Shade Games- Francis: So-Cal Vampires, #3

By McKayla Schutt

Francis Schacter craves one thing more than blood…a cure for his curse.

 

He made the mistake of crossing a new witch and has been dealing with the clumsiness of a human. Keeping the secret from everyone hasn't been easy, especially from his King, who can read minds with ease. During one of his night walks in the mountain, he causes a car to go off the edge. When he rescues Amber from her crushed car, something in his soul awakes. The curse says it will end when he completes the bond of mates, but convincing Amber they are meant to be isn't easy.

 

Stability is all Amber Howard wants, and so far, she's found it as the Mermaid's human assistant. Finding her job wasn't easy, and she'll fight like hell to make sure she doesn't have to go to bed hungry ever again. The night Francis makes her crash her car, she's pulled into a new world of darkness and shadows. Part of her wants him, but the way he avoids certain topics makes her suspicious. Her choices will determine the future for vampires all over the world.

 

Find your escape with this vampire romance read! Scroll up and one-click to start reading Shade Games- Francis today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alpha Temptress Publishing
• Release date: Dec 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393031970

McKayla Schutt

McKayla loves to write books about sexy werewolves. She is a stay at home mom of two in the state of Wyoming. Born in California, she misses the hot weather all of the time. Her goal- to write as many sexy books as possible. However, being a mom of two little ones can take time but she is pushing to finish her work to get more books out for her lovely fans. Ever since she was little she wanted to be a writer but doubters said that it would be impossible to make money at it. She is pushing herself hard to show them they are wrong.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Francis

Francis stared at the blackness flooding his veins. His need for blood was more than just to satisfy his hunger. Dark red sheets covered his lower half where he’d been resting the day away. The curse in his blood continued to torment him every night, all because of the stupid young witch who couldn’t take a damn joke.

He gritted his teeth and slowly worked his body off the bed. When his feet touched the cool tiles, the sheet managed to catch him, making him tumble forward. Damn it! He growled as he regained his balance.

The curse made him clumsy like humans, which was freaking ridiculous for a vampire of many years. And he kept it from everyone he knew. No need to worry others when he had it semi under control.

He stood and marched to the kitchen and yanked open the fridge door. The last potion rested on the top along with his blood supply, which would last a normal non-cursed vampire a week, but would only last him a few days at best. Tonight, he’d planned to go to the blood bank the vampires owned and collect more with the excuse of throwing a vampire party, requiring a good supply.

It worked the last few times, let’s hope it continues. He shoved his brown hair from his face and snatched up the potion, taking a large swig of the contents. This was created by a little witch in Lancaster, just north of LA and in a different territory than his, so no one knew about it.

Before he could take another drink, the glass slipped through his fingers and slammed to the ground, giving him no time to even react. Son of a bitch! He stared at the mixture as it bubbled on the floor before vanishing into the tiles. Fucking perfect. He slammed the fridge door closed, then paced the length of his kitchen, trying to figure out a new plan. Without the second swig, it would only last a few hours instead of the whole night. And the blood bank would be super busy right now, with everyone wanting to get that part of their night out of the way.

He pulled out his phone, hoping the witch could meet him in an hour so he could resume most of his plans. The phone rang back at him a few times before Kristina answered, Well hello, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call so early in the night?

I need more of the potion. He punched at a wall, not caring about the dent his fist put in it.

I’m sorry, sweetness, but my witch is a little preoccupied right now. Kristina chuckled as a moan echoed through her end of the call. She will be able to do it tomorrow, and we can meet about nine p.m. at the last place.

Fine. Enjoy your time with your witch. Francis pushed down his envy of Kristina. After all, she had a witch mate who kept her warm every night.

Oh, I will. I love hearing her moan for hours. Kristina ended the call, leaving Francis to stew over the fact he didn’t have a mate himself.

He shoved his phone back into his pocket, then huffed while scanning his home. Instead of overthinking it, he secured his blood bags and warmed them up.

Going out now to get blood would be a great risk because, if delayed even a little bit, he could fumble and lose it all. Which could also risk exposure of vampires and the reason he’d been so closed off to everyone. No, he couldn’t have that shit right now.

The microwave beeped, and he grabbed one blood bag out, drank it in a few gulps, then set it down as he secured the next. Drinking them with vampire speed helped to keep him from dropping it and losing his damn mind on the floor trying to get the blood into his mouth.

Another bag down and the pile of empties grew in a few minutes. He lifted his arm, and the veins turned back to red and vanished under his skin. He calmed down and drank the last bag slowly, enjoying the copper taste as it covered his tongue.

Only one way to cure his curse, find a mate and mark each other forever. It seemed like an easy task when the witch told him what it would take to end his suffering, but now he knew it to be a cruel fucking joke.

If my mate is out there, I’m still fucking waiting while hiding out from my friends and family. He hissed low and tossed the empty bags in the trash. After all, he couldn’t let anyone see he was weak. Yes, it’s a freaking bad plan. But if he told his friend Avery, the king of the region, that he’d been cursed just before he met his queen, he’d probably never be trusted.

He started his usual pacing throughout his two-story home. Two thousand three hundred square feet of empty house right on the beach. Slowly, he opened the windows so the ocean breeze could enter his place, blowing out his pain and suffering. Or, at least, that was his intention.

Tomorrow he’d get the potion and start a new plan to try and find his mate in the population of Los Angeles. Yes, one of the largest cities in the United States. But he needed her to be here and not in some small town, not knowing he existed. Hell, if he didn’t find her in a few years, he’d rather end his own life than continue to suffer from this freaking curse.

All the windows were open, and he entered the balcony connected to his room on the top level. The crashing of the waves against the sand echoed around him as he pondered how he’d go hunting for the one to stop his pain.

CHAPTER TWO

Amber

MerMaids cleaning services, this is Amber. How can I help you? Amber loathed answering calls while on the Angeles Forest Highway. The steep drop-offs and tight two-way road made it a challenge in the dark. Nothing she hadn’t dealt with before, but she still hated answering the calls.

I’m wanting to schedule a consultation for Wednesday.

I’m sorry, but our Wednesdays are very booked. We can do the day before or the day after. She smiled, even though the person couldn’t see her face. After all, a smile helped perk up her voice, which sounded better than her resting bitch face. The mermaids who took her in always went out into the ocean on Wednesdays, so technically they were closed, with the exception of Amber taking calls, but saying they were booked sounded better than closed to go swimming.

She turned a corner, and a pair of bright high beams hit her face, making her eyes water. After a moment the other driver turned the lights down, making it easier for her to see the road again.

Oh, well, that sucks. Would a Saturday work, or do you guys take the weekend off? The echo of shuffling papers whooshed through the speaker of Amber’s car.

We do work Saturday, yes. Technically, the mermaids worked Saturday while Amber took the day off to deal with most of her family stuff. And yes, working with mermaids wasn’t her first choice when she lost her last job at a high-end law firm, but times were fucking tough.

Werewolves were out of the closet and in the mainstream media, but mermaids weren’t so Amber had to keep the secret for them. Sometimes they hinted at other beings but Amber didn’t ask and they didn’t tell her who else went bump in the night.

Is this Saturday too soon?

It shouldn’t be. I’m actually driving and don’t have my calendar on me, but if you want, you can text this number with the times you’re available, and I’ll reply once I get home with a confirmed time to come over. Also, if you can send over your address, that would be helpful.

Sounds good. Thank you.

Have a blessed day. Amber wasn’t even religious, but Minerva, the leader, told her that’s what needed to be said every time she spoke to a client.

Oh, and you too.

Amber leaned over and hit the button on her phone to end the call quickly as another turn raced up to meet her. Her phone beeped three times, and she glanced over at the screen for a second. When her eyes returned to the road, her heart leapt into her throat and her foot slammed on the brakes. A person in all black stood in the middle of the fucking road!

Her back end kicked out to the right, and before she could correct her car, she was falling down a cliff. Her grip tightened on the steering wheel as the rush of adrenaline raced through her blood and a scream burst past her lips. The seatbelt bit into her flesh as the airbags popped all around her when the roof hit the ground hard. But it wasn’t over as it flipped again, going down the cliff backward. Another flip shattered her front window, the glass cutting up the airbags. Panic surged through Amber’s blood as she continued down the side of the mountain.

The back end slammed into the side of a tree and glass shattered all around her, cutting at her face and arms. I’m going to die! She wanted to scurry away, but her muscles were all seized up. The car slowly shifted against the huge tree. Metal groaned, and she turned to see the same man in all black at her door.

How? she asked as he yanked off the car door, tossing it down the rest of the way to the ground. He broke her seatbelt and yanked her out with ease as the car tried to snatch her away. She wrapped her arms around the male’s neck and clung to him. Thank you.

Well, it was my fault. Least I could do was help you out. He sighed and started walking, but she kept her eyes closed, not wanting to even look at the mess of her car. She’d just paid it off two months ago, and now she would have to start all over. How the hell am I going to call the cops and make a report?

And why were you standing in the middle of the road? Her head spun, and she felt a hint of pressure against her body. She tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn’t listen.

I was looking out for someone. His voice held hints of nervous tension, and Amber finally opened her eyes to meet red orbs staring at her. Her heart leapt up into her throat as the red faded away. She blinked a few times, wondering if she’d actually seen what she thought she saw. Must be a trick of the night.

He set her down on the edge of the road where her car broke through the barrier.

Great. Just paid off my car, and now I have no phone, my purse was in there with my cards and ID. Seriously though. Why on earth would you stand in the middle of the fucking road? she raged at the man who had caused all her problems with a moment of stupidity!

I can make it up to you. He pushed his hand through his brown hair, black lines that looked like tattoos lining his flesh from his fingers up to his wrist. How far up did they go? She didn’t know, and for a hot moment, she wanted to see every inch of his body. What the actual hell is up with me?