Eban (The Heckmasters, Book 2)
Samhain Publishing
Published: April 7, 2015
ISBN: 9781619226340
Categories: Romance, Paranormal &
Alternate Worlds, Paranormal
Blurb:
If love can’t save them, there will be
hell to pay.
Grateful for his mother’s human blood that
cools the dark fire of his demon father, Eban Heckmaster has set up a medical
practice in New Mexico territory. But there’s no hope of living a normal life
until he rids himself of a seductive demon that’s been pursuing him.
Vanquishing it won’t be as simple as
sharpening his demon-hunting sword. The clever creature is hiding inside his
best friend’s head, and she has no idea of the havoc she’s been wreaking,
especially with his body.
Beryl suspects Eban knows why she’s been
waking up with no memory of where she’s been or what she’s done, but he’s not
talking. But when she inevitably learns what he’s hiding—or rather, what’s
hiding inside her—she wonders if her love for him is real, or an illusion
created by the demon’s lust.
Eban is losing the battle to hold his
rising desire in check. There may be only one way to extricate Beryl from the
beast entangling her mind. Call upon his demon blood…and offer it as a
sacrifice.
Product Warnings
Contains a
half-human, half-demon doctor who can heal anyone except himself, and a woman
who’d blush if she could remember the sensuous torture she’s been inflicting on
him. Could make you wonder if you should start listening to the voices in your
head…
Excerpt:
Eban Heckmaster dreamed of becoming tangled
in a river of gold. Soft and silky upon entering, it turned deadly within
moments. He couldn’t breathe as it filled his nose. It bound his wrists, his
ankles, blocked his vision. So much and so warm, sweat broke out across his
body.
He’d die cradled in a gilded nest.
And he was fine with that.
Anything was better than living with the
knowledge that his brother had taken the woman Eban loved as his bride hours
ago.
Eban’s lungs ached for breath and his eyes
shot open. Startled by weight settling on his abdomen, he tried to sit up, but
two small hands held him down. Thanks to his demon blood, it only took a moment
to adjust to the dark. In the nonexistent light, he peered up at Beryl
Brookshier’s angelic face. She gave him a wicked smile as long strands of
wheat-blonde hair tickled his bare chest. He sucked in a breath when he
realized she was naked and a sheet was the only thing separating her from his
raging erection.
“What are you doing?”
The second the words were out of his mouth,
Eban knew he wasn’t talking to Beryl.
“Ravish me, Ebaneezer.”
The demon used Beryl’s voice and body, but
the thing talking to him was far from human. The notion of taking its head off
and sparing himself a lot of trouble was tempting. If not for the real Beryl’s
trusting green eyes and bashful smile.
“That stopped being funny the first time
you got naked in front of me.”
She caressed his cheek. “You were dreaming.
I was trying to make your dreams more pleasant.”
He slapped her hands away. “You thought
you’d tempt me into bedding you and then letting some other parasite into my
brain. That’s not going to happen, Rosemar.”
“You want this body. Why deny it,
Heckmaster?” The lust demon glowered at him, her irritation creasing the smooth
face she borrowed.
“Get off me.” He pushed her away, then
grabbed the sheet as she slid off his chest. “What I want is for you to vacate
it, leaving Beryl’s mind intact so I can get out of Berner.”
Her pique faded, replaced by a sultry
smile. “We’ve lain awake at night imagining the coupling. This body twined
around yours, the friction of skin on skin. Hard muscles meeting soft curves.
Lips touching…lips.” Her green eyes brightened mischievously. “Miss Brookshier
has quite an imagination.”
He tensed, flushing at her descriptions,
but revulsion held his desire at bay. “She’s there with you, right now?”
Rosemar waved a hand. “She’s locked away,
but she’s not as innocent as you seem to think. This body is familiar with
masculine touch.”
Eban suppressed a groan. “It’s none of my
business. Nothing I’m interested in exploring.”
“Your body suggests otherwise. A simple
sexual escapade isn’t a lifetime commitment.” She twisted a strand of hair
around her finger, pouting while she batted her eyelashes.
“It is where demons are concerned. You
can’t stay in there forever, you know.” He sat against the headboard, trying to
ignore the way she pressed her breasts forward.
“Can’t I?” The wicked grin returned. “You
can’t get rid of me without killing her. You know that.”
“We’ll see.”
Anger sparked in Rosemar’s eyes, sharper
and meaner than human emotion. “I don’t know why you care. She doesn’t mean
anything to you.”
Pain stabbed Eban’s chest. He turned his
face away, trying not to think about Rhia’s hazel eyes, her soft Virginia
accent, or the way she laughed when he said something funny. Beryl was an
attractive woman now that she was beginning to gain weight after her long
illness, but she wasn’t the one he loved.
“You’re wasting time thinking about her.”
Rosemar sounded bored.
“I’m not going to let you kill an innocent
woman by wearing her body down to nothing.” He glowered, but nothing seemed to
frighten Rosemar. Even Wystan, who’d beheaded his share of parasite demons, had
no effect on this one.
“I was talking about Rhia.” She put a warm
hand on Eban’s shoulder. “Seere orchestrated their meeting so the three of you
could defeat Noem. Without Rhia and Wystan, there is no Berner. There’s no
Heckmasters. No future.”
Eban shrugged her hand off. He closed his
eyes, sifting through memories of the battle with Noem and his legion of lesser
demons. Years ago, Eban had tried to make a normal life for himself in another
city while getting his doctor’s degree, but his younger brother Tell had called
him back to treat a vicious wound Wystan had obtained at Noem’s hand. Tell and
a weather deity had run Noem out of town that time. Eban had stayed, putting
his dreams away. They’d been guarding a sealed portal to Hell for as long as he
could remember, but Astaroth, the reigning prince, constantly sent his minions
through gaps in the seals, offering them great rewards for bringing the
Heckmasters back. Their father’s redemption had doomed the three of them to
remain in this cursed town forever, fighting monsters until they died.
Then when it seemed like Rhia Duke would
give Eban the chance to escape, she went and fell in love with his boneheaded
brother. Worse than that, she’d unwittingly allowed Noem to drive her right
into Berner, where he planned to capture her and give her to Astaroth. In the
fight, Wystan had been gored by a minotaur, but he’d used his demon blood to
overcome death and save the day—with Seere’s help, because the normally neutral
Gray Side couldn’t keep their noses out of Heckmaster business.
Rosemar claimed she was inhabiting Beryl’s
body at Seere’s command, and she’d proven herself useful in a fight, but none
of the Heckmasters trusted her. It was clear that no matter what her orders,
she had her own motives for choosing Beryl as a host.
Angry when he should be grateful—he didn’t
really want Wys dead—Eban balled the sheet in his fists. “I doubt Wystan and
Rhia would be too happy to know Seere thinks he’s God now.”
Rosemar chuckled. “We all aspire to
godliness, don’t we? You by playing doctor, me by manipulating feelings. That’s
what makes us so perfect for each other.”
She ran her finger over her lips and rose,
swaying her hips in an exaggerated manner as she left. Eban swallowed hard.
He’d always known demons would be the death
of him, but he’d never imagined it would be at the hands of one who looked like
Beryl.
Buy links:
Samhain -
https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5394/eban
Amazon - http://amzn.com/B00QZVS0I2
B & N -
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wystan-allison-merritt/1119847207?ean=9781619222892
Are -
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-eban-1724448-140.html
Google Books -
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=CL3VBQAAQBAJ&rdid=book-CL3VBQAAQBAJ&rdot=1&source=gbs_atb&pcampaignid=books_booksearch_atb
Kobo -
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/eban
About the author:
A love of reading inspired Allison Merritt
to pursue her dream of becoming an author who writes historical, paranormal and
fantasy romances, often combining the sub-genres. She lives in a small town in
the Ozark Mountains with her husband and dogs. When she's not writing or
reading, she hikes in national parks and conservation areas.
Allison graduated from College of the
Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri with a B.A. in mass communications that's
gathering dust after it was determined that she's better at writing fluff than
hard news.
Social links:
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/authorallisonmerritt
Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/Allison_Merritt
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/allisonmwrites/
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/allisonmwrites
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Thanks so much for having Eban on your blog today!
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