Hey, everyone! I've been crazy busy getting the final proof of Wynter's Bite ready for its release on Valentine's Day!
The idea for this one created itself when I realized that Justus, the villain from His Ruthless Bite, was not what he seemed to be. All of the havoc he'd created was out of love for the woman he lost.
So...
In Wynter's Bite, we get his side of the story. And he also reunites with his beloved. However, the dangers that face them both have only just begun.
For a PDF of this media kit, go HERE.
Kobo
And since I already did an excerpt of the first chapter on my blog, I figured I'd do a bonus, never been read excerpt here.
Justus de Wynter,
Viscount de Wynter, and second in command to the Lord Vampire of Rochester,
frowned as he heard the group of tittering girls making their malicious plan.
With his preternatural hearing, he knew that the young misses of the
aristocracy were not the innocent paragons that they painstakingly paraded
themselves as. But he usually ignored their mean-spirited gossip and little
pranks.
This time,
however, the chits meant to include him in their scheme. Justus gnashed his
fangs in irritation at their presumption to use him. He would not oblige them
by dancing like a puppet on their strings.
Their vituperative
words repeated in his mind.
“Silly little
greenhead. Just wait and see what she does when he gives her the cut direct. I
wager ten pounds that she will cry.”
“I wager twenty
she’ll faint.”
Though it was true
that Justus was merciless in driving away any unmarried female who dared to
approach him, this time, he would be gentle with the poor girl. Instead, he
would guarantee that the malicious misses lost their wagers.
His gaze swept
over the crowd, landing on the target of the girls’ prank.
She looked
painfully young, likely barely out of the school room, and a picture of
innocence with her golden curls and large blue eyes. However, the curves of her
breasts above the neckline of her snow-white gown chased away all thoughts of
her youth. Tearing his eyes from that tempting view, he once more looked upon
her heart-shaped face as she made her way towards him with graceful, yet
tentative steps.
A pang of worry
struck his gut. She wouldn’t introduce herself to him, would she? Or God
forbid, ask him to dance? Such gaffes would render her a pariah.
The young woman
licked her lush lips as if about to speak. But thankfully, she halted and
merely stood near him, occasionally glancing at him over her fan.
Good. So she
wasn’t a half-wit after all. At this point, he could either ignore her presence
and appear rude— something he did often— or have someone introduce them so he
may engage her in conversation or ask her to dance.
For possibly the
first time since he was Changed two hundred years ago, Justus opted for the
latter. Catching Lady Ellingsworth’s gaze, he gave her a beckoning grin. She
returned his smile and excused herself from the people she was conversing with
and hurried his way.
“Would you do me a
kindness and introduce me to that young lady?” he whispered.
Lady Ellingsworth
glanced at the female in question and a line formed between her brows.
“Although I’ve heard some tales, I have never seen you seek sport with a
debutante.”
“No sport
intended.” Already he was coming to regret his impending act of kindness. “I
merely owe someone a favor,” he improvised.
“Well then, if you
are seeking sport…” She placed her hand on his sleeve.
Justus forced a
tight smile. “I know where to look.” He thought he’d made it clear to Lady
Ellingsworth and every other woman he took his pleasure from that his liaisons
were for one night only. He couldn’t risk any human learning what he was, so he
kept his distance.
The hostess gave
him a slightly petulant frown before pasting a placid smile on her face and
patting the blonde maiden’s shoulder. “Miss Mead, have you met Lord De Wynter?”
The young lady
blinked in surprise. “I have not had the pleasure, my lady.”
As the
introductions were made, Justus bowed and concealed an amused smile at her
shaky curtsy. Nervousness emanated from her subtly curvy form in tangible
waves. Even when making an effort at kindness, he still appeared to intimidate.
Just then, the strains of a waltz began.
Perfect. This
ought to sever the vipers’ tongues.
Justus extended
his hand. “Would you care to dance, Miss Mead?”
Her pale cheeks
flushed the color of rose petals. Usually such blatant timidity was tiresome,
but for some reason with her, he felt a tremor of delight. “Yes, my lord,” she
said softly, and took his proffered hand.
Even through the
thin fabric of their gloves, he could feel the heat of her fingers intertwined
with his. Shaking off the odd intensity of his reaction to her touch, Justus
concentrated on leading her to the dance floor and maintaining a mask of
indifference at the surprised glances cast their way at the sight of him
dancing with a debutante.
Her steps were
slightly off time, but for some reason, he only felt sympathy rather than
irritation. “You’re overthinking the dance,” he whispered. “Relax and let me
lead.”
Her crimson flush
deepened, but she heeded his advice and suddenly the dance became fluid, their
bodies fitting together perfectly. Justus blinked in surprise. She followed
instructions exceedingly well.
The scent of her
skin, clean and tinged with the lavender oils she must have bathed in, awakened
his lust even as the pulsing vein at the juncture of her neck and shoulder
prodded his other hunger.
To combat the
alarming reaction, Justus decided to converse. “Do you have any hobbies?”
Closing his eyes,
he prepared for the usual prattle about needlepoint, the pianoforte, and
watercolors. Not that he frowned upon any of these genteel pastimes, in fact,
many young ladies produced admirably good paintings and played gorgeous music.
But the fact of the matter was that they were so boring to talk about.
“I like to read.”
An undercurrent of passion threaded through her voice.
Interest pricked
at her answer. “I like to read as well. What are your favorite works?” Probably
romantic novels, but some literacy was better than none.
“I adore medieval
literature.” Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm for their topic. “Especially
Chaucer.”
Chaucer? Justus blinked in surprise.
That meant she could read old English. Once more, pity welled in his heart.
Women like her were always counseled to hide their intelligence. But she didn’t
have to hide hers from him.
“I enjoy Chaucer
as well,” he informed her with a grin. “My favorite is The Book of the Duchess. What is yours?”
“The Canterbury Tales.” Adoration infused
her voice.
He couldn’t help
but smile in understanding of her joy to speak of a favorite work. “But they
were never finished.”
“I don’t mind. In
fact, it leaves a little mystery to the experience of reading them, wondering
where Chaucer was going, what else he intended.” A dreamy smile curved her rose
pink lips. “Unfinished stories fascinate me.”
And she was
beginning to fascinate him, despite his better wisdom. It was difficult to find
someone whose passion for the written word matched his own. Justus’s best
friend, the Baron of Darkwood and the Lord Vampire of Rochester, had little
time for books between overseeing his territory and attending scads of country
parties. And since Justus was Lord Darkwood’s second in command, all other
vampires ranked below him, and thus were reluctant to engage in any sort of
banter with him.
But he could not
become close to this enchanting little reader. Women her age, by necessity,
were only after one thing: matrimony, which he could not undertake without
revealing that he was a monster and transforming her into one as well.
I hope you liked the excerpt! If you like reading excerpts and want a free copy of one of my other vampire books, you can sign up for my newsletter!
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