The
Midnight Cup by Misty Burke
Marcus McKinney is a trained member of the
Society and a vampire slayer. With an ancient hieroglyphic tattoo to ward off
his own personal demons, he travels to a small college town in the Midwest. It
is here that he finds The Midnight Cup. A quaint coffee house with a backroom …
filled with vampires.
The owner of this little establishment is
Serenity Baker. She is a Natural. With her long blonde hair and sparkling blue
eyes, she is a beautiful white witch that offers light magic with a simple
touch. It is this power that draws the coven of vampires to her small coffee
shop which in turn brings Marcus into her life.
The Midnight Cup tells their story amidst a
brewing war. With a circle of witches, a coven of vampires, and a league of
Society members, who knows what could happen next.
Excerpt:
Standing in the
moonlight, he watched the neon sign blink in the window of the coffee house
across the street. College kids came and went around him. Yet none seemed to
notice his presence. The stranger had spent years learning to blend into the
shadows.
The night hours
slowly passed. It wasn’t until he could feel the coming dawn that he strode
across the street and walked inside. Only a few students were left as he took a
seat at a corner table. He was keenly aware that the backroom was now empty and
this fact pleased the woman behind the counter.
Oddly though, she
hadn’t stopped staring at him since he entered. The delicate beauty could
somehow see through his shades of practiced darkness and it unnerved him. The
tattoo that circled his left bicep felt like it tightened.
They locked eyes as
she approached. “What are you?” She leaned in and pretended to wipe down his
table.
“I was just
wondering the same thing about you.” She reminded him of a skittish foal. He reached out to touch her hand and she
jerked back.
“Is that why you’re
here?” Looking hurt, then angry, she motioned to the door. “Get out.”
“You’ve got this all
wrong.” The stranger shook his head in confusion and then pointed toward the
red curtain. “I’m here to help you with your little…problem.”
She froze and gave
him a long, hard look. “I’ll ask you again. What are you?”
He pulled a large
wooden stake out of his trench coat and laid it on the table. “I’m a slayer.”
She sat down at his
table and spoke with soft, hesitant words. “Are you part of the Society?”
The question hung in
the air as he watched tiny sparkles of gold dance in her light blue eyes.
Unknowingly, he reached for her again. The jolt of electricity that followed
caused him to take in a quick breath of air. The surge was sudden and left
warmth. Staring down at their point of contact, his large hand covering hers,
he smiled in awe. “I’m Marcus McKinney. And yes, I’m with the Society.”
“Then you know I’m a
natural,” she paused only a moment, “don’t you?”
The glowing warmth
evaporated as quickly as it had arrived. In one fluid motion, he disconnected
from her and picked up the stake. Damn
it, Josh. This was not in your report. He hid the weapon back in the folds
of his trench coat and questioned his next move. There wasn’t supposed to be
any other paranormal element. The Society might care, but his fight was only
with the vampires. This white witch was not his problem.
The woman across
from him looked so innocent. “Whatever it is that causes your heart to darken…”
The slayer pushed
back his chair and stood. “Let’s get this straight. I’ve no interest in your
natural magic or your pity. My assignment is only the coven of vampires you
harbor. Don’t get in my way.”
****
Serenity didn’t have
to watch him leave. She could feel it. This slayer, with his curly brown hair
and eyes the color of dark chocolate, had an aura she hadn’t experienced
before. It was more complex and torn than the simplicity of a human. Yet it
didn’t have the vast emptiness of the vampire either. His soul was different,
unique, hidden in shadow. Marcus McKinney was circled with a deep fog. There
were layers to this man she just couldn’t see and that intrigued her.
In fact, she
couldn’t think of much else as she closed up the coffee shop. Even after saying
goodbye to her staff and locking the doors, she couldn’t get him out of her
mind. It was clear to her that his fight with Ivan’s clan was personal. For he
might be shaped like a slayer, with years of physical training, but there was
more to him than that. Marcus wasn’t just another Society drone. He couldn’t
be.
My
name is Misty Burke and I live in the Romantic Ozark Mountains with my
supportive husband and our four wonderful children. When I'm not enjoying
family time, I love to write steamy romances. Creating exciting fantasy worlds
filled with dangerously handsome heroes is one of my passions.
My
favorite writing quote is ...
The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes. ~Agatha Christie
The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes. ~Agatha Christie
Sounds like a great read.
ReplyDelete