Blood Song: Refrain (Blood Song Series Book 2) Read online

  Contents

  Blood Song: Refrain

  About the Book

  Note from the author

  1. Toven

  2. Celesta

  3. Toven

  4. Celesta

  5. Toven

  6. Celesta

  7. Toven

  8. Celesta

  9. Toven

  10. Celesta

  11. Toven

  12. Celesta

  13. Toven

  14. Celesta

  15. Toven

  16. Celesta

  17. Toven

  18. Celesta

  19. Toven

  20. Celesta

  21. Toven

  22. Celesta

  23. Toven

  24. Celesta

  25. Toven

  26. Celesta

  27. Toven

  28. Celesta

  29. Toven

  30. Celesta

  31. Toven

  32. Celesta

  33. Toven

  Thank You

  Coming Soon - Blood Song: CODA (Book 3)

  Other books by Charli:

  About the Author

  Let’s Keep in Touch

  Acknowledgments

  Blood Song: Refrain

  Book 2 of the Blood Song Series

  Charli B. Rose

  Cover design by Susan Garwood

  Edited by: Silvia Curry &

  Nathanie Serrano

  Interior Formatting by: Chelsea Moye

  Copyright © 2019. Charli B. Rose.

  First Edition. All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referred to in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication / use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  charlirosewriter.wixsite.com/website

  To the man who shows me what real romance is every single day.

  I love you so much.

  “Music is a language that doesn’t speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions . . .”

  ― Keith Richards

  About the Book

  Her heart beats for his.

  CELESTA

  Everyone I cared about was gone. Dead. Except him. Though he’d argue since he was a vampire he was dead too. I was still searching for the truth, but it was elusive. As elusive as Toven’s heart. I offered myself to him—my blood, my body, my heart—but just when I thought I was making progress, he pushed me away again. He was afraid he’d hurt or taint me. Time was running out to convince him that he was worthy of love.

  TOVEN

  Everything that was important to me would soon disappear. My past was racing towards me, ready to destroy everything—my freedom, my music, her. There had to be a solution to save my life, to keep the song from fading into silence. I thought the biggest threat to Celesta was me and my nature. But I was starting to realize I was very naïve in my thinking. I had to save her before my time was up. Then I’d walk away. For her sake.

  Can love resurrect a dead heart?

  NOTE: This is part TWO of Toven and Celesta’s story. Get part ONE here.

  Note from the author

  Thanks for picking up this book. Before you start your journey into the world of Toven and Celesta, I would like to explain something to you. When I write, my goal is to generate an experience for you, the reader. I don’t want to just put words on a page. I want the characters to come alive and for you to feel like you’re living the story with them. Part of creating an immersive experience for you is creating a soundtrack for the book, like movies do.

  The main character, Toven, is a songwriter, so music is instrumental to understanding him. Many scenes in Toven and Celesta’s story were inspired by song lyrics. Other songs were selected based on the feelings they elicited in me as I wrote. You can experience these feelings more fully as you read by listening to the integrated playlist. Songs from all genres and decades have touched this story in one way or another. In addition to a link for my Spotify playlist, there are little music notes ♪ scattered throughout the book. In the e-book version of the book, if you click on the song title next to the music note, you’ll be taken to the official YouTube video or the Spotify link for a song that’s relevant to the scene it’s in. (If you’re reading the paperback, obviously the notes aren’t clickable, but next to the music notes, I’ve listed the title of the song and the artist in case you want to check them out.) I do not own the rights to any of these songs. They are added merely for reader enjoyment. And though Toven is a songwriter in my story, I claim no rights to any songs mentioned. Any implications that my character contributed to a song are purely for entertainment purposes.

  This is part two of Toven and Celesta’s love story. You must read part one of their journey before embarking on this leg of the trip. You can do that here.

  Playlist link.

  1

  Toven

  With my hand on the small of her back, I steered Celesta out of the restaurant and toward my car, which was waiting by the valet stand. Once she was enclosed inside, I glared at the two men shuffling nervously by the podium for making her feel bad when we arrived. I opened my door then slid behind the wheel.

  The air inside grew thicker, making it harder to breathe. My heart beat at a faster-than-normal rhythm, and I was having a hard time swallowing. The sexual energy which filled the car was palpable, crackling between us. Everything in me shouted for me to reach out to her, to touch her. But I couldn’t. I was too close to being out of control. It was far too dangerous for me to be in that state. Instead of doing what I wanted, I wrapped my hands around the leather-covered steering wheel—the threading dug into the skin of my palms, somewhat grounding me.

  Next to me, she shifted in her seat, sending more of her sweet aroma into the air, making me drunk on her. Her heart stuttered with nerves, and I desperately longed to put her at ease. But I couldn’t speak—I was too unsure of what might fall out if I parted my lips. The silence was unbearable though. Leaning forward, I turned on the radio and found some upbeat, pop music to fill the space between us.

  The soft creak of leather had me darting a glance her way. She’d tucked her hands beneath her thighs, though I had no idea what for. I turned my attention back to the road, concentrating on the curve up ahead instead of the curve of her hip, the straight-away after that where I could accelerate instead of the way my heart accelerated when my mouth fused with hers, and the final hill before I’d be home-free instead of the hill I wanted to make her body climb with me.

  By the time I pressed the button for the garage door to rise, one thing was certain—I couldn’t be alone with her in the house. My need was too high, and my control was far too low.

  Once the car was parked, I dashed around to her door. Trying to remain stoic, I took her hand in mine and shifted her body upright. She erased the space I’d purposely left between us and gazed heatedly up at me. Unable to resist, I catalogued each of her breathtaking features—lust-filled eyes, throat swallowing hard, lips parted slightly in invitation for me to sam
ple them. And then she reached up with tentative fingers and caressed my jaw. I tamped down the needy growl that rumbled low in my abdomen.

  “Come on,” I said and stepped back.

  Resolved to do the right thing, I strode purposefully into the house and through the kitchen. My shoes tapped against the tile in the foyer in time with the thud of my heart, but not quite as rapidly as hers.

  Finally, we reached her bedroom door; she was almost safely tucked away from potential harm. I turned to face her. Thoughts and emotions flickered rapidly across her face. She was so beautiful, so precious, innocent.

  ♪ Lost in Your Eyes by Debbie Gibson

  Swallowing the lump in my throat, I whispered, “Dinner was amazing. You were amazing.” Without my permission, my free hand floated to the softness of her cheek, which was smooth as satin and so warm. She leaned into my touch. Her eyes spoke so much—anxiousness, longing, lust, tenderness. It’d be so easy to get lost in them. Instead, I filed each one away to pull back out when I was alone. Her heart lurched when my thumb brushed her lower lip. Rapidly, I took in the gentle rush of blood moving beneath my fingers where they now rested just under her jawline, the staccato of her heartbeat, the flood of venom in my mouth and the press of my cock which was starting to strain against my zipper.

  As if I’d been burned, I dropped my hand from her face. “I . . . um . . . have an early meeting tomorrow out of town, so I’m going to have to call it a night,” I said, forcing my face into a neutral expression.

  Her smile fell. “Oh . . .. OK. I guess I’ll see you later then?”

  I kissed her cheek softly, then spun and marched to my room, not daring to look back because my resolve to leave her was so weak.

  The creak of her door sounded unnaturally loud in the still hallway.

  I dashed into my bathroom and splashed cold water on my face and tried to smother down the inferno of desire that raged inside me.

  It didn’t help. Dipping into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and tapped the number I used to utilize more frequently.

  “Mr. Adams, how may I be of assistance? Do you need me to send someone to you?” the professional voice droned.

  “Yes, please,” my voice choked out.

  Tapping came through the line as she pulled up my account. “I’ll have someone at your house within the hour.”

  “No. Not my house. That was a one-time thing. The usual address.”

  “No problem, Mr. Adams. Do you have any specific requests?” she asked.

  The only thing I wanted was a dark-haired virgin who smelled like strawberry cookies. “You know what I like.” I stared at Celesta’s door from the threshold of my room.

  “Very well. Someone will be at your apartment in forty-five minutes.”

  “Great. I’ll be there in less than thirty minutes. Thank you.” I ended the call and moved across the hall to her room. For a long moment, I waited there, wishing things could be different. That I could be different.

  But I wasn’t. I hurried away, needing to embrace the truth of my existence.

  Trying not to think about what I was about to do or what I would’ve preferred to do, I entered the garage. My hand trailed across the still-warm hood as I moved to the driver’s side. I slid back behind the wheel and enclosed myself with her lingering scent. My nostrils flared as I drew in as much of her scent as I could. Smelling her but being unable to feel the warmth of her presence left me feeling empty.

  I shifted the car into gear, pressed the button to lift the garage door and drove out. I moved through the darkness away from the only thing I wanted and toward something which made me despise myself.

  Soon, the lights of the city began to fill the night. I couldn’t do this. I dug out my phone and dialed the last number I’d called.

  “Hello, Mr. Adams. Have you decided on a special request?” the professional voice asked.

  “Uh, no. I’m actually calling to cancel. And you can close out my tab. I won’t be needing your services anymore.”

  “There will be a charge for tonight. I’m sorry.”

  “Of course. That’s no problem,” I hurried to ease her awkward apology. “Goodbye.” I disconnected.

  Instead of turning left to go to my apartment, I turned right to head into the office. I needed to spend some time in the studio. Maybe I’d find answers there.

  2

  Celesta

  ♪ Insensitive by Jann Arden

  The next morning, I buried myself in work to distract my thoughts from what almost happened between me and Toven. I tried not to think about who he called or where he spent the night. When work didn’t help sidetrack me, I tried going through my dad’s files for a few hours. That was a disaster, so I forced myself to do my job.

  My job. This was only a job.

  I thought he might call from wherever he was, but he didn’t. When evening came, Mrs. Burkett relayed some message about Toven’s meeting taking longer than expected. He’d called her, not me. Dejected, I continued working, not even stopping for dinner.

  Once my work was done, I allowed myself to get lost in the paranormal romance book I’d started not that long ago. Reading had always been one of my favorite pastimes. Like movies, it allowed me to escape my reality. And at the moment, I was in desperate need of escape. So I traded thoughts of my brooding vampire for yummy werewolf, Jace in Tri Moons: Hidden by Yanette Mantro.

  As daylight faded, I, like the main character Jasinda, fell in love with the sexy, protective, alpha werewolf. I lost myself to their world until I couldn’t hold my eyes open any longer.

  He still wasn’t back when I got up Thursday morning. But I refused to let his absence ruin my day. I was going to spend the morning getting pampered.

  After spending all day Wednesday cooped up alone in Toven’s home office editing photos and watching videos, I was looking forward to my trip to B.I.T.-10 for my appointment with Sandra. My neck ached from enduring an entire day hunched over a computer. But I was very proud of the progress I’d made during my day alone. Toven’s Facebook page now had a sexy profile picture and a banner. There was a photo album which showcased him playing various instruments and a short thirty-second clip of him playing the piano. Though the clip was short, it was mesmerizing. Its purpose was to hook the viewer into clicking the link to view a full version of the song on YouTube. I posted a couple of pictures to Instagram and Snapchat, as well as a tweet to get all his accounts showing activity.

  When I checked his accounts this morning, he already had a few new fans and followers. The video I planned to create next for his YouTube upload had the potential to go viral, so I wanted to make sure all his platforms were set up and ready to handle the traffic. Each platform would ultimately direct the viewer to his website, which would feature not just news and updates, but also songs for sale.

  I was proud of what I’d accomplished. I might be terribly inept at keeping my heart in check, but I’d done well with the official duties of my job—for the most part. Hopefully, he’d be pleased.

  3

  Toven

  ♪ Love Remains the Same by Gavin Rossdale

  Thursday morning, I woke in my office suite after a very restless night. I didn’t sleep at all after I left her in her room. Instead I spent the dark hours playing the piano. Then I completed the three-hour drive to a meeting with building inspectors, who would be handling the inspections of my new housing development in New Mexico. The meeting went longer than I’d anticipated, but it had been very enlightening and worth the trip.

  When I finally got back to Austin, instead of going home, I went back to my office and crashed. But every time I closed my eyes, my date with Celesta played on an erotic loop in my mind. Each time the memory repeated during slumber, the ending altered, changing the sensual replay into a horrifying nightmare, each conclusion worse than the previous one. But they all shared the commonality of a hurt, destroyed Celesta at their culmination.

  I was convinced I’d dodged a bullet two nights ago. With Celesta in
my lap, her scent filling my nostrils, her heat searing my skin, I nearly gave in to what it seemed we both wanted. However, I knew how intoxicating the sexual attention of vampires could be.

  She wanted me to take her in that moment, but I couldn’t convince myself that her want and need was one hundred percent consensual, rather than want under the influence of vampire charm. I cared too much about her to allow her to fall victim to me. I knew my behavior confused her, but she’d thank me one day. I just knew she would.

  It was too early to work, but I’d never go back to sleep, not with those images behind my eyelids. The tornado of feelings inside drove me to seek refuge once again in the subterranean studio. A couple hours at my piano would have me ready to face the day with a better attitude. Hopefully.

  After playing out my frustrations, I rode the elevator back up to my office. As much as I dreaded the thought of spending the morning at work after such a bad night, it couldn’t be avoided. At least Celesta was getting an opportunity to relax this morning. I was happy she was off for a morning of pampering at B.I.T.-10—she deserved it. I’d checked my security feeds routinely the day before, and each glimpse showed her hard at work in my office. It tugged on my heart.