Free Dead Man's Curves (BBW Vampire Paranormal Erotic Romance) [KOBO ED] by Ava Lore Page A

been preying on her mind.
    Gabriel switched the television off and stood. “Renovations,” he said. “A very old building on campus. I was buried beneath it.”
    Chloe snapped her fingers. “The Maitland House!” Mystery solved. The old mansion sitting on college property had been there since the early nineteen hundreds. For the past fifty years it had been a dormitory, and it was closed for the next year for foundation repairs.
    He gave her an amused look. “I don't much care what it is called, but yes. I was interred in its foundations. Recent construction work allowed me to escape. And now I must go. Thank you, Chloe, for your invaluable assistance in my transition from ground to surface.”
    Chloe blushed. “It was nothing. All I did was give you blood and, um...”
    Gabriel smiled. “Yes. Um. For a vampire, blood and sex are intimately entwined. Your energy has rejuvenated me. I am grateful.”
    She smiled back at him. “Well, I'm grateful, too. You really helped me a lot.”
    He nodded. “Yes.” Reaching down, he picked up his stolen coat and shrugged it on. Then he flowed across the room, put his hands on her shoulders, and kissed her sweetly on the lips. It was brief and cool, but her body responded all the same. Chloe sighed and closed her eyes, leaning into the caress of his mouth.
    When she opened her eyes again, he was gone, only the swirl of a curtain over the open window hinting at his passage.
    Chloe sighed, crossed the room, and closed it before going to bed.
    ––––––––
    O ne week later Chloe found Gabriel's lifeless body in her closet once more.
    She hadn't expected to ever see him again, so the sudden appearance of a corpse blocking her row of shoes made her jump and give out a tiny scream before she realized what was happening. Then she had to stand in the doorway for a moment, steeling herself, before stepping forward and giving him a nudge with her toe.
    “Gabriel?” she said.
    He didn't move. He seemed dead. That made total sense, but still. Chloe gingerly moved him aside and grabbed her shoes and went to work.
    When she returned, he was in her living room, watching TV again, but he turned it off immediately and stood when she entered the apartment.
    “Good evening, Chloe,” he said. His voice was stiff and formal, but the quick flutter of his gaze over her body told her he was not immune to the memories of their couplings.
    Fighting down a blush, Chloe nodded back. “Hello, Gabriel. What brings you here?”
    “You are in grave danger,” Gabriel said.
    Chloe blinked at him. “Am I?” she said. “I thought I was safe here. Vampires need an invitation.”
    A faint smile crossed his face, though it lacked humor. “Yes,” he said, “but other creatures do not.”
    Ooh . Chloe wasn't sure she liked the sound of that at all. “What do you mean, other creatures?”
    “Werewolves, for one. Ghouls. Fae. Various creepy crawlies.” He wiggled his fingers like spiders. “That sort of thing.”
    “And I should be scared of them... because...?”
    He shrugged. “Who knows when one of them might come calling?”
    Chloe dropped her purse and crossed her arms. “I beg your pardon? Why would they do something like that?”
    Gabriel closed his eyes briefly and ran his hand through his hair. “Oh,” he said, “I don't know. It might have something to do with the fact that the coven who betrayed me and interred me in the foundations of a grand plantation house is now running an appreciable chunk of the world with their power, money and influence. The factions we warred with a hundred years ago are now conquered and subject to their whims, employed as lackeys or mercenaries. It might have something to do with the fact that I murdered one of them last night and needed a safe place to hide. Your apartment was a safe place, though not, I fear, any longer. They will trace me here and those unbound by the laws of hospitality will be able to enter without an invitation unless you take