Breathless Press Author Shiela Stewart

 

Cheaters Never Prosper

 

We’ve all heard the quote and are very familiar with it. In our youth, we’ve been told never to cheat, that cheating will only lead to trouble. Yet so many ignore the warning and have gone on to do just that. There has been a lot of talk about cheaters in the news these days. The most famous cheater is Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods led a second life that no one seemed to know about, including his wife. He slept with, some reports say, as many as thirty women during his marriage. And his wife had no clue.

What makes a person cheat? Is it in their blood? How do cheaters do it, keep their married life in order while behind the scenes they’re flirting and having sex with others? What is it that causes them to stray from their vows and take on a lover? So many people have wondered this. Spouses have blamed themselves saying, “They should have seen the signs” “If they had been a better lover, their spouse wouldn’t have cheated on them” But is it the fault of the victim, or that of the cheater?

So many times the cheater begs for forgiveness and promises never to do it again. Should they be forgiven? Could you forgive your spouse if you found out they cheated on you? If you forgave, would you constantly be questioning if the meeting they went to was really a meeting or were they seeing their lover? Would it matter if you’d been married a month, year, ten years? Would it matter if there was only one lover, or many?

They say it takes two to make a marriage. That is very true. Marriage is hard work, but if done properly, is a reward that is much greater than all of the riches in the world. I know, I’ve been married for twenty-five years to an incredible man. We’ve been through tough times, suffered loss, dealt with poverty, mental illness and so much more.  But with all of the pain and heartache in our life, we stuck together, united as one.  What makes us different than Joe and Joanne Smith who have been through similar hard times and have strayed? You tell me.

So what makes a cheater cheat? Ask a cheater and they’ll give you every answer in the book.

 

Seducing the Darkness
Shiela Stewart
www.shielasbooks.ca
Place of purchase: www.breathlesspress.com

 

Blurb:

An outcast by her kind, Trinity Ford has learned to live on her own…not an easy thing to do when you’re a vampire.

Trinity was once a fragile girl. Being taken by a powerful vampire prince changed her. Discovering him in the arms of another woman changed destiny. Alone, she’s learned fast how to be tough, how to survive, and how to protect the people in her city from the evil that lurks in the dark. She was managing just fine, until Basil walked back into her life.

Basil Hawthorn has been the reigning prince of vampires since banishing his father to the Realm of Dark Mystics decades earlier. When a prophetic dream makes him realize Trinity’s life is at risk, he decides the only way to save her is to push her away. Doing so is not easy. Trinity is the only woman he has ever loved, ever will love, and he can’t seem to let her go.

When rumors arise of a plan to raise the King and blot out the sun, both Trinity and Basil know they must do everything to stop it. Even if it means working together. Despite the betrayal and the threat, they find themselves drawn to each other. Love has no boundaries, especially in the face of danger. But will they be able to stop the ritual before it’s too late?

Or will the darkness capture them both?

 

Excerpt:

 

Trinity came to in a dark room that smelled of mold and old dirt. She was familiar with the smell. Often, the older vampires preferred to sleep near damp, musty dirt where there was no light whatsoever and the crisp temperatures kept their bodies cool. She never understood it. The smell of the dirt made her nose burn. But then again, her death had been made by Basil in his bedroom with candles burning and soft music playing and flowers strewn about the room.

She’d never had to live in the cellars like most other vampires chose to.

Shaking that thought away, Trinity focused her eyes on something beyond the darkness. It was handy that vampires could see in the dark.

There was a huge wooden plank, chiseled to a point at the end, rigged to some sort of metal arm that was attached to the ceiling. The point of the plank was painfully jabbing into her chest right over her heart.

This was not a good place for a vampire to be.

It was then she noticed she was as naked as the day she’d been born.

“One wrong move and it is dusty dreams for you.”

Her eyes shifted from the plank to the voice to her left.

As he moved towards her, Trinity simply glared at him. Of all the vampires in the world, she hated Chaos the most. He was a cutthroat vampire that found torture as pleasing as savoring a cold beer on a hot day. “Am I supposed to be terrified now?” she replied with a dry, dismissive tone.

Chaos stepped a little closer. “I would be if I were you.”

“Well, isn’t it fortunate that you’re not me. What's the point to this….ridiculous show of dominance, Chaos?”

“Stop killing my people,” he said with a stern, strong voice.

“Say please.” She bared her teeth at him.

“I wouldn’t be so smug if I were you, Trinity. I do have the upper hand.” Waving his hand, the point of the plank pressed against her skin with a little more force.

“And you know killing me would start the biggest war your kind has ever seen.”

He closed the distance between them. “I don’t intend to kill you, my dear. Just rough you up enough to get my point across.”

“You know, that word keeps coming up. Funny, huh, as I have one stabbing me in the chest right now! All I would have to do is open my mind and call Basil and this would all be over with and you and your kind would be in the fight of your life.”

 “You would call him for help after what he’s done to you?”

That grated. Did everyone know that she’d been made a fool of by Basil? “I didn’t say I was calling him for help. I can get out of this perfectly fine on my own. I thought you might like a visit from your sworn enemy.”

His laughter, a high, squeaky sound rippled in the dark dank room. “Aw, are you still hurt at the fact that he was banging another cunt while he was pretending to love you?”

He wasn’t quite quick enough to stop the wad of saliva she spat at him. Wiping it from his cheek, he snarled at her as he stepped back. “Have at her boys, but do leave her breathing in the end.”

Trinity had a moment to think, “Shit” before the four snarling beasts entered the room, whips ready.

“I’m gonna take great pleasure in having my way with you, sweet thing.”

She’d rip her own arms off to stop him from going any further.

“I bet she tastes great. What do you think, Reggie, should we take a taste?”

“Try and stop me.”

“Go any further and die, pigs.” She squirmed, realizing that she had been drugged enough to dull her strength.

Damn it.

“Ooh, I’m scared.”

“You should be.” The four beasts turned as Basil materialized behind them.

“Shit,” one said as he scurried away from Trinity.

“Good, now the rest of you back off as well, and we won’t have to start anything,” Basil warned, his fangs bared.

“Go away, Basil, I can do this on my own.” Trinity struggled, fighting the ropes holding her in place. It grated on her that he would come to her rescue, even though she knew without his help, she would have been defenseless against the beasts. And he wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t been thinking of him in the first place.

 “Sure you can, my sweet. But a true gentleman, such as myself, couldn’t possibly leave a damsel in distress without aiding in her rescue.”

“Aw, fuck.” Why did he have to talk like that? It always turned her heart to mush.

 “How about you back off?” one of the beasts challenged.

“Don’t be an ass, Mudge. Do you have any idea who this is?” another beast remarked.

“Slime,” the beast denounced, his chin jutting out, his fangs bared.

“There is always one.” Shaking his head, Basil began by simply twirling his index finger and had a dust cloud forming on the ground. “One.”

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” one of the men cried out.

“Fuck that,” another spat, eyes defiant.

“Two.” Basil twirled his hand, creating a vortex of dirt nearly as tall as he.

“Jesus, can’t breathe here.” Trinity coughed, keeping her eyes closed. She hated when he used his powers like this. But creating a tornado was one of his favorite forms of distraction against his enemies. It was a good weapon, providing you weren’t caught in the cross-fire.

“I ain’t budging, buddy,” the beast defied, holding his arm over his mouth, blinking his eyes rapidly as the dirt caked his face.

“Three.” With a loud roar the vortex swept them all up, spinning them endlessly without any effort on Basil’s part.

“Jesus, Basil, enough. I can’t fucking see or breathe.” Trinity hacked, her eyes watering something fierce. She felt the stake as it was pulled back, then her arms and legs being released. She was about to step down from the platform when she felt herself being swept up in his arms. “Put me down.”

“I will when we’re out of here. Get on my back.”

“Forget it.” She shoved him, trying to break his hold.

 “It’s the quickest way out of here, now get on my back.”

Growling, she did as he asked.

As he changed into a silver wolf she straddled his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. He took a running charge and burst through the open doorway and down the corridors, avoiding the vampires charging after them. His feral growl and fanged teeth were enough to have them backing off. Everyone knew perfectly well he could rip into them faster than they could attempt to break away.

The instant Basil made it out of the compound, she tugged on his ear. “This is good, let me off.”

She tugged a little harder when he refused to stop. She huffed as he ran through the front gate and down the road before coming to a stop.

Trinity climbed off his back and wiped the dirt from her burning eyes. “I don’t need your help.”

He turned to her, still in wolf form and bore his pearly white fangs before transforming back into a man. Rolling his neck, Basil turned and swept a sultry look over her body. “Could have fooled me. Here.” He removed his long jacket and held it out to her.

“I don’t want your clothes either,” she snorted, her lip curled.

“Suit yourself. Personally, I like looking at you innothing but your birthday suit.”

“What?” Glancing down, she nearly gasped. She’d forgotten that she was nude. “Give me that.”

She snatched the jacket from Basil and slipped into it. “Are you following me now?”

 “Fuck off, Basil.” Trinity stopped to get her bearings. She had no idea how far from her apartment she was. And the drug was still in her system, disorienting her.

“Keep going straight for the next few blocks, turn left straight for another six, then right, and you should be on your block,” he supplied as he followed at her side. “Or, I could change back into a wolf and give you a ride home.”

She narrowed her eyes at his innuendo. “I like to walk.”

 “Fine, walk. Want to tell me why Chaos’ men had you?”

“I messed with his men. Guess he didn’t like it much.”

“He’ll hear some words from me. No one, no one, takes my woman hostage and—”

She stopped abruptly and in doing so, he slammed into her back, knocking her forward. “What did you just call me?”

“I will not have anyone hurting you, Trinity.”

 “I’m a big girl, Basil, and I can take care of myself just fine.”

“You may think you’re brave and capable of taking care of yourself, but we both know you need me.”

“How dare you. I don’t need your help; I’ve never needed your help.”

“You and I both know that is not true. Where would you be now, my love, had I not come to you and changed your life?”

She refused to answer that because it would prove him right. She would have been alone, broke, and most likely working as a waitress in some dive, barely able to make ends meet. “What the hell is wrong with you? Why can’t you just leave me alone?” she snapped at him.

“Because, I love you,” he said simply.

She snorted. “Yeah, you loved me so much that you showed it by banging another woman in our bed.”