Welcome to the Share a Scare Halloween Blog Hop 2015. All the participants will be sharing something scary, be it scary fiction, a scary real life story or some scary art, so be sure to check out all the sites on the hop after you have seen our offering. (We are also part of the Trick-or-Treat Blog hop – scroll down further to see that as well)
We have taken part in All Hallows Read for the past three years and this year we wanted to continue, but also to have a blog hop which includes art and other scary things as well, hence the Share a Scare blog hop was born.
This year we are giving away our new eBook – Parting the Veil. It will be available for download for the entirety of the 31st Oct 2015, but after that it will be gone, so GET IT NOW below.
There are two versions of the book, one for visitors to the site and one for our subscribers with an extra story in it – if you would like the second version, please subscribe to our newsletter and the links will be sent to you.
Parting the VeilWorse than Death by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Death frightens everyone, but there are worse things than death lurking in dark corners.
Family Matters by Sophie Duncan
Julie is 14. She’s at boarding school while her mum and new husband are preparing for their first baby together. Abandoned alone at school for half term, Julie finds she has a new companion. Alice is a school girl like her, only, Alice is dead, and her intentions for Julie may prove fatal.
Geoffrey by Natasha Duncan-Drake
(Subscribers’ bonus story – to get the version of the book with this story in please subscribe to our mailing list)
Mel is house sitting for her best friend Beverly, but Beverly forgot to mention the family ghost before hand.
Download links:
Kindle | ePub | PDF
Many thanks to everyone who visited and downloaded our free offering. The giveaway is now over. Parting the Veil is now available on Amazon Kindle for 99c.
Instructions for those unfamiliar with uploading files to their eReader:
Kobo | Kindle | Nook (FAQ Library 12.)
Don’t forget to visit Sophie at Sophie’s Thoughts and Fumbles and Tasha at Tasha’s Thinings for more scares as well and then check out all the other participants in the hop.
Happy Halloween *cackles wildly*…
Today we are also part of The Trick-or-Treat Blog Hop – where the idea is to give away books instead of candy to those who comment.
Please comment and let us know which one you would like and whether you would like a Smashwords Code (with this option, if you lose the file you can always download it again) or a direct email of the book to you. Smashwords offer most formats and if you have the direct email you may choose Kindle, ePub or PDF – please choose when you comment.
Thanks to Jolie Du Pre over at Precious Monsters for organising this hop :D. Pop on over here to see the other blogs involved in the hop, who are all sharing excerpts from their Paranormal Romances too.
So, today we’re celebrating all things paranormally romantic, and we’re sharing excerpts from that genre. Ghosts, incubi, vampires, demons, we’ve written them all here at Wittegen Press, so today we’re sharing two excerpts from our multi-genre anthology, Myriad Imaginings. Plus, if you’re feeling wordy, we have a romantic crossword for you, both cryptic and quick clues [Please note – click continue reading below to see the crossword]. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway to win one of two copies of the Myriad Imaginings eBook as well.
So today we’re taking excerpts from Myriad Imaginings. This is a multi-genre anthology of short stories, which includes erotic romance stories. We have each chosen an excerpt from one of our paranormal romance stories.
Buy Links: Amazon | Smashwords | iBooks | Google Play | Nook | Kobo
Sophie Duncan
Arran lives in a world of magic, so his interest in the arcane sciences of the past is frowned upon. That is until he meets Lord Robert, master of the castle beyond the edge of Arran’s village. Robert is an unusual man, a immortal and powerful man, who shares Arran’s interest in the history, and Arran agrees to be his apprentice. Yet, with Robert comes Mark, his twin, an apparently much more dangerous creature, and Arran must meet each brother on his own terms.
This excerpt is taken from when Arran first meets Lord Mark.
~
What he found surpassed any legend and the way his heart threatened to beat out of his chest told him he was looking at Lord Mark. No human who had survived the magic wars had come out untouched by the power that had destroyed the past, but some had been more touched than others. The confident, eye-catching figure before Arran had Lord Robert’s sharp, young, handsome features, long dark hair and strong shoulders, but this was no man the like of which Arran had ever seen before.
Lord Mark’s skin held the palest of green hues, a trick of the light perhaps if not for the darker shadows glittering with silver that traced down from his hairline over the contours of his face, over a long neck and down under an unlaced white shirt that parted just enough to show off a muscled chest.
The legends said ‘demon’, ‘sex-monster’, protected from being hunted down like others of his kind by the power of his immortal brother. In the presence of the myth, however, Arran knew instantly this creature needed no protecting and his stomach knotted in a very different way to his original nerves. Arran swallowed hard and dropped his eyes.
Even without looking, Arran could still feel Lord Mark’s presence, his skin bristled with it and, more, his libido took notice. In that, he guessed, the legends might be true and, more to cover his own reactions than knowing what to do, Arran bowed.
Lord Mark’s reaction was unexpected, he laughed, and the deep, warm sound sent a skittering of nice feelings right down through Arran’s body, settling in his cock.
“Such manners,” his host observed and Arran tensed as he heard footsteps coming towards him.
He didn’t dare look up, his reaction would be all over his face and he had no doubt Lord Mark would see it. He did not want to offend his master’s brother before even taking up his new position, so he found himself staring at Lord Mark’s long, suede boots. They were very handsome boots, much like their owner – Arran tried to halt that thought before it carried on, but this close he could even smell his tempter, all man and musk, and his senses went spiralling outwards.
Arran’s magic was also reacting to whatever power this devil possessed and he had always been hopeless at controlling what little sorcery he had, so, he was forced to take the bull by the horns.
Carefully, Arran took a step back and then looked up. He forgot to breathe at that point, because he looked right into Lord Mark’s eyes and the tug on his soul was unmistakable. Bright blue irises flecked with decadent red drew him in and he felt his mind tumbling away, the blood descending rapidly from his brain to his trousers. Yet, before he could fall at this creature’s feet, something inside him stalled, and, defensively, he took a second step back and he blinked.
“My Lord,” he stammered at his smiling doom.
Lord Mark, thankfully, did not move closer again, which Arran knew would have been his downfall, but he did drag those unusual eyes up and down Arran’s body, which really didn’t help the way Arran’s trousers were becoming too tight.
“I thought my brother was mad when he announced he had invited one of the yokels into our home,” Lord Mark finally broke the silence and began to walk around Arran like he was on display, the sensation that attention generated would not have been altogether unpleasant had the situation been different. As it was, Arran ground his teeth and prayed for deliverance. “However, I can see the potential he saw in you. Do you think you have potential, Arran?”
The fact this nobleman had taken the time to learn his name did not pass Arran by. Nothing about the exotic magic within arms’ reach was passing Arran by and most of it was descending to his cock.
“Yes, My Lord,” Arran eventually replied, loaded question or not, choosing to answer it directly. “I want to learn.”
Lord Mark remained silent as he completed the rest of his circuit and Arran watched when the sorcerer came back into view. He’d been warned a thousand times by the old tales that, with strong magic came dark forces, but he had never experienced them before. The legends were true, Lord Mark was an incubus, Arran could feel that fire in his belly, but, as the creature came to a halt in front of him once more, that power ebbed a little and he knew the tease was over. As Arran settled back onto his heels, Lord Mark viewed him more seriously.
“Welcome to Castle St John, Arran,” the nobleman eventually offered and held out a hand.
Never having had a rich man hold out his hand to him before, it took Arran a moment to respond, but then he took the palm in his. He shivered as his magic leapt unexpectedly in his belly at the contact, but it felt good and he smiled.
“Thank you, My Lord,” Arran replied.
~
Natasha Duncan
Ewan works for an organisation that investigates and deals with paranormal threats and runs a team for them. Several months ago one of his team, Adam Craven, was injured in an explosion and left paralysed. They were on the brink of becoming more than simply friends, but the organisation’s rules have kept them apart since the accident. Prior to this excerpt Adam has been accosted by a shape changer in the form of a leopard in his garden, which spoke to and then bit him.
~
“Who’s there?” he asked, stretching his senses to try and pick up anything that might be hiding.
There was the click of something on the wooden floor from the far corner and he stood up slowly, eyes glued to the darkness. He lifted the table lamp off the desk, pointing it towards the dark corner, but before the light reached it a huge shape walked forward.
The cat was enormous and there was nowhere it could have come from. All that lay behind it was a wall. It looked up at him with intensely blue eyes surrounded by its inky coat and for a moment they just stared at each other. Those eyes seemed hauntingly familiar, but the shock of a leopard standing where none should have been able to be chased away the reason why in Ewan’s head.
“Adil,” Ewan called out loudly, breaking the silence and then the cat came straight at him.
He didn’t stand a chance as it leapt the desk with speed even a cat should not have had. Its teeth dug into his shoulder through the thin shirt he was wearing and pain blossomed through the whole left side of his body. As he fell, he and the cat went separate ways and he knew he would not have a second chance. Whatever it was, it had attacked him and he had to defend himself.
Pushing the pain away with long-practiced ease, he reached for anything that could be used as a weapon. The cat roared when he stabbed it with the pen from his desk, half going down as the pen imbedded itself in the creature’s leg. The letter opener hit home on the cat’s side as he used that as well and the beast staggered back.
It collapsed completely almost straight away, low sounds of distress coming from its mouth and Ewan scrambled away trying to gather his wits. His shoulder hurt, but there didn’t seem to be any major damage and he dragged himself to his feet just as Adil charged into the room, throwing the light switch.
“Wait!” he shouted as Adil immediately went to shoot the fallen creature.
The cat was lying there, half on its side, clearly in pain and it was not fighting. There was something all too familiar in the eyes that met his and Ewan knew he was not looking at an animal. Something was going on here, something he did not understand, but he knew he needed to.
“Who are you?” he demanded.
The cat made a low growling sound, something that made Ewan think of confusion rather than anything else. Now that he had a chance to think he realised that he may have been attacked, but if it had wanted to kill him, his throat would have been far more vulnerable than his shoulder. Everything seemed far too confusing.
Then he felt it, heat coming from the wound and his vision shifted strangely for a second.
“What, what did you do to me?”
He felt light headed and had to grab the side of the desk.
As if satisfied, the cat put its head down and made what could only be described as a sighing sound and went limp. It was either dead or unconscious and given that Ewan didn’t think he’d hit anything vital, he suspected the second. He wanted answers, but they definitely weren’t coming from that direction.
“Get Lilian,” he said in a bitten off tone, refusing to give in to the need to pass out.
Adil did not argue, but as the Arab turned towards the door something began to happen to the cat. For a moment Ewan thought his vision was playing tricks, but the way Adil stopped told him he wasn’t the only one.
First of all the fur began to get shorter, as if being absorbed, and then the body began to shift and change. There was the sound of twisting bone and cracking ligaments and before his eyes the cat became a man. A naked man with a scar on his leg, bleeding from the wounds Ewan had inflicted. A man with a very familiar face.
“Adam,” he whispered, not believing his eyes.
For a moment Ewan’s thoughts stopped in shock, but then he began thinking again.
“Get Natalie here as well,” he said, “we need to know who the hell that is.”
Adil disappeared through the door and Ewan moved himself along the desk, hanging on and concentrating on not letting whatever was moving through his veins get the better of him. The facsimile of Adam was completely still, pen through his upper arm, letter opener in his torso. He had to be alive, because all the wounds were still bleeding.
“Ewan,” Lilian ran into the room and came to a dead stop.
“It wasn’t Adam until a moment ago,” Ewan said immediately, “it was a leopard; Natalie is coming.”
Lilian clearly didn’t know what to do and stood there staring. They had left Adam in the hospital a little under three months ago and he could see all of Lilian’s protective instincts coming out.
“That’s Adam,” she said, but Ewan put his hand out as she went to step forward.
“It bit me,” he told her and for the first time she really seemed to look at him.
His shoulder was throbbing and he could feel blood running down his arm.
Natalie and Adil appeared through the door and distracted him from any further discussion.
“What is that?” Ewan asked without ceremony and pointed at the unconscious form on the floor.
Natalie appeared startled, but immediately narrowed her eyes, held out her hands and concentrated. She was the sensitive on the team and very good at spotting traps left by the hidden paranormal world. For several seconds her face was completely focused without any distinctive expression and then she looked honestly shocked.
“That is Adam Craven,” she said, almost as if she did not believe her own conclusion.
Ewan swore and Lilian moved instantly.
“Adam,” Lilian said, falling to her knees beside her prone friend.
There was no indication from Adam that the younger man had heard and Ewan tried to take another step forward. The room span alarmingly and he started to fall, only missing the edge of the desk because Adil caught him.
“Patch him up,” he just about managed to say as darkness began to close in around his vision. “We need … need …”
Any justification he was trying to give died on his lips as whatever had been in the bite saturated his brain completely. Blackness reached up to claim him and all he could do was fall into it and surrender.
~*~
They could not call a doctor, that much was a given, but Adil was well versed in general first aid. Natalie took over when Ewan collapsed, which did not make Lilian very comfortable, but it meant she did not have to make any of the hard decisions. Adil saw to Ewan first, but there was little they could do except put him to bed and hope. The bite was not deep and other than disinfectant there was nothing to be done.
Adam on the other hand required triage.
“This is already healing,” Adil said, short and to the point as ever after removing the pen.
“How can that be?” Lilian asked, leaning over to see.
Adam had never healed fast; Adam has been a perfectly normal human being with just the faintest touch of precognition (if the wind was blowing in the right direction and the stars aligned as he had been so fond of saying). Yet, there, right in front of her was the proof. The hole in Adam’s arm was bloody, but it was already scabbing over.
“Clean the wounds,” Natalie said, “then keep an eye on them. I want to know what the hell is going on.”
Lilian wanted to protest, but it seemed to be the only course of action. She was worried about Ewan and about Adam and it all seemed completely crazy. Shape changers were born they weren’t created, it was a fundamental principle and it seemed to have been broken. That Adam could have done something drastic after discovering he was paralysed did occur to her, but she didn’t think he was that stupid.
For a chance to win one of two copies of Myriad Imaginings, simply leave a comment and enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Winners will be drawn on Thursday.
Continue reading Paranormal Romance Blog Hop: Give Us Your Best Excerpt!
Meet Kira Roltof, or rather Jasmin Welby at the moment because she’s undercover. Kira’s an assassin with a sense of humour that’s almost as dangerous as she is. When hunting down her targets it helps that she’s a vampire/werewolf hybrid and has been at the killing game for over seventy years. Practice makes perfect and all that jazz.
Of course her combined species status could just as easily get her killed as help her out. If either the vampires or the werewolves figure out she’s both, she’ll never be safe again.
Her latest target is a Mafia big shot. Nothing she can’t handle easily, except she runs into a little snag of the vampire persuasion at the end of the job.
Assassin’s Blood is a short story full of paranormal intrigue and action with a little bit of romance to round it off.
B, a djinn/banshee low fae, runs Darwell Cleaning Services, a business that specializes in tidying up magical crime scenes. She’s managed her company with her friend and business partner, Jean, for over one hundred years without any complaints, or problems. She keeps her head down and offers a job to those whom higher fae look down on for their lack of personal magic.
B and her team are expecting an ordinary night of clean-up when they arrive at the aftermath of a spell battle in the middle of an English woodland. However, when a terrified djinn boy appears in the middle of their job, B finds the mix of her djinn and banshee instincts, which she normally keeps under strict control, beginning to rise. The boy is not alone, he is being chased by criminals intent on selling him to become a genie, the same gang who took B’s father a century earlier.
B must struggle with her own unsettled powers and fight the slavers for the boy’s freedom, risking her own life and those of her friends in the process.
Curse of a Banshee is fast-paced fantasy taking a fresh look at ancient powers in a contemporary British setting.
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The Avebury Legacy (Vampires: The New Age #1) is a dark fantasy novel full of excitement, action, a touch of romance and some really nasty vampires. I like to think of it as like Tomb Raider with vampires and way more magic.
You can read the first page of the book over at BooksGoSocial.com and/or you can check out the whole first chapter at The Avebury Legacy’s book listing on this site: Wittegen Press, or use the look inside functionality over at Amazon or download the 20% sample at Smashwords. There are also sample options on all sites where the book is listed that offer that service, so you can try before you buy on which ever device you like to read.
The story below is set between the 1st and 2nd chapters of the book, but you don’t need to have read it to understand it. In fact, I hope the fic will entice you to try out the novel. Thank you very much for reading, comments are always welcome. Enjoy! (If you would like to know more about Nate, I have written a blog post all about him over at my personal blog).
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
“Laven residence,” came the familiar tones of his mother’s telephone voice.
She still sounded as English as the day they had emigrated and he doubted anything would ever change that.
“Hi, Mum,” he replied.
He’d never picked up the American ‘mom’ pronunciation, even thought he’d lived in the US so long. Some things had been hardwired into his brain after nine years growing up in England and it always seemed to please his mother for some reason. It always reminded him of those formative years and invariably brought back his accent so it was a bewildering mixture of English and American. He never did it with anyone else, just his family.
“Nate, how lovely to hear from you,” she said. She sounded happy, but a little cross at the same time, one of her specialities. “You realise you forgot your father’s birthday?”
“I know, I know, I’m sorry, work was crazy,” he apologised; he had been tracking an alpha and a spawn at the time and had totally failed to remember the family anniversary while trying not to die. “Tell him to check his email, I’ve sent something through.”
“I’m sure he’ll forgive you,” she told him, “especially if it’s anything to do with fishing. I don’t know what it is with you two and blood sports.”
Nate found himself smiling; the conversation always went along the same lines. When he had visited home once, soon after taking up vampire hunting, she had found a small stash of his weapons he had carelessly left in the back of his car, so she was convinced he liked hunting big game. He had shot the odd deer in his time, but only so he could eat it. Occasionally hunting the undead took him way off the beaten track.
“He throws back all the fish, Mum,” he said, “I don’t think you can really call it a blood sport.”
“And have you killed anything lately?”
“Nothing that wasn’t trying to kill me, promise,” he replied.
“Nathaniel,” his mother’s stern tone came back.
“No, really, I told you, I gave that up, it was only a phase,” he said. “I haven’t killed anything with a heartbeat in over a year.”
Both statements were technically true. There was no way he was ever letting his parents know what horrors lurked in the dark. He had made sure their house was warded against vampires the first time he had visited after he had discovered the creatures existed and they were never going to find out the truth. He hunted vampires so no one else had to find out like he had, covered in the blood of his best friend.
“And how’s the job?” his mother asked.
His parents thought he was a business consultant with a huge firm that kept him constantly travelling all over North America. It was kind of true, if you allowed that the business was burning vampires or chopping off their heads or staking them out in the sun. He wasn’t exactly employed by a firm, but Macintyre could be looked on as the C.E.O. of a company with a hell of a lot of contracting specialists.
“Going really well,” he replied. “I just landed a huge account in Canada. I’m heading up there today to close the deal. Should end up with a great bonus, so expect a big hamper next Christmas.”
“I’d prefer you instead,” was the instant response, “and you know you can come home before that anytime.”
He hadn’t been home since he was infected.
“And I will try, I promise,” he said, even though he was lying through his teeth.
Glancing over, he looked at his red vampire eyes in the mirror on the other side of the motel bed. There was no way he was going home until he and Lexie found the cure.
“Look,” he lied again, “they’ll be calling my flight soon so I have to go. Give my love to Dad and Georgie.”
“Call again soon, Nate,” his mother replied, “I love you.”
“Love you too, Mum, sorry, gotta go,” he said and pulled the phone away from his ear.
He hated lying to his family, but they were better out of the world he lived in.
“Everything okay?” Lexie asked as she came out of the bathroom.
He smiled a little sadly and nodded. At least he still had phone calls; Lexie hadn’t even spoken to her parents since she was attacked and left with the vampire curse. He really hoped they would find answers in Canada, because they were running out of time. The last thing he wanted for his mother was for her to have to bury an empty coffin and never know what really happened to him. If he died a hunter at least Macintyre would make sure his parents got his ashes, or at least something pretending to be his ashes. If he died a monster he’d just disappear. That was the way his world worked.
This story was inspired by the prompt for this week’s Drabble Cascade over at FB3X:
Today we have a feast of fiction for you with something of a horrific twist. We do hope you’ll stay for the fright fest.
This year we are celebrating with 3 different Halloween frighteners:
All Hallows Read is a Halloween tradition supported by Neil Gaiman where the idea is to give someone a scary book on Halloween. We have been playing along for two years, publishing a book of two scary short stories every year since 2012. This year we have done the same and our book will be available free all day today for all our Halloween visitors.
Cursed – A Horror Collection by Natasha Duncan-Drake and Sophie Duncan
If Wishes Were … by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Essie and her friend Beth are taking a trip to commiserate Beth’s loss of yet another boyfriend. When they visit a spooky old graveyard and Essie makes a wish on a haunted mausoleum things don’t turn out how she expected at all.
Happy Families by Sophie Duncan
Bridget loves Happy Families, so when she finds and old pack in a junk shop she buys them. She lives to regret it as strange and nasty things start to happen to her house-mates.
Cursed – A Horror Collection can be downloaded from the following places.
Sophie is sharing her thoughts about Halloween and joining in these blog hops over on Sophie’s Thoughts & Fumbles. And Tasha has another short scare for you over her Tasha’s Thinkings.
For the Trick-or-Treat Book blog hop, we’re doubling up with All Hallow’s Read and our free give away is Cursed: A Horror Collection, however, we’ve also put together some great Halloween offers on our other books. All of our books with either a horror of paranormal bent are 99c or free at Smashwords for this spooky time of year.
Each book which is discounted has an offer code listed below, just take this code and put it in when you checkout at Smashwords and the book price will be reduced in your basket.
Please note we only guarantee the discount codes will work on the 31st October, so if you pick up our treats, please use them immediately.
Then for the Halloween Blog Hop we have written little drabbles (100 word stories) to go with each book in our catalogue with some aspect of horror or paranormal.
Click each link below to expand and see book details, the drabble and any offer to go with the book.
The Burning Web by Sophie Duncan
A ghost story to haunt you all.
Smashwords Offer Code: NF36L- reduced to 99c 
for all other buying options (no offer) please click here
by Sophie Duncan
Author’s Note: This short concentrates on one of the minor characters from The Burning Web. It isn’t only Tris who feels uncomfortable.
Craig knelt up, stretched the kink in his back and reached behind for his wrench. When his hand closed on air, he glanced, saw empty floor and bit his lip. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, his skin chilled and he looked rapidly back to his work. Two months of working in this bloody place and the hokum never got easier. He’d never have admitted it to the others, they’d have laughed in his face, but he felt her: he was sure it was a her.
He hadn’t seen her, but she was here, Craig knew.
The Trade by Natasha Duncan-Drake
An explicit story of demons and magic set in a dystopian future.
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Author’s note: This drabble happens just after the events of the book.
As Karon left the city ruins, he turned and looked back one last time. It seemed as if it had been an age since he had allowed his guard down quite as much as he had just done with Lilaro and he missed it already.
The world was a dangerous place. Demons would take the unwary, even a vampire as powerful as him if he let his vigilance lapse. His tryst with the sex demon had been good for his spirit as well as his strength.
Turning forward, he urged his horse into motion; such luxury was behind him now.
In The Event of Death by Natasha Duncan-Drake and Sophie Duncan
Two short stories to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand all the way up.
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Author’s note: This is a short drabble about what Eustace was up to before we meet him in The Visitor.
“Och aye the noo,” Eustace shouted and leapt out of the cupboard.
The man standing in front of the sink shivered and looked round, but otherwise failed to react suitably.
“Dammit all,” Eustace said and sighed heavily.
He’d been trying to get more than a shudder out of the dense idiot since the man had moved in for his week’s stay. At least, he supposed, with a holiday cottage his audience kept changing. It was annoying not being noticed.
“See you later, Boyo,” he said and walked through the wall; maybe the wife would scream if he tipped something over.
by Sophie Duncan
Author’s Note: This rhyme is insidious.
“Ruderbaker, Ruderbaker, one, two, three. Ruderbaker, Ruderbaker, can’t get me!” Freddie repeated to himself, hands over his ears, staring at the ground of the graveyard.
The other kids had danced around him singing that awful rhyme, ‘Ruderbaker, Ruderbaker, one, two, three. Ruderbaker, Ruderbaker, can’t get me.’, turning him around, throwing his glasses into the long grass. But he hadn’t sung it, he’d never sing it, he’d changed the end.
“You’re right, I can’t,” a whisper slipped into his mind; Freddie whined. “But do you want to get them for leaving you here?”
He nodded quickly.
“Then say my rhyme.”
The End of the Journey by Sophie Duncan
Demons and magic in a YA tale of courage and trust.
Smashwords Offer Code: SP64X – reduced to 99c
for all other buying options (no offer) please click here
by Sophie Duncan
Author’s Note: This story is set between the first and second books in the series.
All Hallows’ Eve had always been a busy time for Damon. Not for games, though. When Zac threw open the door of their safe house wearing a skeleton mask and making woo-woo’s at a bunch of giggly, costumed children, he peered round the kitchen doorway to watch, perturbed.
“Not your thing, D?”
Rosie made him jump as she passed him. He gave her a sour glance, but her face said she was in earnest.
“The Veil is thin tonight: Demon-raisers captured souls not fed children sugar,” he replied.
“We watch, Boy,” Luke muttered, wandering in, “but we have fun too.”
The Vampire’s Concubine by Sophie Duncan
A series of short stories full of sex, vampires and mystery.
by Sophie Duncan
Author’s Note: The concubines of the harem share a spooky tale.
“You look perturbed, Janus, Sweetie.” Yan surprised the junior concubine when he sat beside him on the chaise and draped an arm round him.
Those dusky cheeks flushed,Janus looked at the floor. Gray laughed as he respectfully offered a goblet of wine to Yan.
“Janus is scared,” Campion informed him with relish. “We told him about the spirit in the old garden.”
“That was mean,” Yan chastised, only lightly though, he could not afford to show too much favouritism. Instead he cajoled, “Ghosts don’t exist, Janus.”
The youth shivered, despite the reassurance.
“I’ve seen it,” came the unexpected admission.
Out of the Frying Pan by Natasha Duncan-Drake
An explicit story of a chef, a vampire and betrayal.
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Author’s note: This drabble happens just after the events of the book.
Dan was concentrating very hard on plating his new dish, so he felt rather than saw someone come up behind him.
“That is very elegant,” Cathal’s familiar tones greeted him as he worked. “Does it taste as good as it looks?”
“That’s what you’re going to tell me,” he replied and stood up.
He stilled as he realised Cathal was so close they were almost touching. The familiar spark of attraction ignited in his belly at the lack of personal space. Sooner rather than later they were going to have to acknowledge whatever it was between them; it was distracting.
The Avebury Legacy (Vampires: The New Age #1) by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Dark fantasy with very nasty vampires and lots of excitement and magic set in contemporary times.
The Beginning (Vampires: The New Age prequel #1) 99c
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Author’s note: This drabble is set just before The Avebury Legacy begins and is the hunt mentioned in the first scene.
Nate held his breath, remaining perfectly still, and Lexie screamed on cue. The one remaining spawn came charging through the battered old door as if it wasn’t there; pine never fared well up against vampires.
Lexie instantly lifted the crossbow she was holding and Nate closed in from behind. The spawn never even had a chance as Lexie shot it and Nate swung his sword. The bolt buried itself in the creature’s chest with a wet thud and the sharp blade sliced through its neck like butter.
“Job done,” Lexie said and grinned as the head bounced across the floor.
When Darkness Beckons by Natasha Duncan-Drake and Sophie Duncan
Two short stories to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand all the way up.
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Author’s note: This is a short drabble about how Miles became a Soul Catcher
It had to have been three days by now, with no water, no food and no light. Mile’s anger was gone, along with his strength and he lay, slumped in the corner. The only thing that felt remotely real anymore was the jewel in his hand; the one his father had pressed there before slamming the door.
It was peaceful now and there was a brightness growing in the corner. It drew him in as if he was floating.
Then he burned. He felt a snap as his sight flashed red and suddenly his strength returned and he sat up.
by Sophie Duncan
Author’s Note: Even werewolves can get scared.
“You believe in ghosts?”
Jake turned his head and looked at the teenage face lit up expectantly by the campfire’s light. A chill ran down his spine, so he took a hasty swig of beer. It had been a long time since he’d thought about that ghostly night in the warehouse.
“Red, don’t bother your father,” Julia’s voice chided gently.
“I think I saw one.”
Jake paid more attention to his son then. He recognised disquiet. He remembered his own.
“A hunter, from the trouble times. Do you believe, Dad?”
He drew in a difficult breath.
“Yes,” he replied quietly.
The Soul Reader Series by Natasha Duncan-Drake
A series of free short stories and bargain price novellas full of sex, vampires and John, who is human, but unusual.
John knows that at best he can be described as a male escort and at worst as a whore, but it’s what he does and he’s good at it. He sells his body and his clients come with fangs so it’s more about blood than sex.
Forgotten Soul (Soul Reader #1) Price: FREE for all downloading options please click here
Forbidden Soul (Soul Reader #2) Price: 99c for all buying options please click here
Fortunate Soul (Soul Reader #3) Price: FREE for all downloading options please click here
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Author’s Note: This drabble takes place shortly after book #3 to lead in to #4.
The trip to the solicitors had been nerve wracking, but at least it had cleared up a few things for John. He was really beginning to feel like a person again. He had his name back, his flat and everything else. He was coming back.
“Are you sure you don’t want a solicitor with you when you talk to the police?” Michael asked, sitting down beside him.
“Yes,” he replied. “Mum says DI Willis is a good guy and I don’t want to piss him off.”
Thinking about it made his stomach churn, but it was the next logical step.
Bright Young Things by Sophie Duncan and Natasha Duncan-Drake
Five young adult speculative fiction stories, including some with a horror edge.
by Sophie Duncan
Author’s note: Ben is still getting used to his instincts. This is a sequel to Samling Born.
Luka wandered into the living room to find Ben in their kitchenette looking down at a very large sandwich. Luka’s nose twitched with rich scents of roasted pork, curried chicken, pickle, mustard, and even lettuce. He murmured amusement and strolled over to the counter.
“Midnight snack?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” Ben huffed, eyes flicking to the moonlight streaming in through the window. “Am I really this hungry?”
Not for the first time since his turning, Ben looked lost. Luka smiled.
“Probably,” he shrugged. “It’s only been 48hrs. We’re still adapting.”
Ben looked a bit happier. He pointed at his creation.
“Wanna share?”
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Author’s note: This is a drabble for my story Lost Kitty – just a little something short and sweet :).
“Don’t look so worried,” Anna said and grinned.
“I’m not supposed to be here,” Lani pointed out, shifting nervously from one foot to the other.
“It’s Halloween,” Anna replied; “you’ll fit in perfectly.”
Then she grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the door. Since the whole incident with the MiBs, Lani and she had kept in touch via the necklace and she had invited him to visit secretly only the previous week. With his ears and tail he looked like he had the most awesome costume.
Anna was sure nothing bad would happen; it was the perfect set up.
Supernature by Sophie Duncan and Natasha Duncan-Drake
Five paranormal romance stories with explicit content
Smashwords Offer Code: QN44H- reduced to 99c
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by Sophie Duncan
Author’s note: New mirror, new reflection. This drabble takes place after the events in Girl In The Mirror.
“What a gorgeous mirror, where did you find it?” Louise gushes at me.
I just smile: I shan’t tell her it was in the house when I bought it.
“Aren’t those attachments?”
My sister-in-law reaches up to the mirror’s brass fittings.
“Yes, it used to belong to a dressingtable, I believe.”
“How clever of you to adapt it.”
Again, I say nothing. Louise bounces off, waving at my other housewarming guests. I check my cute new bob in the mirror. For a second that isn’t my reflection. I blink. It’s me again. Chills run down my spine. I back off.
by Natasha Duncan-Duncan
Author’s note: This drabble is a very short follow on from The Vampire Who Loved Me.
Jack stepped out of the car and looked up at the nondescript building. It hadn’t changed except for a new coat of paint.
“Ready?” Sarah asked.
He wasn’t really, but he nodded anyway. They had left Gavin at Sarah’s flat and it was time for Jack to come in from the cold. He wasn’t really sure how his previous employers were going to receive him, but he did his best to hide his nerves.
They walked into the building together and security let them through surprisingly quickly.
“Welcome home, Jack,” Sarah said as she showed him into the main office.
Book of Darkness by Sophie Duncan and Natasha Duncan-Drake
Six horror stories to spook and scare all horror fans.
Smashwords Offer Code: DR49D – reduced to 99c
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by Sophie Duncan
Author’s note: Danger comes from the most innocent things. This drabble was inspired by the short story BFF.
“Give me the doll, Darling.”
“No, no!”
“You know what Dr Holstrum said, she’s bad for you.”
“She’s mine!”
“Just put her in the box, Sweetie.”
“She’s my friend! No!”
“Then sit her on the counter, just for a minute, so we can talk.”
“I know what you do. You want to trick us!”
“I want to help you, Darling. Just put down the doll.”
“No, not ever!”
“Darling…put down the knife. Come on, Sweetie, it’s me, Kevin, your husband.”
“Leave us alone.”
“Marissa, please!”
“You go away. We don’t need you!”
“Put down the knife…Marissa…Darling. No!!!”
by Natasha Duncan-Duncan
Author’s note: This doesn’t go with any specific story in the book, but it is the same genre.
“Good morning, Mr Langdon, how are you feeling this morning?”
John looked up at the mirrored glass in front of him.
“I just want to go home.”
“Of course, but you must be well first. Did you dream about your wife again?”
“Yeah, when she attacked me after…”
“She died?”
John nodded.
“It’s amazing isn’t it,” her aide said as Dr Hallow’s turned off the mic and marked her observations on her clipboard.
“Amazing and tragic,” she replied. “Release the rabbits, please. He still believes he’s alive.”
Behind the glass Langdon fell on the animals mindlessly.
“Until he smells prey.”
The Other Half of Everything by Sophie Duncan
14 stories of all genres written by Sophie Duncan, including fantasy, horror, paranormal, sci-fi and more.
Smashwords Offer Code: TK36U- reduced to 99c
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by Sophie Duncan
Author’s note: It’s cold, it’s dark, it’s haunted. This drabble takes place just before the events of Song For A Sovereign.
The wind howled round the rocks and, wrapping her cloak tighter, Beriel shifted closer to Gaven on their log. The old man gave her a disdainful look.
“It’s cold!” Beriel defended herself tartly.
It wasn’t really the cold that was bothering her, though. She’d heard stories about these hills: ghosts wandered them, spectres of travellers lost in storms that could strike without warning.
“Then go get more wood for the fire,” Gaven ordered.
Beriel stiffened. Gaven glared.
“A sorcerer has no call to be afraid of superstitions,” Gaven sniffed.
Beriel sniffed back.
“Well I’m only an apprentice, you’re the sorcerer.”
Half of Everything by Natasha Duncan-Drake
14 stories of all genres written by Natasha Duncan-Drake, including fantasy, horror, paranormal, sci-fi and more.
Smashwords Offer Code: MB25R- reduced to 99c
for all other buying options (no offer) please click here
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Author’s note: This is another one where I decided to go with the horror genre rather than writing a drabble for a specific story in the book.
Melissa could see the dark shape by the wall out of the corner of her eye, but she did not dare turn her head. She could feel it watching her; knew that’s what it most wanted.
She had woken from a deep sleep, the light from a streetlamp partially illuminating the room, and she had almost simply glanced around. But she had felt it: the evil. It made her nerves prickle and her body feel like lead. Instinctively she recognised one glance was all it would need. It was pure malice.
It lurked, waiting for her to acknowledge its existence.
Myriad Imaginings by Natasha Duncan-Drake and Sophie Duncan
31 stories of all genres including fantasy, horror, paranormal, sci-fi and more.
Smashwords Offer Code: QJ77L- reduced to 99c
for all other buying options (no offer) please click here
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Author’s note: Another horror drabble from me. Hope it creeps you out :).
Hiding under the covers made you safe. It was a rule every child knew and understood. It was a shame no one mentioned that it only worked before you were grown up.
When the ghost glided through the wall, Sam had instinctively dived for safety, phone clutched in a death grip in her hand. The phone’s screen now illuminated everything beneath the duvet: her breath clouding in white puffs ; her shivering frame; the laughing little cats on her ridiculous pyjamas; the ghost’s rotting arm sticking through the covers and its tattered, horrific fingers curled possessively around her shaking wrist.
by Sophie Duncan
Author’s note: Eddie’s professionalism takes a knock. This story takes place before the events in Undercover.
Eddie didn’t normally watch the other strippers, but he was waiting for Den at the bar and the opening notes of ‘Sweet Transvestite’ caught his attention. He looked up at the stage as Col strutted out into the spotlight. The crowd cheered and Eddie’s skin broke into goosebumps.
His attention closed down to the lithe, gyrating body, the beat throbbing through his own muscles and Eddie realised why Col got the good tips. Eddie licked his lips: this was so unprofessional. Still he watched: the elegant arch of Col’s back, the glint in the other dancer’s eye.
Eddie was hooked.
Night Blood by Sophie Duncan
A YA novel of vampires, kidnapping, secrets and exciting adventure.
Smashwords Offer Code: RW44E- reduced to 99c
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by Sophie Duncan
Author’s Note: Even vampires can be scared of the dark. This story takes place after Night Blood #1.
Finding himself wandering around the manor halls alone at night was not something unusual for Tom. The government staff maintained shifts, but there were always fewer people around in the wee hours. Tom liked it like that.
He sat in the library with a book on his lap, but he’d stopped reading and he didn’t know why. He listened to the creeks of the house, peering into the dark outside the pool of his reading lamp and the hairs on the back of his neck lifted.
Night vision, or not, he was still a little bit scared of the dark.
The Diablo Ouija by Sophie Duncan
Short horror story to go with The Haward Mysteries.
FREE for all downloading options please click here
by Sophie Duncan
Author’s Note: The magical world doesn’t believe in ghosts, but Remy’s not so sure. This story takes place the night after the Diablo Ouija.
Remy paced his room, hearing on alert for every groan the old manor made, eyes flicking to each shadow.
“Remy?”
He spun to find Theo in his doorway. He grimaced. Theo walked into the room and stopped in front of him, expression neutral except for sympathy in his twin’s eyes.
“Ghosts don’t exist!” burst out of Remy in quick time.
He huffed.
“There were ghosts last night, weren’t there?”
Theo looked torn. That worried Remy: there wasn’t much that left Theo undecided.
“Want me to sleep here tonight?” Theo asked with a shrug.
Embarrassed, but relieved, Remy nodded quickly once.
Face of the Dead by Natasha Duncan-Drake
An explicit male/male story with ghosts and a twist in the tale.
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Author’s note: This drabble is set in the middle of the story and is a scene I had in my head, but decided did not need to be on the page until now.
Miles actually felt himself twitch as it came again: tap, scrape. He was clenching his jaw so hard it hurt.
It was ridiculous. It was probably just some damned bird, or someone with a stick and sick, twisted sense of humour, but he could not for the life of him make himself look. The curtains remained a blessing and a curse as they barred him from seeing the truth.
Tap, scrape.
This time he shot out of bed; he had had enough. Grabbing the duvet and his pillow, he ran for the door, thudding downstairs into the warm, inviting kitchen.
The Need In Me by Sophie Duncan
A ghost story to tingle the spine with male/male explicit content.
99c for all buying options please click here
by Sophie Duncan
Author’s Note: This story takes place after the events in The Need In Me.
Flat door open, Buki found Rob where he had left him before going to an audition, at the easel, painting furiously. His boyfriend had been in a creative fervour since they had returned from Cornwall. That had meant days of artistic madness and some passionate nights as well.
Buki walked up behind Rob, wrapping his arms around the paint-strewn boiler suit Rob had brought back with them too. Rob leant easily back into him. Buki smiled, seeing Rob’s painting over his boyfriend’s shoulder. A broken tree in an unpeopled moorscape – only they could understand the joy within that image.
Chip Off the Old Block? by Natasha Duncan-Drake
An explicit male/male story with lots of humour and the Anti-Christ.
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Author’s note: Hope you enjoy this glimpse of Owen and David once they have left school behind.
“Dammit,” Owen complained loudly as the doorbell rang just as he was beginning to peel David out of his clothes.
“I’ll see who it is,” his boyfriend offered and ran out of the bedroom of their new flat.
Things had been quite exciting since school and Owen had just landed his breakout part in a film. The flat was the first he had bought with his own money.
“Um, it’s for you,” David said in rather a strangled tone as he was shoved through the door by a man holding a shotgun and a cross.
“Oh not again,” said Owen.
So you’re trick-or-treating. What costume are you wearing and why?
This is a Damon Wulfres drabble – a story of exactly 100 words to go with my series The Hidden War. It is set between the end of the first story, The End of the Journey, and the beginning of the second, A New Path. I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you very much for visiting today.
by Sophie Duncan
Damon got up and plodded sleepily over to his door. He flicked the light switch – nothing. Groaning, he turned and began feeling his way round his room for an alternative light-source. Half asleep still, he didn’t realise he was reaching out with more than fingers when, with a fizzing sound, a candle on the safe-house room’s mantle flickered into life.
Power tingled through him. Fascinated by it, Damon wandered over, examining the wick. However, his door slammed open. Zac’s worried voice demanded, “Damon?”
Despite his boyfriend’s worry, the strange, but comfortable feeling held sway. Damon turned, shrugged and smiled.
~*~
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| The End of The Journey (The Hidden War #1) |
This is a Nate Laven drabble – a story of exactly 100 words to go with my series Vampires: The New Age. It is short and sweet and I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you very much for visiting today.
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Nate’s torch was in a hundred pieces and so a candle he had found was his only available light. When it went out with a small puff of smoke, he glared at the slightly glowing wick in betrayal.
Luckily his reflexes kicked in. Dropping the useless wax, he fell down onto one knee and brought his sword around in a swift arc. Spawn really were predictable and there was a satisfying scream as blade met flesh. Pulling a flare from his belt, he lit it and ran; he wasn’t stupid enough to stick around to see if it was dead.
~*~
Vampires: The New Age is a collection of books which detail what happens when the line between hunters and vampires becomes more than a little blurred and old legends and relics are needed again in the modern world.
When you’re a vampire hunter infected with vampirism your life expectancy is short. Nate’s a hunter and Lexie’s a witch and they have less than six months before Lexie’s magic can no longer delay the symptoms and keep them at least partially human.
N.B. If you are willing to give The Avebury Legacy and honest review you can get The Beginning absolutely free. See The Avebury Legacy listing for more details.
This is a short fiction for contemporary fantasy series, The Haward Mysteries. A drabble is a fiction of exactly 100 words.
by Sophie Duncan
Most people had no idea what it meant to be a twin and Theo didn’t think about it very often, his fraternal bond with Remy just was. A knowing, an innate understanding of each other, a oneness that transcended all else.
Theo snorted to himself as that last thought sounded pretentious, even to him. Philosophy was all very well, but what it came down to was the fact that he was ‘the sensible twin’, the cleaner-up of Remy’s ‘oopses’.
He smiled ruefully to himself and bent to help Remy up from the magical heap his brother had just landed in.
~*~
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This is a Charlie Waterman drabble – a story of exactly 100 words to go with my series The Chronicles of Charlie Waterman. It is short and sweet and I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you very much for visiting today.
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
For Charlie, the greatest comfort he had as a Questor was that, no matter what the situation, all of them would unite when needed. Be it imminent danger or simply cheering up a friend, each of them was there for the others.
All seven of them had been chosen and when they were called they came.
He was beginning to think of their little group as a family, but he couldn’t help hoping that didn’t make him and Alexander the mum and dad. If it did he had a horrible suspicion he was the mother or rather the mother hen.
~*~
The Chronicles of Charlie Waterman is a set of YA style novels designed to be exciting, light reads for a crossover audience. They are filled with magic, adventure and a well developed sense of fun. Charlie is an ordinary 18 year old whose whole life is turned upside down when he is attacked by a two inch cat figurine. Magic was not in his plans, but he soon learns reality is not quite as straightforward as he thought.
