Title: Desiring Death
Author: C.P. Mandara
Series: Evading Death (Book 1)
Genre: Paranormal/Vampire/Erotica
Publisher: Chimera
Books UK
Number of Pages: 154
Word Count: 62,000
Edition/Format Available In: eBook
Blurb/Synopsis:
Violetta is an executioner… of vampires. Famed for her fiery
beauty and mesmerising personality, she has never failed an assignment.
Monsieur Martinet is no ordinary vampire, though. He is a
master at his craft and can control humans with the merest flick of his
eyelids. The vampire huntress with the porcelain skin and flaming red hair has
killed all of his brethren, without exception. He now seeks the ultimate
revenge: her submission in HIS bed.
If he’s allowed to stay alive long enough, that is.
‘You bit me,’ she accused, aghast, and her mouth was pulled
back in a grimace of horror.
‘Oh, do keep up,’ he said with a tired sigh. ‘I pretended to
bite you. That little morsel of fun happened only inside your head. The real
thing is far better, and if you’re a good girl, I might even give you a
demonstration.’ There was no accompanying smile after that sentence, and didn’t
that say it all?
‘No, you bit me, earlier.’ Her voice was rising and sounded
slightly hysterical. ‘My knife,’ she pointed to the blade below her feet, ‘is
covered in blood. My shoulder stings. You bit me.’
‘Pumpkin,’ he sighed. ‘You’d know if I bit you. There’d be a
post-orgasmic, flashing blue lights, shocked-at-the-brilliance of the world
type of aura about you. All you’ve had is a knife plunged into your shoulder.
If you’re hankering after a set of puncture wounds, though, I’m sure I can
oblige.’ He used his index finger to beckon her forward and displayed a set of
prominent fangs for her benefit. ‘It’s jolly good…’
‘Fine.’ She managed to get her trembling hands under control
and she used them to smooth her auburn waves carefully around her face.
Rearranging the long folds of her dress, which had become decidedly rumpled as
she’d worn them dangling around her face for the duration of the spanking, she
then took great care to pick up the knife by its unsullied handle and looked at
it with displeasure.
‘You be a good girl and give it to your friends, now. You
know exactly what will happen if you don’t, princess.’ He waved her back into
the ballroom beyond, where a lively orchestral tune had just struck up. Her
face turned to the lights streaming through the open doors and he knew she
wanted to make a break for the safety of the walls within. She had much to
learn. Nowhere would be safe for her anymore. In fact, safety would not be a
usable word in her vocabulary from this night forth. ‘After you’ve finished
with your death buddies, come back here and we’ll go party at mine. I’ll show
you what you’ve been missing all these years.’ He unearthed his fangs again for
good measure, and curled his tongue around a sharp point.
He knew she had to bite down the urge to scream at him. It
would have been immensely entertaining had he not been coping with third degree
burns.
‘You wouldn’t want to give me any hints or tips on how to
remove that arrogant head of yours from your body, would you?’ Her voice held a
simpering, sweet quality, and her little girl antics made him want to throw her
down on the ground and cover her entire body with grass stains.
‘What can I say?’ He shrugged. ‘You’ll probably need to take
a step over into the other side of life to find out though, precious. You’ll never
kill me as a human.’
‘You’re the most vile and loathsome creature, I’ve ever met,
Martinet. Using my fantasy was a low blow. Sexy stranger you may be, but you
were hardly a knight-in-shining-armour. Next time you grope around for
fantasies inside my head, make sure you do the job properly,’ she barked.
‘You came didn’t you? What more do you want? Rose petals and
a fanfare? Tell you what, next time I’ll get out the horse and carriage and we
can go for a proper ride…’ Martinet didn’t bother continuing. He was presented
with her back as she stomped off and damned if she didn’t have a mighty fine
ass to ogle.
‘Your performance was appalling, by the way.’ She did not
raise her voice to utter the condemning statement, but she was well aware that
she didn’t need to. What was it with women who always needed to get the last
word in?
He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, ‘Good thing
I’ll be getting plenty of practise in later then, isn’t it?’ He had to raise
his voice quite significantly to make sure he could be heard by her inferior
ears. No reply was forthcoming, but he knew she’d heard him by the stiffening
of her neck and the tightening of her fingers.
