Forever Black (Nightwalkers 2) (25 page)

"It's all right, honey." Christie laughed. Her
hand gently touched Ashleigh's knee. "You'll do fine. Now, let's start by
introducing you to everyone." She addressed the camera briefly then turned
back to Ashleigh. "Your fans know you as Victoria, but that's just your
pen name, right?"

"Yes." Ashleigh nodded. Her hands clasped
together, and she tried not to fidget with them. "My real name is
Ashleigh. It’s a little awkward when people call me Victoria, but it's all
right, I'm used to it."

"Can you tell us about your pen name? Why did you
decide to use one?"

"Well, it's a personal choice. Some authors like to use
pen names, and I'm just one of those people. It works for me."

"You just signed a deal with
Westburg
studios to make your first two books into films. How do you feel about the
whole process? I bet you're excited." She glanced toward the large screen
behind Ashleigh's head. The cover of
Forever
Black
was displayed there.

"I am. I'm very excited." Ashleigh let out a
nervous laugh. "It'll be weird watching my books as movies, but it will be
really cool. They're letting me help with production, and I get to sit in on
the casting and all that, so it'll be a great experience."

"Where did the idea for
Nightwalkers
come from?" Christie's smile shone brightly, like
she could do it for hours and her face would never get sore.

"I have a vampire obsession." Ashleigh chuckled.
"I admit it—so, of course, that's why I chose the genre I did. I wanted to
make the perfect vampires, ones that I hoped other people would fall in love
with, too. Vampires are seen as these monsters that are scared of the light,
but that's not how I wanted to portray them. I wanted people to feel for them,
see them as real people."

"Now…" Christie giggled as she held her hand up.
Her cheeks were slightly reddened. "I know you probably get this question
a lot, but I have to ask you about it."

Bouncing her joined hands on her lap playfully, Ashleigh
looked down at them. Her cheeks turned slightly red, her engagement ring
shining under the bright stage lights. "I can probably guess it."

"Tell me about your character of Lord Drake."
Christie leaned forward on her knees slightly. "I know all your fans are
battling all over the internet about who will play him in the film."

"Yeah." Ashleigh nodded. There was a proud smile
on her lips as she pushed some of her hair behind her ear.

"I hear the top pick is the gorgeous Caleb Mason from
Armageddon." Christie glanced at the audience when a wave of shouts came
from that direction. A picture of Caleb performing at a concert came up on the
large screen behind Ashleigh's head. "
Ooo
…look
at that." Christie waved herself with the cards in her hand. She spoke in
a fake southern accent, all her actions over-dramatic, "He's giving me the
vapors."

Ashleigh laughed as she glanced behind her. Her whole body
turned slightly with her action. Caleb was shirtless in the photo. The large
tattoo on his chest was hard to read, but Ashleigh knew what the words etched
inside his heart said.

"What would be your pick?" Christie turned back to
Ashleigh. "Do agree with the fans?"

"Well, yeah." The bangles on Ashleigh’s wrists
clanged together as she pushed some hair behind her ear again. "You can't
argue with that." She pointed at the screen as she laughed. "Caleb's
amazing, and he'd be perfect for the role, but…" Her happy eyes turned
back to Christie. "He's a terrible actor. I don't think he could do it.
Plus, he just became a dad, and he's working on his new album, so he doesn't
have time for anything like that."

"And you know Caleb pretty well, right? So, let's talk
about that."

"Well…" Ashleigh glanced up at the screen again
then back at Christie. "I'm a huge fan of his music, and yes…" She
addressed the audience and beamed when she saw all the excited faces staring
back at her. They stared at her like she was the biggest celebrity they had
ever met. The feeling made Ashleigh feel amazing. "I think he's gorgeous.
But seriously, he's a great person, too. When I finally met him in person, I
was in heaven." She bit her lip as she watched Christie's expression
brighten. "He's just an awesome guy and a lot of fun."

"
Ooo
…" Christie turned
toward the roaring crowd. "You're one lucky lady. I hear you two are
engaged and have a beautiful little boy."

"Yeah." Ashleigh looked up at the screen. A new
picture was up there now. It was one of Caleb with their son, Zander. Caleb was
sitting on stage, holding Zander on his knees, as he played the guitar. The
lighting was perfect. Zander was dressed in a black sweater with a hood that
looked like cat ears. His ice blue eyes were huge as he tried grab at the
strings. "Aww… There's my boys."

"What a beautiful family, Ashleigh. You must be very
proud."

"Thanks."

"So, are there plans for a fifth
Nightwalkers
novel?"

"Yes. I've already started writing it." Ashleigh's
lips filled with a devilish grin. The words rolled off her tongue in a deep tone,
"It's going to be titled
Blood War.
"

After a few more questions, the interview was over. Ashleigh
walked toward Natalie, who standing near the end of the stage. She was holding
her hands together in a praying motion and gushing over her friend’s accomplishment.
Like every other big event in her life, her best friend was here to share every
smile with her and cheer her on. Ashleigh loved that. After giving Natalie a
hug, Ashleigh quickly made her way to the green room, where she was greeted by
the sweet laugh of her son and Caleb's happy grin.

"You did awesome, babe." Caleb put one of his arms
around her shoulders and held Zander in the other. He leaned closer and kissed
her cheek. "And you looked so damn hot."

"Your picture seemed to make the audience pretty
hot." She wrapped her arms around him.

"Not as hot as the desire I have to bend you over that
couch." He laid his forehead against hers for a few seconds. "God,
you're amazing." He gave her a few kisses, but Zander yanked on her hair
and made her pull away.

"Well, I am a queen." She laughed as she reached
up and lightly stroked his cheek. Her eyes gazed at his lips longingly.

"Who cares about that?" He took her hand and
kissed it. "All that matters is you’re mine."

"You're so selfish, Caleb." She laughed as she
pulled her hand away from him. She took Zander from his arms. "Daddy's
silly, isn't he,
Zan
?"

"Daddy's hungry." Caleb made a sour face as he
glanced at the door. A small sigh escaped his lips.

"Then, we shall eat like kings." She glanced over
at Robert and the three other large men near him. Robert was carrying a diaper
bag, and Nathan stood next to him, an annoyed expression on his face as Natalie
attempted to flirt with him. "Can you get something delivered to our
hotel?"

"Yes, my queen." Robert and Nathan spoke in
unison, both of them bowing to her.

"Come on, Caleb." Her face filled with a huge
grin, and she linked her arm in his. "Let's go home." Then, she
noticed the red roses that sat on the table near her. Her brow lowered angrily
as she paused to stare at them.

"Babe?" Caleb looked at her strangely and pulled
on her arm.

"I'm coming." She sent him a smile, though her
mind wasn't on pleasant matters. The others left the room, but she stayed
behind to read the card laid out near the flowers.

It was written in
Krestian
and was
the ending to the story of the Sun and the Moon.

"If refusal is once again your answer, than death, not
love, will be the bond that ties us. For I am the devil and ruler of all that
is black. Once I taint your eyes with my magic, you shall never return to the
land of the living."

Let me mold the light with my hand for you, my queen.
Forever is black without me, and if you continue to wander in the dark alone
without my light, you will surely fall into a hole that you cannot escape.

Eternally yours,

Drake

*The End*

About the Author

H.N.
Sieverding
is the author of over thirty novels, and writes in the Paranormal Romance and
Horror genres. Her obsession with writing began when she got fed up with
endings she couldn't control. She started writing her own stories, all with her
own 'perfect' ending. She is also known to favor her handsome villains, which
is a trait that can be found in most of her books. Seeing her stories in print
has been one of her greatest achievements besides her son, whom she is most
proud of. Aside from writing, she's an avid artist and graphic designer.

Stop by and connect with H.N. on:

Official Website

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Other Books by H.N.
Sieverding

Initiation
(Christian’s Kisses Book 1)

Seed
of the Master (Christian’s Kisses Book 2)

Secret
Scarlet

The
Bloodlust Prince

Blood
Kisses (Nightwalkers Book 1)

Secret
Cravings Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com