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The Hunters #1
Before Dawn
Mercy Jansen's dreams are filled with erotic interludes with a man whose face she never sees--and she always awakens before the scraping of sharp teeth along her skin turns into something more dangerous.
While uneasy about her subconscious mind, Mercy goes on with her daily life, which includes organizing a costumed fundraiser at the museum where she works. The event attracts more people than she'd expected, including a man who makes her knees go weak--and proceeds to turn her preconceived notions of reality upside-down and inside-out by pulling her into a shadowy, violent world where her erotic dreams threaten to become an all-too-real nightmare.
Length : Novella
EXCERPT
"I'm sorry, but guests are not allowed in this area."
He moved deeper into the office. "You sound a little hoarse," he said, ignoring her statement, and held out a flute filled halfway with champagne. "Take this."
Mercy automatically accepted the offering. "Thank you, Mr.--?"
"Edmond," he said, a hint of an accent flavoring the name. It sounded French, which suited the name and his Gallic coloring.
"Thank you, Mr. Edmond."
He shook his head but his hair barely moved. "Just Edmond."
"Uh, okay."
He lifted his own flute, tipping it toward her. Feeling a little awkward, she touched her flute to his, very aware of his eyes following her every movement. Not wanting to insult a man who'd forked over two hundred and fifty dollars for a ticket to the fundraiser and a potential donor, Mercy took a sip, just enough to coat her mouth and her esophagus.
And squeezed her eyes shut as her head swam and her hand faltered, tilting the flute dangerously. She really should've eaten something beyond the banana and carton of cherry yogurt at lunch.
A hand caught hers. She had the impression of icy coldness a heartbeat before warmth washed over her like rain. The champagne flute was rescued from her unsteady fingers. Despite the voluntary darkness, her head continued to bob like a bottle tossed in the sea. Her hand reached back and found the solid surface of her desk.
"Mercy?"
That compelling voice filled her head, dampening the waves. She exhaled, unaware she'd been holding her breath 'til that moment. A heavy, artificial scent filled her nostrils and she instinctively turned her head away. Satin brushed the naked skin of her legs, cool and slick. His cape. Fingertips skimmed the curve of her cheek, the line of her throat, the slope of her exposed shoulder. And she couldn't protest, couldn't stir herself from the lassitude that trapped her in its silken grip enough to lift her lashes, let alone break away.
The exploration continued, soft and gentle and warm...and somehow familiar. There was nothing to fear from him. That thought whispered through her mind like a tendril of smoke.
Mercy let herself drift, let the sensual pleasure of his touch lull her.
The hand holding hers drew it upward until her palm met a chest that felt like marble under the layer of cloth. Soft lips grazed her jaw line. He whispered her name again. From the jumbled, hazy mess of her thoughts, one question emerged.
"What are you?" she breathed.
Lips brushed her earlobe. "The man of your dreams."
Copyright © 2008 by Ann Bruce. All rights reserved.
While uneasy about her subconscious mind, Mercy goes on with her daily life, which includes organizing a costumed fundraiser at the museum where she works. The event attracts more people than she'd expected, including a man who makes her knees go weak--and proceeds to turn her preconceived notions of reality upside-down and inside-out by pulling her into a shadowy, violent world where her erotic dreams threaten to become an all-too-real nightmare.
Length : Novella
EXCERPT
"I'm sorry, but guests are not allowed in this area."
He moved deeper into the office. "You sound a little hoarse," he said, ignoring her statement, and held out a flute filled halfway with champagne. "Take this."
Mercy automatically accepted the offering. "Thank you, Mr.--?"
"Edmond," he said, a hint of an accent flavoring the name. It sounded French, which suited the name and his Gallic coloring.
"Thank you, Mr. Edmond."
He shook his head but his hair barely moved. "Just Edmond."
"Uh, okay."
He lifted his own flute, tipping it toward her. Feeling a little awkward, she touched her flute to his, very aware of his eyes following her every movement. Not wanting to insult a man who'd forked over two hundred and fifty dollars for a ticket to the fundraiser and a potential donor, Mercy took a sip, just enough to coat her mouth and her esophagus.
And squeezed her eyes shut as her head swam and her hand faltered, tilting the flute dangerously. She really should've eaten something beyond the banana and carton of cherry yogurt at lunch.
A hand caught hers. She had the impression of icy coldness a heartbeat before warmth washed over her like rain. The champagne flute was rescued from her unsteady fingers. Despite the voluntary darkness, her head continued to bob like a bottle tossed in the sea. Her hand reached back and found the solid surface of her desk.
"Mercy?"
That compelling voice filled her head, dampening the waves. She exhaled, unaware she'd been holding her breath 'til that moment. A heavy, artificial scent filled her nostrils and she instinctively turned her head away. Satin brushed the naked skin of her legs, cool and slick. His cape. Fingertips skimmed the curve of her cheek, the line of her throat, the slope of her exposed shoulder. And she couldn't protest, couldn't stir herself from the lassitude that trapped her in its silken grip enough to lift her lashes, let alone break away.
The exploration continued, soft and gentle and warm...and somehow familiar. There was nothing to fear from him. That thought whispered through her mind like a tendril of smoke.
Mercy let herself drift, let the sensual pleasure of his touch lull her.
The hand holding hers drew it upward until her palm met a chest that felt like marble under the layer of cloth. Soft lips grazed her jaw line. He whispered her name again. From the jumbled, hazy mess of her thoughts, one question emerged.
"What are you?" she breathed.
Lips brushed her earlobe. "The man of your dreams."
Copyright © 2008 by Ann Bruce. All rights reserved.
78 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 2, 2008
6 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Ann Bruce
17 books39 followersAnn Bruce is the pseudonym for a self-professed computer geek who, in between snowboarding, reading comic books, and wearing out the buttons of her PS3 controller, writes because it's an acceptable means of explaining all the voices in her head.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 28, 2008
I’ve read other stories by Ann Bruce and enjoyed them, and I had a feeling I would feel the same way about Before Dawn, and I wasn’t disappointed. Quick, hot and exciting this story covers all the bases.
Mercy has been having dreams, dark erotic ones but she always wakes up before the end. Feeling that something isn’t quite right she tries to ignore them. Until one night at work the stuff of her dreams is standing in front of her, drugs her and proceeds to sink his sharp fangs in deep.
Ryan has been watching Mercy and he knows what she is going through. Worried she will be number six for the vampire serial killer he’s chasing he doesn’t want to let her out of his sight. But he doesn’t count on falling for her.
Before Dawn is a smoldering heatfest of erotic dreams, sexy men and terrifying vampires and I loved every word. Besides who wouldn’t want a muscular hunk of a man trying to protect them from evil…all the while making you sweat just looking at him?! Grab Before Dawn but don’t forget an ice cold glass of water, you’re going need it!
Mercy has been having dreams, dark erotic ones but she always wakes up before the end. Feeling that something isn’t quite right she tries to ignore them. Until one night at work the stuff of her dreams is standing in front of her, drugs her and proceeds to sink his sharp fangs in deep.
Ryan has been watching Mercy and he knows what she is going through. Worried she will be number six for the vampire serial killer he’s chasing he doesn’t want to let her out of his sight. But he doesn’t count on falling for her.
Before Dawn is a smoldering heatfest of erotic dreams, sexy men and terrifying vampires and I loved every word. Besides who wouldn’t want a muscular hunk of a man trying to protect them from evil…all the while making you sweat just looking at him?! Grab Before Dawn but don’t forget an ice cold glass of water, you’re going need it!
February 17, 2012
Fast paced and very sexy novella. Mercy has been having erotic dreams for months. She never sees his face; she just hears and feels. Right before her vampire lover can pierce skin, she wakes up. Lately she feels uneasy – like she's being watched. During a museum fundraiser that she hosts, a stranger corners her in her office. When he attacks her, another stranger comes to her rescue and whisks her to safety. When she wakes up, she's instantly attracted to her sexy rescuer.
Ryan McGinnis is a vampire hunter who's been tracking Mercy's attacker, Edmond for a long time. When Mercy is kidnapped for a crazy ritual that Edmond hopes will restore his long lost love, Angelique, will Ryan be able to find her and rescue her once again? Will Mercy shrug off her ice-queen facade and let herself love a man back?
This was a great, quick read. I really enjoyed the action portions of this story – not your usual neck-snapping to kill a vamp. A psychotic vampire for a bad guy is always refreshing.
April 25, 2012
This is a quick read, only took a couple hours total. I liked that even though it was so short, it felt like a whole story with nothing really left out. It wasn't really complex but it had a plot twist that you didn't really see coming and of course the HEA.
May 16, 2011
Interesting erotica book that I found on the publishing comp site!
March 26, 2012
Someone please remind me not too read any more of her ebooks. I'm now two-for-two that I've DNF'd. Obviously, I'm not a fan of her work.
July 24, 2012
Free from amazon
January 30, 2013
Way too short... Needs more character development... Not sure what to expect, but it left me lacking...
December 7, 2014
Short story
Vampire killer meets vampire victim and they fall in love. Actually it was a lot better than my description. Very good story.
Vampire killer meets vampire victim and they fall in love. Actually it was a lot better than my description. Very good story.
January 27, 2013
:) nice short read
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews