The Choice by Debra St. John @KMNbooks @WildRosePress #flashfictionbash #vampire #free

The Contest is Closed and the Winner is: Jean MP! Congratulations!!
 
KAREN: Debra St. John is a best selling author at The Wild Rose Press. Her beautifully written love stories will warm your heart. In her flash fiction, The Choice, the clock is ticking... At midnight on the 31st, a woman must make a life altering decision. No matter the choice she makes, her life changes forever...  

***Giveaway: Debra is giving away an Ebook copy of The Vampire and the Vixen to one lucky winner! Winner's choice of format. Read on and find out how you may add this fabulous prize to your goody bag!

Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter daily for extra chances to win one of the Grand Prizes!

THE CHOICE by Debra St. John

            A week isn't enough time to make a decision regarding the rest of my life.

            It certainly isn't enough time to make a decision about eternity.

            But that's exactly what I have to do. I have until the stroke of midnight on October 31 to decide. No pressure or anything, right?

            I want to be angry with Damien, but that isn't fair. He's been given an ultimatum too. One we're both forced to abide by.

            I swallow the lump in my throat as I place a pumpkin shaped cookie at each place around the half-moon table. The tiny chairs tug at my heart. There isn't much call for preschool teachers at night. Even if such a position existed, no one would let toddlers near the undead.

            A glance at the clock shows my little charges will return shortly. The second hand sweeping around reminds me time is slipping away. Each tick brings me closer to the deadline. Closer to deciding my fate.

            Fate should just happen, right? You shouldn't have to make a decision. Then again, perhaps fate had already intervened in my life when I met Damien.

            I picture his sinfully dark hair and midnight blue eyes. It had been love at first sight. Now, his kindness and compassion  make me fall deeper in love the longer I know him.

            I can't imagine my life without him. But how can I say good-bye to my family and friends?

            At the beginning I'd been foolish enough to believe I could have both Damien and my life in the human world. Now, I understand why I can't. He's stayed longer than he usually does because of me. Before we met, he'd already lingered long enough for people to start wondering why he wasn't aging.

            Damien will never grow old, and if I want to be with him, I'll have to become a vampire, too.

            That part doesn't bother me.

            It's the people involved. The decision is tearing me in two. No matter what I decide, I'll lose someone I love. If I choose Damien, I'll never see my family or friends again. If I decide not to be turned, I'll lose Damien: the other half of my soul.

****

            Damien arrives at my apartment after sunset. He takes one look at my face and pulls me into his arms. I nestle against him, breathing in his familiar scent.

            "Ah, cara mia, this is torturing you." He kisses the top of my head. "Perhaps I should just erase myself from your memory and let you get on with your life."

            Panic stabs into me. I pull away to look at him. "No." The decision is easy. "Change me."

            His eyes light, then darken. He strokes a finger down my cheek. "Are you sure, bella? You're condemning yourself to a life of darkness. Forever."

            "I'm committing myself to an eternity with the man I love."

            "I love you, too." The words melt into a kiss.

            Desire ignites and spreads. This. This is why I had no other choice. With Damien, my life is complete. Whole. Without him, I have no life.

            Before we can get too carried away, I break the kiss. "You'll make people forget, right? They won't...wonder...what happened to me?"

            His lips brush my cheek. "I vow to you, they won't mourn for you. They won't suffer."

            I nod.

            "I can erase them from your memory, too. So you won't be forced to remember what you gave up. For me."

            I frame his face in my hands. "For us. And no, I don't want you to erase my memories." I tamp down the pain of loss. "I want to remember them. And I want to remember I chose you."

            "Cara." He gathers me close. "I promise, I'll never give you one moment to regret your choice."

            "I won't." I take a deep breath. "I'm ready. Now."

            His eyes widen. "Now?"

            "Yes. It's time to let go of my human life."

            Indecision wars in his eyes. He wants me. But he doesn't want it to be this way.

            I place my hand over the spot where his heart used to beat. "Damien. Don't worry. I'm sure." I pause. "While I'm...out...you'll take care of the memories? My family. Friends."

            "I promise." He closes his eyes for a moment. Opens them. Resignation mixed with acceptance fills the dark irises. He doesn't have a choice either. Fate brought us together. And insists we remain that way. Forever. Neither of us can live without the other. "I'll summon Emile."

            "No." I don't want his maker to change me. "I want you to do it."

            Damien nods and leads me to the couch. He brushes the hair away from my neck, his fingers lingering at the pulse fluttering there.

            It beats more rapidly as fear and excitement course through me in equal measure.

            "Dio, forgive me," he murmurs. His lips brush my throat.

            I shudder when his tongue rasps over the sensitive skin. Warmth spreads, consuming me.

            "When the sun sets tomorrow night, you'll awaken to your new life."

            "I love you, Damien." I arch my neck and close my eyes. Instead of pain, the pierce of his fangs sends a rush of desire through me. On a wave of sensation, I drift into darkness.

****

            "Bella mia, can you hear me?" The whispered words are accompanied by the soft brush of fingers against my cheek.

            My eyelids flutter open. Damien's midnight blue eyes stare down at me.

            "Amore." A smile curves his lips. "How do you feel?"

            I touch his face. The familiar abrasion of whiskers against my palm sends a jolt through me. "More alive than I've ever felt before." How ironic. Since now, technically, I'm dead. Or is it undead?

            I certainly don't feel dead. I feel like getting a whole lot of naked with the man staring down at me with wonder and love. "Make love to me."

            His eyes darken. "Oh yes. Now. And for the rest of eternity."
The End

The Vampire and the Vixen Blurb

Kelsey Adams is determined to get ahead without the influence of a famous father or by getting special favors from her boss. So it was a big mistake to kiss Rafe Alexander on the balcony at a library fundraiser.

Rafe is mysterious, charming, and sexy. And he's Kelsey's new boss. He wants people to accept him for what he is. Which could be difficult because Kelsey has more than a sneaking suspicion he's a vampire.

Can she look beyond that and trust him with her heart to have the future she wants? And will he still be there when the sun comes up?

The Vampire and the Vixen is available from The Wild Rose Press and for Kindle and Nook.

***Giveaway: One lucky commenter will win an Ebook copy of The Vampire and the Vixen. Winner's choice of format. Question: Would you choose eternity with the one you love, or be thankful for the memories? Don't forget to leave your email so Debra may contact you if you should win.

About the Author:

Debra St. John has been reading and writing romance since high school. She always dreamed about publishing a romance novel some day. Her dream came true when she started writing sultry contemporary romance with sexy heroes and spunky heroines for The Wild Rose Press. Although
she's a country gal at heart, she lives in a suburb of Chicago with her husband, who is her real life hero.

She is the author of The Corral Series, which includes her debut release,This Time for Always, a Champagne Rose and Rosebud bestseller at The Wild Rose Press. The second book in the series, This Can't Be Love, was Love Romance Cafe's Best of 2010 Contemporary winner. This Feels Like Home will complete the series when it releases in January.

Her holiday stories include A Christmas to Remember, An Unexpected Blessing (Thanksgiving), and her latest release, The Vampire and the Vixen for Halloween.

Wild Wedding Weekend completes her bookshelf.

You can visit Debra at her website: http://www.debrastjohnromance.com
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