Excerpt from The Case of the Reincarnated Lover

Sales are going well so far on my latest book, The Case of the Reincarnated Lover, and I'm happy. I still have review copies to give away, so check out this post for details if you'd like one. To whet your appetite, I thought I'd publish an excerpt. This is from later in the book, so it's not something you'd see in the sample from Amazon. This scene is about 1/3 of the way through the book, and one of the rogue vampire's minions has been sent to attack the boys and one of their friends.

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We went outside and started for Paul's car. The sun was completely gone, no hint of sunset left in the darkened sky.

Paul had just pulled out his keys to remotely unlock the door when I heard a low growl from the shadows to our right. I turned.

Amber eyes gleamed in the darkness, and I stepped back just in time to avoid a sudden charge. However, I wasn't the target. Fangs flashed, and Nicola dropped with a cry, blood spurting from a long gash on her arm.

Before I could react, Paul snarled next to me and leaped to stand over Nicola. His eyes had shifted, and both his claws and fangs were extended. "Dafydd! Get out of here!"

Heck with that. I wasn't going anywhere, but I did need a moment to gather myself. I ducked behind Paul's car and pulled out a speed potion. If I needed to run, I preferred to do it really fast.

I peered out from behind the car to take in the situation. Paul was still hovering protectively over Nicola, who wasn't moving. I could see the blood spreading from her injury.

The other vampire stared at Paul. He was shorter than Paul, maybe just an inch or two taller than me, and slight of build. Paul was fast, but I suspected this vampire was faster. My friend  might have the advantage in strength, however.

The strange vampire was blond and would have been attractive, if not for the glowing eyes and fangs. Plus the arrogant expression and tilt to his head.

I don't generally go for the bad-boy type.

His tongue darted out to lick away a smear of blood, and he smiled, though there was nothing of humor in the expression. "Two humans to protect, Paulus? I can take you easily."

Why wasn't he attacking? He was right. He had Paul at a disadvantage. Paul was fast, but if the other vampire lured him off, like by attacking me, he could probably kill Nicola before Paul could react.

At that moment, the vampire darted in, aiming for Paul's throat. Paul snarled and struck with his claws, never moving from his position over Nicola.

"You're fast, but I can take you on strength," Paul said, his voice steady.

The other vampire sneered. "What good is your strength if I kill both your humans before you can even react?"

I had no idea of his real name, but I decided "Cocky" would fit.

Okay, the best thing for me to do was to even the playing field. I was no match for a vampire, but if I could free up Paul to move as he wanted, I figured he could handle one vampire. I shot a quick glance at the door to Lounge 201. Better do it before reinforcements showed up. I wasn't sure which side the other vampires would take if any came out.

I pulled out another potion. Strength this time. I don't usually like to mix potions. They are hard on the body, but I didn't think I was strong enough to lift Nicola without magical aid. I downed both and felt a surge of energy course through me. I felt like I could run forever, lift buildings and maybe have energy left over to make love all night.

I shook my head. Definitely did not need to be distracted by those thoughts, but it was an unfortunate effect of the potion mix.

My time was short. The potions wouldn't last more than a minute or two. I looked back at Paul and the other vampire. Lucky me. They were involved in some sort of alpha male stare down, and no one was looking my way. Paul had shifted to stand in front of Nicola instead of on top of her. Good, that gave me room to maneuver.

I ran as fast as I could, which under the effect of the potion was faster than an Olympic sprinter. I was halfway to Nicola before either vampire noticed me. Paul attacked, attempting to use his superior strength to knock the other vampire off balance. Cocky dodged, making the movement look effortless, and he reversed direction to charge me.

Good thing I wasn't where he was expecting. I guess he'd never dealt with magically enhanced speed before.

I darted past him and grabbed Nicola. Damn! She was heavy, even with my potion strength, but I lifted her to my shoulder. As soon as I had her, Paul shot past me to engage Cocky, who was looking around almost comically, trying to figure out where I'd gone.

Paul hit him hard, shoulder blocking him and knocking him off balance.

I settled Nicola into a rough approximation of a fireman carry and ran.

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If you want to learn what happens next, you'll have to get a copy of the book. Hope you enjoyed!