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  The leader lunged toward me suddenly. I gasped but was shocked to see my hand come up and jab him in the face with my keys. Somehow I managed to do the right thing without thinking about it. He howled, covering his face with his hands. When he hit his knees, I darted around him, heading straight for my car and screaming as loud as I could. Maybe someone in the area would hear me and call the police. I heard the other two men scrambling to come after me.

  I saw one of them heading toward me out of the corner of my eye and veered away from my driver’s side door. Maybe I could make it to the passenger side or even one of the rear doors. Fingers closed over my shoulder and I knew that I’d never make it to my car. In a last burst of desperation, I managed to rip away from the clutching hand, but not in the direction I needed to go.

  Now I was headed away from the street, toward the fence at the edge of the bar’s parking lot. I would be cornered. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that all three of them were closing in fast. I had nowhere else to go. When I reached the fence, I whirled around to face the three men as they approached. G and T had gouges in his cheek and blood running down his jaw and neck. He also looked supremely pissed. I kept my back to the fence and squatted slightly, arms low and slightly away from my sides. I really wanted to reach for my cell and call for the police, but I couldn’t risk taking even a sliver of attention away from the three men in front of me. I had a bad feeling they would be on me before I got the first number punched in.

  Instead, I opened my mouth and shrieked as loud and long as I could. The men immediately moved in on me. I knew that I was going to get hurt, but I wasn’t going down without a hell of a fight. The ringleader wisely stayed slightly back as the other two men grabbed for me. One gripped my left arm, and I used the keys still clutched in my right hand to punch him in the throat. I didn’t get as much force behind it as I wanted but it did make him step back and choke. I felt the other wrap his arms around my waist from behind me. I threw my head back and felt my skull make contact with something pointy. The man behind me groaned and his arms loosened. I felt a surge of satisfaction. I knew that it wouldn’t be long before the three of them overpowered me, but I also knew that they would be feeling pain because of me and that was something.

  G and T chose that moment to make his move, and his fist slammed into the side of my face with enough force to have black spots dancing in front of my eyes. I screamed again, this time in pain. I heard a scuffle but couldn’t see past the darkness in my vision. The leader punched me again, this time in the stomach, and I had no more air for screaming. I started to crumple, but his hands grasped my upper arms so hard I knew they would leave bruises. He cursed when I started gagging and whipped me around so I was facing away from him. I guess he wasn’t so hyped up at the idea that I would vomit on him. I managed to catch my breath just before his forearm pressed into my throat to yank me back to a standing position.

  I dug my nails into his forearm, clawing at his skin. A short scream caught my attention. I looked up and saw a dark figure wrap his hands around the head of one of my attackers. In less than a second, I heard a crack as the man’s head twisted in an unnatural way. Then his body went limp and fell to the ground. I saw no sign of the third man in the group.

  “Don’t fucking move.”

  I realized the man behind me had spoken for the first time since this entire nightmare began. He was speaking to the dark figure standing in front of us. I also realized that I had just watched a man have his neck broken right in front of me. Suddenly my body started shivering so hard I could barely stay standing without the arm at my throat. The shadow in front of us shifted forward, into a small shaft of light.

  G and T tightened his grip around my neck and I stopped breathing. It was the gorgeous stranger I had noticed earlier. He looked feral and dangerous and, if it was possible, sexier than before.

  “Release her,” he hissed. Even though his voice was barely a whisper, somehow it surrounded us.

  The arm holding me tightened even further. Apparently, G and T had more liquid courage in him than I thought. I dug my nails deeper into his arm.

  “I mean it, asshole. Another step closer and I’ll break her neck.”

  “I said, release her.” This time the stranger’s voice was heavier. I could practically feel it dripping off my skin. It was almost painful.

  The arm around my neck stiffened before it slowly dropped away. What the fuck? Okay, apparently this guy had the magic touch because my attacker was listening to him.

  Suddenly, the hot guy from the bar was no longer standing in front of us. I blinked twice, thinking I had momentarily passed out, but he was gone. G and T whined high in his throat. I stumbled away, falling onto the ground.

  When I looked behind me, I thought I was hallucinating. The man who had been holding me was hanging limply from the arms of the beautiful stranger. The stranger was gripping the man by the neck. When he was released, my attacker hit the ground hard, his head tilted at a strange angle. Vaguely I realized that my beautiful stranger had broken this man’s neck also.

  I scrambled back on my hands, dragging my ass across the pavement. My rescuer took a step toward me and extended his hand. I stared at him numbly, my gaze travelling up his arm to his face. He leaned forward, those intense blue eyes on mine, and cupped my elbow to pull me to my feet. The dim light in the parking lot glinted off his eyes, making them shine like jewels. Mesmerized, I blinked but didn’t speak.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  I felt my stomach tighten when he spoke. He had an accent, but it was so faint I couldn’t quite place it. The timbre of his voice was hypnotic and as gorgeous as the rest of him. I nodded. Leave it to one good looking man to reduce me to a speechless puddle. Fuck, I had just faced down a group of three men intent upon horrible things without hesitation, but I couldn’t string together a sentence for this guy.

  He released my elbow and my knees buckled. He caught me again and smiled slightly. My eyes zeroed in on his mouth. My first thought was that it was completely unfair that a man as gorgeous as him had dimples and the whitest teeth I had ever seen. Then I realized that his canines were long and curved. As I watched they receded before my eyes. I blinked, and his teeth looked almost perfectly normal. His canines still seemed a little long but not frighteningly sharp. The crazy events of the last ten minutes must have addled my brain.

  I made sure my feet were firmly beneath me before I pulled away from my rescuer. Satisfied I wouldn’t collapse into a heap at his feet, I smoothed my skirt down and ran a hand over my hair. I was sure I looked awful.

  “Thank you for helping me,” I said, forcing myself to meet his eyes. Normally I had no problem talking to handsome men, but this guy was sex on a stick and he was making me nervous.

  “I’m glad I made it in time. I’m Conner.”

  When I heard his name I realized that his accent was faintly Scottish, as though he’d been in America for a long time.

  “I’m Donna.” I looked at the crumpled bodies of my three attackers and shuddered. “We should probably call the police.”

  Conner shook his head. “That’s not necessary.”

  I gaped at him. “What? Of course we need to call the police. I know at least one of these men is dead.”

  The man may have been gorgeous, but now I was beginning to worry that he was as crazy as the other three.

  “They’re all dead, sweetheart.” He leaned closer and stared deeply into my eyes. “There is no need to call the police.”

  I stepped back. Conner was beginning to scare me a little with his intensity. “Um, I don’t know if you realized this, but Jedi mind tricks are fictional.”

  It was his turn to blink at me. Suddenly his eyes seemed to glow even brighter, and he smiled. I watched in amazement as his canines lengthened and sharpened. My stomach dropped. I had to be imagining things. It was the stress or the adrenaline. Vampires didn’t exist. It had to be something chemical, maybe drugs. That had to be it. Maybe the three men
who attacked me had injected me with something and I hadn’t noticed the effects until now.

  “You won’t call the authorities,” he repeated.

  I swallowed hard. “Okay, okay. I won’t call the cops if you don’t want me to.” I was lying like hell, but I wanted out of there. I had been relieved when he came to my rescue, but now I was more afraid of him than I was of the three men he apparently killed.

  He studied me. “You’re lying.”

  “No, no I’m not,” I stammered. “I won’t call the police if you don’t want me to.”

  Conner tipped my chin up with his hand. “You are lying. I can tell. Just like I can tell you’ll be dialing 911 as soon as your ass lands in your car seat.” His face grew closer to mine and I couldn’t help flinching.

  “Please don’t hurt me,” I whispered. If I wasn’t scared out of my mind, I would be pissed at the whine in my voice.

  He ignored me and I felt my eyes bug out of my head. This was it. He was going to kill me. If I was lucky it would be quick and painless. If not, he was going to drink my blood and there was nothing I could do to stop him.

  His face lowered, those bright blue eyes glowing, but not from the dim light around us. The light seemed to be coming from within them. I felt my body relax right before his mouth touched mine. Conner’s lips were scorching hot and I gasped. I expected him to feel cool, his being undead and all. I forgot about body temperatures because, when I gasped, his tongue slid into my mouth. My brain immediately shut down, and the tingle that began between my legs became a sharp ache.

  My own tongue brushed one of his fangs, and I felt a little sting. He groaned and flattened me against his front. I realized I’d just cut my tongue, and he was tasting my blood. I yanked my head back.

  I glared at him. “How did you make me do that?” I asked.

  He kept my body against his, refusing to let me go when I tried to pull away. “How did I make you do what?”

  I scowled. “How did you make me kiss you? Did you zap me with some kind of vampire mind control or something?”

  His mouth quirked in amusement. It wasn’t quite a smile, more of a smirk, and it showed his dimples. I wanted to smack him.

  “I didn’t compel you to kiss me,” he replied.

  My eyebrows lowered and I felt my eyes get all squinty.

  “Then why did I just kiss you? I would never do something like that without being coerced.”

  “Coerced?” he asked, as though he couldn’t believe I knew what the word meant.

  I growled in the back of my throat. Condescending, bloodsucking bastard.

  “I believe it’s called chemistry not coercion.”

  “Chemistry?” I repeated.

  He wrapped an arm around my lower back and my hips connected with his. I felt what had to be a vampire penis poking me in the belly. Oh hell, no way was I playing sink the salami with a creature that would want to sink fangs into me too.

  “No, no, no. There’s no chemistry here,” I declared.

  His fingers snaked along my jawline. “That’s too bad, Donna, because I have to disagree.”

  I felt a lot of pressure near my ear and then everything went black.

  Get Bite Me (Bitten, #1) Now!

  Excerpt from Don’t Wake the Dead

  Don’t Wake the Dead is a paranormal cozy mystery with a hefty dash of romcom. Plus there’s a foul-mouthed, perverted ghost roaming around. I know an author isn’t supposed to have a favorite book baby, but if I’m being honest…I totally do. And it’s this one. Oh, and the second book in this series, The Dead Come Calling. Zoe, Mal, Teri, and the rest of the gang make me laugh.

  Ch. 1 of Don’t Wake the Dead

  If I’d realized he was in the elevator, I wouldn’t have stepped inside. I always tried to avoid him, but I wasn’t paying attention that morning.

  “It’s you.”

  I looked up from my phone and fought not to cringe. Immediately, I returned my attention back to the screen of my phone.

  He leaned into me. “Why won’t you talk to me?”

  Ducking my head, I focused on responding to Jonelle’s text as I pretended that he didn’t exist.

  Suddenly, I felt an icy cold tingle on the side of my face. I jerked away from him, banging my shoulder into the wall. He stood next to me, his tongue hanging out of his mouth like some sort of overgrown puppy.

  The other two people in the elevator, a man and a woman, turned and gave me concerned looks. Then they looked at each other as if to say, “You’ll help hold her down if she loses her shit, right?”

  I smiled wanly. “Sorry, I tripped.”

  The woman glared at me, but the man eyed me speculatively. I shrugged, trying to look as harmless as possible.

  They turned their backs toward me but I could tell that they were on guard. Irritated, I glared at the man to my right. Quickly, I pulled up the note app on my phone and typed him a message.

  Leave me alone. And don’t ever lick my face again, asshole.

  “I just wanted your attention. Why won’t you talk to me?” he complained, his voice quieter this time. “You’re the only one who seems to see or hear me.”

  Bcuz I am.

  “But why? Why do they all pretend they can’t see me?” Now his tone was verging on whiny.

  They can’t. You know they can’t.

  “I don’t understand. Why can’t they see me?”

  Usually I tried to be considerate when talking to someone in his position, but we’d had this conversation before. In fact, we’d had this conversation at least once a week since I’d been hired at the insurance firm. If I was alone in the elevator, I would express my annoyance out loud but this time I was hampered by the two other occupants. He knew it too, which was why he was still bothering me. If anything, he was tenacious and willfully ignorant.

  I’ve told u a million times, Jerry. Ur dead. Uve been dead for a long time.

  “I can’t be dead,” he argued.

  Sick of arguing with him, I typed him a final message.

  U R a ghost. Don’t bother me again or I’ll come back with holy water and banish ur ass.

  Though I wasn’t even sure if holy water would work, it seemed like a viable threat. Maybe my words were cruel, but Jerry had been haunting this building daily for the last four years that I worked here. At first, I managed to ignore him, but I made the mistake of responding to his questions once when I was alone. Since then, he tried to talk to me every time he saw me. I was pretty sure he looked for me.

  “Bitch,” he muttered.

  I realized then that not only did Jerry understand that he was dead, he enjoyed being undetectable. He liked moving among the living mostly unseen. The harassment he dished out to me was his way of relieving boredom.

  Still, he had no intention of moving on. He wanted to remain here, even if no one else could see or talk to him. Probably so he could look up women’s skirts or lick their toes in the elevator, the pervy fucker.

  When the elevator reached my floor, I rushed off, accidentally bumping into the woman near the doors.

  She huffed in annoyance.

  Glancing back, I apologized, “Sorry.”

  I didn’t wait to hear a response from her or Jerry, already hurrying down the hallway toward the offices that held the insurance company that employed me.

  The receptionist, Claire, smiled and waved at me as I entered. I nodded to her and headed straight toward the break room where the employee lockers were located. I put my purse inside my locker and took a quick trip to the ladies room. Once I was done, I headed back into the break room for a cup of coffee. It was the same routine I went through every workday morning.

  As I added sugar and creamer, my boss, Mike, stuck his head into the break room.

  “I need to see you in my office before you start your shift,” he stated.

  “Okay,” I replied.

  Before I could ask him if everything was okay, he disappeared. That was a bad sign. Mike might not be the friendliest man I’d ev
er met, but he never ended conversations so abruptly.

  My stomach twisted as I stirred my coffee. I might not be clairvoyant, but I had an idea what was coming. I’d been hearing rumors about company restructuring for a couple of months.

  I made my way to Mike’s office. I noticed halfway down the hall that I’d left my coffee on the counter in the break room. It didn’t matter. I wouldn’t have been able to drink a drop right now anyway.

  I knocked on his open door and stuck my head in when he called out.

  “Hey, Mike.”

  His face was serious as he gestured for me to come inside. “Please close the door behind you.”

  That’s when I knew my worries were well founded. Mike had a stringent open-door policy in the office. Meetings, unless they were reprimands or terminations, were always held with the door open. Mike wanted his employees to trust him and refused to hide in his office.

  I shut the door and took a seat in the chair across from his. Lacing my fingers together, I rested my hands in my lap and waited.

  Mike sighed and mimicked my pose, his expression unhappy. “You’re an intelligent person, Zoe, I’m sure you already have an idea of why I called you in here.”

  “If this has something to do with the rumors of company restructuring, then yes,” I answered.

  “I’m afraid it does.”

  “Go ahead and spit it out, Mike,” I invited.

  “General Insurance is eliminating over a thousand positions this year. All claims centers will pare down from five hundred to four hundred claim reps. As much as I hate this, I have to terminate people based on seniority and you’re one of my newer reps.”

  My eyebrows lifted. “After four years, I’m a newer rep?”

  He shrugged. “It’s twenty percent of my staff, Zoe. A few of these terminations are for people who’ve been here longer than you.” His face fell. “For what it’s worth, I hate doing this and I’m sorry.”