Changeling Press Hot Toddy #4:
GUARDIANS: SEASON OF SACRIFICEComing soon to www.changelingpress.com!
Grellix and Danni face overwhelming odds when
an ancient enemy comes to call!In the thirteenth century, a deadly rivalry began -
vampires and Guardians became eternal enemies.
Now, the vamps have a plan, and Grellix is their
first target. But underestimating the power of
love can be a fatal mistake!
Danni nursed a huge mug of hot chocolate as she watched
Grellix pace the length of their small cabin by the lake.
The place they came to play, when things were quiet in
the city and Grellix was able to spend an entire night with
her.They weren’t playing tonight.
“Something is happening,” Grellix rumbled. “The soul-
eaters are becoming bold.”“What are they, some kind of demon?” Danni shivered at
the thought. Grellix had fought a demon once, and come
home with flesh a mass of gaping rents where the beast’s
claws had snagged him, though in the end he’d been
victorious. It was one of the few times Danni regretted
their bonding, for that was the only reason Grellix was
now flesh at night. The demon’s claws could never have
damaged the stone he’d been before. But thankfully,
Healing was another of the gods’ gifts, and he’d been
fine by the next evening.“No.” Grellix was still pacing, his wings half-furled, his
face a mask of concentration. “They are...you call them
‘vampires’.”“Vampires?” Despite the things she’d seen in the past
six years, and the fact that she was bonded for life to a
gargoyle, Danni still found it hard to accept that denizens
of hell and creatures of legend actually walked the earth.
“So...vampires are real.” She thought back over the
encounter. “Well, he definitely had the hypnotic eyes,
but it didn’t work on me.”“What do you mean?”
“In the store. He was staring at me. He wanted me to
stand there, waiting for him. But I could feel the energies
he was commanding, like thick fingers of air trying to hold
me in place. I ignored them, but pretended it was working,
then turned and ran when he got close enough to try and
grab me himself.”Grellix eyed her with concern. “Why?” he growled. “Why
did he come?”Danni shrugged.
Grellix knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. His
taloned thumbs caressed the back of her hands, his black
skin soft and smooth, but polished and gleaming as obsidian
in the flickering light from the fireplace. His eyes, dark as
the night sky, tugged at her. “Did he say anything to you?”
Danni shook her head. “No. Oh, wait. He didn’t really say
it to me, just said it out loud.”“What?”
“He said, one taste wouldn’t hurt. That Peter would never
know.”Grellix’s hands tightened unexpectedly, his claws piercing
her thighs through her sweatpants. “Taste!” He leaned
forward, his wings outspread. “Did he bite you?”“I -- I don’t think so. I felt something against my neck,
but then he heard you and pushed me away.”“Show me.”
REVIEWS: Coming Soon