Well, we've come to the end of my Darkness series, Surviving the Darkness.
This story follows the lives of Deborah Carmichael and Zachary Adams. Deborah is a famous pianist, who, unfortunately, has a stalker bent on having him for himself.
Zack is the owner of the only paranormal bar in Jacobs Cove. He's a shifter who isn't always on the law's good side.
There is an instant attraction when Zack meets Deborah and when he finds out she's had trouble with a stalker, he's determined to help her out.
I hadn't written a shifter story before so doing this one I had to decide what kind of shifter I wanted him to be. I decided to go for the full gusto.
So I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did creating it.
https://tinyurl.com/4w8hb5saSurviving the Darkness
Bk 8
Blurb:
Surviving an abduction, and running home to hide, might seem like a good idea. Except home is now run by vampires.
Deborah Carmichael had it all. Fame, fortune, and an amazing gift bringing songs to life on her piano. Until a madman began stalking her. At first he seemed harmless, attending her concerts, asking for autographs. Then he turned creepy, sending photos of himself, wearing identical dresses she wore, including dressing up mannequins in her likeness. But one night she made a deadly mistake: sending her bodyguard away. It was the perfect opportunity for her abductor to strike.
Rich, debonair, and owner of the only vampire/demon establishment in Jacobs Cove, Zachary Adams has it all. Or so he thinks. When a beautiful, troubled young woman walks into his club, he is instantly taken by her. As he helps her overcome her fears, teaching her to stand up and fight, Zach discovers she is the one. His light.
When her abductor finds her, and takes her captive, Deborah fears this will be the end. Will Zach locate her in time, or will Deborah find the strength to fight?
Excerpt:
Deborah
stood before the rag doll dummy with pursed lips. Zach had just explained to
her that she should apply all her force when punching the dummy, yet she felt
foolish doing so. Not to mention she worried that if she did, the poor thing
would topple over or break.
“You
can’t hurt it.”
“I
know that,” she sighed, then balled her hand into a fist and jabbed it at the
dummy’s belly. Zach snorted beside her.
“My
grandmother can punch harder than that. Come on, Deborah, give it all you’ve
got.”
Deepening her frown, she jabbed the dummy one
more time, with a little more heat.
“If
he had a voice he’d be laughing at you right now. Hit him, Deborah!”
Shooting Zach a heated glare, she balled her
hand and plowed it into the dummy’s gut. It rocked, it teetered but it remained
standing.
“See.
Now kick it.”
“I
will not.”
“Oh
for pity sake, Deborah. It’s an inanimate object. It has no feelings. Kick it.”
He was beginning to piss her off. Lifting her
right foot, she jutted it out at the dummy with enough force to have it rock
back and forth several times before coming to a stop. “Happy?”
“Not particularly, no.” He walked behind the
dummy and lifted one ragged arm. “Is that all you’ve got? Come on weakling,
bring it on.”
Rolling
her eyes, Deborah laughed. “Now you’re just being foolish.”
“Look
at you, all frail and scrawny. Those arms are like tooth-picks. You can’t take
me; you’re too weak.” Zach played the dummy while lowering his voice.
“Why
do you want me to beat on this poor, defenseless object? We both know I can
punch and kick.”
“Why did I get you to scream for two days?”
“Because you’re a sadist?”
One
blond brow lifted. “I’ve never been called that before. No, it was to open you
up, bring out the fighter in you. Now kick me, Deb and do it with meaning.”
“You
never call me Deb.” She hauled off and planted her foot in the dummy’s leg. She
was sure if Zach hadn’t been behind it, the thing would have toppled over.
“Because
Deborah suites you better. The dummy called you Deb. Do that again, only this
time with your left.” She did, but she didn’t have as much power in her left as
she had in her right. “Good, now try the side kick I showed you and go for his
mid chest.”
“This is all fine and good for a dummy, but
there is no way I can do this to a human.” But she did as he asked and shifting
to her left, raised her right leg and jammed it into the dummy’s chest.
“Yes
you can and you will. Now go with the left.”
She
repeated the move with her left, frowning at Zach. “No I can’t and I won’t. I
can’t hurt someone.”
“Oh,
so you would rather they hurt you. It’s your life or his— which one do you
value more?”
“That’s a stupid question.”
“Answer it.”
“Mine,”
she demanded with a determined expression.
“I don’t think you really mean that,” Zach
taunted, flapping the dummy’s arms at her. “Say it with conviction.”
“Mine,”
she repeated a little firmer, throwing her right fist out to the dummy’s
abdomen.
“Still
not good enough.”
“Mine,”
she demanded and this time put everything she had into the kick. She gasped
when both Zach and the dummy went flying. Zach came down hard on his back,
dummy resting on top. “I am so sorry! Are you all right?” Rushing to his side,
she pushed the dummy away, noticing how heavy it really was, and placed her
hand on Zach’s face.
“Now,
that was better.” Looking up at her, he smiled.
“Are
you hurt?”
“Nothing
I can’t manage.”
The
air rushed from her lungs as he yanked her down on top of him and plastered his
mouth over hers. She was too dazed to reject him, and by the time her mind
cleared, her body was reacting with delight. His lips were so smooth, so gifted
and as he took the kiss deeper she felt herself melting. His arms wound around
her waist as his hands came to rest on his chest. She felt his heart beating
against her palm and realized suddenly that hers was matching his. He rolled
them until she was on her back and he on top. He braced one hand to her left
keeping his weight from crushing her. His free hand strolled lazily along her
side, over her arm until he reached her face. Then he did something so sweet,
so sensual it made her body quiver. With only the tips of his fingers, he
traced her face from chin to forehead and back as he turned the kiss from an
urgent battle of lips to a slow melting of mouths. She felt herself floating
and never wanted to come down. Then he released her mouth and rested his
forehead on hers.
“Yep,
that did the trip. I feel much better now.”
“Why
did you stop?” she murmured. When her eyes opened she found them connecting
with his. They were so blue, so…beautiful.
“How foolish of me.” His lips curving in a
smile, he leaned back down and continued his seduction of her mouth.
