Tale of the Century Bride Complete: Historical Vampire Paranormal Romance Box Set (11 page)

At first sight, there was a two-headed beast lying at Catherine’s window. Two other marauders and their weapons lay right there at her bedside. From the looks of the skirmish, it seemed as if she had been ambushed. With no other way for them to breach the castles entrance, they must have come through her window. The moat had been nothing more than a hole in the ground for years – a big empty ditch. And for that, it gave the scoundrels access in stealth.

Catherine was on the bed. The Count, right next to her, cried at her side as she lay drenched with her own blood. Though doused in her own fluids, she appeared very peaceful as her family mourned her death, right there by her side. Looking back to the dead on her floor, it was obvious that she defended herself by every means necessary.

The throat on one of her attackers, had been slit; the other had an arrow, it had pierced through his heart. The beast however, the beast in her room was a mystery. That is, until Colleen explained that Catherine was protected by two knights of the castle, who died defending her honor. At the killing blow to the beasts severed head, it backed her guards into a corner before sending the strike which sent them out the window and into the empty moat at the castle’s base.

With their enlightenment of their mother’s final moments, Catherine’s children knelt beside the Count. They bowed their heads in respects to their father, and their terrible loss, but also in Catherine’s remembrance. She was a wonderful woman, friend, wife and mother. Her loss was beyond words.

If there had been one of her assassins to escape, her children would have been the ones to assemble the knights. They would have been the ones to head out into the world to avenge their mother’s untimely death. With so much of it that plagued their land in all the years of their lives, it would have been nothing more than another day.

But as for Catherine, her funeral was a massive one and consisted of all the residents of their land. All the surviving members of the village of Dalmar mourned the Countess’ death, openly and for days on end. Heads of state from far and wide, rulers of friend and foe, sent messages of their great regrets to the Count and his family upon hearing of her death.

There was a beautiful tomb built by the local masons in her honor, right along side that of the tomb for her mother and sisters. Just within the castle’s boundaries, the tomb was there for all to visit, to see, to mourn, and to remember, the fair Countess of Dalmar, and her family, who had loved and sacrificed so much for their townspeople.

Additionally, a mural was commissioned in all their likenesses, and painted inside the main dining hall within the castle for all visitors to see and remember. There they all were – all of those who helped make the Count the man he was now. And those that were inspirational in the upbringing of the boy king, Artois, as well.

Though he felt as if he were not yet ready to live another day without her by his side, Count August knew that she would have wanted him to continue on with his life, in her honor. And although he would never find another like her for an eternity, he would always look upon her, through the deep blue eyes of their handsome son, Artois.

It was hard for them all, but time progressed onward. The Count grew weaker by the day; and his son grew stronger by the night. Alice and Cored stood by Artois’ side as his siblings, and the three continued to flourish as the ruling class for Dalmar. Alice and Cored would often talk about how their life was before the birth of Artois, and how beautiful and friendly, a woman his biological mother was.

August continued to eat in the dining area every night with his children, only Catherine’s seat was always left vacant, a cup and plate set for her as if she had just stepped outside for a moment of fresh air. He would spend all his nights in their master quarters, though he would never sleep. Through her, he had gotten closer to his people, never to be an outsider again. He still lived in their presence… exactly as Catherine would have wanted.

And in the visits to her every night, while deep inside their master quarters, he would speak to her. He would tell her of all the wonderful things she had done for him and their children. How Artois was a fearless, yet compassionate, leader of tens of thousands of men, all of which had heard the tales of the fair lady, Countess Catherine Cornelius, the fierce eagle of Dalmar.

And he did this each night… for eternity.

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And if you are looking for even more books by me, Susan G. Charles, please feel free to check out some of my other works below:

Adult Books:

Animal Heat: A Paranormal Romance
– the first book in The Animal Sagas series. In it little sister, Sonya is kidnapped, and Lynda, the oldest, must do her best to get her back – using any means possible.

Animal Nature: A Paranormal Romance
– the second book in The Animal Sagas series. Sonya now lives safely within the Strongheart wolf pack with her sister Lynda. Still, she longed to hunt the mountainous woods of the pack’s territory all by herself.

Animal Secrets: A Paranormal Romance
– the third book in The Animal Sagas series. The two sisters have some issues adjusting to pack life. Then another surprise comes the girls way, just as they are starting to accept their new family. Will a terrible secret from their family lines past now end their future?

Animal Desire: A Paranormal Romance
– the fourth book in The Animal Sagas series. The pack is growing with the addition of a new set of twins, half wolf-half cougar. Then, one night their entire world is turned upside down once again when the babies are kidnapped by a stranger with a vendetta against the clan. Ben, the Alpha, reignites the clan to once again identify and find the kidnapper before the twins come to serious harm. But will Ben find them in time…

The Animal Sagas: A Shapeshifter Paranormal Romance
– the boxed set of all four books in The Animal Sagas series. Read all about the adventures of the Seron sisters, a pair of shapeshifting, were-cougars, and their adopted werewolf family in this 4 part set.

The Master of the Hunt: A Paranormal Romance
– Elizabeth Fox, a fine horsewoman, found that her ordinary ride one foggy winter morning had turned into something completely unexpected as she encountered a handsome stranger and his small hunting party while out on the trail. Should she join them or not?

Paranormal Beverages, Potions and Tonics
– Who would ever have thought that a simple chain of events could have such an everlasting effect on a persons life? Now imagine if that whole cycle of events were based on a series of mistakes? But just what would be the outcome when an unexpected stranger came to purchase a potion and received the wrong one by mistake?

Vampires, Love Potions and Other Immortals: A Collection of Paranormal Short Stories
– This paranormal romance fiction, a 3 book set, is all about the adventures of three completely different supernatural entities – ancient vampires, gifted potion makers and other mysterious immortals. Included are: Tale of the Century Bride (Book 1), Paranormal Beverages, Potions and Tonics (Book 2), and The Master of the Hunt: A Paranormal Romance (Book 3)

Tale of the Century Bride
– Many years ago, the tiny village of Dalmar successfully developed a harmonious resolution with the highest ranking and oldest living vampire in the region to protect their lands from all forms of conflict – but were the people of the village ready to pay the price he required?

The Reluctant Wolf: A Paranormal Romance
– The Reluctant Wolf: A Paranormal Romance Werewolves, shape shifters, love, hate, action… this book has it all! Bailey Cooper was a woman with a history and possessed an unusual gift that she loved to share, yet needed to keep secret from everyone. Then one day, as fate would have it, she was nearly knocked down by the man of her dreams. And a man with just a few secrets of his own too. Would their secrets tear them apart before they actually got started?

Blood Sucker: A Vampire Paranormal Romance
– Vampires, romance and lots of action! Starting over takes a strong heart. Even stronger when it’s no longer beating. Just when you thought your life was over . . . how do you learn to be a vampire when your maker is a jerk?

Defection: A Vampire Paranormal Romance
– A paramedic in a small Georgia town successfully leads a double life, protecting her secret from everyone she knows, including her employers. Can you guess what it is? But one night while out on a call she finds a victim of an attack and is drawn into a world where she finds others are living a double life as well. How will this realization affect her life, her current relationship and her job? The stranger she meets will change her life forever but will this act be a good change, or a complete act of total defiance?

For the Little One’s

Toots and Poots in a World Full of Snoots: The Amazing True Story of One Boys Gas-tly Abilities
– is the story of a kindergarten aged boy, Timothy Oscar O’Toole, AKA, Toots, with a talent for farting – a skill he obviously loves to share with all his friends. A great story for kids of all ages!

All About Hummingbirds, A Kids Introduction to Hummers – Fun Facts & Pictures About the Worlds Smallest Birds!
This interesting, interactive book is filled with beautiful Hummingbird pictures, information about hummingbirds including their favorite foods, unique flying capabilities, babies, migrations, habitats and even a few Hummingbird fun facts too.

Turtles: All About Turtles and Tortoises, A Kids Introduction to Turtles – Fun Facts & Pictures About the Worlds Coolest Reptiles!
– This interesting, interactive book is filled with beautiful Turtle pictures, information about tortoises including their favorite foods, unique capabilities, babies, migrations, habitats and even a few turtle fun facts too.

All About Alligators and Crocodiles, A Kids Introduction to Crocs and Gators – Fun Facts & Pictures About the Worlds Largest Reptiles!
– Alligators and Crocodiles? Can you tell which is which! All About Alligators and Crocodiles, is filled with information about alligators and crocodiles including their favorite foods, unique hunting capabilities, babies, how they move, habitats and so much more.

The ABC Book of Dogs: A Fun, Rhyming Dog Breed Alphabet Book for Young Children
–
This is the ultimate animal book to teach your toddler the ABC’s and a few new dog breeds too, using short, sweet little rhymes.

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Susan G. Charles
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I hope you enjoy this free Chapter Preview in my other book,
Defection: A Vampire Paranormal Romance
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Grace Wallace was a paramedic who had been working on the job with the local ambulance service in the small city of Lenox, Georgia, population 852, or just over 3 years now. She was well known throughout her company as being hardworking, heroic, an independent thinker and always ready to go the extra mile to save her patients. She always worked the night shifts and the occasional weekends and thrived in this fast paced environment. She was also a vampire – but no one knew her secret.Tonight, turns out, was no different than any other night on the job, except that it had rained earlier and was pretty miserable. As she pulled herself into the well stocked paramedic van, her long, dark hair pulled back into an easy to deal with pony tail, she thought for a moment about how to find the fastest route to her next call. Her GPS was on the fritz so her memory and an older county map book were all she had to rely on at the moment. A call had just come through to her that a man had been attacked by an unknown creature, and he was losing blood fast.

With her adrenaline pumping she followed a routine that she had done so many times in the past that it had become instinctive. These were the nights that Grace lived for. She pulled out of her dark driveway, turned on her lights and siren and was on her way to the patients location. Her partner, Lynn, late as usual, was supposed to meet her at the scene.

She was thankful to be working tonight. Her boyfriend, Jason, ignoring her as usual, wouldn’t even notice that she was gone, having just come in from some bar or another. This was normal for him – he was always out for the first half of the night, and then home watching the sports channels for the rest of it.

She really hated the mundane routine their relationship had fallen into. Once it had been pure passion, all sultry nights, with plenty of lovemaking and talk of plans for the future. Now they barely acknowledged each other.

As she was driving over her stomach began to rumble in protest. Then she realized that she hadn’t had time to hunt tonight. Crap! Usually she would go into the forest behind their house for a quick kill before her shifts, but it just didn’t work out that way for her tonight, no thanks to Jason and his lazy ways.

Unlike most other vampires, she didn’t like to drink human blood – or maybe it was just that she didn’t want to drink human blood. Either way, she preferred taking her meals from wild animals. It just seemed more humane to her that way, if that was a term she was allowed to relate to when thinking of having a meal. Of course, in the minds of humans there was nothing humane about drinking blood, but that was the hand that Grace had been dealt, and she was determined to cause the least harm possible.