Silent Night: Vampire Holiday Romance (The Night Songs Collection Book 4) (29 page)

Ev was either in denial or oblivious about how much weight I’d gained since Jordan died. Or how much I hadn’t been out since then. “I don’t have any cute clothes.”

“Jeans and a top. You have jeans and a top.” Ev insisted. “Do you want go shopping?”

I wasn’t
that
concerned about it
.“
Hell no. This is a beach day. And all the kids have already worn out their parents. W
e’
ll have the place to ourselves
.”
I prayed Ev had
brought her suit. She’d know I’d want some sun time.

“It’s like you planned it this way.” Ev pulled over the strap of her tank top, revealing her bikini underneath. I didn’t correct her. Sleeping until noon and nursing a hangover was a perfectly sound life plan. Plus it gave her a chance to do all those adult things I wanted nothing to do with before I woke up, and then spend the afternoon at the beach with me.

**

“I can’t believe I got burned!” Ev kept poking at her skin, leaving white finger marks on her arm. The carpet wasn’t going to be the only thing that was red tonight. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t know. I had my eyes closed.” I felt bad, I knew the opening party was a big deal for her.

“Sleeping.”

“No.” Maybe a little. “Not really. But there was no way that organic sunscreen even had a chance.” She freaked me out not too long ago about deodorant, how bad it was to have all that stuff so close to your lymph nodes, so I’d tried the natural brand. I smelled like a dirty hockey player for a week, then I gave up and went back to my regular stuff. Life is short, and chemicals serve a purpose.

“I didn’t want to put all that crap on my skin.” She rubbed aloe into her arms. She leaned in close to the mirror, poking at her chest and frowning.

“No one will even know.” I insisted. “It’s going to be dark in there, and you look adorable. You’ll probably start a trend.”

**

My mom looked sorry she said she’d babysit as soon as Bree showed up.

“Guys, guys, watch what you’re doing!” I chased after Landon and Lucas as they ran around the backyard, so dangerously close to the grill I thought my dad might have a heart attack. Sandy, our golden retriever, chased after them, barking like a lunatic.

“I’m so excited about tonight!” Bree considered herself off duty with my mom there, and had already cracked open a beer. Meanwhile, I’d broken out in a sweat and thanked God and science for my killer deodorant. “Do you think there will be a lot of celebrities there?”

“I don’t know.” I hadn’t thought of that. I’d never met anyone famous, unless you counted some local politicians that had come to Jordan’s funeral. “It’s Plymouth, so we kind of need to manage our expectations. But Cam will be there.”

Bree fanned herself, and then got tackled by Landon. “He’s so hot. He just got divorced, you know.”

Ah. Ev’s plan just got that much more transparent. “I didn’t. Did you hear that, Ev? Your boy’s back on the market.”

Ev pursed her lips together, and looked really uncomfortable. Not just because of the sunburn. “I’m sure Roger wouldn’t appreciate that.”

Roger was Ev’s boyfriend, one of her artist clients, and if you asked me, kind of a douche. His medium was concrete. Concrete wasn’t art. Concrete was sidewalks. How could anyone be passionate about concrete, unless they were on payroll for the Department of Public Works? The longer they were together, the more she became like him, making me hate him that much more. He’d turn them both to stone. I wondered if Ev talked about Cam in front of him. She never giggled like some love sick teenager over Roger.

“You look awesome tonight, Daisy.” It was well documented how I felt about Roger, and Bree was smart enough to change the subject.

“Thanks.” I actually felt pretty good tonight. I wore a black peasant shirt with teal trimmed cut outs, and a jean skirt. Somehow, my hair was actually doing that beachy wave thing after spending the afternoon playing in the surf. I’d actually made it to adulthood with my blonde hair, and the bleached out streaks were a bonus of my frequent trips to the beach. I’d been working on my tan all summer, and my blue eyes jumped out of my face when I put on a little mascara.

“See what happens when you put in a little effort?” My mother had to ruin it, didn’t she?

“Really, Ma?” Ev came out to the yard with her awesome salad. “Landon, do you like cucumbers?”

“Nooooo!” Vegetables are proven to be the fastest way to make a four year old disappear. My dad brought the burgers to the table, with Ev’s veggie burgers on their own plate. The juices couldn’t mingle. My mom tried to hide her sulk behind her giant shake container and eyed me when I reached for a second burger.

I knew moving back home was going to be hard. But I needed my parents after Jordan died, and I didn’t have anywhere else to go. The military came and packed up all evidence that Jordan had actually existed and brought it to my parents’ house, where it was now stacked neatly in the basement along with my mom’s forgotten former favorite products. Sure, my mom drove me nuts, but I kept reminding myself this was only temporary.

Some nights, when I lay awake in my childhood bed, jolted from sleep by a dream that Jordan was still alive, I can believe that’s what he always was, a dream. Someone I could only ever visit in my sleep, someone who’d always be the same, waiting for me. But every time I went to the store, the post office, out to walk the dog, everyone from my past, now my present, was there to smack me in the face with reality. They wanted to tell me how sorry they were, and to thank me for Jordan’s service. Thank me? I didn’t do anything. I just lived in military housing and helped organize a roller derby team for the base wives. He made the sacrifice.

I didn’t want everyone to treat me differently because of his death. I desperately wanted mylife to get back to normal. I kept saying that, but I did
n’
t know what normal was anymore. I didn’t know how to move forward without holding on to Jordan. And no one could figure out how to do it but me.

Don’t miss the rest o
f
The Night Songs Collection!

Seasons in the Sun
(Book 0.5)
 

Summer has finally arrived, along with a boy who will forever change the life of fourteen-year-old Callie. After growing up hearing stories about Tristan Trevosier and his famous family, Callie finally meets him when he spends the summer on Martha's Vineyard. Seventeen-year-old Tristan is a hurricane of destruction and rebellion, and he quickly blows a hole right into Callie's sheltered life. Callie sees a side of Tristan that he doesn't show anyone else. She's determined to make everyone see what she sees in him.
Callie defies her parents by leaving the island with Tristan. But when his ugly habits rear their head, Callie realizes maybe she's the one who's wrong about him. He's beyond her help. But it's too late for her to walk away. This summer, she learns that love can be stronger than reason.

Because the Night
(
Book One
)
 

Sex, Blood and Rock n' Roll
Immortal Dilemma is the hottest band in the Las Vegas vampire rock scene. They draw insatiable fans from around the globe, thanks to a supernatural attraction called Bloodlust. Tristan craved such an opportunity to fill his empty mortal life, and now he has eternity to earn his place along the legends of rock n roll debauchery.
Callie always feared that Tristan's excesses would get him into trouble, but she never thought they'd lead him to immortality. To reconnect with him, she must weave her way through a world not only she had no idea existed, but does not welcome her.
Blade turned down a spot in Immortal Dilemma after learning what he must sacrifice for that lifestyle. He finds Callie a refreshing change from the girls in the vampire rock scene. When Callie drags Blade back into the world of Immortal Dilemma, his resistance drives her into the waiting arms of Tristan, who shows her the true meaning of Bloodlust.

But the very things that Callie fights so hard to save are the very things that fight to destroy her.

Night Moves
(Book Two)
 

We bonded in darkness, over darkness.

Melanie Vaughn's job ruined everything. Her social life, nonexistent. Her relationship with her boyfriend, a hostile roommate situation. She resolves to fix everything one snowy afternoon, but instead comes home to discover her boyfriend is already exploring other options. Blonder, bustier options. Rage drives Melanie to do the unthinkable.
When Soul Divider was on the top of the world, so was Ryder Maddox. When the band faded into obscurity, Ryder's luck plummeted with it. In a last ditch effort to rekindle the band's heyday, Soul Divider teams up with powerful vampire clan leader, Talis de Rancourt. In return for her services, the band pays the ultimate price for never-ending fame.
 

Now on the run, Melanie meets Ryder in a middle of nowhere hotel. She never expected her teenage rock star crush to be as lost and as in need of a companion as she is. Their connection is all consuming, even before they find they share another kinship: murder.
The newly turned vampires in Soul Divider still have a lot to learn. The police and public begin to connect the girls that go missing or die in sync with the band's tour schedule. Back at home, clues are also adding up against Melanie as well. Between constant media coverage and unrelenting attention from the authorities, Melanie and Ryder find themselves in uncharted territory.

We Own the Night
(Book Three)
 

Callie Chabot would stop at nothing to save her ex-boyfriend Blade Bennett from the clutches of vampire clan leader Talis de Rancourt, even if means becoming immortal herself. What she doesn’t know is that Blade has already defeated Talis, and he’s waiting for Callie in the afterlife.

Now Callie only has her creator, Tristan Trevosier, to turn to for guidance. But he’s too wrapped up in the debauchery of the Las Vegas rock scene to give a damn about the particulars of being undead. That’s enough to drive Callie crazy on its own, but female vampires are automatic clan leaders.

Not only does Callie have no idea how to wrangle a vampire clan, but her would-be followers have more to gain from her failure. They instead choose to follow Blade—and he’s hell-bent on making Callie pay for her bad decisions. Since he took out the existing clan leader, that automatically puts him at the helm of what should be Callie’s new clan.

That’s when seasoned rogue vampire, Cash Logan, shows up, shrouded in magic and mystery. No one is sure which side Cash is on, but Callie needs to take a chance on the one vampire who is willing to give her the answers she needs, no matter how dark and frightening they may be. Callie must trust her instincts and form alliances that may backfire. Cash shows Callie that playing nice is no longer an option, and that fixing her wrongs won’t always make everything right.

To take control of her clan, Callie must look to her rival to discover exactly what makes her a leader.

Acknowledgements:

I’ve said before that it takes a village to release a book, and it’s never been truer than with this book. At first, you might not be in the right village, but when you are, everything comes together. I feel like my books have doting aunties now, and I love that. I thank Julie Hutchings, of course, for making sure I get my butt in the chair and make some word babies no matter how much I whine that I don’t wanna. Tammy Farrell and Sara Chaudhary have been fierce champions of these books, demanding no less than the very best. Tammy also helped me with the Canadian history research. And Autumn Hull gave me the courage to ask for what I really needed, and for that, I will forever be thankful. My Twitteratti are always there for me: Chynna-Blue Scott, Jolene Haley, Kristen Jett, Jen Lillis, Melissa Petreshock, Lydia Aswolf, Candice Montgomery, and Micah Leeth. My old school Syndicate girls who get excited about these books: Eva Saur, Lori Castilleja, and Jany Bell. I have to shout out to my New Orleans girls: Angi Black, Sarah Guillory (good morning), Sarah Blair, and Zoey Derrick. And of course, you! If you’re reading this, you made it to almost the very last page. You have no idea how happy that makes me. Thank you, to all of you, from the bottom of my heart.

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