A Bite Of...

Hello, and welcome to our fortnightly "A Bite Of..."

Today, I'd like welcome the talented Christina Phillips with a bite of her book Bloodlust Denied.

Can you, in less than five words describe your book Bloodlust Denied?

Vampire duke meets Maiden of Death

What inspired you to write it?

I first got the idea for this book four years ago, when I read a submissions call from Ellora’s Cave for stories connected to music. I instantly had this vision of a dark haired seductress dancing to the haunting strains of a single violin in a London back alley. I’d also always wanted to write a Regency romance and the two ideas melded when the hero entered the scene. However, he was no ordinary duke. He turned out to be a two thousand year old vampire who had long ago forsaken his honor and conscience. As it turned out I never did submit to EC four years ago as I missed the deadline due to other commitments, but the story always remained in the back of my mind. Eventually I revisited it last year, gave it a good edit and it was picked up by Ellora’s Cave J

...and here's the snippet!

This is the scene where the hero Alexius first sees Morana.

The refined garden square of St James faded into the distance, and the dank underbelly of London rolled over him like a fetid corpse. Whores called out to him, reached for him, their already dead eyes following him. But tonight they weren’t enough. Their polluted, weary blood offended his senses and revulsion skittered along his spine at the thought of slaking his hunger with any but the one he sought.

He turned into another dark alley, the stink of decay and despair wrapping around him in an unwelcome caress of death. But threaded through every beat of this misbegotten city her scent throbbed, rich, vibrant. Closer.

So close he could taste the sweetness, savor the texture, feel the thick luscious fluid as it pumped down his throat. Lust stirred deep in his groin, thickening his shaft and the haunting melody of a single violin scarcely penetrated the heavy thud of desire that pounded through his temples.

And then he saw her, captured in the flickering light of a single lantern. Long black hair cascaded down her back and slender arms arched above her head as her lithe body undulated to the exquisite strains of the violin.

She appeared oblivious to her captivated audience, and Alexius ignored the dozen or so drunken men gathered around her. They were of no consequence. This woman was his, and he intended to have her.

The intricate crescendo sank into his brain, pounding in tandem with escalating lust. The woman spun faster, heedless of the broken cobblestones, heedless of his deadly intent. Focused only on her own pleasure in the music, in the movement, in the sensuous cocoon she wove.

With dramatic flourish, the shadowy musician ended the solo, the final note echoing through the dark alley like the call from a lover long since forgotten. Yet still Alexius couldn’t move toward her, as if he was still enchanted by the magic eroticism of her dance.

She flung back her head, her wild hair framing her face, and looked directly at him. His heart, no longer a slumbering organ, slammed against his ribs, pulses escalating.

He hadn’t felt so alive in millennia.

If you like the sound of this you can find Christina, and buy the book at the links below!

Thank you for sharing, Christina!

Website | Ellora’s Cave |   Amazon |  ARe |  Amazon UK |

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