Twelve years later, Alana is surprised when she is chosen to manage a new restaurant opening in her home city of San Juan. She has neither training nor experience to justify her success. But La Cueva del Vampiro has the kind of ambience she adores, for Alana has always had a penchant for horror and the dark side of life. Yet she is also plagued with dreams of dark sensuality, dreams that take on shattering reality when she meets the stunningly handsome, charismatic Sadash.
For Sadash is the man she saw in the shadows so many years before...and Sadash isn't human….
Read an excerpt!
Prologue
Istanbul, twelve years ago
The Grand Bazaar was bustling with locals and tourists, as it had always been on warm summer nights for the past few centuries. The glitter of gold and copper and brass, lavishly displayed behind dozens of shop windows, could dazzle anybody's eyes. Heavy spices, Ottoman sweets of grape and nut pastes with the promise of aphrodisiac qualities, sacks filled with Arab coffees and the best teas from the northeastern little city of Rize, almond oils and musks, hennas, hundreds of hand-made silk carpets, their bright colors and details blinding. And the leather…endless rows of leather shops, filled with the soft yet pungent scent of animal skins. A very loud, wildly exotic belly-dancing melody came out of one of the shops, and an oddly pleasing smell, that of cigarette smoke mixed with incense and raki—the local alcoholic drink made from anise—hovered in the air.
The girl with long red curls stood in front of one of the many shops which swarmed this ancient place. She gazed intently at an oil painting of angels displayed in the window. Dramatic and disturbing, the painting depicted in painful detail an auburn-haired angel being cast out of Heaven.
From afar, the vampire watched.
Same profile, same hair. Uncanny, the resemblance. Just like...
For a bitter second the vampire closed his eyes and commanded himself to forget. Then everything was fine again, and his eyes opened and the ghost of a smile crossed his face.
Three centuries ago he would have drunk from her. No man, woman or child could be safe from him during those first dark days. His hunger insatiable, he would have been lost in the rapture of the draught. But that was three centuries ago. Nowadays he preferred men with cold murder in their past, and he liked to take them completely, loving the gush of warm blood in his mouth, until he ceased to hear the haunting, drum-like beat of the heart.
The girl seemed mesmerized by the painting of the fallen angel. The virulent clouds; the agonizing faces of the good angels surrounding the “fallen” one; the almost palpable sadness and rage, all stroke a deep cord within her.
The vampire could see through her artistic soul; unbeknown to herself, she had fallen in love with the beauty of the colors, the purity of the lines, and the tragic fatalism of it.
He read her thoughts…
She loved the painting. She wanted her mom to buy it for her, but she knew her mom wouldn’t. It looked way too expensive…
And then something happened. She seemed to sense his presence, turned around, and stared right into his direction.
She frowned, uncertain. Something about him had caught her attention. His tall frame dressed in black, a flash of white teeth.
The vampire retreated into the shadows of the alley. He felt a twinge of guilt. He had not meant to frighten her.
The girl’s mother and uncle, carrying bags of goods and souvenirs in their hands, stepped out of the shop. The girl pointed to the painting and pleaded with her mother to get it for her. Her mother took one look at it and shook her head. “That’s morbid!” she said, then went on to argue that she had already bought her many gifts and her unreasonable requests would make them bankrupt. Nevertheless, she went inside the shop to ask for the price. A moment later she came back, looking incredulous and muttering in disbelief, “Ridiculous! A thousand dollars for that thing. Sorry, mi amor, but I can’t afford it.”
As they headed toward the exit of the bazaar, the girl glanced over her shoulder to the alley. But this time she didn’t see him.
After the girl was out of sight, the vampire walked into one of the many ill-reputed, dark narrow streets near the bazaar and finished off a couple of shabby, despicable-looking mortals in two intense short draughts.
Then he walked back to the shop to purchase the painting.
Read the reviews!
"[Embraced by the Shadows] is a superbly written, deftly balanced story of love and death and twisted loyalties that will keep you enthralled from beginning to end. More importantly, it will make you think and perhaps take a closer look at the shadowed corners of your own psyche.”
–The Blue Iris Journal
"Mysterious, intriguing and somewhat unsettling at times, this novel is a must for all vampire reading fans. A rich, twisting plot and a surprising ending awaits you."
--The Midwest Book Review
"[Embraced by the Shadows] is a wonderful tale of a woman torn between a love she can not resist and a life she does not understand. Alana is a character to fall in love with... Mayra Calvani did an exemplary job in weaving this story of passion, love and betrayal. Once the reviewer started the prologue she was hooked and could not put this book down. This is a must read for fans of paranormal!"
--Love Romances
“A dark brooding novel, Calvani takes us on a journey into the darkest corners of our hopes and desires, especially the desire of all humans to somehow survive and how far would we go if we were given the chance to live forever...This is a must read for all fans of vampire romance novels.”
--Murder & Mayhem Book Club
"...For any of you female readers that have always had the fantasy of your masculine vampire following you all through your life and not revealing himself until he thinks you are ready, this book is for you. This was an excellent read."
--ParaNormal Romance Reviews
PURCHASE EMBRACED BY THE SHADOWS FROM TWILIGHT TIMES BOOKS AND AMAZON!
To celebrate the release of her new novel, Marya is giving away two of her other books for free. This offer will run until Halloween night only. Of course, she hopes you’ll consider supporting her work by purchasing a copy of Embraced by the Shadows, but if for whatever reason you decide not to, the two free ebooks are still yours to download. This is her Halloween gift to you!
The FREE ebooks she is giving away are: Dark Lullaby and The Cat Cellar and Other Stories and they’re available in various formats on Smashwords:
Dark Lullaby https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94529
The Cat Cellar and Other Stories https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/95031
Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She’s co-author of The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing, a ForeWord Best Book of the Year Award winner. She’s had over 300 stories, articles, interviews and reviews published. A reviewer for more than a decade, she now offers numerous book review workshops online. She also offers workshops on the art of picture book writing. Mayra is a proud member of the Working Writer's Club. Visit her website at http://www.mayracalvani.com/. Be sure to check out her free ebooks at http://mayracalvani.com/freebies.
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