The Oath
by Tara Fox Hall
Within weeks, vampire Danial Racklan has captivated young widow Sarelle and drawn her deep into his dark, dangerous world. Confessing his love, Danial has asked for Sarelle's Oath, a formal binding between vampire and human lovers. But while a promise of everlasting love sounds like Heaven to most young women, Sarelle has agonized over the decision for months, unsure of taking the final step of Oathing to Danial. Yet this Christmas Eve, Sar impulsively decides to speak the vow that will change her life for all time.
Excerpt
THE OATH
“Do you think it went okay, Sar?” Danial asked on the drive home. “I think they liked me.”
The first meeting between my new vampire paramour and my human parents had been stressful, to say the least. While they’d appreciated Danial’s charming manner, his candor had been received a bit less enthusiastically.
“I think it went fine,” I replied. “They liked you a lot. But maybe you should’ve waited for the second meeting with them to break the news that we’d moved in together.”
“We’re adults,” he said smoothly. “We’re old enough to know what we want. Why hide?”
“I wasn’t hiding,” I said defensively. “But it sounds fast even to me, who’s happily living it. And no, before you ask, I’m not having second thoughts.”
“Good. Let’s get home. Next week is going to be busy.” He kissed my hand. “I’m very pleased you’re coming with me.”
It would be my first trip overseas, and our first trip as a couple. I was jittery with excitement, thinking how romantic Europe would be. However, I was also worried, because this was a business trip for Danial, which meant some kind of crime had been committed.
Danial ran Solutions, Inc., a business dedicated to detective work involving corporate crime, specializing in computer programming. Would some new enemy be there to spoil our newfound happiness?
* * * *
The next two days were a whirlwind. Danial left for the airport with his bodyguards Ivan and Demetri after he woke up Sunday night. He called me from his hotel in Akron at one a.m. to say that he’d arrived safely. I worked Monday from ten to seven and then came back to Danial’s home to shower quickly. Theo, Daniel’s chief of security and best friend, grabbed my bags as I threw on a jacket.
“Are you coming with us to Europe?” I asked as he drove us to the airport to meet Danial. “Or are Demetri and Ivan coming instead?”
“Do you want me to?” he said with a smirk.
“Yes.”