paranormal romance ebook

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genre: paranormal romance

length: 5000 / short

rating: sultry

released: December 2007

editor: Maria Morpeth

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Kallysten

Part of a Series

Part of the
Special Enforcers
series

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Excerpt

WARNING

Please note that some of the books on this site contain material of a sexual nature that is suitable for adults only. By contuining and reading the excerpt below you release us of any responsibility.

Warily staying out of the sunlight, Lilia opened the door to the postman, only to have two packages thrust into her hands before the man hurriedly backed away. She wasn’t quite sure how he had found out she was a vampire, but he certainly seemed not to be too comfortable when she was the one opening the door. He was back to the street before she could thank him, and she shrugged, immediately putting him out of her mind. She couldn’t have cared less what this particular human thought of her.

The first package, the smaller of the two, was addressed to Vincent, and the return address pointed to his father. She dropped it on the coffee table, unconcerned about what might be in it. If she was to judge by the Christmassy stamps and stickers, it was probably Vincent’s Christmas gift. Like the previous year, his father had wanted them to travel to his house for the holidays; she and Vincent had declined again, and there had been an awkward pause on the phone when Vincent had explained to his father, as he had a year earlier, that Lilia didn’t celebrate Christmas. He hadn’t actually pointed out that vampires weren’t exactly interested in anything that had to do with religion, but from where she had been listening, that was what it had sounded like to Lilia.

The second package, a rather large square box, bore her name in the same handwriting as the first, but it lacked the holiday trimming; instead, it had been stamped repeatedly with the word ‘Fragile’. Curious, she set it on the sofa and opened it, using a sharp nail to break off the tape. Tissue paper hid its content except for an envelope resting on top, her name scribbled on it. She pulled out of it a handful of pictures, all of them showing Vincent at various ages, all of them showing him as he decorated a Christmas tree. On the oldest picture, he didn’t look older than two years old maybe, and he was in his mother’s arms, clinging to a wooden ornament. On the most recent, he looked sixteen or seventeen and he was rolling his eyes at the camera, but smiling just as much as on every other picture. Just as happy.

She was quite certain that she made Vincent happy, but there was something in the pictures that felt different. Maybe because the child they depicted had been innocent still, and had not met death as closely as he now saw it so regularly as a Special Enforcer.

Still wondering why Vincent’s father had sent her pictures of him as a kid, she looked again in the envelope, searching for a note that would explain it, but finding nothing. After putting the pictures away, she turned back to the rest of the box. A few sheets of tissue paper revealed bubble wrap. Through the clear plastic, Lilia could see the colored glass of the ornaments beneath.