"Always The Vampire is a delicious romance with non-stop action, and power punching adrenaline twists and turns that keep the reader spellbound in this remarkable read." ~ Coffee Time Romance and More, 5 Cup Review
“Always the Vampire is a joy from start to finish!” ~ Night Owl Romance, Reviewers Top Pick (Keep Night Owl Top Pick graphic? I think you did in another place.)
“Haddock is making a name for herself by delivering novels that are wacky and humorous, populated with highly engaging characters.” ~ 4 Stars Romantic Times BookReviews Magazine
“…a light, funny story, Always the Vampire is the third novel in this series that will delight all who love vampire stories, mysteries, the paranormal, and good romance tales. Cesca is a sassy, modern, and feisty vampire character for sure! Very cool story!” ~The Best Reviews
“… readers can’t help but fall in love with this book.” ~ WHATCHAMACALLIT REVIEW
“… Cesca's an upbeat heroine to hang with.” ~ PARKERSBURG, WV News & Sentinel
Night Owl Review Top Pick
“Always the Vampire is a joy from start to finish!” ~ Night Owl Romance, Reviewers Top Pick
“Haddock is making a name for herself by delivering novels that are wacky and humorous, populated with highly engaging characters.” ~4 Stars Romantic Times BookReviews Magazine
“…a light, funny story, Always the Vampire is the third novel in this series that will delight all who love vampire stories, mysteries, the paranormal, and good romance tales. Cesca is a sassy, modern, and feisty vampire character for sure! Very cool story!” ~The Best Reviews
“… readers can’t help but fall in love with this book.” ~ WHATCHAMACALLIT REVIEW
“Ms Haddock has written three wonderfully crafted suspense/mysteries while not making them dark or dangerous. They are light and refreshing with genuine emotion.” ~ The Aussie Bookworm
“In Always The Vampire, Nancy Haddock delivers another great dish of paranormal and mystery with a little romance on the side.” ~Amberkatze’s Book Blog
“… Cesca's an upbeat heroine to hang with.” ~ PARKERSBURG, WV News & Sentinel
I stopped cold. Oh, no. Oh, God, no. Saber had symptoms of the sickness. Irritability in spades, plus he’d been falling asleep by midnight instead of his usual two in the morning. Come to think of it, our lovemaking had slacked off.
Conclusion? Saber was infected or feared he was, and he couldn’t bring himself to tell me.
Every muscle trembled as I pulled myself to my feet, skirted the coffee table, and walked into his arms.
“Deke,” I whispered, using the name I reserved for our most intimate moments. “Don’t worry. If you’re infected, we’ll fix it. We’ll find the Void, kill it, and cure you. I swear. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Maybe he knew I was talking a good game. Maybe he knew I wasn’t as confident as I made myself sound. Maybe that’s why he hesitated before he hugged me tighter.
“You’ll do whatever it takes?”
“Absolutely,” I said, leaning away to cup his cheek in my palm.
He gave me a slow smile.
“Good. Then let’s go see Triton.”
Triton? Oh, pelican poop.
Ocean Enchanments, Triton’s new store.
I’d seen the two-story, 1950s structure every time I’d come to the island to surf. Built slightly catty-corner to Anastasia Boulevard in the shadow of the lighthouse, the cinder-block building housing Triton’s store had been stark white with blue trim around the front door and the many oversized windows. Now it sported palm-frond green paint with deep gray green trim that should have been soothing. And the mermaid-shaped sign in bright, iridescent colors that swung from the store’s covered entrance? That should’ve been cheery. Instead it creaked as if the salt air had already corroded the metal rings.
Since I didn’t feel all that enchanted, soothed, or cheery at the moment, I took the creepy creaking as an omen. A very bad omen, I decided when a gust of wind made the sign screech again.
But, hey, I’d faced down killers. In comparison to that, this meeting would be a snap.
The bell over the ornately carved door tinkled when Saber shoved it open, but the sound faded as I was embraced by the soothing shades of beach sand, ocean blue, and polished wood. On my right, L-shaped antique glass display cases offered coins and jewelry, fans and snuffboxes, and much more. To the right and straight ahead, rough-hewn tables displayed vignettes of everything from weaponry to housewares. Art gallery lighting picked up the rich hues and textures where the natural light from the large picture windows didn’t reach.
A faint chime drew my attention to the back wall where part of a small-ship’s bow jutted into the room. The two tones of satiny wood shone like milk and dark chocolate, and the furniture nearby was staged to resemble the interior of a captain’s quarters—much like my father’s quarters had been on his favorite ship.
Then I saw Triton, rising from a barrel chair.
“Cesca, Saber,” he said as he strode toward us. “Good to see you.”
The men shook hands, all cordial and normal.
I stood very still, braced for an emotional riptide.
One that didn’t come. No churning of angst or anger. No wave of lost-love regret. Only a ripple of nostalgic tenderness fluttered in my chest. As I stared, the image of Triton the youth in his homespun work clothes overlaid that of Triton the man in his charcoal suit and white shirt.
He’d always been model handsome in face and physique, but he’d grown a man’s body. Taller than I remembered, Triton’s swimmer’s shoulders were wider, his chest deeper. His rugged features, so like his adoptive Greek father’s, had lost their sharpest angles. I knew him to be a year older than I, but only a few fine lines around his cocoa brown eyes and perhaps a hint of silver in his tobacco brown hair aged him. Of course, the suit matured him, too, but as boy and man, the guy was a timeless hunk and a half.
Funny. I’d known Triton since we were toddlers. We’d shared a telepathic connection and more adventures than I could count, and he’d been my first crush. Even when he made his “let’s be friends” feelings clear, I’d still loved him. All that time, and I’d never pictured Triton in a suit and tie.
“I had a meeting today, Cesca.”
My gaze shot up from his tie to his cocoa brown eyes. “What?”
“That’s why I’m wearing a suit today.”
“You read my thoughts?”
He gave me the cocky grin I remembered from our youth. “We’ve still got the mojo.”
“What you have is the ego,” I zinged back, a hand on one hip.
“Same old Cesca,” he said with a wide grin. “The girl who’d take on any bully or BSer in town. My dear tyranoulitsa.”
I froze, my throat suddenly clamped around a sob. One word, echoing across the centuries, triggered emotions merely seeing him hadn’t.
A kaleidoscope of images flashed in my mind’s eye. Triton and me together, inseparable friends, occasional pranksters, clandestine adventurers.
Heart thudding, it took me three tries to gulp away the choking lump and draw a slow breath to speak.
“I-I’d forgotten that.”
Triton quirked a smile. “What?”
“That you used to call me little tyrant.”
The smile widened. “You used to box my ears for it, too, when you could catch me.”
His teasing eased the tightness in my chest.
“I caught you often then and I’m faster now, so don’t mess with me.”
“You two always got along this well, huh?”
I pivoted to Saber to find him grinning. An honest, full-out grin. An expression I hadn’t seen in weeks.
“Yeah,” Triton drawled. “I’d say this is typical.”
Saber laughed then, and the irritations I’d harbored with Triton fell away. It was worth any price if Saber stayed alive and healthy to laugh with me for a very long time to come.
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