September 17, 2024
Paranormal Women’s Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Vampires
Date Published: September 20, 2024
Briley Reed never expected to be a vampire or thought she’d find herself heading to Eerie, but a brutal attack changes everything. When a mystery man sends her to Eerie to find Atticus, she realizes just how much her life has changed.
But could it be for the better?
Atticus Maguire wants to be left alone. He’s had his heart broken and he’s done with love. Then Briley shows up in his life and it’s turned upside down. He wasn’t planning to fall in love, but the magic never lies.
Right?
EXCERPT
Atticus stood on his front porch and stared out at the water. He’d lived in Eerie his entire life and loved his place on the edge of the lake. The waves calmed him. He could think here. Could let his magic languish. Not be forced to use it or help someone who wasn’t interested in being helped.
He could be the old man yelling at kids running on his lawn.
He snorted. He had a lawn, but it wasn’t much -- mostly sand and rocks with a little grass mixed in. Kids didn’t venture to his side of the lake, so no one trespassed on his property.
He’d accepted that he’d be alone. Who wanted to be with someone who manipulated magic? Who could read the future and the past, and could animate the dead? No one he knew.
When he’d visited the bars, he’d been given a wide berth. Women didn’t approach him. He shouldn’t be annoyed by the actions, but he was. He didn’t want to be alone.
Who did?
But he couldn’t find anyone who wanted to be with a being imbued with magic. His former fiancée couldn’t handle his power or his unintended ability to read the future. He knew the moment he’d met her that she’d leave him, but he’d fallen in love with her anyway. He’d given his heart, knowing it’d get broken.
She’d been a fun, vibrant light in his life -- until she decided he wasn’t good enough. She hadn’t been thrilled with his abilities or his decision to live on the lake. She wanted life and noise and someone who couldn’t read the future in her eyes.
When she left, despite him knowing it would happen, he retreated into himself.
He rested his hands on his hips and watched the water move. The ripples lulled him. Nothing mattered right now. Just the water moving, the chirp of the birds and the flecks of sunlight through the trees. The warmth of the sun danced on his skin.
His thoughts turned to Lydia. She’d been the first woman he’d wanted to live with. The one he’d thought he’d love forever. He’d never been good with women. He tended to be too shy and didn’t say much. Lydia had claimed his silence was cute. She liked when he brooded because she never quite knew what he was thinking. Except when she wanted to know what he had on his mind, and he didn’t say anything. She wanted him to open up. To talk more. To be more social and take her out.
He didn’t mind going out, but he couldn’t dance and his ability to see the future tended to get him into trouble. Lydia didn’t want him reading her mind and got angry when he clammed up. She’d chew him out for not talking, then when he did talk and it wasn’t what she wanted to hear, she chewed him out again.
His skin tingled. A vision formed in his mind. A woman approaching and his brother warning her to find him. He frowned. Who was this woman, and why would his brother appear in his vision? He tipped his head. Who was she? He wasn’t sure. The vision wasn’t clear enough.
He glanced over his shoulder. The woman wasn’t even in Eerie, but he felt her. Another vision formed in his mind. This time, the woman stood in his living room and wore nothing.
A nude woman in his home.
What was he getting himself involved in?
He’d figure it out when she arrived. If he knew one thing more than anything else, fighting the future wasn’t smart. The future would happen no matter what he did.
Still, he wished he knew more about this person trying to locate him. She might end up hating him. The nudity might be because she was getting revenge… on him? Someone else?
The more he thought about this woman, the more the vision of her nude in his living room came into focus. Slender, curly brown hair down to her shoulders, wide eyes, blushing from her hairline to her chest, breasts just right for his hands and curves to make his mouth water. He longed to touch her. He hadn’t even met her yet, and she’d stirred his magic.
He wondered what her kiss would taste like.
He shook his head. Her kiss! She might not even want to kiss him.
The water sloshed against the bank and tore his attention from the woman. His woodland oasis would be invaded. Did he mind?
Not really.
He headed back to the house as a shiver ran the length of his spine. The woman hadn’t reached Eerie, but she was on the outskirts. She also needed his help.
He grabbed his keys, then tucked his phone into his front pocket. Once he locked up the cabin, he rushed out to his motorcycle. He sped out of the shed toward the gravel path, then the road. Living on the far side of the lake meant he’d waste precious minutes rounding the body of water to get to her, but his magic swore she was closer than he’d thought.
Atticus sped down the back road to the edge of town. Her car wasn’t broken down, but she had a follower. He couldn’t see the person in the truck tailing her. Didn’t matter. He’d use a cloaking spell to hide her from the other driver. He spotted her little car, and his heart skipped a beat. He’d never met her, but he had a connection to her.
He pulled out onto the main road between her and the truck, blocking the following vehicle from getting to her. At the same time, he spoke the words to the spell and enveloped her in the invisible cloak. She’d never know he was behind her, but she would know the truck was gone.
Now he could deal with the truck.
About the Author
Megan Slayer, aka Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and white hot themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been nominated at the LRC for Best Author, Best Contemporary, Best Ménage, Best BDSM and Best Anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on various e-tailer sites.
When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice. She’s an active member of the Friends of the Keystone-LaGrange Public library.
Author Links
Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress
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