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Sanguis City by Morgan Jane

Sanguis City Series Book One

Ever wonder what happens after the world ends?
Lilanoir Rue did. A mere by product of the destruction, she never knew what happened before hand either. Banished from the only place she called home, the Human Reservation, she wipes her tears and never looks back.

In a world gone dead, life has never been so good, for some. While others live in chaos, the chosen call Sanguis City home. The rich and powerful found a way to survive The End and to enjoy every minute of it, for eternity. On the brink of a gruesome death from starvation, disease or a hungry mutant, humans flock to sell their blood for peace.

The city of blood, made for and by vampires welcomes Noir, her kind are in high demand. Neither Human nor Vampire, Bleeders take care of the city in the daylight. Draining humans by day and dating Vampires at night leaves Noir little time to think about her past, or much else, until it finds her.

After three years in the city, Noir's life is finally on the right track. But when she falls for her new Professor, an Authentic Vampire, she also falls into a web of nightmares. Unable to escape painful memories, she uncovers more than her own secrets. Some secrets just won't stay dead and others are bound to kill her before finals week.

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Release Date: July 29, 2013
Publisher: Morgan Jane Mitchell

Excerpt & More

Excerpt:
What the hell was I thinking? Clair dolled me up in one of her skin tight black dresses, she was two sizes smaller than me. My breasts were spilling out. “I look like a whore,” I told her as I fixed my hair. It was a ginger red and recently layered. I curled it under but one strand kept poking out.

“That's the point, everyone at Dante's looks the part,” she giggled.

I knew and I hated it, the vampires loved a theme. I applied my makeup one shade darker so I wouldn't be turned away. You couldn't go from place to place at night in this town in the same outfit. Dante's, of course, was Hell and I had never been. My mama told me about Hell and the thought of going there to party was not something I fancied. Plus, there was a strict dress code. I hated dressing up unless it was my idea.

“The heels!” Clair reminded me and I stepped in. Clair was bubbly and happy all the time. It gave me a head ache.

“Off to high class Hell,” I said under my breath as I grabbed the small clutch Clair lent me.

“You have to go, Noir, a professor asked you and you said yes. If you didn't want to, you should have said no and switched your schedule,” Clair beamed with the ability to say anything cheerfully.

I took a deep breath, “Of course I am going,” I gave Clair my best effort and smiled.

It was January and cold, I pulled my black trench coat around me tight as I made my way down the street. The bus had taken forever, it was Friday and this part of downtown was packed. I was late. It was Vampire rush hour, or happy hour by the number of bars. Industrial music thumped as I showed the bouncer my hand. I watched it glow as he waved his scanner over it. He was a vampire, probably an ex wrestler because all the Accidents, people turned by the cure, stayed as thin and frail as they were on their death beds, forever. “Take it off, sweetheart,” he demanded and I slipped my coat off and twirled.

Inside Dante's was dark, darker than normal which meant it was a Vampire favorite. My eyes would adjust a little but I almost walked right by him. I shook from a shiver, I wondered what he was doing to me. What was his special vampire trait? We all had something that made us unique but an Authentic like Aubrey would have a power ten times better than mine. I filed away the fact that, as much as I tried, I couldn't get any straight answers about the Real Vampires.

Aubrey stood as I took my seat. He was dressed in a straight cut leather jacket over more black. I looked around at the crowd and was thankful he wasn't wearing spikes and chains. “Noir, is it?” He asked in my ear before I sat opposite of him at a small bistro table. This bar didn't serve food of any kind, even if it was advertised as a take-out place. The flame in the oil candle in the middle of our table danced and illuminated him in a spooky way. Aubrey lit a cigarette. Yes, vampires could smoke, drink and do drugs, even if those things didn't affect them like it affected us.

I smiled without showing my fangs, because showing fangs would be a sure sign I wanted more. Then I spoke loud enough to hear myself over the music, “Yeah, unofficially Lilanoir Rue,” I put out my hand and brought it back. “I know, people don't do that anymore. Germs.”

“And what does a Vampire have to fear from, Germs?” Aubrey shouted back.

“I know, right?” I said casually before I straightened.

Aubrey smiled briefly then his face returned to politely waiting.

“Yes, it is Noir,” I finally gave in.

“Aubrey,” he said reaching for my hand and I gave him an awkward finger shake. It was customary to tell a vampire your name, your official name before starting any private conversation. Weird, but I should have been used to it by now. It essentially meant we were speaking as equals, unlike our words in class. He scooted his seat close to mine. “So Noir, what brought you to Sanguis City?”

I could finally hear him, I didn't have to shout. Maybe that's why he closed the gap? I tried to act natural when his arm went around my back. I expected this was going to be the normal interrogation all the teachers put me through until his thumb brushed my bare shoulder. Something in me shifted and I found myself even more attracted to him. “You first,” I said full of confidence, I could play the game. If I was to give into him and answer, without anything first, I would be treated just like Jef treated poor Savy. A vampire only treated you as well as you demanded.

Aubrey's face had the character I associated with an old Vampire but he didn't look a day over twenty-five. You would never know he was undead, nothing stood out. Pale but no more than your average white man. Imperfect white teeth, no fangs like mine. His would only come out when he needed them too. Neither long, nor short for a guy, his dark hair covered his eyes for a moment when he moved. Aubrey hesitated and drew his eyebrows together, his blue eyes studied me. They were beautiful but wouldn't break me. I didn't waver but waited. He leaned back in his chair and gestured, a waitress appeared. She was a Bleeder dressed as a devil, complete with horns and a tail. “What do you drink?” Aubrey asked me while returning her smile.

“Mascato, please,” I told the barmaid, not him, thinking that wine was a good choice.

“Morgan, on the rocks,” Aubrey told her and suddenly I was craving Rum. “New York isn't what it used to be.”

“Oh,” he had answered my question. “I heard... Zombies.” The elixir that turned humans into Vampires had once sold to the highest bidder until the Authentic Vampires put a stop to it. Now people were producing copy cat drugs trying to become immortal.

Aubrey laughed, “They're not zombies, there is no such thing. These things are way too fast.” I almost choked, I had heard that line before. He laughed again. “Unless you count that drug,” I nodded and laughed a little too, I knew all about that. I shook my head trying to forget.

Aubrey told me that New York has taken the longest to fall and will eventually be built back up like Sanguis City. In the three years I have been here, I learned that the New Vampires had taken over the world. But what else do you expect when the wealthiest, most powerful people could buy immortality, strength, lethality? The Authentic Vampires had opened up Pandora's box giving human scientists a supposedly dormant virus to save them. The vampires had no idea that it was their vampire DNA that humans were really after.

The brunette in red leather strutted back over to sit down our drinks on napkins. Aubrey pressed real money into her bosom. I didn't know anyone still used cash, but he had just come from outside the city. Aubrey immediately held his drink to his nose and sniffed. “Ah, this is why I am here, you can't get a good drink anywhere but here anymore.” He held it up swirling the glass.

“We didn't have much to drink on the reservation, only what we could grow, herbal tea and honey, milk,” I started.

“Real milk, that's something you just can't get anymore.” Aubrey finished his drink as I started sipping my wine. “But what about you, the world is falling apart and you leave one of the most heavily armed, healthiest, purest places?” He shook his head.

“Where else could I have gone,” I pointed at my fangs. “They didn't want me anymore.” I looked away toward the crowd dancing.

“So you never met a vampire until when, when did you leave?” Aubrey rested his chin on his fist truly fascinated.

“When I was Eighteen.” Leaving out the part about Jack, of course and Sander, I had too many secrets. “My mother said it was where I should go. The city the vampires built,” I lied while imagining my mother saying it.

“And your father, did he approve of sending you to the the City of Blood?”

“Dead,” I answered simply. I had no feelings about it one way or the other, he had died from the plague before I was born, like a lot of people.

“And you never saw a vampire until you got here? Amazing.”

I let him answer his own question, then added, “If you don't count the movies. But I have had fangs all my life, it is not like I didn't know Vampires existed.” I lit one of his cigarettes, if you can't beat them and all. Yes, Sanguis City was just like an old movie to me.

“So, you didn't grow up in the dark? It's dark upstate now, real dire conditions.”
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