Russian
Roulette
Helena
Hawthorn Series Book 1
by
May Freighter
Genre:
Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Who
could guess that one brush of a fingertip over a shimmering
soul-string could flip your world upside down and inside
out?
Nineteen-year-old
Helena’s life changes when her spirit enters the Angel Realm in
search of her father. But, things don’t go as planned. Against her
guardian angel’s warnings, she binds her soul to a vampire—a
creature she thought only existed in horror movies.
Lucious
has spent his immortality looking for the monsters who killed his
sire. The last thing he needs is to be vulnerable because of a bond
with a reckless girl. Yet, he sees how he can turn this to his
advantage. Believing that Helena possesses great power, he plans to
use her against the Council as a bargaining chip.
When
Helena meets the gorgeous and also terrifying vampire with whom she’s
now stuck sharing an emotional bond, she realises that her life will
never be the same. Despite fighting against Lucious’s manipulative
ways, she can’t deny their attraction.
As
their desire for each other intensifies, she needs to know if she can
trust him. After all, her life and soul are on the line.
For
readers who enjoyed The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith, Twilight
Series by Stephenie Meyer, or A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest
**.99
on Amazon!**
Goodreads
* Amazon
A shiver induced by the
stone wall ran through Helena. Her heart kicked into the next gear when she
noted the restraints around her wrists. She struggled, tugging at the
unforgiving shackles time and time again.
“Looks like she’s
finally awake,” someone said in a gruff voice.
“Then get on with it,”
another replied.
She whipped her head
around in search of the voices. The sudden action blurred her vision, causing
her to squint. A low-wattage bulb at the end of the room exposed crates and
stacked boxes. A bald man sat at a table, his legs crossed at the heel whilst
his beefy hands held the local newspaper.
The second man pushed
away from the grimy wall, sauntering towards her. His unnerving grin revealed a
set of elongated canines.
A breath caught in her
throat.
“Aren’t you a tad bit
young to be working for Alexander?” he asked.
A deep frown creased
her face while her attention darted between her captors. She didn’t work for
Alexander nor did she ever want to see him or Lucious again.
The stranger stopped a
foot away from her. Dark, greasy hair clung to his scalp in thinning streaks. A
few strands separated at the front, curtaining his heavy-lidded eyes. He
reached out, grabbing her hair with a sharp twist and lifted her head to meet
his narrowed eyes. “I asked you a question, human.”
Her nose wrinkled in
disgust. His breath—a mixture of cheap tobacco, beer, and something else—caused
her stomach to churn. Panic will not
solve anything, she thought, yet her heart ignored her rationalisation.
“I don’t work for him,”
she said, surprised her voice came out unshaken.
He waved at her thin
shirt and smart trousers. “We saw you leaving his club looking like this.”
Helena fought the urge
to roll her eyes. If he’d been inside, he would know Alexander’s staff didn’t
wear uniforms. Well, the bouncers did… “This is what anyone would wear to an
interview!”
His eyes flared with a
light-grey glow, and she instantly regretted her snappy tone. She flinched
under his menacing stare which made her think of a glowering two-year-old she
used to babysit. The kid always shot daggers her way if she didn’t give him any
candy.
“…you listening?” He
let go of her hair with a sudden shove as he shouted at her.
Helena’s head dunked,
encouraging the faint ache to blaze into a full-blown headache.
“I think I hit her
harder than I thought.”
“Rick—” The companion
set his newspaper on the table, “—if you can’t get anything out of her…”
“I can!”
Helena figured the one
who ran the operation was not ‘Rick’. His literate friend held an authoritative
confidence the man in front of her
lacked. She imagined Rick struggling to read a novel by Tolstoy. The image
alone made her lips twitch upwards.
“What’re you smiling about? Don’t you understand what’s
going on?” Rick snapped.
She glared at him.
Arguing wouldn’t help, but her mouth lost its filter. “Should I?”
Her left cheek exploded
with a burning sting as he backhanded her across the face. Automatically, she
moved to rub the pain away and realised with a sickening feeling what situation
she was in—chained to a wall with two unknown men in a dingy room.
As a dull ache settled
in her arms, she bit her lower lip to suppress her bitter tongue from bringing
more trouble.
Rick leant in and
peered into her face. His lips hovered next to her ear. “Let’s see how much you
know.”
He grabbed the sides of
her head, forcing her to look at him. When their eyes locked, he grinned.
Helena struggled,
screaming, “Let go!”
“Calm down, human.” His
harsh tone switched to a soothing melody.
Right on cue, her body
relaxed at his command. His glowing eyes became the centre of her universe.
Anything he said would be a binding instruction.
Inside, she screamed,
fighting his overpowering control, but nothing happened. Why couldn’t Lucious influence me and this idiot can?
“Are you paying
attention?”
“Yes.”
“Will you obey my
commands?”
Flat and emotionless,
she answered him in an instant. “Yes.”
Leaning in to the point their noses almost touched,
Rick asked his golden question. “Do you work for Alexander?”
“No.”
The grey glow in his
eyes intensified, causing her to feel like she was floating. Her wrists
throbbed. The metal cut deeper into her skin, and a groan escaped her.
“Do you know Lucious?”
“Yes.”
The vampire’s fingers
dug into her jaw, and she winced. “Where is he? What do you know about him?”
“Russian Roulette. He
wanted to meet me to undo the link.”
The silent partner
sprang from his chair, knocking it over as he rushed to his feet. “What kind of
link?”
Words failed her as she
fought through her jumbled mix of emotions.
Rick jerked her head
backwards and hissed, “Answer his question.”
“I’m not sure. It was
an accident.”
In his frustration,
Rick shook her. “I’ll suck you dry if you don’t give me some proper answers!”
His partner pulled out
his phone, typing something on the smooth glass screen. “She doesn’t have much
information, but she can be useful in other ways.”
Rick trailed his
fingers along her arms, inching his way closer to her jugular. “Can I play
then?”
His influence on her
dropped, and Helena glared at the side of his greasy head.
“You can feed but
nothing else. We may be able to fetch a decent price for her later.”
Shivers ran through her
when Rick faced her with a growing grin. There was little she could tell them
about the link, so she couldn’t use that information as leverage. She didn’t
know much about Lucious, Alexander, or their plans.
Helena groaned. Her
headache transformed into a constant droning. Closing her eyes, her thoughts
turned into a prayer for Michael to appear and tell her some good news. News,
of any kind, was better than being with these monsters.
The leader glanced at
them before his attention returned to his phone. “You have two minutes.” He
strode out of the room without another word.
With Rick’s overseer
gone, her smart remarks would lead her to an early grave. She eyed the closing
door, willing the second man to return while her heart battered against her
ribs.
Rick fished out a
folding knife from his jeans pocket. Light bled back into his irises as he
teased the blade open.
Helena squeezed her
eyes shut. She wasn’t going to be his puppet again.
The cool metal tip
touched her cheek. “If you don’t open your eyes, I will cut this pretty little
face of yours until you do.”
She wavered. The
stinging in her cheek hadn’t gone away, and she wasn’t keen on finding out what
being chopped to pieces felt like. After all, he threatened with more than a
paper cut. Clenching her teeth, she lifted her eyelids. One second of contact
was enough to fall under his rule once more.
“Good. Don’t move.”
Her body refused any
further movement, and she berated herself for being so weak.
One by one, the buttons
of her blouse popped onto the concrete. With the last one gone, he pulled the
material apart. His eyes twinkled as if he was a child, opening his Christmas
present. He appraised her chest, and her heavy breathing filled the silence.
No matter how hard she
fought his mental hold, she could do nothing. He grazed the knife across her
pale skin. Blood rushed to the surface, trickling down her small breasts and staining her plain bra. He slid the dull side
of the blade across her chest, entranced
by the sweet perfume of her blood.
She was certain it
couldn’t be her lack of feminine curves that kept his attention.
His mental hold
slipped, and she regained control of her limbs. When the knife touched her
waist, her hips bucked. In one painful second, the sleek metal sank into her
skin. An agonised scream escaped her, bouncing off the walls of the enclosed
space.
The boss reappeared,
shouting, “I thought I told you to feed and nothing else.”
Rick jerked the blade
out. “This bitch is hard to control. Unless I’m looking right at her, she
breaks the bloody hold.”
“I don’t give two shits
about that,” the man growled. “Leave her be until he comes for her. We must
prepare.”
Grumbling under his
breath, Rick licked her blood off the blade and let out a satisfied groan. With
a fleeting glance in her direction, he stashed his knife away and left with his
partner.
Her mouth went dry. She
studied the gash. Dark red tendrils descended her side. She rested her head
against the wall, focusing on the chipped white
ceiling to stop nausea from claiming her in its rising waves.
What am I going to do? No one knows where I am, she
thought.
A silvery voice came
from her right. “That’s not true.”
Her eyes darted to the
side, and she grunted. A headache hit her
like a hammer to the face. Her guardian angel stood three feet away with his
angular features encased by his long, straight mane of golden hair.
She glared at him.
“Where have you been?”
Michael bowed his head
in apology. “I should have come sooner, I know. I wanted to find out who they
contacted, so I followed—” He paused mid-sentence and rushed to her side. His
hand hovered next her injuries. He gritted his teeth. “He hurt you.”
“I’m alright, but can
you—” She stopped short of asking him to untie her. This whole situation was
too comical not be in a TV drama. He was right there, but he couldn’t save her.
His ghostly presence forced him to become a mere observer in her realm. He
couldn’t help her in this predicament even if he wanted to. She knew it, he
knew it, and the hurt on his face proved it.
Michael sighed. “He
will come.”
“And if I don’t want to
see him?”
“Helena, you know what
will happen to you if you don’t leave this place.”
She arched a brow. “You
called him names mere hours ago, what changed?”
“If he can get you out
of here, I will adjust my terminology.”
Helena snorted. This day keeps on getting better and better.
Demon
Gates
Helena
Hawthorn Series Book 2
Uncertain
whether she is human or not, Helena is forced to undergo new
nightmares while her mental battle continues with a demon called
'Lazarus'. Without her guardian angel to protect her, she is left to
rely on vampires who have their own reasons for everything.
The
attraction between her and Lucious grows, whether it is a side effect
of the soul-bond they share or of their own volition. Yet, how can
they be certain?
With
the help of her new friends, they must seek out a Demon Gate and
enter the Demon Realm to stop Lazarus from claiming her and Lucious'
souls. But, will they succeed or perish as the only weapon that can
kill a demon has been lost centuries ago.
Crumbling
Control
Helena
Hawthorn Series Book 3
After
attending a funeral in Aberdeen, Helena meets with a member of the
European Vampire Council. Vincent shares his concerns about the
imminent dangers local vampires are facing. After all, the hunters
are gathering in London, local packs of werewolves fight for
territory, and Eliza is up to something that will ‘save them
all’.
Lucious
is staying away from Helena. The hunters shot him full of tracking
bullets and every time he stops, they catch up to him. To prevent
those he cares about from being in danger, he ends up calling in a
favour from the man he never wished to see again.
Helena’s
feelings for Lucious begin to waver as she cannot get in contact with
him. Andrew remains by her side and makes her laugh when everything
else is going to hell.
How
will Helena and Lucious overcome their new trials once the hunters
come knocking on their door, demons escape through the Demon Gate,
and the Council begins to crumble?
Fated
Origins
Helena
Hawthorn Series Book 4
Helena’s
life is back to normal. College, friends, family…everyone’s
happy. Yet, she can’t understand what is missing. No matter how
hard she tries to fake her excitement about a new movie or laugh over
a cup of coffee during lunch, it doesn’t feel right.
Peace
doesn’t last long. A demon appears, claiming to be her friend and
lifts the memory block Lucious had put up. Outraged he had done this
to her, she decides to go against her family’s wishes and pursue
him in London. Only one problem remains: she’s losing control of
her body.
Lucious
is unable to mend his broken heart. He grew complacent and cares
little about the proceedings of the Council while Kallias takes the
lead. With the hunter threat growing and the werewolves no longer
willing to help stabilise London, to unify the vampires all over the
world, Kallias believes it is time to awaken the one true
leader—Arthemis.
The
full cycle comes to an end. Lilia and Helena are faced with the
original vampire. Despite their differences, a choice must be made
with grave sacrifices. Will they save humanity or let vampires rule
the world?
May
Freighter is an internationally bestselling author from Dublin,
Ireland. She writes Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Sci-Fi
mysteries that will keep you entertained, mystified, and hopefully
craving more. Her only pets are cacti. They're the only things that
survived. It may be too dangerous to entrust her with an animal while
she's engrossed in writing.
On
sunny, rainy, and overcast days, she spends her time with her
fictional friends, putting them through dangerous adventures while
wishing them the best of luck. Her hobbies are photography, drawing,
and plotting different ways of a characters' demise.
Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
0 comments:
Post a Comment