Poisonous Temptation

When a witch without powers and a vampire living in isolation cross paths, the world as they know it changes forever. And with those changes come grave danger for them both.

Despite years of trying, Aurelia Stone can't seem to do even the simplest of spells, and no one in her family of purebred witches is willing to help. Instead, her mother suggests she accompany her sister during a gladiator battle in hopes to inspire magic, but the magic Aurelia ultimately taps into is not the kind she should feel. In fact, it's downright forbidden, and the punishment for using such magic is death by pyre. When a gladiator rescues her from an attack and offers her his blood, she knows she should say no. Yet she gives into temptation anyway, regardless of the consequences.

Before the Rift, Thyos was part of the worst known clan of vampires. That is, before they excommunicated him for doing something as weak and as stupid as having a conscience. Now, he lives in the Citta di Paludi, isolated and alone. Something he prefers. When the emperor forces him to entertain by killing his own kind for the amusement of spectator, he does only so to keep the tiny shred of freedom he has. But when Thyos rescues a witch from the hands of a human, he not only breaks his own rules, but the laws of the gladiator as well.

When Aurelia's powers finally manifest at the most inopportune time, they come with dire consequences. Now she must decide what it really means to be a witch: to be part of a family and a faction that has isolated her for her entire life, or to be true to her heart. But what if following her heart puts her life and Thyos in danger?

Forbidden Temptation is a standalone contribution to The Berkano Vampire collection. Stories can be read in any order.

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Genre: Urban Fantasy