From the upcoming third novel in the Bellocaro Saga... Fangenstein

Exclusive excerpt:

Thatcher was meeting with Eleanor, Blair was mediating their chat. Alton, Wes and Chase Blue were hunting for Brighton. And me? I was stuck at home, wondering how this all was going to work itself out and where would my place be once the dust had settled.

“Man, I hate waiting, especially when the stakes were so high,” I mumbled to myself lifting the lid to the trashcan in the backyard. Releasing the knotted drawstring, I dropped the full plastic bag inside. After cleaning up the house, I’d turned my attention to removing the old food from the refrigerator. It made sense to throw out the food that Mom liked, especially if I didn’t. It wasn’t like she’d want it when she returned home.

I sucked in a breath, appreciating the fresh scent of the warm afternoon, and exhaled. Now, I had nothing left to do with my day. Bummer.

Why did Mom have to be so pigheaded about Thatcher? Why couldn’t she just forgive me and get over it? It occurred to me at that moment that I wasn’t a very high-minded sort of girl that perhaps I’d thought myself to be. There were times, like right now, when I could be quite mean-spirited and selfish.

My bout of self-reflection was interrupted by the sound of movement in the trees at the edge of the yard.  I turned to study them. The branches didn’t seem to be moving. Had Alton returned? Had he found Brighton? It didn’t make sense that he would hesitate to enter the yard.

I moved forward toward the line of trees. “Alton? You there?” I called.

There was no response.

Was it Thatcher? I thought with a tentative burst of joy that ricocheted inside me. Had he slipped away to see me despite Mom’s demand that he not? My footsteps quickened.

Suddenly I was aware of a presence behind me. Someone had stepped out from the trees to my left and gotten between me and the house. I whirled around expecting to see the beautiful face of the vampire that I loved. But the afternoon sun was sinking low in the sky, and I couldn’t see the face of the man who stood there but I knew it wasn’t Thatcher.

The black silhouette of a man wasn’t as tall or thin as my vampire boyfriend. I caught movement at the corner of my eye, the branches of an arborvitae tree swayed back into place, revealing the exact spot where the man must have been hiding.

“Who are you?” I demanded. “What are you doing in my yard?” The fine hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end, and that burst of inner joy was replaced with a rapidly accelerating heartbeat. I tried not to show my fear.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle ya Miss,” the man drawled in a southern accent, glancing around the yard. “I’m looking for my son’s dog. He’s actually just a puppy really.” The faceless man shook his head in dismay, taking a step toward the deck at the back of the house. “The boy left the back gate open, and the dog got out. My son’s beside himself.”

I inhaled through my nose again and exhaled, urging my fluctuating pulse to settle down. My heartbeat was loud enough that I could hear it in my ears.

The man seemed harmless enough. He turned his back on me, clearly looking around the house as if the missing puppy might be holed up under the deck. 

I rather doubted that. I certainly would have heard a dog scratching around under there and said so. “I haven’t seen him.”

The black form swung his head back in my direction. “Didn’t mean to intrude… perhaps somebody else in the house might have spotted him?” he asked with a hopeful note in his voice.

“No, it’s just me,” I explained. “And I’ve been here all day. He’s not here.” I realized my mistake as soon as I’d spoken, I shouldn’t have confirmed that I was alone. Alarm bells were ringing loudly in my head. I looked around for an escape. Behind the trees was a tall fence, which I doubted I could climb over before the stranger caught up to me, even if I managed to get to it.

The stranger began moving toward me, I blinked, trying to get a better look at him. My eyes were watering against the brightness of the sun.

He drew closer and I could make out details about his appearance. He was taller than me but definitely not that tall, maybe 5-foot-10, if I had to guess and chunky around the middle. Dark hair fell across his narrow forehead, reaching down to hazel eyes which peered out over a broad nose. And there was a pungent aroma about him; dried sweat mingled with something else that I couldn’t quite place.

I tried not to wrinkle my nose.

His full lips pulled in momentarily and then relaxed.

He was close enough now that I noticed the tell-tell bite mark on the side of his neck where a pair of fangs had pierced the skin. But the bead of sweat trailing down the side of his face suggested that he was still human. A vampire had fed on the man, not enough to kill or turn him. I found that fact slightly reassuring. The odds against me successfully evading a vampire alone were slim, but a human man, even one who had me cornered in the backyard, seemed considerably higher.

“Stop right there!” I commanded, putting on a bold expression. “You better not come any closer.”

It worked, he stopped moving. His mouth opened briefly in uncertainty, as the hazel eyes glanced around the immediate area, confirming that we were indeed alone. Did he expect someone to suddenly materialize in the yard?  I pondered in irritation.

The man was so close, he could have reached out one of his long arms and grabbed mine. One side of his mouth twisted down, seeing no rescuers imminent, his attention returned to me.

“Don’t think you can order me around,” he drawled with more swagger. Gone was any trace of his earlier attempt to appear courteous. “You’ll be coming with me and make no fuss about it.”