Happy Tuesday, my darlings! I've got a treat for you today. Allie Ritch is here - and she's going to tell you about her new paranormal romance from Loose Id! Take it away, Allie!
Vampire Territory 1:
Drinking Partners by @AllieRitch
Thanks for hosting me here today, Parker. I’m thrilled to
share a little bit about my latest paranormal romance, Drinking Partners, which
is the first book in my new Vampire Territory series.
Usually when someone says they have a drinking partner or
drinking buddy, they mean a friend who joins them at the bar or club. For the
vampires in my new paranormal romance, this term means something very
different.
As master vampires, Lucas and Alexandra are strong and
powerful, and they have the ruthlessness and determination to lead. So what
draws them together? An instant attraction between them is the first thing, but
thanks to all the death threats they’ve gotten, trust is hard to come by. Then
add the benefits of a partnership.
By becoming drinking partners — feeding from each other
instead of humans — they reduce the risk of being poisoned. The Human Rebellion
has been sending Lucas tainted suicide donors for some time in an attempt to
exterminate him and every other bloodsucker. Alex reduces that risk so that he
doesn’t have to watch what he eats.
Since two master vampires are scarier than one, they can
also have a lot more fun frightening their subjects into obeying their laws.
The intimidation factor frees Alex from having to face nightly challengers and
assassins who assume a female is too weak to lead (something she usually
disillusions them about with a swift sword to the throat).
Add attraction, passionate lovemaking, and a good
partnership together, and a new relationship starts to form. As these two
master vampires fall in love, their attempts to outmaneuver each other become
more of a flirtatious game. Alex appreciates Lucas’s cunning and ruthlessness,
though she doesn’t want him using those traits to take over her territory.
These two alpha vampires are very well matched.
Blurb: Being the master vampire for the
Mid-Atlantic Territory is a tough job. Between the Human Rebellion trying to
kill him with poisonous suicide donors and snobby born vampires bucking his
authority, Lucas Thane has his hands full. What he needs is a regular drinking
partner to feed from and a bigger power block. He finds both in the form of
Alexandra Gage, the master of the territory south of his.
Alex could use a little help herself, but she has no
intention of letting Lucas take over. Turned into a vampire against her will,
she has had enough control taken from her. She’ll never let Lucas usurp her
right to rule, but will she let him steal her heart? Passion ignites between
them, and it’s amazing what vampire bodies can do.
Excerpt:
Lucas carried her onto the elevator and rode up to the top
floor.
He brought her all the way to her door before he spoke
again. “May we come in?”
“I guess so.” She shifted in his grip. “The key is in my
jacket pocket.”
Zander fished it out, smearing his hand with blood in the
process. Her garments were completely saturated, and Lucas could feel the stain
seeping into his shirt where her body pressed against his.
He wasn’t sure what he’d expected inside, but certainly
nothing so normal and homey. Over time, he’d seen many vampires favor
ostentation or an eclectic mix of furniture and art from various time periods.
Alex’s living room was minimally furnished with clean, contemporary pieces, and
he could see she kept the place neat.
“We need to get these bloody clothes off you and stanch your
wounds until they have time to heal. Since you fed tonight, they should close
up quickly, as long as you don’t move around too much.”
She jerked her head up to glare at him nose to nose. “I’m
not taking my clothes off in front of you. And how do you know I fed?”
Lucas was tempted to lie, but he’d pay for it later if she
learned the truth. “Zander and I followed you to the blood bar tonight. I was
curious what errand you intended to run.”
“It sounds like you were stalking me.”
“Nobody stalks better than a vampire,” he teased her. “You
should be glad. If I hadn’t followed you, I wouldn’t have arrived in time to
rescue you.”
“You didn’t rescue me. I would have killed them all
eventually.”
Her confidence acted as an aphrodisiac on him. He’d always
liked and respected fierce women, and this woman in particular drew him. The
blood coating her skin also excited his vampire nature, though pain had never
turned him on. At the moment, the knowledge that she was hurting was the only
thing that kept his cock from growing fully erect.
“I expedited, then.”
She growled low in her throat but returned a shallow nod.
“Yes, you did.
Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome.” Without thought, he planted a light kiss
on her forehead.
Alex didn’t jerk back like he thought she would. Instead,
she gave him a look so vulnerable he tightened his hold on her out of reflex.
“Now, let’s see about getting you out of these dirty clothes
and patched up.”
The vulnerable look evaporated. “No.”
“You’d rather get blood on your couch, then? Because I plan
to sit down with you.”
She may have been the most unique woman he’d ever met, but
she was still a woman. He knew stains drove females crazy.
Her sigh of exasperation made her deflate in his arms. “All
right, but I’ll undress myself.”
“You can’t even stand up. As beautiful as you are, I promise
not to ravish you the second I see bare skin. I’ll cover you again as quickly
as possible.”
She kept her jaw stubbornly set for a moment. “Fine. Grab
fresh clothes for me from the bedroom. If you put me on my feet and help steady
me, I can get everything off by myself.”
“Do you have any plastic wrap?” Zander asked.
“Excuse me?”
Zander looked at her expectantly. “I know a great trick with
plastic wrap.”
Lucas couldn’t understand why she goggled at his friend.
Then she turned the expression on him. “Is he serious?”
“Of course I’m serious.” Zander didn’t give him time to
answer. “If we wrap your wounds tight, they won’t spill blood as quickly, and
you don’t have to worry about linen fibers sealing into your skin as you heal.
It’s the best bandage a vampire can use.”
“Oh.” The blush that spread across her cheeks beguiled him.
“I don’t have any, but you might find a roll in the unit next door. The tenants
cleared out kind of suddenly and left lots of stuff behind.”
“Got it.” Zander left them alone to go look for plastic
wrap.
“Hurry up. I’d prefer to strip in front of you.” The blood
rushed to Alex’s face again. “I mean, just you and not your pal.”
Lucas fought back a smile. “As you wish.”
About the Author: Allie Ritch is a multipublished
author of sizzling scifi and paranormal romance. She has an active imagination
and enjoys entertaining others through storytelling. Allie lives in her own
little world in the Southeastern United States, where she spends time
appreciating the ocean and sunshine.
