Devlin Dalcon on Trial for his actions in the Promise Me Series

(A courtroom that is oddly empty, save for a tall brunette woman in a tailored suit and heels as plaintiff, a tall handsome blond man in an Armani grey suit as defendant, an older woman judge, a mixed jury, and a short man in black near the door. The plaintiff’s expression is venomous, as is the countenance of the man in black. The blond defendant’s face carries an easy smile, but his eyes glitter with anger. The judge’s face is stern as she picks up her paper.)

Judge: Mr. Devlin Dalcon, you have been summoned here to stand trial for your actions in the latest Promise Me book, Taken for His Own. Now that the District Attorney of Supernatural Affairs has presented all her evidence, do you have anything to say for yourself?

Devlin: <stands, with hands in pockets> Of course. This is all a farce. You have no case.

DA: Objection!

Judge: Sustained. Mr. Dalcon, if you have any witnesses to call or any evidence to present, please do so now.

Devlin: There is no evidence; how could there be? The only ones who really know what happened are Sar and myself. <sneers> You were put up to this by Sar’s doctor, weren’t you? His examination found nothing—

DA: Objection! Who reported the violation is not relevant. We’ve already clearly established that Sar was very anemic after her encounter with Devlin—

Devlin: Of course she was. I drank some of her blood, as she asked me to. <looks over with a seductive smile at DA> I always aim to please my lovers.

Judge:  Enough, Mr. Dalcon. Now do you have anything to say in your defense or not?

Devlin:  <stands> Yes. <he walks out from behind the desk and then leans back on it, facing the jury> You have charged me with coercing Sar into a relationship—

DA: A sexual encounter.

Devlin: <glaring at DA> A sexual relationship, admittedly, but one we both desired. And yes, I do have evidence to that. <motions to the man in black> Lash, please take the stand. <The man in black narrows his eyes, but does as requested, including swearing to tell the truth>

Devlin: Tell them what you made me agree to close to a hundred years ago, as a condition of our friendship and working relationship.

Lash: I told you I wouldn’t have any part of hurting women. And I told you if you ever did it again, I’d quit our friendship and your employ.

DA: <incredulous> You expect us to believe the word of a weresnake?

Lash: <hisses, his eyes shifting briefly to snake then back to human> It’s the truth, lady. And as far as I know, Devlin never broke his word on that. <smiles nastily> He never has to. Your sex falls all over yourselves trying to get into his pants.

Judge: <bangs gavel> Enough! Please step down, Mr. Lash. <looks to Devlin> The word of your best friend and a known assassin is not sufficient evidence.

Devlin: Then how about from Sar herself? Read page 189 of Taken for His Own. It’s all there, that she’s not sorry we took our relationship to the next level. Hell, read the series! It’s all there in the pages, how she wanted me all along! That woman reeked of her desire every time I was around her!

DA: <jumps up> Objection! A woman can desire a man and retain her right to refuse his advances. We are not in the 1900’s, Mr. Dalcon.

Devlin: <smiles> Alas, as you are definitely a shrew that needs taming—

Judge: <strident and angry> Mr. Dalcon, one more comment like that and you’ll be held in contempt. Am I making myself clear?

Devlin: Of course.

Judge: Your rebuttal that she wanted you cannot be proven. The law says that a woman reserves the right to change her mind.

Devlin: Very well. Then I offer you the hard data that my brother Danial used to show Sar that her actions were not coerced at all. Pages 219-220. Firstly, Sar has some special feature about her that allowed her to bear a vampire’s child for my brother. Dr. Camlyn is researching the data he collected now. We believe that the cause is something rare in her blood: whatever causes it to be so unnaturally fresh and sweet compared to usual human blood—

DA: Objection. We do not need to hear about the virtues of the victim’s blood—

Devlin: <suddenly angry> I tell you there is something different about her blood, and about her! My point here is that making her a vampire would destroy that forever. There is no way I would logically do that, not for any reason! Well, unless Sar were dying and I had to turn her into a vampire to save her from certain death.

DA: Objection, counsel just perjured himself.

Devlin: <very angry> I care about her. I know how she feels about being mortal. No one responsible makes vampires on a whim. <Brings a thick book up to the judge> This is the vampire handbook. I was one of its coauthors close to 200 years ago. It is forbidden worldwide to make someone vampire against their will. I’ve enforced that rule since its enactment. I, along with my brother Danial, was forced to become a vampire.

DA: <sifting through her papers> Isn’t turning something you’ve done as punishment to vampire hunters in the past? <gives Devlin a malicious look> And to their families?

Devlin: Yes, on occasion. But you’re taking the rule out of context. That rule was meant to protect innocent humans from being turned by irresponsible vampires. Hunters who attack vampires are fair game for reprisal. I don’t need to be wounded first to strike a fatal return blow, if I see someone is intent on killing me.

Judge: Understandable if not exactly something I can empathize with, Mr. Dalcon. Do you have anything else to offer?

Devlin:  One final argument: that all of the Promise Me books to date are from Sar’s point of view alone. We don’t know anything that she does not, at this point in the series. Therefore, if she chooses to exclude something, readers don’t know about it.

Judge: What exactly are you saying?

Devlin: That Sar is bound by mortal laws, and she wants readers to like her. She is also married to Theo. Admitting that she wanted me and we made love immediately jeopardizes her standing with readers. That is why she has no answer for all of the logical arguments about why she didn’t find a way not to give into my desire. <tone softens> The real reason is that she had desire of her own, and it was to be with me.

Judge: This might be the most logical thing you’ve said so far, Mr. Dalcon. However, like your previous evidence, this also cannot be proved.

Devlin: The only truth here, Your Honor, is that your court has no power over me. As a vampire, I am subject to my brother’s rule, not yours. He is a Vampire Lord. If punishment is given, it will come from his hand. And his assessment of the situation is that I am blameless. <sits down> As I’ve said, this trial is a farce.

Judge: <grimaces> I declare this a mistrial. <bangs gavel>

DA: <jumps to her feet> Your Honor, you can’t believe that this vampire—

Judge:  What I believe is that of all Sar’s romantic interests, Danial both loves her best and understands her the most. He also likely knows his brother better than we do. Mr. Dalcon is right, that his brother has declined to punish him. That evidence is known as the truth to anyone who follows the series, and it does cast light that there is much more to this situation than we have been made aware of. <turns to Devlin> I understand that Sar is experiencing the symptoms of turning at the close of Taken for His Own. Would you say that this is the cause for her behavior?

<DA glares at judge, gathers her papers, and leaves. Jury files out, some of them arguing Devlin’s and Sar’s guilt and innocence>

Devlin: <worried> Possibly. If that’s the case Sar has a real battle in front of her. Almost all humans that begin to turn into vampires complete the transformation eventually.  I’ve been consulting with my brother on how best to handle the situation. Danial and his sorcerer Terian have come up with a daring solution, but it’s got to have Theo’s approval, which Danial is still waiting for.

Judge: Then I suppose I should offer your brother and Sar good luck. <sternly> And I don’t want to see you back here again, Mr. Dalcon. Understand?

Devlin: <bows> It is much appreciated. And yes, I’ll do my best not to return to see you too soon. <grins> Adieu. <turns and strides toward Lash as set fades to black>

Read the 5th installment of the Promise Me Series, Her Secret: 

Blurb:  In a desperate effort to halt her transformation to vampire, and stop her longing for the sultry Devlin, Sarelle willingly takes a drug to kill her desire, even as Danial prepares for the introduction of their son Theoron at a Vampire Gathering on New Years Eve. Faced with Theo’s betrayal at the eleventh hour, Sarelle must either trust in Danial to save her, or join forces with Devlin, revealing her secret desire for him.

Excerpt: The clock chimed eleven. Worried, I glanced outside, wondering if Aran would call to cancel. He’d said he’d be going by on an errand for Cia, but the sky was dull white now. The impending storm forecasted for noon might begin at any moment.

            There was no sign of him.

            We were supposed to get a foot or more, something that irritated me. We’d gotten three feet so far this season. With no warm days to melt any of it, the drifts were huge, surrounding the plowed driveway like tall mountains.

            I let out a yawn, blinking my eyes. With the completion of the cookies, despite my eagerness earlier, my utmost desire was a long nap under a warm blanket. Grinning, I made a deal with myself that as soon as the snow flew, the couch was where I was headed. Until then, I needed to keep on track. I hurriedly did some light cleaning and laundry. I was just putting the vacuum cleaner away when the clock chimed twelve.

I cast a look outside. Snowflakes had begun to fall. Soon, they were falling fast and furiously, obscuring my view of the barn.

            “C’mon, Aran,” I said, scanning the drive. “You don’t get here shortly, I’m walking down those cookies to the mailbox and you can eat them frozen.”

            All of a sudden, the snow-dampened roar of a motorcycle was heard in the silence. Aran drove down the driveway, his lone headlight catching the snowflakes in its circular light as they fell. He was dressed in his usual black leather.

            “You’re crazy,” I muttered, throwing cookies into a plastic bag quickly. “Maybe werefoxes don’t get as cold as normal humans did, but you still have to be cold in that.” I closed the bag, then headed for the front door. “At least it’s something between you and the pavement.”

            Aran pulled up in front of the deck and parked the bike, but didn’t turn it off. He faced the house for a moment. As I opened the door, he gestured around him, then pointed to my house.

            I opened the door and yelled to him, “Sure, you can stay ‘til it stops. I’m glad of the company. Go to the bottom garage, I’ll let you in!”

            He nodded, the visor of his helmet and his shoulders already covered in snow. He drove on as I shut the front door and ran downstairs. Pressing the button, I raised the overhead door and he drove in.

            Shivering in the cold blast from the door, I quickly shut it as he parked his Harley and shut off the engine. He began brushing the snow off himself.

            “Why’d you bring the bike today of all days?” I said, giving him a sarcastic smile. “I told you it was going to storm. Now you’re stuck here. Cia’s not going to be happy.”

            Aran got off his bike and continued to brush him and it off, melting snow creating puddles on the concrete floor.

            “Why don’t you give me your coat, and I’ll put it near the fire. If you want, we can watch a movie or something. I was planning to head to the couch any—”

            Aran unbuckled his helmet and in one smooth motion pulled it off his head. Gold curls and waves fell almost to his shoulders.

            This was not Aran.

            This was Devlin.

            He stepped off the bike, and came toward me. I was lost from the moment I looked into his golden eyes.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Her-Secret-Promise-Tara-Hall-ebook/dp/B00GXJCBH2/

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Secret-Promise-Tara-Hall-ebook/dp/B00GXJCBH2/

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/380698

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19019644-her-secret

Melange Books (PDF, print-Lulu, and HTML):  http://www.melange-books.com/authors/tarafoxhall/hersecret.html

Lybrary: http://www.lybrary.com/her-secret-promise-me-series-6-p-418687.html

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-secret-tara-fox-hall/1118025878?ean=2940148276654

Sneak Peek of Romantic, Sexy Scene from Revenge, Lash Series Book #4!

The title of the 4th Lash Series book is named Revenge. Containing much less history than its predecessor, War, the newest installment of the series, Revenge, focuses on my weresnake protagonist's search for the demon Hex, whose treachery years ago lead to the death of Lash's best friend and former employer, the vampire Abraham Hamilton. With the help of old friends from previous installments in the series like the ex-soldier and weresnake Dieter, the elegant yet ruthless vampire Devlin, and the wisecracking and deviant demon Shaker, Lash begins his search only to be blocked at every turn. It is not until he joins up with the young werewolf, Morwen, that Lash begins to uncover some of the truth.

The previous books in this series had romantic elements, beginning in the first book with Lash's first love, Mara. He's had other subsequent relationships as the years passed. All of them combusted over a short time, leaving Lash despairing that any woman is ever going to love him, or that they could be trusted at all. So its that much more surprising to him when he finds himself falling for Morwen in the space of a few months.

Morwen is as damaged as Lash, when it comes to the opposite sex. Brutal treatment by one man in particular, Rocks Valentine, has left her emotionally scarred, and fearful to let any man get too close. When Lash learns of this and witnesses her terrible nightmares firsthand, he vows to make Rocks pay for what he's done to Morwen. After wreaking bloody revenge in Morwen's name, Lash arrives with proof, hoping her nightmares will stop. But how does one offer up such a gift to a woman he cares for, especially when he's always been more of a fighter than a lover? See the excerpt below!

Excerpt:

            Dieter's eyes flicked to the bag. “Since when do you bring back trophies?”

            “She needs to see it,” I said curtly.

            A flicker of understanding dawned in his eyes. Then he smiled. “Good luck.”

            It was in his voice that he thought I hoped to bed Morwen with the head as my payment. It infuriated me that he thought I could be so crude and thoughtless. The old Lash would have decked him. But part of me knew that on some level, he was right. I hadn’t picked Rocks to test myself at random. And I hadn’t brought Morwen the head just hoping her nightmares would stop. But I wasn’t going to admit that, ever.

            “Thanks,” I said gruffly, then pushed past him.

            A search of the woods provided just a lot of wolf tracks. Finally, I sat down on a log and had a smoke, trying to think of how to offer the head to Morwen that wouldn’t bring her to the same conclusion Dieter had made. Nothing came to mind except, “I did it for you.” But that also carried expectation, that I wanted something in return, didn’t it?

            Stymied, I picked up the head in a sack, and walked out of the forest into the graveyard, following the tracks. Why was the damn woman always out here in the cold? At least it gave me extra time to try out a few possible intros for my present.

            “He’s dead. He can’t hurt you.” No, that’s too personal. She’ll know I know what happened to her.

            “I killed him for you.” No, too much expectation.

            “He’s dead. Are you feeling better?” Too stupid sounding.

            I walked for an hour, circling the cemetery, getting madder and madder because I couldn’t think up the right words to say. Finally, I gave up and turned back towards Hayden. When I made it back to the house, I slammed in the front door only to find Morwen waiting for me.

            “Do you want something to eat?” she asked with a smile. “I’ve got a few trout baking—”

            I opened the sack and threw the head down at her feet. She looked at it horrified, then back up at me.

            “Merry Fucking Christmas,” I hissed at her, then stalked past her. I heard her following, but I didn’t care. I went into the kitchen, and got some raw meat out.

            “I cooked you a pie,” she said. “It’s on the counter.”

            “I’m a snake,” I said meanly. “I want meat, not pie.”

            “It’s a mincemeat pie,” she amended. “Heavy on the meat.”

            I took my meat and headed to the dining room. Morwen followed me.

            Screw it. She could stare at me while I ate.

            “Whose head is that?” she asked a few times. When I didn’t reply, she just waited patiently, watching me.

            “Rocks Valentine,” I said, when I’d finished. “You talked about him in your sleep, when you were nightmaring.”

            Morwen shook her head. “I never talk in my sleep. You never said—”

            “One time you did.”

            Her eyes widened with understanding, and a flush ran up her throat, suffusing her face. “You killed him on that alone?”

            “He hurt you and now he’s dead,” I hissed. “He wanted you to know he apologized profusely, of course.” I chuckled. “Not that that saved him any pain, that fuck—”

            She actually looked appalled. “How could you do this?”

            “This is who I am,” I said with a sneer, taking the plate to the sink and leaving it there. “Now be a good little wolf and clean up the mess.”

            As I went to leave, Morwen threw the dirty plate at me, missing me only because I ducked instinctively at its approach. It hurtled over my head and slammed into the wall, breaking into shards. I whirled and faced her, meeting her bared fangs and animal gaze with my own.

            “I thought you’d be happy!” I yelled at her, trying hard not to lisp around my growing fangs. “What the hell does it take to make you happy?”

            She growled at me. Infuriated, I went after her and she melted into wolf form, snapping at me. Furious, I left her and stalked away, up to my room, slamming the door. A few minutes later something hit it, startling the shit out of me. Then Morwen shattered that door, too, her grey furry form bursting through the remains to land on all fours. She went to morph to human and I tackled her, slamming her small frame to the floor.

            “What do you want from me?” I shouted at her, grabbing her newly formed wrists.

            “Forgiveness,” she said seriously.

            “For what?” I said, loosening my grip a little.

            Her tone was contrite, her yellow animal eyes fading to be replaced by her human ones. “For all of it. For the mixed signals and the nights you held me. For my reaction at you killing that bastard who raped me. I should have kissed you instead of freaked—”

            I let go of her arms and went to kiss her. But she scrabbled at the floor, jerking away.

            I moved back at once, letting her put several yards between us. She sat up, bringing her knees in and putting her arms around them.

            “Why do you always run when I reach for you?” I said wearily, sitting down on the floor.

            “Because I’m afraid,” she said in a small voice.

            I lay down on the floor, exhausted. “Don’t you think I feel the same way?” I hissed very softly. “You haven’t been the only one with a lover…um, sex partner who was less than nice.”

            “I know that.” She rubbed her eyes. “I’m just scared. I tell myself not to be, that it’s okay. But as soon as I smell your excitement, I’m scared again.”

            I helped her up, then sat there on the bed with her. “No one told you we have to be anything more than coworkers,” I said. “I’m not pushing. I didn’t bring you Rock’s head to make you grateful. I did it to kill what he did, so you can let go of your pain.” I pushed a few of her long braids out of her face. “I want you to smile, instead of cry.”

            She looked at me, staying silent. In a few moments, she came into my arms and I hugged her.

            “Do you want to try again?” she said in that same tiny tone.

            I didn’t reply, I just kissed her. This time, she let me.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lash-4-Tara-Fox-Hall-ebook/dp/B00H66SPTY/

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lash-4-Tara-Fox-Hall-ebook/dp/B00H66SPTY/

Double Dragon Books Website: http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-77115-145-5

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19366428-revenge

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lash-4-tara-fox-hall/1117792723

KoboBooks: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search/Query?q=9781771151450

Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/revenge/id777034640?mt=11