First Drop of Crimson

Dear Readers,

Hope you enjoyed First Drop of Crimson! The next “spin off” novel in the Night Huntress series features one of the most powerful vampires in existence—Mencheres—as well as a new heroine with a complicated past of her own.

Kira dreams of being a detective, but because she testified against her former husband, a cop who was killed in prison, no police force will accept her. Her disastrous first marriage and all the cheating spouses she’s tracked down as a private investigator have made Kira wary of relationships. When she comes home from an all-night stakeout, she interrupts what she believes is a gang-related attack of a handsome young man. But before she’s knocked out, Kira sees things that are impossible—fangs, superhuman speed, and the “victim” killing his attackers without even touching them. Then when Kira regains consciousness, she discovers the man she tried to save isn’t human—and neither were his attackers. Even worse, the charismatic vampire won’t let her go, because now she knows about what lurks in the night.

Mencheres is a four-thousand-year-old Master vampire who lost his visions of the future, making him doubt his usefulness as a leader. On top of that, a former enemy is investigating Mencheres for breaches of vampire law, and Mencheres knows the ancient Master vampire won’t stop until he destroys him. The last thing Mencheres needs is to be saddled with a human, but he couldn’t just leave Kira to die after she tried to “save” him. His plans to heal Kira and erase her memory of what she’d seen backfire, however, once he discovers Kira is immune to mind control.

Kira presents Mencheres with a problem: He can’t trance her to forget about her new knowledge of vampires and ghouls, but if he lets her go and she tells other people about the undead, the Law Guardian after him will have the proof he needs to annihilate Mencheres. As he spends time with Kira trying to convince her not to talk about the undead world, Mencheres recognizes a kindred spirit, and is torn. If he keeps her against her will, he’s ruining his only chance to have a relationship with the first woman he’s fallen for in thousands of years. If he lets her go, Kira may be responsible for giving his enemy all the tools he needs to bring Mencheres down.

Thanks so much, readers, for making it possible for me to extend the Night Huntress world with stories featuring side characters I’ve grown to love as much as Cat and Bones. Also your e-mails, comments, and continued support have been more than amazing. I hope you continue to enjoy your journey through the world of vampires, ghouls, ghosts, demons, and the occasional dark magic. I know I’ve enjoyed sharing my stories with you.

Jeaniene Frost