Novels by Angela Santiago

There was no time to think about my mortality now. As I finished off the last of my drink, Bishop whisked me back to my new office. It had an entrance directly to the Great Court but the main entrance was accessible through the Lesser Courts. The gold motif continued and I wondered if it fulfilled some kind of fetish for Trick. The wall paper was cream with gold flecks, the writing desk was cast in gold, the chandelier shimmered with Swarovski crystals in gold settings. Sunlight gleamed through windows trimmed in gold and the whole room had a wicked glare to it. First order of business, sheers to diffuse the light.“Well, Milady, here are the final candidates for your staff,” Bishop brought my attention to the paperwork on my desk. Each showed a headshot of the woman being considered, as well as a detailed resume. “No humans?” I inquired, flipped through the sheets.“Given the nature of the palace business, it’s best to have a staff well versed in vampire culture,” Bishop explained.

After living through Bishop’s morning schedule for me, I could see why Trick always hired him back. The man was like a machine, never deviating from the task at hand, a clear plotted course for each action, and always ready with a reason why we couldn’t take a break to have a snack or a shot of tequila. By the time I was allowed to make my way to Lucy’s and have lunch with her, Jules, and Kyla, I was ready to forsake Trick and run back to the bookstore. Then Bishop brought me a giant toasted club sandwich with extra bacon and a side of potato soup (heavy on the bacon) and all was forgiven. When he sat down a vodka spritzer, I almost kissed him. “Rough morning?” Jules commented, watching me drain the entire drink. Bishop whisked the empty glass away and set down a replacement beverage.“Did you know that I have to invite the queens of each realm to monthly lunches for the rest of my life? And then attend them in each of the realms? Every month. In every realm. Also, there’s an entire

My mouth went dry as all liquid in my body shot straight to my panties. Trick took advantage of my shocked open mouth, inserting his tongue, closing the gap I had been maintaining. My hands fisted his dress shirt, while he took handfuls of my ass. I rubbed myself across his front, feeling his erection through his pants. Damn, that was an inhumanly impossible cock. Duh stupid. I groaned at my idiotic thought but Trick took that as approval, sliding both hands under my shirt, lifting it until both of my breasts were exposed.“Hey now,” I squealed, trying to step away. Trick’s eyes were black with need and he pulled me back to him, dropping his mouth to my left nipple. My toes curled the second his lips touched my skin, his tongue teasing me. “Oh, uh, mmmm, we can’t,” I panted. “Please.” Trick stopped and I died when he pulled away, the cold air replacing his breath.“Give me one good reason why we can’t,” he demanded, his tone low. It wasn’t threatening, but it still

I rubbed my sweaty palms on my leggings and stepped out of my room. Jules and Lucy looked relieved to see me.“You didn’t need to check on me,” I told them. “I appreciate it, though.”“Well things were pretty intense and that group is not exactly easy,” Lucy said understandingly. “Jules and I remember meeting them for the first time.” Jules nodded.“It was horrible. The only saving grace for me was no one said anything bigoted. If they had, I would’ve just been done,” Jules remembered. “Thankfully, Risk scares most of them and the ones he doesn’t scare don’t care.”“Does Trick care?” I asked. I already had an oppressive mother, I couldn’t stand it if my husband was the same way.“Nope. He gave me away at our wedding.” A tender smile crossed Jules’ face. “My parents refused to attend, so he declared he was my father for the day. It was perfect.” My heart burst with pride. And relief. “I’m glad. I may need a set of substitute parents for my wedding.” Jules and L

“Bishop.” Trick’s voice was bone chilling. “Yes, Your Majesty, Lord Hail came to pay his respects to Miss Saraya earlier today.” Bishop’s already grey skin appeared more sickly as he spoke. The muscle along Trick’s jaw clenched. “You are dismissed,” Trick managed through clenched teeth. Bishop bowed his head and disappeared. My heart sank. Was he coming back? Had Trick just fired him? “It appears that I’ve caused some discord between servant and master,” Hail said, smirking while he took his seat. “Trick,” I said softly. “Not now,” he replied shortly. His tone dumped cold water on my feelings causing tears to form. I stared at my plate, trying to

“Uh, not that I know of,” I managed. “You’d remember if we had,” Trick said, holding up his champagne glass for a refill. “Would she?” Maven teased. “You would know,” Eclipse said in a sickenly sweet voice. My heart fell. “Your speculation on my previous relationship with Trick is gross, not to mention unfair to Saraya. If you have something to say, address it with me. This passive aggressive pettiness is unbecoming of someone of your rank, even if that someone is you.” Eclipse opened her mouth to say something but she stopped, her jaw open. “Eclipse, I highly recommend that you think very carefully before you say anything else the rest of the evening,” Trick cautioned, leaning back in his chair with his glass. “You have proven to be a competent minister. It would be a shame to be replaced, unable to fulfill your father’s dying wish. Have I made myself clear?” Her eyes darted to Trick and I realized that she sat there paralyzed. “Good.” The next instant her j