FE959 by Michael Barnette

FE959 by Michael Barnette
Supernatural Alliances Book 1
Genre: Paranormal Erotic Romance (m/f) vampire
Heat Level: Fire with a Happy for Now Ending
Length: Short Story-10,500 words
Price: $2.50
Released August 15th 2008 to Shadowfire Press
http://www.shadowfirepress.com/

Can a former vampire regain his dignity and find love?

Blurb
Frontier Explorer 959 is out at the edge of known space when he receives a distress call that will change his miserable existence forever.

Korrine Dubouis is the last of her kind with no hope of finding her truemate. Or so she thinks until she meets the handsome creature known as FE959.

Excerpt
He couldn't help himself. He paused to take in the beauty of her naked form, his gaze moving over her the way an art lover would regard a masterpiece of sculpture. Soft and feminine with breasts that drew his gaze and a Mont of Venus that made him wish for the days when such things would have stirred his flesh to desire.

But the alterations performed on him, the long decades of his confinement in the ship had left him with an appreciation of the female form, but no ability and little actual desire to sample it.

He went back for the last two survivors, braving the savagery of the inferno to save them, the flames searing into his naked flesh. He felt the pain, and ignored it. Hurting and exhausted from the ordeal, he safely delivered them to the medical area with the others. Tired, FE959 sat down beside the beautiful female, shoulders slumped, head bowed in exhaustion, every nerve in his body screaming from the burns that covered his skin.

Burns that were already healing, the charred bits falling away to reveal new skin beneath.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" Her expression was wary, uncertain.

And it was fully understandable given what he knew about the colonists. Those green eyes were regarding him in a way that let him know beyond any doubt she knew exactly what she looked at, exactly what he had once been.

But probably not what he had become.

"That would depend on what you mean when you say 'one of them' don't you think?"

"A vampire."

"Yes. Once I would have been called that." He gave her a wry smile, showing his fangs to her. She showed no sign of fear. But why would she fear me? She was in the company of an entire vampire family. Or at least the remnants of one.

So many dead. If I'd known I wouldn't have hesitated so long.

But in the end it hardly mattered. He'd saved those he could, and the rest would reside in the embrace of the Dark Lady for all of eternity.

Eternity.

Such a damn long time. Long and lonely.

"From what I've seen though, I don't think you're going to tell me to leave, or try to kill me."

"How many died?" she asked finally, worried, filled with a desolation he could smell in the air surrounding her.

"From the impact, I don't know. I can't get into some areas of the ship because of the fires, and other sections were completely destroyed in the crash."

Her shoulders sagged, bright tears welling in her eyes, dulling the brilliant green.

Like summer leaves, or the most perfect of gems.

"This was supposed to save them. In the end it will destroy them," she whispered, covering her face with both hands.

He moved closer to her. The way a bee sought flowers he found himself pulled closer by her very presence. He dropped to his knees in front of the distraught female, reached up to stroke the soft waves of her hair. How strange. Why do I feel an attraction to her? he mused as he said, "Don't say that, your family isn't dead."

"They aren't my family. All of my family perished on old Earth. These people, this family took me in out of kindness. And now they're going to die too," she said, tone full of bitter helplessness.

His eyes were drawn to the motion of her full lips. The line of her jaw, the graceful form of her lovely throat. Saliva filled his mouth and his fangs ached; dull pang of need, a faint remembrance of what he'd been rising up to torment him.

So beautiful. No, more than just beautiful, she is perfect.

A tumult of hair, dark as the space between the stars, and eyes a vibrant green unlike anything he'd ever seen. FE959 wanted to take her into his arms and tell her it would be all right, that he'd get help, that her adopted family would be safe. But help was a long way off and he didn't dare make a promise he couldn't keep. Not when the very stability of the ruined ship was in question.

Not when his own masters would put an end to every life on this ship if they had the chance.

He couldn't give them that opportunity.

"What's your name?"

"Korrine Dubouis," she replied through her tears.

He shook his head, dared to touch one mahogany dark cheek and brush away the tears, the dampness tingling on his fingertip like something alive. His breath caught, her eyes widened and they both drew away from one another as if stung.

He looked at his fingers. Wiggled them. But the tingling vibration that reached to his very soul-- if such as he had one-- didn't fade. It continued to resonate through his flesh.

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