Undead Uprising Chapter 22

ww.jpgThis week’s Wicked Wednesday brings you another installment of my urban fantasy involving a twist to the werewolf mythology, battles with vampires and a struggle for control in a werewolf pack. I hope you like this next free chapter that I’m offering you.

In the prior chapters, Catalina had battled two vampires, including a vampire elder. She had killed them both and survived the battle, but not without injury. After word, Caterina recollects about the burden of being a Villalobos and heads home to the man whom she loves, but who refuses to love her . . . until the last chapter (21) when Ramon and Caterina finally allow themselves to explore the feelings they share.

In this chapter, Hemmerich – the villian of the piece — is spying on Ramon and Caterina, watching as they make love. WARNING: This scene is in Hemmerich’s point of view and he is one nasty villian, so expect some nastiness in the scene.

For those of you who may have missed the first chapters, you can read them here:

  • 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
  • Chapter 16
  • Chapter 17
  • Chapter 18
  • Chapter 19
  • Chapter 20
  • Chapter 21

Chapter 22
**For those over 17 years of age only**

Using his handheld, Hemmerich broke into the video signals with the password he had stolen from Selena’s PDA. She had trustingly left it for him to search. That had allowed him to hack into the secured sections of the Villalobos network. It had helped that they had played right into his hands by giving him the desk job. Now he had all the time in the world to search out the Villalobos secrets while fulfilling the mundane tasks given to him.

He flipped from one channel to the next, surprised at the extent of the video system. From the front doors of the lobby to nearly every office in the building, each area was under surveillance. But then again, what should he have expected at a company that prided itself on being the tops in security?

Each entrance and exit was protected, but that was useless now that he had gained access to not only their computer system, but their private areas. Even now, Selena waited for him in her bed, unsuspecting of the reasons why he was there.

He continued moving through the channels until he got to the ones he wanted to see most — those watching the top ten floors of the skyscraper housing Villalobos Industries. The lower of those floors were used as a common place for the pack and had an assortment of meeting rooms, a cantina, and an infirmary for taking care of the pack’s sick and wounded. There were even a few small apartments for the older members who could no longer hunt or maintain themselves in the outside world.

The next floor up from the common area had belonged to Hembra’s mother, Marti, when she had been Rafael’s wife. That hadn’t lasted long beyond the birth of yet another daughter and then Marti had fled in shame. Her floors had been empty for a few years before being added to the common ground for the pack. Now, a few of Rafael de Villalobos’s most trusted advisors and Catalina’s human shared part of the space. The remaining area was reserved for visitors from other wolf clans.

In keeping with the hierarchy of the pack, Helena’s floor was next, followed by Selena’s, Catalina’s and finally, that of the top man himself.

Rafael de Villalobos had the entire penthouse floor of the skyscraper, fifty floors up with views that would have been envied by Manhattan’s wealthiest denizens. But then again, the Villalobos riches were likely as great, possibly even greater.

And one day they would be his, Hemmerich thought as he imagined when he would ascend to the leadership of the group.

He paused but for a moment as Selena came into view in one camera. She lay in bed, waiting for him. Stupid little cunt, he thought. She didn’t have a clue that she was just a stepping stone on his way to the top.

With a quick move of his thumb, he shifted to the next channel and found Rafael’s bedroom, only it was empty, although it was clear he had been in bed at some point. The sheets were disheveled, as if he hadn’t been sleeping well. Did he sense that his time was nearly over? Hemmerich wondered.

Another flick and Catalina’s bedroom came into view. She was in bed naked, the human beside her, partially clothed and above the sheets. Disgust curled his lip a moment before other emotions gripped him. Desire. Jealousy.

Catalina had never shown him anything other than disdain, but once he led the pack . . .

He watched as the filthy mortal touched her. Moved his hands against her back, stroked the long perfect line of it. Bent his head and tasted the lips that should have been his to taste.

His anger grew, but so did his need as his body sprang to painful life. Tightly gripping the PDA with one hand, he shifted his other one beneath the waistband of his pajamas. Encircled himself and stroked as he spied on the couple tenderly kissing and holding one another.

He couldn’t see beyond the line of the sheets at their waist, but as Ramon moved, he caught a glimpse of Catalina’s breast with its creamy pale skin and the darker caramel tip. Imagined touching her there. Tasting her. The human finally dared, raising his hand to cup her breast.

Hemmerich groaned and stroked harder. Faster. Wished he could sample her. Imagined her kissing him and that he might soon roll her beneath him. Enter her damp warmth.

The sheets dropped away as Catalina pushed the human to his back. She straddled him, her hips shifting back and forth, searching for a completion that she wouldn’t get from her filthy mortal. He wasn’t wolf enough to face the condemnation of the pack and take her.

Hemmerich would have dared.

And he who dares wins, he reminded himself.

The human grasped her hips with his hands and then rolled, bringing her down onto the sheets once more. Ramon slithered his body down Catalina’s until his head was between her legs . . .

A fine film of sweat covered him as he stroked, just a bit harder, but Hemmerich realized it would be an empty release without a woman’s warmth encircling him. Without Catalina’s heat bathing his body.

He shut down the PDA, tossed it on Selena’s coffee table and rose, intent on fulfilling his needs.

When he stepped into the bedroom, Selena eased up in bed and seeing his condition, smiled. “I can tell you’re happy to see me.”

He battled back his disgust at her lame comment. At the neediness that made her so weak, she couldn’t see that his only desires were first for control of the pack and second, lust for her older half-sister.

Forcing a smile to his lips, he slowly approached the bed, easing off his pajama bottoms and kicking them aside as he neared. “Kiss me,” he said and met her gaze, confirming what he wanted.

He took the final step to the edge of bed and Selena rose to her knees, bent her head, and took him into her mouth.

What to do in-between books?

This Thoughtful Thursday is about a question I am frequently asked? What do you in-between books? The answer is that you hope you’ve got something else contracted!

But seriously, what I do is start research on the next book and work on other proposals to be sent out by my agent. I’m always working on a new idea because for every book I am lucky enough to sell, there are at least one or two that end up gathering dust at my desk. Sometimes even though I think it’s a rocking book (like UNDEAD UPRISING!).

So the first answer to the question is: Always be preparing another project for consideration. Even if you’re in the middle of working on books that are contracted, keep your creative mind going, even if it’s to just to jot down some story ideas that you can flesh out later.

The second answer is: Get to work on the next book you need to write.

This spring and summer was blessedly busy for me. I had to finish two more book in THE CALLING vampire novels – ARDOR CALLS and VENGEANCE CALLS. Also had to do copy edits and galley proofs for SINS OF THE FLESH. And in the midst of all that, I was busy writing the next book in the SINS series – STRONGER THAN SIN – as well as researching that book.

Third answer: Spend some time researching your next novel.

For me, researching STRONGER THAN SIN meant long walks through some of the shore towns where I planned to set the novel. Snapping photos of places where I might be putting the hero and heroine so that I could get a real feel for the places. I’ve always thought that it’s important to really let you get a sense of the place and am always delighted to hear from someone who visits one of those towns that they felt like they knew it because of something I put in a novel.

So far in STRONGER THAN SIN, my ability to move them around has been limited, but I’m working up to allowing more and more scenes where the hero and heroine will be walking along the same streets that I visited and sharing their views of some of New Jersey’s delightful shore towns.

In STRONGER THAN SIN, most of the action will be taking place in Bradley Beach, Asbury Park, Ocean Grove and Spring Lake. For today, I’m sharing with you some pictures of Ocean Grove and Asbury Park. I’ve got to head down the shore again this weekend and work on adding some shots of Spring Lake and also, the wonderful tent city area close to the Ocean Grove auditorium.

Hope you enjoy the photos and if you can’t see the slide show, you can follow this link to the photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034521&id=1130005412&l=1c0a076248

Undead Uprising Chapter 18

ww.jpgThis week’s Wicked Wednesday brings you another installment of my urban fantasy involving a twist to the werewolf mythology, battles with vampires and a struggle for control in a werewolf pack. I hope you like this next free chapter that I’m offering you.

In the prior chapter, Catalina’s father goes to visit her before she goes out to hunt vampires. Because of her unusual state, Catalina is stronger than the other wolves in her pack in human form, but cannot control herself when she shapeshifts into the wolf. Because of that, she hunts throughout the month, except for the days in around the full moon when she loses control. In this chapter, Catalina is out on the hunt.

For those of you who may have missed the first chapters, you can read them here:

  • 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
  • Chapter 16
  • Chapter 17

Chapter 18

She barely got her sword up to block the downward swing of the nail-studded bat. Reaching behind her, dazed from an earlier shot to her head by the vamp she had just dusted, she couldn’t quite get her hand on the grip of the crossbow.

The vampire raised the bat again, but she knew better than to continue kneeling there. Her awkward position made it difficult to effectively ward off another swing. Feinting to the left, she drew the vampire’s attention and he shifted the direction of his attack.

The bat impacted against the concrete of the street as she rapidly rolled to the right and came to her feet. Dropping her sword, she reached up behind her shoulder and this time, got a solid grip on the crossbow. Whipping it over her head, she fired as the vampire came at her.

He froze in place a few feet away, a stunned look on his face before he glanced down at the arrow protruding from his heart. The bat slipped from his hand and he scrabbled for a solid grip on the shaft of the arrow with his long, nearly skeletal fingers.

For good measure, Catalina notched another and fired again. Her aim true as the first. With a satisfying thud, the second arrow buried itself deep in the vamp’s heart. He finally crumpled to his knees, and then fell face forward toward her.

Catalina took a deep breath, tossed the crossbow back over her shoulder and picked up her sword. Glancing around, just to make sure there wasn’t another vampire beyond the two that had already attacked her, she approached the body. Turning him over, she realized he still wasn’t dead. He must be one of the old ones to be able to withstand two direct hits to the heart and the arrows driven deeper into his body by his fall.

He snarled at her, long fangs crimson with the blood of an earlier kill, and feebly reached for the arrows once more.

She didn’t hesitate a second longer. Raising her sword, she finished him off, severing his head from his shoulders. The surprising thing was, his hands continued to pluck at the arrows for long moments after. He definitely had been one of the old ones, which made her wonder why an elder was out hunting. Vampire elders usually forced the younger ones to bring them food, so one being out tonight hunting was unusual. As was having one attack her outright.

She walked over to the vampire she had killed earlier in the fight. What was left of him sat up against the edge of the building. Or at least part of him did. The lower half of him sprawled flat on the ground, legs splayed at an awkward angle.

Kneeling beside the upper half of his torso, she glanced into his sightless eyes and held her hand up over the middle of his chest. Nothing left of his power. He had clearly been a young vamp. Maybe even younger than the one who had attacked her a few nights ago. So beyond newly turned.

But even with that lack of age, he had managed to get in a good shot, she thought, rubbing at the knot on the back of her head where he had connected with the quarterstaff he had carried. As she bowed there, a prickling sensation sprang up between her shoulder blades.

Another one of the undead. Nearby.