Dark Order of the Dragon #1
Sandra Bischoff
Paranormal Romance
Publication Date- April 1, 2013
Bayou Brew Publishing
Fifteen years ago Jared Bonatelli had it all. The youngest son of one of the founding families in the Conservatorship of The Dark Order he lived a life you only thought existed in novels and nightmares. He had just graduated from Oxford University and became engaged to his childhood sweetheart when he lost it all in one violent act. The very next day he found himself shipped off to New Orleans with only the money in his pocket and whatever he could fit in one suitcase. Since that night he has suffered reliving his fiancé’s murder repeatedly in his dreams. It isn't until he finds himself summoned back to New York for an emergency meeting of the Conservatorship that the comfortable world he lives in begins to crumble around him.
Alexandra Toscano has been searching for the one assignment that could catapult her journalistic career. When her editor Gene O’Hanlon drops a manila folder in her lap, Alex is immediately skeptical. At first glance the information he hands her seems like a publicity piece that is till she comes across an article he wrote some fifteen years ago about Vampires murdering a young woman in Central Park. She is ready to laugh it off as a work of fiction until he points out he was an eyewitness to the whole thing. But that wasn’t all. The girl’s boyfriend was a member of a prominent Italian family who vanished the very next day.
Now as Alex begins to dig deeper into Jared’s life she begins to question her own past. Could the answer she seeks be found in the glowing eyes of the one person she is sworn to expose? Or will they both find themselves torn apart by a world Beyond the Sun?
EXCERPT:
Alex took a sip of her champagne, skirting the upper level
in the Hall of Ocean Life. She moved closer to the rail and rested her flute on
the top of it, peering down at the Who’s Who of the tri-state area. In her line
of work, she attended countless affairs like this, but never glimpsed the old
world royalty rumored to be hosting this event. Scanning the crowd, Alex tried
to pick out who the Royals might be. No one stood out. They all were the same
to her: old, wealthy and, above all, fake.
A commotion at the Central Park West entrance to the hall
had all eyes turning that direction. Alex’s gaze locked on the tall blonde
walking through the doorway. She couldn’t believe her luck. Jared Bonatelli,
the man who had consumed every iota of her workday, waltzed in like he owned
the place. His laughter was swallowed up by the crowd surrounding him. The dark
haired man with him was definitely annoyed. It figured, she called it the
moment Gene handed her the folder; he was a spoiled, rich, handsome and egotistical
jerk. He was most likely the cause of his companion’s scowl. Her first
impressions of someone were never wrong.
Jared paused. The dark haired man spun toward him and spoke.
Jared listened and began to laugh harder. His friend, seemingly disgusted with
the whole exchange, gave Jared one last glare and stalked off toward the far
exit, heading further into the Museum.
Jared watched Zephyr walk away. The man needed to lighten
up. It wasn’t his fault they were suckered into attending, just dumb luck. It’d
be better for them to relax, have a few drinks, and make an effort to enjoy the
night. Well, if Zephyr wouldn’t make the effort, he’d make the sacrifice and do
it.
He nodded a greeting to the Mayor and his wife. A waitress
balancing a tray of flutes filled with Cristal passed them. Jared lifted a
glass free. She continued by, with a simple curving of her lips, and slipped
something in his pocket. He gave her a smirk and removed the paper from his
pocket, placing it on her tray.
She stopped and pouted at him. “Can’t blame a girl for
trying.”
“No, I can’t, but I’m not in the market for a woman who
throws herself at me. I’m not that kind of guy.”
She laughed. “Mr. Bonatelli, that’s not what I’ve heard.
I’ll have you know, I’m the best you’re going to get in this dried up crowd.
Your loss." She shrugged and inclined her head to Zephyr. He raised his
glass in silent salute. With a swish of her hips, the waitress casually made
her way through the crowd, slipping the note in an unsuspecting Senator’s
pocket.
Jared narrowed his eyes at the vampire and took a swig from
his glass. Leave it to Zephyr to try and get him laid tonight. A pressure built
on the back of his neck, the feeling of being watched. Jared’s eyes roamed over
the crowd, but no one seemed to be paying him any mind. Still, the feeling
nagged at him. He scanned the upper level of the hall and the feeling vanished.
How odd.
Alex stepped back, out of Jared’s gaze. She didn’t want him
noticing her, not yet. She took another step out of sight and bumped into
someone.
“Watch it, you useless cow!”
The voice behind her held nothing but venom. Alex cringed.
This was so not good.
“I’m speaking to you.
Weren’t you ever taught to face the person talking to you?”
Alex blinked. What in
the world?
She pivoted to meet the woman behind her and came face to
face with the coldest set of citrine colored eyes she had ever seen. The woman
snarled. Alex’s apology died on her lips. Were
those fangs? No, it couldn’t be.
“Are you dumb as well as deaf? Look at what you’ve done to
my gown! It’s absolutely ruined. If this was the old country, I’d have your
heart for dinner for this insult!” She waved her hands at her bodice, if one
considered a sheer piece of ribbon barely covering her breasts a bodice. The
cloth was thoroughly soaked.
Old country?
Alex’s mouth went dry. She is one of the
royals in attendance? It couldn’t be.
“I’m so sorry. It was clumsy of me. Please let me take care of it.” She
withdrew a business card from her clutch purse and tried to hand it to the
blonde. The woman slapped it away.
“I don’t want you to take care of it.” She sneered. “You
couldn’t even afford one of my shoes. Get out of my sight. Out of this Museum.
You are no longer welcome here.”
“But…”
The woman leaned in close, her eyes glowing. “I mean it,
human. Leave.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder and stalked off. Two
leather-clad men followed in her wake.
Alex stared after her. Well,
that didn’t go well. How was she supposed to explain this one to Gene? By the way, I got a line on Bonatelli, but I
had to abandon it. Why? Oh, only so I could avoid an international incident and
keep my life. No biggie. Losing her lead and getting kicked out of the gala
would endear her to her boss. Not.
“Don’t take it personally. Absinthe takes a lot of getting
used to. She’s kind of like Hannah Montana with fangs and venom.” A deep voice
murmured in her right ear.
Alex whirled around and met the most electrifying blue eyes
she’d ever seen. She pinched the back of her hand to make sure she hadn’t
passed out and was dreaming. The man’s photos did him no justice. Her jaw began
working, but no words came out of her mouth. A goldfish had nothing on her.
Truthfully, she did feel like a fish out of water surrounded by all the frilly
and fancy people. Seeing him in the flesh only made matters worse.
Jared’s brows drew together. “Are you ok? You seem a little
shaken up. Don’t let her get to you, being a bitch is an art form for her.”
She tried to find humor at his attempt to lighten the
situation, but she was mesmerized by his eyes. Alex felt lightheaded, had to be
the champagne on an empty stomach. Or it was the stress her boss planted on her
shoulders. What a combination. She swayed back. A strong hand took hold of her
elbow and an arm snaked around her waist, supporting her weight. She sagged
against him and felt her legs being swept off the floor just before the world
started to fade.
About this Author:
Sandi Bischoff lives in the historic town of Cornwall, NY with her husband, son and a menagerie of Dragons all of whom have their own distinct personalities. She is a Pharmacist by profession but finally found her true calling in a simple twist of fate. A friend approached her to write for a character in a forum on a popular networking website and over the next five years her passion had found its niche. She then went on to compose a few poems and short stories which she would post on her homepage at the same networking site. Recently one of those poems was chosen to be published in a compilation called Collected Whispers.Her first manuscript entitled Beyond the Sun was another short story gone wild. It has recently been picked up by Bayou Brew Publishing and was released on April 1st.
Author Links:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7031254.Sandra_Bischoff
http://sandibischoff.webs.com/
https://twitter.com/SandiBischoff
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSandiBischoff
http://sbischoff.wordpress.com
http://www.bayoubrewpublishing.com/
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