Blood Secrets
Blood Series: Book Two
By Elizabeth Morgan
Blurb:
When your life is messed up to begin with, how much worse can it really
get?
Heather Ryan's life has never been simple.
The latest in a long line of descendants who have made it their mission to hunt
down and slay the Ancient Vampire, Marko Pavel, she is also the first born
Infected. Up until recently, the biggest downside to living with the Vampyrric
Virus was simply that she craved blood, but after receiving a DVD from her
deceased Grandmother Sofia and being kidnapped with friend and so called
guardian Werewolf, Brendan Daniels, she quickly discovers that she is also the
inspiration behind the Vampires’ attempt to create a whole new breed of super
monsters—Hybrids.
The truth
comes at a cost, but how much does one have to sacrifice to gain success?
Following the breadcrumbs left by her psychic
Grandmother, Heather and Brendan find themselves in new territory. Venice is
where Heather hopes to find Marie, the second Bloodling of Marko, along with
Brendan's three taken Pack members. But an old Peace Pact between the Italian
Pack and the Colony means they are left hunting blind, and due to the Italian
Alpha's reluctance to believe their story of kidnap and experimentation on
Loup-Garous, time is running out. So when help comes from an unlikely source,
they have no choice but to accept.
All families
have secrets, but blood can't lie.
Caught up in an intricate and complicated scheme spun by the one she trusts the most and the friend of her enemy, Heather soon discovers that she is the pawn in a plan she would never have been able to conceive. But how many of her new allies were in on the game, to begin with?
Caught up in an intricate and complicated scheme spun by the one she trusts the most and the friend of her enemy, Heather soon discovers that she is the pawn in a plan she would never have been able to conceive. But how many of her new allies were in on the game, to begin with?
This title contains
explicit language, violence, and some scenes of a sexual nature.
Length: 127,000 words | Content: Urban Fantasy| Publisher: Elizabeth Morgan
**
Download your copy of Blood Secrets (Blood Series: Book Two) at the celebratory
release price $3.49. Thereafter it
will revert to the price of
$4.49. **
Buy Links:
Smashwords ~ Are ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK
iTunes
~ Kobo ~ Barnes&Noble
Blood Secrets will also be available in print
from Amazon and Barnes&Noble in the next few weeks.
Excerpt:
The walkway appeared desolate... Darkness
almost shrouded the passage, but the streetlights of Venice, which stretched
across the seemingly black water of the Grand Canal, cast slithers of light
through the tall stone arches. A gust of wind ran past me and I shivered, the
small tremble causing drops of water to fly from my soaked clothing and stain
the grey slabs beneath me.
A howl pierced the night sky, then another
and another; a unison of agonizing cries echoing around the maze of buildings
that made Central Venice so unique.
To say that Ken doll was going to be pissed
that I had took off was an understatement, but I couldn’t lose this chance. I
wasn’t going to lose Marie.
Pulling my sword from its sheath, I made my
way towards the intricate iron gates which were open, held in place by chains
that locked into two hoops that protruded from the grey bricks.
Moving past the rough metal, I peered into
the square, outer foyer to find the main double doors to the nest stood wide
open in invitation, giving me the perfect view of the long, quiet hallway. I
inhaled deeply. The stench of ancient earth polluted the air.
With a steadying breath, I stepped through
the doorway and past the two round pillars. Three large iron lanterns hung from
the ceiling. A mosaic of stained glass caging the bulbs inside, casting
fragments of multi-coloured light across the cream walls. The glow from them
curled around the sculptures lining the walls, the shadows of their perfect
forms stretched across the blank canvas, disfiguring as I moved past them.
My heart thundered in my chest, so loud that
I was pretty damn sure it was drowning out the squelch of water in my boots as
I tread lightly and swiftly across the coral and ivory diamond tiles. Droplets
of water continued to travel down my skin and beneath my clothes, which already
clung to me like a second skin. My curls were a drenched mess. Stray strands
had escaped the bun I had shoved my hair in earlier, the wet chunks sticking to
my face and neck.
I walked past the two sets of closed double
doors which sat across from each other. My focus strayed to the enclosed, dimly
lit stairwell on my right.... It was
now blocked off by an iron gate similar to the one protecting the front
entrance. Another set of doors sat closed to my left, but it was the archway at
the end of the hallway that I was drawn to—the
only other doors that lay wide open in invitation, and despite the light in the
chamber being dim, I knew she was in
there, waiting for me.
Oxygen burned my lungs. A stitch had claimed
my right side, and the scent of blood from my weeping wounds had my senses
peaking. Only
this task remains.
Tightening my grip on the hilt of my sword, I
moved into the large chamber. No furniture filled the space. All the curtains
were drawn. The dark, thick material ran the length of the wall, indicating
that the windows stood from ceiling to floor. The walls were painted in panels
of patterns so fine, but I couldn’t make out the details. Not that the
particulars of the interior of a nest ever really mattered. Although, this was
by far the fanciest I had been in. My feet faltered as my gaze landed on him.
He stood like a statue in the centre of the
room, his unseeing eyes, like white, misted glass, vacant and icy, focused on
me. He could see me. He could see right through me....
The air caught in my lungs as pain seared
through my lower back. I lurched, a scream lodged in my throat.
“You should have run while you had the
chance.”
His voice sent a chill sweeping across my
already frozen flesh.
I spun, sword loose in my grip, swiping at
air. A delayed reaction, which only caused pain to ripple up my spine. Heat
pulsed at the base of my back, a seeping warmth drawing the material of my damp
T-shirt. The scent of my blood hit me once more. Shit.
“Brave of you to come back,” a female
chortled.
Wiping the back of my hand across my eyes, I
looked round the room. There was nowhere for her to hide but the shadows which
claimed the corners. But why was she even hiding?
“What’s the matter, Marie? Are you afraid to
face me one-on-one?”I straightened, gritting my teeth at the splintering pain
stretching from my head to my toes. “I expected more from a first generation
Leech, more from Marko’s Bloodling than peak-a-boo-attack.”
“You flatter yourself,” he said calmly.
I did. There was no reason for her to hide
from me. Perhaps she wasn’t. Perhaps, this was just a game of cat and mouse to
her, and she wanted to draw it out for as long as possible. Despite the fact
she should be running for her wretched immortal life, despite the fact that she
was no longer safe in her own territory, she hadn’t run. She was either
egotistical or foolish, or maybe just clueless. One way or another, she was
going to die before the sun rose.
“Face me, Marie,” I growled, tightening the
grip on my sword. “Your son at least had the balls to—”
The air left my lungs as a weight barrelled
into me.
In the back of my mind, I registered my sword
slipping from my hand. A fact that was confirmed as the sound of metal
clattering against marble echoed throughout the room. My head made impact with
the wall. Pain exploded at the back of my skull. Stars burst behind my eyelids
in a rush of glittering colours. I crumpled to the floor.
“Never speak of my son, puttana
disgustosa.”
The words were snarled, but seemed distant
due to the pounding in my ears. My eyes snapped open as blood coated my tongue.
I rolled onto my side, gagging, wanting so badly to throw up, and yet, I had
the urge to gulp, to swallow; to drink, and it was so damn strong.
“Pathetic.”
The word hammered at my temples, causing the
pain that already cradled my head to stab sharper.
Pathetic. Perhaps I was pathetic. Perhaps I
had been fooling myself all these years for clinging on to humanity when every
primal instinct inside me hungered for blood, even my own. I was sick. I was no
better than the monsters I killed, but I knew that already... Didn’t I?
“...you
are not human, Heather. You have been lying to yourself. Thinking you can
survive this way, lead a ‘normal life’ when you were born to be so much
more...”
His words echoed in my mind, taunting me even
though he stood quietly at the centre of the room.
“It is almost laughable, the idea that you
thought you could stop us, destroy Marko after all those before you have
failed.”
Breathing fast and hard, I twisted onto my
knees. My arms trembled as I tried to push myself up.
“Where is he?” I bit the words out.
Marie’s foot connected with my abdomen. A
crunch met my ears. Another scream lodged in my throat. Fists clenched, I
curled myself into a ball, sucking in sharp breaths through my teeth as I tried
to fight past the pain pulsing inside me.
“Where. Is. Marko?” The words were broken and
strained as I tried to lift my head to look at her.
Marie grabbed me by my hair. A strangled cry
burst from my lips as she dragged me up, sliding me against the wall. Nausea
exploded in my stomach. Numbness claimed my cheeks and neck. I kicked
helplessly. My legs were deadweight, but pins and needles shot through my
calves each time my boots scuffed against the brick. I couldn’t feel my
fingertips as I wrapped my hands round her wrist, feebly trying to break her
iron grip.
She grabbed me by the throat with her free
hand and pinned me high above her head. My hands dropped to the arm now holding
me against the cold wall. My eyes widened as she stepped closer, into the soft
stream of light coming through the doorway. If I could have breathed, I would
have stopped at the sight of her angular, almost amphibian features.
Sweet
Jesus, so this is what a first generation Vampire in full form looks like?
Like all transformed Vampires, her head was
void of hair, but the bones beneath her face were moving. Her skin looked pasty
and brittle as it stretched across the sharp and unnatural angles of her jaw
and cheek bones. Her nose had caved into her skull, but her nostrils were large
and
wide, bat-like. And her eyes—deep
crimson, so fucking inhuman, so lifeless I might have shivered if I had the
strength to. The skin wriggled across her face... She was still shifting?
How much
uglier can she get?
I jolted as something razor-sharp punched
into my gut. Blood flooded my mouth, leaking from the corners as I fought to
breathe. Tears filled my eyes as I glanced down, noting her free hand had
pushed against my abdomen, her fingers embedded deep inside me.
“In the last place you, or any of your
pathetic family, would ever think to look for him.”
Reality slowed down, or perhaps it was my
heartbeat. Perhaps I was blacking out, but despite the pins and needles that
tingled from my fingers straight down to my toes, the numbness that claimed
every part of my body, despite the only feelings I had left being pain as she
squeezed every breath of air from me, despite that, at this very moment, the
only thing I should have been thinking about was that I was about to die, that
I had failed my family, my grandmother... Brendan... a bulb pinged in my mind,
and I had never seen the light so fucking clearly.
Her tongue slithered towards me, flicking
across the blood staining my lips. She shuddered. “You should not have murdered
my son.”
A howl echoed throughout the building. Hope
fluttered in my struggling heart.
“It is time to leave.”
His voice jolted me, so innocent and calm,
completely un-fazed by the scene playing out before him.
I lurched as she pulled her hand from inside
me. Through my blurred gaze, I caught sight of the length of her now
blood-stained talons as she brought her fingers to my face.
“Die knowing that you have failed, like the
rest of your feeble family.”
Bones cracked and her jaw dislocated, her
mouth widened, as her fangs extended—
A mountain of black fur barrelled into her.
I landed on the floor. My body screamed in
protest, but no sound left me. I couldn’t feel my fingers or toes. Hell, I
couldn’t feel my body. Just the pain that resided in every point she had
struck.
Dark shadows moved around the room,
accompanied by growls and ear-splintering wails.
Another thundering howl rang through the
building. I moved my focus to the doorway and found a copper-blond Werewolf
standing in the frame. His golden gaze landed on me, widening.
My eyes fluttered, and the next thing I knew,
he was beside me.
“I know where he is,” I rasped as Brendan’s
flushed, sweat-slicked face filled my vision.
“Shit.
Heather?” Brendan’s hands fell to my stomach.
Searing pain exploded outward, stretching to
my head and toes. An inhuman cry gurgled in my throat, the action causing more
blood to ooze from my mouth.
“Christ.” Tears threatened to emerge in his
emerald gaze. His hands moved to my face. “Why—What?” His jaw was tense. A
growl vibrated in his throat. “God damn it, Heather. Why couldn’t you have
fucking waited?”
A smile touched my lips. “Because, silly
Wolf—” I closed my eyes. My brain felt as though it were churning in my skull,
“—I now know where Marko is.”
Darkness took me.
My Review:
Heather Ryan is a born infected. She comes from a long line
of ancestors who’s only reason for living is hunting down and killing Ancient
Vampire, Marko Pavel who is also hunting her. The vamps are trying to make a super
monster, a hybrid and need Heather’s DNA to make this possible. Heather is hot
on Marko’s trail with the help of her dead Grandmother. Heather and her
Werewolf friend Brendan follow all the clues her grandmother leaves her to help
in her search for the Ancient Vampire.
On their hunt for the vampire Heather and Brendan run into
more than they bargained for. They get themselves into a world of trouble but
they somehow manage to find a way out only to find more. When they find out
that three of Brendan’s Pact members have been take to help in the vamps making
of hybrids their trail leads them to Venice where Heather hopes to find Marie,
Marko’s second Bloodling.
When they get there and meet up with the Italian Pack they
find out that they have old treaty between the werewolves and the vamps in
Venice. This treaty keeps them from doing anything to help Heather and Brendan
with the Colony. They don’t actually believe them about what they are doing
with the Pact members that has been taken from other places. The treaty keeps
the vamps from taken any Pact members from the Italian Pact. So this is the
first they have heard of werewolves being taken since no one from their Pact
has been taken.
Heather is a very strong girl mentally and physically and drinking
blood makes her stronger but does it make her strong enough to kill Marie, a
second Blooding of Marko’s? Heather thinks she can or is very determined to
give it her best shot but can she kill Marie or will Marie finish her off for
good? Who will come out the victor in this little fight? (Little, yeah right)
I have loved reading Blood Secrets and finding out all of
Heather’s secrets. I love the world with vamps and werewolves together in the
same book/story. I loved the idea of the born infected and the Vampyrric virus and
creating hybrids. Blood Secrets is filled with so many twists and turns that it
will keep you glued to your seat waiting to find out what happens next
wondering what Heather is going to do.
If you like vampires then you are going to love the Blood
Series. But I do suggest that you read book one Cranberry Blood first so that
you will know what is going on and while you are at it I would also like to
suggest reading the prequel She-Wolf as well. All three books are amazing.
Trust me!
AUTHOR INTERVIEW:
What inspired
you to write Blood Secrets?
Blood Secrets
is the second book - third if you count the prequel - in my Blood Series. The
series is an Urban Fantasy series mainly based in the UK - Scotland and London
to be more exact - and it features Werewolves, Vampires, Slayers, the odd
Psychic.
The original
inspiration for the series came from a simple desire to write a story featuring
the creatures that I first fell in love with, Vampires. With that simple
foundation inspiration blossomed from a handful of places and, well, I’ve
always had an overactive imagination so I didn’t have to dig for ideas that
just came to me at random points in the day.
This book is
the natural continuation from the first book in the series, Cranberry Blood,
which became a reality after my mind went wandering one winter morning. I was
stood at the bus stop, it was somewhere around 6 am, and across the way from me
there was a college, which had a flat roof. And for some reason I found myself
wondering what I would do if a Werewolf were sitting on that roof watching me.
Would I run? If I screamed would anyone from the surrounding houses come out
and investigate? Why would there be a Werewolf on the roof to begin with?
It was that
final question I needed to answer, which was one of the reasons why and how the
series started.
When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I never really
decided I wanted to be a writer. At various points in my life I wrote stories,
whether they were for school assignments or a fan blog - which I did have as a
teenager - but it wasn’t until I was in college that I started to become
serious about writing.
I was studying
Musical Theatre - I originally wanted to be an actress - and some of the
assignments we had during the course were to write scripts, which I began doing
in my own time. I started by writing my story ideas into plays, which I did try
to send to theatre groups etc but it wasn’t until a friend of mine suggested I
should write a book - because my scripts had far too much background detail etc
- that I actually thought about writing novels. Needless to say I gave it a go
and well, I haven’t stopped since.
What is the earliest age you remember reading your first
book?
I wasn’t overly
fond of reading when I was a child - I know, it’s terrible - although I liked
my mother reading to me. So, I’ve always enjoyed listening to stories, but I
think the first book I bought and read was when I was possibly twelve - or
somewhere around that age - it was called The Boyfriend. I can’t remember who
the author was, but it was about a ghost, and there was a twist at the end of
the book. Clearly, it was good because I made it to the end. :p
What genre of books do you enjoy reading?
Oh, UF,
Paranormal, Steampunk, Futuristic, Dystopian, Fairytales, anything to do with
mythology, the odd contemporary, but all romance. I love a good romance.
What is your favorite book?
I always find
this question hard, because there have been many books that I have devoured.
Literally, I have read them straight through in one sitting, or I would have if
I didn’t have to sleep because I had work the next day.
The book that
fascinated me the most, and the one that made me think, “god, I wish I had
thought of this. Why can’t my imagination be like that?” was The Iron Duke (The
Iron Seas Series: Book One) by Meljean Brooke. It’s a steampunk romance, and
wow! The world building is detailed and amazing, the characters are fantastic,
the romance is hot; there are ships, zombies, sea creatures…. I actually need
to get the third and fourth book in the series. I am so behind on my reading,
but I will definitely be reading it again from the beginning so that I can read
the series straight through. Seriously though, amazing book, fantastic series.
Meljean is a fab writer. You should definitely check it out, if you haven’t
already.
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your
favorite author and why?
I really don’t
have a favorite author. I have a selection of authors whose work I love so much
that I would buy everything that they write regardless of what it is. Although,
Ilona Andrews and Dianna Hardy are the two authors that are at the top of that
list. They write it, I will read it.
If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place
or time. Where would you go and why?
I would go back
to the 80’s and attend a Michael Jackson concert. He is my all time favorite
artist. I had tickets to see him at his comeback tour, but sadly, he passed
away. I was gutted. The 80’s were the decade where he had some amazing tours
happening, and god, I would have loved to have seen that man perform live.
When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for
you or is it a difficult task?
Both. It all
depends on whether my mind is in the zone. Life has a tendency to weigh you
down, and when you have some much in your head it is hard to dive into your own
world. It seems stupid saying that. Writing is escapism. I should be able to
dive in when I need to escape the most, but unfortunately my muse never
cooperates with me on those days.
And then there
are those days where words flow and your fingers are dancing along the
keyboard, and before you know it you have written 3-5,000 words. Love those
days.
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat?
Or any pets?
I have two
black cats - they are brothers - Phantom - named after my fave musical, The
Phantom of the Opera - and MJ - who is naturally named after my fave music
artist, Michael Jackson. I love them, but they can be little nuisances.
What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to
eat?
Anything with
cheese; cheeseburgers, pizza, nachos, and I love pasta with cheese. I also love
Chinese food, and I never say no to cookies. I’m a terribly unhealthy person.
lol
Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an
author?
Writing a book isn’t easy. It is a
torturous type of pleasure. Your brain will feel bloated. You will have
sleepless nights. You won't eat at the correct time slots. You will shuffle
around trying to do everyday tasks, while talking to your characters out loud,
or reminding yourself about the things you decided needed to change in that
scene etc. You will constantly wonder if anyone will like the story, understand
it. You will get frustrated when words aren’t flowing. You will get mad when
words are flowing, but you have to leave the house in ten minutes or you will
miss your dentist appointment… but when you finish that book, oh the relief.
When that book has been edited, polished, formatted, packaged, and promoted…
when you release your story that you have spent so much time with, put your
blood, sweat and tears into; spent countless hours wondering if it is any
good…. And you see a review where the reader says they loved it… Well, it is
worth it. Just for one person to love that book as much as you do. All the
time, the work, the stress; it's so, so worth it.
So, my advice is; keep going, never give
in, never give up. If you have a story to tell, if you have a billion stories
to tell; write them and share them with the world.
Scottish
Werewolves: freaky Vampires and a Slayer with a bad addiction and an insane
legacy. Add a big dose of sarcasm, sizzling chemistry; a lot of silver and a
ton of blood and . . . Welcome to the Blood Series.
Start the Blood Series for FREE!
If you’re new to the Blood Series, but think you might enjoy the
books then download your copy of She-Wolf (Blood Series: Prequel) for FREE
today.
And in preparation for the long awaited
sequel, Cranberry Blood (Blood Series: Book One) is available for the bargain
celebratory price of $2.99 until April 30th. Thereafter it will go back to its former price of $3.99.
Barnes&Noble ~ Smashwords ~ iTunes
~ Kobo
She-Wolf
Blood Series Prequel
** She-Wolf is
available to download for FREE from most online retailers. **
Buy Links:
Smashwords ~ ARE ~ iTunes ~ Kobo
Cranberry
Blood
Blood Series: Book One
** Get your copy of Cranberry Blood (Blood
Series: Book One) for the celebratory price of $2.99. Offer ends on April 30th.
The book will then revert back to its original price of $3.99 **
Buy Links:
Smashwords ~ ARE ~ iTunes ~ Kobo
Cranberry Blood is also available in print from Amazon and Barnes&Noble!
Read my review of Cranberry Blood HERE!
Competition!
Elizabeth
is giving three lucky winners an ecopy of Cranberry Blood (Blood Series: Book
One) AND an ecopy of Blood Secrets (Blood Series: Book Two). So, if you are
interested in winning yourself this set then make sure to leave an entry on the
rafflecopter, and don’t forget to go download your FREE copy of She-Wolf (Blood
Series: Prequel) which you can read while you wait. ;) Good Luck!
About the Author:
Elizabeth
Morgan is a multi-published author of urban fantasy, paranormal, erotic horror,
f/f, and contemporary; all with a degree of romance, a dose of action and a hit
of sarcasm, sizzle or blood, but you can be sure that no matter what the genre,
Elizabeth always manages to give a unique and often humorous spin to her
stories.
Like her
tagline says; A pick ‘n’ mix genre author. “I’m not greedy. I just like
variety.”
And that she
does, so look out for more information on her upcoming releases at her website:
www.e-morgan.com
Away from the
computer, Elizabeth can be found in the garden trying hard not to kill her
plants, dancing around her little cottage with the radio on while she cleans,
watching movies or good television programmes – Dr Who? Atlantis? The
Musketeers? Poldark? American Horror Story? Heck, yes! – Or curled up with her
two cats reading a book.
Where to find Elizabeth Online:
Facebook ~ Facebook Author Page
~ Pinterest ~ TSU
~ Zazzle
1 comments:
Thank you so much for having me over today, Nancy. I'm so glad you enjoyed the second book in the Blood Series. Thank you for the lovely review :D
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