5 STARS: "There is supposed to be an order to things. As a Protector, Eva is supposed to destroy the vampires she encounters. She is not supposed to fall into bed with one. Eva is supposed to place her loyalty with the other Protectors. She is not supposed to protect the secrets of her vampire lover. Eva is supposed to find a nice shifter to have as her mate. She is not supposed to fall in love and mate with a vampire. The Protectors are witches and shifters of all kinds that make it their mission to keep the humans in their small community safe from the vampires that plague it. They are strong men and women who have trained hard to be able to best the strength and power of the vampires they encounter on their patrols. They work hard and they play hard too. Eva is an eagle shifter. She is tall and bad ass and has a vocabulary to match. She is not thrilled when she crashes on her bike and has a large group of vamps on her. They don't fight fair and soon even her strength is depleted. The next thing she knows is she is waking up naked and tied up in a strange bed with a man she doesn't know watching her. Eva is committed to her work as a Protector but her eagle is clear that Dimitrius is important to them both. He intrigues her and is a match for her in her sexual desires. She doesn't meet many men who can stand up to her. She is a strong woman who is clear about what she wants and doesn't hesitate when it really matters. I liked her a lot for not pretending to be anything but what she was. Eva is definitely a new favorite in the series. The other females in the series didn't tend to be as clear about who they were and tended to let the males dominate them. While Dimitrius is a dominant in the bedroom, it is because she wants it to be that way. It is always her choice. Dimitrius is an ancient vampire with powers unlike any Eva has ever encountered. He had witnessed the attack and decided to intervene because the vampires were not fighting fair. He usually just takes what he needs and wants from the tourists in the area. In fact, he had just gotten his fill of blood and sex when he heard the attack. Eva is of great interest to him and he hasn't had that kind of interest in one human for many decades. He is not your typical vampire. He shocks her by being in the sun and cooking and eating meals with her. He wants to control her sexual pleasure but he is focused on bringing her intense pleasure. He is clear that vampires aren't good but has some great characteristics like helping those that are in need at a shelter and also having strong morals about what is right and what is wrong. I can certainly understand the attraction for Eva. He tends to turn stereotypes about vampires on their head. He is gorgeous, intriguing, devoted to those he cares for and a master of bringing pleasure. What is not to like? It becomes very clear that these two are matched well. They both enjoy the BDSM lifestyle but haven't had an opportunity to have a partner to play with in a long time. Dimitrius feels like he has found the perfect sub in Eva and Eva has no problem with his desires for kink. He has his special tools in his dungeon and there is a lot of fun times there as well as in other parts of the house. They delight in marking one another. Dimitrius is described as a sadist but the sex scenes are not very violent. There are spankings and restraints but nothing too extreme. There is also tenderness in their interactions and the expression of real care and concern for one another. I would really like to see a female as the dominant in a future book in the series for a change of pace. The most important part of a romance is the connection the reader feels to the characters. If you don't like them or feel they have chemistry as a couple, the story doesn't matter. Eva and Dimitrius are a great couple who work from the very beginning. I have read all the books in the series and enjoy visiting with the Protectors again. They are a fun group to hang out with. The author does a great job of mixing the romance with action and keeps the pace moving fast. You tend to jump right into the story and before you know it, you are hooked and wanting to read the whole book in one sitting. All of the books in the series contain couples who enjoy BDSM so there is a lot of discussion of dominance and submission with the men preferring to be called Sir. You don't have to read the other books first but I definitely recommend you check them all out. This series is a great entry into a world of strong men and women who take their work and their pleasure very seriously." -- LiaL, The Romance Reviews
STORY EXCERPT
“You’ll find an assortment of clothes in there. You’re about the same size as my last submissive, so they should fit. I should warn you, however, they may be slightly outdated, but I gather you would be more comfortable dressed.” He paused when her mouth fell open and she looked from him to the wardrobe and back again.
“Your last submissive?” The catch in her voice gave her away, and Dimitrius smirked. Bingo, as they said in this lifetime.
“Of course if you prefer to come down naked, that’s fine with me too. We’re not overlooked, so stay au-naturel if you like, but I shall take that as an invitation.”
Sure enough the last of the cushions sailed through the air toward him and he caught this one before it made contact with his face.
“And know this, girl. I enjoy a certain amount of sass in my women, but you’re beginning to reach the limit of my tolerance, so unless you want to be able to sit down in comfort, I suggest you start showing some gratitude. I could have just left you to those vamps last night…”
He let his words trail off, and he knew the minute they sunk in because she bit her lip, and the fight went out of her. She busied herself by untying the bonds around her ankles and he threw the cushions back on the bed. When she got the ties free she finally looked up at him, and offered him a tentative smile.
“I’m sorry. I’m just a little confused. Why didn’t you?” she asked, and resumed worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.
Dimitrius flashed her a grim smile, and shrugged his shoulders.
“Ah, the million-dollar question that I can’t answer. Let’s just say, they annoyed me. Winning in a fair fight is one thing. But those...things ganged up on you, and didn’t play fair. It’s not honorable.”
Her eyes widened at his grudging admission, and she licked her lips, and tucked her hair behind her ear in a clearly nervous gesture.
“Not honorable? Since when do vampires care about honor?” She looked him up and down, and he could almost see the wheels turning in her head.
“How old are you exactly?” she asked, and he held up two fingers.
“Two hundred,” he said and her face fell.
“That’s not that old for you to have…well, I mean how exactly can you be up during daylight and sit in the sun? I’m presuming that’s some form of vampire evolution, right?” She stopped talking when he nodded and all the color drained out of her face as the implication seemed to dawn on her.
“Holy sh…I mean sugar.” He laughed out loud at the word she chose to substitute for swearing, but the dominant in him was rather pleased at her following his earlier diktat.
She threw him a glance from under her naturally long eyelashes, and Dimitrius had to fight the urge to close the distance between them and kiss her. He wanted her, and the fierce need that pulsed through his veins at this moment, surprised him. It had been a long time since he’d felt this strong a connection to anyone, and that hadn’t ended well. It never did, when you toyed with humans for anything more than food. He should stay well away from this one, if he had any sense.
“That doesn’t seem that old for you to—”
“Before Christ, myshka,” he said, interrupting her, and smiled at her sharp intake of breath.
“But that means you’re like...Holy canoli. Are there more of you?”
Dimitrius chose not to answer that, and she screwed up her nose, and nodded.
“Yeah, dumb question, I get it. You’re hardly going to tell me, when I hunt your kind.” She pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them to her in a defensive move that meant he had to close the distance between them, and she flinched when he sat down next to her and lifted her hair off her face.
“You’re very good at it too, from what I observed last night. It was one of the reasons why I interfered. And don’t call them my kind.”
She looked up at him and frowned, presumably at the intonation he put on the last two words.
“Really comparing me to those things would be comparing a Moped to a Harley.” He grinned when she laughed at that comparison, and visibly relaxed.
“Yeah, guess they’re not quite in the same league, huh? So, is this where you’re telling me that you’re really a good and peace-loving vamp?”
Her smile slipped when he bared his fangs at her, and burying his hand in her hair bent her backward until her bare throat was exposed to him. Her heartbeat went into overdrive when he ran his canines along her skin, and then retracted them before he hovered his mouth over hers. Her lips opened in a silent invitation, and her sweet, aroused scent hit him in the gut.
“Don’t make the mistake of underestimating me, myshka. There is no such thing as a good vampire.”
ADULT EXCERPT
“Dimitrius, please…”
He pinched the sight of his earlier bite mark on her inner thigh, and Eva squeaked her protest.
“What do you call me, girl, especially when we’re in a scene?”
“Sir, I’m sorry Sir, but please...we can’t...oh.”
Whatever protest she was about to make stopped when he shoved two fingers knuckle deep into her pussy hole, and curled them upward. A renewed gush of her juices was his reward, and her internal muscles squeezed around those digits.
“Always so eager, myshka, it’s really rather delightful.” He withdrew his fingers, and Eva moaned when he pushed them into her mouth. “Clean them, girl, and see how wet you are for me.”
She eagerly complied and Dimitrius smiled his approval, before he withdrew and laughed at her pout.
“Careful, girl, or I’ll have to find something else to occupy that mouth, in fact…” He let his words trail off and stepping up to the side board pulled out a lifelike dildo, and a large feather. Oh yes, time to torture her a little bit. By the time he stood back in front of her, having made a big production of opening and shutting drawers, her breath was coming in short staccato bursts, and she’d grown even wetter. Head cocked to one side she seemed consumed with the need to listen, to find out what he was doing and she jumped out of her skin, when he ran the tip of the dildo though her wet slit.
A groan escaped her when he circled the toy around her clit, and then trailed it slowly up her body, until he rested it on her chin.
“Open, and give this cock some attention. Make it good girl, I want this nicely warmed up and slick, so that it can slide into one of your holes. I want to fill them all tonight.”
Dimitrius didn’t catch her groaned reply, too focused on shoving that dildo into her mouth when she opened up. She struggled to take it in and gagged around it, yet she kept up licking and sucking, as he thrust the thing slowly in and out of her mouth, forcing her to take the fake cock a little deeper each time, until it hit the back of her throat. Eva whimpered, and gagged, but made a valiant effort to swallow around it, nostrils flaring, as it cut off her air supply.
Dimitrius counted to five in his head, and then slowly pulled the dildo out. Before she had even taken a huge gulp of air, he positioned the toy between her legs and pushed it into her cunt in one swift move. Eva screamed and yanked on her cuffs—a scream that turned into a moan when he turned on the vibrations, and held the dildo in place with his palm, while flicking her clit with his thumb.
Her needy moans and pleas were music to his ears, and he ran his fangs along the pulse point in her neck, and drank in her arousal.
“You’re not allowed to come, myshka, until I give you permission. If you do, I’ll start this all over again. I’ve got all night and you won’t get my cock. Are we clear?”
He pulled back to study her, and Eva frantically nodded her head, while biting her lip so hard she drew blood. Stepping closer he swiped that drop away with his tongue and flicked the vibrations higher, making her groan. Her whole body shuddered in need and she started to grind herself against his hand as much as her bonds would let her.
“I can’t hear you, girl.” Dimitrius growled the words and took his hand away, while pushing the dildo up higher. “I want you to keep this in no matter what, do you hear me?”
“Ye-es, Sir.” Eva gasped the words in between desperate gulps for air, as her body shook and her muscles tightened, as she no doubt tried to stave off her impending orgasm.
“Good girl.”
Dimitrius stepped back further, better to admire the view of his girl at his mercy. Head thrown back, and with her breath coming in short pants out of her open mouth she made a delightful view, as her body hurtled toward release. The fine sheen of perspiration coated her skin, and her nipples were hard little points of need clearly visible through the thin silk covering them. The unintelligible sounds spilling from her lips, made him grow hard as nails, and he stepped closer to turn the vibrations up to maximum.
“No coming, girl, or I shall not be pleased,” he said as he took hold of the hemline of her dress. “This will have to go. I want to see all of you.”
Eva screamed and pleaded, and using his claws he tore her dress in half so that she stood in front of him naked. The heavy musk of her arousal filled the air, and he inhaled against her quivering abdomen, and then trailed his lips south, until he reached her swollen folds. The dildo slipped in and out of her, as her internal muscles clenched and released around it, and he swirled his tongue around her clit while lapping up her feminine arousal.