A.J. Locke
They say humans are dreams and Fiends are nightmares. For though Fiends have magic, beauty, and power, their immortal lives are restricted. Vampires must sate their blood lust. Wytches will crumble to dust when their magic runs out. Shapeshifting Haunts must keep their vicious beasts caged. Incubi and succubi cannot indulge in carnal pleasure without dire consequences.
Novari is a human who bartends for Luccero, an alluring incubus and the star of her fantasies. She can’t have Luc, but she does have Keo, who also wouldn’t mind Luc’s touch. Keo, who loathes being a vampire, is in pursuit of a fabled cure that will turn Fiends human. A cure highly in demand as many Fiends crave freedom from their burdened lives.
When an unexpected discovery about the cure’s location puts Novari and Keo in danger, they take refuge in Luccero’s sprawling manor. There, they contemplate how to stay safe … and succumb to each other’s seduction.
The pleasure she finds with Luc and Keo makes Novari want to hide away forever, but when the danger zeroes in, they’ll have to figure out how to overcome it before the dream they’ve found together becomes a nightmare.
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EXCERPT:
I wonder what Luc does on nights like these.
The thought flitted through my mind as I turned down a quieter block and the top of Luc’s manor came into view.
I hadn’t really thought about it before, I realized. I was always so focused on lusting after Luc that I didn’t muse about him in ways that weren’t related to sex. But my curiosity had piqued after watching him take out the recycling in pajama pants and fuzzy slippers this morning.
Did he have a television? Did he watch trashy T.V.? Intellectual documentaries? Sitcoms? Nature programs? Anime? Somehow, I couldn’t picture him on a sectional with a remote in his hand. Did sex Fiends do anything other than feed off sexual energy and fuck their Mates? I volleyed that thought around and wondered why I didn’t know the answer. Surely they did more than indulge their erotic desires, right? Cook, read books, travel, make art, play sports?
Keo did more than drink blood. He was a movie buff, well read, loved vintage cars and magic tricks. Was great at board games but hated card games. Absolutely loved carnivals and street fairs. Loved to rummage around the nighttime flea markets downtown. I’d never thought of him as ‘just a vampire.’
But I think … I think I’d always thought of Luccero as ‘just an incubus.’ He was the star of my lusty fantasies and a great boss to work for. But I didn’t know much about him beyond Tempest.
And now I wanted to know?
Thanks to periwinkle pajama pants and fuzzy slippers?
Author Bio:
A.J. Locke is a young adult and adult fantasy author, and also writes and illustrates picture books. She is an artist of various mediums including oil and acrylic paint, and watercolor. When she’s trying to avoid her writing projects she can be found trying to make a dent in her TBR pile, playing video games, watching anime, baking, and chasing the ever elusive eight hours of sleep. A.J. is originally from Trinidad and Tobago and now resides in NYC.
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