Evernight Holiday Blog Hop

Welcome to the Evernight Holiday Blog Hop on the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked! We love the holidays, we love making our readers happy and we love giving away swag. What better way to do that than to hold a blog hop?

Here's how it works... the more blogs you hop to (shown below) the more chance you have of winning prizes. Each site on the hop is offering a prize and Evernight is offering an iPad 2 as the grand prize! To be in with a chance of winning the site prize simply follow the blog you're visiting and leave a comment which includes your email address. Each entry on each blog is then counted towards the grand prize draw. The more entries you have, the better your chance of winning that iPad 2! You also get extra points for liking the Evernight Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/evernightpublishing. Just make sure you let us know in the comments that you've done so.
  
In addition to the iPad 2, you have the opportunity to read an excerpt of one of my upcoming works in progress AND you have a chance to win a Siobhan Muir tote bag full of conference swag.

The title of this story is The Order of the Dragon and Drake MacGregor is a vampire who hasn't fed in a few days and has been lusting over Dr. Aliandra Cantora del Viento, a lovely Peruvian woman who has a little secret of her own. He's fallen and broken his leg. He's not healing fast because he hasn't fed.

Silence encompassed the car ride to the clinic. Drake kept his eyes focused on the holiday décor festooning the street lights and traffic lights of Three Lakes, hoping it would cool his thoughts toward the woman beside him. Her scent had changed a little with her irritation and sulfur edged out the spicy chocolate.

Good. Better for her to be angry with me than to encourage my lustful urges.

Dr. Cantora parked in front of the clinic and got out without a word. He heard her open the trunk as he scanned the dark building. Green garlands wound around the silver handrails for the front steps and the side entry ramp, little red berries gleaming in the old fashioned walkway lamps. Drake jumped when the doctor jerked open the car door and he swore the little flakes of snow vaporized into steam when they hit her rigid shoulders. The scent of sulfur intensified and he hesitated.

“Do you need help to get out, Mr. MacGregor?”

“Oh, uh, no, thank you.”

He swung his feet out, but only put weight on his good one as he used the car frame for balance to maneuver into the chair she held. He almost lost his balance when dizziness assailed him, making him sway dangerously toward the sensually exotic doctor.

“Easy,” she whispered as she caught his elbow in a steady grip. “Let’s get you into the clinic. I think you’re going into shock.”

Drake nodded and closed his eyes when he settled into the chair. He heard her slam the car door shut and felt the movement of the chair up the ramp, but he focused his attention on curbing the hunger raging against his willpower. If he wasn’t careful, he’d attack the poor doctor and have to make reparations, not to mention the memory wipe. Pain and hunger surged and he clamped his hands over the armrests of the wheelchair to keep from grabbing Dr. Cantora as she passed to unlock the doors.

“Hang in there for me, Mr. MacGregor. Just a few more steps to get inside.”

He opened his eyes to find the doctor’s beautiful face damn near nose to nose with him and her scent flooded his awareness. A punch of lust overwhelmed his good sense and he rocked forward with the intent to kiss her delectable lips before he could stop himself.

Dr. Cantora’s eyes narrowed and her mouth flattened into a hard line just before she pulled back out of reach.

“Don’t you think you’ve had enough amorous embraces for one night, Mr. MacGregor?” she growled at him as she rose. “Given your state of shock, I can understand your unsteadiness, but I thought a man of your age would have better control over himself.”

Her rejection left him reeling in chagrin and relief as she threw the doors open and shoved him through. The heat of the building hit him like a wall, but he still felt cold inside. Hunger railed at him, screaming for him to leap out of this chair and tackle the doctor, consequences be damned. Drake gritted his teeth and fought his inner beast down.

The clinic was dark and warm, but still smelled like antiseptic with the underlying taint of sickness. He hated clinics, their scents and ambiance always grating on his peace of mind, but tonight his usual distaste faded before the scent and heat of the doctor, and his sense of their solitude in the empty building. They were alone, all the other medical staff home safe in the face of the oncoming weather, and he was so hungry.

Dr. Cantora wheeled him into the X-ray room and turned one light in the corner.

“It’ll take a moment to warm up. Please remove your pants so we can take an accurate X-ray to see the damage.”

Drake gaped. “You want me to take off my pants?”

He’d never be able to hide his erection then.

“Yes.”

She strode out of the room and he cursed under his breath. This day couldn’t get any worse, unless he jumped Dr. Cantora and fucked her while he fed.

His inner beast cheered at that idea.

Drake levered himself up to his one foot using the bench bed to keep him stable then balanced while he fiddled with his fly. His cock throbbed with arousal from the doctor’s lingering scent and each brush of his fingers against the aching length eroded his grip on his inner beast.

He lost his balance as his hands began to shake from lack of fuel and he swore, fumbling with his zipper as he toppled against the bench. He released his pants to catch himself and they slid off his hips to tangle his ankles. With a cry of frustrated dismay, he toppled to the side, unable to stop his fall.

Fuck, I’m so completely useless.

Expecting the impact with the floor, he closed his eyes and completely relaxed his body…And landed against something warm, soft, and sweet-scented.

“I’ve got you, Mr. MacGregor. You seem to be having a little trouble. Are you certain nothing other than your leg is broken?”

 Drake wanted to answer, but the scent of her body so near to his nose and the blood under the silken skin of her throat destroyed his coherency. He wrapped his arms around her, throwing his weight against her chest, and nestled his nose at the base of her throat. Before his mind could stop his hunger, he’d driven his canines into her neck and filled his mouth with her sumptuous blood.

Two things registered to his hunger-fogged brain. The first was the unbelievable richness of her blood, richer than any blood he’d ever tasted. It filled his mouth like the legendary elixir of life and warmed his body from the inside out.

The second thing was a terrible snarl echoing through the room just before Dr. Cantora flung him bodily over the medical bench to crash into the metal shelves filled with lead aprons.

Drake opened his eyes to stare up at the woman towering over him, her eyes blazing with iridescent green fire as she held her neck with one taloned hand.

“What in the name of all that’th holy do you think you’re doing?”

Ah well, every couple has their quirks. Thank you for joining us on this hop. Remember, you must comment for a chance to win the iPad 2 and the Siobhan Muir tote full of swag (The mug in the photo is just for scale) All you have to do is leave a comment on this post about your favorite holiday tradition with a valid email address. My prize is open internationally, but only to those 18 or older, and please void where prohibited. Don't forget to visit all the other blogs on this hop, nearly 90 chances to win! Good luck and happy hopping!