Condemned, an all-new standalone Sexy Fantasy Romance by Marianne Morea is releasing July 19th!

EXCERPT

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” he murmured, scanning the street ahead.

A neon sign for Lavazza espresso glowed in the window of a café at the next corner. The ambient light sent a dull yellow swath across the sidewalk, the illumination fading as it reached the street.

The sign flickered and then went out as two women emerged from the café door. Dominic waited, listening to their muffled goodbyes and quick double-cheeked kiss as one left in a cab and the other started toward him.

She was oblivious to him as he watched. Clouds rolled in earlier obscuring the moon, but as if God himself commanded, they parted as she stepped off the curb and his breath caught in his throat.

“Beauty,” he murmured.

A riot of auburn curls framed a heart-shaped face, and soft hair kissed creamy shoulders. It fell in waves over bare skin highlighted by an off-the-shoulder spring sweater, and when she glanced toward the sky he saw her eyes were amber.

Carlos said it. He had a weakness for pretty redheads and this one was gorgeous with just enough curves to make his mouth water and his fangs tingle.



You’re horny. Either that or you haven’t fed in a while...

Dominic smirked to himself at Carlos’s words.

Knowing you, it’s probably both.

Dominic watched the woman turn the corner into a darkened street. Rome was safe. At least that’s what the travel brochures liked to claim. Average humans had no idea what prowled the ancient streets in the small hours of the night. It wasn’t just muggers looking for a quick hit.

He followed, keeping his distance. No matter how tempted, he had other business to attend, but he could play Good Samaritan for now.

Her footsteps echoed in the silence, the tap tap of her boots bouncing off buildings on either side. He hung back, but her senses were sharp and she glanced over her shoulder as if she knew someone followed.

She picked up her pace, heading for the florescent lights under the façade canopy of a typical three-star side street hotel. Two blocks. That’s all she had to walk before he got back to the task at hand. Once inside, the pretty woman was no longer his concern.

“Belinda…” a voice called from the shadows. “The mistress waits for you and so do I.”

Startled, she stopped short on the sidewalk and looked across her shoulder. “Is someone there?”

The voice laughed and she took a step toward the darkened alley to peer into the gloom. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

“Come see...”

As if mesmerized, she took another step, but before she could move into the darkness, Dominic knocked her back to the sidewalk.

She fell with an expletive, pivoting on her heel to break her fall with both palms. “Ow! Shit!”

“Didn’t your mother tell you not to play in the dark?” His mouth was a harsh line, but at the stunned look on her face, he softened.

“No.” She slapped his hand away and got up on her own, dusting herself off. “She told me not to talk to strangers, especially pushy shovey ones!”

“I’m sorry, but you were about to step into that alley and someone was there, waiting. Someone you wouldn’t want to tangle with. There are dangers in the shadows.”

“Wait, you heard the whispers?”

Dominic nodded.

Belinda raked a sore palm through her hair, but was too freaked out to wince. “So I’m not crazy. I thought I was hearing things.” She hesitated, sparing a glance for the dark alley before looking back to Dominic. “But he knew my name.”

He nodded again. “I heard. Belinda. It’s beautiful name for a beautiful girl that almost got into a situation she might not have been able to get herself out of.”

“I’ve never been the dumb girl before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything,” she mumbled, giving him a sheepish glance. “I’m actually pretty smart.”

He bent to pick up her purse and handed it to her. “Then do me a favor smart girl,” he said with a smile. “Go back to your hotel and lock the door behind you. Pull the shades and don’t answer the door for anyone, at least not until morning.”

“Wait,” she said as he took a step toward the alley. “Where are you going? I don’t even know your name.”

He looked at her and shrugged, fighting every urge to take her a kiss her then and there. Another place, in another time. Maybe.

“It’s better that way, beautiful.” Dominic took off after the voice knowing exactly who it belonged to.

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About Marianne Morea

Who am I? Well, that's a good question. When most people think of romance suspense authors, the image of Kathleen Turner as Joan Wilder in 'Romancing the Stone' usually comes to mind. A lonely woman sitting in a bathrobe and fuzzy slippers, conjuring lovers and adventure in her imagination. In other words, one step away from being the neighborhood cat lady.

If that description made you cringe, then you know how we writer's feel. Thankfully, for most of us that image is far from accurate.

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