Today's Spooktacular Spotlight Author is Rozlyn Sparks!
She's here with her debut release, FANGIRL!
When blood is food, a jealous master controls your every move, and death comes to anyone you get close to; love is not a luxury you can afford.
Kendra Michaels has tried to follow the rules of her newfound immortal life, but can’t give up on her favorite band, Normal Paradox. She’s followed their success since they were just a small-town band playing coffee shops and local bars. She’s their number one fan and loves everything about them: their music, their lyrics, and especially their lead singer, Marcus Redmond.
He’s the perfect package, with a voice that sizzles and hot body to match. Marcus is the object of all of Kendra’s wildest fantasies, but deep down she knows she can never be Mrs. Rockstar.
For years, she’s kept watch on the band, always careful to keep her distance. Then one night she makes a tragic mistake that puts her directly in Marcus’s path. Literally.
Their encounter leaves the rockstar’s life and the band’s future hanging in the balance and only Kendra can make things right again.
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How About A Sample
It’s time to come home, darlin’, a voice whispered in Kendra’s mind. She woke from a sound
sleep and shot up in bed. Her heart pounded in her ears as she scanned the
room, looking for any signs of her old master.
Light crept in from the edges of the
curtained windows. Kendra breathed a sigh of relief seeing it. It was daytime,
and Hector would be sleeping just as she had been. “It’s just a dream,” she
reasoned, and tried to lie back down to sleep.
But sleep wouldn’t come. Between
thoughts of Hector and Marcus, her mind was abuzz with activity.
Hours passed in semi-silence. Kendra
watched small particles of dust dance in the shafts of light streaming in
through the edges of the curtains. Midday light was powerful, more intense;
harsher and brighter. She endured the small tingling sting at her skin as she
waved her hand in the stream of light.
“What are you doing?” Marcus’s voice
startled her.
She turned to find him leaning against
the doorframe, with his arms crossed and his head cocked to the side. His
tee-shirt clung to his body like a second skin, outlining his pecs and six-pack
abs.
“Just passing time.” Kendra sighed
serenely, enjoying the view. She couldn’t believe, after all this time, she was
here with him. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
“I could ask you the same thing. Aren’t
vamps supposed to—”
“What?” she asked with a playful smirk.
“Sleep in coffins?”
“Well, maybe just sleep.” Marcus
laughed.
“I don’t need as much rest as you
think.”
“What are you doing in the light?”
“I like to feel the warmth sometimes.”
She passed her hand through the shaft of light again and giggled. “It kind of
tingles.”
“So the no sunlight thing is true?”
“For the most part, yeah.” Kendra
frowned. “I can handle the dawn, with a bit of help. You know, sunglasses and
all that, but midday is completely out of the question.”
“What’s it like?” Marcus looked on her
with a questioning gaze, and Kendra found herself entranced, getting lost in
the beautiful hazel of his eyes. They were like sparkling gems that shifted
color in the light, first blue, then green, with hints of brown and yellow.
Sadness crept into to her thoughts. She realized if she stayed with him, and
the bond became stronger, he’d want to be turned. She might want him to turn too.
If that happened the beautiful hazel would be lost, washed out and faded to the
pale bluish gray all vampires shared.
“Don’t ask me what it’s like.” The
playfulness left her voice. “You don’t want to know.”
Marcus took a step into the room. His
ankle sagged and he stumbled. In a burst of supernatural speed, Kendra was at
his side, steadying him before he hit the ground.
“Careful, you still need to rest.”
“I don’t feel so bad. A little dizzy,
that’s all.” Marcus draped his arms around Kendra’s shoulder, allowing her to
hold him up. His scent wafted to her nose, that tantalizing earthy masculine
scent that was all him. She savored it, inhaling slowly as she helped him to
the bed.
“I took a little more than I should
have from you last night. You need to lie down and allow your body to
recuperate.”
Marcus leaned back into the mattress,
propping himself up on his elbows. “I can’t get you out of my head... Why?” He
stared up at her, meeting her eyes with a look that begged for answers she
couldn’t give him.
Kendra knew what he was feeling, and it
went beyond the bond they shared. She’d been in his position before: the need,
the want, the willingness to do anything for just one more taste… of blood.
That was really all that mattered now. Blood and how to get it again.
“That’s just the bond, the addiction
talking.” She sat down next to him and gently stroked his arm. “I’m so sorry,
Marcus. What I did to you … It was wrong. I should have never—”
Without warning, his lips crushed hers
in a demanding kiss. A rush of excited energy washed through her. She’d dreamed
of this moment, never actually thinking it would really happen. His lips were
silky, his mouth hungry, and before she knew what was happening, his
deliciously warm hands were sneaking their way under the hem of her shirt.
Goosebumps erupted across her body. She moaned and he swallowed it, deepening
their kiss. He was an exquisite temptation, forbidden fruit, and as much as she
knew she shouldn’t, she savored the moment.
She wanted to have him, every inch of
him, and she knew he wanted the same from her. The need radiating from him
matched her own secret desire. The bond they shared intensified this
connection, making it hard for her to think clearly.
It took all the strength she had to
pull away. “No. We have to stop this.”
“No, we don’t,” Marcus said, breathing
heavily as if he had just run a marathon. “I don’t know how I can feel it, but
I know you want this too.”
“It’s not real.” Her hands trembled as
she pushed herself backwards on the bed, away from Marcus. “It’s the bond. You
want my blood, not me.” Kendra felt sick. Her stomach churned with regret and
sadness. She wanted his affection to be real, but how could it?
Marcus cringed and clutched his stomach
as if he was about to be sick. “What’s happening to me?” Marcus groaned and
fell backwards on the mattress. He stared blankly up at the ceiling.
“I’ve cursed you with what I’ve done.
You see? You can feel everything I feel. It’s the bond at work.”
“Look, blood bond or not, I know you, Kendra.
I remember you from Enigma. You were so beautiful, so sexy. You still are. I
wanted you then, but I didn’t take the opportunity. Let’s not waste that chance
now.” He rolled towards her. “I want to taste your lips. Your neck, your—” He
bit his lip and groaned.
“Go ahead, say it. You want my blood.
Vampires are ruled by our instincts,” Kendra said matter-of-factly, repeating
the words she had heard Hector say before. “We’re hedonists with a finite limit
of control. Wants, needs, desires are all amplified.” She looked down at
Marcus. “You see? It’s so easy to give in. To become the beast we’re known to
be. I’ve cursed you to this fate. Already you’re acting on your desires. You
want my blood.”
“You said I’m not a vampire though,
just bonded to you.”
“You’ve tasted my blood. You may not be
a vampire, but you’re different now. And no mortal drug will ever come close to
the ecstasy you’ve felt. It’s only natural you want more.”
Marcus propped himself up on his
elbows. “Then give me more. Share yourself with me. Or don’t you think I could
handle it?”
“No. Don’t you see? The bloodlust will
consume you.”
“What if I have just a little more? What then?
Will I become like you?”
“I won’t let that happen.” She fought
the urge to reach out to comfort him. She could feel him struggling to hide the
desperation he felt. She’d been there before. She knew the pain.
“I want to be with you, to be like you.
If that’s the only way, then let’s do it.”
“I wish things could be different.
Marcus, I’ve wanted you for so long. I always have, but I can’t. Fate’s decided
things for us. I’m a vampire. That’s not the life for you. You deserve better.
Look how hard you and the band have worked. Look at all you’ve accomplished.
Don’t throw it away because of bloodlust.”
Kendra took a moment to calm herself.
Breathing slowly, she quieted her mind.
“It’s not just bloodlust.” Marcus
stared deeply into her eyes. “I want you… all of you.”
Kendra let out a stuttered breath.
Echoes of her own pleading request to Hector ran through her mind. After her
first taste, she couldn’t resist. She’d been willing to say anything necessary
to get another taste. And
Hector used those words to trap her into this life.
“You don’t know what you’re asking,”
she said, looking down at him.
“Then show me what it means to be with
you.”
“It would never work between us. How
could I ever know it was me you wanted and not just the drug that is my blood?”
Marcus sat up. “I remember you,
Kendra.” He let out a deep sigh. “I remember your poetry. I wanted to get to
know you back then, but I was so wrapped up in the band I never had time to
talk to you. And then … you disappeared.”
Her breath caught in her chest.
“Why didn’t you say that before?”
“I was a little out of it last night,”
he said with a smile. “I have something to show you.” He stood up and walked to
a small black duffel bag against the wall, unzipped it, and extracted a dirty,
tattered notebook.
Kendra recognized it immediately.
Beneath the layers of dirt and grime she saw the familiar monogramed K on her
old journal.
He handed it to her. “I found this
sitting on the table at Enigma. I had hoped to return it to you at the next
show. It gave me the perfect excuse to talk to you.” He let out an awkward
chuckle. “But you never came back.”
“You’ve held onto this for ten years?”
Kendra pulled off the rubber band holding it closed and flipped through the
pages. Among her old writings were notes and sketches in the margins.
“Well, at first, yeah, I held it,
hoping to see you again, but after a while…” He raked his fingers through his
disheveled mop of sandy hair and cleared his throat. “Well, it sort of helped
me to come up with our lyrics. Please don’t be mad.”
Kendra sat silent, filled with
happiness and pride. The fact that Marcus had held on to her journal, that he
actually remembered her and on some level sincerely wanted her was enough to
wash away the doubt in her mind about how he felt about her. But genuine
affection aside, she still couldn’t condemn him to her way of life.
“Please say something,” Marcus said,
kneeling down in front of her.
“I don’t have the words—” Tears choked
back her voice.
“We owe a lot of our success to you.
Your poetry.”
“I’m glad my writing helped. I’m…
honored.”
“But—” Sadness turned the corners of
Marcus’s lips. “I can feel there’s a but
there. You’re still not convinced. Why am I feeling this?” Frustration edged
his voice.
“I’ve already told you. You can feel
what I do and vice versa. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be here, to be
with you right now, but I just don’t know how we could be together. I’m not
human anymore, and I refuse to condemn you to my life.”
“Okay. I won’t ask you to turn me. Just
give me the chance to get to know you, now that I have you here. I don’t want
to miss that opportunity again.”
Kendra clenched her teeth. She knew she
should say no, but she too wanted the chance to see what she had missed all
those years ago.
“No promises about the future, but
while I’m here, we can get to know each other.”
As if the lights had been turned on,
Marcus’s eyes lit up and a wide smile stretched across his face. Through their
shared bond, she felt his elation like a warm pulse of energy that matched the
beat of her heart.
He jumped up, capturing her mouth,
knocking her backwards into the mattress. He landed on top of her but caught
himself on his hands before he crushed her. His toned body fit so perfectly
between her legs. His hot breath blew across her ear as he spoke. “I’ve wanted
you for so long.” Marcus’s words melted her heart. She wanted him too, and
hearing the words and feeling their intensity made them all the more
meaningful. A small chill, a ripple of excitement, rolled through Kendra’s
body. She felt the stiffness of his erection through his jeans, but even
without that physical sign, she knew his desire. It was hers too. Their bond
was gaining strength by the minute. She tried to fight back the sudden urge to
run her hands over his body and pull him even closer. As if Marcus had read her
mind, he wrapped his arms around her, rolled over, and pulled her on top of
him.
Kendra had a moment of painful clarity
that shocked her back into reality. She couldn’t do this. Not now. Maybe not
ever. Things were happening too fast. She needed to get a little control. She’d
already made too many rash mistakes. She rolled off Marcus and sat up on the
mattress. “I want you too. But… let’s take this slow, okay?”
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