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    A Nightly Howl: Vampire Paranormal Romance, #2
    A Nightly Howl: Vampire Paranormal Romance, #2
    A Nightly Howl: Vampire Paranormal Romance, #2
    Ebook330 pages3 hours

    A Nightly Howl: Vampire Paranormal Romance, #2

    By Joanna Mazurkiewicz

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    About this ebook

    Julia is determined to forget about her recent break up and just move on, but this doesn't come easy when she have to deal with her ex-boyfriend's company every day.When her regional manager Rufus, asks her to attend a networking event she can't wait to break the routine and just have some fun. The same night he disappears and Nathaniel La Caz who was supposed to be in Switzerland interrupts Julia's sales pitch.Yet again Julia can't control her magic and Nathaniel insists that he wants her back. Her mind screams no, but the flames of desire are instantly rekindled. Moreover her best friend Ella witnesses a terrible crime and becomes immune to the memory spell. Apart from dealing with kidnapping, knocking out rapists in the dark alley and just getting on with life itself Julia discovers that her regional manager had been kidnapped. The rival agency is ready to take over the contract with La Caz Corporation and Ella wants nothing to do with her.Soon she is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Can she find happiness with a half vampire when everyone else is against it?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJoanna Mazurkiewicz
    Release dateMay 24, 2021
    ISBN9798201712778
    A Nightly Howl: Vampire Paranormal Romance, #2

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      A Nightly Howl - Joanna Mazurkiewicz

      Chapter 1

      The date

      W ould you like more wine?

      I lifted my sleepy eyes and blinked twice, seeing the elf in front of me who was pointing at the half empty bottle of white wine. I pasted a lazy smile on my face and nodded, realising that he was talking to me. This date was far from perfect and I was trying not to fall asleep. I’d stopped counting how many glasses of wine I’d had since we sat down.

      Go on, you’re being terribly generous today. I giggled. My head was spinning, and I hiccupped, heightening my embarrassment. I knew I’d had way too much, as the alcohol stirred the magic inside me. I needed to get rid of it fast, otherwise I was going to lose control.

      You’re missing him.

      You're funny, he said, beaming. I smiled back then took a generous sip of the wine, ignoring the voice in my head. Loony was a nice guy after all. My friend Nicky had set me up on a blind date with him; I needed to remember to punch her for that once I sobered up.

      On a Saturday night, Central London was always buzzing with people. It was hard to get a table in the restaurant, which had only opened last week, but Loony sorted everything out with no problem at all. He told me later that he knew the manager, and I managed to put on an impressed face. Despite not paying much attention to what he was saying, I also learned that he had an investment portfolio in Scotland, he was excellent with spells, and I found out that he twisted his ankle fifty times in the past year while playing tennis. He was going on and on about dull and uninteresting things, so I acquainted myself with the bottle of wine on the table. We both knew that this wasn’t going to go anywhere. I certainly tried to give him that impression, but for some reason he wasn’t taking the hint.

      Earth to Julia; is anyone there?

      He was talking to me. God, woman, focus!

      "Pardon me, I missed what you said," I mumbled, once again plastering a smile on my face. We were finished with dinner. Now I just had to get through dessert and coffee. I met his clear blue eyes, nodding again. He looked like a typical elf, although his eye colour was more intense, delicious, and vibrant blue. His baby blond hair was cut short. I had to give him points—he was handsome with an obviously toned chest, muscular arms, and a scent that could seduce a troll. He pressed his hands together and smiled, revealing an incredibly white, perfect set of teeth.

      I asked what sort of music you prefer to listen to?

      To be honest, I’m not that into music; I hardly listen to anything, I responded.

      Oh, well, that’s too bad, but I’m sure that I can con—

      I couldn't concentrate on what he was saying; to be truthful, I couldn't care less. It had been exactly thirty-one days since my vampire ended our relationship and I was doing everything possible to get back to normality.

      I worked for Paranormal Personnel, a recruitment firm for paranormal creatures who live among humans in central London. A few months ago, I managed to win the contract with La Caz Pharmaceutical, and that was how I met Nathaniel La Caz: half vampire, half human, who apparently couldn’t stay away from me. We dated briefly, the closeness only caused problems, and things blew up when he was near. We were perfect for each other and, yet, he couldn’t give me an exclusive relationship. Since then, my life went downhill.

      Yep, my subconscious liked reminding me that I was still single. The vampire was out of my life and there was nothing I could do about that. I fought as much as I could with those unsettled emotions, but I was losing the battle; the memories of our time together were slowly driving me up the wall.

      A loud cracking sound startled me, and I snapped back to reality, realising that the wine glass I was holding had exploded in my hand. My palm was bleeding; the sharp edges digging into my flesh. The red liquid dripped to my wrist and shooting pain ran down my arm. I was lucky the bits of glass didn't splatter on my face; at least my protection charm was working well. I moaned and stood, taking deep pulls of air into my lungs.

      Oh my, Julia, are you all right? Loony asked, staring at me in shock, his pupils dilated at seeing my blood dripping on the table.

      I shouldn’t have been drinking when I couldn’t control my magic. My unbalanced power could do more damage than good. I glanced around, finding that everyone in the restaurant was staring at me while I was trying to hold my balance and not scream. Humans didn’t know about magic; all paranormal creatures co-existed and we kept to ourselves. Through centuries we adapted and, so far, no one complained.

      Loony swirled around the table to help me stand.

      Sorry, Loony, would you give me a hand to the ladies’ room?

      The waiter passed me a napkin as Loony took me by the elbow. He was over six foot two and obviously knew how to handle a drunken elf. I was going to burn something if I stayed here. I didn't give a flying fuck that I had become the centre of attention. I was too drunk to focus on anything but keeping myself under control.

      Loony was doing his best to maneuver me to the toilet, but I couldn't even walk straight.

      Do you want me to stay with you? he asked, panic plain in his voice, though he was doing well to cover it.

      No... I’m good, ta.

      I wasn’t sure how, but I made it to the loo without losing my balance. Lucky for me the toilet was empty. I glanced in the mirror and caught my reflection—I looked worse than I expected. My mascara was smudged, my cheeks were bright red, and my lips were swollen.

      I clenched my teeth and washed my face, trying to ignore the thoughts about my ex-boyfriend. He’d already ruined my good mood, and my evening, but he wasn’t going to ruin my life. We shouldn’t have even gotten together in the first place because everyone knew that relationships between vampires and elves would never work. At the time, I wanted to show those people—including my father—that they were wrong. In the end, though, I realised they were right.

      I took care of my bleeding hand, which hurt like hell, and left the bathroom. Loony was waiting for me outside, looking slightly pale, pacing up and down.

      Julia! Are you sure you’re all right?

      I'll survive.

      Let me see. I'm great with healing spells, he suggested, staring at the large cut.

      In normal circumstances, I would have just told him that this wasn’t a good idea, but, right now, I was out of line, lost, and unsure what was happening to me.

      He whispered something really fast and moved his hand; the cut disappeared within a blink of an eye.

      Good, now, can you take me home? I asked, yawning. I didn’t remember much of what happened after that. Loony probably helped me get to his car and took me home. I must have dozed off for a few minutes in the front seat because I woke up outside my flat.

      Julia, I had a really great time. Should I walk with you?

      Nah, I’m fine. Say hi to Nicky for me.

      That was that. I didn't acknowledge the fact that he paid for the meal, or that he patched up my cut with his magic. I just left him without saying a proper goodbye or without a kiss. Then without turning back, I walked through my door and took off my heels. I had a pulsing headache and needed my bed. I didn’t even have the energy to take off my clothes. As soon as my head touched the pillow, I was out.

      The next day I opened my eyes and moaned, covering my face with a pillow; my head felt like it was about to explode. The bright morning light was like a newly discovered disaster. I groaned, trying to find my mobile phone to check the time, but it wasn’t in its usual spot. I tried to gather my thoughts about the previous night and then moaned again, remembering that I behaved like a fool. Suddenly, I recalled how I treated my date. Loony was probably a very nice guy and, as it turned out, I was his worst date in history. I stood, feeling lightheaded and nauseous. I stumbled over my high heels and cursed, massaging my toe. After doing my business in the bathroom, I looked around; my apartment looked like a shit tip. On a positive note, I looked even worse.

      I'm never drinking again, I muttered to myself when I found my phone on the floor by the door. I had a few missed calls from Mum. It was just after twelve and I had to get to my parents’ house for dinner.

      It had been a month since the fire at the agency. We all got a week off while Rufus, my boss, tried to find a new building so the business wouldn’t lose more money. Our director wasn’t particularly happy with what had been happening in London, but Rufus knew what he was doing. He found a new building quickly enough and we all moved a few streets over; our work life resuming as normal. All the files had burned, so everyone who’d ever worked for us had to be registered again. It was a hell of a job, but being busy helped to take my mind off other distractions. Thankfully, after our breakup, Nathaniel didn’t pull out of the contract. The relationship between Paranormal Personnel and La Caz Pharmaceutical remained unaffected. It wasn't easy getting back into a routine, in an environment where my ex’s name was on everyone’s lips.

      The news about my breakup with La Caz spread fast, and by the time I came back to work everyone knew that we weren’t together anymore. Rufus didn’t comment, but he had an I told you so grin on his face throughout the week. Eventually, he asked me if I was all right. I assured him that he didn’t have to worry, and I was fine being on my own.

      Half an hour later, I was on my way to my parents. Dad was off today, and I was looking forward to catching up with him on his investigation at work.

      Since my breakup, Mum couldn’t stop talking about Nathaniel. I knew that as soon as I walked through the door she would harp on the subject. She scolded me often enough because I hadn’t done enough to keep my perfect boyfriend close. Nathaniel brightened up her prospects about a perfect son-in-law. I couldn’t tell her what went on between us, but of course, she just assumed that it was all my fault. My mother was a human—she had no idea what I had to go through just to date a vampire. She loved me, but was also very critical and kept me on my toes.

      When I got there, I sat down with my dad, hoping to cure my hangover with chocolate. Nathaniel was out of my life, so Dad was much happier with me. He would never discriminate, but he wasn’t crying over the fact that we broke up.

      Any news about McGregor? I whispered to him, making sure that Mum was still in the kitchen. He frowned shifting on the sofa.

      No, stop asking me. I told you that I would tell you if anything changes, he replied, jumping off his seat when the Brits scored.

      I know, but you obviously have some leads, right?

      What?

      You know, leads. There must be some?

      He couldn’t concentrate much on keeping up with both the game and a conversation with me; I could tell he was getting annoyed.

      You shouldn’t worry about that. Leave it to me and stay out of trouble, he fumed, staring at the TV.

      I made a grumbling sound and sat back, disappointed. McGregor had done everything to try and ruin Nathaniel’s business, so I wanted to see him behind bars. Since McGregor vanished, the Paranormal Squad worked hard to secure all important evidence from the ruins of the fire. I knew they were stuck, but Dad would never admit that he didn’t know what to do. He’d run a marathon rather than ask someone for help. The vampire community wasn't cooperating either. I still had nightmares about that terrifying night. I woke up night after night drenched with sweat, screaming, because I thought I was being attacked by vampires.

      Dad didn’t want to talk about work. And when Mum came in and started giving me the usual updates from around the neighbourhood, I quit pursuing the subject of Caleb McGregor in front of her.

      At least my cousin, Claudia, was happily reconnected with her mother. A few months ago, just after my meeting with Nathaniel, I saw her being dragged towards a black van. We found out later, Claudia was used as a blood donor for production of a fake Lucrative Shot, a drug to help vampires lessen their need for real blood. I nearly paid with my own life when I found her in the underground of a dance club, but in the end, my bold move helped my father with the cases of other mysterious kidnappings in the city. As soon as Claudia was able to travel, her mother, my aunt, sent her to Switzerland in order to recover. She’d gone through hell and Aunt Dorothy mentioned that she would be away for a few months.

      I spent a peaceful Sunday with my parents talking about nonsense and indulging myself with delicious food. I had to pretend I was happy in front of them, otherwise Mum wouldn’t stop nagging. I kept my good mood until I got home.

      Mum’s cooking helped me deal with my nasty hangover and I felt good going to work on Monday morning, for a change. Our new office was situated on the first floor, a few hundred meters away from High Street, next to a Chinese take away restaurant. It was spacious and much bigger than the old one. I kept telling people that we finally had a real kitchen; no one believed it, though.

      Morning, Kate, I said, shutting the door behind me.

      Morning, Julia, how are you today? she asked, smiling.

      All right, I suppose. Where’s the new girl?

      Late as usual, Kate replied, shaking her head. Coffee?

      Please, and make it a strong one.

      Nodding, she waved her magic wand to switch on the kettle while I turned on my computer, flopping into the chair. We had a busy day ahead of us. Lucinda had been on my case all week and, knowing her, I was sure that she wasn’t going to stop today. Rufus was going to pop in later to give us a hand with registration.

      Jennifer used to be our best co-worker, but it turned out that she was a nasty piece of work. She sold information to McGregor, burned the agency, and nearly killed me, so, in the end, Rufus sacked her as soon as I rescued her from the fire. He quickly found a new replacement. When he brought Sara in, I wasn’t very optimistic. I had nothing against her, except that she was clumsy and late nearly every day. She was a giant with short, curly brown hair and an odd sense of fashion. We didn't question Rufus on why he’d employed her; he was the boss and we did whatever he asked us to, even when Sara slowed everything down.

      Kate vanished into our new kitchen to make coffee and I scanned through my emails. The first five were from Lucinda. She must have found out that Nathaniel and I separated because she talked about him every time we had a chance to discuss business. It felt like she purposely wanted to wind me up. Unwillingly, I learned about his trip to Romania—probably to work closely with his Eastern European goddess—and about his new business ventures in Switzerland and France. I didn’t want to know what he was up to, but Lucinda kept ranting about him during nearly every telephone conversation. Kate suggested that I stick a post-it note on my forehead that stated, I'm trying to forget about this arsehole, you idiot! but I went against it. After all, we had to keep her happy.

      Kate handed me a steaming mug, effectively pulling me away from my thoughts. I was just about to sit back and take five minutes to enjoy my coffee before the shit hit the fan when, someone just stormed through the door. I had to blink twice because I thought I was seeing my own grandmother walking towards me. Everything was moving in slow motion and she looked pissed off.

      Julia! roared a woman who, upon closer inspection, really did look like my grandmother. She stopped in front of my desk. I keep hearing rumours. Were you involved with a vampire?

      I nearly choked on my coffee, spilling some of it on my new blouse. I counted to five, realising that I wasn’t hallucinating. Grandma was really here, standing in my office, angry and ready to strike her most dangerous spell. She looked glamorous and scary with her Louis Vuitton bag under her arm. I stepped back, staring at her, bewildered. Her hands were blazing with fire. She never used that spell, not unless she was ready to murder someone.

      Gran, hi! Um, what are you doing here? I asked, ready to have a fit. My mind had never worked so fast that early in the morning, but I never expected to see my own grandmother here in London.

      Don't you start with that nonsense. I asked you a question! Are you involved with a vampire or not?

      I sucked the corner of my mouth, contemplating what to say. My grandmother never took any crap from anyone and, right now, I couldn’t imagine telling her the truth.

      It’s over, Gran; we aren’t together anymore, I explained, hoping that if I used past tense she might calm down. I was wrong, so very wrong. Her jaw dropped, and her face went white. For a split second I thought we were going to lose her. She appeared to be going through some kind of emotional shock.

      My granddaughter and a vampire! she shouted, and the glass on my desk exploded. I jumped away, but luckily the impact of the small explosion didn’t reach me. Kate stood up, but Grandma waved her hand, cleaning the mess from the floor like it wasn’t a big deal after all.

      Gran, listen, Nathaniel La Caz is only half vampire. We were never serious, so you can stop worrying, I explained quickly, but I didn’t think she was listening.

      You've completely lost your mind, Julia, she continued, shouting. "You went out with a vampire knowing what he could do to you, also knowing what happened to Claudia? Imagine how I felt when the president of the Fairies’ Association told me about this. I was so embarrassed!" The air around us was getting thicker from her energy.

      Kate sat down, looking at me with a huge question mark on her face. She probably felt the magic that was whipping through the air.

      I appreciate your concern, Grandma, but it’s over between us. I made a mistake... I’m not perfect, I added, irritated. I wanted to have a chat with the president of the Fairy Association; this bastard always spread rumours about our family.

      So, you’re never going to see that vampire again? she asked.

      Of course not.

      That's why you’d been in the hospital when I spoke to your father. That vampire tasted your blood!

      Gran, please. Nathaniel didn’t bite me. I don’t know if you spoke to Dad about this, but I was attacked by a different vampire. He assaulted me and now he’s locked up. I can’t promise you that I won’t ever see Nathaniel again. I deal with his company on a daily basis—

      She cut me off. I can’t believe that you’ve been so irresponsible! Your father never allowed me to interfere in your upbringing, but now I see that I have to step in. You’ll be seeing me more often and if I hear that you’ve seen that vampire again, I’ll write you off my will; if anyone asks, I’ll tell them I never had a granddaughter.

      Grandma, I have no intention of seeing him again, but don’t you think that this is a bit extreme, considering that Dad married Mum and she’s a human?

      I knew that I’d gone too far as soon as these words left my mouth. My grandmother was always a tough woman, but now she looked like she was going to tear me apart. Her lips twitched, and the wind blew stacks of papers around the office. My father never told me the story behind his marriage with Mum, but I knew that it was a sensitive subject, even for him. Grandma hated that my dad went against her and married a non-magical human being. I was expecting the worst.

      Chapter 2

      Love is in the air

      T his family nearly broke down because of his inconsiderate decision and I’m not going to go through this again. My granddaughter won’t be involved with a vampire, not while I'm alive!

      "He is half vampire, I muttered, but she was already marching away, saying something like You'll be hearing from me more often."

      Flopping on the desk, I briefly entertained the idea of crying, my mind racing. I should have expected that my grandmother would eventually find out about this; she was a very important figure in the paranormal world.

      She’s scary, Kate said, breaking the silence that had fallen after Gran left. I thought she was going to blow up the entire office. My desk was vibrating the whole time.

      Kate kept glancing at the door like she was afraid my grandma would come back.

      I never doubted her power, I answered wryly, falling back into my chair. Monday morning was supposed to be easy, but I felt so drained already. I think I’ll have to move away. She won’t stop nagging until she’s sure I’m not hiding Nathaniel in my pocket.

      Kate started waving her wand to take care of the paperwork on the floor, not taking her eyes off me. I meant to ask you; did you really finish with him?

      Kate was genuinely polite; she didn’t get involved with the gossip that spread in the office. There was no point lying to her; it was obvious she was interested in the real story.

      Correction—he ended it because he didn't want to hurt me, I explained, pulling a face. Which means that, yes, I got dumped.

      There wasn’t a better way to say this. Nathaniel and I were incompatible.

      You and him, hmm. You guys had something, she said softly, smiling. But hey, what do I know?

      I nodded, not saying any more. She might have been right: we had something, but whatever it was, it didn't make any difference to our short, but intense, relationship. The arrival of my grandmother threw me off my schedule and, after the small talk with Kate, my mind kept wandering off to Nathaniel. I kept contemplating if I could have done anything to keep him, but after lunch I was convinced we were just never meant to be together. I was determined to get over him. He broke me to pieces, but I had my magic and great memories.

      When I could finally focus on my emails, I discovered that Lucinda was looking forward to offering permanent contracts to some of our workers. In the end, she added that these were direct instructions from Mr. La Caz, who was currently away in Switzerland.

      My reply was short, simply stating that the agency was delighted to hear such wonderful news. There was no point using sarcasm with Lucinda—she wouldn't get it anyway—but somehow, she knew that I still cared about Nathaniel.

      When I finally had my coffee—cold now—I felt slightly better, but my bad mood wasn't going to go away easily. I scrolled through the rest of my emails, quickly deleting the spam. I was surprised to see an email from Rufus since he was supposed to pop into the office later on.

      Julia,

      I’m on my way to Manchester—something came up and I had to leave urgently yesterday afternoon. I just wanted to let you know about the networking event on Tuesday evening. It looks like I’ll be busy for the next few days, so I assumed that you could take my place instead of wasting the tickets.

      It’s a great opportunity to gain new business and you can build valuable relationships quickly. I’ve attached the flyer.

      I hope you have fun!

      Rufus Humphries

      Regional Manager

      Paranormal Personnel

      I didn’t have to think about this twice. Networking events were always fun and there was also free food. I replied quickly, informing him that I was up for it and that I would call him later to confirm everything. I hadn’t been out on the town since my stupid breakup. Ella had been busy with work and Nicky

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