There is an alternate cover edition for this ASIN here. Raging Fire Kills Co-Founder, Daughter. Panthera Laboratories in Ruin. ~ Central City Gazette, 1994 Reade Hayes knows better than any vampire that nothing good ever comes out of Central City. So he isn’t surprised the beautiful blonde he meets in a dive bar is crazy. What does surprise him is how fast she moves, how hard she hits, and the fact she’s wearing a ring he last saw two decades ago on the hand of his dead friend. Is it possible the little girl he swore a blood pact to protect didn’t die in the fire? If the beauty sitting beside him is that pretty little baby, where has she been for twenty years? And why is she so lethal? On hindsight Lawrie Tyrone realizes drinking vampire blood might not have been the smartest decision. But scientists experiment and if she is going to prove her father was not a traitor, she has to take risks. So far she’s experienced no alarming side effects, well, none other than being able to recognize vampires walking among humans. From the power he exudes to his gorgeous dark eyes everything about the man to her right screams danger. Every logical thought tells her to kill him. But something in his eyes stops her. Is he using his vampire powers to influence her, or is something else making her heart ache for him? Can love thrive in the ruins of Central City?

With Panthera Laboratories running again The Vampire Guard has no choice but to return to Central City. Pretending to be lovers Hunter and Alice are sent to do reconnaissance. But pretending to be something they both wish was real proves harder than they expect. All logical thought tells Alice there’s no reason to mix business with pleasure unless you’re looking for a problem. Like every other girl who notices Hunter, she fantasizes about him. But becoming a member of his haram is not one of her life goals, neither is being forced to return to a life on the street. If there’s one sure-fire way of jeopardizing her career with The Guard and losing everything she’s worked so hard to attain, it’s by sleeping with her partner. The only problem is she can’t get her heart to believe logic or reason. What is happening to Hunter? Is he losing his touch—his vampire touch? In all his years Hunter has never encountered anyone who could resist his vampire influence. Not until Alice. She’s also the only human to ever best him in a sparring match, but that was beginners luck and had nothing to do with the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking of how he wished she would see him as more than just a partner at work. No woman has ever awakened these feelings and no woman has ever denied him. He’ll do anything to persuade her to be his partner for life, love and eternity.

Homeless are disappearing. There’s an evil army on the rise. Are the two connected? Brandt's determined to find out. With The Vampire Guard on high alert Brandt focuses on his reconnaissance mission to stake out Menhaden’s, a new upscale restaurant in the hub of Central City. He finds more than he bargains for when he meets Rachel, a petite waitress with a huge attitude and a stubborn streak to make any man crazy. She also possesses the most mesmerizing blue eyes he’s ever seen in the century he’s been on this earth. Rachel has had her fair share of hard times. She knows what it’s like to live on the streets, fighting for her next meal and failing more often than not. When her friend becomes one of the missing homeless, she will stop at nothing to find him. That includes listening to the tall, dark, and dangerously arousing man who keeps getting in her way. His commands border on the ridiculous and she refuses to heed them, regardless of the so-called danger he claims she’s in. She knows how to take care of herself and anyone else who comes along. Brandt is convinced Rachel is deep in the thick of Panthera Laboratories’ plans and doesn’t even realize it. The longer she’s on the street, the closer she comes to being part of the twisted experiments he's there to stop. Try telling her that. She refuses to follow orders, no matter how many times and ways he tries to convince her. Is he losing his power as a vampire? Or is her allure more powerful than his will? There’s only one way to find out.

The hunt is on. Panthera Laboratories wants a vampire for their experiments. But not just any vampire. They want The Vampire Guard’s leader. The best way to lure him to them is to find his weakness. Who does Serge love? In all his 800 years Serge has not allowed himself to feel the deep and honest love of a woman. Not until he meets the lovely gas station attendant at one of Central City’s convenience marts. Something about the woman draws him back night after night. It’s not just the sweet taste of her blood that intoxicates him. She is the light in his dark world. He finds himself talking to her for hours at a time, unburdening himself of his deepest, darkest sins. Harriet Winslow has heard the tales of vampires. Rumors. Myths. Nothing more. At least that’s what she thought until the sexy stranger arrives. At first she’s unable to remember the details of his nightly visits. But in only a few nights time she can no longer forget the sound of his voice. The scent of his body. The details of his terrifying past, or the feel of his lips on her skin. She’ll never be able to forget him. She never wants to lose him. When Serge realizes his selfish need for acceptance has put Harriet in danger, he’s forced to move her from Central City, to send her as far away from him as possible to keep her safe. But can he live without her near him? Will she forgive him for destroying her life?

Exposure to sunlight, silver binds and colloidal silver can make any vampire’s existence worst than miserable. Not to mention photographic evidence of Rafe Valentino’s weakest moment is now being shared with every member of The Vampire Guard. In barely a few hours Rafe went from being one of the most terrifying creatures to walk the earth to requiring round the clock nursing care. Now, forced to rely on the company nurse he can’t avoid the feelings he’s denied. But simply because they exist, doesn’t make them right, and if she knew the truth about his past, she’d throw out her nursing pledge and put a stake through his cold heart. Maddie Van Kool never wanted anything bad to happen to any member of The Vampire Guard, not at all. She’s a nurse. She wants them all healthy. But if one does become injured it’s her job to care for him. Even if he’s the man she’s been pining over for ten years, the same one who’s avoided her as if she were made of silver and sunlight. Is two hundred fifty years of solitude punishment enough for his sins? Can Rafe forgive himself enough to love Maddie?

Loneliness can cause a man to make stupid decisions, like walking straight into an obvious trap. But after weeks of internet chats, sexy text messages, and sweet phone calls with the lovely woman posing as bait, Gabriele Barone has no choice but to see this thing through to the end even if that means giving up his freedom to save her. Hunger, frustration, and watching her father’s agony over what happened twenty years ago in Panthera Laboratories has driven Aurelia Pontes to drastic steps. Against her father’s wishes and in absolute secrecy she joins forces with the owner of the laboratory to capture a third generation vampire for experiments that will reverse vampirism and lift the black cloud over Central City. Falling in love with the enemy may be a bad decision, but joining forces with a man so powerful he drove the city into ruins will change Aurelia’s life forever. Vampires aren’t the only specimen Panthera likes to use in experiments. Pretty, unknowing women work well, too. Can Gabe save the life of the woman he loves, or will she become another of Panthera’s forgotten victims?