The Vampire’s Redemption

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Blurb:

A paranormal, vampire romance novel. Danielle Rowland always thought life in Ojai, California, was uneventful. While its tranquility is nice for some, Danielle craves more excitement than this sleepy town offers.

Just when she thinks excitement is out of reach, it strides right into her life in the form of Michael, a strikingly handsome vampire who’s been around for three hundred years. Despite living off human blood, Danielle seems to uniquely stifle his vampiric urges. Instead she activates all of his carnal impulses!

Will Danielle be drawn to Michael despite his supernatural existence? And what does it mean for her future if she falls for someone who defies the laws of nature? Get answers in this vampire romance book by R S Holloway.

Chapter 1

There was something to be said for working nights. They say the night belongs to the poets and the madmen, but Danielle Rowland had long since learned that’s not always the case. In the four years since she had got a job at the Wooden Horse Public House, she had seen her fair share of poets, madmen, and other specimen. If anything, the variety of people was a welcome distraction from what Danielle felt was somewhat of a dull life.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Ojai. It was just that, despite its many vibrant qualities, Ojai was still a quiet town—and Danielle was done with quiet. She longed for fulfillment and excitement, for a sense of purpose that she hadn’t got to experience as she struggled to find her way while everybody else went ahead and left her behind.

She knew she wouldn’t find any of that in her hometown—not because it was Ojai, but because it was her hometown. People were meant to explore the world and step out of their comfort zone. Danielle had never even stepped out of the Californian border. She longed for a change of scenery, and the sooner that happened the better.

Which was why she had taken up a nighttime/weekend job while she also put herself through nursing school. The extra money would help her put Ojai in her rearview mirror sooner rather than later.

While she worked to bring her life finally to its starting point, Danielle appreciated the diversity that admittedly stopped by the Wooden Horse, where both the regulars and the newcomers would occasionally make for an interesting night.

And yet, for all of the people that she had seen, she strongly suspected no poet or madman could ever be as interesting as the man who had stepped through the doors of the pub about half an hour earlier. She had noticed him immediately; it was impossible not to. Danielle wasn’t usually one to notice physical beauty in men, mostly because she knew that the last thing she needed in order to leave Ojai was to fall in love with someone from Ojai. But it was very hard not to do a double take with this man.

He wore his blond hair short and cropped, which made the flawless quality of his features appear even more striking. He had high cheekbones and a chiseled jaw that belonged on the cover of a magazine. Even though he was sitting at a far table from the bar, it was hard not to notice the proud, almost regal way in which he carried himself. He sat with his back straight and his shoulders squared, as if he were ready to take on anything life might decide to throw in his direction. He looked fierce and confident and absurdly handsome, and Danielle was captivated.

She spent most of her shift that night throwing looks at the table where the man sat. Their eyes met a couple of times, and then Danielle would quickly look away and feel herself flush scarlet.

“Yep, I noticed him too,” Jack eventually informed her as he passed her by with a box of imported draughts hauled over his shoulder.

Danielle suddenly pretended to be extremely busy making a mojito, even though by that time of night the pub had half‑emptied and no one had asked for a refill.

“Who?” she asked casually.

She could almost hear Jack rolling his eyes behind her. “Come on, Dany, spare me the charade. I’ve seen you looking at him.” Next thing Danielle knew, Jack’s voice was very close to her ear as he added, “And it’s all right, you know? You’re allowed to ogle.”

Danielle pulled away sharply and turned her head to look at her friend in outrage. “I wasn’t ‘ogling’ anyone!”

Jack arched a dark eyebrow. “Really?” There was a satisfied smirk on his lips, as if finally catching her in the very human activity of flirting (and oh God, is that what she had been doing?) had made his night.

Which probably was exactly the case. A few years older than her and having worked at the pub since his teenage years, Jack had ended up taking Danielle under his wing. They had bonded immediately, and soon enough the man had become a sort of surrogate for the older brother Danielle had never had. He was constantly trying to fix her up with somebody, convinced as he was that resurrecting her love life (or at the very least, her s*x life) would work wonders for her.

“Yes, really,” Danielle said, even though she knew she wasn’t fooling either of them. “Are you sure you’re not interested?”

Jack and Danielle understood each other in a way that she had never experienced before meeting him. He could have been the perfect man for her…if only he wasn’t gay.

“Oh, believe you me, I’m very interested,” Jack said, glancing momentarily in the direction of the stranger’s table. “But it’s not me that he’s been eyeing all night.”

Danielle blinked. “What are you talking about?”

“He wants you, Dany.”

“He does not!”

“Really? Then why is he coming over here?”

Danielle turned around and sure enough, the blond‑haired stranger was walking up to the counter. For some inexplicable reason, her mouth went dry. She hated herself a little for it; she should be getting a grip. After all, it wasn’t like she had never seen a handsome man before.

Except that, in a way, she hadn’t—she certainly had never seen anyone this handsome.

If Danielle had noticed his bearing before, now that she had a full‑figure view she could also appreciate the man’s body. He was tall and walked with a stride that oozed confidence and relaxation. He was dressed simply, with blue jeans and a black T‑shirt that hugged his torso in all the right places. Even through the thin fabric of the cotton, Danielle could tell that he was lithe but muscular.

She swallowed hard and tried to get some control back over her inexplicably racing heart.

Beside her, Jack snorted. “Yeah, and you’re not ogling.” He gave her a pat on the shoulder and subtly disappeared to the back of the pub.

Danielle didn’t have much time to panic over whether the stranger had heard the exchange, because next thing she knew the man was leaning against the counter and addressing her directly.

“Hi,” he said.

Even his voice was smooth.

Danielle cleared her throat. “Hi,” she said, and then she was suddenly struck with inspiration as she finally remembered her role. “What can I get you?”

“Another pint would be good,” the man said, placing an empty glass on the counter. “Please, don’t bother with a fresh glass. This one will be fine.”

Danielle eyed him curiously. “All right,” she said, uncertain. It was a bit of an odd request, but she complied anyway. “What were you drinking?”

“Beamish.”

Danielle nodded and set out to draw the perfect stout. The Wooden Horse prided itself in its genuine Irish origins and in being the only pub in town that served actual pints, imported draughts from Europe, and ales from local breweries.

“Thanks,” the man said when Danielle set the refilled glass in front of him.

She would have expected him to go back to the table from where he had appeared to be people watching for the night, but instead the man settled himself on a stool at the counter.

“Do you mind if I hang out here?” he asked, probably having caught her surprised look. “It was starting to get a bit lonely back there.”

“Sure,” Danielle said, as casually as she could. “Make yourself comfortable.”

The man toasted her with his glass and took a hearty swig. “You draw a very good pint.”