Flashback Friday - Chains of Jericho

Since I have a new vampire story coming out this weekend, I thought it was appropriate to have the flashback this week from the very first vampire story I ever had e-published. As it turns out, it's also the very first story I had e-published as well. It's called Chains of Jericho:

Declan Jericho is a vampire with a purpose. His best hope for success is a brilliant young cancer specialist, but unfortunately, saving the undead isn’t exactly the career path Dr. Maya Sheldon has in mind.

Maya finds her entire belief system thrown into question when Dec kidnaps her from her hospital, taking her to his home so that she can develop a cure for the mysterious illness that is killing the young vampires in his care. Her instincts as a doctor kick in quickly. Vampires or not, she’s unable to abandon her charges. Working with Dec, it soon becomes clear that there's more than a professional interest between them, but as their attraction grows, darker secrets threaten their newfound relationship. Dec has his own reasons for wanting the young vampires cured, and he’s not telling.

EXCERPT

Her eyes flew open.

Staring blindly at the wall in front of her, Maya listened to her heart pounding inside her chest, panicked for escape and determined to make its presence known. The vestiges of her dream still clung to her skin with tiny claws, and it took a full minute for her to realize that not everything she felt was a remainder of her imagination.

At her neck, Dec’s mouth suckled gently at the exposed skin around the edges of the bandage, lapping at the soft skin with a lethargy that belied any provocation on his part. She stiffened, waiting for the teeth to come, just as they had in her dream, just as they had after her encounter with Danny. Perhaps the pain wouldn’t be that great this time.

But they didn’t.

All she felt was the wet probe of his mouth, the careful attention of his tongue. His arm was still looped around her waist, holding her firmly against him as he’d told her would be necessary before she fell asleep, and now, there was the added pressure of his erection nestled firmly against her bottom.

Just like in her dream.

No wonder her mind had gone there.

Her body was betraying her. The almost tender exploration of his mouth was more of a lover’s than anything else, and it had been far too long since Maya had experienced any sort of intimate contact with the opposite sex. While her thighs started to tremble from the intrusion of his arousal, she was fighting not closing her eyes again and giving over to the sensations he was creating, clinging to the reminder that she was there against her will, that he’d trapped and kidnapped her for purposes yet to be disclosed, that---.

His thumb brushed along the underside of her breast.

There was no holding back the moan that escaped from her throat.

The movement at her throat stopped at the sound, and before Maya could react, Dec was gone from the bed, the blankets that had been in disarray around their legs now completely gone. She rolled over just in time to see him go straight for the refrigerator, pulling out the sports bottle and draining its contents without a glance back at what he’d left.

“Are you OK?” The question blurted from her lips before she could stop it.

It took him a moment to respond. Licking at his lips, Dec kept his eyes averted from hers as he tossed the empty sports bottle aside, and then said, “I’m sorry. It’s not an excuse, but I wasn’t…really awake. It’s been a long time for me.” He shook his head, and repeated, “I’m sorry.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. He was clearly distressed about his behavior, which, considering the fact that he was a vampire, made no sense whatsoever. Weren’t they supposed to be monsters? Killing people, feeding off their blood, all that Dracula nonsense? She’d never really given it much thought, to be honest; there were enough real monsters in the world vying for her attention without needing to go looking for the pretend ones. Except he wasn’t so pretend, was he? He’d bitten her. She’d seen his face. She’d seen Danny’s, seen it change. Like he’d told her before they turned in, she couldn’t argue with facts displayed before her very eyes.

“Do you need anything?” he was saying. He stood before the wardrobe and pulled out a plastic bag. “I have extra clothes for you, and some toiletries, but I wasn’t sure how long you’d be staying so it’s not much for now---.”

“You still haven’t told me what’s going on.” Toiletries? What kind of kidnapper bought toothpaste for his hostage? “Something about a long story?”

His hands stilled. “Are you sure you don’t want a shower first?”

“You’re stalling.”

“No, I just don’t know where to start.” He dropped the bag with a sigh and started to pace, every step feral with an energy that was just begging to be unleashed. “It took me a long time to find someone I thought could do it. I just never stopped to consider what would happen once I got that someone here.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“I suppose I’m not.”


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