The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance Read online

  The Mammoth Book of

  Vampire

  Romance

  Edited by Trisha Telep

  Also available

  The Mammoth Book of 20th Century Science Fiction

  The Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries

  The Mammoth Book of Best Horror Comics

  The Mammoth Book of the Best of Best New SF

  The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica 7

  The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga 2

  The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 20

  The Mammoth Book of Best War Comics

  The Mammoth Book of Bikers

  The Mammoth Book of Boys’ Own Stuff

  The Mammoth Book of Brain Workouts

  The Mammoth Book of Celebrity Murders

  The Mammoth Book of Comic Fantasy

  The Mammoth Book of Comic Quotes

  The Mammoth Book of Cover-Ups

  The Mammoth Book of Crime Comics

  The Mammoth Book of CSI

  The Mammoth book of the Deep

  The Mammoth Book of Dirty, Sick, X-Rated & Politically Incorrect Jokes

  The Mammoth Book of Dickensian Whodunnits

  The Mammoth Book of Egyptian Whodunnits

  The Mammoth Book of Erotic Online Diaries

  The Mammoth Book of Erotic Women

  The Mammoth Book of Extreme Fantasy

  The Mammoth Book of Funniest Cartoons of All Time

  The Mammoth Book of Hard Men

  The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits

  The Mammoth Book of Illustrated True Crime

  The Mammoth Book of Inside the Elite Forces

  The Mammoth Book of International Erotica

  The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper

  The Mammoth Book of Jacobean Whodunnits

  The Mammoth Book of Killers at Large

  The Mammoth Book of King Arthur

  The Mammoth Book of Lesbian Erotica

  The Mammoth Book of Maneaters

  The Mammoth Book of Modern Ghost Stories

  The Mammoth Book of Monsters

  The Mammoth Book of Mountain Disasters

  The Mammoth Book of New Gay Erotica

  The Mammoth Book of New Terror

  The Mammoth Book of On the Road

  The Mammoth Book of Pirates

  The Mammoth Book of Poker

  The Mammoth Book of Prophecies

  The Mammoth Book of Roaring Twenties Whodunnits

  The Mammoth Book of Sex, Drugs and Rock ’N’ Roll

  The Mammoth Book of Short Spy Novels

  The Mammoth Book of Sorcerers’ Tales

  The Mammoth Book of True Crime

  The Mammoth Book of True War Stories

  The Mammoth Book of Unsolved Crimes

  The Mammoth Book of Vintage Whodunnits

  The Mammoth Book of Women Who Kill

  Constable & Robinson Ltd

  3 The Lanchesters

  162 Fulham Palace Road

  London W6 9ER

  www.constablerobinson.com

  First published in the UK by Robinson,

  an imprint of Constable & Robinson, 2008

  Copyright © Trisha Telep, 2008 (unless otherwise indicated)

  Illustration © Louisa Minkin, 2008

  The right of Trisha Telep to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library

  UK ISBN 978-1-84529-859-3

  3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4

  First published in the United States in 2008

  by Running Press Book Publishers

  All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions

  This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher.

  9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

  Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing

  US Library of Congress number: 2008927573

  US ISBN 978-0-76243-498-5

  Running Press Book Publishers

  2300 Chestnut Street

  Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371

  Visit us on the web!

  www.runningpress.com

  Printed and bound in the EU

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  Trisha Telep

  Fade To Black

  Sherri Erwin

  Ode To Edvard Munch

  Caitlin R. Kiernan

  Fangs For Hire

  Jenna Black

  The Righteous

  Jenna Maclaine

  Knowledge Of Evil

  Raven Hart

  Viper’s Bite

  Delilah Devlin

  Dreams

  Keri Arthur

  Love Bites

  Kimberly Raye

  What’s At Stake?

  Alexis Morgan

  Coming Home

  Lilith Saintcrow

  To Ease The Rage

  C. T. Adams & Cathy Clamp

  Dancing With The Star

  Susan Sizemore

  Play Dead

  Dina James

  In Which A Masquerade Ball Unmasks An Undead

  Colleen Gleason

  A Temporary Vampire

  Barbara Emrys

  Overbite

  Savannah Russe

  Hunter’s Choice

  Shiloh Walker

  Remember The Blood

  Vicki Pettersson

  The Sacrifice

  Rebecca York

  The Midday Mangler Meets His Match

  Rachel Vincent

  The Music Of The Night

  Amanda Ashley

  The Day Of The Dead

  Karen Chance

  Vampire Unchained

  Nancy Holder

  A Stand-Up Dame

  Lilith Saintcrow

  Untitled 12

  Caitlin R. Kiernan

  Author Biographies

  Acknowledgments

  “Fade to Black” © 2008 by Sherri Erwin. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Ode to Edvard Munch” © by Caitlín R. Kiernan. First published in Sirenia Digest #6, May 2006.

  “Fangs For Hire” © 2008 by Jenna Black. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Righteous” © 2008 by Jenna Maclaine. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Knowledge Of Evil” © 2008 by Raven Hart. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Viper’s Bite” © 2008 by Delilah Devlin. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Dreams” © 2008 by Keri Arthur. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
>
  “Love Bites” © 2008 by Kimberly Raye. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “What’s at Stake?” © 2008 by Alexis Morgan. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Coming Home” © 2008 by Lilith Saintcrow. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “To Ease the Rage” © 2008 by C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the authors.

  “Dancing with the Star” © 2008 by Susan Sizemore. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Play Dead” © 2008 by Dina James. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “In Which a Masquerade Ball Unmasks an Undead” © 2008 by Colleen Gleason. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “A Temporary Vampire” © 2008 by Barbara Emrys. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Overbite” © 2008 by Savannah Russe. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Hunter’s Choice” © 2008 by Shiloh Walker. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Remember the Blood” © 2008 by Vicki Pettersson. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Sacrifice” © 2008 by Ruth Glick writing as Rebecca York. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Midday Mangler Meets his Match” © 2008 by Rachel Vincent. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Music of the Night” © 2008 by Amanda Ashley. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Day of the Dead” © 2008 by Karen Chance. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Vampire Unchained” © 2008 by Nancy Holder. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “A Stand-up Dame” © 2008 by Lilith Saintcrow. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Untitled 12” © by Caitlín R. Kiernan. First published in Frog Toes and Tentacles, Subterranean Press, 2005. Printed by permission of the author.

  Introduction

  Trisha Telep

  On any given day at Murder One in London, the crime and romance bookstore (where I work as the romance book buyer), you might come across romance regulars clutching recent but dog-eared copies of the Romantic Times magazine, the pages marked up to show new romance titles they want ordered and the authors they follow religiously with standing orders in the shop. You will also see readers browsing the romance shelves (stacked to the roof – and more – with books) and, although the romance room is a tad small, hanging out and talking among themselves, reading back covers and first pages and getting advice from other readers before making final purchases. And You’ll certainly see die-hard customers leaving with stacks of all types of romance, but mainly, at the moment, with paranormal romance. The massive demand for paranormal romance these days means that every month there is an avalanche of new titles from publishers for romance readers to keep up with. Yet – somehow – romance readrs seem to manage.

  In this celebratory spirit, The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance brings together the largest number of new paranormal romance stories ever assembled under one cover. The collection focuses on one of the original, most ancient characters of this genre – the vampire – and includes not only those authors who have built their writing careers on bloodsuckers, but also great writers from elsewhere in the paranormal genre for whom this is the first vampire outing. This means that you’ll find a fun, broad range of stories of all kinds of unexpected vampires, from the traditional worlds of horror to gothic romance and historical, to contemporary urban fantasy, fang-in-cheek comedy and the hottest erotica, all the way to the downright romantic, boy-meets-girl, sweetheart stories from tried-and-true romances (albeit with a bite ripped out of the heart and a vase full of blood for the flowers).

  Also, keep an eye out for the smattering of stand-alone stories that feature connections to a particular writer’s existing series, or that follow an intriguing character who didn’t get a chance to realize their full potential in a previous book and whose story may be being told here for the very first time (see the story of Dante Valentine’s foster daughter, Liana, in Lilith Saintcrow’s ‘Coming Home’, Tomas the vampire in Karen Chance’s ‘The Day of the Dead’ and the story of Viper’s beginnings in Delilah Devlin’s ‘Viper’s Bite’). And, if you find yourself hooked on a particular writer after reading one of their stories, you can always get a quick fix by going out and scooping up their trademark series to tide you over until the next instalment! But the real question you’ll find cropping up, again and again within these pages is this: is being a vampire all it’s cracked up to be? Sure, you get to live forever and never age, sure you get powers and sexual magnetism beyond any human’s wildest dreams, but is it worth it? This question is like an echo through many of these stories. So go for the jugular ( . . . and the carotid, the femoral artery at the inner thigh, the soles of the feet, the bend at the elbow, the ankle . . . ) with this motley crew of Mammoth vampires and find out.

  Fade To Black

  Sherri Erwin

  My mind wandered through a mental inventory of my life as I felt his teeth sink into my skin.

  About to turn 30, I had lived in a one-bedroom apartment that I could barely afford, even with the reduced rate of rent from my employer. Between my car bill, credit card debt and student loan payments, I could barely afford any luxuries, and that was only if I left necessities behind in the grocery isles. I lived for invitations to dine with the students in the dorm: free food.

  And now? I had probably risked the career I’d come to resent, the only thing I had going in life, by accepting an invitation from Connor Black (my sole male student) to go out for a drink – only to find he was a card-carrying member of Bloodsuckers Anonymous. A vampire.

  Risked my career? It should have been the least of my worries as I prepared to be dinner for one. What the hell, though, right? Could he suck me any drier than my creditors, who apparently thought I bled cash?

  Oh, no. I bled blood, confirmation of which came as his fangs made their introductions to my veins via the tender flesh at the base of my neck. A dribble rolled down my bare shoulder to pool in the lace edging of my shell-pink bra, a purchase that had sat in my drawer long after Victoria’s Secret had closed my account. Hopeful for a chance to show it off, I’d put it on this morning for the first time. And here I was.

  “You taste like wine,” he said, coming up for air. His palm grazed my nipple through the silk. It reacted, hardening under his touch with traitorous speed.

  I met his gaze, cobalt eyes set in a face more inspiring than anything painted by Botticelli.

  “It doesn’t hurt.” Surprised I reached up to stroke the puncture wound.

  He smiled, beatific despite the sharpened canines. “We pack a sort of numbing agent. Localized.”

  “Like mosquitoes? You don’t know they’re sucking you until they’ve almost fed.”

  He laughed, a low chortle, much deeper and ricer than any sounds I’d heard from him in the classroom, where he’d managed to pass himself off as an ordinary young man, albeit a fascinatingly beautiful one.

  A fascinatingly beautiful one who had captured the attention of every woman in the room, even the self-proclaimed lesbians. Rumour had it that he’d slept with every student in my Romantic poets class. From the way they looked at him, with the tight focus of famished animals desperate to get a bite, I didn’t believe it. They hadn’t had a taste. Not one of them. Not yet
.

  We’d all seemed to think we were the hunters and he was our prey. Fools. Today, I’d worn a thin blouse over my new bra, unbuttoned further than usual, and I’d leaned low over his desk, on purpose, when handing back his paper. The better to tempt you with, my dear. And when he’d asked my out for a drink after class “to discuss his grade” (a solid A), I’d thought my little plan had worked. I had him right where I wanted him. Hard to believe I’d been so clueless just a few short hours ago.

  Truth be told, I’d had a moment of reservation. I couldn’t date a student. It was wrong. What if someone saw us? But my libido had won out. I wanted him. I wanted him like I’d never wanted a man in my life. And the fact that he seemed to want me – the oldest woman in the room next to all the lithe young co-eds? Too tempting to pass up.

  “That’s it love.” He leaned into the kiss, the tang of my blood on his tongue. “Give in. I can make you feel so good.”

  The erotic drag of soft lips against skin as he dropped a trail of kisses down the valley between my breasts convinced me he was right. He could make me feel. Good, bad, it hardly mattered. It had been so long since I’d felt anything.

  A lifeless drone, so steeped in debt and disappointment that I’d stopped allowing any reactions; I’d simply carried on. Work. Home. Eat. Sleep. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

  He captured my attention as his teeth tugged at the lace of my bra, his mouth begging entry to the silken cups. I slipped my hands up to tangle in his dark hair, slightly in need of a trim, and down to caress the corded muscles of his bare back. Caught in the throes of fresh passion, we’d stripped down almost as soon as we made it back to my apartment. His stones concert T-shirt was still in my doorway, my skirt and blouse not far ahead to mark a trail that led from hall to kitchen.

  He cradled my buttocks in his hands, lifted, and rested my bottom against chipped Formica before forming his tongue around my bare nipple and sucking itin for a long, hot pull. My knees would have buckled if I wasn’t already balanced on the counter.