Kathryn
McCulsky is an ErGer – a rare and highly prized individual in the
supernatural world.
She
has spent her life running and hiding, but circumstances have changed
and the only way to protect her family is to hand herself over to the
Vampire Lord of London to face slavery or death.
Lucian
Neben runs his London court with a stern but fair hand, but political
pressures are building from both the human and fey worlds, and taking
possession of an ErGer would cement his position of power.
Kathryn is vulnerable and broken almost beyond repair, but she holds in her hands the one treasure Lucian desperately wants – the possibility of home and family.
Can
he teach her to open herself up; to choose to life, and him, before
reality forces him to take her freedom?
Note:
A Variety of Chains will be available through all main online
bookstores in print and digital on the 20th of August.
Excerpt
It
was inevitable where this evening was going to lead. For an ErGer to
bond, the mind needed to be broken open as only sex could – and her
own body would force it soon enough.
"Pick
up the wine and take a sip," he said.
"I
don't drink," she replied.
His
eyes remained expressionless, as was his voice when he spoke again.
"It was not a request."
Absolute
obedience for the safety of the girls.
She
reached for the glass and took a small sip. As she tried to put it
back down, his hands tightened on her waist and brought her attention
back to him mid-movement.
"I
am thirsty, too."
She
offered him the glass, but he shook his head. "My hands are
full."
To
illustrate this fact he began to trace little half circles over her
belly with his thumbs. She tried to offer the glass to his lips but
he shook his head again.
"Not
like that." There was a hint of amusement in his eyes and a
twitch to his lips. Instead, she tried to offer her wrist, but that
simply made him raise an eyebrow.
"How
then?" She felt the desperation in her own voice and tried to
suppress it while making the cold return.
"Take
a sip and hold it in your mouth."
She
was starting to have an idea where this was leading. She tried to
lean forward to feed him the wine but his hands kept her from him.
"Set
down the glass first, then let me drink from your mouth."
Carefully
she put down the glass before leaning forward. In her haste and
nervousness she parted her lips before touching his and spilled most
of the wine down her chin and his neck. She froze in terror, aware of
the strength in the hands around her waist and the sharp teeth
entirely too close to her. His lips parted and his tongue snaked out
to lazily lap at the liquid dripping down her lips and chin. Only
when he had cleaned her thoroughly did he allow her to move back
enough to meet his gaze. Her eyes fell to his mouth and the spilled
wine that painted his neck and shirt red. Small droplets were still
caught in the evening shadow of the beard along his cheeks.
"Clean
it!"
The
first flick of her tongue was tentative at best, barely a touch, but
when he moved his head to allow her more access she became bolder.
The taste of his skin, mixed with that of the red wine, filled her
mouth – unidentifiable, subtle and strange. As her tongue reached
his neck, his arousal grew impossibly large beneath her, pressing
against the folds of her sex through only two layers of clothes. She
shied back – feeling stupid immediately. It was inevitable where
this evening was going to lead. For an ErGer to bond, the mind needed
to be broken open as only sex could – and her own body would force
it soon enough. In her experience, he had shown more patience than
any other. Every Lord who had ever acquired her, either because her
brother had sold her to them or because they had tracked her down,
had taken her blood and body within minutes of their acquaintance.
What was the point of delay?
Pre-order
links
Amazon
UK: http://amzn.to/29UKrUc
Amazon
US: http://amzn.to/29UcIcx
Add
to Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30762429-a-variety-of-chains
Author
Bio
In
"real" life, I am an academic with degrees in Political
Science, Economics, Philosophy and Law and an insatiable desire to
confound, baffle and disconcert my students. Someone once suggested
to me the reason for my stories lay in the desire to offset the
tedium and rationality of academic life. He wasn't an academic or he
would have known better. It is best to use research against tedium,
students to offset the rationality and an unlimited supply of
stressballs for the faculty meetings. The stories? Well, they are
just for me - like a mental manicure.
I
also write a blog on Feminism and Erotica - come talk to me:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/cnblackthorn
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CBlackthorn
1 comment:
Hi, Christine,
Thanks for sharing your gorgeous cover here at my blog. Sounds like an original premise, and an intriguing heroine.
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