Saturday Book Tease

Darkest Communion

As a multi-genre author, I find myself gravitating in many directions from romance to fantasy to crime, and to science fiction. There is almost always a backdrop of romance in each, in some more so than others. Love makes the world go ‘round. But in the romance category, there are many subcategories. Paranormal romance is a favorite of mine to read, and it was no surprise that I wrote Darkest Communion, a PR with a bite!

I figure Saturdays are good days for a little book tease. It’s like a striptease, but with books, and pages read instead of lingerie removed. Still titillating, though, but without the need to get dressed up, go out, and brave the crowds.

On this first Saturday Book Tease, please enjoy this excerpt from my book, Darkest Communion, a Romance Reads “Must Read” and Author Shout’s Reader Ready Recommended Read.

"It has an old world feel that helps the reader become invested in the tale of a man and woman separated and given a rare opportunity to reclaim that love. Their…experiences while dreaming are intoxicating". - The Romance Reviews

Chapter One

Bucharest, Romania

Present Day

Mark Anghelescu sat brooding over his computer. It was 2:00 a.m. and the worry line between his dark brows seemed more pronounced than usual. He was reading an article online about a group of students who had come to Romania to teach English at the University of Bucharest. The story itself was not interesting, but what kept Mark glued to the monitor was the picture posted of the students.

She stood in the center of the frame, surrounded by four others. Her face, radiant. Her eyes staring back at him seemed luminous, dark, and deep. Her smile promised laughter. He knew this face; knew it well although he hadn’t gazed upon it for almost eight hundred years. Mark lifted a finger to trace a lock of the honey-colored hair that fell over her shoulder. The LCD screen distorted at the point of his touch.

It just couldn’t be her, he thought. This vision from a long forgotten past couldn’t possibly be her. But the pain in his chest, the one that threatened to suffocate him with its intensity, told him otherwise. He felt…something; something both foreign and familiar, and he didn’t like it. He hadn’t felt anything for so long that the shock of feeling such pain…what was it? Grief! This feeling of grief was ripping him in two.

Memories bombarded him without mercy. Mihaela pressed against his flesh, locked onto him in passion. The sound of her pleasure being ripped from her as he mastered her body, driving himself deep within her womanhood. The taste of her kiss as she licked his lips, nibbled his jaw, and whispered hotly in his ear, “More!”

It had sounded more like a moan than a command. But he accommodated her regardless, cradling her head in his hand and hiking her hips higher while burying himself deeper, pushing harder. Her lust had matched his own, fanning flames of passion so hot they consumed them both. And like two phoenixes, they arose from their own ashes in the morning and stoked the fire all over again.

“Mihaela,” whispered Mark. “My Mihaela”. He ran his hands through his wavy dark hair before covering his face with them. There he sat, statue still, for nearly half an hour. His body shook subtly, as if sobbing, but no tears fell. He had none to shed.

Finally, Mark slid his hands down to his chin, resting his face on the heels of both and gazed once again at her image.

“I lost you once, but not this time. Fate, Mihaela, has brought you back to me.” A slow smile spread across his ruggedly handsome face. An unholy light began to glow amber in his black eyes. He stood and stretched up to his full height of six foot five inches and flexed his broad shoulders. He began to plan.

Centuries of experience in strategy would provide Mark with all he needed to bring her to him. After all, it worked in his business, bringing him more wealth than any man needed in one lifetime. But one lifetime’s worth of wealth could never be enough for a man with unlimited life. It was why he worked so hard, that and boredom. Work had kept him busy, kept him from noticing his loneliness. Until tonight, at this moment, he hadn’t realized how lonely he’d become. He’d managed to put all that behind him long ago, when she had disappeared without a trace.

He glanced again at the screen, noting her graceful neck, high, pert breasts, and long blue-jean clad legs. The clothing was different, but everything about her brought forth a familiar hunger. It was raw and needy.

“Soon, my love. Soon I’ll have you in my arms again. And this time, I won’t let you go.”

Mark walked away toward the master suite of his family home. His footsteps might have echoed off the floor had he been like other men. Instead, barely a whisper could be heard as this large and lethal man quickly left the study. There was much to do and he didn’t wish to waste a single moment of time. Funny, he thought, all I have is time!

###

Meghan Hartley sat on the edge of her bed and surveyed her new domicile for the next year. Signing up as an exchange student in Romania had been the greatest decision of her life so far. In exchange for her dormitory style room and a school year’s-worth of classes, she would teach one class on conversational English per semester. She had her own classes in the mornings and would teach class in the afternoon five days a week. It was a great deal to handle, but well worth it. She knew she would be able to explore Bucharest on the weekends and experience the Romanian culture firsthand.

Her family had asked her why in the world she wanted to go to Romania. She didn’t have a concrete answer to their query. She only knew that from the first moment she studied Eastern European history, she had been fascinated by the politics and culture of Romania. She’d always thought of herself as something of a gypsy, a free-spirited wanderer, and the lure of their mystical, bohemian lifestyle called to her blood. As far as she knew, she had never stepped foot onto this land, but here she was, as if summoned. From the first moment she had stepped off the plane, she felt as if she’d come home. It was weird.

A giggle burst from her lips, and she smiled, looking around and out her window. The old architecture of the university and the surrounding city seemed to welcome her.

“I can’t wait to get out and see you.”

Meghan hummed to herself as she continued to put away her clothes. Her blonde hair bounced around her face in large curls. In the way, as usual, she thought, pushing it back over her shoulders. When the task was complete, she selected clean pajamas, and walked into her bathroom. Lucky me. I have my own bathroom. Thank God, no sharing.

The bathroom had an old, white claw-foot tub with a shower handle mounted on the wall. A soak would be nice after that long flight. Meghan turned on the faucet and waited until the temperature was just right. She dropped the plug into the drain and let the warm water fill the tub. The sun sank below the horizon as she stripped off her travel clothes and stepped in.

“Mmmn. This feels nice.” She sat down carefully, letting the warm liquid envelop her in its heat. Laying back, she stretched out as far as she could to soak away the stiffness in her muscles left over from the long flight. Steam fogged up the mirror above the sink. The white subway tiles gleamed in the fluorescent lighting. Outside, the last rays of sunlight faded away leaving a growing darkness in its wake.

###

To the northeast, he awakened, eyes flying open. A slow smile spread over his lips. A tingling sensation thrummed throughout his body. He felt like a live wire flowing with electricity. She’s here, he thought. I can feel her.

Mark arose, muscles bunching and rippling on his naked frame. He still slept nude, a habit from his long-dead humanity. If the mirror by his bed could hold his reflection, it would reveal the hardened body of a warrior complete with a light trail of black chest hair leading a teasing path downwards toward a lance well used to slaying females with deadly intent, a backside that looked sculpted from marble, and the handsome visage of a Greek God.

Donning his clothing with precision, Marku Andrei Anghelescu made his way out of his family estate. The night beckoned him, embraced him, and then swallowed him whole as he disappeared from sight. The hunt was on, but first, he must slake his thirst before indulging the desire that burned within him.

“Mihaela, I’m coming for you.”

Read Darkest Communion now!