Excerpt: Caressed by the Edge of Darkness by Amanda J. Greene

Hardened by centuries of torture, former blood slave, Gabriel Erhard, is driven by an insatiable need to destroy his enemies. Violence darkens his battered soul, leaving no place for mercy in his world. Gabriel’s only desire is vengeance—until he finds her.

Seized by vampires, bound as a slave, and placed on the auction block, Jordan Culver is instantly entranced by the dangerous male who claims her. Jordan’s new captor vows to set her free, but his haunted gaze burns with savage desire and his wicked kiss makes her crave his touch and...complete surrender.

While Gabriel battles his enemies, he will break every sacred law to achieve his ultimate goal—uniting the Outcast Society and creating a new vampire Clan. But the distracting human with mesmerizing violet eyes jeopardizes his plans. With every soft whisper she evokes his tormented memories, tests his sanity and challenges his every boundary. Can Jordan help him overcome the miseries of his past and find a future with her? Or will he lose what remains of his soul and become a true beast?

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Holy f***. Jordan was going to sing.

The lights went out around the club, but the stage burned as bright as the sun. Every inch of Gabriel’s body tingled and it had nothing to do with the women pawing at him and everything to do with the seductive mortal that claimed the stage. The strapless, candy red sheath she wore displayed every wicked curve. Those fishnet stockings and fuck-me boots set his imagination racing.

Did she just blow a kiss to the bass player? Gabriel’s jaw clenched. His vampire roared, outraged and envious. How dare she flirt with another so blatantly in front of him?

A pair of plump breasts pressed against his arm as a palm slid up the inside of his thigh.

He had no right to be angry with the mortal. He had no claim on Jordan at all. She wasn’t his mate. She couldn’t be the one female fated to save him from his doom. There was no way the Graces would grant him such a blessing. No, the Death Curse would sap his immortality, and Gannon would ascend to the throne. Gabriel only hoped by then Gannon and the Shaw Priestess worked things out. Their feelings for each other were painfully obvious. They were meant for each other and when Gannon became king, he’d have his mate, Silvie.

The band began to play. He knew this song. It was his favorite of hers, the melody showcased her talent.

Gabriel leaned forward, the women in the booth forgotten. Jordan closed her eyes and started to sing. If they weren’t already, all eyes were now trained on her. She began to dance and Gabriel was lost. Good god, the way she moves.

Flawlessly she slipped from one song to the next. So completely enthralled by her voice and the spell she weaved, he hadn’t noticed when a small piano was wheeled out on stage. Jordan twirled her way to the piano bench. The bass player winked at her and Gabriel wanted to slam his fist on the table, or better yet, slam his fist into the other vampire’s face. When the show was over, he’d request Row never hire this band again.

Jordan ended her song and shyly glanced toward the piano. Gabriel heard the sharp intake of every man in the room. All smitten, entranced by the human. He could sense their interest, their lust. His hackles raised, his beast snarled.

She tugged on her bottom lip as she lowered herself to the bench. The innocent action had the male audience frothing. Then she leaned toward the mounted mic and licked her lips. A glass dropped in the background and…His ears twitched, her heart skipped a beat.

She was nervous? Gabriel frowned. He’d never seen Jordan nervous. On stage, she was confidence; she was pride and raw sex appeal.

“This is for you.”

She began to play and…Gabriel’s tattered soul began to knit back together. The pain swept through his cold, cruel heart. The muscle seized then thundered in his chest, matching the rhythm of the music. The song he’d created for her all those months ago when he’d searched for her, fought for her, yearned to see her, to hold her, to hear her whiskey voice. He had poured everything he was into the song and she’d given it life. She sang every word he felt.

Endless emotion sliced through him, cutting through his heart, shattering the century’s old armor guarding what remained of his soul. Violent, stunning destruction. The flame she had ignited with their first kiss in the snow, he’d struggled to snuff out for days, now blazed. A never ending, undeniable firestorm. It tore through him. Incinerating all in its path leaving him raw.

Jordan had transformed the music with her lyrics. Transformed him.

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