"Sneaking up on somebody like that. What would your prince say?" Mael's quiet voice mocked the suddenly struggling vampire in his grasp. Without waiting for an answer, Mael continued, "Shall I tell you what he would say or just show you?"

The silky purr of Mael's voice had the effect of calming the wild thrashing, but the look of terror on the vampire's face told the true story. Aware that Cian had already disposed of the other and stood watching them, Mael turned his head slightly toward him and smiled faintly. He took in no more than a quick glimpse of the surprised recognition and the blue flame in the sorcerer's hand before he looked back at his captive. He'd seen little trust and a great deal of caution in Cian, but he had this other matter to attend to.

The captive vampire's mouth opened and closed like a fish as if he were trying to speak, but nothing came out with the tight pressure around his throat. As Mael stared at him, the vampire's body relaxed and even the look of fear faded from his face. The silent message that passed between them caused the vampire to move closer to Mael after he was released. Mael's hand lowered, but only to chest level, before it suddenly plunged inside. Within the blink of an eye, his fist broke through to reach the vampire's heart. As he wrapped his hand around it, Mael savagely twisted and then yanked it out of the vampire's chest. The young vampire crumpled to the ground, motionless.

Silently, Mael watched as the body of the vampire became engulfed in flames. He would have taken care of the body, but since it had been done for him, he simply tossed the heart to ground where a writhing mass of shadows devoured it. When the fire had burned out, he looked back at the sorcerer who stared at him with an unreadable expression.

Smiling faintly, Mael bowed slightly, holding that gaze. Raising his hand to his lips, a quick dart of his tongue smeared through the blood. With the taste, hunger flared to life in his eyes as they remained fastened on the sorcerer. He could see the flicker of darker interest that followed his gesture before Cian started backing away from him. Slowly lowering the bloodied hand, Mael did no more than smile, taking in Cian's reaction. His mind opened just enough for Cian to feel the brush of something alien to his thoughts, seeking to learn him. Yet Mael didn't make one move to advance on him.

When Cian's eyes darted back up to lock with Mael's, he said. "I have no quarrel with you, prince. Do not try to read me; you won't like what you see."

Withdrawing the mental touch, Mael said nothing, as that attempt had been deliberately blocked. His gaze slowly roamed over the sorcerer's body, carefully taking in each beautiful detail, and he felt a stirring within himself. Stray tendrils of velvet shadow uncurled, sliding through the air to brush over Mael's cheek and throat in an almost loving touch. The unmistakable look in his expression said he very much liked what he saw before him.

The sorcerer's gaze narrowed on him in warning. "I have nothing for you," Cian said dryly. The look in his eyes as his gaze traveled briefly over the prince's body suggested otherwise, however. "Thank you for your help." He turned abruptly away from Mael and walked out into the street, disappearing around a corner.

The soft sound of laughter followed Cian as Mael remained where he stood. He already knew the words didn't match what he'd seen in the sorcerer.

Back Story
The Prince's Angel is a complete 94,000 word novel. It is on sale now through Torquere Press.

Written by Mychael Black and Shayne Carmichael, the book is part of the Legends of the Romanorum series. The series contains six books. The Prince's Angel, And the Two Shall Become One, and Forever May Not Be Long Enough are written by Michael and I together, and the main characters are Mael and Cian. Book two is the process of being written and is at 80,000 words. Book three is our heads and we keep having to stuff it back down until we finish book two. Unsuccessful at keeping it down, it's now at 25,000 words.

The other three books: Blood Ties, Blood Magic, and Blood Sins are written by me, Shayne Carmichael. The main characters are Gabriel, Nikolai, Xander and Persys.

Shayne Carmichael - Both Cian and Mael, the main characters, have become very close to our hearts. Cian Carmichael is an angel/sorcerer, and Mael Black is the vampire Prince of London. Mychael and I have had a lot of fun writing them. They've led us, by the nose I might add, into a series of adventures. Between spending our time arguing with Mael and Cian, trying to get them to do what we thought they should, and trying to keep them on the plot and not each other, we've had moments of hilarity and tears.

We originally wrote The Prince's Angel in less than a month. Unfortunately with trying to get book two out, Mychael and I have been interrupted by a myriad of other characters who insist we write their stories as well. Not to mention losing internet access for me. We are brainstorming to get book two done. And if Cian would stop insisting on wanting to get into book three, we might just manage it.