Phoenix Awakened

By Erin Bedford

The Phoenix Hunter Guild had clear rules. Demons bad. Humans good. Born from the mythical Phoenix, the hunters were supposed to hunt the evil that preyed upon the unsuspecting human world.

At least, that was what Adara used to do.

After falling for one of the very beings she was supposed to kill, Adara swore she'd never hunt again.

Until now.

The leader of the Phoenix Hunter Guild, Adara's very own father, has disappeared leaving behind a bouquet of roses with a note addressed to her. Someone was calling her out, and heaven forbid Adara ever back down from a challenge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Embrace the Fantasy Publishing, LLC
• Release date: May 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386877387

Erin Bedford

Erin Bedford is a USA TODAY Bestselling fantasy and romance author. She enjoys playing RPG games alongside her husband as well as inventing nonsensical games for her daughter's amusement.  Creating fantastical worlds have always been a secret passion of hers and she couldn't imagine writing any story without some kind of lovey-dovey or smexy goodness in it.

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Also by Erin Bedford

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Hatter’s Heart

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The Mary Wiles Chronicles

Marked by Hell

Bound by Hell

Deceived by Hell

Tempted by Hell

Starcrossed Dragons

Riding Lightning

Grinding Frost

Swallowing Fire

Pounding Earth

The Crimson Fold

Until Midnight

Until Dawn

Until Sunset

Curse of the Fairy Tales

Rapunzel Untamed

Rapunzel Unveiled

Rapunzel Unchained

Her Angels

Heaven’s Embrace

Heaven’s A Beach

Heaven’s Most Wanted

House of Durand

Indebted to the Vampires

Wanted by the Vampires

Protected by the Vampires

Embrace of the Vampires

Tempted by the Butler

Loved by the Vampires

Huntress of the Vampires

Academy of Witches

Witching On A Star

As You Witch

Witch You Were Here

Just Witch It

Summer Witchin’

Children of the Fallen

Death In Her Eyes

Fire In Her Blood

House of Van Helsing

Her Cross To Bear

Fairy Tale Bad Boys

Beauty and the Hunter

Wendy’s Pirate

The Beast of the Fae Court

Granting Her Wish

Vampire CEO

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Chapter One

The bar smelled like stale beer and peanuts. A mixture of desperation and a need for an outlet clung to the air. The bodies moved together like a horde of deviants either looking to get laid or wasted, anything to get their minds off their everyday lives.

And I loved every second of it.

A small smile played on my lips as my eyes scanned the room. A large breasted woman in a cheetah print dress threw her big hair back and laughed. The man five shots in and dying to bury his face in her cleavage beamed down at her, clearly expecting a big payout for his efforts.

Adara!

I glanced away from the couple to a devilishly handsome man at the end of the bar. He was a ginger with hazel eyes without a hint of freckles who smirked and held his empty glass out to me.

My ankle boots clicked over the wood floor on my way over to him, my swaying hips causing every patron, male and female alike, to look my way.

Conceited? I liked to call it confident, but I knew how my ass looked in these leather pants, and my backless shirt showed off my smooth skin, only marred by the Phoenix tattoo spread across my shoulders.

If they’d seen the front of me, they might have thought differently though. My breasts were great, but with my shirt off, no one ever looked at my breasts first.

What are you doing wearing a ginger, Marcus? Weren't you in a sassy little blonde last week? I flashed my teeth at him, leaning my elbow on the counter of the bar as I picked up the bottle of jack. Pouring him a generous cup, I filled a glass of my own, clinking it with his before downing it. My eyes never left his hazel, laughing gaze as the Jack burned down my throat.

Your friend... he growled out, snapping his teeth at me. Muriel. She’s been riding my ass. Had to find a new face.

I laughed and tossed my long black braid over my shoulder. Well, stay out of her way, and you won't have that problem.

Marcus’s gaze dipped down to my chest where my nipples pressed against the thin fabric. Licking his lips, he growled for a whole other reason. You shouldn't hang out with such unsavory characters.

Snorting, I poured another glass for us both, ignoring the looks I was getting. I owned the damn place; if I wanted to drink, I would. She's an angel. Hardly unsavory.

And I’m a demon, but you don't see me hanging around with her kind.

You are under the misunderstanding that Mary is a scum ball like half the pieces of shits in this bar. A guy next to Marcus flashed his fangs at me. No offense, I told the vamp, then to Marcus, I said, She's not fallen, and if I were you, I'd stay out of her way.

She is looking for a straight trip back to Hell, he warned me as if it wasn't news to me. Except he thought it was a threat. Well, was he in for a surprise.

Grabbing his glass from him, I dumped the rest of his Jack in the small sink behind the bar. If you know what's good for you, you'll leave town. I might not hunt anymore, but I won't stop her from gunning you down.

Marcus’s lip curled up in a sneer. Like she could—

I slapped my hand on the counter, my hand lighting up with my inner fire. Marcus jerked back, and several patrons looked our way. I hissed and let out a breath, the fire dispersing with it.

Get out of my bar. Now.

Marcus rolled his shoulders and huffed. Crazy bitch.

When he left, I flashed the vampire who still sat at the bar a flirty grin. Wanna get out of here?

Taken back by my sudden change of attitude, the dark-haired vamp took a second to contemplate if I was serious before nodding vigorously. Thirty minutes later we were upstairs in my apartment above the bar, my legs wrapped around his waist as he buried his cock and fangs in me.

Oh, yes! Just like that. I hissed out, my fingers curled in his hair as I pressed him against the wall and closer to me.

The vampire, whose name I still didn't know, grunted and bit down harder. His hips gyrated against me. Pleasure and pain ripped through me, and I gasped. My insides whirled with a hot fire that begged to be released.

I held it back.

Couldn't light my date up or none of them would come to my bar again. It took a long time to get them to trust that I wasn't going to kill them