The Zillionaire Vampire Cowboy's Secret Werewolf Babies

Chapter One

It was a dark and stormy night in Bloodsuck, Texas; the kind of night vampire-cowboy Rock Fangsworthy loved best. All except for the stormy part. Too much rain made the brim of his Stetson go limp. And if there was one thing Rock wasn’t, it was limp. He was rock hard, through and through, from the flinty gaze in his slate-blue eyes to the diamond tipped spurs on his custom-made, Lucchese, hand-crafted, lizard skin boots. In fact, Rock had only one soft spot, and that was for his ranch, the Double Fang.

The ranch had been in his possession for several generations; ever since he’d fled Boston at the turn of the last-century-plus-one hoping to leave his family’s nest, his disgrace, and the truth about his shameful condition behind and start life anew in that paradise on Earth known as the Texas Hill Country.

The Double Fang occupied some of the prettiest country in all of Texas, ergo the world. And as Rock rode across it tonight, he was filled to overflowing with feelings of contentment and self-satisfaction—even despite the rain and the currently questionable condition of his hat. He was master of all he surveyed. There was, in fact, only one thing marring his happiness; one burr beneath his saddle, so to speak; one blot on his otherwise blot-free horizon. The Best Little Winery in Bloodsuck.

Rock’s jaw clenched at the thought and a vein in his temple began to throb. “Grape farmers,” he growled even though there was no one to hear him but his horse, Monk. “No good, double-crossing werewolf scum.”

Rock had no use for wineries. After all, he didn’t drink…wine. He had no use for werewolves either, not since the day the Braveheart brothers—Butch and Barkley—had cheated him out of a prime parcel of land that should, by rights, have belonged to him. The pair had caught him napping during the day (an unfortunate necessity for those of his kind) and took the opportunity to mark their territory, not just in the manner of wolves, which would have been bad enough, but with stakes and flags and deed contracts—the kinds of thing the County Assessor’s Office put such child-like faith in.

Rock had tried twice to right the terrible wrong that had been done him, but both times he’d failed. His last attempt had been made shortly after Barkley, the second of the brothers to die, was killed in a routine hunting accident. He’d approached the widow Braveheart with his offer to buy her out, but had been rebuffed. Babs Braveheart might have been beautiful, but she had the brains to match her blonde good looks and was crazy to boot. She’d taken it into her head that Rock was at fault for her husband’s death.

Like anyone could be reasonably expected to distinguish between one wolf and another at a distance of several feet!

Babs had taken her revenge on Rock, sure enough. She’d made certain he didn’t get the only two things he’d ever wanted. But now the ding-dong bitch was dead, God rest her spiteful soul. Tonight, he would make his third and final offer for the winery. An offer the new owner, whoever he was, would not be able to refuse.

Rock reined his horse to a stop in the winery’s front yard and dismounted. He tied Monk to a conveniently placed grape arbor—a landscape feature that evoked sweet memories of better times. The vein in his temple throbbed harder. That arbor would be the first thing he’d have dismantled once the winery was in his possession. He smiled as he imagined herds of happy cows frolicking in the vineyards, trampling the grapes, the tender fruit turning to jelly beneath their hooves.

His spurs jingle jangle jingled in a pleasantly menacing fashion as he strode confidently up to the front door. High pitched barking noises emanated from inside the house. Rock sneered at the sound. It pleased him to think the former werewolf home now housed a passel of pocketbook dogs, even though they’d shortly be gone as well. Just as he was about to pound commandingly on the door, it was thrown open.

Rock stiffened. His jaw clenched harder. His vein throbbed. Again. “Buffi Van Pelt. I should have known you’d be back.” But, really, how could he have known something like that? Who would ever have expected that Babs and Barkley Braveheart’s granddaughter would return to the scene of their crime of passion? An awful suspicion took hold in his mind. “Don’t tell me you’re the new owner of The Best Little Winery in Bloodsuck?”

“Well, of course I'm the new owner,” she answered in flustered tones. She seemed distracted by the two puppies gamboling about at her feet. "What did you expect?"

Rock ignored her question—and the puppies. As his gaze roved over the lithe yet athletic form of the woman he’d once been foolish enough to think he might love, the years since he’d last seen her (five, at least, wasn’t it? he was almost certain it had been that long) melted away as though it had been no more than two years. Three years, tops. He took note of her strong calves, her breasts rising and falling beneath the thin T-shirt she wore, her rosy cheeks, her red lips.

Her eyes were still as blue as Texas bluebonnets. And her hair—oh, how he remembered that glossy, gold mane so similar in color and texture to the coat of the golden retriever puppy he’d loved as a child.

He’d named the puppy Rosebud and it had been his faithful companion for three-quarters of an afternoon. Until his cousin Viggo had decided to eat him for a snack. Rock could still recall the sick horror he felt when he’d come upon them in the kitchen that day; Viggo’s mouth stained red with Rosebud’s blood, the puppy’s lifeless body hanging limp in his hands…

A sharp tug on his ankle brought Rock’s mind back to the present. He looked down. Way down. Down to where the two puppies—wolf-hybrids obviously, not pocketbook dogs after all, nor Golden Retrievers either, more's the pity—were viciously attacking one of his custom-made, Lucchese hand-crafted lizard skin boots with the diamond tipped spurs.

“Shoo,” he said as he, gently but with firmness, kicked his foot in an effort to dislodge the pests.

Buffi clapped her hands. “Vlad! Ivan! Stop that this minute!” she scolded.

Rock stared at her in disbelief. She’d named her dogs after his father and grandfather? Oh, the fickle cruelty of women! Why did she not just stake him through the heart and have done with it? The vein in his temple throbbed its agreement.

***

Rock Fangsworthy. Buffi stared at the familiar yet almost forgotten hard, chiseled features of the man who’d won her heart and taken her virginity. She still could not believe he was here. Out of all the wineries in all the towns in all of Texas, he’d walked into hers.

“What do you want from me, Rock?” she asked. She was terrified she knew the answer, but how? How could Rock have possibly found out he was Vlad and Ivan’s father? Who could have told him? Surely not her grandmother! Why, Babs had hated Rock. She’d hated him as much as she’d hated grape rot, powdery mildew and glassy-winged sharpshooters all put together!

“I’m here to buy the winery, of course,” Rock answered. His words were like silver bullets, each one aimed straight at her poor broken heart. The very same heart she’d only recently finished painstakingly piecing back together. Buffi was not surprised when the overly abused organ crumbled to bits once more, falling apart like so much over-cooked liver. Her grandmother had been right. Rock had used her. He’d toyed with her affections. The winery was all he wanted, all he’d ever really wanted from her. All he ever would want.

“Well, you can’t have it, Rock. Do you hear me? The Best Little Winery in Bloodsuck is not for sale!”

Rock’s jaw clenched. The vein in his temple started to throb. Buffi was reminded of those magical nights they’d spent in her grandmother’s grape arbor. She remembered the passion they’d shared, Rock’s hard, throbbing body, his gravel-voiced excitement and her own enthusiastic licking of his face.

Damn you, Rock Fangsworthy. Damn you to hell!

“I think you should leave now, Rock,” Buffi said coldly. “There’s nothing here for you anymore.”

“This isn’t over, Buffi,” Rock promised. “You haven’t seen the last of me.”

“Oh, I think I have, Rock,” Buffi rejoined as she slammed the door in her baby daddy’s face. “I really think I have!

To be continued...Chapter 2

You can read more about this exciting serial HERE And be sure to enter our contest! Rules and information can be found HERE

The Zillionaire Vampire Cowboy’s Free nook*

So, who’s up for a little nookie?

No, no – not that kind of nookie. THIS kind of nookie:

That’s right. You, Gentle Blog Visitor, could win a nook from the Nine Naughty Novelists. All you have to do is read our steamy western paranormal category multi-part romance mashup, The Zillionaire Vampire Cowboy’s Secret Werewolf Babies.

You’ve read about Bloodsuck, the bucolic town in the heart of the heart of Texas. You’ve met some of Bloodsuck’s more colorful citizens. Now we invite you to start reading about their lives, their loves, and their love lives. And win a nook in the process.

Here’s how you do it:

Drop by every week and read an installment of ZVCSWB. A new chapter will go live every Thursday starting Sept. 9th and running until Jan. 6th.

Every comment you leave about the serial will earn you 5 entries.

Tweet about ZVCSWB using the #bloodsuck hashtag and earn 2 entries.

Every time you retweet something about ZVCSWB using the #bloodsuck hashtag, you earn 1 entry.

So, to recap:

Blog comment = 5 entries

Original tweet = 2 entries

Retweet = 1 entry

At the end we'll take all the entries, run them through through some fancy schmancy online randomizer I don't understand (ask Skylar Kade about it, she knows) and pull a winner, who we'll announce on January 9th. The more you comment, tweet and retweet, the more chances you have for winning a nook.

Good luck, and see you back here tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 9th, for Chapter 1 of The Zillionaire Vampire Cowboy’s Secret Werewolf Babies!



*I will abide by the Barnes & Nobles’ style of non-capitalization of nook. But I won’t leave off the definite article. B&N don’t call it “the nook” – they just refer to it as nook. Bugs me. A lot.

Guest Blogger Vonna Harper - Incognito

OMG, I’m a fraud. I don’t belong here. Nine Naughty Novelists readers are going to out me and see me for the fake I am. Seriously, just look around at the women who anchor things here and what do you see? Hip, modern, with it, quick-witted, sophisticated, everything I ain’t

At least I ain’t nuttin like them other writers in person. Hopefully it’s a different story when I hide behind my writing. To clarify, I’m an old broad (no, I’m not giving that away) who lives a dismally boring and deeply satisfying life in a town that sports a single stop light. Much of my days (when I’m not wearing my mom, grandma, and wife hats) are spent up in my office staring at a dusty and lip balm smeared monitor waiting for inspiration to quit hiding in that dog-hairy corner at the other end of the room. No shoes on, hair probably still tangled from this morning’s dog walk, makeup still in the bathroom, the same shorts I had on yesterday. At least I’m wearing a bra today because I took my 91 year old mother out to lunch.

My neighbors know I write, but they don’t know what comes out of my fingers and because I don’t want to be run out of the neighborhood on a rail, I’m not going to whisper a word about the alter-ego who pounds out hot stories about the kind of sex I wish---

Oops, forget I said that. Life is what it is. Happily, fiction is whatever I want it to be. At the moment I’m coming to the end of an erotica book I owe Aphrodisia. Yesterday I left Matt and Cat naked in her bedroom with a mysterious wolf spirit waiting outside to tell Matt something that will tear his world apart. But before Ghost Wolf can deliver his message, my characters will turn their sexual relationship on its ears. Hopefully it’ll be a hell of a ride—if I can pull it off.

Their story won’t come out for at least a year so while I’m here I might as well tell you about a few things that have recently seen the light of day and hopefully prove my imagination makes up for the above-mentioned pedestrian existence.

First up is Falcon’s Captive, a print Aphrodisia book with the coolest cover Kensington has ever designed for me. As a lover and researcher of all things Native American, I drew from NA spiritual beliefs in crafting a tale about a woman who shape shifts as a falcon and the warrior who captures her. Here’s a not too well kept secret. I love writing and reading capture/hostage stories.

Just on the stands is Aphrodisia’s Sexy Beast 9, the first in the sexy beast anthology series not to have a Kate Douglas story in it. I was given lead billing, gulp. Back when Crystal Jordan, Lisa Renee Jones and I were kicking around the idea for a ‘beast’ anthology, I laid claim to white tigers ‘cause it sounded interesting. Then the concept sold and I jumped into researching white tigers. I learned some depressing stuff about the result of too much inbreeding, but believe me, there’s nothing inbred about the sexy shape shifter my intrepid zoologist finds when she goes to India. As my mother would say, hubba, hubba.

Oh shoot, I’m going to blow up my brain if I keep going this way. Suffice to say, I have three new Ellora’s Cave releases and just put my first erotica novella up on Kindle. Another first for me is a book on tape. There are three more EC stories in the pipeline, two coming out from Samhain, and a recent sale to Loose Id. All that stuff, if you’re so inclined, is on my website www.VonnaHarper.com

That’s why I’m none of the things the sexy and savvy ladies who run Nine Naughty Novelists are. It takes everything I still have of a brain just to write. And hopefully find my shoes before winter.

BTW if anyone comes up with a title for Matt and Cat’s story, I’d be eternally grateful.

Under her "real" name, Vonna Harper has published more fiction than she can keep track of . These include category romances for the major players as well as the 'juicy' stuff. She also penned a series of well-received Native American historicals. One earned her finalist status in both the Women Writing the West Willa award and Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association. Before discovering romances, both erotic and otherwise, Vonna 'confessed' all kinds of nonsense for the confession magazines.

When asked about erotica research, she insists, "Of course I've time-traveled to the ancient Everglades, infiltrated bondage strongholds, done wilderness search and rescue, and spent a night trapped in a workout gym with Mr. Universe. How can I possibly write about something I haven't experienced?"

As for day jobs, "I've been a commercial pilot, brain surgeon, worked as a white-water river guide, bee keeper, snake charmer, and garbage collector."

And if you buy all that, she'd like you to check out the bridge she has listed on eBay.

Welcome to Bloodsuck

Springtime in Bloodsuck, Bluebonnets in Bloom

On behalf of the Bloodsuck Chamber of Commerce, and in conjunction with the Bloodsuck Gazette, bringing you all the news as soon as we get to it, we'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you to our friendly little town.

Located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, which in turn is located in the heart of Texas, Bloodsuck is the heart of the heart of Texas. Yet, strange as it might seem, this vibrant community is still one of the best kept secrets in the entire Lone Star state. 

Don't believe us?

A  barn. One of many you can find here.

Well, had you ever even heard about Bloodsuck before this past week?

No. We didn't think so.

 Despite all the apparent secrecy surrounding it, the tiny but still somehow larger-than-life town of Bloodsuck has been a thriving concern for well over a century. This is due in no  small part (no pun intended) to its bounteous natural beauty, plentiful natural resources and other natural causes.

Two Cowboys ride the range at the Double Fang

Like any small town, Bloodsuck has seen its share of feuds among its citizenry. But whenever trouble has raised its ugly head and threatened to threaten  our fair town, darken our doorways and turn our blue skies gray, the Bloodsuckers have put aside their differences, risen to the occasion and banded together as one to fight adversity. 

Come. Let us show you around...

Another cowboy, possibly the elusive Rock Fangsworthy

The first stop on our tour is The Double Fang Ranch, which lays claim to the distinction of being the oldest, continually operating, working cattle ranch in all of Bloodsuck.

Or so they say.

 Set amid lush, cactus studded hills, the Double Fang seems truly a place that time forgot. In fact, visitors here frequently remark on this, saying that they feel like they've been transported back in time...although not at all in a weird, time travelly, abducted by aliens kind of way. The very air seems different here; redolent of history, mystery and cows.

Like its owner, the reclusive, elusive, and fabulously wealthy Mr. Rock Fangsworthy, the Double Fang is a venerable institution. They're both important parts of Bloodsuck heritage. 

 

The Brothers Braveheart

Of course, no trip to our little hamlet would be complete without a visit to Bloodsuck's own, Best Little Winery in Bloodsuck. A name some naysayers might say is due simply to its being the only winery in Bloodsuck. But, as any longtime resident will tell you, "that just goes to prove it!"

Wine Grapes, Ready for Harvest

Founded nearly three quarters of a century ago by the legendary (and legendarily hirsute) Braveheart brothers, Butch and Barkley, the winery property has been in the same family for three generations.

Though it has recently fallen on hard times, the current owner, the lovely Buffi Van Pelt, who inherited the winery from her grandmother, the late Mrs. Babs Braveheart, has made it her stated intention to restore the winery to its former glory.

Wine Bottles: Still better than Boxes

Good luck, Miz Van Pelt. We wish you  every success in your venture!

Adventure awaits when you  Rent-a-Burro!

One of Bloodsuck's newest and most innovative franchises, is Alejandro's Rent-a-Burro, which allows visitors to tour Bloodsuck in a unique colorful and economically feasible fashion. 

How better to explore the beauty that is greater Bloodsuck than from the back of one of these sturdy, surefooted and inexpensive little mounts?

Sticks provided at no extra charge. Carrots may be purchased separately. Ride at your own risk.

We hope you have enjoyed this virtual,  behind-the-scenes glimpse at Bloodsuck and that you'll make it a point to come back and visit with us soon.

Remember, the heart of the heart of Texas beats for you!

Welcome to Bloodsuck. Have some wine.

Who's Who in Bloodsuck, Part II

It's no secret that some of the Naughty Nine are more comfortable at writing the woo-woo paranormal stuff than others; just as some of us have a higher heat-between-the-sheets tolerance. But, to each her own and, all things considered, we get along with one another extremely well.

That is, as long as we remember to steer clear of certain verboten subjects.

*cough*boxed wine*cough*

In any collaborative venture, it's important to establish guidelines. For example, when we first started planning the Zillionaire Vampire Cowboy's Secret Werewolf Babies the non-paranormal people, quite naturally, felt a little left out until we agreed to certain rules.

Rule #1. At least half the characters (not counting children) had to be...well, people. No fur, no fangs, no special talents... Okay, so maybe some "special talents" would be allowed (we're looking at you, Chastity!) just not the weirdo psychic ones.

Rule #2. No Space Aliens. Some of us are still pouting about that. A lot.

Rule # 3. For the most part, and wherever practical, vampires and werewolves within the ZVCSWB serialverse would be written to conform to standard usage. ie, vampires drink blood (even if the thought of it makes them sick) and shun sunlight and...oh, yeah. That reminds me. One of the most important rules of all:

Rule #4. No sparkles. Ever.

There were other rules too, of course, like the ones governing the uses and abuses of gratuitous sex scenes...which, not so surprisingly, brings us to the actual subject of today's post: our not-so-villainous villains.

 Chastity Feelsgood
“It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that bling.”

There are some things money can’t buy, or so Chastity’s always heard, but she’s not one of them. That’s okay with her, however, since she’s pretty sure those other things aren’t worth much anyway.

This gold-plated gold digger has an eye for the finer things in life…or at least the shinier things. Chastity might not be altogether certain what a Mountie is, but she knows they always get their man—and so does she.

The babelicious bimbo has set her sights on a certain cold-blooded cowboy. She won’t rest until Rock’s rock is on her third finger left hand, and no shapeshifter sister better get in her way.


 

Billy Bob Bobson

“Born to stake vampires. Pointy end down, pointy end down!”

Scion to the prestigious Boston Bobsons, Billy Bob has always known it was his destiny to one day take over the family  vampire hunting business. Ever since he was a little boy he’s staked his heart on it. Unfortunately, to date, his is the only heart he has staked.

Can he help it that he abhors violence, detests guns and has a weakness for the wrong kind of woman?

A Texas ranch is no place for someone with BB’s refined tastes and delicate constitution. There are too many gun-toting vampires, too many blood-thirsty babies and far too many cacti! Perhaps it’s time he looked for a new line of work to get into?


Be sure to stop back on Monday, when we'll be exploring some of the local hot-spots of beautiful Bloodsuck, Texas.

Click Here to Tour Bloodsuck

Who's Who in Bloodsuck, Part I

In her post yesterday, Juniper talked about some of the fun we've been having writing the Zillionaire Vampire Cowboy's Secret Werewolf Babies (or, ZVCSWB, as we like to call it).  What she forgot to mention was how crazy we can get around the subject. How goofy and hyper and...nah, crazy says it best. 

In fact, we got so crazy that, at one point, I think we actually frightened her. 

In her defense, she had yet to read any of the chapters or story notes. And she had yet to attend one of our zany planning sessions. She was busy. We were manic. She humbly offered to bow out of the serial...and was met with stunned, disbelieving silence.

Trust us, we told her. Take some time. Read the chapters. You don't know it yet, but you want to be part of this!

And, of course, we were right.

Today, we're going to share a little more of the fun by introducing you to some of the characters you'll be getting to know over the next several months. We hope you'll learn to love them just as much as we do.

First up, of course, is our virile hero...

Rock Fangsworthy
“I’m rock hard for you, baby!”

What can you do with a man like Rock? Alpha to the core with a somewhat faulty memory, he’s tall, pale and extremely hard-assed. The girls all swoon for his chiseled features, granite-like eight-pack abs and slate blue eyes.

Who knows how much money the vampire cowboy and self-professed gazillionaire actually has? Is it zillions? Trillions? Frakillions? Frankly, we don't really care. All we know is—it’s a helluva lot of cold, hard cash!

But beneath his stony exterior and behind his steely-eyed stare Rock harbors a powerful hankering for the wolf who got away. His lonely bachelor’s heart doesn’t beat (what with his being a nightwalker and all) but if it did, there’s just one filly…er, bitch…er, female for whom it would race. His love for Buffi, his night-blooming goddess of canine carnality, is undying…which only makes sense, of course, because he’s already undead.

Next, we have our winsome heroine.

Buffi Braveheart Van Pelt

“How much is that hot dog in the window?”

Ah, our furry blonde were-temptress, how we love her! With her Golden Retriever hair and her dog-next-door good looks—not to mention her spunky personality, great calf development and sorority-girl wardrobe—Buffi quickly won a blue-ribbon place in our hearts and made us want to pat her head and give her treats.

True to her breed, good-girl Buffi wants to mate for life with the bad-boy, vampire cowboy of her dreams. She’s a devoted mother to her boys and, with a little encouragement and the proper training, we just know she’d make a faithful companion and enthusiastic lover to the right undead gazillionaire rancher. Beautiful Buffi is looking for her forever home. C’mon, Rock, give this dog a bone!

And, of course, the family tree wouldn't be complete without...


Vlad and Ivan Van Pelt
“B is for Bloody—that’s good enough to eat!”

These two year old twins are part night terror, part fox terrier and wholly adorable…at least if you’re their mother.

Vlad and Ivan inherited their mom’s Siberian Huskie eyes and their father’s pointy teeth…or is that their mother’s teeth and their dad’s glacial-ice gaze?

 No matter. Their boundless energy and inquisitive natures make them a double bundle of purebred trouble. The pups are always ready to chase after the next new thing that comes along, run it to ground and sink their fangs into it.

Kidnappers beware!

That's it for today. If you haven't already done so, be sure and check out Juniper's post, for a description of the story. And come back tomorrow when we'll be introducing you to our evildoers. 'Cause every story needs a villain--and we've got two! 

Click here to read more: Who's Who in Bloodsuck, Part II

SooperSekritProject .... Revealed!

When I joined the Nine Naughty Novelists, I had no idea what I was getting into. A blog now and then, some parties, some contests – I knew about all that. But then they started talking about some zillionaire story.

Do you want in? They asked.

Uh sure, said I, completely clueless but anxious to fit in with my new blog-mates.

Holy Giggle Fit! If I had known how much I would laugh while reading (and writing) the zillionaire vampire thingy….If I had known how fun it would be to write about secret werewolf babies…If I had known that sometimes a romance cliché is a fabulous plot twist waiting to happen… that ZVCSWB is not a flight confirmation code, but the best little title in Bloodsuck…

But I don’t want to give away too much. I’ll just say this. On Thursday, September 9, you’re invited to Bloodsuck, Texas for the stupendously hilarious first chapter of...

Theirs was a love that nature never intended. Bigger than Texas. Hotter than Hades. Weirder than…a lot of other things you might have read about up until now.

Self-made zillionaire Rock Fangsworthy is your typical Texas cowboy…well, sort of. Typical in that the only thing this lethally sexy lady-charmer with the hair trigger temper loves more than his horse is his ranch, The Double Fang. Or maybe his boots. Less typical in the fact he's also a four hundred year old vampire with a shocking secret—he can't stand the sight of blood.

Buffi Van Pelt is just your average girl-next-door winery owner…or is she? The spunky single mom to twin boys also happens to be a winsome werewolf with secrets and troubles of her own. The winery that the gutsy good-girl recently inherited from her grandmother is on the verge of ruin. If Buffi can't find a use for the mysteriously tainted wine before time and her pantry's limited supply of red meat runs out, she and her pups will be left homeless, destitute and very, very hungry. Worse yet, her baby-daddy is the same hunky, bad-boy vampire rancher who's out to steal The Best Little Winery in Bloodsuck from under her sensible heels.

Once upon a time their passion flamed hotter'n a summer's night in Dallas with three Cheerleaders and a side of habanero sauce. Tonight, love's lightning might just strike them twice…but only if the wine don't kill them first.

Every Thursday for the next few months we’ll unveil a new chapter of ZVCSWB. And that’s not all … there’s a contest. A big one. With an awesome prize, details of which we’ll share over the next week, along with other juicy stuff.

So until next Thursday …. WELCOME TO BLOODSUCK. HAVE SOME WINE.