Burn: A shifter and vampire rock star romance (Underground Encounters Book 4) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  BURN (a shifter and vampire rock star romance)

  Underground Encounters 5

  Lisa Carlisle

  LisaCarlisleBooks.com

  Contents

  BURN

  Other Books by Lisa Carlisle

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  An Excerpt from HEAT

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Excerpt from Knights of Stone: Mason

  BURN

  BURN

  (a shifter and vampire rock star romance)

  Book 4 in the Underground Encounters series

  Lisa Carlisle

  BURN by Lisa Carlisle

  A vampire on the run.

  A shapeshifting bounty hunter hired to capture her.

  Who will outsmart whom?

  Layla Black flees London to escape the wrath of a master vampire. She reinvents herself as Angelica, the singer of an 80s metal cover band in Boston, but her past soon catches up with her.

  Devon St. Clair, bounty hunter extraordinaire, is in hot pursuit of a thieving vampire. Vampires, he hated them. Capturing Layla should be a satisfying gig that nets a nice profit.

  But Devon wasn’t counting on spitfire Layla being his target, distracting him from his mission. Besides, shapeshifters and vampires didn’t mix. And more bloodsuckers are on their tail.

  The hunt is on. But, who will be predator, and who will be prey?

  Burn is the fourth installment in the Underground Encounters series, set in a club that attracts supernatural creatures. Step into Vamps, a thrilling new world of steamy paranormal romance featuring sexy shifters, thirsty vampires, wicked witches, and gorgeous gargoyles.

  BURN

  Copyright © 2018 by Lisa Carlisle

  Originally published as Bloodlust and Metal in 2013.

  Cover by Willsin Rowe

  The right of Lisa Carlisle to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please do so through your retailer’s “lend” function. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at [email protected].

  All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.

  Find out more about the author and upcoming books online at lisacarlislebooks.com, facebook.com/lisacarlisleauthor, or @lisacbooks.

  Created with Vellum

  Other Books by Lisa Carlisle

  Underground Encounters series

  Steamy paranormal romances set in a underground goth club that attracts vampires, witches, shifters, and gargoyles.

  Smolder

  Fire

  Ignite

  Burn

  Heat

  Chateau Seductions

  An art colony on a remote New England island lures creative types—and supernatural characters. Steamy paranormal romances.

  Darkness Rising

  Dark Velvet

  Dark Muse

  Dark Stranger

  Dark Pursuit

  Underground Encounters series

  Gargoyle shifters, wolf shifters, and tree witches have divided the Isle of Stone after a great battle 25 years ago. One risk changes it all…

  Knights of Stone: Mason

  Knights of Stone: Lachlan

  Knights of Stone: Bryce

  Seth: a wolf shifter romance in the series

  Knights of Stone: Calum

  Knights of Stone: Gavin (coming soon)

  Stone Sentries

  Meet your perfect match the night of the super moon — or your perfect match for the night. A cop teams up with a gargoyle shifter when demons attack Boston.

  Tempted by the Gargoyle

  Enticed by the Gargoyle (coming soon)

  Captivated by the Gargoyle (coming soon)

  Night Eagle Operations

  A paranormal romantic suspense novel

  When Darkness Whispers

  Vampire Blood Courtesans

  A multiple author shared world series.

  Pursued: Mia

  Berkano Vampire Collection

  A multiple author shared World Series.

  Immortal Resistance (Division 3)

  Visit LisaCarlisleBooks.com to learn more!

  Don’t miss any new releases, giveaways, specials, or freebies! Join the VIP list and download a free read today!

  www.lisacarlislebooks.com

  Chapter 1

  Devon

  When I got the call from a vampire named Stefano, I considered hanging up. Vampires. I hated them. Cold, dead creatures stalking the Earth and sucking sustenance out of others.

  Pathetic.

  Other acquisitions were just a job. Vampires were a vendetta.

  Shapeshifters and vampires didn’t mix—unless they had to. I loathed dealing with those blood-lusting, walking corpses. This one was willing to pay twice my fee on hearing of my reputation as a bounty hunter. I swallowed my revulsion and took the job.

  All I had to do was hunt down a female vampire who stole from him. An easy gig.

  On the flight from London, I studied a roadmap to drive from Boston up to the nightclub where I was heading. It was hidden in the warehouse district in Caterina’s Cove, a little coastal village north of Boston. A brochure advertising condos described it as a quiet seaside setting, the perfect place to have access to the ocean without the typical tourist crowd that attacked most of the other beaches on the North Shore.

  The brochure conveniently left out how Cat’s Cove, as it was called, was also home to an underground Goth club that attracted “freaks and weirdoes” as one regular had described it online. In my research, I discovered it also attracted a small but growing crowd of supernatural beings. Rumor spread that a vampire once owned it, but that might have been provoked by the name of the club—Vamps. After a fire, the club was bought and rebuilt by the current owner. Many described him as tall, brooding, and mysterious; some speculated whether he was a vampire as well.

  After we landed in the US and waited at the long
lines at Customs, I found the car rentals. Earlier I had requested a black car with tinted windows and plenty of space in the backseat and trunk, either of which might serve as a temporary abode for Miss Costa. I’d told the rental agent I had a lot of luggage. I smirked at the visual of having that bloody vampire bound in the car. Then I drove north to Cat’s Cove.

  Stefano knew better than to hire a human to find Layla. They relied on paper trails and online transactions, both which vampires kept to a minimum, especially considering their extended life periods. He needed someone like me, with abilities beyond a typical human. With those and what I’d learned in the British military, I had established a lucrative career as a bounty hunter. And I was one of the best.

  Most of my targets were scumbags. They deserved to be caught and brought to justice. Not all, though. Occasionally, I suspected the acquisition might be innocent. But I had to stay objective. It wasn’t my job to judge a person’s guilt or innocence. I was hired to track them down.

  This time, my target was a vampire, Layla Costa. Tracking her down wasn’t that difficult, but it did take longer than I had expected. I caught her scent all over Stefano’s place. It was rather sweet, reminding me of herbs and flowers, and not the smell of the dead I’d associated with most vampires. This distinctive scent helped me track where she’d gone next.

  With her photograph in hand and scent imprinted on my mind, I asked about her at each location. This required more social engineering than scent tracking, but between the two, one location led me to another. Eventually, I discovered that Layla Costa was now portraying herself as Angelica Blackwell, a singer for a heavy metal cover band called Bloodlust Diamond. She’d changed her appearance dramatically, but I could still discern the same features--large, almond-shaped eyes on a heart-shaped face. She was quite striking—both as the dark-haired vampire Layla Costa and the wild heavy metal singer with teased multicolored hair

  I grunted. What did her looks matter? She was just another job. I would simply grab her, take her to Stefano, and collect my money.

  The hunt had started, and I closed in on my prey.

  Layla

  An uneasy sensation made me turn from the mirror. I scanned my room for the source. On seeing nothing amiss, I glanced out my window. No dark shadows creeping about, slithering toward my door. The neighborhood was quiet, typical for this suburban area. Just a few cars drove by.

  Will you relax? You’re an ocean away. He’s not going to come looking this far. I don’t think he’s ever left England. He’d hardly do so now for you.

  True. After the unsettling feeling passed, I resumed getting ready for the show. I teased my variegated black-and-blonde hair to get into character for the show. After all these years as a brunette, it was strange seeing myself with blonde. The hair stylist I paid big money to “reinvent me” insisted this was the look to capture attention as the new singer of an Eighties hair band.

  “Heavy metal,” I’d corrected.

  He’d snickered. “Okay, princess.”

  What did he know about music, anyway?

  He’d bleached one side of my hair a platinum blonde and dyed the other side black. Then he added a few streaks of black amid the blond and white amid the black.

  If I turned one way in the mirror, my reflection showed a raven-haired woman. When I turned the other way, my reflection showed the blonde. Amazing how the hair color made me look like two different people. Then I looked at my reflection dead on from the front. Whoever was looking at me would focus on my wild hair, which commanded attention, rather than my face. Money well spent. The better I disguised myself as Angelica, rock singer, the less I resembled Layla Costa—which would make it harder for Stefano to find me.

  Even so, I used makeup to my advantage to mask me as a different woman. I accentuated my eyes with black eyeliner, extending them slightly beyond my lash line to give me a cat’s-eye style. Then I added two coats of black mascara. It was too easy for features to wash out under the stage lights. With some blush and a dark-maroon lipstick, I made sure it wouldn’t happen tonight.

  I put on red stiletto boots over the tight black vinyl pants and readjusted my tank top in the full-length mirror. Then I took a nip of the blood from my flask, just a bit to take off the edge. A little sip was my ritual to fortify me for the energy I’d expend on stage.

  “Here we go again,” I said to my reflection.

  After I left my apartment, I drove to the rehearsal space to meet up with the rest of Bloodlust Diamond. I’d joined the band six weeks ago after their lead singer had quit to enter rehab. Since I needed to create yet another identity, what would be more fun than reinventing myself as a rock singer? It would be the last place Stefano would look for me. Before I’d been turned, I’d earned a degree in political science—not necessarily by choice. My parents had insisted on it, killing my aspirations to become an environmental scientist.

  The band already had the equipment stashed in the back of the van, so we drove to Caterina’s Cove, a town I’d never heard of, north of Boston. A woman named Maya Winters had booked us.

  “We’re having a theme week,” she’d explained. “Hair and Roses—the best and worst of the Eighties. We’d like to book you to play here a couple of nights.”

  Since Bloodlust Diamond was usually out there soliciting gigs, we’d jumped on the opportunity.

  “How did you hear about us?” our guitarist Joey Bangs asked.

  “I’m always looking for new talent to book here,” Maya had said. “I asked our regulars if they knew any good bands who played Eighties covers and a few mentioned you. They’d seen you play around Boston. I checked out your website and liked what I saw.”

  After we reached our destination, the unsettling vibe I’d had earlier returned when we walked down an alley to reach the club, Vamps. I thought we’d made a mistake and were lost as the area was full of dark warehouses. When we reached a building with gargoyles perched on each side of the front door, Joey opened the door.

  A bouncer named Byron called some staff to help us unload and set up our instruments, which was cool since we weren’t big enough to hire roadies. I opened a door with a sign reading “Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here.” When I entered the main area of the club, my initial impressions changed. Judging by the wall-to-wall people, this place was not unknown.

  The dance floor was packed with people jumping or dancing wildly to Ozzy Osborne’s Crazy Train. Although many people got into the spirit when they came to our shows, almost everyone here had dressed for the Eighties theme tonight. Most of the women had teased their hair to make it bigger and harder than nature intended. Some guys had long hair, but I couldn’t tell if it was natural or wigs. I should go out there and give some a little tug.

  Many of them wore torn jeans with band shirts, such as Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Iron Maiden, and the Misfits. Some women opted to vamp out in tight black spandex pants or animal print. Several had a Gothic look. Black clothing, pale faces, and eyes painted dark and smoky.

  Despite the variety of couture, one accessory was a given—black boots everywhere.

  The sounds of Crazy Train faded out. The DJ would play before and after we had our set. The crowd slowed down as the music dimmed. The DJ blended the final notes into Nine Inch Nails’ Head Like a Hole, and the crowd’s energy rose again.

  While the guys from the club helped us set up our equipment onstage, I walked up to test the mic and adjust it to my height. Whoever played here last had to be extremely tall as I moved it all the way down to reach my much smaller stature of 5’ 2”. I could inch up to 5’ 5” or 5’ 6” in the stilettos.

  I met up with the guys backstage, and we went over the set list. Joey smiled as a tall, striking woman strode toward us.

  “Hi, Maya,” he said in the tone he reserved for women he found attractive. “This is Mark, Rocco, and Angelica.”

  After we exchanged greetings, Maya ran over the last-minute details about our set.

  An hour later, Maya walke
d out onstage as the DJ faded out the end of the song.

  “Good evening, everyone,” she said. “I’d like to welcome you to a special event at Vamps tonight. As you know we’re having Eighties week here, Hair and Roses, bringing all of you back to the best—and the worst—of the Eighties.”

  Several in the crowd hooted and hollered.

  “Judging by the outfits here tonight, I’m glad you’ve all gone for the best,” she added. “We’re also going with the best by bringing you an awesome band recommended by some of you regulars out there. Thank you. You know who you are. Without further ado, get ready for some of the best of Eighties heavy metal. Let’s welcome Bloodlust Diamond!”

  The crowd applauded.

  “Ready?” Joey said.

  “Ready,” Mark Dudley, who we called Studley, said.

  “Let’s go.”

  More cheering as the guys walked on the stage, raising their hands in welcome as they took their positions at their instruments.

  After ensuring nobody was looking my way, I sipped another nip of blood. In addition to the skittishness that had forced its way into my body since I’d gone on the run, I suffered a nasty bout of stage fright before going on stage. Once I started singing, I was fine. It was that quiet moment between walking out there seeing the crowd and beginning to sing that gave me an issue. My hands turned clammy, and I’d stutter if I didn’t find a way to calm the anxiety.