Isabelle's Forbidden Love (Scanguards Vampires #16)
Isabelle's Forbidden Love (Scanguards Vampires #16)
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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Lara Adrian, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Midnight Breed series: "I'm addicted to Tina Folsom's books! The Scanguards® series is one of the hottest things to happen to vampire romance. If you love scorching, fast-paced reads, don't miss this thrilling series!"
When brutal murders rattle San Francisco, Scanguards realizes that the evidence points to one of their own, the gruff and fiercely private bouncer and vampire Orlando.
Isabelle, Samson and Delilah’s hybrid daughter, tries to prove Orlando’s innocence. But a revelation about deeds from Orlando’s past shake her trust in him, while he tries to push her away, afraid that the past will repeat itself and once again rob him of everything he loves.
While they search for the guilty party to clear Orlando’s name, it becomes clear that the only way Isabelle and Orlando can solve the grisly murders is by trusting no one but each other. Even if that means opening their hearts and laying bare their primal fears.
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About the Book
Excerpt
1
The wound was severe and bleeding profusely. Rivers of blood seeped from deep gashes in the otherwise perfect skin. The scent of it drifted to her nostrils and assaulted her in an unexpected way. He was gravely injured, and while she was concerned for his well-being, all she could think of was what his blood would taste like. Would it be sweet or tangy? Rich and delicious? It was all of that, she was certain of it.
Isabelle ran her eyes over the bleeding stomach to the sculpted chest, before her gaze lingered on the carotid artery that pulsed at his neck. She tore her eyes from it and lifted her lids to look at his face. Orlando’s blue eyes pinned her. He’d caught her looking at him with such obvious desire, such hunger, such craving. At the knowledge that he knew what she wanted, she felt her pulse race and her heart drum against her ribcage like a drummer of a rock band. Yet he didn’t pull back, didn’t stop her when she lowered her face to his stomach wound, even though he had to know what she intended to do.
“I have to seal the wound,” she murmured, though they both knew that it wasn’t the reason she was doing this.
The smell of blood was more intense now. There was a metallic quality to it, though it was altogether different from human blood. She wanted this, wanted to taste him, to explore him. She’d loved the taste of blood ever since she could remember, though she’d never felt this kind of craving before. She’d never craved vampire blood before. But now she did with an urgency as if her life depended on it.
Without restraint, she lapped up the blood gushing from the stomach wound, licking over the cuts the claws of a vampire had left. Immediately, everything female inside her awoke as if she were Sleeping Beauty, and only now, the kiss of a prince brought her back to life. But the man beneath her wasn’t a prince. He was a vampire. A virile one. A strong one. Inside her, every cell of her body heated. It felt like fireworks being ignited inside her. As if this was the first time she felt sexual desire, yet she was no virgin. Far from it. She’d engaged in plenty of sexual exploits before she was twenty-one, before her vampire hybrid body had stopped aging and had frozen in its final form. Now, at almost thirty-four, she was an experienced woman with healthy needs and desires that she stilled regularly with human men she picked up in bars or clubs.
She’d bitten some of her lovers, but this was different. This man was a vampire. And his blood drew her to him. As she licked over the damaged skin and lapped up the plentiful blood, she could already sense the shape of the cuts change beneath her lips. The skin was mending thanks to her saliva, its healing properties as potent as those of a pureblood vampire.
Isabelle brushed her hands over Orlando’s cargo pants, holding onto his hips, pressing him down on the sofa so he couldn’t escape. But Orlando moved nevertheless, his hips tilting up. All of a sudden, something hard rubbed against her breasts. Her breath hitched, and she pulled back, her gaze dropping lower. There, behind the zipper of his pants, she saw the bulge that had formed: a hard-on of massive proportions.
Unable to resist, she put her palm over it, squeezing his cock.
“Fuck, Isabelle!”
Orlando’s groaned exclamation didn’t sound like a reprimand, but rather an invitation. She squeezed him again. Unable to stop herself, she popped open the button and lowered the zipper. He wore no underwear. She sucked in a breath, equally surprised and delighted. His cock was long and thick. Purple veins snaked around the beautiful shaft, and drops of pre-cum glistened on its tip.
Isabelle wrapped her hand around the root, and noticed Orlando’s breath quickening. His reaction pleased her. She’d always loved driving a man insane with lust, but with Orlando it was more than just that. She wanted this strong vampire with the gigantic body to submit to her, to beg for more, to become addicted to her touch.
Unable to wait any longer, she put her lips around the crown of his cock and took him deep into her mouth, her saliva coating his skin and making the descent smooth. He tasted forbidden, and she loved the taste. It sent a spear of electricity through her core, where it travelled through every cell until it reached her clit, making it throb with need.
“Fuck!” Orlando cursed.
A moment later, his hands were on her, tugging on her top, ripping it to shreds. She realized she wasn’t wearing a bra even though she could have sworn she’d worn one earlier. Her breasts were topped with hard nipples that yearned for his touch now. Large, warm hands encased them, and she sighed a breath of relief before she continued sucking his cock with eager movements.
All of a sudden, Orlando pushed her back, so she lost her hold on his erection. Before she could protest, his claws dug into her pants, and he ripped them just like he’d ripped her top. Cool air blew against her heated skin, while her heart continued to thunder in her ears.
“Isabelle…”
When she locked eyes with Orlando, she saw that they were shimmering golden, a clear sign of arousal and desire. The rustling of clothing made her gaze veer to his pants. They were shredded now too, and she was the one who’d done it—with her fingers that had turned into sharp claws. She hadn’t even noticed that her vampire side had emerged.
In the next instant, she straddled him and impaled herself on his rock-hard erection, bearing down with such force that all air rushed from her lungs in a loud moan.
“Isabelle!”
She heard her name called out, but she couldn’t stop now, had to ride him as if the devil were chasing her. Sweat pearls were building on her neck, and ran down between her breasts forming a tiny rivulet. Orlando’s lips captured one breast and sucked the hard nipple into his mouth, while he squeezed her breasts with both hands, caressing them like a man who knew what was his. His possessive touch was intoxicating and spurred her on even more, made her ride him faster.
“Isabelle!”
She glanced down at him, but his lips were still around her nipple, sucking her as if he couldn’t get enough of it. It wasn’t Orlando who’d called out her name.
“Isabelle!”
This time, she recognized the voice. Still impaled on Orlando’s cock, Isabelle whirled her head around and looked over her shoulder. Her mother, Delilah, stood in the open door and stared at her.
“Isabelle!”
Isabelle shot up to sit and opened her eyes. For a second, she didn’t know where she was.
“Are you all right, Isa?” Delilah asked with concern in her voice, standing only a couple of feet away from her.
Isabelle blinked. She was in her bed, alone, her nightgown clinging to her sweat-bathed body. “Mom.”
“Your alarm was going off. Didn’t you hear it?”
Isabelle glanced at the nightstand, where her cell phone lay.
“I must have been really tired,” she said quickly, hoping that it wasn’t written on her face that she’d had a sexual dream about no other than Orlando, one of her father’s employees. Orlando, the vampire who was as reserved as they came, and who never talked about himself, never talked much at all.
This wasn’t the first time she’d had this dream. Ever since Orlando had been injured in connection with investigating the kidnapping of her father, Samson, and their friend, Cain, four months earlier, she’d dreamed about what had happened that night. Orlando had been gravely injured, and while she’d given him human blood to heal, she’d also licked his wound to close it with her saliva, something he’d tried to refuse. But she’d wanted to taste his blood, and she had. It hadn’t gone any further back then, because others had been in the room with them, but in her dreams, the event always led to sex, heart-pounding, headboard-banging, sweaty, marathon sex.
“You look a little flushed,” Delilah said and put her hand on Isabelle’s forehead.
Isabelle pulled back. “Mom, I’m perfectly fine. You know as well as I do that I don’t get sick. It’s probably the heavy duvet. I should change it out for the summer duvet.”
Yeah, blame it on the bedding! Very smart.
“That’s probably it,” Delilah replied. She smiled. “I know it’s your night off, but your dad just called. He wants you to come to HQ. There’s a case.”
“Did he say what the case is about?”
“A murder.”
Isabelle nodded and swung her legs out of bed. “I’d better take a shower and get ready. Can you let him know I’ll be there in forty minutes?”
“Sure, sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Isabelle entered her ensuite bathroom, when she heard the door to her bedroom close behind Delilah. She was relieved to be alone again, even though she liked living at home. After all, the house was so huge that most of the time, it felt as if she was alone, even when her parents and her younger brother Patrick were home. But in the last four months, ever since the incident with Orlando, she’d started contemplating getting her own place. On occasion, she stayed at Grayson’s loft in the Financial District, where she enjoyed more privacy. She even kept some of her clothes and other necessities there. Her brother Grayson had moved to New Orleans with his mate, Monique, shortly after Samson and Cain had been freed from their kidnappers. But he hadn’t sold the loft.
Isabelle stepped under the shower. She could still feel the ghost of Orlando’s touch, even though in real life, he would never touch her. But in her dreams, he’d done much more than that. He’d made love to her, taking her in the most possessive manner possible.
In reality, of course, nothing like that would ever happen. According to her friends and colleagues at Scanguards, Orlando had never expressed any interest toward any woman, or been known to date or have one-night stands. And as a bouncer at the Mezzanine nightclub, which was owned by Samson and his best friend, Amaury, he certainly had his pick of pretty women. Yet, he seemed uninterested in sex. For a brief moment, she’d wondered if Orlando was gay, but Eddie and Thomas, the gay couple who ran Scanguards’ IT department, were one-hundred percent certain that Orlando was straight.
She sighed. Why was she interested in a man who treated her with nothing more than polite indifference? Was it because she’d succumbed to the temptation of drinking his blood? Was that why she was drawn to him now? Or was it the fact that he was a giant, a vampire who towered over everybody, and exuded strength and power, the kind that promised absolute protection? Did she still carry emotional scars from her own abduction fourteen years earlier? Was that why she was drawn to Orlando, because she knew instinctively that he would always protect her?
Isabelle shook her head and reached for the shampoo. It was stupid to think like this. Orlando wasn’t interested in her that way. He only saw her as Samson’s daughter. And while she knew that he and Samson had a history, her father had never disclosed to anybody—other than maybe Delilah—what had passed between them.
About the Scanguards Vampires series
The Scanguards Vampires series is full of fast-paced action, scorching love scenes, witty dialogue, and strong heroes and heroines. Vampire Samson Woodford lives in San Francisco and owns a security/bodyguard company, Scanguards, which employs both vampires and humans. And eventually some witches. Throw in a few immortal guardians and demons later in the series, and you'll get the drift! Each book can be read as a standalone and always centers around a new couple finding love, but the series is more enjoyable when read in order. And of course, there are always a few running jokes - you'll understand when you meet Wesley, a wannabe witch. Enjoy!
Books in the series
Book 1: Samson’s Lovely Mortal
Novella 11 1/2: Fateful Reunion
Book 13: Ryder’s Storm (Scanguards Hybrids #1)
Book 14: Damian’s Conquest (Scanguards Hybrids #2)
Book 15: Grayson’s Challenge (Scanguards Hybrids #3)
Book 16: Isabelle’s Forbidden Love (Scanguards Hybrids #4)
Book 17: Cooper’s Passion (Scanguards Hybrids #5)
Book 18: Vanessa’s Bravery (Scanguards Hybrids #6) (pre-order)
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