What if everything you wanted was all within your reach but not yours
for the taking?
Klaus and Stefan are tearing through the South collecting
hybrids and leaving a trail of dead bodies behind them. Unable to reach Stefan
any other way, Elena devises a holiday plan to lure Stefan back home.
Damon thinks Elena is wasting her time and fears the worst. He and Stefan no longer celebrate Christmas, but if Klaus approves Elena’s request, Damon will support her by giving her what she wants—a traditional Christmas.
What Elena wants and what she gets are two different vampires altogether. Elena approaches Klaus and asks for Stefan’s release, even if it’s only for one Christmas weekend. Klaus agrees, but his terms and conditions are nonnegotiable.
Soon, Elena is holed up in a snow-covered chalet with the Salvatore brothers and Klaus, an original vampire with an unusual agenda. And he’s gone to great lengths to find out who Elena really loves.
Damon thinks Elena is wasting her time and fears the worst. He and Stefan no longer celebrate Christmas, but if Klaus approves Elena’s request, Damon will support her by giving her what she wants—a traditional Christmas.
What Elena wants and what she gets are two different vampires altogether. Elena approaches Klaus and asks for Stefan’s release, even if it’s only for one Christmas weekend. Klaus agrees, but his terms and conditions are nonnegotiable.
Soon, Elena is holed up in a snow-covered chalet with the Salvatore brothers and Klaus, an original vampire with an unusual agenda. And he’s gone to great lengths to find out who Elena really loves.
Excerpt
Two
“You
promised to release him while we’re in Tennessee.”
“And
I will,” Klaus assured her. “Once we’re settled in and before the sun goes
down.”
“Is
there a ‘but’ in there somewhere?”
“All
right, Elena, you win. I’ll let you in on a little secret.” His demeanor
changed then. “You can’t play with fate or run from it, love. Katerina tried
and as you saw for yourself, she failed on numerous occasions. She also loved
two brothers as you love two brothers.”
“I
never said—”
Klaus
held up his hand. “Let me finish. Damon gives you what you need, what you must
have at any cost. Stefan, on the other hand, gives you what you want—the
ability to stay committed to your high moral standards. The Stefan you know
gives you a normal relationship, an acceptable bond. Your friends like him. Your
teachers accept him.”
“What
about the Stefan you know?”
“The
Stefan I know would rip your pretty little neck apart if I so much as compelled
him to do so.”
She
swallowed, processing. Klaus wanted to hurt her. He wanted to watch how she
interacted with the Salvatore brothers. He would then later use what he learned
against her. “You made Stefan into something he’s not.”
“On
the contrary,” Klaus said. “We’re vampires. That makes us hunters or predators
by nature. We’re only killers by choice.”
Beta
Readers' "Favorite Lines from The Vampire Diaries" Mystical Christmas
(Kindle
Worlds Novella) [Kindle Edition]
1. Her
mind’s eyes flickered with newspaper clippings about a rampant killing spree, a
murderous binge controlled by Klaus and executed by Stefan.
2. “On
the contrary,” Klaus said. “We’re vampires. That makes us hunters or predators
by nature. We’re only killers by choice.”
3.
"Stefan’s weapons are embedded in his gums. No one hands him anything. He
takes what he wants.”
4.
"You and Damon probably weren’t supposed to spend Christmas together. You
aren’t exactly an ideal mistletoe-seeking pair.”
5.
"At the end of the day, you’re nothing more than a bleeding vein to him,
Elena.”
6. Their
love washed over her like a high tide racing toward shore in the middle of a
devastating storm, a volatile gale that would temporarily calm before striking
with brutal force in the desolate hours of a quiet holiday night.
7.
“Proximity is a real bitch when you’re the only one with a beating heart in a
houseful of vampires.”
8. “You
can make a deal with the devil but it doesn’t mean you have to follow him back
to hell.”
9.
"Far be it for me to break the news here, but we’re both dead, brother.”
Stefan lifted his glass. “I thought you knew.”
10.
"I can’t pretend I don’t have feelings for you when every single time I
look at you, I only see an extension of me.”
11. “It’s
hard to choose a side when your heart draws its sword for one cause while your
head supports another.”
About the Author: Susan Smith Alvis has been a career author for over a decade.
With over 300 titles to her credit, her pseudonyms have been award-winning
authors with international bestsellers in most genres. To find out more, visit
her book page at Amazon. To sign up for updates and future release
date announcements, email her at susansmithalvis@gmail.com
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