Devour by Andrea Heltsley
Callie is a royal vampire. She hunts by taking the blood from her victims and erases their memories afterwards. She goes undetected until a victim named Chase approaches her with all his memories intact. He is intrigued and attracted. She is terrified. What happens when a human mixes with the immortal world? Chaos.
Callie’s 18th birthday has passed and she is coming out at the annual blood ball. Will she find a mate or will she suffer the repercussions of her indiscretion? She is brought to the Vampire council and they must decide what to do with Chase. Do they kill him, or turn him to protect their secret?
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Excerpt
Jane pulls me out of my thoughts as she leans in and points over to the bar. I grasp her arm tightly. It is him, the guy. He’s so much better than I was picturing in my mind.
Leaning into her and yelling in her ear, only one simple word slips out. “Mine.”
She just laughs and nods. “It’s a good thing you get first dibs tonight. That boy is freaking hot. I can almost see the smoke coming off of him. Yummy.”
I ignore her, knowing I’ve already won. If Jane is anything, she’s loyal. Pulling away from her, my focus is heading down towards the bar. Jane’s more than capable of taking care of herself. I trust that she will find her own sexy stud tonight and we have a set time to meet back at the car. The time is always the same, midnight.
With our persuasion powers, we don’t need much more time than that. Two hours is plenty of time for the hunt and the feeding.
This guy becomes more defined as I move closer to him. He has short, messy, brown hair that screams rebel. His creamy skin is flawless, aside from a tiny scar above his left eye. I can see his sinewy muscles through his thin, grey tee-shirt as my approach inches closer. Then he turns and our eyes meet. I gasp.
My violet eyes take in the sight before me. I’m shocked to see how clear his blue eyes are. They remind me of the ocean on a sunny day. His features and jawline are strong yet approachable. He has a couple days scruff that looks sexy as hell on him. Feeling my jaw drop, I appreciate this dreamy guy.
As he moves closer, he quirks a smile and I want to melt. Wow, he is super-hot. I’m thrilled to have found him so quickly tonight. I get the weird feeling that he’s definitely dangerous. Shaking off the feeling and continuing toward him, the stars align.
Just when I get within earshot, he steps forward, bringing us inches from each other. I have to halt instantly at the smell that is wafting off of him. He smells delish. There’s no way to even begin to describe how addicting that smell could be for me.
I have to stop my mouth from watering and my fangs from descending. It’s a struggle but my instincts manage. I smile back and lean in the rest of the way, moving towards his ear.
“My name is Callie. Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?”
I lean back and wait for him to make his move. When he does, he cups my neck and brushes his lips against my ear. Goosebumps erupt across my skin as he says, “I’m Chase. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Callie. Would you like a drink?”
I shake my head no and take his hand in mine. His skin is callused, like he works with his hands a lot. Mm, sexy is all that I think as my mind is picturing him sweaty from working. Gah, I have to get my mind out of the gutter and focus.
Giving him a come hither smile, he follows me onto the dance floor. Turning around, he’s already closed the gap between us and has his body inches from mine. Once again, I struggle to remain in control. This is so unlike me. I want to taste him, take his blood right now. I’m so thirsty suddenly.
Brushing my hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ears, the distance closes between us. He puts his arms around my shoulders and we begin to dance to the techno beat. My body arches into him as we move.
Briefly looking up to where I left Jane, I realize she is no longer there, but I know she is okay. Returning my focus to Chase, I release one of my trademark smiles. He lets his hands slide across my body and it’s my turn to dance against him.
He spins me around so that my back is pressed to his chest. The feel of his hands exploring my stomach and then finally gripping my waist, is intense. After throwing my head back against him, he grips me tighter. His breath on my neck sends goose bumps across my body. I let out a little sigh. This is heaven and couldn’t have gone better.
Finally, the song is done and I peer over my shoulder at him. He winks at me and causes me to almost swoon. It’s too bad he won’t remember me tomorrow. Once I erase his memories of this night, I’ll be forgotten.
For the first time ever, it makes me sad to think he won’t remember me. I’m torn between wanting him to remember and knowing I can’t let him. It would be breaking all the rules and the vampire council would be all over me. That’s something no one would dare risk.
Returning my focus to Chase, he pulls me off the dance floor. Our hands are twined together and the anticipation between us is palpable. Despite knowing it’s impossible to be with a human; I can’t help but feel that he’s different somehow.
He smells so yummy that I have to rein myself in as I pull closer to him. As I do, I discretely look down to see what time it is. It is only eleven o’clock, but I am unnerved by this human and his smell is driving me wild. I’m ready to do this.
I moisten my lips and slowly tip my head up, watching as his gaze lowers and he looks at me intently. Boldly, I use my other hand to fist his tee shirt at his chest and close what little distance remains between us.
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