Thank you for hosting me today! I’m Elizabeth Noble, author of Code Name Jack Rabbit (book #1 of The Vampire Guard), published by DSP Publications. I hope you enjoy this exclusive excerpt.
Blurb:
Meet the newest members of the Vampire Guard, where legend and myth meet science and technology.
Jonas Forge, vampire. Once a spy and soldier, now a cop, Forge enjoys the life he’s built with his friends in Flint, Ohio.
Blair Turner, PhD. Blair, a vampire and computer hacker with exceptional skills, shares a powerful empathic bond with Forge, his soulmate.
Declan, vampire, ex-pirate, ex-fur trapper, thief, and con man. Declan is Forge’s former lover and soulmate to Lucas Coate.
Lucas Coate, MD, Flint’s medical examiner. A werewolf living amongst vampires, Lucas is also one of Forge’s best friends.
Their lives become complicated when an impending presidential visit throws them headlong into a world of high tech vampire spies and espionage. Recruited into the Vampire Guard by the secret society of the Akhkharu Nasaru, they uncover a werewolf terrorist organization known as the Qiguan.
Together they must thwart a murder attempt on the open waters of Lake Superior while tracking a previously unknown biological weapon controlled by the Qiquan—a weapon that may very well mean death for one of them.
Lucas cleared his throat. “Porter Samuels and his wife, Sophie, and the other members of their team, Kai Ritcher and Ori Bier, are the regional commanders of the North American region. There are others above the regional commanders, but we didn’t find out who,” he said.
“Why not?” Simon asked, looking around at them.
“Because, since we haven’t officially accepted their offer yet, we don’t have the security clearance,” Blair said. He scratched at the back of his neck. “Either way, I agreed to help them find out more about the woman here from the UK.”
When Forge shifted in his seat but didn’t say anything, Lucas glanced at him. Forge and Blair had had many heated words over that little turn of events. Simon crossed his arms over his chest and glared at them. Lucas looked meekly back and asked, “What?”
“What?” Simon echoed. “What?” He shook his head. “Is this organization legitimate? Or do you, any of you, think they’re a danger?”
Lucas and Declan glanced at each other, then looked to Forge and Blair. They all had come to the same conclusion. “They’re for real. It was amazing. The whole place was,” Lucas said.
“If something is too good to be true, it’s—” Forge started talking.
Simon cut him off immediately. “Quiet.” Forge frowned but kept silent. Simon continued, “I don’t understand the problem. Let’s start with you.” Simon pointed at Blair. “Do you plan to spend the next however many hundreds of years teaching? I love to teach. You, however, hate it, and don’t deny that fact. You have nothing nice to say about your students, and the classwork you give them is ridiculously difficult. We won’t list the lovely comments they have about you.”
“Well, I….” Blair mumbled.
Simon waved him off and snorted. “Let me move on to Lucas. As much as I don’t like your father, I have to agree with him on one fact: you are wasted here. Do you plan to spend the rest of your life as a medical examiner for a small mid-American town? You are brilliant, but you’ll never get all the opportunities in Flint you deserve. You can make a huge difference to this planet with the proper resources.”
He turned to Declan and Forge and continued, “Saving the best for last. Don’t just sit there. Look me in the eye and try to lie to me.”
Declan straightened and said, “I’m not—”
“Listen. You and Forge have spent most of your lives trying to ensure the bad guys don’t get ahead in this world. The two of you love that life. How long, Forge, are you going to be able to continue to be a detective in this town? We’re all lucky you’ve gotten away with it this long. Every decade it gets harder and harder because we have more people coming to Flint who won’t simply accept the fact you don’t age. What happens when Sellers is old and retiring and you still look like a man in your thirties?”
“I could point out the same facts to you,” Forge said.
Simon sighed and shook his head. “It’s not exactly the same thing. I teach college. The students go through every four, five, six years, and then they move on. Half the staff are vampires. Tell me. Look right at me and tell me what I already know. If either one of you were ever given the opportunity to openly join an intelligence organization or some sort of police force, without fear of others asking too many questions and discovering what you are, you would’ve jumped at the chance.”
“We’d have to leave Flint,” Forge pointed out.
“You and Declan still own this house with me. It will still be here, and this is still your home. I’ve known the two of you a long time, and I know how much you both always wanted something like this.” Simon held up a cell phone. “You both have one of these, and so do I. Fortunately, Ben is quite adept at using it. If we need you, we’ll call. We—Ben and I—are happy here. You’re simply content. Go ahead, tell me otherwise.”
Lucas watched as Declan suddenly became fascinated with the top of his shoes. Forge glared so hard at the far wall that Ben and Lucas finally looked as well. Lucas halfway expected to see some large, hideous bug crawling down from the ceiling. Taking a few deep breaths, Forge growled low in his throat, stood, and walked out of the room.
Elizabeth Noble lives by the adage “I can’t not write”. She can’t remember a time when she didn’t make up stories and eventually she learned how to write them down. A part of every day is spent living in worlds she created that are filled with intrigue and espionage. Using a real love of scifi and urban fantasy highlighted by twisty plots she crafts stories taking place in a slightly altered version of our world.
When she’s not chronicling the adventures of her many characters Elizabeth is a veterinary nurse living in her native Cleveland, Ohio. She shares her little brick house with an adorable canine princess and her tabby cat side-kick. Elizabeth is a fan of baseball, basketball (go Cavs and Indians!) and gardening. She can often be found working in her ‘outside office’ listening to classic rock and plotting her next novel waiting for it to be dark enough to gaze at the stars.
Elizabeth received several amateur writing awards. Since being published two of her novels have received honorable mentions in the Rainbow Awards. Her novel Jewel Cave was a runner up in the 2015 Rainbow awards in the Gay Mystery/Thriller category.
Please visit Elizabeth Noble at:
Emotion in Motion: http://www.elizabeth-noble.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.noble.77
Facebook group: On the Patio with Elizabeth Noble: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551582581800123/
Twitter: @elizabethnoble1
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Elizabeth’s direct email is: elizabeth.noble19@gmail.com
Visit The Vampire Guard:
The Vampire Guard website: http://elizabeth-noble-thevampireguard.weebly.com/
Email members of The Vampire Guard: jr.vampx@gmail.com
Thank you for hosting me!