Mortal Wish (A Scanguards Vampires Novella) E-Book

Tina Folsom

• Herausgeber: Tina Folsom
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 80

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

Jake Stone comes to an island with a magical spring to have his only wish in life fulfilled: to be mortal again. As a vampire, he's tired of the lonely and unfulfilling life he's been living. Then he meets Claire Culver, a woman whose trip to the island is her last hope. She wishes for a miracle to cure her of a terminal illness. Will her wish be granted, or will this be her last Christmas? Where does this novella fit into the Scanguards timeline? It takes place several years before Samson's story kicks off the Scanguards Vampires series in San Francisco with Samson's Lovely Mortal. Jake is first mentioned in Quinn's Undying Rose. Well-loved Scanguards characters—Gabriel, Zane, and Amaury—will make an appearance in this short novella. Scanguards Vampires: Book 1: Samson's Lovely Mortal Book 2: Amaury's Hellion Book 3: Gabriel's Mate Book 4: Yvette's Haven Book 5: Zane's Redemption Book 6: Quinn's Undying Rose Book 7: Oliver's Hunger Book 8: Thomas's Choice Book 8 1/2: Silent Bite (A Scanguards Wedding Novella) Book 9: Cain's Identity Book 10: Luther's Return Book 11: Blake's Pursuit (Spring 2016) The Scanguards Vampires series is nothing like the Vampire Diaries, Vampire Academy, Shades of Vampire, or Twilight. It's a vampire romance series for adults who like their vampires with a bit of bite--and a lot of hotness! This vampire series takes place in San Francisco. Out of Olympus Series: Book 1: A Touch of Greek Book 2: A Scent of Greek Book 3: A Taste of Greek Venice Vampyr Novella Series: Venice Vampyr (#1) Venice Vampyr (#2): Final Affair Venice Vampyr (#3): Sinful Treasure Venice Vampyr (#4): Sensual Danger Eternal Bachelors Club (Contemporary Erotic Romance Series): Lawful Escort Lawful Lover Lawful Wife One Foolish Night One Long Embrace One Sizzling Touch Stealth Guardians Series: Lover Uncloaked (#1)

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Book Description

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Also in this series

About the Author

Copyright

Mortal Wish

A Scanguards Vampires Novella

by

Tina Folsom

Book Description

Jake Stone comes to an island with a magical spring to have his only wish in life fulfilled: to be mortal again. As a vampire, he’s tired of the lonely and unfulfilling life he’s been living. Then he meets Claire Culver, a woman whose trip to the island is her last hope. She wishes for a miracle to cure her of a terminal illness.

Will her wish be granted, or will this be her last Christmas?

Where does this novella fit into the Scanguards timeline?

It takes place several years before Samson’s story kicks off the Scanguards Vampires series in San Francisco with Samson’s Lovely Mortal. Well-loved Scanguards characters—Gabriel, Zane, and Amaury—will make an appearance in this short novella.

Previously published as part of an anthology

This is a longer version of Mortal Wish, which first appeared in the anthology “Summer on Seeker’s Island” in 2013. Some character names, settings, and events have been changed, and several chapters have been added to this new 2015 version. This short novella of approximately 60 pages is over 50% longer than the 2013 anthology version.

The Scanguards Vampires series - over 1 Million copies sold worldwide!

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The Scanguards Vampires series so far:

Book 1: Samson's Lovely Mortal

Book 2: Amaury's Hellion

Book 3: Gabriel's Mate

Book 4: Yvette's Haven

Book 5: Zane's Redemption

Book 6: Quinn's Undying Rose

Book 7: Oliver's Hunger

Book 8: Thomas's Choice

Book 8 1/2: Silent Bite (A Scanguards Wedding Novella)

Book 9: Cain's Identity

Book 10: Luther's Return

Book 11: Blake's Pursuit

Novella 11 1/2: Fateful Reunion

Book 12: John's Yearning

Book 13: Ryder's Storm (Scanguards Hybrids #1)

Book 14: Damian’s Conquest (Scanguards Hybrids #2)

“I’m addicted to Tina Folsom’s books! The Scanguards series is one of the hottest things to happen to vampire romance. If you love scorching, fast-paced reads, don’t miss this thrilling series!” --- Lara Adrian, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Midnight Breed series

© 2013 – 2015 Tina Folsom

--Scanguards is a registered trademark--

1

On an island in the Gulf of Mexico, December 1991

Jake watched the man as he tied the ferry to the boat dock, then proceeded to move the gangplank over the gap between dock and ferry and secure it tightly, before he hollered to the captain, “Boat’s tied up.”

The captain waved back, then shifted his gaze to Jake. “Have a pleasant stay.”

Jake walked over the gangplank and onto the dock. He’d been the only passenger on the evening ferry. He assumed that most visitors descending upon this tiny island of barely one thousand inhabitants had done so with an earlier ferry, but he hadn’t had a choice. Traveling during daylight hours was impossible for him.

“Mr. Stone?”

At somebody calling his name, he turned his head and noticed a gangly kid who couldn’t be more than twenty years old waving at him from next to the harbor master’s hut. The boy’s red hair was like a beacon in the night, as was the scent that came from him: fresh, young blood.

Luckily, Jake had fed plenty before his departure from the mainland, not wanting to be caught hunting on the small island. He’d also packed blood he’d stolen from a blood bank in New York where he’d lived during the last year. There, anonymity had been his friend, whereas in small towns people looked out for each other and would interfere when they saw something odd happening—like him sucking on the neck of a juicy human.

“I’m Jake Stone,” he called out as he approached the kid, whose blood smelled pure and rich, and just a tad too inviting.

When he stopped before the youngster, holding his overnight bag in one hand, the kid gave him a wide smile. “I’m Carl. Welcome to Seeker’s Island. Mrs. Adams sent me. I’ll take you to the Sunseekers Inn.”

Carl made a motion for the bag, but Jake didn’t relinquish it. “Lead the way.”

The kid gestured to the street that ran alongside the small harbor. “I’m parked right here.”

Jake arched an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected this island to allow cars. “Where?”

Carl pointed toward a white object that stood at the curb.

“A golf cart,” Jake murmured. With a sprig of mistletoe dangling from its rearview mirror?

The kid nodded enthusiastically. “We don’t have cars on the island. But I get to use one of the golf carts to drive tourists around. I mean, it’s practically mine.”

Jake forced a smile and followed him. Great: Carl was a chatterbox. That was just what he needed. If he’d had a choice, he wouldn’t have come to a small island like this where everybody knew everybody else’s business, but he hadn’t had a choice. This was his last resort.

As Jake slunk into the passenger seat and set his bag between his feet, Carl started the electric engine and pulled into the street that ran alongside the coast. Houses and shops lined the quaint road and made him feel like he’d entered Disneyland. Well, Disneyland decked out for Christmas—because practically every store and restaurant was decorated with colorful lights, red and green being the dominant ones. And maybe this island was just like Disneyland, full of make believes and wishes for things he couldn’t have.

“Are you here for the… you know?” Carl continued.

Knowing that the kid was referring to the hot spring that was said to have magical qualities, Jake gave no direct answer and instead let his eyes wander toward the ocean and the impenetrable darkness beyond the shore. “The… you know what… doesn’t really work, does it?”

Carl sat up taller as if wanting to display more authority. “Of course it does!” Then he lowered his voice and leaned closer, whispering now. “I grew up here. Everything you’ve heard is true. If you drink from it, you’ll get your heart’s desire.”

Jake suppressed the urge to scoff. If the spring really worked, why was a young man like Carl still living here, performing the thankless job of chauffeuring tourists around the island? “Sure, whatever you say.”

Maybe he was just cynical—what one-hundred-forty-seven-year-old vampire wouldn’t be? Or maybe he was simply bracing himself for the moment when he found out that the magical spring didn’t actually have the power to grant wishes.

“You’ll see!” Carl prophesied and brought the cart to a stop. He pointed to the large Victorian house that stood behind a white picket fence. “We’re here.”

Jake pulled a five-dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to the kid. “Thanks, Carl.”

The youngster grinned as he pocketed the money. “And if you need transportation on the island, I’m happy to drive you around.”

Jake had no doubt about that. He was sure that opportunities for making money on the island were few and far between. “I’ll let you know.” He got out of the cart and walked up the entrance way to the house, bag in hand.

The electric engine made barely any sound when Carl left.

Jake opened the entrance door and entered. The foyer was cozy and well lit. A large Christmas tree adorned with antique ornaments took up half the entry hall. He had to admit—despite his aversion to Christmas—that the fresh blue spruce looked rather pretty, and the scent brought back memories of his childhood. Memories of happier times.

A large wooden staircase led to the upper floors. To its left was a reception area, which looked like a booth with a high counter in front and shelves at the back. He approached it and set his bag on the floor. Seeing nobody, but sensing he wasn’t alone, he hit the little bell on the counter.

As the soft ping chimed through the foyer, he suddenly heard a sound and an instant later, a woman rose from behind the counter, righting the sleeve of her colorful dress, while giving him an apologetic smile. He hadn’t seen her earlier, nor had his senses picked up on her smell. The scent of the fresh tree, the potpourri, and the scented candles that seemed to be wherever there was a ledge or an available surface, was too overwhelming.

“Oh, dear, you’ve caught me now!” She chuckled and blushed furiously. “Those darn straps, they never stay in place.” She pulled her hand out from under her sleeve and adjusted her scoop neck.

Jake could only imagine that she was talking about her bra straps and tried not to focus on her ample chest. Instead, he looked at her face. She was still attractive even though she seemed to be in her early sixties. Had he met her twenty or thirty years ago, he would have seduced her.

“Mrs. Adams?”

“Yes, and you must be Mr. Stone.” She let her eyes roam over his face and body, not hiding the fact that she found him attractive.

He was used to those looks. He got them from women of all ages. But all they saw was his perfect shell: the dark hair, the chiseled chin, the classical nose, the piercing blue eyes, and the sculpted body. What they didn’t see was the man inside, the man who yearned for a real life, for a mortal life. For a purpose.

“I have a wonderful room for you. On the top floor. It’s got a gorgeous view of the bay on the other side of the island.” She reached for the board of keys behind her and took one of them down, placing it on the counter.