Today I turn my spotlight on THE ORTEGA PROJECT by amazing author, Linnea Alexis, who writes from the heart and soul.
BLURB:
An epic love story of vampires and poison,
innocence and ancient enmities, and the one impossible person who could redeem
or destroy them all.
Vampires have started dying, poisoned along
the Ortega Highway, so Roman Santos, their warrior leader, joins forces with a
maverick scientist to develop a blood substitute. But when the formula turns
out not only to sustain vampires, but to humanize them, it leave Santos and his
elite team of fighters vulnerable to inter-vampire power battles, attack by
priest-slayers, and to love.
Recently
dumped by her fiancé, Grace Raines is vulnerable too. Working to put her
life as a graduate student back on track, she’s already unwittingly involved in
the vampires’ dark world, even before the strikingly handsome Roman walks into
the bar where she works.
As what began as a
rebellious affair with an alluring stranger grows into something deeper, Grace
and Roman struggle to keep the secrets of their worlds from destroying their
hope for a life together, even as Grace is pursued by priests, slayers, and
other vampires, and Roman battles the poison his once-saving formula has
become, rebellion within his team, and his own nature. As death closes in
from too many sides, can Roman find a way to keep the destruction of his world
from the one who might save him?
EXCERPT:
Moonlight cast an eerie,
surreal glow on the contorted male corpse sprawled on the ground. Fury raged
within Roman Santos, leader of the deadliest warrior vampires on the West
Coast, as he studied his fallen vampire. The facial features were distorted,
leaving the corpse unidentifiable. Drawing his hands into fists, he circled the
body, assessing the destruction to one of his own.
Gabriel Shapiro, his next
in command, stared at the body. “How many does this make now?”
“Ten so far this month.”
Roman frowned. Pulling in a strangled breath, he blew it out slowly. Genocide
was happening in his territory. In his woods. To vampires who were his
responsibility and the burden of their deaths weighed heavy on his shoulders.
They crouched next to the
fallen vampire.
Lifting the body’s head,
Roman moved it from side to side. He leaned in for a closer look at the
face. Charles. A swollen tongue protruded from Charles’ mouth
and his eyes bulged from their sockets. Cause of death—same as the
others—anaphylactic shock.
Roman cringed. “Hopefully
they didn’t suffer. Got any ideas, besides the obvious?”
“Have you figured out what
they’re allergic to?” Gabriel asked.
“Not yet. But I’m working
on it.”
“Hey, Roman!”
He jerked his head in the
direction of the tall, jagged rocks to the right of the forest clearing. It was
Alex, his cousin and most loyal warrior. “Yeah?”
“There’s one more up here!”
Damn! Roman knew the
answer, but asked anyway, “How does he look?”
“Like the others, except
he’s a she.”
“A female...” The end of
the sentence stayed on his tongue. Whoever or whatever was responsible; they
were an equal-opportunity slayer. “Do we know her?”
“It’s Rosa,” Alex answered.
“Be right down.”
“No. Stay where you are and
give her a decent burial.” His voice broke. “And dig her deep so no one will
ever find her.”
It was personal—burying his
own kind. Especially Rosa, someone he considered family. Guilt tore at his gut.
Why couldn’t he stop this genocide? He narrowed his eyes and studied the body
in front of him. “And while you’re at it, would you do me a favor and bury
Charles, too?”
“They got Charles? Are you
serious?” Shock sounded in Alex’s voice.
“Yeah. When you finish up,
head back to the kill site. Gabe and I will meet you there. Call if you need
me.”
Last night, the Elder
Council had alerted Roman that slayers had his team in their
cross-hairs and were closing in. Armed with that bit of news, Roman did
what he did better than any other vampire. He picked up their scent, led his
team in the ambush, killed the slayers, and feasted on their blood.
Being dispatched to
intercept and stop the ambush also led to the disturbing discovery of more
vampires who’d met with mysterious deaths. And when he realized the slayers had
been mere minutes away from discovering his fallen vampires, a chill ran down
Roman’s spine.
BIO:
Linnea
Alexis stopped stirring up trouble in the corporate world a few years ago and
now satisfies her appetite for adventure by writing about second chances.
As a
multi-published author of romances, she writes in several sub-subgenres.
Whether her stories are contemporary, paranormal, or sweet historical westerns,
every flawed hero and heroine finds their Happily Ever After.
An empty-nester,
she makes her home in Southern California with her husband and two fur babies.
Twitter:
@LinneaAlexis
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