We're happy to share with you an excerpt from Cynthia Garner's latest paranormal romance in her new Awakening series - VAMPIRES'S HUNGER!
VAMPIRE’S HUNGER by Cynthia Garner
April 1, 2014; Forever Yours E-Book
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In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, civilization no longer exists, and only the strongest survive. The few remaining humans must band together with supernatural beings to battle unspeakable evil-or all hope will be lost.Kimber Treat is an ordinary woman with an extraordinary gift: she can raise the dead. As a necromancer who works with the police, she communicates with murder victims to bring their killers to justice. But after a normal session goes horribly wrong, Kimber realizes she's summoned something dark and sinister. She's unwittingly unleashed the apocalypse, and everyone blames her…except Duncan MacDonnough, the devastatingly handsome vampire she can't stop fantasizing about.
As society shuts down and flesh-eating hordes close in, Duncan vows to protect Kimber. He can keep her safe from others-but not from the insatiable carnal hunger he feels for her. Now racing to reverse the chaos she's unleashed, Kimber can't afford any distractions. But even as she succumbs to Duncan's seduction, she fears that he has a hidden agenda. And with the line between life and death starting to blur, his secrets might kill her-or worse…
Excerpt:
Duncan sat beside Kimber and put an arm around her shoulders. He pulled her to his side, wishing his body held heat like a human’s so he could warm her, console her. The fact that she didn’t fight the little bit of comfort he tried to give told him clearly how defeated she felt at the moment. She remained stiff, not relaxing into his light hold at all. She seemed to be regaining some vitality, because color had seeped back into skin that had gone gray with the energy she’d used to tap into the Unseen.
They sat like that for several minutes. The sound of the shower shut off—a record short time for Natalie—and then the bathroom door opened. He heard her patter to the bedroom she and Kimber shared, and that door closed.
Duncan rubbed his palm up and down Kimber’s upper arm, lending his silent support as she processed Bishop’s death. Finally she took a shuddering breath and settled against him. She turned slightly, winding one arm behind his back and the other across his waist, turning his one-armed hug into a true embrace.
“I’m sorry for hitting you,” she whispered. She rubbed her face against his shoulder. “I know it wasn’t your fault.”
Duncan brought his left arm over her and clasped his hands together. He rested his cheek against the top of her head. “It wasn’t your fault, either.”
She stiffened slightly. “If I hadn’t—”
“No, Kimber.” He tightened his hold. “Enough. You can’t keep blaming yourself for creating this mess. Even if you somehow caused it through your necromancy, you didn’t do it on purpose.” He paused. “Unless you have some secret take-over-the-world plan I don’t know anything about.”
She snorted a laugh. “No. No plans to take over the world with my zombie hordes.”
“Good to know.” He could feel the slight tremble going through her body and knew the lingering effects of shock continued to affect her. “Come on,” he said, standing and drawing her to her feet.
“Where’re we going?” She swayed, clutching at his arms for balance.
“You’re going to take a shower.” He swept her up into his arms and strode down the hallway. He didn’t set her down until he reached the bathroom. He reached into the shower and turned on the water, adjusting it until it was warm enough, then turned back to her. She stood where he’d placed her, blinking up at him. He stroked the back of his hand down her satiny cheek. “Go on, then,” he murmured. “Get your clothes off and hop in.” He turned to leave.
“Duncan.” Her scratchy voice stopped him.
He looked at her. Her eyes beseeched him, tugged at a heart he’d long ago been certain he’d squandered. “What is it, sweetheart?”
“I don’t want to be alone.”
The brokenness in her voice broke the heart he’d just rediscovered. “Kimber, if I get naked with you…” He wanted her. But he wasn’t going to take advantage of her trauma. She’d lost a good friend and wasn’t thinking things through. If she were, the last person on the planet with whom she’d want to be nude was him. She’d always been very clear about that. He shook his head. “Just take a shower. I’ll be in the living room when you’re done.”
He started to leave the bathroom again but she called him back. “I want you to get naked with me,” she whispered.
Shock made him draw a reflexive and unnecessary breath. It didn’t, however, keep him from getting an erection. He slowly moved to face her again. He wasn’t so noble that he could continue to turn her down. He wanted her to be very sure about what she was asking of him, what consequences would come of her request. “If we’re both naked, I’m going to fuck you,” he said, his voice and words raw and needy. His fangs elongated, the slight prick of them against his lip a reminder of how far gone he was already. “It won’t be slow and gentle. I’ve waited too long. I’m so desperate to get inside you that I’ll fuck you hard and fast. I’ll work my cock so deep you’ll feel me against your womb.”
Her pupils dilated. She bit her bottom lip but met his gaze head-on. “I don’t want slow. I don’t want gentle. I need hard and fast and desperate.” She pulled his T-shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor. The upper swells of her breasts gleamed pale against the soft lace of her bra.
He watched with burning eyes as she flipped the button at the waist of her low-slung jeans and slid down the zipper. She wiggled them down her hips and stepped out of them. When her hands went behind her back and unhooked her bra, thrusting her breasts out, blood pulsed in his cock. And when she shrugged out of the bra and he saw her bare breasts with their pink-tipped nipples, a groan rumbled from his chest. He’d wanted so long to see her like this, his self-control, his sense of right and wrong was being quickly overridden by the need pulsing in his cock and fangs.
He stepped forward and palmed one plump mound. Her nipple peaked against his hand. “Be sure,” he said, his gaze holding hers.
“Take a shower with me.” She pressed his hand harder against her. “Take me.”
Duncan sat beside Kimber and put an arm around her shoulders. He pulled her to his side, wishing his body held heat like a human’s so he could warm her, console her. The fact that she didn’t fight the little bit of comfort he tried to give told him clearly how defeated she felt at the moment. She remained stiff, not relaxing into his light hold at all. She seemed to be regaining some vitality, because color had seeped back into skin that had gone gray with the energy she’d used to tap into the Unseen.
They sat like that for several minutes. The sound of the shower shut off—a record short time for Natalie—and then the bathroom door opened. He heard her patter to the bedroom she and Kimber shared, and that door closed.
Duncan rubbed his palm up and down Kimber’s upper arm, lending his silent support as she processed Bishop’s death. Finally she took a shuddering breath and settled against him. She turned slightly, winding one arm behind his back and the other across his waist, turning his one-armed hug into a true embrace.
“I’m sorry for hitting you,” she whispered. She rubbed her face against his shoulder. “I know it wasn’t your fault.”
Duncan brought his left arm over her and clasped his hands together. He rested his cheek against the top of her head. “It wasn’t your fault, either.”
She stiffened slightly. “If I hadn’t—”
“No, Kimber.” He tightened his hold. “Enough. You can’t keep blaming yourself for creating this mess. Even if you somehow caused it through your necromancy, you didn’t do it on purpose.” He paused. “Unless you have some secret take-over-the-world plan I don’t know anything about.”
She snorted a laugh. “No. No plans to take over the world with my zombie hordes.”
“Good to know.” He could feel the slight tremble going through her body and knew the lingering effects of shock continued to affect her. “Come on,” he said, standing and drawing her to her feet.
“Where’re we going?” She swayed, clutching at his arms for balance.
“You’re going to take a shower.” He swept her up into his arms and strode down the hallway. He didn’t set her down until he reached the bathroom. He reached into the shower and turned on the water, adjusting it until it was warm enough, then turned back to her. She stood where he’d placed her, blinking up at him. He stroked the back of his hand down her satiny cheek. “Go on, then,” he murmured. “Get your clothes off and hop in.” He turned to leave.
“Duncan.” Her scratchy voice stopped him.
He looked at her. Her eyes beseeched him, tugged at a heart he’d long ago been certain he’d squandered. “What is it, sweetheart?”
“I don’t want to be alone.”
The brokenness in her voice broke the heart he’d just rediscovered. “Kimber, if I get naked with you…” He wanted her. But he wasn’t going to take advantage of her trauma. She’d lost a good friend and wasn’t thinking things through. If she were, the last person on the planet with whom she’d want to be nude was him. She’d always been very clear about that. He shook his head. “Just take a shower. I’ll be in the living room when you’re done.”
He started to leave the bathroom again but she called him back. “I want you to get naked with me,” she whispered.
Shock made him draw a reflexive and unnecessary breath. It didn’t, however, keep him from getting an erection. He slowly moved to face her again. He wasn’t so noble that he could continue to turn her down. He wanted her to be very sure about what she was asking of him, what consequences would come of her request. “If we’re both naked, I’m going to fuck you,” he said, his voice and words raw and needy. His fangs elongated, the slight prick of them against his lip a reminder of how far gone he was already. “It won’t be slow and gentle. I’ve waited too long. I’m so desperate to get inside you that I’ll fuck you hard and fast. I’ll work my cock so deep you’ll feel me against your womb.”
Her pupils dilated. She bit her bottom lip but met his gaze head-on. “I don’t want slow. I don’t want gentle. I need hard and fast and desperate.” She pulled his T-shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor. The upper swells of her breasts gleamed pale against the soft lace of her bra.
He watched with burning eyes as she flipped the button at the waist of her low-slung jeans and slid down the zipper. She wiggled them down her hips and stepped out of them. When her hands went behind her back and unhooked her bra, thrusting her breasts out, blood pulsed in his cock. And when she shrugged out of the bra and he saw her bare breasts with their pink-tipped nipples, a groan rumbled from his chest. He’d wanted so long to see her like this, his self-control, his sense of right and wrong was being quickly overridden by the need pulsing in his cock and fangs.
He stepped forward and palmed one plump mound. Her nipple peaked against his hand. “Be sure,” he said, his gaze holding hers.
“Take a shower with me.” She pressed his hand harder against her. “Take me.”
About the author:
Cynthia Garner discovered her love for writing when her sixth grade teacher told the class to write a story that began "It was a dark and stormy night..." With that Cynthia's love for all things paranormal was born. When she's not working her day job as a mostly mild-mannered Human Resources Manager, she's on her laptop writing or playing way too much Solitaire. Originally from Northeast Ohio, Cynthia now lives in the desert Southwest. Visit Cynthia at http://cynthiagarnerbooks.com/
Tour Giveaway:
5 print copies of VAMPIRE'S HUNGER
Grand prize: Twilight Saga White Collection
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This sounds absolutely awesome. I will have to say... I love the authors name... because it is my mothers name (first and last). Pretty crazy. esseboo@yahoo.com
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