Blood Lust
A demon assassin is sent to destroy Marcus Verano and his loyal friends—both human and vampire, but his plans are thwarted when he falls under the spell of the blood lust cast by Andrew Berés - vampire.
Tommy Cordain and his vampire lover, Andrew Berés, have been living together for several months. For obvious reasons Tommy has kept his relationship with Andrew as much of a secret as he can, especially among his fellow fire fighters. But when a vengeful demon invades their lives, taking over Tommy's body and lusting after Andrew, all that changes.
Lord Kardis, the ruler of the Underworld, is out to exact revenge on Marcus Verano and his friends for foiling his plan to take over the world through a demon Pope. He sends Dakar, his right hand man, to kill Marcus and any vampire allied to him, but Dakar's plans go awry when he meets Andrew and decides to do that which is forbidden - mate with a vampire.
Disgraced, his thoughts of revenge now include Lord Kardis himself, and he raises an army to overthrow Kardis, then defeat Marcus and claim Andrew for his own. But Dakar has reckoned without the combined forces of Tommy and his vampire and human friends who will stop at nothing to defeat Dakar and his demon horde.
Blood Talisman
A thousands years old artefact is said to possess the power to reverse time and immortality—but is the price of that power to high to pay?
Several months after Dakar's demon army was defeated and Dakar killed in the conflict, Andrew Berés is still haunted by the memory of Dakar telling him there is a talisman that would reverse his immortality and allow him to live a normal life with his lover, firefighter Tommy Cordain. Despite Master Vampire Marcus Verano's doubt that the Talisman of Ardocan actually exists, Andrew is determined to find the truth of it once and for all.
His obsession leads him, Tommy, and their vampire friends on a journey to the ancient ruins of Babylon and to the remains of an underground city—the City of Ardocan—where legend has it, the Talisman is buried, its secrets hidden from eyes and minds for thousands of years.
But danger from enemies and traitors, both human and demonic, is never far away in the war ravaged country of Iraq, and Andrew may find out that the price he has to pay in order to obtain the Talisman, is greater than he had ever dreamt.
General Release Date: 25th February 2013
Blood Lust
Tommy Cordain was depressed. He knew he shouldn’t be, but for the life of him he just couldn’t shake the feeling of despondency he’d woken up with, and now couldn’t dispel.
"Damn it," he muttered, pouring himself the third cup of coffee of the morning. His mood might have been lighter if his lover, Andrew Berés, was there with him, but Andrew wouldn’t be up and about until later in the day—and therein lay the problem—or at least, one of the problems.
Since Andrew had left New York and moved in with Tommy their relationship had grown stronger than Tommy had ever dreamed it would. He’d never been in a monogamous relationship before, had never felt like committing himself to only one person, until he met Andrew. And Tommy had never been happier.
So what was the problem?
Andrew was a vampire.
But that wasn’t the problem. Well, if Tommy was really honest with himself, hell yeah, it was the problem. Because, until Andrew had come into his life, Tommy had been okay with the prospect of growing older. Not that he’d really thought about it that much. His parents were older, and they still enjoyed an active life, taking trips, even going line dancing every week. Somewhere in the back of his mind he’d figured that when he was their age, late fifties, he’d probably still be going to the gym, take the occasional hiking trip, go swimming, jogging, all the things he did now. He’d look older, but that didn’t matter, did it?
Well yes, it kinda does, ’cause Andrew won’t look older—will never look older.
Andrew would always look like he was in his mid—twenties, the age he’d been when he was changed—younger than Tommy was now. Andrew was over two—hundred years old, yet sometimes Tommy felt older than him, and in reality, at twenty—nine, he was. Andrew had told him that with regular infusions of vampire blood, he would age much more slowly than a normal human—he might even live to be a hundred, perhaps a hundred and fifty years old without much change in his physical appearance. And in the ecstasy of their love making after Tommy had discovered what Andrew really was, all of that had seemed just fine—fantastic even—but now, he wasn’t so sure.
Tommy had been drained almost to the point of death by Lazlo Marek, Andrew’s devious uncle, and he’d been saved by drinking Andrew’s powerful blood. That rich essence had already added several years to Tommy’s life, something he’d thought incredible at the time, but now, it didn’t feel right.
What about his parents, his friends, those he would lose over the years—and wouldn’t they at some point wonder why they were aging and he was not? How could he explain that away? There was also the fact that Andrew couldn’t meet any of his buddies for lunch, couldn’t go to the ballpark with him, couldn’t go for a swim in the ocean, unless it was a moonlight swim.
And those were definitely great. The two of them under a starlit sky, swimming out as far as they could, then floating in each other’s arms, buffeted by gently rolling waves. Sometimes Andrew would hold him and they would skim over the surface of the ocean, locked in an embrace, their naked bodies fused as one. Oh God, yeah, the sex was always the best. Each and every time better than the time before, if that was possible. Andrew was beautiful, his body perfect in every way, his face one that any artist would long to capture on canvas, his hair like black silk, his eyes...
Yeah, he’s the hottest guy I’ve ever been with. I’m so damned lucky to have him in my life, but I can’t overlook the fact that one day he’s going to leave me behind.
Tommy wasn’t arrogant, but he knew he was no slouch in the looks department. He’d been told numerous times he was hot. He kept his quarterback physique in shape with regular workouts—the rigours of his job as a firefighter demanded he be at his best, physically and mentally at all times. Yet he knew the day would come eventually when all that would fade.
I’ll become baggy and saggy and my vampire boyfriend will start lookin’ around for the young and the hung…
"Tommy?"
The sudden call from the bedroom made him jump. Andrew was awake?
"What’s wrong?" he asked, pushing the bedroom door open. "Did I wake you?"
"Yes. Your anxious thoughts entered my consciousness. Come sit by me."
Tommy walked quickly through the darkened room and sat on the edge of their bed. "Sorry," he mumbled.
Andrew reached up and cupped Tommy’s face with a cool hand. As always, Andrew’s touch induced a shiver of ecstasy in Tommy and he turned his face into Andrew’s palm and kissed it gently.
"Sorry I woke you."
Blood Talisman
The tall, dark-haired man stood outside the Los Angeles Central Library gazing up for a moment at the imposing Egyptian-themed edifice. Artfully illuminated at night time, each carefully carved symbol of the ancient world stood out in stark relief against the white-stone walls.
A wry smile touched his handsome, finely featured face as he contemplated the fact that the setting at least was appropriate for what he sought. The world of antiquity might just hold the key to unlocking the mystery he was determined to solve. Much of what he wanted for his lover and himself, might rely on the answers, positive or negative, he was convinced he would find within a certain tome housed somewhere in the archives of this building.
In just a few minutes the library would close for the night. He wasted no time, quickly passing through the main doors into the cavernous marble-lined entry hall. He smiled at the security guard, knowing that he was about to tell him, 'Sorry, we’re closing'. Instead, the guard returned his smile—the power behind those ice-blue eyes immediately making the guard forget that the tall man dressed in a full-length black leather coat who now strode past him with purpose towards the door that plainly read ‘No Admittance’ had actually pushed it open and had disappeared.
The guard stood to one side as the library’s employees and a few stragglers exited, then he locked the doors and walked over to the security desk. Apart from the routine checks he would make periodically he would stay at his post until he was relieved at midnight by the graveyard shift.
Andrew Berés descended the flight of stairs leading to the underground archives. It was dark, the power having been turned off in any unnecessary areas of the library. Not that it deterred Andrew. He could see in the dark better than any cat, or bat, for that matter. His vampire vision could pick out anything within the murky recesses of the basement.
If I were the Talisman of Ardocan—where would I hide?
If not the Talisman itself—and it did seem unlikely that it would actually be among the artefacts and documents piled high before him—at least some mention of it, be it myth or reality. Somewhere here, there must be some clue, a cross reference perhaps pertaining to its existence, or non.
Andrew’s laser-sharp vision seared through the closed document boxes and crates, negating some as useless, pausing over others that looked as though they might be interesting, before dismissing them and moving on to the next box.
Marcus Verano, the most powerful of all vampires, had told Andrew he feared the Talisman did not exist, and at the time Andrew had been prepared to accept Marcus’ scepticism, yet the demon Dakar had insisted that it was indeed real. If Andrew were to doubt either man’s word, it would certainly be that of Dakar—a devious and treacherous demon, now dead. Dakar had inhabited Andrew’s lover’s body then had tried to seduce Andrew himself, all the while betraying his king by gathering a rebel force to usurp Kardis and take control of the Underworld region Kardis governed.
Yet hope, mingled with some doubt, remained in Andrew’s heart.
His lover, Tommy, was a brave and beautiful man with whom Andrew wished to spend the rest of his existence. But Tommy was mortal and worried that as he grew older Andrew would leave him for someone younger. Despite Andrew’s protestations to the contrary, he knew that in Tommy’s darker moments that fear still existed, and with it a wish that Andrew, too, was mortal, and that they would grow old together. Something that, as the months had passed, and their love had become stronger, deeper, Andrew had longed for with all his heart.
Tommy had offered to give him his lifeblood, had pledged to accept the ‘change’ despite the fact he would be distanced from his family and friends, something Andrew knew tore at Tommy’s heart and conscience. Because of his lover’s willingness to sacrifice his closeness with those he held dear, Andrew was determined to at least try to find an alternative.
He had not mentioned his quest to anyone, not even to Tommy. Why build up hopes within him if the search should prove fruitless after all? Nor had he told his best friend Jared Lantos, although he knew Jared would not judge his actions. Jared also had a mortal lover. Although frowned on by certain segments of vampire society, it was not all that unusual for vampires’ companions to be human. A regular infusion of vampire blood kept a mortal’s youthful appearance, delaying the aging process and giving him or her many more years of life. But they were not immortal, and eventually a decision would have to be made…
Andrew paused in his search and a shudder ran through his body. The thought of losing Tommy was not something he could accept, nor the desolation he knew he would feel as keenly as a wooden, silver-tipped stake to his heart.
There must be an answer! Somewhere in all of this there must be a clue, however small, however remotely connected to the Talisman itself. Something to give hope…
Despair filled him as he neared the final row of boxes. Perhaps Marcus was right after all, and Dakar would be proven a liar, perpetuating the demon reputation for evading the truth at all costs. Or perhaps, his search—though fruitless here as it had been in New York and Washington D.C.—should continue in some other archive—in Paris or Athens or—He paused again, a flicker of recognition dancing before his eyes.
The word, Ardocan.
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