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OUT NOW! Mallory’s Mark: Book Two in the Demons of Darkness series!
From USA Today bestselling author Erzabet Bishop- Step into a stand-alone novel of shifters, vampires and a succubus on the run from her past.
Mallory’s Mark
Demons in Darkness Book Two
Erzabet Bishop
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novel
Word Count: 57545
Page Count: 256
Price: 4.99
ISBN: 978-1-947135-03-1
Release Date: 2017-05-11
Hotter than Hell and eager for sin…
Mallory is having a bad year, even for a succubus. Her adorable dog has transformed into the Devil himself, and she can’t catch a date without someone dropping dead in her wake. Now a hot shifter detective is on Mallory’s trail, and things are about to get dicey. Even a trip for a cut and curl can’t ease her spirits. After Mallory rescues a dog in distress, her luck might finally be turning around. Sometimes the one you save saves you right back, and maybe that sexy investigator will turn out to be exactly what she needs as well. But someone from Mallory’s past has a score to settle, and her hot new boyfriend may just end up on the menu.
All that glitters could be murderous…
Detective Bryce Richardson is a werewolf on a mission. A murderer is stalking the city streets, and all signs point to one very gorgeous lady with a string of one-night stands and a growing pile of bodies. Watching her with her blind rescue dog tugs on his heartstrings, and he finds himself falling for his chief suspect, hook, line, and sinker. A true mate is hard to find and when his animal speaks, he’s learned to listen. But can Bryce keep his head long enough to solve the murders, or will he be next in the killer’s sights?
Excerpt 1:
Bryce watched the blonde woman sitting alone at the table on the outskirts of the bar. Nursing his drink, he sloshed the remaining amber liquid in the glass and pondered going over and talking to her. Pretty and petite, he had a feeling she would be interesting to talk to. At one point, she’d met his gaze and something tripped inside him, making the bold comment he’d planned sink into wordless nothing.
His wolf howled, pacing beneath his skin, definitely interested, the call to mate nearly boiling under his skin. Was she any different than the others? Barflies, he was learning, were not helping in his search.
There was no mystery as to what that meant in the shifter world. His animal had found a woman he wanted as a mate. But that didn’t mean his human side necessarily agreed. He should be gearing up to go to his pack’s gathering, but none of the females had caught his interest. And if not now, he couldn’t imagine that would change in the two months when he was expected to go. All unmated wolves were required to attend.
Fuck that.
His mate was right here, staring him in the face. But she wasn’t a shifter, and he had to take care. It would have been so much more simple if she had been. Chemistry would have taken over, and that would have been that.
If he were smart he would walk away and just plan on going to the gathering. But there was something about her, drawing him closer like a fly to honey. He’d walked by the table earlier, and her scent had snared him, his cock hardening.
Huh. Fly. The irony of the thought made him cringe.
Bryce had seen her here once or twice before, but she’d been with two guys. The one from before and another guy. They’d always laughed and had a good time. But today she’d been down, barely meeting the other guy’s conversation from the looks of it.
Interesting.
His wolf rumbled in his chest, unhappy with his choice to remain an observer. But something told him all wasn’t as it seemed. As soon as the thought came, it went as he watched the woman his wolf wanted as a mate.
He’d brought other women home, but it was always her in the back of his mind. No matter the curves. But damned if she wasn’t always dating some other guy. The man she was with before had gotten up and left, but she’d stayed. Was she meeting someone here?
She’d danced with one of the guys from the bar, but one song later and she was back at her table, a new drink in hand.
It was now or never. Before some other asshole decided to get in his way.
And he was tired of keeping his distance.
Fuck it.
He stood, his pulse thrumming under his skin and made his way over to her table. Her blonde hair cascaded down around her heart-shaped face, her eyes twinkling with merriment as she took him in.
“Is this seat taken?”
She glanced up at him, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. “Not anymore.”
Excerpt 2:
The little dog rested against Mallory’s chest. Exhausted from the events of the day, she carted her purse, the bottle of pills, bowls, a bag of kibble, her new prescription cards and the cans of wet food the vet seemed to think were must-haves all the way up the stairs to her second-floor apartment.
The vet had woken them both up after about an hour to check the pup’s progress and then carted him away for a quick bath. The dog returned to her promptly, tail wagging, and they took off, the scorch marks still steaming from her credit card.
Ouch.
She could do this. Be the person the little guy needed. He didn’t have anyone else.
Yeah. And that’s worked out so well for you in the past.
She willed her internal voice to shut the hell up. Pets were different than men. And dogs were different than a goldfish. They told you when they were hungry. Or at least she thought they did.
He’d slept peacefully on the seat next to her all the way home, and when she stopped, he barely perked up as she jostled him and the rest of her parcels to her front door. Finagling her keys, she kicked the door open with her foot and shut it unceremoniously with her mud-covered ass.
“There.” She tossed the bags onto the kitchen counter and carried the little guy back with her to the bathroom.
“Shower time, kiddo.”
This was going to be weird. Mallory nibbled on her lip and pondered what to do with him while she was in the shower. Terrence wasn’t a problem. She knew what to expect from him, but this little, unnamed pup was something else entirely. The vet had also told her to make sure there was nothing that he could run into and hurt himself. After her shower, that was right up there on the list.
She lowered the little dog down on the floor, towel and all, just inside the bathroom and hustled to the bedroom closet to divest herself of her clothes. She felt disgusting. Covered in mud and hair and God only knew what else, it was time to get clean.
A yip sounded down the hall, and she hurriedly stripped. Dropping her clothes in the hamper, Mallory streaked back down the hall to the bathroom. The little dog had gotten up and started exploring, bumping into everything in sight.
And why did she get the distinct scent of brimstone?
Huh.
Go figure.
“Hey there, buddy. How you doing?” The little dog whined and made his way tentatively toward her. She scooped him up and gave him a kiss on the forehead. “Well, hi there.” He gave her a look and nuzzled his head against her cheek, his little tail wagging.
“What do you think I should I name you?” She really had no idea. The dog nosed her again and gave a snort. “What do you think of Doodle?”
The dog made a little whining sound, and his eyes took on a distinct shade of red.
“Well, I don’t hear you making any suggestions.”
That explained a few things. Puppy in the street when Luc had told her to get her hair done. Only an idiot wouldn’t put two and two together. Her bestie had sent her a hellhound.
Mallory grinned. She should have known he wouldn’t forget to make sure she was protected.
Mallory reached over and shut the bathroom door. “You stay in here while I get cleaned up. Then we’ll feed you and talk about the rest, OK?”
The little dog cocked his head and wrinkled his forehead as if he were trying to figure out what she was saying.
“Here.” Mallory reached inside the bathroom closet and plucked out a large towel. She reached under the vanity and laid out the towel, bunching it up to be sort of like a dog bed.
Then it hit her. She hadn’t gotten him a bed.
“We’ll get you fixed up, sweetie. Don’t you worry about a thing.” But she knew getting a dog bed was probably going to be a futile endeavor. Terrence had slept with her every night, and part of her hoped the little guy would be similarly inclined. She’d never slept so well in her life as when she’d had his tiny warmth snuggled up next to her. Inviting the devil into your bed for night nights should have given her nightmares. As long as he was a cute little Chihuahua everything was fine. Luc was a gentleman.
Speaking of Luc. She went back to her purse and snagged her phone, shooting him a pic of the dog.
Your replacement. Traitor.
Let him sink his teeth into that for a bit. Mallory grinned and went back to her shower preparations.
“Why don’t you lay down here, honey?” She picked up the dog and deposited him in the towel bed. “Stay here.” She turned on the shower and jumped underneath the warm spray, letting the water take away the grime, grit, and mud from her day.
Mallory should have known it was too quiet. Strawberry shampoo and lavender soap reinvigorated her, and as she stepped out onto the mat, she felt her toes sink into something warm and squishy. Then the smell hit her.
“Ugh! Doodle!”
The dog raised its head from the towel and snuggled in deeper.
At least he was beginning to know his name.
“You…you…ugh!” Mallory put her foot back in the shower, wrenching on the water and removing the sprayer from the showerhead above it. Squirting the unholy mess off of her foot, she soaped it and sprayed it again. “That was nasty.”
Mallory emerged from the tub and cursed. She’d forgotten to grab a towel for herself from the bar across the room. Edging around the poop and dripping water everywhere, Mallory stepped onto the rug and carefully navigated her feet to avoid touching it again.
How could such a huge pile of crap come out of such a small dog? Mallory curled her lip in disgust, and she looked at the dog with horrified wonder.
She kicked the rug over and reached for a towel, trailing water across the floor.
“Great.”
Tucking the towel around her, she started to go for the soiled rug when the doorbell rang.
About the author:
Erzabet Bishop is a USA Today bestselling author who loves to write naughty stories. She is the author of Lipstick, Crave, Snow (Three Times More Lucky Box Set), Malediction, Map of Bones, Sanguine Shadows, Arcane (Prowlers and Growlers set), The Science of Lust, Wicked for You, Heart’s Protector, Burning for You, Taming the Beast, Mistletoe Kisses, Surrender, Torment (upcoming), Hedging Her Bets, Cat’s Got Her Tongue (upcoming), Arcane Imaginarium: Spirit Board, Holidays in Hell, Mallory’s Mark,The Devil’s Due (upcoming), Charity Benshaw’s Enchanted Paddle Emporium (upcoming), Club Beam, Pomegranate, A Red Dress for Christmas, The Black Magic Café, Sweet Seductions, The Erotic Pagans Series: Beltane Fires, Samhain Shadows and Yuletide Temptation along with being a contributor to many anthologies. She lives in Texas with her husband, furry children and can often be found lurking in local bookstores. She loves to bake, make naughty crochet projects and watch monster movies.
Follow her on Twitter @erzabetbishop.
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