Holly has a new box set out!!! Kiss a Vampire contains three stories – A Vampire Chew Toy, Bring Him Back, Jack, and Vampire Food.
All of them have vampires in them, which might not be surprising considering the title 😅 A Vampire Chew Toy is about Devin, who is human, and Mars, who is a vampire. I wrote the story to celebrate National M&M Day, so prepare for M&Ms.
Bring Him Back, Jack is about Ivan, a shadow walker, and Malik, a vampire. I wrote it to celebrate Different Colored Eyes Day, so…
Lastly, we have Vampire Food which is about Rue, a magic user, and Noah, a vampire. I could probably write ten stories about National Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day – such an excellent day! – sadly, this is my only one LOL
So if you’re in the mood for some vampires, check it out!
Kiss a Vampire
The best way to avoid getting bitten by vampires is to stay away from their mouths.
In this box set, you’ll encounter a vampire or three. They’re just like other people, except they are super fast, can pin you down without breaking a sweat, and want to feast on your blood. The smart thing to do is to stay away, but where’s the fun in that?
Contains the stories:
A Vampire Chew Toy: Devin had no idea supernatural beings existed until he was snatched off the street and turned into a blood slave. Then he realized vampires are real. One year later, he was saved, but now his captor has escaped prison. He might fear vampires, but faced with the danger of being taken again, he turns to the vampire who saved him last time. Will staying by his side be enough to keep him safe?
Bring Him Back, Jack: Shadow walkers are rare, but Ivan Charna is one. He has to hide from wizards who want to use his blood for their magic. When his sister loses a bet, Ivan is forced to work off her debt. He doesn’t mind since he gets to work with his favorite vampire. He only has to steal a diamond, then the debt is paid. It should be easy, and if he’s stealing a diamond, what’s to say he can’t steal a vampire?
Vampire Food: A former blood slave. A strapping vampire. More zucchinis than any man could eat. Rue, a former blood slave, is trying to find peace, but when the tranquility is threatened, he turns to Noah, a vampire. Noah has never met a magic user before, and he fears Rue’s former owners are trying to get him back. Rue never believed he’d be able to trust Noah, but who better to keep him safe from vampires?
Buy links:
Paranormal gay romance: 140,235 words
Excerpt:
(From A Vampire Chew Toy)
Excerpt:
The next morning, Devin woke from his own scream. Panting, he stared at the dark ceiling, sweat making the T-shirt he slept in cling to his skin. He rolled out of bed and walked into the bathroom. A quick shower later, he glanced at the clock—a quarter to five.
Groaning, he flung himself on the bed. Two hours until he had to have breakfast ready. Maybe he could bake bread. It would keep him busy. He grabbed his phone and squinted at the calendar notifications. Murrie had added two new things to his calendar for today, thirty minutes apart. He hadn’t logged an end time but considering the first looked to be a video conference and the second a meeting in town, Devin was pretty sure they would overlap even without the expected travel time. He huffed and shook his head. People.
He opened his door as quietly as he could, though considering he’d woken himself with a scream and had showered, he doubted opening his door would wake the others. They were most likely already awake. If he walked downstairs, they might have a chance of catching a couple of hours of sleep.
Guilt swamped his mind. They should have dumped him in a soundproofed room.
Walking into the kitchen, he came to a halt. Murrie was sitting by the kitchen island with his shirt mostly unbuttoned and a bowl of M&Ms in front of him.
“Good night?” There was lipstick on his collar, which made him want to laugh. He’d believed the days of lipstick on collars were long gone. Weren’t lipsticks of this century smudge-free?
Murrie grinned at him. The sated look in his eyes answer enough.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Who’s the lucky lady?”
Murrie shook his head. “I don’t have time for a relationship.”
“Aww, don’t be like that.” Devin surprised himself by reaching out and patting Murrie’s hand. Judging by the widening of Murrie’s eyes, he surprised him too. “If she makes you happy, you should be with her.” Before they could get any deeper into this mushy conversation, Devin switched the topic. “Do we have yeast?”
“Eh… maybe. Check the pantry. There’s a large tin box where I’ve thrown things I don’t know what to do with. I think there might be a bag of dry yeast.”
There was. A big one. “You bought a pound of dry yeast without knowing what to do with it?”
“It was on sale.”
Devin nodded. “Of course, makes perfect sense. Buy every item on sale.”
“I was hoping someone would know how to bake, but…” He shrugged. “Kitchen disasters the lot of them.”
Devin held in a laugh, but the disappointment on Murrie’s face made it hard. “Shouldn’t you get to bed?”
“I’ve slept for a few hours.”
“Oh? Early night?”
The grin told him differently. “We left early.”
Devin hurried to speak before Murrie shared any details. “Good for you. Now, do we need to have the talk?”
“The talk?” Murrie’s eyes were so wide it was hard to keep a straight face.
“Yes, the talk.” Devin’s voice was stern.
“I think it’s a bit late for the talk, little one.”
“Obviously not.” He patted the marble top of the kitchen island and glared at Murrie. “There are two appointments thirty minutes apart on your calendar and judging by the vague and incomplete notes concerning what those appointments are about, it’s not doable.”
Murrie gaped at him. “That’s the talk?”
“The most important talk you’ll ever have. We don’t double book in this household.”
The grin was instant, and Devin had a hard time holding on to his glare.
“We don’t?”
“No, we don’t.”
Murrie leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms. “It’s not my fault. Mars booked the Zoom meeting with Judge Alden. I had nothing to do with it. You have to take it up with him.”
Devin looked away. He wouldn’t talk to Mars.
Murrie sighed. “You can play with him too, you know? I know he comes across as… prickly at times, but he’s a good guy.”
Ignoring Murrie’s words, Devin scrolled on his phone until he found a recipe for breakfast rolls that looked good.
“The meeting with the judge is about Ezekiel.”
Forcing air into his lungs, Devin looked at him. “What about Ezekiel?”
“Mars wants to make sure he’s safely contained.”
Icy fear crept up his spine, making the hairs on his arms stand on end. “He’s… alive?”
Murrie shrugged. “We were hoping he’d be staked, but we haven’t received any information one way or the other.”
How could they not know? “Weren’t you the ones who prosecuted him?”
“We gather evidence, but we’re not the ones showing up in court.”
“And you don’t know what happens to the ones you bring in?”
Murrie shrugged. “He was taken to Terrena since it was where almost all blood slaves were taken. It’s on the other side of the country.”
Devin was aware it was on the other side of the country. “But… You don’t know?”
“You’re safe here, Devin. Mars only wants to make sure, but the judge is a bit… and doesn’t like Mars.”
What? “Why doesn’t he like Mars?”
Murrie sighed. “The judge tends to be a bit lenient with vampires, which makes Mars snarly and unable to suppress the need to inform the judge of his crappy rulings—his words, not mine. I don’t mind, but the judge would never agree to a meeting with Mars, so he booked one for me instead.” For several seconds, Murrie watched him. “I’ll reschedule the meeting in town.”
“Yeah, you better.” Devin measured the yeast he needed.
“Or you could do it while I sleep.”
Devin glared. “Is there a phone number?”
Murrie grinned. “You don’t have to. I survived for years without you.” Then he hesitated. “I’ll add it in the notes.”
Devin shook his head, but he didn’t mind sorting out Murrie’s schedule.
Ofelia Grand 