Dark Hearts of Charm City is the sequel to The Beast Within. For those of you who are familiar with Book One, The Beast Within, you know of Julian's betrayal. Book Three is the conclusion and takes place in Los Angeles, CA. I've completed the first chapter and hope to have this story submitted by March or April.
Excerpt:
After claiming Diana, Julian realizes the deadly mistake he’s made. Once Diana rejects him, he’s forced to work with her best friend, Charlene in order to save her life. But is it too late? Does he have a chance to redeem himself and save the love it took him centuries to acquire?
After experiencing betrayal at the hands of Julian, Diana succumbs to the one thing she finds most desirable. Unfortunately, her dark path leads her down a long and dangerous road when she meets up with the rogue elder, Michael Vitello.
Although she rejected Julian, she discovers her love for him grows stronger with each passing moment. She’s still in denial when her hasty decisions thrust her in harm's way, and she discovers, albeit a little too late, how much she truly loves Julian
Blurb:
The almost deadly rays of anger emanating from Diana’s eyes nearly crushed Julian’s soul. Her tongue was equally sharp, and every word that fell from her lips dripped with deadly venom. Never in his existence had he believed words spoken by a woman would cut him so deep. But, as it was, Diana was no ordinary woman. She was his woman. He watched with intensity as she paced the floor, like a caged animal. Her restless beast raged beneath her human façade, eyes aglow, casting him promises of a final death.
“Damn you! Damn you to Hell! If I had the strength to destroy you right now, I would do so, without a thought!”
“You need to save your energy,” Julian commanded, as he watched her wrinkle her face in anger. His beast crouched dangerously close to the surface, eager to tame the female beast inside his mate. True, he had betrayed her. Maybe he deserved every bit of her anger for what he had done to her. No, hatred. . . The emotion hung heavy in the air around them. Even so, he’d had his reasons, black as they may have been.
“Damn you to Hell!” In her fit of anger, she effortlessly hurled the nightstand at Julian, barely missing him.
The blood-curdling, banshee-like cry rang loud in his ears. “What will I do now? I swear I’m going to kill you when my strength returns.” Diana paced the floor, halting momentarily to glower at him. ”You’ve pulled me into the fiery pits of Hell, right along with you!
Self-flagellation set in Julian’s soul like a cold front, and guilt accompanied it. He should have not weakened when he’d claimed her. Everything his sire taught him, he’d ignored.
His beast continued to stir. “You thirst. You must take my blood.” He knelt next to her on the floor and bit into his wrist. She looked up at him, eyes black as the night sky. Slowly they began to glow as she accepted his vein. With greed, she ingested his elixir until he forced her to stop.
“Enough!”
“No, it can never be enough.” Julian rose, pacing the floor, mentally scanning the area. The foul presence of the rogues lingered. He clenched his fists and hissed, sending the mental warning on wind currents. He reveled in the feeling of the rogues tensing in their dark place of slumber, but the Ancient threat never backed down. It still lurked, even in the bright rays of the sun. He bared his fangs as the Ancient sent a mental challenge.
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