Teaser Tuesday ~ Vampire's Trill - "Leif"

Since I've gone Indie I'm finding older posts which had my ex-publisher's link to the book, and now no longer available through them. Thus I'm republishing this post from "Vampire's Trill". Possibly you may remember it. If not, happy reading.

I turned to find Leif had draped himself in his usual bad-boy pose in the narrow doorway. He had that hungry look in his eyes, and with Leif, you couldn't tell which thing he needed the most—blood or sex. I didn't know where Heath had gone. Then I heard his voice from the other room. He was on the phone.

“Luv, you look absolutely delicious. Give us some.”

“Screw you,” I shot back, having gotten used to his terrible ribbing. Smiling, I turned to open the microwave. I turned back around to find a big, bad vampire invading my space. Gasping with a start, I stopped abruptly nearly losing my grip on the very warm bottles. A thread of fear slid through me as I felt a spike of adrenaline jump-start my heart. The light brown rings of his irises were growing thinner, and the black pupils were growing larger. Crap. He was vamping out on me, big time.

“Only if you participate, luv,” he said. His comeback was the usual raunchiness, and dammed if it didn't pull on my libido.

I made a scathing sound, trying to make believe I wasn't frightened, or suddenly turned-on. I tried to sell it with a roll of the eyes. I didn't want to trip off his pheromones — more than they were already,that is. Leif and I had never been alone together — until last night, of course. I was glad that his brother had come to his aid last night. Him being under this roof alone with me, a vulnerable warm-blooded woman, wasn't in my best interest.

“Was he good, luv?”

“Huh?” I blinked at him in surprise.

“Vasyl. Was he good to you? He make you scream?”

Frowning, I backed away from him, and into the little microwave table. He snagged one of the bottles from my hand and took a long pull from it. Licking his lips in what seemed to me an elaborate display of bloodied fangs, he smiled back at me. He put the free hand on the refrigerator, corralling me in the corner between the microwave, the small breakfast table, and the refrigerator.

Vampire's Trill by Lorelei Bell

Tuesday Teaser & Other Sufff

Hello, my preties. Well, did you all have fun at the ball? That was just so much fun, I didn't want it to stop! Jett has a few new women admirers I see. Drachen cleaned up too, I think. Ohh. Speaking of which I'll be mentioning him later on in this post, because this will contain a teaser with him in it.

And the fun doesn't seem to stop either. I'm out visiting today to my very good friend, Lucy Pireel, and she and I had a blast talking about my book and such. I think a couple of my characters want to go visit her next time.

And this Friday I will announce winners of my little contest for Vampire Nocturne. Are you excited? I'm excited!

Brad Pitt in "Legend of the Fall"

Now the feature you've all been waiting for... Teaser for the week!

I held on to the railing with both hands like it was a life line, and side-stepped down, one step at a time in shoes I was not used to. The heals felt all wrong.

Tapping steps ascending made me look up. Drachen quickly climbed the steps to where I had halted. Dressed in black velvet with white lace dripping from his sleeves and around his collar framing his beautiful face he looked more mouth watering than ever. His golden hair glowed like the mane of a wild palomino in the light of the chandeliers. I wasn't prepared to see him in such attire. Ruddy lips looked as though he had applied rouge, plus his cheeks were blushed. Hummm. A quickie for the road, perhaps?

“What are you doing?” I asked. He gently took my arm.

“Helping you, of course. You look as though you needed help,” he said.

“I'll need help getting out of this corset!” I complained bitterly in a stage whisper. I learned it had buttons up the front, but the bindings in the back were what really hurt. It itched somewhat too. Before the night was out, I'd have to get it off—one way or another.

“I'm certain my sister will help you,” Drachen said, taking my hand with a white gloved one. His other at my back he guided me down the risers. His gloves were pleated along the back and a pearl—I guessed it was a pearl—clasped it closed at the wrist. “Unless you would rather I help you?” I suddenly got a quick little vision from Drachen—which surprise the heck out of me. “Or would you rather Jett help you, instead?” He was teasing me. I could tell when I saw his smirk. He knew I'd spent the night with Jett. My face warmed.

“Shush! No one is supposed to know about that,” I hissed.

“What would you do should I tell?”

 

Teaser Tuesday from Vampire Nocturne

Hello, my pretties. Well, as promised I'm here to give you a teaser from this next book to get you all salvating for it. Haha. I'm so evil. But rest asured it will be out soon.


In this book Sabrina has been sucked through a portal that has taken her to a different world where vampires rule--and out number the humans something like 10-1. Also since this is a steampunk, as you realize their dress styles would be from the Victorian era.

In this teaser that I've chosen Sabrina is at a ball in a castle. She is with a newly formed vampire, his name is Drachen--and is he just yummy.

Once we got past the gate house, we entered the inner ward. Having never seen a real castle before, I was interested to see life inside an actual working castle. It would have been better to have been on a tour of castles in England, or Scotland—not in another world where vampires were kings and queens.

Especially where loads of vampires were partying. Now my butterflies were beating on my stomach trying to escape. I'd be with dozens of vampires. I thought of it like being in Tremayne Towers, only they had different rules here. Knowing who was and who wasn't a vampire might not seem difficult at first, but knowing what I now knew about how the children of vampires—those who could be eating a nice salad one day and suddenly want to drink human blood the next was really disconcerting.

I removed my right-hand glove, now that it had warmed up, before we entered the main hall. A matching glove and bag in one hand and a fan in the other. I mimicked what the other women were doing and flicked the fan open and nearly put my eye out. It fell out of my hand and clattered to the floor. Drachen swooped in and picked it up for me. I smiled and thanked him. I realized it, along with everything, was too much to hold. I would have to ditch the fan. The whole ensemble was a tad silly, really. My uncovered hand became cold within moments of having pulled the glove off. I would have to avoid touching anything with the hand, like always, but I wasn't going to risk being thralled by some pretty boy-vampire if I wanted to survive this night, so it would have to be left exposed.

“Nervous?” Drachen asked.

Yes. Drachen you're only one of the reasons I'm nervous.

“Not every day I get to rub elbows with the rich and blood-thirsty,” I said.

Drachen threw back his head and laughed. We stepped forward behind a long stream of people. Drakulya and Gwendolyn were further up, at the entrance of another hall.

Candelabras, iron sconces, and huge hanging chandeliers lit up the old castle well enough to see with my human-Were eyes. Tapestries hung on every wall, yet a chill found my exposed areas easily and made me shiver, even though several huge fireplaces were roaring with log fires. Beyond the large opening, I could see dancing people, music from another era streamed to my ears. I recognized a waltz when I heard one.

As ball gowns go, they came in every color, beautiful and lavish with ruffles, and lace. The women wearing them dappled the stone floors like a Monét painting, while men in their velvet frockcoats in nearly as many various colors with elaborate stitching around the buttons complemented them. Other men had worn tails and vests, like the Drakulya men had. And, yes, women were wearing silly hats. I looked past the shoulders and over heads of shorter people and saw women wearing the wildest looking hats which sprouted plumes of some poor bird's tail feathers, or—in some cases—whole bodies. I spotted one with a mink curled up on top of a woman's head, and to be truthful, I wasn't quite sure if the thing was dead or alive. I knew it was a style, but really I found it deplorable to prance around in a hat with a dead bird or an animal perched on it. Masks were worn over a few faces. These were quite fancy, glittering from jewels and sequins, green, red, purple or yellow feathers sprouting from the tops looking like exaggerated brows.

Teaser Tuesday ~ Warm Chocolate

I've been reading through my first novel Vampire Ascending. I'm still amazed at some of the funny lines I came up with. But this

 line was something that describes a character's voice and how the main character reacts to it.

In case any of you don't know who/what Nicolas is. He is the vampire who hires Sabrina and he nearly bites her in a bedroom scene. So, naturally she still reacts to him/his voice.

"Hello, my dear." His voice sounded like warm chocolate to me, and I melted into it like a marshmallow.

Well, that's it for today, folks. Hope your week goes well!

Teaser Tuesday~With A Twist

Hello, my pretties, you know I've been meaning to post a teaser today, but thought I would do something a little different. The following teaser is from one of my first two books. I want to see if any of you can tell me which one it is from: Vampire Ascending, or Vampire's Trill.

Ready?

Then those flecks of ocean fell on me. His smile grew broader as he rose--and kept rising. I suddenly had to revise my first assumption--he was impossibly tall, possibly seven foot tall, with a powerful chest, as though he had swung a broadsword at some point in his very distant past, or, as a hunter, carried a huge carcass home on his shoulders when he was a living man. As an undead, he was possibly the largest vampire I'd ever seen. Even without his superhuman powers, he could throw any one of us across the room.

Okay, there you go. This was just for fun, but I hope some of you will play along who've read my books. And if you've never read any... I'll have to sick my seven foot vampire on you! Shame on you!!!

TEASER TUESDAY: OMG! It's a Dreadful!!!!

 Hello, my pretties! Well, I'm going to give you another teaser from the up-coming book, and as a treat, I've placed the picture of a Dreadful here. Something I created in "paints". Hope you enjoy!

My footsteps scuffed on a bare wood floor, the sound pulling me back to the one-room cottage. The smell of death and decay cloyed the air. My stomach quivered. I fought the urge to gag. No luxurious amenities surrounded me in the gatekeeper's house. No running water, only a few cupboards, and a basin. A wooden table and some chairs stood at one end of the room, a bed at the other. I suspected there was a pit outhouse in the back somewhere. If I spewed, I'd have to run out into the garden to bend over in the violets and cucumbers.

I swallowed and pinched my nose and breathed through my mouth. Not fantastic, but better than loosing my lunch.

Jett and his brother stood over a small bed where a woman lay. Her eyes were closed, and the blankets covering her moved shallowly with each rasping breath.

Zenyetta and Chairelott knelt at her bedside, silk handkerchiefs in hands. Their sorrowful weeping filled the room. The emotions hit like a tidal wave and I could hardly get past the threshold without it all overwhelming me. There was only so much I could take.

The oppressive odor saturating the whole cabin was familiar. Ah, yes, the nasty reek in Drakulya's study was here too—but ten times as strong. My gaze lifted. In the gloomy corner stood a black-cloaked creature—exactly like the one in Drakulya's study last night. Then, I made the connection. This was the creature's reek, not Drakulya's. I realized no one else seemed to be grossed out like I was, because they weren't holding their noses like me. I don't know why they couldn't. Maybe because of my heightened werewolf senses.

Now I knew what a Dreadful looked like. It stood vigil, somehow making this poor woman sick, until she died. Once again I could not get a read, like last night. Possibly because it had no soul. It puzzled me deeply.

©Lorelei Bell 2012

Teaser Tuesday ~ From Spell of the Black Unicorn

This is a tidbit from my first self-pubbed novel, Spell of the Black Unicorn. With the help of my dear friend, Shelly Arkon who has offered to beta read it for me, so that I might get it all spruced up to re-publish it as an ebook. Thank you, Shelly!

Enjoy:

Zofia relaxed back in a tub full of lilac-scented bubbles. A red patch covered her right eye made of two pieces of red silk sewn together. Sandwiched between the silk pieces were various herbs for curing specific ailments. Zofia had come across Tillie's amulet for eye twitching in the junk drawer of the kitchen while trying to dig out the cork screw. She thought a glass of wine might help, and while it certainly wouldn't hurt, it did relax her a smidge.

The amulet seemed to be reducing the little tugs below her right eye, now that she reached for the thin stem of the wind glass, nearly filled with white Zinfandel. She took a sip and replaced it on the cotton wash cloth along the flat edge of the tub. A square of dark chocolate resided on a paper napkin next to it. She picked it up and took a nibble. Nearly as good as it gets.

It didn't help when Zofia had entered her bedroom earlier she had found Dorian still in her bed. He looked dead laying on his back, as he slept the sleep of the vampire; his chest never rose, nor a twitch of a muscle. He'd been here all day.

She moved through the room quietly, getting what she needed, while hoping not to disturb him.

But he stirred.

“Hi,” he said, one eye peeping at her.

“Hi,” she said quietly. “I didn't mean to disturbe you.”

“You didn't,” he said. “You could never disturbe me.”

She smiled. “I'm just getting some things. I'm taking a bath.”

He had nodded and closed his eyes. She had stood there staring at the rumpled sheets where a very delicious male body rested ensconced only in the dark blue satin sheets of her bed. One white vampire leg sticking out on the side, uncovered, while the rest of his body was more or less covered. Thank goddess. She didn't know if she could resist him, vampire or not, if his presents were exposed.

©2008 by Lorelei Bell

Teaser Tuesday ~ Ring & Dagger's Magic

I realized I have not had a Teaser Tuesday in a few weeks. A pox upon me! So, without further ado, I give you a little teaser from Vampire Nocturne

“The Mystic Ring carries great magic, and is partially how you are able to move through ley lines,” Vasyl added.

“I'm not that good at it,” I admitted.

“You will get better,” he assured. “If I can not persuade you to not return, remember what you did to me.”

I frowned, puzzled.

“At the end of the ceremony. You threw me?”

“Ohhh!” I let my head slink down some. “I didn't mean to. I'm really sorry.”

“I know. But that is not what I meant. You stopped me with the ring. Do not forget what you can do with it. Plus, the Dagger of Delphi; its blade is made of pure silver. You saw its power. Plunged into the heart of a vampire, it will make him immobile while you decapitate him.”

“Right,” I said, inwardly cringing. “It stabbed the vampire without my even touching it.” A chill crept up my arms with the memory.

“Oui,”

“It then returned to me.”

“It is imbued with the soul of the sibyl of Delphi, so it will always go after vampires, demons, and Fallen Angels, and all their descendants. It knows to return to its mistress. Always.”

©2012 Lorelei Bell

Teaser Tuesday ~ The Bedroom

Since I'm leaving on Wednesday, I thought I would post one last Teaser Tuesday.

But before I do I want to put out a special thank all to of you: For those of you who stop by often, I thank you (including those of you in other countries--Russia's page views are surpassing the U.S.!). I thank those of you who take the time to leave a comment. That means a lot to me. So, I will leave you with this teaser. Remember last week? Sabrina was being taken up to Drakulya's special bedroom? Lets see what happens now!

A comfortable room opened up to me. It wasn't exactly the Hilton. However the bed had a canopy, the colors were warm. Atmosphere, if I were to describe it: Old World Quaint with a dash of Psycho. A fragrant vase of flowers—much like the ones in the dining room—resided on a sideboard. A frilly nightgown was laid out for me. I made a half-chuckle at the sight. As if! I understood tonight's meeting with Vlad was a prelude to other activities.

Pervading the whole room was the stench of blood, which sort of put a whole new spin on “Old World”. You can't get blood out of carpet no matter how much you scrubbed. And with my heightened scenting abilities, I knew human blood when I smelled it.

The key on the other side of the door clicked. Drakulya was not messing around. He would visit me tonight. I was to become his Blood Dame.

No. Frigging. Way.

There were no windows, so the room felt more like a prison cell than a bedroom.

And there it was. That little tingle in the bottoms of my feet. A ley line. Perfect!

I stepped toward the bed. I had been able to go from my world to this one and back again the first time, without stepping into a damned portal. What had summoned me here in the first place? That's how it all had begun. I did have a ley line run beneath my own house, and there had to also be one here beneath this palace, so knew I could tap it, if I concentrated. The network, if it worked like Joha had claimed, would take me precisely where I wanted.

Maybe if I relaxed some and thought about home I could do it. Dorothy's mantra went through my head: “There's no place like home... there's no place like home...”

I settled on the bed, and found it soft—it was stuffed with wool and goose down—suddenly I had flashes of all sorts of things that went on in this room, and knew I wanted no part in vampire games. I also knew that this was not the original mattress. This one was new. It had never been tried—so to speak.

Pushing out images that wanted to play out in my head, I suddenly felt exhausted. Adrenaline gone from the meeting with Drakulya. My muscles ached and I reached to rub my opposite shoulder. I'd had a long night, come to think of it. I couldn't remain here, in Drakulya's palace—in this room especially. What happened to Johnathan Harker was nothing compared to what may happen to me.

I breathed out, settled my hands in my lap, rolled my shoulders, and closed my eyes. I breathed in and let it out again. I thought and concentrated on my own room, visualizing it in my mind's eye. I yawned. Yawned some more.©2012 Lorelei Bell

***Picture above is something I created in "paints"***

Teaser Tuesday ~ Drakulya's Castle... or something like that

Hi gang! Well, it's Tuesday once again. I've been feeding you paragraphs and pages from my next novel, so I thought I'd go right ahead and get you into the mood with this castle here.

This is from Vampire Nocturne and Sabrina is about to meet the actual Dracula (in this case the spelling is Drakulya--exactly the way he signed his name on a document once upon a time.)

I hesitantly stepped into a large study of wall-to-wall bookcases and one huge fireplace. A normal-sized person could easily stand upright in the fireplace at the other end of the room. Gas-fed light washed the room in gold, bronze and browns. Wingback chairs were positioned at angles before the fireplace. Mahogany panels covered the ceiling giving the room a gloomy atmosphere. A large mahogany—or cherry—desk with ball-in-claw feet was stationed in the corner. Odors and scents ebbed and flowed conflicting with one another as I paused a few feet inside the vampire's lair. Drakulya's aura hit me first. Impressive. It was the scent—or, in this case, stench—that bowled me over. As with every vampire I've ever met they all had their individual scents. Dracula smelled of a dense musky odor of an old house, with a pungent reek of decay cloying around it. I had to hold my breath against it.

The door shut behind me with a terrible thud. © 2012Lorelei Bell

Teaser Tuesday ~ Vampire Nocturne

It's funny how a writer may get inspired for a certain character by seeing a person in life, perhaps they know them, perhaps they don't. I often see people in my everyday job, and have, from time to time used their likeness for a character.

And then there may be pictures I find along my Internet travels that just simply grab me and think, "Oh, now he/she would make a great character in a book!" That's how I came up with Jett, a main character in this up-coming third book, Vampire Nocturne. This picture above has been altered slightly. As I give you a new teaser here, I hope you remember Jett's likeness. He is the son of Drakulya. Yes. The real Dracula, somehow found his way onto another planet (it's explained to some degree in this book), and I had fun with the Victorian era, coming up with the styles, the palace, and how Sabrina is treated for wearing pants.

At any rate I've a short teaser to share with you here. They've arrived at the palace. Enjoy.

The carriage swung under a grand entry where servants stood waiting beneath gas lamps. We were greeted—or rather Jett and Skrlock were—by a head butler. I felt out of place here, no better than the mud upon their shoes. I was wondering if I shouldn't wait in the carriage. Maybe I should be looking for my way home. I listened for the baying of wolves—a sure sign to cut and run in most creepy old movies and books. My eyes went automatically to the full moon. It hung in a black void over the palace. Wolfsbane indeed.

I heard no howling in the surrounding hills. It was quiet, in fact. Almost too silent. No bat wings beating the air. Where were all my omens?

I followed the men inside. The interior was no less lavish than I would expect for a palace. Rich tapestries hung on stone walls, some with golden dragons worked on purple cloth. The rugs on the floors were thick, colorful and lavish. A huge main entry hall boasted double doors along this passage. The spiraling stairway to one side would have tempted Scarlet O'hara to descend. A large stone fireplace burned merrily at the foot of it.

“You're just in time for the evening meal, if you wish to join them now, Master Jett,” the majordomo said.

“I would not dream of keeping them waiting.” He glanced my way. “There'll be food,” he said, doing his best to put me at ease. I was actually hungry. Especially after what I'd gone through.

“His highness is in his withdrawing room, Master Skrlock, if you would follow me, please?” the butler said with a slight bow and directive hand toward a closed double-doorway beneath the grand staircase.

“Thank you Rumbel, I must see if Vlad is up to a game of chess tonight.” Skrlock strode away from us.

I stood wavering with indecision. There were many people in the dining hall. They all seemed human enough. I would have to block them the best I could, or risk replacing my glove on my right hand, covering up the mystic ring.

Jett paused in the hallway, then turned to gaze at me. “Are you coming?” He gestured toward the door, where the butler held it open for us.

“I can't turn down food.” I moved forward, and caught up with him. I was so out of my comfort zone it was ridiculous. Among royalty. To them I was—to be bitterly honest—a peasant. A country bumpkin. I had no refined manners to speak of, and it truly worried me. I mean what is with the dozen forks, knives, and spoons for the table settings? Couldn't I just use the same spoon or fork over? I'd have to mimic the others in order to get by.

We entered a large room where a long table with a white linen cloth, set in cut crystal and bone white china, and gold cutlery took up most of the space. An elaborate centerpiece with lovely pink and white flowers cascading over their bowls brought color and a mild bouquet to the room. Several people seated turned expectantly toward us. ©2012 Lorelei Bell

Teaser Tuesday ~ Vampire Bar Room Fun

Happy Tuesday to you all!

Last week I brought you something from the Dark Shadows book by Lara Parker, so this week I'm going to go with something from my third book which will be released some time this year. I'm very excited about it, as it has Sabrina go into a parallel world, and it is stuck in a quasi-Victorian era. Thus, it does have some steam-punk attributes in it.

I always try and give you a good dose of the scene, instead of only a few lines. So, without further ado, here is a scene from my forth coming third book, Vampire Nocturn, Chapter 5

To one side of the room stood a bar. More sleazy women were wrapping arms—and in some cases, legs—around the men, helping them feel good. I could not, in all honesty, figure out which of them were vampires and which were humans. Dispersed throughout the room, many tables where filled with people playing cards, or some other game of luck. I was sure one crowd had gathered around a black jack table by the up and down flux of cheers and groans.

“Well, it's been a while, but I do welcome my lord, Prince Jett, and Skrlock of Wallachia. Welcome! Welcome!” Our greeter stood tall, but not taller than Jett, at six-two with wide shoulders and a narrow waist, he wore a silky white shirt, black vest, and black pants ending where the black boots came below his knees. Slavic features were framed by straight hair that grew well past his shoulders, and gray strands seemed to be evenly dispersed among the darker brown strands, and this made it appear an unusual color. I met his eyes, which were a watery blue, and averted mine at once when his thrall hit me. I automatically went into my I'm-not-interested-in-becoming-your-blood-host mode. Unnecessary, since my ring was protecting me. But, still, I didn't want to encourage him.

“As I recall, Skrlock, you usually enjoy our sedentary brands, and might I say, we've got more than we normally do. Fresh in, tonight, in fact!” the man informed. He then turned to me. “May I have the pleasure of knowing who your guest is?”

“This is Sabrina of—”

“Just Sabrina,” I interrupted Jett, giving him a significant look to make him understand I didn't want this one to know where I was from.

“Sabrina?” he said, thoroughly intrigued. He had a thin mustache, I only now noticed. “I am Alucard.” He bowed deeply, then, slid an arm around my shoulders and drew me toward the bar. I had to keep up with him and his long legs by scurrying along.

“What would you like to drink, Sabrina? I think our bartender can manage anything you request,” Alucard said.

I looked back to find Jett and Skrlock following close behind and relief washed through me. We were directed to unoccupied stools at the bar, but Alucard leaned one elbow against the bar, looking directly at me, waiting for my order.

“Oh, uh, I'll have a wine. Not too dry, sweeter than dry,” I said.

“Argent, wine for the lady,” he said to the man behind the bar. “The blackberry one, I think will suffice.”

“Anything you wish, master Alucard,” the man made a quick bow and turned to do as requested. No question in my mind the man was human.

“You, my dear, are absolutely mouthwatering,” Alucard said. His hand drew up to stroke my cheek. I flinched away and gave him an annoyed glare.

“My apologies. You belong to someone, of course?” He gazed back at Jett as though waiting for an affirmative answer.

I paused at his question, but since he asked, I rolled up the sleeve of my left arm and showed him Vasyl's old fang marks.

“Ah,” he said, nodding. “I see you have been claimed. Lucky vampire. What is his name? Perhaps I've heard of him?”

“No. I don't think you have.” The glass of wine was placed before me. I nodded at the man who scurried away to the next order. I sipped the wine. Delightfully sweet, I detected a rich blackberry flavor. I nodded my thanks to the barkeep, who pulled out another glass from underneath the counter. Understanding passed between us. We were both humans in a world where vampires ruled and enslaved us.

“Try me,” Alucard challenged, sliding his elbow a little closer to me on the bar. “I know many vampires, as they come through this establishment.”

“Okay. His name is Vasyl,” I said, a challenge to my voice.

“Vasyl, Vasyl,” he repeated, and then made a sucking sound against his teeth. “I must admit, I've never heard of him.”

“Sir, what would be your pleasure tonight?” the barkeeper asked Skrlock.

Skrlock, who sat on the other side of me, said, “I'll take a Poet, if you can manage that.” I watched the bartender turn to a glassed-in case where all the bottles were marked with words like Actor, Musician, Dancer, Singer, and such. When he opened the door a cool blast of air floated over me. I was not going to guess how they had refrigeration here. But it was possible that it was merely an ice block keeping things cool. The bartender grabbed a bottle with the word Poet printed on the label.

He poured the red stuff—blood—into an elegant, short-stemmed glass, and Skrlock eyed it. “This had better be the real thing,” Skrlock said in a warning tone.

“Oh, I assure you, sir, it is,” the bartender said amicably. Wide-eyed, he watched Skrlock and wrung his hands.

“Because the last time I asked for a Writer, and I got a Dancer.” Skrlock made a face, sticking his tongue out. “Most horrible! I wanted to move all about the room for three hours after! You know I prefer Artists, Writers and Poets. They are mostly sedentary, moody and thoughtful.”

“Yes, sir. I don't know how that was confused. I'm most sorry, sir.” The barkeeper said. Sill wringing his hands, his eyes flashed between Alucard and Skrlock as he brought the drink to his lips for a taste.

Skrlock took a sip. We—me, Alucard, and the barkeeper—waited almost breathlessly for his verdict. He closed his eyes and one eyelid fluttered.

“Ah,” he gasped. “Exquisite! Delightful!” He slapped several copper coins down on the bar. I noticed they were small—no larger than a penny, but thicker and shaped in a rectangle. “For both of us.”© 2012 Lorelei Bell

Teaser Tuesday ~ a page from Holy Devil

I'm definitely feeling lazy in my second week of vacation. But I did work in two new little flower/display gardens under the Colorado blue spruces yesterday and boy was I sore!

But today I thought I would share with all of you--and especially my Russian readers who are Rasputin fans, a page from my new short story that's out on Amazon (it is world wide,btw). This tidbit is merely a portion of the iceberg. The ending has quite a twist.

He sprinkled holy water over Anna who snarled at him. He made the sign of the cross over her. With that, she reared back and spat at him. Spittle hit him in the face and ran down his lips and beard. He immediately wiped the spittle with a sleeve. She grunted and laughed at him. Then she made noises like a pig. Obviously there was a very determined demon inside of her. His voice rose in one of his more powerful prayers, as it was in Latin. It usually worked, but the prayer may have to be repeated several times. Walking a clock-wise circle around the woman, he intoned his prayer. His voice thundered, determined to bring the devil out of her. His voice could be heard throughout the rest of the house, possibly outside, as well.

In the midst of prayer, he wet a finger in order to turn the page of the Gospel when the sound of voices out in the hall reached him. He had to ignore all while performing this exorcism, so continued to focus on his task.

Suddenly the door burst open and an excited looking older woman with a babushka over her head stood and took in the scene. The odor of dinner and the fresh outdoors were ushered in with her.

“What are you doing!” he protested.

“I have found him, Anna! I have found him! He is coming!” the woman announced in a rich, yet excited voice.

“Who is coming?” he asked the woman. “I demand you leave! Can't you see what is happening here?”

Ignoring him, she said to Anna, “The starets! The miracle-worker! He is here for you, my dear Anna!” She turned to look back down the hall.

Heavy boot heals tapped determinedly toward them.

“Oh, father, thank you! Thank you!” the older woman said to the tall, thin man who entered the room, and then backed out crossing herself.

The tall stranger stepped through the door wearing a kaftan over a mauve silk shirt, plush black trousers, and boots of the softest leather money could buy. Clearly the wandering wise-man—the holy starets—had traded poverty for a much richer life-style. Improvement of his social position while in the royal family's circle had endowed him with not only power but money from bribes to buy such things. He should be wearing a fur coat. The weather outside is bone-chilling. Perhaps the starets wasn't very far away.

“This is an outrage! What do you mean by this?” Father Sergei's eyes flashed when he got over his surprise. The red hair and beard and flushed face gave the impression that he might burst into flames at any moment. But his tirade was cut off by the man's watery blue eyes, fixed upon him in a stare that made Father Sergei's verve retreat. He swallowed whatever words had been inside him. This holy man's peasant features were unordinary—ugly, if truth be told—but his whole expression was concentrated in his blue eyes, which were at once penetrating and caressing. Then they became keen and piercing as if he could see to the very bottom of his soul.

Father Sergei took the starets in more properly. He had never met the man before, but rumors of him, and what he looked like, and what he did—especially what he believed in and preached—had been rampaging the countryside. He belonged to the Khysty sect. The very idea that one gained redemption through sin was the satanic lie itself! Weather-beaten face like that of a farmer in the harsh environments of the Siberian steppes, the wild brown beard, and the long brown, unkempt hair, carelessly parted—yes! This was he, the one they talked about endlessly. The one pampered, admired and worshiped by ladies from all classes of society from the highest ranking to the lowest of the low. The one who they say had experienced the miracle of the mysterious death after living a life of vagabondage for many years. His clothes were expensive because of the popularity and gain in his position in the court of the royals.

“Grigori Rasputin?” he muttered, his lower lip trembling with awe.

“Yes, little father, it is I. And I see you have cornered the market on frightening defenseless women in their bedrooms!” he said in a startling charismatic voice. His glance darted briefly to the Bible in his hand, but returned to pinion the Father's eyes once again. “Away with you and your scriptures! Can you not see real redemption is found by sinning first, and then repent! That is the only way we shall drive the evil from this one. The filth must be expelled, you hear, little father?” his voice thundered.

Rasputin's stare felt probing and disturbing at the same time. The room swam around him. Father Sergei's limbs seemed heavy as lead, even his eyelids became overwhelmed by sleep. He tried in vain to utter a sound or move, but could not. Before him he saw Rasputin's eyes. They shone with a phosphorescent glow; they seemed to become a fiery ring. His own eyes became heavier; his body leaned, almost falling over before he summoned the last remaining energy to resist. Father Sergei blinked. It was as though the power which held him so, had vanished.

©2012 Lorelei Bell

Teaser Tuesday ~ Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch by Lara Parker

Hello, my pretties. Well, since I cannot put up a picture of this book cover [or any picture] on my blog, I hope you will forgive me. However. I picked up this wonderful book Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch by Lara Parker. In case you are not familiar with the original Dark Shadows, or you've forgotten, Lara Parker played Angelique, the nasty witch, in that original show. She is now a writer. She has written two wonderful Dark Shadows books, with a third pending. I found this one at my local grocery store, and had to grab it, fearing I'd not find it again.

Laura's writing captures Barnabas, as well as all the characters of Dark Shadows with the precision of a surgeon with a laser. Her prose are to be not only admired, but envied. She's done a splendid job and I've chosen one paragraph on page 78 to share with you today on Teaser Tuesday.

Set-Up: We are with Barnabas, who has become mortal again thanks to Dr. Julia's "cure".

~ It had been many months since his cure, and still the light of day was for him a miracle to behold, the sun a golden orb, buttermilk skies with clouds as soft as clotted cream. The first sight of spring had tormented him with its beauty: flowering trees, new grass, and the silken air fractured into rainbows. He would often sit and stare at nothing else, only the air, and the prisms of light dancing within it. But during the height of summer, the unbearable heat of his cure drove him back into the coolness of his dark bedroom with curtains drawn, beneath the canopy of his bed, as though he were once more within the tomb. Now autumn had arrived with all its splendors, and its heartbreaking hues.~

Her second book: Angelique's Descent is also available, and there will be a third one, unless it too is already out. This first one was published originally in 2006.

Teaser Tuesday: Human Hard Ass Meets Vampire Hard Ass

Hi everyone! It's that time again! I thought I'd grab something out of the up-coming third book, and give you a tease. Here I have Sabrina seeking help from Tremayne. They are discussing how to best get into a park without anyone noticing them. Their argument is put on hold when a cop shows up.

Headlights and then flashing red, blue and white lights brought our little discussion to a halt. A cop pulled up along side us. Not one of DuKane's finest, but a state trooper.

“Shit,” I said under my breath.

Tremayne turned casually toward him and leaned against my car looking as though he'd stepped away from a luxury high-rise party wearing the latest from his own line of clothing. The state trooper emerged from his vehicle. Reassuringly he touched his gun and the night stick, on his lean sides, and strode up.

This was going to be interesting. Human Hard Ass meets Vampire Hard Ass.

“Hi folks,” he said, all traces of personality wiped off his face, and totally vacant from his voice. I'd heard that if a state trouper pulled you over, be ready to be dragged through the coals if you got one toe out of line. “'S there a problem?”

“No,” Tremayne replied, smiling. His voice had much more carry than the trooper's. “We're acquaintances.”

“That right, ma'am?” The state man's flash beamed in at me.

“Yeah,” I said, blinking and turning my head away slightly. “We know each other.”

“So, every thing's okay?” he asked, moving the flashlight off of me and up into Tremayne's face who towered over the guy. Tremayne had to turn his head away quickly too. I could feel him holding back a hiss of revulsion and a need to pulverize the trooper for such a infraction. “Sir, have you been drinking?”

“Drinking what?” Tremayne snarled through gritted teeth.

“Can I see your driver's license, sir?” he asked Tremayne.

“Sure.” Tremayne eased his hand back to his pants pocket, eyes on the trooper's face, who trained his flashlight beam on where Tremayne's hand had gone. “There's nothing going on here. You got a call and you need to go,” Tremayne said in an even tone.

The knuckles of my hands on the wheel had turned white. Sweat slipped down my underarms tickling me and soaking my bra. The squirt gun filled with holy water in a shoulder holster that I'd decided to bring along, instead of the Dagger of Delphi at my side suddenly felt ridiculous. I hesitated carrying the dagger because I knew I would be meeting Tremayne. I'd seen it plunge into a vampire's chest in my living room without my toughing it. I didn't want that to happen to Tremayne. At least, not this night. A scene of myself spread eagle on my hood popped up inside my head as I listened to the exchange outside my window. I cringed imagining the officer finding the water pistol on me like a loaded revolver—Ooo, dangerous woman.

The state trooper blinked up at Tremayne, turned, then stepped around his car, got in, and drove off.

I released a huge sigh of relief. “Thank God!”

“Which one?” Tremayne chuckled obnoxiously. He leaned into my window again. “I could have gotten rid of him before he got out of his car, but this was much more fun. I loved seeing your expression, as if we were doing something we shouldn't be.”

“Yeah. Glad you had so much fun,” I said without humor, powered up my window and slid out. I shut my door and locked up. “Give me a ride into the middle of the park, and let's get hunting.”

“Piggy-back, or side-saddle?”

“You are full of it tonight,” I lashed out. “Carry me.” I held out my hands ready to grasp his shoulders. I would need a stepladder to reach them.

“Mmm, like over the threshold?”

“Not funny!” 

© 2012 Lorelei Bell

TEASER TUESDAY ~ Incubus

I'm going with the theme this month: Supernaturals from my Sabrina Strong Series.

Today I wanted to introduce to you the incubus, Jacob, from Dark World. Sabrina doesn't know it at first, but Jacob likes to give pleasure to the ladies. He sort of latches on to her for a time. Let's go take a peek.

"Welcome. I am Jacob. You are a stranger here, yet I welcome you happily," he said in a mellow voice. "Your name is Sabrina?"

"Yes." I was also stunned he knew my name, but, I reminded myself, I was in another realm.

He made a sudden intake of air, his head tilted slightly, and he blinked those brilliant blue eyes. A look of surprised delight lit across his face. "You are the sibyl?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," I said, realizing this might be significant, but I was thinking of the demons who wanted to kill me earlier. I bit my lip watching what he would do, my hand on the laser's handle.

He made a low bow, his long, black hair falling into his face as he straightened and he had to shake it. "I welcome you, mistress. Please, understand that we only wish to give you a retreat, allow you to bathe and--forgive us if our ways are not your ways--but you must dress in something more... appropriate?" He was looking me over. I'd noticed that everyone here (except for Naamah, who was actually nude), was in either a dress or a robe.

"Oh, sure. No problem," I said, relief flooding me.

"This way," he said, hand outstretched toward the next curtained-off threshold.

I went ahead through the entry and found myself in a small, low-ceilinged room with a sunken bath that probably resembled the one Cleopatra herself plunged into. Decorative lanterns cast golden light all along the walls, and their gentle glow reflected in the water. I was happy to see this was a private bath.

"Disrobe, mistress, and bathe. I will return with your new attire."

I watched him duck out. I stood with indecision. This situation sent red flags up all over the place, but the water was scented, and I could tell it would feel soooooo good. Worried I'd be in the middle of pulling off my underwear when Jacob returned, I quickly stripped, letting everything lay wherever it fell. I located the steps that descended into the pool. Poking my toes in, I found that it was a perfect bath temperature. In a moment, I was neck-deep and swishing around in my own private hot tub. Eventually I found that there were a couple of little ledges to sit and settle back on. Luxuriating, I leaned back with my eyes closed. Nice. All I needed was a glass of Moscato, and a hunk of chocolate and I could forget where I was.

My eyes snapped open at the sound of water parting with someone entering the pool.  I saw Jacob, totally nude, striding into my personal hot tub.

"Oh, hey. What are you doing there, Jacob?" I asked nervously.

"I'm here to give you pleasure. We realized that you liked men. That is why I was sent for." And from what I saw, I gathered he was happy to oblige.

Happy May Day to you all!

Hello, my pretties! You may not have noticed, but I have replaced my old picture with a new one. Sort of tired of the blood dripping down the chin thing. This one is much better. Don't you agree? Mostly because when the picture is small, you can't tell she has fangs, but if you look close, she definitely has fangs. Plus, well, she's somewhat lusty-looking. I like to turn heads in the virtual world, don't you know?

Since this is Tuesday and I usually do Teaser Tuesday, I was thinking of going on with the idea of putting up different characters of the book. Now that it's a new month (last month was devoted to the women in Vampire's Trill), I think I'll go with the male secondary characters who make up the background of the story and keep things very interesting.

So, today I thought I would introduce you to Rick, the leprechaun. As a writer, I knew if I made the leprechaun very different from what people expected, he would become well received. Rick is part human, but very little of that is evident, aside from his human disability--he has no arms. His hands are joined almost at the shoulders, but he has wrists. I didn't explain it fully in Vampire's Trill--but that will be addressed in a future book (the 4th one). He was born with this birth defect called phocomelia, caused by the mother's use of thalidomide while pregnant. I actually met a person with this defect. He would get on my bus now and then, and go to work at a bar nearby. He was friendly, seemed always happy, and I treated him with due respect I do anyone who gets on my bus.

I had wanted to use a character with some sort of disability, and when I thought of Rick, the leprechaun, I felt he needed to have a big challenge in life, and have a somewhat sad history. Thus, Rick was born in my second book. I leave you with a short excerpt. This is from Chapter 23

I landed on something solid, yet it wasn't flat. It had form.

I clearly had some sort of form myself, now — thank you! Meanwhile, landing knocked the breath out of me, and it took me a while to pull it back in. There’s nothing quite as scary as being unable to get air for a few seconds. Whatever I was laying upon also took one gigantic breath and let it out with a deep groan. My panic rose anew. I thought I was lying on a bear.

I looked up and saw Tremayne's face above mine. As his head rose from its reclined position, I realized I lay right on top of him, chest to chest, as though we had both landed exactly this way.

“Oh, sorry,” I said as I pushed up. My hands grasped each of his wide, muscular shoulders, my legs were sandwiched between his thick thighs putting my knees in a decidedly awkward position against him. Oh Momma! It was too late to remedy this situation, and my panic cord had broken.

“Not at all. You can be on top any time,” he smirked. Hands grasping my waist, he helped me sort of roll off him to land awkwardly on my butt. Oow.

Face burning, I threw him a well-deserved scowl. Then, someone's muffled voice caught our attention. It seemed to be coming from underneath Tremayne. He rolled to the side, and underneath was Rick, sputtering swears that nearly burned my ears.

“You stupid blood-sucking pantie wipe!” Rick fumed as he slowly rolled over and struggled to his knees, his body bent in half.

“Uh-oh, you crushed the leprechaun,” I said.

“Sorry, sorry,” Tremayne said, dipping down. He grabbed Rick by the back of his coat and hoisted him up with one swift motion. Righted and standing on his two feet, Rick looked as mad as a rumpled leprechaun could look. I wasn't sure why Tremayne was so accommodating, apologizing again and again, but it probably had a lot to do with the fact that leprechauns were magical. I guessed that if Rick were truly mad, he could do something to Tremayne. Something nasty.

In the next moment, I lost sight of Tremayne and felt, rather than saw him move with lightning speed somewhere in front of me. We were in a dark place. My eyes were trying to adjust. I saw red and purple lights flashing, mostly, above me, and they seemed to bombard the walls that surrounded us. I didn't look up to see where it came from. Instead, my focus was on Tremayne whose body blocked my view of something that was in front of him. Hunched over, he was in a fighting pose. Growling from both Tremayne and the other creature in there with us filled the chamber. In one swift move, Tremayne had slammed someone, or something, up against a stonewall.

“Holy crap! Come here, darling,” Rick said with a hoarse squeak. He didn't touch me, but I launched away from the fracas that was going on mere feet away, and slammed into the opposite wall.

“Sorry. You okay?” Rick asked in a soothing tone. I realized he'd used his magic to move me quickly out of the way of something long and undulating.

“Yeah, I'm fine. Stunned, but fine.” What's a little bump on the head if it saves me from real danger? I turned my attention to the affray. “What is that?”

“I'm not quite sure yet, but it is buuuutt ugly.”

©2011 Vampire's Trill – Lorelei Bell