I Love Vampire Novels is excited to bring you this excerpt from My Familiar Stranger, by New York Times Bestselling Author, Victoria Danann.
This is BOOK ONE in the five-time, award-winning paranormal romance series, Knights of Black Swan.
What are you doing out here, Baka?” Somehow, encountering him “in the wild” made him seem
more appealing instead of more frightening which was disturbing.
“Following you of course,” he said with matter of fact ease looking down as he circled the
corpse. “Although it seems there was no cause for concern, Lady Laiken.”
“You’re saying you followed me because you were worried? About me?”
“Hard to believe, isn’t it?” His pale eyes sparkled in the dim light of the alley, still damp from a
fresh shower that magically turned the entire city into a slick surface of reflecting light. Every
couple of seconds his gaze wandered back and forth between the open ends of the alley before
coming back to fix on her with a concentration that made her want to squirm and press thighs
together. He knew he was having that effect and was enjoying it. Thoroughly.
“I like the costume. Especially the very red, very short skirt.” His gaze scanned her slowly and
appreciatively, top to bottom and back again before coming to rest on her mouth. “And the lip
stain. Enticing. Would you call that blood red?”
“Okay. Look. I’m kind of an amateur at this. I don’t know what they usually do about, er,” she
glanced down at the dead vampire, “clean up. Do you?”
“Yes. They have people who take care of it. They conceal the evidence as best they can and call
for pick up.” He grabbed the body by the arms, easily pulled it next to a pile of garbage bags
stacked next to a trio of dumpsters, and sat it upright against the brick wall so that it looked like
it could have been a drunk passed out.
“Right.” That sounded like a good plan. “I don’t know who to call.”
Baka pulled his phone out of his pocket and speed dialed a number. “One of your knights just
bagged a vamp, but she didn’t have the clean up number.”
Baka held the phone away from his ear. Elora could hear Sol shouting curses on the other end.
“She? What the great father of fuck do you mean she?”
“You didn’t intend to turn the Lady Laiken loose on a poor, unsuspecting population of vampire
who’ve been running amuck, digging in and planting roots in the community? Surprising
considering that she has to be the best weapon you’ve got.” There was quiet on the other end of
the line. He glanced up at Elora. “We’re in an alley off Broadway between 38th and 39th. The
package is semi-concealed and I will stay here to make sure the scene is secure from discovery
until your people arrive.”
She could hear the murmur of Sol talking, no longer shouting. Baka said, “Okay,” and hung up.
“He wants to see all four of you when you get back. No matter how late it is. His office. He’ll be
waiting.” Baka tilted his head as his lips spread into a beautiful, white fangless grin. Captivating.
Then, he held his phone up saying, “Did that qualify as being a good vampire?”
Elora studied him for a second, then reached out and took the phone from his hand as casually as
if she was taking hot chocolate from The Hub barista. She programmed her number into the
phone and handed it back. “Don’t make me sorry.”
“Cross my heart.” He took the phone and slid it back into a jeans pocket.
“Oh very funny. So you’re a painter, a musician, an author, an interior decorator, a vampire, a
spy, a possible stalker, and a comedian.”
With the hint of a sardonic smile he said, “At a lounge near you. Shows nightly at ten and
twelve.”
While Elora was trying to process this bit of cognitive dissonance, he went on. “You’d better get
back to the cafe. If bits of Bad Company come back and find you missing, at least two of them
will turn Manhattan into a state of chaos, bedlam, and pandemonium.”
Well, what could be said to that? “Thank you for your help with the, uh, mess.”
With a flourish he executed an old world bow with grace and a lack of self-consciousness that
could only be managed by someone who had lived during the time when such things were en
vogue. “I live to serve.”
“Uh huh.” She started toward the mouth of the alley then looked back to say, “By the way, that
was bad ass bass tonight.”
Through the darkness she could see white teeth flash. “I take requests.”
She chuckled half way back to the bistro replaying in her head Baka’s dry humor, quick wit and
sexy mannerisms, asking herself what she was doing semi-flirting with the most infamous vampire in the annals of The Order.
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Want to connect with the author? Victoria Danann can be reached at https://www.facebook.com/authorvictoriadanann
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