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Angels and demons, vampires and werewolves... And Peter, bound to Lucien the master vampire, walks amongst them, no longer all human but without a place of his own. Desperate to be turned and baffled by Lucien's continuing refusal, Peter is starting to feel that he's losing his vampire lover.
Their relationship has become purely physical, with Lucien pushing Peter away at every turn. And after a night watching werewolf Xander hunt, a night that sees Peter attacked, that might not be all he's losing.
Fearing for his very life, and working hard to keep Lucien's increasingly uncertain temper from hurting his friends, Peter's doing all he can to prove that he belongs at Lucien's side, not just as a master, but as an equal.
Then Lucien disappears, and Peter knows he has to call on every ally, every power he has, to get Lucien back before he’s gone forever. Can Peter find a way to beat the forces working against them, or will he lose all that he holds dear?
The sequel to Jourdan Lane’s poplar novel Soul Mates: Bound by Blood, Deceptions is bound to keep you turning the pages! Soak this one in today!
Excerpt:
"That's it," he said softly. "Let it all go. Down the drain. Let it wash away."
The water had gotten just a tad hotter. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back to rest on Xander's shoulder, enjoying the heat.
"Why's he doing this, Xander?"
"He hasn't given any other reason besides that you're not ready?"
I shook my head. "Six months ago, it didn't seem like a big deal. He was worried about my cravings, knowing we needed to make a decision. But, you know? It's like the moment I made my decision--he backtracked."
"And you've tried to talk to him about this? About why?"
"Oh, God, Xander..." I swallowed hard. "I have begged and pleaded."
"I've noticed that it's affected your relationship."
"Relationship? This isn't a relationship. Not anymore. He's made sure of that. We fuck and it's all good for that little while, but when it's all over and done with... We have nothing."
"No, Peter," Xander rested his chin on my shoulder and turned us a little so that the water wouldn't hit him in the face. "That's not true. He loves you."
"If he truly loved me, he would talk to me. He'd tell me why he did this to me, got me trapped between two fucking worlds, and then just abandoned me. 'Cause that's what it feels like. Like he's changed his mind, like something's changed."
Xander was silent for a long while, then kissed below my ear. "You know what? Maybe you need to approach this from a different angle."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," he turned me to face him, before continuing, "You've been begging and pleading and letting him know how much it hurts you for him to treat you this way. Change it around. Get pissed. Be unavailable for him. Fuck and run, or don't fuck at all. But be indifferent."
I shook my head. "I can't. My cravings are too fucking strong. I mean, you saw what happened tonight."
"Fight them. Show Lucien you are strong enough to have the craving and deal with it--and that it's not the thirst for blood that makes you want to be brought over."
"I don't want to lose him, Xander." I stood there feeling so helpless, so lost. The water rained softly down onto the tile and I silently wished it could wash away all of the hurt and fear and pain. "I love him."
"And you can love him and be pissed with him at the same time. But as it stands right now, he's the only one loving you and getting away with treating you like shit. Fight fire with fire and tip the scales; just work at getting them tipped in your favor."
"I can't do this on my own."
"No one ever said you'd have to. You've always got me, and I know there are a few others that'll be willing to help when things get to be too much."
"If Lucien finds out that any of the vampires have gone behind his back--"
"They will know the consequences of their actions. Trust me, they'd never sign on if they didn't believe in what they were doing."
Part of me knew he was right. I had nothing to lose, really. I could either sit back and watch it all drift away, not doing a damned thing about it, or I could fight back. I nodded, my mind made up.
"Okay."
"Yes?" Xander smiled as I nodded again. He leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead before pushing me under the spray of water. "Then let's get your hair washed and get you in bed."
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