Teased
Authors: Rebecca Zanetti
Tags: #Fantasy, #Romance, #Rebecca Zanetti, #vampires, #Dark Protectors, #1001 Dark Nights
Teased
A Dark Protectors Novella
By Rebecca Zanetti
1001 Dark Nights
Teased
A Dark Protectors Novella
By Rebecca Zanetti
Copyright 2015 Rebecca Zanetti
ISBN: 978-1-940887-72-2
Foreword: Copyright 2014 M. J. Rose
Published by Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.
A Dark Protectors Novella
By Rebecca Zanetti
The Hunter
For almost a century, the Realm’s most deadly assassin, Chalton Reese, has left war and death in the past, turning instead to strategy, reason, and technology. His fingers, still stained with blood, now protect with a keyboard instead of a weapon. Until the vampire king sends him on one more mission; to hunt down a human female with the knowledge to destroy the Realm. A woman with eyes like emeralds, a brain to match his own, and a passion that might destroy them both—if the enemy on their heels doesn’t do so first.
The Hunted
Olivia Roberts has foregone relationships with wimpy metro-sexuals in favor of pursuing a good story, bound and determined to uncover the truth, any truth. When her instincts start humming about missing proprietary information, she has no idea her search for a story will lead her to a ripped, sexy, and dangerous male beyond any human man. Setting aside the unbelievable fact that he’s a vampire and she’s his prey, she discovers that trusting him is the only chance they have to survive the danger stalking them both.
Rebecca Zanetti is the author of over twenty-five dark paranormals, romantic suspense, and contemporary romances, and her books have appeared multiple times on the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestseller lists. She has received a Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review for Wicked Edge, Romantic Times Reviewer Choice Nominations for Forgotten Sins and Sweet Revenge, and RT Top Picks for several of her novels. She believes strongly in luck, karma, and working her butt off…and she thinks one of the best things about being an author, unlike the lawyer she used to be, is that she can let the crazy out. Her current series are: The Scorpius Syndrome, The Dark Protectors, The Realm Enforcers, The Sin Brothers, and The Lost Bastards. Find Rebecca at: www.rebeccazanetti.com
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I am truly thrilled to be included with the amazing authors in the 1001 Dark Nights group! Liz Berry combined a love of reading and a brilliance for business in this exciting venture, and I’m excited to be part of the fun. I’m also honored to call her a friend, and I can’t thank her enough for the good talks, ingenious ideas, and phenomenal work. Thank you also to MJ Rose, Kimberly Guidroz, and Pam Jamison for their dedication and awesome insights. A huge shout-out goes to Jillian Stein, the most amazing social media manager in the world, and the woman who has greatly reduced my stress level. Thanks also to Asha Hossain, who creates absolutely fantastic book covers.
Next I need to thank Alicia Condon and Kensington Publishing for helping me create and grow the Dark Protector world and fan base, as well as for being so supportive with my branching out a little with the series. My next shout-out goes to Caitlin Blasdell and Liza Dawson, my insightful and very hard working agents, whom I appreciate so much.
As always, a big and heartfelt thank you goes to Big Tone, my own six-and-a-half feet tall grumpy badass Alpha male. The man takes care of things, even during a recent unexpected natural disaster, and I can’t express how secure this makes me. Thanks also to Gabe and Karly, our terrific kids, who definitely keep things interesting, and who I love dearly.
Finally, thank you to Rebecca’s Rebels, my Facebook street team, who have been so generous with their time and friendship. And last, but not least, thank you to all of my readers who spend time with my characters.
~ RAZ
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1001 Dark Nights story
The First Night
by Lexi Blake & M.J. Rose
An excerpt from Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti
One Thousand And One Dark Nights
Once upon a time, in the future…
I was a student fascinated with stories and learning.
I studied philosophy, poetry, history, the occult, and
the art and science of love and magic. I had a vast
library at my father’s home and collected thousands
of volumes of fantastic tales.
I learned all about ancient races and bygone
times. About myths and legends and dreams of all
people through the millennium. And the more I read
the stronger my imagination grew until I discovered
that I was able to travel into the stories... to actually
become part of them.
I wish I could say that I listened to my teacher
and respected my gift, as I ought to have. If I had, I
would not be telling you this tale now.
But I was foolhardy and confused, showing off
with bravery.
One afternoon, curious about the myth of the
Arabian Nights, I traveled back to ancient Persia to
see for myself if it was true that every day Shahryar
(Persian:
شهریار,
“king”) married a new virgin, and then
sent yesterday’s wife to be beheaded. It was written
and I had read, that by the time he met Scheherazade,
the vizier’s daughter, he’d killed one thousand
women.
Something went wrong with my efforts. I arrived
in the midst of the story and somehow exchanged
places with Scheherazade – a phenomena that had
never occurred before and that still to this day, I
cannot explain.
Now I am trapped in that ancient past. I have
taken on Scheherazade’s life and the only way I can
protect myself and stay alive is to do what she did to
protect herself and stay alive.
Every night the King calls for me and listens as I spin tales.
And when the evening ends and dawn breaks, I stop at a
point that leaves him breathless and yearning for more.
And so the King spares my life for one more day, so that
he might hear the rest of my dark tale.
As soon as I finish a story... I begin a new
one... like the one that you, dear reader, have before
you now.
Chalton Reese stepped smoothly around several women wearing Christmas garlands in lieu of clothing, ignoring their outstretched pamphlets. New York winter was setting in, and the wind was attacking the garlands, revealing way too much flesh. Street vendors hawked theater tickets to his left, and fluffy creatures from children books mingled to the right, trying to get tourists to pay for photographs.
Massive blinking billboards showing holiday sales bombarded him from all sides in a sensory overload that slapped him with an instant migraine.
He hadn’t been in Times Square for nearly six decades, and that wasn’t long enough. Not even close.
Yet the woman he followed hummed quietly beneath her breath, winding through the throng, a definite hop in her step. She had to be truly crazy to enjoy the crowd milling around.
He barely tolerated crazy, and he hated crowds. What he wouldn’t give to be in his secluded computer control room deep in the Idaho mountains. But no. When the king of the Realm ordered a vampire on a mission, a vamp went on a mission. Even if that guy hadn’t been on a mission in a century.
He hadn’t been away from his computers for decades. Like most vampires, he employed logic and order...and couldn’t for the life of him figure out why Dage had sent him on this mission. But the king always had reasons, and he usually kept them close to his vest.
Chalton stepped over a pile of what appeared to be chilidogs and hastened his step to keep the woman in sight. Olivia Roberts. A no-nonsense name with just a bit of softness. Unlike the woman. She was
all
soft and curves. Deep brown hair, light green eyes, and a figure that could literally stop a trolley cart.