She shuddered in the stranger’s arms – #Halloween #PNR #MFRWHooks @KateHillRomance

We’re in the last week of September already. And you know what that means...

Halloween is coming soon!

I may be a senior citizen, but Halloween still kindles a very special kind of excitement in my heart. This year, I’m celebrating by participating in Kate Hill’s huge Halloween extravaganza. Every day in October, she will be featuring a different author and a different book. Each one of us is giving away a free Halloween read, and some of us (including me) have bonus prizes that will be included in her Halloween Rafflecopter.

 

As it happens, I’m kicking off the event on October 1^st. My page will be featuring my bisexual vampire romance Fin d’Espoir – and giving you instructions for how to get a copy absolutely free!

Anyway, to whet your appetite, I’m taking today’s hook from that spooky erotic romance, which is set in Jamaica.

Blurb

Bitter and alone, Etienne de Rémorcy haunts the forest around the ruined plantation of Fin d'Espoir. He has sworn to never again taste human blood. Then a fierce storm and a runaway horse bring a slender, raven-haired beauty to his lair. When she begs him to take her, he cannot resist. Her companion likewise falls under Etienne’s spell. Their love may be his last hope for redemption.

The Hook

The horse continued his downward rush. Desperate, Maddy clung to the saddle, her legs aching with the effort. It was all too easy to imagine herself broken and trampled on that rocky ground.

Impossible brilliance dawned, followed by a crash that left her ears ringing. Maddy smelled ozone and charred wood. An orange tongue flared on a nearby ridge, silhouetting towering trees before it was quenched by the downpour.

The ground became more level. Her mount picked up speed, splashing through a stream that crossed his route and showering her legs with water far colder than the rain. The underbrush thinned. They raced along through a natural tunnel formed by the branches arching overhead. Another lightning bolt crackled through the forest. It illumined what looked like a man-made structure, a few hundred yards ahead.

“Hello!” she yelled, trying to make herself heard above the din of the storm. “Anyone—please—help…!” She peered into the grey-green shadows. Had she been mistaken? The rain eased slightly. The damp breeze was redolent of smoke and growing things.

She must have loosened her grip. Lightning arced through the sky, followed by a crack of thunder that rattled her bones. The stallion froze, screaming its terror to the freshening wind. It rose on its hind legs, beating the air with its front hooves and dashing Maddy to the ground.

Lightning snaked across the clouds. Like its twin, fiery pain forked in Maddy’s ankle. The horse reared above her prone body, ready in its mad fear to crush her into the muddy earth. Grimacing with the effort, she tried to roll out of the way, though she knew she was too late.

“Whoa now, my pretty. Du calme, du calme.”

A man’s voice, deep and resonant, full of power. The stallion responded immediately, dropping back to all fours and hanging its head. A tall figure stepped out from behind a tree and grasped the bridle. “Good boy,” he murmured in the horse’s ear, gently stroking its muzzle all the while. “No need to fear now. Calm down.”

The transformation from a crazed beast to a docile pet was close to instantaneous. The man’s voice had a similar effect on Maddy, slowing her racing heart, even easing the throbbing in her ankle.

The stranger loomed over her, a huge man-shaped shadow. Full night had arrived, and Maddy could see nothing of the man’s features. She shivered and felt her heartbeat quicken once again. She was lost and alone, crippled by an ankle that was sprained if not broken. What could she do to protect herself?

He sank on his haunches next to her aching, muddy body. “Are you hurt, Miss?” he asked, his vowels rounded by the traces of French. Maddy’s fear melted in the warmth of that rich voice. The scent of roses tickled her nostrils. The pain in her ankle dwindled to an occasional annoying twinge.

The man’s skin reminded her of the Blue Mountain coffee she and Troy had enjoyed at breakfast, a brown so dark it was almost black. Raindrops gleamed on his smooth cheeks and pooled in the hollow of his throat. Looking at him made her thirsty. He was powerfully built, with massive shoulders swelling out from his worn denim vest. Underneath, his muscled chest was bare. A tight frizz of black hair grew in the furrow between his breasts.

As he crouched at her side, his jeans stretched taut over his thighs but hung loosely around his narrow hips. Another line of kinky curls ran down from his navel to disappear under his waistband.

His face was the visage of a Nubian king, prominent cheekbones and a fleshy nose with elegant, flared nostrils. His liquid-brown eyes were set wide apart, in deep sockets protected by the fine arch of his brows. His proud forehead rose above them, up to the tight-knit black frizz that covered his skull.

And his mouth… Maddy couldn’t stop herself from staring at those full lips, mahogany-red against his rosewood-dark face. They were parted in a half-smile that revealed the pearly white of perfect teeth. An image flashed through Maddy’s mind, that kinky head bent to her breast, those sensual lips fastened on her nipple. Her nubs tightened under her soaked shirt, their ache completely distracting her from her injured ankle.

“Miss? Are you in pain?” That voice tore her away from her sudden fantasy, commanding her attention.

“Uh—my ankle. It caught beneath me when I fell.”

“Let me see.”

She struggled to rise to a half-sit, resting her weight on her elbows, and stretched out her right leg. She blushed when she saw how filthy she was, but her companion didn’t seem to notice.

He cradled her heel in one hand, palpating her ankle with the other. His hand was large enough to completely enclose her foot. He prodded the area above her instep.

“Ay!” She winced as fiery pain raced up her leg. “Ow! Damn!”

“That hurts, I gather.” He studied her flesh. “It is quite inflamed. I cannot tell if the bone is intact, but it should be bound in any case.” He supported her back with his left arm, slipping his right under her knees.

“What? Wait!” A wave of dizziness swept over her. The man raised her from the ground as though she weighed nothing. The next thing she knew, he was carrying her into the darkness. “No, please…” Her helplessness rekindled her fear. She struggled against his grip. His arms were like iron bands around her back and hips. His laugh at her futile efforts was edged with mockery.

“Should I leave you then, injured and alone in the forest? I think you would soon change your mind. In these forgotten valleys, there are many creatures of the night, creatures far more dangerous than I. These hills are soaked in the blood of the Maroons who fought and died to free themselves from their colonial masters. Some of them still walk, animated by perpetual hate for anyone with white skin. Not to mention the cruel gods the slaves brought with them on their nightmare journeys from Africa. They flourish here, among the memories of vengeance and death.”

Maddy shuddered in the stranger’s arms. A chill crept through her limbs. She couldn’t stop shaking. She whimpered, the denim of his vest rough against her cheek, breathing the scent of roses. Her captor—her savior?—strode through the trees, sure of every step. All at once, he stopped and peered down at her.

“You are in shock, girl. Stop fighting and let me help you.” His melodious voice soothed her, calming the tremors a bit. She relaxed into his strength as he resumed his brisk pace, cradling her body against his chest.

The storm’s fury had dwindled. A warm drizzle pattered against the leafy canopy above their heads. Thunder rolled faintly in the distance. Maddy closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift.

A flash of lightning brought her back to awareness. In the momentary glare, she saw the building that had drawn her into the valley, much closer now. It was a ruin, a hulking mass of charred pillars and tumbled walls overgrown with vines. A lone chimney pointed at the sky like an accusing finger. She gasped at desolate scene.

Feeling her body tense, her captor halted. Even in the dark, she could make out the outlines of the derelict mansion.

“Fin d’Espoir plantation.” His voice was colder than before. Maddy heard the echoes of anger and sorrow. “Home.”

Buy Links

Kinky Literature – https://kinkyliterature.com/book/8227-fin-despoir-a-bisexual-vampire-romance/

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08K55W8QD

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08K55W8QD

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1045343

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fin-despoir-lisabet-sarai/1137780673?ean=2940164262006

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/th/en/ebook/fin-d-espoir-a-bisexual-vampire-romance

Add on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55526630-fin-d-espoir

Be sure to visit the other authors participating in today's Book Hooks!

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