Claire Cray's Blog - Posts Tagged "vampires"

What turned into Merrick actually started out as a kind of evil little piece of erotica. I wanted to do something with an older master-of-a-trade and a young apprentice, and I wanted it to be sort of medieval and atmospheric with lots of sly, spooky details -- cast iron, stone hearths, smokes and shadows. I was thinking the master had to be an alchemist or an apothecary, and sexually potent in some elusive, maybe even alarmingly inexplicable way.

I should have known right away it wasn't going to be a >10k erotica piece. I was way too into it from the start (and I've never felt totally comfortable with the erotic quickies, anyway -- I'm not good at it).

The story surprised me a lot as it went along. I had intended to build a complex atmosphere around fairly conventional characters, with Merrick as the cranky-alpha-with-a-soft-side, and William as the young, world-weary street rat who finds himself in a HURRICANE OF DESIRE.

That all fell apart promptly when I realized Merrick and William were two calm, respectful gentlemen, with an intellectual chemistry between them that struck me as so sensual and special that I found myself really wrapped up in every interaction they had.

And I had to force myself to take a break before starting the sequel! Things are getting underway now -- lots of fun and challenges (for me) in store. Theo is still lurking around, waiting to make sure Merrick turns William into a vampire. Merrick is still horrified by the whole thing, but he can't stay on his high horse forever. It seems to me the time for Merrick to sacrifice himself for William's humanity is long gone -- W. and Theo scored a real checkmate, and his instincts have surely won at least a narrow majority over his morals at this point -- so I don't know how long he intends to delay the inevitable, or what he thinks will be gained by it. I have a feeling Merrick's stubborn side could get a little irritating, despite the fact that he's 100% justified in wishing he could just leave William alone.

But William's experience is really the important thing here. If Merrick is a moralist (and Theo is a hedonist), William is a pragmatist. He uses his head, and he adapts to make the best of his circumstances. I can picture William sitting in the corner of a coffee house, idly dipping his fingertip into his drink as he mulls over the pros and cons of being a vampire. In the end, of course, he will accept the inevitable. Will he be cool with it, though? I don't know that he will. His mother would absolutely disapprove, for one thing! But beyond that, he really stands to lose a lot. William enjoys his friends, his work, and his sunny days. And he likes people! Will love be enough to hold him steady when he realizes how many lives he's going to take in order to save Merrick's? I doubt it! Clearly, William's not going into this without reservations, but he's going to feel a lot of pressure to hide them from Merrick.

Here's where Theo might have a much bigger part to play. I'm sure he has more than a few tricks up his sleeve, but it remains to be seen whether he has the political finesse to coax this little opera to its resolution. Or maybe he'll just get bored of the whole thing, stab William in the jugular, and toss him at Merrick's head. "THINK FAST!" Hahaha.

So that's where my thoughts are -- I've got some pages tossed around, and I can't to see things start rolling.

Again, thank you so much for your attention, and especially those of you who took the time to write reviews. I'm so grateful to you for giving this new publisher a chance and making Merrick a success. Wish us luck!

Merrick closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine. His hands framed my face, then slowly moved down to my neck. I watched his face as his fingers undid the knot of my cravat. His eyes were lowered to the task, his soft lips faintly pursed, and a thick lock of ebony hair had fallen over his brow. When I reached up to brush it aside, his fingers paused at my throat and he turned his head to sweep his lips against my wrist. Then he hooked a loop of my untied cravat and pulled, slowly, dragging the strip of linen from my collar, teasing the sensitive skin of my throat.

"How I missed you," I said without quite meaning to, and tilted my head up to kiss the edge of his jaw. I felt his soft sigh against my ear, and another loop of my cravat sliding free.

"My thirst for you has driven me to the brink of madness."

"I've dreamt of your bite."

Merrick pressed his lips to the corner of my mouth, and I kissed him tenderly. No matter what, my last moments as a human would be well spent. I felt the last inch of my cravat finally fall from my neck, felt him tuck it into my pocket. His fingers slipped beneath my collar, turning it back to bare his target. I could hear my own pulse pounding there like a drum; his coppery gold eyes were fastened to it.

So close. It was so close. I wound my arms about his shoulders as he lowered his head, moaned as he opened his mouth against my fluttering vein and pressed his teeth into my skin. The first nip made me gasp. His glass-sharp teeth broke the skin, but sank no further; he dragged his tongue over the little wound, making me shiver and lean against him.

Merrick groaned softly, a low and needful sound that turned my knees to butter. Cradling my head with one hand, he wound his other arm about my waist to hold me securely. And then, once more, I felt the edge of his teeth.

"Ah," I gasped as I felt them begin to penetrate my skin. "Merrick!"