Scanguards Vampires (Book 9 & 10)

1

If sin were a woman, there would be no doubt what she’d look like.

Long dark hair cascaded over her bare shoulders and caressed the strapless, elegant dress she wore, a dress that accentuated her voluptuous breasts. Nipping in at her waist, the red silk flowed to the bottom of her legs and over pretty toes that peeked out from high-heeled golden sandals.

When she made a motion to kick them off, Cain commanded, “Leave them on.” He paused. “Take everything else off.”

A gentle laugh as delicate as a whisper in the wind came from her. “Oh, Cain,” she drawled in a soft southern accent that instantly sent a flame to his groin and filled his entire body with desire.

“You know how much I love it when you strip for me.” He tossed his dinner jacket onto an armchair and glanced around.

The suite of rooms was large and opulent, and consisted of a bedroom and a sitting room connected by large double doors that stood open at present. The absence of windows made this the ideal place for a vampire’s residence, providing safety as well as privacy. Priceless works of art adorned the walls, and elegant furniture provided an atmosphere fit for a king. This was no cave dwelling despite its underground location. It was an impenetrable fortress.

The seductress made a step toward him, her body moving with the grace of a tigress approaching her prey. And Cain might as well have been her prey, albeit her very willing prey. Just as she was his.

When her lips parted, he caught sight of her fangs elongating.

“Starting without me, my love?” he asked, and gave a shake of his head, a gentle reprimand, while at the same time the beast inside him delighted at her primal reaction and readied itself to react in kind.

A vampire showing his fangs had two main reasons: hunger for blood or for sex.

And he was certain this beautiful specimen, who now brought her hands behind her back to lower the zipper of her dress, wasn’t hungry for blood. Although Cain wouldn’t mind biting her while he impaled her on his cock. The memory of it now manifested on his tongue. So sweet, so rich, so full of passion. A strange sense of longing and loss slammed into him, but the latter feeling vanished just as quickly and made way for more pleasurable thoughts.

His gums itched, and he allowed his own fangs to descend, readying himself for what was to come. Anticipation heated his body from the inside, dispelling once and for all the false belief that vampires were cold. Parting his lips, Cain made her aware of his desire for her, though he was certain that the red glow in his eyes had already given him away.

Blood pounding in his veins, he watched her peel the red fabric away from her torso. His breath hitched in his throat as she bared her rosy nipples, already hard and standing to attention, her hands casually stroking her skin as she pushed the dress lower past her hips. The dress bunched there for a moment, getting caught by her generous proportions, which, these days, were perhaps less common. Women with hourglass figures like hers were rare, and maybe that was one of the reasons Cain was so fascinated by her. So drawn to her.

He imagined his fingers digging into those hips, holding onto her as he pounded into her softness. The knowledge that he could take her as hard as he wanted, because she was nearly as strong as he, made his fingers want to turn into the claws of the beast that lived inside him. But he pushed back the urge, not wanting to mar the flawless skin that stretched over her tantalizing flesh. Nor did he want to remind her of the violence in her past, the pain she’d endured at the hands of a cruel master. Never again would he allow anybody to hurt her. Not even he himself.

“More!” Cain demanded now and noticed the change in his voice. The hoarseness in it attested to his aroused state. He dropped his lids, glancing at the front of his pants. The bulge there was hard to overlook. He wasn’t trying to hide it from her. He wanted to show her what she did to him, what the extent of her power over him was.

“Oh, I don’t know if you can take any more.” A saucy smile underscored her words.

He took a step toward her, while his hands got busy ridding himself of his bowtie and shirt in vampire speed. He threw both on the armchair to keep his jacket company.

“Impatient much?”

“Do as I say!” Cain ordered, his chest heaving with the effort it cost him to keep a modicum of civility when inside him the vampire raged with the need to take her, to make her his.

Elegant hands pushed the dress over her hips, making the garment fall to the floor with a soft whoosh. But Cain didn’t look at what lay at her feet now. Instead, he stared at the dark triangle of hair that guarded her sex.

Mouth watering, his eyes lifted to her face. “You weren’t wearing anything underneath.”

She acknowledged his observation with a sinful smile.
Stepping out of the dress, she strode toward him, her high heels clicking on the hardwood floor, echoing in the vast windowless space.

His cock was rigid now, pressing painfully against his zipper. Instinctively, his hand went to it, but she was faster. The warmth of her palm engulfed him instantly, sending a thrill through his entire body that made his control dance on a blade’s edge. Lust impregnated the air and made it hum.

“You have a present for me?” she murmured, and rubbed her body against him, while her hand squeezed the hardness in his pants.

“A present that keeps on giving.” Cain slid his hand to her nape, pulling her face to him so their lips were only a fraction of an inch apart. So close, yet so far away. “I missed you.”

Her breath bounced against his when she opened her mouth. He inhaled it, allowing her scent to fill his lungs and drug him. “What did you miss most? My lips on your cock? Me riding you? Your cock thrusting into me?”

Though he loved all of her suggestions, he countered, “I think you forgot something.” His fingers caressed one side of her neck, tracing the plump vein beneath her skin. Her pulse beat against the pad of his fingers, as if to signal him her acquiescence. “My fangs in your neck.”

An intake of breath pressed her chest firmer against his. “I didn’t forget. I always keep room for dessert.”

On her last word, Cain captured her lips and kissed her. There was nothing tentative or hesitant about the kiss, nor her reaction to it. He tasted her sweetness on his tongue as he delved into her and showed her who her master was. Yet she was no submissive. Her response to his kiss was that of an equal, a strong vampire female who knew what she wanted. He sensed it with every stroke of her tongue against his, with every glide of her lips against his mouth—and every thrust of her hips against his groin. She wanted him, and that knowledge only added to his desire for her.

Cain’s fingers fanned, sliding up higher into her hair, cupping the back of her head. Her dark silken tresses caressed his hand, reminding him of previous encounters such as this. Reminding him of having found ecstasy in her arms before.

Her soft sighs drifted to his ears, while her rapid heartbeat reverberated in his chest, echoing his. His other hand now drifted lower, sliding over the curve of her back down to her shapely ass. As he palmed it and yanked her harder to him, she moaned into his mouth, before her tongue swiped against his fang.

Panting heavily, Cain ripped his lips from her. “Fuck!”

Licking a vampire’s fangs was the most erotic thing a vampire could experience—short of having full-blown sex. And even though she’d licked his fangs before, the intense pleasure now coursing through his body almost undid him.

“I know you want it,” she coaxed, looking at him seductively.

He ground out a curse, grabbed her and took a few steps toward the wall, where he pressed her against it, all patience gone, vanished into thin air. “Have it your way.”

Then he captured her lips again. This would be a short interlude if she continued to use her wiles on him like this. But, damn it to hell, he didn’t want to stop her. Instead, he attempted to open his pants with one hand, until he felt her hands on him, helping him. Clearly, she was as impatient as he.

Moments later, his tuxedo pants fell to the floor. He still wore his dress shoes, but didn’t have the patience to take them or his socks off. Instead, his pants pooled around his ankles. They wouldn’t hinder him in his movements—not the kind of movements he was about to engage in anyway.

Cain gripped her thighs and lifted her up, while pressing her back against the wall. He spread her legs wide open, exposing her drenched sex. He looked down, then drew his hips back and adjusted his angle. When his cockhead touched the outer lips of her sex, he inhaled sharply. He’d been right: this wouldn’t take long at all.

“I need it,” she encouraged him. “I need you.”

Cain plunged into her without preamble, seating himself in her warm channel, his balls slapping against her flesh, burning from the impact. The first time was always like this, intense, urgent. Later tonight he’d take his time with her, but right now he needed to still his hunger for her.

Air rushed out of her lungs. “Cain! Yes!”

She was perfect, better than anything else in his life. As if she was the solution to all his problems, all his worries. As if she could make everything right again.

His eyes met hers and, slowly, Cain began to thrust. Her green eyes now glowed red, a sign that her vampire side was ruling her. A feeling of possessiveness came over him, and the thought that she could ever be in another man’s arms again stirred the beast inside him. Anger churned up from his gut, and he growled like an animal.

“You’re mine!”

Her eyes flashed brightly, before she tilted her head to the side, baring her pale neck. “Then make me yours.”

Without thinking, he drove his fangs into her neck, piercing her hot skin. Rich blood touched his fangs and filled his mouth. While the blood ran down his throat, coating it, farther down, his own blood pounded in his veins, filling his cock even more. And with every draw from her vein and every thrust into her pussy, the wildness in him grew.

For an instant, he removed his fangs, wanting to tell her what she meant to him. He parted his lips, wanting to speak, but her name didn’t roll over his lips. He tried again, but there was only emptiness. He stared into her eyes and saw confusion there.

“Who are you?” he whispered.

Disbelief colored her eyes, but before her lips gave him an answer, a sharp pain pierced his skull. Still inside her, his movements stopped abruptly.

His vision darkened. Cain brought one hand to his face and felt the sticky, warm liquid that ran over his face. He smelled it, too. The metallic scent was unmistakable.
Blood. Blood coming from his skull. He brought his hand up and felt the hole there. Blood gushed from it.

“No!” she screamed. “No! Don’t leave me!”

He couldn’t see her face anymore, and suddenly his hands were gripping nothing, as if she had slipped from his grasp. He searched for her in the darkness, but all he felt was a void. Despair. Hopelessness.

Was he dead?

“Nooooooo!” Cain screamed.

But she didn’t answer him. She was gone.

Suddenly, his vision cleared and a light source drew his attention. Something blinked in red. He focused his eyes. Numbers appeared before them. 07:24. He stared at the apparition. It took a second to realize that he was looking at a digital clock.

Cain shot up to a seated position.

Gone was the room he’d been in, replaced by a bedroom with little personal effects. No opulence. No luxury. Just a simple bedroom with a large bed, a dresser, and a chair with casual clothes somebody had tossed onto it. No tuxedo in sight.

Cain ran a shaky hand through his ultra-short hair and realized he was bathed in sweat.

Regret filled him. It had been a dream, all of it: the woman, the room, the blood.

Nothing was real. Just like Cain himself. Because how could he be real when he didn’t remember anything about his past?

For several months now he’d had these dreams. Different ones, but all involving the same woman, and all ending the same way: with blood gushing from his head. As if they were a warning somebody was trying to send him. Or a message from the past.

Cain swung his legs out of bed and shook his head. Wishful thinking! A little over a year ago he’d woken up one night without a memory. All he remembered was a male voice. Your name is Cain, the man had said. As much as he’d tried to find out about his past, he’d come up empty.

The dreams were haunting him, dangling pieces of information in front of him, yet never letting him get close enough to grab one and examine it. It had made him irritable and unpredictable. His colleagues at Scanguards, where he worked as a bodyguard, had started noticing and avoided him whenever he was in one of his dark moods.

And just now, one of those dark moods was washing over him, lashing despair and hopelessness at him like a torturer whipping him with a flogger. Pain crippled his body and made him want to inflict the same pain on others. But there was nobody on whom to let out his anger.

A ringing sound suddenly pierced the silence of his bedroom. He turned to the bedside table and reached for his cell phone.

“Yeah?”

“Where the fuck are you?” The deep, pissed-off voice belonged to Amaury, one of his superiors at Scanguards.

Rage boiled up in Cain. He didn’t like Amaury’s tone, nor did he like being questioned about his whereabouts. He hated being ordered around.

“What the fuck do you want?” Cain replied, raising his voice.

“You’re supposed to be patrolling tonight!” Amaury growled. “And don’t take that fucking attitude with me. I’m your boss!”

Cain jumped up and slammed his fist into the drywall, leaving a dent there. “I need no boss! I’m my own master!” The moment he said it, he knew it was true. He wasn’t used to having anybody tell him what to do. He was used to giving the orders.

On the other end of the line, Amaury breathed heavily before giving his response. “Fine! You wanna have it out, once and for all? I’m sick of your attitude lately. I think it’s time we had a chat so you understand who’s in charge here.”

The way he spoke made it clear to Cain that this would be a very physical kind of chat.

“My place. In ten minutes, or you’re on your own.”

“You got it!” Cain responded to the open challenge.

A fist fight with the linebacker-sized vampire was just what he needed right now. Maybe then he’d feel better.

2

New Orleans – a day earlier

The winter garden was as beautiful at night as it was deadly during the day. Encased in bulletproof glass on three sides, it provided no shelter from the sun.

Faye looked up at the starry sky above the glass roof. Was he watching her from somewhere up there? Or were vampires doomed to burn in hell when they met with the true death?

She couldn’t remember how often she’d stared up at the night sky asking herself these questions ever since his death. Every time she did, she felt the same kind of longing, the same kind of emptiness. But life had to go on. She knew that. The time for mourning was almost at an end.

Footsteps made her aware that she wasn’t alone anymore. Even before she turned, she knew who’d entered the winter garden from the house. Well, it couldn’t really be called a house. It was a palace.
Faye inclined her head slightly, before lifting her eyes to her visitor. “Your Majesty.”

“Faye, Faye, how often have I told you that between us there’s no formality. I’m still Abel to you. Always will be. Besides, I’m not king yet.”

“Of course.” She allowed her eyes to roam over him. There were days she could barely look at him. He reminded her too much of the man she’d lost. The man she’d loved.

Abel pointed to a bench, motioning her to sit there with him. She took a seat, and he joined her.

“I’ve come to talk to you.”

Her stomach instantly clenched. She knew what this was about. She’d counted the days too, though for other reasons than he had.

“We all miss him,” Abel started.

Faye pressed her lips together, suppressing the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her and rob her of the ability to think clearly. She had to remain strong.

“The time is nearly up.”

She nodded. “One year, one month, and one day. I marked it on my calendar.” Though she didn’t have to. She would always remember the horrible day when she’d been robbed of the love of her life.

“Yes, in less than two weeks his official reign will end, and the new king will be crowned.”

“I’ve never really understood why there is such a long period after the death of one king before his successor can take the throne,” Faye said to fill the air between them with words.

Abel reached for her hand, clasping it. She shuddered internally, but let it happen. He would be her king soon, and her destiny lay in his hands. The privileges she’d enjoyed as the dead king’s fiancée would expire at the new king’s coronation. She would lose her home, her standing in their society, her influence. Though nothing mattered much to her anyway. Only love for the vampires who would have been her subjects, had her fiancé lived, had made her stay. Otherwise, she would have left the clan altogether.

“It’s meant to give the people time to grieve without having to pledge their allegiance to the new king while they still mourn the old,” Abel explained.

“It must be hard for the king-in-waiting, though.”

“As regent, I already have many of the powers the king has. And it gives me a chance to get to know my subjects better and find out what they want from me.” He raised her hand toward his face. “Or what I want from them.”

Faye’s breath hitched. “Yes, yes, of course.” She rose, making him drop her hand, and walked to a raised flowerbed. She reached for shears and started to prune the plants.

Since that horrible day over a year ago, no man had touched her. And the thought of another man’s hands or lips on her sent panic shooting down her spine. She knew she had to do something about that, but tonight wasn’t the right time.

Behind her, Abel rose from the bench. She heard his footsteps as he approached her.

“Decisions have to be made. As you know, soon—”

“I know,” she interrupted him. “I have been thinking about it. I’m preparing myself to leave.” She would be without protection once again. The last time that had happened she’d fallen prey to the cruelest of vampires.
When Abel’s hands clasped her shoulders from behind, she sucked in a breath, trying to calm herself.

“I didn’t come to ask you to leave. I came to ask you to stay.”

Faye turned her head halfway. “But clan law is clear on it.”

“I don’t give a damn about clan law. In two weeks, my word will be law.”

Surprised at his sharp tone, her heart rate doubled instantly. She knew he would sense it. A vampire’s hearing was sensitive enough for it. Besides, his hands still lay on her shoulders, and by touching her he wouldn’t only feel her heartbeat, but also perceive the blood that rushed through her veins like a runaway train.
“Forget what I said,” Abel added quickly. “This isn’t about the law. It’s about you. You were meant to be queen. The members of our clan love you. Your dream doesn’t have to end with my coronation.”

The implication of his words sank in immediately. When he turned her to face him, she wanted to avoid his gaze, but out of respect for the position he held she didn’t.

His dark eyes looked at her with an intensity she’d always loved about his brother. But in Abel, it scared her. Or was she simply scared because it meant she would finally have to admit to herself that it was time to move on and let go of the memories she treasured, the memories of true love?

“I need a queen. A woman like you, one who’s loved by her subjects. I know I’m not like him. I could never be the just leader he was. But with you by my side, with you guiding me to show me what he would have done in my stead, I can be a good king. I need you.”

Faye searched his eyes, trying to see past his words, past the face he showed her. Did he mean it? Did he really need her in order to be the kind of king their vast clan needed? And could she truly help him be that man? Was that her calling? To be queen, so he could be king?

Her chest lifted as she took a breath. “I don’t know, Abel. I loved your brother.”

Abel pressed a finger to her lips. “And he loved you. He would want this for you. He would want you to have what was meant to be yours. He would want you to move on and be happy again. To see you smile again. I remember that smile. But I haven’t seen it for so long.”
She lowered her lids and nodded. “It is hard to get over the death of someone so…” She couldn’t even continue her thought, nor say his name, without risking dissolving into tears.

“Give me a chance,” Abel said gently.

“This is all so unexpected. I need time to think about it,” she answered quickly, desperate to buy herself some time and at the same time not offend him. This was a decision she couldn’t make, not without thinking about the consequences. She didn’t love Abel. He was in so many ways not like his brother. Where his brother had been kind and lenient, Abel was harsh and stern. Their personalities couldn’t be more different from each other.

Faye wanted to scream, to lament that the wrong brother had died. If only that night she’d not let him out of her arms. Then he would still be alive. He would still be king, and she would be his blood-bonded mate and his queen.

“Do it for the clan, if not for me.”

Faye looked past him, her eyes peering into the darkness beyond the palace she lived in. It was vast, a huge structure built like a fortress, impenetrable and awe-inspiring. A large palace for a large clan, one that encompassed all of Louisiana and spilled over its borders. A clan so secretive, yet influential way beyond its physical boundaries, that few vampires outside knew of its existence. All previous kings had wanted it that way, knowing that in anonymity lay safety.

The old ways were still strong within the clan. The laws they lived by had been passed down from their founders, though the living accommodations were modern and the castle—tucked away in a remote wooded area north of New Orleans—was equipped with state-of-the-art security. Just as it behooved a king. Guards and other key members of the clan lived in the palace, while in buildings surrounding the well-kept grounds, other vampires made their home.

Faye’s eyes drifted back to Abel. “You deserve a mate who loves you.”

He smiled. “I’ll settle for one who may one day learn to love me.”

She sighed. “I don’t know.”

“We could be crowned together in two weeks if you say yes.”

She swallowed hard. “I’ll give you my answer. Soon.”

Then she turned quickly and rushed through the open door into the corridor beyond. She almost collided with somebody and looked up in shock.

“Apologies, Faye,” he said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“John, uh, you didn’t,” she lied, wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible.

John was tall and broad, a strong vampire with a fast hand and a quick mind. It was those qualities that had made him the leader of the king’s elite guard, the small hand-selected group of vampires who guarded the king and queen.

But John had failed guarding his king. Under his watch, the king had been assassinated. When Faye had seen the telltale ash and the signet ring on the floor—the remains of her lover—she’d accused John of neglecting his duty. He’d hung his head, accepting her hateful words in stoic silence, never even attempting to offer an excuse or apology.

She’d never understood why Abel hadn’t punished John. Had she been in the position to give orders, she would have demanded John’s execution for his failure to keep the king safe.

For a moment, she paused. Maybe Abel had a kinder heart than she gave him credit for, and she was the one who was bad for wishing to punish the leader of the king’s guard.

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!

Book 1: Samson’s Lovely Mortal

Book 2: Amaury’s Hellion

Book 3: Gabriel’s Mate

Book 4: Yvette’s Haven

Book 5: Zane’s Redemption

Book 6: Quinn’s Undying Rose

Book 7: Oliver’s Hunger

Book 8: Thomas’s Choice

Book 9: Cain’s Identity

Book 10: Luther’s Return

Novella: Mortal Wish

Book 11: Blake’s Pursuit

Novella 11 1/2: Fateful Reunion

Book 12: John’s Yearning

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 

Scanguards Vampires (Books 1 – 6)

Scanguards Vampires (Books 7 – 12)

Exclusive Hardcover editions will be shipped from the UK. Large print paperbacks will be shipped from Ingram in the US.

I'm sorry, but the collectors edition hardcovers are exclusive to my store and cannot be purchased at any retailer.