EXCERPT FROM "LOVE, VAMPIRE STYLE"

The reason behind Valerius Andriescu's sudden desire to run away from home was very simple--it was a totally childish rebellion against his brother Marius.


He'd been summoned to his brother's office, told in no uncertain terms that the head of the Clan Andriescu--and the heir to the House--had fallen in love with a human, and, obeying the Laws of their species forbidding procreation with mortals, was relinquishing continuation of the bloodline to his youngest sibling.


"I'm not ready to get married!" Val protested.


"You're nearly three hundred and twelve," Marius answered calmly. "You should have all your wild oats out of your system by now."


"What about Timon?" Val demanded, gesturing at his cousin who was leaning negligently against the opposite wall. "He's older than I. Why don't you pick on him?"


"Timon represents his father's side of the family, not ours," came the answer. "Besides, it'll probably be another century or two before he's prepared to wed." He glanced at the languid figure, adding in a mutter, "--if ever!"


Timon buffed his nails against his sleeve and smirked.


Damn it, I'm not ready! Val wanted to argue, but he knew there was no use. The Head of the House had spoken. He had to obey.


Whatever happened to spoiling the youngest? How did Timon get to be the pampered one? He had no more answer to that than he did how to get himself out of this situation. Without another word, he turned and stalked from the office, pointing himself at the stairs, taking them three at a time--and not stopping until he was safely inside his own room.


His protestations to the contrary, Val was secretly getting tired of going from one woman to another, bored with the shallow, careless sex he'd once enjoyed so, and which Timon was going to continue to enjoy.


He refused to admit this, however, because it would be giving in to his brother's inconsiderate wishes--but it was true, he wanted to find some nice vampire female and start a family, but he knew he had to be very careful in doing so. When he'd been much younger and idealistic, he'd told Timon that when he did marry, he intended to be faithful to his mate --his cousin had rolled on the floor with laughter at that naivete--but Val meant it, and if he was going to practice fidelity, he had to make certain the woman he married was one he'd love forever.


Being tied to the wrong female for eternity could be harsh punishment indeed!


I want to go home. He wanted to be back in Carpathius, with his parents alive, to be a child again in that brief time when he, Timon, and Marius were still small, when he could crawl into his mother's lap and be hugged and made to feel safe.


Val was startled by that thought. He had always believed himself satisfied wherever they were, and the gods knew they'd certainly been enough places in the past three hundred years! All he wanted to do was huddle somewhere in the dark, seek a pair of warm arms to hug him and tell him everything would be all right. I've got to get out of here...and Home was the place he was going!


Wait, can't go now--it's night here so that means it's probably day time there. He'd have to wait until tomorrow. Okay, so he'd wait--but come sun up, I'm out of here!


("Love, Vampire Style" will be available for download on September 24th by the Wild Rose Press. It's a Black Rose rosette.)