Mandy M. Roth - Magic Under Fire (Over a Dozen Tales of Urban Fantasy) Read online

  MAGIC UNDER FIRE

  OVER A DOZEN TALES OF URBAN FANTASY ROMANCE

  DEANNA CHASE MANDY M ROTH SARANNA DE WYLDE C. GOCKEL KATE DANLEY HAILEY EDWARDS ANGIE FOX H.M. MCQUEEN CHRISTINE POPE COLLEEN GLEASON MICHELE BARDSLEY TONYA KAPPES BOONE CRUX RENEE GEORGE

  BAYOU MOON PRESS, LLC

  CONTENTS

  DEANNA CHASE

  Bite of Betrayal

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  MICHELE BARDSLEY

  The Alpha’s Werewolf Bride

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  About the Author

  COLLEEN GLEASON

  Tempted by the Night

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  The Heroes of New Vegas

  About the Author

  Also by Colleen Gleason

  MANDY M. ROTH

  Solo Tu (Only You)

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Epilogue

  About The Author

  SARANNA DE WYLDE

  The Wollstonecraft Legacy

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  The Ever After

  About the Author

  RENEE GEORGE

  Witchmate

  Copyright

  River of Tears

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  About the Author

  CHRISTINE POPE

  Hearts on Fire

  Hearts on Fire

  About the Author

  ANGIE FOX

  Gentlemen Prefer Voodoo

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  About the Author

  HAILEY EDWARDS

  Dog Days of Summer

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  About the Author

  C. GOCKEL

  Atomic

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Also by C. Gockel

  About the Author

  KATE DANLEY

  Queen Joanna

  1. Queen Joanna

  Did you like what you read?

  Also by Kate Danley

  About the Author

  H.M. MCQUEEN

  Sit A Spell

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  TONYA KAPPES

  A Charming Death (Do Us Part)

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  About the Author

  Also by Tonya Kappes

  BOONE BRUX

  Dead Spooky

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  About the Author

  BITE OF BETRAYAL

  BILLIONAIRE BLOOD BONDS

  DEANNA CHASE

  One hot vampire. One hot night. And one hot betrayal.

  Blake Douvant is a woman with one thing on her mind: find her missing best friend. But when Jackson Barré, a sexy east coast billionaire, comes into her life, she lets her guard down for just one night full of lust, passion, and betrayal.

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  Look for the rest of the Billionaire Blood Bonds series in early 2018

  Copyright © 2016 by Deanna Chase All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  1

  I stood outside the Red Door and took a deep breath, the oppressive humidity zapping my energy. August in New Orleans was pure hell. And even though I’d cleaned up only an hour before, I already felt a desperate need for a shower.

  Perfect. There was nothing like frizzy hair and a sheen of perspiration to boost a girl’s confidence when she was basically on a blind date… with a vampire. I took a step forward and flashed my employee badge at the vamp working the door in order to bypass the line already forming down Frenchmen Street.

  “Mr. Barré is waiting for you in the VIP booth,” Cain said, waiving me through.

  I nodded and slipped into the dark club. The air conditioning cooled my over-heated skin as I stood there waiting for my eyes to adjust.

  “This way, Ms. Douvant.” The cold hand of the club manager gripped my elbow as he gently propelled me forward.

  I gritted my teeth, but said nothing, letting him manhandle me. There was nothing to be done. My boss and the owner of the club, Eadric Allcot, had ordered me to ‘entertain his esteemed guest for the weekend.’ And even though I was an executive assistant, here I was on a Friday night because I had bills to pay. A lot of them. Not to mention, no one ever told Allcot no. Not if they wanted to keep their job, anyway. Allcot expected his employees to not only jump, but to do it with a smile on their face.

  Considering he was paying me almost triple what my last job had, I was usually more than willing to do his bidding… but entertaining a guest? I wasn’t a fucking call girl, for gawd’s sake. The entire idea of getting paid to babysit some vamp—I stopped in my tracks when I spotted the vampire sitting in the secluded booth.

  Holy hell. I knew him.

  Or at least I knew of him.

  Jackson Barré, gorgeous and every single woman’s dream, was part of the northeastern Barré dynasty: a clan of vampires who were political powerhouses, philanthropists, and the owners of Suck-It-Up Solar, the green energy manufacturing company dominating the western world.
/>   He stood, reaching out a hand, his piercing blue eyes locking on mine. “Good evening, Ms. Douvant.”

  “Blake,” I said, slipping my hand into his.

  He tightened his grip over my fingers and smiled, his eyes glinting in the dark club. “Nice to meet you, Blake.”

  Butterflies fluttered in my stomach and my mouth went dry, rendering me momentarily speechless.

  His smile widened as he tugged me down into the booth. He glanced at the club manager. “A bottle of the private reserve. Cabernet.”

  The club manager bowed his head in acknowledgement, and just as he was turning to leave, I finally found my voice. “Can I get a Mocha in Motion?”

  The manager leveled me with a disapproving look just short of a scowl.

  “I’ve already worked a ten-hour day,” I said with a tight smile. “I’m sure Mr. Barré wouldn’t appreciate his date yawning through the evening.”

  The manager’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded and stalked off.

  Jackson stared after him, then turned to me with his eyebrows raised, curiosity swimming in his expression. “Something wrong with ordering a mocha?”

  I nodded. “In his eyes. It’s a magically infused energy drink made by the fae, Willow Rhoswen.”

  “A fae, huh. Interesting.” He sat back, an amused smile claiming his lips. “How did that happen?”

  The fae community didn’t exactly get along with the vamp community. They were sort of like the light and dark colliding, so to speak. To have a vampire-owned club selling fae products was more than a bit unorthodox. “It’s kind of a long story. Let’s just say that Willow and Allcot had a common enemy at one time and came together to defeat him. It resulted in a business arrangement that seems to work for both of them.”

  “I see.” Jackson cut his gaze toward the stage, but his eyes were unfocused indicating he’d become lost in his own thoughts.

  I sat back and watched him, mesmerized. How the hell had I ended up on a date with Jackson Barré? He was the supernatural version of a Kennedy. Only hotter. I was willing to bet there wasn’t a single female vamp, witch, human, or even fae who wouldn’t line up to get a date with him. He was charming, rich, and socially conscious. What more could a girl ask for? Suddenly, I no longer felt resentful that Allcot had asked me to show him around New Orleans.

  “So,” I said as the waitress set our drinks on the table, “what brings you to the Crescent City? Business I assume, if you’re meeting with Allcot. But since we’re here,” I waved a hand around the club, “I hope that means you’re making time for some pleasure as well.”

  He turned, once again focusing on me as his gaze slid from my eyes to my lips and down to my cleavage. Heat crawled up my neck, burning my cheeks. Good goddess, why had I worn the wrap around dress with the plunging neckline and not the turtleneck?

  Maybe because it was August in New Orleans, and a turtleneck would’ve caused a stroke.

  His lips curved up into a ghost of a smile. “Right. Tonight is all about pleasure.”

  Those butterflies were back, and even though he hadn’t even touched me, my skin was on fire. Holy vamps. I was way, way out of my league. I took a long sip of my drink and closed my eyes as the elixir worked its way through my body, giving me the pick-me-up I so desperately needed.

  “Better?” Jackson asked.

  I opened my eyes and smiled. “Much.”

  “Good.” He stood and held out his hand. “Dance?”

  I stared at him, and then swallowed. Hard.

  His smile widened. “It’s just a dance, Blake. I promise to keep my fangs to myself.”

  “Famous last words,” I said. But I took his hand and let him lead me out onto the dance floor.

  Just as Jackson wrapped his arms around me, the band on stage started playing a bluesy slow number that was hauntingly beautiful and all too familiar. The song was Cameron’s favorite. The one she’d played over and over and over again when she wanted to feel something, anything. The music seemed to filter right into my blood, making me pulse with frustration. The urge to walk right out of the club, to continue my seemingly fruitless search for my missing friend, almost overwhelmed me.

  Dammit! Not now, I told myself. Cameron had been missing for six long months. And for six months I’d spent every last resource I had, and then some, on finding her, including contracting an expensive private investigator. So far, no one had turned up anything. But I was resolute. I’d never stop looking for her, even if I went bankrupt.

  He stopped swaying and peered down at me. “What’s wrong?”

  I opened my mouth to deny any such thing, but before I could speak the club manager appeared beside us. “Ms. Douvant, Mr. Allcot is waiting for you both in his office.”

  Jackson released me, but as I turned to exit the dancefloor, he pressed his hand to the small of my back, guiding me toward the employee passageway as if he already knew where we were headed.

  Maybe he did.

  He was Allcot’s guest, after all. There was no reason to believe this was Jackson Barré’s first rendezvous with the powerful hundred-year-old vamp.

  “How long have you known, Allcot?” I asked him as we ascended the narrow, wooden stairs.

  “We go back a few years,” he said.

  “A few as in two or three or more like twenty or thirty?” I kept my tone light as if I were just making small talk, but there was genuine curiosity on my part. The Barré clan, while powerful, had risen on the scene in the last ten years and not a lot was known about them. Jackson Barré looked like he was in his early thirties, but you could never tell with vamps. He could be in his hundreds for all I knew.

  “More like five or ten. We met at a hurricane Katrina fundraiser.”