the exception - Forever and a Night series by Lana Campbell

"What a delightful romance. [...] The clever plot is full of twists and turns that should keep readers guessing.I really enjoyed Tiffany and her ‘inter-species’ family and hope to see more of their exploits in future books. What a charming novel. Looking forward to the next installment." - Meraux, Goodreads

Description:

Forever and a Night

Nathan Davenport is being stalked by Isabella Ravini, the feral vampire who stole his human life over a hundred and sixty years ago. She made him her fledging, a slave for her dark, evil purposes—hunting humans. After a few years she released him, and Nathan reluctantly learned to accept the cursed life she’d foisted upon him.

Over time he amassed a great fortune, which today has made him famous worldwide. Isabella decides she wants to be a part of this world of fame and fortune Nathan created for himself. She’s determined to marry him, and love has nothing to do with it. His money is her primary target, and the fame and prestige attached to being the wife of one of the richest men in the world wouldn’t be so bad either.

In an effort to evade her until he can figure out how to stop her, he hides at a safe house he owns in New Orleans. One Saturday evening in NOLA, he decides to have dinner in the city. He chooses a quiet little Italian bistro, never imagining this night will change his life forever. The human woman who delivers his order isn’t a server, but the restaurant’s sous chef, a beautiful ethnic woman possessing the most delicious blood scent he’s ever encountered.

The moment Mia Peebles arrives at his table with his plate, tasting her becomes an obsession. Mia wants nothing to do with him because of Nathan’s reputation as a playboy. So Nathan enchants her, feeds from her, but his lusts for her blood and body play havoc with his thinking.

Nathan finds a way to bring her into his life as his personal chef and quickly falls in love with her. The trouble is Mia has no idea he’s a vampire because during the enchanting episodes, Nathan blocked her memories of those sensual encounters.

How will Nathan tell her the truth without losing her and keep Isabella from finding him? Or worst yet, will Isabella discover how much Mia has come to mean to him?

Dark Experiments

Christian is the exception to Tiffany’s rule that all males are louses. For years Tiffany has lusted after Christian and of late she can’t help but wonder what it might be like to have a brief fling with him. The opportunity to explore her secret fantasy appears when Christian offers her a job as the IT person for his practice, the V clinic. She knows if he gives her the green light, she’s going to have a romp with her sexy vampire. When the night finally arrives and she and Christian have sex, the experience is so overwhelmingly powerful, Tiffany backpedals and tries to turn down the heat between them. She’s human. He’s a vampire. She can’t afford to fall in love with him. 

Christian has other ideas. During their sexual encounter, he discovers Tiffany is his life mate and he vows to change her thinking. His intentions are put on hold when he gets caught up in an angel of death’s vicious plan to chemically terminate V clinic patients’ pregnancies. Tiffany herself falls victim to a lethal dose of arsenic and Christian can only save her by turning her into a vampire. She’s furious when she wakes from her turning and discovers what Christian has done. She wants nothing to do with him ever again, but when she’s kidnapped by this angel of death and used as a guinea pig for deadly experiments she only has Christian to turn to save her life.

EXCERPT

TOUR SCHEDULE

Dark Experiments:

Nathan’s men rushed inside, Christian at their heels. He flipped up his sunglasses and looked about the inky darkness of a huge garage, plenty luminous for vampire eyes. Another standard door led to the belly of the building in the far right corner. He headed toward it, behind Nathan’s six men. Asa, Dominic and Nathan took up the rear, single file behind him. 

At this point most everyone inside had surely heard the door come down. Christian needed to alert Tiffany and make her ready for whatever transpired once they emerged into the building’s interior.

We’re here. Get ready. Say nothing and stay calm. I’ll be there before you know it.

You’re here? Thank God, Christian. 

Are you alone?

Yeah, I’m still alone and tied down to this damned bed. My heart is about to beat out of my chest. That’s my only tell, but no one except a vampire could here it.

I’ll hear it soon enough and it will be music to my ears.

Be careful.

You too. 

Two of Nathan’s men took the battering ram to the interior door. Once it was relieved of it’s hinges, Christian rushed inside behind four of Nathan’s men. He expected to be met by the very least the brother armed to defend his turf, but instead two young thin vampire girls with hideously gray skin and gaunt features stood in a long hall just out a doorway to his right. The scent of chili wafted from the room, and Christian assumed it to be a kitchen. 

The two girls appeared terrified, frozen in place, eyes wide and flitting from one armed man to another.

“Hands in the air!” one of the humans ordered.

They instantly obeyed.

Christian raised the barrel of his gun toward the ceiling. These poor little things were no threat. “Are you here by choice?” he asked them.

Both shook their heads, still wearing petrified expressions. 

“Take us to the four women they brought here three days ago,” he demanded.

Just then a man walked out the doorway, hands in the air. Christian saw a holstered gun on his hip. The others must have too. Every man took aim on him with their weapons.

“Get down! Face down on the floor. Hands behind your head!” two of the human men yelled. 

He did their bidding without a word. Seconds later he was swarmed by three humans, stripped of his gun and handcuffed. 

Christian glanced at Asa who stared at the two frightened vampire girls with pity. He felt the same emotion himself, but he needed them to lead him to Tiffany and the others.

“Where are the women?” he asked again with less rancor.

The one closest to them finally answered. “D-down this hallway, take a left and you’ll find them in the curtained cubicles.”

Christian wanted to bolt in the direction they’d indicated, but he held back, glanced at Asa then behind him at Nathan, Dominic and Dimitri. They all wore an expression similar to what was on his mind. This was just too damned easy.

“Are you Terry, Charla’s brother?” Christian asked, stepping up to the head of the prone man who craned his head to glare up at him with equal doses of hate and spite.

“How do you know my name?”

“Never mind that. Get up and lead us to the women.” Christian yanked him up and onto his feet so fast, he’d probably dislocated his shoulder. A harsh grunt of pain said he was correct, but he didn’t care. This man was part of this kidnapping and drugging ring. He deserved a bullet between the eyes, but right now he’d serve just fine as a hostage.

The young sickly girls did not deserve such treatment. “Dominic, Dimitri, could you escort these young ladies out of the building? That is if you want to leave. We’ll make sure you get home, back to your lives, families, whatever.”

Both shook their heads adamantly and the two men corralled them around the small posse in the entryway then out of the building.

Christian shoved the barrel of his gun against the man’s spine. “Lead us to them now.”

Terry, craned his head back and gave him a look of disgust. “I’ll lead you right to them, vampire, but it won’t do you any good. By now they’re all on their way out. I’m sorry about that. I really am. I liked that one with the mouth.”

“Tiffany.”

“Yeah. That’d be the one.”

“You’d better qualify that comment and quick if you want to live. Where are they being taken?”

“I couldn’t answer that, but maybe you can. Where do vampires go when they die?” 

Excerpt from Forever and a Night

“You’re having a very late dinner.” Mia’s head shot up, her gaze slashing toward her right. The speaker was that drop-dead-gorgeous man she’d delivered the one top order to earlier, and he was standing beside her holding a glass of wine. She swallowed the bite in her mouth and said, “This tends to be my normal dinner hour. How was your dinner?” She was surprised to still find him here but not unusual she supposed. Tavania’s was one of the tamer establishments here on Bourbon Street. Guests, whether single or in a group, often came here to eat, hook up to Wi-Fi and work, or just hang out in a nonparty atmosphere. “Amazing, actually. You’re a talented chef.” He took up residence on the stool next to her and sat his glass on the bar. Forever and a Night 13 Mia noticed him studying her. His eyes, the most beguiling she’d ever seen, held intrigue. She felt a little unnerved by his perusal, but she chalked it up to a customer desiring to speak to the chef. It happened all the time. Mostly with Joe because he was head chef. Happy guests often asked to speak to him. She had a roll to play. So play it she would. Mia pushed aside her plate and smiled. “I’m Mia Peebles. Is this your first time at Tavania’s?” She extended her hand. He gave it a cordial shake. “Yes. I drove by tonight and decided it might be a quiet place to do some work. Not so much, but I managed to accomplish what I needed to. I’m Nathan Davenport.” Mia laughed. “Yes, it was a bit crazy tonight. It’s good to meet you, Nath—” She broke off and glared at him. Her heart did a little trip over in her chest when her brain cells began to fire and comprehend the name the man had given her. “Oh my god,” she breathed. Suddenly, his features began to morph with the memories of numerous news and other TV show interviews she’d witnessed over the last ten years or so. Nathan Davenport was a real estate mogul and currently the richest man in the United States and possibly worldwide. Also the most sought-after bachelor on the planet. A playboy. He had a different supermodel or Hollywood starlet on his arm every other picture or interview taken of him. Lana Campbell 14 He looked amused. “I guess you know who I am.” “Duh.” She laughed, picked up her glass of wine, and sipped. “My biggest question is, how did you end up here? I thought you lived in New York.” “I do primarily, but I have a number of homes, and one of my favorites is here in New Orleans in the heart of one of the historical districts. Circumstances have brought me to the city. Unfortunately, I don’t have a private chef here, just a housekeeper, so I went out for the evening.” Mia blinked at him. A private chef ? Wow! Of course a man like him would have all sort of household and personal staff. Her background was redneck, Missouri rural. Just having food on the table every day for her ex-husband and children had been a miracle of God for many years. That kind of wealth stymied her. In her four years with Joe, she’d had many encounters with well-to-do folk and had learned to accept and accommodate their eccentricities. Not every wealthy patron she’d met were all up in their stuff, but she suspected Nathan Davenport about as spoiled as a rich person could get. “What?” he demanded, grinning at her. “Nothing. Just glad you happened by tonight and enjoyed your meal. And truly, I hope you’ll visit Tavania’s again.” She tried for a kind smile then stood, intending to take her half-eaten plate and wine glass to the dish pit. He laid a hand on her arm, halting her. “Are you finished for the evening?” Forever and a Night 15 Mia’s smile faded. There was a hungry look in his eyes, which had nothing to do with food, and she didn’t like the implications. “No. I’m closing tonight and have another hour or so ahead of me. Why?” “I was going to ask you if you’d like to have a drink with me when you’re finished. I’d be happy to wait.” His expression seemed polite enough. Maybe her thinking was a little harsh. He’d been completely cordial, but Mia was forty-two years old and wise enough to recognize a player when she saw one. “That’s very kind of you, but no. It’s been an extremely long day, and I’m beat, but I appreciate the invite.” He appeared disappointed, but Mia didn’t care. She hadn’t dated since her divorce. Hadn’t had time and certainly tonight, she had no time for a guy like Davenport. The man would have been a temptation for a nun. She’d lived like one for the last five years because work left her no time for a social life. However, she wasn’t thinking very sisterly thoughts at the moment, which solidified her refusal. That and the fact he was Nathan Davenport. Dating required commonalities. She couldn’t think of one they might share. She’d taken several steps away from the bar when she heard him speak. Mia, look at me. His voice had taken on a deep hypnotic tone, which seemed to echo in her head. In fact, it seemed to only be in her head, not audible. The strangeness of that reality should Lana Campbell 16 have been terrifying, yet something compelled her to turn and face him. She sat her dishes on the bar. “Come with me.” He gave her a kind, reassuring smile. She opened her mouth to say, Hell, no, but the word that came out instead was, “Okay.” Her heart tumbled over in her chest. Mia realized she was seriously losing it because she allowed him to escort her out the front door of the restaurant without a peep. As hard as she tried to get her feet to obey her mind’s order to run back inside the restaurant, they were useless. They just kept taking her the direction he led them. Her voice was useless too. Her jaws felt locked. 

Goodreads ** Amazon

About the author:

Hi. I'm Lana Campbell author of Forever and a Night, a paranormal, vampire romance. I love writing and reading paranormal books. I live in Avoca, AR with a husband and a cat. Love cats too!

Website ** Goodreads ** Facebook ** Twitter

Author's Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway