out in warm waves across his skull. He turned Midnight to his right and towards a more open area of forest. While the pain didn’t bother him, it would dampen his senses and he needed those as sharp as possible.

He pulled Midnight to a halt in a clearing and scanned the darkness, stretching out with his senses and searching for her. The wintry weather hadn’t managed to penetrate the dense trees and the ground was clear of snow, leaving him without a visible trail to follow. He breathed deep, catching a faint hint of her scent on the breeze. She had been here. He cursed. Where was she now?

Was she dead?

Had the wolves killed her already?

That thought made a dull ache settle in his chest. Winter refused to believe it. He wouldn’t believe it until he saw her body for himself. Another deep breath caught a stronger scent. A growl rumbled up through his chest.

Not wolves.

Werewolves.

His eyes narrowed into dark slits between his black helmet and facemask. He stared into the distance as one hand left the reins and closed around the hilt of his sword. Blood would spill tonight. Not only because werewolves had dared to enter Validus territory. If they had killed her, no, if they had even touched her, they would die by his hand.

A distant scream reached his ears.

He pulled on Midnight’s reins.

Midnight reared onto his hind legs, whinnied and then broke into a gallop. Winter sneered behind his facemask, his blood calling for violence.

* * * *

Nika walked the quiet winding path through the woods, wishing she had chosen to wear her thicker coat. Thick fake fur lined the long black coat she wore and it would have been warm enough under normal circumstances in late spring, but tonight was bitterly cold and the icy wind was searching, discovering cracks and places it could sneak into the coat and chill her to the bone. It was strange to have such wintry weather this side of spring. When she had left, the weather had been pleasant enough, and the snow had melted. Now it had come back with a vengeance. She had hoped the weather would be warm and sunny by the time she had returned from the city.

She folded her arms across her chest, trying to keep a little heat in. Her coat and dress reached the floor, both grazing the leaf litter and twigs that covered the path. The wind found its way into there too and blew upwards, snaking around her legs and sending her shivering. Her honey hair blew across her face as she turned and she clawed it away, thankful she’d had the good sense to take two long strands from beside her temples and plait them before tying them at the back of her head. It kept the bulk of her hair in place but left the long strands from that point downwards to dance in the breeze.

At least the snow couldn’t make it through the trees.

Nika hummed quietly to herself while she walked, thinking about how nice it would be to arrive home and sit down in front of the fire. The thought of that warm blaze made the cold feel distant. She wasn’t far from the village now. Soon she would be safe in her family’s home, out of the frigid night and bleak woods. It felt like months rather than weeks since she had gone away to St. Petersburg. A smile touched her lips when she recalled walking past the mansion. He had been on guard duty again, silent and sentinel outside the gate with another man. She knew it was him. Those beautiful dark eyes had spoken to her as they always did, telling her words that her heart loved to listen to. He never looked at her, but there was always a strange emotion in his eyes when she stopped in front of him. The cold emptiness that used to fill them disappeared, leaving what her heart interpreted as warmth behind.

She didn’t know who he was, or even what he looked like beneath his armour, but she knew one thing. She wanted no other man in this world.

Her heart lightened as memories of him came back, always protecting the gates of the large mansion. On the few occasions that she had plucked up the courage to speak to him, he had never uttered a word back at her. He hadn’t even spoken tonight when she had mentioned the tales about the man he guarded. Terrible tales they were. Stories of demons and death, of bloodshed and violence. Her whole village whispered of them. They were right in a way. There was something different about the men there. In all the years that she had passed those gates, that man had never changed. Not when she was a child and not now that she was an adult. It was the same man. He hadn’t aged one year in the twenty she had seen him. She was sure of it.

Through the trees, pinpricks of light flickered in the darkness. The village. She doubled her pace, thinking only of the warm fire and seeing her father again.

A howl sliced the night in two.

Nika froze to the spot, ears pricked and heart thundering.

Perhaps it had been the wind.

Low growls made her head snap around. Seven large dark shapes slinked out of the shadows. Their fur spiked in a line down their backs, wriggling like a snake when they shook themselves and growled at her. They stepped onto the path between her and the village. These were no ordinary wolves. She remembered them from her childhood. They had killed half of the village.

The one in front lowered its head and stared at her with bright amber eyes that promised a painful death. It snarled to reveal huge canines.

Nika screamed.

Before it could attack, she turned, dropped her bag and ran. She grabbed the front of her coat and skirt, lifting them so she could sprint unhindered, and headed through the woods in the direction of the mansion.

It wasn’t long before her legs were beginning to tire. Their muscles strained under the pressure of running over the uneven ground and seized up as the fear broke into her mind, sending panicked thoughts pounding through her skull.

She was going to die.

The voice at the back of her mind told her to give up, but she wouldn’t. She wasn’t ready to die. It was something that happened to someone else, not to her or the people she loved. If she could make it to the mansion, she would be safe. The men there would fend off the wolves. The man would protect her.

Nika shrieked again as she tripped on a branch hidden beneath the frozen leaf litter and hit the ground hard. She immediately scrabbled to her feet and ran blindly into the forest, desperate to escape the wolves. Behind her came their thundering feet and heavy panting. They were closing in.

In the blink of an eye, it was over. The full weight of one of the wolves hit her in the back, sending her tumbling to the floor. Another howled. She turned and wrestled the wolf off her, scrambling across the dirt away from it. One of them grabbed her ankle, the thick leather of her boot the only thing protecting the delicate joint. It growled. Nika screwed her eyes shut and brought her hands up in front of her face as the others leapt at her.

“Niet!”

Nika kicked the wolf off her ankle, eliciting a whimper from it, and pushed against the others. Breaking free, she got to her feet and ran again. Moonlight broke through a gap in the trees some distance ahead of her, illuminating a small shack.

Her heart willed her to make it there. It was her only chance.

She screamed again when one of the wolves snapped at her, trying to grab her arm. She punched it across the face and kept running, desperate to survive.

A thundering sound joined the cacophony of wolf growls and snarls and her rough breathing. Nika looked ahead of her to see the shack and then a large black horse with rider. She reached out to him, a silent plea for him to help her, and then fell when the wolves pounced on her. Pain erupted in her leg. Her heart missed beats as claws and teeth tore through her clothes.

Her last hope left her when she found herself face to face with the largest wolf. Hot breath washed her face, stealing her own. She sent a prayer to God and stared into the wolf’s yellow eyes, into the eyes of death.

The thundering hooves stopped. Above her the horse’s legs appeared, kicking out as the huge black beast whinnied and snorted. The wolves scattered, leaving her pressed into the dirt and frozen leaf litter, petrified and in too much pain to move.

The horse snorted again as it came down onto all four feet beside her and the rider appeared in her tear-blurred view.

“Hand,” he said in a muffled Russian voice and extended his towards her.

Nika feebly raised hers towards him. She wanted to take hold of that black gloved hand and escape this nightmare. He shook his impatiently. She struggled to move faster, weak from the white-hot pain burning inside every inch of her body. He bent forward on the saddle, caught her hand, and pulled her up into the air as though she weighed nothing. He settled her on the saddle in front of him. Pain shot up her leg and lanced her stomach. It stole her senses, filling them until she knew nothing but the warm pulsing throb. She was vaguely aware of his arm against her back and his hand on her waist, and the wolves closing in.

He turned the horse. Nika gritted her teeth and leaned into him. Each step of the horse’s gallop jostled her on the saddle. The pain was unbearable, wracking her to the depths of her bones with each movement, but the alternative made her cling to consciousness and life. The wolves growled, closer now. The horse suddenly stopped and the man lowered her to the ground. Her legs buckled beneath her. He caught her before she could collapse and held her close to his hard chest.

“Run!” he said and she hazily wondered if he was talking to her. She didn’t think that she could run. The pain in her leg was too intense, blinding. The horse whinnied. Was he talking to it?

Her heart beat faster, each pulse sending stabbing needles sweeping around her body. Darkness encroached at the edges of her mind, sending her thoughts fuzzy and her body numb. The man carried her into somewhere and set her down on something soft but lumpy. The sound of wood scraping and heavy objects slamming made her open her eyes. She frowned, vaguely aware that they were in the small shack she had seen and that he was barricading the door.

A wolf howl sounded just outside.

She flinched in pain when she curled up, the wounds on her body stinging. Her left leg burned as though it was on fire. She couldn’t move it. She left it lying limp in front of her. The man looked at her and then around the small hut.

“Do not be frightened,” he said, as though those four words could erase all her fear.

It crushed her chest and stole her breath. She struggled to suck in air, panic closing her throat and pain making the slightest thing too hard. Her leg was wet. She could feel the steady slide of blood down her arms. Oh God. She was going to die.

Her panic only increased when the dreadful sound of claws against wood filled the small shack. Snarls came in under the door and growls made her skin crawl. She tried to back away but the sound surrounded her, leaving her nowhere to go. The man stood at the door, his tall figure a black shadow in the low light. He didn’t move. He stood sentinel with his hand on the hilt of the sword at his side.

The blade of which gleamed when he began to draw it.

The wolves scrabbled faster at the door and walls, as though they were trying to dig their way through. Nika reached out to the man, numb and petrified. He stepped towards the door and her heart slammed against her chest.

The two small windows on either side of the door exploded, showering her and the man in glass. The wolves leapt high, paws scrambling for purchase on the windowsill. They disappeared again only to attempt another go at getting into the building.

The man fully drew his sword.

She extended her hand further towards him. “You can’t fight. There’s too many!”

A terrible scream made them both jump. She had never heard such a horrifying and inhuman sound. A chill swept over her back and down her arms. The scream came again amidst a discordant symphony of growls and snarls. She closed her eyes and used the last of her strength to cover her ears, not wanting to hear the horse as it died.

Dreadful silence fell.


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Just a reminder that you can...

I'm always a terrible tease and I did promise you all another follow on excerpt when Winter's Kiss was released ... so here it is! Plus, this is keeping my mind off my ENT (my normal ear problem) appointment tomorrow! Yuck!!!

The first chapter of Winter's Kiss is the excerpt available on Fictionwise.com but I'll also include that here so everyone can have a good read. So, I now present you, chapters 1 & 2 of Winter's Kiss!

Winter's Kiss
The tales of the mansion near Nika’s remote Russian village say that its lord drinks blood to live and that the guards are dead men walking, but that doesn’t stop Nika from falling for one of them—a man who seemingly hasn’t changed in twenty years, a man she wishes would be hers. One snowy spring night, her world and his collide when she is attacked by wolves and he rides in on a black horse to rescue her. But her knight in shining armour is far from saintly. He is a vampire, and she is becoming a werewolf, and love between such species is forbidden—the penalty death.

Winter is a commander of the Validus, the most powerful vampire bloodline in Europe. Faithful to his family and his lord since his turning one thousand years ago, he follows the law to the letter and places duty above all else, but his resolve is about to be tested in the most painful way and his world shaken beyond salvation. The girl he watched grow into a woman, a woman who has stolen his heart, is now a werewolf and his dream of making her his has been shattered. Only vengeance can be his now or the Law Keepers will hunt him down and kill both him and Nika.

But Winter’s plan to take Nika home to her family only leads to her witnessing the destruction of her village and the death of her father at the hands of the werewolf trying to claim her, and Winter finds that he can’t leave her. His heart demands that he protects Nika from the werewolf, Willem, by killing him and that he finds her a new home, somewhere she will be safe without him, for he must even protect her from himself. But Nika tempts him more than he can bear and it isn’t long before he finds himself treading the knife’s edge between upholding the law and succumbing to desire.

Nika does everything in her power to convince Winter to stay with her, to go against the laws and risk death, but in the end will she have done enough? When they reach the last bastion of the werewolves, will Winter leave her with her kin? Will the nights they spend together change his heart and his mind, or will she spend eternity dreaming of Winter’s kiss?

THE VAMPIRES REALM STORIES ALL STAND ALONE AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER. THEY ARE LINKED ONLY BY THE WORLD IN WHICH THEY ARE SET. IF YOU ENJOY THIS STORY, BE SURE TO READ THE OTHERS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS DARK AND PASSIONATE WORLD.

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EXCERPT

Chapter 1

 

A scream rent the still night air.

 

Winter raised his head. The brush in his right hand paused against his horse’s sleek black flank. He frowned, calculating the distance from where he stood in the stable courtyard to the person who had shrieked. The human female voice could carry for miles on nights as calm as tonight. If she screamed again, he would be able to pinpoint her location to within one hundred metres.

 

A Watchman of the Validus bloodline, Winter had spent years honing his skills in tracking, hunting and killing to the highest echelon of perfection. They gave him the ability to ascertain that whoever the victim was, she was over three miles away.

 

He returned to his work, lovingly stroking the huge beast’s glossy coat and murmuring soothing words to him. It had been too long since he’d had the chance to ride. The rotation of duties within the household and Hyperion’s plan to spread their empire wider across Europe had left him with longer shifts at the gate. It was an honour to protect his lord, but long nights spent braced against the freezing winds that scathed the landscape in this part of Russia were tiring and left him little time before dawn to ride. His eyes closed. Honour wasn’t the only good thing to come of standing guard from sunset to sunrise.

 

He saw her more often.

 

An image of her flashed across Winter’s mind. Pale blonde hair hanging in waves down her back. Sparkling green eyes that glittered under the moonlight. A cherub’s rosy lips that promised sweet kisses and an imp’s smile that spoke of mischief. That image had branded itself on his mind the first night he had seen her as an adult. Every night that she passed and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, she burned her face a little deeper into his heart.

 

His horse kicked impatiently at the floor, scratching the scattered hay away from the dirt and leaving a long groove.

 

Winter patted Midnight tenderly on the neck and placed the brush down. Gathering the large black saddle, he positioned it on the horse’s high back and let his thoughts wander while he buckled the straps.

 

They instantly roamed back to her. Many years had passed since Winter had first seen her. She had been a little girl then. Now she had become a beautiful woman. Perhaps soon she would find the courage to speak to him for longer. She had stopped a few times, always singling him out even though his black armour covered him from head to toe, leaving only the section across his eyes exposed. She had spoken to him tonight, asking him why he wore armour and guarded the mansion. He hadn’t answered her. He had no place talking to humans when he was on duty.

 

There had been a beautiful lack of fear about her. Not even the sight of the naginata that he and the other Watchman held bothered her. Perhaps one day he could turn her. He cursed under his breath and tightened the last strap on the saddle. Those were not thoughts that he should be entertaining. His loyalty was to his lord and his bloodline first and foremost. He had a debt to repay. Once he felt as though he was worthy of asking his lord for permission to court the girl, he would, but until then he had a duty to do.

 

And that duty came first.

 

No matter what his feelings for her were.

 

A ride would clear his head.

 

A wolf howl sliced through the night.

 

Winter tensed and instinctively brushed his long heavy black cloak aside and reached for the sword hanging at his side. His fingers closed around the hilt as he calculated the distance to the howl.

 

Three miles.

 

Was the wolf after the woman?

 

Another scream shattered the returning silence. This time, it was a word.

 

“Niet!”

 

Winter’s eyes shot wide, an emotion rushing into his heart that he hadn’t felt in long years. Fear. The girl. He would know her voice anywhere.

 

With the preternatural speed and grace of his kind, Winter mounted the horse and bolted straight for the stable entrance. Midnight thundered forward, hooves pounding the dirt in a sure confident gallop. The gates barely had time to open as they approached. Winter tucked into the horse, bringing his feet up behind him along with the stirrups. The half-open wrought iron gates brushed his knees as they raced through, almost knocking the guards over.

 

Someone shouted something abusive in his direction.

 

He didn’t have time to slow down. The moment they had turned onto the road, he urged Midnight on, lowering his feet again but leaning forwards against its neck. It stretched forwards too, mimicking his move and galloping harder as though it had sensed his desperation.

 

The bottom of Winter’s chest armour dug into his hips as he rode. His long cloak streamed out behind him. The light flurry of snow became bitter darts of ice that cut into his eyes, forcing him to squint. He changed, his eyes turning purple to reveal his bloodline as his senses sharpened. The thundering hooves of his horse were the only sound in an otherwise still world. Winter snapped the reins. Midnight snorted and galloped faster, heading directly for the woods with no sign of slowing.

 

Winter willed the woman to make another noise, or the wolves to break their silence. He needed to get a fix on their location but it wasn’t only that driving him to beg the woman to shout or scream. He needed to know that she was still alive.

 

He hunkered down against his horse’s neck when they entered the thick forest of pines. Snow exploded from the branches as they crashed through them, heedless of the pain it caused them both. His armour would protect him from the whip-like branches of the trees, and his horse, Midnight, would go wherever he bid him to, regardless of whether it hurt.

 

A branch hit Winter directly across the black leather and metal mask covering his nose and mouth. It smacked the armour against his nose and forced a flinch from him as pain shot out in warm waves across his skull. He turned Midnight to his right and towards a more open area of forest. While the pain didn’t bother him, it would dampen his senses and he needed those as sharp as possible.

 

He pulled Midnight to a halt in a clearing and scanned the darkness, stretching out with his senses and searching for her. The wintry weather hadn’t managed to penetrate the dense trees and the ground was clear of snow, leaving him without a visible trail to follow. He breathed deep, catching a faint hint of her scent on the breeze. She had been here. He cursed. Where was she now?

 

Was she dead?

 

Had the wolves killed her already?

 

That thought made a dull ache settle in his chest. Winter refused to believe it. He wouldn’t believe it until he saw her body for himself. Another deep breath caught a stronger scent. A growl rumbled up through his chest.

 

Not wolves.

 

Werewolves.

 

His eyes narrowed into dark slits between his black helmet and facemask. He stared into the distance as one hand left the reins and closed around the hilt of his sword. Blood would spill tonight. Not only because werewolves had dared to enter Validus territory. If they had killed her, no, if they had even touched her, they would die by his hand.

 

A distant scream reached his ears.

 

He pulled on Midnight’s reins.

 

Midnight reared onto his hind legs, whinnied and then broke into a gallop. Winter sneered behind his facemask, his blood calling for violence.

 

* * * *

 

Nika walked the quiet winding path through the woods, wishing she had chosen to wear her thicker coat. Thick fake fur lined the long black coat she wore and it would have been warm enough under normal circumstances in late spring, but tonight was bitterly cold and the icy wind was searching, discovering cracks and places it could sneak into the coat and chill her to the bone. It was strange to have such wintry weather this side of spring. When she had left, the weather had been pleasant enough, and the snow had melted. Now it had come back with a vengeance. She had hoped the weather would be warm and sunny by the time she had returned from the city.

 

She folded her arms across her chest, trying to keep a little heat in. Her coat and dress reached the floor, both grazing the leaf litter and twigs that covered the path. The wind found its way into there too and blew upwards, snaking around her legs and sending her shivering. Her honey hair blew across her face as she turned and she clawed it away, thankful she’d had the good sense to take two long strands from beside her temples and plait them before tying them at the back of her head. It kept the bulk of her hair in place but left the long strands from that point downwards to dance in the breeze.

 

At least the snow couldn’t make it through the trees.

 

Nika hummed quietly to herself while she walked, thinking about how nice it would be to arrive home and sit down in front of the fire. The thought of that warm blaze made the cold feel distant. She wasn’t far from the village now. Soon she would be safe in her family’s home, out of the frigid night and bleak woods. It felt like months rather than weeks since she had gone away to St. Petersburg. A smile touched her lips when she recalled walking past the mansion. He had been on guard duty again, silent and sentinel outside the gate with another man. She knew it was him. Those beautiful dark eyes had spoken to her as they always did, telling her words that her heart loved to listen to. He never looked at her, but there was always a strange emotion in his eyes when she stopped in front of him. The cold emptiness that used to fill them disappeared, leaving what her heart interpreted as warmth behind.

 

She didn’t know who he was, or even what he looked like beneath his armour, but she knew one thing. She wanted no other man in this world.

 

Her heart lightened as memories of him came back, always protecting the gates of the large mansion. On the few occasions that she had plucked up the courage to speak to him, he had never uttered a word back at her. He hadn’t even spoken tonight when she had mentioned the tales about the man he guarded. Terrible tales they were. Stories of demons and death, of bloodshed and violence. Her whole village whispered of them. They were right in a way. There was something different about the men there. In all the years that she had passed those gates, that man had never changed. Not when she was a child and not now that she was an adult. It was the same man. He hadn’t aged one year in the twenty she had seen him. She was sure of it.

 

Through the trees, pinpricks of light flickered in the darkness. The village. She doubled her pace, thinking only of the warm fire and seeing her father again.

 

A howl sliced the night in two.

 

Nika froze to the spot, ears pricked and heart thundering.

 

Perhaps it had been the wind.

 

Low growls made her head snap around. Seven large dark shapes slinked out of the shadows. Their fur spiked in a line down their backs, wriggling like a snake when they shook themselves and growled at her. They stepped onto the path between her and the village. These were no ordinary wolves. She remembered them from her childhood. They had killed half of the village.

 

The one in front lowered its head and stared at her with bright amber eyes that promised a painful death. It snarled to reveal huge canines.

 

Nika screamed.

 

Before it could attack, she turned, dropped her bag and ran. She grabbed the front of her coat and skirt, lifting them so she could sprint unhindered, and headed through the woods in the direction of the mansion.

 

It wasn’t long before her legs were beginning to tire. Their muscles strained under the pressure of running over the uneven ground and seized up as the fear broke into her mind, sending panicked thoughts pounding through her skull.

 

She was going to die.

 

The voice at the back of her mind told her to give up, but she wouldn’t. She wasn’t ready to die. It was something that happened to someone else, not to her or the people she loved. If she could make it to the mansion, she would be safe. The men there would fend off the wolves. The man would protect her.

 

Nika shrieked again as she tripped on a branch hidden beneath the frozen leaf litter and hit the ground hard. She immediately scrabbled to her feet and ran blindly into the forest, desperate to escape the wolves. Behind her came their thundering feet and heavy panting. They were closing in.

 

In the blink of an eye, it was over. The full weight of one of the wolves hit her in the back, sending her tumbling to the floor. Another howled. She turned and wrestled the wolf off her, scrambling across the dirt away from it. One of them grabbed her ankle, the thick leather of her boot the only thing protecting the delicate joint. It growled. Nika screwed her eyes shut and brought her hands up in front of her face as the others leapt at her.

 

“Niet!”

 

Nika kicked the wolf off her ankle, eliciting a whimper from it, and pushed against the others. Breaking free, she got to her feet and ran again. Moonlight broke through a gap in the trees some distance ahead of her, illuminating a small shack.

 

Her heart willed her to make it there. It was her only chance.

 

She screamed again when one of the wolves snapped at her, trying to grab her arm. She punched it across the face and kept running, desperate to survive.

 

A thundering sound joined the cacophony of wolf growls and snarls and her rough breathing. Nika looked ahead of her to see the shack and then a large black horse with rider. She reached out to him, a silent plea for him to help her, and then fell when the wolves pounced on her. Pain erupted in her leg. Her heart missed beats as claws and teeth tore through her clothes.

 

Her last hope left her when she found herself face to face with the largest wolf. Hot breath washed her face, stealing her own. She sent a prayer to God and stared into the wolf’s yellow eyes, into the eyes of death.

 

The thundering hooves stopped. Above her the horse’s legs appeared, kicking out as the huge black beast whinnied and snorted. The wolves scattered, leaving her pressed into the dirt and frozen leaf litter, petrified and in too much pain to move.

 

The horse snorted again as it came down onto all four feet beside her and the rider appeared in her tear-blurred view.

 

“Hand,” he said in a muffled Russian voice and extended his towards her.

 

Nika feebly raised hers towards him. She wanted to take hold of that black gloved hand and escape this nightmare. He shook his impatiently. She struggled to move faster, weak from the white-hot pain burning inside every inch of her body. He bent forward on the saddle, caught her hand, and pulled her up into the air as though she weighed nothing. He settled her on the saddle in front of him. Pain shot up her leg and lanced her stomach. It stole her senses, filling them until she knew nothing but the warm pulsing throb. She was vaguely aware of his arm against her back and his hand on her waist, and the wolves closing in.

 

He turned the horse. Nika gritted her teeth and leaned into him. Each step of the horse’s gallop jostled her on the saddle. The pain was unbearable, wracking her to the depths of her bones with each movement, but the alternative made her cling to consciousness and life. The wolves growled, closer now. The horse suddenly stopped and the man lowered her to the ground. Her legs buckled beneath her. He caught her before she could collapse and held her close to his hard chest.

 

“Run!” he said and she hazily wondered if he was talking to her. She didn’t think that she could run. The pain in her leg was too intense, blinding. The horse whinnied. Was he talking to it?

 

Her heart beat faster, each pulse sending stabbing needles sweeping around her body. Darkness encroached at the edges of her mind, sending her thoughts fuzzy and her body numb. The man carried her into somewhere and set her down on something soft but lumpy. The sound of wood scraping and heavy objects slamming made her open her eyes. She frowned, vaguely aware that they were in the small shack she had seen and that he was barricading the door.

 

A wolf howl sounded just outside.

 

She flinched in pain when she curled up, the wounds on her body stinging. Her left leg burned as though it was on fire. She couldn’t move it. She left it lying limp in front of her. The man looked at her and then around the small hut.

 

“Do not be frightened,” he said, as though those four words could erase all her fear.

 

It crushed her chest and stole her breath. She struggled to suck in air, panic closing her throat and pain making the slightest thing too hard. Her leg was wet. She could feel the steady slide of blood down her arms. Oh God. She was going to die.

 

Her panic only increased when the dreadful sound of claws against wood filled the small shack. Snarls came in under the door and growls made her skin crawl. She tried to back away but the sound surrounded her, leaving her nowhere to go. The man stood at the door, his tall figure a black shadow in the low light. He didn’t move. He stood sentinel with his hand on the hilt of the sword at his side.

 

The blade of which gleamed when he began to draw it.

 

The wolves scrabbled faster at the door and walls, as though they were trying to dig their way through. Nika reached out to the man, numb and petrified. He stepped towards the door and her heart slammed against her chest.

 

The two small windows on either side of the door exploded, showering her and the man in glass. The wolves leapt high, paws scrambling for purchase on the windowsill. They disappeared again only to attempt another go at getting into the building.

 

The man fully drew his sword.

 

She extended her hand further towards him. “You can’t fight. There’s too many!”

 

A terrible scream made them both jump. She had never heard such a horrifying and inhuman sound. A chill swept over her back and down her arms. The scream came again amidst a discordant symphony of growls and snarls. She closed her eyes and used the last of her strength to cover her ears, not wanting to hear the horse as it died.

 

Dreadful silence fell.

 

 

Chapter 2

 

Nika tried to breathe slowly but found it impossible now. If she didn’t breathe quickly, she was sure she would pass out. She clung to consciousness but slumped back onto the bed, no longer strong enough to hold herself in a sitting position. The pain reached her neck and crept upwards to her head, making her skin flushed and hot.

 

“Gone?” she whispered, in too much pain to ask the whole question.

 

The man turned and nodded.

 

“For now at least,” he said in perfect Russian, his voice still muffled by the mask across the lower half of his face.

 

She knew it was him. When he had saved her, she had seen his eyes.

 

He moved across the room to her, sliding the sword back into its sheath. She idly watched him, too weak to do anything else. It was a fight just to stay awake. He removed his facemask and helmet and placed them on the end of the bed. She wished it were lighter in the room so she could see his face. She had always wondered what he looked like, had painted a picture of him in her imagination from his eyes alone. She wanted to see him before she died.

 

Drawing his long cloak back over his shoulders, he looked around the room. She looked too, dazed. What was he searching for? Was he worried the wolves would come back? They had eaten now. Surely, they would leave them alone. Her leg ached when she tried to move and a new wave of nausea passed over her. She closed her eyes to fight it and when she opened them again, the man held a small glass lamp. He dug his hand into his pocket and then a tiny flicker of gold punctured the darkness. The lamp blazed into life when he lit the wick and then closed the glass door. He walked to the head of the bed. She stared up at him while he placed the lamp down.

 

He was far younger than she had expected, but just as handsome. His dark gaze roamed over her, a concerned frown marrying his black eyebrows. Tied at the nape of his neck, his long fine black hair caressed his broad black-clad shoulders. As he bent over, threads of his hair slipped down and grazed his throat. The warm light from the lamp made a scar on his neck stand out and she found herself staring.

 

“I need to take a look at you,” he said and, before even waiting for her to agree, began opening her long black coat. He peeled the two parts aside and helped her sit so he could remove it. The room was freezing without the warmth of her coat and she shivered. The man’s fingers moved carefully over her arms, his gaze intent on their work. He frowned harder whenever he found a cut and inspected it closely before moving on to the next. Her eyes widened when he shifted his attention to her legs and pulled the skirt of her dress up. She wanted to protest but didn’t have the energy to spare.

 

Collapsing back into the bed, Nika closed her eyes against the pain when he touched her leg and she sucked in a sharp breath.

 

“What is your name?” he said, voice low and deep, caressing her ears in a way that made her want to relax and fall asleep.

 

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. He stood over her, face half in shadow. The side that she could see made her breathless. The soft lamplight highlighted the subtle line of his cheekbones and the defined curve of his jaw. It played on the tempting fullness of his lips and danced in his eyes.

 

Something in those eyes made his tone feel cold and distant. His gaze flickered to her legs. She knew it was bad, could feel the wounds on them through the numbing heat of pain. His black gloves shone with her blood. She was losing too much to remain conscious for long. It was only a matter of time now before she passed out. Would he stay with her? Would she wake up if she embraced the darkness?

 

“Am I going to die?” she whispered, slow and between breaths.

 

He frowned at her. “No.”

 

He sounded so sure that she almost believed him.

 

She wanted to thank him but couldn’t find her voice as a new wave of pain rolled through her. If he hadn’t shown up, the wolves would have killed her and eaten her, as they had eaten his horse. How was she supposed to pay him back for that? She would never be able to afford such a fine animal. She laughed internally at herself for thinking about such ridiculous things while she balanced on the knife’s edge between life and death. Soon, it wouldn’t matter that she couldn’t afford to buy him a new horse. Soon, she would be dead and his loss would have been in vain.

 

“Your name?” he said, more demanding this time.

 

“Nika,” she pushed out the word.

 

“Nika, my name is Winter,” he said and she looked up at him, struggling to focus on his face so she could remember it and his name. It was an unusual name. What kind of person was called Winter? “I need you to listen to me. This will hurt, but we must set your leg.”

 

She swallowed. More pain? Couldn’t he just let her die? She was on the brink of passing out as it was and then she would be in blissful dark silence for the rest of eternity. No, he had said that she wouldn’t die and it had sounded like a promise. If he believed that she would live, there was a chance that she would. If she survived, she didn’t want her leg to be set wrong. The doctors would want to break it again to reset it.

 

Nika nodded.

 

He removed his thick cloak and placed it at the foot of the bed. Beneath it was the chest armour she had caught glimpses of a few times. Black and shaped like muscles, it made him appear strangely naked. He tugged two black leather straps free of his cloak and handed one to her. She stared blankly at it.

 

“Bite down on it.” There was incredible command behind those words. He placed it into her mouth when she didn’t move and she pushed it with her tongue until it was comfortable against her teeth.

 

Closing her eyes so she couldn’t see the pain coming, Nika bit down hard on the leather strap.

 

* * * *

 

Winter waited a moment, studying her. She was in phenomenal pain but it would ease once he had braced her leg. He held her lower leg on either side of the break and listened to her heartbeat. The moment it became steady, he snapped the bone of her left leg carefully into position. She whimpered and then fell silent.

 

He grabbed the other strap and tore a section off the skirt of her dress. Looking around, he tried to find a suitable splint. He spotted the pieces of wood that had fallen away when the wolves had broken the windows. Adding two of them to his group of makeshift medical supplies, he frowned down at her leg. He needed to clean it. The skin was broken in several places but he couldn’t tell whether they were teeth or claw marks.

 

Glancing at Nika, Winter realised that she had passed out. He blinked slowly. The sweet fragrance of her blood made it hard to concentrate. It called to him, stirring a deep desire to taste her and take her, to make her his. He closed his eyes, lowered his head while turning it a fraction away from her, and exhaled. He didn’t need to breathe and she was unconscious so there was no need to keep up the pretence. If he didn’t breathe, he might just be able to fix her wounds without surrendering to his hunger.

 

He removed his gloves and laid them down on top of his cloak. A distant howl reminded him that they weren’t alone. He frowned when he thought about Midnight. He’d had to make a choice. It had been Midnight’s life or theirs. He wouldn’t have been able to outride the wolves in the thick forest.

 

They were no ordinary wolves.

 

He was fortunate that the moon was strong tonight, strong enough to sway the wolves and control them to a degree. If it had been a normal moon, they might have changed on him and he would have had to fight them. Winter closed his eyes, listening to the call of the night and the moon. Tonight she spoke words of hunger and violence, beckoned him to surrender to his true nature just as the wolves had surrendered to theirs. He denied her request and brought his focus back to Nika. She needed him. He had to do all he could to save her. She deserved that from him at least.

 

Nika moaned, mumbling something unintelligible that he ignored. Looking out of the window, Winter checked the clearing outside. His senses had placed the wolves at a distance of at least a mile. He would have time. He unblocked the door, retrieved his helmet, and then walked out into the small open area in front of the wooden shack. The snow had fallen thickly here where the trees were sparse. Using his helmet as a bowl, he scooped up some of the fresh undisturbed snow off to the side of the shack and then walked back inside.

 

With the door barricaded again, he set about cleaning Nika’s wounds. He tore another piece of her skirt and placed it on the bed beside her. The bitter cold meant the snow in his helmet showed no sign of melting. He held it over the oil lamp, feeling the rising heat against his hand. Frowning, he checked Nika by touching her cheek with the back of his hand. She was freezing. He hadn’t even thought about how easily the chilly night air would drain the heat from her skin. It had been centuries since he’d had to care for humans or had anything to do with them.

 

Placing his helmet carefully at the end of the bed, he ensured that it wouldn’t tip over and spill the cool water it now held. Satisfied that it was secure, he picked up Nika’s thick winter coat and placed it over the top half of her body. He pulled the skirt of her dress down over her unbroken leg. Her feet were still exposed. He removed his gloves from their position on top of his cloak and unfolded the heavy material, laying it over her. The cloak swamped her small frame. His gaze fell to the gold cross that dangled around her neck. She had always worn it since she had been a small girl and he had always wished to ask her about it, about whether she believed in the god it represented or whether she just liked the look of it. Many women these days did. A cross was no longer a holy relic. He didn’t mind that. If there was no faith behind it, it wouldn’t hurt him. His eyes slid across to her neck and then he dragged his gaze away. Now wasn’t the time to be contemplating her blood.

 

Winter pulled the cloak up close around her face, covering her neck and trying to keep as much of her warm as possible.

 

When he touched her cheek this time, he felt a little more warmth.

 

Taking his makeshift bowl of water and the thin strip of skirt that he had torn from her dress, he bathed her leg. The thick tights she wore hindered his progress and he again had to stop. He removed her boots and then her tights, fighting an urge to look at her underwear while he was down there. When her legs were clear, he covered her again and continued with his work. He cleaned her leg, careful not to disturb the bone, and then used the other section of skirt as a bandage. When he had half wrapped her leg, he placed the two pieces of wood down either side of her calf and then continued to bandage it. He tied the bandage off and then took up the leather straps he had removed from his cloak and fastened them around her leg as tightly as possible. It would have to do for now. His medical experience was limited. If he broke a bone, he normally snapped it back into place and it would heal quickly, causing him little pain.

 

Winter covered her leg and carefully worked his way around her body, cleaning each wound he found and taking in the mess the wolves had made of her. If he had arrived any later, he might have lost her. He stared at her legs. He still might lose her. If they were bite marks and he hadn’t cleaned out all of the saliva, she would become like her attackers. The thought of that turned his stomach. Black anger darkened his heart.

 

A birdsong drifted in through the broken windows, heralding the coming dawn. The melody didn’t soothe him in the slightest. He stared at Nika’s leg with vengeance in mind. The wolves would pay either way. They would pay for killing Midnight. They would pay for hurting Nika.

 

They would pay for taking what was his.

 

The sunrise drove the call of the night from his mind and lured him to sleep. He checked Nika over one last time, battling his need to rest, and then went to the darkest corner he could find. Winter removed his sword, leaned against the wall, and used his senses to pinpoint the sunrise. Assured that the corner would be safe from the sun, he settled down. He tried to stay awake and alert, in case the wolves came back, but it was impossible. Taking hold of his sword, he held it close to his chest in both hands, telling himself that if the wolves came, he would sense them and wake. He leaned back into the corner of the walls behind him, his head resting against them, and looked at Nika.

 

His eyelids dropped and then opened again, dropped and opened.

 

Each time they did, he looked at Nika, checking her.

 

Sleep finally claimed him.

 

He had done all he could for her.

 

Now it was a matter of waiting.

Buy now >
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b89498/Winters-Kiss-/F-E-Heaton/?si=0


Ah... I might be persuaded to post a little more, maybe a bit further in, if people want it.

Hmm mm hmm... I adore Winter. He's taking my mind off my appointment tomorrow.

Felicity

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AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

Winter's Kiss is out today!

Yes, you read that right. The next Vampires Realm novel is out now at Fictionwise.com and this week you can SAVE 15% on the cover price.

Want a hot hero with a protective streak and fangs? A forbidden romance with a love so strong that it will go against a law that might mean death? A girl thrown into the demon world, turned into a werewolf against her will and saved by a drop dead gorgeous vampire? (pun intended!)

Then look no further...

Winter's Kiss
The tales of the mansion near Nika’s remote Russian village say that its lord drinks blood to live and that the guards are dead men walking, but that doesn’t stop Nika from falling for one of them—a man who seemingly hasn’t changed in twenty years, a man she wishes would be hers. One snowy spring night, her world and his collide when she is attacked by wolves and he rides in on a black horse to rescue her. But her knight in shining armour is far from saintly. He is a vampire, and she is becoming a werewolf, and love between such species is forbidden—the penalty death.

Winter is a commander of the Validus, the most powerful vampire bloodline in Europe. Faithful to his family and his lord since his turning one thousand years ago, he follows the law to the letter and places duty above all else, but his resolve is about to be tested in the most painful way and his world shaken beyond salvation. The girl he watched grow into a woman, a woman who has stolen his heart, is now a werewolf and his dream of making her his has been shattered. Only vengeance can be his now or the Law Keepers will hunt him down and kill both him and Nika.

But Winter’s plan to take Nika home to her family only leads to her witnessing the destruction of her village and the death of her father at the hands of the werewolf trying to claim her, and Winter finds that he can’t leave her. His heart demands that he protects Nika from the werewolf, Willem, by killing him and that he finds her a new home, somewhere she will be safe without him, for he must even protect her from himself. But Nika tempts him more than he can bear and it isn’t long before he finds himself treading the knife’s edge between upholding the law and succumbing to desire.

Nika does everything in her power to convince Winter to stay with her, to go against the laws and risk death, but in the end will she have done enough? When they reach the last bastion of the werewolves, will Winter leave her with her kin? Will the nights they spend together change his heart and his mind, or will she spend eternity dreaming of Winter’s kiss?

THE VAMPIRES REALM STORIES ALL STAND ALONE AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER. THEY ARE LINKED ONLY BY THE WORLD IN WHICH THEY ARE SET. IF YOU ENJOY THIS STORY, BE SURE TO READ THE OTHERS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS DARK AND PASSIONATE WORLD.

Read the excerpt or buy now >
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b89498/Winters-Kiss-/F-E-Heaton/?si=0


Ah... Winter... what's not to love about you?

Felicity Heaton

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AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

To kick off my summer of releases, I'm having a 3 day sale at Alinar Publishing!

That's right, you can save 30% off all my back catalogue until Friday 19th June!

The discount does exclude my current release, Daughters of Lyra: Heart of an Emperor, but you can get the Sons of Lyra series and my fantastic Vampires Realm stories at a high discount!

I write all kinds of genres so there's bound to be something for you--paranormal romance, romantic suspense, science fiction romance, fantasy romance, contemporary romance and historical romance too!

Check out my stories at the following links...

Felicity Heaton (paranormal, romantic suspense, science fiction, fantasy, contemporary and historical)
http://www.alinarpublishing.com/authors.php?author=Felicity%20Heaton

F E Heaton (Vampires Realm series, fantasy, paranormal)
http://www.alinarpublishing.com/authors.php?author=F%20E%20Heaton

Enjoy!!!!

Felicity x

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HTTP://WWW.TWITTER.COM/FELICITYHEATON

AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

Hi all... it's such a glorious day and the weather is meant to remain sunny and hot over the weekend! (the only downside to this is my hayfever is killing me!!!)

I'm so excited about all the stories that I have coming out this year, and I hope you all are too, that I just can't wait for monday to give everyone a peek at Winter's Kiss, the next Vampires Realm novel. Yes, this story was originally mentioned by me about five thousand years ago but I finally got the hero pinned down and after a little talk and a lot of slapping him around (I think he secretly enjoyed it) I got him on the straight and narrow in the end and we finished the story!

So, here's your first excerpt. It's the first chapter. On Monday I'll post more to get you all in the mood for parting with money the equivalent of a cup of coffee for one dashing hero and lucky heroine, and one great read!


Winter's Kiss
The tales of the mansion near Nika’s remote Russian village say that its lord drinks blood to live and that the guards are dead men walking, but that doesn’t stop Nika from falling for one of them—a man who seemingly hasn’t changed in twenty years, a man she wishes would be hers. One snowy spring night, her world and his collide when she is attacked by wolves and he rides in on a black horse to rescue her. But her knight in shining armour is far from saintly. He is a vampire, and she is becoming a werewolf, and love between such species is forbidden—the penalty death.

Winter is a commander of the Validus, the most powerful vampire bloodline in Europe. Faithful to his family and his lord since his turning one thousand years ago, he follows the law to the letter and places duty above all else, but his resolve is about to be tested in the most painful way and his world shaken beyond salvation. The girl he watched grow into a woman, a woman who has stolen his heart, is now a werewolf and his dream of making her his has been shattered. Only vengeance can be his now or the Law Keepers will hunt him down and kill both him and Nika.

But Winter’s plan to take Nika home to her family only leads to her witnessing the destruction of her village and the death of her father at the hands of the werewolf trying to claim her, and Winter finds that he can’t leave her. His heart demands that he protects Nika from the werewolf, Willem, by killing him and that he finds her a new home, somewhere she will be safe without him, for he must even protect her from himself. But Nika tempts him more than he can bear and it isn’t long before he finds himself treading the knife’s edge between upholding the law and succumbing to desire.

Nika does everything in her power to convince Winter to stay with her, to go against the laws and risk death, but in the end will she have done enough? When they reach the last bastion of the werewolves, will Winter leave her with her kin? Will the nights they spend together change his heart and his mind, or will she spend eternity dreaming of Winter’s kiss?

THE VAMPIRES REALM STORIES ALL STAND ALONE AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER. THEY ARE LINKED ONLY BY THE WORLD IN WHICH THEY ARE SET. IF YOU ENJOY THIS STORY, BE SURE TO READ THE OTHERS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS DARK AND PASSIONATE WORLD.


Excerpt

A scream rent the still night air.

 

Winter raised his head. The brush in his right hand paused against his horse’s sleek black flank. He frowned, calculating the distance from where he stood in the stable courtyard to the person who had shrieked. The human female voice could carry for miles on nights as calm as tonight. If she screamed again, he would be able to pinpoint her location to within one hundred metres.

 

A Watchman of the Validus bloodline, Winter had spent years honing his skills in tracking, hunting and killing to the highest echelon of perfection. They gave him the ability to ascertain that whoever the victim was, she was over three miles away.

 

He returned to his work, lovingly stroking the huge beast’s glossy coat and murmuring soothing words to him. It had been too long since he’d had the chance to ride. The rotation of duties within the household and Hyperion’s plan to spread their empire wider across Europe had left him with longer shifts at the gate. It was an honour to protect his lord, but long nights spent braced against the freezing winds that scathed the landscape in this part of Russia were tiring and left him little time before dawn to ride. His eyes closed. Honour wasn’t the only good thing to come of standing guard from sunset to sunrise.

 

He saw her more often.

 

An image of her flashed across Winter’s mind. Pale blonde hair hanging in waves down her back. Sparkling green eyes that glittered under the moonlight. A cherub’s rosy lips that promised sweet kisses and an imp’s smile that spoke of mischief. That image had branded itself on his mind the first night he had seen her as an adult. Every night that she passed and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, she burned her face a little deeper into his heart.

 

His horse kicked impatiently at the floor, scratching the scattered hay away from the dirt and leaving a long groove.

 

Winter patted Midnight tenderly on the neck and placed the brush down. Gathering the large black saddle, he positioned it on the horse’s high back and let his thoughts wander while he buckled the straps.

 

They instantly roamed back to her. Many years had passed since Winter had first seen her. She had been a little girl then. Now she had become a beautiful woman. Perhaps soon she would find the courage to speak to him for longer. She had stopped a few times, always singling him out even though his black armour covered him from head to toe, leaving only the section across his eyes exposed. She had spoken to him tonight, asking him why he wore armour and guarded the mansion. He hadn’t answered her. He had no place talking to humans when he was on duty.

 

There had been a beautiful lack of fear about her. Not even the sight of the naginata that he and the other Watchman held bothered her. Perhaps one day he could turn her. He cursed under his breath and tightened the last strap on the saddle. Those were not thoughts that he should be entertaining. His loyalty was to his lord and his bloodline first and foremost. He had a debt to repay. Once he felt as though he was worthy of asking his lord for permission to court the girl, he would, but until then he had a duty to do.

 

And that duty came first.

 

No matter what his feelings for her were.

 

A ride would clear his head.

 

A wolf howl sliced through the night.

 

Winter tensed and instinctively brushed his long heavy black cloak aside and reached for the sword hanging at his side. His fingers closed around the hilt as he calculated the distance to the howl.

 

Three miles.

 

Was the wolf after the woman?

 

Another scream shattered the returning silence. This time, it was a word.

 

“Niet!”

 

Winter’s eyes shot wide, an emotion rushing into his heart that he hadn’t felt in long years. Fear. The girl. He would know her voice anywhere.

 

With the preternatural speed and grace of his kind, Winter mounted the horse and bolted straight for the stable entrance. Midnight thundered forward, hooves pounding the dirt in a sure confident gallop. The gates barely had time to open as they approached. Winter tucked into the horse, bringing his feet up behind him along with the stirrups. The half-open wrought iron gates brushed his knees as they raced through, almost knocking the guards over.

 

Someone shouted something abusive in his direction.

 

He didn’t have time to slow down. The moment they had turned onto the road, he urged Midnight on, lowering his feet again but leaning forwards against its neck. It stretched forwards too, mimicking his move and galloping harder as though it had sensed his desperation.

 

The bottom of Winter’s chest armour dug into his hips as he rode. His long cloak streamed out behind him. The light flurry of snow became bitter darts of ice that cut into his eyes, forcing him to squint. He changed, his eyes turning purple to reveal his bloodline as his senses sharpened. The thundering hooves of his horse were the only sound in an otherwise still world. Winter snapped the reins. Midnight snorted and galloped faster, heading directly for the woods with no sign of slowing.

 

Winter willed the woman to make another noise, or the wolves to break their silence. He needed to get a fix on their location but it wasn’t only that driving him to beg the woman to shout or scream. He needed to know that she was still alive.

 

He hunkered down against his horse’s neck when they entered the thick forest of pines. Snow exploded from the branches as they crashed through them, heedless of the pain it caused them both. His armour would protect him from the whip-like branches of the trees, and his horse, Midnight, would go wherever he bid him to, regardless of whether it hurt.

 

A branch hit Winter directly across the black leather and metal mask covering his nose and mouth. It smacked the armour against his nose and forced a flinch from him as pain shot out in warm waves across his skull. He turned Midnight to his right and towards a more open area of forest. While the pain didn’t bother him, it would dampen his senses and he needed those as sharp as possible.

 

He pulled Midnight to a halt in a clearing and scanned the darkness, stretching out with his senses and searching for her. The wintry weather hadn’t managed to penetrate the dense trees and the ground was clear of snow, leaving him without a visible trail to follow. He breathed deep, catching a faint hint of her scent on the breeze. She had been here. He cursed. Where was she now?

 

Was she dead?

 

Had the wolves killed her already?

 

That thought made a dull ache settle in his chest. Winter refused to believe it. He wouldn’t believe it until he saw her body for himself. Another deep breath caught a stronger scent. A growl rumbled up through his chest.

 

Not wolves.

 

Werewolves.

 

His eyes narrowed into dark slits between his black helmet and facemask. He stared into the distance as one hand left the reins and closed around the hilt of his sword. Blood would spill tonight. Not only because werewolves had dared to enter Validus territory. If they had killed her, no, if they had even touched her, they would die by his hand.

 

A distant scream reached his ears.

 

He pulled on Midnight’s reins.

 

Midnight reared onto his hind legs, whinnied and then broke into a gallop. Winter sneered behind his facemask, his blood calling for violence.

 

* * * *

 

Nika walked the quiet winding path through the woods, wishing she had chosen to wear her thicker coat. Thick fake fur lined the long black coat she wore and it would have been warm enough under normal circumstances in late spring, but tonight was bitterly cold and the icy wind was searching, discovering cracks and places it could sneak into the coat and chill her to the bone. It was strange to have such wintry weather this side of spring. When she had left, the weather had been pleasant enough, and the snow had melted. Now it had come back with a vengeance. She had hoped the weather would be warm and sunny by the time she had returned from the city.

 

She folded her arms across her chest, trying to keep a little heat in. Her coat and dress reached the floor, both grazing the leaf litter and twigs that covered the path. The wind found its way into there too and blew upwards, snaking around her legs and sending her shivering. Her honey hair blew across her face as she turned and she clawed it away, thankful she’d had the good sense to take two long strands from beside her temples and plait them before tying them at the back of her head. It kept the bulk of her hair in place but left the long strands from that point downwards to dance in the breeze.

 

At least the snow couldn’t make it through the trees.

 

Nika hummed quietly to herself while she walked, thinking about how nice it would be to arrive home and sit down in front of the fire. The thought of that warm blaze made the cold feel distant. She wasn’t far from the village now. Soon she would be safe in her family’s home, out of the frigid night and bleak woods. It felt like months rather than weeks since she had gone away to St. Petersburg. A smile touched her lips when she recalled walking past the mansion. He had been on guard duty again, silent and sentinel outside the gate with another man. She knew it was him. Those beautiful dark eyes had spoken to her as they always did, telling her words that her heart loved to listen to. He never looked at her, but there was always a strange emotion in his eyes when she stopped in front of him. The cold emptiness that used to fill them disappeared, leaving what her heart interpreted as warmth behind.

 

She didn’t know who he was, or even what he looked like beneath his armour, but she knew one thing. She wanted no other man in this world.

 

Her heart lightened as memories of him came back, always protecting the gates of the large mansion. On the few occasions that she had plucked up the courage to speak to him, he had never uttered a word back at her. He hadn’t even spoken tonight when she had mentioned the tales about the man he guarded. Terrible tales they were. Stories of demons and death, of bloodshed and violence. Her whole village whispered of them. They were right in a way. There was something different about the men there. In all the years that she had passed those gates, that man had never changed. Not when she was a child and not now that she was an adult. It was the same man. He hadn’t aged one year in the twenty she had seen him. She was sure of it.

 

Through the trees, pinpricks of light flickered in the darkness. The village. She doubled her pace, thinking only of the warm fire and seeing her father again.

 

A howl sliced the night in two.

 

Nika froze to the spot, ears pricked and heart thundering.

 

Perhaps it had been the wind.

 

Low growls made her head snap around. Seven large dark shapes slinked out of the shadows. Their fur spiked in a line down their backs, wriggling like a snake when they shook themselves and growled at her. They stepped onto the path between her and the village. These were no ordinary wolves. She remembered them from her childhood. They had killed half of the village.

 

The one in front lowered its head and stared at her with bright amber eyes that promised a painful death. It snarled to reveal huge canines.

 

Nika screamed.

 

Before it could attack, she turned, dropped her bag and ran. She grabbed the front of her coat and skirt, lifting them so she could sprint unhindered, and headed through the woods in the direction of the mansion.

 

It wasn’t long before her legs were beginning to tire. Their muscles strained under the pressure of running over the uneven ground and seized up as the fear broke into her mind, sending panicked thoughts pounding through her skull.

 

She was going to die.

 

The voice at the back of her mind told her to give up, but she wouldn’t. She wasn’t ready to die. It was something that happened to someone else, not to her or the people she loved. If she could make it to the mansion, she would be safe. The men there would fend off the wolves. The man would protect her.

 

Nika shrieked again as she tripped on a branch hidden beneath the frozen leaf litter and hit the ground hard. She immediately scrabbled to her feet and ran blindly into the forest, desperate to escape the wolves. Behind her came their thundering feet and heavy panting. They were closing in.

 

In the blink of an eye, it was over. The full weight of one of the wolves hit her in the back, sending her tumbling to the floor. Another howled. She turned and wrestled the wolf off her, scrambling across the dirt away from it. One of them grabbed her ankle, the thick leather of her boot the only thing protecting the delicate joint. It growled. Nika screwed her eyes shut and brought her hands up in front of her face as the others leapt at her.

 

“Niet!”

 

Nika kicked the wolf off her ankle, eliciting a whimper from it, and pushed against the others. Breaking free, she got to her feet and ran again. Moonlight broke through a gap in the trees some distance ahead of her, illuminating a small shack.

 

Her heart willed her to make it there. It was her only chance.

 

She screamed again when one of the wolves snapped at her, trying to grab her arm. She punched it across the face and kept running, desperate to survive.

 

A thundering sound joined the cacophony of wolf growls and snarls and her rough breathing. Nika looked ahead of her to see the shack and then a large black horse with rider. She reached out to him, a silent plea for him to help her, and then fell when the wolves pounced on her. Pain erupted in her leg. Her heart missed beats as claws and teeth tore through her clothes.

 

Her last hope left her when she found herself face to face with the largest wolf. Hot breath washed her face, stealing her own. She sent a prayer to God and stared into the wolf’s yellow eyes, into the eyes of death.

 

The thundering hooves stopped. Above her the horse’s legs appeared, kicking out as the huge black beast whinnied and snorted. The wolves scattered, leaving her pressed into the dirt and frozen leaf litter, petrified and in too much pain to move.

 

The horse snorted again as it came down onto all four feet beside her and the rider appeared in her tear-blurred view.

 

“Hand,” he said in a muffled Russian voice and extended his towards her.

 

Nika feebly raised hers towards him. She wanted to take hold of that black gloved hand and escape this nightmare. He shook his impatiently. She struggled to move faster, weak from the white-hot pain burning inside every inch of her body. He bent forward on the saddle, caught her hand, and pulled her up into the air as though she weighed nothing. He settled her on the saddle in front of him. Pain shot up her leg and lanced her stomach. It stole her senses, filling them until she knew nothing but the warm pulsing throb. She was vaguely aware of his arm against her back and his hand on her waist, and the wolves closing in.

 

He turned the horse. Nika gritted her teeth and leaned into him. Each step of the horse’s gallop jostled her on the saddle. The pain was unbearable, wracking her to the depths of her bones with each movement, but the alternative made her cling to consciousness and life. The wolves growled, closer now. The horse suddenly stopped and the man lowered her to the ground. Her legs buckled beneath her. He caught her before she could collapse and held her close to his hard chest.

 

“Run!” he said and she hazily wondered if he was talking to her. She didn’t think that she could run. The pain in her leg was too intense, blinding. The horse whinnied. Was he talking to it?

 

Her heart beat faster, each pulse sending stabbing needles sweeping around her body. Darkness encroached at the edges of her mind, sending her thoughts fuzzy and her body numb. The man carried her into somewhere and set her down on something soft but lumpy. The sound of wood scraping and heavy objects slamming made her open her eyes. She frowned, vaguely aware that they were in the small shack she had seen and that he was barricading the door.

 

A wolf howl sounded just outside.

 

She flinched in pain when she curled up, the wounds on her body stinging. Her left leg burned as though it was on fire. She couldn’t move it. She left it lying limp in front of her. The man looked at her and then around the small hut.

 

“Do not be frightened,” he said, as though those four words could erase all her fear.

 

It crushed her chest and stole her breath. She struggled to suck in air, panic closing her throat and pain making the slightest thing too hard. Her leg was wet. She could feel the steady slide of blood down her arms. Oh God. She was going to die.

 

Her panic only increased when the dreadful sound of claws against wood filled the small shack. Snarls came in under the door and growls made her skin crawl. She tried to back away but the sound surrounded her, leaving her nowhere to go. The man stood at the door, his tall figure a black shadow in the low light. He didn’t move. He stood sentinel with his hand on the hilt of the sword at his side.

 

The blade of which gleamed when he began to draw it.

 

The wolves scrabbled faster at the door and walls, as though they were trying to dig their way through. Nika reached out to the man, numb and petrified. He stepped towards the door and her heart slammed against her chest.

 

The two small windows on either side of the door exploded, showering her and the man in glass. The wolves leapt high, paws scrambling for purchase on the windowsill. They disappeared again only to attempt another go at getting into the building.

 

The man fully drew his sword.

 

She extended her hand further towards him. “You can’t fight. There’s too many!”

 

A terrible scream made them both jump. She had never heard such a horrifying and inhuman sound. A chill swept over her back and down her arms. The scream came again amidst a discordant symphony of growls and snarls. She closed her eyes and used the last of her strength to cover her ears, not wanting to hear the horse as it died.

 

Dreadful silence fell.


Want/need more? Then shout for it :)


And remember... when it's released at Fictionwise.com, you'll save 15% off the cover price during the first week!!!

Felicity

---

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AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

Yes, Fictionwise have done it again so I'm out of sync with my releases but the new Vampires Realm novel, Winter's Kiss, is out this Monday at Fictionwise!!! All next week you'll be able to get it at a 15% discount. Fictionwise does all the same formats as Alinar Publishing, unsecured too, and accepts all payment methods so it's great for buying ebooks!!

Check out the blurb for Winter's Kiss... I'll be posting an excerpt for it tomorrow and then another one on Monday when the book is released.

Winter's Kiss
The tales of the mansion near Nika’s remote Russian village say that its lord drinks blood to live and that the guards are dead men walking, but that doesn’t stop Nika from falling for one of them—a man who seemingly hasn’t changed in twenty years, a man she wishes would be hers. One snowy spring night, her world and his collide when she is attacked by wolves and he rides in on a black horse to rescue her. But her knight in shining armour is far from saintly. He is a vampire, and she is becoming a werewolf, and love between such species is forbidden—the penalty death.

Winter is a commander of the Validus, the most powerful vampire bloodline in Europe. Faithful to his family and his lord since his turning one thousand years ago, he follows the law to the letter and places duty above all else, but his resolve is about to be tested in the most painful way and his world shaken beyond salvation. The girl he watched grow into a woman, a woman who has stolen his heart, is now a werewolf and his dream of making her his has been shattered. Only vengeance can be his now or the Law Keepers will hunt him down and kill both him and Nika.

But Winter’s plan to take Nika home to her family only leads to her witnessing the destruction of her village and the death of her father at the hands of the werewolf trying to claim her, and Winter finds that he can’t leave her. His heart demands that he protects Nika from the werewolf, Willem, by killing him and that he finds her a new home, somewhere she will be safe without him, for he must even protect her from himself. But Nika tempts him more than he can bear and it isn’t long before he finds himself treading the knife’s edge between upholding the law and succumbing to desire.

Nika does everything in her power to convince Winter to stay with her, to go against the laws and risk death, but in the end will she have done enough? When they reach the last bastion of the werewolves, will Winter leave her with her kin? Will the nights they spend together change his heart and his mind, or will she spend eternity dreaming of Winter’s kiss?

THE VAMPIRES REALM STORIES ALL STAND ALONE AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER. THEY ARE LINKED ONLY BY THE WORLD IN WHICH THEY ARE SET. IF YOU ENJOY THIS STORY, BE SURE TO READ THE OTHERS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS DARK AND PASSIONATE WORLD.


Also, check out the cover... that'll get you in the mood - http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/comingsoon.php

I'm so excited about this.

Felicity xx

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AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

Hi everyone!

I've finally finished slaving away over my new look website and I think I'm done. I'm very excited about it so be sure to check it out. I'm certain you'll all love it. There's all manner of new things that I'll be adding to it soon, and I'll be sure to let you all know when that happens! For now, drop by and have a look...

http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/

Of course, I'll be delighted to hear your feedback and what you think!

Felicity

---

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HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/FELICITYHEATON

VISIT MY WEBSITES...
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HTTP://WWW.VAMPIRESREALM.COM

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!
HTTP://WWW.TWITTER.COM/FELICITYHEATON

AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

Hi everyone!

Right now at Fictionwise.com you can SAVE 30% on all my ebooks!

Felicity Heaton Ebooks
http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/felicityheatoneBooks.htm

F E Heaton Ebooks
http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/feheatoneBooks.htm

Also... the first in the Daughters of Lyra stories will be available from around mid-day EST Monday on Fictionwise.com. That's a whole week before it's available at Alinar Publishing, and you'll be able to get it for a discounted price during the first week of sale on Fictionwise.com.

Annoyingly, I'm out of the country on holiday on the launch day, but if you go to my author page on Fictionwise.com next week, you'll see the book there - http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/felicityheatoneBooks.htm

Felicity x

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HTTP://WWW.TWITTER.COM/FELICITYHEATON

AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

Hi all...

To celebrate the glory that is the weekend, I'm having a post and win competition over at my main author yahoo!group. Go on over and reply to my post about the weekend to be in with a chance to win the ebook of your choice from my backlist!

http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/silver-phoenix/

Felicity

---

READ MY BLOGS...
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HTTP://WWW.VAMPIRESREALM.COM

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!
HTTP://WWW.TWITTER.COM/FELICITYHEATON

AUTHOR OF:
SONS OF LYRA SERIES - BEST SELLING SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
IN HEAT SERIES - BEST SELLING PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRES REALM SERIES - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES

It's the last day of my March Madness 25% discount on all of my books, so grab yourself a bargain while you can!

Books by F E Heaton (vampires realm series)
http://www.alinarpublishing.com/authors.php?author=F%20E%20Heaton

---

READ MY BLOGS...

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HTTP://WWW.VAMPIRESREALM.COM

 

AUTHOR OF...

SONS OF LYRA: SLAVE PRINCESS - NO 1ROMANCE BEST SELLER

IN HEAT - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

IN HEAT: MATING CALL - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

PROPHECY TRILOGY - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED VAMPIRE ROMANCE

Hi all

I have a novel that I'm working on for sending out to publishing houses and agents later this year and I'm looking for a handful of readers to send it out to once I've completed the second draft. I will be sending out a paperback version to those I select, and will then send them questions via email once they have read the story. I'm looking for something similar to what I did with Ascension, so any who participated in that are more than welcome to help me out with this. There's a few names that I definitely hope to see drop into my inbox as the comments they gave me for Ascension were invaluable. I might also set up a group for people to discuss the story, just to see if readers have the same vibe about it.

It's a paranormal romance again, novel length this time, 135000 words. Only contact me if you're serious about giving feedback and answering the questions. I don't want any time wasters who will only respond with "I loved it!" or "It was awesome". Looking for readers who are able to break things down a little better and give me valuable feedback that will help me edit this story to perfection.

If you're up for the task, email me OFF LIST at author@... with the subject line "Arcadian" and put your name forward.

This is likely to take place pretty quickly once I've completed the second draft, and you'll need to be able to have a good turn around on reading the book and completing the feedback. I am sending out paperbacks so you will have to provide your name/address if I email you to say you've been selected.

Deadline for offers is my birthday - April 7th.

Thanks!

Felicity

---

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AUTHOR OF...

SONS OF LYRA: SLAVE PRINCESS - NO 1ROMANCE BEST SELLER

IN HEAT - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

IN HEAT: MATING CALL - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

PROPHECY TRILOGY - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED VAMPIRE ROMANCE

From now until March 31st, I'm offering 25% OFF all of my books at AlinarPublishing.com!

That's right - 25% OFF!!

Why? Because the sun is shining, spring is coming, and romance is in the air! Take a look at the reads I have to offer and grab yourself a bargain!

Felicity Heaton books
http://www.alinarpublishing.com/books.php?author=Felicity%20Heaton

F E Heaton books
http://www.alinarpublishing.com/books.php?author=F%20E%20Heaton

Happy Reading Everyone!!!

Felicity

---

READ MY BLOGS...

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VISIT MY WEBSITES...

HTTP://WWW.FELICITYHEATON.CO.UK

HTTP://WWW.VAMPIRESREALM.COM

 

AUTHOR OF...

SONS OF LYRA: SLAVE PRINCESS - NO 1ROMANCE BEST SELLER

IN HEAT - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

IN HEAT: MATING CALL - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

PROPHECY TRILOGY - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED VAMPIRE ROMANCE

---

READ MY BLOGS...

HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/VAMPIRESREALMBOOKS

HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/FELICITYHEATON

 

VISIT MY WEBSITES...

HTTP://WWW.FELICITYHEATON.CO.UK

HTTP://WWW.VAMPIRESREALM.COM

 

AUTHOR OF...

SONS OF LYRA: SLAVE PRINCESS - NO 1ROMANCE BEST SELLER

IN HEAT - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

IN HEAT: MATING CALL - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

PROPHECY TRILOGY - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED VAMPIRE ROMANCE

Hi all,

I've updated my blog with more information on Arcadian and my progress. I'm going to make a post this weekend that will give you all a taste for the story without giving too much away!

check out the post and feel free to comment...

http://felicityheaton.blogspot.com/

I'd really like to hear from you all, so do comment if you read the post. You don't have to have an account to leave a message.

Thanks

Felicity

---

READ MY BLOGS...

HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/VAMPIRESREALMBOOKS

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VISIT MY WEBSITES...

HTTP://WWW.FELICITYHEATON.CO.UK

HTTP://WWW.VAMPIRESREALM.COM

 

AUTHOR OF...

SONS OF LYRA: SLAVE PRINCESS - NO 1ROMANCE BEST SELLER

IN HEAT - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

IN HEAT: MATING CALL - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

PROPHECY TRILOGY - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED VAMPIRE ROMANCE

Fictionwise are offering everyone a Valentine's Day treat of 30% off all Romance and Erotica titles, so get on over there and grab yourself some great reads for Valentine's Day. The romance in our lives isn't always what we wish it was, but in my stories, you're guaranteed a happy ending that will leave you smiling!

Felicity Heaton books...
https://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/felicityheatoneBooks.htm

F E Heaton books...
https://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/FEHeatoneBooks.htm

Happy reading!

Felicity

---

READ MY BLOGS...

HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/VAMPIRESREALMBOOKS

HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/FELICITYHEATON

 

VISIT MY WEBSITES...

HTTP://WWW.FELICITYHEATON.CO.UK

HTTP://WWW.VAMPIRESREALM.COM

 

AUTHOR OF...

SONS OF LYRA: SLAVE PRINCESS - NO 1ROMANCE BEST SELLER

IN HEAT - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

IN HEAT: MATING CALL - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

PROPHECY TRILOGY - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED VAMPIRE ROMANCE

I've posted a drabble for your New Year's entertainment!

http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/readme/viewstory.php?sid=13

Feel free to read and comment.

For those not in the know with the strange writer-speak, a drabble is normally a piece of work no more or no less than 100 words. Sometimes people extend them to 250 or 500 words on the nose.

Enjoy!

felicity

---

READ MY BLOGS...

HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/VAMPIRESREALMBOOKS

HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/FELICITYHEATON

 

VISIT MY WEBSITES...

HTTP://WWW.FELICITYHEATON.CO.UK

HTTP://WWW.VAMPIRESREALM.COM

 

AUTHOR OF...

SONS OF LYRA: SLAVE PRINCESS - NO 1ROMANCE BEST SELLER

IN HEAT - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

IN HEAT: MATING CALL - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

PROPHECY TRILOGY - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED VAMPIRE ROMANCE

Well, 2008 is over and now starts a new year!

To find out what I have planned, and to read my thanks to everyone for supporting me in 2008, please hit my blog! http://felicityheaton.blogspot.com/

Happy New Year all! Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!

Felicity

---

READ MY BLOGS...

HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/VAMPIRESREALMBOOKS

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VISIT MY WEBSITES...

HTTP://WWW.FELICITYHEATON.CO.UK

HTTP://WWW.VAMPIRESREALM.COM

 

AUTHOR OF...

SONS OF LYRA: SLAVE PRINCESS - NO 1ROMANCE BEST SELLER

IN HEAT - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

IN HEAT: MATING CALL - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

PROPHECY TRILOGY - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED VAMPIRE ROMANCE

I'm so excited to announce that my somewhat sensual winter Werewolf Romance novella, Embracing the Wolf, is now Number 3 in Romance over at Fictionwise!!! Thanks so much to everyone who has bought a copy. If you haven't, it's only $1.49 at the moment with the 25% discount!
http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook77068.htm

I'm also excited to announce that Seventh Circle, my latest Vampires Realm novel, has been chosen as a Reviewer's Top Pick for December 08 at ParaNormal Romance. Check it out - http://paranormalromance.org/blog/2008/12/reviewers-top-picks-december-2008.html

It's also still the spotlighted review at We Write Romance - http://www.wewriteromance.com/index.php


Be sure to snap up some last minute bargains on my stories over at Fictionwise where there is still 25% OFF my stories... here's a rundown.

Embracing the Wolf
Kat, a hunter with the Werewolf Control Forces, fled her alpha werewolf lover, Amon, when he told her that she too had the gene in her blood and would one day mature into a werewolf—into his mate.

Four years on, Kat has now matured. Each night she fights the ‘beast’ inside of her and her desire to return to Amon. She hunts rogue werewolves with a vengeance, hating her kind and her blood, gaining satisfaction from eradicating those that have surrendered to darkness and violence, but she can’t change her feelings and her craving for Amon is becoming stronger with every dream she has of him.

When Amon’s pack finally catches up with her, she discovers that he’s dangerously close to turning rogue and only she can save him from the darkness. An encounter with Amon reignites the passion they had once shared, dreams constantly stir her hunger for him, and Kat finds herself faced with a hard decision. Will she let him turn rogue and hunt him, or will she embrace the wolf and mate with Amon to save them both?

Read the excerpt: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook77068.htm


Seventh Circle
Dark, sensual and fast-paced, Seventh Circle is a story of forbidden love so strong that it will save the world.

Born with strange powers similar to a vampire’s, Lilith has spent her life hunting demons for Section Seven. Now, on the very same night that she watches a vampire kill her best friend, she’s faced with her worse nightmare.

A client who is not only attractive, but a vampire.

Lincoln, a powerful pure blood vampire, has a problem. The prophecy he’s caught up in is coming to pass and his only chance of survival is relying on those he hates most—vampire hunters. It has been foretold that one will save him, a female hunter, and when he meets her, the attraction he feels is both instantaneous and forbidden.

Their mutual attraction becomes difficult to deny as they work to unravel the mystery of a contract between Lincoln’s lord and the Devil. The barriers around their hearts fall, but is there only pain ahead of them? With Lincoln’s life on the line, can Lilith find the strength to protect him and embrace a side of herself that she wished didn’t exist? Can Lincoln overcome his fear in order to save Lilith even if it means parting from her forever? What price will they pay to be together?

Read the excerpt: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook76262.htm


A Promise of Passion
A dark, sensual and action packed story of two hearts, united in their passion and desire, but divided by their blood, A Promise of Passion is guaranteed to get your heart racing.

Alicia is a vampire hunter, unable to find a man strong enough to love and accept her for who she is. When Kassian, a tall and seductively handsome vampire walks into her life and vows to protect her, she doesn’t know what to think or feel. His eyes make promises that his searing touch backs up, but she can’t get past the fact that he’s a vampire and the fact that he thinks she’s someone else.

Kassian is certain from the moment he sets eyes on Alicia that she’s the reincarnation of his lost love and sire, and he’ll stop at nothing to convince her and make her his again. A taste of her blood makes him realise his mistake but doesn’t change his feelings or his resolve to have her.

Their mutual attraction is impossible to resist but a moment of passion places Alicia in the path of danger when Seth, the vampire responsible for murdering Kassian’s sire, sets his sights on her. When Alicia is dragged into a game of human sport, how far will Kassian go to protect his love? Can he save her or will history repeat itself?

Read the excerpt: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook75267.htm


My books by genre:

Vampires Realm series (vampire romance involving magic, werewolves, vampires, witches demons etc)
Seventh Circle - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook76262.htm
Prophecy: Child of Light [book 1] - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook44209.htm
Prophecy: Caelestis & Aurorea [book 2] - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook45665.htm
Prophecy: Dark Moon Rising [book 3] - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook46471.htm
Spellbound - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook52043.htm

Vampire Romance
A Promise of Passion - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook75267.htm
Eternal Kiss - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook41456.htm

Werewolf Romance
Embracing the Wolf - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook77068.htm
Hunter's Moon - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook41457.htm

Shapeshifter Romance
In Heat - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook47641.htm
In Heat: Mating Call - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook53570.htm

Sons of Lyra series (sci-fi romance)
Slave Princess - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook67530.htm
Runaway Hearts - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook69021.htm
Fight For Love - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook70334.htm
Stranded - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook71798.htm

Tri-Kingdom series (dark fantasy romance)
The Night - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook51775.htm
Darkness & Light - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook41455.htm

Paranormal
Moonlight - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook73254.htm

Romantic Suspense
Cabin Fever - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook53382.htm
Killing Game - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook49524.htm

Historical Romance
Queen of Hearts - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook41454.htm
The Merciless - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook51165.htm
The Merciless: Vengeance - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook52406.htm

Contemporary Romance
Summer's Secret - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook42567.htm

Or just browse my stories:
Felicity Heaton - http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/felicityheatoneBooks.htm
F E Heaton - http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/feheatoneBooks.htm


It's been a wonderful year for me in terms of writing so thanks to everyone for your support and kindness. Have a great New Year all!

Felicity

---

READ MY BLOGS...

HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/VAMPIRESREALMBOOKS

HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/FELICITYHEATON

 

VISIT MY WEBSITES...

HTTP://WWW.FELICITYHEATON.CO.UK

HTTP://WWW.VAMPIRESREALM.COM

 

AUTHOR OF...

SONS OF LYRA: SLAVE PRINCESS - NO 1ROMANCE BEST SELLER

IN HEAT - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

IN HEAT: MATING CALL - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

PROPHECY TRILOGY - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED VAMPIRE ROMANCE

Hi all!

Happy holidays to everyone and I hope you have a great time with friends and family. Tomorrow is the big day, so have you all got your presents wrapped? I finally put my tree up last weekend, the presents are wrapped and under it, and I'm still at work for some reason (until 3pm anyway!).

I'm trying to resist the temptation to work over the holidays, but I know that my need to write will get the better of me at some point. I have some exciting new stories and projects for the coming year and I can't wait to get going on them!

Have a happy and safe holiday everyone.

Don't forget that all my books have 25% off them at Fictionwise right now. The sale continues through to December 31st!


Embracing the Wolf
Kat, a hunter with the Werewolf Control Forces, fled her alpha werewolf lover, Amon, when he told her that she too had the gene in her blood and would one day mature into a werewolf—into his mate.

Four years on, Kat has now matured. Each night she fights the ‘beast’ inside of her and her desire to return to Amon. She hunts rogue werewolves with a vengeance, hating her kind and her blood, gaining satisfaction from eradicating those that have surrendered to darkness and violence, but she can’t change her feelings and her craving for Amon is becoming stronger with every dream she has of him.

When Amon’s pack finally catches up with her, she discovers that he’s dangerously close to turning rogue and only she can save him from the darkness. An encounter with Amon reignites the passion they had once shared, dreams constantly stir her hunger for him, and Kat finds herself faced with a hard decision. Will she let him turn rogue and hunt him, or will she embrace the wolf and mate with Amon to save them both?

Read the excerpt: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook77068.htm


Seventh Circle
Dark, sensual and fast-paced, Seventh Circle is a story of forbidden love so strong that it will save the world.

Born with strange powers similar to a vampire’s, Lilith has spent her life hunting demons for Section Seven. Now, on the very same night that she watches a vampire kill her best friend, she’s faced with her worse nightmare.

A client who is not only attractive, but a vampire.

Lincoln, a powerful pure blood vampire, has a problem. The prophecy he’s caught up in is coming to pass and his only chance of survival is relying on those he hates most—vampire hunters. It has been foretold that one will save him, a female hunter, and when he meets her, the attraction he feels is both instantaneous and forbidden.

Their mutual attraction becomes difficult to deny as they work to unravel the mystery of a contract between Lincoln’s lord and the Devil. The barriers around their hearts fall, but is there only pain ahead of them? With Lincoln’s life on the line, can Lilith find the strength to protect him and embrace a side of herself that she wished didn’t exist? Can Lincoln overcome his fear in order to save Lilith even if it means parting from her forever? What price will they pay to be together?

Read the excerpt: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook76262.htm


A Promise of Passion
A dark, sensual and action packed story of two hearts, united in their passion and desire, but divided by their blood, A Promise of Passion is guaranteed to get your heart racing.

Alicia is a vampire hunter, unable to find a man strong enough to love and accept her for who she is. When Kassian, a tall and seductively handsome vampire walks into her life and vows to protect her, she doesn’t know what to think or feel. His eyes make promises that his searing touch backs up, but she can’t get past the fact that he’s a vampire and the fact that he thinks she’s someone else.

Kassian is certain from the moment he sets eyes on Alicia that she’s the reincarnation of his lost love and sire, and he’ll stop at nothing to convince her and make her his again. A taste of her blood makes him realise his mistake but doesn’t change his feelings or his resolve to have her.

Their mutual attraction is impossible to resist but a moment of passion places Alicia in the path of danger when Seth, the vampire responsible for murdering Kassian’s sire, sets his sights on her. When Alicia is dragged into a game of human sport, how far will Kassian go to protect his love? Can he save her or will history repeat itself?

Read the excerpt: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook75267.htm


My books by genre:

Vampires Realm series (vampire romance involving magic, werewolves, vampires, witches demons etc)
Seventh Circle - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook76262.htm
Prophecy: Child of Light [book 1] - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook44209.htm
Prophecy: Caelestis & Aurorea [book 2] - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook45665.htm
Prophecy: Dark Moon Rising [book 3] - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook46471.htm
Spellbound - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook52043.htm

Vampire Romance
A Promise of Passion - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook75267.htm
Eternal Kiss - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook41456.htm

Werewolf Romance
Embracing the Wolf - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook77068.htm
Hunter's Moon - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook41457.htm

Shapeshifter Romance
In Heat - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook47641.htm
In Heat: Mating Call - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook53570.htm

Sons of Lyra series (sci-fi romance)
Slave Princess - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook67530.htm
Runaway Hearts - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook69021.htm
Fight For Love - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook70334.htm
Stranded - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook71798.htm

Tri-Kingdom series (dark fantasy romance)
The Night - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook51775.htm
Darkness & Light - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook41455.htm

Paranormal
Moonlight - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook73254.htm

Romantic Suspense
Cabin Fever - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook53382.htm
Killing Game - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook49524.htm

Historical Romance
Queen of Hearts - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook41454.htm
The Merciless - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook51165.htm
The Merciless: Vengeance - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook52406.htm

Contemporary Romance
Summer's Secret - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook42567.htm

Or just browse my stories:
Felicity Heaton - http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/felicityheatoneBooks.htm
F E Heaton - http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/feheatoneBooks.htm

Happy reading!

Felicity

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AUTHOR OF...

SONS OF LYRA: SLAVE PRINCESS - NO 1ROMANCE BEST SELLER

IN HEAT - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

IN HEAT: MATING CALL - NO 1 EROTICA BEST SELLER

PROPHECY TRILOGY - CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED VAMPIRE ROMANCE