Relentless: A Cyn and Raphael Novella (Vampires in America 11.5)

By D.B. Reynolds

TREACHERY . . . Something the powerful Vampire Lord Raphael has seen far too much of lately.

RAGE . . . An emotion that, left unchecked, can burn like the fires of hell.

REVENGE . . . A dish that philosophers claim is best served cold.

It's been months since the powerful French vampire Mathilde used Raphael's arrogance against him and nearly succeeded in taking his life. His fury has grown stronger with every day since, fed by new bloody incursions onto North American soil by the Europeans, while vampire politicking has forced him to wait. But no longer. Someone has attacked his home, killing vampires, threatening Cyn. They've taken it one step too far, and Raphael's tired of waiting. His enemies are about to discover that revenge can taste damn good when it's hot, too.

D. B. Reynolds is the RT and EPIC Award-Winning author of the Vampires in America series of paranormal romance, and an Emmy-nominated television sound editor. She lives in a flammable canyon near Los Angeles, and when she's not writing her own books, she can usually be found reading someone else's. Visit her blog at www.dbreynolds.com for details on all of her books and more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BelleBooks
• Release date: Oct 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781611948257

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Praise for D. B. Reynolds’s

Vampires in America . . .

TOP PICK! 4-1/2 Stars. This is a power read, and fans will not be disappointed in the latest installment of Reynolds’s tantalizing series.

—RT Book Reviews on LUCIFER

Captivating and brimming with brilliance, CHRISTIAN is yet another defining addition to the ever-evolving world of Vampires in America created by D. B. Reynolds.

—KT Book Reviews

Did I mention that the sizzling sex factor in this book is reaching the combustible stage? It is a wonder my Kindle didn’t burn up.

—La Deetda Reads on DECEPTION

D. B. Reynolds has outdone herself with this exhilarating story; and VINCENT is a worthy addition to Reynolds’s always excellent Vampires in America series.

—Fresh Fiction

Terrific writing, strong characters and world building, excellent storylines all help make Vampires in America a must read. Aden is one of the best so far. A TOP BOOK OF THE YEAR!

—On Top Down Under Book Reviews

In one of the most compelling vampire books I’ve read in a while, Reynolds blends an excellent mix of paranormal elements, suspense and combustible attraction.

—RT Book Reviews on LUCAS

Move over Raphael, there’s a new Lord in town.

—Bitten by Paranormal Romance on JABRIL

D. B. Reynolds

Vampires in America

Raphael

Jabril

Rajmund

Sophia

Duncan

Lucas

Aden

Vincent

Vampires in America: The Vampire Wars

Deception

Christian

Lucifer

The Cyn and Raphael Novellas

Betrayed

Hunted

Unforgiven

Compelled

Relentless

The Stone Warriors

The Stone Warriors: Damian

The Stone Warriors: Kato

Relentless

by

D. B. Reynolds

ImaJinn Books

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events or locations is entirely coincidental.

ImaJinn Books

PO BOX 300921

Memphis, TN 38130

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-61194-825-7

ImaJinn Books is an Imprint of BelleBooks, Inc.

Copyright © 2017 by D. B. Reynolds

Published in the United States of America.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

ImaJinn Books was founded by Linda Kichline.

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Cover design: Debra Dixon

Interior design: Hank Smith

Photo/Art credits:

Couple (manipulated) © Konradbak | Dreamstime.com

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Prologue

Nice, France—two months earlier

THE FUCKING German blew it. Laurent Pierre picked up an exquisite Chinese vase and threw it across the room where it hit the wall and smashed into a thousand tiny pieces. That vase was worth around 9000 Euros, $10,000 US. It was one of a matched pair. Not anymore, he thought viciously. There was a certain satisfaction in destroying some of Mathilde’s fucking antiques. Sure, he was her child, and he’d damn well destroy the vampire who’d killed her. But that didn’t mean he had to preserve every damn vase in the place. It was time for him to put his own stamp on this territory, time to establish himself as a power to be reckoned with.

Berkhard didn’t do enough recon, his lieutenant, Jourdain, commented, ignoring the shattered porcelain. He was Laurent’s oldest child, had been with him for over a hundred years, and he knew that his Sire’s tendency to vent his anger by breaking things was nothing to worry about. Laurent had a temper, but he was a good lord. Better than Mathilde. He protected his vampires. He didn’t suck them dry and throw them away. He underestimated Sophia’s power, he added, referring to Berkhard of Germany’s recent attempt to seize the Canadian lord’s territory.

Hell, it wasn’t only Berkhard, Laurent conceded, leaning back in his chair with a resigned sign. Mathilde and Hubert before him . . . they all made the same mistake. It wasn’t only Sophia they underestimated. It was all the North American vamps. Fucking Raphael has brought them into a real alliance. You go after one, and you take on them all.

Jourdain nodded slowly. "That’s it, then? We leave them alone, they leave us alone?"

Hell, no. Laurent glanced up to see his lieutenant’s puzzled frown. "I mean, yeah, you know me. I have zero interest in invading North America. I’m perfectly happy killing off my neighbors right here in Europe and stealing their territories. But . . . damn it, Jourdain. What if someday they decide that defending their continent isn’t enough? Or maybe they simply want more territory. A fucking world empire. What if they bring the war to us?"

You think if we kill Raphael, they’ll go back to squabbling with each other. Jourdain said it as a statement, not a question.

Exactly. He’s the power behind the North American alliance. He’s also the fucker who killed Mathilde. The crazy bitch was my Sire. I can’t let that go. I kill him, and I get two for one. Stop the threat, and avenge my Sire at the same time.

So, should I pack for California?

Fuck, no. I’m not taking on North America. I’m just going to kill the one vampire who makes them tick. Get Tristan in here. It’s time for Mathilde’s pet assassin to earn his keep.

Chapter One

Malibu, CA—present day

LENNY PULLED the silicon plugs from his ears as he started down the back hallway. It was fucking noisy out in the blood house’s huge main room. Between the thumping music, the dull roar of conversation, and the screams and grunts of couples having sex on the dark dance floor and in even darker corners . . . Was it a bad sign that it bothered him? Was he getting old? Sure, vampires didn’t age physically, but the thoughts and feelings of an intelligent man . . . those had to change over time, didn’t they? Maybe it was time for him to ask Raphael for a new job assignment. He pursed his lips in thought, contemplating the kind of job he might like as he walked his usual round of the private rooms. It was still busy, despite the late hour, every room occupied behind sound-proofed walls and doors that muted all but the most fervent screams of ecstasy. He passed one of his managers, who gave him a respectful nod.

Full up tonight, Len, the vampire said. Upstairs, too.

Lenny nodded. Winter tourists, he commented. We get them every year.

His manager grinned. Nobody likes frozen blood.

Lenny chuckled and kept going, taking the back stairs to avoid the noise out front. He’d just reached the top floor, one foot still on the last stair, when the first shots rang out.

Santa Monica, CA

ZOYA HELD HER young man’s hand as they walked through the parking garage after the movie. He was not really her young man. It was only their second date. But he was handsome and vital, and he didn’t care that she was a vampire. She was beginning to suspect that it was her vampire nature which had attracted him to her. She was young enough to believe in true love, young enough to still hope to find it for herself. She would have preferred to be wanted for something other than her bite, but all great love stories started somewhere.

Did you like the movie? he asked, dropping her hand and pulling her close with an arm over her shoulders.

She wrinkled her nose. It was violent, but the love story was nice.

He laughed. Such an appealing sound. He really was a handsome man.

They do that on purpose, you know. Throw a love story in there for the women, to increase the take at the box office.

Zoya tilted her head curiously. She’d only been in this country two years, and American colloquialisms still confused her sometimes. Box office? She pondered asking him what it meant but decided to look it up for herself later. She didn’t want him to think she was stupid. She was a vampire, after all. A better version of humanity, according to the older vamps on Raphael’s estate.

She looked up at him. Shall we—?

The first shot pierced her heart, the second a centimeter from the first. She was already dead when the third shot hit, already sliding from under her young man’s arm. Too young to dust upon death, she fell to the cold concrete floor, while her young man hid behind a pillar and dialed 911.

Beverly Hills, CA

CAN WE GO home now? Maleko Turner—Mal to his friends and the beautiful woman walking next to him—struggled to keep his voice even, to sound like the homicide cop he’d been and the tough-as-nails security specialist he currently was, instead of the footsore lover who just wanted to go home, fuck his woman, and sleep for eight hours.

In a hurry, big guy? Elke gazed up at him with deceptively innocent blue eyes, her lashes fluttering.

He didn’t fall for it. She was a century-old vampire and member of Raphael’s inner security team. What spoke even more to her toughness was that Raphael trusted Elke to safeguard his mate, Cynthia. That vampire loved his woman. If anything happened to her on Elke’s watch, Elke’d better die right alongside her, because Raphael would kill her.

Yes, as a matter of fact, I am, he said bluntly, answering Elke’s teasing question with the truth. This is my day off. I want to spend it with you, not with you and a few hundred other shoppers.

Elke stared up at him, seeming startled by his announcement. She still had trouble sometimes, seeing herself as a desirable and sexy woman. She was a female vampire in a world of males, and she’d chosen to compete on their terms, becoming a warrior instead of an accountant, or a lawyer, or any number of socially acceptable roles. The males she worked with acknowledged her skills and strength, but the corollary was that they treated her as one of the guys, so to speak. They saw her as an asset, not a woman. And she’d been with Raphael’s security team a very long time.

Babe, he said, pulling her into his arms. Let me be clear. I want to go home, strip you naked, and fuck you ‘til you scream.

Her pale cheeks pinked with embarrassment, making her eyes seem even bluer. Don’t be shy, Mal, she murmured, striving for cool. Tell me what you really want.

He grinned and bent his head to kiss her, but saw someone move in the shadows.

If the shooter had waited ten seconds more, he could have killed them both.

Chicago, Illinois

GENTLEMEN, Raphael said. And ladies, he amended, glancing at Sophia and at Rajmund’s