Lust for Life
Authors: Jeri Smith-Ready
JERI SMITH-READY
“. . . is one of my very favorite reads!”
—P. C. Cast,
New York Times
bestselling author of the House of Night series
LUST FOR LIFE
“A perfect conclusion to my favorite modern vampire series. Jeri Smith-Ready is the
perfect DJ for this universe, spinning a high-stakes story with heart, humor, and
more than a little bite!”
—Seanan McGuire,
New York Times
bestselling author of the October Daye series
BRING ON THE NIGHT
“Packed with complications, offbeat humor, and believable characters, and of course
the playlist is spot on! Great stuff!”
—
Romantic Times
(4
1
/
2
stars)
“Jeri’s writing is majestic, spellbinding storytelling that keeps you on the edge
of your seat. . . . Along with a spine-tingling twist in the WVMP world that will
have readers feeling as though they’ve just come off the Tilt-A-Whirl, this book is
an engaging, fast-paced read that you won’t want to put down.”
—
The Official Fiction
(5 stars)
BAD TO THE BONE
Nominated for the Pearl Award
“Offbeat and hugely entertaining.”
—
Romantic Times
“Believable, captivating characters abound. . . . By turns funny, sexy, and gripping.”
—
Library Journal
“An entertaining, fast-paced, toothsome tale wrapped around an eclectic playlist of
six decades’ worth of hot music.”
—
The Green Man Review
“
Bad to the Bone
’s action-packed plot, realistic characters, original vampire mythology, sinister
secret societies, and shadowy government organizations make it a great read for both
vampire fiction and urban fantasy fans.”
—
Love Vampires
“Filled with edge-of-your-seat suspense, hot love scenes, and plot twists that you
never see coming. Jeri Smith-Ready has scored another hit. . . .”
—
Bitten by Books
WICKED GAME
Winner of the PRISM Award
A nominee for the American Library Association Alex Award
“An addictive page-turner. . . .”
—Kresley Cole, #1
New York Times
bestselling author of
Lothaire
“Smith-Ready’s musical references are spot-on, as is her take on corporate radio’s
creeping hegemony. Add in the irrepressible Ciara . . . and the results rock.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“A colorful premise and engaging characters . . . a fun read.”
—
Library Journal
“Just when I think the vampire genre must be exhausted, just when I think if I read
another clone I’ll quit writing vampires myself, I read a book that refreshed my flagging
interest. . . . Jeri Smith-Ready’s
Wicked Game
was consistently surprising and original . . . I highly recommend it.”
—A “Book of the Week” pick by Charlaine Harris at charlaineharris.com
“This truly clever take on vampires is fresh and original. . . .”
—
Romantic Times
“Jeri Smith-Ready has created a set of strikingly original, fascinating characters,
rich with as much style and rhythm as the music her vampires love. Lyrical and uncompromising,
Wicked Game
is a winner I’ll be reading again.”
—Rachel Caine, bestselling author of
Thin Air
“Clever, funny, creative, and way too much fun. . . . A sure-fire winner.”
—The Green Man Review
“A wicked delight. . . . Urban fantasy that makes an irresistible playlist and an
irresistible read.”
—C. E. Murphy, bestselling author of
Urban Shaman
“Sharp and smart and definitely not flavor of the month,
Wicked Game
is wicked good.”
—Laura Anne Gilman, bestselling author of
Flesh and Fire
“Will make your corpuscles coagulate with corpulent incredulity. It’s for young bloods
and old jugulars alike.”
—Weasel, WTGB 94.7 The Globe, Washington, DC
“An imaginative tale that adds new dimension and limitations on the otherwise long-lived
lives of vampires. . . .”
—Darque Reviews
“Excellent dialogue, skillfully crafted characters, and unique plot. . . .”
—Romance Reviews Today
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Contents
Chapter 3: Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows
Chapter 15: Lawyers, Guns, and Money
Chapter 22: Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Chapter 26: Now We’re Getting Somewhere
Chapter 27: Pretend We’re Dead
Chapter 34: You Know You’re Right
To Adrian,
at last
For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.
—Carl Sagan
Author’s Note
For the complete WVMP RADIO story, check out Book 3.5, “Let It Bleed,” a novella available
for free download through Summer 2013 at
www.jerismithready.com/books/let-it-bleed
(and for sale at all major e-book retailers thereafter). Instead of being an offshoot
side story like most novellas, “Let It Bleed” is an essential piece of the WVMP Radio
puzzle, bridging the events of
Bring On the Night
and
Lust for Life,
as well as providing a rockin’ good time. Enjoy!
Playlist
“All Day and All of the Night,” The Kinks
“Season of the Witch,” Donovan
“Shake Your Moneymaker,” Elmore James
“Fire and Rain,” James Taylor
“Tubthumping,” Chumbawamba
“Flavour of Night,” Robyn Hitchcock
“Monsters,” Matchbook Romance
“Death Letter,” Son House
“Unbelievable,” EMF
“It’s Only Over When . . . ,” Bad Religion
“Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down,” R. L. Burnside
“Forty Miles of Bad Road,” Duane Eddy
“Crystalised,” The xx
“Radar Love,” Golden Earring
“Get Together,” The Youngbloods
“Atlantic,” Keane
“Rehumanize Yourself,” The Police
“Runaway,” The National
“No Surrender,” Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
“Ciara,” Luka Bloom
“Break on Through,” The Doors
“I Will Follow You Into the Dark,” Death Cab for Cutie
“One Day Like This,” Elbow
“Asleep,” The Smiths
“After the Gold Rush,” Neil Young & Crazy Horse
“Telstar,” The Tornados
“Good Lovin’,” The Grateful Dead
“Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” Nirvana
“One Love,” Bob Marley
1
Somebody to Love
Halloween is a great day to be dead.
Or, technically speaking, undead. A vampire like me can be just a bit more herself
in public, fly the freak flag a few feet higher. At WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock ’n’
Roll, we hide our secret in broad daylight all year (not literally broad daylight,
unless we want to spontaneously combust). But come October, we revel in it.
The station’s Halloween parties at the Smoking Pig are legendary, and tonight’s is
no different. The bar is packed to near-fire-code-violating density, our listeners
dressed as their favorite musical icons from decades past.
This year I gave in and dressed as Courtney Love, lead singer of Hole and widow of
my fiancé Shane’s idol, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. My messy blond hair, white baby-doll
dress, and torn stockings enhance the riot grrl ’tude. So does being undead.
Our latest ’60s DJ—Vincent, who is, alas, not a vampire—cranks up the energy with
the Kinks’ “All Day and All of the Night.” The crowd cheers and bounces, heads bobbing.
I spy my best friend Lori leaning against the far end of the bar, near the restrooms.
I clomp over in my one-size-too-big combat boots. “It’s one of your favorite songs.
Come dance!”
She passes a hand over her forehead. “You go ahead. I’m tired.” Her face is almost
as pale as her white-blond hair, but maybe it’s just her Madonna circa Blond Ambition
costume.
I examine her glass, which holds only ice. “Too many sea breezes?”
“No, I’m sticking to ginger ale. My stomach’s been funny lately.”
When I was human, I would’ve backed away fast to avoid a dreaded intestinal virus.
But that’s not so much an issue for vampires, so I gently loop my arm over her shoulders.
“If you’re sick, then go home.”
“I will, after Shane gets here. How much longer?”
I don’t bother glancing at my watch. “Half an hour. I’ve forbidden myself to stare
at the door for another thirteen minutes.” I look at the front entrance. “That was
a glance, not a stare.”
She gives me a wan smile as she subtly adjusts her “bullet” bra up a few inches. “Are
you nervous?”
“If by ‘nervous’ you mean ‘ready to drag him into the nearest alley and rip off his
clothes,’ then yes.” I let go of her and do a goofy little shuffle dance, very un-Courtney-like.
“I am so stoked. And in six nights, daylight savings time’ll be over!” Winter means
to me now what summer meant when I was human: freedom.
Lori goes to take another sip, then realizes her glass is empty. “You’re not worried
Shane’ll be different after boot camp? They’re teaching him how to kill.”
“The Control’s first precept is ‘cooperation before coercion.’ ” I recite it like
I’m back in basic training myself. “They teach us how to avoid killing.”
“But, Ciara”—Lori draws out the two syllables of my name, KEER-ah, in that lecture-y
tone that somehow soothes me—“you didn’t train as an Enforcement agent like Shane.
That division is hard-core. David’s told me stories of his days in uniform.”
Lori’s right—I do wonder if Shane has been changed by his training with the International
Agency for the Control and Management of Undead Corporeal Entities. I wonder if they’ve
turned my laid-back, grunge-DJ vampire into a hardened warrior, carved out his gentle
soul and replaced it with the heart of a killer. I wonder if they’ve cut his hair.
I take a sip of my beer and change the subject. “Seen any of our advertisers tonight?”
“Mel from Creaky Antiques is dressed as Chuck Berry, and Bernita from Waxing Nostalgic
is pulling off a pretty sweet 1980s Grace Slick.”