Essentially Bookish: Blood Lovers

Blood Lovers by J.A. Huss

(American Vampires, #1)

Publication date: February 28th 2023

Genres: Adult, Dark Romance, Paranormal, Romance

The Devil craves beauty. Even in himself.
The vampire will make magnificent promises and I will say yes.
The man I give my heart to will steal my soul.

Syrsee
My grandma gave me these words of wisdom just before she died.
Then she told me to run.
Because if the old witch is dying, then he needs a new one.
And that’s me.
This is my curse.
I am the vampire’s power.
I am the vampire’s strength.
I am the vampire’s food.
And he is very, very hungry.

Ryet
I hate him, but I crave him.
I want to be rid of him, but I also want him next to me.
I want to feed on him and sometimes I dream about him feeding on me.
It feels like a trick. Like abuse.
Like Stockholm syndrome.
But it’s not. It’s just… the blood.
I am the vampire’s scion.
I am the vampire’s slave.
I am the vampire’s future.
And he will never let me go.

Paul
I am the vampire.
Once you make a deal with me, it’s done.
There’s no going back.
Once I bite my lip—
Once I bare my teeth—
Once I let it drip—
He’s mine.
She’s mine.
And together we are blood lovers.

Blood Lovers is a dark, seductive journey into a world where the blood runs black, the dreams are purple, and the demons aren’t just dangerous, they’re beautiful. Masterfully told by New York Times bestselling author, JA Huss—it’s a book that will change the lore forever.

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“What do you want?”

“Why do you hate me?”

“That’s why you’re haunting me? You want to know why I hate you?” I blow out a breath. “How much time do you have?”

Paul stares at me for a long moment, his eyes the color of ice. They match his personality. “I have all the time you need, Ryet. Let’s hear it. Tell me all the ways in which I ruined your life.”

“No. Fuck you. You’ve got me running around these cabins like I’m one of your fucking bitches and now you’re invading my dreams. What are you doing? Spying on me?”

“Spying. Why are you so dramatic? I’m checking up on you. Did you find the girl?”

“No. I haven’t. I’ve been too busy remodeling your stupid cabins. If you want me to get back to it, say the word. I’d be happy to. But I’m not gonna look for your stupid feeder while you have me on a leash.”

“Like I said, I’m checking up on you.”

“Come check up on me in person. Don’t invade my dreams. It’s a violation.”

The corner of his lip turns up, like he wants to chuckle about my choice of the word ‘violation.’ But he knows better, and decides to change the subject. “I don’t care for the girl, do you?”

“Which girl?”

Now he narrows his eyes at me. “How many girls are you dealing with at the moment?”

“Two. But if you mean Isabella? No. I can’t stand her. She orders me around—”

“That’s why I don’t come in person. I just want her to pop that child out so I can take him somewhere else. I will not be playing house with this one for the next decade. She’s not my type. Perhaps I should give the boy back to Hutch? It is his child, after all.”

“Who the fuck is Hutch?”

“My current favorite slave. He’s so pretty, Ryet. Not as pretty as you, but my God. I could look at him all day.”

“Yeah, well. Isabella’s pretty too.”

“She is.” He chuckles. “But only on the outside. Which I can deal with.”

“You’re not dealing with her, Paul. You’re hiding like a fucking coward while I deal with her for you.”

“Do you think that’s what I’m doing?”

“Obviously.”

This is the point in the conversation when I realize that we’re actually having a conversation. I want to ignore him, but I can’t. Because the truth is, I fucking love him. And if someone came after him, I would kill for him. Die for him, if that was even possible.

I can’t decide if this is some kind of vampire magic he’s working or if it’s just his natural charm. I don’t have a big enough sample size to make that determination, so these feelings and talks are nothing but confusion on my end. Because no matter what he does to me, after a couple minutes of talking, I’m back in his corner. It feels like a trick. Like abuse.

Like Stockholm syndrome.

Of course, I know it’s the blood bond between us.

Blood lovers. That’s what he calls it.

I hate him, but I crave him.

I want to be rid of him, but I also want him next to me.

I want to feed on him and sometimes I dream about him feeding on me. Not just the little accidental drips, either. But fully latched on and sucking the blood out of me in rivers. And even though I try my best to not love the taste of him, I love the fucking taste of him. And if he were to bare his neck to me, I’d suck on him all night.

This thing between us is forever. And he’s here to remind me of that.

JA Huss is a New York Times Bestselling author and has been on the USA Today Bestseller's list 21 times. She writes characters with heart, plots with twists, and perfect endings. Her books have sold millions of copies all over the world. Her book, Eighteen, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award and an Audie Award in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Her audiobook, Mr. Perfect, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award in 2017. Her audiobook, Taking Turns, was nominated for an Audie Award in 2018. Her book, Total Exposure, was nominated for a RITA Award in 2019. She lives on a ranch with her family, dogs, cats, birds, chickens, horse, donkeys, and goats in Colorado.