Cordelia and her twin sister don’t realize the mother who left them soon after their birth bequeathed them a dark bloodline. They’re half vampire. Although human in most respects, they possess certain psychic gifts. A friend of their late father’s, Karl, also a vampire, has been watching over their family for generations in honor of his love for their distant ancestor. When her sister is kidnapped and Cordelia must beg for help from Karl, she learns the truth about his vampirism and her own heritage. In the process, she and Karl form a blood bond that leads to deeper intimacy than either one could have anticipated. Genre: Fantasy Romance/Paranormal     ISBN: 978-1-925191-51-6     Word Count: 42, 476     ASIN: B07DT9FZZM [wp_social_ninja id=”217066″ platform=”reviews”] Passion in the Blood …Karl heard Cordelia moving around in the office. She probably thought she was being stealthy. In a barely audible murmur, he ordered the dog to lie down. He then glided to the closed door. Her honey and vanilla scent, with floral undertones from her soap and bath powder, filtered through the door and insinuated itself into his brain. He couldn’t help parting his lips to taste her on the air. His mouth watered. Ever since she’d blossomed into womanhood, he’d thirsted to sip her nectar. Rationing his contacts with her hadn’t weakened the craving. During her father’s lifetime, he’d kept his hands off her out of respect for the professor. Counting an ephemeral as a friend wouldn’t allow him to treat the man’s daughter as prey or pet. Now that her father was gone, Karl’s other motive for holding her at arm’s length hadn’t changed. He didn’t want her to become overly curious about his peculiarities. Too soon, he would have to increase his apparent age or withdraw from her life altogether. The prospect upset him more than he liked to admit. All the more reason to fight the attraction. She appealed to him a little too much for his peace of mind. Never again would he take the risk of intimacy with a human female. When he opened the office door, her heartbeat pounded in his ears. Along with her shallow, fast breathing, the sound made his own heart race in anticipation. She stood next to the window, trying to use the drapes for camouflage like a rabbit freezing under the gaze of a fox. The enticingly rosy glow of her aura dimmed with fear. She faded into shadow…   CHAPTER 1   A dark and stormy night would have been an asset right now. Too bad the predicted thundershowers hadn’t arrived yet. In the moonlight anybody passing by would get a clear view of Cordelia walking up to the house. She leaned against a tree and drew deep breaths to calm her nerves. Guilty conscience, that was her problem. After all, she’d never burgled a house before. She wouldn’t have started with Karl Robak’s if her sister’s life hadn’t depended on this escapade. She resisted the impulse to tiptoe across the vast front lawn or sidle from the shadow of one tree to the next until she ran out of trees. In spite of her nervousness, she had to laugh at her own qualms. Because all the lots in this semi-rural area covered several acres, the odds were low that the neighbors would notice her. If anyone did happen to catch sight of her, she would look less suspicious strolling to the door than creeping up on the house like an enemy fortress. As for Karl himself, he taught his evening Tudor history class on this night. The empty carport confirmed that he was gone, as scheduled. She didn’t have to worry that he’d catch her. She still had to take Thor into account, though. The moment she thought of him, the Great Dane trotted toward her from the front porch. Thanks to her late father’s friendship with Karl, Cordelia knew the dog well enough to be confident he wouldn’t attack her. Whether or not he’d bark, she wasn’t sure. “Thor,” she whispered. “Here, boy.” She held out a hand with a doggie treat in the open palm. Not for the first time, she wondered how Karl had trained the animal to stay on the property, even though the only boundary between him and the road was a decorative split rail fence. She knew the Great Dane didn’t wear an electronic collar. “Shh. Be quiet, boy. That’s a good dog.” Thor walked up to her, wagged his tail, and nosed the treat from her hand. Stroking his head, she continued her soothing murmur. He rubbed against her and paced alongside her toward the house. “Go lie down,” she ordered, pointing at the porch. “Go take a nap. Good dog.” Ears drooping, he ambled onto the covered porch and lay in his dog bed next to the door. She had no idea why she had the gift of lulling animals into obeying her. She sensed their emotions, just as she did those of people. Animals had clearer, simpler feelings than human beings, so she could shape their reactions. Confident Thor wouldn’t give her any trouble, she focused on the urgency of the moment. She had to find what she’d come for before Karl got home. A sullen rumble of the approaching storm sounded in the distance. Scattered raindrops started to fall as she stepped onto the porch. She swatted a mosquito on her arm. An evening in late September wasn’t cool enough to discourage the pests. Luckily she didn’t have to break into the house, a skill she’d never had reason to learn. Her dad, with his daughters’ help, had taken care of Thor whenever Karl had gone out of town, and in the five months since Professor Torrance’s death, Karl hadn’t bothered reclaiming the spare key. She dug it out of her jeans pocket and unlocked the door. She figured his leaving the key with her must have been an oversight, because he didn’t have the close relationship with either her or her sister that he’d had with their father. Close enough that the professor had appointed Karl the executor of his estate. After their father had died, Karl had dropped in on the sisters several times for financial consultations, but neither of them had visited his place recently. Still, Cordelia remembered the layout of the house clearly enough. In the foyer she eased the front door shut behind her and pocketed the key. In the entryway her skin prickled with the chilled air. Karl had the thermostat set extravagantly low for a mild September evening in Maryland. Two closed doors flanked the foyer, with the staircase and other rooms straight ahead. The office, where the object she wanted was supposedly hidden, lay to her left. She shut the office door after entering, although she expected to unearth her quarry and clear out in plenty of time. Not that a closed door would keep Karl from catching her if he did show up before she finished her search. With her heart racing, she crept to the desk and switched on the lamp. Though she could see in the dark better than most people, she needed light to read, and she was after a particular book. She hoped she could trust her instructions about its location. If so, she could grab it and run. Bookcases lined the room, with a full shelf of books Karl had written about the Renaissance directly above the massive, antique cherrywood desk. The dusty aroma of old volumes tempted the librarian in Cordelia to explore the treasures that surrounded her. No time to waste, though. According to the man who’d sent her here, the desk had a secret compartment. She knelt on the carpet and opened the lowest drawer on the right side. Old check registers, packages of ballpoint pens, notepads. She moved part of the contents onto the floor to get better access. Groping in the drawer, she felt around for a latch to open the false bottom. What would it feel like, anyway? If she ever decided to make a career of burglary, she’d have to hone her thievery skills. She sneezed at the dust her fumbling stirred up. To reach the back of the drawer, she had to bend her wrist at an awkward angle, scraping her skin on the wood. Realizing she should have taken the drawer out, she considered doing that but bumped into the catch a second later. After clicking it, she had no trouble sliding back the lid that covered half of the drawer’s bottom. Underneath, she found the shallow compartment she’d expected. A leather-bound book barely fit in the space. Just as she lifted it out, she heard a sound that made her heart jump. The front door opened. No time to escape. She had to hide. Setting the book on the desk, she glanced around the room. Nowhere to conceal herself, not without her other special talent, anyway. She’d have to use it and hope for a chance to sneak out when Karl turned his back. What was he doing home so early, anyway? Breathing shallowly, as if he could hear her from the foyer, she turned off the lamp, tiptoed to the window, and flattened herself against the curtains. They didn’t hang to the floor. Hiding behind them wouldn’t do her any good. She invoked her other gift. You don’t see me. There’s nobody here. Along with the sensing of emotions and power over animals, she had one more gift she didn’t talk about–the ability to keep people from noticing her. When she wished hard enough for invisibility, it shrouded her like mist. Would it work against Karl? His eyes always seemed to drill right through her. She had to try. Look away. There’s nothing to see here. This isn’t the intruder you’re looking for. She draped the psychic mist around her like a cloak to deflect any gaze that fell on her. The office door opened. *          *          * As soon as Karl strolled into the foyer with Thor beside him, he picked up Cordelia’s scent. Smoothing his rain-dampened hair with one hand, he paused to consider his next move. What was she doing here? How had she gotten in? A moment’s thought answered that question. She must have used the spare key he’d left with Gary Torrance and not bothered to retrieve after the professor’s death. It had never occurred to Karl that either of his old friend’s daughters would have any motive to trespass on his property. Examining his own reaction, he was surprised to realize he felt worse than annoyed. Her betrayal of trust hurt. He shook his head with a rueful smile. He must have spent too many years associating with ephemerals if he could succumb to such a human emotion. How had she made it past the dog? Rubbing the Great Dane’s ears, Karl whispered, “What’s wrong with you? Falling down on the job?” Thor knew Cordelia too well to attack her, but he should have put up a convincingly scary show of barking. Karl bared his teeth in exasperation. This outrage made the second home invasion inflicted on him in the past two weeks. The other intruder had disabled Thor with a tranquilizer dart. Luckily, the dog hadn’t suffered any lasting harm. Karl wondered whether he should get an alarm system installed after all. No, his reason for doing without one remained valid. An alarm would summon police, who would violate his privacy and might endanger his secret. Damn it, he’d picked this neighborhood, in the less densely developed southern part of the county, for its tranquil reputation. He heard Cordelia moving around in the office. She probably thought she was being stealthy. In a barely audible murmur, he ordered the dog to lie down. He then glided to the closed door. Her honey and vanilla scent, with floral undertones from her soap and bath powder, filtered through the door and insinuated itself into his brain. He couldn’t help parting … Continue reading Passion in the Blood by Margaret L. Carter