Novels by Jess Stanley

My hands were on Mars again, grazing over soft flesh, raising goosepimples along her skin. Marley tipped her head back as my lips trailed up her neck, nipping at her skin with my fangs, drawing tiny drops of blood which tasted sublime. “Mars.”She wrapped her arms around my neck, letting me plunder her mouth with my tongue. I didn’t know why the simple act of kissing this woman sent me crazy. Maybe it was the difference in temperature. My cold tongue against her hot mouth, the sensation was phenomenal.My hands gripped her buttocks, squeezing them and she sighed against me, pulling away and looked up at me, raising an eyebrow. “You know he’s in the other room, right?”“So?” I asked, smirking, kissing along her jaw.“You’re going to fuck me, with your brother in the next room?”“Yep.”I turned Marley around, pushing her against the cold tiles, bringing her hips back

He looked younger in the picture than when I’d spoken to him two weeks prior. But that smug look… was still there.I let my hand off the page, letting Rhayden flip to the next one. He turned the book, turning it toward me.Looking down at the picture, my eyebrows furrowed. “He looks like… Hang on.”I reached out and grabbed my phone, and held it to the book, looking between photos. “It’s… It’s him. The one in the alley.”“It might not be.” Absinthe muttered, pulling the book toward him and I stared at him.“I’m not fucking stupid Absinthe; I know it’s him. It’s the tattoo on his neck.” I said, turning the phone and stood, putting it next to the picture of the man. “See, there.”Rhayden leaned in, looking at it. “She’s right you know.”“You shut it.” Absinthe said, looking at me and he pushe

All I wanted to do was break down the doors of the library and go to Mars. But I waited patiently behind my brother, as the doors opened, and we calmly walked through them.Marley stood as we walked over to the table and at any other time, she would she poked her tongue out or said something snarky. But not this time. Her gaze dropped to the table and she sat down as Absinthe and I took our seats.She looked tired.Beyond tired. She looked drained and… sad.“Marely, are you okay?”My head turned to Absinthe as he asked her what I’d been wanting to and I looked back to her in time for her to nod. “I’m fine. Lord Othello and I have been talking.”“About?” I asked.What had they been discussing for the last few hours. For that was how long we’d been pacing and waiting.Mars’ gaze went to Othello, who nodded. “Go on, you can tell them.”S

Othello had walked me to a bathroom, leaving me to do my business and then back to the library, where a plate of food was waiting. “Eat, I will be back in a few moments.”I stared at the food, my stomach rumbling with hunger, but also churning with sickness.Othello was nothing like the monster others had told me he was. He’d been sweet and kind, listening to me speak about my sister. He had questioned me about my working relationship with the Raynes and what had me agreeing to the contract I’d signed with Absinthe.I’d even told him of my doubts about my lover, about him keeping information about Johan from me. Which had been rebuked.“Absinthe wouldn’t do that.” “Which part?”“All of it.” Othello had replied. “I was present when he was born, with Absinthe being the heir to the Raynes’ coven, it was my duty as Lord of the Vampires to oversee the birth. Strapping, healthy young vampire he was, his hair as dark as night. So, I know Absinthe and what he is like, he would not tarnish th

If I could have been in the cell with Marley. I would already be there.Not being allowed to be anywhere near her, while she was going through this was breaking my heart and my spirit. And not to mention what it was doing to Rhayden.My brother had always told me he would never sully himself with a human, that because he was a born vampire, sleeping with a human was beneath him… Until he set eyes on Marlene Brennan.I had to admit, even I was quite surprised with how visceral my attraction to her had been when we first met.Now I sat here, in an empty parlor, watching my brother pace and brood. “I don’t give a fuck who he is, if Othello touches a single hair on Mars’ head I will skin him.”That threw up images of my pale haired, alabaster skinned brother, covered in black blood, while he carved Othello’s skin from him… and honestly, it painted quite a pretty—“Are you listening to me?”Rolling my eyes, I looked at my brother. “Of course I’m not.”“Asshole.” Rhayden spat, continuing hi

There was someone in the room with me…“I will get you a better bed.”My body stilled as the voice spoke and chills sped across my skin. Slowly, I opened my eyes and rolled over. There was a man standing at the door, barely taking up the doorway, but the authority he threw off, told me he was important.I climbed to my feet and stepped back, pressing myself against the wall, as he stepped inside the room and the door closed with a heavy thud behind him.The man… no creature in front of me was old. There was a blue tinge to his pale skin. Head bald, mottled with dark spots, he wore a dark suit, which hung off his thin frame. But there was not even a hint of danger coming from this man.Finally, I found my voice. “W-who are you?”There was a moment’s silence, “I am Othello, human hunter.”Oh shit.This was The Lord of the Vampires. The one every coven in the United

Noah peered at the wand and shook his head. “I can feel the taint from the angel bone, from here.”“Too bad. It’s mine.” Serenity replied, picking it up and she turned it over in her hands again. She liked the feel of it. The coolness of the bone combined with the warmth of the wood.“I just don’t like the fact it’s got angel in it. It’s like it can—”“What? Influence me? Allow the angels to find me? I doubt that’s how it works, Noah.”The door of the factory opened, and Serenity’s gaze shifted to Thorne. The demon’s gaze shifted to the wand in her hand and his eyebrows furrowed together as he signed. “Keep that shit away from me.”“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Serenity shoved the wand under the edge of her hip and crossed her arms over her chest. “There, you can’t see it.”“I can still f

This was it. Serenity was about to pick out the one instrument that apparently, according to Noah, would be the most important of her young life; and for some stupid reason... she was nervous as hell.“Your wand or stick or whatever you chose to write on your skin, is an extension of you. Some Skin Writers choose one for the rest of their lives, some pick and choose until they find something they like. What you choose today, may not be what you use tomorrow.”Patrick picked up the battered black leather case and placed it heavily on the table. Noah came to Serenity’s side and waited for the man to open it.“There’s a variety of tools you can use for writing.” Patrick opened the case and turned it, showing the contents. “You can use wood, or iron, or glass, or—”Serenity picked up the shiny golden stick and turned it over in her hands.“Gold…”“Is it real gold thou

None of them had spoken for almost three hours.Noah had finally come back, after running off, his tail between his legs and he still hadn’t looked at Serenity. They were sitting on the sofas, quietly sipping at coffee. The headache which had woken her, still pounded behind her right eye, causing Serenity to feel sick.“Do we have some Advil or something?” She finally asked, rubbing her temple.Thorne climbed to his feet, going to the kitchen, and returned with pills, depositing them into her hand. She swallowed them and sat back again, her gaze finally moving to Noah.The blonde still had his head bowed, the now cold cup of coffee in between his hands.“Are we going to talk about it?”Noah’s eyes closed and he licked his lips, sending a spike of desire and a flash of memory through Serenity. He finally lifted his head and looked at her. “I don’t particularly want to.”“Tough,” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I want answe

“For fuck’s sake…” Noah pushed open the stall of the toilet and looked down at the woman. The syringe hung out of her arm, her veins blackened, lifelessness to her eyes and he turned, going to the next stall. “Of all the fucking places to give birth…”He kicked open another stall and spotted the woman, her eyes blood-shot, the man crouched between her legs, as the baby let out its first bawling cry.Never in his centuries of being a demon, had Noah heard anything so raw. The power of that baby girl’s cry seeped into his bones and he slowed, crouching down next to her father. “You can’t look after her. You know that.”The man, his eyes bloodshot with whatever he’d just shot up, nodded, and held her out to him. “Take her. We don’t want her.”Noah slipped off his jacket and held it out, as her father deposited t

Serenity gasped awake, her heart hammering, a sheen of sweat coating her and she reached for the bottle of water, downing half of it in one breath. “Holy shit…”The memories had been so intense. So real and so very painful.She could still feel the pain Thorne had been in when Archon had tortured him. Or the emotional pain Noah was in, when he had literally been begging for permission to go and get his friend.The door opened and she looked up at the demons standing in the doorway. Thorne’s hands raised. “Are you okay?”“I-I’m not sure…” she managed and took another drink from the water bottle. “I-I didn’t think they’d be so raw and intense.”Noah came to her side, sitting on the end of the bed and she pulled her knees to her chest. “And that’s only a little bit of our memories. For the little bit of blood, you consumed. Imagine more. We&rsquo

“Take it slow, the first time back can be a killer.” The waterskin lifted to Noah’s lips, and he sipped at the cool fluid. Coughing, he laid back against the cot and looked at the man standing above him. “How long?”“Two years.”The man grimaced. “Ouch. You’ve done well to get this far, without being killed. But it was touch and go there for a few minutes. I had to get you off the battlefield before you woke up. It wouldn’t have gone down too well with the soldiers.”He turned and went to the table to the side, picking up a small plate and bought it back to him. “We’ll be safe here for a while.”Noah sat up and took the plate, suddenly ravenous and downed the cooked hare in a matter of minutes.“At least your appetite is okay. You’ll need your strength.”“For what?” Noah a